CJ Stitching and Blooms

HANDMADE COPPER WORD IMAGES & WINTER

2012-01-14T15:20:00.002-05:00

HELLO EVERYONE,

Winter has finally arrived 2 1/2 months late but it came with a fury. In my lifetime I have never seen Winter arrive so late. Very strange indeed.

Usually by now we have about 4 feet of snow on the ground but today we have about 4 inches of snow instead. I am very thankful for this. Of course I am NO fan of Winter so I truly wish there was none. LOL Give me warmth and sunshine any day. Hopefully Spring will arrive "Early" instead of late. vbg Below is a photo of our backyard with the snowy scene.

For the last several days I have been recouping from a bad cold which has been no fun. "Grumble, Grumble". LOL Sorry about this. It has now been 6 days and I am feeling a whole lot better so I decide to share with you some of "My Sweetie's Creative Endeavors"!!

Below are two "Copper Words Images" My Sweetie made for me back in the Autumn. I used them on My Flower Pincushion which made it IMHO more special. I like them so much I ask if he could make me some more in my favorite words.

Below are the results of My Sweetie's "Handmade with Love Copper Word Images".

The process of making these wonderful copper words is very long. First he made a "Jig" to hold the copper stripes in so they do not move while being stamped. Then he Stamps the Letters on them with a hammer. The copper is still sharp around the edges so he sands and files them smooth.

But the best part that I think really makes them special is he puts a patina on them that makes the words "glow" like a rainbow. I truly love them. The photo below does not do them justice.

Some of my favorite words are, "Kindred Spirits", "Kindness Matters", "Inspire", "Bliss", "Faith", "Love", and then he made me my initials, "JG". I can use them on my pieces of art I create. Thank you "My Sweetie" for making these words for me. More words will be forthcoming soon. What do you all think???

I am thinking we may start selling them. Not really sure if there is a market for them or not?? What do you all think??

I started back stitching on my Pomegranate Table Rug. I took an up close photo of some on my stitching.

Some of the stitching I used so far are the "Drizzle Stitch" around the pink velvet buds. I used a Kreninik Metallic Fine #8 Braid in a Pale Pink.

I used French Knots and beads in the center buds. Around the edges of the center buds I used Silk Chenille in "Sophie's Strawberries Pink". I also used this same thread around the center slices. I really love this thread. Back to stitching on this snowy day in Michigan.

I will leave you all with a wee poem I think means so much.

OF ALL HAPPINESS......

OF all Happinesses, the most charming is that of a Firm and Gentle Friendship. It sweetens all Our Cares, Dispels Our Sorrows, and Counsels us in all Extremities.

Till next time My Dear Blogging Friends, Please Take Care.

Hugs Judy

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL! PRESSIES FROM THE HEART!!

2011-12-31T17:30:00.002-05:00

Hello Everyone!

We wish Everyone A Very Happy and Healthy New Year in 2012!

Time is passing to quickly, I can hardly believe tomorrow will be 2012.

Our weather this past year has been so unpredictable and awful across the USA. But here in Michigan we have missed most of the weather disasters which makes us feel very fortunate indeed.

Usually our Winter snowfall starts in November and by Thanksgiving we have plenty of snow on the ground. I will admit Winter is not my favorite season. I have to admit I have never seen a Winter like this in Michigan. We still have NO snow. The photo below was taken on Christmas Day and today on New Years Eve the site outside our windows remain the same. NO Snow!! I must say I am enjoying this lovely pleasant weather!! LOL

My Sweetie has gifted me with some money soooooo I went on a wee shopping spree and bought some things on My Wish List.Some new books and some more lovely threads and flosses to add to my collection. In the Art Kit are 12 spools of 12 Wt. Wool threads by Aurifil. These are new to me and I am looking forward to stitching with them. I really enjoy stitching with Valdani Pearl Cotton threads. During the Sue Spargo workshop I was introduced to Bozzolo no. 24 silk threads which Sue uses for beading. Filato tres Stelle which Sue used for fine applique work is great to stitch with too. A site to buy some of these threads is called,

"Tristan Italian Threads". My very Favorite New Floss discovery this year is the "Silk Chenille from Thread Gatherers in Idaho. Oh,how I love this floss.

My Sweetie was very kind to create another piece of furniture for in my Create Studio. It is a very fancy Ironing Board with drawers and storage area underneath. I love it. Thank you My Dear for taking the time to make such a lovely gift for me!

Last year My Sweetie bought me a AccuQuilt GO! I have really enjoyed using it allot. This year he bought me some more Die Cutters in "Feathers, Stars and Hearts"! I do have a plan to Create a wall hanging using all my die cutters that will look like our home with our gardens on it. This quilt is still in the planning stage.

I have such kind and generous friends who gifted me with the very lovely pressies below. Thank you Lyn, Shirley, Di, Wendy and Heather from the bottom of my heart.

Now that I am working more often and cooking is not my thing I really needed some help so I can cook some healthy and quick meals.I am looking forward to trying out my new Mini Pie Maker! Has anyone used one before?

My Sweetie and I really enjoy watching movies during the cold Winter months. "The Help" we bought a few weeks ago and it is truly a very very good movie. It takes place in Jackson Mississippi during the sixties. We highly recommend it. If anyone has a good movie I would love to hear your recommendations too. Thanks.

During the Christmas and New Year break from work I have found a wee bit of time to do some stitching.Below is a photo of the progress I have made on My Pomegranate Table Rug. I still have heaps to do but I am enjoying stretching my stitching skills with this project.

I hope everyone had a lovely Christmas Holiday and I look forward to chatting with you all in the New Year!! To all my ladies friends, "Laugh Yourself Into Stitches"!!

Hugs judy

MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A VERY HAPPY AND HEALTHY NEW YEAR

2011-12-11T15:53:00.001-05:00

HELLO EVERYONE,

I would like to wish all My Wonderful Blogging Buddies a Very Merry Christmas Season and A Very Happy and Healthy New Year!

I have been absent from blogging because I have started a new full-time job. It is totally different than any kind of nursing job I have ever had. Hence, with it being very challenging my poor mind is very tired when I get home at night. I hope in the New Year I will cut back in my hours so I can have some more time to do the things I love, like stitching and blogging.

My Sweetie and I put up our Christmas decorations yesterday. We did cut back allot on them this year. I added this new Sparkling Ribbon Reef to the collection.

I have found some time to create a few wool Christmas Snowflake Ornaments.

WE put out the Winterkinder Pyramide which I bought in "Seiffen Germany" back in 2003. The Winter scene display of children playing on their sleighs spin around when the candles give off heat.

Because we are so busy we decide to go with a much smaller tree this year. It is a fiber optic tree which is so lovely in the evening to watch all the colors sparkle off the ornaments. I did not get a full photo of it this year because the lighting was not good. I have three Christmas German Smokers that I truly love displaying, so this year they are under the tree.

The wee church is an exact replica of the Church in Seiffen Germany with its Caroler singing.

Below is a close up of the Christmas tree smoker. They come apart toward the bottom and you can put in the wee incense inside and the heavenly scent comes out its mouth.

I absolutely fell in love with them while in Germany and brought home many special ones with me.

Of course there is the German "Pickle" Ornament which I hide every year for the grandchildren to find. It is a wonderful tradition they love and as soon as they come in the door on Christmas Day they are searching for it. It is so much fun trying to find a good hiding place and watching them search for it.

The above cookie molds are also from Germany. They are replicas of the original ones. The molds are pressed into the cookie dough and then baked. These cookies are called "Springerle".

A few years back I made paper Christmas Ornaments and then painted them and gave them away as gifts. Below is the the book I bought on how to make many different kinds of German Cookies.It is called "My Favorite Cookies from the Old Country".

I was so excited to walk into my Creative room and find my Christmas Cactus blooming this week. Right on time for the Holidays. Amazing isn't it?

We've had a love of BBC movies for many years. This past year we bought three different series of movies. I would have to say so far, "Lark Rise To Candleford" is our very favorite. We just started watching the 4th and final series of this one. I will be very sad to see it end.

The other movie is called, The Land Girls. They have two series. We truly enjoyed watching this series but are disappointed there is not a 3rd series. Hopefully one day they will film another one. They left us wondering what will happen to many of the characters.

The other one is called Random Passage. This one starts out in Ireland and ends up in Newfoundland. A Very good movie.

When our Winter weekends are so blustery cold outside and the snow is several feet deep then we snuggle up and watch these Wonderful BBC Movies. vbg If anyone has any other suggestions of great BBC movies please let us know. Thanks

I hope all my dear friends in the UK are safe and warm after the horrible winds that blew through their country.

With all the incredible, awful, natural disasters around the world this year, you have to wonder if global warming is the cause.

Take care all my friends and I will chat again with you all in the New Year.

Oh and by the way it is December 11th and we've not had any snow yet. Huge Very Big Smile. Do you think this is a sign we will have a very mild Winter this year. One can wish, hey?

Hugs Judy

MY SUE SPARGO WORKSHOP FUN

2011-11-13T17:08:00.000-05:00

HELLO EVERYONE!

On November 3rd and 4th I took my first "Sue Spargo Workshop" at
"Smith Owen's Quilt Shop" in Grand Rapids, Mi. I anxiously awaited for this class for several months. I picked up my Kit for the class the first week of August so I had been planning and creating embellishments for the Pomegranate Table Rugs for months. I had a wonderful time and learn some new stitches and met some new friends too.

The kit was made up of "Orange" wools and velvets, dark greens and grays. None of those colors would go in my home so I had my friend DeEtta from
"Fiddlehead Finery", hand dye me some wools for the whole project. I even bought some pinkish and green hand dyed velvets to use too.

Instead of doing a middle flower My Pomegranate Table Rug I decided to rug hook a star circle for the center. I just learned how to do rug hooking this past September so this was a bit of a challenge for me. I was very pleased to finish it the night before the class. Thanks do DeEtta and her lovely hand dyed wools the wool in the star circle turn out just perfect. Thanks DeEtta.

Around the star center I added chenille yarn that gave it more dimension.
Below is an up close photo of the Hooked Rug Star Circle.

Below is a photo of the unfinished Pomegranate Table Rug. I have lots of stitching and stuff to add to it yet. I was hoping to have it done by this Christmas of course this is not going to happen. I am really hopefully for next Christmas.

I have been also making some Sue Spargo Seasonal Stitches Christmas Ornaments. The pattern is the November/December Issue of American Patchwork and Quilting Magazine.

Below is a photo of three Smith Owen's Quilt Shop employees and Kathy the lady that travels with Sue Spargo. Kathy is holding the coffee.

Below is a photo of Lisa with her big smile. Lisa fingers were very busy. Lisa has a lovely blog called,
"Strayed Threads"! I will have to post another photo when Lisa gets her project done.

Another new friend is Susan and her blog is called "Sukylady's Studio". Susan has lots of photos from our Sue Spargo Workshop on her blog that you may want to take a look at. Susan Eldest daughter Fiona took the needle book class on the 3rd day and did some lovely stitching.

The lady across from me at my table was a lovely lady named Pauline. This was a photo of the progress she made on her Pomegranate.

Pauline also brought along her finished top called Crimson Tweed to share with us all. It was truly lovely.

Another lady Lynne brought along her finished top called Mercer Lane. She truly did some fantastic and creative stitching on it. I love it.

Below is another photo of Lynne's Mercer Lane. She created some lovely dimensional flowers that were just stunning to her quilt. Susan has a photo of Lynne's whole Mercer Lane Quilt on her blog if you would like to see it.

Susan had this BOM bird block with her. It was truly lovely. Susan's stitching was truly very creative and beautiful too.

Of course I had lots of fun collecting more hand dyed wools and all kinds of lovely threads.

I learned some new beading techniques. I also learned some neat techniques working with velvets too.

