Early Valentine's

When I taught 3 - 6 year olds at the local Montessori School, I handmade Christmas ornaments and Valentines every year for my little folk.  I enjoyed myself to no end.  I am very grateful and joyful when a former student or his/her parent tell me how my ornaments bring back fond memories of their pre-school days when the holidays approach.  I have continued making the ornaments for my family and friends. 

My sister, who she herself makes ornaments each and every year, reports that I forgot to post an image of this year's Christmas ornament.  I guess the anticipation of Max, my grandson, must have fizzled my brain, so here's the ornament.

The tree was bobbin stitched:  meaning the thick metallic was in the bobbin and the work was sewn with the front side down.  Make sense?????  I was real pleased with the design: simple yet elegant, if I say so myself.

Now onto the valentines - I created a mock up last year and decided to make a bunch of them for my "Valentines" this year.  Here's a bunch but not the whole bunch and then a single one.  The lace in this one and the ones I'm giving to my family is from my wedding gown.  Mother painstakingly sewn my gown with lots of lace on the cuffs and hemline.  Single motifs were stitched on the long, beautiful veil.  Time and the heat of the attic ruined much of the gown and veil, but not the lace!!!!  I've incorporated the lace in quite a few of my art projects.  There's still some left for another day.

So may you enjoy creating valentines for those you love.

Back from vacation and down with a cold

Mexico was relaxing!!!!!!!!! Lots of laughs with our Navy Friends, great food and drink. I came back with a cold that tended to drain all creativity out of me. But I'm mending!!!!!! And back in the Studio.

The following images are 2 creations for my darling daughter. Jim and I were out in Vegas for the holidays. I helped take down Kara's Christmas. She promptly put up her valentines. Over the years I've make members of my family fabric valentines. Up they went. On one of Kara's big walls she placed a teeny valentine - I had to remedy that and quickly made a crazy patch valentine! Not an art piece but a holiday decoration. The purple piece is a needle felted cover for Kara's datebook. Using her favorite colors (colors of her upcoming June wedding, I felted lavender and green felt, cheesecloth and then machine stitched.

Yesterday, I played with the machine needle felter again. I'll upload pics soon. Experimenting and learning to trust my art.