THANK YOU ALL FOR YOUR KIND WELL WISHES FOR MY MOM. FAMILY GATHERING FOR CHRISTMAS 2013

Hello Everyone,

I would like to Thank Everyone from the bottom of my Heart for your very kind and caring well wishes for My Mom and our family.... Mom is slowing getting better. Some days better than others. It breaks my Heart to see My Mom in a Nursing Home..But I know she is being well taking care of and is now safe with no further chances of falling again.

  I am gradually getting back my spirit for blogging again. I hope to visit everyone soon..

December here in Michigan has been a very snowy and blustery month. On Christmas Day we had approximately 20 inches of snow.. I was happy the roads were good so our family could travel to be with us for Christmas.

This Christmas was very very special to me. My 2 sons and their family came to our home for Christmas. It was such a heart warming day for Bill and I.. My Heart was overflowing with Love I was so Happy.

My youngest son Shane surprised me and as soon as we all got done eating he jump up and started clearing the table.  He told me to sit and enjoy playing with my grandchildren... So Shane did the dishes and Bill wiped and I was all smiles..It was a very lovely gift to me. Oh, How I Love My Family..

Last Christmas I made Chloe a Christmas Stocking.. At this time Jenny told me that her and Shane's stocking were very ragged. So most of the year in my head I was designing Christmas stocking for Shane and Jen, and Mike and Kari...

Both my sons are enthusiastic fishermen and have been since they were very young. So hence I knew their stocking had to have fish on them..

I started actually working on them in September and finished them 2 days before they came for Christmas.. VBG I was so worried I would not get them done in time. 

Above is Mike's stocking with a "Tilapia" fish embroidery on it.

 What do you all think???

This is the Christmas Stocking I made for Kari.  I made pretty bulbs to decorate it.
What do you think???

I embroidery a Redfin on Shane's stocking.

I included a note in both my son's stocking saying the following.  

"Fly fishing is for those who hold that the fun in the race of life is in the running, not just the winning, that existence is its own justification, that a day spent in a stream or a pond with a goal in mind is a JOY even if the goal is not achieved, though a greater JOY if it is"...
Both My Sons were very Happy with their stockings which in turn made me Very Very Happy.

I created a Scandinavian Christmas Tree for Jenny's Stocking.

 For the last 2 Christmas we have downsized to a smaller tree..which I have really liked a lot.  In the photo you can see "My Comfy Chair" were I sit to do all my stitching, crocheting and any other creative pursuit.

I would like again to thank you all for visiting my blog and always leaving such lovely messages for me to read.. They are all greatly appreciated.

I have some very exciting news to share with you all coming up in my next posting. VBG 

I would like to wish you all a Very Happy and Healthy New Year.  

Hugs Judy

LOVELY SURPRISE GIFT BY THE SEA ART HYPERBOLIC CROCHETED FLOWER KNITTED WASH CLOTHES WILDLIFE VISITING and THE STASH BUSTER CHALLENGE

Good Day Everyone,

I recently met Betsy at her blog called, 
"The Simple Life of a Queen". I really admired Betsy's very pretty swirly wash clothes.  I ask Betsy if she could find the time to make me 3 wash clothes in some of my favorite colors... Without really knowing me Betsy kindly said, Yes and knitted them up very quickly. Aren't they so very pretty.  Love them.  Thank you Betsy.

So because Betsy was kind to offer to make the wash clothes for me,  I decided to send Betsy a wee crochet flower in her favorite color of purple.  Betsy told me she really like the flower.. What do you think?? Unique, hey??

I found the pattern for the "Hyperbolic Flower" in a book called,
 "75 Seashells, Fish, Coral and Colorful Marine Life to Knit and Crochet" by

Jessica Polka. It can be found on Amazon.

These are the two Plymouth Encore Yarns I used to create the Hyperbolic Flower for Betsy.  I just love these Plymouth Encore Yarns.  

I am a newbie with crocheting and I always wonder what others favorite yarns My Fellow Crocheters may use? Thanks for your suggestions.

In the middle of the afternoon one day we discovered these 2 small fawns laying in the grass in our neighbor's yard.  They were watching as the cars past by and even a few of the cars stopped and people got out to look at them and they never moved an inch.. Now what does that tell you..

  When these cute wee fawns grow up they will be coming back to visit my garden.. I know this because their mother already does.  LOL I must get a fence soon.. 

