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March's Pattern of the Month

2/28/2014

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It's not too late to join our PATTERN OF THE MONTH CLUB & CONTEST!!!  January and February patterns will be available any time if you wish to catch up.  January's will not need to be hooked and presented for judging until March 30th so there's lots of time!  These patterns are only small, 17" x 12" so hooking will be a snap and maybe you'll win a 3 pack of Dorr Natural or the grand prize of $500 shopping spree!   So far, three finished January patterns have come in...it's very exciting! 

March's POM

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I wasn't able to get in to edit my website all day today due to complications with the website provider.  I'm saving my Friday's blog to post on Monday!  It was a long and frustrating day! 

March is a very busy month.  Being a woman, I felt "Woman's History Month" should take first seat so there are silhouettes of woman dancing, holding hands, all shapes and sizes, young and old.  The dancing also ties in with the National Association for Music Education Day so the treble clef and music notes commemorate that special event. 

Of course the Daffodil is the most popular symbol for the month, second in line the Shamrock, for a a bit of Irish luck on St. Patrick's Day.  I made it fancy but hooking it just a simple green will do.  

The cross to the right of the Shamrock can represent one of two events.  Good Friday as a religious symbol.  I hid the base of the cross from sight so that it could also be the symbol for the American Red Cross.   Hook which ever one is near and dear to your heart.  
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Mahone Bay Oriental

2/26/2014

1 Comment

 
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MAHONE BAY ORIENTAL HOOKED BY JANET PERCIULIS
I woke early this morning with expectations of a great day.  The air was crisp and cold but refreshing after a toasty night under the covers.  I love fresh air, like to throw the windows open every couple of days to let the stale air escape and bring in the new.  Sometime I even sleep with the window cracked if the fire in the wood stove is especially hot.  The heat drifts up the stairs and almost mummifies us.  I don't like sleeping with the door closed so the only alternative is to open the window. 

Hump day in Mahone Bay is refuse pick-up.  I bagged up the garbage and wrestled the large compost bin to the road.  It's a man's job, especially since it hasn't been emptied since Christmas. It weighed as much as a hippo out of water as I struggled to get it down the long driveway.  Not a bad bit of exercise to start the day and it felt so good I ran back up the hill to get the bags and had a jog to the roadside and back again.  The air was cold on the face, I didn't dare lick my dry lips or I'd have to rub olive oil on them for days as they crack and split.  Olive Oil is my healthy substitute for chapstick, natural and tasty although it comes with a pasta craving!  The harbour has a light skim of ice again, after that warm spell last week it had cleared and I could once again hear the waves lapping the shore. I had high hopes that spring was coming but now we're back in a deep frost. 

I lit the fire and put my four eggs on to boil.  I chop three with butter in a bowl and share them with the pups and take the extra one to work for an afternoon snack.  Eggs are nature's perfect food and for a diabetic the protein is good.  My
cholesterol is perfect after years of this breakfast regime so I figure, don't fix what ain't broke.  I threw a dozen or so lamb kidneys in a pan for the pups breakfast.  Cheap dog food and they love organ meat!  Cooking it stinks up their house with the smell of urine but I love my dogs and deal with it.  There might be a bit of retching when I slice them up but it entertains the dogs as they hang around my feet waiting for a morsel to fall off the counter.  They can smell what's coming and salivate...kidney is the dog's chocolate. 

Michelle, one of my new employees bought my poodles a laser pen at the dollar store so I played with them until they were so out of breath and collapsed on the floor panting.  Only three get it. Fiz, our princess, is much too refined to lose her mind over such a silly game. She watched from her perch on the sofa arm and I could almost hear her thoughts as she stuck her nose in the air. We call her the fun police.  If Honey, our oldest girl gets too excited she will jump down, corral her and  growl as if to say, watch it sista, show a little class! 

I felt alive this morning, eager to start the day.  I had time to spare so I turned on the computer to see if there were any emails and was absolutely delighted to see a picture of my Mahone Bay Oriental rug come in.  I'd just posted the pattern last week, finally drawn for the shop after the initial one I designed for the client almost a year ago.  To see it hooked elevated my day from great to fantastic!  I knew then that nothing could spoil this morning and I'd ride the high of it throughout the day.  Nothing.....absolutely nothing....brings me more joy in the shop than seeing one of my designs hooked!   Staring at a computer screen, I can control my emotions but not so much when they are brought in for me to view in the flesh. Sometimes, much to my embarrassment, my face turns beat red and I tear up.   I don't mind being a blubbering fool in public, I just don't do it attractively and don't want to put anyone off their lunch.  This mug doesn't portray a cute little sniffle, my skin turns fifty shades of red, especially the nose, I puff up like balloon and look like someone strangled me, the only thing missing is the Petechial Hemorrhage. 

