One World One Heart 2011

time is running out so please leave a comment! only a few days left and then the WINNERS!
i can't believe how many have stopped by to say hello, join my blog or leave a comment in hopes that they may win the goodies i have listed below. thank you everyone what a great way to start my year.

i am so happy that i can share my creative side with you. i have been stitching and crafting since high school. i love to cross stitch and have been studying and stitching School Girl Samplers for many years. i enjoy the history of each beautiful stitched piece. i also love playing with new crafts of any kind.
  i live in the beautiful Pacific Northwest almost on the Canadian border in a town called Bellingham. it is perfect place for me, my hubby, cat Ali, bird Willy and our daughters two dogs Dougal and Stellina, ones a german shephard mix and Mr. D is a bird dog of some sort. we are watching them for her.
 i look forward to meeting you all and hope that we can share our creative ideas. 
Please leave a comment and your contact info, you  could be the lucky winner of the free giveaways i have made for one lucky person.  take a look below at all the goodies
i will announce the winner on Feb 17th. stay tuned and who knows your name could be the one.








here are the things i made for one lucky winner

i stitched the eye glass holder, made the pin cushion and the cute little acorn.

i also decide to give away what all of the goodies are sitting on top of, a pillow top that can be stitched on and 3 beautiful silk threads to give you a start on your project, plus an old needle book.

here is a close up of the acorn and the little tin the pin cushion sits in.

good luck. i am thinking i may have to make a few more things and have 2 winners!!!

join the fun

WELCOME TO MY BLOG
the "One World One Heart" blog fest will be starting the 30th. you can go to the picture on my sidebar and it will take you to the sight to join up.
join in the fun it is a great way to meet new blogger's. i hope to meet a ton of you and i also hope many stop by and visit my blog. what is creating if you can't share it. the link is below.
 i will have a drawing for a free goodies on Feb12th for all those who stop by and leave a comment and  the winner will be announced on Feb.17. stay tune a leave tons of comments. looking forward to meeting all of you.
i will post a picture of my free giveaway on Jan 30th so please come back.

http://awhimsicalbohemian.typepad.com/a_whimsical_bohemian/2010/12/annoucning-the-fifth-and-final-one-world-one-heart-event-.html

i love Birthdays and Gifts

i love birthdays.
 yours, mine any ones.
i love to celebrate the day my special friends, loved ones were put on this planet.
i love making a special gifts.
i try to plan months in advance.give myself time to think about what that person would like.
 colors, styles, motifs
if i have enough time i can stitch it, my favorite thing to do
but if time slips by then i get out my sewing machine and create something with it.
sometimes i even use glue and paper.
there is always more ideas than time.
i enjoy receiving re gifted items. maybe something from long ago found in a shop that someone else made or used. maybe something a friend had and decided they thought i would love it more. used or new, made or bought it all represents something special to me.

this little red needle case was given to me by a special friend. i love that she gave me something that belonged to her family. the little silk gauze bird pin i made, who knows someday it may find a different home.

 the little silk shoe was brought back from China by a dear friend. the pin cushion behind it was made by a friend. one of the needle rolls was made by someone i barely knew. i treasure them all, the memories are strong.

and then something i stitched many years ago and found the right person to give it to, my sister Bobbie. i added some special things at the bottom that reminded me of her.
i knew it would find a special home and now it hangs in my sisters house.
gifts are fun to receive and i find even more fun to make.

and if time has slipped by  flowers from your garden are always a great way to say i love you and i treasure our friendship.
gifts, make them or you can grow them
birthdays the time to show someone that you treasure that they are hear on earth and most of all in your life.

