I shamelessly copied Liberty Hill's idea for a thread winder set. Since I don't paint, mine isn't as lovely as theirs but I had fun making it anyway. The little box is 2 and 1/2 by 3 inches wide.
This is the inside. Along the outside of the bottom is a small leaf and branch pattern and the outside of the top has checks.
A friend sent me her version of the Valentine freebie and I love it, love the colors and fabric choices. It's fun to see the differences.
We've been in Mexico for the past few days. The above photo was taken at 7:15 and it's the moon about to set as the sun was about to rise. I haven't seen that before and it was beautiful to see the moon cast a glow on the ocean so early in the morning.
And here is DD posing along the shoreline a couple hours later. All the tourists were gone, New Year's was over and it was quiet and peaceful our entire trip. We celebrated my MIL's 78th b-day, enjoyed the sea life, the ocean waves, conversation and a little stitching and reading for me. I'll post later what I was stitching. Lorraine and I are stitching an ornament a month with a little twist. We are choosing a theme each month and have to find an ornament to match the theme. This month it's Charles Dickens.
Now that Christmas is over, I thought I'd post a freebie that would be great to give someone for Valentine's Day. I charted it for Gentle Arts threads. The red is Antique Rose, the green is Dried Thyme and the brown is Apple Cider. I charted it for Sand linen 32 count which makes it 3 x 3 1/2 inches. Enjoy!
For Christmas we spent part of the day with my sister-in-law and her family and my mother-in-law in Mesa. My mother-in-law gave my daughter a very special present this year, some Japanese dolls she brought back from Japan after spending a year there in 1953. My daughter seems to be the grandchild carrying on her love of Japan and will be spending a month there in July.
I've been neglecting my poor blog lately but thought this was a good time to post the Lizzie Kate Blessings of Christmas designs that my friend Lorraine and I stitched and finished for The Attic Needlework's breast cancer charity auction. She stitched six and I stitched six. The auction was a few weeks ago and the ornaments brought a total of $435.
I have a new release coming out this week, it's called Blessings from Above. The verse says "Home, Garden, Family, Love These are blessings from above".
It is stitched on 40 ct flax linen using mostly DMC threads and 5 different colors of Gentle Arts threads.
I had a small piece in The Gift of Stitching online magazine last month. www.thegiftofstitching.com
I just received notice that the September issue is now available and realized I meant to add this post ages ago.
I had a lot of fun stitching this design as I chose pale colors that I normally don't work with and used Anchor threads which I love but don't use nearly enough.
My first release is Blue House Sampler and uses Crescent Colours throughout on Flax linen.
This is called The Sampler Stitcher and is stitched on Sand linen with Gentle Arts Sampler threads.
I stitched a Blackbird Designs piece a few months ago for a friend and can now post it without ruining the surprise. Another friend taught me to lace the piece and I inserted it into a ready made frame and the backing is decorative paper.
I love punch needle. Not only do I love the look of little mini hooked rugs, but I love that it's so quick and easy to make and so quick and easy to finish. Here are a few I've finished recently for friends' birthdays. The above is from Meme's Cottage Collection.
This is from Prairie Grove Peddler and is called Autumn Bouquet. I see they have another in different colors called Spring Bouquet.
And this little sheep is from Stone and Thread.
Happy Birthday dear friends, I hope you'll enjoy.
I recently received two small boxes of "stuff" after my dad died. That's all that was left, two small boxes and nothing important, some house keys, his wallet and driver's license, a few photos and letters, a small Matchbox car in an unopened package and a small lap comforter with blood stains on it.
I'm a natural born collector and come by it rightfully, so was my dad. My mother is neat, clean, has no attachment to "stuff" and doesn't like clutter. She would just as soon throw out something that I think has sentimental value as to keep it.
Recently when I've visited her, I've noticed things missing. "Mom, where is the clock Ted gave you?" "Mom where are the fans?" "Mom, where, where where???" She never knows, her memory is either gone or foggy and pretty soon her life will be down to two small boxes also.
