IT'S BEEN A LONG LONG TIME ~ ~ ~

Two weeks since I've posted!  I have been having fun, for sure ~ and I've been BUSY!!!  This is one of the pumpkins I've been hooking! 







Here are a couple more!  Small projects for my Sauder class! Only 16 in total ~ 12 more to do!

I took four grands to lunch and errands ~ that was fun!!  This was after they all had their glasses on upside down!  I'm sure the surrounding patrons wondered where I picked up this little band of wild and crazy kids!!

I went to Indiana to visit my friend, Gwen ~ and while there, I learned to knit!  This is almost done ~ there's just a few inches left to do ~  I ran out of yarn and the gal sent it to me right away ~ but I lost momentum.  I'll get it back though ~ I can finish it in short order ~ then block it ~ and wear it around my shoulders on a nice cool evening!

 We've collected lots of beach glass ~ this was from a couple of weeks ago.  Friday, we went to a place further away from us and collected a lot!  Then we met friends at Crush Wine Bar in Sandusky and had a little bite and a beverage!!

On one of our beach walks, we found this ~ a fun little memento that someone left from their fun day at Lake Erie!

 This little bracelet is made entirely of stones we found on the shores of Kelley's Island ~ the day we missed two ferry boats because we just weren't quite ready to quit!  I think it's very sweet and dainty ~ unlike the maker!!

And we've seen beautiful sunsets ~ we had to pull off the road to get this ~ if we had waited till we arrived at the condo ~ which was not far ~ it would have been too late!

Lots of other things have gone on, too.  But these are the fun ones ~ the things that get us through all the hard work and challenges that life brings!  We're having as much fun as we can ~ I hope you are, too!

Seize the Day!!

BACK TO THE ROOSTER RUG ~ ~ ~

 After finishing the 1668 Geometric ~ which by the way came from a design on an old Bible box (Barb told me) ~ Magdalena's Rooster Pair is back on the frame.  The last three evenings have been spent doing a little hooking that filled in over his cockscomb and the area to the right of his head!  So progress is being made!!  Woo hoo!!

These beautiful pieces of dyed indigo mandalas and a moon and a couple of pieces of kimono silk, arrived in the 

mail the other day!  They're from Glennis Dolce ~ Shibori Girl ~ I love her indigo dying!  This is the second packet I've ordered ~ now, to make them into something! If you get a chance, drop over to see her artistic endeavors!  

We were at the lake this weekend ~ made a trip to Kelley's Island Friday afternoon in the rain, with the wind kicking up!  Sonny had to check on a job that he'll be doing and since the ferry was running and the Village Pump was opening ~ off we went!  We had a two hour window to be there as the ferry is on short hours ~ we checked out the job and got to the Pump for a couple of cocktails and back on the ferry we got!!  Sonny did some beach glass hunting alone on Saturday and on Sunday, we parked the truck by the roadside on the way out of town and picked up these!!  Look at the beautiful turquoise perfectly round nugget that Sonny found!!  It was worth the stop in the cold and the wind!!  We are obsessed!!

I'm in the throes of a winter head cold ~ the kind where you'd like to cut your head off at the neck and be done with it!!  I've missed some fun things in the last two days because of it ~ one of them being that Luke was coming over this evening ~ he opted out ~ didn't want gramma's germs before they go on vacation!  Can't blame him much ~ smart kid!! 

Take care and if you can, stay away from your germy friends!!!  Talk to you in a couple of days!!
Alice

NEW RUG ~ ~ ~

Ta da!!  After a year and a half, this rug is finally finished!!  Last weekend at the lake, this rug and I spent some quality time together and the last Dresden plate design on the right got filled in.   This Woolley Fox pattern is titled "1668 Geometric".  Each design is done in a different color way of various antique paisleys and I think it turned out beautifully!