Ms. Mary Wigham and a Birth Day surprise!

i am still working on sweet Mary. she is looking good and i am about half way thru, i think.
take a look and tell me what you think?

of course the background linen color looks a bit off.

and now this one has a different background color. i think this one is closer to the real color. it has been a fun piece to stitch. i have always wanted to do an all white piece and this is pretty close to it. i am using Glorianna Silks, Needlepoint silks, Hand Dyed Fiber and some other misc. silks i have. from white white to beige. i plan on adding my family initials through out the piece instead of her letters.

isn't this lovely! a birthday gift from my special friend Beth Hoffmann. she is an incredible stitcher and has done some amazing pieces.

as you can see it is a needle holder.

all my favorite colors! i am always in awe of Beth's skills and if i ever have a problem with stitching i know she will find the answer for me. 

 i have found some incredible friends thru stitching and Beth is diffently one of them.

 till next time keep stitching you never know what you may find.

Back to Connecticut

the holidays got me a little distracted but i still want to share my adventures of October 2010.
We visited the Florence Griswold Museum in Olde Lyme, CT., beautiful trees, plants and a beautiful river flowing behind the museum.

 Little did we know that there would be an incredible exhibit of scare crows placed throughout the wonderful grounds. each one with a theme of a well known artist

Norman Rockwell theme along river bed.

and Salvador Dali.

of course we all know this woman.

this exhibit really made me think about what i will do next year with a scare crow. of course there are no limits but i think this really went outside the box.

then i saw this... an incredible maze of branches,twigs and children running an laughing inside.

and then this. right next to the museum was a house and this was in there yard! huge incredible shells

and this huge clams hanging in the trees!
i spent more time outside in awe than i almost did inside with the samplers.
art is all around us and i love that people place it in their yards and share it with us.
what do you have in your yard?
i know mine does not compare with this but i like to think that my yard would make someone stop and look. who knows even smile as i did that day.

Sampler Motifs and Native American Baskets

while i was in Anchorage i went to their beautiful new museum and it is fantastic.
besides the strange show of Andy Warhol,  i am not so sure i really appreciate his Art, there is always an incredible Native exhibit and interactive with great computers to read up and see the displays close up. i wish i had more time i could have stayed all day.
but needless to say i found this incredible basket made by one of the native tribes there.

doesn't it remind you of some motifs off early samplers? so many question, has anyone even looked at motifs on native baskets or blankets?

this is the lid of the below basket

i was amazed when i saw it. still so vibrate and unique truly a gifted woman who made this in the 1800's.
i had taken some notes but needless to say where are they? umm i also lost my Passport. not fun.
yet i had a great time and nothing will take that away.
i just wish my poor left hand would feel better so i could stitch. i have not stitched for almost 2 1/2 weeks.
hopefully Monday i can pick up a needle again. i will even if it hurts.
i have so many projects i want to get done this year
Mary Wigham
Toy Chest
Lady's chest
The Truth Sampler
oh yea and two yes i said 2 birth samplers i want this done by there 1st birthday oh my maybe their 2nd??
enjoy your winter and remember to create something that makes you smile.

A New Year

I had a wonderful Holiday season. We spent time in Alaska with our daughter, her soon to be hubby and our son. A true family affair.
My husband and i have been to Anchorage quite a few times since our daughter has lived there the past 7 years, but this was the first year our son came along.
If you have never been to Alaska you must treat yourself to this state, it is an incredible state. the mountains are like none you have ever seen and then the light. Alaska has a light that is unique to Alaska. the daylight in Dec. usually starts about 10am and then it dims around 4pm. yet you always seem to have this glow. some nights there is a pink glow at twilight and sometimes it is almost orange. then you will have a purple blue. it truly made me want to paint again just to try and capture that color.

 i took this picture from my daughters front porch. the color took my breath away. Alaska can do that, easily.

and then you have the blue and of course the picture just does not do it justice. the mountains are in your face from the moment you arrive.














we arrived early and  rented a car then off we went to snowboard ( or my son and soon to be son-in-law did, i took pictures) at Aleyeska at Gridwood,Alaska.

looking down on Gridwood from Aleyeska,  just another view of Alaska and we have 9 more days to go.

I hope everyone had a great Holiday Season
and I hope this New Year brings us all closer to Peace throughout the world.
keep dropping by i have plans to have a free give away this year.
it will be my first ever and i think it is about time.
stay creative