Tast Week #3

This week the challenge stitch is the buttonhole stitch, my Favorite!!  My Grandmother taught me how to embroider when I was very young. She was making a quilt with triangles that would eventually be pieced together.  She taught me how to do the bottonhole stitch and we did this stitch around many, many triangles in white cotton thread, we worked on this for many years. After years of work we finally finished the quilt. I loved that quilt.  I tried to get the quilt when she passed away but I was unable to secure it for myself.  But as I stitch this weeks challenge I will think of Grandma and her beautiful quilt!

I did the buttonhole stitch along the hem of my robe below the pine trees. I used two strands of variegated green cotton thread.


Because my canvas is so large I am struggling each week with what to add. So I finally decided to add a large flower. I used six strands of variegated pink thread to attach flower.

And last but not least I added a heart for my baby Lola!!

Hope you enjoy this weeks Buttonhole stitch!!

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Tast week #2

Week 2 is the fly stitch.  Enjoyable stitch to stitch but hard to get it even…I failed!!  But I enjoy the finished work.

I worked the fly stitch into pine trees and I made them along the hem of my robe.  I’m liking the look so far.  Enjoy!

 

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Take a Stitch Tuesday

I love to do any kind of hand stitching, so I joined a group “Take a Stitch Tuesday” (TAST). This is a challenge group where every Tuesday you are challenged with learning a new stitch. I have always wanted to cover a piece of clothing with embroidery but have never challenged myself to do it…until now. I have an old robe I made years ago, and I have decided that will be canvas. So here goes….

Week #1 Chain Stitch. This is a pretty simple stitch for me. I did a white chain stitch along the top of the pockets.chain stitch Each week you are provided the chance to enhance the basic stitch so I also decided to do a beaded chain stitch. A little bit harder but still fun. I ran this stitch along the whole collar front.

I started this challenge late(the story of my life). Now I’m off to start week two!!

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The Handmade Forum!!!

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https://www.facebook.com/events/1493604044232813/

The Handmade Forum is proud to present a 24 hour Christmas Sale featuring handmade shops from a round the globe! Every shop will have the same coupon code: SALE2014 with various discounts up to 25% off. Perfect for your unique Christmas gifts. A free interactive brochure is below showcasing all the handmade shops.

TheHandmadeForumSALE2014

Just click on the links above to start your shopping and to start saving money on some amazing handmade creations!!

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Spa Day Challenge

s1Today featured shop in our Spa Day Challenge is Stella Ziganti Designs….Stella’s work is AMAZING!!

s2I love these earring….They are Root Beer color!!

s3These earrings are so delicate….

s4The stones on these earrings are so cool, I love the streaks of white through out.

Go and check out Stella’s creations…She ROCKS!!

*11th in the series

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Spa Day Challenge

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Today’s feature is Lisa of Insomniac Treasures…..This is some of the most amazing jewelry I have ever seen.   Here are a few pieces that I just love…l2I would take any one of these necklaces….beautiful

l3This is so neat and orginial…

l4This green is vibrant, and the center stone is by far the most beautiful stone I have ever seen.

Please take some time and check out Lisa’s shop…you won’t be disappointed!!!

*10th in the series

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Mother’s Cooking…………….

My Mother is an amazing cook!!!  She loves to cook and bake and it shows in the meals she serves. She is a no-nonsense cook, and everything she makes is from scratch!!!

I have been trying to think of my favorite meal my Mother makes and I am finding that difficult to do.  There are just too many to pick from and each on conjures up a different emotions!!

As a child I traveled (camped) with my family all over the whole United States, what an exciting way to see the amazing wonders the U.S. has to offer. I think that every meal that Mother cooked while on vacation was the BEST.  There is nothing like eating a big breakfast cooked on a small stove in one skillet, to start your day.  I too have taken my children all over the U.S. camping, and I still think food just tastes better cooked in a campground!!

