A few rugs I’m Jonesin’ on!

 

Yes, today is day one of my stay-cation!

I’m pumped!  I’ve got all morning to drink coffee,

read about politics, get really pissed off, stop reading politics,

and go peruse Rug Hooking Daily!

Yeah, now I’m in a better mood already!

Here is one of the first rugs I came across this morning,

hooked by Ellen Santana. On RHD she states

“Oh my goodness i think this is the most hilarious rug i have ever seen. it is 2' x 3', all wool leftovers. I didn't get that it was supposed to be little till it was all over. There are a couple of spots I like but overall, my sister and I think it reminds us of those cars in the 60's that had the back end cut off to look like a truck. Thank you though. Ellen”

 

I have to say that I just love this rug, perhaps it’s because I’m in a similar

mode of using up bits of what I have in my stash. It’s fun, it’s whimsical, not

overthought, it really speaks to the origins of rug hooking, when women used up bits

of what they had to make something beautiful and useful for their home.

This rug, “Baby Jean at Aunt Eliza’s”was hooked by Trish Johnson.

Trish says,

“The house is my Aunt Elliza's at Jones Creek, New Brunswick. The sheep was named Baby Jean after my Aunt Jean.”

I love the impressionistic feel of this rug, you can almost hear the sheep chewing

on the grass and feel the soft breeze whispering through the trees.

Oh how I love a shaped rug!  This one is hooked by

Melinda Smith who states “adapted by several ammonite fossils we have in our home”

Funny, you can tell when someone is hooking from a place of love of

something that they are very familiar with, it just carries itself into the rug.

 

 

Thanks hookers for inspiring me today….now I’m off to hook some myself!

Yahoo!

I’m on a bit of an extended vacation!

Perhaps now I’ll have some time to get back to blogging

a bit.  Another long walk with Lonnie last night….

still a bit warm here, but promises of rain seem to be

perking everyone around here up just a bit.

I have a few pictures that I’ve taken lately of wildlife sightings.

The pictures are not the best, but I usually have my iPhone with

me, so I use what I have.

Below is a green backed heron that was sitting out amidst the lily

pads at the pond across from where I work.  We had one day (at work)

when we were really slow, so my boss suggested that we all go out

and take a walk around the pond.

I tried to get closer, for a better picture, but the bird flew away.

On Monday, I went to Elfindale Mansion and had a massage.

On the way out, we saw something run across the lawn…

a woodchuck!

Again, hard to see, he has such great camouflage that

he blends into the base of the tree….his little head

is peeping out of a drain pipe….can you see him?

***

Finally, Lonnie’s favorite form of wildlife…..a cat!

Lying in our front yard!

Watch below to see if he scares it off…..

For joy

“Today, stay very close to that being within you. That Child Self. That self knows what is right, what it wants, and what brings joy to your heart. Let that be your compass.”

~Mandy Ingber~

I know I don’t have “model” hands, my hands look like they belong on a 12 year old…..

That being said, I had them painted up in a way that brings me joy!

Pins

Just quickly sharing a few of my favorite

pins from Pinterest this week. 

 

I’ll be back

with more items to sell later on.

Enjoy your day!

Another turkey pattern for sale

This time, the pattern is “Turkey Trot” from Briarwood Folk Art.

I got this from Kathy back in 2006 when she had first started

designing and I was selling wool.  If I remember right, we swapped

wool for patterns.

Well, again….. I never got around to hooking this one.

It is on linen and measures 17” x 12”

I’m asking $16 plus $2 in traveling fees.

Just e-mail me from my side bar if you are interested.

 

Here are a few pictures from Kathy’s website of the pattern hooked.

Here is another version that has been modified.

Here is Kathy’s first version….

I like to see things hooked different ways…..isn’t

that the greatest thing about hooking?!

End of summer clean out

At the end of each season, I’ve been trying to go through my
“stuff”.  So over the next few days I’ll be offering a few rug hooking

patterns and perhaps a few books and magazines.

Today I’m selling this “Tom #1” rug hooking pattern on

linen for $66 plus $2 traveling fees.

The pattern measures 27” x 32”.

Just e-mail me, (you can find that on the side bar), if you

are interested.

