Winter Wonderland

We are getting our first measurable snowfall this morning. The weatherman is guesstimating anywhere from 1 to 4 inches. Here in central Missouri we are supposed to get 3 inches. Looks beautiful! Here's a touch of the winter wonderland that can be seen on Etsy.

Celebrate Winter Solstice



Stay warm and safe. Happy New Year!

What a week!

It's been quite the week full of health and family issues. I'm hoping there is an end in sight for all of us. Thankfully I have my crafting to take my mind off the things going on this week. It's been a blessing having something to turn to for a few moments of distraction and relaxation.

These acorns have been a big seller in my shop

so I decided to make a set of them that are bigger in size. The first set is made with small Post Oak acorn caps and are only around 1 inch long. The second set I made with Swamp Oak acorn caps and they are an inch wide and over an inch long.

Think I'll work on some more projects today. Happy crafting!

Where does the time go?

I can't believe it's been 2 months since I last posted on my blog. Where does the time go? I know I have been busy getting both kids back to school plus helping my daughter with her wedding plans. Lots to do for the upcoming wedding and now Christmas is only 71 days away.

Time to start shopping. One of my Etsy team members, Linda of RokkiHandBags, is hosting a give away on her Facebook page for a book wallet. Go and enter because this would make a wonderful holiday gift for yourself or someone on your Christmas list. Click on the words give away to go to her Facebook page and enter for a chance to win the Nancy Drew wallet.



Happy crafting!

Hot, Dry Summer

Like most of the country, it has been a very hot and dry summer here in the Midwest. Thankfully we got a break in the heat over the weekend and it was only in the 80's. Unfortunately that break is going to be a short one and it is heading back into the 90's. Typical weather for August.

I've been somewhat busy working on a few crafts and I hope to have some of them posted on my blog for sale very soon. Still figuring out how to do that.

Stay cool and Happy Crafting.

Working on some new listings

I spent part of the morning working on some new listings and tweaking others. Unfortunately the listing portion of Etsy is down so I guess I'm done for a bit.

Here are a few of the pieces I'm working on and one I have to list. These first 2 pieces can be framed and used as pictures too. I love the subtle colors and the Jacobean look of these 2 flower cards.














This picture will be great for fall and would look cute with some of the felted wool acorns I have in my shop sitting at the base of the framed piece.

Grilled Zucchini

We always have tons of zucchini to eat every summer. The garden is growing very slowly this year though due to lack of rain and the abnormally cool weather. Once we do get some zucchini to eat, my favorite way to eat it is grilled. Here's my recipe for grilled zucchini. Couldn't be any easier than this recipe.






Grilled Zucchini


2 or 3 medium zucchini
Olive oil
1 Package of Dry mix Good Seasons Italian Dressing

Wash your zucchini, cut off the stem ends and the blossom ends. Cut the zucchini in half and then cut each half in half again. Cut each long strip into 3 inch chunks. Line them all up on a baking sheet and brush with olive oil. Then sprinkle the Dry Good Seasons Italian Dressing mix over each slice until they are all lightly covered.

Grill until tender.

This is one of the best ways to make grilled zucchini and so easy. If you use large zucchini, make sure and cut the seeds off of each long strip.


Enjoy!

Some new finished items

With summer being almost upon us I have been super busy getting our garden planted, cutting grass, and opening our pool. I have managed to squeeze out some crafting time. This is a primitive pear that I cross stitched and finished.

I'm working on another pear that I am stitching on a green Aida fabric. Had to take some time away from cross stitching to work on a custom order for some felted acorns. These are such a soft purple color.

I'm now trying to choose another project to start working on. I have such a hard time deciding which pattern to stitch first. There just aren't enough hours in the day to stitch every pattern I have in my stash. Happy crafting!

Garden Time

I swore this year that I would NOT plant a garden because I am the only one that works in it and picks it. Each year my hubby promises he will help and he ends up working extra and can't help. The kids will only helped if forced to do so (what can I say, they are normal kids). Somehow though I have ended up with a garden full of 18 tomatoes, 32 peppers (my husband loves hot peppers), 6 eggplant, 16 squash hills, 4 cucumber hills, 4 hills of cantaloupe, and a row of spinach. Just came in from 2 hours of watering the new garden and now I'm heading out to cut the grass so I can mulch the garden in before the weeds begin. All I can say is that they better help this year! I have gotten a little crafting done in spite of the hours I have spent outside in the yard and garden. I finished up several sets of beaded acorns yesterday.