So now there is a picture to post on the web and attach to the Mahone Bay Oriental pattern.  I love what Janet Perciulis of Calgary, Alberta did with the design.  Her colour choice and distribution really brought the details of this design to life.   Janet's hooking looks perfect and that handmade crocheted fringe is fabulous!

To view other Oriental & Persian Patterns click the link and scroll down:
http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/signature-designs.html

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We are now Accepting PayPal!!

2/25/2014

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Blog therapy......

2/25/2014

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Blog therapy seems to work!  The more I talk the better I feel!  After that incident last week I’m coming to life again.  I even hauled my Christmas ornaments upstairs that have been lying by the front door since New Year’s.  When I said I break down when I’m pressured and stressed and do nothing, I didn’t scratch the surface of that truth, everything stops like a dead battery.  I function with the enthusiasm of a cadaver and twice as little energy.

Maybe it’s a way to punish myself I don’t know. Seeing those ornaments, day in and day out, every time I go up or downstairs bothered me but I couldn't allow myself to clear them away when I was being so bad.  Stupid games I play with myself. My ex husband taught me well. Maybe I’m so used to being a punching bag that lifetime ago, I need to go a few rounds on myself every now and then just to feel normal?   Who the hell knows at this point but I’m really not a basket case, I’m a high functioning, artistic person who just has a few quirks to work on....let's call me "eccentric".   At least I’m not cutting my ear off......

I had a new pair of glasses that were ready for pick up four weeks last Friday. I needed them but let them sit there for a month!   Another punishment I guess.  My eyes have been bothering me, probably the reason why I hit forward instead of reply on that email I sent to the wrong person.   I couldn't make time to go in and pick them up when I was so busy consumed with the guilt and stress I’d created.   Now I can see clearly, both figuratively and literally.    

It’s a big boat we are all in and it’s scary when you fall out every now and then and almost drown in the swell of that big, unforgiving sea.  Our baggage weighs us down. You can’t travel lightly in this world.  We see and learn from those who come before us or do things to us.  We are all flawed in ways, it’s what makes us who we are, it’s what develops our character.  Maybe my fumbling can help someone else realize their own unhealthy patterns, or maybe cause a chuckle because you’ve been there and already had the light bulb moment.    Or maybe it will serve to allow you to appreciate the lack of drama in your own life, thank your lucky starts you don’t have a song and dance existence. 

Since that incident, I’ve been productive in so many ways.  I hope I can keep up the momentum.  After three Halleluiah's in Sue's comment after my last blog,  I also realized how my state of mind effects those around me.  It must be difficult to watch me tear myself down until I’m lying in ruins on the floor.  If the roles were reversed I'd have no problem saying, "Buck up soldier, get a grip, haul out the big girl panties and smarten up!  Maybe someone should give me a swift kick in the arse every now and then so I realize I’m in 2014, a time when my life is friggin wonderful, instead of lingering in the past when I was mired up to my eye balls in sewage and stop me from falling into old habits that are dying a mighty slow death. 
     
From today on, I would like to have more fun. That lump that’s been choking me has dissolved and the tension has melted away. There is nothing on my agenda right now that is daunting and if I stay the course, it will never happen again.  I have two custom designs to do that are fun and I can’t wait to see the finished pattern.  I like fun things, I much rather pet a soft kitty than stick a pin in my eye.  I have to keep remembering this is only a craft, not world domination, there should be nothing to stress about. Really, I’m in the driver's seat and saying no isn’t the end of the world, right?   If someone doesn’t like me because I refuse their request, the world won’t cease to revolve....right?  I’ll be nervous for a bit and testing that theory for the first time will be daunting considering it’s uncharted waters!   

