I'm Back...

We had a quick spring break trip that was rather rushed, but lots of fun nonetheless...

We enjoyed our time around Phoenix, Arizona.

The saguaros were so fascinating ~ I kept taking photos as each one is so unique.


Springtime in the desert is lovely ~ as all is in bloom...

The colors were lovely.

We stopped by the Casa Grande Ruins.

Iwasn't sure what to expect, but knew that if it is a National Monument it was something that we shouldn't miss.

It was definitely worth the ride.

And the ride there and back was a great opportunity to view the landscape.

Of course the real reason we were there was for:

The Baseball!

Three games in three days at three different ballparks. Cheering for the Cubs, of course, and even enjoying a Cubs vs. White Sox game. The Cubs won two games and tied one.

It was a great opportunity to get up close and personal.

Closer that we can usually get at Wrigley Field.

And the opportunities for photos and autographs were fun, too.

I'm probably the only person who would pack a wool project to take to the desert, but airplane delays and cool evenings helped me come home with a finish :)

Maggie Bonanomi's

"Never Enough Hearts"

Country Sampler club kit 2010

The quick escape was just what the family needed.

It was definitely worth the craziness of trying to catch up the rest of the week.

I'm almost done with two projects I'm trying to finish in time for Easter. Hopefully I'll be back soon with a peek.

Wishing you a thoughtful Holy Week.

Blessings, Patti

Early Spring Finish

It was a productive weekend! I was able to get some stitching in between basketball games - it was playoff weekend for my youngest son. After spending every year of his career on losing teams, he was finally on a winning team! Even more important was his soft-spoken coach who stressed good sportsmanship over winning and an entire team of wonderful teammates that high fived "good tries". It was so wonderful to watch my reluctant player blossom with this team to be the best that he could be :)

They ended the season in first place, made it to the championship game, but lost... After an initial disappointment, he is very proud of himself and his two trophies :)

Here's my finish:

"Lion & Lamb Sampler"

by The Prairie Schooler

Book #146 Daffodils

I love the backing fabric that I found for it.

Now to decide what to work on next...

I may not be back for a bit as we are taking a quick little trip for spring break.

I'll be packing my projects first ;)

Hopefully I'll have another finish when I return!

Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge. Selah
~Psalm 62:8

Blessings, Patti

Chicago Flower & Garden Show

Today after work I took a walk to the Chicago Flower & Garden Show at Navy Pier.

I only had one hour, but it was definitely the reprieve from winter that I needed.
The ponds and gardens are incredible and to think that they are created inside for a 10 day show. Wow!

Walking through the gardens I felt myself begin to relax immediately.

The scent of spring in the air was divine.

The bright colors were so cheery, it will be quite some time before I see these colors in my garden...


There was an incredible Bonsai exhibit. I've always loved bonsai, but know that I don't have a green thumb inside...

The volunteer at the bonsai exhibit said that this was the most photographed specimen. You can almost imagine walking through this miniature forest.

This tablescape exhibit made me smile.

It's been a long time since I watched the movie, hmmm maybe a good idea for this weekend.

On the way home we had our first spring thunderstorm ~ thunder, lightening, and pouring rain.

Maybe spring is on its way after all...

Blessings, Patti

Stitching Getaway Finishes

Every year I bring more projects to Galena than I could ever possibly do, but there is nothing wrong with wishful thinking :)

I finished up a few pinkeep gifts that I can't share yet...

And I put in another row and a half on this Heartstring Samplery piece...

I stitched up my Stacy Nash club piece and put it together after I arrived home.

I decided to use this piece to celebrate the upcoming 25th wedding anniversary of my dear husband and I. So I changed the date to reflect the year we were married.

The inside of this needlebook features a velvet heart that I aged, although it is showing up rather bright in this photo.

On the other side I added a muslin tag to commemorate our anniversary and added some antique buttons and a rusty old safety pin.

It was late and I was tired, but I wanted to finish this piece so I decided to use ribbon for the ties rather than make the cording.

Once I returned from our stitching trip, I started this piece on my daily train commute. We started March with over a foot of snow on the ground, so I started by stitching the lion. We've had several days over freezing now and the snow is finally starting to melt. I guess I can start stitching the lamb now :) These aren't my usual colors, so I think that I will gently age it when I am all done.

Do you have any happy dance finishes to share??

Blessings, Patti

And the winner is...

ME!

You didn't realize that I was up for an Oscar did you?

Did you know that the Oscar statues are made in Chicago?
To celebrate tonight's Academy Awards, they had a display at North Bridge Mall on Michigan Avenue showing how they make the statues and various Oscars presented over the years. As part of the exhibit you can have your photo taken. I go to North Bridge for lunch a few days a week and noticed the long line at lunch hour. On Friday I went to lunch late and no one was there. The people working the booth were trying to get people to come in for photos, so they finally convinced me to do it. We all have to be silly once in a while :)

I hope to have my housework done and be sitting with my stitching when the show comes on tonight... I better get back to that laundry now.

I'll be back soo. to share some of the stitching projects I worked on during our stitching getaway.

Blessings, Patti

A Stitching Getaway

Last weekend our stitch club had our annual getaway to Galena, Illinois. The weather was good ~ sunny all weekend but cold. We obviously have a ways to go until spring...


It's a beautiful hilly part of the state and we enjoyed the scenery. We did some shopping in Rockford, Illinois on our way there. And we decided to take a day trip to Dubuque, Iowa right on the Mississippi River ~ something we've never done before. It was definitely worth the ride and will now be an annual part of our trip.

We did a little shopping in Cable Car Square. And were surprised to see...

Cable cars! They are closed for the season, but still were fun to see. We hear that this is the way Santa arrives on the Friday after Thanksgiving.

We stopped at The Cotton Cabin Quilt Shop and found it to be a delightful shop.

Our favorite shop was right at the base of the cable cars...

Willows! Wow! I could have spent the entire day there and still wouldn't have seen everything! It was a wonderful mix of antiques and home decor ~ with lots of incredible ideas on how to display them throughout your home.

In every room and around every corner I found a stunning vignette that I just loved.

This was my absolute favorite scene and one that I daydream about since :) I love that tower of metal document / cash boxes.

Here are the treasures that I bought from Willows. I couldn't leave without a metal document box and I loved the red wire handles on this one. They were displaying compotes under glass cloches and I thought this pewter one would fit perfectly under mine at home. The little iron candle holder is new and was on sale for $4 ~ how could I pass it up? And this vintage red, cream and blue ticking will be sure to show up in some patriotic creations this summer.

Here is my start at a tower of document boxes. My newest one is on the bottom. Mine will never be as big as the one at the Willows as I've been collecting the smallest ones that I can find :)

Between the Cotton Cabin and Quilters General Store in Rockford, I picked up some new fabrics. I have lots of hand-dyed wools, but this time I found the wool plaids calling to me along with some wonderful fabrics by French General and a Lincoln print as well.

I found two frames on sale - one had grained and the other a pale blush (just pleading for a spring time stitchery.)

I found a few patterns that I couldn't resist either. I really hope to stitch up the two bunny patterns on top before Easter. Well, I can dream can't I :) ?

Back at the house we rented in The Territory, our talented friend Cathy gave us a class in scrapbooking. We started with our club photo from our Christmas Party and the wonderful supplies that Cathy brought. It's interesting how each one turned out just a little bit different...

Mine is in the middle of the middle row. Mine has a big blank space in the lower right hand corner where I plan to tie on an antique skeleton key with a ribbon. Once I do I'll take a close up photo and share it...

It was a wonderful weekend filled with memories to cherish.

Blessings, Patti