Summer is back to a sizzle after a cool gray drizzle. It was such a nice respite from the heat though. The flowers and foliage were also revived a bit. But the change in weather hardly slows us down. We always have projects in and out of the house. I wandered around and took a few snapshots of some of them. My first project: I've been scanning a bunch of my old food and decorating magazines. Scanning magazines is a BIG project because it's so time consuming. I've been watching old B&W melodramas over my shoulder while hunched over the... Continue reading

By Bunny Hill Designs for Moda (2018) "I wanted rolling hills, thatched roof houses, English country gardens, running bunnies, roaming sheep and an occasional cat. It is my idea of heaven and I found it in the Cotswolds. I love that area so it became the inspiration for Cottontail Cottage. The fabrics in this line are light and airy with happy colors that blend perfectly into a summer quilt. I hope you enjoy this line as much as I enjoyed designing it. Cottontail Cottage has just enough whimsy to make anyone smile." Well, it certainly makes me smile seeing this... Continue reading

Summer is the time to enjoy simple country pleasures and picking blueberries is something my daughters and I always look forward to. Best done in the cool of the morning, preferably under fluffy clouds to shade the hot August sun, we don straw hats, tie on aprons and grab our baskets to fill. Look at this. Filling our baskets did not take long! In no time, we were headed back home with our bounty of blueberry goodness. Blueberries generally don't have a lot of flavor until they're cooked or frozen. So after freezing a bunch I threw together a cobbler.... Continue reading

Somehow we survived the commotion of having the old roof replaced and the sound of silence is golden. I've been able to return to the serenity of the backyard garden--and my stitching. Just hanging out and enjoying the summer now. Early morning is a lovely time to visit the garden. Found a little sunflower struggling behind the comfrey, the first to bloom along the fence. (The deer keep getting in here and laying on everything, thus the wire cage). Something new: I've been perfecting the "art" of making vegan spring rolls. It takes a bit of practice, but I'm finally... Continue reading

Just checking in here. We have entered day four of "operation roof replacement". Oh it's been fun. I try not to look. Not the first rodeo, but a bigger one, requiring more man and machine power this time around. The roofers arrive about 6 am and work non-stop all day. God Bless each one. Fortunately for them it's been under cloudy skies and not the searing heat of the summer sun. The noise, of coarse, is the main issue. I think everyone (including the surrounding neighborhood) will be relieved when this roof business is over. When it all gets to... Continue reading

Summer sewing projects are underway! I like to keep organized and tidy up regularly, so I've been sorting through my stash of fabric scraps and realized the time has come to part with some again so I can make way for new stuff. You know the drill. In doing so, I put together a bunch of mini bundles and scrap packs of older and newer prints. These are *small remnants*, strips, scraps, bits and pieces in a variety of colors, for small sewing projects like doll clothes, dollhouse decor, yo-yo's, hexagons, patchwork, applique and quilting projects, etc. If you are... Continue reading

The NEW July BONUS Transfer is "hot off the press" and includes this cute kitty and her, albeit teeny, catch of the day. I'm always amazed at the number of stitching patterns that were produced over the years and just when I think I've seen them all, another little dandy comes along. Like this one. A few months back, I was contacted by a stitching friend who had seen this motif embroidered on an old tea towel and asked if I had it. I didn't; thought maybe it was one of those pre-stamped Vogart towels that were so popular in... Continue reading

Summer is off to a good start here! With sunny, warm weather mixed with the occasional light rain that passes through from time to time--the backyard garden is coming alive. The snap peas are almost ready for picking and an array of flowers are putting on a show. Grace has been patiently waiting on her hollyhocks to bloom and yesterday they finally did. It was all very exciting. She planted them from seeds months ago, and tended them under grow-lights in the kitchen through early spring. Once they went into the ground, she had to guard them from all sorts... Continue reading

I do LOVE a good strawberry! And the more the merrier, I say! With help from my two lovely daughters yesterday, we already have a dozen jars of jammy strawberry goodness for the pantry shelves, plus a wee bit more for our toast and tea today. So good. We made two batches. This is the recipe we used: Strawberry Jam Yields: 6-7 (8 oz. jelly jars) Directions: Into a tall stainless-steel stockpot add: 8 cups crushed or sliced strawberries 2 cups granulated sugar Combine in a small bowl and set aside: 1-1/2 T. agar agar powder 1 T. granulated sugar... Continue reading

click to enlarge My (crazy epic) embroidered table topper is coming along nicely. So far, I've put thousands of stitches into this thing! Imagine that. Be true to what you love. Continue reading

