Just a quick note...

Just a quick note as I am headed out of town...

I'm heading to Florida for a business trip. Will post again when I can. 

Thought I would share my little purchases from an Estate Sale this weekend.

At an interesting home with a lovely garden.

They had a sweet garden railway around the perimeter.

And a lovely old greenhouse - be still my heart!

Wishing you a lovely week.

Blessings, Patti

May Day Offerings

Happy May Day to you! 

Unfortunately, here in Chicago it feels more like March than May as it was only in the 40's, dreary and rainy today.

Somehow this month has gotten away from me. I’ve been undergoing physical therapy for my knees and it (along with the home exercises) is seriously interfering with my stitching time ;) but I squeeze it in whenever I can. I did manage to create a few small offerings.

My first offering is a charming key fob. This Nikyscreation design was created from a kit sent all the way from Italy. Home Sweet Home key fob measures 2.5 by 3 inches and is backed with a coordinating soft striped flannel. It is filled with crushed walnut shells for weight and then edged with a hand-dyed chenille trim. The little house is accented with a wool roof. A vintage lace ribbon is used to attach the antique brass skeleton key to the fob. The key can be removed if you would prefer to use it as a scissor fob for your favorite sewing scissors. 

Home Sweet Home key fob is offered at $22 plus shipping.

My next offering this month is Spring Lily Pinkeep ~ based on a lovely design by Jenny Hoffman of Country Rustic Primitives. I love Lilies of the Valley and they usually bloom in May here on Winding Vine, but this year I am thinking they will be quite delayed as the sprouts are barely appearing. This cross-stitched piece on blue hand dyed linen is backed with the same green and tan checked flannel as appears on the front. It is accented with vintage baby cream rick rack and a little vintage skate key attached with a corsage pin. It is filled with crushed walnut shells for a nice weight. As with all of my creations, it is completely hand stitched. It measures approximately 3 ½ by 4 inches. 

Spring Lily Pinkeep is offered at $22 plus shipping.

I discovered a sweet vintage seasonal embroidery at an estate sale some time ago. With it, I created a pinkeep to celebrate Spring. It is backed with a vintage cotton print fabric from the same era. It is completely hand sewn and filled with clean sawdust for a wonderful vintage feel. Vintage Spring Pinkeep measures 4 by 6 inches. 

~*Sold. Thank you ever so much!*~

To purchase any of the items above, please email me at pgagliardi9@hotmail.com 

I can send a PayPal invoice or I also accept checks and money orders.

For, lo, the winter is past, the rain is over and gone;

The flowers appear on the earth; the time of the singing of birds is come

~Song of Solomon 2:11-12

Blessings, Patti

Miss Emilia Poole & a Winner

Back in February, I bought all sorts of wonderful items that debuted at the Nashville Needlework market. You can read about them here. Have I started any of them? Nope. But that hasn't stopped me from thinking of one of the designs that I had passed up. Miss Emilia Poole by Stacy Nash. I kept thinking about the design, but telling myself that I bought plenty and should start one of the new items that I had already purchased.

Miss Emilia Poole kept coming back to mind...

I couldn't decide which I loved more the darling sewing basket or the sweet little book.

Finally I caved and called Jeanne at Country Sampler in Spring Green, Wisconsin. 

I asked her to kit it all up for me with everything I would need to create both.

Well, it arrived and did not disappoint!

Look at the lovely colors and textures - hand-dyed floss, linen, cotton, wool, velvet and ribbon - all perfectly matched.

*sigh*

Is it wrong to sit and admire it? :)

I am heading out on a busines trip in a week and am thinking that maybe Miss Emilia should join me.

In the meantime, I might just sit and admire a little while longer...

Thanks to those that entered my giveaway.

There were 21 entries and random.org picked #6 - RoseMary of Virginia.

Congratulations RoseMary!

Your package will soon be on its way!

"Blessed be he that cometh in the name of the Lord: 

we have blessed you out of the house of the Lord.

God is the Lord, which hath shewed us light: 

bind the sacrifice with cords, even unto the horns of the altar.

Thou art my God, and I will praise thee: thou art my God, I will exalt thee.

O give thanks unto the Lord; for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever."

~Psalm 118: 26-29

Blessings, Patti

Springtime Finish

"Live Simply BOM - April"

design by Buttermilk Basin

with blush colored velvet binding

Just had to share my most recent little finish.

