MEMORIES ~ ~ ~

 It snowed last night here in Ohio ~ so, this is a good time to reflect back on our Florida trip and enjoy the memories of beautiful sunshiny days!

This was our last day and we all took a walk on the beach and to our surprise, there were all these beautiful sand-and-shell sculptures!

Each one was just fabulous ~ I had to use my phone

to take the photos but they turned out pretty good!  A fellow came walking down from the houses by the beach and told us his neighborhood got together and did them ~ although, I had the feeling that he was responsible for a lot of the work!

He told us he was going to make a sign saying the artwork was done by "The Friendship Lane Art and Cultural Society"!!!  Their street was just a little short street that ends at the beach and I'm thinking they have a wonderful time there!

This was a pair of flipflops ~ just thought I'd  help you "see'" what this one is.  Lots of time and effort went into creating these for the public to enjoy ~ it was a great end to our stay in Englewood! 

We covered a lot of ground in those 10 days in February ~ lots of great food ~ lunches and dinners with mutual friends ~ beach walks ~ car rides ~ cute little shops ~ an art show ~ trips to the liquor store ~ the list goes on!

 And this lovely couple are our benefactors ~ Diane and Greg ~ our friends from the lake!  Thanks to them we've been able to enjoy time in Florida for the last four years!!  We've had much fun together ~ we certainly see some sights while we're there!  Thank you, friends ~ we love you guys!!

Soon we'll all be together at our lake havens ~ we have a lot of things going on ~ it may be mid June before we're there very much!  I have a couple of shows, and a class here and a trip to Seattle is in the works! Sonny has decided that we're going to  have three-day weekends every weekend we're up there ~ retirement isn't in our game plan but shorter work weeks are!!  Woo hoo!!  I can't wait!!!  We definitely need some down time to just relax!

Yesterday, friend Vivian and I went to Columbus to return some things to The Container Store and then we went to Whole Foods ~ I love that place!!! I got tilapia, shrimp, chicken sausages, salsas, wine, salads ~  a veritable feast for our dinner last night and several nights to come!!  Then to lunch at the Morgan House in Dublin, where I bought a great little ORANGE purse!  We had a great day even though we drove home in snow! Next Tuesday, Mr. Weatherman says it will be 65 degrees here ~ I can't wait!!

I actually feel like a new woman since my portion of the taxes are done ~ I have a new lease on life, so to speak!!  Next Saturday, there are 6 coming for the proddy class ~ we could take two more ~ so I have patterns to draw ~ the hooking room to get in order ~ and I want to put together some bundles in colors the gals might want to use! Lots to do ~ and here I am on the computer!!  Have a great weekend, peeps!!

Alice

WEEKEND FUN ~ ~ ~

Last Saturday, Heidi and I went to Bowling Green to the Black Swamp Spinners Guild fiber show ~ we had a great time touching and feeling all the rovings, yarns and fleece!  These are sheets of felted hand-dyed roving ~ remember I bought some last year and made those Funky Flower pins out of it?  I'm not sure what I'm going to create but I'll find an interesting use for them, I'm sure. I might even cut them into smaller pieces and sell them at the show at the Fairgrounds in April!  They've very unusual for sure!

The multi-colored piece is a hand-dyed Romney wool bat ~ gorgeous purples, blues, oranges and yellows all in one piece!  A spinner would spin this into yarn ~ which would be very colorful.  I will probably just piece it out and use it here and there. The really blue roving has a silver thread in it and will be good to hook into water or sky as well as the blue/white ball of roving!  I see this stuff and just can't resist it!  The gal who was selling the blue/white ball was knitting a purse right from the ball of roving ~ fabulous!  She said she skips the whole step of spinning it into yarn and the purse looked like it had been knitted and felted.  So you skip the step of felting as well!  I can see a night sky with the dark yarn hooked in as accents and field or trees with the green yarn!  I see a lot of things when I'm around all those fibers!  One person we saw was Kris Miller selling her wares ~ her newest Santa rug is even prettier in person that it is on her blog! 

Week before last, I went to the wholesale folk art

market in Columbus with friend, Vivian. I bought a whole flock of the hens and roosters to sell at the show in April.  I think they would make very cute table favors for a luncheon or a cute little tie-on to accent a package!!  

These apothecary jars with hand-sculpted birds and a rabbit really spoke to me! They will be for sale also ~ I love to add a little this and that to my booth ~ I like to have something for the person who doesn't buy wool or patterns!!  Let me know if any of them speak to you! Rabbit is sold! 

