Gentle Winter Garden

It snowed today, it also snowed on Monday, and it's due to snow Friday...Sunday....& again on Monday! Oh....sooooooo much snow! Some people don't like the snow...they say it's cold, wet and icky! I love the snow...the gentleness of how it falls. How everything becomes soft and quiet. It's beautiful I think!

My Gentle Winter Garden

Blogger Craft Challenge II

Another Blogger Craft Challenge II hosted by Beachys Cape Cod Cupboard http://beachyscapecodcupboard.blogspot.com/

After much success with Blogger Craft Challenge I, Beachys is hosting another challenge. You can hop on over to Beachys and there's a link to those who are participating. Those who signed up were to take the above image and create something using this image and post it on January 29th. I'm a little early, but I'm gone most of tomorrow and wanted to get this posted.

I decided that I wanted to try something different and unique, so I designed an ascot scarf. Using white wool as a base, I needlefelted various strands of wool roving along the length of the scarf. I was experimenting, thus the curves and curly cues. I then made several small burgandy hearts with a little yellow mixed in (again experimenting). I thought of hearts....(1) because of the photo (2) because V'day is almost here. Here is my crafty creation, I'm not quiet sure if I like it...remember, it's an experiment! I hope you enjoy it.

"Wedding Bliss Ascot"

To better incorporate the photo, I used two others that I found in my collection. The photos aren't really clear, but the blogger challenge photo is on the bottom. Then there is a photo of bride and then a photo of the bride and groom. They aren't really the bride and groom, but it was a close match. I don't think the wedding party will mind!


There is a small slit on one side of the ascot so that you can pull the other side through.


A view without being pulled through the slit. You can see the photo's a little better!

I hope you have enjoyed my bloggers craft challenge creation. Thank you Beachys for again hosting such a wonderful and creative outlet. I look forward to seeing what other creations my fellow bloggers design.

Just a peek...

From My Cherry Heart http://frommycherryheart.blogspot.com/ is hosting a Valentine Swap, soooooo here's a little peak. My swap partner is Our Back Porch http://ourbackporch.blogspot.com/. I'm a little behind on getting things together, but hopefully will have it all ready and in the mail by Tuesday! Once I'm sure my swap partner has received her package, I'll post pictures of the finished items...stay tuned.

Everything is prettier in pink! Don't you think?

As for the sewing project featured a few posts back....that too should be finished in a couple of days and then posted. Here's another peak of that project.

Can you guess what I'm making yet? After I'm done, I'll have these for sell in my etsy shop!

Stay tuned....for more to come on both the swap gift and the sewing project!

A New Look....

Do you see it, can you tell? Inspired Tokens has a new look. I've been trying to decide on a new look for Inspired Tokens and after several considerations...ta-da! We have a new banner. My husband is a graphic artist/designer and he designed a business card for my crafty designs. I asked him to take the card and design some kind of banner which reflects the style of the card...hence, the new look. Hope you like it, I lean more towards simple, but elegant! Can you tell?

Thank you dear hubby, for being so wonderful!

Still sewing, but now it's snowing!

Bertha and I are still a humm'n and a strumm'n on the sewing project....but, this is what we woke up to today!

SNOW!!!!!!!

So, this went into the oven...and just came out! Isn't it beautiful?

Hummingbird Cake

HUMMING BIRD CAKE

INGREDIENTS
3 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
2 cups diced bananas
1 cup chopped pecans
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan.
Measure flour, sugar, soda, salt, cinnamon, oil, eggs, vanilla into mixing bowl. Beat until smooth. Stir in pineapple with juice, bananas, and pecans. Pour into prepared pan. Bake in oven for about 70 minutes. Turn cake out onto rack or plate after cooling for 20 minutes. Cool, and ice with cream cheese icing, optional.

Can you guess???

Can you guess what I've been up to....I've been creating! I decided to just stop trying to analyze my niche syndrome and just go with my heart. For now, my heart led me to my trusting old friend...Bertha, my sewing machine. She's been humming and'a strumming over that last few days. Can you guess by the pictures what we've been up too? We, (Bertha and I) hope to have our completed project up for viewing by the first of the week...stay tuned!

So many pretty fabrics...do you like the modern, hip ones...or the more vintage, shabby chic ones?

Isn't it fun? What are Bertha and I up to?

Oh, there's a little glimpse of Bertha...she's being camera shy!

Stay tuned for more to come....

Finding your niche?

Today I'm struggling with this question. I have so many creative things running through my mind, I just don't know what direction to run. I'm looking for my niche? Is there ever such a thing? According to Merriam Webster the definition is such...

1 a: a recess in a wall especially for a statue b: something that resembles a niche2 a: a place, employment, status, or activity for which a person or thing is best fitted b: a habitat supplying the factors necessary for the existence of an organism or species c: the ecological role of an organism in a community especially in regard to food consumption d: a specialized market

I have highlighted the two red areas that seem to pertain to me these days...can't seem to find my niche. Mark Twain once said: Find out where the people are going and get there first!

