Welcome to Town...Welcome to My Nest

Belle and I drove up to the mountain for a few days of rest and relaxation as well as spending time with my sister Sherri.

There's the mountain we are headed to...only a little longer, Belle. :)

Love this mountain village...and there's the mountain again. Getting closer...

Lil' deer greet us at the entry...

Roads are a bit treacherous. Thank goodness for 4-wheel drive. Hold on, Belle...

Deeper and deeper into the forest we go. Almost there now...just around the corner.

And there it is...Niecy's Nest. I love this haven I have been blessed with. :)

And look, Belle! Real deer to greet us as we arrive. They are such gentle creatures. Love these lil' guys!

Where is your sanctuary? In the mountains? By the beach? On a deck or back patio? In your "studio"/sewing room/craft room? Tell me all about it. I'd love to know.

May you be blessed with your space and your time being who you are!

hugs, denise :D

Artful Blogging

Have you seen this most marvelous magazine?

Filled with beautiful blogs to visit, the magazine is such an inspiration.

Visit their website at http://www.stampington.com/artfulblogging/ to learn more. I bet you'll be hooked...I know I am!

Happy blogging and blessings to you all,
denise :D

And The Winners Are...

Thank you to each and every one of you who left a lovely comment on my Aging Artfully Blog Post for a "Chosen-Just-For-You" Blog Give-Away Prize. I enjoyed reading all of your comments. They made me smile. :)

My sweet lil' Belle helped with the drawing of the names...

First we printed each comment and cut them apart. Mama had to do this part. Belle hasn't quite mastered the computer or scissors. :)

Then they were folded and put into 'the pot'. This was an old fashioned drawing. (No random drawing devices were used.) More fun that way...and fun is what it's all about!

Then Belle selected the winners. Well, Mama had to help on this part, too.

When we had finished drawing the twelve...yes, 12!...lucky winners, Belle went back to her place on the couch. "Whew, Mama. That was some hard work," sighed my sweet lil' Belle.

I decided to choose twelve winners...a dozen...just because! And they are - - -

Rhea

Dorly Weitzen

Robyn

Julie C

North Star

Etqulter

Daphne

Shirley

Carol

Plum Tuckered

Cher

Carolyn H

If you left a post and see your name, please contact me at deex355@aol.com with your full name and mailing information.

Thank you again for all the wonderful comments.

Blessings from Belle and me,

denise :D

For My Special Sister

I am obsessed with Industrial Chic line of jewelry making supplies by Susan Lenart Kazmer available exclusively at Michael's.

Check out this awesome collection at the Michael's website at
http://www.michaels.com/Industrial-Chic/Industrial-Chic,default,pg.html and some of her work at Susan's website at http://www.susanlenartkazmer.net/

I wanted to make something special for my sister Sherri for Christmas. So I gathered some charms and chains and a heart (because I love her so) and a bird (because I love birds and nests) and a snowflake (because our mother loved snowflakes).

After some arranging and rearranging I created this necklace for my sister. I focused on a variety of metals - brass, gold, copper, silver - and a bit of black. I purposely did not use a specific color scheme because I want her to be able to have a wider choice of what to wear it with.

The number 5 with the snowflake also has a special meaning. There were 5 of us kids growing up. :)

The chain is a combination of the metal tones I choose.

I think she will like her lil' gift from her sister.

Blessings to our sweet sisters-by-birth and our special sisters-by-luck that we love and that love us,

denise :D

Blue Monday Beads

It's been awhile...well, actually a looong while...since I posted a 'blue' photo for Blue Monday sponsored by Sally at http://smilingsally.blogspot.com/.

I wanted to share this photo of some of my late mother's beaded necklaces. My dear mother was always so classy. She designed and made her own necklaces. She was so ahead of her time. :)

I have begun using her heirloom beads and baubles to create artistic pieces. What a legacy she has left for me to share with those I hold dear.

Blue Monday Blessings to each of you,
denise :D

Aging Artfully

I've been working on this cute cross-stitch by Lizzie Kate. I absolutely love the whimsy of her patterns...this one in particular. It has wonderful words to live by...or age by. :)

Starting on my New Year's Resolution to complete at least one WIP (Works In Progress) a month. Got lots of WIPs around my house...cross-stitching, quilting, jewelry making, punch needle, primitive rug hooking, stamping, mixed media. You name it...I've probably got it started somewhere around here.

I'm stitching this peice on 28 count Cashel linen using wonderful overdyed threads from Weeks Dye Works (Moss) and Crescent Colours (Caterpillar, House Wine, Morning Glory, and Ye Olde Gold). Gorgeous...simply gorgeous.

And you...what are you working on? Leave a comment to win a special cross-stitch prize. (Or a special quilting prize if you're not a cross-stitcher...or a stamping prize...or jewelry making prize!)

May you, too, Age Artfully,

denise :D

Brrr...SnOw!

Brrr...It's cold - cold - cold today. We have a winter weather watch advisory for the next 24 hours or so here in Far West Texas. This is the desert...we aren't used to blistery cold weather in these here parts.

The weather reports say we can expect 2" - 3" of snow today. This is my backyard where there is already about 4" of snow accumulated on the patio table and chairs.

And in the front yard...the palm trees would surely appreciate a heated blanket wrapped snuggly around their big ol' trunks.

Enjoying a day of reading a good book and drinking warm lemon tea.

Stay warm, folks!

Hugs, denise :D

Happy Halloween

Just wanted to share some Halloween "pretties" that I have made over the years...

