Pin Cushion Arrives

This beautiful pin cushion from Martine from the Netherlands arrived the other day. A beautiful quilted sailboat....so tiny and so perfect. I love it! Martine also sent me a cute card with some fat quarters and two wooden spools. She writes that the fabric is real Dutch and is a replica of the fabrics used for their national costumes. I think I will save it for that special project one day.

Thank you so much Martine.....everything is wonderful.

Pin Cushion Swap

Such a talented lady with so much inspiration. I have been enjoying her blog after I found her a few months ago. She set up a Summer Pin Cushion Swap a few weeks ago and I had to join in on the fun. My pin cushion is finished, along with a needle book that has a small pincushion inside and I filled it with a few extra goodies. It has been shipped to the other side of the world from me......a place that I have always dreamed of going, but probably never will. It is fun to think that although I might never make it there, at least my pin cushion will. My swap partners name is a secret until she receives her package....I just hope she likes it.

Stop by and visit Sandra's blog and see all the wonderful pin cushions that have started to arrive.

Sewing Is My Bag

You know how it is when you have been hit by a bug and you can't seem to get it off your mind. I have the "bag bug". I thought I would make one or two, but I can't seem to stop. I have decided to try my own ideas and designs for some new bags for my shop. The process takes time to plan and work out all the "bugs" just to get it right. Sure .... there are thousands of patterns out there, but I just want something different and my own.

A couple of years ago we took out some walls in our 105 year old house and I found some newspaper clippings from 1934 tucked up in the rafters. They were patterns of dresses that you could order through a mailing address. I imagine the lady of the house back then was dreaming of having these patterns and making herself a new dress. The black and white drawings of the dresses also showed the accessories to go with them. Of course I had to make one of the bags , so the pink one is a vintage style and I just used a little more modern fabric. I added a small cosmetic bag to match......I really like how it turned out...now all I need is the dress to go with it!

So spring has finally hit southern Ontario, and the gardens are starting to come alive. The weeds seem to have taken over and the cold winter was very hard on some of my perennials. Lots of plants to move and divide and then there will be a vegetable garden to plant. Spring cleaning is a "must do" for the entire house now that the bright sun shine fills every room, I can see the dust bunnies and dirty windows have taken over. I will be busy spring nesting as my Grandma use to call it, for the next few days (weeks)...... but you know I would really rather make another bag!

Ribbon Flowers

Something fun to try, a little ribbon, a little paint, some embroidery floss, and permanent ink. I am not sure what this will be when it is finished, but I am thinking to frame it for something new on the wall. Big bold letters that read "WELCOME" and lots and lots of ribbon. I remembered seeing this idea many years ago at a craft shop and I thought I would try it. Funny how some things stick in your head for that long.
I have finished a few new bags for my shop and still more ideas to put together. I am wondering how ribbon flowers would look on a tote bag, I guess I will have to experiment and see.

Catching Up

Time flies when your having fun.....or not having fun? Not sure which one is right, but it applies to both I am sure.
It has been nice to see the sun shining the last couple days, after all the snow and rain we have had last month, it was nice!
I've been thinking of my blog, but it seems that when I had a few minutes to sit and write, something else came up. Three weeks ago we had a major thaw of snow and on top of that was a major rainfall. Water levels were fifteen feet above normal and rivers around us were swollen and major flooding happened. Needless to say that our basement was very wet with water pouring in and nothing we could do to stop it. This was the second wet basement since Boxing day, so I am glad it is over. A few baseboards to be redone and some furniture damage, but other than that...all is fine now.
I had a husband home sick with pneumonia and a layoff that lasted five weeks. He is well now and back to work....so things are looking up. School projects for my son seems to have been high on the list of "to do" things. I have to really wonder if these projects are for the kids or for the parents since the requirements cannot be finished by the children alone.
So now things seem to be back to normal and I have some time to do some quilting and work on my projects. My little shop is working out well, lots of ideas to be added and it all takes time to iron out the bugs with something that is new.
Thank you to all of you that sent "well wishes" by email...I am fine....just keeping busy.

