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i am a creative person. mother to a daughter who is an active young woman and a constant blessing in my life. i hope that you enjoy your visit here and that you will return often.

Wednesday, December 12, 2012

12-12-12 and a christmas wish



December 12, 2012 or 12-12-12 will be the last date of it's kind when all three numbers in a date are the same. The next time something like this will happen will be on January 1, 2101. According to popular belief, 12-12-12 is a lucky date that will bring good fortune.

i hope that your holiday is a reflection of this good fortune.

within the above image you will notice that there is a sweet little flying geese quilt. i received that from Maureen of Pursuit of Quilts. she made four small wonders using some left over flying geese that she had after working on her "October Surprise" quilt (shown within this post). October Surprise was a beautiful quilt and each of the four smaller pieces were just as wonderful. she gave the first two away and did a give-away drawing for the other two. i was thrilled to be one of the lucky recipients~!!~ this little quilt has so many lovely reproduction prints within it and Maureen's work is absolutely perfect~! THANK YOU so much Maureen. i love it~!!~


i haven't actually sewn much of anything since just after thanksgiving.
the carpets were all cleaned a few weeks ago and moving everything was lots of work. i decided that since i was shifting things around (and then back again) i would take the opportunity to do some other cleaning as well as some sorting out of things no longer needed and/or wanted. this slowed things down a bit but feels good to be doing. i've also been working on a bit of face-lift magic in the studio as i go; more shelves, more sorting, more folding and organizing of the fabrics and hopefully more clean surfaces by the end of it all. i guess i have spring fever a bit early this year . . . so-o-o not a lot of sewing.
no progress on TAST at all so i have a lot of catching up to do when i get back to it.
the 15 minute challenge has been designated to studio planning and organizing as i wade through these tasks.
even my photography has dwindled down to a trickle . . .
however, i was able to snap a few still life shots using some pomegranates and that new little quilt that recently came into my life. i layered my favorite with a shot from my archives of some spiderweb that had a heavy frost on it, did some blending, added text and then added a couple of festive borders to it all to create the above christmas "card". 

in addition to all of this cleaning and sorting i've been doing the same sort of thing mentally. thinking about the past year's activities and accomplishments as well as considering various challenges and tasks that i would like to line up for the next year. still mulling all of that over but i'll have it all figured out soon.

this past week has brought me a broken heart. i had to find a good home for River to move away to. i've been in denial for quite some time about my inability to manage two large and very active young dogs. i thought that if i just kept trying and hung in there until my health would give me a reprieve, than things would get better. unfortunately that's not the way it's gone and so with the wonderful daughter's help, River is safely into a new home. i just received word yesterday that she is doing well. she now lives where she is the one and only dog which means that the attention that she craves will not have to be shared with any other dog. she will like that. there is a cat but that has never been a problem with her and in fact, she seems to enjoy their quiet company so i expect that will work out well too. the adoptive owner seems very prepared and has experience with rescued dogs so she understands that River is dealing with abandonment issues from her past as well as the loss that she feels from leaving us. River and i had a special bond and this whole thing has been much more than difficult but i am sure that the right thing has been done and that she is being well looked after. my wish is that the new owner and River will forge a bond that is just as special and that it will last for the remainder of her life. she deserves it.

meanwhile, i will continue to love and care for my grand-dog until the wonderful daughter can take over the task. life is noticeably simpler and quieter which i need it to be in order to deal with my health issues. such a bittersweet ending and so many tears but life goes on and all will be well.

i promised to share photo's of the contemporary/modern piece that i created for a good friend's birthday. it's now been happily received and i can share those.


the piece is runner sized but could also be hung on the wall as skinny art. i think the picture is a bit overexposed so the colors are somewhat washed out but the detail shot does give a little bit better idea of the color.
when i was cutting and pasting the shot of the whole quilt (within photoshop) i didn't completely crop the bit shown in the detail, which is one of the reasons that i have included it. feel free to look at any of the photos in a larger format by clicking on them.
i think i still have a lot to learn about modern quiltmaking and i'm grateful that my friend happily receives experimental pieces from me. there are so many nice examples out there of this style and clearly i need some practice with it in order to achieve those kinds of results.
i am really in love with all of that quilting though~!!
 
