Well I feel Spring is finally here. In celebration I have donned my cheery striped socks. I received these from my sister Lynne. I think they just fit the bright mood the warmer weather has brought. The last few weeks I have been pretty busy with  .... work, gardening, stitching and some stressful health issues affecting friends and family. I received this gorgeous bouquet from my best friend. I visited with her and her son when he was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I am happy to say the tumor is cancer free and we are praying it will not continue to grow.
My rhubarb is doing very well .... I am looking forward to eating some this year. I also planted my herb wheel  ..... so I am hoping the deer leave some for me.
We received our chicks yesterday! 24 of 26 survived the journey. They are a nice mix of heritage breeds, including Americanas, Buff Orpingtons, Black Australorps and a few others I am not 100% able to identify. You don't get to choose the combination .... so I guess we shall see. You also receive them un-sexed so I am really hoping we have mostly hens.
I still have not had a chance to sew together the crazy quilt pears I cut out ...... but as you can see from the new photo the project has mushroomed. My friends have been giving me their scraps and I now have 19 pears cut out. I think today maybe the day I sew a few together...... I am just dying to embellish them. I also started a new sampler .... "Boris" by Plum Street. He is such a cute little dog I am enjoying stitching him. "Olga" and "Sergei" are kitted and waiting for their turn. :)
I have also included a photo of some of my female relatives. I want to make a crazy quilt incorporating their photos. I have been so inspired by all the beautiful photos online and can't wait to get started! Till next time ....

A New Beginning

I am going to make another attempt to resurrect my blog this year. I enjoy reading them so much I feel it is time for me to give back. The focus will still remain on stitching and some of my other handcraft endeavors. I will occasionally mention books or movies that interest me. My photos may not be as sophisticated as the eye-candy you see on other blogs but you will at least get the general idea of what I am trying to convey. I seem to cycle in my interests  .... often I am all over the map being torn in different directions. Pinterest has become a huge inspiration for me. So many ideas being shared on a wide variety of subjects, from gardening, art, embroidery .... you name it. There are also numerous tutorials available. I have several new projects on the go and will post photos that will hopefully inspire others to create. I decided I want to get back to some basic hand embroidery ..... or rather some crazy quilting. I always have these grandiose ideas that sort of wither and die. This time I decided to start small and make a pear pincushion. The problem is I got carried away with cutting out the sections and ended up with fabric for three pears! Can't wait to sew them together and get started. I think I will try and incorporate some of the stitches from TAST and kill two birds with one stone as it were. Google TAST (Take A Stitch Tuesday if you dare). I have also been trying to satisfy my hunger for colour by playing around with crochet. I have given you a sneak peak at some of the colour combinations I have been playing with and will post more when the items are finished. I also have a love of handmade buttons so as I explore that craft I will share photos and information on my progress. Finally I have three movies just waiting to be watched. :) Happy St. Patrick's Day!