So I've been practicing saying no to my dogs.  Trying to come up with a nice way as not to insult or hurt anyone's feelings. They've been very helpful.  I know I'm doing it right when I get a lick of approval.  Practice will be worth the freedom I gain from doing things that take away my valuable time and energy.  I'm settling on "Thank you, but that doesn't work for me" as my go to statement.  And another thing I need to do is stop making excuses, give explanations or saying I'm sorry as that is just a weak response on the shortcut to a yes. Leave no doubt as to my conviction....be clear, complete, polite and smile, knowing that I've done the right thing for me and in the long run, you.   


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How bendy do I have to be before I break?

2/24/2014

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I might be asking the question in the title but I found out how far I can bend before I crack last week. Something terrible happened and it beat me black and blue emotionally. I've needed time to recover so I haven't been writing. 

Through this unfortunate, stupid mistake on my part, I've realized exactly what I’ve been doing to myself and it's forced me to take a long hard look at the way I deal with jobs. I've had to admit I'm going about things the wrong way which is a tough pill to swallow. At 55 I need to accept that I can't do it all, especially the things I don't find intriguing or stimulating. 

I always have a mental list of things that I want and need to do.  This list is perpetual. It never seems to shorten, just grows longer and longer, like an animated fish tale.  I'm sure you can all relate or the term "Bucket List" would not exist.  The list is all about creativity and inspiration, jobs to improve the shop like new designs, new products, and custom requests for patterns.


I like being creative, it's my favourite drug.  The inspirational juices flow like a river after a flood, swift and non stop.  The frustrating part is I am only one person and there are only so many hours in a day to do the things I want to do.

My problem begins when I'm asked to do something that I won't enjoy and can't seem to say no.  If the project is exciting and I'm on board mentally, then I make allowances and go for it.  But, if the job isn't inspiring, I start to falter and begin thinking about all the things I really would like to do and become upset. If I've said I will do something and there is no bliss in the concept, it's a cog in the wheel. 
At this stage in my life I just want to be a happy pig in poo, instead I'm finding myself in deep shit all the time. I'm like Dr. Frankenstein.  I have dozens of monsters on the go, in varying degrees of completion, some missing legs, others arms, maybe hand or two.  They all want me to complete them first, and are moaning out their woes.  The pressure is unbearable!

This leads me to the incident....I did a very bad thing. I disappointed a customer by saying I would draw her daughter's dog that I didn’t have any interest in doing.  I felt pressured because I knew this woman from my past and I'd felt badly that she had been ill. Like always, I wanted to please but deep down, I was filled with angst knowing how busy I am and how much I wouldn't enjoy working on this drawing. I didn't come right out and say I didn't want to do it, but I tried my best to relay that I was too busy with many orders ahead of her.  In my head I was trying to say no, but my darn lips committed treason. There's something inside of me that seeks approval and needs to have people like me, but sometimes it's to my own detriment.

Over time I became frustrated, mostly with myself, and every time the client phoned or dropped by I shriveled like throwing water on a witch.  It's no lie I'm busy and I played that card until the deck was gone and each time I felt sicker and sicker....it's that old self punishment I'm so damn good at....that well practiced craft I've been honing for years. Not being Catholic, I sure do seem to carry a lot of guilt.  The silver lining is that this horrible moment will always be in the back of my mind when asked to do a job that doesn't interest me and will help me to be honest upfront.  Spare us both potential anguish.  

I have this weird thing.  When I become overwhelmed I shut down and then nothing gets done.  I had other jobs to do ahead of this one but I couldn't do them because now I[ was blocked. 
This job followed me like a dark cloud and I dragged it home with me and allowed it to steal away my sleep.  It became all consuming and larger than me. I couldn't deal with disappointing her but was too mentally paralyzed to do it. Sounds crazy I know, but that's what happened.   


Life is too short to be weighed down with jobs that don’t inspire or interest me.  I'm like this in all aspects of my life, do the fun things first...eat the tasty things on the plate before the so so, and then dally and push the other stuff around with the fork. I'm an eat the cake first kind of gal.   I never learned the self discipline to work on jobs that don't interest me first and then do the fun stuff second. 

And besides, if a
pattern design doesn’t have mass appeal I don't have the luxury of hours or days to work on it.  I don't get paid for my time because when I design I just charge as if the pattern came off the rack, no extra fee for custom work.  I feel that if it gives me a new design for the rack, I don't charge extra.  And...I don’t do hen scratch when I design. I spend hours and hours perfecting my drawings.  It  can take days for very detailed designs.  Then there’s making the red dot and transferring it to the backing and then darkening it.  Every design I produce is a work of art, at least I like to think so. Drawing people’s babies, pets and houses take hours or days to create and I have no time to spare when they take time away from the stuff that benefits the shop.  


