Out with the old / In with the new

Christmas was a quiet one shared with family. Presents were opened on Christmas Day with our granddaughter exclaiming "Oh, my goodness" when she opened up the giant Lego set that she was hoping for.

We started bathroom renovations on Boxing Day!!! I'm the designated helper / cleaner-upper. You get the idea. Today, the old cabinet and sink went out the door. It will probably be a few days before the new one gets installed. I figure it will take awhile before everything gets finished.

The studio has been cleaned up after a very busy craft fair season. I won't be working at anything in particular for awhile.

Last week was one of semi relaxing. I did put this puzzle together and started another one. This one did not include a picture of the piece which made it a bit harder to do. It was one of those mysteries that you are suppose to solve by doing the puzzle. There was a short story and the answer to the mystery. I didn't bother with that part.

The stained glass poinsettias were a gift from my brother and sister-in-law in Newfoundland. Some of his work is at King's Point Pottery.

I am not one for making New Year's Resolutions but I am hoping to blog a bit more frequently in 2020. Happy New Year everyone!!!!

The Tree is Done!!

The Christmas Shows / Markets are finished for me this year! It's been a hectic fall. Thank you to everyone who commented on my art work and to those who purchased something from me. You are all awesome!

Well, the tree is up and decorated! Big job!!! I wasn't going to put tinsel on the tree this year but it was bare to me as I love lots of glitter. In any case, why break with tradition as I've always put it on my trees. Even as a child, I put it on one strand at a time.

Please note my gorgeous tree skirt. Made for me by my wonderful sister, Joan. This was a birthday gift a few years ago before we left Newfoundland.

I received a pre-christmas gift in the mail this week. What do you think of these!!! Apparently, my sister measured my cushions this summer with Christmas ones in mind.

Here are a few closeups of ornaments on the tree - before the tinsel was added.

Hand made by my friend, Marilyn in NL. Love this one!!

The stained glass ornament is one of three, made by my brother, Don, in NL. Gale made the snowman when she was living in Chicago (about 4 years ago).

 This cat is ancient. It must be at least 45 years old.

This one was made during a textile tour to England in 2008. We visited a local artist and did these.

I received this Temari Ball during an ornament exchange at the St. John's Guild of Embroiderers, years ago.

Enjoy! Hopefully I get back into the routine of posting more to the blog. Thanks for visiting.

Gifts

Here's a peek at a few interesting gifts I received this year.

Isn't this a unique gift for an embroiderer! I have seen yarn bowls before but never one for a ball of embroidery floss. This particular thread bowl (my name for it) was gifted by a friend who attended last summer's EAC Conference in PEI. The bowl was made by an artist from that province.

Gale, my granddaughter, decided that I needed a real plant for my studio. She chose this one because she liked the bowl the best. I think she did a great job of selecting the perfect combination!

This ornament is the Signal Hill Star. It was created by Darrel Pike, Saltwater Pewter, NL. Each Christmas season, a large star like this one, is hung on Cabot Tower, St. John's. It's light can be seen from all over the city.

My brother, Don Eady, Sandy Point Stained Glass, made these for our tree.I have quite a few of his gorgeous stained glass pieces.

I was entertained by humming birds on my patio, last summer. My daughter found this delightful beaded humming bird for my tree. She usually gives me an ornament on Christmas. Many of them have been from her past travel destinations.

I treated myself to one of Anne Lucas's needle felted Gnomes when I was in Newfoundland in early December. This is a 'cute' one!!

Did you get a chance to check out the links on the previous post? Well, here's more:

• Interesting felt ornaments HERE (scroll down)
• Stained Glass Ornaments HERE  
• Beaded Christmas Tree Ornaments HERE 
• Yarn Bowls HERE 

 Enjoy!!  

Ornaments

I have two new stained glass Christmas ornaments for my tree. These are Newfoundland Mummers. For those of you unfamiliar with mummering, check the link above.

My brother, Don, made these, as well as the cat with the Christmas Ball. The cat was made many years ago and is meant to hang in a window.

Roses and Other Stuff

Another HOT, sunny day in St. John's! I can't believe the heat. This is the first summer we have been at home in at least 10 years. My garden is glorious. Look at the roses. This rose bush was a gift from the Cabot Quilt Guild in 2008 as a thank you for chairing the National Juried Quilt Show at Quilt Canada (CQA) here in St. John's. The link above showcases the quilts we had on display here for that show.

