What's Inside....

A recent Facebook posting of a piece I'm teaching this weekend to the Saguaro Stitcher's ANG guild in Scottsdale, The Bougainvillea Wall, prompted inquiry into what was behind the blue door.

 For humans and cats, curiosity can either kill ya, or thrill ya!  Maybe both.  There is always a blue door that beckons... 

                                                        a closed gate that compels....
 

                                                               a lid to open......
 

                                                  a curtained window that intrigues....




So, take a peek, or step on in~

The walkway is lined with flowers; the fountain sparkles in the sun.  I suppose you want to go inside the house now for a cup of tea!  Sorry!  You're not invited!  (at least not yet!)

But there's one place you will always be invited, a place that you should always explore... every nook and cranny...every hiding place...

                                                             Your Own Heart!

There, you are always welcome to observe, to learn, to grow....never stop!  See Inside!  Stay Curious!

All That Glitters Is Not Gold....

All that glitters is not gold.  No, it is not!  It is silver, red, black, light green, dark green, lime, pink, yellow, purple, orange, and turquoise...with more colors to come!   It twists, turns, flattens, fattens, and couches!  It also stitches, plunges, and scrunches.  It is a cross between a Chinese finger torture device and a slinky!  And it is Wonderful!

I'm talking about *SPARKLES*!  Sundance Designs newest embellishment metallic tubing, used for creating fun and beautiful effects on your canvas.  Available now in 12 colors, I've already used it on numerous of my new designs which debuted at the January TNNA market.  I could not stop myself, I found it so addictive.   And I have not finished exploring all the different ways to use it.

Here are just a few.  The first is Sweetie Pie, and I stitched her hair with it, enlarging the canvas hole first, of course.  (Tip:  Always  use a Wooden laying tool for enlarging your canvas hole.  It is the only tool that will not split the threads!)  You can pinch the end of the tube and thread it in a large needle, OR you can wrap the ends with scotch tape to make it like a shoe lace.

Here is a beautiful, scrolling border that was couched down by just catching the outer edges.  It is super easy to create thick and thin lines.

Next, is a flat border.  It is perfectly flat because I IRONED it with a hot iron!  Again, it is couched, just catching the edges with a matching thread.

Here, in the next photo, I cut small pieces of it, and spread them open a bit, without allowing them to come completely apart.  I layed them in place and randomly added a few stitches on top to hold them.  It made the most realistic fire!  Ouch!  Don't get burned!

The last example is only the first of many future experiments.  I threaded a white cord though it to enable it to coil without crimping.  Imagine what you could do by adding ribbons, contrasting colors, big beads, etc.  No rules allowed with this stuff!  And the frog's legs could not have been simpler. 
They emerge from the back of the canvas and are couched at his ankles!

This product is brand new to the market.  I hope you have the opportunity to play with it as I have.  Please tell your local needlework shop to order it.  It is not expensive but the possibilities for creating fantastic results are priceless!

Winter Musings...

I'm very late in posting a new blog entry.  Since Halloween, I have been on the go...designing, stitching, teaching, thinking, working, sewing, designing, stitching, wrapping, shopping, cooking, cleaning, reading, designing, stitching....it goes on and on...you know the drill!

So, here I am, 5 days before Christmas, and although I have new designs that I am very excited about, I am saving them for the January TNNA Needlework Market.  I feel bad seeing orange leaves and halloween landscapes still posted on my blog, so I decided to share a few winter images and thoughts.

Here are photos of winter scenes where I live. We typically get snow several times a season..but so far, none this year.  I've accompanied these photos with notes I wrote in 2000 when I was enrolled in a creative writing class.  I share these 'winter musings' with you and hope you find inspiration in your surroundings too.

                                                        The Garden in White

"Eight to ten inches of piled on white.  It is melting now, a little, but when I woke this morning, the world was a magical place.  The backyard fence was transformed into a netting of exquisite lacework; darning patterns, open stitches in neat rowed conformity.
  

The oak and cedar trees were laden with white as well.   No lace there among their branches; only large balled clumps, deliberately placed, as if this tree, this limb, were designated storage for the stuff.

Now birds are beginning to move about.  I saw a tiny lone bird this morning, hopping underneath the lawn chair, under the eves of the porch.   It was as if lost and not knowing where to find companionship.  Now black crows are darting in and out of trees, their blackness a magnificent contrast to the pristine white.

