Friday Finish!

This week I have been getting ready for camping, but I wanted to make something that I could finish in a few days. I admit, I had to push it, to finish it fast enough, but I got it done.

The design is a freebie offered by Lori Brechlin in the punch needle facebook groups. Lori's group is called The Punch Needle Guild, if you are interested in joining her group, but it is offered on the others.

I used floss from my scrap box, lots to use up, that is nesting more and more. The orange is a variegated floss that I bought in a package. It is cheaper and with a coupon, you get a lot more for your money. I over dyed it to antique it a bit and it makes a fun pumpkin shade.

I used the twisted yarn method for the edge, a mix of black wool and a bumpy green. Once done, I antiqued it with walnut ink. It looks lighter and whiter than the actual piece, but I have to lighten some areas so you can see them, which ruins the rest.

We also attended the memorial service for my daughter's friend. They were very open about her death and that she lost her battle with her addiction. There was a lot of sadness and crying and a lot of laughter. I made up a little photo of Jenna and my daughter Danielle, as a tribute to them both. And it was confirmed that Jenna will be buried near my daughter, just a few feet away, so I think that is a comforting thought for both of our families, together again in death.

This is when the girls were little, at Jenna's house. I had never seen this photo, so was happy to see them together, smiling and happier times. The saying  I found online and changed to fit them both.

Friday Finish!

This week I worked on a stitchery from Kathy Schmitz's, One Stitch Club. This one was a fun one to do and I added some color for fun. I am leaving it for now, since I may add a wedding date and name. One of my nieces is getting married and I thought it might make a nice little gift. I will probably add a border and make it into a pillow.

Not the best photo, took with my phone, but it looks much nicer in person.

A short one tonight, my heart is heavy. I found out today that one of my daughter's best friends died. They found her unresponsive, so I am assuming it was a drug overdose. She had called me this week, out of the blue and now I wish I had the time to invite her over. I know the pain her family is going through and a loss for us as well, she spent a lot of time at our house too, when the girls were younger.

This is a photo of them together, now they are together in heaven.

Friday Finish!

Posting early today, since we are going off grid, this afternoon. The weather has changed back and forth all week, and now it looks like a great weekend for camping. The bad thing is, I thought it was going to rain, so I let my Son host the dinner, which he wanted to do, so no picnic, and now it is going to be 79 on Sunday, ugh. It also means, we come back to the house and get things ready and Bean can stay home while we spend time at their house, then back to camp.

I Cooked up a pot of Goulash and some corn bread, so we can just relax and heat up dinner. Baskets for the kids are done and now we are just doing some finishing things and waiting for the milkman before we take off.

One reason we are going away is, it is not only Easter, but Danielle's birthday on Sunday, so it would be too much to sit home and think about the fact that she is not sharing it with us. She loved camping, so this will be a time for us to relax and be with her in spirit as we walk the beaches and enjoy nature.

I worked on a pillow, an idea I saw on a website, who made a pillow to ease her grief. She lost her daughter right after birth and spent the day, loving her and saying goodbye. I can only imagine her pain, for each of us grieves in our own way.

I made my heart with some of our clothes and some of hers, a special memory and inspiration as I walk this journey called Grief.

I also finished my eyeglass case, it is a bit smaller after sewing and I like a roomy case, makes it easier to get them out. It is also good for pocket cameras, too. I used old blue jean material behind the felted piece, and for the backing.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a Blessed Easter.

Friday Finish!

I finally finished my new punch needle piece, but I finished it with sore joints and fuzzy brain, so I messed up a bit on my piece. I had an idea for a border and added the braided look, after I punched the piece, so it is a bit off. The actual pattern will have it drawn on paper so it will be done right for the pattern;)

On top of that, I tried to unscrew a top that did not want to open and bruised my old injured fingers, so no drawing for me right now, the pattern will be done next week. I tried to write today and it was basically scribble, so not enough control to redraw patterns.

Of course the flash, brightened up the colors, even though I antiqued it with walnut stain. I was trying the fake lilacs to get the camera to see the colors better and it did help. The finished pillow is 7 1/2" x 6 1/2".

Hopefully I can get back to normal after this weekend, time to cut off the meds, they mess me up more than the lyme, it seems.

