Photos From The Scrapbook...

Stitches' Grand Opening

Liam and I spent a little time going through boxes last weekend. We were looking for photographs of his mom (Jen), her mom (my sister, Lyn). In the process, I unearthed my scrapbook from when I owned my needlework shop in Fond du Lac, WI. I've been sharing photos this week in the Brynwood Facebook group (HERE).

I did write about the shop in one of my first Memory Lane Monday posts ages ago. HERE is what I wrote about it in February 2011.

Stitcher of the Month - August 1990

Each month, I featured one of my customers as "Stitcher of the Month". I had a table set up near the entrance to the shop, and that's where I would display some of their needlework along with the newspaper photograph of them. I loved that I was able to make each one feel special for "their" month. There were women and men who were featured over the years.

Laura and Me

 

This photograph is from 1992. I always bought space in our local newspaper to highlight special events, projects, and people. I wanted to do my part to keep the needlearts alive...not only in my world, but also in our area of the state.

Laura and I have spoken often of our love for the shop, and nostalgia for those days. Sadly, I closed after ten years. I turned my focus to designing as I became Brynwood Needleworks, and running both businesses and traveling was taking its toll. I closed the shop and that wonderful chapter of my life in 2000. A year later, Handsome and I moved to Florida.

I'll be sharing photos from the scrapbook all week on Facebook. If you're not in the group, feel free to join and enjoy the memories with me.

Memory Lane Monday - Halloweens Past...

Of course, I have lots of childhood memories spent Trick or Treating in Wisconsin, but lucky for me alas there are no photographs to share. I can tell you that I do remember more than one Halloween where we had to wear long pants and warm, wool coats under our costumes because it had snowed. I know there are children in the northeastern United States who will be able to relate to that this year!

But...I do have photographs of my two yellow Labradors, Kes and Bannor who let me dress them up long enough to snap my camera to prove it. In 2002, I dressed Kessie up as a witch because that was always her nickname when she was younger. She was a willful, little witch, which I know is hard for you to believe considering how she grew sweeter as she got older. Handsome walked into the house and laughed out loud when he saw her sitting in the chair, all dressed up.

I had a giraffe costume that I slipped onto Bannor, and he rewarded my efforts by promptly flopping down on the carpet and refusing to stand up. He could be a real clown, but he didn't find anything humorous about this get-up...even though I thought he looked adorable. (The two black spots on the top of his head are the giraffe's eyes; ears out to the side and those nobby thingies on the giraffe's head are those tan appendages.)

These aren't our dogs, but I always wish we'd thought of it! Aren't they just the cutest, well-behaved,  little ghosties?

There was one Halloween (circa 1981 or 1982) when Handsome and I dressed up, but for the life of me I can't find the pictures to share. Handsome was dressed as Merlin and I was his black cat. I had made both costumes for us and we were quite the pair.

Merlin wore a long, hooded robe in a shimmering black/burgundy fabric. At that time, we powdered his beard and mustache so it would look grey. Now, imagine a black velvet swimsuit with a long tail attached, and you'll have a good image of younger, thinner me. I even made black velvet ears that I pinned into my hair. Oh, yes. It wasn't particularly warm that year either, so I kept my Icelandic wool coat close at hand. (Yup. I just spent another hour looking and can't find the picture, but I promise to do a separate post later if I locate it!)

I can't close this Memory Lane Monday without at least one photograph of our two sons when they were youngsters. Son #1 was about 10 and Son #2 was around 5. Zorro and Chewbacca. What a pair! I have a few others, but I don't think they'll let me get away with more than one, so I won't push my luck.

Thanks so much for sharing my Halloween memories today. I hope I helped stir a few memories of your own of ghosts and goblins (big or small) from years past. I also have a linky thingie below in case you've written about Halloween and would like to link back here to share them.

Don't eat too much candy corn tonight and let's keep all our children safe as they enjoy a fun tradition handed down through the years.

Happy Halloween, y'all!

Memory Lane Monday - Cruisin'...

Welcome to another Memory Lane Monday, y'all!

Do you remember your first car?

I got my first car when I turned 16. (I passed my test on the first try, in case you're wondering.) My father presented me with a 1965 lavender Chevrolet Corvair convertible. I don't have any photographs of the actual car, but Handsome managed to find this one on the internet.
The actual color was closer to this floss color: Anchor 342 (DMC 211) with a black convertible top.

Of course, I was tickled to have a car to drive. This one had a lever on the dash to change gears, a heater that didn't work in the winter, and for every gallon of gas it used a quart of oil, but it was my car and I loved it.