I measured an 8" depth with my ruler this morning. I ventured outside into the cold crispness in my bathrobe and open toed sandals.  Had to measure!  If I were a child, I would be romping about in it, but I am perfectly happy to just gaze now and take in all this beauty.

The water is still running over the rocks in the pond Ron built last summer.  The $200 pump is doing it's job, circulating water from horse trough pond, up through the rusty pump, down over the mini mountain of boulders; a cycle that delights birds and even a snake that we know of.  There are seven goldfish in the pond, cozy I hope, under their blanket of waterlilies and water hyacinth.

Today, I will relax and enjoy this white world for as long as it lasts.  We are without electricity for the time being.  Oh well...laundry has to wait.  What shall I occupy myself with first?  My book, or my stitching?"
                                                              ~The End~

I don't remember what I chose to do...but as much as I love to read, I love to stitch more.  I bet I chose stitching!  What would you do, on a snow bound day?

Happy Holidays...and whatever you do to celebrate, I wish you happiness and joy!

Is Halloween still here?

Today I took a walk out into the  Coronado National Forest adjacent to my home.  It is November, according to the calendar, but I had to wonder!  Everywhere I looked today, I saw evidence of October's  seasonal celebration:  Halloween! 

Did you know that Halloween designs are the best selling canvases in the needlepoint world?  Yes!  I think it is a tribute to our desire to have fun and forget the cares of the world!  There are lots of reasons for celebration, but this is the only one I know of, where children and adults alike can dress up in crazy costumes and just have crazy fun!  There isn't a serious side to this event, as far as I can tell, unlike most other holidays. 

Here is what I encountered on my hike:

Does the blue sky get more gorgeous than this?   The grasses are brittle and dry as bones!

    
I was warned, several times!

My shoe laces were untied one time too many on the trail by this guy! Mr. Cat Claw!  One has to side step his nasty swipes!

There were sharp dangerous things all around!

And wispy, ghosty things!

A charred black skeleton and orange decorations!

Oh my gosh!  Here is a skull!

More orange decor! 

This reeks of a witch to me!  A cauldron of sorts?  Lime green acid brew?

An ingredient for that Witch's brew, or is this something she brewed up?

The only wildlife I saw today were these coal black grasshoppers!

With Blood Red underwings!

And what creature was this?  Coatimundi?  Racoon? Creature from outer space?



Whew!  I'm home now!  As far as I'm concerned, Halloween is over for another year! 
Now I'm working on Christmas!

But you'll have to wait awhile to see it!



Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
PS...I'm teaching "Summer" this weekend at BeStitched in Scottsdale!  Check it out here!

Have Needlepoint, Will Travel!

Last year, about this time, I was in Florida having a grand time visiting my daughter and her family.  Florida in Fall is Fabulous!  This year, I'm going to be traveling as well, but I'll be going to Austin, TX, which I've heard, is pretty fabulous too!

Fortunately, all those wildfires are now over, and I hope the smoke in the air is gone for good!  My heart goes out to all the people whose homes were lost in that terrible tragedy.  It is hard for me to even imagine the devastation and loss.

I'm going to focus on bringing some stitching joy to Austin, and The NeedleWorks, where I'll be teaching my little fall fashion icon, Pumpkin Spice.  There are so many wonderful threads, techniques, beads, colors, and embellishments to use on this piece.  I am excited to share what I have learned in designing and stitching it.

The class will be held on Oct. 1st and 2nd, and from what I've heard, the shop is nothing short of a  stitching paradise...warm, welcoming, inspiring in every way.  The owner, Colleen Church, designed it to be that way, from scratch!  I can hardly wait to get there, and hope to see you there too!

When I look at this piece, I can't help but remember my little grandson who was so captivated by the project.  I had brought it with me to stitch (one cannot leave stitching home alone!), and this child has loved 'punkins' since he was a baby.  I mean, he LOVES them!  He was by my side every moment I brought it out, helping me pull the needle through the canvas, putting a bead on when needed, helping me select the colors.   He was the best helper!

 He was so enthralled with the idea of stitching his own punkin, that I helped him do just that!  He painted his own canvas, and learned to stitch his very own piece!  I blogged about this before, but I'm posting some of the photos again because ....I Can!