Last week, this old girl had a birthday!!  I was absolutely shocked at how many cards and phone calls I got that day!!  They really made my day!  Sonny boy had a case of the old fashioned flu and was down and out for several days ~ so no partying for mama and papa!!  It took him till this week to feel better so we had a really quiet weekend ~ really quiet!  I don't like it when he's sick ~ it doesn't happen very often and it's a little unnerving.  He's on the mend now so we'll cut a rug this weekend!!  I got a nice pot of tulips to plant outside, fingerless gloves, and some really snazzy sandals ~ just in case summer does arrive here in Ohio!  Thank you gift givers!

The very best news is that I have the dreaded taxes done and delivered to the accountant!!  My name is Alice and I am a procrastinator!!  Yikes ~ I've got to change that story!  What a project to do things in retrospect ~ Sonny boy asked if I have no memory from year to year on just how grueling a task this is!  The answer is no ~ my memory is shot!  But I may have learned a couple things in regard to posting in a timely manner for his business and mine!!  So, I spent yesterday as a total vegetable after dropping those off and a visit with a new doctor.  That in itself is nerve-wracking for me ~ but I guess I'm okay ~ good for another 10,000 miles!!!!!!!! 

I just put up a notice on my sidebar that I'm having a Proddy Sheep class here on April 9.  The girls that were here in the fall wanted to set up something for Spring so this will be fun.  I can take a few more students ~ check out my class page and let me know if you'd like to join in the fun! 

Have a sunshiny day!

Alice

BLOG CHALLENGE # 4 ~ ~ ~

 Well, dear readers ~ this is it ~ my efforts at the fourth blog challenge!!  For those like my dear husband who couldn't really see anything, I will tell you that it is a sea-and-skyscape!  I so admire Deanne Fitzpatrick's work and this is my effort to take pieces of various fibers and try my hand at that style of hooking!  I have my own thoughts on it ~ believe me, I challenged myself as well as my fellow blog pals!

This is a quick pic of the back ~ I bound it with wool ~ you can get an idea from the back of it where I was going.  Often times, that is a good way to look at your work.

Darling Sonny did say that he sees a face in the sky and the seagull-type bird I put in there (at his suggestion) looks like a nose!!!!!!!!!! I have to say of the challenge pieces I've done, this creation is my least favorite ~ and that is using my own supplies!  But ~ I learned some things ~ one being, that, even though I used an 8 cut on this (smaller than my 9 & 9.5's that I love), to do a landscape, it really needs to be even smaller to  allow it to blend and flow better, especially on such a small piece (15 1/2 x 6 1/2).  And possibly the color choices could have been closer in value.  One thing I did to distinguish the water from the skyline is to hook in a very thin  piece of dark wool ~ it helped define things a bit. I am a great one to over-critique my work.  I do like the irregular top edge ~ I never tried that before and binding it with wool made it very easy to follow the contours without a puckery, wrinkly binding to deal with.  It's been a journey ~ albeit a short one ~ I started it yesterday afternoon and finished this afternoon about 5.  This is what I had in my mind to hook ~ I love hooking with alternatives to wool ~ and this, my friends, has been a Challenge!

This is a reminder of all the fibers sent out by me ~ a real eclectic gathering of things!  I have to say after seeing Kris's, Ali's, and Maria's blogs, they did a FABULOUS job of interpreting the use of them.  I'm very impressed with all of them.

Just giving you a peak at my fiber cupboards. Lots of things I've gathered thru the years from fiber shows and yarn shops.

This is where I started when gathering things for the

challenge and in a felted sweater cabinet below these.  I see a cute pin cushion from Lanna Omler that I had to hide from the terror on 4 legs, Mr. Kitty.  He loves every neat woolen thing I own!

Thanks for following us on our Blog Challenge ~ I think from what I hear there will be another.  I hope it has inspired all of you who hook, to step outside the box and try new things.  I think each of us has done just that and it's been an enlightening experience, at least for me!!

Have a good week ~ Ohio has a little more snow coming ~ amazing, isn't it!!

Happy Hooking ~ Alice

LAST EVENING ~ ~ ~

 St. Baldrick's fundraiser for children's cancer research was a big hit!  This is grandson, Luke getting his hair cut by his mom, who owns Michelle's Salon ~ many of her girls volunteered their time to shave heads for free in return for a donation!  Abby is cutting our friend, Melody's, hair ~ Melody is a school librarian and has Abby's little girls in school ~ they wanted their mom to do the honors! 