Spring Garden Tote

Finding inspiration for what I paint or stitch sometimes is as close as my own backyard. It is not the most ideal yard, but it has it's nice spots. My gardens show their best in late summer when most of the perennials will be in full bloom. The best part of the yard for me is the hundred and fifty year old maple tree that towers the house and shades the back deck and most of the yard for the whole afternoon.
Often I like to sit on the deck steps and sketch my ideas for the next painting project, but on this warm sunny spring afternoon last year the idea of a drawing came to mind that I thought would be nice to embroider and add to something. With the last few weeks of cold days and lots of snow falls, I was feeling like working on this drawing so I could think about spring and I started to stitch my backyard on a new found piece of soft linen.
Added to the tree are many flowers from the garden, bird house hanging from a branch, but most of all I liked the idea of adding words of who joined me that day on the deck.
Finished off this weekend into a pretty quilted patchwork tote bag with soft pinks, yellows and greens and a touch of brown. Just the colours you would find in my gardens. I was able to find everything I needed from my basket of fabrics and I just love how it turned out.
Sometimes it is hard to keep a clear picture in your mind of how the finished project will turn out, often I change my mind on colours and images half way through but this time I stayed with my idea and finished it the way I had planned.

New Bags

Cold days with lots of snow has kept me busy indoors. With the lack of sunshine we have had has made it hard to take pictures of my latest projects....so they look a little dark. I have had fun stitching some new bags, but somehow the size has gotten away with me. Trying some ideas without patterns shows that in the end they become big enough to fit a house in.... well, you know what I mean. Anyway....they will come in handy for the long days on the beach where you need to take a lot with you and I also have a new crochet afghan project started, so I will be able to take it with me when it starts to get big.
I have made a few trips to local shops over the last couple of weeks and found some good sales on some nice fabrics. Once I get home there is a thousand ideas on my mind for something new to start....just wish there was more time to stitch. My painting projects are slowly coming along, still in the Christmas stage while there is snow outside so they will be ready for next year and pictures will be here as soon as they are finished.
Thank you for all the very nice emails about my projects. I appreciate all of them. You ladies are so nice!!!

Magic Sprinkle

Some magic sprinkle dust was spread across our snowy backyard on Christmas eve. It contained some bird seed, some bread crumbs and a bit of glitter. It helps Santa find his way to our home every year and it works. Seems like he spent a lot of time here this year, his cookies were eaten from the plate in the kitchen and I see he helped himself to a couple of tangerines and a quart of eggnog from the fridge. The reindeer left a bit of a mess in the yard with bits of carrots everywhere and we even found a couple of bells that must of fallen off of one of them.
Seems hard to believe that only a few days ago our home was filled with family and friends, the sounds of laughter, the smell of roasting turkey, mincemeat tarts and cranberries simmering , soft Christmas music playing, and of course the excitement of what was under the tree from Santa kept us all very busy for the day. There were a lot of stories and memories shared about my Dad from past Christmases.......this year we could all laugh and smile instead of watching each other's eyes fill up with tears. Time does have a way of healing and bringing in happy thoughts because we all agreed that he was the biggest kid under the Christmas tree.

Santa was very good to me this year, as he always is. Lots of new things to wear and some crafty things to make, new books to read, but best of all.....time spent together. Everyone stayed for a few days and that made the holiday seem even more special. My son and I had a couple of late night baking sessions and cookie decorating, lots of homemade tree ornaments were made along with homemade gifts before everyone came. I believe the best gift you can give your child is the anticipation of Christmas and the traditions that go along with it.

The house seems strangely quiet today, my son has gone back to school and my husband back to work. The decorations are packed away and the tree is down for another year. There is always that sense of Christmas blues that comes with the end of the holiday.....time flies so fast when you are having fun.

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.

Thinking Christmas

Earlier this week I spent the day with a group of ladies that I have been painting with for the last 15 years. Every Thursday morning we would get together at a small studio back in the woods on a country farm owned by a local artist. We would spend most of the day together doing what we all loved to do. Although each of us are artists and we each paint in very different styles, we do seem to inspire each other.
I haven't painted with them in quite sometime, but it felt like I picked up exactly where I left off. Somehow their life stories seem still so familiar, it felt good to be with them again.
When I came home, I started to bring out some Christmas pieces that I have finished in the past. Knowing Christmas is not that far away, I wanted to get started on something new, so it will be finished in time. I am still deciding where to begin, as this process always takes me the most time to figure out. It also seems to early to be thinking about Christmas and it is had to get into the spirit.
This piece I did a few years ago, painted on a small metal tree. Old Victorian Santa, with cardinals, pine cones, flowers and holy.

