| Inspired Stitches |
| …ramblings of a blackworker! |
Boy, thanks to some lovely hacker, I’m spending the last day of 2008 having to redo the ENTIRE website.
I’m working on it, and will get it running as soon as I can. The blog is the easy piece, so that will be the first you see. The rest of the website will follow during the month of January.
I apologize for any inconvenience. Please feel free to e-mail me should you have any questions.
Happy New Year!!!!
On this rainy day in Virginia, I thought I’d take a moment to share what Jim and I did this past weekend.
Ever hear of Operation Christmas Child? It brings joy and love to millions of children in need every year through a simple shoebox packed with toys and candy. Our church has taken part in it for many years, through collecting boxes packed by families. Last year, we took on our first whole-church effort, and were able to pack more boxes. This year, we doubled that number! It really gets the Christmas spirit moving when you pack these boxes, and know that on the other end, you’re going to bring joy to someone who might have little joy in their lives.
This past weekend, Jim and I, along with another member and my nephew, went down to Charlotte to volunteer at one of their processing centers. Wow!!! That’s about all I can say. What an incredible effort this organization goes through each year through the collection of the boxes, all the way to the distribution to those in need. The warehouse was filled over 1000 volunteers, all there to help get the boxes ready to ship. We met volunteers from all over the country, who had come to Charlotte – some for a week or more – just to volunteer. I tell you, we were just plain pooped at the end of our shift, but I don’t think that any of us were upset about it.
Take a look at all the incredible work they do on their website – http://www.samaritanspurse.org/index.php/OCC/ - and think about doing a shoebox or so yourself next year. I warn you, it can be addicting! I’m already planning for the church-wide effort next year, and will begin purchasing for the boxes right after Christmas! Just call me crazy…
It’s really just a shoebox filled with stuff – or is it?
Happy stitchin’!
Well, I can finally say, the Christmas season is officially upon us.
Yes, I know that the shopping season started on Friday, and that the stores have had Christmas out for a month already, but… it’s finally here…
We’re watching “A Christmas Story” for the first time, and THAT means that it’s really Christmas. Well, I confess, we own the movie, but it still has plastic on it. Why did we ever buy it, since you can ALWAYS find it on any random channel. It’s got to be one of my absolute favorite movies, and for some reason I just don’t ever tire of it.
If you’ve somehow missed this movie, you really need to make sure to see it this year. To do this, just turn your TV onto ANY station during December, and you’re sure to find it. Then, if you still haven’t seen it by Christmas, you can find the “A Christmas Story” 24-hour marathon.
And, whatever any of you do – “don’t shoot your eye out!”
What’s your favorite Christmas movie?
Have a great evenin’!
I just found mention in a blog of an amazing work-in-progress, stitching our Garden Traditions – Albemarle, and had to share. Annemiek is a shop owner in the Netherlands, and she’d told me back in February that she was going to stitch this design. What’s amazing about it, is that she’s going to stitch it on 50 count fabric!!!!
Annemiek, I can’t wait to see how your little project progresses. Since you told me you were going to do this, I’ve been thinking about trying another design on tiny fabric as well. One day, maybe, I’ll get crazy and do one myself…
Happy stitchin’!
On this day, Thanksgiving 2008, I just wanted to take a moment and consider all the wonderful blessings in my life. This list, by no means, lists everything I’m grateful for.
I’m grateful for my faith, and my God. Without this amazing relationship, I wouldn’t be here. I’m also grateful for all those in my past who showed me the Christian life, and how to live one. What a blessing that is! As Psalms 107:1 states, “Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever.”Well, I do hope this finds you with a belly full of turkey and dressing, and with you running through your own listing of things you’re thankful for.
Happy Thanksgivin’!!!
Have you heard about the “puppy cam” from San Francisco? I have to say, this live stream is keeping me from my work, housework, designing, everything… It’s become a sad-sad addiction.
I always did want to video tape Jack and Maggy when they were alone – but we just never did it. Those two kids tormented each other on a constant basis, and when we left them alone, there’s no telling what they did to each other… Next dogs, unfortunate for them, might not have as much privacy… I’ll be watching!