Today I posted a photo of Danielle and thought I would share it with you and the poem that I found. This is her great grandmother at Easter. Kids tend to shy away from the elderly and Billy would keep busy elsewhere, but Danielle always sat and gave her grandmother lots of love. She had a good heart and truly cared about other's feelings.

Turn Again To Life

If I should die and leave you here a while, 

be not like others sore undone, 

who keep long vigil by the silent dust. 

For my sake turn again to life and smile, 

nerving thy heart and trembling hand to do 

something to comfort other hearts than thine.

Complete these dear unfinished tasks of mine 

and I perchance may therein comfort you.

Mary Lee Hall

With her birthday coming up, I wanted to give a gift in honor of her kind spirit. A friend of mine is doing a walk and a raffle to help raise money for MS, in support of her daughter in law. She is offering a beautiful log cabin quilt for the raffle and each 20.00 gets you one entry into the drawing. I think it is a wonderful thing that she is doing and if you are interested in contributing to her team and getting a chance to win the quilt you can visit Team Triple Threat. The walk is on the 16th, Dani's birthday, so it makes it even more special for me. The quilt is no listed on the website, but she is taking all the names from the donations and entering them into the raffle.

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a nice day, no matter how you celebrate the holidays. One of the things I did to celebrate was to share the love and memories on a tree for Danielle, in our beach room. I think of it as her room and now it is my room, so it is our room. 

I found a prelit tree with pinecones, simple but nice. I made christmas cards using photos of her and her friends and family and printed them card stock. I hung those on the tree and yesterday I found two hanging signs, one says Believe and one for Joy. I turned it on, on Christmas eve and it will stay lit till midnight tonight, my gift to her this Christmas. I also wrote a little poem to her, not the best literary piece, but it came from the heart.

I made a special gift for you,

a little Christmas tree,

Filled with family, friends and love

and all our memories.

May you see the bright shining light,

as you celebrate Christmas in Heaven tonight.

Love you and miss you,

and this I do pray, 

to be with us in spirit, 

especially today.

Christmas Eve was spent at our house. We made a turkey dinner and let Nick open a few presents. He loves wearing my watch, so now he has his own. 

Today we visited her grave.  It was a nice feeling to be able to see her stone in place and I knew she is smiling down on us, when the sun broke out and the beam cast it's rays on her stone, creating a rainbow of color across the angel. 

The afternoon was spent with the kids, yes I still call them kids;) My son and  wife made dinner and after we enjoyed present opening with Nicholas and playing with his new toys.

We got him a little bike so he could learn to peddle and not have to worry about falling, this was perfect for a learning bike. 

He wasn't too sure about going in his new fort, but then he drove his new firetruck into it, so he had to go in to get it. The house is nice since it pops down and fits into a small carry sack, so he can bring it to my house when he plays here.

Now it is time for me to have some me time, lots of projects to finish, new ones to start and lots of ideas for new creations.

Memorial Wall Hanging!

When I started my daughter's pillow, I was going to go with stitchery, for the saying, but I realized it was too big and it would take too long, so I put it away. This week I took it out and finished it into a wall hanging for one of her friends, who has lost her dad and grandmother this year. She is one of the ones who gave me the painting and she said she wanted to put the saying on it, but there wasn't any room so I thought I would make something similar for her with the saying and less painting.

I stitched the stitchery first, then I used Rit dye to color in the background. I added water and brushed it on with a tan for the sand, then a green/blue for the sea and a light blue/white for the sky. It worked nicely and the colors came out the way I wanted, but once I dried it, everything lightened up. I left it as is, now it has hints of color and I think with the saying it is a nice touch.

I used Janet Clare's line of Hearty Good Wishes, the perfect print for an ocean scene, then I added the hand stitched seagulls as a last addition. The finished piece is a little over 12". Not my best sewing, but I think she will like it.

An Angel for my Angel and Giveaway Winner!

Today we went out to look for a basket. Our church is having a fair with a raffle, so I decided to share some of the winnings I have had over the years and make a quilter's gift basket. I also have books and an extra copy of a magazine, so putting together things like that and fabrics to go with the patterns. Now if I can only find a basket I like, most were the wrong shape and over priced junk.

