First Treasures....

This photograph is of the Adia cloth, Weaver's cloth, and Linen that I discovered a few weeks ago. It is assorted sizes, variety, and counts. Perfect for experimenting with my stitches and sharing. I have to laugh at myself a bit here, too, as just a month ago when I began to accumulate and purchase supplies, one of my goals was simply to learn some of the stitches for embroidery so I used what I had on hand at the time: muslin! Not the best to be practicing on, I suppose... but it worked at the time, LOL! I'm thinking one day, I may just take those small little sample sheets and create a fabric style book so I can look back as I progress and hopefully see some improvement!

Not to be "bragging"....

but rather to share my precious, treasured finds.... I took some photographs to share of the recent items that I've discovered. It is wonderful to find them and better yet at a lower than the current market level! I don't know why I often hesitate to post my recently purchased supplies, regardless of where they were purchased, and/or whether I've received them in a swaps, or if they are items I've received as RAK's, but I do. I'm kind of humbled by them, not that I receive or participate in that many, but I do realize that not everyone is so fortunate to have what I do and what I'm grateful for having! Does that make any sense? I'm certain that their are others who know what I'm attempting to say and failing miserably at.

Anyways, some of these lovelies will be shared... I'm sending a few of the needlepoint and cross-stitched kits to my sister who is desiring to learn how to embroider and crazy quilt. A few will go to my mom and I, also, know of another kit that I want to determine who is hosting a swap so that I can send her something I think she might find useful. And, of course, I keeping several of them for myself --- I like to think of it as a "finder's fee", LOL!

The next few post will be photographs that I took of those recent finds; the very one's I am ever so grateful to have found, to possess, and to share. I hope that they will inspire others to be on the lookout for similar items within their thrift shops, flea markets, and the upcoming yard sales that will soon commence. Crafting doesn't have to be expensive, although it often can be, especially when it comes to storing these "collections" and looking for storage solutions! That's where sharing with others really comes in handy! Not to mention the smiles it brings to another's pretty face! With that thought....

The "Bittersweet" Moment...

Arriving back at home, smiling and happy with my found treasures, armed with my purse and armload of treasures, I make my way into the house to get me a cup of coffee, kick off my shoes, cover myself with a throw and plop my aching body onto the loveseat, I was then set up to dig through my purchases.

At first, I was giddy with excitement; then as I sat and browsed, my mind began to wonder about who the person that these items once belonged to? What were they like? Did they love cross-stitching, needlepoint, and embroidery as much as I am learning to? Did she {it would be she, wouldn't it?} have other hobbies? Would she be a lot like me, shopping for bargains at clearance aisles and second-hand stores? I bet she would! and I also, bet she'd, whoever she is, would be happy that I sat here finding so much pleasure with my newly found treasures. She would, wouldn't she? Were all these kits and books taken from her stash, collection, or "Textile Ephemera Collection" as Peta Stuart recently called it? ROFLOL! Peta explained that she does not have a stash - the term 'a stash' implies that you are going to use the
things in the stash. It's more of a collection of bits of lace, fabrics, threads, beads and buttons, etc. A collection is just to have because you like it. You Don't have to use it. But, if you do then your collection is no longer complete and you have to find something else to fill that bare spot in your collection"...ROFLOL! She goes on to say, "Art is it's own reason for being and so is a collection." Now, that explains why I needed my fiance's two car heated garage for my paper arts supplies that keeps spilling over into our home once again!

Quickly, I wonder some more, my thoughts returning to the previous owner of these fine things. Did the sweet, wonderful, old {why do I assume she's old?} lady have such a room? a studio? an area to create within? Was it filled with treasures such as these that I discovered today? Did she somehow feel guilty, like I often do, because maybe, just maybe, I should have left somethings for someone else to discover and to be all giddy over? Would the person, whoever she might be, be sitting at home right now wondering these same questions? As I sat, my mind wandered more and more... questions filled my mind and no answers were forth-coming until suddenly I began thinking about all that I have and am so very grateful for. I thought about how I love sharing with others either in supplies or a created item or object, and I suddenly realized that whoever she was and whatever had happened to her, that she'd want me to be happy. She want me to love to cherish and treasure them just as she once did. Regardless of whether I used them, shared them with family and friends, or added them to my growing collection! That, my friends, made me smile a little bit bigger and brightened my meandering thoughts.

Wednesday Wanderings...

