yay! snow flurries

The snow blew through yesterday...
and it was beautiful!

Not enough accumulated to go out and play though,

so I played inside with my snow.

I did some snowflake shaped quilting...

Don't know if you can see the "snow" quilting or not...

so here's a close-up around the "frosty" -

little snowflakes and french knot flurries:

but that's my playing in the snow today!

papers

paper-piecing -
using English paper pieces, to be exact,
is fun to me...

This is the new pack that just came into the shop:

And, see that quote there in the middle of the package?
"we put the peace back into piecing"
...love it! :)

1 1/2inch, 45 degree diamonds!

Maybe something blue and white??
Ideas?

snow/weird

It's finally Winter!
And I'm lovin' it!

Thanks, all, who came through town and left me some snow!!!

Or maybe you did your little snow-dance for me? :)

This was last week's Friday left-overs:

snow-capped Sedum

There has been more snow today,

and more predicted for tomorrow - Friday - YAY!!!

Being inside,

watching the snow blowing around outside,

has made my mind "swirl" with ideas about quilting...

it's been making me think about my stitching...

while I've been hand-quilting my Snowy Days wall quilt.

Some of that

snow-blowing-mind-swirling-thinking-going-on stuff

makes me question

what new something I'll work on this year

as my BIG red-work project...

you know - hand embroidery.

[I have almost all of the hand-stitching done on the Calendula Patterdrip's (CAH)]

so, it's time to get something else going!

Any suggestions?

Anything great that you have worked on?

Something you'd recommend?

I'll need something soon -

especially if I'm going to get snowed in!!!

I know,

I'm

snow/weird

compared to most people,

but I'm hoping for

some many"Snow Days"!

p.s. I haven't found anything that Sweetie will stitch on - YET!

I know...

I haven't been posting quite as much lately - sorry.
Sweetie is home with me for nine weeks.
Yep, you read that right -
nine whole weeks.

I am so blessed, aren't I?

Sweetie had a ladder, on which he was standing, fall,
as the embankment that it was on collapsed...
that was a year and a half ago.

Of course, Sweetie was checked out - and bleeding head wound bandaged.
Then, the next day, his right foot was hurting.
Another checking out .
That Doc said it looked like he had a small fracture in his foot,
SO

Doc said Sweetie had a couple of options...

1. wear a walking boot for 6 weeks.

OR

2. stay off of it for six weeks.

(Really!!!???
Offering options to a strong-willed adult male who doesn't sit still?)

So, Sweetie chose option number 2 - stay off of it for six weeks.

He might have stayed off of it that next week.
Maybe.

So, after a year and a half, more limping around,
and more tests, there was a Doc that said:
To fix it, you'll need surgery.
And, to stay off of it (IE: no working)
for nine weeks.

See, lucky gal, aren't I?

I don't have Sweetie stitching.
YET.

On a stitching note:

I received my new Prim Quilts & Projects magazine-
there are a handful of projects that I'd like to start do.
Maybe I can get Sweetie onto one of these!

careful

what you wish for!

I guess it just took

me working on a couple of snowy projects

to bring the snow to town.

BUT

The snow - it came!!!!
And the blowing and freezing came along with it.

Sorry if it seems to be my fault because I wished for it.

Maybe begged for it?
Anyway, sorry for the delays and closings, the slipping and sliding.

Or maybe, it's the season, and it's supposed to snow?
Yeah, that's it -
It's January in Ohio - it's supposed to snow...

So, with no guilt at all

about bringing more snow to town,

I'm going back to work on my

snowy stitching:

Happy Snowy Friday the 13th to you!

Oh, yeah,

and Happy Stitching!

rain

and more rain....

Ohio has had plenty of rain last year,

and now into this year.

I would like snow, instead, please.

If anyone is traveling through or past or around Ohio,

please bring the snow with you and leave it here,

thank you very much.

Or, if you have a snow dance

that you could share, I'd appreciate that also.

I've been trying to give the hint to ole' Momma Nature

by working on my SNOW-y projects,

but that hasn't worked so far.

Here's my Walking in a Winter Wonderland (Crabapple Hill)

that I finally
 (finally, as in I've been working on this one quite a while - click this link to see the whole, long story) 
have quilted
and then hung it immediately in the family room:

This I machine pieced & hand-embroidered,

then did hand-guided machine quilting.

A couple more quilting pics:

snowflake quilting



mistletoe and holly quilting

The second project to try to

bring in the snow,

is part of a new wool on cotton applique class that

will take place over the next few weeks at Good Wives & Co.-
it is called

Snowy Days (by Heart to Hand):

I'm enjoying the stitching,

but, so far, only rain,

and then more rain has hit the ground around here.

Maybe an extended stitching class/time period
will help with the snow fall?

Anyone have any other suggestions for getting snow?

p.s.  no freezing rain or sleet please;
just snow - the big white fluffy flakes
that accumulate quickly and make good snowmen.

a little me time

Some folks like
massages & facials & manicures
for their ME time...

Not I!

And, not that I'm just being contrary...

I do like massages, facials and manicures.
(And, I wouldn't turn down any of those if my family members are reading this right now!)

But, if I have the choice between those and quilting
for ME time?