This is it's new home in front of an antique red jelly cupboard.  It looks great there and won't get a lot of wear in that out-of-the-way place.  Although the fabrics have been around many years, I just don't want to abuse them with a lot of foot traffic.  So ~ one rug finish completed ~ about four more unfinished rugs to go!

Last weekend was kind of a creative burst for me!  This is a bracelet that I picked up in Florida and then adorned with bits of beach glass that we collect.  These bracelets were in the beach shops and sold for $26 ~ I made this one for less than that, for sure!  Wish I had bought more! 

Sonny and I also like to pick up heart stones ~ I'm always kind of touched when he hands me one that he's found ~ a silent 'I love you' ~ at least, that's what I like to think!!  Glued to the glass of a simple picture frame, they make a nice little addition to this table arrangement!

Last weekend, we hit the lake beaches again ~ Sonny went out Friday and Saturday and finally, on Sunday, I joined him! It was cold up there ~ but look what we gathered!!  And we found tiny pieces of red and blue ~ so tiny that they only show up on top of another piece of glass. I'm always amazed that we can find these itsy bitsy pieces of glass but why in the world can't I find my car keys!!! 

I still want to post pix of our vacation ~ we had such a great time that I want to share it!  If you're a Facebook friend, you got to see probably more than you wanted to ~ I posted every day ~ sometimes more ~ of all the fun and silly stuff we did!!  Maybe the next post will be a bit of that!

Many of us are on the Pinterest site, which I enjoy immensely!  But, I see there is some controversy about the ability to 'steal' design ideas and posting pictures of others work that maybe we shouldn't be posting!  My thought is that it is an online scrapbook, much like we have clipped recipes and photos out of magazines,  of things that inspire us  ~ now we can 'pin' them to our Pinterest boards.  Evidently, others are using it in a different manner.  One of my blog friends has even deleted her account there as it just expanded the potential for her designs to be copied by others. I don't know how I feel about it ~ do any of you have an opinion?

Nice to be back in blogland ~ but now I need to go vacuum up the Mr. Kitty hair that's floating around here ~ and do a few other housemaid's duties ~ I'd rather be on vacation!!  Have a great weekend everybody! 

PRODDY RUGS AND OTHER THINGS ~ ~ ~

Friend Pam came last week and brought her proddy sheep rug 'to see it's mama', as she put it!  He's such a fluffy guy and I love the swirlies in her background ~ kind of looks like fireworks when I look at the photo! Both this rug and the next one, were hooked in a proddy class here last year.

Deb sent me this picture of her  Lexington   Proddy Sheep ~ same pattern as Pam's (my design, by the by) but done with a flag background and proddy edge!  The paper is laying on it because it was on display at her guild's rug show ~ I love the bell and the deep rich colors! 

I hooked this Santa pillow years ago, under the tutelage of my friend, Carol Rahall.  She drew this on what she called 'hookable linen' (wish I could find some more) and gave me these narrow cut strip and roving and  loop-by-loop instruction!  I do love this pillow but know that I don't like hooking with those little 'threads' of a 4 cut.  I actually did some of these to sell way back when I started hooking ~ maybe I should draw some patterns for those who want to hook their own.  It could definitely be hooked into wool so that there is no background to fill in!  I'll work on that for my upcoming shows!!!

The same Carol Rahall, also hooked this snowman ~ I bought him at a shop near Medina several years ago because I knew Carol hooked for them ~ I also knew I would never do one for myself!  He sits in an old child's rocker all year long ~ I like him ~ and I like Carol very much!  She has hooked for probably 40 years and really helped get me on the right track so that hooking was fun and not a chore!  The advice to not hook in every opening was invaluable ~ you can hook a 'mountain' if you hook in every hole ~ take my word for it! 

A very sweet blog reader, Cyndi Lott, sent this wool pincushion to me just before Christmas!  That was such a nice gesture of friendship ~ very touching to me!  Cyndi said she was cleaning out her 'stash' and I see that she has shared some things with other bloggers as well!  Very generous ~ thank you, friend ~ I love it!

