Folk Art Snow Picture

 CC License View

I spent Christmas day painting this little picture...I should have waited to varnish it so that there would not be a glare from the flash of the camera. I am pleased with how it turned out. It is a gift for a friend who loves riding her snow mobile. 

 CC License View

I am pleased with how it turned out and I am looking forward to having more creative time this year :)

Have a great day!

<3

p.s. I just realized as I was staring at this post that I missed painting Mr. Snowman's stick arms! Whoops! That is why I love having a picture to look at. I usually catch the details I missed. 
:)

Merry Christmas!

 CC License View

This morning began with my teenage daughter waking me up saying "it's time to open

presents!". She is 15 but she had the enthusiasm of her 4 year old self. She sang "Baby its cold outside to her sister to wake her up. (Note: We were greeted with snow outside.)

:)

 CC License View

(A picture of her dressed up for the Holiday at school.)

We opened our presents and had a delightful laughter filled gathering.

The gifts were nothing compared to those moments. Hearing

the children laugh and giggle at one another.

I am wishing you warm mittens and a happy heart!

<3

Crab-ee!

I added a crab to the picture :).....

<3

Whale-ing along

 CC License View

Taking the photos of the painting helps me see things I can not see while painting...

This is really a small painting 6x 6 and I am using a liner brush to do most of the details.

Just wanted to share a little more progress before I dash out the door :)

 CC License View

<3

Painting ways

 CC License View

I needed another gift... so, out came my paints and a 6 x 6 canvas. My friend loves the nautical

theme and I decided to paint a simple folksy nautical Cape Cod, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket kind of painting 

:)

I have a lot more detail to put in the picture. I painted the sides to continue the theme of the picture. It is a wrap around "fat" canvas.

So in other words, the houses, land and sea are extended on the sides of the canvas.

 CC License View

Have a great week!

<3

Hostess gift

 CC License View

I have a couple of days off and I need a hostess gift for a friend I will be visiting tomorrow.

I thought perhaps I could bake something, but she is an amazing cook/baker and she will be cooking for my friend and I....so what to do???

I decided to whip up an apron using some lightweight denim I have an abundance of and I chose a printed fabric to make bias binding for the edges of the pockets.

Just thought I would pop in and share what I am up to....

Hope you have a happy weekend!

<3

Soul

  CC License View

Stitching more words, ("my soul") on the velvet....

  CC License View

and celebrating the "baby", aka Blue's birthday...she is 14, but really she is a very very old soul! :)

<3

Whispering velvet moon

  CC License View

This is my full moon art....I am thankful to be back to my stitching. I will have more time to focus on
my creative side now. (or at least I will try to make more time since Thanksgiving is past.) We will see...
I chose a beautiful green velvet to embroider the word "whispering" on....

I keep thinking of the song by Stevie Nicks, called Gyspy:

  So I'm back to the velvet underground,

                                                     back to the floor that I love, 
                                                     To a room with some lace and paper flowers....

  CC License View

Me on a hill in Vermont a long time ago... a very green place :)

  CC License View

Full moon art: http://womanwithwingsblog.blogspot.com/p/drawing-down-moon.html

This will become part of this quilt:

  CC License View

  CC License View

Me many moons ago....

Happy Full Moon

<3

Sleepy stars...

  CC License View

Last night after a long day of work and running children around I looked at my stitching piles and pulled this out and decided to give myself a few moments of stitching. I literally fell asleep sitting up!
I did manage to wake myself up and finish the word "stars" as it was only partially finished from long ago. I stitched down an edge, which you really can not see and I began adding stitches to the cloth where you see the needle. (It's the little things :)

  CC License View

This was me in the early a.m. before work....I am not a late night person!

I am off to another busy day and week ahead. I am wishing you a wonderful week!

<3

Mitered Corners

   CC License View

I don't know about you but making those corners on quilts can be tricky. I think I came up with my own version of "how to" after I looked at several different ways to "miter" the corners. 

I found this useful for making that pesky corner on the baby quilt....

http://youtu.be/QacUMot4FxY

I have to say it was the easiest way I found.

   CC License View

Just a little sampling of the binding I have done on the baby quilt.
I have another side and half to stitch closed and then it is on to quilting the center of the quilt. I must finish the quilt today as I am going to be busy the rest of the week. Yikes!

   CC License View

I put together this little altar after being inspired by Peggy at

 http://womanwithwingsblog.blogspot.com/

I shed some tears as I was putting it together and I realized I had resisted pulling the photographs
out because I have some healing to do. I lost my dad and grandmother last year right around Christmas and it all happened within a two week period. I was unable to go back home to see my dad and grandmother  and I worked (day job) through it all. 

I chose to put a picture of my mother (on the left) when she was younger. Reminds me of my youngest daughter so much. My dad is above her holding my daughter Sarah. Lastly, my grandmother is on the right holding Sarah and I am holding William, I was expecting my youngest at the time. My grandmother so loved children and this picture makes me happy because I know she was happy to be with her great grandchildren.

Ok...I am off to stitching...Have a Happy Day!

<3

mmm...Pumpkin Pie

Yippe! I have had two days off in a row and I am on day 2. I have been stitching like crazy to finish the baby quilt. The shower is next weekend and I will be working all week. Yikes! Lot's to do today...

                                                                    CC License View

(Ok, I know the picture of the pie is not that beautiful, but when I moved the pie from the pan the crust crumbled off...it really is delicious.)

