Still here... and a little giveaway

Gosh, it has been almost two weeks since my last post. 

Will anyone come back to see me?

Life has been busy with the added stress of a few deadlines - things that I am unable to share yet, but hope it will be worth the wait :) In addition, I have had debilitating headaches for a month now. I've tried to "power through" the best I can, but my concentration and productivity were severely impacted. I was able to see a specialist this week and hope I am on the path to healing. The hardest part of the solution is only eating a very soft diet - nothing harder than pasta. I can't believe it, but I really miss my salads :)

For those of you that are still here, I'd like to have a little giveaway.

I made a little button box out of neutral wool.

Of course, I had to fill the button box with a handful of vintage cream colored buttons of plastic, mother of pearl and glass.

The little box features different wool on each side.

All in neutral creamy tones.

And here are the little handful of buttons.

This little giveaway is open to all.

To enter leave me a comment on this post or if you are not on blogger, feel free to send me an email to:

pgagliardi9@hotmail.com

with the subject "Giveaway" so that I can find it :)

Unfortunately, I won't be back to post again for another long week or so.

I am off to the "From Our Hands and Hearts" workshop in Peninsula, Ohio.

You can read about it here.

I'll be taking classes with Rebekah L. Smith and Stacy Nash! How fun is that?! 

I'm looking forward to seeing old friends and meeting some new ones as well.

(a sneak peek of my Stacy Nash class homework.)

My question for you... I will be traveling I-80 across Indiana and Ohio. Are there any wool, cross stitch, or antique shops near the highway that should not be missed? Any shops near Peninsula that are "must see"s? I don't want to miss anything! Please comment or send me an email if you have any suggestions. 

I'll even give you two entries in the giveaway ;)

I will be back on May 4th with the winner of my giveaway and a full report of the workshop!

"To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

He is the one we proclaim, admonishing and teaching everyone with all wisdom, so that we may present everyone fully mature in Christ."

~Colossians 1:27-28

Blessings, Patti

Hello Sunshine!

When my Mom was up for the quilt show, I was digging around for something wooly and came across this unfinished Maggie Club kit from Country Sampler from 2014. Needless to say it had to be finished right away!

"Sunshine in an Old Zinc Pot"

Maggie Bonanomi Country Sampler Club Kit from 2014

I love how the petals of these yellow flowers look like rays of sunshine :)

The pot called for a linen tag with the year written on it, but I thought I would add a bit of embroidery in a coordinating overdyed perle cotton instead.

I cut the round flowers out with a scalloped pinking shear for interest.

Time to move on to the newest Maggie Club Kit that arrived last week!

We've been lucky enough to have some real sunshine as well. I filled my pots with pansies and pussy willows.

My favorite daffodils are blooming in front of our home.

And the silia are blooming on the side.

And the very first of the magnolia blooms have just started to open....

Hoping that you find a bit of sunshine in your corner of the world this week!

"I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

~John 10:10

 

I'm linking up with Super Mom - No Cape! For a Stitchery Link Party - take a peek here.

 

Blessings,Patti

April finishes...

It's time to share my Buttermilk Basin April finishes!

First is April from the "Year in Stitches Collection"

This is April from The Live Simply BOM

bound in blush velvet

And my most recent finish - April from Basin Banners Thru the Year

bound in tea dyed blush velvet with black snaps for the chicks eyes.

I love those chicks!

And do you remember this wonderful mat?

My mom had made it for my sister for Christmas

Well, I decided to make my sister a little Easter present to go with it.

It's not very "Eastery", but

I made her a little wool box out of the same color family of wool.

It has an antique shoe button and old key closure.

And inside a star to match her mat.

I think she liked it :)

"The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven."

~Hebrew 1:3

Blessings, Patti

Springtime in Chicago

The weather in Chicago is always unpredictable, especially in the Spring!

On the first day of spring break, my oldest son woke up to six inches of snow.

Needless to say he was not happy and neither was I!

That same week, my sister had jury duty downtown in the Loop.

I ran over and met her for lunch.

Her timing was perfect as it coincided with the annual flower show at Macy's on State Street.

After lunch, we took a quick stroll through it.

It smelled so divine

And it warmed the soul to see so many beautiful flowers

I loved the Van Gogh inspired "Starry Night" wall in this room

Chihuly inspired glass sculptures always "shine" with a background of flowers.

I felt myself thawing out and warming up :)

On the way back to Daley Plaza, we took a short cut through the Pedway, where they had an exhibit of Victorian Era stained glass.

I loved the fish in the pond above.

The autumn colors of the leaves in these windows were stunning.

It felt like a mini vacation in that one hour - a true getaway!

Thanks for calling me Pam!

It was so much fun to share this with you and to escape for just a while!

And just to let you know, we have thawed out and on Easter Sunday I found this in my backyard

The tiniest miniature daffodils I ever did see ~ not even three inches tall!

"The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me."

Galatians 2:20

Blessings, Patti

A Blessed Easter!

Maggie Bonanomi design from Needl Love Springtime Threads

I thought that I would share some favorite Easter and Spring finishes from over the years...

Stacy Nash

Notforgotten Farm

Notforgotten Farm

The Wooden Needle

The Ginger Cookie Company

Wishing you a Blessed Easter filled with faith, family and friends.

"The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay."

~Matthew 28:5-6

Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed!

Blessings, Patti

International Quilt Show ~ Purchases and Progress

I tried to be good at the quilt show this year ~ truly I did!

Craft Corner is bursting at the seams and I could never possibly stitch all that I have, 

but still all the lovely things I saw beckoned to me...

Who can possibly resist a few wool packs from Primitive Gatherings and Mary Flanagan Woolens?

And lovely mustard wool from Holly & Ivy

I have a specific project in mind for these, but don't think that I will get to it until June...

I loved these hand-dyed #5 perle cotton thread cards from House of Embroidery and these tweezers from Primitive Gatherings will be perfect for the next time I use Glad Press'n Seal !

Two new patterns followed me home...

And these two little pincushion kits were just too sweet!

I just knew that I had to purchase something from Carried Away Designs! Aren't these colors lovely?! 

And another kit is on order...

My Mom brought some show and tell with her on the train.

One project is in process and it is a stunner! She completely redid the color planning from when I was down last and she really knocked it out of the ball park! But I think I will wait to share until it is completely done...

In the meantime, Mom is all caught up on the Buttermilk Basin mystery block of the month.

Her stitching as always is lovely.

And the antique flour sack background is perfect.

I love that the she is keeping the color scheme consistent :)

I can't wait to see more!

But all in due time...

"fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God."

~Hebrews 12:2

Blessings, Patti