Another surprise present!  Hooker friend, Jackie, knitted this neckwarmer/ shoulder wrap and sent it to me in December! It's very cozy and just my color!  I had Sonny take three pictures ~ this was the best of the lot ~ I take dorky pictures but wanted you to see this great gift!!  Thank you, Jackie and Cyndi ~ you guys made my day!

P.S.  I joined Deanne Fitzpatrick's online class that will begin February  ~ I'm looking forward to that since I can't go to Nova Scotia right now!  If any of you are doing that class, I do have a few of her patterns on my website ~ it would save you the exhorbitant postage from N. S.  Let me know if there is one you would like!

Also, I joined Pinterest yesterday!  Not sure that I quite get the gist of it but I see so many posting pictures they've pinned from Pinterest that I decided to get in on the action!!  I have 3 followers already ~ I'll let you know how it works out!  I do read that it is definitely a time grabber or stealer or whatever!  Like I need something else to use up my time!!  Are many of you on Pinterest?

Have a great day ~ Alice

I'M BACK ~ ~ ~

Two weeks ago today was my last post!  I'm still

here ~ but life gets hectic!!  I want to show you the finished "Pumpkin House" rug with it's yellow lettering!  After I got it all in, the P and the U were too close and the M was squashed ~ so I reverse hooked both of them and moved it all to the left!  Yikes ~ what an ordeal ~ I don't like letters ~ and the M is still a little funky!!   I hooked some small bits of yarn into the background to give it a little life ~ and basically, this little rug turned out pretty well!

Remember the little purse from the Tipp City class?  Well, I adorned the back of it with this felted flower pin ~ this was my prototype ~ the man I live with looked at it and said "what is that?"  Hmmmm!  Undaunted, I forged on and drew a pattern on a file folder (we were at the lake so I had no supplies to speak of) and the next ones are more symmetrical ~ more to the builder's liking!  He forgets I'm an 'artiste'  ~ symmetrical doesn't mean as much to me!   I added french knots out of a variegated yarn and some beads from a garage-sale necklace to give it a little more interest!

These are the results ~ I added the extra touches later.  This was the night before we were leaving for Ligonier and I decided to give one to each of my classmates!  I've never done that before but last year, that dear Maria gave us big huge bags for our wool and a piece of her wool to hook with ~ so I decided to reciprocate!  And I made one for Barb ~ she took the purple one to go on a new jacket! They seemed to be a big hit, so now I think I'll make some to sell!

If you've been to the Woolley Fox this year, you've already met Posie, the Maine Coon Cat!  This is the sweetest, most lovable cat I've ever met!! She has so much personality ~ everybody just loves her!  She's grown so much since we met her in April ~ I wanted to stick her in my hooking bag and bring her back to Ohio!!

We got home from Ligonier Thursday night and Friday, Sonny and I and Tad went to the lake!  We had much fun at the Paper Moon Winery in Vermillion on Saturday afternoon ~ the place was packed ~ good wine, good snacks, loud entertainment and good friends to laugh with!  And then, back to reality!!

I've been dying wool this week and washing wool that I just got in yesterday.  Saturday, a group of gals are coming for my Funky Flower Purse class ~ so I needed to boost up my dyed wool selection for sure!!  But I thought I better take the time to post, so you all don't forget me!!!  I haven't forgotten you!!

Take care ~ there are pictures of our rugs started at Barb's ~ I'll get them up here soon!  Ta ta for now!

Alice



P.S. Happy Birthday to my sister, Joyce ~ her birthday is always easy to remember because it's on Veteran's Day. Both my brothers served our country ~ one, a marine in the Korean war and the other, in the Army. Thanks to all who work to protect our freedom!

