Happy Birthday, Carly!...

Carly turns FOUR today!!!

Happy Birthday to the prettiest (she's the daughter of WMBBD, after all), silliest, and most talented little Labrador around. 

It's hard to believe she's already four. Time sure flies. As serious and driven in the field as she is, get her in the house and you just can't imagine how goofy she can be. We laugh at her nearly every day. 

Yesterday, her fixation was a rolled up sock she stole from Handsome. He took it away and set it aside more than once, only to find her sitting - alert and singularly focused on her prize. She always ended up with it in her mouth, carting it around like it was a field retrieve.

In the field, it's hard to stump her. You only can accomplish that one time for a new drill, and then she masters it as though she's done it one hundred times...with much flair, I might add.

She yodels for her meals, and talks when she has something on her mind...which is almost all the time! 

I'm sure we'll come up with something fun for her to celebrate her special day. I'm off to Portage for the morning, but the day won't pass without us giving her a special treat and letting her know how much she means to us. You know we do that every day for all our critters, but there's always something different on their birthday. As Handsome is home, it won't involve a "frilly, girly collar" like I got for Bella, but she'll be treated, nonetheless.

Happy Birthday, Carlita Puppita Mamacita!

Love, Mom and Dad (and your real Momma, Bella, too)

Spring Sunset...

This was the sky outside the restaurant as I left on Tuesday evening. The place where we gathered is at the south end of Lake Winnebago. If you aren't familiar with Wisconsin, just look at the map and you'll see that large lake in the east central portion of the state. That's Lake Winnebago, and the place I call my hometown is Fond du Lac (French for "foot of the lake"), located right at that end of the lake.

This photograph is unretouched, and I can tell you it really doesn't do justice to what I actually saw. It was raining to the east (behind me), and there was a rainbow there, while this magnificent spring sunset was laid out in front of me. The wind was blowing waves onto the shoreline and it was a fitting end to a night with friends.

My hands are still sore, so no new embroidery updates. These darn arthritic thumbs! Don't they know I have things to do? I hope some of you are managing to get a little needle dancing into your day. As for me, I'll try again today.

My Latest Project...

I haven't worked on it since last week, but this is my latest work in progress. My idea is to recreate the corgi on my "For The Love Of A Corgi" logo. I would have loved to work on it yesterday, but weather changes are wreaking havoc with my hands, so I just did other things.

I'm hoping to sit down to this again today. As it's "in progress" and a new concept, I may change things as I go (like the nose placement perhaps a teeny bit lower, and wait until the face is done to add the mouth), so we'll just see where this ends up.

I'm missing Tag a lot these days, so maybe working on this project will help me feel better. Couldn't hurt, right? 

Dinner With Friends...

I worked from 10-4 yesterday and then motivated over to a local restaurant for dinner with friends. This is the same group that worked tirelessly to host a fabulous 50th class reunion last summer. 

We rekindled our friendships - made new ones - and we all came to the conclusion that we need to see each other more often than we have in the past. We had a great time chatting about how we kept busy this winter, shared (more than) a few laughs, and have already picked a date next month to reconvene. 

I have to giggle when I look at this photo. Our friend, Mary hates having her photo taken, so she fairly hides when the camera comes out. If I'd notice this during the process, I would have probably said something, but I didn't this time, so I'll share my thoughts with you.

It doesn't matter if you're large or small, old or young, healthy or not. Photographs are the way that future generations will know we existed. A picture is a true snapshot of our lives at that instant the shutter closes. It's a recording of who we were right then.

My friends, please don't shy away from the camera. Embrace your place in history. Let your loved ones look back on your life through the images that live on after we're gone.

"Here endeth the lesson". I can hardly wait until next month, when we do this again, and next time, I'm going to stand next to Mary and prop her up if I have to. She's beautiful - inside and out - and I'm going to try to convince her she needs to radiate that out into the world.

Friday Evening Concert...

I attended the most delightful concert on Friday evening last. This was the Spring Concert for the Fond du Lac Symphonic Band. Handsome is sitting at the drum set for this particular piece, so he's not as visible in the back as he'd be were he standing. 

Handsome asked me to photograph the percussion section for this concert. L-R: John Neville, Dr. Don Steward, Victoria Essan, Emily Leclerc, Amanda Courtemanche and my heartbeat, Stephen. They worked hard the entire concert and had memorable performances throughout the evening.