 
 
i also have the november postcard that was made for the wonderful daughter. btw: those edges are straighter than the border/edge treatment would lead the eye to believe. i was happy with the results and she seemed happy to receive another card. 
i have begun work on the december card which i will show you within my next post. however, i have decided that i will take a holiday blog break and won't be posting until after the new year. with any luck, i'll have caught back up on my TAST stitching/christmas stockings and have some progress to show you.
i will find time to visit your blogs once in a while as i do still want to keep up with those of you who are blogging throughout the festivities. 

i hope that your holiday season is wonderful and that you are looking forward to what the new year will be bringing as much as i am.

recent gifts include:
  • finding an outstanding home for my sweet River
  • the smell of hot apple cider simmering on the stove
  • a mug full of that apple cider on a cold afternoon
  • twinkling christmas lights
  • a new little dolly quilt  :-D
  • christmas party visiting

11 comments:

  1. It is good to hear from you on this magical date!! I have been waiting to start in a journal I made recently and was waiting for a "special" date...when one of my "creative crone" friends mentioned today...12-12-12!! and I am so glad she did as I was thinking I would have to wait until 1-1-13! For some reason, I have to "start" new things on a logical note...a date, an occasion, etc. So sorry to hear of your having to part with River..if I lived closer, I would have gladly given him a home. We have always had a dog, but since having to send our last love to doggie heaven, we have not gotten another one...I miss not having a furry companion!!

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  2. Hope yesterday was lucky for you - sorry to hear about River, but I'm so glad you found a home for him. I'd love to get a rescue dog someday.
    I wish I could say I've been cleaning - I'm hoping to really get going in January.
    your contemporary piece is so different for you - the quilting is amazing - I'm sure your friend loved it. Pretty card -

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  3. So sorry to hear about River moving to a new home. I hope he will be happy.
    Your contemporary quilt is wonderful and I am sure your friend loves it. The quilting on it is my favorite part.
    Have a joyful holiday season!

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  4. Congratulations on having one of Maureens quilts - such tiny geese. Very sweet anyway you look at it ;-)
    River loves you for thinking of her needs too, good karma.
    Love your modern gift quilt - beautiful movment in the hand quilting and LOVE the reverse applique!
    Take care - and have a fabulous rest of the year.

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  5. I'm so sorry for your loss. I'm sure that was a hard decision but it sounds like it is the best for you and hopefully will be for River and her new owner.
    I'm so honored to have the little quilt I made included in your beautiful photo. If I hadn't already ordered my holiday cards I'd be asking permission to use it. Amazing!
    So is the modern piece you made for your friend. Someday I will try hand quilting a spiral. Yours create wonderful movement.
    Do you create a postcard for your daughter every month? Such treasures!
    Take it easy over the holidays - better to enjoy than to overdo. It sounds like you are good about balancing your life. Cheers!

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  6. So good to have a long newsy post from you!!
    I adore your "modern" quilt and yes, the quilting is amazing and really draws you into the piece. Congrats on the adorable win from Maureen. When I saw your name drawn, I was thrilled.
    So sorry to hear about River's departure. You know the saying, You cannot take care of others unless you take care of yourself? Well, I think this applies here. I'm sure it is hard, but he will be happy in his new home.
    Merry Christmas to you my dear friend,

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  7. Hi Libby Q!
    I hope River has a lot of fun. You did the right thing.

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  8. So sorry that you had to let River go to a new home, but it sounds like both of you are rebounding.

    Love your holiday card, it's beautiful. So is your November card. You've been busy. I plan to declutter after Christmas, too much to do on this side of the holiday. I hope you'll be back with us for the 15 minute challenge next year.

    Have a wonderful and joyous holiday.

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  9. oh my my...such intricate details...just what I needed to take me away from the mundane chores of preparing for the holidays that have come way to quickly. Thank you for sharing! Best wishes to you and yours! Fa la la...

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  10. Thanks for your wishes, and I hope your holydays season will be nice and full and sweet things. and I wish you that the next year provides your a lot of little but precious gifts.

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  11. Seasons Greetings and Happy Holidays! Have a wonderful week - hope you start 2013 in a special way!!

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