HANDMADE SCARVES ~ ~ ~

Several weeks ago, Sheri of the Shabby Sheep blog, asked her blog friends to help her out! Sheri is bravely undergoing treatment for breast cancer and wanted to do something for comrades at their local support group! I love that about Sheri ~ even though I only know her thru her blog ~ but she is approaching this diagnosis with a positive attitude and taking the path of being a giver. So many of the gals lose their hair and need warm hats and scarves and Sheri asked her blog friends to use their creativity and make things that she could share with her group! So, of course, I said yes and of course, I waited till the last minute! Their Christmas party was this past Monday and I started making mine last Tuesday!! And, of course, I was in a sweat as to whether they would reach her on time ~ as luck would have it ~ they did!!

The first scarf ~ which is located up in that first long rattling paragraph ~ is made out of wool sweaters that I have felted (initially to make into purses ~ which I have done). I had a cabinet full of these waiting to be made into something useful so I drug them all out on the floor ~ put together some colors that I thought would work ~ cut them into 1/8 yard wide pieces and zig-zagged them together end to end. I used a multicolored thread which was just what it needed to give it some pizzaz! Then I backed it with a white confetti wool and zig-zagged the two pieces together and then cut some wool hearts and appliqued those on the end. At first, I thought the whole thing was going to be wasted effort but as I got rolling along, it turned out kind of cute and funky!! And the edges get kind of ruffly as the sewing stretches the sweater material ~ Perfect!! And I pinked the edges after the stitching was done!

So, that one was for Sheri to donate but I thought she really needed one for herself, since this was her idea! I got out my black wool ~ tore a strip about 8" wide across the yardage and proceeded to go thru my roving stash and wool yarns. I had seen a knit scarf with these colors in a yarn shop and it stuck in my mind - imagine that! I first needle felted that green stem into a squiggle with my needle-felting machine, then added the leaves and embellished that with some sparkly angel hair fibers. The pink roving was perfect for some flowers with pink angel hair centers. I love sparkly things ~ kind of like a crow!! Then the raw edges of the wool posed a problem but there was the perfect rose colored yarn just waiting to be needlefelted all around the edge. I was so hoping that Sheri would like this one for herself ~ she emailed that when she took it out of the package, she told her friend that she wished she could keep it! After she read my note, she realized it was for her ~ that made us both happy!!
So say a prayer for Sheri as she travels this journey ~ not one she asked for ~ but one that she is facing with courage and a sense of helping others!

Less that 24 hours from now, the Seattle family of five will be pulling in ~ and Grandma is barely ready!! I have had the worst cold since last Thursday ~ finally called the doctor for an antibiotic on Monday ~ and it saved my life!! I was so sick and so unproductive all weekend and ~ I couldn't go out and have any fun ~ that really made me sicker!! But thru all that, I managed to get my office in tip top shape, do a little bit of decorating today( I will finish in the morning) and started a little hooked rug from a drawing that Hannah brought me two years ago! I wanted to have it finished before they arrive ~ but it's not looking good!

I hope you're more ready than me ~ and looking forward to enjoying family and friends. There will be 25 - 30 people here Friday ~ I still have grocery shopping to do, presents to wrap, laundry to finish ~ oh, you don't even want to know!!! Today, I took my son, Tad, out to do his shopping ~ Tad buys for everyone in our family and some who aren't in our family ~ and we did it all today ~ at Kohl's with my 30% off coupon!!!!! Now, that's a happy thing! And ~ I have to do his wrapping, too! I need to go to my bed now ~ see you in a day or two!
Alice

YESTERDAY ~ ~ ~

Miss Luci came to call!! She spent part of the day with me and when I asked what she wanted to do, she said "let's go to your hooking room and make crafts"! Music to my ears!! I had already decided I would make her a little purse and she loved that idea! And this is what I came up with ~ I have a cupboard of felted sweaters for just such a project ~ she picked this navy sweater! It's pretty dark, so to lighten it up, a yellow sweater worked just swell for the flowers ~ I let Luci cut out the orange centers from another piece and then she just cut little pieces parts the rest of the time! The centers of the orange are done with some glittery wispy angelhair type stuff ~ it just had to have a little sparkle!

