Funny Friday

Now that's MY kind of church!

Hooked Horse Rug

Its done! Complete! Finished! My very first hooked rug... after 2 years of stops and starts, my burlap coffee sack backed horse has been made to the best of my ability. The outline of the horse was inspired by Pat Cross's book Purely Primitives; the overall design and color scheme was of my own concoction.

To be honest, I finished the hooking portion before Christmas, but since it was a gift, I didn't want to reveal it on my blog, so I have been mum for a few months now. The binding was finished up a few days ago, and a piece of lathe was cut to size by Matt so that it could be hung on the wall...

That was nearly a disastrous decision, for once on my kitchen wall, that darn rug just didn't want to come back down. But I managed, with all of my might to wrestle it down, wrap it up, and give it away (sniff) to my Sister in Law for her birthday...

And that smile made it all worth while. It is so nice to know someone (a rarity out West) who truly appreciates the old arts. She told me I'm good on giving her gifts for at least 5 years now... as if THAT will happen.

Happy Birthday, Jen!

One Weekend in February

The Plum blossoms swelled with joy...

and Mason Bees were given a cottage in an orchard...

newly tilled garden soil was admired by all...

and Casper the friendly Koi came out to play...

a brand new bench stood ready in the greenhouse...

where baby asparagus shoots stretched for the sky...

and the sunshine warmed my hair...

New Pattern Release... The Parting Hour

My inspiration for this design was a wonderfully naïve sampler, which I barely missed winning in an online auction. Not being the owner, I was unable in good conscience to reproduce it exactly, but instead created a new interpretation, using the same sweet quote, but a different arrangement of the altered elements, and a few additions of my own. My new version still retains a similar overall appearance, as if it were stitched by a relative or classmate of the original.

It reads:
The Parting hour, the Sad Fare Well

Fair moon, thy pale light Softly beams
upon the Wood the hills and Stream
Of that Calm home that Seat of truth
of those I loved in early youth

I used my maiden initials to mark the model, and the year in my childhood that we moved away from a favorite home. You may stitch it to commemorate a child moving on to college, or your own moving on to adulthood. Or simply mark it with the current year and your initials. However you choose to make it, I hope that you enjoy it as much as I do.

Stitch Count: 157 x 134

Model stitched on
Weeks Dye Works 35ct. Straw linen

Using Weeks Dye Works flosses:
Honeysuckle, Dove, Guacamole, Havana,
Mocha, Chestnut, Bark, Deep Sea,
Curry, Cinnabar, Sand

Frame by Valley House Primitives.

The model is being displayed by Norden Crafts at the TNNA Show in Nashville as I type this up. Since you are reading this blog post, that means you, along with me, are missing out on all the fun, and that is why I have listed this new design in my sampler shop today, making us all just a teensy bit happier.

And just in case you hadn't checked lately, I have been in the process of listing some items in my finished goods shop as well... pinkeeps, blessing boxes, and even some vintage items. I have a pile more yet to be listed, perhaps later today, so keep your eyes peeled if you are in the market for some goodies!

Mild Weather

Jeanne commented on yesterday's post, saying something like (my paraphrase), "Wowza! Your grass is so freaking green!!! Its like you NEVER HAD WINTER!!!"

My friend, its because we HAVEN'T had a winter this year.

Rain, sure... it IS Oregon, after all.

But only the slightest dusting of snow, and one hard freeze.

Not enough to put a damper on our enthusiastic grass. Would you believe that Matt actually had to MOW THE YARD last weekend? In February? In the mountains of Oregon? It is ridiculous, if you ask me.

The tractor is chained up, ready to plow our long, windy driveway. The sleds and snow gear are patiently waiting out in the pumphouse. And I have a feeling they will continue to wait until next winter rolls around.

I think that I have finally come to terms with our non-winter, but a part of me will not feel quite at ease until we get a little snow already!

Proof of our freakishly warm winter...

flowers gaining enough confidence to open their pretty heads...

sunglasses in frequent use...

frisky romps about the yard on a somewhat regular basis...



I don't mean to complain... I do love the sunshine... it makes me feel all happy inside... in a discombobulated sort of way...

And for those of you who stuck with me through this long post, a little tidbit of news... tomorrow I will be revealing my newest design, The Parting Hour, so come back for a visit soon!

We're That Kind of People

My sweetheart bought a Quince bush for me for Valentine's Day, a wonderfully old-fashioned thorny bush that I have been wanting for ever so long...

And I bought a little 6 inch pure white Koi for him (she was being elusive today out in the pond, so I borrowed someone else's photo from the web)...

The kids each got to pick out and then plant a primrose...



And while I'm thinking about it, I realized that I never shared with you the gifts that we exchanged for our anniversary back in September... I designed and had an etsy artist make this...


Matt was sneaky and purchased this old English tin for me, which I had in my etsy favorites (it is now my very own Blessing box)...