Yesterday was a great, yet bittersweet day. It started out by visiting my chiropractor after I called on Tuesday to see if it was possible to get in a day earlier than my scheduled appointment, as my back and neck are really acting up. Perhaps, I should have waited longer before powerwashing the rear deck? But, Oh No, Not Me! Can't let any grass grow under my feet --- and now I'm paying for it dearly. You'd think by now I'd learn to realize that I need to slow down --- just a bit--- and that I'm not a young twenty-something anymore. Not that I'm ready for spending my days in rocker, sewing, and stitching either but I should be more kinder and gentler on myself and my body. To add further insult to my injuries, the rear deck is now covered with a dusting a snow... at least, I won't be doing anything to it or out in the yard anytime soon or in the near future! LOL! That should teach me to rush into Spring head first. But my flowers are blooming! The potted plants have been moved inside to the rear part of our kitchen and the recently planted hyzcinths are blooming and their fragrance is heavenly! I seen a touch of green beginning to emerge from the seedling trays! Anyways, back to my day...

After leaving the chiropractor's office, Don and I had a nice breakfast at Perkins. Thankfully, he's so understanding of the pain I place myself in and accommodates me so willingly. I think the fact that he's getting feed has something to do with it. From there, we ventured into Goodwill so I could search for more treasures. The first section I hit was was the book aisle --- sitting on the floor, I browsed through a milk crate filled with "loverlies", pulling anything and everything that appeared interesting out and gathered it into a pile for further sorting. I quickly realized that although most of these are marked 50 cents apiece, I certainly didn't need to drag home a 6" stack of them, so I resorted them after browsing through them one more time. Raising to my feet and armed with a large enough stack to bring a man to his knees, I ventured into the knick-knack, what-knot section of the store where there was a lady digging through boxes and shelves in the area I was heading. Not wanting to crowd her or rush her along --- okay, maybe just a little bit, I pretended to be looking at a variety of other things in the aisle. I was fortunate when an employee came through the same aisle with an bagged stack of just what I ventured into to search for --- cross stitch and needlework kits! I couldn't believe my luck! Of course, I instantly struck up a conversation with him inquirying about what he had in his hands and explaining that was what I was searching for. He gratefully handed them over to me, and afterwards, I understood why. Now armed with a 3" stack of magazines, books, cross-stitch pamplets, and this large baggie, not to mention my purse that needs a good cleaning out, my back instantly told me it was time to stop! Thankfully, it is easy to find Don in the store, as he always strikes up conversations with anyone who will listen, and a few friends he's known for years, we made our way to the check out. I was so stoked with my finds that if it wasn't for my back ache they'd probably have had to pull me off the ceiling! Little did I know that later in the day my thoughts would change.

Upon leaving, we ventured over to The Salvation Thrift Store. I couldn't tell you how long it has been since I was last in there. After chatting with a friend, we wandered aimlessly around, looking at whatever. I remember thinking it was as if I'd stepped back twenty years in time as I looked at some clothes hanging on the racks, items on the shelves, and some of the furniture --- some were possibly antiques? Okay, maybe it just seemed that way to me, but it was all in fun. I was so shocked when I stumbled upon a cross-stitch kit with the classic book theme of "Guess How Much I Love You" I couldn't believe my eyes!!! This is Alexxis' and my favorite bedtime routine. I read that book to her every time I have her overnight, after we've had our baths and we're in all cozy in our jammies, of course. While I read, I kiss and love on her while she plays with the plush Mama Nutmeg hare, smiling and laughing at me. {I'm searching to find the baby hare, maybe one day I'll get lucky with that one, too.} Anyways, I quickly scooped that up. I just had to have it! As I continued looking at various bags of craft supplies and after the shock of seeing some of the stickered price tags on this gently used stuff, reality hit me and I was forced to ask myself if I really wanted or needed to drag some more items home. Quickly, deciding the answer was, "No!" {said, of course, as I reaching for a bag of cheesecloth!} I decide its time to get out of here. So, Don and I meander up to the counter to wait in line. And what a line, it was! There were people everywhere and only two cashiers, so I begin to wonder what the deal was. It wasn't long before I knew. On Wednesday's, a lot of items are 50%! What a bargain! I got the cross-stich kit and cheesecloth for $1.31!!!!

Could I get any luckier???

I've spent the majority of my day today on the computer. With the exception of sitting outside on the rear deck for a bit with Don and going out for a quick dinner. Isn't he wonderful? Taking me out so I wouldn't have to cook tonight!

My mind has been on creating all day, unfortunately, my back is telling me otherwise. The good news is that I still accomplished quite a bit... sending out the CQ for Newbies Squishie Mingle Mailing Rotation, posting in a few groups, and creating this small list of ideas and thoughts of things that could be created and used with Crazy Quilting. {I want to add it here, so that I won't forget about it.}

Small Muslin and CQ Patched Sachets – Bath sachets {create a pocket
for holding small zip lock baggies of bath salts}

Collages – for card fronts and framed art, Cross-stitched border frames

Postcards, Act's, Fabric Envelopes, Hearts

Basket covers and liners

Wine glass Lampshades {use with the small battery operated silicon and
flicker lights}

Tree Skirts – {especially those adorable small feather trees}

Ornaments {seasonal ornaments for decorating small feather trees} can
envision a crazy quilt style fabric glued and embellished with laces
and trims on those plastic eggs and ribbon or crocheted pieces for
hanging?

