Summertime in the Middle Of Winter

I spent all of last week enjoying summer in the middle of winter, while vacationing in Rincon, Puerto Rico. This trip was a big deal for us. First off after living our whole married life, (now approaching 26 years) on a rather tight budget, this was our first big trip that we have treated ourselves and our girls to. It was also the first time we have vacationed with my husband's side of the family, and that was really nice. But most importantly this was a journey for my husband's soul. He lived in Puerto Rico as a boy, from the age of 10 to 13, while his father worked as an elementary school principle and an instructor at the Inter American University of Puerto Rico in San German, and has deeply wished to go back ever since. (This photo shows the view of our yard and the ocean directly behind it. Yup, it was gorgeous.)


This is the house we rented. Looks pretty good here, but in truth it had seen better days. Case in point my nephew actually fell through one of the upper outside steps, seen on the right hand side. The support was rotted and gave out, making the step drop right out from under him. Thankfully the angels were with him and his one leg caught on another step, causing him to dangle upside down in a case of momentary shock, but preventing him from falling. But as far as location went, this place rocked!


The varaity of sea shells was mind boggling. This is but a small sampling of what I found. I am baffled by how they even survive the waves, which could be really rough at times...


Our shins, (as we often didn't go higher then that when it was really rough) often got slammed with broken hunks of palm trees and coconuts.


Every morning the terrain of the beach seemed to be different depending on how the waves were the night before. Sometimes there were drop offs of several feet, while other times much smoother expanses of sand.


I never felt like I was strolling the beach though... more like hiking. At night my ankles swelled from walking on an angle and fighting the under current of the waves that most of the time there was no escaping from, as they came the whole way up.


And sea glass!!! The beach we stayed on is listed as one of the top 10 places in the world to find sea glass, which THRILLED me!! Between the glass and the shells, I sent home a box via USPS that weighed 6 1/2 pounds!


Lots of pretty painted houses in Puerto Rico,


With great color combinations,


But also lots of abanoned and run down homes, which seemed to co-exist side by side with nicer homes. I never saw a "nice section" and a "bad section". Everywhere I went seemed to be a complete hodgepodge of the two.


There were also a lot of homeless dogs such as this dear pup, simply everywhere. All of them had such mellow temperments, truly sweet souls. Very heart breaking. My husband and I met a man from the states one day as we walked along the beach. He had two wonderful dogs with him, and he told us that every year he and his wife come to Rincon and rescue several dogs. They have them spayed and nutered, and help them become social and able to live in a home. Then they bring them back to the states and find good homes for them. Talk about sweet souls.


The best thing about this trip, (besides getting to see my husband's wish to return fulfilled) was living a natural slower pace, (that is with the exception of driving, which was a balls to the wall free for all where no rules of the road seemed to exist and your life constantly flashed before your eyes.) And being unplugged. (Oh, that was bliss. I did not miss being connected in the least. To go a whole week without a barrage of information, as well as feeling like I had to contribute to that barrage was incredibly de-stressing.) We got up with the sun, drank our tea and ate our breakfast underneath it as it made its way across the sky, while we watched the surfers catch a wave. We hiked the beach. Ate some more. Enjoyed the day. And after the sun went down we walked to the local bar, sat outside and drank a beer before retiring for the night. Simple, and worth trying to remember.

Random Stitching

I know I have been pretty quiet here...


been feeling that way all around.


I think winter does that to me.


I have also been a bit preoccupied with planning for some upcoming travel, (fun!)


as well as for some upcoming surgery, (not fun.)


To keep my sense of calm,


(Often easier said then done in regards to myself)


I have just been allowing myself the joy of random stitching.


I am usually so focused on making things, (and very results oriented) that I am finding this to be a very soothing place... the act of simply stitching for the sake of wanting to stitch.


Hope each one of you is finding happiness in whatever you are doing! xo

Life is Full of Lovely Surprises!

Directly after publishing my last post titled, When Door # 1 Does Not Deliver What You Expected, (which I posted just a few hours ago) I received a lovely surprise from the post office... proving that yes, sometimes door #1 does not deliver what you want but that sometimes door #2 delivers exactly what you want...


For there at my front door was a box with my name on it. A surprise care package sent by my sweet friend Michelle Engel Bencsko, filled with a selection of her beautiful Cloud 9 Fabrics!


I am going to assume that you are all familiar with the talented Michelle and Cloud 9 Fabrics, which Michelle co-created and runs with her partner Gina Pantastico. However, if you are not then let me tell you that Cloud 9 Fabrics are truly lovely and very special.


Offering an ever growing selection of various collections designed by Michelle, such as Across the Pond and Maman, (the latter of which Michelle used the delightful illustrations of her beloved grandmother Anne-Marie Murphy) as well as collections created by other wonderfully talented artists such as Miscellany, designed by Julia Rothman; Cut Out & Keep, designed by Heather Moore and the new and soon to be released collections Alegria, designed by Geninne D. Zlatkis and the Monsterz, created by Michéle Brummer Everett, Cloud 9 Fabrics manages to hit it out of the ball park every time.


