I've got a long way to go!

 Whew!  See . . . there is someone with more eggs than me!!!

Happy Easter Everyone!

A Lutheran German couple decorates their garden tree with 10,000 painted eggs.

Easter comes but once a year -- but one couple has turned it into a lifetime's project.

German pensioners Volker and Christa Kraft have decorated the tree in their back garden in Saalfeld for Easter for more than 40 years.

The tree now drips with more than 9,800 colorful Easter eggs, painted with pastoral scenes and religious icons.

Blah, Blah, Blah

I don't write for 2 months and now you can't shut me up!

I just had to show you two Blackbird pieces I picked up from my new framer!  I LOVE them!!!  They did such a great job at The Carriage House in Kingsport, TN (and they have such cute things there: yarn, clothing, jewelry, purses, etc.) . . . and reasonably priced too!!!  Thanks!!!!   I left 3 more with them . . . and I think all 3 are Blackbird pieces too . . . I like Blackbird Designs, what can I say?! 

Left is:  Beneath the Sunlit Sky                Right is:  Awake the Dawning Day


I really dislike picking out frames.  I find it painful!  I always worry if I picked the right one . . . fearful that I'll hate it when it's done.  I don't know why . . . I've never been disappointed with the outcome.  Torture!!

Have a great day!!!                        ~*

Eggstravagant!

I showed you some of my egg collection in an earlier post (those eggs that stay out year-round).  Here are the eggs that come out every Easter.  These were purchased in various places in Europe: Slovakia, Hungary, Serbia and Austria mainly.

These are saturated color with raised white wax designs.  They're perfect for these cute tulip egg cups.

These are various eggs decorated with drilled holes, colored waxes, scraping and what looks like some sort of stenciling.  I would have loved to have asked about the methods . . . the language barrier never got much better in the 3 years we lived in Eastern Europe.

There are many different wired patterns.  How do they do this without breaking the egg?!?

More varied techniques.

These are painted wooden eggs and like an inlaid effect.

These are drilled (someone told me they used a dental drill) and then a pattern is done with wax.  In Slovakia the braided willow in the picture above is used by boys at Easter to whip girls with . . . seriously.  They also throw water on girls or take them to the river and throw them in . . . don't ask me why.  We did not go outside at Easter . . . nor would we have open the door if someone had knocked!

Don't know how they do these . . . just love them!

These are made gluing a pattern with embroidery floss.  My daughter made the bottom egg cup in elementary school . . . too cute!  The bunny cup above I found in the Dollar Store . . . can you believe it!?

Love this egg cup . . . think I got this cup at Tuesday Morning.

These all hang and I haven't gone outside to find the perfect branch for my indoor egg tree . . . it's just been too cold, wet and snowy to tromp through the woods.  Some of these have crocheted or beaded decorations, more wax and embroidery floss designs.  One is cut out and painted to look like a basket.

And these!  Wow!









So, you see why I got a little crazy collecting these . . . I just couldn't stop myself!!!

                                           HAPPY EASTER!!!   ~*

Forgot To Tell You!

Last Saturday I went to the Spinning & Fiber Meet at Sycamore Shoals State Historic Area in Elizabethton (a neighboring town).  There were two ugly-cute Alpaca in a pen . . . have often thought it would be fun to raise them (next life).  Folks were selling all sorts of fiber related crafts and materials.  There were spinners and weavers from the Overmountain Weavers Guild who meet at the Exchange Place in Kingsport (another neighboring town).  (The Exchange Place is a restored farm complex which once served travelers along the Old Stage Road.  Here Virginia currency was "exchanged" for that of Tennessee and tired horses for fresh ones . . . hence the name.)  I got to try my hand at weaving . . . signed up to be contacted for classes in August!  I've always wanted to weave!

Sycamore Shoals offers classes in all sorts of arts and crafts throughout the year . . . that will chase away the blues next winter!

Welcome Spring  ~*

Hibernation is OVER!

What a blue funk I have been in this winter!   Forget the daylight savings time thing . . . let's just shorten winter!  I may have been hibernating but, I was not unproductive.  I've been a crocheting fool!!!

 I've made dish cloths . . . dozens!  ("Sandy Shore Washcloth Set" on the  Lion Brand website - free)

Scarves (they really look better than this in person) . . . pretty much made-up designs.

Things for my someday "grandchildren hope chest". . The Owl Granny square was adapted from:  http://www.petalstopicots.com/2012/08/guest-post-repeat-crafter-me-owl-granny.html
And for the Pond Friends Stacking Toy:  http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/90075AD.html

I've also made some cards from some downloaded clip-art (all found on Pinterest) to wind my vintage lace around . . . much easier to see and choose with them out of the brown paper bag they've been in.

I've also been working on organizing my craft room . . . I mean studio.  It's not quite picture worthy yet but, it's getting there.  

I played interior decorator and painted the master bath a slightly purple shade of gray, found the perfect bath mats, used some pottery accessories I've had for years that have been packed away . . . for years.  It turned out so nice!

I have three designs ALMOST ready . . . two for spring . . . hope to have them ready by next week.

Spring begins tomorrow!!!!  Here in northeastern Tennessee the daffodils are blooming, the forsythia have just burst and the early blooming trees are showing the first signs of color . . . THANK YOU GOD!!!!

