Mother Nature...make up your mind!

It's warm, it's cold. We're wearing shorts and now we've got our coats on again! The cherry tree was in full bloom last night when it started raining and snowing.

This morning, the dog's water basin had a beautiful design on top of it.

A Very Happy Birthday Indeed!

(Dulcy, Tammy, Sheri and Jimmy Dean)

(Tammy)

My husband, Kenny, got me Photoshop Elements 7 for my birthday, so I couldn't help but play with some of my pictures on this posting.

Wednesday, as I headed into my 40's, Dulcy of Dulcy's Doorstep and I headed

over to Sheri's of Shabby Sheep

(Sheri working on art cards for her mom's birthday)

(aren't they cute?! They have room for family members to add birthday sentiments)

for some art therapy and mimosas .....and of course cake and so much more.

I can say one thing.....I didn't feel 41....I felt like I was in 2nd grade.

We were painting, glueing, glittering, sitting on the floor cutting out wallpaper to use as backgrounds and having so much fun!

Time stood still and flew all at the same time!

(Sheri and Dulcy)

(Dulcy making art)

(a close up of Dulcy's collage...wallpaper, beads, vintage emphemera and more.....all stuff in Sheri's awesome stash!)

I've had so many perfect days lately I'm positively giddy!

Yes, hooking

Yes, I've been hooking! I started this rug when I was visiting Patti in Florida. My goal was to hook just "original" rugs this year, but I was in a pinch on what to take and found this rug pattern hanging in my "stash" in my closet.



The pattern is from Nola and I do think it's an adorable pattern. I've tried to put my own spin on it, by changing a lot of the lines and making the colors coordinate with Cleopatra.

I took several pictures of her in different light and took them with me to help with the colors while I was hooking.


I'm sure I'll make changes before I'm all finished, but it's nice to start on a new project.


I have finished the "Swirly Tree" rug. I'm not 100% happy with it's shape...it seems a little wonky (see how the bottom right corner kind of drops down more?) and I think I just need to steam and tug on it a bit more, but here is a pic of it. Also, on the horizon line on the right I need to pull out that little piece of peach that snuck in there....funny how well you can "see" things when you photograph them.

The beading is fun to do and adds another dimension to it. Also the rolled strips that I used was also fun....I guess this is what I would call a "process" rug....trying out new techniques on a smaller rug before jumping into something larger.






Now for rambling.....I have to renew my driver's license on Wednesday, so today I left work early and ran around trying to get all the documents that I need......
Social Security Card
Birth Certificate
Something that proves your residency such as a utility bill, paystub, etc.
Not sure if I need my wedding license or not, but I'm taking it with me just in case.
On the good side, got in and out of Social Security in about 5 minutes and the same with the health department.....YAY!

Go forth and be creative,
Tammy

More Florida pics

One of our days in Florida we went garage saling and to thrift stores, junk stores and the like....I got a cute pair of sandals and a piece of Hagar pottery that I brought home to Kenny. Oh yeah, a vintage sewing book and an old book of music that I'm going to use in my journaling.....soooo, no pictures from that day, but some fun finds!

On Saturay, Patti and I went to a few more beaches. We headed to Venice Beach, but couldn't find a place to park, so we headed a little further to the North Jetty

(the North Jetty is that little piece of land that sticks out there)

and ended up on Nokomis Beach. I guess, because it was Saturday, there were LOTS of people at the beach. Old, young, fat, skinny, it was a great place to people watch.

There was one young family next to us that had 4 or 5 kids ranging from an infant to 7 or 8 years old.....now that is bravery! The kids were so fun to watch!

(you can see Patti in the surf skimming for shells and shark's teeth)

I really loved watching this little girl.....she was sooooo "in the moment"

One of my favorite things about this beach was that the sand was tiny pieces of shell......so pretty!

After we left Nokomis, we headed back to Venice beach and found a place to park....we looked and looked for shark's teeth, but came up empty handed. The sand on Venice beach was a lot more black than the other beaches we went to. Interesting how you can go not very far and the shells and sand are so different from beach to beach.

Another perfect day

Surprised

Just wanted to share this.....I've been cleaning up my "wool" room since I got back from vacation. Kenny snapped this picture of me today and when I pulled it up, I thought it was worth sharing.....I think I look happy here....happy to be getting a little more organized, so I can spend more time hooking.

Notice the sweatshirt, Toto, we're not in Florida anymore! Can you tell that my hair is getting longer on the top?

After burn

So, after spending the day on the beach at Boca, the next morning I woke up to have ReAlLy sunburned the tops of my feet......no beach for this girl....okay, no SuNnInG on the beach for this girl, but when in Florida.....I've got to see the beach!So, we got up and went to Englewood beach for free yoga. Yes, YoGa....FrEe....on the BeAcH!

Lots of people waiting to get started.

Then, 1 hour later, we're finished.

OMG! Talk about a perfect way to start the day! Breathing, stretching....all with the sound of the waves in the background.

Later in the day we took Patti's dogs, Lily and Belle to the dog park....that was a treat. We stayed in the "little dog" area, but there was a big dog, Jake, a blind lab mix, who came in to play with the little dogs....he was so sweet!

This is me with Lily sitting on my lap. The dogs ran around and played and the peeps all sat at the picnic table :)

Then we headed back home and cooked on the grill.....chicken, asparagus, French bread and roasted garlic....oh yeah, and a little wine.

What a perfect day!

The Boca burn

My second day in Florida, Patti and I went to the beach in Boca Grande.

The town is beautiful with all of these wonderful banyan trees.

