Sashiko Needles, Fabric, Threads...

My first title for this post was "Projects Finished Zero" as that is what I have accomplished lately.  My creative muse has been languishing in laziness.  However...
When I made my Hari-Kuro Needlebook from Susan's e-course there was a needle label for Sashiko.
You can visit Susan at her blog Plays With Needles.  I had no idea what type of needles these were so Susan was kind enough to explain...

Sashiko

Sashiko needles are similar to long darners...they are very long, at least 2 inches, and are used for long, straight running stitches. The shaft of the sashiko needle is larger than that of the same size darner and will not bend or break when loaded with stitched fabric. The strength of the needle allows for stitching in a straight line.

Fortunately Susan also included resources to obtain such a needle.  Because I had never tried this Sashiko and the fact that I am truly and hopelessly unfocused I decided I just had to obtain such supplies and try them.  Oh yeah, Mr. C was not surprised as this is my pattern in life.
In the photo above you can see my new fabric, threads and my needle book with a Sashiko needle on the labeled page.  Now I am happy because I didn't want any blank pages in my little book.

I have yet to begin my try at Sashiko but at least I am prepared with the proper tools.  I purchased the long and longer needles so I could see which one works best for my style of sewing this fabric.  I will post an update when I have something to show after needle and thread have married and gone stitching on Indigo fabric honeymoon.
Thank you Susan for introducing this amazing technique of Sashiko.
Rain and Winter are here once again.  I am thankful for the rain.
May all your creative projects make you smile with joy...

Easter Blessings Everyone...

Hopping down the bunny trail...Hippity Hoppity Easter's on its way.

My simple little decorations. 

Each item set out for me to enjoy.

Another side of my little display.

Can anyone explain to me how Chocolate Bunnies and Colorful Eggs came to represent Easter?

This is a lovely photo of Vera Bradley bags filled with flowers.  Looks like Spring and Easter all together.  In truth this is a fabulous give away offered by Vicki of 2bagsfull blog.  Many of you know this lovely lady and her generous donations she does such as the Pink Scarf Project.
May your Easter be blessed.
Sunshine Smiles as we have both sunshine and rain and Spring in our neck of the woods.
Happy Hopping...

Messy Creative Hands...

I have always adored those little peat pots made into cute baskets.  So here is my version for Easter.

For anyone who knows me, I just hate to get my hands messy...not even for art's sake.  But here I am all a mess with paints.  I used my craft and house sample paints.  The colors are such a pastel delight.

Here are my little finished baskets.  I gave some to my friends and kept one for myself.

Here is the one I made special for me.  A soft pastel blue with a little cutie riding a bunny.

Oh how fun!  Looks like Peter Cottontail is soon to arrive.
We are having Spring rain here.  Nice and refreshing and hopefully keeping the pollen in check.
Stocking up on chocolates and veggies for Sunday.
Happy Hopping...

Vineyards, Rain, Wine...

This is the get-away that Mr. C and I took last week.  We enjoyed our time even though you can see the weather was extremely grey and wet.  It rained but not so badly that we couldn't drive and enjoy the beautiful surroundings.  Vineyards are amazing in all stages of growth...from little sprouts to fully laden with leaves and grapes.

One of the most beautiful buildings I have ever seen.  The sense of arrival is majestic.  The brick work stunning.  I would like to be the Princess in this Palace.

You can see from the front door the beautiful portico and vineyards beyond.  I can only imagine my dream car sitting here awaiting to take me shopping.  Yes, I do have a vivid imagination!

Inside is the most amazing woodwork.  I understand there is a master craftsman that only builds staircases for very high-end wineries.

Every ceiling is beyond spectacular.  The layers and lighting are truly beautiful.  More brickwork on a fabulous fireplace.  

I would be happy just to have this brick bridge.  The art of it is fabulous.  I do love brickwork.
Because it was raining so much we were not able to sit outdoors at the tables to eat our picnic lunch so we merely sat inside the car and enjoyed our nibbles along with these amazing views.   After all crumbs do clean up nicely.

This is another winery we visited.  Can you imagine they were offering tours outdoors even in the rain.  No thank you...especially for $20 per person.  Oh did I mention that wine tastings are not free?!!

Here is a statue of St. Francis.  I thought this photo was appropriate in honor of the new Pope.

Here is the friendliest and most knowledgeable  winery we visited.  We spent quite a long time here.

Mr. C and "Larry" got along quite well.  Larry was extremely fun and shared so much knowledge about wines and wineries and grapes that Mr. C really enjoyed.  He also liked some of the wines and we did purchase a few bottles.
All in all it was a wonderful short get-away.  In spite of the rain it did not dampen our spirits at all.

Now it is time to get in the studio and get my hands messy for Easter.   More on that in the next post.
Our weather is glorious.  Sunshine and Spring.  The yellow pollen is covering everything.  Flowers are blooming.  Actually the rain we had while we were gone really hammered my daffodils.  Some are not recovering as they actually got broken stems from the downpour.
May you have Spring and Sunshine and no more snow or storms.  Stay safe and warm no matter what Mother Nature gives us.
Happy Hearts are Creative Hearts...

Short Get-Away...

Mr. C and I went on a short trip.  About 3 hours from our home is the Jelly Belly Factory.  They give tours and samples of jelly beans.  Even though it was a weekday there were lots of kids of all ages.  Very hyper kids who had more than a few samples of the jelly beans.  No photos are allowed on the tour so I just took the two here.

Our past president Ronald Reagan really did put Jelly Belly on the map.  Here is the mascot ready for Easter.  I am not one to try many flavors so I stuck to my tried and true favorites.  Licorice and Sizzling Cinnamon.  Mr. C and I tried the #2 all time favorite flavor and we both decided we really like it...Hot Buttered Popcorn.  It really smells and tastes just like the movie theater popcorn.  So we had to get some of those for our road trip.  Oh and they also make tons of other favorite candies including fudge.  I fell in love with the chewy praline fudge and made that my choice for road trip munching.  Yes, I will need to double up on the exercise and smart eating plan once again.  How does one pound of candy put on five pounds of extra weight?!!
 

The weather was very overcast and grey but we didn't let that dampen our spirits.  We drove to Napa and visited the new Riverfront area.  The charm is always in Napa.  The drive is so beautiful through countless acres of grape vineyards.  All lush and green this time of year.

We didn't do much walking as my feet were exhausted from the tour at Jelly Belly.  I made the mistake of wearing new shoes and no socks.  Oh the blisters that were forming made me cranky and Mr. C was beyond reason as to why I didn't wear proper shoes.  This is an ongoing saga with me and shoes and blisters so there are no surprises here.
 

Here we are having a bench picnic along the riverfront.  Some cheese and pate with sourdough toast points and grapes.  Pretty yummy and rather pleasant surroundings.  Drinking of the wine will come later.  And of course fudge and Jelly Belly's for dessert.  I shall continue our short get-away in the next post.
It is always good to get home safely and sleep in our own bed.  Now to catch up with my favorite blogs...
The calendar says it is Spring however the weather is more like Winter.  No surprises again this year as the calendar does not reflect Mother Nature and what she does.  Sunshine Smiles everyone...