~*

 

This and That

Been busy with lots of things . . . none of which has been cross-stitch!  First, I was making some fingerless gloves to use up some of my yarn stash.  I had made a bunch of these several years ago for my daughter and her college dorm mates . . . they loved them!  I thought perhaps we could sell them at the Tri-Cities Flea Market.  I know . . . it's not trains . . . but what the heck, I could use a little bit of the space for some of my craft items . . . and really, I have way too much yarn.  So, I made a few and saw my stash diminishing . . . great!  Then . . . they started selling!  Not that I didn't want them to sell, but the point was to get rid of my yarn.  Now . . . I had to go out and buy more yarn to make more . . . this is crazy!!!  I came up with the slogan "all the better to text you with" . . . thought that was cute.  I don't even make a dollar an hour making these (a pair takes 4 hours to make).  If you crochet, the pattern is free on Lion Brand Yarns website:
     
http://www.lionbrand.com/patterns/FingerlessGloves.html?r=1

I use different size hooks to make the 3 sizes:  Small-G; Medium-I; Large-K








In addition to crocheting, I've been trying to get caught up on Christmas gifts.  I know . . . Christmas is over . . . I'm way behind . . . as usual.  I have recently discovered that I have A.D.D. . . . not even joking.  It actually has been a relief to discover that my inability to get things done on time, my varied interests, difficulty staying focused or hyper-focusing, or an inability to even get started on something I really want to do is not just a lack of motivation or laziness, it's how my brain works.  I'll write a blog soon on what I've discovered about this disorder and tips that are helping me stay on track.  If you think this sounds like you (as many creative people have this disorder) you may want to read:  "Driven To Distraction" by  Edward Hallowell and John Ratey which investigates the nature of Attention Deficit Disorder. .

Back to the Christmas gifts.  Thank you Pinterest for your inspiration for so many ideas . . . maybe too many ideas!  I ran a few pages from my beautifully aged Les Miserables book through my printer printing  blackbirds, paintings, flowers, etc.  I LOVE the way they look . . . gotta go frame shopping now!









And then I made a couple pincushion/scissor holders.  I bought a couple yards of red ticking . . . a little too new looking.  I dyed half of it with a mixture of strong tea and a cap full of Rit tan liquid dye.  The longer I left it in the dye bath, the darker it got.

I then cut out a heart template and cut the front and back heart.  I folded the template for the pocket and folding the contrasting fabric I cut out the pocket.  I stitched the lace along the top edge of the pocket.  With right sides together, I stitched the hearts together.  If you want a hanger loop on the top of the heart, place that loop inside the heart pieces with the edge coming out the top before  stitching the pieces together.  Leave a two inch opening along one side to turn the heart right side out.

Stuff the heart with polyfil or crushed walnut shells and blind stitch the opening closed.  I put a hanging loop on mine to hang from my magnifier lamp to have my stitching necessities close at hand.  I also added a button to loop my thread around so it doesn't come out of the needle.  I printed off some cute thread/lace winders from Pinterest.  I printed them on card stock, cut them out and mod podged them together to make them thicker.  These can be tucked into the pocket as well as your scissors.  I think they turned out cute!


 
I received an email from a stitcher who recently ordered my True Friend chart.  Marilyn writes:

Hi Bonny,

It's Marilyn.

As promised, I've attached a pic of the Friends Pillow that I made.

I sent it to my bestest friend for Christmas, and she loved it!

She also asked where did I ever find that design, so I directed her to your blog.  :)

I love the finish Marilyn!  Those little tuck-in pillows are a great alternative to framing and if you don't stitch the piece in, you can change out for seasons or whenever you want a different look.

If you've finished a piece of mine, I'd love to see it . . . send me an email with a picture and I'll share your work here.

Keep stitchin' . . . I should take that advice!

                                                                ~*

Memories . . . like the corners of my mind . . .

I recently went through my "memories box".  It's a box I think citrus fruit came in years ago.  I have some childhood things in there...newspapers of John Glenn's first orbit around the earth, JFK's assassination, Beatles stuff, notes from friends that we exchanged in high school.  Some of these things I wonder why I kept but, they are still fun to look at every 10 years or so.  There's a neighborhood "newspaper" that a friend and I did when we were about 10 years old . .  .typed on a typewriter . . . X's through mistakes . . . original poems . . . biographies of the "editors" . . . too funny.  I think we only did one issue . . . no way to make copies for mass distribution. We may have used carbon paper for a few copies . . . probably for our parents.  It makes me appreciate modern technology!

Also in this box are a few things I don't remember seeing before . . . or maybe the last time I looked in here was before I got back into cross-stitching.  This first one seems to be stamped on this cloth and very poorly stitched compared to other child-done samplers I have seen.  Of course, these kids were being taught to stitch for a reason . . . I, no doubt, was just doing it for fun.  X's are crossed every-which-way.

It's dated 1966 . . . I would have been 16 . . . would that make it almost an antique now?  (Geez, I must be old!)  Even more embarrassing considering the poor workmanship!

I have no idea when I did these.  They are also stamped on the cloth.  The workmanship on these is a little better.  Maybe my grandmother actually told me how to do it!

This little apron I still remember making at my grandmother's house.  Badly stained now . . . the box must have gotten wet at some point.  I must have been about 7 or 8 years old . . . could have been younger.  It's all hand stitched and even has two pockets.  I've always found this little apron so sweet.

These were in the box too.  I'm sure my grandmother crocheted the little doll dress.  I don't know where the needle book came from.  I'm guessing it was my grandmother's or perhaps she gave it to me since she is the one who taught me to sew.

I think the dress was probably for this little doll that was one of the toys we only played with at Nanu's house.  Most of the toys were "boy toys" since she only raised sons . . . metal cars and trucks . . . which I now have in my "old toy collection" . . . yes, another collection! 

 
I have no idea where this doll came from . . .  perhaps it was her's as a child . . . no idea.  It's definitely older than dolls of my generation.  Actually . . . I just remembered that she used to make doll clothes and dress dolls to donate to some charity.  I think it may have been to the hospital.  She was part of the Board of Lady Managers at the old Alexandria Hospital (where I was born . . . torn down now . . . damn I'm old!).

What "treasures" do you have from your childhood?

                                     ~*