All that burning oil (which I have since learned was a curse in those cars) created a smoke that billowed out of my car whenever I'd been running for more than a couple of miles. That puppy smoked out the heating vents (so I drove it year round with the window open) and out the long vent above the rear-mounted engine compartment. It was great for meeting guys! Whenever I pulled into the high school parking lot with my sister, guys would come running to see if they needed to help put out a fire! I didn't care. There was nothing quite like being 16 (going on 17), driving with the top down that first summer with the car.

During the summer, high school kids in our town used to drive up and down Main Street from Lakeside Park on the north end down to Gilles Custard Drive-in on the south end. Top down (the car, not me!) Back and forth. Back and forth. Blaring JoJo Gunne singing Run, Run, Run on my radio. Gas was a lot cheaper then. (I do remember 24¢/gallon gas!)

Alas, I only had the "Purple 'Vair" for approximately one year. Seems I hadn't paid attention to all the instructions for taking care of my car. A red dash light came on, and I figured that I could make it home (7 miles) before stopping. I was wrong. The fan belt had broken (which cooled the engine in the corvairs) and I seized up the engine as soon as it overheated. End of my convertible. Poof! My father decided a different car would be better than a new engine...after he gave me the "What were you thinking?" lecture.

I can guarantee that I have never ignored a red light or warning on my dashboard since.
This photograph was taken right around the time that I would have been driving my 'vair. Yup. That's snow on the ground. Don't you just love my bell bottoms? Those were the days!

Here's a link to Run, Run, Run. One more little walk down today's Memory Lane - Cruisin'. Where were you when you heard this song? (Here's the link for my FB friends: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MNVc6AokZVk)

You can share your favorite memory once a month, too. Just link up to this post (you can link up until midnight May 2nd.) by clicking on the Linky tool.

Another Top Finished, And A Reminder...

I finished the quilt top for the Marie J quilt yesterday. I really love the way it turned out. Seems I never tire of the Whispering Windmills block pattern (from the book, Lickety Split Quilts). Every fabric variation makes each quilt my newest favorite!
I managed to have all of the blocks assembled before stopping to prepare our dinner. This was also the last photo I took in daylight. (The first photo showing the completed quilt top was taken around 9:30 last night after I finished pressing it.)
Here's a daylight photograph of the fabric I used for the inner border as I previewed it against the assembled blocks. I decided to use this to pick up the same golden tan color in the floral fabric.

I'll assemble the fabric for the backing today and then I'll take it up to Kathy and Nora's shop. I beat my deadline by over a week! I'm using the same darker blue print shown in the above photos.

So, what do you think? Does it remind you of sea and sand? I think I'll choose something on the order of waves for Kathy's machine work. You know I'll share the finished quilt as soon as I get it back and bound, right? Right!
I just want to remind everyone that MONDAY, April 25th is our next Memory Lane Monday. I hope you'll have a story to link to the party. I'll have my post up around 10 pm on Sunday to make it easier for you to link up and join in the fun.

Memory Lane Monday - Dance...

"Dancing dollies dance like this..."

Welcome to another Memory Lane Monday!

I was nine years old in this photograph, taken in the Fond du Lac, Wisconsin studio of my dance instructor, Cleo Smith. His middle initial was "P", and he always told us it stood for "patra". (narf) He really was quite the character. I don't remember much detail about those days now, but I do remember the way I felt. Happy. I was happy taking lessons and learning to dance from this man.

One whole wall of his studio (located above the bank) was mirrored, and had a barre that measured at least twenty feet long. The studio was huge, and double doors separated his teaching area from where he lived across the hall. Cleo's sister played the piano for us while we danced, and his multiple Pekinese dogs frequently tumbled - barking - into his studio while we danced and learned our steps.

I now know that nine year olds should never dance "on-pointe" (in toe shoes), as their bones aren't yet fully developed at that age, and it could do long-term damage. I only remember, that I wanted to be good at what I did, and always tried my hardest. (It's a trait I possess to this day.)

Although this one is blurry, I keep it because it is the only representation of a recital my sister and I performed in 1963. It was taken at the park in Beaver Dam, Wisconsin. I remember that I danced in both ballet and tap dance ensembles. I wish I had a picture of me in my tap outfit. It was memorable, at least to me. A cute, short costume, with lots of sequins, and rows of rayon fringe for a 1920's-style dance.

I only remember dancing for a couple of years, which is a blessing. I suspect am certain I was not meant to be a dancer. (I know that my mum wanted me to learn to be graceful and walk with poise.) I do know it is fun for me to look back on the images of dancing as a child.

Did you take lessons as a child? I took piano lessons, too, but we can chat about that another time. For now, I'll just smile remembering those dance lessons, rehearsals and performances.

Hope you'll join me by sharing your memories on your own blog - on any subject - and then linking back to Memory Lane Mondays, right here. You can link up through midnight tonight.

Memory Lane Monday - Stitches...

Welcome to Memory Lane Monday!

