and then there were twelve

yippie! Sampler number twelve has arrived. So very nice when everything works out and promises are fulfilled and things come to completion. 

Thanks again dear ladies of the Sampler Swap, I enjoyed this swap so very much. Wishing you all the best and lots of crafty good times! 

happy 4th of july

Happy 4th of July to you dear bloggy friends! Hope you're enjoying the long holiday weekend. No big plans over here, eating out at a couple of our favorite spots and lots of R&R.

This is a charming free chart that darling Lori Brechlin, of Notforgotten Farm, shared on her blog in May for Memorial Day. And I haven't gotten any further since then ... ay yi yi. If you're (super duper) speedy, you could sew it up today for 4th of July!

 

Thanks so much for continuing to stop by this quiet corner of blogland, so very very sweet of you!

Wishing you a fun 4th and all good things!

a swap for all seasons no. five - what i made for my partner

The swapping fun continues over here! If it's at all possible, I think I get more excited with each new month of creating for the year long banner swap, A Swap For All Seasons, hosted by dear Linda. 

This is what I made for my fifth partner, darling Sherry, of Createology. I had a thought to use the inspiration of May Day and the May Queen but then I found this wonderful image and veered off into the truly royal. I had such a great time! I did blackwork embroidery for the very first time and got to add some of my French General charms. I had made some purchases at the Affaire at Downton last year that came wrapped in the lovely toile tissue paper, that was too pretty to let go of - serendipity!

It was such a pleasure to meet you Sherry and such fun to be your partner!

a swap for all seasons no. 4 - what I made for my partner

My fourth mini sampler in A Swap For All Seasons, arrived at my partner Patty's mailbox, so I get to share it with you. WOOHOO! (Sorry for the eternally poor photos.) It's all about daffodils - I was thinking "April showers bring May flowers" and "Springtime" and found these darling vintage daffodil images to use.

What crafty fun are you up to?

Happy weekend to you!

a swap for all seasons no. 4 - what I received from my partner

 

YIPPIE! Yesterday was another Happy Mail day over here. Super duper stupendous to receive something other than bills, market advertisements, etc. and over-the-moon-exciting when charming pieces, made lovingly by hand come through the mail chute. TWICE this week. WOOHOO.

Yesterday, I received my fourth mini sampler in the A Swap For All Seasons swap, from my partner Joy, of FiFi's Daughter. (My fourth sampler I'm making has just hit the drawing board, in the early stages ... Joy is speedy!) 

Thank you so much for my darling sampler Joy, I love it, so very sweet and precious! First I opened the adorable card --- aren't they sweetest girlfriends?! Joy, I love how you used the scallop, the other-way-round, I never would have thought of that (and am now going to borrow it from you!) and I love the bead accents, never seen that before and um, borrowing that too.  :)

Joy said my sampler was made with Spring in mind and it looks like Springtime. So darling Joy and as I emailed you, not only sweet-as-can-be on it's own, but also because of the yo yo you included that reminds me of my mom - something we both adored. Thank you so very much for my sweetest of samplers and card, Joy. It was so much fun being your partner! 

Happy Springtime!

(I seem to be finding reminders of my mom everywhere this week - I'm missing her and my family so much with the holiday upon us - so very hard to go through them without any family. Sending hugs and love to any other holiday "orphans" out there.)

a swap for all seasons no. 3 - what I received from my partner

OH! How I love this swap, hosted by darling Linda at A Swap For All Seasons!!! For those that haven't been following along, it is a year long swap and we make a mini fabric sampler for our designated partner each month ... resulting in twelve darling samplers to make a garland or frame or whatever we choose. So much creativity, so much fun. I'm beginning work on number four today.

I just received my darling sampler in today's mail from my third partner, lovely Linda F., of Lambworld. So very sweet and charming. I love it so much Linda, thank you so very much! 

 

Linda also enclosed a chocolate bar from Seattle Chocolates - not only is chocolate my favorite thing in the whole wide world, ahem, my dirty little secret between you and me ... but my mommy was from Seattle and seeing it brought back a flood of memories for me of trips with my mom to see my grandparents in Seattle.

Hope you're having a lovely crafty handiwork kind of day today and wishing you a lovely Passover and Happy Easter!

a swap for all seasons no. 3 - what I made my partner

Sorry, I've been quiet a little longer than I intended to be! On top of trying to actually get something done over here, I got a miserable cold last week and haven't felt like doing much of anything.