All and all I had a fantastic time chatting and learning at the workshop.

We had our first snowflakes fly this past Thursday but they did not stay on the ground long. Thank goodness. But the temperatures are getting a bit cooler everyday and the winds are blowing stronger so I do not think our "Winter" is far off.

Stay warm my friends.

Hugs Judy

AUTUMN FESTIVAL AND MY VERSION OF SUE SPARGO PINEAPPLE PIN KEEPER

2011-10-26T14:42:00.000-04:00

Hello Everyone,

I can hardly believe that October has gone by so quickly. I think because we had so much rain this Autumn our Autumn leaves have been so brilliant in colors this year.

The first photo I would like to share with you all is My October Pink Hydrangea. This is what I see when I look out one of my Studio windows. I love the site of it this time of year when all the other blooms are gone.

The next photo is of an old abandon school house from a very long time ago. It is located a short distance from where we live. Isn't those Autumn colors gorgeous.

The above photo was a contest put on by the local businesses. I loved this one created by a Beauty shop.

The 5 pumpkins here were waiting to be weighted in and the kids were truly enjoying playing on them. Guess which pumpkin won??? The winner was the 4th pumpkin from left. It was very tall instead of wide and it weight over 500 lbs. Pretty good from a local garden.

You all know I took a rug hooking class back in September. I absolutely love doing this. This is my newest project. I designed the Star Circle and applique the lovely Star wool down. Then my friend and teacher DeEtta started hooking the edge for me to give me an idea how tall I should leave the wool loops. I am still working on this and will have more photos later to show you the finished project.

I've had in my stash this Sue Spargo Good Wives Pineapple Pin Keeper pattern for several year. I decided it was time to make it. So I started by spray painting the tin that came with the kit. Then I started making the leaves next. But when I got to the point of adding the leaves around the Pineapple everything did not fit into the tin. Hmmmmmmmmmmm!! what to do???

So I decided to make the pineapple into a flower and not add the leaves.

I also decided I wanted to stitch some of my favorite saying that I love allot into this pin keeper. I made 3 sections with ecru wool and the other three with hand dyed wools.

The first section I used the "Kindred Spirit" copper charms words my sweetie made for me. I think they turned out super great. What do you all think??

I am trying to convince him to make more word charms for me. None yet!! LOL I was also even thinking of selling them too? Do you think they would sell???

The next section I created and stitched a couple of "Hearts" and the words "Kindness Matters"!

The next section I added a "Tatted Heart" made for me by my dear friend Wendy from "Umi & Tsuru"! I love all of Wendy's tatted creations.

Next are the words,
"Enduring Elegance Of Women's Friendships"! I especially like this phrase. I have been so very fortunate over the years to have made some very lovely wonderful friends over the Internet. Many have even come to visit me from different countries. I have been truly blessed and they have certainly brighten my life.

Next is My JG Signature I put on all my creations along with the date.

I reckon you all know I am a huge Anne Of Green Gable fan! One of Anne's saying is "Kindred Spirits are Always There For One Another"!

I thought about how to finish the top for sometime. I bought this very lovely flower button some time ago and knew it would perfect on the top.

I added some green wool to make it look like leaves around it and then used light green wool roving to stitch around them.

I still thought it needed more so then I added the pink tweed wool to make the flower look like it had another layer of petals. This time I used ecru silk chenille thread to stitch it down.

I still was not totally happy with it so I decided to take some wool roving and wet felt a wool bead. Then I added two more beads on the top of the wool bead.

Then I said, yup it now looks like a flower.

So after several weeks of playing and stitching I have My Flower Pin Keeper. What do you all think???

In the photo above at the same Yarn shop I also discovered those lovely light green round balls of soap that looks like rolled up yarn. They smell heavenly. I just love looking at them. vbg

On the October Month of My Anne of Green Gable Calendar there is a very lovely photo of PEI with it grand Autumn colors.

Anne says, I loved "Gypsyings" over the autumnal hills in the crisp golden air...were the best and dearest hours in the whole week". After visiting PEI I can imagine this too.

After years of being a Sue Spargo Fan I am taking My First Class with Sue on November 4th and 5th. It will take place at "Smith Owens Quilt Shop". Huge VBG

More about this class in my next posting. I can hardly wait.

Thanks for visiting my blog and leaving your lovely comments. Have a lovely week everyone!

Hugs Judy

WINNERS 4th BLOGGING CELEBRATION

2011-10-17T12:50:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone,

We were away for the last few days visiting family in Eastern Michigan. Unfortunately we headed for home very late Sunday and hence we got home very very late. Oh, I was so tired and so this AM I had a good sleep-in. vbg

So please forgive my late announcement of the "Winners" of My 4th Blogging Celebrations.

Visiting with My Sweet Grand Daughter is always such a glorious happy time. Her Mom dressed Chloe up in her Halloween costume so I could see her in it. This year she is a Fluttering Dancing Butterfly!! Too Cute.

I would like to Thank Everyone who enter my give away this year..I wish I had a gift to give to everyone.

Congratulation to all the

Winners!!

The #1 gift goes to Susan of "Threads of Inspiration"! Susan you won the Rug Hook Sunflower Pin.

The #2 gift goes to Gayle from
"The Middle Sister"! Gayle you won the CQ stitched Necklace!

The #3 gift goes to Sue of
"Simple Piece-ful Quilting"! Sue you won the Crochet Button!

The #4 gift goes to Linda from "Simple Country Seasons"! Linda you won the Hand Dyed Wool.

Please ladies email me soon with your addresses. I will get the gifts out to you all as soon as I can. Thanks

My Next Posting I will share with your a New Pincushion Creation I recently made!! I also have some very lovely Autumn photos along with some photos of a Fall Festival in our home town!

Take care all.

Hugs Judy

CELEBRATING 4 YEARS OF BLOGGING GIVEAWAY: GLORIOUS AUTUMN TRIP UP NORTH

2011-09-28T15:03:00.003-04:00

Hello Everyone,

I would like to thank All My Blogging Friends for their Very Kind and Lovely comments left for me to read on My Country Bucket posting. They all were Greatly Appreciated.

This past June My Sweetie and Me decided to buy a RV. We thought we could use it for local camping trips and then maybe one day we would go on Out West Adventure.

We went on three trips this past Summer and the weather made the first two adventures very challenging. The first trip we had 98F 102F and record breaking temperature of 104F.

The second trip we had a huge storm with heavy rain and fierce winds that took down lots of trees and put out the electricity for miles around. Our trailer rocked back and forth and I thought I would "Never" go camping again LOL

But the Third time was a charm. We headed to my much loved Up North! We had a wee bit of rain going up but the rest of the trip was truly lovely in many ways.
Below is a photo of us stopping at a rest stop and it was raining a bit.

Some friends requested a wee tour of the RV and below you will see the kitchen area. We took out the removable table and bought a rocker recliner to take its place. I love it because I can sit and stitch and stitch in comfort. VBG

In the photo below you can see the living area, then the bath room and then the bedroom is in the back. Perfect for us.

A called an Up North quilt shop and they referred me to DeEtta and her lovely Rug Hooking Studio called "Fiddlehead Finery"! I called DeEtta and she dyed some very lovely wools for me.

I ask DeEtta if she would give me a Rug Hooking Class and she very kindly told me yes. I have been wanting to learn rug hooking since 2003 when I bought a subscription to The Wool Street Journal while living in Germany. So I have waited a long time for this very special day.

My Class with DeEtta fell on the Glorious First Day Of Autumn September 23rd. DeEtta has been rug hooking for 11 years and her creation are truly beautiful. DeEtta was so very kind and I learn so much in my 3 hour class. Thank You DeEtta!

"Fiddlehead Finery Studio" is very warm and lovely very much like DeEtta. Look at the beautiful hand dyed wool vest she created hanging on the wall.

Below you will find a photo of DeEtta lovely stash of wools. Can you believe??

Below is another photo of DeEtta studio. Notice her very lovely Hooked Rugs.

Below you will find the hand dyed wools I bought from DeEtta. They are all such beautiful colors.

My first Rug Hooking Project I bought back in 2003 as a kit. After 8 years I have finally started it. It was so much fun learning and not as difficult as I imagine it would be. I look forward to finishing the two wee pieces.

This past August I took a crochet button class at the Michigan Fiber Festival. The teacher used a book called "50 Heirloom Buttons to Make" by Nancy Nehring! This book is out of print but can be pick up at used book stores on the Internet.

What do you think of My First Crocheted Buttons? This book also teaches how to make the "Dorset Buttons" which I also enjoy making.

Ok. Time to show you all what I have for My 4 years of Blogging Celebration.

(1) First is a Hooked Sunflower Pin which I bought at the Michigan Fiber Festival at the booth called "Hooked On Ewe" Linda Harwood from Ionia Michigan this past Summer. I do not see a pattern for the Sunflower on her site but I reckon you could email her about it.

(2) Second is a Crazy Quilt Hand Embroidery Pendant with Silkie and wee beaded dragonfly stitched in it. I bought this pendant from an Etsy shop.

(3) Third is one of My Hand Crocheted Buttons I made this past Summer.

(4) Fourth is a Very Lovely Pieced of Hand Dyed Wool I bought from DeEtta which is 14 inches by 9 inches.

See photo below. My Sweetie will draw the names of the 4 Winners on Monday October 17th.

If you would please take the time, I would love to know how long you have been visiting my blog and what posting is your favorite this past year. Thanks

Last but not least here is a lovely Sunset that My Sweetie and I watch one evening while we were camping Up North on Lake Michigan. We truly enjoyed this trip together and the lovely people we met and chatty with.

One of My favorite saying is "Kindness Matters"! To me Friendship consists in forgetting what one gives and remembering what one receives. Thank you all for your Friendships and comments.

Hugs Judy

HAPPY TO BE BACK! MY COUNTRY BUCKET CREATION FINISHED! AND A GIVEAWAY COMING SOON!

2011-09-14T11:16:00.016-04:00

Hello Everyone,

I am so Happy to be back to Blogging. I have missed you all.

You will see I have a new blog look and a New Blog Header. My Dear Friend Shirley from

"Shirley's Twisted Threads" gave me detailed instructions on how to create the new header!! Thank you Very Very Much Shirley. Shirley is a very creative and does extremely lovely stitching so please visit her blog.

The Summer past so quickly and we went on several trips which I will share with you all soon. I will be visiting my blogging friends site starting today. I am very anxious to see what you all have been up too.

The stitching project I have been working on just about every day since May is finally finished!! I am very excited to share photos of it with you all.

The pattern is called "Country Bucket" by In Your Bonnet and the designer of this very lovely pattern is Kerry Green who is from Utah. Please go to her website to see her Country Buckets.

There are 8 blocks to the Country Bucket that makes up the side pockets where you can stuff all your goodies into. I pretty much added my own touches to every block and actually made up two of my own designs. Of course you all know that "Stitching" is my "Passion" and I could hardly stop stitching on these blocks. I used mostly all felted wools on this project.

Below is the Blue Bird & Tree Block. This block I designed on my own.

The Rabbit Block I added the flowers too. I used velvet for his ears.

In the Flower Basket block I added my own kinds of flowers.

I did not change the Pineapple Block.

The Sheep &Tree block is unchanged except the apples I made into Peaches!! I used Brazilian Thread called Boucle to create the sheep. I think it gave them a nice woolie look, what do you all think??

The Sunflower was my design in this next block. I used wool roving to create the stem of the Sunflower. I used the "Drizzle" stitch in the petals with silk chenille thread.

This block I call the Flower Tatted block which is also my own design. The tatting was a very lovely gift to me from Wendy in Singapore! Please visit her wonderful blog called Umi & Tsuru where you will find many beautiful tatted motifs to admire. I added velvet stems and wool roving for the grass. The wee dragonfly was also tatted by Wendy.