When I wrote my last Memory Lane Monday post, I hinted at what I planned to write about this month. All that changed last week, when I received an email that really touched my heart. I wrote back to the author and asked if I could share her message with you and she agreed. So, today most of my post will be written by Barb.

"Donna,

I don't have a blog & this is the first contact I've made of ANY kind in blogland. I thought maybe an e-mail would be ok. I have a story for Memory Lane Monday, should you choose to use it.

The memory is of a lovely shop we had for too short a time in a nearby town. Right from the sign over the door you were taken to a gentle whisper of time. The music in the shop was soft & restful and encouraged you to linger, and escape your day for awhile.The proprietress was friendly and welcoming even when you could see that maybe it wasn't her best day. She never showed it outright. She never looked down on a customer who couldn't maybe afford the very best of her wares, (need I say myself?) but, gave the same beautiful service to all. With your purchase she included a printed card punched with two tiny heart shapes - and a gold needle threaded through them. It made you feel appreciated no matter the size of your purchase. I still have several of them, unable to use them and to toss the cards.
This gracious lady went so far as to invite customers to what she called a "stitch in" (if I remember the name correctly), to her own home! She introduced us to her "handsome" husband and four-legged "children", and gave us a tour of her exquisite home. She then served us refreshments and conversation on top of it all! It was just a lovely time.
Yes Donna, the lady I speak of is you, as if you hadn't guessed. You and Stitches have crossed my mind so often. You are still both sorely missed. I knew you were selling your home and wondered where you ended up. It was a happy accident that I found your blog through another. I believe it was The Raspberry Rabbits.

I went back over your entire archives and see that, if anything you have only become more gracious over time. Anyone who has only met you through your writings and thinks you are very special, has no idea. Sorry if this is too long, but, I did want to thank you for lovely memories of a lovely shop and an even lovelier lady.

God Bless. Barb D."

Barb sent this current photo of herself for me to use today.

When I realized that Barb was referring to me, I started to cry. Her use of the word "proprietress" was my first clue, as that was the designation I used in all of my business references. It appeared on my storefront window, along with my business cards and advertising materials - including my needle cards, to which I affixed a single gold needle given as a thank you each time a customer made a purchase. Barb's reference to those needle cards was my second clue.

I opened Stitches in 1989, and spent a joyful eight years of my life meeting needleworkers who became good friends. Customers were greeted by red geraniums growing in my planters outside, and in the winter, we tried to keep the geranium theme alive inside. Classical music filled the shop, and there was always a cup of coffee, tea or hot cider and comfortable leather wing-back chairs to settle into. Customers were welcome to come and stitch anytime they felt the urge.

My memories are full of beautiful pieces completed by both novice and accomplished needleworkers. I loved teaching a new customer how to do counted cross stitch, and then see her glowing smile as she brought in the completed piece for me to see.
I also carried needlepoint, crewel embroidery and rug hooking (I still love those Claire Murray rugs and kits!) in my shop. There really is nothing quite like spending time in the company of women who share a passion for the needle arts.

The women who worked for - and with - me were friends I came to love. Beverly, Jan, Lori, Emily, Allison, Lisa and Grace to name a few. Laura (a grade school friend) became my shop manager and I love her more than a sister. We still keep in touch, for which I am very grateful. Grace was like a mother to me, and Lisa became my daughter-in-law. They loved our customers, and cared for the shop as though it were their own. No owner could ask for more.

To think that I had touched one customer's heart this way affects me deeply, and I can never adequately express all of my feelings. I am so grateful that Barb took the time to write to me and share her memories - memories that we both share.

Thank you, my friend. I look forward to reconnecting with you now that we've found each other again. God surely works in mysterious ways...and for that I'm forever grateful.

Thanks for joining me this Memory Lane Monday. I'll always put the date of the next Memory Lane Monday under the button in my sidebar. You're welcome to use the button on your blog, too.

Now it's your turn to share a tale or two. Please link back here (below) so that others can visit your blog, too.

Fezzik Friday - 36 Weeks...

Hi, everybody!

I decided to write a silly Fezzik Friday this week.
Mom started singing this song one day, and I
thought it might be fun for my post today.
Sing it with me, now;
"Head...

and shoulders...

knees...

and toes."
See? I told you it was silly. Do you know that song?

Mom says, "Corgi drummies. No one can eat just one!"

Then she laughs and says something about "frito feet".
I guess I make Mom silly, too.

She asked me to remind everybody that Monday (Feb. 28th) is the next Memory Lane Monday. If you don't know about Memory Lane Mondays, just click on the button to learn more.

I know Mom has a really good one this month. We're looking forward to reading your stories, too, so I hope you're planning to share one with us. I just love big parties!
Oh, and don't forget to join in the giveaway! Just click on the pretty picture above so you can go to the giveaway post to enter.

