Needle Tatting Practice...

With daylight ending so much sooner as Fall is here and Summer is long gone, I am finding less time to actually spend creatively.  Days are filled with home and property chores and yes, we are still pimping the place for listing and selling.  I managed to spend a little time earlier in Summer practicing my Needle Tatting. 

Here is a yellow butterfly, a couple of simple flowers and an orange split ring chain.  Any of these can be used for embellishments on paper cards or fabric items or whatever your creative mind chooses. 

Since tatting is nothing more than rings and chains and picots it is important to be very comfortable with making them and being consistent in shape and size.  I can see where I have lots of room for improvement.  These can also be used as seam treatments in Crazy Quilting which is my other class I am still taking.  I shall share my progress in that very soon. 
Our Fall weather is exactly as expected...warm, windy and cool all mixed together days and nights and you never know what clothes to select from day to day.  This is also officially the beginning of our true fire season here in Northern California.  Due to the excruciating five years of drought we have had, our huge pine and cedar trees are suffering from bark beetles and dryness to the point of death.  There are hundreds just here around our community and when fire starts it explodes as it lights up these dead trees.  Property owners are supposed to have the dead trees removed but many do not do so.  I can only pray we survive another year with no major fire here.
Falling into Autumn Bliss...
I am seeing some lovely vignettes of Fall décor and I think my favorite touch this year is the addition of the color aqua amongst the oranges, yellows, burgundies and greens.  Here is a beautiful example shown by Celestina Marie of Southern Daydreams.  Click her link and enjoy visiting.
I know I have not been consistent in my blogging and I can only say I apologize but life is getting in the way.  Thank you for being true to following and visiting and leaving me your wonderful comments.  I am truly grateful for each and every one of you.  Embracing Creative Bliss...

Evening Book Reading...

Hello and thank you for visiting.  There are no photos today due to me posting from my iPad.

Mr. C and I have been reading books now that the sun is waning and the daylight hours are getting shorter.  I recently bought him "The Mechanic's Tale, Life in the Pit-Lanes of Formula One" by Steve Matchett.  We are both fans of Formula 1 racing and of Steve Matchett who is now one of the commentators for each race.  He always is so very knowledgeable and explains things extremely well.

While reading the other evening, Mr. C stopped and asked me to listen to something.  We were both so awed we read it again.  I would like to share it with you.  Page 35, Chapter Two 1989...

"To live is a tremendous privilege, simply to experience a little of the world and to devour the skills and ideas of those who have gone before.  But life is a gift on loan, and in comparison with our surroundings, even a long, full life of a hundred years is but a passing moment.  We should be resolute in enjoying the experience of the fleeting time we have, and we should try never to regret a second or waste even a moment of it in bitterness; yesterday has already gone forever."

I find these words to be very powerful and I am going to listen to them each and every day.

May you be Falling in love with all that Autumn brings...Spring for my friends across the pond.
Embracing Creative Bliss...

September Sister's Swarm/Storm/Soiree

We all survived...including Mr. C...and by this photo he actually had a little fun.  I didn't even know he knew how to photo bomb!  Well done dear.  Sisters from left are Joyce, Renee, Marie and Niece (Renee's daughter) Celeste.  Celeste drove from Tucson to Fullerton to gather up her mom and then drove here to Northern California.

Mr. C took this photo so I could be included. 

My sister Renee on the left is my Sister-of-the-Heart.  She always looked out for me and then took me in as a teenager while she had a husband and three children.  At the time I had no idea what she took on, however, now I am so very grateful and appreciative for her love and care.

You can't tell by this photo but I surprised her with an A and W root beer float...in a child's size vintage mug.  Several years ago when Renee was visiting she found two mugs in an antique shop and gifted them to me.  Our family loved to go to the drive-in A and W's for root beer floats.  Yes, I did make full sized floats for all of us.  Memories are such an important part of our lives and we shared old ones and created new ones.

This day made my heart sing!  My sister Renee is beading and my niece Celeste is sewing.  My studio and I were so very happy.  While shopping locally Celeste found her Halloween costume and was enhancing it.  I will post photos of her after the big reveal.  Renee had brought along an antique necklace of gorgeous glass beads (over 100 years old and from her paternal grandmother).  It was strung on something like bakers twine.  It had broken and a few beads were lost.  We managed to incorporate some new vintage beads and restrung it on fine jewelers wire.  I also created a pair of matching earrings.  I can't believe I forgot to take finished photos!

Here we are relaxing on the deck.  I had purchased really great canvas bags from my Chamber of Commerce gift shop and then I filled them with fun goodies.  Feather boa, feather mask, Crayola crayons, adult coloring book, jar of bubbles and a pocket letter for each sister with assorted goodies in it (chocolate!).  Everyone had fun with these. 

And because we were having a slumber party (Marie had never been to one) my daughter told me we needed to play games.  Well I don't like playing games and therefore I didn't plan any.  Bless Celeste because at the last minute I told her she was in charge of games...after all she is the youngest of us!  Well here we are having a tattoo party. This is at about 2 AM so we are all blurry eyed.  Celeste works for a company in Tucson that makes temporary tattoos and she brought a box full of all assorted styles.  We really did have fun with this.  There are tattoos that you apply and then with a smart phone app they come to life.  Celeste put on a green frog and with the app he came to life and moved all about and made the croaking sounds.  WOW! 
I am so very grateful Mr. C and I were able to host this September Sisters Swarm.  It had been five years since we all got together here.  We talked about the next one being in Tucson. 
Fall is here and the temperatures are cooler.  The deer are eating everything in their reach.  Squirrels are gathering acorns and eating pine cone seeds.  I was going to share our last road trip however I shall save it for next time.  The sisters just couldn't wait! 
Embracing Creative Bliss...(at least I hope to get back to my CQ class and my Needle Tatting).