....and yes, I did eat this piece right after I took the picture : )
I decided to bake brownies for my children (sorry no pictures, already gone : ),  and a homemade pumpkin pie for me : )

I  made my pie from (mostly) scratch and changed the recipe ever so slightly. I used brown sugar instead of white sugar by cutting the sugar from  3/4 cup to 1/2. I used this recipe:

http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/18470/libbys-famous-pumpkin-pie/detail.aspx


I opened the freezer and no ready made pie crust...so, I went cruising around the internet and found the best pie crust ever! This is the easiest pie crust I have ever made....check it out...

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/easy-pie-crust/

(Photo from All recipes)

This pie crust is light and flakey, just the way I like it.

~

Now back to the quilt....

I asked the new mom what some of her "love names" or phrases were for the new baby and she gave me a few....

CC License View

I stitched "handsome boy".....

CC License View

"hungry, hungry hippo"

and a few more words of endearment were stitched on.

Today I am going to attach the front to the back.

CC License View

The green/white flannel gingham fabric on the left is the backing.

I found this twin sheet while thrifting. A mere $2.00. You could not

buy that much  flannel fabric at the Fabric store for $2.00! 

I love the idea of recycling and the fabric is already softened.

~

CC License View

My daughter at  her High School Halloween dance....

Have a Happy Halloween!

<3

Do you see happy?

CC License View

Do you see "happy"?

CC License View

Still working on the baby quilt. I decided to add some random words to it just because...

Words like "happy" and "joy" and whatever else comes to me while I am stitching.

CC License View

I picked up the new Mollie Makes at the fabric store while my youngest daughter went

off in search of fabric to make a stuffie. She has always made her own little creatures since

she was really young. At 13, I thought she was over stitching...not so! She comes by it naturally lol!

Have a great day!

xo

Smoke house

CC License View
I made it through my intense week and I decided it would be nice to take a country drive with my daughter Sarah. We 

 took a lot of scenic roads to get to a smoke house.
Unless you know about this place you would never find it.
They are not trying to hide it lol! it is just in the middle of "no-where". They do not have some big advertising budget so you must either hear about them or see the small signs along the way...

CC License View

This is one of the roads right before you arrive....

CC License View

There are lots of ponds along the way. The colors were just breathtaking. This is high "leaf peeping"

season! lol!

CC License View

The Smoke house.....

CC License View

a side view of the smoke house...

CC License View

Now this is the best part...THE CHEESE!!!!

CC License View

They have smoked doggy bones....

CC License View

another beautiful pond....

CC License View

another scenic view before we go....

CC License View

and lastly, a couple of sweet little kittens living right on the edge of the pond. There is a drain pipe they are living out of. 

We left with some of our favorite "goodies". 

smoked Gouda cheese, smoked extra sharp cheese, smoked cashews and for my children, the smoked kielbasa.

Today is another beautiful day. I have plans to work on the baby quilt...we will see.

<3

Berries and Baby Quilt

CC License View

I found another needlework picture for the kitchen. It is retro 1970-ish, but it captured my

attention. I just can not believe someone spent so much time on a large picture and it is cast

off. I imagine the woman who made it loved what she was doing because the detail in this picture

is amazing. The strawberries in the basket are 3-D.

CC License View

I have managed to piece together the whole top to the baby quilt. The only pieces that are not stitched

down are 3 small squares on the bottom of the quilt. Will have to do that next weekend....

CC License View

I was hoping to see the Harvest Moon tonight,

but we have cloudy skies and unless there is a break in the cloudiness we will not have a view.

Hopefully all of you will get some nice pictures : )

I am off to work and a busy week ahead...I will be traveling next week and attending conferences and then whirlwind back  home to finish out the work week. 

<3

This is Ridiculous!

CC License View

Ok, forgive the fact that not all the fabrics are ironed on this little project. It is a baby quilt for a co -worker aka the boss who unexpectedly got word that her baby she has waited 8 years for had finally arrived, which left me in charge! She adopted a sweet baby boy. As a mother myself I understand her utter joy and I am absolutely thrilled for her, but that means a lot more for me to navigate through at work. Personally I have felt that my creative time has been so severely cut as of late and I am really sad about it, not to mention a bit overwhelmed by the fact that I have so many bloomin' projects! One thing about being a creative type is that the ideas are endless and the mind moves quicker then the hands!
So, I look around me and see:

CC License View

More quilts to be stitched....

CC License View

CC License View

This is part of a project for myself and the future...too much to explain now....

CC License View

embroidery waiting....

CC License View

.... the Grandmother quilt, 

CC License View

CC License View

books to read....

CC License View

crochet to finish...

So, you get the idea...in the mean time, I have children to run from here and there and a house to keep up and Oh did I mention (continue to) paint too! Winter is setting in and I have a deck that needs painting as well!

There are so many more projects I am not even showing!!!

You get where this is going?

                                         CC License View

My daughter Sarah is playing soccer this year (the picture above is from last year) Somehow, I magically forget my camera when it is game time...ugh!
Needless to say between practices and game time I am running along with other moms to pick-up and drop-off kids.

I have contemplated getting rid of my blog, facebook, etc. because it can seem overwhelming at times,
but this little corner is so dear to me because of all the special connections.  So, I am busy now and I may not post everyday, but I am here. 

My big word for this year is FOCUS and I need to remember to breathe!

So I will take a deep breath and keep going....

Have a great week!

<3