Soon My Pretties...

Dreaming of my stash as I make my way back home. Do you love your stash as much as I do? Moda Clementine - sweet enough to eat!...
Michael Miller Lava Flowers with other stash coordinates (and one of my ribbon embroidered Hearts' Desire hearts) - clean, modern and calling out to me!...
and Amy Butler with other perfect accent fabrics - calming, soothing shades reminding me of nature...

Soon, my pretties. Soon I'll be back in the studio, creating new quilts.

Arts and Flowers...

I've got mine!

Now, to decide how I'm going to repurpose it for the Art Challenge.

If you haven't signed up yet, head over to Tarnished and Tattered
and read how you can join the crafty party Lisa is so graciously hosting.

Simply click on her Outside The Box Art Challenge button above!

I just completed another Hearts Desire heart
to send to a dear friend in Vermont. It's already on its way to her.
This one is called Field Flowers.

Have a great day today.
I'm off to meet up with my friend, Marion from Michigan.
I'll tell you all about our day when you visit tomorrow.

Don't forget to check out my
"Current Blog Giveaways" page
at the top of my blog.

Anne at Fiona & Twig,
Rebecca at A Gathering Place, and
The Lone Dollier
are all offering some wonderful prizes
and there's still time to enter!

If you enter, I'd love for you to tell them
you heard about them from me.

Thanks!

Hearts For Sale...

I finished Connie's Hearts' Desire choice yesterday, and
today it will be on its way to her house. I sure hope she loves it!
(Connie won my surprise blog drawing last week, remember?)

This design is called "Dear Heart".
It features a pink French silk ribbon rose, taupe ribbon ruffles,
and some of the same embellishment I used on Mum's wedding gown.

The final touch is a tiny pearl seed bead at every diamond
intersection on the fabric. It's filled with a silk blend stuffing.

These are the hearts I added to the Boutique this evening,
and I'll be making more Dear Hearts to list up, too.

Are you tired of seeing my hearts yet? I promise to give you a
break from them now. If you want to look at them,
you'll need to link over to the Boutique.
(Here's the link for the sachet pillows.)

Really, officially, I won't mention them again...
at least for a while.

Itchin' To Stitch...

I finished these silk ribbon embroideries on the ground fabric
that will soon become two new Hearts Desire sachet hearts.
I'll list them in the Boutique tomorrow.

As I was stitching along, I realized that I'm using silks that
I've had since I closed Stitches in 1998. (Stitches was the name of my
needlework shop in Wisconsin, which I owned for nearly ten years.)
The fibers are twelve years old! Not vintage by any means, but
the chances of matching the colors are slim to none.

You know what that means, don't you?
Time to go shopping!

I found wonderful colors.
Solids...

...and all manner of beautiful hand-dyed silks.
I'm no longer limited to the few colors from my "silk stash".
I've wound them all onto their card labels (for reorder,
of course!) and I'm ready to create with these new silks.

New colors, new flowers, new hearts - small and large.
Next week, I'll add my first large heart cushion to the Boutique.

I'm just a little excited to get started, so I'll close for now.
My fingers are just itchin' to stitch.

I've added new ACEO cards, which are available for purchase. If you're interested in any of these cards, please just email me, as I haven't listed them up on Etsy yet. Here's the link to the album which shows the new cards. Thanks to Tammy of Simple Southern Happiness for encouraging me to list some of my ATCs for sale. (The difference between an ATC and an ACEO is that ACEOs can be sold, and ATCs cannot.)

Timeworn And Loved...

Old lace, vintage buttons, my mother-in-law's favorite embroidery
hoop, and one of my own Hearts Desire Forget-me-not hearts.

When I was in Sarasota this week, a friend gave me a scrumptious
assortment of handmade laces - all crocheted or knitted by her!

These are breathtakingly beautiful in shades of white,
cream and all the other colors of "vintage"...
timeworn, special and loved. I'm sure you can imagine
how excited I was when I realized the gift I was given.

Now, they're mine...all mine...
with promises of more to add to the collection.
All are pieces I will use, enjoy, share and treasure as she did.

From a friend with a great many talents
to
this very grateful protege'.

Please visit Button Floozies on Saturday, too. I've gone through my button boxes and found some real beauties to share. Here's the link: Button Floozies

My Next Major Project & A Winner...