Cloud 9 Fabrics is dedicated to doing it right. Not only are all the designs terrific and very original, (along with all of the colors being spot on) but all of the base fabric is 100% certified organic cotton and the dyes used for printing and dying are eco-responsible low impact dyes. The combined results is that while these fabrics are modern, they also have a vintage look, feel and sensibility to them, which I adore. Quality, quality, quality. And let me tell you, these fabrics are soft. They feel as good as they look, and they look damn good.

Thank you, Michelle! Your care package has lifted me right out of the doldrums. Perfect medicine and just what I needed! xo

When Door # 1 Does Not Deliver What You Expected.

Fate Awaits

The original plan for the last 6 weeks or so were to be ones of great productivity, with little breaks and holiday family time sprinkled in. That is what I fully expected.

Ha Ha! Joke's on me again!
You never really know what lies behind life's doorways. Despite my good intentions to have nose to the grindstone, (speaking of which, see those steps leading up to the door... I believe they are very old grindstones) the reality of the last 6 weeks or so have been anything but. Family time took top billing, (which I am grateful for. No complaints at all!) However, all that planned productivity was put further on the back burner due to a lot of just feeling and being under the weather... from an array of head and chest colds to what I assume is a peri-menopausal caused train wreak of a cycle that continually takes me by surprise, knocks me to my knees, and throws my creative cycle off the tracks.

So for now I have zilch to show! And truth be told I don't like that. Low productivity gets me on edge. But that's how it goes sometimes, and that is where I am right now. The upside is I have some time to think, and dream, and plan... all good seeds for future creative productivity!

Wherever you are in your creative cycle I wish you well. xo

All Tied Up - Make Your Own Twine Tutorial

If you find yourself with some last minute gift wrapping to do, (confession... haven't even started mine yet) and want something other then the standard ribbon to tie your gifts up in, here's a simple way to make your own lovely twine...


First you will need to cut several individual lengths of yarn. Any yarn will do, just keep in mind that the thicker the yarn, the thicker the twine will be. I like to use a thin perle cotton yarn.

For this example I am making a thin multicolored twine and am using just three strands of yarn, one in pink, one in green and one in off-white. (Note that the more individual lengths you use, the thicker the twine will be. Want rope? Just use thick yarn and more individual pieces!)

Cut the individual pieces of yarn about three times the length you would like your finished twine to be. I tend to cut my individual pieces of yarn about 6 yards long, which gives me a finished piece of twine just over a yard long. If you want a longer strand that's fine, but you may need some one to assist you towards the end so things don't get too knotted up... I will explain more later.


Next you will need some device to help you as you tightly twist the individual strands of yarn together. Pictured above are three things that I have used to make twine. The first item is that odd looking wood thing... it's used to wind boat shuttle bobbins for loom weaving, and does the job of twisting super quick. The next item is an old vintage hand drill that belonged to my grandfather. It also works great in twisting the strands of yarn together. And last but not least is the humble pencil, which is what I used for many years and works just dandy... just a bit slower then the other devices.

Whichever item you have on hand, simply tie one end of the yarn strands to the chosen tool. Take the other end of the yarn strands and tie them in a knot. Then tie them to a stationary object like a door handle or a drawer pull. You can also tie them to a clothes pin and drop the clothes pin into a drawer. Shut the drawer and the clothes pin and yarn ends stay inside.

Now, go back to your winding device. Holding your device, stand far enough away from the other end that the strings are not on the floor, but also leave some slack. Now, start winding. (If you are using a pencil the yarn ends will be tied around the middle of it. Just keep flipping the pencil around and around to twist the yarn together.)


Keep winding until the string is tight and taut and there is no slack. (The tighter the twist the better the end result will be.) It will look something like the photo above, (excuse the poor quality of these photos... it's been very cloudy and rainy here and the light has been dismal.)


We are almost done! Keeping the string taut, tightly pinch the ends attached to the winding device and cut them off, careful not to let the string unwind. Then start walking that end towards the other end that is attached to a knob or a drawer. You want to be careful to keep the strings from touching until the two ends can meet. (Note: As I walk to meet the other end, I run my free hand along the length of twisted string helping to keep the tension tight. When I get to the middle of the string I then bring the two ends together. If my yarn length is to long for me to comfortably do this, I have someone else stand at the middle, keeping the tension tight, as I move to join the two ends together.

As soon as the two lengths of twisted string meet they will immediately begin to twist upon themselves, as shown in the photo above. Knot both ends together and carefully run your hand down the length of the twisted twine, smoothing the twists down and evenly distributing them throughout...

And there you go, your very own twine!


Happy Holidays to all of you!

Quilted Patchwork Coasters available in my Rural Retro Design Etsy shop