Gift to a Friend

Well, my blogging friends, it's a Monday....and while it is still HOT...it's not quite as hot as it has been which is a blessing. I hope you are well.

When you get my age, you have an ailment here and there, so today, I visited my doctor. I should have gone to the clinic on Friday, but NO, I thought I'd "manage" until Monday. And, I did. But, don't you know I may have had a much nicer weekend had I gone, as I should have, on Friday. Not to worry, I will be fine, albeit a little uncomfortable until the meds really kick in.
Do you ever put off going to the doctor?

The reason I mention that is...I really don't feel very chatty tonight....but all day I thought "oh, I've got to post something tonight at the latest." You know I always feel neglectful when I feel late with a new post. And, I'm late!

So, please take at look at this pincushion and let it say some things for me....I hope you enjoy seeing it. I made it for my blogging friend, Gaby. I especially loved embroidering the blue heart and, as always....the French Knot flowers. Do you love French Knots as much as I do?

Hopefully, you will enjoy seeing it as much as I enjoy seeing all the beautiful things you make! And, as always, I'm thinking of you "out there." Do take care, have a good week....later this week, I will show you an ATC card also for Gaby....thanks, always, for the visit! pat

Friends, Stuff and an Anniversary

Well, today I am going to "catch you up" on some things going on in the Nest. I spent most of the day "puttering" around. You've heard me talk about that before. Sometimes I just get in the puttering mood and will not be satisfied until I've spent most of a day reorganizing and re-reorganizing. It's a sickness....isn't it?

But, now, my files are cleaned out, the work table is cleaned off, I've moved some furniture from here to there, found a lovely place to put my plates of "ingredients" so they won't be in the way and I can see them from across the room, the floors have been swept, and I feel better.

After all that, I knew I needed to post something new.....so decided to share with you some of the "good stuff" that has happend here lately.

1. I received a lovely package from Nicki in Massachusetts. Look at all this wonderful "stuff." (And, you, as well as I - love our STUFF.) Beautiful laces, silk fabric, buttons, a lovely beaded starfish, all to glorify my work. How lovely! And, a big thank you to Nicki!!! You can see what she does with this type of stuff at cqnickilee.blogspot.com. She can take some white lace and make it sing!

2. Today, I received envelope art from Sharon, my wonderful friend from Texas. She paints lovely faces, birds, castles and all things beautiful and I admire her work very much. One of the things she does BEAUTIFULLY, I might add, is to use paper napkins in her mixed media work. It's unbelievable what she can do with them. And, she sent me some! If you go to allnorahsart.blogspot.com, you can see Sharon's work in all it's glory. So much fun! I thank her for the inspiration she gives us all! Visiting the birds with her is a lot of fun too!!!

3. My friend, Bibi, who lives in Searcy......loaned me this wonderful little crocheted basket. It's only 3 1/2 inches from top to bottom! Isn't it just the cutest thing ever? It was given to her in the 60's and she's had it all this time. I was talking about crocheting tiny baskets and next thing I knew she showed up here with this one for me to copy.....I haven't figured it out yet, but will certainly be trying to do just that. Isn't it fun to share with friends?

And, one of the biggest "happenings" around this house will be tomorrow when that old Navy man and I share our 43rd Anniversary!!! Who knew? It is a miracle we lasted this long....I know that's what some say...but we are tough old birds who stick together and as I always say....we have to stay together...he can't hear and I can't see...so we depend on each other.
And, we pretty much have FUN doing it. So, Happy Anniversary, Richard....you always have been and always will be my hero!

Now, you friends out there, enjoy your stuff and have a great day yourselves!!!! Take care, pat

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! To My Favorite Son

In Clifton, Texas, forty-one years ago today, at 3:08 a.m., to be exact....my favorite son, Scott, was born. At the time, his sister was fifteen months old. I talked to him on the phone THIS a.m., wanting to be the first to wish him a very happy birthday. He is my only son....but I always call him my "favorite son" because he is. His sister is my favorite daughter too.

So much time has gone by since that day forty-one years ago....and yet, it seems like yesterday. He was the dearest little baby...well, not too little at 8 lbs., five oz., but you know what I mean. So cute! The very first time I laid eyes on him, he smiled. I've been wrapped around his little finger ever since, and age has done nothing to change that. He is even more dear now.