You know about me making my mum's wedding gown recently, but before I started my blog, I also made this wedding gown.

In the spring of 2008, my eldest niece (and goddaughter) Jennifer, told me that she and her fiance', Kip were planning an October, 2008 wedding. She asked me to make her wedding gown.
Approximately three hundred fifty hours after I began (and only one fitting in a fully constructed muslin "practice gown"), this was her finished wedding gown. We called Jen "The Princess Bride". I also made the attendants' dresses for her sister and future sister-in-law, and the cummerbunds for her husband and her then-stepson (now adopted son), Carter.

When everything was complete, Handsome and I loaded up our vehicle and drove all the gowns and "extras" to Minnesota for the wedding. It was quite an honor for me, as she also asked me to dress her for her special day. (You can click on this link to see the photo album of the entire process - right through her wedding day.)
This is the fabric I used to make her gown...silk duppioni, Oscar de la Renta brocade (which was reversible), and beaded silk duppioni. I purchased extra fabric, because I'm one of those people who embraces tradition and family ties. I knew that some day, there would be a baby that would wear a christening gown, and rather than cut up her wedding gown, I planned for enough fabric left over to make her family's next heirloom.

I made Jennifer's christening gown when she was a baby, and have made gowns for nearly every child (or at least one for each of my sibling's families) since then. I've also made the christening gowns for our three grandchildren.
This was the gown I made for our youngest son and his wife's daughters. Both of them have worn it. This is the basic style I'll use for Jennifer's son, Liam. (You may have noticed on my birthday greetings for April, I welcomed little Liam into our family.) I'll modify it so that it has features that are reminiscent of her wedding gown, too.

So, this is my next big project. The christening is scheduled for July, but I'm attending a cousin's wedding in Wisconsin in June, so I'll make the gown early and hand deliver it to Jennifer and Kip. (Won't it be much more fun to see their reaction, than to ship it to them and settle for a phone call?)

Oh, golly! You're waiting to find out who the winner of one of my Hearts' Desire hearts is, aren't you? (giggling). I had to wait until midnight. Then, I went over to the Random Number Generator to get the winning number. Handsome is already fast asleep. Otherwise, I'd be asking for an official drumroll. So, without the drumroll this evening...

Congratulations to Connie of She Dreams Big!

Connie: Please email me your address so that I can mail your heart to
you as soon as I finish it. I'll be making yours in the pink silk rose design!

I really appreciate the sweet comments that each of you left. I realized from some of your comments that, unless you've already received one of these hearts, I've never told you what size they are. These hearts measure approximately 5" x 6" .

I decided (also from reading your comments) that I'll also be making them in a larger "throw" pillow size to sell. Thanks so much for helping me realize that I should make the larger size so that people will have the option of a large sachet size, or one to put in a chair or on their bed.
Thanks again!

Embellished With Ribbons and Beads...

I'm being a little sneaky with my title today.

You'll see why when you've read to the end of my post.

These are some of the Hearts' Desire hearts I have created and
given away as gifts. I'm making new ones now, and I'll have
them listed for sale in the Boutique within the next day or so.
I've decided my favorite look is the stitched silk ribbon design
(the blue one in the mosaic-and the lilac one, above),
closely followed by the silk ribbon roses and
embellishments (the one in the upper left photo).

If you leave a comment here today, I'll make one for one lucky
friend. I'll draw a name of one person at midnight tonight and
I'll let you know who the winner is in tomorrow's post.

All you have to do to be entered is leave a comment today.
I'm doing this just for my regular blog friends, so no need
to spread the word, unless it's to send a message to one
of my regular readers who might be a pal of yours, too.

When you leave your comment, I'd love to know
which design speaks to you, and your favorite color.
It will help me design your Hearts' Desire if your name is drawn.
Good luck!

Silky Forget-Me-Nots...

I created a new "Hearts' Desire" heart to send to a friend yesterday.

This one is a "Forget-me-not Heart" featuring the sweet little blossoms
stitched in silk ribbon. I then used three strands of embroidery floss for
the leaves, and finished my design with sparkling glass beads.

I hope that the recipient will love it!
I'll be adding Hearts' Desire hearts to the Boutique
this week in case anyone would like to purchase one.

I also created three new Artist Trading Cards.
These two are available to trade, while the third
is on its way to another friend.