Dorset Buttons, Oh how I love them. This Dorset Button I created just for the bucket from Valdani thread. I fell in love with these buttons a couple of years ago.

I have bought two books where you can find patterns on how to create these buttons.

(1) The "Dorset Feather Stitchery" by Olivia Pass. I bought this book from the Dorset Federation of Woman's Institutes in the UK.

(2) The other book that has instructions is called, 50 Heirloom Buttons to Make by Nancy Nehring. This book is out of print. But if you google it I am sure it would turn up some where.

The purple Dorset Button was the first one I ever made. Far from perfect but I felt it found its right place on my bucket.

The Spruce Tree and Cabin block. I totally changed the house block into a cabin in the woods. I added a blueberry bush,heart,cloud, flowers, a wee birdie and a stone path. For the Spruce Tree I used the "Drizzle Stitch" to create it.

Below you will find a photo of the inside of the Country Bucket.

Below is the "Finished Country Bucket". My Sweetie painted the wood handle green for me. I also wet felted the egg and ball at the tips of the handle.

For me the construction of the country bucket was the most challenging. I called Sherry twice to ask questions and she was very kind and helpful which really help me through this part of it.

I absolutely LOVE My Country Bucket!! I am sure I will get many years of good use from it.

Some of the different kinds of threads I used in my stitching is as follows: Many Valdani Pearl Cottons, Lots of Silk Chenille by Thread Gatherer, Hand Dyed 100% Silk by the Thread Gatherer, Many kinds of Kreinik Metallic threads and Genziana Wool Thread. I also used Chenille Rick Rack!

The Purple Side of My Country Bucket.

On September 6th my sweet grand daughter started Kindergarten. Below you will find two super photos of her before she started her first day of school. Looking at her photos makes me smile and warms my heart. I love her sooooooooo very much. It is really great being a grandmother!! VBG

Out the door, First Day of School. That evening Chole called me and told me all about her day. I ask her what her favorite part of the day was and she told me recess and we had two of them. LOL

I hope you all have made it to the end of this posting. I would like to thank everyone for catching up with me again.

I would really LOVE to heard which block you all like the best. Thanks for leaving your lovely comments for me to read. Much appreciated.

To celebrate 4 years of blogging I will be having a give away at the end of September. I hope you all will come back and see what I have for a gift. VBG

Hugs Judy

CHLOE's DANCE RECITAL SUMMER FLOWERS 4th OF JULY HOLIDAY

2011-06-30T14:09:00.004-04:00

Hello Everyone,

The sign-in problem has been solved. I now use Mozilla Firefox browser and it immediately fix the sign-in problem and leaving comments. Thanks for the advice everyone.

This weekend is our 4th of July Holiday weekend. We are celebrating being American. There are Many things that come to mind but the one I am thinking of this weekend is this lovely song.

AMERICA, THE BEAUTIFUL
By Katharine Lee Bates-1913.

O Beautiful for Spacious Skies,
For Amber Waves of Grain,
For Purple Mountain Majesties
Above the Fruited Plain!
AMERICA! AMERICA!
God Shed His Grace On Thee,
And Crown Thy Good With Brotherhood
From Sea to Shining Sea!

Have a Lovely Holiday Weekend Everyone!

I have a bit of unexpected free time at the moment so I thought I would say HI to all My Blogging Friends. Our Summer has been a bit coolish with lots of rain. Fortunately, the last week has been pretty much sunny. Huge Smile.

My Garden has been Very Glorious this Summer because of all the rain we've had so I took some photos to share with you all.

In June I attended My Grand Daughter Dance Recital. Chloe has been in dance for 2 years now but this is the first time I was able to attend her recital. I was a Very Proud Grandma. Chloe is holding the crocheted Mermaid Doll I gave her as a birthday pressie. She is now 5 years old. She loved it which made me very happy.

Below is a photo of Chloe after her last dance number. She is such a sweetie and always has a big smile.

My Garden has been Very Glorious this Summer because of all the rain we've had so I took some photos to share with you all.

Above is one of my Graham Thomas Rose Bushes. They are truly beautiful this year.

Here is a photo of My Peonies and lovely pink Roses. this Rose Bush blooms through September.B

My New Dawn Rose Bush is very stunning this year too. Today there is even more blooms than when I took this photo on Monday. It always makes me smile when cars and walkers pass by our place very slowly glancing at My New Dawn Rose Bush. It makes me very happy others are enjoying it too.

Hugs

SPRING TRIP PART 2 MY SPRING GARDENS GRANDSON BIRTHDAY

2011-05-23T12:55:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone,

I would like to share with you all some more photos of our Spring trip South of Kentucky and Ohio.

Below is the third thread shop I visited which is located in Lexington Kentucky. Oh what a beautiful city. "M's Canvas House" is located in a historic area of the city. Isn't it a lovely building. Inside there was a glorious selection of all kinds of flosses. I loved it.

The lady that waited on me was from Michigan and had married and moved to Lexington 30 years ago. All I could think of that she missed 30 years of Michigan Winters. LOL We had a very nice chat.

The below photo you will find Planet Earth Silk which I had never seen before so I treated myself to some. I also found some Easter Grass by Kreinik which I am sure I will find something to create with it.

On our way home we decided to travel to Berlin Ohio which is an large Amish area which I had never visited before. Along the way we travel through Newark Ohio which is the headquarters for "Longaberger Basket" and this photo below is there headquarters. Isn' it the neatest building you ever saw?? vbg

You will also see the lovely countryside of an Amish Farm. Picture perfect. I know I should of not taken the photo of the Amish buggy but I could not resist. They were stopped under a tree eating their lunch. Such a slow pace and peaceful life they live.

"Berlin Ohio" was a very big town and the surrounding area of Amish communities goes on for endless miles. You would of needed many days to visit them all. So because we had only a few hours to shop we decided we will come back and stay for several days just in this area to take it all in.

We also visited Berea Kentucky know for their Handmade Kentucky Art. Oh, how I loved visiting this town. All over town are these "Artistic Painted Hands" with many different themes. It was a Joy to look at them all.

Inside the Kentucky Artisan Center you could find many wonderful creations from Kentucky Artist. I especially loved the Metal Rose creations. Loved it. The inside of the center was huge with many many creations to admire. I took a few photos to share with you all. I hope you enjoy looking at them?

I am so Happy to say My Spring Garden is looking very lovely at the moment. Below you will find my very lovely "Fringe Edged Pink Tulips". I have several of them. They are very fussy to grow. The top right photo is a photo of the garden I see from our sun room.

I placed a wee "Red and Blue Bottle" I bought while I was visiting Italy to be "My Garden Art". I have seen more and more gardens with all kind of "Flea Market" finds in the gardens around where we live. The bottom photo is of My Pink Bleeding Heart. This is only its second Summer of growing. Can you believe how large it has grown in such a short time?

There is a new magazine out ( one time issue) called "Flea Market Gardens" that I have coming this week. My SIL Sue introduced me to it last week. She has the most glorious gardens with many pieces of lovely garden art. I am very anxious to get my copy.

While over visiting family last week I was chatting with my brother Dale about all the glorious Magnolia trees I saw while we were down in Kentucky and Ohio. I told him this was the one tree I wished I had in my garden. It just happen he was going to visit a whole sale nursery and guess what I now have "My Magnolia Jane Dogwood" below left photo. Even after 300 miles of travel in back of a truck ( which my sweetie wrapped very carefully for me) it survived still with many buds on it. So I have truly enjoyed seeing them bloom this week.

In the background off to the right is a "Kousa Japanese Dogwood" I planted last May. It will have glorious white blooms come the end of June to July. You will see it has a wire fence around it because we have a dreadful deer problem and they love to nipple on my trees. Fortunately, they get NOT get to nipple on any of my bushes and trees this past winter thanks to My Sweetie protecting them all. vbg

I am truly very excited to say "My Alaska Spruce" is still surviving. I thought I had lost it last summer because it had all turned brown because from too much water while it was outside in a pot.

So last Autumn we decided to plant it in the ground and hope for the best. Well have a look at my Most Beautiful Wee Alaska Spruce now. The photo below right you will see it is now a beautiful green. I was so very happy to see it had survived. I hope one day you will see a photo of it very very tall. It was only a very tiny less than one inch sapling which was dug up from a ditch by a large spoon outside of Anchorage Alaska back in 2005.

During our visit last week we attended My Sweet Grandson Ethan's 6th Birthday Party. Below you will see Ethan's Birthday cake. In the top right you will see S shaped candles that look like fire crackers. I thought they were very unique.

The photo below you will see Ethan about ready to blow out his birthday candles. Ethan's cousins are joining him on this happy day. Chloe on the left is my sweet grand daughter.

While in Berlin Ohio we visited a Garden Center and when I saw these cut bunnies I fell in love with them. They were all a gray cement color at the store. My Sweetie decided they needed to be painted so we decided on our usual " Provence Blue" color we have decorated most things in the garden with. I was so surprise when he showed me how he had painted them. He made the inside of their ears pink and put some details on their faces. Aren't they just the cutest "Welcome Bunnies" garden art you have ever seen. vbg

I hope you all have enjoyed your visit to My Blog. I thank you all for leaving your lovely kind comments for me to read. They are all greatly appreciated.

My Sweetie and I have many activities planned for this coming Summer that we are looking forward too. Our Memorial Day Holiday is coming up this weekend and it is the kick off to our Summer months. I have decided again to take a "Blogging Break" this Summer. So "Goodbye" from Us and Our Welcome Bunnies!! See you all in September!

Take care all.

Hugs

SPRING TRIP TO OHIO AND KENTUCKY, PART 1

2011-05-06T14:23:00.006-04:00

Hello Everyone,

Happy Spring from Michigan!

My Sweetie and I just returned from our Spring vacation in Kentucky and Ohio. I long to see blooming flowers and trees and was not disappointed. Our first stop was to two small communities outside of Cincinnati, Ohio.

"The Top Drawer" is located in a small village called Mariemont. I was surprised to find that Mariemont looked like a small village you would find in Germany. The owner Sandy was very warm, friendly and helpful. The Top Draw does have a website and she does mail order. Please see the photo below. Of course I found some treasures to bring home with me. vbg

The next shop I visited was only a few miles away in another lovely small village called Madeira. The shop is called "Absolutely Needle Point". They had many wonderful selection of threads but they do not have a website.

The photos below is some of the beautiful silk embroidery flosses I discovered I did not have in my stash. Oh it is so soft and the colors are so lovely I can hardly wait to use it.

I also found some more colors of the wonderful Kreinik Metallic Mirco Ice Chenille Floss. Oh, how I absolutely love this thread. Love it.

I also discovered I new Kreinik Metallic "Wire" Medium #16 Braid. I look forward to create stumpwork creations with it. They are the 5 spools in the front of the photo.

I really fell in love with another Kreinik Fine #8 Braid called Threadworx. This one is new to me too. I bought two different colorways. It is so very pretty.

To couch down the Kreinik 'Wire" I bought some Kreinik Fine #8 Braids in some very lovely colors. Oh how I love all kinds of flosses. So this is what I discovered in the first two shops I visited in Ohio. More to come. LOL

I have been wanting to visit the "The Quilt Box" in Kentucky for years. Why you ask, because it was voted by American Homes and Gardens as a Top 10 Quilt Shop in the country so I just had to see it. LOL

It is located several miles out of Dry Ridge, Kentucky. After you leave the main road you have to drive back in a mile or so on a very narrow gravel somewhat road through a middle of a large woods. The photo below was the widest section of the road. Thank goodness my Sweetie has a 4X4 truck because the path/road got pretty rugged and very very narrow. But it was a great adventure and we loved it.