I'm fortunate enough to have a Babylok embellishing machine so it was a snap to needle felt the flowers and stems onto the purse front. This is the backside of it and even that looks nice ~ a more subtle look but using that technique for a more simplistic design would look great as well! I also needlefelt by hand with those long barbed needles using a thick piece of foam as the base ~ but those needles must be used with caution!

The purse handle is just a piece of the sweater cut from the length of the sleeve ~ I folded each edge to the middle and used a zigzag stitch on the sewing machine to fasten it down. Then I applied this nice multi-colored roving-type yarn to the stitch line with the embellisher and I also flattened each end of the strap with the embellisher so that it would lay flat against the purse body.
The same roving was used to needlefelt the flower stems ~ I did that first and then applied the flowers to the purse front by needlefelting only the centers ~ that allows the flowers to be free floating! And one of my hand-make buttons from the class I took was perfect for the closure! I also hand-stitched in a lining made of a soft yellow cotton fabric printed with little navy blue hearts ~ my little stash of supplies comes in handy!

Here's the proud new owner of the recycled sweater purse ~ MISS LUCI !!!!! We had a nice day together ~ we made fruit smoothies for breakfast ~ for lunch, she had lettuce leaves and crackers and fresh strawberries with chocolate syrup drizzled over ~ if I ate like that, I would be a skinny mite, too!!!! Last night, we went to yet another little league game and there was Luci with her purse ~ in it she had a baggie of carrots and cucumbers and a little sandwich in case she needed a snack!! What can I say!!! Once you give a gift ~ you must detach yourself from it and let the owner do with it what they wish!!! Something I try to remember always!!!

Before we went to the game, which was at 8 p.m. ~ we went to a 70th birthday party for a friend I haven't seen in years!! We were friends as couples when I was formerly married and as happens, we kind of lost track of one another! Her husband ~ an interesting fellow ~ went to our local police department on Tuesday and asked if they knew us ~ everybody does (it's a small town) ~ and had the policeman call me to see if he could give my phone number to him!!! It was pretty funny ~ so, we went to her surprise party in a neighboring town ~ I saw people I hadn't seen in years ~ almost 30 in fact ~ and I was glad that we made the effort!! It was just odd the way it came about! Yesterday, I got a call on my cell phone from a lady who thought we had a house for rent ~ which we don't ~ I asked how she got my number and she said she called the water department and they thought we owned that particular house ~ so they gave her our number!!! Now is that a weird coincidence or what? The police department and water department are across the hall from one another ~ they must think we're very popular right now!!! And actually, we are in the phone book but no one spells our name correctly, so they can't find us!! Just a bit of weirdness to share with you!

Have a good weekend ~ make some memories!
Alice

MORE CHRISTMAS PICTURES ~ ~ ~

The big day is over ~ it was hectic to say the least ~ but fun! I thought I would post some more pictures of our decorations ~ the two Santa's on the left of the shelf are hand carved by Mark Glandon ~ I did shows with him years ago and people would line up at the door an hour early to get in there and clean off his shelves in short order. I was lucky enough to purchase a couple before the crowds ascended on him ~ and since I only do two shows a year now, we have not crossed paths in a long time.


This antique turkey feather tree was a bargain purchase from a local flea market many years ago. The Santa on top is old as well as the one in the cupboard directly to the left. The others are reproductions ~ the little glittery houses and the white trees are antique pieces that were all in a box at an auction! Some of these bargains help offset the things that weren't so well priced ~ it all evens out along the way!




