TDIPT update tonight!

Tonight I will be updating my offerings on TDIPT Mercantile. This month our theme is Christmas in July ~ so be sure to stop by ~ it will have you thinking cool no matter what the temps in your corner of the world :)

I will be "on vacation" from July 3 - 11 and will answer all emails when I return.

I did have one more offering this month and thought I would share it here with you...

Antique Stars
I had been thinking about the Antique Hearts that I made in February and decided that I wanted to make some stars using antique quilt tops. I also made a little flag pillow using red aged ticking and a vintage blue plaid for the field of stars.
I am offering these pillows for $10 each plus shipping.

~* All are sold. Thank you so very much! *~

I'm off to go see the other artists offerings at TDIPT Mercantile...

Blessings, Patti

p.s. Don't forget to page down to my three giveaways below and enter to win before I reach that 100th post!

My First Giveaway(s)

It's hard to believe that an entire year has passed since I started blogging! It has brought such joy to me and I am thankful to the dear friends that encouraged me right from the beginning. I have such a thankful heart to all the friends that I have "met" and all the inspiring blogs that I have found along the way.

July 1st marks my one year anniversary with TDIPT Mercantile! I can't tell you how thrilled I was to be asked to join this talented and caring group of women. I'm not sure that I am in the same calliber, but they have inspired me and helped me to stretch my creative wings - Thank you for letting me be a part of the Mercantile.

To celebrate I created a little group of strawberries from antique fabrics and quilt tops. I've attached them to a mother-of-pearl ring - perfect for hanging. To enter my first give-away please comment on this post - be sure to add your email address so that I am sure to find you :) I know I have several friends out there who are uncomfortable commenting on blogs - so please feel free sending me an email instead to pgagliardi9@hotmail.com just be sure to put Winding Vine Giveaway #1 in the subject field so that I am sure to add your name.

"And above all these put on love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in one body. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God."

-Colossians 3:14-16


Blessings with a thankful heart, Patti

Giveaway #2

The idea of having a giveaway was such fun, that I decided not to stop with one :)

My second giveaway is this tomato pincushion and strawberry emery.


I talk a lot about my strawberry patch on this blog and how much joy it brings me. For the first time I decided to actually weigh in all the berries that we picked this season. The patch is winding down now and soon I will add it up to find the total.


For this giveaway, guess my total strawberry crop in pounds and ounces and either comment on this post or email me at pgagliardi9@hotmail.com with Winding Vine Giveaway #2 in the subject.

Giveaway #3

I've come to the conclusion that my 40 something eyes don't care much for silk gauze anymore :)

If you are interested this Heart's Content "Floral Wreath" silk gauze kit with Au Ver A Soie silk, comment on this post only or send an email to pgagliardi9@hotmail.com with a subject of Winding Vine Giveaway #3 and you'll be entered.



Watch for my 100th post which will be the winners to all three of these giveaways.



Blessings, Patti

Strawberry Summer

Happy Summer Solstice!

Happy Father's Day!

One of my joys of Summer is my strawberry patch. It's not very big - about the size of a twin bed, but it makes me very happy. I love watching for the first flowers. Watching the tiny fruit grow. Watching them slowly ripen and waiting for that first sweet taste.

Don't you love this sweet antique bowl? My grandmother had one just like it. She would have my sister or I mix an egg with the coffee grounds in it before putting the coffee in the percolator. My sister was overjoyed to have the bowl after grandma and grandpa passed - complete with all the memories it held. But it bothered her that I didn't have it (it didn't bother me - I was so happy that she had it :) but that is just how we are...) One day she was in an antique store and found a twin and bought it for me - wasn't that sweet?! Now we both have Grandma's bowl.

As soon as strawberry season begins, I find myself being inspired to create strawberries with needle and thread. Each year I doing something a little different. The Need'l Love Thread books provide lots of inspiration.

This year I thought I would try something different:

A bunch of berries made of antique fabrics

and a single berry, too.

Wishing you a summer filled with simple pleasures!

Be sure to watch for my next post and my first give-away! I'm celebrating my first anniversary blogging and my first anniversary with TDIPT.

Blessings, Patti

A Storm and A Finish

We had quite the storms yesterday - one in the morning and another in the evening. We received 4 inches of rain, so my rain barrel is filled again :) We had wind gusts of 70 mph. We live in a town with lots of old trees and they sure took the brunt of the storm. A huge old tree in front of our public library was felled. We've all spent time reading on the benches sheltered under that tree... Another large tree fell and blocked our street and another blocked our alley. It was definitely interesting running errands this morning.

I'm very happy with my project that I finished today -

I love this piece "May Flowers" designed by Maggie Bonanomi. It was supposed to be a table runner, but I shortened it and made it into a bell pull instead. I belong to two clubs through The Country Sampler - a Maggie Bonanomi club and a Stacy Nash Club. My goal this year is to finish each club piece before I receive the next kit. So far, so good! I'm hoping to finish the Stacy Nash kit in the next week or so... and then I expect two new kits in July.

On the back of larger pieces, I add an antique ticking tag with my name, where and when I made it and a quote or phrase that reminds me what was going on as I made it. In this case, I'm in a Sunday School study class based on the book - "What's so Amazing about Grace?" by Philip Yancy.

"Grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us more...

And grace means there is nothing we can do to make God love us less.."

-PhilipYancy

I love that message.

Blessings, Patti

Happy Flag Day!

I hope that you had a sunny day to fly the stars and stripes in your corner of the world. I think that today was the first beautiful summer day that we've had so far. It was so nice to host our stitch club outside for a garden party of stitching. I stopped in my favorite local antique/resale shop yesterday looking for a vintage 50's printed tablecloth.