Thankfulness

As the long weekend approaches and I realize today is Friday, I have to wonder where the week has gone. In a few hours my guys will be home for three days and family plans will begin. A turkey dinner with all the extras for Sunday and visits with Grandparents tomorrow, another canoe trip down the Thames river to see the changing colours of the trees. The weather is going to be warm and sunny so I am really looking forward to this time together.
Every year it is our family tradition to tell each other what we are thankful for as we sit around the dining room table filling ourselves on turkey. I know that my son will say he is thankful for "This Turkey Dinner" as it is the same every year and I know he says it because it was what my Dad always said and it would make him laugh. I believe every year something is new on my list of "thankful" and while everyone waits for my list to be finished so they can eat, they moan and groan and sneak pickles while I am not looking. That is why it is tradition! But this year I will remember to add in "friendship". A special friendship that goes beyond any other. The really good friendship that you treasure so much and work hard at keeping it just right. The kind of friendship that I believe only comes around once in a life time. The friend that would do anything for you and would say she never does enough. The friend who I can talk to for hours and hours and it feels like no time has passed at all. The friend who has enriched my life so much and wouldn't believe it even if I told her over and over. So along with being thankful for my health and my husband and son, family, our home, our love.........I am thankful for her friendship.

For all my Canadian friends, have a wonderful Thanksgiving Weekend!!!

Warm Heart

A sunny and bright beautiful day for fall weather. Don't get me wrong, there is a chill in the wind that makes you remember to take a nice warm sweater with you. Many signs of autumn show up here in my small country town long before the leaves change their colour. Pumpkins line the farmers fields bright orange down every gravel road, fields of sunflowers shine their bright yellow and slow moving tractors pulling wagons filled with tomatoes slow me down on the two lane highway. The local apple orchard is now open, it is what I look forward to the most. Down the back roads, follow the homemade signs and you will find this small family business. No one is ever there, you can just help yourself and the sign reads "please put money in the tin box on the workbench inside the garage". An honor system that I am sure you would never find in the city. I will be back there many times, as I can never have enough apples around here.

I love how this morning the sun glowed off the water of Lake Erie, as I could see bits and pieces of the lake between the farmers trees in the backs of their fields on my way to the city. The sun's rays fell from the sky and sat at the water's edge. My Dad always use to say that the rays were the staircase to Heaven....that makes me smile.
It is a weekly ritual for me to travel into the city to pick up supplies and groceries and run small errands. With the price of fuel and the time it takes, you don't go everyday.

I managed to finish sewing on the binding of my fall quilt this week. The quilt is a project that I have been working on the last two years, a gift from the Mister for Valentines day. (I know...I am so lucky). It was a difficult one to hand quilt because it is made from soft flannels on both sides. The pattern is called "Warm Heart" and the fabrics are from Thimbleberries. It sat for along time in the closet until I decided to tie this one so I could finally use it. I am happy with the way it turned out, it is so heavy and warm and the colours are my favourite. Just in time I would say, possible frost warning for tonight.

Bed Of Roses

I really liked the fabrics in this new bag. I started and finished it yesterday in between other daily chores. I think it will be a great bag for my small crochet and knitting projects to take with me wherever I go. It has six outside pockets to hold all of my supplies and hooks, maybe an extra stitching pattern too....you never know what you will be in the mood to work on away from home.
I like how this works in one piece, the bag is the lining, so there are no raw side seams showing, and no extra lining to add in at the end. The fabrics are by Ro Gregg, called "Bed Of Roses" quest for a cure. I was thinking that they would make a nice Christmas gift filled with goodies for the crafty ladies on my gift list.

All In A Year

It had been along time since I had worked on any cross stitch. The last time I can remember was in my first apartment when I had left home and couldn't afford a T.V., and maybe a few after that. Sometime about a year ago the bug hit me again and I could not put it down. Many hours of counting threads making sure it would all line up in the end. As you can see I need a lot of frames and some pressing to do. I love the saying on this long one, it reads "Teach Us.....That We May Feel The Importance Of Every Day...Of Every Hour As It Passes."
I still have one I am working, and a new Blackbirds design I can't wait to start. So many projects and never enough time to do every one that is on my mind.