This item is SOLD!

.

SOLD-SOLD-SOLD-SOLD-SOLD-SOLD

I bought it YEARS ago, and never got around to hooking it.

It now retails for $90.

I’ve cruised the web to find a few pictures of it hooked.

(image from Beeline-Townsend)

(via Rug Hooking Daily hooked by Kimberly Maggion)

(image from Emma Lou’s Primitives)

Enjoy your Sunday!

The little things

Yesterday evening, I took Lonnie for a walk.

We’ve been doing lots of walking and jogging, Lonnie and I.

Walking when it’s warmer and jogging when we’ve

had a cool snap.

I think that most of the day, while we are at

work, he just stays on our bed, looking out the window

for cats to bark at and watching for us to come home.

 

He’s been a bit lost without Cleopatra.

However, the minute you mention a walk, he perks up and

bucks around like a wild mustang.

 

Last night, he sat next to me, as I got down on my

belly to capture these enormous toadstools that had

popped up in a neighbors yard after a big rain.

It’s the little things.

Those surprise bits of beauty.

Wish I knew how to “photoshop”….I’d place us under

the toadstools and then they really WOULD look enormous!

    ***

Oh yeah, Just noticed that little Copper got adopted….

what a wonderful thing! Rejoicing!

Thanks to everyone

Thanks to everyone for your loving kindness and

all of your sweet condolences.  I hope to be back to

blogging soon, but I’ll be taking a few more days off.

If you have pets, please give them an extra hug

The Life of Cleopatra

I still remember the evening we got Cleopatra.  It was snowing and

we had to drive to Ozark, Missouri.  Someone had found a basset hound

and it needed a home.  We had been dog-less for about a year or so after having

to put our old basset hound, Geairmo, down and we didn’t think we

were ready to have another dog yet. 

Kenny had talked to a friend of his and he

said he would take her if we would go pick her up, she was going to be a

farm dog.

We pulled up to the house and out came this little otter of a dog, small and skinny

and full of wiggle.  As soon as Kenny put her in the truck with us, I knew that she

was more than just a “farm dog”…..she was a little princess and she was

coming home with us.

She didn’t take to riding in the truck very well, she cried and barked and wanted nothing

to do with it.

But what do you name a princess or better yet, a queen?

We had been going to Las Vegas most summers and staying at Caesars Palace, Kenny came up with Cleopatra…..

it seemed to fit.

As I said, we had another basset hound before, but Cleopatra was

different…..she was smart as a whip!  She loved balls and would

chase balls for you back and forth…she gave them up readily

so you could throw them for her again.

With some practice she learned to sit, shake, lie down, lie “way down”,

which meant lying down and putting her head on the ground,

she even learned to roll over….she was smart!

It wasn’t long before we realized that if we called her “Cleo”, she didn’t

respond…..she was definitely “Cleopatra”!

Well, Cleopatra was perhaps a little too smart…..when we left

her home alone she ended up getting into some sort of mischief…..

I remember coming home from work one day and finding tomato starts that

she had drug out of the sunroom and into the (at that time) carpeted living

room….dirt strung everywhere.

She needed something to keep  her occupied, perhaps another dog.

That is when we got Big Truvy to keep Cleopatra company.

Cleopatra excelled at being a great mother figure to

Big Truvy, she was kind and playful with her and I think

this “mothering” kept her out of a lot of mischief that she

would have been into otherwise during the day.

She mothered Big Truvy right up until the end when Truvy

got sick…..I still remember Cleopatra taking a candy corn

that we had given her and her taking it in her mouth

over to Big Truvy and dropping it in front of her because

she didn’t feel like getting up….she was definitely

one special dog.

She didn’t mind dressing up, as long as you would

praise her and tell her how cute she looked.

She was darling as a ballerina…..

and as a sunflower….

Her aunt Donna knitted her a little pink jacket and she thought

she was the bombe in it….

Then someone started laughing at her and saying

she looked like a little pig…..that hurt her feelings

and she went and got on the couch and sulked for

the rest of the night.

Cleopatra also had an affinity for ditches….it didn’t

matter how big or how small the ditch was….she wanted down

in it!