I have also managed to complete a couple of cross stitch pieces but need to finish them. But for now it's back outside.

Two new finished pieces

I just got done listing two new pieces. The first piece is a Primitive Betty pattern that I stitched and turned into a pillow. I love crows and sunflowers and this primitive piece features both. Instead of the usual bowl filler sized pinkeep, I decided to add some fabric to the front of the stitched piece and make the over all piece into a larger pillow. I think it turned out really cute.

The second piece I just finished was stitched from a Blackbird Design pattern. I stitched it on 18 count Oatmeal Aida and made it into a primitive pinkeep. I think the Blackbird Design patterns are one of my favorites to stitch right now. I added some of my grandmother's antique buttons as embellishments.

I'm currently working on a trio of Christmas bird ornaments. I know, it's a little early for Christmas but I stitch whatever calls out to me from my stash of patterns. Happy Crafting!

Prairie Schooler Santa Ornaments

It took me about 3 weeks but I have finally completely finished the set of Prairie Schooler Santa ornaments I was making for a custom order. I love stitching these patterns and I think they turned out very nice.

I can't wait to get started on another set soon but I think I need to get outside soon and tend to my yard. The grass is growing like crazy and some fresh air and sunshine would be nice. I still haven't decided if I am going to plant a garden this year. Our family garden always ends up becoming my job alone and between the squirrels and bugs, I'm just not sure if I am up to the task. Happy crafting!

Assisted Living Community

Guest post from: Mohamed Simon My parents are getting much older so we all decided that it was time for them to look into moving into an assisted living community. Don’t get me wrong, they are not anywhere near needing to be in a nursing home. But, we wanted to get them settled in a place that had everything available when they would need it. I had talked with a lot of my friends and knew where I wanted them to move. I explained it all to my parents, and they were in agreement that they would take the next step and move there. We first went for a tour of the whole community. We started in the office where the representative showing us around pulled up the area map on the internet they have through t1internet.net. The part that they would first live in would be a very nice house on the property with all the conveniences like in their own home. The next level would be in more of an apartment setting where they had buttons that they could call for help if needed and someone close by would help them. Then the last phase would be more of a nursing home setting. We didn’t talk about it much, but there was also a hospice place on the property if it was ever needed.

I'm having a sale!

I decided to mark down some of my hand made pieces in my Etsy shop so I could make some changes. If you want to have a look at what's on sale check out this link. Back to stitching for me. I'm working on a custom order of 8 Santa ornaments and I can't wait to get them done. I've never done them all at one time. Watch for photos that will be coming soon. Happy crafting.

Who would dump a puppy?

I was sitting in my chair checking out my shop on Etsy when I heard whimpering and whining coming through my front window. I have 2 dogs of my own but they are in the house all the time so I got up and looked out the window and there on my front patio is this fat little black bundle of fur. Where did he come from? I went outside to see him and he promptly scurried under the shrubs in the front of the house. After trying to coax him out, I finally gave up and came inside to get some food and water. I decided to spy on him and see if he came to eat and he did but ran back under the shrubs for cover. Now I have spent my whole day trying to get my hands on this puppy. I did get close enough to see that he is a chubby boy. It makes me mad to think someone may have dumped him off out here in the country to fend for himself. He is only about 10 weeks old, lonely and scared. Hope I can figure out where he belongs before my kids make me take him in (I'd love to keep him too!).

College trip to Italy turned into family trip

My daughter, who is a junior in college, has the opportunity to travel to Italy and study art during the summer. She has always wanted to travel abroad and who can blame her. Two weeks in Italy sounds like a great way to spend part of the summer. While checking into the trip for my daughter, I thought it might be great for the whole family to make the trip to Italy. She could hang with her friends during the day and study art and the rest of us could sight see. I looked for Italy tours. it was that easy. This could be the summer of memories for my whole family. I think I'll have to start making some plans to see Italy.

Signs of spring

This morning I saw and heard definite signs that spring is on the way. Before it was even light outside this morning I heard the peep frogs singing from our lake and then I heard the sounds of turkey gobbling in our woods. Once the sun came up I could see Robins hopping around the yard. And if that wasn't enough to make me think spring has sprung, then the delightful 60 degree temperatures at 6:00 a.m. confirmed it. I think deep down I am definitely ready for spring because I found myself making these beautiful pink flowers.