Check it out – but be warned – these puppies are entertaining!
Happy stitchin’ (and watchin’)!
Well, well, well… it’s been another quiet break for you all from my blogging, but I’m back! As seems to occur in my life, “life happened”, and I just wasn’t able to get everything done, including with keeping you up-to-date with all that was going on.
Stitchin’spiration, as I’ve said many times, is really a long-time dream of mine coming true. It isn’t, however, my sole source of income, so I have a full-time career meeting those needs. When things get busy with the real job, Stitchin’spiration has to take a back seat. Also, with time so crunched, when things get busy with my personal life, the needlework takes a back seat as well. Gosh darn-it, there aren’t enough hours in the day to get it all done.
After my last post in July, 2007, I began planning for Stitchin’spiration’s first wholesale trade show – Nashville in February, 2008. Stitch’inspiration absolutely started taking front seat, and for the next 8 months, anytime I wasn’t at work (and it was a busy time for the real job also), I was planning, scheming, buying, dreaming of that trade show. Boy, was it fun, but what a lot of work it was.
February, 2008 came, and we packed up the van and headed West. Jim came along for the man-power, and my mom, his mom, and his sister met us there. What an absolutely incredible weekend it was! We had what I consider a very successful show, and I got to meet many wonderful shop owners from all over the world. It also was awesome to see all the beautiful colorful models of mine hung together for the first time. As my tag line now says, it’s definitely a “colorful world of blackwork” at Stitchin’spiration.
With the show over, we returned to Richmond, and returned to a more normal schedule. We had an empty house all of a sudden, as we had to put our dear Jack to sleep, due to a serious health issue which had arised. After all that excitement, I realized that I was “runnin’ on empty”, in a way – a “break from reality” was needed.
Well, after several months of quiet, the focus is coming back. During that time I continued the sales end, and was also continuing to let the design ideas flow. Keep your eyes open in the next couple of months as we begin introducing more new designs.
Thanks for all the e-mails and letters while I was “away”, and I hope you find more “temptations” in blackwork – to inspire you as well.
Happy stitchin’!
Well, as you probably guessed, we did get back in one piece from vacation. Well, at least most of my body did… Last day we were in Memphis, I decided it had been too long since I turned my ankle, so I stepped off the curb, and proceeded to twist the heck out of my foot. Boy, it hurt! Anyways, a week later, I’m still wearing an ankle brace, and am still dealing with the pain. Having had weak ankles since my middle school days, it’s not too unusual for me, but just isn’t very much fun.
Therefore, this week between that and the “gremlins” working on the web server, I haven’t been in the mood to blog. Sorry about that!
I finally have been able to get the camera hooked up to share a couple of quick pictures with you from vacation. Almost as soon as we got to our in-laws house, my father-in-law pulled out his Model A, and took our friends for a ride. Here’s the proof:
How cool is that little car! He hadn’t had it running for many months, so as the smile on his face tells you, he’s having a good time also!
Then, the “Graceland trip“. Now, I do like Elvis, and his music, but… A trip to Graceland is definitely like a trip to Mecca for TRUE Elvis fans. Everything Elvis – all the time… This was my 3rd trip to that hallowed ground, and boy – what can I say. Heading out, I told Joan that my fun in the trip (since I’ve only seen the place 3 times now) was making sure that we had a picture of her in EVERY SINGLE ROOM of Graceland, so that she can prove she’d been there. It actually was quite ent
ertaining to me, as I wasn’t looking at each room, I was scoping for the next shot. We did it. I have an SD card FULL of her tour, and look forward to getting them all printed out for her. Need proof?????? Here she is taking interior design notes in the Jungle Room, so that she can go home and shag carpet the floors, walls, and ceilings of her own house…
Good news for me is that they’ve actually added a new room since I was last there, so I got to ogle the lovely couch / bed / white-long shaggy-with some sort of a canopy thing from his dressing room, and got to see the duds he and Priscilla wore when they got married. At least I saw something new! Thank ya – Thank-ya-very-much…..
Well, I’d better run along. More updates tomorrow…