I guess if you are reading this, I can assume you are not easily frightened away by things involving winter weather! I make no apologies. I happen to be one of those persons who loves snow. I realize it’s no fun to drive in and for sure it can test one’s fitness level (ummm ‘age’?) when clearing it from the driveway or sidewalk! But I’m a hopeless romantic and love to watch snow fall in the evening hours, twinkle in the morning sunshine, and lay like a pristine sparkling carpet when I walk, ski, or snowshoe in the nearby park/woods. I created my wall hanging “It’s Snow Wonder” to capture the swirling and sparkling of snowflakes. As promised in my last post, I have put together this tutorial about many of the ways one can mark felted wool and wool felt; the letters on this wall hanging will help demonstrate at least one way to mark your project! More…

Yours truly at the Minn. State Fair with my award winning quilt!

Once more, it seems summer has slipped away and fall is quickly evolving into the inevitable coming winter season. Looking back at my last blog, I can see that I have a lot of catching up to do. It isn’t that I’ve been sitting around – especially since my DH was working part time at Lowes, leaving a few more things for me to deal with at home! More…

Entry doors to the vendor floor….Anticipation!!

The last couple of weeks have been ‘crazy busy.’ I’ve somehow managed my way through any number of computer and printer problems and finished the Yule Tree ‘Advent’ Calendar pattern! The pattern is finished and I have 65 packaged and ready to go! Even packaging presented ‘issues’! I cannot express my relief that this one is done! Like a mother sending her little ones out to the world, I hope that it will be well received by those that decide to take on the challenge. While waiting for the printing and the covers, the weather cooperated and we managed to get our garden in. Can’t believe how early we are able to plant – I don’t remember a year when we got things in the ground this early! But I am so looking forward to those fresh radishes and lettuce. The straw bales have been conditioned and planted as well: and this year we are trying ‘grow bags’ as well – for potatoes, strawberries and some squash. As far as I’m concerned, gardening is really just a big science experiment, subject to some hard work and the hands of Mother Nature! After harvesting our extremely abundant first cut of rhubarb, I can only hope we’ll be blessed likewise for the rest of the growing season. More…

Out of the frozen soil! At least this pansy thinks it’s spring!

The sun is shining this morning – enough to convince me that maybe, just maybe, we can bid farewell to the worst of winter and look forward to whatever spring and summer may bring. This little purple pansy that showed up in my garden over a week ago causes me to be optimistic! Optimistic enough that I have already bought my seeds for our straw bale garden and am already yearning for the taste of fresh veggies. HOWEVER (and that is a BIG however) I have a few things to get done before I head out to garden…more More…

Close up of my ‘It’s Snow Wonder’ wall hanging

As I look out my windows this morning, it is snowing like crazy, but the beauty of the snow belies the very cold temps that we are experiencing here in Minnesota. It’s hard to explain to our little Aussie just why it wouldn’t be much fun to play outside. But it’s a wonderful day for finally having time to sit down and catch up on my blog. Somehow Christmas 2014 has come and gone, along with my birthday, two of my best friends’ birthdays and my youngest daughter’s birthday(New Years Eve!), and of course New Year’s Day 2015! For those of you who celebrate other traditions, that would include the passing of another Hannukka, Kwanzaa, and winter solstice; I love the opportunity to learn about other traditions than my own. I think they give us all a chance to add joy and meaning to our lives without having to sacrifice any of our own – and in the long, cold, dark season of winter, we can use all the joy we can get! As I look forward to another year, I do want to share some of the projects that I completed for Christmas – I couldn’t share them before as certain recipients would have found out just what was coming their way! More…

Happy Thanksgiving weekend. I am hoping that everyone out there found a few moments to celebrate and reflect on the true blessings of ‘thanksgiving’. As the years have passed, I find it much easier to realize how so many ‘simple’ things make my life so much more richer – a call from a friend, watching children play and giggle, the aroma of home cooked food – well you get the idea. I remind myself I need to practice ‘thanksgiving’ every day! I have been inundated with projects and project ideas the last 2 months, with far more creative possibilites than I likely ever will complete; I know many of you are not foreign to this same situation!! But this year, I am extremely grateful for even being able to stitch, sew, and design; having broken my shoulder earlier in the year, it has taken much therapy and effort to resume these activities…and I may not ‘be in the clear’ just yet as the doctor is showing some concern that I may still have some damage to the soft tissues. ARGHHHH! Please no! Stay tuned! Meanwhile, I’ve been stitching like mad to get a few ideas made. Thought I’d share a few of those with you in the next few posts. More…

The pumpkin says it all!!

Happy Halloween to everyone out there! I really do enjoy the fun of Halloween. As a kid I spent untold hours anticipating and planning for the one day of the year when I got to be someone(thing!) else, not to mention the fun of going out – after dark! – with friends to trick or treat for goodies! Perhaps those days of creating costumes (who had money to spend on store bought items??) fueled my love of fabrics, textures, embellishing, stitching as well as any other materials that served a creative purpose!! To my parents credit, they allowed me to create with reckless abandon (well ALMOST..) With only grown kids, grandkids that live at a distance, and a neighborhood that usually only nets us a dozen or so trick or treaters, I do miss the excitement the Halloween holiday used to bring. That all said, I need to now explain that look on the pumpkin…. More…

Snowflakes in progress!

With fall fast approaching and the garden starting to slow down, I was finally able to deliver on my promise of a workshop for my Daystitchers group. I have belonged to this group for many years: I remember my delight finding out that there was a group of like minded quilters, knitters, and stitchers that met during the day! Anyone who has fibro/CFS/lymes (or any other condition that wreaks havoc on your energy system) will understand that doing things in the evening hours just doesn’t work! Prior Lake did (and does) have an evening group, but that wasn’t going to work no matter how badly I would have liked to have joined. The opportunity to join a daytime group was so exciting: a chance to socialize, visit, share and learn! Added pluses: the group meets EVERY Wednesday (one doesn’t have to remember if it is ‘this Wednesday!’) AND it had been decided that this would be a ‘low maintenance’ group – no dues, no ‘officers,’ no treat committee, etc. We have occasionally done such things as block exchanges, row exchange quilts, etc. as well as contributed to cash awards at the county fair; all on a volunteer level of participation. And yes, at least one homemade treat appears each Wednesday! Over the years, we have shared the ‘days of our lives’ – the good and the bad – and I feel blessed and fortunate to know such a diverse, creative, giving and sharing group of women. It was with their support that I pursued working with wool/wool felt and creating patterns, so I figured it was only fair play to create a workshop just for them! More…