O Winter! = Snowy Evening

We had our first big snow of the winter yesterday!  It was light and powdery--Mr. P., still transfixed by the beauty of it all, (as is always the case this early in the season), said it was easy to scoop.
Sitting upstairs in our TV room, which looks out over our backyard, I noticed the snow looked so magical in the light coming from our neighbor's yard.  I just had to grab my camera....

I should have known they were there, but I didn't realize all the deer were enjoying the backyard, too, at the same time.  When cranking open the window to get a better view, I unwittingly interrupted their evening snack==our bird feeders!  Although my camera wasn't steadied yet, I snapped a couple photos.  I actually like the blurred effect; it shows their motion and indecision...  Is this a threat?  I can't leave now, I haven't cleaned out the entire feeder yet!

Once the deer left and I got my camera steadied....here's what I was talking about:

This is a volunteer Redbud tree on our patio; an offspring of a much larger Redbud further up in the yard.  To differentiate between Redbuds (and if you're not careful, you could have dozens of them--those little trees pop up like mushrooms!), this one is known as Redbuddy. (Corny, I know.) A couple years ago I hung Christmas lights on it--they've been up ever since, no matter the season. We like the ambiance!  The lights also help detract from how funny this tree looks in winter, as every year it has a "haircut" to remove the branches that are blocking our view from the upstairs windows.

And finally, here's the view out my bedroom window:

Many a time I have been asked who lives there... it's our neighbor's garage! Lovely in summer and winter:  grape vines grow on the arbor in front of the screened in porch, cardinals nest there every year, clematis vines grow along the sides. And in winter....a lovely, peaceful little cottage tucked behind the snowy rock wall. O Winter!

O Winter! ruler of the inverted year, . . . I crown thee king of intimate delights, Fireside enjoyments, home-born happiness, And all the comforts that the lowly roof Of undisturb'd Retirement, and the hours Of long uninterrupted evening, know.--William Cowper, Task (bk. IV, l. 120) English poet & translator (1731 - 1800)

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Bicycle Pillow

You know when you have a whole bunch of projects to do, and it looks like you'll never, ever get it all done?... well....this may seem counterintuitive, but I've found I actually get more done if, instead of attempting to tackle the biggest project on the list, I start doing the easiest stuff first and work my way up from there.  Try it--you'll feel good about your accomplishments which in turn (ideally) will give you the motivation to work on the harder stuff!

And speaking of projects, here's one of the "easy" ones....

Bicycle Lumbar Pillow

After doing that stunt, he's probably going to need a lumbar pillow! The picture is from The Graphics Fairy, part of a series of circus acrobats and performers.

Here's a closer look:

I used an iron-on transfer for the design--you'll notice that the original has him facing the other way around.  Oops!  Forgot to flip-flop the image before transferring it.  Oh well, does it really matter which way he's facing?! The red material is faky faux suede material.  It was the strangest stuff to cut out; it kept wanting to "stick" onto my cutting board.  The braiding was purchased awhile back at Michael's clearance aisle--one of those happy coincidences, as it happened to match just right!

I originally had the corners squared, but the pillow insert didn't seem firm enough to fill it out. So... I decided to gather the corners.

If you've never done this before, it's actually very easy:

Working on the inside, just gather the corner together between your fingers and tie dental floss around it!

Your corners will then look like this. And if I change my mind, or get a better pillow insert, I can always have it back to square corners.

The back is simply a slip cover style; the idea of trying to sew in a zipper with this fabric did not fall into the category of "easy"!

Cross that one off the list.... on to the next (easiest) thing!

Thanks for looking!

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You can see my project & lots of other cool stuff here:

                      

                   

A Gift of Stitches

Several years ago I read an online list of contributed bits of wisdom and quotes from fellow needleworkers and cross-stitchers. The one that stayed with me was, "Never give a stitched gift to a non-stitcher!"  This person went on to describe her heartache after she stitched a beautiful and complicated Christmas stocking for a friend as a gift and discovered it at the friend's garage sale the following summer.  (Dealbreaker, if you ask me!) It drove the point home--unless you are a stitcher, most people simply cannot appreciate the amount of time and effort (and love) that goes into a completed project!

However, there are exceptions to the rule....

I purchased this pattern, "Animal Samplings," from Hillside Samplings a few years ago:

Photo as seen on the pattern cover.

She has a website, www.hillsidesamplings.com, but I am not sure if it is active.  This pattern is still for sale at Stitchery shops, if you're interested. (I checked!)

I've mentioned before that my daughter, Sorena, loves squirrels.  (This squirrel pillow was another  Christmas present this year.)  Therefore, a slight change was necessary....

Here is my customized version: can you tell the difference? Hint: ghijklmn. As much as I liked the deer, he was replaced with a squirrel eating, what else?, acorns. And, most importantly of all, I think she really liked it! I know it won't be seen on any garage sales either!


Disclaimer: It's my understanding that some designers are touchy about their designs being altered, while others are more than happy to be the inspiration for further creativity.  Let's hope it is the latter in this case, if not, I'll let you know!

Happy New Year!

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