My most wonderful accomplishment was raising Scott and his sister. Nothing else I will ever do can even come close. They are my pride and joy.

So, Scott, as I wished you this morning, I wish you again....a wonderful day, filled with good things and laughter. With many more to follow. You're just the BEST!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!! (And, lots of love from your Mom)

The rest of you, out there....a good day to you too......take care. pat

Just Some Old Things I Love

It's probably time for me to show you some more "old stuff." As you know, I love to visit the local flea market, where I receive my therapy on a regular basis. Most everything I have came from the flea market. Not much of it is valuable...well, except to me. I love the stuff!!! So, today, I'm showing you some things I have hunted and gathered, as we say.

There's an old print over my fireplace - "Love Dreams" by Adelaide Hiebel. The minute I saw her, I knew she was going home with me. You can't see it in this rather poor photograph, but she's gazing at a boat away in the distance....and that gorgeous Robin's Egg Blue dress...love that! (As you know if you are a regular reader...it's my current favorite color!) The frame is rather fancy for my taste, but as I have no "style"....it works for me.

Years ago, I found this little leather purse. It has a lovely design on the front and is very sweet. Just "had to have it." Then, on day, I put an old door in the living room and felt the purse just had to hang from the doorknob. Most people who come here think I'm nuts for having an old door just propped up against the wall....it doesn't bother me a bit. I just like looking at it and the little purse hanging there tickles me.

Recently, I bought this tray. In it is a newspaper (The Arkansas Gazette, Little Rock, Sunday, August 1, 1926) showing the clothing "style of the day." Fun! And, the tray is just beautiful! So, I propped it up on the buffet so I could see it each time I walked by. Silly, I guess, but I'm in charge of my own entertainment, aren't I?

My friend, Susan, recently paid me a visit. She "understands" my passion for all things old. Well, I should say this...she doesn't share the passion, but she understands it. How's that? Turns out she brought me a sack of "old stuff" that belonged to her husband's mother. He, being a lovely person also, ok'd giving them to me. Amongst the "treasure" (as I would call it) was a crocheted tablecloth. See it here on the table? Beautiful!!!! And, I do treasure it!!!

Also in the same photograph as the tablecloth, is a quilt on the wall. My hero, that old Navy man, Richard, bought the quilt for me years ago as a Valentine's present. It's a very old Log Cabin quilt, tied with gold yarn. Just love that one, for sure. We were shopping at a flea market and found it in a trunk. The minute I opened the trunk and saw that quilt...he said..."Happy Valentine's Day!!!" It was really a fun moment!

Then, there is that buffet I bought last Christmas at Green Alley, my flea market of choice around here. Here it is....another thing I just love!!! It sat here for a couple of months before I figured out what to do....now it's full of linens, candles, dishes, etc. And, I mean FULL. Now, if you've read this blog before, you know I have a dining room - you can check the archives if you want to see it ("There's a Quilt in Here Somewhere" dated 4-13-09), but having this "new" old buffet made me create another dining spot in the living room. Having a small living room made it tricky, but having an extra table and chairs, and the will to do it, I managed. So, ok, the "decorating police" would have a fit...but, who cares?

Just some old things I love! Can't get enough of it.....anyone up for a visit to Green Alley? Take care. pat

PS. If you see dust on anything....it's a protective covering for furniture. And, yes, I know my bookshelves need re-organizing....wouldn't I love to get that done one day soon!

A Pincushion for Billie

Months ago, one of my quilting guild friends bought my first candlestick pincushion. She seemed thrilled with it and I was happy she liked it. Months later, I taught her and her friends (remember the Girl Gang?) how to make one of their own. Boy, that was fun! All this time, her daughter has lusted after that pincushion...so my friend decided that her daughter needed one of her own and she wanted her to have one of mine. How nice is that?

Well, of course, the daughter is young and in college. As you know, I make a lot of old-fashioned, antique-looking, vintage or vintage- type needlework. What to do for her?

We wanted to use wool and most of mine was dark, but I did have a piece with lavender, blue and pink in it. A plaid. Would that work?

Well, here is the result. I can't decide if it looks like a lamp, a birthday cake, or a hat, but it certainly is different and kind of fun. Fun - now there is word I thought would be a good one to think of while working on this piece. And, I did have fun dreaming up what to do.