And here they are ~ bald as cue balls ~ and apparently very happy about it!!  When I find out the total amount raised and how many heads they cut, I'll post it here!   One teenage lass, had over $7000 pledged and believe me, she was as pretty without her hair as with ~ just a beautiful spirit!! 

And this, my friends, is the BEER TOWER!!  We saw many of these served through out the evening!!  I hope this happy waitress won't mind having her picture on the blog ~ I should have asked ~ but I think she'll be fine with it!! The event took place at Legends, a sports bar, in Shelby and the place was packed!!  They were having so much fun there and the food is great!!

Today, I went to the wholesale market in Columbus ~ I found a few things but I'm beginning to wonder if I've seen so much of this stuff that it no longer has the same appeal ~ or maybe the old girl is losing her touch!!  I used to buy things to round out my booth at a show ~ to offer something in addition to the rug hooking but not too much this year.  My friend, Vivian went with me ~ we had a fun time, had lunch at Brio's and a little shopping at Chico's and Coldwater Creek!  And now, I'm gonna put my feet up ~ Sonny keeps asking what our plans are for tonite ~ so I'm thinking he's ready to go somewhere  fun!  I'll let you know!!

Have a good evening ~ talk to you soon!
Alice

P.S.  The blog challenge project is due to be published Sunday ~ um, I need to get that started, don't I??!!  Stay tuned ~ the wool dust will be flying!!!!!!

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY ~ ~ ~

Have a great day ~ Celebrate, even if you're not Irish!  We're going to the St. Baldricks fundraiser tonite where grandson, Luke,  and our friend, Melody, are getting their heads shaved for charity!  I've been MIA because I'm up to my ears in tax prep ~ it's not a pretty sight!  Here's wishing you the Luck o' the Irish!!

Alice

MORE SARASOTA ~ ~ ~

These photos were in my phone and I almost overlooked them!  The battery in my camera rolled over and played dead so I was still able to catch a few of the rugs around me that day! This is such a cute rug done from a grandchild's drawing ~ this lady had several that she had done and they were just darling!  She's from New Brunswick  and I think my friend MJ and she were going to get together sometime ~ they did and MJ emailed that the artist's name is Danielle Ouellet.  I loved her sense of fun and color in capturing these children's artwork!

The colors in this rug were just great ~ I don't know the hooker or the details but it caught my eye for sure!

Gwen Gilson (thank you Cheryll S. for her name) hooked this alphabet rug was just packing it away and I asked if she would unroll it for us to see.  It is hooked in a very narrow width and was absolutely beautiful.  I will never create such a fine piece of work ~ it's just not in me to hook this narrow but ~ I certainly appreciate all of the time-consuming love and care that it takes to create this kind of art! You can click on the photo to enlarge it and see the detail.

This was the extent of the hooking that I got done that day! I hauled pattern, frame, cut and un-cut wool all the way to Florida so that I could actually say I hooked at the hook-in! The day was mostly spent laughing, talking, shopping and taking photos ~ will I take hooking the next time?  Oh, probably!  But this will be a cute rug when finished ~ maybe for my show in April?

Seaside Rug Hooking donated this pattern for the drawing and I was the lucky winner!  I can see this has future as a pillow, maybe ~ and I can see felted eggs and sparkly wool nesting material ~ I see all that ~ now when will it become reality?

There were lots of things donated by the vendors for the drawing and that certainly added a nice touch to the day!  Thank you Seaside Rug Hooking for the  pattern!  I did email her a thank you note ~ wonder if she got it? When I win something that has been donated, I always try to send a thank-you so they know that it was appreciated

There was a huge display of flowers in the produce department of the grocery the other day so I treated myself to a little touch of Spring!  We still have dirty piles of snow outside our windows and I thought this would brighten things up a bit!  I can see only one leaf that has been attacked by the cat so I think these will stay around a while.  Mr. Kitty must not have liked them so good! If he likes a plant, I can kiss it goodbye so to speak ~ or put it up high where we and he can't see it!! 

Have a good day ~ Spring is right around the corner!!