She was also quite the hunter….she was a girly dog, but

she didn’t mind getting down and dirty if there was

something to be hunted….here she’s after something

living under the back deck….

 

Cleopatra missed Big Truvy after she was gone, so she

started going on walks and play dates with Lily and Belle,

my friend Patti’s dogs…..

I remember how Belle loved to chew on Cleopatra’s

ears and Cleopatra really didn’t seem to mind.

The one thing Cleopatra didn’t like were the stairs in

Patti’s house…..well, she didn’t mind going UP, but she

had to be carried DOWN!

Lily and Belle made great playmates for Cleopatra, but

she still didn’t like being home alone all day while

we were at work…..eventually we brought home Lonnie.

Lonnie needed someone to show him the ropes of life

and Cleopatra was more than happy to oblige….even though

he was bigger than she was (she could walk underneath him),

she was the boss!

On Monday morning we were fortunate enough to be at home when

Cleopatra passed from this earth.

She hadn’t been eating, but on Sunday  she started eating again

and even went for a walk in the park and chased a rabbit.

I suppose that was her gift to all of us, to see her looking happy

for that one last day.

Of course that is how Cleopatra always was and always will be in our

hearts….a sweet, happy girl.

We miss you Cleopatra….

 

Why don’t more people GET this

 

Please watch this video!

Really….

please watch it!

I’m so sick of seeing all the political ads…..already!

The world is overcome with greed….why can’t

we keep more jobs HERE in the USA…..

this gal tells you why she keeps her company

here……

truly beautiful!

Inhale/Exhale

Tuesday night I went to “power yoga”, this is the 2nd time

I’ve attended this class.

When I went for the first time, week before last, I was standing

outside of class, waiting with the other students as the PiYo class

ahead of us was finishing up.

Class Chatter:

“Steve (our instructor) is taking the PiYo class”

“I wonder if that means he’ll be harder than usual because

he’s loosened up or easier because he’ll be a bit more tired”

“Last week was really hard”

“I hope it makes him tired”

I’m standing there, mat in hand.

The people around me are mainly men who are younger than me,

(oh wait, he was not in my class, just a gratuitous

photo of a hot guy doing yoga)

(oh wait, here he is again….okay, back to the story)

a few women, younger than me,

and most of them are toting mats, water bottles and hand-towels…..

My Internal Chatter:

“holy CRAP! What have I signed up for!”

“definitely putting my mat in the BACK of the class”

“wonder if I have time to run downstairs and get some water out

of the vending machine?”

“I didn’t bring any money in with me”

“oh well, we’ll see how it goes”

 

Do you ever do that?

You know…

beat yourself up before you even start something?

Rather than looking at something as a new experience,

an adventure, you look at it as scary obstacles?

What do you see here?

(it’s that hot guy again!)

No, I mean this picture here…..

What do you think?

a) Where is this, I really want to go there

b) I’ll never get across that water to get there

c) I wonder what the view looks like from the top

    of those mountains?

d) There is no way I’m climbing up those mountains!

 

Now what if I show it from THIS perspective…

Hmmm, I’m thinking heaven on earth! I don’t want

to leave! I don’t even have to climb those mountains

or swim across there, I can enjoy myself right where

I’m at!

So is there a purpose or a moral to the whole story I’ve

been telling you about being scared by the other people

who were going on about how hard the class is?

Kind of…..

I got in there, I DID put my mat in the back of the class,

and you know what?

I did okay, I went in tired from lack of sleep, and I came

out feeling great, more awake and realizing I was

stronger than I thought I was.

So rather than looking at mountains as obstacles, look at

them as things of beauty, enjoy where you are and don’t

be afraid to dream about where you want to go.

(for me in yoga, I’m wanting to be able to do the pose

at the beginning of this post…..elephant trunk pose….I was

able to get my leg up on the upper part of my arm, and my

butt up off the ground for about 2 seconds, but if I never had

gone into that “scary” class, I wouldn’t even KNOW about that

pose…..or the hot yoga guy ! As for the pictures of the mountains,

that is one of my dream vacation spots….St. Lucia…..would love to

go there with MY OWN

 

hot guy!)