September already?

First the scissor stuff... There are two beautiful prints of Gingher scissors coming out this fall: Alicia and Tessa. I've been drooling over these since the preview pictures were made available. I now have Alicia in my hands and it follows that I also have a matching fob available! In my excitement to pick them up at the local craft store last night (driving there as fast as legally allowed, still covered in grass clippings from yard work, dirt in a line across my forehead from where my hat was, and not caring because there were SCISSORS on the line) I barely glanced at the print and thought "oh, blue and green scrolly flower thingies". Imagine my surprise to take a closer look and find that they're covered in peacock feathers! I'd like to introduce you to Alicia, with her fob "Plume".


Each long and short fob is beautifully crafted with Swarovski crystals and glass accent beads. The short fob has a cobalt end bead but it never comes out right in pictures. The blues pull out the subtle color changes throughout the handle and the reds get the centers of the feathers. Your local shop is happy to order these for you and if you don't have one just give me a holler and I can direct you to one that will gladly decorate your scissors.



And the stitchy stuff... Just Cross Stitch Ornament Issues have started arriving at the local shops and I'm thrilled to be in there again this year. Each time they ask it is an incredible honor and my feet don't touch the ground for weeks. My ornament this year is not quite the usual Christmas one - it's a memorial. Earlier this year I lost one of my closest friends very suddenly and this was a way for me to work through that grief. I miss her dearly and pray that if you stitch this as a memorial for a loved one you find peace and comfort in each x.



Now for the "other" stuff... Our home is finally returning to what we consider normal around here. The construction is done, the storm damage all repaired, and I no longer hear nail guns in my sleep. The garden is producing a lot of really tasty treats and we are enjoying the healthy snacks each day. It is a learning process to teach the little one about "ripe" and "not ripe" when it comes to picking the grapes and berries. The squished face she makes when a grape is not ripe is very entertaining. She checks under the nets each day to see what she can munch on and does her rounds along the property line to scavenge for berries. When we planted the starts in the spring I didn't mark everything, assuring myself that I would remember what everything was (yeah, right), so it's not a surprise that we have mystery melons and squash taking over the back corner of the yard. This past winter we couldn't wait for fresh tomatoes and now we don't know what to do with them all! Lots of bruchetta, pico de gallo, and BLT's are coming out of our kitchen.



I do have to share a proud mommy moment. It made my heart delight when I was preparing breakfast this past week and looked over to find the munchkin sorting her Crayola's by color! Oh, goodness, I was so proud I even shed a quiet little tear! The blues with blues, purples with purples, all sorted by shade. There's hope for our next generation! She is showing an interest in knitting and needlework. I'm all for encouraging the yarn-work until it is turned into a spider web at the top of the stairs, tying all of the door knobs together and weaving the 'garland' down the hand rail. At least the cat wasn't tied into the middle of it.