Forgive me for repeating myself but I've been having so much fun participating in A Swap For All Seasons! It's quite a challenge and also wonderfully inspiring and exciting.  It's a year long swap, with the ultimate goal of making a darling garland of all the samplers we receive from our various partners. 

 

Today I'm sharing the third sampler I made. My partner in the third round is Joy, of Fifi's Daughter. It was a delight to make you a sampler Joy!

Hope this finds you all well and happy and hoping the Easter Bunny brings you lots of chocolates!

Happy Easter!

a swap for all seasons mini sampler no. 2

This swap is the absolute most fun-est EVAH! Thank you so much Linda, for creating and hosting this year long sampler swap.

 

I just received my second mini sampler in the A Swap For All Seasons, from my partner Marti, of Artful Curiosities.

I LOVE IT to pieces!! Isn't it beautiful, so very lovely! Thank you so very much Marti!

And mine has been received by my second partner Linda, of Lambworld, so I can share what I made with you guys now.

Happy week to everyone!

young and fabulous, yes indeedy!

My cousin sent me a birthday card ... LOL ... OH YEAH, young and fabulous, that's me! (more like older than dirt but still moving hahhahahhaha)

Had some pre-birthday birthday fun over the weekend on Saturday ... first the wonderful Road to California Quilt Show, out in mega WINDY Ontario and then a fun modern ballet, based on the music of Sarah McLachlan, "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy".

I had fun but could have had a whole lot more hahahha

The ballet was lovely, such beautiful images
made with the human body. And I adore Sarah McLachlan.


And here's my very first mini sampler 

that I showed you a sneak peek of earlier,
for my partner Marti ...

Happy Monday!

a valentine's stocking

I've had so much fun stitching up this complimentary pattern from Plum Street Samplers, that I thought I'd share it with you this Rednesday. All done with the embroidery, just need to make it into the stocking now. 

The free pattern is entitled A Valentine's Stocking and the chart may be found here. I didn't have the Weeks Dye Works threads the pattern called for but I googled for a conversion to DMC colors.

I hope you'll join in the Rednesday fun with Melody, at Brown Gingham Creations!

gobble

gobble gobble. It's almost time to wish you a Happy Tofurky Day, can you believe it?!  Where has the time gotten to?

Stitching and reading away over here ... dastardly old cold bug won't let go of me. achoo sniffle sniffle. cough.

Hope all is well with everyone, happy Sunday!

feeling stitchy

The itch to stitch has been getting stronger and stronger of late.  It's been so long and I feel so very rusty and anxious.  I've been entertaining the idea of making something for my living room and last night the urge to begin overcame me. 

In the poor evening light of my den, I picked what I hoped might go with my living room colors.  After breakfast this morning I gathered up the possible skeins and put them against my living room chair.  My eye caught my pincushion that lives in my curio cabinet with my little treasures. 

I found it at Heart's Ease in Cambria, California long ago.  Heart's Ease was originally owned by the wonderful author, illustrator, gardener, Sharon Lovejoy. You can read Sharon's blog here.

Happy Stitching!

The Art of Craft - Sailor's Valentine

(Charlotte and Pam's examples for the class - so charming!)

Oh! I had the most wonderful time at French General on Saturday.

Charlotte Lyons and Pam Garrison are so lovely, warm, sweet, dear, kind - which I knew they would be from their blogs but they are even more so, if that's possible?! Exponentially adorable! It was such a pleasure to get to meet them.

And how fabulous to be in a room jam-packed with other artsy craftsy souls! BLISS! I was seated with six fun, uber creative, ladies and got to meet a few others while gazing (mouth agape) at the yumminess of crafty good stuff, that is French General. Holy moly! I apologize for brain freeze and middle aged brain and not being able to remember everyone's names. Hoping to meet you all again at another event at FG!

There is this wall of marvelous goodies that calls your name, Come Hither, gather me up! hahahhahaa ( Sorry, this is blurry! I didn't even realize it at the time - I was so giddy with excitement.) The other side has marvelous fabrics to make you want to hole up in your home and never leave, stitching into the wee hours.

The only thing lacking in the day was time. I was there for three and a half hours and it went by as if it were less than an hour! WOOOOOOOSH!

I only took a few photos. WAH! And sadly I didn't get one of Pam Garrison but I sure got one of dear Charlotte ... and me.