Quilting and stitching almost always wins,

hands needle down!

So, here's a pic of some of my recent ME time:

Only the last/bottom row left to quilt!
Anytime I have a little block of time - fifteen to twenty minutes or so,
I'm turning on Big DD and meandering away-
ME time!

(as an aside on this quilt -
I hand-embroidered and pieced this quilt almost three years ago...
I made the back and the binding.
I had in my mind that I would layer it
and hand quilt it during the year,
to put it out that winter -
THREE years ago. 
Then the same idea the second year. 
Then the third.
I have quilted TWO of these quilts for other folks,
but mine was still sitting, awaiting hand-quilting.
This year, I decided, that was ridiculously silly,
so I FINALLY put it on the machine!)

So, here's to ME time.
Happy self-indulgence time to you also,
whatever that may be!

half-lit

Yep, that's me this past Christmas! 

Half-lit.

Wait, really, not me half-lit,

but my Christmas was half-lit.

That still sounds bad!

OK, here's my story

of my being

Half-lit this past Christmas....

I started my Christmas decorating...
pulled out boxes and plugged in all of the light strands.
I always start that way, plugging in all the light strands.
I like fiddling with the light strands that don't work.
It's a fun challenge to me - finding THE ONE
that will make the burnt-out strand magically come to life light.
And those little lights make me smile...

I started decorating with the outside light strands...
So, the lights on the outside greenery for the porch rails and front door?
Yep, more than half of it was out, and no matter how long I worked on it, no more lights would come on.
So, I pushed it all back into the box, lights, greenery and all, and added twinkle lights to my shopping list.

Moved onto the sleigh lights.
Plugged them in, and both strands worked.
Put them all onto the sleigh, and plugged them back in.
Guess what?  Yep, half didn't light up. 
Messed with them a little bit as it was starting to get dark,
took them all off the sleigh and put MORE lights on my shopping list.

I moved onto the grapevine tree
that sits permanently on the little table outside my front door.
The middle of it was un-lit, so Sweetie took the light strand off, as it was an old strand, at least 7 or 8 years old.
I knew this needed replaced, so I had previously purchased new lights for this.
I pre-tested the new lights, they worked, so I put them on the tree.  Plugged it back in and wa-la!  It looked so much better!

Next, I pulled out the box of decor for the inside tree - only an eight foot tree this year, so only used half of the lights stash...Yes, they worked!, those great little twinkle-y lights with programmed twinkles, so I climbed the ladder and decorated the tree with lights.  As I was finishing the light-wrapping back down on floor level, I realized that every third light wasn't twinkling...What????!!!  Really????
Contemplated adding more lights to my list.

Finally, I pulled out the little twiggy, folk-art tree (on which I leave the light strands when I pack it up).
Plugged it in, and the MIDDLE didn't light!!!

If you are keeping track, that's FIVE for FIVE! 
Half-lit.

I took a deep breath,
grabbed my shopping list and my Sweetie
(grabbed: literally on the list, figuratively on Sweetie:)
and headed to town.
The first TWO stores were sold out of little twinkle lights...
Went to the mega store and found less than ten boxes of twinkle lights on the shelves.
And the boxes looked a little worse for the wear for only sitting on the shelves.
Bought lights, and headed back home in the dark.

Next day, I pre-tested all the lights while indoors,
then took them outside and started replacing...

Started with the sleigh:
got them wrapped around the sleigh, turned them on  - - -
and they were the COOL LIGHTS - neon-looking...
NOT cool on an antique sleigh. 
SO, remember the box was a little worn?
They were evidently returned lights!
In the wrong box!!!
Took those back off, again.
Moved on to the porch railing greenery. 
Double checked the lights - they were correct/warm lights.
And yes, they worked.
Wrapped the greenery, swagged the rails and doors, cleaned up my tools, and went inside.

Sweetie came in as darkness was settling in.
He hemmed and hawed just a little, then spit it out:
A third of the porch railing greenery WAS NOT LIT!!!

I must have had a very pathetic look on my face,
as he immediately put his coat on,
grabbed my hand, put my coat across my shoulders,
and out we went with a light-tester and re-wiring supplies.
He did some snipping and wire-nutting
and all of the porch-railing lights were back on in just minutes.

SO...It was now the week of Christmas,
and I had lights everywhere....
just not all of them were lit.
And really,
a few light bulbs short of a strand?
Not a big deal.

So, here are the beautiful lights

on Christmas eve:

sleigh - notice that all the lights are burning brightly:

The little grapevine tree at the front door:

Yes, that is the new strand that was all working...

but notice that the top is not lit!

Here is the twiggy-folk-art tree:

note the middle section not lit...

Here's the inside tree:

Not as many lights as usual,

but you can't tell unless you are up close and personal...

And, finally, the porch railing garland:

Yes, there is a new section not burning! 

So, it was on Christmas Eve

that I decided that

THIS was the Christmas

that I would be was HALF-LIT.

That's my story of my half-lit Christmas.
And I'm sticking to it.

p.s.  even this little bowl of lights:

I dropped the old-fashioned bulbs

around the twinkly lights

and when I turned them on the next morning,

THEY were not working either!!!

Do you think I have some weird electrical pull thing going on this past year?