Christmas Eve...

The best gift we could give and receive…

Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas!

A Couple of Things...

Hello friends.

I hope you're doing well during this busy season!

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I just wanted to share a couple of things I've completed recently.

I made this flag for a local business. It took 12 hours to cut, fuse and sew it, 

(It is two sided) and the experience taught me that, although I've done flags in the past,

 I no longer want to do this kind of work. A lot of concentrated work!

 But I was glad that it came out well.

I also finished this little embroidery.

My friend Barbara had given me some pieces of her beautiful Liberty 

of London fabrics, so I made this little girl (with a L of L jumper) for her.

I used colored pencils in addition to hand embroidery. A little cutie!

And last weekend my husband and I went to an open studio event where

we purchased this beautiful stained glass art from an artist friend, Joanne Jolly-Kay. 

We hung it in our front window as soon as we got home and it's such a pleasure to

see it every morning when we get up. Love it!

Finally, I got a kick out of our cat Rosie tonight. I was watching the movie 

"Winged Migration" when Rosie suddenly plopped herself down in front of

the TV and watched with great attention for twenty minutes! I think the sounds

of the birds caught her attention, then the motion of their flight pulled her in.

I hope that everyone who reads this is having a lovely

holiday season, not too stressful and including some time spent with friends.

I'm looking forward to a Christmas party tomorrow night with my 

Arts Collaborative friends and colleagues!!

See you soon!!!

A Giving Challenge

One of my favorite magazines is Flow, subtitled "A Magazine for Paper Lovers".  It is a bit pricey and  I usually walk by it a couple of times in a book store before giving in and indulging - but it calls to me, with its beautiful illustrations, interesting articles and great inspiration. I also follow the Flow Facebook page and today I read an inspiring post about an article  in the magazine's newest issue. The article is called "The Gifts of Giving" and is written by Nina Siegal. In it, Nina writes about being inspired to give something away, every day for a month. The experience was transformational for her, and her personal life began to improve as she found something to give away each and every day.
I've decided to take on this challenge, especially appealing during this giving season. I had already given away something today, before even reading the article, and there are so many other things I could share, be they donations, compliments, gifts, help, kindness… I find giving to be a bit exhilarating, so this should be a very happy month!
Would you like to join me?