I did find an angel though. She was sitting on the shelf with another that was not as nice and mine was on sale, it was meant to be. We are still waiting for the insurance and things to go through so we are waiting on a stone and I hate that there was nothing on her grave. I was looking at fake flowers and realized I could get fresh flowers and I love how she looks with the flowers, it just made me feel so much better, knowing she had something beautiful and an angel, watching over her.

The wonderful thing that happened today was, just as we got in the car, to go to the cematary, I looked up and there were two symmetrical angel wings over our house. 

I was looking at some old photos and found one of Danielle when she was little. Her great grandmother was celebrating her 100th birthday and when most kids avoid the elderly, Danielle was giving her hugs and helping her with the cards. In celebration of her compassion of others, I am sending out some cards and happy presents to a few friends who are going through a tough time themselves. I am not sure what I will do in the future, I am hoping to set up a work room for charity projects in her room and invite others to help, as well. For now, I am just being and following my heart when I can and getting the house cleaned out, so we can redo the room and basement.

And now for the winner of my giveaway. The winner is Jacqueline! Jacqueline, please email me with your choice of epattern from my ecrater site. Thank you all for playing along. I was trying to get a photo of the moon as it was rising through the trees, it was a beautiful orange red shade, but with the slow shutter speed, I got blurry photos. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, we will be spending Mother's day with my son and grandson.

A Gift From the Heart!

One of the things are crafters and artisans, is that we need to create. We need to create when we are happy, and we need to create when we go through sadness and grief.

I wanted to make something as a gift to my daughter from her father and I, a piece of our hearts to hold, until we meet again. I started thinking about it and each day melted into the next, until it was the day before the wake and I had not begun. Too much to do, too much chaos and pain and too many good meaning relatives who had not idea what to do and tired me out.

I had the saying stitched and decided to put it on a velvet heart. I had lots of ideas but no time to add lace or a border, but I finally decided that it was not what it looked like, but the love I put in. I sat in my sewing room that morning and worked on finishing it.

The saying was from our hearts, it was how we felt.
The little heart is a piece from her clothing as a child
The flower, is from the ones I used for her brother's wedding pillow.
The guardian angel is a gift I gave her on her first communion.
I made the saying into a pocket and inside is a photo of the three of us, at her baptism and a smooth white pebble from our beach walks.
On the back, I made hearts from the material that I used for her quilt, a birthday gift for her, our three hearts, forever.

The heart was placed in her arms, to hold, until we meet again.

The back of the pillow.

The night we got home, my house was a mess and we had company coming after the funeral, so Bill and I did what we could to the main living area. I had taken down Easter decorations and had some up, so just left what I had, but the tree looked sad without nothing on it. I found an old flower that I had from a wreath and remembered I had some in a box and this is what I did with them. The photo is a gift from her friends, they had it framed and I put it on the table. It is her final goodbye.

I also wanted to share the card we had made for her. I needed to do things myself, for my daughter, to let her know how much I love her and how much I miss her, so I did a design that they used on the card and the poem below is the saying on the back.

I feel like all of you have been my family and support through all of this and I still have things to do that I am not ready for, but I also have my faith and the love of others, to keep me strong.

Miss Me, But Let Me Go

When I come to the end of the road,

and the sun has set for me.

I want no rites in a gloom-filled room.

Why cry for a soul set free?

Miss me a little—but not too long,

and not with your head bowed low.

Remember the love that was once shared.

Miss me, but let me go.

For this is a journey we all must take, and each must go alone.

It’s all a part of the master’s plan, a step on the road to home.

When you are lonely and sick of heart, go to the friends we know.

Bear your sorrow in good deeds. Miss me, but let me go.

Author Unknown

Sadly Missed....

Casey  (April 28, 2000 - March 24, 2013)

    HEAVEN'S DOGGY-DOOR

My best friend closed his eyes last night,
  As his head was in my hand.
The Doctors said he was in pain,
  And it was hard for him to stand.

The thoughts that scurried through my head,
  As I cradled him in my arms.
Were of his younger, puppy years,
  And OH...his many charms.

Today, there was no gentle nudge
  With an intense "I love you gaze",
Only a heart thats filled with tears
  Remembering our joy filled days.

But an Angel just appeared to me,
  And he said, "You should cry no more,
GOD also loves our canine friends,
  HE's installed a 'doggy-door"!

         jan cooper '95