Easter Letter

These two letters from 1995 are stored in my box of Easter decorations. Every year, they're a joy to rediscover. Have a smile with me.

There are moments when it's great to be a mom.

First Flowers For You - Part 3

I got a chance to stitch again today. The colors on this seem a bit off. The greys are too dark. But I'm going with it anyway. The base of the bunny is nearly done. It will come to life when the backstitching is added.

Quilted Heart #24

Because I'm a high achiever, I went above and beyond my goal and created this 24th heart. I went all out on the stitching here.

This is one of my favorite Quilted Hearts of the bunch due to all the extra embroidery I did on it. I used that bold, crazy heart fabric for the background. I added a white lace strip horizontally across the center and embellished it with a light pink flat heart bead. But here's the good part.

I outlined many of the hearts with a light green floss. Then I outlined the details of the two main hearts, one with the lightning bolt, and the other with the checkerboard. I added French knots to the polka dots and heart details of the portions of hearts around the edge. I used the same lace for the hanger. Finally I stitched the front to the back with an overcast stitch using blue floss. This ornament is very tactile because of all that raised stitching.

This is ready to go out into the wild ... but it might be hard to give it away. Its home might be with me!

Eugene Park Tour: Maurie Jacobs Park

Dale and I happened upon Maurie Jacobs park quite by accident. We were off to look for a geocache. All I knew was that it was on a bridge. I thought it was a pedestrian bridge over a busy road. (I hadn't looked at the map; Dale picked this cache). But nope! It is a pedestrian bridge, but it spans the Willamette River.

When I saw a big green space on the other side of the bridge, I crossed all the way to look at this map and figure out what it was.

That's when I first learned that there is an entire walking/biking path along both sides of the river in this part of town. I had seen parts of this path near the Owen Rose Garden and Campbell Park, but I didn't realize they were all connected. Looking at the map, I see that Dale and I have several more parks along these river paths that we'll visit as we continue our park tour.

I've been in Eugene for three years and only now learned about it. Geez. I don't get out much. Maurie Jacobs is another park that Dale and I will return to and explore.

We parked at the edge of the Valley River Center (mall), then walked across the Greenway Bridge. Dale found the small magnetic cache near the center of the bridge on the underside of one of the fence rails. Go Dale!

As you can see, it was a cloudy, blustery day, as most are at this time of year. We got out to find a cache in between raindrops.

I left one of my Quilted Hearts on a bush near the end of the bridge. 

I hope it brightens someone's day.

Sunset Through the Rain

Lots and lots of rain these days. 

Sometimes it comes in sideways, drumming the dining room window.

Storm clouds bring drama to the sunsets.

First Flowers For You - Part 2

I had a quiet day to stitch for a while.

This sweetheart is coming along well.

Quilted Heart #23

With this, my goal of 23 Quilted Hearts created in 2023 is now complete! I used an unusual color combination for it.

This heart starts with a print of red hearts and flowers on a white background. I made this large purple button from a lightweight wooden heart I found in my stash. I used a push-pin to create the button holes. It’s sewn into place with purple floss. I then outlined the button with purple stem stitch. I used purple flower-shaped sequins with red seed bead centers to form an outline. Then I sewed the front of the heart to the back with purple floss and stem stitch. This has a white picot-edge ribbon hanger and is embellished with a small red button.

Ready to go out into the wild!

This was placed at the Willamalane Adult Activity Center in Springfield, Oregon on March 16.

Eugene Park Tour: Return to Wendover

I had the pleasure of returning to Wendover Park last weekend. This time, I stopped by with Dale. I thought he'd like this wooded area and I wanted to show it to him. Also, we wanted to find the geocache there that had eluded me when Jeanne and I looked for it last summer. 

We found the cache! Since the blackberry bushes haven't taken over yet, it was easier to search without getting all scratched up. The cache was in a tricky spot ... very nicely hidden.

After signing the log, Dale and I took a stroll down the path through the trees. Today, the pond was much easier to see. There's not much new Spring growth that's obscuring it. I learned that lily pads grow there.

One of the neighbors on the far shore has a picturesque canoe.

Close to the near shore we spotted a couple turtles sunning themselves on a log. (It was difficult to get a clear photo with my phone).

We followed the wooded path down to a low spot where there's access to the water, then strolled on back to the car. 

It made for a lovely waypoint as we continued on our country drive. We've had so much rain lately that it was great to get out for a ride and get some distance vision.