Here is a list of actions one can take to find their niche...

• Draw up an intitial list of 10 of your interests
• Scan your bookshelves, local bookstore or library to find reference books you might have or need
• Pay attention to people you meet, their hobbies, their passions
• Check your local bookstore and their magazines to see what interests are being catered to

There's more, and I could go on...bottom line I've done it all and I'm still searching for my niche. Perhaps it's not one particular niche that one must fine...perhaps it's just to follow most if not all your passions and to see where you will land. Perhaps one is suppose to have several niches, not just one. I will continue to search, and I will continue to question and just maybe one day find my niche.

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With all this said, I must give a big thank you to Andrea over at http://truesouthernheart.blogspot.com/. She awarded me with a 'you make my day award'. I am humbled and inspired that she graced me with this award. It's my first blogland award, and came on a day that I'm comtemplating so many different things.

Thank you Andrea, you've made my day today!

Want to share a moment...

Before the hectic week begins and I get frightfully busy; I wanted to share a few photo's of two glorious quilts that my sister-in-law made for us for Christmas. She has become the every consumate quilter since her retirement. Her quilts are so delicately stitched and every attention to detail can be seen in her lovely work. Would you believe that until her retirement just a couple of years ago, she has gone from not doing any quilting to becoming an amazing quilt artist. I truely adore her and wish we lived closer, for we have so much to share. She is not just my sister-in-law, but a great friend to cherish.

This wall quilt was made for my husband by his sister. Can you guess why the loons? ...well, my husbands family is a little looney, but truth be told my husband and his family are from Minnesota. Hence, the loons! This quilt is so full of color and catch's the essense of the loons on the water really well. We hung this wall quilt in our hallway leading to our bedroom and husbands office. It's wonderful to look at it every day. It brings so many memories of Minnesota back to us each and every day.

My sister-in-law made this quilt for me...it's so perfect. We hung this wall quilt in our bedroom since it is so delicate and peaceful. She named this quilt 'Feeding the Birds'...the two children are out feeding small, little birds which are perched above them. The reason this is so meaningful is that I am fanatic about feeding my 'birds'. I have about nine feeders in our backyard and a multitude of birds. Just like the little birds in the quilt.

A closer view, to show the little birds in the tops of trees. Isn't it adorable? I just love this quilt, and it looks so perfect in our bedroom. Peaceful and tranquil. Thank you my dear Judy, for sending us a touch of your beautiful, artful quilts. We adore them.

New Etsy Items Added

I've added a few new items to my etsy shop.

Please feel free to stop in and take a look.

A new luxurious throw in brown tones with a touch of black.

A dainty felted pin cushion! A lovely addition to any sewing room.

and...a few embellished journals.

I Won!

My very first giveaway - I WON! 'From My Cherry Heart' hosted a giveaway in November, and I won. I never win anything. I felt absolutely giddy when I saw my blog name on the slip of paper she posted on her blog. I received this beautiful giveaway gift at Christmas, but am just getting around to posting the pictures. Please visit http://frommycherryheart.blogspot.com/ she has a wonderful blog.

Isn't it beautiful? It looks so wonderful with the candles glowing. She also sent a few other goodies along with this gorgeous reindeer. Thank you 'From My Cherry Heart' for picking my name! I love this little reindeer!

New Year, Time for Change

It's a new year, and it's time for change. After several months of decision making, finally found an accent wall color that my husband and I could agree on. The name is 'Autumn Curry'. Since I was tired of talking about it and anxious to get the new paint on the walls; I went out on Friday and bought the paint, paint rollers and away I went. The following pictures show the end results. I'm happy with the new color. The new color just pops, and warms the whole house. And, since both my husband and I were in agreement...he's happy too!

A view of the living room and the newly painted wall.

Out with the old....

In with the new! Don't you think the new color makes the slate fireplace just pop?

Another view from the living room.

A view into the family room/dining room area.

Again....out with the old, and.....

....in with the new!

Thanks for visiting. I hope you enjoyed a little peak into my home!

Wishing you a Happy New Year!

Wishing you all a very Happy New Year! I hope that all who visit are blessed with a wonderfully happy, prosperous, healthy, and safe New Year!

After taking time off from blogging, I'm back! Spending time with family and friends over the holiday week. What a glorious time we had enjoying the holidays and a winter white Christmas! I also had a little time to read and relax, and if you have just one book to read this year I recommend 'The Wednesday Letters', by Jason F. Wright. I spent time over the holiday week trying to catch up on reading, but that will never happen as I have three bookcases full of books to read. I did get a chance to read this book however, and it was well worth the time! I recommend that you cozy up with a cup of something hot, a soft blanket in front of a warm fire and read this book! It's a love story...a beautiful love story of one couple and their three children. It portrays romance and values, as well as humor and suspense. It's redemptive. I promise after reading this book, you too will be writing a Wednesday Letter to someone dear to you.