My New "Spoolie" In Progress...

He's not finished, but he already has a name. Otis, in memory of the little opossum I cared for in the Compass Barn a few winters ago. I wrote about him HERE.

I still have some things to do on him, including something for him to hold in his little paw. I've almost completed his coat. I'll also probably add something to the spool, and maybe he needs a little corsage on his lapel? I just couldn't wait to share him with you!

I'll try to finish him today. I'm still putting things away...mainly because I mostly sat around all yesterday. "Sometimes I sits and thinks...and sometimes I just sits" is an old quote that comes to mind. I don't even feel guilty because I got so much accomplished when Dan was here.

I thought I would be going to Portage this weekend, but one of the gals corrected me. Craft Day isn't until the 22nd, so instead, I'll be home. I have another Clara Warschauer class in the afternoon on Saturday, and after I complete Otis, I'm going to work on that needlework box I wrote about earlier in the week. I'm hoping to share that soon, along with my little finished opossum.

I hope you have a great weekend doing something you truly enjoy. Life's to short not to. See you Monday!

Busy Beaver...

Gosh! I was one busy beaver yesterday! Nephew Dan came out to the farmhouse and helped me move a bunch of furniture from one upstairs room to another. Thankfully, my bedroom is back in one piece, so I had a peaceful place to sleep last night.

Today, I'll be wrestling all the minutiae back into place so it won't look like a cyclone hit. I'll take my time (somewhat) so I have calm sooner rather than later, but it all will definitely be back in order before Handsome comes home. 

Needless to say, once Dan left I took a shower, changed into sweats and settled into the recliner with a nice, hot cuppa. I put heat on my knees and dozed off for a bit. No worries, though. The dogs always keep me on track, so there's no extended lingering. Animals to be aired and fed. A bite to eat for yours truly, and then I went upstairs to bed early, resisting the urge to move more. One more day (or three) won't matter, and I'm definitely not overdoing it!

So....that's my story for today. I think I'll limit my cleanup time today to a few hours, and then I think I need to make another "spoolie" for the collection. Yes. I'll situate myself in the recliner with an assortment of fabrics and threads and see about a new animal. Opossum, perhaps? I'll be back to visit tomorrow and reveal my newest "little".

He Just Knows...

Just like a life boat when I feel like I'm bobbing around in the ocean, he rescues me. He always knows just what I need. When I was at work yesterday, a lady walked in with this arrangement in her hands and said, "Flowers for Donna". My day was immediately brighter, and all the cares that were weighing on me disappeared. 

I kept them right near my register all day, and many customers commented on my beautiful flowers. My response was always the same. "They're from my husband. Forty years and he's still my guy." When asked if there was a special occasion, I simply replied that they were just to cheer me up. Boy, did they cheer me up.

I brought them home and put them in a place where I'll see them all day, every day. When they're no longer viable, I'll have this photograph to remind me just how loving and thoughtful he is.

Thanks for all the encouragement yesterday, too. I could feel it from each of you, and you know how grateful I am. You're the best of the best...and so is my Handsome. I'm one lucky girl.

Everyday...

Image from Jennifer Dukes Lee - Incourage.me

Trying not to think about aches and pains...little reminders that I'm not a kid anymore. I don't like it one bit. I don't feel old, but there are times that my body just laughs at my brain and says, "Hold my beer."

Working two days in a row is one of those reminders. My boss comes back tomorrow, but thankfully, today's shift and I'll be off until Friday. Before I leave for work, I'll grab two Tylenol. When I get home, it's alternating ice and heat. I'll be fine. I'm just feeling a little sorry for myself.

I'm hoping that today, all my customers reflect what I offer - Kindness. It sure makes the day go faster, and smiles are always preferable. I wish you a great day, and will offer something more needlework-y when you visit tomorrow.

Travel Stitching Case...

On Saturday, I was catching up with some of the needleworkers I follow on Instagram and came across this case in one of the posts. Don't you know I had to do a little digging to learn more about it!

It seems I'd somehow missed a trend to create needlework kits from travel jewelry cases. These are not particularly large - as you can tell from the contents - but once they purchase the jewelry case, it's essentially gutted to customize the fabric and interior to suit the needleworker. I purposely kept this creator's info at the top in case you're on Instagram and would like to see more of her things.