We hung out on the beach, looking for shells and just chilling...there is something so relaxing about the sand between your toes and looking out at the ocean.....something we are not blessed with here in the Midwest......ahhhhhhhhh........these are my feet....before I sunburned the top of them.....I think I walked up and down the surf so many times that all of the sunscreen came off and when I "reapplied" I forgot the tops of my feet.

Before we left, we had a little grilled grouper sandwich and a cold beer at this seaside cafe.

I can't wait to go back!

I'm back

I'm still in the process of finding all of my photos from my trip to Florida to see my friend Patti. Here are pictures from my first day there.

We first went to hook with a group of rug hookers in Ft. Meyers, Florida. I got to meet the famous Polly Minick

....she was working on an adorable rug that was a girl on an inflatable sea hourse....it was darling and lots of the women in the group were fine hookers who were making incredible rugs. Polly was explaining how she finishes her rugs with vintage ticking fabric. She has it sewn on around the perimeter of the rug before she starts hooking and then hooks right up to it. It is then turned back and the corners are mitered....a pretty look. I'll have to try that sometime.

After hooking we hit some "goodwill" stores and I got a fabulous pair of cute, cute high wedge sandals for $4.99....what a bargain!!!

After a little retail therapy we headed back to the village and went to Julie's (Searsport Rug Hooking) for "fondue night".

There were veggies, shrimp, fresh caught "mullett", basil pesto/brie fondue, another cheese dip that had dark beer in it. A big tower of fruits.....OMG...it was all so delicious!

It was also going to be "shuttle launch night" and Julie even made a drink that she called "launch pad"....YUM!

In the end, they cancelled the shuttle launch, so instead, after eating, we had a "closet party"!

What's a closet party? All I can say is that you had to be there.....I got a stuffed shark, a purple crocheted beach hat and LOTS of lipstick!!!

Before we had fondue we played a few games of Bocci ball

and Jarts

.

....I had fun, but was a horrible shot.

I met soooo many fabulous people on that first day and it just got better the longer I was there. Will write more tomorrow when I find more pictures.

Spring Illumination

Today was glorious! Here are some pictures of a few flowers taking bloom......hellebores and daffodils. I love how the light bounces around them and shines through them.

May your day be luminous!

~EbUlLiEnT!~

Today I'm EbUlLiEnT!!!!

I thought I was coming down with some sort of ick, because Tuesday I woke up not feeling well and then Wednesday I started feeling worse and then on Thursday night I started coughing.....OH NO! Say it isn't sooooooo! I can't be sick! I'm going on vacation on Tuesday to see my friend Patti in Florida.....tell me this is not happening!!!

Friday I left work early and went to the doctor.

He checked me out and said "it's allergies"....."probably snuck up on you because it's been soooo cold and then all of a sudden we're in the 70's". Went by the pharmacy and picked up more of my Flonase and Zyrtec. Took it when I got home.....forgot how drowsy the Zyrtec makes me feel when I'm not used to taking it......slept for 12 hours.

Now I'm feeling EbUlLiEnT this morning!!!!

The pictures are from my "visual journal" that I'm working on for "The Welcome Mat".

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy

Wednesday night hooking group

Wow! Just when you think things can't get any better they do!!!! I just can't tell you how excited I am with the people in my hooking group!! Talk about putting on a show!

Here are just a few of the rugs from Wednesday night....

We have a new hooker....Ann.....this is Ann's very first rug....self designed I might add. I love the folkiness of it and the colors.

This is the rug that Ann is working on now....also self designed....can't wait to see how it progresses! We had a great time talking about her scuba experience at The Great Barrier Reef in Australia, so this is a memory rug of sorts.

Here is a rug from Vicki. Vicki is also a newer hooker and has been jumping into the dye pots....she dyed her own sky for this rug.....seeing people jump right in makes me so happy!

Here is a close up so you can see her beautiful sky! I'm also in love with the wool she used on her pathway.

Others in our group are multi-talented! Here are some penny rugs that Betty has been working on....no idle hands for her! Betty does beautiful handwork and she said she is using Valdani pearl cotton thread...just the threads themselves are amazing.

This is another piece that Betty has been working on.....beautiful!!!

and here is a picture of the pattern from Lori Smith at From My Heart to Your Hands.

Now, I must admit, me and this next hooker, Sandy, must be kindred souls...we always gravitate to a lot of the same colors and patterns.....when I bought this pattern for the store I kind of thought in the back of my mind that I might get to hook it,but Sandy snatched it up and looking at this piece just makes me smile! You can purchase the pattern through Spruce Ridge Studios.

Here are some close ups of the little umbrella women!!! How delightful!!! This girls dress is stitched in a scroll stitch that Sandy found in this book, "Elegant Stitches"

Sandy and I are in love with the wool that she used in the umbrella below....I've got to figure out where that came from and see if I can get more! It's a happy orange with a hot pink stripe in it. YUM!

I love the embroidered flowers on this girls dress!

Marcia has been working on this large rug for a while now....I think it's turning out beautifully! She has even used wool from some of her husband's shirts....I love a rug with a story! She's making this to go in the kitchen of her saltbox house.

Sheri has come up with another original design....this is going to incorporate hooking, fabric transfers, beading and who knows what else by the time it is finished. You might get to read more about it at her blog, Shabby Sheep.

There were more rugs Wednesday night, but these were the ones I got a chance to photograph......and as a grand finale.....Patti, who is in Florida, sent me a picture of her with Polly Minick. Patti took Polly's design and tweaked it to go in her new Florida home. How fun to get to meet the person who designed your rug!

Go forth and be creative,

Tammy