Hello Friends . . . Sometimes, it's hard to get back over to this amazing crafty blogasphere--this happy place. Life gets busy, or complicated. Or tragedy strikes. I'm sad to have to tell you, that my dear "little brother" bravely passed away on May 3rd after an 18-month battle with cancer. Naturally, I'm devastated. Grief still coming in waves. Distracted. I'm taking time to reflect on the happy moments when I need to. I know that only time will minimize the loss and that he's in a better place, for eternity, with those we love. And that is a comfort.... Continue reading

Shop News: I'm tooting my horn for finally getting the 2018 Bonus Collection finished and added to the PatternBee website! Looking back at those, month by month, it's amazing how fast the year went by. This Redwork motif (Ingall's late 1800's), with a wording modification, was part of the Bonus pattern for February 2018. I wanted to stitch it up as soon as I saw it. I think it works nicely as a decorative towel. I'll be adding it to my Etsy shop soon, along with some more adorable tea towels that Ginger stitched up (below). This one from a... Continue reading

We are more than halfway through winter now (yay!) with spring right around the corner. Some wild cottontails were spotted in the yard yesterday--a sure sign! LOVE this . . . Bunny Trail, from Michael Miller Fabrics. Continue reading

Here's a fun project from my book Embroidery Craft: Stitching Through the Seasons, that some of you have requested. My Cozy Up patchwork pillow was inspired by autumn leaves and colors, but anything can be done using this idea with other fabrics and design choices, including making a quilt by simply repeating the blocks. What I really love about this project is the only pieces I had to cut out were the center square and the backing fabric. Everything else was purchased pre-cut and color-coordinated in the form of "charm packs" and "jelly rolls" from moda. I also like that... Continue reading

An unresolved past, with pain and hurt, never really goes away until we realize that nothing will change it. What's happened has happened. What's done is done. The first to apologize is the bravest. The first to forgive is the strongest. The first to forget is the happiest. Continue reading

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We had an unexpected snow storm overnight. Nothing major, just enough to halt regular activities--like driving to the post office. My shops will be closed until next week. Hopefully, a quick thaw will follow and business will resume. In the meantime, I'm getting a lot of housework accomplished! I'll also be taking some time to work on a few of my miniature and stitching projects. It's always so peaceful and quiet without road noise. Just the sound of tweeters at the feeders. Love it! Continue reading

My little dollhouse porch got a face-lift with a wood floor, fresh paint, and window trim. I'm especially pleased with the door repair/make-over too--so pretty in pink! That tiny pristine doorknob set traveled all the way from Oxford, England by way of Bits and Pieces by Julie. I've been following her excellent online tutorials and learning how to make furniture and all kinds of tiny things. Her method of making baskets gave me some ideas of my own, resulting in these two "Easter Baskets". She builds her baskets from scratch, but I started mine with a foundation of metal and... Continue reading

Grace and I were recently invited to join a miniature craft group here in our area and this is the little picnic table I made while attending the first meeting. It made a nice prop to photograph my Valentine candy box. I'm working on a few more. Like a good box of chocolates, my revised interest in crafting miniatures has become addicting! As you can see, the candy box made a sweet addition to the pink bedroom. I also added a "tuffet" made from a plastic recycled lid (from a jar) and a heart-shaped basket fashioned from a bit of... Continue reading

My Newburg dollhouse make-over is nearly finished. I've been having SO much silly fun with it. At the moment it's sitting in the middle of my desk, so it's next to impossible to walk by without a glance and a bit of attention. It's hard to know when to stop, when enough is enough. This is the type of project that could go on forever. And probably will in some form or fashion. I still want to craft a mini piano for the attic music room (next to the library). At the moment, I'm white-washing the exterior, adding porch steps... Continue reading

We are more than halfway through January now, and I do think it's time to take down the Christmas decorations and do some serious housekeeping around here. Well, maybe not too serious. Christmas may stay awhile longer at the dollhouse. For one thing, this make-over is still in full swing. . . And there's still lots of yummy things to nibble on. This box of cookies for instance. Too cute to put away just yet. Or ever! Compliments of The Dainty House. My slip-covered chairs and table set are new additions. Here's a peek upstairs. As you can see, a... Continue reading