It was so well worth the wee adventure because when you get to " The Quilt Box" you will instantly fall in love with the tranquil, green, and beautiful area in the hollows of Kentucky. The shop is also the owners home. The shop owner and her staff was very warm and friendly and I could truly see why it was considered a Top Ten Quilt Shop. Unfortunately, they do not have a website.

I bought these lovely "Pink" fabrics at "The Quilt Box"!

Recently I bought some "Velvet Rick Rack" at a etsy shop called, "Macy Brooke Boutique"! Oh, I was so pleased with the velvet rick rack in it many array of colors. I will definitely enjoy using it on my creations.

Here in Michigan we had a very long cold Winter and our Spring has been rather coolish too. So My Sweetie and I treated ourselves to a Spring trip south to southern Ohio and Kentucky. Here I found incredibly beautiful blooming trees and flowers. The pink blooming tree is called a "Red Bud" which is my favorite flowering tree. I have two very wee ones in my garden but they have yet to bloom. Isn't the Red Bud the most Gorgeous Tree.

The white tree is a "Dogwood". I have several of these in my garden too. I am hoping my white one blooms this year just like this one.

I am not sure what the flowers along the driveway are but I fell in love with them. I think I will have to add them to my garden this Spring. Aren't they so pretty in pinks and purples?

When I started to see all the beautiful blooming flowers and trees I started creating a wee poem in my mind. By far I am no Poet but I thought I would share it with you all anyways.

Oh Spring, Oh Spring, Oh Spring!

Oh, how you make My Heart Soar and Sing!

Gazing out over your Kentucky Hills of Greens, Pinks, Purples and Blues;

They make my Winter Weary Heart burst with Gaiety.

Oh Spring, Oh Spring, Oh Spring,

Thank you for coming back again!

I would also like to wish all my Family and Friend A Very Happy Mother's Day!

I will post Part 2 of our Spring Kentucky trip at the end of May.

Hugs

A VERY HAPPY EASTER TO ALL & SOME LOVELY GIFTS

2011-04-23T12:39:00.000-04:00

A VERY HAPPY EASTER TO ALL.

Today here in Michigan it is a bit over casted and coolish for this time of year. But tomorrow promises to bring "Sunshine"!

My Easter Catus is in Bloom. It has the most gorgeous and unusual bloom I have ever seen. I just love it. I will have to try and stitch it into a project.

In the past year I have learned how to crochet. I am progressing slowly but have come to enjoy it a great deal.

Below is the most lovely, unique and special crochet doily I have ever seen. Because Easter is My Most Favorite Holiday I ask Donna of

"Crochet Treasured" online Etsy Shop to make me one. Donna your crocheting is awesome and this doily is truly beautiful. Thanks a million for creating it for me.

About a week or so ago I received a surprised package in the post. Hmmmmmm I wonder who had sent it. I discovered Di My Dear Friend from QLD. Australia had sent it along. Di has a lovely blog called,

"Dinky Di Quilting and Crafts" please have a look I am sure you will enjoy your visit.

Oh my goodness what lovely goodies were inside. Beautiful Pastel fabrics from Kaffe Fassett. A very pretty Japanese wood seam ripper and a couple of buttons and a pretty yellow butterfly. Di also included some very lovely Hand-Dyed Perle Thread made in South Africa. Thanks Di a million for your lovely surprised gift.

Below is a photo of some goodies I bought for myself from an online store owned by Valerie Bothell of

"The Pink Bunny"! Valerie has some very very lovely threads, silk ribbon, embellishments and patterns any crazy quilter would absolutely love to have.

In the photo below you will also find some more goodies I bought from Chris Daley from

"Greetings From The Shady Grove". You will find the lovely hand-dyed velvet fabrics in Chris's etsy shop. I look forward to stitching on them.

I have a passion for roses and I truly love working with felt. Paulette from New York creates the most lovely roses from felt.

Paulette has an etsy shop called, "Beedeebabee" please have a look I am sure you will enjoy your visit. Today Paulette package arrived and it wrapped so very pretty. Paulette also sent along a very pretty wee felt chick pin as a surprise.. Thank you Paulette I truly admire you creations.

I would like to leave everyone with a wee poem on Friendship.

Friends! in this world of hurry

And work and sudden end-----------

If a thought comes quick of doing

A Kindness to a Friend-----------

Do it this very instant!

Don't put it off-----don't wait!

What's the use of doing a kindness

If you do it a day too late?

Charles Kingsley

Again I would like to wish everyone a Very Happy and Glorious Easter!

Hugs

DREAMING OF SPRING JOURNAL PAGE FINISHED HAPPY SPRING

2011-04-10T11:35:00.013-04:00

Also Happy Pink Saturday!
I have joined this group and Debbie is the person behind it. Debbie's blog is called
"How Sweet The Sound". It is a very lovely blog with many more wonderful blogs listed to visit!

Hello Everyone,

HAPPY SPRING TO YOU ALL!!

I have been working for the last 3 1/2 months on a Fabric Journal Page that I am calling "Dreaming Of Spring"! It is the first page of my Journal Book that is going to reflect My Art and My Life with My Sweetie! I have never made a Journal Book before but I have admired many others journal books over the last several years.

The theme of this page title was in my head for all of last Winter so I just had to create a bit of art that would express this idea and feeling.

So to begin I crazy pieced a block in some of my favorite pastel colors that would look like Spring!

This photo is of an up close section of the Crazy Quilt Stitched block. Top photo is of the Angelina Fiber Pond with rippling waters, colorful grasses and blooms, a couple of bunnies and a hidden Easter Egg. Can anyone find it?

The bottom section of this photo show the Bunny Path with lots of blooming flowers more colorful grasses, more Bunnies, and another hidden Easter Egg. Can you find this one?

In the photo above you will see an up close of my French Knot Cherry Tree with several shades of pink blossoms. The lovely tatted Butterfly was created by My Friend Wendy from Singapore. Wendy's blog is called,

"Umi & Tsuru" and I am sure you would enjoy visiting it.

In the bottom section of this photo you will find more lovely blooms, and another hidden Easter Egg. Can you find this one??

On the back of the Journal Page l created a wee Poem I also called, "Dreaming Of Spring" I am not a writer but it also reflects how much I anticipated seeing Spring this Year.

Yes, and finally the finished "Dreaming Of Spring" journal Page. The page is 8 inches wide and 7 1/2 inches long. It is not your typical page size but I wanted my page sizes bigger so I had more room to stitch on it.

I used many different kinds of stitches to create this journal page. I used the Scroll, Bullion, French Knot, Raised Chain Band, Ghiordes Knot, Cast-On Buttonhole, Detached Buttonhole, Drizzle, Long and Short and Up and Down stitch. I have decided with each journal page I will try and learn a new stitch and in this page I used several new ones to me.

I also used many different kinds of threads. For the first time I used Kreinik Micro Ice Chenille thread which I absolutely loved. I used it throughout the whole page using the French Knot stitch and it gave my page so much sparkle to it. I also used Kreinik Very Fine Braid Metallic thread to do the primitive hand stitching. I also love this thread. Other threads I used are Water Colours by Caron, Threadworx overdyed, Silk and Ivory Stardust, Fuzzy Stuff by Rainbow Gallery, The Thread Gathering Silk N Colors.

I have been buying both of these Japanese Magazine off and on for many years. I bought both Quilt Japan and Patchwork Tsushin in the last couple of weeks. I really love them and they have some wonderful Easter Patterns in them I think I will try to make. I have bought them on "E-Quilter" and on a Etsy site called,

"Pomdadours Crafts Cafe".

I would like to thank everyone for letting me know the name of My lovely Pink Begonia. It is blooming even more now. It is so very Pretty.

At Christmas time I bought a Christmas Catus Blush and when I transplanted it all its wee buds that were coming out dropped off so it did not bloom at Christmas. So now you can see it is starting to bloom again. I look forward to seeing the blooms I just hope that it will bloom for me again this coming Christmas.

I would like to thank all my Family, Friends and Blogging Friends who visit my blog. I always truly enjoy reading everyone comments.

"Tis Friends who make this desert world to blossom as the rose; strew flowers o'er our rugged path, pour sunshine o'er our woes.

Hugs to everyone,

HEARTS AND HANDS FOR SENDAI: MY CRAZY QUILT BLOCK

2011-03-30T12:49:00.008-04:00

Hearts and Hands For Sendai

As many know,
LESLIE FROM PINYON CREEK STITCHING, has started a project, named Hearts and Hands For Sendai! The purpose is to open this project up to the quilting community at large and have blocks made in any quilting medium. These blocks will then be assembled into wall hangings and sent to Japan to be displayed in the International Quilt Show in coordination with Patchwork Tsushin as a fund raiser when viewed. I have created a logo, such as my first attempt with photo shop goes, and anyone is welcome to use the logo to advertise this project on their own blog or in their own quilt organization. I greatly appreciate every ones participation in this event!For more information please contact Leslie.

I have finished my Crazy Quilt Block for the Hearts and Hands for Sendai. I hope it will blend in well with the many other blocks. I have truly enjoyed creating this block for this most needy cause and hopefully the finished quilt will bring smile to the people of Japan and let them know that we all care. I hope it will also raised lots of money.

A bit about my Crazy Quilt block. My Dear Son while stationed at the Navy Base in Sasebo Japan sent me home these Japanese fabrics you see in my block for a Christmas present. They have been in my stash for about 15 years just waiting for the right project to be used on. I think my son would be please with how I used them. I stitched in a Cherry Blossom Tree, the symbol of the Japanese Flag and used metallic and satin flosses throughout the block

The above photo is a up close of my stitching.

During this past long Winter's months one of My Sweetie projects were creating Nesting Boxes for the birds. He also made 2 Blue Birds Houses and a Butterfly House. My Sweetie hand painted all the boxes and also painted the wonderful designs on the side of them. The two hanging wire mesh objects are full of my left over yarns and threads from my Winter of stitching. Hopefully the birds will enjoy using them to build there Spring nests in their new boxes. VBG We hung them all over our yard and we are looking forward to watching them being used.

Above is a photo of My Indoor Garden I have in my Sewing Room. The blooming plant was given to me by my DIL Robin. I have no idea the plant's name but it is most lovely and it seems like it is always in bloom. Does anyone know its name??

I have not shared any photos of My Sweet Grand Children with you all in awhile. This photo is of my Very Handsome Grandson Ethan in his soccer outfit. He is 5 years old.

The above photo is of My Sweet Grand Daughter Chloe in her Dance outfit. Chloe is 4 years old. What a wonderful time of my life being a "Grand Mother"!!

I would also like to thank My Lovely Aussie Friend Shirley, at "Shirley's Twisted Threads" for passing onto me the "Stylist Blog Award"! Thanks Shirley. Shirley does incredibly beautiful stitching so please have a look at her blog.

Happy Spring to Everyone.

Hugs

PESSIES FOR FLOOD VICTIM HELEN IN QUEENSLAND

2011-03-12T09:56:00.003-05:00

Hello Everyone,

Back a couple of months ago a friend in Texas sent us a video of the devastating Inland Tsunami in Toowoomba. I could hardly believe the horrible photos this video relayed. I email my friend Di in Toowoomba and asked her if this really happen in Toowoomba and she told me yes.

Di then related to me a story of a quilter whose home was washed away by this Inland Tsunami and they had lost everything. So I decided I would make some things for Helen that would hopefully bring a wee smile to her face again. I worked on creating these pressies as quickly as I could. Di kindly said she would give these gift to Helen for me.

Helen came back to attend a luncheon given by the, "Toowoomba Quilter's Club"!

Please click on (Toowoomba Quilter's Club) to see more photos of the wonderful gifts they gave her. Di sent me some photos of her presenting Helen the pressie I made. Thanks Di for these photos. They made me happy to see Helen happy.

