Bits of this & that

Attitude of Gratitude

Happy memories of my time with Teddy Joe.

New opportunities involving my artwork that are presenting themselves.

Drama free, successful children.

Day 9 of the February Daily Art Challenge.  I am still moving in the direction I have been most of the month.  The pieces generally are 4" x 4", made up of scraps with handstitching. I am striving to make them organic in feel, a little whimsical and with lots of interesting-- and maybe even unexpected color palettes. 

Creating these has provided a great start to my day. 

Over the weekend I made a trip to pick up a few supplies, including the threads to start on the new quilt block design. However, I ran out of beads for a few tidbit orders, so now I need to head on out to pick those up, which is always dangerous as I'm in a stash building mood and I just know I'll come home with more than the beads I'm needing.

I guess I could find myself with far worse vices, although I think beads are just as addictive sometimes!

Attitude of Gratitude 

Having the freedom to create

New books from favorite authors, renewing my love of the written word

Finding new inspiration 

I've jumped into this new challenge of creating with a small stitched piece at least once a week. A fellow artisan on Facebook is also participating, and we hope to keep each other on track!  At the end of this, we both plan on putting these little bits of art into a cloth stitch book. 

I think I will probably try to do more than one a week. It is a thoroughly enjoyable thing to do. I want to push myself to explore different and maybe even unexpected combinations of cloth and fiber with some embellishments tossed in.

1*21*15

 Another of my obsessions lately has been these little winged things. As I have a ginormous stash of beads, I thought I would try and bling up a few butterflies. I also played around with the size, too.

Threads picked up to start the new design, which at this time is nameless. I did change up the colors a bit, and I will be posting progress as I get going. 

Attitude of Gratitude

The support of friends during this difficult time of grieving.

Finding inspiration from other creative souls.

The feeling that what I do is worthwhile.

valentine & a new adventure

I just love the Whiskerkins.  As much as I like stitching the models for the more complex designs such as Carnival, the cats are just what I need when I want the gratification of a quick stitch. Valentine, the February installation of the collection provided just that. 

The finished stitch count for this piece is 52w x 74h, and I stitched the model on (appropriately) white chocolate 14ct. aida from Wichelt Imports. Just four colors of DMC floss, and a pink button later, we have our new kitty. 

I am starting a new adventure of sorts, a collaboration with Digi Cross Stitch & Lickity Stitch Designs, which will bring some of my designs to needleworkers in digital format for machine cross stitch.  Thus far, the Snowball of the Month Collection is ready to go, and the Whiskerkins are soon to follow. There are a few of the Lil Snowballz lurking about as well.

The digital files can be purchased at Digi Cross Stitch

While the printer cools off, I think I'll drink coffee and sketch for awhile.  It's been a busy but productive weekend!

Attitude of Gratitude

i am grateful for my smart and independent children

i am grateful for new opportunities to create art

i am grateful for the crockpot of french onion soup i can smell bubbling in the kitchen

sunday gratitude

shelter from the cold

new opportunities with my artwork

the calm in my house when there is so much chaos everywhere else.

new year thoughts

Today I am grateful for time spent with my Molly. Dinner out for plain old tacos and then frozen custard followed by movies that ran the whole spectrum of emotions, something I really needed tonight.

I find so much gratitude for the support of stitchers who are still interested in patterns I created as much as ten years ago. It leaves me with a deeper desire to make new things that I hope will appeal to stitchers ten years from now. There are so many things rolling through my head that I can't wait to do some serious scribbling next week.

My heart feeling lighter for time spent with Ted last night before I went to sleep. Ringing in the New Year in a far different way than we had thought to be, but still, He was felt with me, and the smile felt upon my face was a warm comfort and welcomed change from the tears that have been warming my cheeks since His passing. I hope for more nights like that.

***

I am working through the last three rows of Carnival. There is hope that I  may be able to wrap it up tomorrow. I am just so tickled with how it is coming together. A wild riot of color, and I am still in love with the way it changes every time I look at it. This piece is bigger than both Trail Mix & Grape Seeds. It's been such a joy to stitch.

Time to pick up the supplies to get started on Valentine, the February Whiskerkins design.  I am on the hunt for a little heart button to use for the embellished eye. It will have to be something readily available as the distributors have been ordering quite a few of this series each month, and I don't want to have to wait for buttons to arrive. So, will have to see what I can track down.

Now I'm off to crochet for a wee bit of time before bed. I use "wee" loosely, as most nights lately I have readied to head off to sleep and it's a good two hours or better before I actually do it. Seems my night owl tendencies are returning. 

attitude of gratitude

I use to keep a journal outside of the world of technology. Good old fashioned paper and pen. It was a book kept by my bedside and it was the first thing I picked up in the morning to jot in and the last thing I looked at before I went to bed (or picked up a book for a few chapters before sleep).

I still keep that journal sitting there, and I do occasionally pick it up and jot something down, but not with the same consistency as I did once before. I'm going to start scribbling there again, and I'm going to start blogging here with more regularity, too.

I want to start my day with an attitude of gratitude. I want to note those things that have come to me that I am grateful for. Give them significance and recognize them as the gifts that they are.

Time to really think about the things that give me pause as well as those things that I might take for granted, thinking they will always be there. If there is one thing I have learned this year it is that is not the case.

Today, I am grateful for color. For the way it leaves my children's eyes twinkling, such blue that has spoken of so many things over the years. Curiosity, joy, sadness. Happiness and even fear. Every blue imagined caught up there in those beautiful caring eyes.

Today, I am grateful for a warm blanket. For the comfort it brings whether I am cold or just needing to cocoon myself in the softness.

Today, I am grateful for Christmas cookies. No particular reason. They're just good.

just a day

Continued work today on my dream blanket. So relaxing just to unplug and stitch, and to stitch something for myself, as that is what I've decided this piece will be.  I'm putting a lot of me into it.

Day 7/365 Dragonfly Days

A few things I need to stop and pick up for the first stained glass design. Friday is shaping up to be a day of thread and fabric, lots of stitching. And coffee. Huge, wonderful pots of the stuff. 

(and printing. wow, I am so far behind!)