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A little blog about my big loves; family, friends, stitching and yep, chocolate!

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Sunday, January 29, 2012

A Soul Vacation.

Dear friends!

  Are you there?  

Hello?  

Anyone out there?  

I wouldn't be surprised if you aren't.  
Because, I've been well, less than enthusiastic about stitching or blogging for the past few months.  Nope, nothing wrong, really.  Just sluggish, I guess.   I have been busy doing all sorts of things, most of which would not interest most of you so I won't bore you with the details.  

  Over the summer, Julie and I stitched "Soar" by Brenda Gervais of "With Thy Needle and Thread".  We stitched it for my dear friend Sheila who turned 50 in October.  When I showed Sheila the pattern she just loved it and it turned out to be a great 50th b-day present.  I stitched the 1/2 on the left, Julie the right side.  Sheila and her DD Meghan watched the Decorah Eagles last year with great interest and the sampler was the perfect remembrance for a milestone year.  

Stitched on 32 count black linen with the called for fibers.


The only other thing I've worked on since last we met is Mary Gibson's 1824 Sampler from the good folks at the Haslemere Educational Museum, which I found on the Needleprint blog.  I am stitching her on 36 count linen with various and sundry silk flosses.  Some of the silks I had in my stash, others I purchased.  As in the sampler I previously stitched from Haslemere, Marianne Wenn, I did not like the DMC colors they charted.  So... a picking I did go. 

Here's how she looks so far.  

Isn't that tomato cute?  I found it at a little antique mall and had never seen one with a built in tape measure.  It's a sweet addition to my ever growing collection.  Uh, back to Mary....  I don't know why she's taking so long except that the 36 count linen is not as easy to work on (for me - I do not know how all you 40 count fabric folks do it!) AND the upper 1/3rd of the sampler is kind of boring.  All those different colored letters - blech!  I do like how she's looking though and think she'll be a beauty when she's done.   I am almost done with the top third and I think it will go faster as I move towards the bottom.   I will post my conversion, if you're interested, but will hold off till I get to the bottom because I think I may change my mind on the silks I selected for the houses.  We'll see.  

     Besides this minimal amount of stitching over the last several months, the other thing I've done is hit estate sales.  Yeah baby.  Retail therapy.  I have found a lot of treasures but then, I go to a lot of sales.  You really do, as the saying goes, have to kiss a lot of frogs.  Believe me when I tell you that I have gone into some houses that should rightly be condemned.  They were filthy, and stinky and just plain gross.  Nothing to be had at those.  Anyway, here are a few of my recent finds:

The Martha Washington sewing cabinet was not acquired at an estate sale but from a man at work whose wife had passed away.  I was lucky enough to purchase this, fully loaded for $75.  This is, by far, my most expensive purchase but also one of the prettiest.  


Oh, how about that spinning wheel lamp?!  Isn't it adorable?  Kitchy and cute, I think and perfect for a craft room.  I know, the shade is hideous but I'll find, or repurpose something.  In the meantime, both things keep me company in my craft room.  I had never seen a spinning wheel lamp that works and just had to bring it home.

I found these cute, little pinkeeps and what-not box at various sales.  I love the mirror pinkeep.  I have never seen one like it and thought it was fabulous.  The back is very plain but the front is really detailed and interesting.  They are all very small, as you can likely tell by the pins in the mirror.
The clam shell pinkeep is a soft suede type fabric with a drawn, or painted floral design on it.  The little box to the left is a floral, tent stitched box.

The next couple of pics are of one of my favorite areas in my home.  My parents gave me, for Christmas, this fantastic spool cabinet sitting below my samplers.  It's made of oak and is in fantastic condition.  The base was made at some later time to allow it to be used as a small table. Actually, my mom and I found it in our travels to Savannah and she kept it until Christmas when they came to visit.  It's a treasure!  The big cabinet to the left of that houses the vintage quilts I found this summer and some other goodies I've accumulated, as well.  I will show you those goodies another time.  