 My sweetie and I really do love wildlife but we do not appreciate them eating in my garden.. VBG  

On Father's Day We were invited to a family meal at Bill's grand daughter's Rene's home.  Below is a photo Of Rene and her daughter Leliana.  Isn't she a sweetie.

It has been storming and raining a lot lately so I went out to rescue some of my Peonies so I could admire them a bit longer..  I just love Peonies.  They are such a gorgeous flower.

 I received a truly nice surprise in the mailbox today.. My sweetie told me it is all the way from Singapore.. huge very big smile.  I only have one dear friend Wendy who lives in Singapore and I could not image why she would be sending me anything.. 

Wendy went searching for "Sea Glass" for me.

 Wendy told me she found them at "Port Dickson, Malaysia"  (off the strait of Malacca).. 

 How very very thoughtful and kind.. I wish I could give her a big HUG!!  I love every colorful piece.. Wendy, Thank you from the bottom of my heart.  I will treasure  every colorful piece...
I can not believe I have "Sea Glass" all the way from Singapore.. Lucky Me.....

I do have plans for the lovely Sea Glass. I hope to create a piece of Wool Art this Summer and use some of the Sea Glass to embellish it.

When I was taken out the wrapped sea glass another wee wrapped gift came out with it.. 

Another very lovely gift.  Wendy is well know for her lovely tatted creations.. Inside, I found some beautiful beaded and tatted "Ear Rings" in my favorite colors.

 Oh, My Goodness I could not believe someone could create anything that small and so very creative and pretty..

Wendy has a blog called "Umi and Tsuru". Wendy also has a "Etsy shop" where she sells her lovely creations.  Thanks Wendy, you are too kind. 

My Sweetie and me went to our local Artisan Show this past Saturday.  I always enjoying seeing others artistic creations. 

When I came to the booth called "Island Sand Sculptures"   I had to admire every piece.  These artist are from Florida. This is the link to their website.  The photos keep rotating so have a good look.

We recently renovated our Master Bathroom and I decided on "By The Sea" Theme.  I have not decorated the walls yet but this lovely Sandpiper Plate will soon be up on one wall. The Florida Sand just sparkles and the Sandpiper Birds are 3D.. I love it.

In my last posting I mention that My Good Friend Jan shared a starting from her Beauty Bush. I could not resist sharing a photo with you all ofJan's Beauty Bush.

  Isn't is most Gorgeous?    It is huge and with endless wee pinkish white blooms.  YOU just have to love this bush. I just smiled and smiled when I saw it in full bloom.

 This is Me with a Big Happy Smile and all excited after purchasing My First Bit of Cascade Ultra Pima Cotton Yarn..I bought every color they had.  I think these colors are all so wonderful.. What do you think???

I am not sure what Kind of project to use this beautiful Yarn on. 
 Any suggestions?

I am happy to be part of the Stash Buster Challenge. See below for details.

 

Click Here to read about the "Stash-Buster Challenge" and  the
  June  LINK PARTY
Thanks to Linda and Ana for this wonderful idea. Greatly appreciated.

and I am also
 LINKING to Pink Saturday. 

I would like to leave all My Dear Blogging Friends with a Big Thank You for stopping by to visit.. and kindly leaving lovely comments for me to read.  They are all greatly appreciated.

This wee verse is dedicated to My Friends.

Friends Fill Your Life with JOY

Your soul with Sunshine 

and

Your Heart with Love.. 


  Have a lovely week everyone. 
Hugs 
Judy  

SPRING AND OUR GRAND CHILDREN

Happy Spring to you all...

The Delicate Charm of Crocuses!!

 These wee little blooms have finally arrived in our front yard.  

 

I have been wanting to get our wee grandchildren photos all together for along time. 

We are very Happy to be Grand parents!!! 

They bring such Joy into our lives.

Ethan

Chloe

Left to Right

Gracie,  Madison, 

Trenton and Baby Savannah

Tony, Rene and Baby Leliana...

A Family photo before Tony goes to Afghanistan...

Baby Vivian...

Thanks for visiting my Blog. I always enjoy reading your comments.

Hugs Judy

HAPPY TO BE BACK: VERY BUSY HOT SUMMER

VERY HAPPY TO BE BACK,

Even thought officially Autumn has not arrived when September arrives it is Autumn to Moi. This is also the time of Year when My "Sweet Autumn Clematis" blooms. Isn't it glorious this year.  vbg

This past Summer was the hottest since 1950 here in Michigan. I hope we never have another one like it.  It has been very hot and dry across most of the USA.