I just read an article about being “bendy” and it hit home.  Sometimes you can bend so far that you break and I think I snapped last week.   I accidentally sent an email to the client that was meant for a friend and in that email I voiced my frustration over this dog pattern that I didn’t want to do.  It hurt the client and I feel terrible, apologized profusely but the damage is done.  I've spent days beating myself up….. but, in the end, there always seems to be an important lesson learned.   I will never  place myself in a position where I feel pressure, or don't want to go to a job again.  As long as I can graze in the pasture and do as I please, I am a happy little lamb. When I take on jobs that don’t appeal to me, I lose that joy, I've even thought about closing my door when the pressure grows because running away is easier than facing the client.  I’m the kind of person who hates to disappoint, want people to like me but I owe it to the hair left on my head to stop the anxiety, learn to say no and feel okay with it. 

I have to start accepting that I am only one person and can’t do it all.  I have to start having realistic expectations instead of living in a creative bubble..  All things are not possible, at least not all at once and pretending that they are I will become useless to myself as well as everyone else.    I need to keep a balance in the shop.  Say no to the unrealistic.  Tackle one idea at a time and take it through to fruition.  Stop bouncing around and getting nothing finished.  Clean up all the backlogged jobs I've been meaning to do for the store. Get some of this weight off my shoulders.  I feel like  one of those 600 lb people on television, helpless and overwhelmed by the shear size of my ambition.  If I don’t slow down the need to do it all, there will be nothing left to spread around.  I need to put my enthusiasm on a diet.  Like calories, only ingest so many ideas per day. Work within my means, get things done and stop putting myself in a position of self loathing.   Be kind to me! 

So I’ve been busy cleaning up old projects at work. There's nothing clogging the drain right now so I am getting more things done in the past few days than I have for a long while.  Have almost completed to custom drawings, I've been sewing backings on pillows that have been hooked and laying around for years.  I'll tackle sewing the Christmas stockings next, I'm making a dent in the piles, making those new kits, and digging myself out of the rut I’ve been in.  Keeping that drain clear.  No more internalizing and shutting down because of an unwanted plug.   Since I did that bad thing I've been trying to turn it around into something positive.  I actually feel much better about myself and the shop.  It's unfortunate that someone had to be hurt because of how I am wired, but it's never too late to grow from mistakes. 

I need to stick to one project until it is finished.  If I don’t, delegate that job and be rid of it. If  there isn’t enough hours in the day, pick up where I leave off tomorrow until it is completed.  No more piles of wool all over my work desk, neglected through negative mental distractions.  If I’m going to succeed and continue to feel fulfilled by rug hooking, I can’t let myself get into these kinds of mental binds.  By the end of the week I want to see a few things scratched off the list. The other day a friend said that it is detrimental to keep lists in your head.  It creates stress.  Put them on paper, don't carry the weight of all those jobs around with you... taking them home, to bed and to work each morning.  It only serves to make you start the day behind the eight ball, even before you leave the doorstep.  Great advice!  Of course, Rome wasn't built in a day so there will be times when I falter, but I think I am on a better path, one with less obstructions to trip over. 

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Blogging

2/21/2014

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I've been sitting here in front of the computer for hours, working on a story that I can't seem to get right.  Something happened last week and quite frankly, it knocked me for a loop.  It's made me look long and hard at the way I do things and it's prompted some changes. 

I did something stupid and hurt someone by sending an email that I never meant them to see.  I'm not the kind of person who can hurt someone without being filled with remorse.  I'm trying to write about it but I don't know from one minute to the next if I should publish it, although I believe it might be cathartic.  

 
Next week, things should be better and I will continue to write Monday to Friday. Sorry to disappoint those of you who check in to read my posts! 
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We finally got to hook!  Thanks crazy winter for a short reprieve!

2/21/2014

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After several cancelations due to weather, we were finally able to hold a hook-in.  It wasn't a large group, but we were lively!  Maybe it was the delicious Zucchini Cake that Nancy made!  It disappeared faster than a rabbit down a hole and really it was sort of same thing....just the rabbit was the cake!  Recipe to follow.

