Amore

This little heart is no bigger than 2" x 2". It is rubber stamped on white fabric that was sponged pink. A few metallic thread stitches and some beads, and you have an adorable heart to hang on a tiny box of chocolates!

My heart is sad today as I wait to see if my amore will make it home tonight from the Ohio Valley area. With the new storm laying down yet more snow, the odds are slim. My heart goes out to all travelers stuck where they didn't plan on being and those impacted by these massive storms.

A Different Kind of Heart

My heart is still pounding this morning from another poultry palooza! Seems my lab retrievers like nothing better than to devise ways out of the backyard and into the chicken coop! Two chickens and one turkey are still missing, but if today is a repeat of Saturday, they will wander back when their little hearts settle down!

I love this 'no sew' heart. It is put together with eyelets and gold thread, with lots of fun embellishments. Ultrasuede comes in so many fun colors and can hold up to lots of wear. Because it is so thin, eyelets are perfect for holding it together. I've also used red liner tape on other hearts. I used the red liner tape on this one and then added gold leaf on top of that.
It is great for holding scissors. You can put an extra layer of suede at the bottom to keep those pesky scissor points from puncturing parts of your body you'd rather not. (I'll have scissors for a great price on the website next month)

Even if you don't have new ultrasuede, I've picked up some awesome leather pieces at the thrift store. Quite often I buy clothing just for the fabric or the buttons. The fabric can be dyed or stamped over. More on that later this year when the weather is conductive to working outside.

Making gifts for friends doesn't have to cost alot. The time involved is the greatest cost for many of us. I'm sure that is why hand crafted gifts are so appreciated. Time is such a factor these days; there never seems to be enough of it.
Time management and gift making are two of my goals for this year. I hope to make several gifty things every month to put away for the holidays. This will be one of them.

Cupcakes

Did I get to any stitching yesterday? Sadly no, not even a stitch. Besides a list of errands that shall remain nameless, I did get to do one of my next favorite things - spend time with my granddaughters.

We decided at around 5 pm that we would make cupcakes (for practice and research of course!) in preparation for the youngest cupcake's upcoming birthday party. We made up and heavily sampled lemon icing and chocolate icing. Sugar headaches and messes abounded and a good time was had by all.

Naturally we all had cupcakes before breakfast this morning and have begun yet another creative mess making valentines.

Maybe a few stitches will be sewn tonight after the cupcakes with their cupcakes go home. Meanwhile, I now have visions of sewn and embellished cupcakes dancing in my head!

Heart's Rhapsody

Not a stitching project/picture today. I am sooo tired of being cold and tea fits the bill on this gloomy, foggy morning.

I just love the image on this label! Sitting and sewing requires something warm to drink and this tea fits the bill this month. Heart's Rhapsody is a lovely organic herbal tea that is loaded with 'good for you' herbs. Designed by the Tea Mistress from Shangri-la Tea. If you are lucky enough to live in the Boise area, they have a fantastic tea room and vegetarian cafe. Click on the link on the side bar to learn more.

Heart of Silk

We hear about 'hearts of gold' and 'hearts on fire' but what would a 'heart of silk' look like?

Silk is, well - silky! It is luminous, can drape or hold shape. It reflects light in subtle nuances. You can wear it or sew with it. I especially like to applique with silken pearl thread and embellish with hand dyed silk ribbon. My favorite supplier of this is The Threadgatherer from Boise. The color selection is just incredible.

It has an amazing history and an entire trade route was named after it. I am currently reading "Shadow of the Silk Road" by Colin Thubron. I'm going to spend some time getting to know the history of this amazing textile.

If you want to practice with silk fabric, head to the thrift store. There are amazing finds there that cost very little. Silk is also great to stamp on with rubber stamps and metallic ink. One of my favorite's is Stewart Superiors Palette Metallic Ink. There is a great stamped purse with directions on their site under designers.

Enjoy this pastel version of yesterday's pieced heart. These hearts can be made into small tokens of friendship, new baby ornament or for a bridal shower momento.
There is kit for this version for sale on the web site.

More with less

This is another piece that got started in a hotel room while I was away to a trade show. Trade shows can be so overwhelming and the brain gets supercharged by the sheer amount of creativity and new ideas. The only way I can refocus and settle myself down is with a bit of stitching or retail therapy, (shopping!) Both give my mind time to rest.

I usually don't have alot to choose from in this kind of situation and because the choices are limited, I'm able to do more with less. When I'm surrounded by all my 'stuff' in the studio, I get quite overwhelmed and don't know where to start. That is where I'm at right now; trying to focus on just ONE project, and that is very hard.

Doing more with less is once again becoming fashionable as we begin dialogues that include the environment and our pocketbooks in all of our purchases. It's also good for our creativity!

The fabric of choice on this trip was silk! Piecemakers in Costa Mesa, California, was a veritable treasure trove of silks, ribbons, threads and trinkets! It made my hands itch to start SOMETHING.
Just like the blue heart, the strips were hand-pieced and then the heart cut out and appliqued onto the vintage jacquard. This heart had ribbons and threads added to it.I must have been a bit sad and missing my family that night as there is a silk ribbon going down the center of the heart. More silk was added for a border and then lots of ribbons and embellishments.


Grab some scraps today and see what you can stitch up!

Red - It's Everywhere



Even though Spring is a solid two months away, it seems like we have rounded a corner when February arrives. Red is just right for this month, though I must like it much more that I thought: I drive a red car, wear a red wool coat, and now I have a new red journal with wonderful heavyweight watercolor paper inside! I read recently (by a shoe store owner naturally) that every woman should have a pair of red heels, that they go with everything. I'm going to try this theory out this month.

I can't ever seem to tie myself down to one color but this month I will spend more time working with red. When you are out and about look for all things red and how they brighten up even a dreary day.

The thesaurus is a wealth of descriptions for the color red and all of its nuances. They invoke a multitude of images and feelings. See if they don't for you too.

Here are just a few for this first day of February:

Burgundy - Carmine - Carnation - Chinese Red - Crimson - Faded Rose -
Flame Red - Maroon - Poppy - Ruby - Royal Red - Scarlet - Strawberry - Naples Red - Lobster - Fuschia Red -Cherry - Vermillion - Cardinal - Rose