Alice

                                                                                                                                                                                                         

SARASOTA HOOK-IN ~ ~ ~

The rug hookers who read this blog have been dying to hear about the hook-in and hopefully, my other readers will be mildly interested!  This picture is just great fun for me ~ meeting fellow blogger Tammy of Skip to my Ewe blog and Ter'e, who is on the Wool Snippets rug forum and frequent commenter!  I think I told Tammy and I'm telling all of you that she was probably the youngest rug hooker there that day!  She was the tallest!  And she is so pretty and a very sweet gal ~ nice to meet her in person!  And Miss Ter'e ~ she and I determined we could get in lots of trouble if left to our own devices ~ kindred spirits we are for sure!  Just a charming gal and look at that bright smile!

This sweet woman was dubbed the oldest hooker at the party!!  Betty ~ 88 years young ~ was awarded this nice green boa ~ all hookers should have their own boa!  When asked how long she'd been hooking, she said "just today"!!!  Her friend thought it was high time Betty got a hobby and brought her along for the day ~ I hope she continues!  She was lots of fun and enthusiastic ~ we can all learn from this woman's wonderful attitude!

This is Maggie and one of her rugs ~ she was in line behind us before the doors opened and was just so friendly and fun!  That's what rug hooking and going to a hook-in is all about ~ the people you meet and the great rugs you see!

 There were about 150 hookers (all in one place - woo hoo!) and 7 vendors. A great day was had by all!  It was at the Sahib Shrine Center and it had a bar!!  I can't think of a better combination!

These are the two ladies from Searsport Rug Hooking, who organized the day and did a wonderful job of it!  Can you guess they're mother and daughter? They're planning the 2nd annual Florida hook-in for next February 22, 2011.  Check their website for all the details.  I'm not sure I'm going to be able to go ~ we will be home from our Florida visit by the time it takes place ~ but I know Ter'e is scheming on how to make it happen ~ and probably MJ, too.  MJ is my student/friend who first saw this online and picked me up by the roadside (well, sort of - our friends drove me to meet her) so I could go!  We had great fun and I know MJ met a couple of gals that she can hook with while she winters in Florida ~ that's a wonderful thing! 

We've had pouring rain for two days and today snow ~ in Ohio, we get it all!  Yesterday, I organized two shelving units of books, putting them in categories!  You can tell how bad I don't want to work on taxes when I do such stuff as that!  Now, I'm going to work on my recipe files ~ in the fall, I weeded out all the recipes I don't use and then left the rest in a pile to be put into new looseleaf folders.  Today's the day ~ I'm going to put them all where I can find what I need easily!!  I'd rather be hooking!!!  Hope your Sunday is productive or restful or just whatever you need it to be!!
Alice

ODDS AND ENDS ~ ~ ~

This is a little hooked hit-and-miss mat that I made for a hostess gift.  A dear friend had a small luncheon yesterday and I didn't want to go empty handed ~ so, the night before I went down to the hooking room, found a scrap of linen backing, drew a rectangle on it and started pulling strips from my strip basket!  Two and a half hours later,  I had this ready to bind ~ our hostess has lovely primitive antiques and I knew she would appreciate it ~ I'll do a post about the lunch ~ I have so many things to post about and so little time! But keep in mind, we can make great little gifts out of our leftovers ~ rug hookers  know ~  the ever multiplying 'noodles'!!

Sparkly wool ~ my favorite!!  I haven't posted yet

about the Sarasota hook-in ~ it took all last week to  get unpacked and caught up on home things.  I bought this huge ball of sparkly wool and these great leather purse handles from Fiddlehead Finery ~ DeEtta had a great booth and she and her helper wore these wonderful wool vests that she hooked designs on!  There are hundreds of yards in this hank of yarn so I'm going to divide it into smaller bundles to sell ~  it will add just a little touch of pizzazz to grass or hills or who knows what else!

Polly Minich had a booth, too, and I was lucky

enough to pick up this little wool applique piece from her pile of goodies.  Perfect for our decor and made by Polly ~ what could be better.  She had some of her kits that benefit Semper Fi for sale and also raffled off one of her rugs for that charity.  Polly had the greatest looking glasses ~ just perfect for the 'artiste' that she is!  I'll post more about the hook-in shortly ~ just trying to get in a short one today!

It's rainy here in Ohio again today!  We had huge flooded areas at the beginning of the week and people are just now drying out and now there's more to come.  Thank goodness we live on a hill!  If the water gets this high, you'll know that Noah and his ark should be coming by at any minute! 

Have a good weekend ~ I'm trying to get a cold or get over a cold ~ don't know which ~ I'd like to stay in today but must run out for a few things!  Ta ta for now ~

Alice