Admiration

A few weeks ago I got a tip from a friend who called to tell me I just had to sneak away to see one of the homes in the Historical Home Show!  "She does that really cool thing you do with wool - you know not the crocheting, but whatever that other thing you do with the little tiny strips..."  Did she mean Rug Hooking? Well let's just say that I was so happy that I dropped everything for a minute to go have a look.

It was the home of Sharon Verdine and her artist husband, Ernie.  (I had just been admiring his work in the Gallery the day before so I was thrilled to get to meet him and see Sharon again!)  I had met Sharon at a rug hooking meeting last fall. WHAT TALENT!!

 

Their home is charming and I heard over and over again comments like, "This is my very favorite of all of the homes I have seen!"  "They have really put life back into this home not only decorating, but living the beautiful, simple, artistic life that once was so long ago." I couldn't agree more! It was exquisite, every square inch! When you first walked in, you were greeted with this cute little chicken rug.  Seeing that rug on the floor - I knew this woman was not only a very accomplished rug hooker - but prolific in her work. She makes rugs for not only the art, but for the utilitarian purpose they were intended for........once upon a time!  Sharon warmly visited with everyone...she is a gem!

 Charm around every corner...and the sweet light coming through the windows.  

It was magical.

Her hooked rugs and projects are right at home in every room. 

 Her studio had such a peaceful calm to to it.  

Her collection of antique pieces were very artfully displayed and warmly and lovingly used.

 I could move into this wonderful home quite easily and be very much at home here!

What a coincidence that I had just visited the newly opened Logan Fine Arts Gallery the day before and had been admiring Ernie's work there! I love his style and the rich color pallet he paints from. He has a blog here.  I "borrowed the photos of him painting from a fairly recent article about him  in the Herald Journal.  What a delight to meet him and see his studio. 

These two are certainly living the dream.  I am very happy for them and their content lifestyle.
Hopefully we can all follow our hearts!  Thanks for opening up your beautiful home to us, Verdines!!

:: :: :: 

 So on to a little business...
I want to thank everyone for their support in the Open House we held last Saturday.  It was such a beautiful day and so fun to see everyone.  Leslie was so generous in sharing her beautiful wool projects.  I sure love all of you lovely ladies!!  In order to promote this little blog, which will soon serve as a place of updates and class schedules - we are having a little contest!  

I realize that social media isn't everyone's thing - and some of us aren't as handy on the computer as others... but we (gently persuaded by my loving daughters...) have decided it is a fun and easy way to reach a lot of people and get updates out in a colorful way.  Like us on facebook or follow us on the blog.  Leave a comment about what you love about working with wool - hand stitching - your favorite project...etc, and we will have a drawing for two delightful prizes!

This contest will run for one week...Drawing will be held at 9 pm October 9th! 
(I'll post the winners Wednesday morning)

 Eighteen 6" x 8" pieces of yummy fall wool pieces ~ perfect for small projects and applique!

and

Three strips (8" x 16") of the gorgeous new hand dyed silk/rayon velvet!  Great to add into wool projects for beautiful shimmer and a pretty texture...not to mention the amazing silky hand it has!

 Also, if you purchased a pattern/kit for Stacked Jacks - you may have gotten one with out an important piece of the pattern.  A few were missing the page for the larger stacked jacks pillow pattern pieces.  I can that to you if you email me your address.  Sorry for the error and inconvenience. 

We had dye cut pieces for you to take home and create a cute little Pinterst-Inspired bookmark.  For your reference and inspiration...here is the photo we were inspired by.  Hope to see everyone soon!  we'd love to see what YOU have created!  Happy Stitching!

Creating

This is a new friend of mine. She came over this morning to pick out some wool with her mom. Rachel is an adorable little girl with a gift to create. I gave her a bag and let her choose some of her favorite pieces out of one of my scrap bins. They have plans of creating bracelets and wool cuffs... maybe some stuffed animals or scarves. They will embellish them with embroidery. The sky is the limit! She told me about the cute baby quilts her mom had made for gifts. Its so exciting to watch people who have bin bitten by the creative bug. It brings me such joy. Children are delightful to watch as they create. I showed her how to make a little dimensional flower and before they left she had the little rolled flower down pat. This is why we are remodeling the studio, so we can have lots of space to create and learn new things from each other.

I love this definition of creating:

• 1. to cause to come into being, as something unique that would not naturally evolve or that is not made by ordinary processes

• 2.from one's thought or imagination, as a work of art or an invention..

Each of us are unique and have our own way of seeing the world and expressing ourselves. It makes the world a wonderful place to be. These quotes are nice to ponder. Its a gift to have time to ponder.

"As the season of believing seems to wind down let me gently remind you that many dreams still wait in the wings. Many authentic sparks must be fanned before passion performs her perfect work in you. Throw another log on the fire."
- Sarah Ban Breathnach

“Creativity is inventing, experimenting, growing, taking risks, breaking rules, making mistakes, and having fun.”

- Mary Lou Cook

“There is no doubt that creativity is the most important human resource of all. Without creativity, there would be no progress, and we would be forever repeating the same patterns.”

- Edward de Bono

“Everyone who’s ever taken a shower has had an idea. It’s the person who gets out of the shower, dries off and does something about it who makes a difference.”

- Nolan Bushnell

It is good to feed our souls daily.