Di with the two packages I sent to Helen.

This is the Embroidery Envelope I made for Helen. The pattern is by Crab-apple Hill.

I also made Helen a crochet Cupcake Pincushion.

Helen looking at the Inside of the Embroidery Envelope.

This is an up close photo of the Cupcake Pincushion.

This is a up close photo of the inside for the Envelope. The blue wood piece is called a "Laying Tool" made by My Sweetie for Helen. Another name for it is called a Stiletto.

This photo is an up close of the embroidery on the pockets. The flower is a Pink Lavender with some Hearts. I made the "Stick Pin" that is closing the flap.

In the middle of the Envelope I added a "Hand Dyed Hummer with beads and a wee Heart. I hand dyed the Hummer some time ago.

This is a photo of the front of the "Embroidery Envelope". I embroidery Helen's name on it to make it special for her. The wee charmed say, Handmade with Love.

Here is a photo of some of the goodies I added inside the Envelope. I bought two Uptown Japanese Ladies scissors from "Anita Little Stitches" in Texas and gave the Yellow one to Helen. I wanted to have one too to remind me of Helen. I thought they were soooooooo cute. I added some floss even thought I was not sure if she did stitching or not.

I also added some pretty fabrics and lots of needles. Di told me that Helen really loved the"Tea Cup" fabric. It was a pretty recent purchase and because I know "Aussie Ladies" love their Tea I thought she may like it.

Before I wrapped up the gifts I thought to myself what else could I include in the Envelope. Then I looked up and saw my "Thimble Collection". I knew I had a couple duplicates so I took one of these and wrapped it and tucked it in one of the pockets hoping it would not break during its long journey.

Di told me that Helen was really touched when she unwrapped the "Thimble". Helen said, she had a collection of thimbles and had lost all of them in the flooding. She did retrieve her Thimble Case but No Thimbles were found. So this thimble is the first to start her new collection.

Di told me Helen was very overwhelmed and touched by all the wonderful presents that everyone gave her.

I think the "Greatest" Healing Therapy for anyone is "Friendship" and "Love". I truly believe that on this day Helen felt the healing powers of Friendship and Love.

During the last couple of months you have heard me crumbling about our very long and blustery Winter. Yesterday was a sunny day and so we went for a drive to our favorite Ludington State Park. Here we found the Ice and Snow receding. You could finally see the wonderful sand dunes emerging again. The river was flowing and the Iced Lighthouse a month ago was now ice free.

But the most glorious sign of Spring was found in my wee garden along side the house where the sun hits all day when it is shining. VBG Yup I found three wee crocuses trying to bloom. It was so wonderful to see and it certainly made me smile.

My thoughts and Prayers go out to all the victims of the Japanese Earthquake. Also to all those effected by it in Hawaii, other islands and along the West Coastline of the USA.

My thoughts and prayers also go out to the Earthquake victims in New Zealand!

I am hoping my blogging friends can advise me. I am interested in learning how to do Japanese Kumihimo Braiding. Could anyone recommend a good book to learn this technique? Thanks for your help.

Hugs

GIFTS FOR A KINDRED SPIRITS

2011-03-03T15:50:00.001-05:00

HELLO EVERYONE,

While Wendy was tatting me some Easter Motifs my fingers were also busy stitching. I wanted to make something special for Wendy because she is always so very kind and thoughtful. Wendy's lovely blog is called, "Umi and Tsuru" so please have a look. In the middle of the night it came to me that this was the "Chinese Year of the Rabbit"!! So I went online to "Fabric Hound" to find some "Rabbit" fabrics and when I came upon "Moda's Hushabye" I instantly fell in love with it. I decided on the Brown background to create my gift for Wendy. Isn't this fabric just beautiful?

A bit of history about the "Chinese Year of the Rabbit"! The Rabbit Year are the fourth in the cycle, following Tiger Years, and recur every twelfth year. The characteristics of the Rabbit are tempered by one of the five Chinese elements of Metal, Water, Wood, Fire and Earth overlaying a 5 years cycle of characteristics on the original 12 year cycle. This is year is the year for the "Metal" hence the brown background of the fabric. A person born in this sign would rather work behind-the-scenes instead of being the center of attention in any situation. This person is friendly individual who enjoys the company of a group of good friends. Rabbits also like "Artistic" ventures, such as painting or music. Please see below a photo of my "Fancy Rabbit" I created for Wendy. I gave the Rabbit a pearl eye, and included with the batting a small pouch of "Lavender" from my gardens. When the Rabbit is squeezed the scent will be more noticeable. I also place a 'Heart" patch on the back with the Initial "W" to personalize the Rabbit for Wendy. I had fun creating the bushy cottontail. I used the Clover, Yo Yo Makers to make it. I made several before I came up with the right size that was perfect. Isn't the bushy cottontail to cute?? vbg

The below photo show 2 wee mice that I crocheted for Wendy's precious kitties. I also included a wee bell inside each to make them more interesting for Tsuru and Umi. Wendy told me that Tsuru picked the Blue one and played with it very enthusiastically. Umi the Princess of the house received the Pink one. I hope they will have many years of enjoyment playing with them.

A couple of weeks ago we went over to visit my family. While at my son's home I was given some very beautiful Spring Flowers. They certainly made me smile especially when I look outside and see feet of snow. VBG Also you will see in this photo a bit of the wood lamp bottom "My Sweetie" made this past Winter. He is so creative when it comes to working with wood.

I say "Bring on the Sunshine"! I look everyday to see if I can find signs in my backyard awakening from its long Winters' nap! Nothing feels better than a little sunshine on your face. The sunlight glistening through the trees is just a sample of what's to come in my "Spring Gardens".

Even though the snow still blankets the ground, I know the "Crocuses" will be the first to bloom in my garden this Spring! Another wonderful sign of Spring are the arrival of the lovely Robins. I have been planning all Winter for their arrival.

My Sweetie has been working most of the Winter down in the basement creating "Nesting Boxes" and "Bird Houses" and even special ones for the "Blue Birds"!! They all look fantastic. Picture of these wonderful creations by "My Sweetie" will be in my next posting.

I will also have some more creations to show you all that I have made for a special person name Helen who lives in Queensland Australia. So I hope everyone will stop by again to see them all. Until then I wish everyone a "Very Happy and Great week!

Hugs

Beautiful Tatting from My Kindred Spirit Friend Wendy

2011-02-23T16:05:00.000-05:00

Hello Everyone

I asked My Kindred Spirit Friend Wendy from Singapore if she would tat some Easter Motifs for me. I was starting a "Dreaming of Spring" Journal Page and thought I would love to add some Easter tatting to the scene. Wendy does amazing lovely tatting and when I received the Easter Motifs I was very humbled by all the lovely things she sent me. Beautiful, Beautiful wee works of art. Wendy has a fantastic blog called,
Umi & Tsuru please have a look. Wendy creates some very lovely creations.

When the packages arrived I had to admire the lovely Singapore Flower stamps. This is the Year of the Rabbit and there was also a pretty rabbit stamp too.

Wendy had all the tatting inclosed in lovely envelops which had wee bunnies on them. The box held a very big surprise, a truly "Beautiful Cattleya Orchid" that Wendy bought while she was in Thailand visiting family. It is so very delicate and fragile and it made its long journey all in one piece! A very Lovely Treasure indeed! Thank you Wendy!

I was very surprised to also find some very pretty tatted Roses in a Basket, Hearts and a Tea Pot. The Spring Daffodil in the Pots was awesome. I can hardly wait to see daffodils in my garden but until I see them bursting forth in bloom, I will have tatted ones to admire! Thank you again Wendy!

I love Spring for many reasons but the Easter Season is very special to me! Now I have heaps of Bunnies and Easter Eggs in truly beautiful shades of Spring colors to add to my creations. Isn't all the tatting motifs truly beautiful?

I feel so blessed and grateful to have such a "Kindred Spirit Friend in Wendy". Thank You Wendy from the bottom of My Heart for all your Kindness and Thoughtful gifts.

I am sad to report we had another "Snow Blizzard" and this time we got caught on the road when it happen. We went to visit family on Friday and the weather was very very sunny and 50F. Glorious! By the time we traveled one hour all the snow had disappeared. I was all smiles. I could barely believe my eyes that in Michigan this time of year there was No Snow!! We left behind at home 2 1/2 feet of it in our front yard. But this Blissful weather did not last long.

Within three days yet another snow blizzard arrived and you can see from the photo above how hazardous the driving conditions became. It took us more than double the time to get back home. Oh, how I hate Winter! vbg

But I refuse to leave all My Family and Blogging Friends with a dreadful snowy photo. Instead I will share with you all Beautiful Lillies that My Sweetie gave me!! Aren't they truly gorgeous.

Until next time I will be "Dreaming Of Spring"!

Hugs

DREAMING OF SPRING

2011-02-13T18:43:00.001-05:00

Hello Everyone,

First, I would like to thank everyone for all the "Good Wishes" sent my way before My Knee Surgery. I am now doing well now and I am going back to work on Tuesday.

I would also like to wish All My Family, Friends and Blogging Friends a Very Happy Valentine's Day.

My Sweetie truly surprised me on Saturday when he brought home a "Very Lovely Bouquet of Spring Flowers"!! They certainly put a big smile on my face.

You will also see in the photo that I have already brought out my "Easter Treasures"!! When I look at them they bring to mind "Spring" which really makes me smile allot. LOL

Unfortunately, the second photo is what My World really looks like at the moment. We are having the second worst Western Michigan Winter on record. Now you know why "I am Dreaming of Spring"!!

I recently discovered a blog called,

"Flip Flop Drop"! It show many very decorated lovely Flip Flops and they really made me smile. Please have a look I am sure this blog will make you smile too. I left a comment and told Lyn how happy her blog made me and to my surprised Lyn offered to create me a pair of Flip Flops too!

Now I need to make a fancy pair of Flip Flops and leave them somewhere in the Spring for someone else can discover and enjoy a pair too. All the Flip Flops, have a message on them that says, "I am Yours, Take Me Home! You and your feet will be Happy! We are part of the "Flip Flop Drop!! Aren't they just to cute?

My friend Linda who lives in New Mexico also surprised me with a very lovely "Tatted Heart" for Valentine Day. Linda also sent me a "Country Register from New Mexico" and the beautiful photo on it was called "Prairie Spring"!Linda has a lovely blog called,

With Needle and Thread I will Travel Far! These very thoughtful gifts also brought a big smile to my smile! Thank you Linda for your Kindness!

I always enjoy learning how to create something new! I have made and received several pincushions in the last few years. The pincushions I have received usually have some kind of beautiful fancy "Stick Pin" added to it. Well, I thought it was time to try and create some "Stick Pins" too. The photo below you will see my First attempt with creating them. What do you all think???

Ever since the blizzard most days the words "Dreaming Of Spring" kept popping into my head. I have always wanted to create a "Fabric Journal" so this past week I started it. I have CQ pieced it in My Favorite colors! I love "Flowering Cherry Trees" so I think it will be the main focus of this journal page. I know I will also add lots of "Spring Flowers"! I hope my blogging friends will stop by again to see the finished "Dreaming Of Spring" Journal Page!

This winter sunny days have been few and far between. This past Thursday it happen to be a very lovely sunny day and My Sweetie reckon it was time to take a Day Trip!! We ended up about 70 miles from home at one of my very favorite threads shops called "Peacock Alley"! Unfortunately they do not have a website. It seems they have every kind of thread under the sun. I loved it. You can see the shop and beautiful flosses I brought home with me in the photo above. I bought them with "My Dreaming Of Spring" Journal Page in mind. Aren't the colors truly yummy??

I am happy to be back chatting with everyone. Peace, Love and Joy to all!