The soloist for the evening was Petronel Malan, an amazing pianist - originally from South Africa - performing Gershwin's Concerto #4. I photographed her here with the band's music director, Dr. Evan Chancellor. Her performance was truly breathtaking.

Of course, we did the scrapbook photograph of the Liljegrens with Petronel, and she joined the band for their end of season gathering at a local restaurant afterward.

After Handsome and I returned home, we talked about the concert - as we always do. He asked me what my favorite pieces were, and I told him that honestly, they were all wonderful! Here's the program, in case you're interested...

 

Handsome has off now until rehearsals begin again in June for the summer concerts in the park. I always look forward to seeing all our talented friends and listening to them (and Handsome) make beautiful music. There's nothing quite like those warm summer evenings, sitting on lawn chairs with friends, and watching everyone perform. Soon!

The Newlyweds...

Saturday was so wonderful. Handsome and I were invited to witness my great-nephew, Ethan marry his sweetheart, Brianna. They've been together long enough to have three beautiful children together and recently purchased their first home. I know. I'm old-fashioned, but I've been pulling for these kids for a long time! Ethan is my sister, Diana's grandson. His mom is my niece, Stephanie.

I'm so proud of the young man he's become, and I told him so shortly before I took this photograph of them in their receiving line after the ceremony. These smiles were just for me, and I'm honored to share them with you. I have a few more to share, too...

The officiant moved out of position as he pronounced them man and wife, so the photographers could capture their first kiss as newlyweds. By the way, isn't her gown beautiful, and doesn't he look handsome?

 

 

Their first kiss. 

 

I want you to notice the next two photos in particular. If you look at Brianna's waist, you'll see that's where she pinned her "Something Blue" brooch I created for her. She made a point of showing me she had it on when we spoke in the receiving line.

 

Ethan smiled for my picture here. They had two professional photographers, so I know there will be many more much better pictures than these, but these smiles of Ethan's were for me, and they'll forever be special.

 

I've written about time spent with him in the past on my blog. If you want to see pictures of him growing up, just go to the "Search this blog" area over there in my sidebar -----> and type in "Ethan" to see how he's grown into this handsome husband and dad. You may get an understanding of how much he means to me.

 

I wasn't at their gift opening Sunday afternoon (they didn't have a big get-together. Just his and her immediate family), but I'm sure I'll hear from them when they open their gift from us.

Their family and friends were so happy to witness these two as they begin a long, happy life together. I can't wait to see where the future takes them. All I'm sure of is that they'll be together.

Sunday Scripture…

 

Matthew 19:6

 

Congratulations to our nephew, Ethan and his bride, Brianna.

May you always find comfort, shelter, and delight in each other’s arms.

Wishing you a lifetime of joy and love.

Ta Daaa!...

I want to begin this post by sharing the photograph I received of the bride's bouquet. My niece told me that the bouquet will look exactly like this one. It's silks, so I trusted her assessment. Isn't it gorgeous? My task was to try to create a finished embroidery equal to this bouquet. As you know, that bit hanging from the bottom was a bit vexing, but I think MA and I came up with the solution.

 

I took this photograph in daylight once it was complete and framed.  I stretched into a new hoop and then secured the back, covering it with a beautiful blue felt and the frame backer. This is a closeup of all my stitches.

 

 

This is the photograph I'll be using as one of the images for a listing in my etsy shop for future embroideries. It also shows you just how perfect the frame is for the monogram. 

I sure hope my nephew and his bride love the finished piece. I'll get photos of the newlyweds later today to share next week. Time to go. I'm off to a wedding!

 

Making Templates...

 

Something else I've been doing.  I shared the source for my floral alphabet letters before, but I can tell you again. The book/leaflet is is printed in Italian and English, called "In A Wheat Field" by Elisabetta Sforza.

I've been tracing the letters onto vellum to use later. I don't copy the designs as traced, but they serve as a starting point, as you'll see tomorrow when I share my recently completed wedding piece. These letters are approximately 5" tall, but they're wonderfully lush when complete.

I can't wait to share the finished wedding monogram with you tomorrow. It's going to be a fun weekend for our family. See you tomorrow. Happy Friday!

And Now It Begins...

I'm beginning to stitch on my Corgi brooch. First, I'll secured the felt base parts and next I'll proceed to add the actual goldwork components. 

I also framed the wedding monogram this morning. I use beautiful round frames that hold the hoops I use to do the needlework. I have one that's always a working frame, but once the pieces are done, I rehoop my work into a new one for my recipients.