Spring Into Reading

Dale and I have gotten into a rut. We watch 3 to 4 hours of news every day, then recorded shows or YouTube until bedtime. It's not exactly a healthy diet.

So for Spring 2023, we're going to make a concerted effort to read more - especially after dinner and before bedtime. We both have loads of books that we bought, most of which are digital and audiobooks. But Dale's also been visiting the local library lately and found more juicy volumes there.

We began yesterday, the first day of Spring.

I'm starting here. The book about Obama is by Pete Souza. He was the official White House photographer during two presidencies: Reagan and Obama. Studying every photo in this book along with the captions is teaching me much about documentary photography. I've been reading one chapter each morning.

In the evening, on my Kindle, I'll start with fiction. I have my eye on a couple modern classics to try. If I don't like a book after reading a couple chapters, I'll move on. Retirement is too short to read books that don't hold my attention.

Dale and I were both avid readers in our younger lives. We'd like re re-immerse ourselves in this simple pleasure.

Cheers to reading!

Poster by StardustPrintShop on Etsy

Quilted Heart #22

I'm coming down the stretch of sharing the Quilted Hearts I've completed. This is one of my favorites due to it's simplicity and proportions.

This heart's base is a red print of small hearts and flowers on a white background. A large white heart button is attached with a row of red seed beads. There's a narrow red satin ribbon bow at top. This time I used two lines of stitching: the first is a stem stitch surrounding the entire heart. Then the front is sewn to the back with a simple running stitch about a quarter inch from the stem stitch, all with red floss. The heart edges are pinked. The same narrow red satin ribbon is used for the hanger.

Ready to go out into the wild!

Watercolor Heart Cards - 7

These are the final four Watercolor Heart cards I made. I'm so pleased with this series.

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I believe what I'm most proud of is that I've actually reached out to friends and USED most of them.

First Crocus

A break in the rain. A rare trip to Springfield. Shadowing Jodie. An energizing group activity. Helping prep the Easter Egg Mega Hunt at Parks and Rec.

I saw my first sign of Spring outside Jodie's office.

Gorgeous mounds of crocus!

Quilted Heart #21

A wonky little heart. Tilt your head a little to the right so the center heart is straight. Ooops.

This charmer starts wtih a red hearts and flowers print on a white background. I appliqued on a white heart that has flecks of silver. The red sequins were sewn one-by-one around the edge of the white heart. I sewed the front of the heart to back using silver floss and a stem stitch. The edges of the heart are pinked. It's finished with a silver picot-edge satin ribbon for the hanger and a metal silver button accent.

Ready to go out into the wild!

Watercolor Heart Cards - 6

Coming down the stretch ... more colorful Watercolor Heart cards

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This is my personal favorite

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First Flowers For You - Part 1

I got a bee in my bonnet to make an Easter something-or-other. I haven't done a counted cross-stitch project in a while, so I started by looking through my charts. 

I found this adorable design from Ellen Maurer-Stroh that I acquired back in 2005. It's small. 69 stitches wide by 64 stitches high. She's packed a lot of sweetness into a design smaller than 5 inches square.

I gathered the needed supplies, starting with floss. I then did a "floss toss" on three different blue fabrics in my stash to determine which fabric to use. This hand-dyed 32 count Lugana called Summer Breeze was the clear favorite. It reminds me of clouds in the sky.

I bought this novelty "expensive" fabric about a decade ago.  I've been "saving" it for a special project. After two years of not being able to be creative, I now realize that any creative venture I do these days is special. 

It's time to use and enjoy my stash. After all, I'm retired! This is why I have a stash! Time to spend out.

My eyesight isn't what it used to be, so I need two magnifiers to see the holes in this fabric. Those stitches are small when there are 32 of them per inch!

I've been listening to podcasts and audiobooks while stitching. My muscle memory is returning. This activity makes my brain feel wonderful.

Here's my current progress. 

Quilted Heart #20

Hey! Yet another version of the red print heart. 

This time I'm emphasizing the white flowers in this familiar print. I sewed a medium-size white heart button on the left, and surrounded it with an outline of chain stitch using white floss. On the right, I attached four large green sequins, adding pearl beads for the centers. I used a white picot-edged satin ribbon for the hanger. Next I pinked the edge. Finally, I sewed the front the back with stem stitch.

Ready to out into the wild!

Watercolor Heart Cards - 5

 More card designs

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