needlebook swap

this is the cover, thought i'd add a little bumble bee pincushion to go with it. so happy to do a primitive project for a change. i button hole stitched the pages inside. i hope my partner enjoys it. it was fun to make.

Good Old Summertime

I remember those scortching hot summer days, sitting in the backseat of the car with my brother, legs sticking to the vinyl seats, faces red from the heat. We used to travel to the beach every year to visit the ocean, play in the water, collect sea treasures, build sandcastles and explore.
It was a tradition to stop for ice cream on the way home. The two of us always had the peanut butter and it was so yummy I can recall the taste even today. And after a day of fun in the sun, bellies full of sweet creaminess, we almost always nodded off to sleep, our heads bobbing for some time only to land on eachother, we made the journey back home.
Enjoy these summer days. They are the stuff of memories.

Swap Overload

I did a baaaaad thing. I went overboard on the swaps and joined so many I now have 8 currently going and being that I like to try to make most of what I send to my partners, I'm feeling the time pinch. Now i feel guilty. I want to make a lot more for these swaps than I have time for. There were just sooo many interesting swaps out there, I wanted to participate in them all. Ooops.
Well, I hope my partners understand that their packages will include more store bought things.
In the future I will be more selective so that I can spend more time making goodies. I enjoy the crafty side of swapping and really get excited when I receive a package of homemade goodies. So to all of you out there on the receiving end of my parcels, I apologize and hope you enjoy the prizes anyway.

Swaps Galore!!

Been swapping like a mad woman lately. Seems like so many people out there have good ideas about fun things to swap, i can't keep up. I said I'd harass myself about taking more pictures and posting them here so I will post some today and a few more in a couple days. Maybe it's because spring is here but the creative juices are flowing and I'm happily crafting up a storm. Back to the craft table for now but I'll be back soon. Enjoy the beauty that is budding outside.

Spring!

The birds have arrived, back from their long winter in balmy climates, looking fit and golden, I'm jealous. Happy to see and hear them again though. It reminds me that the grass will indeed be visible again before long. Yay!!!!

Edmonton is friendly and busy and full of ideas that cause a crafty person an overload of ideas. My sketch book is full of visions I want to create. The streets have finally exposed themselves after being encased in the thickest ice I've ever seen on roads. The traffic would make tire ruts in the solid ice and driving made me nervous, I was convinced the mound in the middle of the road would take out the under carriage of the vehicle, it was wild. I'm anxious to see what the parks will look like green. Aaahh, spring. Throw the windows open and breathe in its goodness.

I've joined a few swaps this month. A favorite color swap, 3 items in your partner's favorite color, a wacky, under-celebrated may holiday swap, all those days that have been dubbed reminders of some ridiculous thing or other, I found May was asparagus month, I'm sure it was honored. It sounded like fun though, some of the things one could make or buy in accordance to these holidays, fun. And I joined a spring flower bookmark swap. I never have enough bookmarks, in a pinch I tear up a piece of used paper to mark pages. Looking forward to exchanging goodie. I am terrible at taking pictures and loading them but I will climb on my back and nag myself until I grab the camera out of desperation for peace and quiet. I'll post some pics here of the prizes coming and going. 

I promise I won't take 6 months to post again. It was a hectic winter and I'm glad things are settled a bit so I can get my groove back. Enjoy the sun and Happy Spring! 

NEW SURROUNDINGS

We decided to spend our winter in Edmonton this year. Why you ask? Well, it's not because I'm particularly fond of the cold or the snow. However, the opportunity presented itself and we said, let's do it! After spending almost 5 years in the pine trees of New Hampshire, Edmonton is chock full of equally as many people as the trees back home and there are actual buildings neatly clustered together in groups to make a girl's fantasy shopping trip quite easy to achieve. An overwhelming but welcome change. So this winter my creating will not be done in a tiny little house near a tiny little stream in a tiny little town in New Hampshire. I hope to be set up and creating goodies very soon so keep your eye on the blog for new creations. New surroundings are inspiring new ideas. Keep checking back, you might be surprised!

This summer in New England

has been the strangest one i can remember. We get rain every day even if it's just for 20 minutes and i feel a bit out of sorts that leaves on the trees are red. I'm not ready to bid farewell to summer yet.
It doesn't seem like we've had any real heat this year, a very cool, wet summer with a bounty of mushrooms in the yard.
I do have a confession though, I've been pondering Christmas already. Typically I'm one of those sick people who has the shopping done in November and spends the next month baking like a possessed grandmother trying to ruin everyone's diets, including my own. Eat! Eat!
It looks like an early good -bye to the bathing suits and an early 'might as well' to pie, mmm. Maybe next year summer will be worth forgoing the brownies and trying to squeeze into the lycra.