Monday, May 31, 2010

bar harbor stars for america...

today as we celebrate the
dedication and sacrifices of
those who so proudly...
.
protect our freedom
i'd like to share
found one evening while blogging
it was creatively stitched by
crystal of
frivolous necessity
which she puts as the return address
on the envelope
which i had delivered to my
husband's office
imagine his disappointment
smile honey
when i unfolded this
red, white and blue quilt beauty
the minute i saw it
i knew it would be a great display for our annual
event which will likely move to the store
next year
love this etsy concept
i also appreciate
that crystal is a pet free, smoke free artist
it's the only reason
i purchased from her truthfully
now that i've seen her work
it's an even better incentive to keep
watching her blog
gotta be quick though
her last feature was gone before
i could click on over to her store
happy memorial day everyone

Saturday, May 29, 2010

looking for some trim...

in red, white or blue
it looks like sarah
has been here too
.
for the longest time
sarah liked to twirl ribbons
in the world of down syndrome and autism
professionals refer to it as stimming
i saw it as my daughter
playing with my stash
there is a drawer in the sewing room
full of elastic, trims and ribbon
it is a twisted mess
as you can see
i purposely leave it in disarray
as a reminder of each time
sarah would sneak down
thinking no one was looking
to take another ribbon
to satisfy this need within her
she eventually grew out of that habit
still each time i open
this drawer
i see her sweet little face
with a big cheezy grin
being caught
when i walked in

Thursday, May 27, 2010

a honeybun for the keyboard...

i'm in
sample making
frenzy
.
and the evidence
is everywhere

Tuesday, May 25, 2010

endless possibility...

how lucky am i
to have spread before me
a private viewing...
.
by momo for moda
the colors
the designs
circles, dots and stripes
even chirping birds
with
matching twill
i see
endless possibility

Sunday, May 23, 2010

a flower for a shower...

somewhere...
there is a rule book
that states...
.
crate & barrel
boxes must not be
wrapped
yet somehow the creative soul in me
sees the black and white
screaming for some
color
as soon as i saw today's invitation
i had a vision
using stampin'ups! exclusive
bigz xl die flower folds
in cameo coral, pumpkin pie and ruby red
adorned with centers in summer sun
with leaves and stems in
garden green
so cute
i could not stop at just one

so i made a trio for
the bride-to-be
inside
bright and sunny yellow trimmed
dinnerware
from her registry
i wonder if she realizes they match
her shining personality
it will be coming a bit later
best wishes to beth and aaron

Saturday, May 22, 2010

my passion for purple...

i wish i could explain
what it is about this color
that brings such happiness
.
to my heart
two big boxes arrived today
majestic batiks by moda
beautiful colors
oranges, greens, blues, yellows
yet
my eyes immediately
gravitated toward
the only purple in the collection
love, love, love it
later in the day
i took sarah to see the new arrivals
mostly to comfort her
after another painful blood draw
in that left arm
i didn't think about the
shirt and hoodie she had changed into after work
until we arrived
and i pulled out the
pretty purple one
to show her
it seemed to have a comforting effect
on my daughter too

Thursday, May 20, 2010

petal perfection

'tis my faith that every flower
enjoys the air it breaths
-william wordsworth
.

mother's day 2010

Tuesday, May 18, 2010

parental support...

...the real question isn't whether or not you love your kids...

... but how well you are able to demonstrate your love and caring, so that your children really feel loved. -stephanie marston
i've discovered
it doesn't matter how old one is
parental support
is much appreciated and desired
even needed
in it's absence
one can feel abandoned
and there is no greater loneliness
in the world
imagine my thrill
when i saw my mother and father
walking toward me
at the business expo
coming to support our newest venture
stephanie marston is a work-life balance coach
she has published many good books
my favorite, if not now, when
another quote i try to live by
unconditional love is loving your kids for who they are,
not for what they do
i pray nightly that i be given the strength to
parent all my children in this fashion
to demonstrate my love for them
through my actions
to acknowledge my shortcomings
and say i'm sorry
when i am wrong
and most importantly
to always be a support and not a burden

Sunday, May 16, 2010

new color rings...

the stampin'up!
2010 color renovation
is significant
.
i've touched on it before
the night before the expo
i had a brainstorm
to make up a few color rings
of the new top 40
i make them 2 by 3
the size of my business card
i label each one by color name
then slip them on a ring
you can get 10 completed rings
per sheet of paper
easy peasy
last minute thought
first item discussed at the expo
by a very grateful stamper

Friday, May 14, 2010

with a little help...