 I have spent very little time in my garden accept for watering all my gardens which was no easy task by any means. vbg

I have spent allot of time knitting Lacey Scarfs this Summer.  I think I have made 7 in all and this is the one I kept for myself.  This one was made from Moda yarn and the color was called Rainbow Sherbet which I really like allot.  I plan to make some scrafs for Chrissy Presents this year. I really enjoyed making them.  Has anyone tried making these Lacey scarfs??

When we could no longer tolerate the heat anymore we traveled to Michigan Upper Peninsula and there it was in the 70F verse our 90 to 100F plus heat at home. It was so wonderful to feel the cool breezes off of Lake Superior I want to spend the whole Summer on its beautiful shores.

Lake Superior has many Lighthouses but this one was near us.  It is called Port Iroquois Lighthouse.  So very grand. 

In our modern times we now see these kinds of "Windmills" popping up every where. I am not sure I like how they spoil the lovely landscape.

Lake Superior has a reputation of being a very fierce and unforgiving lake. It is a huge lake and many freighters have went down to their watery graves.  The most famous being the Edmond Fitzgerald.  There is a utube video on the broadcasting of this ship being lost and the tribute song,"The Wreck Of The Edmond Fitzgerald, by Gordon Lightfoot. It was neat to hear it again.

This past Summer My Sweetie decided he needed a "Garden Shed". He worked many days in very hot weather. One day Grandson Zack and son Craig came and stay for 12 hours working very hard and helped put up the walls and the roof.  My job was to provide food and refreshments, easy compare to their tasks.  Many Thanks to grandson Zack and Craig. They were all a great team together.   

Below is a photo of the finished Garden Shed. My Sweetie was very pleased with it.

Despite the lack of rain this Summer My Butterfly Bush produced heaps of blooms.  Truly very lovely.

And our Hibiscus Bush also put on a grand show.

I continue to stitch on my Wool Pomegranate Table Rug.  One half is totally completed and the other side is just about done.

This is a photo of the Pomegranate section. I used as many stitches and threads and yarns on it as I could think of.  LOL I can hardly wait to finish it.  It will be a year of working on it this coming November and I promised myself to completed it before November 1st. Fingers crossed.  vbg

I did attended the AQS quilt show in Grand Rapids in August.  I had a super great time and met a new stitching friend named Caroll.  More photos of this the next time. 

Next time I will have a wee giveaway of one of those Lacy Scarf I made this past Summer.. I will also have some photos of exciting happenings.

I thank all My Blogging Friends for stopping by to see me again. I have missed you all.  I am very Happy to Be Back and I am looking forward to catching up with everyone's blog soon. 

I could not resist showing everyone

My Two Very Sweet Nephews Tee and Jack. Those smiles will melt your heart, hey?? They live in South Dakota.  We will be heading west this Fall to visit with them.

Take care everyone and I will chat with you all again soon. 

Hugs Judy

WONDERS OF NATURE TYVEKS BEADS FANCY YARNS

Hello Everyone,

Spring has finally really arrived in the loveliest way!  Mother Robin took up housekeeping in my Clematis Bush!

This very lovely French Lilac Bush is in it 4th Spring and these are it first ever blooms.  I told it last Summer if it did not bloom this Spring I was going to give it the boot.  LOL I guess talking to your flowers and bushes really works.

 

I am still creating Tyveks Beads. Love them.   I also found some Buttons that looked like Sea Shells to me.  I plan to use them in a seascape in the near future.  I bought some more Martha Stewart Pearl Paints so more beautiful Tyvek beads will be created soon. 

More lovely Pink/Gold Tyvek Beads. I really enjoy making them.  They always come out uniquely different.

My sweetie and I went on a road trip down to the Indiana Amish Country.  Lately I have been in the Yarn Mood and I found the most neatest Yarn Shop.  I found some very creative wools.  

Some very pretty yarn called Little Flowers which I really like allot.  I know I will need to add another yarn with it before I use it but not sure what kind.  Has anyone ever used the Little Flower Yarn??

I also found some very lovely sparkling Ribbons. Any ideas what to make with it??

Below is My sweet Grand Daughter which I finally got to visit with at Easter Time.  We all went out to dinner together.  She warms my heart and makes me smile.  What a joy to have grand children.

I have been stitching on My Anne OF Green Gable journal page and it is about 80% finished.  It has been 2 years in the making.  lol  So hopefully next time I will have some stitching to share with you all.  

I would like to wish all My Blogging Friends a Very Fun and Enjoyable Happy Mother's Day.  

Hugs Judy

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

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