Back to the Drawing Board

The second skein of yarn was not the same as the first - and so here we have a great beginning with no end in sight. Hmmm - now to see what I can make of this without unraveling it all.

I must admit that Halloween is not my favorite holiday - in fact it may be my least favorite of all. I love fall and all that it brings, I just don't care for halloween. It may be my years as a teacher when Halloween was the most disruptive holiday of the entire school year. So there are no cool, really neat and cute halloween decorations and/or quilts around the house or my blog. (I'm beginning to feel like Scrooge here - don't hate me.)

I'm off to see how to salvage my short shawl that I was knitting when I found my skeins didn't match - way off. I may be back later today.

Hugs - Marie

Ready for the Holidays

Things are wrapped, shipped or packed, laundry is done (almost) and I am ready. All we have to do is wait out the expected snow and ice storm expected the same day we are scheduled to fly out. I don’t know how many times this happened to us in New Jersey; but you don’t expect this to happen when you live in the South.

I have one last item on the embroidery machine and it’s for me and not a gift. I have my sewing studio cleaned and ready to shut down for two weeks. My vacation notice is on www.hummingbirdtreasures.etsy.com.

I added a quilting magazine to the grocery cart yesterday. When did magazines go to $12.99? I was shocked when I got home but not quite as much as Big T. He told me that I was a little out of date and that from now on I had to wear my glasses when I go shopping. It did have a few great project ideas though so all in all it was worth it.

I am quite entranced with some of the contemporary quilt art I’ve seen lately. This may be a new opportunity to explore with Hummingbird Treasures in addition to the other items. Big T has promised to hang one in the great room when it’s finished. I have made several sketches and am still deciding which to tackle first. I work best when I let things mull around in my subconscious for awhile. Hummingbird Treasures is a combination of quilting and machine embroidery, and I like the idea of combining the traditional and the contemporary arts. Keep watching after the first of the year.

The end of the calendar year is also a good time for me to analyze what is working on www.hummingbirdtreasures.etsy.com and what is not. What needs to be revamped or changed? Two six hour plane rides in the next two weeks will give me lots of quiet thinking time. (I also plan to read the book on blogging so you can expect to see some improvements here.)
Oh yes, I need to physically write down my goals and plans for 2010. One of my goals is to join a local writers’ group. I need to dust off my young adult novel and work on completion of the second round of editing. The Dude and Big T are my only readers at this time and they left me copious editing notes to be addressed. I think this was when I put it on the shelf for awhile. I’ve probably procrastinated long enough.

From me to you, lots of hugs and thanks for joining me in my new adventures of learning to be creative and artistic. Happy holidays to all of you!

Marie