Are you scissor crazy?????????????

you know,

 crazy about scissors?

 

Hold onto your garters ladies,

look what arrived in today's mail!

NEW scissors to tug at your heartstrings!

 

The Vineyard Scissor...

Just 3 1/2" long with winding vine engraved details.  Available in Gold and Primitive Black...they look like antiques!

How many of you scissor hoarders out there own a pair of fish scissors?  If not, all scissor collections need a pair of fish, no? 

3 1/2" scissors in the shape of a sword fish....and the best part is they don't even stink!  Available in primitive black and silver.

Scissors are now posted on our website for purchase...just in case you need another pair of scissors :)

And because I'm a scissor freak, scissor hoarder, or sucker for scissors,

lover of scissors,

 I am most excited about this...

a sweet little chatelaine !

 

Similar to the chatelaines worn by a housekeeper in the 19th century,

to hold the necessary household items,

such as scissors, thimble, keys or watch.

I have chose to decorate mine with old buttons and pearls. The chatelaine hangs from a piece of vintage silk.

I've been wearing it as I finish up the piece that is currently in my hoop,

titled,

"Let Heaven & Nature Sing".

A wintery piece to get out for the holidays,

but will be one that can be kept out all winter.

The finish is still a bit uncertain,

but I am hoping to adorn it with antique sheet music

in a collage-fashion.

 

I have these Chatelaine Scissor Cases on order,

more on these to follow at a later date.

 

 

It's a beautiful autumn day here in the heartland, the hot dry summer is making for some spectacular autumn colors.  Our lake is now still as can be, looks like a sheet of glass...an autumn time occurrence here only...we are usually windy with white caps. 

 

  I must try to find a few moments to sneak away from pattern instructions & stitching to get out and enjoy it and maybe even snap a few pics.

 

Have a good weekend,

Brenda

Coming Soon!

J.M. Gardner Antique Reproduction Sampler Chart

Just awaiting word from the framer to come and pick her up...not too much longer now! 

Floss Keeps & brooches will also be available featuring this wonderful miniature sampler.

 

Have a good day,
Brenda

 

Floss Keeps!

Our floss keep category has been updated with inventory!

 

There are two new additions...

Mary Bartle, featuring two spunky brown dogs...wonderful for all the dog lovers out there!

Jane Shepherd 1817, featuring gardener's, fishermen, various trees and floral motifs.

 

Hurry on over to here to take a look at all of the floss keeps that feature color photo snippets

of antique samplers from my personal collection!

 

Have a good day,

Brenda

Good bye hernia!

Today is surgery day.

Son Matthew is going in for a procedure today... getting a sports hernia fixed. 

He gets to have a little piece of mesh-like fabric sewn into him to mend his tear...

sort of just like mending a tear in a pair of jeans.

 

It's bothered him for sometime several years since his college baseball days,

 being more bothersome as of late.

Couldn't be from riding his bike across the state of Iowa, participating in a half triathlon, climbing the steps of the Incline, playing softball, or the hundreds of rounds of golf he's golfed this summer...

 

His sweet girlfriend Megan is filling in for Mom today... taking him to surgery, bringing him home, etc...

Thanks Megan!

I talked to him on the phone last evening. The main topic and concern wasn't surgery, how big the incision, recovery, how many days of work he would miss, etc, etc... but the fear and unknown of what all they were going to shave, pre-op!! 

He even offered to pre-shave...

save a nurse the hassle,

you know!

Speed things up a bit...

 

That's my Matthew.

 

Wishing you a speedy recovery,

 sonny boy.

Love,

Mom

 

 

 

 

Long time no stitch...

Well, hi there Frances!

How have you been?

Long time no see.

Long time

 no stitch...

For those inquiring minds,

the Frances Pool antique reproduction

 is back in my hands.

I'm no different then any other one

who stitches...

I work on something for awhile,

things are going good,

I see a finish close in sight

and

then

you

notice

a

stitching

error...

 

 

and that is when I said,

see

 ya

 later

Frances,

and she was folded up

 and

put away,

until another day.

 

Until today...

I've spent this lovely late summer day

frogging

my stitching error.

To make things worse,

the stitching error was in the petite stitches.

All my smaller letters were one stitch too short....ugh!

Not my favorite stitch to stitch,

and definitely no fun to frog!

 

On a brighter note,

the J.M Gardner sampler is done!

It turned out really wonderful...

I cannot stop looking at it!