My hairdresser also has a mother with dementia and said he's been wondering the same thing. Where's the stuff? "Mom, where is that coin collection I had as a kid?" "Mom, where did you put that artwork I gave you?" No answers, no explanations, things are just gone. He conjectured that the older we get, the harder time we seem to have holding onto our "stuff". People are in and out of the house, on a whim things might be given to someone who will appreciate them or just dumped in the Goodwill bin. It's just stuff after all and the people and the memories are the things to be cherished.
I've lovingly put the two small boxes of stuff from my dad into one, washed the comforter, put it on my sofa, looked through his wallet, saw the Golden Age pass we got him when we were together at a national park at Christmas and realized it was probably the last time he ever signed his name. His mind was gone but his signature was as strong as ever. There were little receipts, a list of members of his retirees club and a $20 bill I gave him 3 years ago when he said he didn't have any money. Being the sentimentalist and the collector that I am, I will keep these things, I will cherish them as much as if he'd left me a Picasso and I realize that "stuff" is just "stuff" but if you are like me, it's still "good" stuff. I love that line in a Don Henley song about hearses not coming with luggage racks. So true. It's just stuff.
Not long ago my daughter was complaining because her brother had received a good deal of praise regarding some stories he had written. In trying to look at it from her point of view, I realized that I coudn't. I told her that when I was growing up I had honestly never had jealous feelings about my brothers or sister. I was always proud when they accomplished something and it didn't take away from me as a person if they had done well. She thought a moment and said "you're right, I am proud of him, I guess I just want attention too." Well, she gets plenty of attention for doing many things well and realized it by the end of our conversation.
I think the common denominator between being jealous and upset vs. happy and proud for another person has to do with love and maybe a little age and wisdom. I have a true and abiding love for my siblings and of course my children and husband and if something good comes their way I'm just as happy as they are. The mark of a true friend is when they can embrace all that happens to you, the good and the bad.
As humans, we find it much easier to be a good friend in a time of crisis, to lend an ear for a problem, to be there when the chips are down. It's not nearly as easy to be a good friend if you are jealous because someone won the lottery or lost a good deal of weight leaving you the fat one in the relationship. When we start feeling uneasy because of good things coming to a friend and not to us we sometimes try to level that person, take them down a notch of two to make sure they aren't standing taller than we are. It's so much harder to stand just as tall though a little shorter and even harder to raise ourselves to their new level.
I think we all want friends who will be there not only for the tragedies of life but also for the celebrations, friends who will celebrate along with us and not just in their actions but truly in their hearts. I don't want a friend who is willing to listen when the world looks bad but equally willing to chop at me when my world looks rosy and theirs doesn't.
One of my brother's favorite quotes is "act without expectations" . Wouldn't the world be a nicer place if people just did the right thing and didn't sit back waiting for a payoff, whatever that might be? He told me he and his wife went out for breakfast on Father's Day and saw an elderly gentleman eating alone. He told the waitress to put the man's bill on his tab but not to tell the man anything except the person buying him breakfast no longer has a father he can buy a breakfast for on Father's Day. I love that his actions weren't pre-meditated to give him anything except a little satisfaction. He was thinking only of brightening the day of the elderly man and honoring the memory of our father.
When we act expecting to hurt others so that we can feel good about ourselves, that is acting WITH expectations. When we buy a present for someone expecting to make a friend, that is acting WITH expectations. Offer an ear for a friend to vent not because you want to store their words for future use against them, but because you want to help their stress level. Act without, do things because they are right and ethical, be proud of your actions, don't expect a payoff, whether the payoff you want is good or bad. With this one simple quote, act without expectations, you can raise yourself higher than you ever expected and will no longer need to level anyone.
And dear sweet brother, thank you for always teaching me something when I badly need to know it. The above cats are for you :)