Happy Spring everyone!

Empty Nest Syndrome

This guest post from Werner Rogers Living in a large home is great when you have a large family. Every person has his or her space and everyone comes together in the family room for family discussions and activities like viewing movies or a night of board games. Some great memories can be created around the dining room table or breakfast table or even cooking together in the kitchen. But as children grow up and move on, that large house seems enormous and empty. The empty nest syndrome can really take hold. You begin to see things about your house that you did not notice before. And if alone in the home without your spouse, you begin to hear noises you never heard before, probably because the constant sound of laughter and chatter has ceased until the next holiday when the walls will, once again, bounce around the noises that you love so much. It is comforting to know that ADT Security Cameras has been a part of those years with the family, making us all feel protected and safe. It is a comforting peace of mind for us now in our quiet and empty house.

Brrrrrrrrrrrrrr!

It seems like winter wants to keep a cold grasp on us here in the midwest. It was really cold here last night and today's high was a meager 25 degrees with a really strong brutally cold wind. According to the weatherman it should just be here for the weekend. Hope that's true because I'm not liking this cold snap. I decided to break out my crochet hooks again and see what I remember. It's been about 15 years since I've crocheted anything. Things are starting to come back to me. I've managed to get 2 sets of dish cloths done and 1 of those listed. I'm thinking my next project will be a baby afghan. This gorgeous afghan, done by a fellow Etsian, Jadescloset, inspired me to get my crochet hooks out again.

This afghan reminds me of my grandmother's beautiful pieces. Maybe I should finish up some of my started projects first. I have had a hard time this winter sticking to a project. Seems like my mind is full of things I want to do and there just aren't enough hours in the day. Happy crafting!

Super slow sales

I am sure missing my Christmas sales right about now. I've only had 2 sales in my Etsy shop since the first of the year. I have started listing pieces for sale on Ebay again under the name xstitched4u and it looks like this piece will be going to a new home.

I'm busy working on some new pieces for my shop. Happy crafting and hope everyone gets some sales!

Couldn't resist!

A couple of nights ago I was getting ready to take some pictures and saw a great photo opportunity. It's not too often that both my cats curl up together but I couldn't resist snapping a few photos of them relaxing together in our recliner.

I dont' think they liked being distubed by the flash. It's often difficult to find anywhere to sit in our living room because of those 2 cats and our 2 dogs. They like to be with us but love to be comfortable while visiting.

Needle Crafts

I have to say that my favorite needle craft has to be cross stitching. I've been stitching for around 30 years, since my grandmother taught me how to cross stitch when I was 15 years old. She was so talented at cross stitching but her true passion was knitting. I'm sorry to say that I have pretty much forgotten everything she taught me about knitting but at least her legacy lives on in my cross stitching. My second favorite "needle" craft is needle felting. Needle felting is when you take wool roving, a super sharp, barbed felting needle and repeatedly stab the wool roving and form whatever shapes you need. I love making felted acorns of various shapes and sizes and matching them up to different types of acorn caps. Needle felting is an ancient form of needle crafts. It's very fun to do just watch out for your fingers when felting. When cross stitching or needle felting I love to create country, rustic, and primitive pieces. I'm pretty sure I should have been born 150 years ago because I am drawn to the primitive style of years gone by. Happy crafting!

The new year and crafts

Here we are 14 days into the new year and I've been busy working on new pieces to add to my shop on Etsy. So far I have gotten 9 new pieces listed. Off to a good start I think.

My next goal is to either start or make my blog a selling blog. I'm not sure exactly how it works but am trying to figure it out. I'd love to list some of my patterns for sale so I can do a little destashing. I've collected so many patterns that I feel guilty if I buy a new one. That makes me think that it is time to find them some new homes.

Happy crafting everyone and be sure and check back to see if I figure out how to sell on my blog.

Baby it's cold outside

Here it is January 12th and we just got our first really cold winter blast and a few inches of snow. You sure won't hear me complain about the lack of snow this year. I have been loving our springlike weather over the past few weeks.

Today's blustery weather makes me just want to sit inside and stitch. No school for the kids today so I think I'll just hang out with them (when they get up cuz you know teens).

Stay warm and Happy Crafting.