Stitchery Love Finish...

As February ends today I am happy to say I have completed my Jenny of elefantz.com Stitchery.  I am tickled with how sweet this has turned out. My plan is to frame it in a simple shiny red frame because the recipient loves red.  Jenny finished hers as a mini quilt and that may be how I finish this one.  I will have to see what it looks like in the frame.  I have linked Jenny's tutorial for you.  It will work on many ideas.
We had a wild day of sun, rain, hail and snow flurries yesterday. Thankfully nothing stuck but everything is wet again.  Today we have sunshine and it has been a beautiful day.  I was able to prepare all my mailings for Random Acts of Mail and Love Notes and my other recipients.  Then I went to the post office and the market.  Nice and slow afternoon. I should be working on purging and organizing more drawers and cupboards but they did not interest me today.  Yesterday Mr. C bought me a new set of very nice pots and pans and I managed to clean out my slide out drawers and replace my old pots and pans.  I feel giddy to get new domestic equipment as I learn to enjoy cooking for and with Mr. C.  We are both learning together and thank goodness we have a very large kitchen.  I am amazed at how much space two people can take up just preparing a meal.  I have never enjoyed cooking because it takes hours and is eaten in minutes and with very little gratitude.  I am embracing my domestic duties more and more with time not spent working for others.  I am blessed!

This is Chicken Coconut Curry Noodle Bowl.  It was beyond delicious...and we have another meal of it in the freezer.  YUMMY!!!

March is almost here and let's see what it brings.  We already have longer light in the evening and I really like that.  March 12th is our Daylight Savings time and we move our clocks forward 1 hour.  Spring can't be far away...the daffodils are blooming in town...mine are budding.  Usually they get some rain and snow to smash them down so I know Winter is not over.  Creative Bliss to each of you...

Hand Stitching Love...

I belong to Jenny of elefantz.com monthly Stitchery Club and have been a member for over two years.  With all good intentions I meant to stitch my monthly designs...well at least some of them.  However as the months flew by and I wasn't doing anything with my pages of designs but store them away in a file drawer (the 3-ring binder overflowed), I became very aware that there would never be any time and in fact I had too many excuses.  Well here it is 2017 and "If not Now, When?" leapt into my brain!  I was no longer going to make excuses.  So I brought out my selected design and coordinating fabrics and got to work.

I had purchased the proper Hanky Linen this time and what a wonderful difference it makes in the ease of tracing and stitching.  Here is my beginning.  I purposefully selected a design that included applique pieces.  Jenny always shares the reverse tracing design so once I had read her instructions it was easy to accomplish.

My prepared and fused design ready to begin stitching.  I already have a feeling of accomplishment because I can see how cute this design will be. The fabrics really make it come alive even before any needle and threads are added. 

Here I am doing blanket stitch with regular sewing thread. I admit I had to YouTube blanket stitch as it has always eluded me on how to begin.  Once I get going it is quite easy.
I will share the finished stitchery with you very soon...I hope. 
Life is busy for us all and we merely need to make time for ourselves and what gives us JOY.  Thank You very much Jenny for always keeping your designs sweet, simple and filled with LOVE. I am sew grateful for giving myself this monthly Stitchery Club.  Magazines that offer "little" costs more than this and Jenny is always here for us with any help we may need.
Surprise...it is raining here.  Yes...it is pouring again.  We remain safe here and truly grateful.  Prayers for all those, especially in Southern California, who are having Mother Nature nightmare conditions.
Mr. C and I took a day trip to Blackhawk Museum yesterday to enjoy a special Speaker Series and meet and listen to David Hobbs.  Automotive racer and commentator extraordinaire.  He was funny and humble and entertaining. The automobiles on display are some of the world's finest.  I took no photos but you can click the link I added.  The weather was raining and traffic was dismal and took forever at stop and crawl pace most of the way home.  Danville is about a 3 hour drive each way.  It took closer to 4+hours to get home. Thankfully Mr. Hobbs was well worth our day and Mr. C got us home safely.
February must have wings for it is flying along.  Creative Bliss and enjoy your passion.

Happy Hearts & Valentines...

A short post to wish everyone Happy Valentine's and Happy Hearts.  These are the ATCs I made and shared with friends and Kim's ArtJoyStuff blog ATC swap. I will have to show photos of the ATCs I received at another time due to no photos yet.