I think we did a pretty good job of following the rules, since the traditional gift for 10th anniversaries is "Tin".

Like true dyed-in-the-wool country folk, its the little things that bring delight to our hearts. We're that kind of people.

Happy Valentines Day

to all of my sweet friends in cyber land... may you feel loved today by those you hold dear... and may you share a secret smile with a friend...

I chose inexpensive toys for my two babies (a playdough cutter kit for Jack and Mrs. Potato Head for Katie!) along with their favorite sweet... M&Ms. Their Daddy and I held hands in church, and later this evening will take the kids out for Mexican food. Not the same type of Love Day that we celebrated a few years ago, but happy nontheless.

A Peek

Since we are on the final countdown to Market next weekend, I thought I would join the ranks of designers that are offering sneak peeks.

Here is a portion of The Parting Hour...

Isn't the frame amazing? The ladies at Valley House Primitives never disappoint.

The Parting Hour is my only new release at the show. The model will be displayed by Norden Crafts along with I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm. I will post a full photo and ordering details in the latter half of next week, so be sure to check back in!

Sequences

My old slippers, which I have worn through two hospital stays and four years of newborns and toddlers in the house had begun to disentigrate... They were so horrible to look at, so misshappen and full of bits of firewood slivers that I was completely ashamed to take a picture and promptly threw them in the trash when these arrived...

It took me 3 months, letting them sit in my amazon.com shopping cart to finally lay out the cash for them; is that pathetic, or what?

They came in this lovely hinged box...

Mr. Potato Head and all of his accessories has been needing a home...

I have Mod Podge and a pile of scrapbook papers...

and alphabet stickers...

Oh wait, did that say "The Potato HeadS"???

Methinks "Someone" is getting a wife for Valentine's Day...

Frosty Monday

We have been watching the weather from the Right Coast of the US, and the snowfall has us shaking our heads. It has been THE mildest winter here. Only a trace amount of snow at our house, where we regularly get 4-12 inch snowfalls throughout the winter.

I know that many of you have cabin fever and can't wait for the roads to clear, but we are wishing for some snowy weather before spring gets here! Matt recently acquired some chains for his tractor, and he is all ready to clear the driveway. Jack keeps asking when he will get to go sledding.

At least this morning we awoke to a hard frost and sunshine.

Made all three of us want to pull out our cozy homemade slippers (thank you, Aunt Jacki!)...

Free Chart for the Super Bowl!

I came across a quote today that made me giggle, and I couldn't help turning it into a little sampler for all of you football widows to stitch on Sunday.

It reads:
"One of the great disappointments of a football game is that the cheerleaders never seem to get injured." ~Author Unknown

Now, before you go and get upset at me for being hostile toward cheerleaders, know that I was one in my younger life, so I have earned the right.

Here is a color version so that you can see how I visualized it (charted for WDW Brick, Bark, Pecan, Bullfrog, and Guacamole.

And since I know that some of you may view the Super Bowl with actual enthusiasm, and may be serious about the sport, I also created this:

Charted for WDW Linen, Pecan, Deep Sea, and Kohl.

Whether you watch just the commercials and halftime show, cheer the teams on with passion, or ditch the guys and go shopping, I hope that at least a few of you decide to stitch one of these fun little designs up.

As always, feel free to use whatever colors you desire, and use them in whatever way you wish... only remember to give credit to me if you post them anywhere online, or offer your finished goods up for sale.

Thanks, and everyone be safe this weekend!

Fashion Through the Years

Avocado Green Danskin Charlie Brown Jumper circa 1976 (yes, my Mama paired it with RED tights and a RED turtleneck... why???)...

and that same particular article of clothing circa 2010 (being made of polyester, this baby shows absolutely NO signs of wear, and will most likely still be wearable when my Great Great Granddaughter is 2)...

And speaking of fashion, I just discovered Odd Molly... am I the only one with a penchant for EXPENSIVE foreign clothing brands that are next to impossible to find online, let alone find enough money to make a purchase? Many of their pieces are too Bohemian for me to pull off well, but I am positively in LOVE with this cardigan:

It reminds me of an early overshot coverlet...

And here is a brown version, which I like *almost* as much... or maybe I like it better... I just can't decide...

I would love to wrap up in this:

Oh wait... I could MAKE this! Or at least something similar, don't you think? Seems pretty straightforward...

But I probably won't. I'll save myself from the disappointment of getting it horribly wrong and looking like a 30-something frumpy Grandmother wearing an afghan.

Inspiration

Feeling tired and a bit under the weather today, I was looking through some photos from last year, trying to find a little spark of inspiration.

And there, in my February 2009 photo folder was this picture that I took on a family Valentines Day trip to the beach.

Mmmmmm... I think I could sit here and gaze all afternoon.

Its nice remembering that at the time, Katie was still not walking, and I was in the midst of a difficult potty training period with Jack. Glad to be past THOSE hurdles!

But I could REALLY use another trip to the beach about now.