Christmas candy

is one of the highlights of the season that I enjoy!

Ribbon candy in all different fruit flavors...............

and peppermint. I have always thought that the candy cane is one of the prettiest candies........

so bright and cheery.................but wouldn't it be wonderful

if the candy cane had flowers stamped on it??
I decided to have fun with my idea about candy canes..............

stitching flowers along it...........

and was delighted at how it turned out. Almost good enough to taste...............

don't you think?

How about you?

What is your favorite Christmas candy?

Is it the candy cane...............or ribbon candy??

Maybe rich chocolate fudge?

I would love to hear!



When life hands you

lemons mice, make............

..............something pretty!

There is more than chickens, cats and dogs that roam on the grounds of Pleasant Prairie Farm.

 

Especially in the greenhouse. Mice are a common problem . I try to eliminate them as quickly as possible...........but I have to admit............I find them whimsical............

and cute.

Once particular mouse caught my attention as it scurried along looking for dropped acorns from the oak tree. It was not the usual gray mouse that I am accustomed to seeing.........this one had colors of browns and creams. It was pretty. 

 

This time of year the oak tree has the most colorful leaves...........

 

The bright colors seem to accompany the mouse real well............

don't you think?

I wanted the mouse's body to look furry, but not the mouse's tail, so I worked it in a different stitch.

It looks as if it is ready to be a character in a children's book............

it needs a name...............

let's have some fun................

What do you think would be a good name?

Is it a boy?..........or a girl mouse??

I would love to hear what your suggestions would be!

 



When I tell people I have written a book.............

their eyes light up............they are so interested................and  I can almost say for certainty..........they are wondering what my view  on romance is and what kind of romance novel it will be.................

and then I tell them.................

it's an" embroidery and design book"...........

all about my hand work and the designs I create...............

instantly, the light goes out............ they don't get it ................ they have lost interest..............

and once again, I have  reduced my "life status"

to the question........"you just stay at home??".......... as only that..........in their minds..........

.cleaning and cooking..........

 But for those close to me ..........who really know me,  and for all of you. dear blogging friends who have asked when my book will be coming out

..............." published"................

thank you............

just asking really makes me feel like pressing forward in the twisted and turned road of publication.

To answer your question.............the answer I have been so disappointed to announce publicly...............

I got a very nice "rejection" a little while back.............

at first they seemed interested and invited me to show them my dream.............

then with a big hammer.............

they slammed it down.............

One of my favorite poems describes the hopes and dreams.........

and then the frustrations of a writer..............

Thinking Like A Butterfly

Monday I was told I was good.

I felt relieved.

Tuesday I was ignored.

I felt invisible.

Wednesday I was snapped at.

I began to doubt myself.

On Thursday I was rejected.

Now I was afraid.

On Saturday I was thanked

for being me. My soul relaxed.

On Sunday I was left alone

till the part of me that can't

be influenced grew tired of

submitting and resisting.

Monday I was told I was good.

By  Tuesday, I got off  the wheel.

(Mark Nepo)

 

 

For a while, I put my shattered dream on the shelf.........letting it gather dust..........

and right beside it hanging on a nail........the rejection note..........

but my creative spirit and my needle refuse to quit stitching...........

and  now, I have even more designs .............and a bigger list of potential publishing doors to go knocking on.

I have done a lot of research........tuned up my pattern writing skills, and refined my book............a bit.

So for all of you dear souls who ask............

"will their be patterns in this book?"..........YES!!

along with easy to follow instructions and tips on making use of the designs in other ways.

I just have to find a publisher .

Thank you for asking, thank you for believing,

thank you for following along!

(kathleen)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

 

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

 

Ralph Waldo Emerson



 

This is a time for all of us, to slow down with friends and family as we gather for a day of wonderful food and happy times. It is a time for us to reflect on all,.........no matter how great or small........that we have in our lives................and to be grateful.

May your Thanksgiving be full of many blessings to be thankful for.



Kryptonite.......................

is famous for being the ultimate natural weakness of Superman and

has since become synonymous with an Achilles' heel.

The poor man was helpless around it...................

 

Here is my "kryptonite".................

 

chocolate covered cherries........on vintage dishes...........

linen, floss, and new stitching in progress...........

 

What can I say ?.............I am hopeless and helpless around these things............

 

How about you??

What is your "kryptonite"??

I would love to hear!

    



Once again, an old chair has stolen my heart away.........

 

 

Last month a group of sweet ladies came to visit me. One of them brought an old chair that she has had for many years. When she read my August 29, 2012 post about an old chair I had embroidered a back for and restored..............she wanted this chair to be mine!

I love it and am so grateful to her for it.

It is a Windsor Brace Back chair............some of them dating back to the mid 1800's up to the 1930's.

 

It is called a Brace back because of the rods in the back of the chair bracing it.

I found a photo of this chair on the Internet, and it looks identical to my chair. The seat is supposed to look like the one in the photo above...........with a rush cane material............................

but you all know me....................

that is not what I have planned..............

 

I am going to create a cushion............working embroidery or some kind of needlework for the design.

I have scoured my books and have 4 designs, which I love.

The one above is a needlepoint..........but can also be worked in cross stitch.........

I love roses..............

 

especially the "fat" cabbage roses commonly found in Berlin designs...........

this is also a needlepoint........

 

I also love sprays of delicate pink roses............

this is a cross stitch pattern

and as most of you know..........my very favorite flower to grow.............

the Zinnia.........which is also a cross stitch pattern.

 Now..............which one will I decide on?

Can any of you guess??

It is very hard for me to decide............I love them all...........

For a second, I also considered just making a planter out of it.............

but no..............

this chair needs something beautiful on it.

How about you?

What design do you think would be the prettiest for the chair?

I would love to hear!

On another note.........some of you do not know that I have a recipe blog

My Country Kitchen

This week I have posted a wonderful flavored butter, great for the Thanksgiving table.

 

You can visit by clicking this link

My Country Kitchen



I have a vintage umbrella embroidery design for you to try.............

Remember those beautiful designs with baskets and umbrellas overflowing with bouquets of blossoms??

I have been wanting to embroider this design for some time now............

I wanted the bouquet to be a mix of all different pastel colors.

Just last week, a dear friend, sent me a gigantic box of embroidery floss that she came upon........

filled with the most beautiful colors.

I love the way soft blue satin ribbon looks and decided that is how I would embroider the ribbon on the umbrella handle.

Also in the box, there were brands of embroidery floss I have never tried. I usually always prefer DMC floss, which was also in the box. However, there was a large amount of  J&P Coats and Anchor floss. Are you familiar with those brands??

 

The colors are just as bright and cheery as DMC. So now I love all three brands.

I wanted the rim of the umbrellas to stand out, so I embroidered in in rows of chain stitch.

I decided to just fill in the umbrellas handle with slanted lines of embroidery floss.

Instead of satin stitching or using french knots for the spots on the umbrella, I decided to work eyelets instead. Now the umbrellas is full of holes.........perfect to grow bouquets in ......don't you think??

 

Here is the design and I am hoping that if you click onto the photo, you might be able to copy it off for yourself to try.

Enjoy stitching!

How about you?
Do you have a certain brand of embroidery floss that you use over the others?

Do you like to embroider in pastel colors or bright colors when it comes to flowers?

I would love to hear!