• Rose Quilt Designs on Craftsy 
• Stained Glass Rose Quilt    
• Pinterest HERE, 
• Floral Art Quilts   

Enjoy!

Birdy

We gave this cute little fella to Gale as part of her Christmas gift. It's one of my brother Don's stained glass pieces. I'd forgotten to take a photo of it before I sent it off to Nova Scotia. I love the facial expression on this one.

Enjoy!!

Coffee Time / Tea Time

Coffee Time, according to my brother, Don!! Tea for me and could be hot chocolate for someone else. But whatever you prefer, it would make a nice addition to any kitchen. In fact, with the scrappy quilt look of the glass, it would even make a great quilted wall hanging.

In an earlier post, I mentioned that stained glass patterns would make interesting quilt patterns.
I hope you have a productive day.
Enjoy!

Stained Glass and Quilting!

The Pitcher Plant is the official plant of Newfoundland Labrador. 'As a carnivorous plant, it gets its nourishment from insects that are trapped and drown in a pool of water at the base of its tubular leaves. These plants, with their wine and green flowers, are found on bogs and marshes around the province.' Other interesting facts about this plant HERE.  

Don completed this beautiful stained glass Pitcher Plant yesterday. He's been posting his work on Face Book under CSE Glass.

























My friend, Judith, created these two beautiful quilted wall hangings of the Pitcher Plant. She enjoys working with fabrics: quilting, hand and machine embroidery, fabric dyeing . . . you name it, she has probably tried it. In fact, the light green fabric on the 1st photo, was dyed and rusted by Judy. The dark fabric is a commercial fabric by Carol Breyer Fallert. The fabric in the 2nd one is unknown.
Permission was given to show these photos.

• Red Work idea HERE 
• Alison Cole embroidery of Pitcher Plant (designed for a class at EAC 2017, Rock, Needle, Scissors, Newfoundland, Canada - scroll down)  
• Pitcher Plants on Pinterest HERE & HERE. 
• The Pitcher Plant Project HERE 

Enjoy!!

Don's Stained Glass

My brother decided to show off his beautiful work on face book so I'm 'showing them off' here.
Winter seems to be endless this year so this little angel is trying to hurry it along.

Praying the snow passes.



Door panel to Don's glass studio



 













His first lamp shade made around 1985. It has approximately 440 pieces. I think his daughter has dibs on this one.

More Stained Glass from Don

My brother, Don, shared more of his stained glass pieces. Hopefully, more spring like weather will arrive soon!

Stained Glass

This is a continuation of more of my brother, Don's, stained glass. I have a few of his pieces, one of which is a fish similar to the one below. Beautiful work, don't you think!


 

Spring???

The beginning of SPRING in Newfoundland!

My brother, Don, makes fabulous stained glass. He sent this photo to me of this beautiful butterfly. It's going to be awhile before we see the real thing around here.




Have you ever thought of using stained glass patterns for your quilted wall hangings, hand stitching? There's lots of inspiration out there. Check these below:

• Free patterns HERE, HERE, HERE, & HERE  
• Pinterest HERE,  
• Crochet inspired stained glass   (worth a look)
• More freebies HERE  

Enjoy!

All About Cats!

This post is all about cats! Why? Because my granddaughter just got a new kitten which she named Holtzmann. That's the name of her favorite Ghostbuster's character.

We had a cat for 17 years. I don't miss the cat hairs but having a cat around was nice.



Cats to quilt and stitch:

• Mini Cat Cross Stitch Series at Happiness is Cross Stitching 
• Tiny Kitten in a Box 
• Calico Cat Ornament (crazy quilting)     
• Cat Applique Patterns 
• Free Cat Patterns 
• Love Me, Love My Cat Applique Pattern    
• Stained Glass Cat Pattern     
• Cat / Dog Quilts on Pinterest     

Enjoy! 

Stained Glass Scarf!

Here's another stained glass reversible Fibre Lace Scarf. The photo doesn't do it justice as the colours are vibrant! This is the one I posted about a few days ago. Check out the work in progress HERE.

Stained Glass . . .

We had summer weather here in St. John's today! It was just beautiful in my garden. I'm not looking forward to the cold weather in the not too distant future. However, my Fibre Lace Scarves will certainly ward off the cold wind this winter.

Here's another one completed! I particularly like the black side as it reminds me of stained glass. I think I will be creating another one similar to this one with more intense colours.
Enjoy . . .