Here's another, created by @tinkhickman. She uses hers for carrying tiny hexie supplies. A few spools of her favorite threads to coordinate with her fabric choices, needles, a seam ripper to use as snips, and she's ready to grab and go. I think one of these would be perfect for my goldwork pieces in progress.

I went upstairs and pulled out this makeup case I got as a free premium from Esteé Lauder too many years ago to count, and thought I could customize the interior to carry supplies for my wee spool critters (for now). It's larger than the jewelry cases, but that would be fine to hold the supplies for making them..

This is the interior, so I'll need to add supports for a top layer, which I'll have to build and cover. Or, I'll just add a new lining and dividers and keep it as one layer. I'll decide as I play around with it.

Of course, I did order two jewelry cases like the ones above that the other ladies used. I found them on Amazon HERE. (I'm not compensated for sharing this link.) The best part is that they're on sale, too! I'll play with those after I finish this one.

If you'd like to see more examples and you're on Instagram, just do a search on #travelstitchingcase. You'll find all different treatments and lots of inspiration.

I'll share the process with you as I create this. I'll start with fabrics, and show them to you next. I've got a full day today, so I'm going to close. Let me know what you think in the comments. 

Sunday Scripture...

Psalm 107:1-2

 

Happy Birthday, WMBBD!...

Here's our beautiful girl, Bella on her tenth Birthday. There's nothing more sweet and dear than an older dog...especially this one.

She recently rebroke her foot from an old injury before Carly was born, so she's fully retired now. She was simply running to make a retrieve and came up carrying her foot. Of course, we immediately packed her into the truck to the vet's office where the diagnosis was made. 

We aren't no longer allowed to throw retrieves for her anymore because the "push off" force she uses to get to the mark could further injure her. She loves nothing more in this world than to retrieve to Handsome or me. It's always been so much fun to watch her work, but now Bella will only be able to run on her own which doesn't have that same force as with the effort to retrieve.

Her foot is healing and doesn't need a cast, splint or bandages, so we're very careful not to over stimulate her which might cause her to relapse. I guess it's a hazard of her getting older, so we have to curb her activity, as she won't. She'd happily fetch until she dropped.

While Carly's features are finer than Bella's, you can tell who her mama is. I took this of the two of them and love how they're both so focused. Like mother, like daughter.

Today I'll be making some special pup treats for them, along with extra snuggles and pets for Bella and Carly. I think it will be a perfect day for a little Birthday party!

Taylor, The Sewing Mouse...

Well, this little mouse sure was fun. I adapted the design to create this cute, fuzzy mouse with an embroidered coat. He's also a mere 2" tall (not counting the spool), and has a needle and thread in one paw. In the other, he's holding his mousy tail. I attached a printed twill tape with spools and buttons on it. I think it may need a button or two attached, too. I'll do that later. There's even a tiny spool with the same thread on it, just in case Taylor runs out!

Can you tell I'm having fun with these? I may need to find one of those typesetter's trays just to display the ones I make! I wonder what I should do next? Any ideas? Let me know in the comments if you think of something fun. 

Busy day today, so I'll keep this short. It's a bit warmer outside, so there's that. At least the below zero stuff has moved along. I'll be back tomorrow with pictures of the Birthday Girl. See you then!

February Classmate Dinner...

Front Row (l-r) John, Brad, Deb N., Bruce, Julie and Dave. Back Row: Mary, Al, Dan, Donna, Deb B., and Cal

Last night was our monthly classmate dinner. One more attended - a good friend, Paula came from Georgia to visit her mom. She didn't stay to eat with us (or to get in our monthly group photograph), but we did have a chance to visit before she had to leave. She's planning to be back in a couple months and we'll try to plan dinner around her dates so she can join us next time.

As we were chatting, she asked how long we'd been doing this. She was under the impression that we all still got together to plan the next reunion, and that we were having business meetings. We explained that after our reunion we missed our monthly gatherings, so we started a once a month dinner date. She asked how long we'd been doing this, and one of the guys said, "Over a year now." I was surprised. I hadn't thought about it, but he was right. Time flies when you're having fun, and apparently it flies faster when you get to be our ages. We must all be enjoying it though, because we scheduled next month's before we hugged and parted ways.

