Coming Soon a few New Stamps in 2016

On the last day of December and the last day of 2015  I spent time writing a replies to letters that have been waiting patiently for me to have so real free time. The months of November and December keep me busy packing bubble mailers for shipping long into the the evenings but with the holidays fast becoming a memory these last few days of the month quiet down enough for me to pick up a pen some paper, a cup of tea and the time I need to write to some wonderful friends.

Here is a peek at some of the new stamps set to be released during 2016, they are in no particular order but my favorite of all so far it the Global Forever Moon stamp.

The Soda Fountain treats just make me smile

Then there is this lovely quilled heart stamp

my other favortie are these lovely Jack o Lanterns

And who could resist the beauty of a flower this appeals to the gardener in me

Not to be out done we have Pick-up trucks in colors to make you want to match your envelope to the stamp

and we can't forget our beloved pets, whether furry, feathered, fishy or hooved these are just adorable

but not nearly as adorable as this little girl who stole the hearts of America decades ago

and while tocuhing on Hollywood let us not forget that Star Trek will be celebrating 50 years and what a fun way to commemorate the anniversary than with a nifty set of postage stamps

I don't have release dates for any of the stamps but my daily trips to the post office will have me asking "any new stamps today?"

Tea and Sunday Stitching

We are having another hot humid day here in central Florida with no signs of cooler temps to come. I did my morning walk at the park this morning stepping to the sounds of my own footsteps, chirping birds and scampering squirrels.  After my walk I stopped to pick up orange juice and the Sunday newspaper then went home to brew a cup of tea.

I picked up block number four of the Hocuspocusville and put in a few hand embroidery stitches to get my  Slow Sunday Stitching underway and I will link my post here at Kathy's Quilts http://www.kathysquilts.blogspot.ca/2015/12/slow-sunday-stitching-keeping-track.html

where you can see what other bloggers are hand stitching 

Morgana's Apothecary block 4

Once again I decided to begin hand embroidery on the sign which seems to take me forever, I'm in no hurry and taking it slow is the point of Slow Sunday Stitching isn't it?  

I love the relaxation hand stitching provides, my breathing slows, my mind rest with each passage the needle makes through the fabric.  I almost feel the same calm when I do yoga which isn't as often as I like but plan to remedy that in the new year.

Time to relax

Here we are the day after Christmas, all the hustle and bustle of the last few weeks are oveer and we settle back into our daily routine of living, well maybe not so fast, after all it is the weekend and to me weekends are made for slower living, or so we hope to slow down and relax after the hustle of the work week.

The morning here started off foggy, I love the misty mysterious clouds of fog that settle over the land

slowly lifting the reveal what we already knew was hidden beneath it. I like to feel the damp mositure settle on my face while walking through the fog which I did this morning for a short mile walk around my neighborhood, I didn't want to risk driving I've learned here in Florida when there is fog its a free for all when driving, those red lights go ignored and I've come close too many times to being smashed by thoughtless drivers who pretend they can't see the red light.

I don't know about you but I like to settle down with a nice cup of tea on a foggy morning perhaps

pull out some stitching, a good book or some stationery to write a few letters, I plan to do a little of each today.

The afternoon of Christmas Eve, my son and I drove to the  Fort White Florida area for a hike in the Ichetucknee Springs State Park, we did the shorter trail at the south entrance, since it was the late afternoon I will return for the north trail another time and early enough to explore the nearby down town High Springs.  

Christmas day my son and I went to the movies to see Sisters, it was quite funny. It seems going to the movies on Christmas day has become somewhat of a tradition for us.  On Monday the 21st several of us went to see the newest Star Wars movie,  the theater was packed but yesterday the parking lot was no doubt for those that hadn't seen Star Wars yet.  In all my years of going to this particular movie theater I have never seen the parking lot as full as it was. It did help me get a higher step count on my Fitbit.

The very warm weather we have been having here in central Florida has confused the sleeping garden and early last week buds began to bloom on the rhododendron

on Christmas Day they decided to show themselves completely, I have to say they are lovely I just hope the other buds stay closed for a few more weeks.

I think later today its off to the beach for a nice long walk to work off  those extra calories from all the cookies, cakes, pies pizza and lasagne eatten this week.

To all of you Merry Christmas

A little Florida style Christmas wish

And a little stitchy wish to all of you for a very Merry Christmas

A Colorful Expression

This morning was my final trip to the post office to drop off the final packages for shipping until after Christmas, the Ebay and Amazon shops are closed for the holidays. Now I have a chance to breathe for a few days, the first thing I did was run to Joann's to buy a pair of stress relief gloves to see if I notice any improvement with my fingers and hands, I am skeptical because they are so light I can't imagine how they work but I will give them a try. One thing I will say they are much lighter and less bulky then the wrist splints I've had to wear in the past.

So while in Joann's I moved past an aisle and double backed not believing what I saw, pastel Spring and Easter decorations and a corner with some Valentine's Day items. Geez it's not even Christmas yet!  Put those pastels away for a few weeks and let us enjoy the winter.  I know, I know when you are dealing in hand crafted items as well as retail you have to get things out months in advance otherwise you won't have time to make that spring or summer quilt, or knit that June wedding shawl or the perfect Mother's day gift but really couldn't it wait a few more days, January is right around the bend.