I knew I was going to crochet a tiny little purse....so I chose this pretty blue crochet thread. There is a dime in the purse, as my Dad always told me to make sure I had a dime in my purse! (Remember, I am NOT young....and back in the day you could make a phone call for a dime!!) So, her little purse has a dime in it.....and hangs from a mother-of-pearl button.

The pincushion is made from five wedges of wool, so I decided each wedge needed it's own little thing in it....the purse in one, then there is an embroidered butterfly, a bird, a heart and the name of the recipient of the pincushion....Billie.

There is yarn plaited into a band which covers the top seam of the "skirt" with a Herringbone Stitch embroidered above that. A bead is sewn underneath the line of embroidery. I thought the skirt was a little "over the top" but liked the whole idea of it, so embroidered a button hole stitch around the bottom edge of it, then beaded it. The light catches the beads and that is always a plus!!

At first, I was going to embroider a covered button and place it on top, as I have done others, but decided to make a small pincushion from a bottled water lid and add it to the top - for needles. It is embroidered and beaded also. Oh, yes, I had fun!

I sewed a label underneath the skirt.....and wrapped yarn around the candlestick where it meets the wool. Because I can never decide when I'm through with something, I put some silk ribbon tied in a bow around the bottom of the candlestick and sewed a pretty little lavender glass flower bead in the center.

I am making another pincushion from that same wool...it won't look like this one and won't have a skirt....but I can tell you it will have some crochet and a handmade bird on top from my potter-friend, Mary Lou. Can't wait to get it done....

I have been told that Billie "loooved" her pincushion (in the words of her mother!). I sure hope she did.....and I hope she uses and enjoys it for many years. She is new to quiltmaking and I can't wait to hear what she gets into!!! Ok now.....back to work.
Y'all take care. pat

How Beautiful is THIS?

A post or two ago, I promised to show my hydrangeas when they bloomed. I also said that I was much better at sewing flowers than growing them. It's just so true!!! So, here are a few photos of those lovely flowers I promised you. You just can't know how remarkable this is....as I have killed more plants in my life than most. We planted these last year....and they are back!! It's a miracle!

Isn't it amazing that one plant can show such different color in it's blooms? I love these soft colors.....so gorgeous!!!!

Maybe with luck, these will grow as huge as some I've seen around here lately. My sister was amazed at some we saw as we drove around Searcy the other day. Some seeming to have hundreds of blooms.......and mostly blue. Heavenly.

The First Thursday Art group is coming tomorrow, so this is a short post. I hope you enjoyed my little contribution to the gardening world. "The earth laughs in flowers!".....yes indeed!! And a happy, beautiful day to you. Take care, Pat

Fun with Color and My Favorite "Ingredients"

This week my sister is here...we've been working hard and having some fun. She and her husband came from their home in Texas to build new steps at my front porch......so, needless to say...nothing going on the Nest this week. However, just before they got here, I decided to "play" with some of my favorite ingredients so that next week, I can dive right in on some projects I need to get finished and am so looking forward to doing so.

I will be making three different pieces. One will be orange, one fuchia, and one Robin's Egg Blue (my newest favorite color!).
Sometimes a person needs a little inspiration to get started on the color selection. It's the hardest part of anything I do. So, I went to my box of crayons. Don't you have one? So, I picked out the Orange crayon...and several to go with it. Then, the fuchia, then lo and behold!...there really is a Robin's Egg Blue crayon! Then, just for fun, I selected three plates to hold whatever beads, buttons, and other embellishments I would chose to work with. That was fun...love to find uses for those plates I buy at the flea market.

The next step was to find fabrics, DMC floss, beads, buttons, lace, trims, etc. to coordinate with the crayons. Can you see all the coordination going on here?

What am I making? Well, stay tuned for that as I will be showing them later......right now I just hope you enjoy feasting your eyes on all this color as much as I do. (Note to my friend Mary...no longer with us, but not forgotten - yes, Mary, I am still thankful I can see the colors and I think of you each time I choose such lovely colors.)

Next week, these plates of colorful embellishments will bring me great joy as I work....hope they bring joy to you now! Take care out there! Pat