Another favorite for me is when Mother made meatloaf, it wasn’t necessarily the meatloaf that made the meal it was the wilted lettuce salad.  Every summer when the leaf lettuce appears in the garden we were sure to have Mothers meatloaf dinner soon.  She would take the lettuce and prepare it for the most amazing dressing.  She takes bacon and cooks and crumbles it, then she adds vinegar and sugar to the frying pan (bacon grease and all), then she would pour it over the lettuce….OMG my mouth is watering right now!!!

Here is another favorite that is not really about the whole meal, but about one single dish.  My Mother’s Coleslaw!!  My sister and I are obsessed with it.  She has given us the recipe(cabbage, carrots, onions, green peppers, mayo, sugar and vinegar) but when we make it, it isn’t the same thing.  Anytime my Mother makes coleslaw it is a treat for everyone. I really don’t think she does anything special, or that she is leaving something out of her recipe so we can’t copy it.  I think it is just that she made it. (Dad says it’s because he has chopped all the vegetables). In fact when my Mothers comes to visit my sister or I we make sure we have all the ingredients ready so Mother can make us a large vat of coleslaw!!

Another favorite meal/memory would be Christmas morning breakfast.  This was no ordinary breakfast this was a special treat that we only got to eat on Christmas morning. After we had opened the last of the gifts Mother would disappear into the kitchen and cook for us a meal that all three of children still serve to their families every Christmas.  Breakfast would consist of smoked sausage and not the sausage that you buy at the regular grocery store, but from the meat market (Bay City, Michigan), this sausage would be boiled to perfection.  She would serve it with her homemade potato salad, which is her most asked for dish to bring whenever she is invited anywhere. There would also be olives, and cut up tomato’s, and homemade bread and butter.  I know to some of you this would not be a treat but to me and my family this is the most amazing breakfast!!(*side note: Years ago when my Mothers father was in the hospital, I went and stayed with Grandma for the week, and she actually served this breakfast to me every morning, she even let me have as much as I wanted (I was a growing young girl). So now this breakfast has been handed down through the generations, and my own son now serves it to his family.

So over all I would say I love everything that Mother makes, but I would have to say my favorite meal of hers is her Christmas morning breakfast!! Or maybe it is just the memory!!

 

*This is an assignment from the Writing 101 challenge.

 

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Spa Day Challenge

ss1Todays featured shop is so cute.  Sammy does all the work in making these amazing creations.  If you like unique and funky creations this is the shop for you!!

ss2Love this little bone, how cute it this??

ss3This necklace is divine!!

ss4Love these black angel wings, just perfect for the “Goth” in you!! Please have a look at Sammy’s shop for more Goth inspired creations!!

*9 in the series

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Spa Day Challenge

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Today’s special Spa Day shop is DixSterling, meet Dix the owner and creator of all these amazing pieces of jewelry.d2Here are some of my favorite pieces….I love purple!!!

d3The shape of these are too cool, I just love them.

d4These are about the coolest earrings ever…All of Dix’s jewelry is just amazing…Please visit her shop if you don’t believe me!!

*8th in the series

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Visiting your neighbors!!

The blogging 101 challenge for today was to visit different blogs that I haven’t visited before and write meaningful comments!!

What a great challenge. I have just found some amazing blogs and some fantastic writers.

On James Keegan’s (http://jameskeegan1.wordpress.com/2014/09/24/a-sunrise-to-brighten-your-day/) blog post he shared an amazing sunrise with his readers.  Great photos and some amazing posts.  I really enjoyed his blog and would like to recommend it to all my followers.

On the blog Crossroads (http://endoracrawford.wordpress.com/2014/09/23/when-i-hear-music/), there is a wonderful post about the music we listen to and the music we don’t.  It is an insightful post making you think of the different music we listen to and it made me think of the music my children listen to.  What effect does the music we listen to have on our daily lives??

On the blog Show Me What You Can Do (http://thouch5.wordpress.com/2014/09/23/what-a-maze-taught-me-about-life/)….the blogger shares a beautiful corn maze with its readers.  The challenge was to not be afraid to live your life.  Being afraid to take chances and live will only result in a life lived but not to its fullest. Makes you think about your life and are you afraid to live it, and live it to its fullest?

Hope you take the time to visit my blogging neighbors!!

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