SOME HOLIDAY SHOW AND TELL…

Sherri sent me pix of the stockings which we designed and colour planned and dyed for together. What an incredible job she did – her son,Joe is a musician and asked to have a horn – not an easy task. The hollyhocks represent Vi in Vietnamese. The three stockings were not hung by the chimney but were hung with care and love…

And this week our friends Bill and Diane are with us for a week of junkin, eating, cards and CREATING… Bill and Gord made us fish out of pallet wood and barn wood and a wonky beaded necklace…still to be brushed with a bit of paint…and yes mine does finally have an eye instead of just an empty socket…

I don’t eat fish with the head on 🙂 …

Gord made us bootjack stands which I painted and distressed – Diane punched these two small pieces Thursday to attach to hers…

and I finally finished punching (started this a few months ago but did not love it but after some rejigging and redrawing I now do) my Christ-cat to go on mine…

AND we finished our hats! Years ago I made hats and sold them and never kept one for myself so since everyone seems to be on the hat kick we decided to jump on the band wagon and make one for ourselves…

Yesterday, we went to the Real Canadian Wool store in Carleton Place where Diane got a ton of beautiful 100% wool yarns for Oxford punching as she is now working on mat number 11 for her shelf and then on to Almonte where we met Wendo and went junking! Found a new pop up antique store and oh my! did we buy! haha… Wendo finished her second lovely Penny Tree…which seconds later was felled by her beautiful Maine Coon cat Noel!…

so a wonderful week and lots of creative hours later I WISH YOU A HAPPY NEW YEAR AND MAY 2023 BRING YOU ALL YOU WISH FOR…

WISHING EVERYONE A …

safe, peaceful and healthy Christmas and 2023…

A few Christmas rugs and punch needles to share..

Jill finished her Penny Tree…

and these are a few Christmassy pieces I have posted of my own in the past but thought we could do again…

May your holidays be filled with Joy and the creative spirit!!!

MORE SHOW AND TELL…

Wendy finished her second O’ Christmas Tree…and is planning to open a Christmas Tree lot for next year 🙂 …

and Wendo finished her first (of many) Penny tree…

Linda sent a picture of her wonderful wooly wreath… 

Sharon finished her mini punch needle Three Blooms…

Wendy sent pix of her fun trees created with kits and a class from Old Tattered Flag…

and I finished showbinding my Sailing Ship rug… ready to hang in the summer although I might just have to hang it in the TV room where it can stay year round…

and finally got around to framing the beautiful punch needle that I got from Helen way back when. It has been sitting on my table in my studio waiting for the perfect piece of wool to be used as backing so that I could attach it to the barn wood frame Gord made for me. Well, I auditioned over and over again – thought about a braided edge but did not like the choice of wool strips and finally yesterday, I found the perfect piece of wool. This dates back probably 20+ years to when Gord had a client in Montreal whose company made coats and jackets. I used to buy end of rolls that I used for quilting and applique and hooking – this one was sample squares of beautiful British woollens and I found the perfect piece that incorporated gold, greyed out blues and browns – it went so well with the punch needle but also with the frame. Yeahhhhh – up on the wall it goes …and yes I do have this pattern for mini punch needle!

CHRISTMAS PARTY…

For many, many years a small group of us have been meeting at rug retreats and at our yearly Christmas party. After a forced Covid hiatus, last year we resumed our Christmas Party and AMAZING gift exchange. This year we were able to hold it again – this time at our house rather than Laura’s beautiful home. As I rushed around the house in a panic, moving furniture, sucking up dust bunnies that had not been displaced in a year, trying to prepare edible food, decorating like Martha, I asked myself WHYYYYY did I say I would do this at my house? And then, yesterday, I remembered why (no, not for the leftovers or hostess gifts!!! although I won’t need to cook for days!!!) but for the joy of sharing my day with dear friends I have known for so, so many years. We have lost members of our group over the years and remember them with laughter and tears; we have shared joyous moments when children married and grandkids arrived and the heartbreak of losing loved ones. So, being able to get together again to share the good and the sad was a wonderful gift.

AND THEN OF COURSE THERE ARE THE HAND MADE GIFTS!!!! I am always amazed at, and inspired by the creativity that comes out of this group!

Ladies, I treasure your friendship and look forward to getting together again next Christmas(and of course before then)…

Some pix of the day and the pressies…

FUN CLASSES…

Just finished two studio classes on making Penny Trees. Although we did not finish the trees in class everyone had their pennies cut and stacked and some stitched and ready to apply to their trees.

A few show and tell pieces to share:

Nancy has been on a roll and finished a lot of Christmas presents…

Christien finished hooking her first O Christmas Tree (and yes I do have this either as a kit or just as a pattern with instructions – check under Rug Hooking kits)…

Diane finished her March rug – only 2 left to go and she will have the whole year done – hmmmm what will she work on next?…

I mini punched this fun piece…

and searched through my junkin finds for the right sized pieces for Gord to make me this Funnel Tree – just have to paint out that nut (not Gord – the nut on the Tree 🙂 ) …

and framed my lovely gift from Helen…

SHOW AND TELL…

Wendy finished her little O’ Christmas Tree kit – hooked in a few hours and put together the next day…

Little Starling in Flight by Linda…

After our retreat last weekend I was lucky enough to have Helen and Chris (and yes Ian too) staying with us for a few more days of fun and hooking and punching. Chris finished both her wonderful pieces…

and I was gifted this beautiful punch needle completed by Helen and framed it in one of my antique photographic glass plate holders…

Karen sent me this picture of her lovely tree…

and I finished this little pillow just for fun…