Taking a break from a big project to whip up a couple of burpies for some sweet new babes. Inspiration from the lovely ones Juliette made. I only wish I had followed her tutorial--I'm a bit worried now about how the straight stitching along the edge will hold up with all those washings! Zig-zagging (is that a word?) along the edges makes much more sense.
*Hopefully I'll get that big project posted tomorrow--that's my goal at least!
Just popping in to say a quick "hello," and that I'm still here. I've been visiting as I can, but haven't really had the energy to put much into my own little blog. We had a rough couple of weeks, but after an unintentional little blog-break, I'm quite happy to be back.
My father-in-law passed away a little over two weeks ago, and although it was a difficult few days leading up to his death, we are all OK. Lots of "family-time" alternating with lots of sleep around here. Such a seemingly surreal situation was so exhausting. But all of the support Gary's family received was quite overwhelming. I had to smile and send up (more than) a bit of thanks as Southern traditions took over and family and friends truly held us up during this time. Simply Amazing.
And I have so many thanks to send to all of you. The emails I received while I was "MIA," meant so much to me. Amazing, again, that so many of you were thinking of me! I'm trying to respond to you all, but I may be a bit slow. Until then, know that I was so touched!
I did manage to sneak in a little project over the weekend:
A Built by Wendy hoodie in a soft wool flannel. I had originally intended to make a matching skirt from my Sew U book (gracious, I've certainly made that pattern enough), but decided it may be a bit overkill, even with some cool brown boots. (I'm thinking lumber-jack kate) The hoodie turned out to be the perfect weight for a Sunday afternoon hike at Umstead, though.
And look who we got to meet along the way!
A sweet surprise from dear Valerie. An Amy Butler Weekend Travel Bag pattern. Tea, just in time for the cooler weather due in this weekend. Lovely, lovely Liberty fabric (you are creating a monster over here Valerie!). And precious, kind words on a scenic postcard. Thank you, my friend!
Next, a necklace made by such a gracious lady. Lisa's blog is such an inspiration, and when I saw this necklace that Blair commissioned, I fell in love. I did my initials too, because, like Blair, I'm Southerner, and monogrammed silver jewelry really is a wardrobe staple around these parts. But what a nice alternative to the usual--I can't tell you how many compliments I received when I wore it to work today!
Finally, a quick "thank-you" to Tracy. If you've never visited her blog , please pay her a visit. The lovely handbags and accessories she makes are so beautiful in their simplicity, and her blog is so full of genuine kindness and goodness. Such a comfortable and cozy place! (and she's a fellow anglophile, too!) I received an email from her a few days ago just to check in on me and say "hello" since I haven't posted in a while. Oh, that meant so much to me!
And my absence lately? My husband and I are struggling with his aging parents, and, well, my father-in-law is pretty close to dying right now. It is something new and incredibly hard to navigate. So that's where I've been. But I've been visiting around to all my favorite blogs when I can, and it has been such a blissful escape.
So thank you all for sharing these bits of your lives.
And for sending me unexpected packages "just because"
and for offering handmade loveliness for the best kind of adornment
and for quick emails just to "check in"...
I feel quite spoiled.
Bleech, you would think I would know better than to photoshop something to death, but I certainly managed to to just that in my last post. Sorry about that. So I promise, no more photos until I get one of these dreams for Christmas. We've made due with an ancient digital camera that copies the photos onto a !floppy disk!--really cool about 5 years ago--but it's not quite cutting it now; even with a lot of help little help from photoshop. But I was so excited about bringing such a nice alternative to the usual hostess gift of a bottle of wine to a friend's party that I forgot about the lack of photo abilities we have around here.
On to holiday updates: The "handmade Christmas" is almost finished! Looking back, I think this year may have been way too ambitious. I did it--well almost--yet when I look around the house at the trails of fabric, thread, dirty laundry, dishes, (OK, you get the idea), I'm more than a little overwhelmed thinking about getting everything back in order in time for the day. I wish I could show a few behind the scenes shots (well, perhaps it's best I can't), so my gifting recipents would understand how much was put into those babies; because, believe me, those who know me so well, know my house only looks like this in extreme times. Thankfully, in my daily round of fav blogs I was was reminded today that I'm not the only one--this is simply a part of the season. I know it will all come together--cluttered little house and all.
