Heart Stitches

I think it was a year ago that I picked up these felt hearts at Target.

I wasn't sure what I would do with them when I purchased them, but they were pretty

so I got a package.

 

I pulled them out of a stack of stuff when clearing out the studio and put them with the few other items I had pulled out to work on while the studio was getting a face lift. 

 

 

 Later I realized all of my stitching paraphernalia was mixed in amongst the studio stuff and I couldn't get to it any of it, but remembered that I had a stash of handwork supplies that had belonged to my grandmother stashed in a trunk.

There was lots of thread, mostly wools and silks, and I also found

a few fabrics and laces.

 

 

I decided to be serendipitous about it, so I only pull out two small bags of thread and the first three pieces of fabrics I saw.

From there I quickly chose two of the fabrics

{a bit of jersey and a piece of lace, both white}

and four colors of thread from each bag.

{five wools, two silks and one metallic}

 

 

At this point I still wasn't exactly sure what I was going to do with all this stuff

so I sat down with my sketch book, drew out a plan and then began stitching.

 

 

This was my first time stitching with wool.  And I stitched through the jersey, the lace and the heart which is made of thick wool felt.

Needless to say, it was a battle.

I now have two cut fingers, eight bruised and sore digits, a pointer finger that is swollen

and one broken needle.

 

But I also have one stitched heart

that I'm quite pleased with.

Sending all of you lots of love 

Happy Valentine's Day

 

 



Happy New Year

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone had a beautiful holiday season.

Ours was calm and peaceful and simple.

It was wonderful.

 

 

My parents were with us for Christmas + a couple of days beforehand and after.

It was unplanned and it was lovely.

 

 

New Year's eve was spent in front of the fire

with good food, delicious cake and a movie.

 

 

Goodbye 2012.

It was a really great year for me in many ways.

My heart and soul have grown so much this past year.

I feel I am a much better person than I was a year ago.

{not that I don't have so much more growing to do}

 

And...

I finally finished a 365 project!

Though I did cheat.  But I have zero guilt over it!

There were 366 days last year and I took way more photos than that,

so I have no qualms that I added in more than 31 photos for December

so that I could finish the project.

{I probably couldn't have done it however, if it weren't for my phone and the Picfx app}

 

{the heart in the middle photo was created by the wonderful Robin Thomas}

 

I got to looking at all my photos for 2012 and found some interesting {to me} data.

Out of my 366 photos, one will find:

-a dog within 103 photos

-57 beverages {30 are coffee & 10 are alcohol}

-32 photos have something I've created in them {not including my mancub}

-I have 25 photos with my feet in them

-12 are sunrises

and

-4 have at least one taxidermied animal in them

{5 if you include the cover of Jenny Lawson's book}

 

hmmm...

I wonder what that says about me....

 

*********

 

all 366 photos here

 



Merry Christmas

Wishing you

a most magical and joyful

Christmas

 

 

Love,

Alisa, The Farmboy and Daisy May

 



Dear Santa

Sometimes when a girl wants something like this....

 

 

{source}

 

she finds she might need to leave a subtle hint like this...

 

 

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do.

 



Holiday Wrap-Up

Thanksgiving was good.

 

On the actual day of Thanksgiving, the Farmboy and I spent the day cooking.

 

At one point, when I started calling the stuffing ugly names, the Farmboy stepped in, like the good Farmboy that he is, and made me a cup of coffee.

 

 

However, being the Farmboy that he is, he handed it to me and said,

"I started to give you your mustache cup, but I thought this one more apt for the moment."

 

Later that evening, once all the cooking prep was done we went to the movies and saw

Life of Pi.

 

 

It was really good and we recommend you go see it too, if you can.

And I managed not to cry...

okay, I managed not to cry loudly.

 

The day after was turkey day for us.

{we had to wait a day so that the college boy could join us}

 

The day began with baking and mimosas.

 

 

Then moved on to cocktails and spiced pecans...

then turkey and all the sides

{plus a cranberry sauce we finally like}

and finished with desserts and then a walk.

 

 

Saturday morning the Farmboy had a photo shoot

{gorgeous day for it, though the air was brisk}

and then he took me to the ballet that evening to see

 

 

The Nutcracker.

And he only dozed off once.

 

I think he should win a Farmboy of the Year award,

because the next morning he made breakfast...

 

 

his special breakfast pizza.

 

And then I had a full-out battle with the closet door jam.

It won.

And I broke my toe.

 

The Farmboy suggested that we cancel our plans to go down to the

Dallas Museum of Art

to see the special exhibit

The Legacy of the Plumed Serpent in Ancient Mexico,

{the boy, a history major, was itching to see it}

but after taping it up, I insisted I could hobble around without any problem and minimal whining.

