I love the way that this beautiful amaryllis that my sister has given to me looks against the doors of the old black cupboard in my craft room. Usually I keep it out in the other rooms where everyone can enjoy how beautiful it is, but I knew it would look especially striking against these slightly distressed black doors in a photograph, and I wanted her to see how pretty it is, now that it has bloomed. It makes me happy just to look at it.
It has been very windy and rainy here overnight, and now the temperature is dropping. It has already dropped down from 43 to 37 degrees here, just since I woke up this morning, and I think there is a chance of snow in the foothills, and maybe a bit around the city a bit later on. You know me, I'm hoping for snow here at our house too, but I think the chance of that isn't great. I'm keeping my fingers crossed though!
I've been doing a lot of reading in the evenings, and some punch needle embroidery. I keep thinking about applique, a lot. For some reason, thoughts of the small applique pictures that I made years ago keeping popping into my mind, so I might explore that some in the coming days. I want to go to the thrift store to look for old party dress fabrics, especially velvets to use in them, and old men's shirts made of wool. I'm day dreaming about beads again, and crazy quilt embroidery stitches, and about crocheting fine trims along the edges of my days.
Isn't this a pretty little pin? I fell in love with it when Mr. Staggs and I were shopping for Christmas presents at the antique store. It became a gift from him to me on Christmas morning. I think it is a perfect gift for a "Mrs. Staggs", and it too makes me happy everytime I look at it.
As does this sweet and colorful handmade potholder that my neice Sophie made for me on Christmas Eve with the loom that I gave her for Christmas. I gave all my young great neices the old fashioned potholder looms like the ones that many of us used when we were children, and while they weren't sure at first what to think of them, by the end of the evening they were having so much fun making potholders to give away. My gifts to the younger ones in our family are usually without the bells and whistles, my older neice Mandy, the girls mom, tells me, but she says they are often the best presents they receive, and the ones that are used over and over again. One really nice thing about these looms is that they are a little larger than the ones I remember as a child. The loops of fabric are made of cotton now, and I really appreciate that. The store where I bought them, carries lots of refill loops in all the colors, so they are easily available when the girls are ready for more, and it opens up the opportunity for designing patterns in the future if they feel like doing that too.
Here is the potholder that one of my other great neices, Angelina made for one of her grandmothers. She was so pleased to have something a little extra, that she had made herself to take to her on Christmas morning. A gift from the heart, and handmade too. You can't ask for anything better than that!
I hope you all are enjoying a happy day.
Take care,
......'til next time in Merryville.