Some of the diehards were out despite more bad weather on its way. We have a rule that if school is cancelled due to a storm, so is the hook-in.  We don't want our friends driving in risky conditions just to hook!  But once the morning was over, the sun was out, the streets were dry
  with above zero temperatures.  The nastiness waited until we were all home safe and warm and then it hit us again like we've been bad or something!  Enough already!

I like hearing the icy rain hit the windows and the moan of the howling wind.  As long as I'm tucked safely inside, I just like a backdrop of winter sounds.  Our house has been doing the shimmy shake lately with all these storms.  The other evening a gust blew our very large steel BBQ off the deck and landed on a granite rock wall.  Luckily no dents.  It lay there like a ship  blown aground on a reef. The thing is massively heavy and I struggled to make it upright.  Getting it on the deck is another story.  There has to be a man or two involved in that undertaking.  I risked a hernia just getting it up on its wheels!

So last evening we had some finished show and tell and some new beginnings.  First up we have Kilroy....I mean Sue Cunningham, who just finished hooking and whipping my new design "Just Laid".  Wowsa!  I absolutely love this!  My vision brought to fruition...we're a team she and I!  

Do you remember hearing the old joke...
Do you smoke after sex?" and the woman replies "I don't know, I've never looked!"  Well that's what inspired this piece with the play on words.  If the cigarette offends anyone, the design stands without it.  Imagine this beauty in your country kitchen! 
To view the pattern click the link: http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/new-designs.html
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Up next we have Pam Haughn, (left) with a rug she made for her son and Linda Ruth Beck, (right) with her scrap piece, made from all the leftovers of a larger version of this design.    
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Lorraine has designed another grand-baby rug.  For every grandchild she hooks a keepsake.  Some talk about being born with a silver spoon in the mouth, I think coming into this world to receive your very own rug, designed and lovingly hooked by Grammy is pretty darn special. 
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Beth Burgoyne, a newcomer to the group has finished her first project.  This is one of my designs called Bzzzzz...  It's been hooked with several colour palettes but I must say, this one is very fetching.  I love pink and she wanted it bright so it's pulling double duty in the wow department!  way to go!   Beth is sewing in cording and will whip it next. 
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Pam is starting her next project.  Brick work with floral offsets.  She took advantage of our plaid sale to get all of the brick colours.  It's be fun to watch the progression! 
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Someone made Pam a little felted Gnome.
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Linda Ruth with her finished pup.
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Auntie Audrey just returned from a cruise and visit to Florida. Back at hooking and Nova Scotia weather!  
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Nancy's, Tea Lime Zucchini Cake with Lime Glaze

2/20/2014

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Recipe shared by Nancy McCarthy - raved about at the hook-in!
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Tea Lime Zucchini Cake with Lime Glaze

2 CUPS GRATED PACKED ZUCCHINI
ZEST OF 1 LARGE LIME
1 ¾ CUPS ALL PURPOSE FLOUR
½ TSP SALT
½ TSP BAKING SODA
2 TSP BAKING POWDER
½ TSP NUTMEG
1 CUP SUGAR
1 EGG
½ CUP CANOLA OIL
½ CUP PLAIN OR VANILLA YOGURT

LIME GLAZE


½ CUP ICING SUGAR
1 TSP FRESHLY GRATED LIME ZEST
JUICE OF 1 LIME


PREHEAT OVEN TO 350*

COAT A LOAF PAN WITH NON STICK SPRAY PUT GRATED ZUCCHINI IN A CLEAN TEA TOWEL AND WRING TO REMOVE AS MUCH LIQUID AS POSSIBLE.   

IN A MEDIUM BOWL, STIR TOGETHER ALL DRY INGREDIENTS.

GRATE THE LIME PEEL AND ADD TO THE DRY INGREDIENTS.

BEAT TOGETHER EGG, OIL AND YOGURT.

SQUEEZE LIME AND ADD JUICE TO LIQUID. ADD ZUCCHINI TO DRY INGREDIENTS, STIR AND MAKE A WELL – ADD LIQUID INGREDIENTS.

STIR JUST TO COMBINE, POUR INTO LOAF PAN AND BAKE FOR 55 – 60 MINUTES. COOL 10 MINUTES

BEFORE TURNING OUT ONTO COOLING RACK, WHILE STILL WARM, POKE HOLES IN THE TOP WITH A TOOTHPICK OR SKEWER.  