I.LOVE.IT

Tomorrow I will visit my local framing shop

and hopefully find a frame similar to what I have in mind

for the finish of this sampler.

 

There will also be J.M. Gardner floss keeps

and

brooches too!

 

Have a good week,

Brenda

Mexico Bound!

Upon driving up our driveway the past days,

I 've been welcomed home by droves of migrating monarchs,

peacefully flitting about.

 

I couldn't resist...

I had to get the camera out

and

 shoot a few pics.

The late afternoon sun

made for some beautiful

background bokeh effects.

 

Monarchs catching a little rest

 and

working the leaves of our fruit bearing trees...

crab apples, service berry and apricot.

 

Trees that all bloomed too early

 and

 got nipped by frost,

therefore,

little to no fruit

 was bared. 

 

 However,

 these are still the trees

 in our yard

 that the migrating monarchs

 choose to congregate in.

(crab apple tree)

 

Did you know...

Each season there are 4 to 5 new generations of monarchs,

 but just one generation migrates,

 the last generation of the year. 

 

These monarchs that are seen hanging in our fruit trees

 will not completely mature

 until they reach their Mexico destination. 

(apricot tree)

 

Once they arrive in Mexico,

 the long and warm days

 will trigger the reproduction organs

 to mature

 and they will begin to reproduce.

Migration of the monarch has always amazed me. 

 Having never made the migratory trip before,

 the offspring

will travel the same route

 as their past generations did...

no GPS or Google Earth needed!

 

Have a good weekend everyone,
Brenda

A little field trip!

During my visit with the grand-darlings we went on a field trip.

A little jaunt up Interstate 35 to the Reiman Gardens

on the beautiful campus of

Iowa State University.

 Each summer the garden has a theme that involves a special exhibit.

 This years exhibit is the

Nature Connects sculptures.

Sculptures that are built with Lego Bricks!

 

Here we have the American Bumble Bee...

There are 16, 383 lego pieces in this guy!

Just outside the Christina Reiman Butterfly Wing is a Tiger Swallowtail Butterfly...

37,481 Lego pieces create this work of art.

Blooming at the entrance to the Antique Rose Garden

 is a towering rose

 built with 41,242 Legos.

 

The gardens are in full bloom,

there are many photo opportunities

in front of the beds,

but this little one prefers

the water over the flowers...



somehow,

this doesn't surprise

his g-ma!

Just checking to make sure we see the pretty water fall...

within a matter of seconds the

flip flops are off

and our pant legs are rolled up!

Time to wet our toes...

Passing the Bald Cypress Allee, and around the bend,

you are greeted by the Hummingbird and Flower display.

(31,565 Lego pieces)

Marvelous! 

And though it is one of the smaller displays,

I would have to say this is my favorite...

3 little Goldfinches hanging from a feeder.

Notice the seed in the feeder is Lego pieces!

Moving along,

we approach Lake Helen...

 

The water lilies are putting on quite the show.

Real ones

and

Lego ones...

A koi and 5 Water Platter's...

more Lego art.

See the little frog?

It took 530 Legos to piece together

that little frog! 

 What's does Beckham see?

 

More water?

You guessed it!

 

Shoes are off,

pant legs rolled...

annndddd.....

so much for the pants!

Off they go too!

Time for another little toe-dip!

 

And all gardens must have a Gardener!

Although, I really am sort of feeling cheated here...

shouldn't it have been a female??

(37,497 Lego pieces)

Miss Avry joined us on this little field trip.

She enjoyed her stroller ride,

fresh morning air,

and snacking on her fingers...

 

Germinating acorn...

 

A Common Green Darner Dragonfly...



 

Approaching the prairie portion of the gardens...

The prairie is home to a display of various birdhouses made by Iowa artisan. 

Here are a couple of my favorite birdhouses.

An eight sided barn...

complete with a tiny quilt

encased within the haymow door.

And another favorite...
An apartment for birds!

 

Grazing up on a little bluff that overlooks Strafford Gardnen is the Bison. 

A bison and her calf!

Take note of the bird perched on the mother...

This display uses the most Lego pieces. 

 Over 70, 000 Legos and hours upon hours to create!

Amazing.

Look...

a Lego lawnmower!

This ends our field trip.

It made me want to go home and play with Legos!

 

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

 

The creator of this traveling exhibit is Sean Kenney,

and his five person staff.

To learn more about his amazing work,

you can visit his website at

www.seankenney.com

There are a couple of sculptures that I didn't get pics of...

you can view them all on his website.

 

Have a good weekend everyone,

Brenda