Hugs

Maine, Vermont, Shelborune Museum Crazy Quilts, Crocheting

2011-01-23T18:39:00.002-05:00

Hello Everyone,

I would like to share with you all more photos of our Lovey Holiday last Summer. Below you will see some photos of the Rugged Coast Line of Maine. All the Lighthouses were very unique and a joy to see. It was so neat to see Queen Ann Lace blooming everywhere.

The quilt shop was called "Sewing By The Sea" and here is where I bought some really neat polar fleece to make myself a coat. I will have photos of it later.

All the photos below are of Bar Harbor a very tourist area along the Maine coastline. Here you could see the harbor very busy with all kinds of boats. Of course I had to take more photos of lovely blooming flowers.

During our holiday we also visited Vermont. It was so great to see many lovely church steeples that you see in Vermont magazines so often. Of course Vermont is also know for their many "Covered Bridges" which was fun to drive through. Below you will see a gorgeous Water Fall rushing through the middle of a small Vermont town. We walked across a small bridge that moved allot while walking on it to get this photo of this beautiful rushing falls. The store I took a photo of is the

"Vermont Country Store". I have been receiving catalog from this place for many many years. They have very unique "Old Fashion" stuff that was around when I was a kid. Neat to see.

One of the last places we stopped at was the "Shelbourne Museum"! They had 19 Antique Crazy Quilt being displayed. I felt very fortunate to see these lovely crazy quilt because they are not displayed for the public to see very often. Aren't they all precious beautiful works of art??

I think the top left Crazy Quilt was my very favorite. I thought the center of wild flowers was very unique. The maker's stitching was stunning. I stood for a very long time admiring all these quilts.

Below you will see more special things at the Shelbourne Museum. I loved their display of lovely flowers in the large urn. The top right building is where all the Crazy Quilts were housed. We also enjoyed chatting with the man in the "Loom" building. Several of his loom rugs and place mats were displayed for everyone to see.

On the Museum's grounds they have a small pond with a old fashion bench so you could set and relax and admire the flowers and the wee creatures swimming around. My sweetie was able to take a couple close up of a wee frog and turtle.

Below you will see more winter photos. This photo was taken a week ago. We now have snow that is above the center of our fence. I reckon we have at least 3 feet of snow in our front yard. Very Sad Face. VBG

I have been doing a bit of crocheting. Easter is my most favorite holiday for many reasons. So I decided to crochet a few Easter eggs and a basket. I also crochet a couple of wee mice. I plan to make more Easter eggs in many colors and maybe another basket. Isn't the we multi color mouse too cute. She is made from yarn called Baby Jacquard Flower Yarn. I think I will try to crochet a Easter Bunnie too. What do you all think of my newbie crocheting projects??

I hope you all have enjoyed seeing more photos of our holiday last Summer. They certainly bring back wonderful memories for me.

I will be gone for about a month. I am having unexpected knee surgery this coming week so I will be limping around for awhile. So I will have some extra time to do some more stitching and crocheting. Chat again with you all soon.

Take care all,

Hugs

WINTERY MICHIGAN AND MY FIRST CROCHET BUNTING

2011-01-13T20:05:00.000-05:00

Good Day Everyone!

This past Christmas In Michigan we had No Snow on the ground. A very rare event indeed. But January arrived very blustery and very snowy.

The top left photo is of our "Lovely Sand Dunes" along the Lake Michigan shoreline and they were looking very frosty. The next is of our front yard. The bottom photos show how very fridge the Lake Michigan waters can become. You can barely make out the poor iced Lighthouse. We have plenty of squirrels that visit our bird feeders during the summer months. High up in the tree top you can see a "Squirrel's Nest" where they keep cozy and very warm in the Winter months.

I started learning how to crochet in the Springtime of 2010. I have made several different kind of roses and other flowers but I have never really made a so called "project"! The "Crochet Bunting" I just finished after several months of working on it. It now decorates "My Creative Room"! I started with a basic Triangle and made it more elongated. The pattern is in "Crochet Inspiration" by Sasha Kagan. Then I added a shell edge to them to give them a prettier look. When I finished the triangles, I had no idea what was the front or back. VBG So a good Friend "Linda" from Qld. Australia help me solve this problem. Linda's blog is called "Billabongs2bling" and she creates very lovely projects.

The flower patterns I got from two books, "Crochet Embellishment" by Jean Leinhauser and "201 Crochet Motifs, Blocks and Projects". I audition several different kinds of flowers before I came up with the ones you see. There were some other very lovely flowers, I thought I would like but unfortunately I tried to make them and was unsuccessful. I was pleased with my first crochet project what do you all think??

The next photos was of our trip we took last Summer to PEI and the New England States. These two are of New Hampshire. Oh, how we loved New Hampshire. Gorgeous Mts, Rushing Streams, and lots of Cover Bridges! I love Loons and we discovered a "Loon Center"! A beautiful nature area. We saw a lady walking by the center and she was in mesh netting from head to toe. I have never seen such an outfit. We found out that it was to protect her from the hoards of Mosquitoes in this area! I wondered if it really worked. vbg

The bottom photos are of more fantastic scenes of New Hampshire. The log cabin was their visitor center. We saw lots of "Brake For Moose" signs and even thou we searched and searched the roadways we never saw one much to my dismay!

We were really thrilled with all the beautiful spots we saw in this state.

I hope you enjoyed seeing the photos. The next posting I will take you to Maine and Vermont. I have many photo of Crazy Quilts from the Shelbourne Museum. They were a real treasure to see.

Hugs

A LOOK AT SOME OF MY CREATIONS FOR 2010 AND LOVELY GIFTS I HAVE RECEIVED!

2011-01-03T10:20:00.003-05:00

Hello Everyone,

I would like to wish My Family and Friends A Very Happy and Healthy New Year!

First I would like to share with you all A Very Pretty Scrapbooking Christmas Card, Crocheted Pansies and Lovely Lacey Bookmark from my Friend Maureen in the UK! Maureen's blog is called, Maureen's Mixture so please have a look!

Heather and I have been exchanging Post Cards for the last few years but this year I ask if we could make them a wee bit larger and create Journal Pages instead. Heather was very kind to say Yes. I received the most lovely Journal Page with a Nature Garden Theme. Heather creates the most beautiful Embroidery Art. I also received a FQ of Pretty Pink Fabric, and the new Australia Magazine called Vignette. Heather's lovely Blog is called "A Cherished Life" so please have a look.

I created the Journal Page with the Christmas Plum Pudding with the wee Robin. I used the long and short stitch with silk threads and was pleased with it. I also created another CD Pincushion with a Spring/Easter theme. I really enjoy making the CD Pincushions.

I have gotten out "The Crazy Quilt Of My Dreams" and I plan to start working on it again. I have missed stitching allot and I look forward to adding Brazilian Embroidery Stitches and many other techniques I have learned in the last couple of years since it has been put away. So stay tune to seeing lots of embroidery coming from me in 2011!

During the Christmas Break I have been crocheting on a Bunting to hang in My New Studio. I still need to crochet a chain for them and some crocheted flowers to add to it. I also made my first "Hootie Owl" with some fancy stitches and a "Big Heart"! I plan to send this to a friend who has been going through some difficult times. Hopefully it will cheer her up!

I have been also making some crocheted flowers and even a Heart.

I look forward to chatting with all My Blogging Friends in 2011 and doing allot more stitching.

My Next posting will be a reflection of my creations in 2010 and "My Stitching Goals" for 2011. I think writing down my "Stitching Goals" will help me stay on track, what do you all think??

Take care,

Everyone!

Hugs

Happiness, Peace and Joy to All!

2010-12-08T14:02:00.041-05:00

Hello Everyone,

May all our Family, Friend and Blogging Friend’s Christmas be filled with special moment, warmth, peace and happiness, the joy of love ones near, and wishing you all the joy of Christmas and a year of happiness.

Double clicking on photos will enlarge them.

Grandchildren are such a Joy!

Some special Tree Ornaments from Friends and also made by Moi!

And Yes Our Winter has arrived and it will be welcome until January and then it can disappear! vbg

What a Wondrous and Joyous Year My Sweetie and I have celebrated together. We are Thankful for each day we’ve spent together.

I will be taking a short blogging break and I will see you all agian to chat in January!

Take care. Warm Hugs Judy

MY NEW DREAM CREATIVE STUDIO: HANDMADE WITH LOVE

2010-11-22T16:12:00.009-05:00

Hello Everyone,
About this time last year My Sweetie gave me two gifts for my 60th birthday in 2010. First to take me to the Lovely Magical Island of PEI. We took this trip in July. Lots of these photos are posted several posting back on my blog.

The second was to renovate my sewing room into "My Dream Creative Studio"! My Sweetie started this huge project in May and finished it the middle of September. I am soooooooo excited and pleased to share with everyone photos of "My New Dream Studio": Handmade With Love by My Sweetie!

The photos below is of what my sewing room looked like "Before" the renovation begun.. Oh, it was sooooooo very very messy. LOL

The below photos starts out by showing you the signature that "My Sweetie" put on all the lovely furniture he made for the new room. The middle "Fancy Cupboard" was the last piece to be made.

The inspiration for the "Fancy Cupboard" came from Anita's Blog called

"My Country Cottage Garden". Anita's DH had made her a fancy cupboard for in her sewing room a couple of years ago. Anita was very kind and shared with us some of its measurements.

I wanted some added special features to mine which My Sweetie designed. The "Fancy Cupboard" has a large display shelve so I can create scenes to take photos of My Creations. My Sweetie also made me the "Laying Tool" or "Stillo" which he painted in "Pink"!!The bookcases were designed by My Sweetie.

After all the mess was removed, which by the way "took some time" we started the painting. Then we added the new Ceiling Fan and Lights. Then came the new "Tuscany" flooring which I absolutely Love.. The wall color was called "Sourdough" and all the trim paint was called,"Sugar Soap"! The furniture was painted with the "Sugar Soap" too!

My Sweetie Made two large Bookcases along with the Fancy Cupboard. All the edges of the book cases were made fancy along with the top and bottom wood trim. No edge was left flat. LOL

One of the most exciting aspect of the "Fancy Cupboard" was the bottom shelve doors which was My Idea. They have removable panel so I can change the fabric from time to time so I can have a new look. I love the pastel pink fabric I used called, "Posh, by Chez Moi" by Moda.

The top shelve glass is called, "Seedy" which gives them an antique look. The "Seedy Glass" was special order and took 3 weeks to arrive. All the bookcase shelves were made to accommodate all my Art Bins! One bookcase I use for the Art Bins and the other one for my books.

In these photos you will see the other wall with my sewing table which was made in Australia. The other white unit I bought sometime ago. I also bought the fancy light switch years ago when I lived in Oregon.

The closet area was transformed into shelving for most of my fabric stash. There is three separate units and now most of my stash is finally organized. VBG

The display board on the wall I made from art foam board and I covered it with very pretty Pink French Toile fabric. It hold several "Fabric Post Cards" friends have made for me over the years. I change them often.

I also found these new storage bins that I now used for my yarn.

In these photos are a close up of some of my treasures. I especially love my "Smokers" I bought while living in Germany!

The beautiful Pink Garden Globe with Roses and Dragonflies was made for me by a dear Friend Sherry who is a "Art Teacher in Texas". I could never bring myself to put it outside.

The wool art was made for me several years ago from My Dear Sis in Australia. I also have my small collection of "Pincushions" displayed so I can admire them all the time.

I have waited many many years for "My Dream Creative Studio". "Dreams" do come true especially when you are married to a Sweet, Kind, Loving, Very Creative, Talented Wood Artist who is now retired!

I truly enjoy working in my sewing room now. To me it is very warm, relaxing, and peaceful space. When I look around at all the love that went into this room,I am Truly "Very Thankful" and it brings a big smile to My Heart.