Oh, and one of our classmates celebrated his Birthday in Florida yesterday, so he'd sent a message to one of the gals asking if we could Facetime him when we all got to the restaurant. She got him on the phone, handed it around, and each of us wished him a Happy Birthday. I actually think we just may have made his day. Fun stuff.

I'm going to stay indoors today - except to let the girls out when they need to. I'm just going to sit and stitch or make another wee spool animal as I'll have a long day tomorrow. I'll tell you about that later. I also have to make some dog treats because somebody has a Birthday here on Saturday. You'll have to wait until then to find out who. hee hee

Marian Monogram Class...

I'm going to be taking another of Clara Warschauer's goldwork classes (Clara Stitching). I'm enrolled in her Marian Monogram course scheduled for Saturday, March 1st. This is a class collaboration with Ecclesiastical Sewing in Minnesota to create a bible cover. The course is free, and kits are available for the goldwork from Clara, while the bible fabrics can be purchased from Ecclesiastical Sewing. The bible cover pattern is free from them, too.

One of the new techniques I'll be learning is using thread for padding the monogram. I already have Clara's supply kit, and plan on using my own dupioni silk for my ground fabric. I'm really looking forward to learning more from Clara in this online course.

If you're interested in learning more, you can go to Clara's webpage HERE. Once there, read her information and follow her links to get to Ecclesiastical Sewing. I'd love for you to join us!

Red-Winged Blackbirds...

Michelle Palmer and her daughter, Alaina just completed a new collaboration featuring red-winged blackbirds on a toweling fabric to create a wonderful table runner. Alaina is carrying the PDF pattern file for sale in her Etsy shop, Avery Hill.

I already grabbed my copy, so if you'd like the pattern for your To Do list, HERE is the link. She has a number of other new designs, too, so you might want to browse around while you're there.

It's a work day today. The temperature is around -3º so I'm not looking forward to going out, for sure. The girls didn't dilly dally this morning either. It was down to about -12º overnight. I did manage to fill the bird feeders while it was sunny yesterday, and I added a new suet feeder that I loaded up, too. The birds were all over it before the sun went down. I'll be back tomorrow. Bundle up and stay warm, friends.

Playtime In The Studio...

I finally got in some playtime this past weekend. The weather was less than pleasant with nearly 6" of snow falling on the farmhouse Friday night and through Saturday. I thought it was finally over, but I woke up on Sunday to more of the white stuff coming down. Thank Heaven for Andy. Although I had no plans to go out at all, he made sure the drive was open just in case.

Instead, I ran a little laundry, watch the Harry Potter marathon on the television, and created a couple little animals for the shelf. The first one is this cute, little rabbit I named "Valentine" (pronounced Valenteen). He measures a mere 3" tall from his tail to the tip of his ears, and then I attached him to a small wooden spool. If you look closely at the image on the lower right, you can see his poofy cotton tail! I added my BW acorn charm and a carrot charm as well. I added some French General ribbon on top of the thread and called this little guy done.

I had so much fun that I modified the pattern and made another animal on Sunday. I've named this little dog "Spot". He's brown and white, with a red jacket and bow tie. He's only 2" tall from head to toe. I only propped him on the pearl cotton ball to take the photograph. I'll mount him on a spool with some charms, too, but the pup is finished.

I found the original pattern on a blog that hasn't posted for ages. I came across and printed the free pattern years ago and found it again while I was going through my wool pattern binder. The blog is Prairie Mouse and it's still live, so if you'd like to make your own spool animals, the rabbit pattern is HERE to download. Just click on the "Free Pattern" image in her sidebar, and it will automatically download to your computer or smart phone.

Not bad for two snow days, right? I know I'm going to make more. Probably a mouse, and I may even try an opossum! I don't have any grey felt right now, so I'll have to get some next time I'm near a Hobby Lobby - or Joann's, if the one in town is still open. (That's a sad subject for another time.) All I know is these are really fun to make, and perfect for "armchair stitching".