If you click on either of the pictures, you'll be able to see an antique salesman's sample, sewing table.  I was so giddy when I found that I could hardly stand it.  Again, not something I had ever seen before.  I really do need to learn how to sew.  I mean really sew; not just a straight seam but really understand sewing and how to put things together.  Who said that?  I must have had an aneurism just now....  Oh, I'm back to reality now.  At the same sale in which I found the little sewing table sample, I also found these two beauties!  Aren't they fantastic?  The little one was, I think $8 and the big one was $12 or $15.  I have no idea what the holes on the bottom of the big one are for so I stuck some scissors in it.  The big one resides in the cabinet pictured above and the smaller one is still in my craft room.




The only other thing I have to show you today is some fobby things I made.  I saw some very much like this on Pinterest and thought I should have a go at it.  I love how they turned out.  I thought I might use one as a necklace but that didn't really work for me so I'm using it as a scissor fob.  A petite French dictionary, some old buttons and charms (the shoe is from a Monopoly game), an old thread spool and some wire, a little Mod Podge and Ta-da!  Pretty cute, I think.  I have given a couple of them away and have a few more to make as gifts.  
Soon.  Very.  Very.  Soon.  



Are you on Pinterest?  If not, check it out - it's pretty addicting.

It has been a very mild winter this year and I couldn't be happier!  We finally got a bit of snow today and Rob and Sophie went for a walk.   I have to admit, it was kind of nice seeing the white stuff come down.  For a while, the flakes were huge and looked so pretty.



Sophie went out to play in it again after a couple of inches had fallen.  Princess that she is, Gracie chose to stay inside where it's warm.  She takes after me.


Thank you, dear friends for stopping by.  Thank you to all that wrote to me, sent me emails etc. wondering where I was.  As you can see, all is well.  I will try not to be gone so long next time.  I have a lot more goodies to show you; some estate sale finds, some gifts but all fantabulous!   

When I got on line to do this post today it was about 11:30 A.M. and I got somewhat distracted because I started visiting blogs rather than writing a blog post.  That is, for now, remedied.  For those of you that I missed, I'll see you soon!  
Be well.

Peace!
Terri


64 comments:

Margaret said...

Oh. My. Gosh. Oooooh my gosh! What a lot of lovely eye candy!!!!! First off, why did you have to remind me of Mary Gibson? lol! I so need to stitch her! I so need to find a way to stitch faster! lol! And then all your lovely finds!!!!!! Oh my oh my oh my! There are too many to even name -- I'm just drooling all over the place at this point! lol! You find the most wonderful things! I cannot wait to see what's in that tall cabinet either! lol! Ok, I might have to go back now and go through the pictures one by one.........

Jennifer said...

So happy to go online and see that you are back Terri.Great that you are well and having fun doing things and enjoying pinterest , the mild weather and your collected treasures . So wonderful to see all of them and what you've stitched. Come back again soon.
(I'm one to talk!)

Melissa said...

It's lovely to see your post, Terri! I must say you know how to do it right with the Retail Therapy! Go on you! I love those little pincushion-y things. You did a great job with those spool-fobby things too!

I'm so glad you are stitching Mary Gibson. Maybe that will get me back to it...I think when it's spring and there's more light...that's my excuse and I'm sticking to it!

Shelley said...

Hello, Terri!
Glad to read your entry today...I have been a follower for quite some time even though I do not have a blog myself... You stitching and great antique finds are exquisite. I love the "SOAR" design. Are you willing to consider selling it? If so, let me know as I am interested!
Keep up the great work.

Anonymous said...

Glad to see you back blogging! Love all your finds...you really do hit the jackpot every time!

Kellie said...

So nice to see a post from you popping up on my reader. :) Your stitching is beautiful as always. What a lucky friend to be the recipient of such a great stitched piece from her friends in honor of her birthday! :) I also love Mary Gibson. Beautiful!!
Your estate treasures are absolutely fabulous! And I am drooling over that spool cabinet that you received for Christmas. WoW!

Anonymous said...

What a fabulous piece you and Julie stitched for your friend! Your WIP is lovely!

Glad to see your post!

Robin

Andrea said...

So happy to see a post from you. Love what you're stitching, have that one too and haven't pulled the colors for it yet, so not sure if I'll like them....so I'd really like to see your conversion. She's beautiful so far!

What lovely treasures...you find the best "stuff"!

Love the snow picture and pictures of inside your home...very cozy!

xoxo

Kellie said...