I have also learned some new photo collage editing on Picasa. I have to thank "Stina" from Sweden for being so kind to answer all my questions. Stina lovely blog is called, "Kviltstina". Stina is a very talented quilter!

I hope all My Friends will leave me comments on their thought of My New Dream Studio! I thank you all.

I would also like to wish all My Family and Friends,including our Service Men and Woman a Lovely Thanksgiving Holiday. We have much to be "Thankful" for!

Hugs

A LOVELY STORY OF FRIENDSHIP AND KINDNESS

2010-11-12T18:45:00.001-05:00

                                                         Hello Everyone,

I would like to tell you all a wee story that started out sad but ended up "Happy & Lovely".

I made a special "Art Page" for someone who ask me to trade with her. I said I would be happy to do so. I worked for weeks on it and had added some of Wendy's lovely tatted motif she had made me some time ago to it.

Please visit Wendy's tatting blog called,
"Umi & Tsuru". You will see lots of tatted treasures and beautiful beaded jewelry.

The sad part I never did received an "Art Page" back which was suppose to arrive at the end of September. Wendy saw the Art Page on my blog and notice that I had used some of her lovely tatting on it.

I wrote back and told Wendy I was sad that I used the lovely tatted motifs because the person who received it never said, thank you or made any comment about the art page at all.   I truly believe this person has a good heart and maybe someday I will received a art page back from her and if not that is OK too.

So Wendy who has the most "Kind, Thoughtful, and Generous Heart" volunteer to replace the couple of tatted motif for me. I offered to make Wendy a "Crochet Cupcake Pincushion" in trade.

Due to having eye surgery I am a bit behind in creating the pincushion but I hope to finish it soon. On the day before my eye surgery Wendy's wee package arrived in the mail. It made my day seeing the package. I wrote Wendy and told her the package had arrived but I would NOT open it until she had received the pincushion I was making for her. Wendy wrote back saying to "Please" open the package because she was excited for me to see what was inside. When I open the wee package, to say the least I was overwhelmed, humbled,and in awe of all the lovely tatting motifs I had received. Please see below the photos I have taken of all these "Cherished Treasures"!!

I will treasure all the lovely tatted Roses in all the beautiful shades of pinks and purples. All the very pretty Dragonflies big and small. And the Lupins and Queen Anne Lace to remind me of PEI really touched my heart. The Pink Rose Snowflakes are truly very unique, special and gorgeous. I have never seen anything like them. All these tatted treasures will be put on "My" CQ" and other special projects.

A special saying about "Kindness" by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow comes to mind.

Kind Hearts are the Garden,

Kind thoughts are the Roots,

Kind words are the Flowers,

Kind Deeds are the Fruit,

Take care of your garden and keep out the weeds,

Fill it with Sunshine, Kind Words, and Kind Deeds.

Thanks Wendy from the bottom of My Heart!!

Hugs

MAGICAL, GENTLE, BEAUTIFUL, FRIENDLY PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND, Part 2

2010-10-24T16:30:00.002-04:00

Hello Everyone,

This will be the last posting about our very lovely trip to PEI. Even thought it has been awhile since our visit the images and memories of this trip will never leave my mind.

The above photo is of the Birth Place of Lucy M. Montgomery. I really enjoyed looking at the lovely furniture of the time.

This is the room were Lucy M. Montgomery was born. Isn't the room very pretty. Lucy mother died of TB only 3 months after she was born. Shortly there after her father left to go out west and Lucy went to live with her grandparents.

This is the home where L.M. Montgomery love visiting and it is here where she wrote AOGG.

This is the front of the Green Gable Museum. You can look out the front windows and see the very famous "Lake Of Shining Waters" or Barry's Pond.

The above photo is of the "Lake Of Shining Waters". In the movie when Anne was riding in the buggy coming home with Matthew from Bright River Train Station they came upon this beautiful pond that was glistening in the sun and Anne said, No this pond is to beautiful to be called, Barry's Pond, its rightful name is "The Lake Of Shining Waters"!!

The above photo was the desk were L.M. Montgomery wrote 4 of her well known books.

This is also the room where L.M. Montgomery was married in and this is the organ that was played at her wedding.

This photo is an exact copy of L.M.Montgomery wedding gown. The original is in a museum in Charlottetown. The wedding shoes in the photo are the original shoes she worn at her wedding. L.M. Montgomery married a pastor and they went on a 3 month wedding trip to England and Scotland.

L. M. Montgomery made this gorgeous "Crazy Quilt". I could not stop looking at all the lovely details and stitching in this quilt. Truly Beautiful.

This is the famous "White Sands Hotel" in the Anne's movies. But in real life it is called, Delvay-By-The-Sea. It is located inside the North Shores National Park which is truly beautiful. Marilla always use to say in the Anne's movie that their farm was the prettiest farm on the "North Shore". We actually drove pass the hotel and when we got to this area and I was looking across this small lake at it I told My Sweetie this is the"White Sands Hotel" because I recognized if from the movie we need to turn around. So we did and we took some time admiring this very grand hotel.

This is the front of the White Sands Hotel. I can easily imagine back in the early 1900's during "Anne's Time" when wealth ladies would be strolling on this lovely green carpet wearing their very beautiful lace dresses and holding their parasols. It must of been a site to behold.

This is the famous Lighthouse in all the Anne's movies. It is called the "Covehead Lighthouse". There is many scenes in the moves where Anne and Diana walks along the sea grass and looks out over the sea. A very lovely area, indeed.

And here is a lovely photo of the white sandy beaches of the North Shore National Park. But as you drive along the lovely beaches they turn into the famous "Red" jagged cliffs of PEI. My Sweetie and I spent lots of times walking along the beaches and I just had to get my toes into the sea. It was very very cold but it warmed a bit after you was in it for awhile.

And this is a photo of the red jagged shoreline. The posted signed told us they loose a metre of shoreline every year due to the crashing sea waves wearing it away. And of course this is a photo of My Sweetie the very kind and wonderful man who brought me to PEI.

There is another series of movies made by the Sullivan Studios and they are called, "Emily Of New Moon"! This is the area along the "North Shores" where the movies were made.

There is more to PEI than the Anne's landmarks. It has the most beautiful shorelines with small villages dotted along the way. This small town is called "French River". Do you notice that the small building where the fisherman unload their catch are all different colors. Those colors also match there buoy's so they know what nets belong to who. I was in awe of seeing this scene along all the shorelines of PEI!

One can not go on such a wonderful trip without bringing home some treasures. Of course I had to bring home with me some "Anne of Green Gable" fabrics and some of them was given to me by a "Dear Friend Patti" who was my Pen Pal for many years some time ago. We met for the first time during my visit and she invited me to her lovely home. I truly enjoyed meeting Patti. She also gave me some "Lupins" seeds to plant in my garden next Spring. Thank you Patti for being so kind.

I could not resist buying a "Anne of Green Gable" Anniversary Doll. In 2008 the Island celebrated 100 years of the writing of AOGG book by L.M. Montgomery! Someday I will pass this sweet doll onto my granddaughter.

I met a very nice lady named Barbara Henry. She is a weaver and she came to visit us one evening at our cottage and we chatted on for a very long time. The tea towel Barbara weaved and she kindly gave it to me as a gift. I ask Barbara many questions about PEI. I ask if there was a town on PEI called "Bright River" and she told me there is not. But there is many towns with "River" in their name. I also asked about the Bright River Train Station. Barb told me they had a many train routes on PEI but they took all the tracks out about 20 years ago. Thanks Barbara for everything.

More Treasures.

We also met Gail and her DH one evening at our cottage. Gail was very kind to give us all kinds of information about PEI before we left on our trip and also suggested the place where we stay.We decided to exchange Fabric Post Cards. The above card called, "Anne's Land was made by Gail. We both ended up with pretty much the same theme of "Lupins" for our cards. Thanks you Gail for the lovely art card. If you all notice there is a empty " Raspberry Cordial" bottle sitting along the card. I could not resist having a taste of this famous drink. Oh, did it taste very very good.

This is the card I made for Gail. I also included Lupins and Queen Anne Lace. I also included the famous "Covehead Lighthouse" and the lovely flowering Apple blossoms seen while Matthew and Anne was coming from Bright River to "Green Gables".

Both my sweetie and I agree that the people of PEI are Very Friendly, Helpful, Kind, and thoughtful. We Experienced many "Random Acts Of Kindness" during our short visit that we will always remember. We would highly recommend a visit to the Magical and Gentle PEI.

I hope you all have enjoyed looking at our photos of PEI. I really enjoyed sharing them with you all. Thanks for visiting and leaving me all your lovely comments. I truly enjoy reading them all.

Hugs

Magical, Gentle, Beautiful, Friendly, Prince Edward Island Part 1

2010-10-16T20:07:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone,

I have always "Dreamed" of going to PEI and seeing all the places I have seen watching the 6 movies over the years of "Anne Of Green Gables".

I hardly know where to begin to tell you all about the incredible wonderful trip My Sweetie took me on this past Summer through the New England states and then on to the Magical, Gentle, Beautiful and Very Warm Friendly people of Prince Edward Island. I can truthfully say I am still smiling about our wonderful adventures on this trip.

As I said, early that My Sweetie gave me this trip as a birthday gift. We took over 650 photos and traveled 4, 203 miles. Can you Believe?? I have travel to many places in my life but this trip I shared with My Sweetie will be the most memorable magical and wonderful of all. Actually I have to say, My Sweetie has also watched all of the "Anne" movies soooooo he was as excited as I was when we visited all the wonderful landmark of these movies. The following photos will be part 1 of 3 posting about our trip we would like to share with you all.

Soooooooooooooo lets begin!!

This photo is of the Confederation Bridge which was build I think 9 years ago and is 13 miles long. It is definitely an awesome bridge and the views spectacular.

When you first arrive onto PEI the first thing you see is the "Anne Statue" waving and greeting you to this Gentle Island. The Anne statue was a nice surprise indeed.

We stayed at Anne of Green Gables Bungalow Cottages for 5 days which was very close to all the Anne Landmarks. Isn't this cottage so sweet?

Our cottage was in walking distance ( maybe 1 block) to the Anne of Green Gable Visitors Center. I was so excited to finally see Green Gables.

Here is the famous home of Anne of Green Gables. I could hardly believe that I was there and looking at it. It was everything I thought it would be and more. It is difficult to express how excited I was to see "Green Gables". I slowly walking through all the rooms and admired and took in all the wonderful antique furniture that was in the home when Anne lived there.

But Anne's bedroom was just as I imagine it would be lovely. I could imagine Anne in so many scenes in her bedroom. Do you remember when the peddler on the road gave Anne a dye that promised to turn her hair a beautiful raven black??? What do you all think??

Here is a close up of a Peony that was growing in Anne's garden. Our Michigan Peony bloom in May and so I got to see Peony blooming twice this past Summer. The Peony is one of my very favorite flower. Isn't it just beautiful?

Not far from Green Gables is the bridge down "Lover's Lane" that we all see Gilbert and Anne standing on many times in the AOGG movies. You can almost imagine Anne and Gilbert standing there.

Growing wild everywhere on PEI is the "Queen Anne Lace". Such a lovely wild flower. Do you remember Diana picking the last of the Queen Anne Lace for the Summer and putting it into Anne's hair while they were in the "Haunted Woods"?

Here is a photo of "The Haunted Woods"! My Sweetie and I walked and walked and walked along the path of "The Haunted Woods".

I was truly looking forward to seeing the "Lupins" growing wild all over PEI. I was told that by July they would of already would of bloomed but guess what they were not. Huge smile. PEI had a coolish Spring and the Lupins were blooming late just for me to see them. I loved seeing them. They were all in beautiful shades of pinks, purples and white. I took many many photos of "Lupins"! A dear friend on PEI gave me Lupin seeds to bring home with me so I can plant them in my garden in next Spring. So hopefully I will be able to see them blooming next Summer in Michigan.