These lil' pumpkin wallhangings were made several years ago. I found them today while I was searching for something else in my sewing room/"Fiber Arts Studio".

This is another quilted wallhanging. I'm glad I signed the back of it...many moons ago! It reads "My First Hand-Quilting. 1998". Oh, my! That was forever ago!

This is my page for the Halloween Chunky Book Page Swap on the All Things Tim Yahoo Group. The theme was "Altered Ancestors." These are cousins Ernestine and Emilia.

I made this in a class last year. Lots of fun Halloween goodies. :)

Hope your Halloween is a happy one, too!

Blessings to you and your lil' goblins,

denise :D

All Things Tim Journal Round Robin

Recently I hosted a Journal Round Robin on the All Things Tim Yahoo Group. Each participant began a journal that travelled around to other artists. We each then added a page (front and back) or a two-page layout to each person's journal based on their chosen theme.

This was one of my favorite pages that I created. The theme was Grungy Numbers. Her pages were various house-shaped chipboard pieces.

Here is the front of the humble abode.

Notice the words on the sheet music...all Tim-esque! Distress...yes!

A yellow rose of Texas by the front door...in a Texas license plate planter, of course.

A big red heart welcomes guests. The entryway has two "sconces" on either side of the front door.

Mother keeps a watchful eye on the going-ons in the neighborhood from the window of her sewing room.

A close-up of the back of the page....more numbers.

And finally the back of my Grungy Numbers page for this participant's journal.

It is always such fun to be a part of other artist's pieces. I enjoy participating in swaps and round robin.

Blessings all, denise :D

"Oh, My Stars"

Our guild Opportunity Quilt 2011 was recently completed. As the chairperson for the quilt, I designed the quilt after seeing the Thimbleberries Block-of-the-Month Quilt 2009. Using a variety of Thimbleberries fabric and various star blocks from Quilters Cache, members of our quilt guild, El Paso Quilters' Association (EPQA), made the blocks. It is named "Oh, My Stars!"

These are the blocks that I made for the quilt...

And here is the completed quilt...quite a beauty!

Happy quilting! denise :D

Going Crazy!

I'm going crazy...okay, crazier...because I'm not able to load pictures on my blog. I've tried several times over the last month or more and no luck. Ugh!

Gonna work on it this weekend when I have some R & R time in the mountains. Yippee!

Stay tuned...got some oh-so-cute Halloween projects to share.

Enjoy the little moments that make the best memories.
denise :D

My Sister - My Friend

Not too long ago I was at my sister's house when I noticed this lil' Sister Book that I had made her a few years back...like 6 years ago. I picked it up and begin to browse through it - remembering each page as I had so lovingly created it for my dear sister, Sherri.

Then I noticed something I hadn't noticed before...our hairstyles had pretty much stayed the same for all those year! Oh, my heavens...can you believe it?

The photo above is one of my favorite of Sherri and me. We were up in the mountains for a "sister weekend" in January. Now notice our enduring hairstyles ---

Here we are at approximately 3 and 4 years old - me with my lil' pixie and bangs (with a Tony perm) and her with her pretty blonde hair.

And once again..we are in the mountains with our parents here. We are about 6 and 7 years old - me with that lil' pixie and Sherri with her beautiful blonde hair.

Oops...one of us is missing an eye! It's all fun and games until someone gets an eye poked out!
(Then it's hilarious! :D)

This photo was actually taken the morning of my wedding in 1974. We had both just woke up and our dear mother took our picture before the big day. Pixie - without the bangs! - and blonde hair.

This photo was taken at my father's 80th birthday party. You guessed it...blonde hair and a pixie with bangs.

Isn't it funny how in spite of all the many things that change in our lives some things always stay the same? Like the love of family? Or the friendship of a sister?..and the beautiful blonde hair and pixie haircut!

May your memories of the things that have changed and those that have endured time always be pleasant and bring a smile to your face.

denise :D

My Mama Loves Me!

Man, oh, man...my mama must really love me. For two days now she has carried me around wherever she goes. You see, it all began Friday night when she got home from a week vacation. I was so excited to see her that I was jumping up and down - up and down - up and down from the bed. I must've hurt my lil' leg on one of those jumps...

My right back "heel" hurt a whole lot. It is swollen about twice as big as the other "heel".

I guess my mama thought I'd get better over the weekend...and I did...a little, but not enough. So today she took me to the vet. I love car rides - even to the doggy hospital. :)

Dr. Randy said I needed an x-ray. So off the vet tech took me the x-ray room. They wouldn't let mama come in there with me, but she could take my pic from the doorway. It was dark in there.

Then Dr. Randy laid me on this really hard bed. (I'm sure glad mama's bed at home is soft.) He wore a heavy blue apron...not me though! Dr. Randy was very gentle with my lil' leg. :)

Afterwards Dr. Randy showed my mama the picture he took of my leg. The good news is it isn't broken! :) The bad news is it is tendonitis (what would be the Achille's Heel on you humans) and could take 6 - 8 weeks to heal completely. Mama has to carry be for at least a week or two - no walking, running, or jumping.

If it's not getting better by Wednesday (day after tomorrow) mama has to take me back and I may have to get a cast. No weight on my leg or bending/flexing it. :(

Yep, my mama must really love me! And so does my buddy Belle. She stays right beside me and keeps me company. What more could anyone ask for?

Hug your four-legged friends today, Roxy xoxo