It Started With A Phone Call

Yes,  that is how the story begins,

a phone call.....

not just any phone call,

 it was a call from Vicky.

A new nest was stirring around

in that pretty head of hers.

Would I like to participate?

Of course, I would!

Vicky explained who would

benefit from the nests.

The charitable donations from these nests

will be given to our brand new

Pediatric Addiction recovery center 

here in

Huntington, West Va. 

Lily's Place will be the new home of a regional and national leader in the care of babies suffering from Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, or drug addiction. 

Vicky explained
what she would like
me to create
to add to her nests.
A tiny hyacinth flower
on a strip of muslin fabric.

I wanted the flowers 
to be special so,
a special thread was
needed.
Lorraine   immediately
came to mind.  She creates
the most beautiful hand dyed
threads!

Lorraine listened to
what I needed and 
came up with these
richly dyed combinations,

 purples,

 blues

    the colors just scream
HYACINTH FLOWER!

The threads were ordered
and the fabric prepared.
Lots of strips torn,

  materials gathered,

now the embroidery
could begin.

 Backstitch for the stems,

 lazy daisy stitches
  for the leaves

and french knots
using Lorraine's thread
for the flowers.  

Each flower special,
 unique, one of a kind.

 Each flower prayerfully
stitched, while thinking
not only of those sweet
babies, but the families
Lily's Place will touch. 

  As I tore the strips
of muslin, the loosely
woven fabric kept
wanting to unravel...
I thought of those 
mothers who
have a drug addiction.
Their life unraveling,
as they are about
to experience one of
God's greatest gifts.
A baby!
Lily's Place will
offer those mother's 
a place to heal and
offer support as they
overcome their 
addiction.  
  
Vicky , girlfriend
you pick up that phone
anytime and just
ask.  I am honored
to be a small part,
in your great works
of the heart.

Love to all,
Deb   

Wedding Bells for Liz and Luke

A young friend (Liz)  is getting

married soon and I needed

a gift.  One that would not

be put in drawer and quickly

forgotten. 

Liz is a photographer and 

so is her fiance Luke. 

Of course these is a photo

 of that most important

 moment....

The Proposal

 Isn't that the greatest photo!

So great, it just had to be captured!

In a bottle with an old rusty lid,

I placed the photo along with

glitter and snow.

 The lid is tied with ribbons

and a bit of a vintage bridal veil

and the string is from her wedding

invitation.  I kept singing the 

Dolly Parton song "Tie Our Love

In A Double Knot while I tied

the ribbons and added the charms.

I think it is the perfect gift 

for her and I hope she 

treasures it.

Liz had asked me to make

her garter and a garter to toss.

 They were so much fun

to create.

 Stretch lace for the base.

 A sprinkling of beads 

and pearls.

 Navy polka dots....

because, she LOVES
polka dots!

 A gift from the heart.

Every good wish to you,

Liz and Luke!

I'm gonna tie our love

in a double knot.....

Love to all,

Deb

The Birds and B's

The birds and b's as in 

blog headers.

I change my blog header

so infrequently, that it

becomes a challenge

to remember how to do it.

The first step is easy to

remember... take the photo.

Then add the text,

(your blog name).

Since I have a Canon camera

there is a program called

ZoomBrowser EX which

allows you to add text to 

a photo.  Otherwise, you 

will have to open the photo

in Paint and add text there.

Complete the process by

uploading the photo to your

blog layout. 

 

Here are a few more photos 

of my bird nest.

 I used a "Satin Glass"

candleholder for the base.

I believe it was made by

Fenton Glass.

 These photos will

give you an idea of the

size.

The opening where 

the bird is sitting

is 2" in diameter.

 Nest was crocheted

while holding 

several yarns

together to

give a nice blend

of color.

Perfect for

a Spring day!

 I hope you enjoyed 

seeing me make a new

blog header!

Love to all,

Deb

A "Vera" Beautiful Giveaway

One of my best bloggin' buddies

is having a giveaway!  Not an

ordinary giveaway, but a "Vera"

Grateful giveaway, as she calls

it. 

