Rug Hooking Addition

I made this hooked piece last year and decided I should list it in my Etsy shop. The Gray Flowers (already in the shop) seems to be generating more views/interest than my stitching so I thought perhaps it would make sense to add this one as well. It is a little smaller than the gray piece however it can either be hung on the wall or used on a table top. This piece is hooked on burlap (burlap being the original primitive foundation for hooking many years ago) but the gray piece is hooked on linen. Both contain re-purposed and dyed wools, however this piece was hooked entirely with scraps! It is another of my original designs.

I'm working in the local shop again tomorrow. I'm looking forward to a little diversion. I hope you all have a great weekend.
Cheers!

What a Nice Day

We woke up this morning to a horrific thunderstorm, literally with bolts of lightning all around, and subsequently lost power - NUTS! I hate that!

I had plans today to meet my Etsy/blog friend Lori Eurto in Philly too and was worried about getting showered (and blown-dry) with out electricity. The really strange thing is, every time we lose power it is only the houses on our side of the street - very annoying to look out and see neighbors with power, but I digress. I called my neighbor to make sure it was OK to run over with my blow dryer! I showered, went to my neighbor's for power, and then took off to drive into Philly to meet Lori.

Lori is one of those special people I have met on Etsy and blogging. She lives in upstate NY, and I live in suburban Philadelphia. How cool is it that we have actually gotten together 3 times in the last 9 months?! We had a delightful lunch in a fabulous Mexican restaurant on South Street in Phila and then we shopped, found a delightful coffee shop and sat outside and chatted till it was time to leave. I've said it before but it's worth repeating - I feel so lucky to have made some wonderful new friends as a result of Etsy and blogging. Life is good!

Life got even better for me when we were sitting with our coffees and I got a text from my son telling me he accepted a job with Villanova! I am so excited and proud. As you all know he just graduated from Xavier University in Cincinnati last month majoring in Sports Management. He had a phone interview with them, they asked him to come (from Cincy) Friday for a formal interview, and they offered him the job! I know he is between a rock and a hard place because he wanted to stay in Cincinnati, however, he made the right decision taking the job. In this economy stepping out of college getting a job in your field is a difficult thing to do and he is very lucky, and I am very proud!

It turned out to be a pretty nice day!

New Stitching

I had a productive weekend - stitched the "liberty" and pin keep over the weekend and put them together yesterday afternoon. I did not do a thing last night - almost feel guilty. You know, busy hands........

When I took my car for an oil change last week I drove 10 minutes further after to a great cross stitch shop (which I had not been to in ages) and picked up a few new patterns. I so much prefer stitching in the warmer weather because rug hooking is so bulky and hot with all of that wool.
I need to get stitching on a new piece.

Home Sweet Home (for the birds)

I was sitting on the patio having a cocktail enjoying a moment of peace before dinner and captured one of our current house wren families in action. What is so special about this particular family is the house they have taken up residence in is sitting on a shelf right over our dining table on the patio!

We've always had lots of bird houses in the yard and surrounding the patio however never one right on the patio. They are most often occupied by house wrens too. I decided to move the birdhouse this spring so it was more protected since it has weathered quite a bit, thinking it would just be decorative on the patio. Lo and behold, a couple of house wrens have taken up residence in the little weathered cottage.
I just noticed tiny bird noises for the first time yesterday so I know the babies have hatched. The wrens will remain extremely busy till their brood is ready to fly from the nest.
I was able to capture one of the parents poking its head out ready to fly (the 2nd picture) and another of one of the mama or papa arriving with some food (the first picture).

Watermelon Slice

This is what I hooked at my hook-in overnight last weekend. I started it Saturday and just finished it last night!
I'm taking it to the local shop to sell since she requested pillows. I apologize for the not-so-great picture - I wanted to get a pic taken on the Adirondack chair in my yard however it is raining and I need to leave soon to take my car for an oil change and drop the pillow off on the way, so the inside picture with bad lighting will have to do. Anyway, you get idea of the finished product.
Hope you all have a great day.

Jade Plants

I got these great cuttings from my friend Peg. She has 3 incredible jade plants in her lovely solarium/breakfast room. One is over 3 feet tall in a huge pot on the floor, and one is in a shallow dish on her dining table, and the 3rd is the miniature variety which I had never seen before.

I have not had a jade plant since college and I was delighted to get the cuttings. I think they look so pretty in the little cordial glasses on my kitchen window sill. I'm hoping they will root so I can plant them. I did a little on-line research and only found information about putting a leaf directly into soil and propagating that way. I did not see anything about putting a cutting into water - does anyone know or have any advice?

Strawberry Picking

I have a couple of cute hooked ornaments that are summery in nature and I thought now might be a good time to introduce them to my Etsy shop. I decided to start with a strawberry! Just a whimsical little piece of decorative fun which I hope others will enjoy too.