Life has been getting in the way of my stitching time lately.

Things aren't going as quickly as I would like.

I will just be grateful for the little stitching that I have done.

I also had to share these daffodils from my garden.

Spring is really here, although the highs the past few days have only been in the low 40's.

There is still time to enter the giveaway in my previous post.

Just click here.

"Love and faithfulness meet together;

righteousness and peace kiss each other.

Faithfulness springs forth from the earth,

and righteousness looks down from heaven.

The Lord will indeed give what is good,

and our land will yield its harvest."

~Psalm 85:10-12

Blessings, Patti

Happy Easter & A Giveaway

He is Risen Indeed!

A favorite Cross Eyed Cricket piece from many years ago - yet I never tire of it.

A New Finish

design by Country Rustic Primitives designed by Jenny Hoffman

and some of the pansies that survived last week's snow.

And on to the giveaway...

Each year the Easter children's message is about the resurrection butterfly.

How Jesus was like caterpillar when he lived his life like us on earth. When he died and was buried, he was wrapped in burial cloths like a cocoon. But then Jesus rose from the dead like a beautiful butterfly.

This little giveaway celebrates the resurrection butterfly with this little pinkeep with vintage embroidery, a bit of vintage flowered ribbon, some old mother of pearl buttons and an antique skeleton key.

Everyone is welcome to enter. Simply leave a comment on this post or email me at pgagliardi9@hotmail.com with "Resurrection" in the subject line and tell what your favorite part of Easter is. 

I will pick a winner on Friday, April 25th.

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.Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.’ Now I have told you.”

~Matthew 28:5-7

Wishing you a Happy Easter!

Blessings, Patti

More Easter decor...

I thought I would share the rest of the photos of my Easter decorations.

Antique mohair rabbit, Schneeman cabbage leaves, Turkey Hollow eggs

Some favorite finishes of Stacy Nash designs and an antique tramp art box.

Velvet carrot by me.

Prim chicks and egg in an antique trencher with make-do repair.

Crepe paper daffodils and egg - both Maggie Bonanomi designs

An old finish from a Needl Love book, I believe.

A favorite antique basket.

Chick on old wood fragment by Ginny Henson.

Antique shaker box.

I think that I am overdo on hosting a giveaway.

So stay tuned...

Pilate had a notice prepared and fastened to the cross. It read: jesus of nazareth, the king of the jews. Many of the Jews read this sign, for the place where Jesus was crucified was near the city, and the sign was written in Aramaic, Latin and Greek. The chief priests of the Jews protested to Pilate, “Do not write ‘The King of the Jews,’ but that this man claimed to be king of the Jews.” Pilate answered, “What I have written, I have written.”

~John 19:19-22

Blessings, Patti

April Mantle and More...

I thought I better hurry and share my April mantle before Easter has come and gone...

(Don't you love the huge carrot made by Maggie Bonanomi?)

For a while now standing rabbits with baskets on their backs have really appealed to me.

Some are handmade like the little chalkware rabbit and the white Walnut Ridge rabbit and others are mass produced. I would love to find an antique German candy container in the same pose. I keep looking...

I've cross stitched a few as well.

Hmmm I just realized that I haven't done one in wool applique yet.

I love their different textures and sizes.

I thought that I would share some of my other Easter decorations: 

Feedsack eggs and rabbits by Jenn of Rabbit Hill Primitives.

Eggs that I have made over the years in a favorite wire basket.

Velveteen rabbit by Ginny Henson and heart embroidered pincushion by Norma Schneeman.

Shaker box and half puzzle ball pincushion are antiques.

Well, I just realized that I have quite a few more photos of my decorations.

It's getting late, so I think I will post them later this week.

I will leave you with this glimpse of our spring day today:

Really?!?! 

We ended up with a good inch or two. 

I planted three flats of pansies and a flat of sweet allysum two weeks ago. Thank goodness they are hardy and should be fine. We actually got up to 80 degrees two days ago. Luckily this snow shouldn't last and should melt in a day or two...

A very large crowd spread their cloaks on the road, while others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. The crowds that went ahead of him and those that followed shouted,

“Hosanna to the Son of David!”

“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Hosanna in the highest heaven!”

~Matthew 21:8-9

Blessings, Patti