I trimmed the excess fabric around the hoop and then take a running stitch around the edge of the fabric to gather around the back of the hoop and secure all the edges. Then, I cut a piece of felt into a circle and stitch that to the back of the piece. There is no glue involved at all. 

After I remounted the hoop into the frame, I added the backing plate. The final touch was to add a "Brynwood Bridal" label, and then I was finished! As promised before, I'll share photos on Saturday with you.

I also made a batch of cinnamon rolls (now that I've discovered just how simple they are to make). I put lots of cream cheese frosting on them, and add a container of frosting to go with the rolls I shared. They. Are. So. Good! I know I'll be sharing more with friends in the future.

I'll do more needlework today, so I'll make sure I take photos to show you how much I manage to accomplish. See you tomorrow!

Choosing Colors...

When I got home from work yesterday, I pulled a selection of colors that I think may work for my goldwork Corgi brooch. As with the wedding monogram, things are flexible until I declare it finished, so I'm sure I'll preview colors and ideas as I go. There will also be black for the eye, and red for the heart, of course!

I'm planning to prepare the calico and transfer my design today. Then, I'll begin with the padding before any stitching. We'll see how much needlework I actually accomplish though. The weather has been changing the past couple days, and it's cold again, which wreaks havoc on my hands. They're pretty sore right now. I'll take a couple Tylenol and see if that improves. If so, I'll do a lot more needle dancing than I feel like at this moment. I'll do my best, as I'm very anxious to begin this piece.

What are you working on right now? Are you doing something crafty? Reading a good book? (I must get some audio books for my stitching time!) I'd love to know what you're working on (and book recommendations would be fun, too!)

Time for a cuppa and then off to the studio! I hope you have a truly blessed day. See you tomorrow.

My Concept...

This is the template for my latest idea. I'm going to take the Corgi from my For The Love of a Corgi logo and label to create a coordinating goldwork brooch to offer for sale. As with all FTLOAC items, a portion of the proceeds will be donated to CorgiAid.

As I was contemplating the design for the brooch, I first went with the idea of a corgi profile. Then it hit me. Why not at least attempt to recreate the logo dog for my goldwork piece? So, this will be my next project. (Fingers crossed it works) I'm at work all day today, but will definitely be putting needle to fabric on Wednesday!

My day of baking was fun. In addition to bread and hamburger buns, I also made my first batch of cinnamon rolls, which was shared with Andy and Shelly. Feedback from Shelly and Handsome was that they were success. I'll be making those again, too!

Well, I'd better pull myself together. I'll be at work by 9:45 and put in a full (for me) day. I'll be back tomorrow to visit. I hope you have a great day!

Monogram Embroidery Complete...

I worked on this all day Sunday and finally completed it. There are no fewer than 24 hours of embroidery time into this monogram, and I did make adjustments along the way. (That means there was some frogging involved in the process.)

MA - I had the same issues with that green, as it did seem out of place for the rest of the colors, so I took your advice. Even though it has a larger roll in the actual bouquet, I only used the yellow/green for French knots (seen here in the curve on the lower right side) for the upper right and lower left curves.

I'm going to frame it today, and then I'll be in the kitchen baking bread. I'll share the photograph of the actual bouquet and the framed wedding monogram on Saturday (their wedding day), so I don't spill the entire surprise before their big day.

I'll be adding listings for "Something Blue" brooches to my Etsy shop this week, and I'm hoping to begin embroidery on a new goldwork piece. I've designed two different Corgi brooches, and am anxious to see if my needlework measures up to my vision.

As I said, it's baking day today, but I'll begin work on something new while Handsome is at rehearsal. Yes, it's Monday, so I know I've got that right this week. lol

Sunday Scripture...

Proverbs 27:9

 

Monogram Embroidery Day Three...

Day Three began by removing the vines from the top of the "N". Straight away I knew I'd made the right decision. I reworked it into the lower right side of the monogram below the roses, using a single thread. Much better.

This is how far I progressed before I had to get ready to leave for work. There's more to do, but I won't get back to it until Sunday as I work again today. I'm looking forward to getting back to it on our day of rest. 

I hope you're having a nice weekend. The weather is supposed to be beautiful around here. In fact, customers came in last night who said they were heading to the campground to open up their camper for the first weekend getaway of the season. Made me miss having our Airstream...a lot!

I'll be back with more progress on Monday. Who knows how far I'll get by then? What do you think of the change I made? Better?

Monogram Embroidery Day Two ...

I actually like photographing my embroidery progress because I can better assess things than when I'm holding it in my hand.