 I call it a "Vera" Beautiful

giveaway, as Vicki has one of the

sweetest, most beautiful hearts

 that I know.  If you follow

her blog you know what a giving

person she is and her giving

inspires us to be giving as well.

 Please take a moment to visit 

her blog and while you are there

check out her "Pink Scarf" project.

It is just one of those ways Vicki

inspires us to be giving.

Goodbye Google Reader

Google Reader will soon be gone...

My first thought was one of panic,

how would I keep up with my friends?

Shirley C gave me the answer,

Bloglovin' !

Suz blogged she was doing the

same.

The more I think about it...

this may be a very good thing.

I had so many blogs in my 

Google Reader, that I really

never read.  Some I had 

"followed" only for a giveaway

they were having.  Now maybe 

the perfect time to organize the

blogs I follow.

Love to all,

Deb 

<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/3522425/?claim=7je9xkp9kz2">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a>

Giveaway Winner....Winners!

When I wrote the post for my

pincushion giveaway, I had a

twist in mind.  Not like those

"twists" Heidi throws in on

Project Runway, to shake things

up in the workroom....this twist

was about the comments.

First I would draw a name

from all the comments to 

win the rabbit pincushion.

Theresa was the winner!

Now for the twist: If anyone

 mentioned a specific pin cushion

 I would gift them that pincushion.

Mary Anne said:

Your pincushions are ALL

 so special, but I have to admit

 that I love the ones done in the

 cups the best

 (especially the beautiful blue one!!).

 

Suzy said:

Hi Deb - I'm so happy that 

Vicki has bought us together

 again through this GYB party

 - what a sweetheart she is!
I do love those dear little

 pincushions - especially the 

one made from the pink

 moire taffeta! so very pretty!

Congratulations to the winners!

It pays to leave a comment!

I have been doing a bit of a

clear out around here and will

be giving away more things

in the near future!

Love to all,

Deb

Pincushions

Do you have one thing that

you love to do?  No other craft

calls your name, but that one?

If you do, I envy you....I envy

the free space you must have

in your home.  I like to do 

so many different things, 

sometimes all the stuff gets 

a little over whelming.

In an attempt to use what

I have and declutter my

life, I repurposed a few things.

 I made some fun pincushions

the first from a small vase.

 The next from a votive holder.

 And this one from a doll head.

 I love his sassy turned head!

 All three bring a smile to my face.

 Next I made some elegant pincushions.

This one is made using a vintage

German cup.  Yes, it is chipped but

the cup is so beautiful, I don't mind

that sign of age and use.  The "strawberry"

on the side is filled with emery.

Next, is another German cup.

 Oh, this cup is absolutely gorgeous!

I had to find just the right fabric

and this soft pink moire taffeta is

perfect. 

 Again the "strawberry" is filled

with emery to sharpen your needles.

Next is a sugar bowl that had lost

it's lid.  But, when you have a

burgundy velvet hat...who needs

a lid?

 Here are my 3 elegant pincushions.

I will be adding the pincushions to my etsy shop.

,All the pincushions have wool used as stuffing.

When you have a pincushion stuffed with wool

the pins slide right in and are oiled, so to speak

from the lanolin in the wool. 

The wool came from a new friend I met at the

fiber festival last spring.

In her booth she had wool balls that she

had made using the wool from her sheep.

Please visit her blog and read about

this sweet little orphan lamb she is 

raising.  Maisie....that little lamb

has stolen my heart!

 I made a special visit to her farm

one day last fall and took some photos

of her sheep.

I was surprised at how large they were:

And the best part....they love cookies!

If you are here visiting from 

Vicki's blog,

 Welcome!

  I will be giving away
this pincushion redo.

Found at a tag sale
the existing pin cushion 
needed to be removed.

Out with the old,
in with the new
and improved.

Green velvet covers
the wool.   If you
would like to win
my pin cushion redo, 
please leave 
a comment below.
I will be drawing
a winner  on
February 1st!
Good Luck!  

Love to all,

Deb 

P.S. Vicki

is hosting a blog party
with a long list of bloggers
I know you will want to visit.
Lots of them will be having
giveaways too!!!