I'm so glad we went, because I scored.

We were also able to see

Posters of Paris: Toulouse-Lautrec and His Contemporaries.

I was beside myself excited to get to view three large color lithographs of Sarah Bernhardt

by Alphonse Mucha...

he is one of my favorites!

 

Afterwards we walked

{I hobbled}

across to the new downtown park

{built over a major downtown roadway}

and eat food truck sliders while people/dog watching.

 

 

I think it was a great holiday weekend.

{even if my toe is black and blue and I can't run off all that pie I ate}

 

How was your weekend/holiday?

 



Happy Thanksgiving

We aren't actually celebrating until Friday,

when the boy can be here.

Lucky me,

I get an extra day to procrastinate!

 

 

I'll be back here on Monday.

Until then, know that I am sincerely grateful

for each and everyone one of you

who grace me with your presence and words.

{right now, specifically, for your comments on the last post}

 

Happy Thanksgiving
 

 

 



Five More Days of Last Year

Day 6

for us was all about having new carpet installed in all the bedrooms.

 

 

Thanks to a hot water heater leak,

{though leak would be putting it mildly}

we got new flooring throughout, nearly, the entire house.

 

 

Day 7

was the day of spontaneity.

We went out to get tree cuttings and came back with an entire tree.

 

 

The first live one we have ever had.

 

 

 

Day 8

it was cold.

It ended up being the only day, out of the whole of winter, cold enough to wear a coat.

 

 

 

Day 9

The Farmboy and I decorated the Christmas tree.

Just the two of us.

 

 

And we took a 1959 Better Homes and Gardens posed photo of it.

 

 

 

Day 10

is where I tell the story of our Christmas cards and accompanying photo

 

 

and how they came so very near to getting sent out,

 

 

however, are still sitting in a neat little pile on the corner of my desk.

Almost one year later.

 

 

More December Daily 2011 here, here, here and here.

Have a beautiful weekend!

 



349 Days Ago

That's when December Daily 2011 started.

I shared the beginnings of my book here and here and here.

So now, as I scramble to finish it before starting this year's, I thought I would go ahead and

{within several posts}

share the rest of it.

 

Day 3

 

 

 

Day 4

 

 

 

Day 5

 

 

In the next DD post, I'll show you days 6 through 10.

 

Have a great rest of the week!

 

 



Holidays & Celebrations

Hey, y'all!

I hope your week has started off really well.

I just wanted to drop in and share the latest news around here.

 

I'd like to give a big shout out to Stampington & Company.

Right now they have their annual issue of

Somerset Holidays & Celebrations

out on the magazine stands

and I'm fortunate enough to have a little feature again this year.

 

 

So a big THANK YOU to Jennifer Taylor and the whole

SH&C staff!

 

If you haven't already picked it up,

I suggest you go do so.

There are some really great projects in this isssue.

 

 

I'll share more about my

"Remembrance Angels"

later.

Hopefully I won't short out my keyboard blubbering my way through that post.

 

I hope the rest of your week is beautiful!

 

 



God Bless the US of A

...and corn dogs

...and multiple attempts at family portraits

...and The Bangles

...and fireworks.

To all my fellow Americans,

Happy 4th of July!



A Little Sample of Love

Back in November I told myself I was going to take a break from swaps.

No more joining any swaps for awhile...

maybe even for the whole year of 2011.

So what did I do?

You got it...

I didn't even hesitate and signed up for,

not one swap,

but two swaps

before 2011 even started.

Today I'll share the first one.

Kandeland's Valentine Tag Swap.

I had been wanting to do an all fabric and stitched tag for awhile

and even considered holding a fabric tag swap last year, but couldn't find the time to.

And I thought a little "love" sampler would make a cute tag.

On the back I made a little lace pocket to slip my card into, since it would have taken forever to have hand stitched all of my info.

I love, love, love the fabric I used for the back!

So much so, I considered making a skirt with it, but the Farmboy thought it would be way too over the top.  So much for that idea.

So maybe instead, I'll just pin a big swatch to the wall so I can gaze at it whenever I like.

I'm really pleased with how they turned out.

Have a beautiful Thursday!

PS. I'm a little slow to the punch and just yesterday realized Blogger had an updated editor.

So what do you think of my new look?

An All American Day

Happy Independence to all of my fellow Americans!

Yesterday was good...

lots bowling fun,

lots of yummie food,

and lots of good old backyard sparkler fun!

Have a beautiful Monday!