This is where I am so far, and I'm thinking the vine-y bits at the top of the monogram are too heavy-handed, so I'm going to remove those today and re-do them. At this point, they draw my eye away from the more delicate florals and leaves below them. They're not the stars of this piece, so I have to take them down a peg or two.

This represents about twelve hours of embroidering, and I know I have more than a few hours left. I'll frog the vines first, and then proceed with more of my design. 

I work this evening, so my stitching will be done during the day today. I'll share updated progress photos tomorrow. What do you think so far?

Getting Started...

I contacted my niece (mom of the groom-to-be) to see if she knew what the colors would be in the bride's bouquet. She actually sent a photograph of what they've chosen, so I could pull colors to begin my embroidery. Some of these threads are silks, and the rest are cotton. There are also some embellishments I may or may not use. I'll decide once I get the needlework finished. 

I'd love to show you the photograph of the bouquet, but I can't do that at this point. I don't want to ruin the surprise for the wedding couple. I will share it with you later, after the piece is done - or after the wedding. Wouldn't it be best to show the bride carrying it? I think so, too.

After all the colors were selected, I pulled a beautiful piece of white linen as my ground fabric. It's actually a tight weave, but I've enlarged this to show the beginning of my embroidery work, so it looks more open than it actually is.

You know what I'll be doing all day today (while I also run back and forth to the washing machine and dryer...laundry day). We'll see just how much progress I can make. I don't work again until Friday evening, so I have a lot of time to sit and stitch. I want to make some good headway so you can get a feel for the finished piece. I'll have more to show you tomorrow.

Here's What's Next...

I see flowers in my future. Lots of flowers, for a wedding monogram I'm going to start today. If you've been to my Etsy shop, you've seen the "B" framed piece used as an example of wedding pieces that you can commission me to stitch. This is going to be similar to that. 

The flowers in this first photograph are not my work. They're from the book that I use for the monogram shapes. Aren't they pretty, though?

This is a portion of the piece I'll be doing. It's actually the letter "N", and most of the flowers on the pattern are irrelevant to me, as I'll mostly use my own flowers to coordinate with the bride's bouquet. That's a bit tricky in this case, as I have no idea what the bride intends to carry. 

When I'm not sure exactly what flowers to use, I default to the wedding invitation for an idea of the bride's taste. As this is for my great-nephew's wedding, I'm going to contact his mom today to see if she can at least advise me of what colors will be in the bouquet. Once I know that, this piece could be anything from tones of white and cream, to wintry or spring colors. 

Today I'll begin by preparing the fabric (linen), and transferring the basics of the design onto it. Once I have the conversation about colors, I'll pull silk threads for this piece, and begin stitching by lunchtime.

I enjoy doing these monograms, so I know it's going to be fun, especially since it's for a couple I know and love. I'll share more information about it tomorrow. I intend to add a few symbolic touches to this piece, too, which I'll explain later.

I guess I'd better make that phone call so I can get started on this. See you tomorrow!

Fly Away...

The bottom ladybug was my first attempt, and I used check purls for the spots. I keep the first of every goldwork piece I make "for the archives". After the first one, I used tiny 32mm sequins and check purls to attach them. 

Those two are already listed in my Etsy shop HERE and HERE, and are ready to fly to new homes. (I created a separate listing for each brooch.)

Each Ladybug Brooch measures approximately 1-1/4" long by 1" wide by 1/4" thick. As they are smaller, I decided to use a pair of tiny magnets for wearing them. One magnet is adhered under the cork backing, and the other on the outside back.

Now that they're completed and listed in my shop, I'll be setting up my next project. This one has a deadline as it's a wedding gift for my great-nephew and his bride to be. They're getting married this month, so I'll be stitching this one start to finish.

After I finish the wedding gift, I'll be making the last four frogs to go to the Final Four giveaway winners. My plan is for all of them to be completed and mailed by the end of this month. 

I'm at work today, so the stitching will begin tomorrow. My best intentions are always to stitch in the evening when I get back home, but that hasn't worked out lately, so I won't make promises I can't keep. 

Oh, and I'm so happy that the day was uneventful yesterday. Where we live, it seemed to get darker for a while in the afternoon, but the birds never got quiet. I think they were so happy with the clear blue skies and 60º temperatures that they just couldn't help themselves. I kept working on my goldwork pieces and hoped for the best. Mind you, I'm certainly not complaining! Uneventful is good. See you tomorrow!