You can locate all my available-to-trade ATCs by clicking on the
"Artist Trading Cards" link at the top of my blog.
If you're interested in trading,
just read the information on the linked page.

I love trading these, and there is no fee to participate.
I only ask that you send select an available card (or contact me if
you would like me to recreate an already-traded card, or you'd
like a card with a specific theme or in a specific colorway)
which I will be happy to hold for you until I receive yours.
They are trading cards, after all.

I'll add more during the week, so you can check back
in the coming days to see what the newer ones look like.

For those of you who would like a card, but do not want to trade
I also have ACEOs (Art Card, Editions and Originals)
available for purchase, which you can also find by going
to the same "ATCs" link at the top of my blog.
There are only limited ACEO cards at this point, but I'll
also be adding more here in the future.

I've also added new giveaways hosted by other bloggers to my "Current Blog Giveaways" page. You can read more by clicking on the link page at the top of my blog.

Oh, and one more thing. I'm going to have a surprise "One Day Giveaway" this week. It will only be for my followers who comment on that day. I won't post that it's a giveaway in my title, so that I don't have followers that join just for the drawing. It's only for you, my faithful friends and regular visitors. The drawing will end when the next day's post goes up, and I'll announce the winner a day later. Curious? I hope so. I promise to make it something cool - just for you! Because you're all just the best friends in Blogland, and I want you to know that I appreciate each and every one of you.

The Fruits Of My "Pla-bor"...

You've been so patient. You really have.

Because I'm so grateful that you care
enough to follow my musings to begin with,
I thought I'd show you full images of the
gifts I created in my studio last week.
These gifts are both for blog buddies.

The first set is my part of a swap that one
friend and I agreed to do. I thoroughly admire her work
and I love what I received from her. I'll post a
photo of her gift to me after I know that she has received this set.

The lined tote is my own design - perhaps for her projects in progress.
The heart is filled with 100% wool batting,
and then I added pearl trim and silk roses.
Lastly, I sprayed it with my Egyptian Cotton Linen Spray.

Now, if you've been reading my latest posts,
it won't be hard for you to figure out where this gift will be going.
I love working with these materials, and the creation
of this floral heart was pure joy.
Silk ribbon embroidery and beautiful shimmering beads to
remind her of a shared blog moment.
I hope she loves my gift to her as much as I cherish her gift to me.

These are part of my Hearts' Desire series, and I'll be listing up
new hearts in my Boutique that will be available for purchase.
They could be used as a sachet, a pincushion, or just a pretty accent.
You may choose to have them sprayed with the cotton spray, or
I can add a tiny pouch of lavender buds to the wool batting.
Additionally, I'd be happy to make special orders for your personal taste.

I'll share more information on size, pricing
and available Hearts' Desire hearts later this week.

Do you think my friends will love these?
Oh, gosh. I sure hope so!
I had to change the title of my post from "Labor" to "Pla-bor".
Projects like these are really too much fun to consider as work.

Thank you to all of you who shared concerns and get well wishes for our friend, Richard. He was able to return home - with his sweet Labrador, Stout, today. We're so grateful that his trip to the hospital wasn't more serious than we feared.

Sharin' The Love In Blogland...

These are the components of the project I started yesterday.

Some things may not get used, and I'll save them for another time.
I love working with silk ribbon and beads.
See my favorite fabric underneath?
Another surprise for a special someone.
I'll share a sneak peek tomorrow.
I know. It's so hard to wait, isn't it?

When I went to the mailbox yesterday, I was greeted
by a big red envelope.
Hmmmm. Where is this from? Near Tampa?
Jeanette? Sweet Jeanette!

Did I miss a special occasion?
Is it my Birthday again so soon?
(Remember - I capitalize my big deal birthdays!)
Was this a giveaway?
No.
The note from Jeanette said that she
just wanted to share a few gifts with me.
Sweet Jeanette really lives up to her name!

I immediately tore into the packaging to find all these lovely gifts...
Just. Because.

A beautiful Longaberger bag that I'm looking forward to using...
A slimline pink wallet (I love pink, too!)
Yummy vanilla tea, and a primitive piece of needlework.
She enclosed the prettiest card with a lovely note.

It's official!
This beautiful woman really is SweetJeanette!
I hope you'll visit her blog and share the love.
I stop in for every new post, and once you stop by,
you'll ask for return invitations, I swear!