Bookmarks and Book covers

Purses and Bags – Coin, Cosmetic Cases, Lingerie Cases, Needlework Totes

Jewelry – small sections for earrings and necklaces, fabric bracelets

Jean Jacket Collars and Cuffs

Pincushions and Scissor Holders

Hand held Mirror backs

Fabric Flower Pot Cozy {small 4"- 6" pots}, Garden Gloves

Small or Large Pillows – Don't rule a variety of shapes and Tooth
Fairy Pillows, or Boo-Boo Bags for Children {a good recipe is to mix
rubbing alcohol with water into small ziplock baggies, then double
layer it inside another baggie with a small amount of air inbetween.}

Napkin Rings, Tea Cozies, Drink Coasters, Potholders, Oven Mitts, Pot
Handle holder Covers and Coffee Can Lid Covers, Water bottle cozy

Placemats and Aprons

Shelf liners and Decorative Doilies

As Accents on Tea Towels and Dish towels for displaying

Dresses for Clothespin and/or Garden Girl Dolls and Teddy Bear dresses
and vests


My mind's been working overtime, LOL! So much I could be doing... if only I felt up to doing it. I did manage to get my recently potted plants inside... we're expecting strong thunderstorms and lower temperatures overnight. I just hope that they stay too long or damage any of the fragile greenery we're starting to see emerge. It must be all the recent sunshine and warm temperatures that is making me want to go and do! Well, I'm off of here for a bit... going to wash up my newly purchased fabric and do a bit a stitching I think.

A neat quotation...

"We honor life when we work. The type of work is not important: the fact of work is. All work feeds the soul if it is honest and done to the best of our abilities and if it brings joy to others."

-- Matthew Fox


I received this in an email today and thought it was perfect for my journey into learning Crazy Quilting. I wanted to share it so others could be inspired by it, too, there's a lot of truth to it! {*smiles*}

Recent update...

I apologize for the disappearing act... I've just been busy once again. Saturday or Sunday, heck I cannot remember which now, Don and I took a ride over to Kenton. While there I stopped in to WalMart and purchased a yard each of four cotton fabrics and some transfers to play around with. Another stop into K-Mart to search for a replacement burner for our gas grill. We had no success there, but I did purchase a goldfinch thistle feeding sock for our backyard. A final stop into Ace Hardware yeilded us a replacement burner and a few sets of extra keys for our home and autos. After a quick stop for lunch at a Chinese buffet, we headed home once again.

Upon returning home, we had a message from Sheila on our voice mail, so I telephoned her back. It seems her mom took a turn for the worse and began hullicinating from some medication given to her and she required restraints to protect her from hurting herself. Sheila was making the trek to Riverside and since Dennis had to work bright and early the next day, I offered for Don and I to take her down. Shortly afterwards, Sheila and Dennis made their way here and we left shortly afterwards. Upon arriving at the hospital, I went in with Sheila to assist in finding out where her mother's room was and in the process of doing so we ran into her sister, Barbara, who had arrived earlier. So, we made our way up to her room and of course, I had to visit for a bit before leaving to head home. On the way out of there, Don and I got turned around several times before finally seeing some correct signs for making our way back home. What an adventure! Unfortunately, all the time spent riding irritated my upper back and neck once again, so I'm back to resting a bit more. I'm certain all the powerwashing of our deck didn't help much either. So, yesterday I spent my day experimenting with a fabric transfer and stitching a butterfly on cotton fabric. It probably isn't the best fabric for this, but it's working out fairly well. I'm hoping to make a pillow out of it at a later date.

Sheila telephoned late in the afternoon to update me on her mom's condition. It seems that they had done the bronchial scope on Saturday with her mother's permission and it was the anesthetic that caused her to hullicinate. The good news is that there is no signs of her cancer having had returned! She somehow had aspirated some food particles and mucus formed around it --- very similar to what happened to my own mother a year or so ago. I'd been praying for her mother, and for Sheila... she's been through so much with her mom already... it really breaks your heart. The good news is that Sheila's mom remembered me being there, holding her hand, and talking to her about all the IV's and the oxygen lines she had on. With all the confusion from the anestetic, she'd forgotten where she was and what was happening to her. That must have been awful for her... as she is now blind from receiving chemotherapy previously for cancer. I was happy to hear that she found my presence comforting and that she did, in fact remember me being there.

Today, I worked on creating and sending out the CQ for Newbies Squishie Mingle email for the mailing rotation of the mingle. If you've signed up for that, please check your email. I also visited a few of the groups that I participate in... getting caught up with what is going on and where and with whom. It gets a little crazy sometimes, especially with new groups and the recent Yahoo glitch of repeated messages. Anyways, I wanted to update here to let everyone know that I haven't fallen off the face of the earth... just busy as usual. I hope to have somethings to share soon. Until then....{*waves*}