...from my friends
i must give credit
where it's due
.
to seven
very talented ladies
in the we bee stamping team
lead by linda bauwin
their creativity was showcased
in my display
at the business expo
you can read more about it here and here
although the purpose was to
announce the opening of our new quilt store
i never like to pass up an
opportunity to also feature the
products of stampin'up
so i pulled from my swap samples and
birthday club cards
those which matched our color palette
kudos and many thanks to
leigh amburgey, carolyn close, mary ann dietz,
megan hillyer, mary jo marshall, shana gaff
and denise young

Tuesday, May 11, 2010

meet owlivia...

this adorable little owlet
is the creative invention
.
the minute
i saw her posted
i just knew
she was to be a part of our display
but time was running out
not to fear
the instructions were easy to follow
so my own little owlivia
was birthed this morning at
approximately 4:15 a.m.
weighing in at about 2.5 pounds
she's filled with lentils
not what the pattern called for
but the only
suitable thing i could find
in the cupboard
at that hour of the night
i don't think she'll give a hoot
as she is standing tall
princess of the roost
i was thinking of making more than one
then i would have a parliament
just discovered that is what you call
a group of owls

Monday, May 10, 2010

do not try this at night...

i have found...
there are some tasks
that must wait...
.
until the rise of the sun
such as
which had my eyes
well...
...crossed
as i was trying to line up the many
diagonal cuts and
intersecting points
it's a stunner though
now complete
a perfect backdrop
for the jellen's house of fabric

Sunday, May 9, 2010

happy mother's day

there was a mother/daughter
look alike contest
in the newspaper today
.
i would not have thought to enter
as i don't think we look alike
until i went digging for a photo
guess i was wrong
this picture
circa 1978
i can tell by the glasses
and the hairdos
it was my senior year of high school
and i was sewing
alot
for both my mom and me
both our tops in this photo
i stitched up
you might ask why i was sewing for my mom
easy
she didn't sew
at all
most people are shocked when i say that
how ever did i learn then
by her support
for years she drove me to the fabric stores
in canton, ohio
so-fro fabrics at 30th street plaza
and schoolhouse quilts on hills and dales
were my two favorites
she would come in as a chaperone when
i was just starting out
at eight and nine
then as i got older she would stay in the car
or walk down to the stationary store
looking back
i find that especially amazing
i think it's probably easier
to support your daughter's love of fabric
when you already have a stash in the house
regardless
i truly would not be where i am today
without her support
thank you mom
i love you
happy mother's day

Friday, May 7, 2010

a thread of truth

rarely...
in my fifty years
of reading...
.
has a novel
spoken so directly to my heart
given me such
renewed enthusiasm for a project
that at times seems
risky at best
and never have i read a book of fiction
so beautifully portray a character
with down syndrome
thank you
marie bostwick

Thursday, May 6, 2010

part of a rainbow...

a box arrived today
in the warm sunshine
.
inside were lots of
half yard cuts of
moda marbles
i thought about the dear soul
who would be stuck doing all the cutting
when i placed the order
might they grumble about the task
instead i received a lovely
handwritten note
from mary
thank you for shopping quilt home
i hope you enjoy your darling fabrics
i felt like i was cutting part of a rainbow
all the colors are wonderful
have a splendid time sewing
that made my day
thank you mary
it was a pleasure doing business with you

Wednesday, May 5, 2010

summer mini swap...

i love the...
mini catalogs
.
they are full of fresh new
products and ideas
the 2010 summer mini
is just that
i shared the card
i created for our swap
today i share the cards i received
so many great ones
i can never pick a best
there are some stand outs
like the one that is actually standing
look on the top left corner
it is a 3-d invitation
for a summer gathering
very cleverly created by
shana gaff

Monday, May 3, 2010

happy grad,,,

the 2010 Stampin'Up!
is out...
.
i love to participate in
new catalog swaps
i create 25 of the same
and in return acquire
25 different cards designed by
25 incredibly talented women in our
we bee stamping line lead by linda bauwin
my featured stamp is called
happy grad
i could not resist the urge
to select a scarlet and gray color theme
in honor of my soon to be
2010 OSU grad
the message to stamp is outstanding...
happy graduation
make a difference
live the dream
relish the adventure
conquer the unknown
make your mark
stand strong