COMBINE ALL INGREDIENT OF GLAZE, STIR AND MICROWAVE APPROX 40 SECOND UNTIL HOT.  STIR AGAIN AND POUR OVER CAKE AND SPREAD WITH  WITH GLAZING BRUSH.

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New at the shop!!!

2/19/2014

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Very distinctive, one of a kind boxes.  Unique, hand-painted, vintage, shabby chic, upcycled keepsake boxes.  Perfect for a collections of hooks, love letters or photos. 
Each box is lined with a coordinating wool. 
Made by Sue of "Perfectly Imperfect' 

Click the link for details. 
http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/extra.html
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Regional rugs of our beautiful area!

2/19/2014

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I post a lot of eye candy on Facebook and sometimes forget the audience is greater on here, so I'm doing a show and tell of some recent submission of our patterns hooked.
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Mahone Bay, hooked by Janet Delo, designed by Sue Cunningham.  Wow.  A place near and dear to my heart!  My shop is the farthest building on the left out in front!  Great job Janet! 

So I thought I should post a bit more of our regional designs and show off
Lunenburg Harbourside. 

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Lunenburg Harbourside, hooked by Sue Cunningham
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Lunenburg Harbourside, hooked by Lynn Boggs
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Lunenburg Harbourside hooked by Faye Canning
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Another new design.....Mahone Bay Oriental

2/18/2014

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I actually custom created this pattern for a client last year and then never got around to making a second copy. It got buried in my desk under a stack of unfinished projects and I hauled it out last night and whipped it up! Size: 35" x 48 1/2"   Mahone Bay Oriental

click the link to view new designhttp://www.encompassingdesigns.com/new-designs.html


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Some new designs at the shop...

2/17/2014

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We are very excited here! 
Three of January's, Pattern of the Month pictures, have already been sent in! 
The deadline is March 30 so there is still plenty of time to join our club and submit your entry for a chance to win a monthly draw of 3 Yards of Dorr Natural.  

Click this link to find out about our  Pattern of the Month Contest!!
http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/contests.html
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WOOL, WOOL, WOOL Give Away!!!

A new Design, "THE WOOLLY MAT-TERS"......how cute and whimsical is this one!!!  
Three woolly sheep hooking in the parlour. 

Click on this link to direct you to the New Designs Page for details
http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/new-designs.html
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THE WOOLLY MAT-TERS

Just in time for our Nova Scotia Guild Rug School coming in May.  William Morris will be taught by Doris Norman.   These two pillow sized adaptions of the larger Strawberry Thief pattern, is perfect for those who would like the William Morris experience without hooking one of the larger pieces.   Just one would be lovely, but the two on either sides of the sofa would be extraordinary! 
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Click to view all of our William Morris, and his wife, May Morris designs.
http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/william-morris.html
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Florida State Fair winner!!!!!

2/16/2014

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This rug won a first place ribbon at the Florida State Fair!  Hooked by Deborah Schrang! 
She says, "Thanks Sue Cunningham for such a great pattern!"

This fun design is called "
Beached".  Click the link below to see more of Sue's designs!
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http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/sue-cunningham.html  
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Shane making bling......

2/14/2014

2 Comments

 
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It would appears that Shane is a natural at making jewellery.  All I have to do is show him the basic technique and he is figuring out a way to do it easier and faster.  This is a pair of earrings he made for his girlfriend for Christmas.  She found a picture in a magazine and he loosely followed the design and came up with a similar concept with improvements. 

He used freshwater pearls and sterling silver.  He bent metal to make that the backbone and then added the pearls along the out edge by stringing wire through each pearl and then wrapping it around and around to secure.  The findings he used to make the dangling pearls on the bottom have a fancy ball tip, not open loops as the original had.  This way is more classy.  His creation is more polished, more what an artisan would create.   Ashley has a beautiful long neck and prefers longer  earrings and I can’t wait to see how lovely these will look on her.  What could be better than a boyfriend who makes jewellery?

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Below is some of momma's bling......pieces that are packed away for another time, another place.  I had a lot of fun playing with beads but couldn't serve two masters and be efficient at both.  Someday, I bring them all back out to play...maybe the next time Joan comes to visit!