All the guys are coming home with Dad today from their Wild Hog trip to The Keys. I'm pretty excited to have all those guys around again. They like me, so we really have fun together. I guess I'd better go so that I can bark as soon as they get here. See you next week!

'til then,
Keep Wagging!

Fezzik Inconceivable

P.S. (From Donna) Thank you to everyone who has entered my giveaway so far. I'm a bit overwhelmed with the wonderful response to my celebration. Please forgive me for not responding to every message. I assure you that I read them all, and you will all be entered in the drawing. God Bless and Good Luck!

Potpourri Post (And A Winner)...

Today's post is a little of everything.

Hence, "potpourri". (Clever, right?)

I want to start by sharing my latest project. I'm making another mug mat (surprised?), and these are some of the components. I've had so many things to share lately, that I hadn't shown anything sewn, stitched or crafted in a while. I didn't want you to think I was slacking off. Heaven's, no! I'll post this to my Mug Mats Flickr album when it's finished (not to be confused with the Mug Mat Swap album for all of the participants to post to).
I received my January artist trading card from Sandi McLean of Fun With Scrapbookin' (Maximum Embellishment). The theme was "White and Snow". Sandi captured it perfectly!
My photographs don't capture the magical finish she put on this card. First, the image is entrancing. I love the faces of these children. After she secured the image and the words "Winter Sky" to the card, she put a sparkly pebble finish over everything. It's just like ice! I'm not positive, but if memory serves me right, I think this is an embossing technique. Sandi, please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong.

This card is gift from yet another talented ATC artist. I really love being a part of the Blissfull Swap group. These talented women really make the most beautiful creations to share with each other and me. Their interpretations of each theme are varied and all wonderful. I'm looking forward to continuing to participate with them. I want to let you know that if you're interested in joining the swap group, you can email Wendi through the Blissful blog (click here) to join.

Please say a prayer for our friend, Debbie of Mosaic Magpie. Her husband is in the hospital and extremely ill. I know she'll appreciate you having her and her husband in your thoughts. Thank you.
Finally, I'd like to thank everyone who contributed to my first Memory Lane Mondays party. I'll be continuing each month in 2011, and hope that more of you will be moved to contribute your stories. I'm also going to continue to have a drawing for contributors every month.

Start thinking now about a story from your past that you just have to share with your readers. Once you start thinking about it, there will be one that just continues to push to the front waiting to be written. Then, I hope you'll share it with the rest of us.

I had a drawing for the school book, "Five In The Family", choosing the winner from January's contributors. The winner is:

Donna
of
Conghaile Cottage

You can click here to read her contribution - and visit her blog. Her blog header makes me even want to consider living in snow again (ok, maybe I need to go lie down for a while until that urge goes away!) Congratulations, Donna! **Please email your address to me so I can send your book off to you.**

Memory Lane Mondays - Five In The Family...

Do you have memories of your family gathering around the dinner table when you were a child? Before we ate, we always said grace. It was nothing long, organized or flowery - just a simple expression of thanks for the warm food before us. My mum told us that when our family was young with our sole provider (my father) in college, we were sustained many evenings by venison or pot pies. To this day, she prefers not to eat either, while I still I love both.

I'm the eldest of six kids in our family. Until the younger the kids were born (a sister in 1965 to lead the next three), we were only "Five in the Family". My mum, dad, me, my sister and my brother.

This photo was taken on Thanksgiving Day, 1959. (Don't you just love those glasses my dad was wearing?) I would have been five years old (I'm the one - head down - to the left of my mum.); my little sister was four, and my brother would have been seven months old, having been born in April of 1959. I love that, even as a baby, Mum helped my little brother hold his tiny hands together for grace so that he could learn the concept of gratitude at an early age.
I remember reading this book as a kid. "Five in the Family". I thinking about the fact that we, too, were a family of five. The book was part of the Dick and Jane learning series written by Doroth Baruch and Elizabeth Montgomery.

I read the books over and over when I was little. I still have a copy of the book (copyrighted in 1954 - my birth year), and I think I'm going to sit down and read it all over again this week. I know it's going to be a wonderful read down Memory Lane.
Does this book hold memories for you, too? I have an extra copy that I'd like to share with one lucky Memory Lane Mondays participant. Once you've written your story, be sure to come back here and link to the party.

On Friday, I'll go to the Random Number Generator and select the name of one lucky participant to win their own copy of "Five In The Family". (Sorry, but this drawing is only for those who write their own Memory Lane Monday post and link back to here to the party before Friday.)
I'll be hosting this party the last Monday of every month in 2011. You're welcome to join the party and share your special memories, old or new. Be sure to come back and link to this post to participate.

You're also free to use my button for your sidebar or your posts. And, if you don't care to write, I hope you'll still visit me, as well as the other contributors, to read this weeks' and future stories. I can't wait to tell you my next one about our "jeep"!