But when I found this cross-stitched blue table cloth with red accents for the same price, I knew that I had to buy it! It was a little too short for the table, but oh well it will do.

I had one finish this weekend - "Dutch Strawberries" by Goode Huswife. I was inspired so I made a few aged velvet strawberry pincushions too.

I received a wonderful surprise from my husband and youngest son last weekend:

A rain barrel! I was so excited - I've wanted one for a year. This one is even more special because they made it for me!

They quickly hooked it up to the downspout as it was looking like rain. Sure enough it was filled up in no time at all! 55 gallons of lovely rainwater that my flowers will just love!

Wishing you a lovely week

Blessings, Patti

School's out for Summer!

It's official - school is out and our last child is done with elementary school. I have to admit I shed a few tears today. I'm now the mother of a teenager and a pre-teen. Oh my! How in the world did I get here?!?!

Our school principal retired today. She arrived at school in a parade of bagpipes. She left leading a parade of the 5th graders moving on to middle school.


Sunday afternoon is stitch club and this month I am hosting it. I'm thinking that if the weather cooperates maybe I'll have a garden party...

Wishing you sunshine and smiles this weekend!

Blessings, Patti

TDIPT Artists' Homes

In honor of the TDIPT blog upcoming 100th post, we've gathered photos of the work of the talented TDIPT artists that we display in our own homes. Be sure to stop by the TDIPT blog and take a peek. The be sure to stop back there again on Friday, June 12th for a TDIPT 100th post Giveaway!

Hmmm come to think of it my 100th post is coming up here on Winding Vine Wanderings... I think I better work on a giveaway here as well :)

Blessings, Patti

p.s. A few posts ago, I mentioned that I was going to read "Twilight" by Stephenie Meyer to see what all the fuss was about... Well, 40 hours later the book is done and I KNOW what the fuss was about ;). (I should mention that I worked 18 of those 40 hours.) I'm on to "New Moon"!

Treasures

Well, I didn't get any crafting done this weekend. I usually stay up until 12:00 or 1:00 every night, but this weekend I haven't been able to stay awake past 11:00. I did however reread Daddy Long Legs (see the previous post) and it was just as wonderful as I remembered...

Our local historical society had their annual antique flea market on Saturday. Since it was just down the street, I had to stop and see what treasures I could find. And of course, I did find some treasures:

How could I resist?? Years ago my parents, sister and I did a lot of antiquing together. We had a saying, "We'll buy anything for a $1!" and three of my purchases above were for a $1 each. The "wool primer", the stitching sampler and the primitive stick on top. Any idea what the stick is? If you know, be sure to tell me :) I was thinking it might be a washing stick and I was thinking of using it to put my fabrics in and out of the dye pot. Did you see the size of the two keys on top?! I love them!

The painting on the right is quite a treasure - my first antique theorem in its original frame! I have several theorems in my kitchen, mostly still lifes of bowls of fruit. Up til now I've been purchasing new thereom paintings made by current artists in the traditional style. Theorem paintings were created in the Victorian era by painting on velvet - usually with stencils. Here's a close-up of the beautiful work:

I asked the woman that I purchased it from if she knew anything about it. She said she purchased it from an elderly woman who said that it had always hung in her childhood home. The elderly woman decided to sell it because she was constantly having visitors and she felt it was because of the painting :) It's already hanging on my kitchen wall. I wonder if I'll be getting a lot of visitors now?

Isn't this stitching sampler special? It is marked in pencil with the needlewoman's name at top with each of the stitches labeled lightly in pencil. I can't decide... shall I frame it, make it into a pillow, or gently lay it in a treenware bowl with some old sewing implements? What do you think?

I hope that your weekend was filled with treasures!

Blessings, Patti

Books & Letters

I've just finished reading The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. It's a lovely book that I truly enjoyed. It made me want to book a trip to the Guernsey Islands to see if I could locate my new friends - the characters in this book.

The book is written solely as letters and correspondence between the characters. It's amazing how quickly you come to know the characters through their letters. It started me thinking of a favorite book that I read growing up:


Did you read Daddy Long Legs? It too was written in letters. I was so delighted to find this copy at a recent estate sale. It is copyrighted 1912. I'm not sure if it is a "first edition", but it certainly is an early one.

I haven't read this book in decades and now would love to read it again. I'd like to read this edition so that I can think of all the other young women who have read from this copy over the ages... But I will need to be careful, it's in good shape, but fragile nontheless. Not a good book for tucking in my briefcase :)

Next up: Twilight by Stephanie Meyer. I need to see what the fuss is all about :)

What good book have you read lately? Or still cherish from your younger years?

Blessings, Patti

Welcome June!

June is here and right on cue my peonies are blooming. We planted the peony last year after it had bloomed and I was ever so anxious to see the flowers in person. They are definitiely worth the wait!

The strawberries are ripening and we picked and ate our first two pounds over the weekend.

TDIPT Mercantile is featuring a theme of A Day at the Fair for the month of June. I was truly inspired my the theme and had lots of fun creating this months offerings:

I stitched up two more keys for my year-long series - Key to my Garden Gate and Key to Strawberry Jam.

I hand-stitched some blue ribbon produce - vintage styled tomato pincushions with strawberry emeries.

The Day at the Fair also inspired a blue ribbon horse - appliqued to a vintage quilt top square.

And finally from the poultry barn a sweet hen and her chicks.

Stop by the TDIPT Mercantile to see all the lovely offerings from the fair.

Blessings, Patti