We're expecting bitter cold through mid-week. I'd like a word with Mother Nature. I'm ready for spring, but I know the farmers need the moisture that comes with the snow. We just don't need the dangerous polar vortex stuff that hit late Sunday afternoon. It's not safe for man nor beast. Which reminds me...I'm going to need to go out for more birdseed and suet. I'll do what I can to help the birds through this. If I knew where the opossums were, I'd be taking hay out for them, too. Perhaps they've found their way to the Compass Barn. I'll look when I go out this morning.

Stay warm, friends. The map looks like Handsome might even be on the edge of this in Florida! I'll be back tomorrow with more to share.

Sunday Scripture...

1 John 4:16

More Hearts...

These hearts hang in my studio. They're some of the pieces I received from creative friends, so I keep them close so I can look at them while I'm playing. 

It started snowing late last night, so I was glad that it waited until well after I got home. I'm going to stay indoors today as the flurries continue, and I'm playing with "heart ideas" all day. I can't wait to share what I create with you on Monday. 

Happy Valentine's Day...

PaletteofHeart Valentine Hearts (Etsy)

 
Happy Valentine's Day, dear friends. I'm sharing this beautiful image of hearts stitched by Palette of Heart on Etsy (the link said this is sold out), that I'd saved on Pinterest.

Over the years I've received some beautiful heart-shaped pieces from fellow needlework and blog friends. I think I'll take a few daylight photographs and add them to this post later today. I was away with the dogs most of the afternoon yesterday. I had a haircut and then visited with my friend, Wendi for a while. I'd lost daylight by the time I got home, so I'll take those photos today.

We're expecting anywhere from 4-8" of snow beginning tonight and falling through tomorrow, so I won't be going to Portage for Craft Day with my girlfriends. I think it's better to stay safe at home than take any chances on the road. Not unexpected this time of year, but I'm disappointed just the same. Because I won't be crafting with them this month, I think I'll create a special needlework valentine on my own this weekend. I'll share that with you on Monday.

My sweetheart is in Florida, but I know we'll be talking more than once during the day. I sent a box of my homemade brownie and cookie mixes because I wasn't sure the actual baked goods would mail well. He got the box yesterday and said he's going to be doing some baking today. I know he and our friends will enjoy the treats. I'll miss having him home so I can make a special meal for him, but I'll definitely do that when he comes home next month.

I hope each of you have a day filled with love and happiness. If you're like me and your love is away from you today, I hope you know that you're loved and appreciated. Thanks, always, for stopping by to visit.

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxo

A Lovely Artist And Etsy Shop...

It snowed all day and into the wee hours of the night yesterday, so I spent time browsing Etsy and catching up on emails. I've also been busy in the studio, but I'm not ready to share about that quite yet. I'm working in small bites, so it's taking longer than usual. I'm also still resting my knee(s) and improving daily.

At any rate, this is a shop I've been following for a while, and I'm sure that if you know me at all, you won't be surprised that I'm smitten with her art. She's simply wonderful. Her name is Jeanette and her shop is The Hawk and The Oak on Etsy. 

 

 

I absolutely adore everything she creates.

I just placed an order with her after drooling over her work for months. I'm looking forward to receiving her pieces. If you love what you see and would like to see what else she has done, you can find her shop HERE. 

No, I'm not compensated for sharing her shop. No, except for my order, she doesn't even know I exist. Yes, I do love her work, so I wanted you to see it, too. Enjoy!

Moonrise, Sunset...

I'm always eastbound on my way home from work. This was my view as I got to the end of our road and the start of our driveway. The big moon was rising in the east above the pine trees. (I stopped the truck and got out to take this photograph.)

 

Then, I drove up our drive to see the sun going down behind the woods above the farmhouse. It was quite a sight, to be sure, and it wasn't even five o'clock yet.

 

I went inside and let the girls out as they'd been crated for nearly seven hours. Then I went about the nightly chores of feeding big and little girls, changing out of my work clothes, and sitting down to eat the dinner I'd brought home with me. It was a long day to be on this still-healing knee.

Today will be better. I don't work again until Friday night, so the most I'll have to worry about between now and then is "letting the girls in/letting the girls back out again". lol We're supposed to get more snow this afternoon, so it will be interesting to see just how much we end up with. 

Stop by tomorrow and I'll share what I accomplish (hopefully something creative) when I see you. Have a great day!

 

Stuffy Patterns...