OK, I hope you all have enjoyed viewing the photos of Part 1 of our lovely trip to PEI. Is PEI as you imagine it to be??

Hugs

Blogging Celebration "Winners" and Other Great Photos

2010-10-11T16:15:00.010-04:00

Hello Everyone,

I would like to thank everyone who enter my 4th Year Blogging Celebration. It was so very nice to read all the lovely comments and to discover how long you all have been my blogging friends and what you all love to create. Thanks for sharing this information with me.

I thought I would do the drawing a bit different this year. I had my sweetie give me 4 numbers between 1 and 35. Below are the results.

The first number he gave me was 27. The person who was the number 27th comment is Deb. from Alaska. Deb blog is called: "Cold Feet Quilter" Deb is a great quilter and does super beautiful machine quilting. So please have a look at Deb's blog too.

The next number My Sweet told me was number 19. The number 19th comment was from Ellen in Singapore. Ellen blog is called, "Stitched Passion". Ellen does all kinds of lovely stitching so please have a look at her blog.

The third number My Sweetie told me was number 7. The 7th comment was from Maureen in Leicester, UK and Maureen's blog is called: "Maureen Mixture". Maureen is a very talented lady and does lovely stitching and mix media creations so please have a look at her blog.

The 4th number My Sweetie told me was 29 and the 29th comment was from Linda in QLD Australia. Linda blog is called: "Billabongs2bling"! Linda does machine embroidery and stitching and has a lovely blog too so please have a visit.

Congratulation to all the winners. I hope you all will enjoy the wee pressies I have created for you all. Please email me your home addresses and I will send off your pressies sometime this week.

Above is a photo I took yesterday of our Autumn Colors. They are just about at peak color now which is about 2 weeks early according to the experts. The colors this year are brilliant and spectacular and I could look at them all day.

It has been awhile since I shared some photos of my lovely sweet grandchildren. This is a photo of Chloe ( 4yrs old) and Ethan (5 yrs. old) at a Apple Cider Farm a couple of weeks ago. Aren't they just adorable. I love them both so much.

I have started a new adventure in creating Fabric Journal Pages. They are 6 inches by 6 inches square. This is the first one and I call it "Lupin Fields of PEI"! What you all think??

This is the second Fabric Journal Page I have made. I called this one Victorian Sparkles. I used allot of beads and metallic threads to create it. So it really sparkles.

The above photo is a very wee peak of the new fancy cupboard My Sweetie made for me this past summer. It was the last piece of furniture he made for my new renovated Studio. I will be posting more photos of "My New Studio" at the beginning of November. At the fore front of the photo you will see three very unique and beautiful crochet "Cupcake Pincushions and a Easter Basket created by

"Lallee's Cottage"! Please have a look at Lallee's blog she creates very beautiful crochet items.

At the end of October I will be posting some of the absolutely beautiful photos we took of the " Magical Place of Prince Edward Island". We will be telling you about all the great places we visited and the lovely friendly people we met too. I hope you all will come back and visit me again soon.

I hope you all are having a lovely week. Please take care.

Hugs

Blogging Celebration: 4th Year Give-Away

2010-09-20T16:41:00.001-04:00

Hello Everyone,

Happy Autumn to you all!!! Well, officially Autumn is still a couple of days away but it has felt like Autumn for the last couple of weeks.

During my Summer break from Blogging I did a wee bit of stitching specifically for My 4th Year Blogging Celebration Give-Away. I hope I have created gifts everyone would be happy to add to their collections of goodies.

This past Spring I took my first crochet class and I have build on my skills allot during the Summer months. I have truly enjoyed the art of crocheting so I decided to created two crocheted gifts for the give-away and one of them I felted.

Here is a photo of all the gifts I created this Summer for My Give-Away. Below I will highlight each gift.

I crocheted this Wee Autumn Basket made from a wool blend yarn in an array of Autumn colors of Tangerine, Golds, Greens and Beige. It felted up only about 25% because it was not 100% wool.

It will be gift # 4 in the give-away.

I even added some acorns to this photo from our numerous Oak Trees to put you all in the Autumn mood. They started falling early this year and The Farmer Almanac tells us that we are going to have an earlier harsh and long Winter. Very Sad Face.

This gift is a crochet Cupcake Pincushion. I made it from 100% Organic Cotton yarn. The frosting yarn is called Almond and the bottom yarn is called Spice. I think they are both lovely colors for celebrating Autumn. I even added some Autumn color beads for sprinkle on the Icing to make it sparkle. I also added a wee spice swirl for the top. It is about 2 3/4 inches wide and 4 inches tall. Isn't it a very sweet looking Pincushion?

The Cupcake Pincushion will be gift # 3 to give-away.

The above photo is a Biscornu Autumn Pincushion. It is the very first Biscornu Pincushion I have ever made and it is of my own Autumn design too. I believe Pumpkins and Sunflowers are definitely Autumn Icons. It is created from 100% Wools and is approximately 8 inches wide and 2 inches tall.

The Biscornu Pincushion will be # 2 gift to give away.

The above photo is a Crazy Patchwork Autumn Heart. I added a Autumn silkie that has two fairies and a lovely Butterfly in the center. I have added lots of beads and fancy stitching to it. The hanger is made from a lovely Lime Green medium size rick rack. I also added a stitchery of Lavender to it because it is filled with stuffing and "Lavender" from My Michigan Garden. It "Smells Heavenly". It is approximately 7 X 7 inches.

The Crazy Patchwork Heart will be the # 1 prize in the give-away.

All the gifts are "Hand Made With Love!!

I hope you all have enjoyed looking at all the goodies in the give-away that I have made for the 4 Lucky Winners. Anyone in the world can enter the

give-away

There are rules that should be followed if you would like to enter.

(1) First leave me a message in the comment section and confirm that you would like to participate.

(2) Please answer two of the following questions: Are you a regular reader to my blog and if so for how long? How did you discover my blog? What is your favorite art media?

(3) All comment entries must be received by October 10th, 2010. Please leave me your email addy if none is visible on your profile so I can contact you if you are a winner.

I will announce the winners on October 11th 2010.

I will leave you with a photo from My Garden. This lovely vine is called a "Sweet Autumn Clematis" and these beautiful blooms has taken three years to come forth and they have the most lovely scent.

Take care all. Hugs

Cousin's Quilt Shop, The Little Quilt Shop With A Big Heart and Sue Spargo

2010-09-05T16:43:00.002-04:00

Hello Everyone,

I am back to blogging after a wee break this past summer. I have missed you all. I can hardly believe the Summer has come and gone so quickly. My Sweetie and I have been very busy and I've had very little time to even visit my blogging friends.

We have been going on short and long adventures, working on my sewing room renovation, and attending and giving family parties. This past Summer has been the Hottest on record since the beginning of keeping weather records which was sometime in the 1800. To say the least it has been a Summer many of us will not forget for a long time. I hope I will never experience another one like it in my lifetime.

Soooooooooo where do I begin to share some of my adventures with you all. I think I will begin with our short Labor Day trip Up North this past weekend. I wish My American Friends a Very Happy Labor Day.

To start I have been working with hand dyed wools for sometime and decided I needed to add to my stash. I ended up being referred to a shop called, The Cousin's Quilt Shop in Bellaire Michigan which is about a 3 1/2 hours drive from home. I called them up and talked with the owner Carmen who told me yes she carried hand dyed wool. I said, great and that I would come for a visit to her shop on Friday. She told me that most of her supply of wools would be over at a workshop taken place that day but I was more than welcome to come over to the class site and visit and take a look at what she had there. I ask her what kind of class was being taught and she told me "Sue Spargo" was teaching for 4 days. I could hardly believe it. I have admired "Sue's Folk Art" for ages and have bought several kits and wools from her online. Sue lives in Ohio and has a wonderful blog, "Sue Spargo Folk Art" which will connect you to her website. I have followed Sue's blog and knew she was recently in Australia teaching and so I was pretty excited about meeting her and seeing what kind of goodies she had for sale at the class.

First I would like to introduce you all to Carmen the owner of "Cousin's Quilt Shop, The Little Shop with a Big Heart"!! I met Carmen as soon as I arrived at her shop. She had come back from the class to pick up so more "Goodies" to take back over to the class and kindly told me that I could follow her back to the class. The photo below is of Carmen sitting organizing some of her supplies for us all to see. Oh, My Goodness what a grand array of neat threads and wools to look at and of course I could not resist buying some unique things I had never seen before.

Below is the very unique sign in front of the shop.

And this photo is of the shop which is filled with heaps of great wools, fabrics, threads and on and on.

Below is another photo of some of the supplies that were available at the class.

The lady with the big smile is Annie who works with Carmen. She is proudly showing me one of Sue Spargo's Block of the Month she has been working on. We chatted for sometime and Annie was telling me about an upcoming retreat in November the shop was planning and how welcome I would be to come and join them. I was also invited to come to Bellaire and stitch with them anytime. The logo of the "Little Shop with a Big Heart" was certainly reflected both in Carmen's and Annie's kindness toward me. They both warmed my heart with memories I will not forget.

Below is a photo of the classroom. Very spacious and look at those very comfy chairs. I think I counted 26 persons having a very grand time stitching together. Each of their projects were very unique despite being the same pattern.

Below is Sue Spargo teaching a lady how to do a special embroidery stitch. Sue's assistant very kindly took me over to meet Sue and it was a "Joy" chatting with her and seeing some of her lovely stitching projects. Very inspirational indeed.

Below is a some of the goodies I bought from Sue's collections of things. I absolutely loved the "Cotton Candy Bundle". It had all kinds of fancy ribbons, Silken Chenille Thread, Beads, Silk Thread from Milano Italy, a very lovely piece of pink velvet fabric, and Sea Grass cotton thread in a lovely Dusty Rose. I was so taken with the "Thread Gather" Silken Chenille and had to buy more lovely colors of it. I also found a crocheted flower button cover which I thought was very unique.

I also bought some very lovely "Hand Dyed Wools", "Valdani Pearl Cotton" in array of delicious colors,and some more "Pure Silk Chenille" threads that was much thinner in size. They are wrapped around a very unique wooden spool which I plan to use again after I have used the Chenille.

The town of Bellaire I had never visited before and found it to be a quaint village with many lovely shops. I also discovered this Victorian Bed Breakfast which I thought was very special indeed so I took a photo of it to to share with you all. Isn't is very lovely.

Below is Bellaire Lake, (I think)that has a beautiful aqua color like you would find in a Mt. stream. Loved it. Unfortunately, this photo was taken on a very blustery rainy day and so the photo did not turn out that great.

I also visited 3 yarn shops along our travels. I bought a bundle of Debbie Bliss "Donegal Luxury Tweed" yarn made from 85% Wool and 15% Angora from Ireland. It is so very soft to the touch and the color is gorgeous, don't you think!! I am not sure what I will create with it yet. I am very new at crocheting so my skills are still very limited but I am thinking of something for winter wear.

I am very very Happy to be back blogging with you all again. I hope to catch up with you all soon.

Oh, I forgot to tell everyone that I have also been doing some stitching this past Summer just for My Special Friends. Yup, I have made 4 special gifts to give away to celebrate my 4 years of blogging. I hope to have this giveaway towards the end of September. I will give you a wee clue on the theme of the gifts. Because it was soooooooooooo very HOT this Summer I decided to make everything in an "Autumn" colors. Please come back and join me for my give away soon.

I would also like to thank everyone for their kind and lovely messages they left me on my posting last May. They all made me feel very special.

Take care all,

Hug