I meant to add that I now have "Drops of Jupiter" by Train stuck in my head....

"Now that she's back from that soul vacation, Tracing her way through the constellation, hey, hey....."

LOL!

Anna van Schurman said...

Good to see you back out here! I love your new scissor holder, and the spool fobs are great! I'm on pinterest too. Check me out. :)

Glenna said...

I'm so glad you're back, Terri! I love seeing your estate sale finds. When I was on the Cape a couple of months ago with my sister, there were a ton of the sales, in some really nice neighborhoods (although it's interesting that even in a nice neighborhood some of the houses are pretty crappy inside--don't people know how to clean any more?) and I kept wanting to stop, and my sister couldn't understand it and didn't want to! I made her stop twice, and she grumbled! There--I knew you'd understand--you'd have been as eager as I was to see what was there. Unfortunately both sales were busts, so my sister didn't get the bug--you have to keep trying!

Faye said...

Hey Terri, You manage to find the best "finds" of anyone!! Love all the trinkets and furniture pieces... And, look at the snow!! Please DO NOT send any my way... hoping to go without any of it at all this winter... Love Mary, she is coming along nicely...Take care, Faye

Julie M said...

So glad to see you Terri! I love all the goodies you showed but the piece with the scissors sticking out the bottom is my very favorite! Love.It.

I'm glad nothing serious kept you away but just so you know, we've missed your posts something awful. Please don't stay away so long next time!

Take care!

Deborah said...

Glad that you are back and that every thing is okay. Love the finds from the estate sales. Those spool fobs are fabulous and I think that I may have to try them.

Poussy Stitches My Love said...

hello, so if I'm there! and so happy to hear from you! Today is a day of joy for me!
your embroidery is wonderful, and I love tomatoes and I'm still in love with your little strawberry! oh the sampler with the letters is so beautiful my friend please do not ask more than the needle that you make is beautiful! I kiss you hard and am so happy to hear from you!
good day in love and peace of mind!

Christine said...

Great to see you posting!
You've done some gorgeous stitching and your antique finds are fabulous. I'm a pinterest addict too, and I love your bobbin pendants. In fact I'm off to pin them right now so I remember where I saw them

Lois said...

Lovely to see a post from you Terri and get caught up with what's being going on. Oh my, what great finds! I can see how estate sales could become addictive! Love the piece you co-stitched as a birthday gift and I'm loving Mary Gibson!

Siobhán said...

It's sooooo good to see a post from you, Terri! I am just in awe of all your fantastic finds. I wish that they did estate and garage sales here. I read a book by Mary Kay Andrews (think that was the name) about a picker who lived in Savannah and found all these amazing things. It made me want to do the same thing. I thought the lampshade looked fine but if you want to change it, there are some tutorials on Pinterest for replacing them with different things. You could always do a sampler type one or one with old writing, etc. I say that as if I know what I'm talking about, but you are far more talented at making stuff than I am!

Your Mary looks great! I keep forgetting about her. Soar is beautiful--what a nice gift!

Carol said...

How nice to see you again, Terri! Your finish on black must have had Sheila grinning from ear to ear--it is truly lovely!

And all those great finds--you do know how to pick them... I used to go to yard sales years ago and got out of the habit. Looks like I'm missing out on some great things :)

Bertie said...

Lovely stitching Terri, I love Mary Gibson.
You have acquired a lot of lovely and wonderful stash, Fabulous!!
Very crafty are those reels, lovely.
Oh you have got snow, love the scenery, does your little dog like it too!!

Cath said...

Good to see you back , and glad that things are good for you . Love your stash.
X

Chris said...

Hi Terri!
It was great to see a post from you. You have found lots of wonderful treasures at the estate sales.
Your stitching is beautiful.
Have a great week!

Katrina said...

Oh wow, wow, wow, what a lot of pretty eye candy!!!! You really have found some gorgeous pieces and I love the spools you made too. Soar is so pretty and I love your color changes on Mary as always. You definitely have an eye for color :-). When you learn to sew you'll have to teach me, LOL.

Nice to see a post from you!!!!

Cari said...

So happy to see your post...you have the most beautiful stuff !! Your stitching is amazing and I love your finds. Way too much fun. Hugs dear friend !!!

natalysneedle said...