The Ligonier sheep still adorns the table ~ on the bread rising board below are pomegranates and boxwood. In the cupboard in the background are some more vintage Santas that we've collected.
Last Tuesday, the friendship bread starter was ready to bake so I baked with a vengeance!! Instead of giving away the starters, I made bread out of each one ~ 8 mini loaves and 6 big ones ~ lots to share with family and friends! The last remaining starter went into the freezer for later in the winter ~ in the last months, I've baked a ton of this bread and thought I needed a break ~ you have to make a commitment to that starter that lasts for 10 days and it goes on and on ~ but it's so good!
These mohair bears came to life, so to speak, on Christmas day ~ after breakfast at my son's, I came home and made these two bears in an hour and a half to have wrapped and under the tree for granddaughters, Jordyn and Luci!! Organization ~ I've just got to get on top of it!! Today, I actually have two more to make and get in the Seattle package. They are at my daugher-in-law's parents for the holidays, so their package arrives after the first of the year ~ I tell them it's something for them to look forward to!!!

On Christmas day, there were about 23 people here all day and a few stragglers who stopped by to see grandson, Nick and great grand-daughter, Blakleigh (pronounced with a long a). There were 19 of our kids and grandkids, my former brother-in-law and sister-in-law (I love to keep everyone close and they are my kids aunt and uncle), a friend of the kids whose mom was real sick and she was alone, another friend of the kids that spends every Christmas with us (Tad thinks he's his cousin!) and on it goes!! We ate, drank and were merry from 2 p.m. till 10:30 at night!! And the only casualty of the day, was a kid's head made a huge dent in a wall in the exercise room ~ the good news is that he didn't get knocked out and Sonny can fix the wall!!

Tonite Luke and Luci are staying all night - their parents have had so much company over the holiday, that I thought they could use a break and the kids haven't stayed over in a long time. I'm using the left over turkey to make turkey strata ~ Luci will like it ~ she says I make 'gooey' food ~ that's short for fattening!! I'm taking Tad to the doctor this afternoon ~ he's getting a bad cold and we need to nip that in the bud before the coming holiday ~ and I need him to be healthy so we can go about our New Years celebration!! We were going to Kelley's Island for New Years ~ our friends who invited us are disappointed ~ but weather is a huge concern ~ if the lake would freeze overnight, we would be stuck there if the ferry can't run ~ and that wouldn't be a good thing!!

So if I don't post until we return, HAPPY NEW YEAR to all ~ a healthy, happy and prosperous New Year wish from Alice & Sonny, here in Ohio!

KITCHEN PIX AND A HANDMADE CAT ~

I thought maybe you would like to see some of our Christmas decorations ~ these are in our kitchen/keeping room. The television is in this reproduction cupboard to the right of the fireplace ~ this is where we sit in the evening and most often eat our supper and watch the news.

When they say the kitchen is the heart of the home, it seems to be so here anyway! Everyone gathers here to eat and visit ~ it's hard to get people to sit in the living room even though it's a very comfortable spot itself. They like to hang around the island and sit at the tables and in the area in front of the fireplace. Saturday night, we had one of the dinners that was auctioned off for our Homebuilders charity auction ~ and eight of us hung around the kitchen all evening ~ I think they didn't want to be far from the food!! We had lots of nibblies but they loved the grilled shrimp (you know who did that!), water chestnuts wrapped in bacon and a garlic-rubbed tenderloin with a sauteed and broiled mushroom dish ~ we wined and dined them all in the name of charity ~ an excuse to have a party!!!!

I hauled this old jelly cupboard with a screened door home after one of my antiquing forays and the Mr. wondered why I thought it was so attractive! I just loved this piece ~ it had no paint or varnish and is pretty rugged but I've never regretted the purchase. It houses my tea things ~ teapots, and those all-in-one individual teapot and cup combination ~ and a variety of other pottery pieces.

Mr. Kitty absolutely loves this tree that sits on the dry sink. Last night while we were watching TV, I heard a faint ringing bell ~ guess who was hiding between the tree and the wall just having a ball swatting at the ornaments!! He's very entertaining but driving me crazy with all the Christmas stuff sitting around!