Thank you, Jeanette, my dear friend.
We're going to have to get together soon!
I'd love to thank you in person for your generosity.

Sweet Heart...

Thank you to all of you who left such lovely comments on my Heart's Desire post yesterday. The winner of my drawing will receive this heart - handcrafted by me - especially for this giveaway.

I'm calling it "Sweet Heart".

It features a cream colored fabric, silver-lined glass beads, sweet pink roses with another sprinkling of glass beads, and finished with a Swarovski crystal heart. I cut and sewed the heart, and stuffed it with organic wool, then I hand sewed all the embellishments to the heart.

As promised, I chose the winner of my surprise giveaway using the Random Number Generator, so without further delay...
You can click on this photo for a closer look, but the winner is (#2) Kim from My Irish Rose Creations. I recently purchased one of her stunning creations, so if you haven't seen her work yet, please visit her blog. She's also hosting her own Visions of Spring Giveaway, so you have a chance to win by leaving a comment while you're there! I am honored to send one of my creations to her. This is what she wrote:

Donna, your post is certainly thought provoking and found myself wondering if I should laugh or cry. My first thought was "a day without snow"...but I get so much accomplished on days like this. Then on a much more personal level, my thoughts turned to my husband, whom I lost this past October following a four year battle with cancer. Certainly, just one more day with him is always my heart's desire, but I was so blessed with the time we had together that there's nothing more I would say or do in one more day. So for now, my heart's desire would be to find a little house in the country with a craft studio and land enough for a garden and all the pets my kids keep bringing home..lol.
Hugs~
Kim
myirishrosecreations.blogspot.com

Kim, I'm embarrassed to say that I neglected to save your address when I received your lovely package. (I knew I'd get it again the next time I place an order with you!) Please email me so that I can send your gift to you. Know that you have a friend in Florida who thinks of you fondly.

Your Hearts' Desire...

When I send out birthday cards to my friends, I usually write, "...and on your special day, may you have your hearts' desire". It got me to thinking about my friends in parts near and far, those of you who visit me here at Brynwood, and those who care enough to send me emails...Do you have a Hearts' Desire?

I know there are "Miss America" answers like "world peace", "no more pain in the world", and wishes for all mankind, and I don't diminish those, but I wonder if you could have anything in the world for yourself, what would you choose?

If you look at my blog roll, or the list of all the blogs I follow (that aren't in my blog roll), you'll know that I get to see some pretty creative, thoughtful posts on a daily basis. Many people, like me, embrace Valentines Day as a holiday to make and share symbols of their affection for others. And, the giveaway goodness around Blogland right now is truly staggering. (I just realized that very soon - only eight more posts - I'll be writing my 300th message to you! Another cause for celebration!)

What's my Hearts' Desire, you ask? I've already been so blessed. I have a husband who loves me, kids who live happy and productive lives, and grandchildren who are the lights of my life. I have a warm bed to sleep in (and sometimes "oversleep") and food on the table. I have all the toys and trappings in my studio so that I can indulge my creative muse, and I am surrounded by friends and family with whom I can have fun. I can honestly say that I want for nothing. I'm a Lucky Girl that way. (Well, truthfully, there is that small issue about my current weight, but I lost 32 pounds in 2009, and I continue to stay on track, so I'm not going to be hard on myself about that.)

So, my Heart's Desire would be for those I love to be surrounded by people who would do anything for them, who care what happens to them, and who love them unconditionally, and for all of them to be healthy (I learned how important that is over the past two years)...and for them to have their Heart's Desire.

I'd love to know what you would consider your Hearts' Desire. It doesn't have to be anything lofty or grandiose. It might be something as simple as a good night's sleep.

I think I'm going to do something special for one lucky person who leaves a comment today. I don't know what it is...but I promise to think on it and I'll tell you what it is tomorrow. (Kind of sneaky to make a giveaway out of it at the very end of this post, don't you think? giggle) I'll chose one lucky recipient by Random Number Generator at midnight tonight.

May each and every one of you have your Heart's Desire.

Barbara Jean at Treasures From The Heart is having a 700th Post Giveaway! Congratulations, Barbara Jean on such a memorable accomplishment.

Giveaway ends on February 14th, and she's going to draw two names from the participants on February 15th. Another generous Valentines Day giveaway for us.