I'm still "coasting" along............

I guess with the warmer weather coming on, it makes me think of summer patio parties and the images of a cheerful table set for these events.

Whenever I decide to make sets like this, I trace the amount I want onto one large piece of cloth and then embroider them all up. I then bravely get my scissors and carefully cut them all free.

I was in a "pink mood " for a minute or two.............

and I am always in a "green mood'!

Even if the sets are different colors, I think they would still be great to mix or match, don't you think?

And yes, I plan to have a set for each of my children to have one day..............when they are settled and ready.................

however, I think they will wonder what these little pieces are for.............

hardly anyone uses coasters any longer.

How about you?

Do you decorate your table?

Here I go and will sound like a cashier at the store............

paper?....................or linen??



Use your imagination.............

even when it comes to the most simple of designs...............

You can make this flower simple and sweet 

by working the outline stitch on both the center and the petals............

and it can look like this.................

but, by using the same color and working the satin stitch in the center,

and still using the outline stitch on the petals, but with the same petal color,

adding just a few straight stitches around the center.............

the same flower can look like this.........blooming with a little more...........

life.

but I want it to "breathe with life".................

I used  3 shades of pink for the petals........one dark, one medium, and one light.

Stitch around the center with the same yellow color............

get brave and cut out the center...........making sure to not cut the stitches..............

and now you have a hole...............

which, by using the same color and working the closed buttonhole stitch around the center edges,

and adding a few threads  criss crossing through the opening,

you have an interesting center.

Now on this flower, you will need to start with the dark pink and work the long and short stitch around the center all the way around. In the middle of the petals, work with the medium pink and work the long and short stitch on each petal all the way around, leaving the tips of each petal to be worked in light pink, working the long and short stitch all the way around.

And now the same design has bloomed into this life like flower!

Each type of embroidery can make the design pretty............

but with just a few more stitches, a little bit more color, and

your imagination................

just think of the possibilities!



It's been a little bit over a year now.................

since I quit my stressful job..................vowing that I was going to

pursue my passion and accomplish my dream..................

.................I have come a step closer to reaching that accomplishment..................

late last night.............

I finished the book I have been writing, designing and stitching over!!!!

The photos you are viewing are just a taste of what is in the book. Many of you have asked if I am putting the patterns in the book..........yes I have!

I have written step by step instructions on how to make the embroidery look like this in the photos.

There is more embroidery and many more other things in the book.............but I don't want to show it all here on this blog.................I want the book to show you!

For now..........this is what my book looks like...........a thumb drive.............holding all of the contents of the book as well as my dreams within it's plastic case.

Now I am in search of a fairy God publisher...........the process of submitting a proposal, and then right after I have zipped it off, the worrying part of maybe I should have just added another project or two..........maybe I should have done it differently..............sigh

The process of waiting for the weeks to go by to hear approval or to get that all so well known rejection slip..................

Now what am I doing with my spare time while I wait?..............

I am beginning to write my second book. I have had designs and ideas for this second book all of the time I have been working on the first one. I have ideas for many more!

I am hoping that instead of a collection of thumb drives on my book shelf, I will one day have a collection of my books!

How about you?

Ever have a dream that you put on hold until you got your family raised and then you jumped out and did what you dreamed about doing?

I would love to hear!

It's not only my gardens that are full of blossoms and butterflies...............

my studio is overflowing with them as well!

Spring has put me into the mood to create

blossoms and butterflies..................

which inspired me this past week, to make flower coasters

as well as butterfly coasters.

I have always loved the little vintage sets of cocktail coasters that were once used to set a glass upon during parties...............

Wouldn't a set of 6 of these in different colors

be lovely for a spring luncheon?

How about you?

Do you like to use cloth napkins or coasters at your table?

What kind of dishware do you like to use?

I would love to hear!

Happy St. Patrick's Day

May flowers always line your path and sunshine light your day.
May songbirds serenade you every step along the way.
May a rainbow run beside you in a sky that's always blue.
And may happiness fill your heart each day your whole life through.
~Irish Blessing

I am in between stitched projects right now................

however, there is still so much around that inspires me...............like

vintage tea cups with floral prints and shades of green.............

and curio cabinets filled with pieces of mixed matched china.............

left over from a set whose other members have perished from breakage.......

most of them missing a lid or a handle.

And who can forget Mother Nature?................who offers us

inspiration in every step we take...............

How about you?

What inspires you the most?  Vintage china or vintage linens perhaps?

Roses or daisies?

I would love to hear!

****Please note:  So many have asked about the plant photo above on this and on my country blog. This is a very common plant to Texas called the Algerita Berry. After it blooms, it will have red berries all over it which are edible and make wonderful jelly!

All Ready For Baby Or Toddler

Here is the baby/toddler coverlet I posted about on the previous post,

finished! It measures 30 in. W. x 36 in. L. so it would be great for the crib or for a toddler's nap time.

A bunny and a chick or on the upper corners,

a duck and a poodle are on the bottom corners,

while a kitty is in the center. I free hand embroidered the curved leaves to accent the middle.

I used the cheery fabric as a background and since the animals were designed with blanket stitch, I used blanket stitch around the edges of the coverlet. It turned out adorable........

don't you think?

What are your favorite designs in a baby's blanket?

I would love to hear!

I have always loved vintage baby transfer designs.............

especially with little rabbits wearing jackets.

This set is from the little magazine

Workbasket...............do you remember this?

I think it was popular in the late 60's throughout the 80's??

I have had this cheery fabric on hand for a while now,

and I think this fabric goes well

with the transfers I have just embroidered. There is a little poodle that I am still working on. I am thinking about making a baby coverlet with all of this.............

what do you think??