A Mixture of Blessings

Saturday, February 19, 2011

1. Giveaway by Counting My Blessings   Be sure to visit Sonya, you will be happy you did.  Her work is beautiful and filled with inspiration.  Thank you Sonya for a chance to win such wonderful treasures.

2.  Receiving such wonderful inspiration from new blog friends met through OWOH!    I have the start of another book I will be working on for some time.  It is an anothology book (kind of family historical) that I will be putting together with LOTS of embellishments and items of specific meaning and unusual techniques.  I was fortunate to take a class with Judy Wilkenfeld when she came to the US last year from Australia and soak up everything she had show us.  I am actually taking a silversmithing class later this week in order to perhaps build/make some unique items to add to this special book that will mostly honor my parents.
Here are some pictures of the book in its beginning stages.  As you can see, Judy teaches how to make the book extremely strong with bookboard, book linen, etc.  It has only two signatures of two each, but it will be filled to the max when finished with lots of symbolism and wonderful memories.  Judy's family unfortunately experienced the holocost and so many were lost in her family.  She has been doing lots of research and digging to find pictures and information regarding family members.  Her Anthology book was actually a way to pull together some of those special  memories, pictures and trinkets so that if her family ever had to flee quickly from their home (as in the past) it could be easily carried along.  It is kept by her front door.

Brown embossed velvet cover

about a 3-1/2" spine

inside signatures started

lots of room for adding pictures and embellishments

See how sturdy it is!

 I will be posting my progress on this book and the altered fabric book as I go.  I have already made changes to the cover of the altered fabric book - that is what I do!

 3.  Bittersweet good-bye.  This week my beautiful stitching sisters group "Bee Crazy" lost a favored member.  We lovingly referred to her as Queen Mary.  Mary is seated in this picture in the front with some of the group behind her positioned in front of her award winning quilt "The Mighty Oak".  Mary was a master at whatever she did whether it was stitching, cooking, playing the piano, gardening, painting, and the list goes on.  The taught us so much.  Her talent was beyond words.  The quilt pictured is a piecemakers quilt that Mary did adding her own special touches like the oak tree, a longhorn, etc. since she was a Texas girl.  She would go outside and study flowers, insects, trees, etc. and then bring them to life on her quilts.  This quilt won EVERY award that our town's Quilt Show had to offer.  We were not surprised.

I have to tell you this little story as example of the amazing wit our Mary had.  We as a group take lots of road trips and go on retreats to other towns and states.  On one such trip, coming home exhausted, piled into the van with all our "stash", Mary and a friend were sitting behind me and the friend said she just had to undo her bra and get comfortable.  Once unhooked she let out a sigh of relief and Mary quipped - "did you see all the wrinkles fall out of her face!"  That was our Mary.  Mary passed away this week, but will always be remembered by those who were fortunate to have known her and been blessed by her friendship.

Me, Jan, Lynnis, Maureen with Fred the cat, Barbara and center front, Mary.

God has "highlighted" a couple of things for me this week.  First and foremost is to "abide in Him".  Now that sounds pretty easy doesn't it, but to actually abide in Him means spending time with Him and meditating on His word.  Well, I don't know about you, but I am one of those who even gets impatient waiting for the few seconds to pass while I am heating something up in the microwave!  So, God is asking me to slow down, be still, be quiet and know that He is God, my God; ever present with me, if I will just allow Him to come to the forefront of my life.  This will take the aweful "P" word - practice, practice, practice.   The other is how we can so simply impact the lives of others without even knowing it.  So, I pray that I can "practice" and become more proficient at portraying the loving character of God and a joyful attitude so that that is what is remembered by others after I am gone.

May God enrich your life today -  thanks for stopping by, it is so encouraging.