Stitched mail

It got a little bunched...a little messy and thready in spots.

But it's an envelope-- a stitched envelope-- so that just adds to the ART of it, right?

Yep, that's what I think, too.

I'm stuck on the  envelope art theme right now, and enjoying every moment that I've spent on it, in my "free time." :)

the small things

This was another uber-easy project, while I was recovering. Too ill to go jogging, scrub floors... but I could sew!

This was simply a matter of tracing the stencil letter-outline, then filling it in, and sewing it up. I used a bright gingham backer, to tie the colors together.

I mentioned games in a previous post. We played Richard Scary's Busytown over and over...
and over and over and over...

Sure, it's as cute as can be but, by the end of the weekend, I was soooo tired of searching for umbrellas and kites. Still, it's my Littlest 'Un's current favorite game so I mustered all the excitement I could, and grabbed my little orange magnifying glass. Beautiful games make repetition bearable.


All in all, the time spent sick was well worth it.
Little home touches were completed, slowly but surely, and we spent a LOT of time just hanging out and relaxing together.

Hand-sewn homes

I've been sick for about two weeks now, and have felt worse lately than I did at the beginning. Ugh. All this after I gave my husband "a talk" about his health, how I'd like to transition our family away from white flour entirely, etc. Then I get sick. And there goes my point ~~poof~~ up in smoke. I'd like to think that my diet/habits have caused it to be less severe than it could've been.

Anyhow, I've had to say no to numerous fun social events and have spent a lot of time just playing cards with the kids, watching family movies, sewing. All in all, a welcome change from our sometimes-fast-paced-lifestyle.

Here are some hand-sewn homes I did this past week. The edges are left raw, and sprayed with "no fray." I like the raw look, and figure they won't require much washing.

Each home is about 12-18 inches tall. The fabric comes from the collection I inherited from Mimi.

Home is where your heart is, yes.

A Wendy Wing-It Sewing Night

I was inspired the other night to make a little something for myself...

With my own Wing-It pattern...

.... and some quick twisty orange-reddish flowers to embellish it with...

Can you guess what it is now...?

Final pictures tomorrow. :)

Oh, yes, I am...

...still here, that is. Busy, plugging along, fighting off a cold, and having a pretty awesome time on break. And, yes, we're still on break. Until Monday.
woot, woot.

recap:
Surprise visit from one of my favorite people! October, nice shirt. Looks like something my husband would wear.

Hand-sewn Picasso pillow, totally inspired by Michelle my Belle.

Love, love, love her art and her shop.This is what I do when my Man wants me to watch a movie with him. Some of us can't.ever.sit.still.

Then there was Cooking Club Girls Night Out, to celebrate seeing Jami!

Do I have the most gorgeous, awesome friends or what?!

Erin, Angie, Michele

The preggers: Michele, Megan, Tracy (only two weeks left for Trac!!)

Tracy and me (c'mon, let's all say "awwww")

Megan and Jami

We've been doing crafts and science experiments, field trips, and manners

boot camp during this Christmas vacation. Lots to blog about.

Plus, our 100th Day of School is on Monday. Yippee!!

I'm busy planning lessons and field trips, and tweaking our daily schedule. Plus Art. Lots of art in the works. I'm participating in the Sketchbook challenge, and have been working on my Highly Prized drawing. Please let me know if you're doing it, too!

I'm back, guys, so stay tuned for more... :D

Paintings and Buttons

Still sick. *cough cough*

The world is coming through a fog of cold medicine, Echinacea tea, cough drops, and Tylenol. Bleh ;/

That puts a damper on my normal activities, to be sure. School slllloooo-ooowed way down this week. We did our "normal stuff" but on low gear, without the bells and whistles. i miss the whistles.

Crafting has also taken an easy turn.

The other night, I cuddled my honey on the couch, watched a movie, and sewed buttons all over this Christmas tree pillow, for my LittleLad to use. The "ornaments" are just felt hearts, with slits in the middle, for buttoning. Easy and relaxing work, for someone who can't sit still.

It was a big hit.

Meaning, he left me alone for a full 30 minutes while he buttoned ornaments! Great fine motor practice, too. See, I did have a benefit in mind for him. He struggles with buttoning his shirts, and I figured some extra "fun practice" might help.

Then, this evening, Papaw surprised us with wooden unfinished nutcrackers from Hobby Lobby. We spent a good long time painting our new decorations...
Check out Dash's concentration! Man, if he would get that motivated about handwriting, we'd really be in business!




And LittleLad, before he ditched the paintbrush and decided to fingerpaint his nutcracker...and the table...
The Artist, working slowly and carefully, as she always does...
NatureMan's work in progress. Somehow I missed getting a picture of him working.

Don't you just love the tongue? When the kids were put to bed, and the house grew amazingly quiet this evening,

I decided to take advantage of the extra paint on the plate.

Never waste paint!

My picture, still untitled:

What do you think it "says"? Any guesses?

Close up

I'm a texture girl

Now I need me some tea and soup, a wool blanket, and some tv time. Must get well.

Giving Thanks & Making Felt Flower Headbands!

We had a wonderful meal with Papaw at his house, on Thanksgiving Day. He made ham, double duchess potatoes, homemade bread, salad, pies... so much good food. We talked about and remembered Mimi. I'm finding that I can miss her terribly, but think about her now without feeling sad. We have so many wonderful memories.... So very much to be thankful for.

After supper, we made cinnamon rolls and the played with the kids while the bread rose...

and read lots of stories, of course.

On Black Friday we avoided the stores, as if they were a plague, and gathered at Mom and Dad's house, with my sisters and their families for the big event. The meal was amazing! Thank you, Mom, for so much hard work and incredible food.

Excuse our bad manners.

(Green beans hanging from my mouth, and turkey from Fred's. mmmm) Then off to the park. It was freeeeezing, but they ran off some energy and went back a bit calmer.

Plus it gave the guys some football bonding time. ;)

Love this one. My LittleLad cowboy strolling along with his great-grandfather, hand in hand.

And now, because this is super-long-post-time, I'll go ahead and share my felt flower projects. While Fred and I watch movies at night, I do laundry and then sew.
It's our evening routine lately.

I handsew them, and add pins to the back of my flowers, so they'll be interchangeable on
jackets, headbands, shoes, what have you.

This is the one I'm wearing to Cooking Club tonight.

Ta Ta, my dears! Hoping and praying that your household stays warm and safe,
full of thanks and joy,
creativity and excitement!