Stitching My Story

Sew Somerset!

 Last night a friend called to tell me that she'd seen my article in Sew Somerset. DC and I made a late night run to Barnes and Noble to see.... and YEP! It was true! It's exciting to actually be part of one of my favorite publications.

 

Happily Ever After....

 

 We kind of got carried away with the button making.

These are on Etsy should you find yourself in need of wedding favors.

; )

DC's Thanksgiving Sweet Potatoes... Yum.

Combine:

1/2 cup half and half 

1/2 cup maple syrup 

1 t vanilla 

1 t salt 

1 egg

 

Add:

5 pounds of sweet potatoes that have been peeled, cubed and boiled until tender.

Beat until smooth. Spoon into 13 by 9 baking dish coated with cooking spray. Set aside.

 

In another bowl, combine: 

1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup brown sugar 

 

Cut in:

1/4 cold butter 

 

Add: 

1/2 cup chopped nuts (pecans are yummy).

Sprinkle evenly over the potatoes.

 

Cover the dish and bake at 375 for 15 minuets.

Uncover and bake 25 minutes more.

Let The Christmas Crafting Begin!

I'm making these dolls for two of my favorite little girls.... maryelle and ava. You can get the free BLACK APPLE doll pattern HERE.

Now... I just need to embroider the faces.

 

And Now It's Official....

"It is only possible to live happily ever after on a day to day basis."

He's been "ours" for years now.... but this past weekend they made it official. He is our son-in-law. DC {dear cowboy} and I are counting our blessings.

On My Nightstand...

"....stepping up to one's life adventure doesn't necessarily mean doing extraordinary things. It also means coming to understand that viewed in the right light, through the right eyes, everything is extraordinary."

~ Katrina Kenison

Out on a Limb....

 

I consider myself a visual person... someone who is better suited to pictures than words. But.... I have this quiet, tiny dream of being a writer. Writing for who or what, I don't know. Maybe just writing for me.

To this end, I am enrolled in a creative writing course at the university. The process of putting words to paper has been both exhilarating and terrifying. Currently I am working on poetry assignments. More often than not, I happily pull out my books to get started, but then struggle through the process because of the fear that I will not be good at it.

Today, while trying to write and re-write the words needed for my current lesson, it suddenly dawned on me: I don't have to be good at it because I am a beginner! The thought made me laugh out loud. Why have I been so hard on myself?  I don't expect to be good at a new stitching technique without tons of practice.... why would writing be any different?

Today I am going to be brave. REALLY brave. I am going to post a poem I wrote. Keep in mind that it is the poem of a BEGINNING poet. The assignment was to write a poem based on a photograph.

This is the photograph I chose...

Self Portrait

.

I am behind the camera and you can't see me,

But looking at this image will tell you exactly who I am.

It will expose my dreams and explain my vulnerabilities.

it will highlight my strengths and unveil my weaknesses.

It will tell you who I always wanted to be and who I've become.

.

Lately I find that I am stuck behind the lens in this snapshot,

Unable to clearly draw the next image into the frame.

The passage of time is asking me, rather emphatically,

To back up from these carefully cropped edges and refocus;

To take a more panoramic view.

.

If you look beyond the borders of this photograph

You will uncover the blurry image of a mom with nearly grown children

Who is struggling to find an identity outside of raising her family.

To someone who has spent the last twenty-eight years as the family photographer,

Self portraits are a bit of a stretch.

You Be Ward and I'll Be June....

   This is a button I made for DC {dear cowboy}. He wears it on his work bag.

It makes me feel happy every time I see it.

I am currently working on a 1000 button order. Unlike most button undertakings, this one seems to be fraught with roadblocks. I ended up having to order a special graphic punch for the project because I couldn't get the words to line up correctly with my craft punch (it was 1/8" off in size). 

The punch was lost by UPS and ended up getting here a week and a half later than expected. Once traced, found and delivered, it didn't work correctly (the dies weren't lined up or something). I had a second punch over-nighted (these are roughly $180 a piece) and am FINALLY on my way to finishing up the order.

DC has been very helpful in getting me caught up with all my button projects-- even though he is one-handed (do you like his UW HUSKY purple cast?). Here he is finishing up the last few wedding favor buttons. There are few sites easier on the eyes than a big, handsome, one-armed man making light pink "happily ever after" wedding buttons.

*happy sigh*

Grandbaby O's Quilt Progress....

"Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you must keep moving."

~Albert Einstein

I ended up stamping the letters on the hand dyed fabric with a fabric friendly stamp pad, then "o" quilting (perfect for "Baby O", right???) the inner panel. Slowly but surely, this quilt is progressing. I think I will do handquilting on the moon, then embroider stars around the stamped words.

I long for the seemingly ENDLESS hours of stitching time I enjoyed before going back to work. Even with the job, I keep thinking I should be able to get so much more done than I do, but I am trying to be kind to my inner crafty-stitcher-gurl and remind her to just keep sewing.... each stitch a step closer to seeing my projects through to completion. There is some HUGE life lesson tucked in there for me somewhere.

Take Me Out To The Ball Game...

Baseball cupcakes for my sweet co-worker, Matt.

Happy birthday!