Sheet Music Garland

I've been wanting to try this for a long time and this morning I finally did. It's such a fun, simple project. I printed some sheet music, cut out circles (I used a large hole punch), placed them back to back, and stitched them together. You can recycle old books this way too. I think these would be great for a party , to decorate a childs room, or for decorating a Christmas tree. I'm going to hang mine in my craft room. Really easy and fun!

Septembers Free Give Away

Sorry I haven't posted anything lately. I've been busy preparing for my daughters upcoming wedding in October, renovating my Etsy shop, crafting, and a million other things. I promised a free give away each month, so here is Septembers: I will draw a name from my list of followers on Sept. 15th. The winner will receive a sample package of some of the wool crafting supplies that I have been working on. The package will include wool beads, wool ropes and some wool roving. Good luck to everyone!

Creative Connections

Connecting with creative, like minded people, through my blog and Flickr, has kept me going through some of the most difficult times in my life. Connecting and creating in person with one of these new found friends is even more special. Recently, I had the pleasure, of a visit from one of these friends. Odile Gova, a multitalented, artist from Toronto, found her way to my home. It was a fun filled weekend of talking, creating, shopping and learning. She called it "a gift to herself", but it felt like a gift to me. It was a weekend I will never forget.

Shine

There is a ZEN calendar next to my computer...todays quote is from the BUDDHA:

Like the moon,

Come out from behind the clouds!

Shine.

Seeing Red

Canning? Not me....When I see all these red round tomatoes, I just want to make more beads. It's my daughter who does the canning. I love to see all the jars lined up in rows on my kitchen counter. There is a lot more than just the vegetables in those jars...there's a lot of effort and hard work packed in there.

Dinner From Pittsburgh's Strip District

Yesterday I finally left my house for a while. My sweet husband worries that I spend too much time at home, so he insisted that we take a drive into Pittsburgh for the day. One of our favorite places to visit there is the Strip District. The sights, sounds and smells are just wonderful and I always leave there feeling inspired. We arrived there at 8:45 in the a.m. and it was already alive with the hustle and bustle of the street vendors, musicians, and shoppers. I got so excited by the bongo drums and flute playing that I actually bought a wooden flute. Tell me what a woman of 52 is going to do with a red, wooden flute. I know I'll never learn to play it, but I just couldn't help myself, I had to buy it. Now every time I look at it, I will be reminded of what a fun day my husband and I had.

My husband Tom, who isn't interested in flutes at all, was there for the food. There was a farmers market going on which made this visit even more special. I saw so many interesting vegetables and fruits from the local farmers. There were such sweet smelling herbs and flowers and even honey. We purchased some fresh baked bread there to go with the lobsters we were planning to purchase from the fish market.

One of the vendors had some pond plants that I just had to have. They were labeled as "pond lettuce", but my husband calls them "sea cabbage" Whatever they are, they are a nice addition to my pond.

When we got home to our little corner of the world, Tom cooked the lobsters and we had an amazing dinner. A great ending to a perfect day. I think I'll play my flute????

Linen Pumpkin Winner

Hi everyone...today was the drawing for the linen pumpkin giveaway. It has been so much fun to meet all of you who participated! Your blogs and websites are wonderful and I appreciate all the fabulous things that everyone has to share. I'm afraid my blog may not measure up to all of yours, but I think I will improve with time.

I'm happy to say that Patrizia is the winner for the month of August. Congratulations Patrizia!

I will be posting another giveaway for the month of September soon. I would like to do this each month if all goes well. Thanks again to everyone who was a part of this fun experience!!!