Bunny Love

A Christmas gift I have given myself has lifted a huge weight off my shoulders. For the past two years I have been working on a commission piece that was ordered and I agreed to do. In the beginning she wanted and angel painted on a door panel of a Grandmother clock. Her idea changed and she decided that she would like a whimsical bunny of some type. Well.... trying to get into someones mind to see what they see, if often not easy. Anyone that knows me, knows how much I have struggled with this piece and as one of life's lessons learned......I have to paint what I love and not what other people want painted.

This panel is long and I have had a hard time trying to fit her into my lens, so I will show her in bits and pieces.
This Grandmother clock stands about six feet tall. The top holds a painted working clock face and below is a cupboard with shelves inside and this bunny panel sits inside the cupboard door panel. I have one of my own that sits in our recroom and inside holds many movies and DVD's and right now my panel is a snowmom and her child decorated for Christmas. The panels can be easily changed from one season to the next and they make a nice conversation piece.

The next thing is the delivery and hoping she will be happy to finally have this back and that she likes my whimsical bunny idea.
I have to wonder what it was that inspired me to finish her. So many times I would sit and do bits here and there, but for the most part the interest was gone. Like some projects I guess, in the beginning you are excited to start them, but then you lose interest and they sit in closet until one day you either finish them or throw them out.....at least in my case.

So after all this time of this panel looking at me......she is FINISHED!!! I just need to shout that to the world from the roof top........
FINISHED!!!!!!!!

In The Hoop

Confessions of a stitcher.....I have a total of nine stitching projects on the go as of today. There are hoops for each one, a zip lock bag holding each project and threads neatly tucked in a small tote bag ready to take with me on the go. I also have a major cross stitch picture that I am working on and two hand quilted table runners. I never seem to leave the house without my stitching tote, but I have been known to leave home without my purse.
I have finished the twelve days of Christmas ornaments from Annie Downs pattern featured in this years Better Homes and Gardens Holiday Crafts magazine. The pattern makes a beautiful wall hanging with some applique and hand quilting. I am thinking I should have it finished by next Christmas.
It wasn't long ago that I had all of my embroidery hoops empty and in search for something else to stitch....I think I got carried away. And lastly a picture of this years advent calendar I made for my son filled with some sweet treats and holiday fun.

PIF Friends

My "Pay It Forward friends" are Nancy from Patchwork Penguin, Bev C from Kainga Happenings and Shelley from Angels Come To Play. Some very nice ladies with lovely blogs.
I have been busy with my huge back load of "to do list" and finishing up a few Christmas orders that came in last week. I am also trying to make up a few gifts for family this year, and trying to finalize Christmas plans. There will be family for dinner and traveling and visiting and time spent together. The holidays are always a busy time for me, but fun.

I started to take out a few decorations, but mostly Christmas things that I have painted in the past.
They always bring back memories and fill the house with my tiny treasures. This is a small wooden box painted on four sides with funny little Santa's. There is a wood top as well and I made it for a candle to fit inside but some how it always seems to get filled with candy canes and treats. A new candle box is started but I doubt that it will be finished in time for Christmas this year.

Pay It Forward

JoJo from Home Sweet Home has posted a PIF and I have joined in the fun. The Christmas season is the perfect time for giving and sharing.
So, how does this work?
Well, for the first 3 people who will post a comment to this post, I will make you a lovely handmade gift each. But you must have a blog yourself, and be willing to pass the "Pay It Forward" concept on. So you will then have to put it on your blog and make three gifts for other people.
Let's spread some happiness and have some fun!!!
So the rules state that I have 365 days (ample time) to make a gift in. I am more than happy to send something internationally so everyone is involved!
What better way for everyone to join hands around the globe and share our crafty goodness!!!!
So..... get typing, leave a comment and even if you aren't in the first three...it doesn't hurt to start your own chain of PIF's.

I have seen many PIF's around blogland and loved the idea, but this is the first one for me. This will be wonderful to share something homemade and the time of year is perfect!!

A New Doll In Town

A new Christmas doll is finished and what fun she was to make. Her face is painted, she has a wool coat, a painted candy cane and a Christmas tree so now she is ready for the season.
She carries a hand stitched star and has laces on her painted boots.
Her inspiration came from an older Australian Homespun magazine design by Melissa Duncan.
I have many more stuffed body pieces ready to put together, so I will probably be making a few more dolls for Christmas.
I have so many unfinished Christmas projects started from previous years, that have decided to try and finish a few of them this week. Never seems to be enough time to make everything I would like to make for Christmas, but I still have time......right???

Pillow Talk

It has been a busy house around here this last week. Not to much sewing or painting finished to show you. Everything is in different stages, but soon to be finished. I made a couple of pillows over the summer and tried using some wool felt on this one with an embroidered verse that reads "The Kiss Of The Sun For Pardon, The Song Of The Birds For Mirth, One Is Nearest Gods Heart In A Garden, Than Anywhere Else On Earth." It sat outside on the garden bench along with this red bird. Embroidered from a Barb Smith pattern from Theadora Cleaver called "Nesting Time".
Many more pillows are stitched and ready for some stuffing, all with a Christmas theme. I like to have them tucked in special places around the house, they seem to finish off my decorating for the holidays.

Going Home

The weekend found me taking that long drive back home to see my Mom. It is not long in distance at all, but long for me with the memory of that early morning phone call that sent me home 3 years ago. That day was the same as this Saturday with cold rain in the air, yellow leaves falling around me and the dark sky. This week will mark 3 years since my Dad slipped from this earth, with very little fuss at all really, it happened so quick with no warning at all that it left the rest of us stunned. This is the time of year I think of Dad the most.....his favourite time of year with all the colours of the trees is what he loved to paint the most.
Last year at this time my Mom was ready to let go of some of his things. The day was spent packing and folding clothes from every closet and dresser. The year before I spent time cleaning out his class room at the college where he was teaching art. I was not sure what this year would bring, but I knew it would be another bit of mt Dad being packed away.
Her list of chores were long, seems that when I think about how much goes into maintaining a home to keep it running smoothly there is always alot of jobs to be done. Jobs that Dad kept up with like every man of the house, but things she cannot do herself. So there were 4 sets of leaking taps fixed, furnace filters changed, sheds cleaned out, stain glass pictures hung, a new vacuum bag installed and 3 floors vacuumed, a fridge cleaned and many other odds and ends completed which was a full day's work.
The end of the day came as a surprise when she mentioned she would like my Dad's studio cleaned out. This was no easy task because I knew it was full. We always called it "Dad's messy studio" and trust me, mine is no different. Untouched for three years, the last painting still on the easel, paint tubes and brushes everywhere, 4 hours later the job was finished. Instead of sending his things to different places like in the past, these things came home with me.
Maybe it is the soul of the artist, but these are the things that connected the two of us together. The hours spent talking about art and working and painting together were the best times for me, we did what we both loved to do....... together.
It is my conclusion that when we lose someone, we don't lose them all at once, we seem to lose them in bits and pieces. Slowly but surely.
The scent of my father is gone from that house, no keys hanging at the back door, no shoes on the mat. I sit in his chair everytime I go home, and I always have the same feeling. I am absolutely stunned to find nothing where something has always been.