traditions and legacies

traditions and legacies

are sometimes

formed without knowing

.

for instance

this 1983 Ohio State grad

.

met this 1983 Ohio State grad

and lovingly created this little guy

who arrived in 1988
and hanging in the closet

was a Buckeye sleeper

we

received the adorable matching

red and white hat

from the women's auxiliary at the hospital

by definition

a legacy is born

from a predecessor

meaning a parent

in the case of one's alma mater

a legacy is created

and molded

in your image

with little TJ

it seems it was from the beginning

first quilt, first born

i started quilting

to pass the time

while i was in college

.

it was 1978 to be exact

general hospital was the main event

it had taken over the dorm

we scheduled classes

around it's viewing time

luke and laura were about to be married

for the first time

the tv lounge was standing room only

i never was one to just sit

so i searched

for a pattern to complete by hand

a paper pieced

grandmother's flower garden

was suggested by my favorite quilt store owner

funny how those little hexagons

are back once again in 2010

i chose a black background fabric

with rose and blue flowers

i kept the project going throughout my college years

packing it up

the day i graduated

with it carried

memories for a lifetime

finally i finished sewing the binding

a year or so later

neatly folded it into a square

and closed it in a suitcase

until 1988

exactly ten years after it's inception

when i pulled it out

shortly after my first born arrived

i spread it about

and watched with delight

as he played

he loved the softness

and the texture

he was gentle with it

as though he understood the

work of my hands

the love of each stitch

today

we still share that bond

an unwritten code

he often calls when i'm thinking of him

when i need

the sound of his voice

it's hard to

imagine where the years have gone

this week

from college

he will graduate

with his

own memories for a lifetime

this mom could not be prouder

tj a job well done my son

small delay...

i had to move aside

the fruitcake

to make room...

.

...for a special project

wait did i just say fruitcake

oh well

see i did just give another

little hint

but in the meantime

i am working

on a very special project

for a very special gal

who will soon be having

a

century birthday

well not a full century

but we still celebrate

them in

fractional terms

i had to distort the image a tad

don't want to give it away too soon

although i think she may be

on the high seas this week

celebrating

in grand style

another small hint

if you were confused

about me

utilizing items...

.

...from a grocery store

in a project

worry no more

there is fabric in sight

a yummy hint...

of what's next

in the project line up

.

sugar cookies, hot cocoa

maraschino cherries and spearmint

all sound so yummy

have any idea

of what's to come

i do season...

each june i gear up

for the

season of weddings

.

there was a time

i was creating

one to two

custom bridal gowns plus

bridesmaids and flower girls

a week from my home studio

while still working full time

then

child number three arrived

and i realized

i needed a break

now i do alterations for just a select few

this season

friends of my oldest son

did i just say my son

if that's not enough

to make me feel my fifty years

the need for my reading glasses

just to hem

sure is

funny that mauve is back in vogue

actually they call it rosewood

this time around

best wishes

to all the summer's brides and grooms

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

this awesome discovery i

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

featuring bar harbor by minick and simpson

the minute i saw it

i knew it would be a great display for our annual

stampin' for america

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

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

a honeybun for the keyboard...

i'm in

sample making

frenzy

.

and the evidence

is everywhere

endless possibility...

how lucky am i

to have spread before me

a private viewing...

.

of it's a hoot

by momo for moda

the colors

the designs

circles, dots and stripes

even chirping birds

with

matching twill

i see

endless possibility

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

i have another treat for her from c&b

it will be coming a bit later

best wishes to beth and aaron

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

petal perfection

'tis my faith that every flower

enjoys the air it breaths

-william wordsworth

.

mother's day 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

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

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