We have used this Rumford style fireplace to cook in occasionally ~ not me of course ~ but Sonny is pretty skilled at such stuff! We searched and searched for the crane that holds the pots before we built it ~ that kind of thing is easier to come by now than 15 years ago ~ when we asked for something like this, it was like we were from outer space ~ reproduction houses are more popular now so there are a lot more sources out there!

And the handmade cat is for a customer who has bought one every year for 15 or 16 years for her daughter-in-law. Many of them are much smaller than this ~ Sally orders it in November or so and I get inspired the week before Christmas and try to come up with something she doesn't have. Many times, the Christmas cat has been delivered on Christmas Eve just before their gathering! I'm really going to get a handle on this organization thing before I leave this planet!!! Anyway, she's made from gray wool and a hand-dyed wool dress ~ antique buttons for earrings ~ embroidered face ~ antique tintype pin for a brooch ~ and a little hand-crocheted purse. I hope Tinker likes her ~ she's not as dainty as many of the others ~ the cat, not Tinker!! I'll let you know how it goes!

It's been along day ~ I just realized it's after 2 in the morning!! Yikes and good night!!
Alice

BEING MORE CREATIVE ~ ~ ~

This wool applique tree pillow is one of the things that was in the Secret Santa package that I sent off the other day ~ Rita already received and opened it ~ with my blessing ~ I wanted her to be able to use her presents for the holidays! Since rug hooking became my art of choice, I haven't made the things that I sold at shows for years ~ it was kind of nice to see what I could whip up! This is wool felt adorned with rusty bells ~ you know, to put a little jingle in Rita's Christmas ~ and she was very complimentary!



This old cat pillow is one I've had a long time ~ he came all faded and worn from an auction I'm sure ~ they were printed and you cut out, sew and stuff them ~ well, he'd been cut out, sewn and stuffed long ago!!

I'm sure when this worn old fellow started out, he looked just like the guy in the next frame ~ no doubt that's what drew me to buy that pattern in the first place ~ there's something very appealing about both of them, don't you think??


And for lots of years, this guy was down in the depths of my workroom, still in his flat little package ~ waiting for this seamstress to give him life!! When I was putting order to that basement storage area, I found him in the bottom of a box ~ he got moved over into the hooking studio/sewing room and waited a while longer and finally, one day this weekend ~ the guy got cut out, sewn and stuffed into life!! He's a handsome cat, isn't he? I put him in a chair down there and sometimes out of the corner of my eye, I thought it was Mr. Kitty sitting and staring at me!!!! As I've mentioned before, I need a keeper!!

One of the things that I also got done this weekend, was to label those two niece's rugs and get them ready to mail. The rabbit rug for Isabella couldn't be shipped without something in there for big sister Ariana ~ so I made this bear this morning!! In my past craft life, I made mohair bears so there is a nice stock of those materials in my 'warehouse'! I had to dig thru old patterns to find this one that I used to make antique quilt bears ~ it was perfect to make a quickie gift! German string mohair, glass eyes and a little embroidered nose and in about an hour, it was finished!!

And on the back ~ a label ~ a label that came from my mother's sewing things and I still had that little package squirreled away in my sewing drawers, waiting to find the perfect project to attach it to!! This one was it ~ my mom was Grandma to Ariana's daddy and he has fond memories of her ~ so I thought this little label would mean a lot to him, too. Yes, her name was Alice!
Last but not least, this is a rug I'm working on for a friend ~ a commission, no less!! Melody asked me to do a Leicester sheep for her last year ~ they travel to Ireland a lot and like me, she loves the fields with sheep everywhere you look ~ I hooked the hilly fields the same way I did the field border in my England Memory rug with the colors of canola and heather and rolling green moors. I showed it to her yesterday and it seems she really like it! So stay tuned ~ it will be done shortly!!
I hope you all are having a productive week ~ and are also able to enjoy the festivities of the season! I'm up to my ears in office work ~ hooking, sewing and creating take a toll on the real responsibilities of life ~ guess I'll go be responsible now!! Ta Ta !
Alice