 That year, we went to TWO punkin patches to find the perfect punkins to decorate the house with.  I was in punkin heaven myself!  Never have I seen so many beautiful pumpkins and so many varieties!  Arizona just does not seem to get such a bounty to choose from. 

Well, no matter......whether we ever see such a gorgeous variety of punkin produce or not in Arizona, Miss Pumpkin Spice has enough gorgeous variety and color in her own right!  She will grace my home with fall flavor...maybe I'll even catch a wiff of cooler air when I look at her.  And  of course, she will always hold my precious memories....

Summer Flowers

Teaching "Summer Flowers" at BeStitched this weekend in Scottsdale, AZ was a highlight of my summer!  Yes..I'm still counting September as Summer, although technically, it ushers Fall.  My husband told me that the temps dropped down into the 50's at our house Saturday night, while I was gone!

I think all of my students, as well as myself, were very happy with the experience we collectively shared at BeStitched.  I'm now referring to the shop as the "SPA Stitching Store" because those BeStitched ladies know how to pamper!  My oh My!  We were all indulged with little gifts, gourmet lunches, snacks, drinks, superior customer service, and a beautiful ambiance that included stunning fresh flower arrangements, bright natural lighting, plush seating, and charming, colorful decor.

My class was great!  The women who attended were eager and willing to learn new techniques,  seeming to enjoy themselves and the project.  I appreciated their positive attitudes and positive feedbacks!  There are few activites more satisfying than spending a day with friends, stitching, learning, AND being catered to, as Lisa and Jeannine were prone to do! 

Have you ever been served an upside down scrumptious cupcake?  As Jeannine remarked, "More Frosting!"

I'm sharing two videos that were filmed during my class presentation.  These are tips for techniques that can be utilized by any stitcher.  The first one shown here deals with an easy way to enlarge a canvas hole without breaking the threads.

 Click the link below for advice on how to choose the right decorative paper to create a custom mat for your needlework (or any artwork, I might add!).

  http://youtu.be/mPyOin8JUok

Next on the docket:  Teaching "Pumpkin Spice" at NeedleWorks in Austin, TX!  Check back next week for a new blog post on that project.  By then, summer will definitely be over, and fall will have arrived!  At least in my mind!

The Wild and Lovely Neglected Garden

The summer is nearly over, and my neglected little backyard garden has gone wild!  It is overgrown with grasses and volunteers from past grown flowers.   I have abandoned it totally for the past three summers, always thinking that THIS year, I will tend it like a loving gardener would.

My garden tends itself, it seems.  It flourishes in spite of my neglect and good intentions.  The summer rains have brought color and beauty to this little patch of untended ground.   I can't complain.  I have chosen to do other things with my time.  I do pull weeds on occasion.  I even pick some of the flowers and bring them inside to enjoy.  But, mostly, I am either painting canvases, stitching my designs, designing new things, or tending to my extended family who live an hour away.

Look at that stunning bud in the above photo!  The actual little flower pales compared to that precious star!  This is a weed, but I love it!

I've always cherished a garden.  Such was the inspiration for these two canvases which I introduced years ago.  For some reason, these two canvases have never sold well at the trade shows where I've displayed them.  I've always been puzzled by this.  I see them stitched with glorious color, with lush stitches, and amazing fibers:  silk ribbons, velvet threads, transparent overlays, and of course, humble cotton flosses.  But overdyed cotton flosses!   I see them finished and framed, hanging in a hallway, leading to the back door, and out to the back yard garden.  I see them turned into charming pillows,  embellished with ruffles or pom poms, propped on a wicker settee in a sun room.  I see them as the garden I WOULD have if I were not so busy stitching!

And to that point, I have been stitching wildly myself.  So many canvases, so little time! Time! 
I do love to stitch, and I also love to teach.  I'm teaching my design, Summer Flowers on
Sept. 10, 2011 at  Be Stitched in Scottsdale, AZ.  (www.BeStitchedNeedlepoint.com)

                                                         We will be turning this canvas:

                                                                       
                                                                         Into This:

I would love to see you there! 

I figure if we fill our time with that which we love, our hearts will be as a beautiful garden, don't you think?  Ok, Ok, that was corny!  How about this:  If you can't manage to find time to at least stitch a garden like Summer Flowers,  much less cultivate a real one, then, I say, BUY a flower for your lapel.  Make mine diamonds, amethyst and rubies!