artful thursday

happy thursday, friends! i've been stitching. this is a small square stitching collage. these little doodads are perfect to keep my hands busy as i watch the kiddos enjoy summer. (i have found that stitching is much more conducive to the weather elements than my preferred paper projects!)



i have sewn a couple of these squares onto a tote bag for library books. some of them are pretty enough to be put in a frame, i think. i love using vintage pieces to create a little lovely.


mr. elliott and his soccer team, the cyclones, won their first tournament! okay, i don't really stitch DURING the game, but there seems to be a lot of wait time before the games get going.



beatrice has been enjoying her barbies.



welcome to the olympic sized barbie pool. the glass pan on the right is the hot tub, of course.



the kids had a lemonade stand earlier this week. so cute and so much fun. i was sitting in the shade just stitching away. aahhhhhhh. sweet summer.



happy day to you!

where we create...

hey everyone! welcome! i'm miss lynn and this is my daughter, beatrice.



we would love to show you around our creative space.

this room is our favorite place to be...we are drawn to this tiny little sunroom. i am here first thing in the morning and the last moments of my day. this is where my heart is home.



beatrice cannot stay away from her artist's desk. she will squeeze in as much free time as possible, drawing, writing, or painting. now. while this room may have been meant for mamma, there would be no keeping her out. as mother daughter, we have a few (slight) differences, but this we share: our need to create is as natural as our need to breathe.



here are our individual desks and work spaces. the windows are great for work and we love watching our boys play soccer, spying on all the neighborhood hub-bub, or laughing at the squirrels chasing each other around the trees!



i am obsessed with painted white furniture pieces, particularly those that are little and cute. these miniature sized dressers were most definitely coming home with me.



and speaking of obsessions...i've got big time issues with square jars. they are sooooo helpful as i am a visual kind of gal, and a rather right-brained disorganized one at that. i have bought probably hundreds of these jars, don't need another one, but if i see one at a garage sale or thrift store...i totally snatch it up.





i keep favorite photos and silly snippets under glass at my work space. happy.



close at hand, i have vintage books, supplies, and necessities stored away in crates and this nine drawer cubby that once upon a time housed tools in a barn. she was prettied up and given glass knobbies and a new life.


this photo shows more storage, as well as some pretty displays. you won't find much empty space here; clutter helps me create. : )



this cubby works great to keep my ribbon and trim stash organized-ish. the jars on top keep those pieces that are too short to wind around a spool.








dolly dresses on a clothesline...


postcards, a family photo, and another tiny doll dresser make me happy.


this white wicker changing table totally screamed storage space to me. i absolutely love it, and have filled up every square inch!


jars, jars, jars!




greetings from our kitty baby!

i try to keep my paper scraps organized by color. an old enamel bread box works great because it's a little longer than 12 inches...just right!

another tool caddy that has experienced a makeover.

yes. more jars!




a bicycle basket is a handy organizer when attached to the wall.

thank you for taking time to visit our little creative space today! we hope you are inspired and ready to create!



happy day, and thank you to karen valentine for hosting this great where bloggers create party!

artful thursday - God's beautiful handiwork

i am so grateful to be a teacher. i adore my fourth graders. they are seriously some of my favorite people. my school, my colleagues, my classroom - these are all wonderful blessings in my life. but...let me be clear about this:
I LOVE SUMMER!
i cannot express in words for you how wonderful it is to be HOME!



my backyard cottage was designed and built by my lover, who also happens to be my husband.



we eat meals out here, watch the kids blow bubbles, kick the soccer ball around, spy on the "wildlife" - rabbits and birds. (we live in the middle of our small city) (we do have an owl down the street totally living in a hollow tree. you can see him here.)



i am not a gardener by any stretch of the imagination. oh, but i really love flowers. especially pink and purple old fashioned ones.






The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of His hands.



happy day to you!
oh, and please stop back on saturday for this...

artful thursday - stitching

ok. so this is my little "stitching-on-the-go" kit. like stitch at the park while the kids are playing, stitch at tennis lessons, stitch in the car...you get the idea.



earlier this spring, i participated in teresa's stitching ezine. i learned a lot, and i most definitely enjoyed the free style stitching compared to following a pattern and counting squares like i did in junior high. here's my final sampler. i am a complete novice embroiderer, and so like other things that are new or awkward, i didn't totally love the project...BUT...



it is always a good idea to stretch yourself. or so i've heard.

so for those of you (like me) who prefer paper, this is a tiny little stitching project that will take you no time at all!

no patterns.
no counting.
FREE-STYLE.
happy.

first of all, gather your fabrics and embroidery thread. i used some natural linen fabric, but you can really use about anything that is a medium-ish weight. stitch a heart about the size of a half dollar. i used white thread and just a basic back stitch.



add a zig-zag pattern around the heart, again with just a basic back stitch. i used an old fashioned pink color for this. okay. if you are unsure about these stitches, check out this site...because they are big time professionals.

then...use the lazy daisy stitch to create these pretty little tear drops exploding from the zig zags.


i added black x and o's...



and stitched a larger heart around the smaller one, stuffed it with filling, added a ribbon and button for embellishments, and voila!



i plan to use these on pretty packages or as small gifts to sweet friends.

happy day!