Valentine's day is almost here........and although I have lots of creative ideas..................

I always seem to be running behind every holiday when it comes to making things.........

until this time. I finally managed to get slightly ahead and made these little 

heart pockets 

to tuck jewelry 

little hand lotions and lip gloss.......

or Valentine candy in.

I made some with floral print fabric, 

some in decorative tie dye,

some in red and white........of course........

and I couldn't leave out roses.

I embellished them with beads 

and edged in embroidery.

Perfect for making those Valentine trinkets special.

If you are interested in these

they can be purchased through my Etsy shop.

Just click onto this link to visit

Yesteryear Embroideries. 

How about you?

Are you creating and making decorating plans for Valentine;s Day?

I would love to hear!

These last few days have been frozen and cold,

with the power going off and on at times......

Giving me lots of time to stay inside and work on one of the unfinished projects I spoke about in my earlier post. This is a vintage linen tablecloth and napkin set with hand drawn work on the bottom edges. 

The light purple edge with the dark purple stripes led me 

to draw a morning glory design on to them for the embroidery. The napkins have a small morning glory bud on each corner.........

and the tablecloth has a cluster of morning glories on each corner in colors of 

lavender, purple, and blues. 

My question to you is..........

as you can see it has a pretty border edge and drawn work.........

but there is still a large space in between the clusters of morning glories on the tablecloth. Do you think I should leave that space and let the tablecloth just have each corner embroidered, or should I embroider in the space between them?

If so, should I embroider a vine, connecting the blossoms...........

or should  I work another morning glory flower or cluster there?

I would love to hear!

**** My son flew in from Hawaii for a short leave before he is to be deployed and he brought us a fresh pineapple! I made a wonderful upside down pineapple cake using my 

iron skillet! 

If you would like that recipe, just click onto the link that will take you to my cooking blog

My Country Kitchen

Saying goodbye to a year full of stitches

and looking forward to a year full of new stitches to learn and.......

........hopefully projects finished?

It seems that no matter how many days I have with every year to stitch, I never seem to have enough time to stitch and finish  every thing that I have started working on ..........

is that the way it is for you?

I looked through all of the things I have labeled

"works in progress"

and have decided to devote at least one day a week to working on them.......

well, it's a good idea at least........don't you think?

I even have them all placed in a work basket beside my stitching table, so I have no excuse to ignore them..........

How about you? 

Are there things to stitch, paint, or create that you have started and not finished........

and then declare that this is the year to get it all done?

Maybe a new job has stolen your time away............

or maybe new things have happened within your family that has

taken your attention...........

One thing I have always loved about embroidery..........

no matter how stress packed and busy my day has been,

it is always so relaxing to end my day with a few stitches......

it seems to calm the worries in my head

and to think things through as I work.

Here's wishing you a new year for a creative journey with time and enjoyment for all the things you wish to do!

Happy New Year!

May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through!

Merry Christmas everyone!

I have a wonderful Christmas cookie recipe posted on my cooking blog

just click onto this link  

Cherry Almond Snowdrops

My rusted screen stitching and pincushions has captured attention

thanks to a dear friend who scooped them up and took them to show her co-workers, 

who loved them..........

These past days I have been stitching flowers

butterflies,

birds, 

and snowmen......all on rusted screen wire. 

Pincushions have also been a favorite. 

 I am thrilled that a desire to use up my scrap material and old rusted screen  has served a use for others to enjoy! 

I also found the perfect vintage tree for my vintage shop.........

do any of you remember these ceramic trees?

A friend had given this to me years ago.........

and now it sweetly lights up a corner in my shop!

So tell me...........

have you gotten your holiday decorating done?

Are you busy painting, stitching, and creating those last minute gifts?

I would love to hear!

Did you know that J C Penny once sold embroidery kits?

  I found this out when I purchased this beautiful stitched piece at a junk store. It was lying underneath a few things on a table and I just happened to see a corner of it, when I pulled it up.

 Someone had written on the back that it was purchased at the downtown J C Penny store in 1978.

The entire piece  is so beautifully stitched 

 and at first I thought that is was an already stitched picture that was purchased from the store. 

 However, I researched and found that it was actually a stamped kit that looks like this.The company that supplied J C  Penny these kits was 

Paragon Needle Craft

Paragon made 127 kits from 1937-1982 and are still making kits today.

Little is known about Paragon Needlecraft except that it was in business for 60+ years selling quilt kits and different kinds of needlecraft kits thru stores such as: J.C. Penny, Sears, Macy’s, etc and catalogs, especially thru Lee Wards. The following is taken from an online site about National Media Corporation which is headquartered in Encino, CA.

 National Paragon Corporation was engaged in the needlecraft business for more than 60 years. In 1984 it formed National Syndication, Inc., a subsidiary that managed a variety of specialty catalogs and mail-order businesses. In October 1985 National Paragon filed for bankruptcy protection under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Reform Act. A year later it emerged from Chapter 11 and in November 1986 acquired Media Arts International as part of its approved reorganization plan

The one who stitched this piece so beautifully did not sign her name to it..........these are things I always look for in stitched pieces. 

For years I have been looking for the right picture to hang in our dining room above the doorway . This stitched piece looks perfect for that spot.

How about you? Did you know that J C Penny once sold these kits?

Did you ever purchase and stitch one yourself? 

I would love to hear!

Wishing You A Wonderful Thanksgiving

Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel. 

Author Unknown