Sweet Bunny Stuffy

Every once in a while, these free patterns show up in my Facebook feed. If I decide to make any of them, I'll make a duplicate image, and then crop for the pattern only on the second one, so that I can print it on a full sheet of 8" x 10" paper. I thought I might share them with you. 

You should be able to just click on the image, pull it to your computer desktop (or phone) and then save and print from there.

Favorite Beagle Keychain

Gingerbread Ornaments

Ellie and Whale Rattle or Ornaments

Dachshund Cuddle Puppy

I'm working today, so I'll wrap up my knee to give it a little extra support. Truthfully, I'd rather be home, but I took the job (can you believe it was a year ago already?) to force me out of the house. Otherwise, I'd still be in my jammies in the studio. There are days, for sure!

It snowed a bit overnight. Just enough to be slippery, so I'll be extra careful. The last thing I need is to take a skate on the pavement. I don't bounce like I used to. If you're experiencing the same thing where you live, stay safe. If you've got sunny skies, enjoy them for me, okay? See you tomorrow.

Another UFO...

Of course, I mean an UnFinished Object. I began this one a few years ago, but it's time for me to get it done and out. This is a petit point bouquet my BFF Cyd asked me to complete when her mum passed. She found it among her mum's things. 

I asked her how she wanted it done, and she said, "Finish it any way you want." So far, I've chosen the black background, which I think will really make the petit point stand out. But I'm not sure how to complete it from there. Frame it? Make it into a cushion? I do have time between stitching out the ground and being done. Any and all ideas are welcome. 

My knee is feeling much better. It's still a little tender, but I spent most of the weekend with my leg up, icing/heating and rubbing castor oil/frankincense all over it. I even tired a little frequency healing. It's the first time I've done that, and it's interesting how my knee tingled the entire time, and all I did was put the tone generator near my knee, set to a healing frequency (174 HZ or 285 HZ). I'm sure I'll be fine to work tomorrow, but I'll rest it one more day just to be sure. 

Sunday Scripture...

Jeremiah 1:5

 

It Was Just One Of Those Things...

You try to do something nice, and next thing you know, you're in a knee brace and walking with your husband's cane.

I ordered this really wonderful dog bed for Bella. It's thick foam with the egg carton layer and I was hoping to coax her to stretch out on it rather than on the sectional. It came on the delivery truck yesterday, so I opened the packages, unrolled the foam "mattress", and proceeded to add the zippered cover. I think it's perfect for her - or even Carly.

First let me say that I rarely wear shoes or slippers indoors (at home. I'm not a heathen, after all), preferring barefoot or stocking feet. Don't ask why. I just do. The floors were a little chilly today, so I was wearing my slippers.

I carried the dog bed into the living room and placed it in front of the television stand. Then I brought in the dogs to see what I got for them. It was about that time that I rethought the location, and tried to pull it about two feet from the original placement. Somehow, I managed to catch my slipper between the carpet and the dog bed, and I was headed toward the floor. I managed to catch myself on the credenza and it saved me from a spectacular face plant, but not before twisting my good knee in the process.

I threw myself back onto my ottoman and started rubbing my knee as I cursed myself for losing my balance and hurting myself. This was about two hours before work, and I loathe calling in sick, or in this case, injured. I had to suck it up and hop in the shower to get ready to go.

I crated the dogs, hobbled (whimpering) up the stairs and into the shower. After that, I went looking for our stock of braces to pull out the knee brace. On my way out of the room, I grabbed Handsome's occasional use cane. I may have taken took a mild painkiller, too. 

I got to the station with time to spare and worked my shift. The only thing I did differently was sat on phone duty rather than stand. I worked my full three hours and then came home.

 

Here, I thought the dogs would quarrel over who'd get to use the bed, but in spite of my cajoling, neither one of them would settle on it. In the end, Claudette gave it a once over after the girls were kenneled for the night, and decided it was "just right".  So much for that good deed. Perhaps the big girls just need to get used to it.

I iced and heated my knee after I got home, and rubbed my trusty castor oil/frankincense mixture on it. I'll likely do the same today. I'm still kicking myself for stumbling. I mean, who actually wants to have a twisted knee? Trust me, if anyone asks you if you'd like such a thing, I suggest you politely decline. It's a bummer.