Oh well off the soapbox and take a look at this sweet and colorful item I picked up yesterday at the Gallery East.  Isn't she just lovely?

The artist is Teri Stillwaugh and the gallery had a wonderful selection of these pieces to chose from, I love color so I chose this sentiment. and I know I will be purchasing a few more.  Here is a close up and yes that is a paint brush sticking up from

the top of her head.  I was reading about this artist on the gallery site http://www.galleryeast.org/ and found out she has given classes on her "Brush Expressions"  before so I hope its offered again this coming year I would love to know how to make my own.

 I have been wanting to take the silk scarf painting class offered at the gallery but time, schedule and other commitments just didn't make it possible this year. There are  new classes coming up in January so next week I need to register since the class is limited in size and I would prefer a daytime class. Since it worked so well for 2015 I am going to continue on my quest to be more creative again for 2016, there are other classes offered at the gallery and I plan on taking a few. I'll keep you posted.

Welcome Winter!

I wish you all a very merry Solstice, Yule, Christmas, Midwinter. Whatever and however you choose to celebrate, may these coming weeks be filled with blessings and the spirit of the season.

Block Three complete and a little Slow Stitching Sunday Mystery.

Well it was a slow and steady and often delayed blocked but the Hocuspocusville quilt block number three is all stitched.  It was a real labor of love and last Sunday I was able to put in quite a bit of work.

Block three

I have to press it before I store it with the other blocks and I have to say my idea of using black seed beads along the top of the fence post and along the sides of the ladder worked out niceley.

Beaded Fence and Ladder

I finished the beading and the rest of the block on Friday evening and boy did I have a case of eye strain yesterday that left me barely able to see out of my left eye.  Blocked number 4 is waiting in the wings for a Slow Sunday start and I will be linking this post over at Kathy's Quilts were all sorts of lovely hand stitching is happening on Slow Sunday Stitching http://www.kathysquilts.blogspot.ca/

The weather here finely turned cooler with temps dropping to the low 40's for the last two nights, though it will be back in the 80's mid week. Any cooler weather is always welcome here in Florida after all it stay so hot for so long.

Before I leave I want to post a photo that contains a treasure from the past, a few days ago I was looking through some storage bins for something else I needed when I came across this little gold box that once upon a time I purchased nylon stocking in, I am a saver of small boxes knowing one day it would be put to good use.

Well that's all for now, I will reveal the contents of the mystery box on the first Slow Stitching Sunday of the New Year.
In the mean time I wish you all a Very Happy Winter Solstice, Blessed Yuletide, Merry Christmas.

Slowly making progress

Another Sunday has come around and I have to confess I didn't get much done on block three since last Sunday, but slow progress is certainly better than no progress.

I will try to make time for some stitching later this afternoon, this time of the year is busy for most of us so I may have to get a little creative in making that time.  I will be linking up once again over at Kathy's Quilts for Slow Sunday Stitching http://www.kathysquilts.blogspot.ca/2015/12/slow-sunday-stitching-max-report.html

December's New Moon Ort Report

Another New Moon is on the horizon so its time once again for a picture of my Orts for this months TUSAL Report. Not sure what a TUSAL is click the link and let Daffycat tell you all about it. http://itsdaffycat.blogspot.com/2015/01/the-totally-useless-stitch-long-2015.html

I have a nice little pile of Orts mostly from the Holly King and block three of the HocusPocusville Quilt.

December Orts

I made good progress on Sunday slow stitching and hope to have this block completed shortly as long as my fingers hold up.

bubble and brew block 3

Well that's it for my December Tusal report, its been a wonderful year of stitching and taking part in the Totally Useless Stitch A Long motivates me to stitch more.

Here is a shot of my orts jar filled with most of my threads for the year, there is still room for more which I plan to add in the last weeks of this year. Its been a very good stitching year for me and for the up coming new year I will carry over my goal of last year to add more creative activity in my life.  

Taking part in the TUSAL and Slow Sunday Stitching over at Kathy's Quilts ( http://www.kathysquilts.blogspot.ca/ ) has really helped keep me motivated not only to stitch more but to venture into other areas I haven't tried before. 

Dressing Up for the Holidays

Happy Hanukkah!

A little stitching...

I didn't make much progress on block three this week, I am hoping to make a little more progress albeit slow, but then isn't that what Sunday slow stitching is all about.

Early this week I woke to a very stiff numb hand which hasn't happened to me in a long time, the numbness and tingling wouldn't allow me to hold onto a needle without pain so I spent a few days letting my hands rest.  I did manage to get the hat all stitched last Sunday so today I'm going to try for the Bubble & Brew banner.

I will be linking up here for Slow  Sunday  Stitching http://www.kathysquilts.blogspot.ca/

A surprise package arrived today.

Today I recieved a sweet surprise all the way from the UK. This sweet felt snowman ornament from Jacquie.

I happen to collect snowman so I was thrilled to see him smiling up at me when I opened the envelope.

Don't you just love the stitching detail on the carrot nose.  I wonder if one of Santa's Eleves whispered in Jacquies ear that I love snowman.

Even the backing fabric makes me smile. Thank you Jacquie for your thoughtfulness and sending me this sweet little ornament, I will cherish it always.

Hello

Things are getting  bit crazy here this time of year, I am packing and shipping most of the day so my post will be short and sweet, or silly.