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2 Comments

Pound Cake Recipe

2/13/2014

3 Comments

 
Moms Pound Cake Recipe

1 Cup Butter

2 Cups Sugar

1/4 Cup Boiling Water

3 Unbeaten Eggs

3 Cups Flour

2 Tsp Baking Powder

1/2 Cup Milk (approx.)

1/2 Tsp Almond Extract

1/2 Tsp Lemon Extract

1/2 Tsp Vanilla


Cream together butter and sugar.  Add boiling water and beat well. 

Add 1st cup of the flour and 1 egg, beat well.

Add 2nd cup of the flour and 1 egg, beat well.

Add 3rd cup of flour with Baking Powder and last egg and beat well. 

Add milk and flavourings last. 



Bake 325* oven for 1 1/2 hour




Old Fashioned Frosting

Icing Sugar

1 TBSP vegetable shortening

1 TBSP butter softened

1 Tsp Almond Extract

Milk, add in increments until the you find the right consistency

Mix well until creamy smooth

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3 Comments

Pound Cake....pounding away at my psyche....

2/12/2014

3 Comments

 
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JAN....I'M READY FOR YOU.....I'LL POUR!
Awwww…the smell of pound cake baking in the oven!  It transports me back to my mother’s kitchen.  Fabulous things came out that room.  She had the knack of making everything taste better.  I dug out her pound cake recipe, so happy that I have it;  I should make multiple copies, maybe put one in the safety deposit box to ensure I never lose it.   I don’t know if this recipe is special or if my mother made it that way, but it’s the best pound cake I've ever tasted.  Really, one hundred women could have baked this same cake and my mother’s would have stood above the rest. I tell no lie!  Knowing this, I worry I won’t do it justice myself.  I haven’t baked this recipe for so long I’m not sure how it will turn out. 

I’ve been around, sampled lots of baked goods, but nothing ever compares to the signature goods that my mom made into lasting memories.  Case and point, her apple crisp.  I was about twelve, and a server at one of the United Church fund raiser dinners.  Maybe because I was a skinny rake, someone had foolishly mistaken me for a person who could do the job without sneaking the wares, so I was in charge of portioning out the homemade apple crisps on dessert plates.  Why they asked me I’ll never know, I knew as soon as they gave me the job I wouldn't be able to resist the temptation, I’d be like a kid in a candy store with unlimited spending!  

I sampled a spoonful from every pan but not one of them tempted seconds.  I was spoiled by my mother’s crisp, with the best apple taste and crumble in the county, possibly even the world!   I was amazed at this revelation and proud of her. Out of 25 or so pans of crisp, some were soggy, some bland, some with nutmeg, others with cinnamon (my preference), some were under cooked and tough, some overcooked and mushy, some had rolled oats, and others had raisins.  Mother’s apples were done to perfection, slices were soft but still whole and the crumble on top was still crunchy with the perfect sweetness.   If there was a ribbon to be had I would have pinned it on her! 


My mother’s pie pastry always looked picture perfect as if prepared for a magazine. She could have given Martha a lesson or two on rolling out pastry and dimpling the edges.  She used her fingers to pinch every inch or so and then pressed a fork in between them.  I looked on the internet for a picture of what her pies looked like and not one photo showed this technique for the crust. She never over pulled the pasty so the shrinkage was at a minimum so the crust kept its round shape.  The taste was phenomenal too..…fluffy, flaky and crunchy.  I always ate the crust first and filling second, not able to hold myself back to eat it as a unit.  So many times over the years I see crusts left on the plates at restaurants and diner parties, and rightly so, they were either too tough or soggy.   I mentioned the other day about the “Quickies” we used to eat.  Well the word was Quiche, and her combo of crust and filling put it over the top on the ymmm scale!  Apparently, the secret to keeping the bottom pastry crunchy is to line the crust with shredded cheese before pouring on the egg mixture.  Yes, my mom had culinary skills, which I luckily inherited.  It wasn’t from studying the master, because I was too busy being a kid to notice much, somehow I lucked out through genes. 

So back to the cake.  Ask anyone close to me, I’m been itching of late for my mother’s pound cake and old fashioned icing.  I’ve been lamenting about it and fighting the urge to throw one together.   I have blood sugar issues, this kind of treat isn’t conducive to my diet.  But damn, all of my senses are inflamed with its memory.  I can visualize it; smell it; and my mouth waters as I remember the dense, lemon and almond flavoured cake. 