Beautiful finish!

Giovanna said...

Nice to see you blog again - really love Soar, what a great gift for your friend!

Dona said...

Terri, what a great idea to have you and Julie share the stitching of Soar! It makes it so special. I have it in my to do basket, too.

I'm working on Mary Gibson, too! Only those same frogs have been visiting me a lot and I have pulled out as many stitches as I have stitched. I did a conversion to Needlepoint silks, but am trying to decide what red to use on the house as I don't want it too bright. What color are you using? I find she's taking a long time to stitch, too.

Pinterest is way too addicting, but I enjoy your pins!!

Great finds!

Rachel said...

Welcome back Terri!!! I missed you and your stories!!! Love your blog and thank you for sharing your treasures!!

Loraine said...

Oh my goodness Terri, what a fun post! You have found so many fabulous things lately, I don't even know where to start! Love that Martha Washington sewing cabinet, and the pincushions and treasures...I can see why you haven't done much stitching lately. I think you have found a new talent!
Hope all is going well for you and your family. I look at my friendship sampler all the time, and think of what a sweet friend you are for doing that for me.
Big hugs to you. Good seeing your post!

Michelle said...

The Soar Sampler is wonderful - and what a great gift! I'm loving your progress on Mary too - so pretty! You've found lots of great things lately too - thanks for sharing!

The Inspired Stitcher said...

I love all your finds! Welcome back. It's good to visit with you today.

stefanie said...

I thought it was just me....seems everyone is sooooo busy!

Unknown said...

Quite lovely!

Pumpkin said...

What a neat idea! Beautifully done :o)

I can see why you would find the top part of that piece a bit boring but keep going!

What an adorable tomato and you're right, I've never seen one with a tape measure inside it before!

That cabinet is incredible! And I absolutely LOVE the bigger sewing spool holder. WOW!

Love to Stitch said...

Great to hear from you!! Love all the finds you have! They look fabulous in the house, isnt it fun to find things you never knew you had to have!! LOL. Great progress on Mary! Life does get in the way, but as you can see, good blogging friends are right back in the saddle, like you never left!!!!!!

Syd said...

So glad to see that you are back! I saw a Martha Washington table this past weekend and felt that it wasn't quite right. Glad I trusted my instincts - it didn't have the tops for the side pieces. Thanks for sharing pictures of your finds - you saved me from a costly mistake.

Mouse said...

ooooooo helllooo long time no squeak ... love your stitching and those estate sales your finds are just fab ... think the scissors are just right for the big pincushion and spools and love your cabinets in fact jealous ;0...lol ...
think I would have stayed inside too ...lol
love your new creations too :) love mouse xxxxx

Kathy said...

Good to have you back and thank you for sharing all those goodies. Love the sewing caddy!!!

Deb said...

Your finds are wonderful as always Terri! I don't know how you find all those great things.

Mary Gibson looks wonderful - just keep working on it and you'll be on the fun parts soon.

Tammy said...

It was so nice to see you post again!! What wonderful treasures you have found! It was a treat to see them.

Tammy said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Rachel S-H said...

Good to hear from you! You have been busy finding treasures!

Rita said...

I'm glad things are going well with you.

I loved seeing your stitching, your treasures, and even the snow.

Anonymous said...

Julie - have checked so many times and wondered what happened! Glad all is ok and your stitching is lovely. Thx for the small tour of your home and your antiques. Belated Happy Holidays to you. So happy you are back! Jannie

Nicole said...

It's great to see a post from you Terri! All your projects and antique finds are wonderful!! I went through a stitching/blogging slump too, but I'm making my way back - you will too! :) It's always nice to take a little break.

Catherine said...

Good to see a post from you! But wow, did you have to throw in so many goodies at once? My heart could barely stand it!!

Krista said...

Hi Terri, I am new to the blogging world and found you thru one of my other blogging buddies. Loved your post and your stitching! And Sophie is just the cutest. Enjoy your day!

woolwoman said...

