My Inspiration Wall

This is a view of the "inspiration wall" behind my work/sewing table. The bird pic is from a 2009 calendar. The painting pics are from an old calendar --the Group of Seven (Canadian artists). The small card is from a Vermont exhibition by Janet Fredericks.

Thoughts

I am going to put pictures of my stitching projects into a small scrapbook. Even though most of them were sent off in exchanges, future generations will see how much stitching I accomplished.

I'm going to start keeping a nature journal. I will write a little description of what the weather is for the day, the clouds, animal activity, just general nature observations.

Due to things beyond my control, I have less than 20 pictures of myself/family/Mother & father from my childhood. I'm starting a remembrance journal today, jotting down everything I can remember from my childhood. It will be something to pass on. I know barely anything about  my own parents & grandparents lives. people were too busy to write things down, or didn't realize the importance to future generations.

A Snowman WIP

This is a biscornu design from The Floss Box that I'm stitching. Emily's designs are so cute. They are priced reasonably, too. I love that I can download the PDF and begin to stitch immediately.

Our Tree-Topper

We purchased a pretty tree-topper.  The tree is so tall that we decided to get one that doesn't light up.

 The Italian-made glass birds were a gift from a friend.

Alfred Hitchcock Presents . . .

The Birds:

A flock of grackles appeared out of nowhere a few days ago. They made such a racket! I don't know what they were pecking at on the ground--nothing is moving these days, and there weren't any sunflowers or other large-seeded plants in the vicinity.

My Lace Scarf

I stayed up past 1 a.m. several nights in a row in order to finish this lace scarf. I ended one end straight across, instead of finishing to the end of the motif and creating a zig-zag, which was how the scarf began. I had just enough yarn--it took 2 skeins of Gloss from KnitPicks.

I blocked it on top of a sheet & towels pinned to the floor of the living room. I cannot believe how much it stretched. I hope my sis likes it!  I enclosed the yarn description card so that she will know how to take care of it.

Gifts Made in the U.S.A.

About half of the Christmas presents I'm giving this year are made in the United States. Some I've made, and others are from small businesses.

I bought Sarris Candies from a candy-making company about thirty-five miles away from me. They have a store/ice cream parlor on site, and I'm hoping to take a trip there in the near future. Their chocolates are yummy, especially the peanut butter meltaway, and the pecan bars.

I purchased a glass gift from Boyd Glass, a small, family-owned and operated glass-making factory in Cambridge, Ohio.  Their glass is unique, very reasonable in price, and collectible. They have a monthly special of a half-price item, and change the colors of the items in production several times a year. They have hand-painted Christmas specialties (trains, scotties) as well as those elusive covered dishes and salts--bunnies, chicks, lambs, hens and turkeys.

I had to delete Montorsville Farms. They haven't put through our order and haven't acknowledged a phone call or emails. I will call them again tomorrow. Businesses who advertise online must keep websites up-to-date!

Embroidered Pillowcases

I finished three sets of embroidered pillowcases for Christmas gifts. The patterns were stamped on the fabric, which was of good quality.

Pictured are two of the Tobin "Gloriosa" pattern, and one from a different manufacturer. I don't like the feel of poly/cotton blend pillowcases, so if I ever make some for myself, I will buy 100% cotton cases and transfer the designs myself.

Christmas Buttons

These are the Xmas buttons that I purchased at Michael's. I got one pack, and by the time I went back (on a separate trip), there were only a few packages left. I'm going to use them on stitched ornaments and other  winter cross stitch projects.

A Scarf & Internet Service Problems

For several days we have been experiencing outages of both our landline and our internet service. The rest of the family is waiting for the computer, so I will post one little Xmas present that I'm working on:

I don't remember if this is a KnitPicks pattern, or one from Ravelry. I will check. I finally learned how to do a SSK--I was knitting it wrong(on a different scarf). The yarn is KnitPicks "Gloss"--merino/silk.