Remember the vintage rose design that I shared with you a few weeks ago?

As most of you read in my earlier posts, I really loved this design and embroidered it in different shades to give it a nostalgic charm. I knew I had to incorporate it somewhere into my home...........

I decided that it would be wonderful stitched onto towels for the bathroom!

I bought dark red over sized bath towels, along with a small hand towel.

Isn't this lovely?

(remember, you can click onto the photos for a better view)

I used floral print fabric as a border to the design......

and I also used a smaller and slightly different design for the small hand towel................

which I also love!

If you remember, as well, I posted about making a stamped design come to life with a few more stitches? I worked it in dark yellows, and found the perfect hand towel in a rust color to stitch it on.

I used a vibrant floral fabric for the border on this design.

Now my bathroom will have a romantic country look to it with these towels.

How about you? Have you embroidered the design yet?

If so, what color did you choose and what are you going to use it for?

I would love to hear!

It's not a Van Gogh........or a Monet.............

since I "paint" with thread instead of oils..............

however, I think my interpretation does well.....

for the embroidery world
It is stitched in vibrant color and in different stitches to give it a lot of texture.
(for a better view, click onto photo)

It has not been hard to find inspiration for my embroidery these past few weeks.

The sunflowers growing along the grounds have captivated me each time I walk the gardens.

There are the  fall harvest type that I have strategically planted in large crates,

 here and there...........

and the wild prairie style that are growing anywhere they choose.

I also love to embroider leaves............

do you?

While out on a drive..........a field of large beautiful sunflowers begged me to stop and visit..........

I used to wonder why artists were inspired to paint sunflowers..........

now I understand..................

actually, I am now inspired to plant sunflowers on my acreage.

My interpretation.................

Yesteryear Embroideries style................

I am thinking about framing this piece in a group setting with the sunflower photos from my farm.........

what do you think?

How about you?

What flower inspires you the most?

Do you want to paint it, applique it, or embroider it?

I would love to hear!

The weather has been cool and pleasant

from a few days of welcoming rain

. On days such as this, I spend a lot of my stitching time out on the front porch. Since I live far away from the noise of city streets and the only neighbors I have are coyote and bobcats............

the porch is a quiet and welcomed retreat to get lost in stitches,

plans, dreams,  and designs.

Inspiration is all around me.

How about you? Where do you like to escape to when the day and conditions are just right?

What inspires you the most?

I would love to hear!

My Grandmoher's porch greeted everyone with two large Lantana bushes

overflowing with pink and yellow blossoms, and buzzing bees.

I cannot pass a pink and yellow Lantana without thinking about my grandmother and the old, white farmhouse that she and my grandfather lived in...............way out in the mesquite covered woods.

The  Lantana in my garden is covered in pink and yellow blossoms, entertaining a host of buzzing bees.............it is a cutting stock that came from my grandmother's Lantana and is now almost 30 years old. I planted it when my husband and I bought our first home in town. I watched our 3 children play around it.......just the way I did, when I was young at my grandparent's home. When we moved out to our country home, I dug up the Lantana and planted it..........it has thrived ever since.

This past week, the Lantana is in heavy bloom...............inspiring and inviting............... I decided that I would design and embroider this flower..........

along with the seed pods that it gets, in-between bloom spurts.........

I thought about using blue and black beads............however wound up stitching them instead.......

(I haven't washed away the markings yet)

and I think I will  title this design............

My Grandmother's Flowers..............

How about you?

Do you have a favorite flower that your grandmother or mother grew?

Old fashioned Hollyhocks..........or roses perhaps??

I would love to hear!

I can find inspiration for my embroidery

any time I step outside.............

even in something as simple as one of my chicken's feathers.

If one should ever look into my journals.....a favorite poetry book, or a scrapbook of mine, they will be sure to find a feather.............a long curled tail feather from one of the barnyard roosters, or a small fluffy feather from one of the hens who are busily fluffing their nests in the hen house.

The reason I love them so , you might ask?

Years ago, when we moved away from the growling street that we once lived on in town and were blessed enough to call this place out in the country.........our home...........the first thing I did to start working on my farm dream, was to purchase a handful of small baby fluff balls............chickens.

My life has never been the same since.

 Instead of roaring cars and fire engine sirens that constantly shook me from my sleep in town, now the early morning crow of the rooster, helps to announce the beginning of a new day. It is the alarm clock that I hope to always awaken to till I am a hundred years old. The crooning of the hens and their eagerness to greet me each day and to leave me a nest full of fresh eggs is something that will always remain in my memory..............I pray, even when I get too old to ..........remember.

If I should ever have the misfortune of not having chickens.........someday...........these feathers will still be there for me to reflect on a life that I have come to cherish.

I have been thinking about starting another small crazy quilt...........and this feather might be a great addition to it...........or I might frame this along side a photo of one of my hens............

what do you think?

How about you?

Is there something that you have come to love and find inspiration in?

A garden of roses perhaps?...............or a buzzing bee?

I would love to hear!

The vintage rose design that I posted for you on May 31 post........

has turned out to be one of my favorites to hand embroider.

Have any of you traced off your design yet?

I worked the rose in three different shades of red.....................

I usually love to work pink roses..........but this design seemed to call for a more vintage look of red.........

then I selected several different colors for the leaves and vines..............

Over the years, I have come to love the different hues of green that one can find in leaves and foliage.

How about you?

This time, I wanted to experiment with a few light colors on the leaves. I also wanted the thorns on the stem to stand out a little. I always tend to make the small daisies into blue forget-me-nots.

I love the way these colors all worked together, giving the piece almost an nostalgic charm to it.

As you can see, I decided not to place the french knot/eyelet holes in the inside heart space(see the design above), but decided to leave that space blank. It would be a perfect spot to monogram an initial for pillowcases or towels..............

don't you think?

And here it is...............I really enjoyed working on this piece.

Have any of you started to embroider this design yet?

If so, what color did you chose for the roses.............the leaves...........

and the small daisies.

I would love to hear about it and to see your work!

While tending my flower gardens, this beautiful creature posed long enough for me to take a photo of it...............even though I am sure it is one of many who are destroying half of my blooms.............

I love the insect world.............

the creatures in it are full of design and color..............

and a bit whimsical..........

don't you think?

I think this creature just might be a design in my next book I am working on..................

How about you?

Do you love some insects?

The graceful butterfly............the busy bee...............

or  the jeweled back beetle perhaps?

I would love to hear!

A little bit added to what you've already got, gives you a little bit more.........

P.G.Wodehouse

I think on this quote a lot as I work my stitches into my designs. While standard embroidery is charming on it's own, adding just a few more stitches...........

 is like having a garden full of beautiful flowers...................and then..........

a butterfly lightly glides in to rest on one.

It can make all of the difference in the world.

There are some designs that I chose to simply hand embroider with the standard outline stitch................

and then there are some designs that just beg me to bring them to life..............

with just  a little bit added.

How about you?

Do you find yourself changing a design or

adding a little bit to it?

I would love to hear!