OMGOSH Terri - such great finds and glad to see you have some treasures from your trip way down south to Savannah. can that be almost a year that you were here - EGADS - I seem to recall it was in the spring. Don't know where the time goes - it just goes. As long as you are OK - all is good - stitching ebbs and flows like the tides - sometimes we're high and sometimes we're low. Just keep hanging in there and enjoy what time you do want to spend with your needle. LOVE that spool case and too many other things to name. Cheers! Mel

Sherry :o) said...

great post, Terri! I love the furniture items, the pin keeps, Mary Gibson and Soar turned out great. And the snow - glad we got a bit even though it was about 50 today. Although, if we have to have a mild winter, I am sure glad it's this year as I was a little afraid of what slippery and my wonky walking combo would have been like...see you in a couple weeks!

Sherry :o) said...

great post, Terri! I love the furniture items, the pin keeps, Mary Gibson and Soar turned out great. And the snow - glad we got a bit even though it was about 50 today. Although, if we have to have a mild winter, I am sure glad it's this year as I was a little afraid of what slippery and my wonky walking combo would have been like...see you in a couple weeks!

Sally said...

It's lovely to see you back Terri. Your Soar finish for your friend is gorgeous and love your Mary Gibson!

What fantastic finds:)

COUSON said...

Great stitching & great bargains!I realize we have so much in common like shi-tzu,crossstitch,antiquities!I follow your lovely blog of course!XXXX from France.Béa

merumo said...

Great to see you back to blogging! I'm so happy to find there are a lot of fun stuff going around here. Beautiful inspirations...

Susan @ Real Girl Designs said...

Hi, Terri - I'm still here.

Mary Gibson is lovely - you are making great progress.

I love seeing pictures of all your antiques - they are all drool worthy!!

Have a great weekend!

I would love it if you would visit my blog - I've started a new feature "a stitching party", and I'm encouraging people to link to their blogs and show off what they are working on!

Lynn said...

Welcome back! I'm a little behind in my blog reading and just catching up now. Your Soar Sampler looks really lovely! I have this one kitted up and ready to go. I was so anxious to get started on it when I first purchased it but, as usual, something else caught my fancy and Soar got put to the side. I hope to work on mine later in the year.
Mary Gibson is coming along nicely too. This is such a beautiful stitch!
Great estate finds Terri! We have very few of those kinds of sales in our area which is too bad because I would definitely be frequenting them if we did.

DreamChallenge said...

Terri, I too took some time to become the bionic woman with a new knee. I told the doctor my age certainly did not indicate a new knee and then he showed me the xrays. OH well, age has no play in this case. Your pictures are beautiful. We are blessed to travel all over the world and my beloved husband does all the pictures/books. Here in OH it is raining and the rivers are rising. Our dafidilli think it is spring and will bloom any day now. Crazy. I posted some new knitted gifts on my blog. My friends are going through chemo or radiation and a warm scarf or hat is just the most welcome gift. Come see me and we will begin again together of this great blog journey. Jan

pam said...

Welcome Back:)

Sharon said...

Terri, what a beautiful post. Welcome back to you too, looks like we both needed a little hiatus. Thank you so much for stopping by and visiting me. It made me so very happy.
Oh my all the things you found are just gorgeous. I love everything. xoxoxox

Ellen said...

Hmm--I need to follow your progress on Mary Gibson. I just bought the chart over the weekend. Are you using the threads listed on the chart or others?

And oh my goodness, what incredible needlework treasures. Please take me shopping with you!! Please!!

Karoline said...

Great to hear from you Terri, Soar is gorgeous and Mary is looking lovely.

You've found some lovely treasures.

Patty C. said...

Hi Terri - good to hear from you.
I certainly enjoyed seeing all of your treasures!

Brigitte said...

It's just great to see you back. That finsihed piece looks so lovely, what a nice gift. Your sampler is getting along great. With the wording and with alphabets it's just the same as with borders - it's quite boring to stitch them but the result is always great, isn't it?
Your finds are all eye candy, particularly those pieces of furniture. Such treasures!

Anne said...

Wow!! Such lovely stitching! I really love Mary Gibson!! And that piece on black!!!

Amazing treasures!! WHOOHOO for shopping therapy! Love the sewing lamp!

Pinterest is highly addicting. I was just saying so to my friend last night.

Kaisievic said...

Love all of your new acquisitions - hope to hear more about your adventures soon.

hugs, Kaye xoxox