Here is my ATC packaging. I love how this turned out.  I merely pulled Pink themed goodies from my studio stash and AHA.  Pink polka dot bag with pink polka dot doily and a pink embellished paper cut out heart, stitched with Pink thread.  Fun and Fancy!
May you and yours enjoy a wonderful Valentine's and every day of Happy Hearts.  Mr. C and I will visit a new to us restaurant and enjoy being with one another.
The Sun is Shining til later this week. For any of you seeing the news of the Oroville Dam disaster and evacuation Mr. C and I are not part of that area so we are safe and uphill.  Praying for containment and correction of the erosion as we are due to get another week of more rain and snow.  Feast or Famine...we have gone from five years of extreme drought to an over abundance of water too quickly.  <3

Brynwood Needleworks Creations...

I don't often buy myself gifts, however I just could not resist some lovely creations my friend Donna of Brynwood Needleworks offered.  I am certain most of you follow Donna and her blog.  On Tuesday's you can read Tag's post there also.  Tag is Donna's Cute Corgi and I am in love with him.
If you have never touched and felt cork fabric you are really missing out.  This blue clutch is cork fabric and I honestly cannot stop caressing it.  This fabric is divine. 

Blue is my color and a little silver sparkle never made me sad so this fabric is perfect.  Donna's workmanship is perfection.  She even included a shiny new lucky penny.  Thank you dear...I forgot to thank you in my card I mailed you.  If you or anyone you know has a need for such a lovely clutch you need to check out her other fabrics and styles also.  I am already thinking of gifts I can have Donna create for my list. Her commissioned works are priority and she is so wonderful to work with.

This is my other much needed gift for myself.  Donna has this limited edition Acorn Wool Pincushion she created and I just knew I must have one.  I shall always look at her work and smile.  Every detail is perfection right down to the tiny acorn charm.  I love how realistic the hand-dyed wool makes the oak leaf come to life.  I am very blessed to be able to enjoy these items now.  Thank you Donna Dear for your amazing Works of HeArt. 
We have had non-stop drenching rain for days and the amount is way over 16 inches.  Our creeks are flooded and our highways (49 and 80) have had major closures due to erosion and mudslides.  Thankfully our trees have remained in the ground and upright.  High winds for a few days made us nervous with all the saturated red clay soil.  Today we are breathing a sigh of relief as the sun shines brightly.  Last night I was all excited to view the Full Snow Moon but clouds covered it and gave us another deluge of rain.  Mr. C is busy making certain all is well with the house and property.  You can find me shining and cleaning just in case someone...maybe the ONE special buyer...would like to see the house and fall in love with it like we did. 
Maybe tomorrow Mr. C and I can get out and about for a few hours.  I know he is wanting to get "his" baby out for a drive.  Enjoy every day...  

Sleep Better Mr. C...

Last year when we stayed with our friend Sandy in Bakersfield to help her when she shattered her shoulder, we slept in her king bed and she slept in her spare twin bed.  Wow!  When you get a really good night's sleep you start to think you might need a new mattress at home.  Sandy's bed was heaven!   As Mr. C the Engineer Extraordinaire always does he began his research.  We visited the custom mattress shop that created her bed.  We learned a lot.  We visited that same store several more times, including a trip to let Sandy order a set up for her twin bed.

Well sadly that shop was not able to ship to us in Northern California.  Mr. C and I even stayed at a particular hotel to test out their bed which was said to be of the same technology as Sandy's.  Well...lots more research by Mr. C and the decision was made.  We began 2017 with a delivery.  Five very heavy boxes containing our new very expensive new technology mattress.

Here is Mr. C making certain everything is in perfect order...from the ground up.  And it was the perfect time to vacuum up very mature dust bunnies.

Lots of heavy lifting of each box up the stairs and voila here we have successfully layered our new mattress and are preparing the cover that holds them all together.  Please ignore the green cups as I was merely covering the large screw that could rip things.  Mr. C took off the long posts at the foot of the bed to ease our job.

Latex foam at its finest makes for an extremely comfortable bed that supports backs and a very good night's sleep.  Hopefully Mr. C can no longer be the "Princess and the Pea".
As I am typing this post we are having a deluge of rain. Thank goodness Mr. C already completed his new improved gutter project. Yes, another well engineered better than new system.  Now he just may have to build an Ark.  Maybe Mark Harmon could come over and they could build it together in my basement?!!  Oh Drat!  I don't have a basement.
Fabulous February is here and we better not blink or it will be gone all too quickly like January was.  What is your favorite thing about February?  Mine is that it brings me closer to Spring.
Happy Hearts and Creative Bliss My Friends.  I am so very grateful for each of you and your gifts of encouraging comments.  Thank You.