I’m not a fondant follower.  I prefer the old fashioned icing, the outer bit dries to a crunch while the underside remains tender and smooth. I remember watching my mother's spatula gliding back and forth, smoothing out the surface as she covered the cake.  She had a rubber device that slid down over a regular table knife tip to make up the handle. My eyes followed its every movement hoping that she would let me lick it clean when finished.  She was always concerned about too much sweet and she was right, but a tummy ache was always worth it.  Now all I want is a small wedge, a wedding size sliver to rekindle memories and satisfy this craving.  I want to be that child in my mother's kitchen licking the beaters or the spatula and then delivering that slice of heaven to my mouth. 

Another fun memory.....I used a toothpick to test the cake center, remembering that mom used to pull a piece of straw out of the whisk broom, clean it off and use that as a tester for doneness. 

Monday (Feb 10th) was my father’s birthday and Saturday (Feb 8th) was my mother’s. They were born the same year with my mother ahead by one full day and I remember the teasing about her dating a younger man.  Maybe this time of year is causing the melancholy need for a connection with the past.   This cake will jettison me back to memories of many happy desserts and various birthday cakes.  Mother would decorate each cake with a theme or coloured roses and leaves, place candles in little holders and wrap coins, nickels, dimes and quarters in waxed paper and push them in various places around the edge.  Scoring money in a wedge was an extra perk, that would be traded in for a bag of penny candy.  Those days were simpler times when a few coins could bring heady elation.    

I'm not good with temptation in my line of sight.   I made two smaller cakes and will have to ice them and share with others to spare me from going on a binge and eating them in one sitting.  Like potato chips, one slice will be too many and a thousand not enough.  I'll cut a few pieces,  wrap and freeze them for when I need a bridge to my past, to memories of my dear mom, to get in touch with the child within and savour the best homemade cake ever baked.  Or more realistically just pig out for the sake of pigging out!     

I’ll frost the cakes with mom's old fashioned recipe. I’ll ice them tomorrow evening, nothing fancy, just slap a coat on and then feast!  The cakes are now on a cooling rack.  I don’t know if I’ll be able to sleep as the smell has wafted throughout the house.  My senses are almost tingling with anticipation, my belly is growling.   I must resist temptation until the cakes are decorated tomorrow evening.  I want the full experience, the frosting and the cake combined, that sweet almond flavoured icing and the lemony cake.  Be still my heart…tomorrow is going to be a very, very long day! 

(Excuse the sloppy frosting job.  It was done quick and dirty.... I wasn't going for the gold, just a taste!)


P.S.


I was lying in bed last night thinking about my mom and a veil lifted. Something entered my head that never occurred to me.  I think maybe, possibly....I got my artistic talents from my mother!  It was always thought that they streamed down from my father's side, but now thinking back, considering all the times my mother took up various crafts like knitting, sewing, Liquid Embroidery, Embroidery, cake decorating etc, and the pride she took in it all, I mirror her more.   I think because I was left handed, same as my father, and had his sense of humour I was considered a little mini me of his, but now I'm not so sure.  This is a total 180 revelation!  No one ever gave my mom credit for, or acknowledged her many talents!  So sad!  I now feel an even bigger sense of pride and closeness to my mother;  we were obviously cut from the same cloth!  If only she could have lived longer she would have been hrilled to discover rug hooking and most assuredly would hang with me in the shop, sharing the passion....... 




3 Comments

Valentine's Day Special

2/11/2014

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Valentine's Day Special!

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Any item in the shop that is pink or red or has those colours in it is

20% off! 

That includes hooks, wool, sari silk, felted items, yarn, book bling,
frame covers, coloured burlap or linen!


Sale will end February 14th, 5:00 pm 
0 Comments

Della Ackles show and tell....

2/10/2014

4 Comments

 
By Guest Blogger Della Ackles
PictureGINGERBREAD MAN STOCKING
Denver’s Ginger Bread Man

When I first saw this pattern by Christine Little, I knew my grandson Denver would LOVE IT!  I got to work on this stocking for him in January 2014 and finished it the same month.  It is mostly #4 and #5 cut 100% Dorr wool hand dyed by me.

Denver spends a lot of time with Grammy and Grampy so he sees Grammy working on rugs all the time. Denver had been asking me to make him a Christmas stocking ever since he saw the Christmas stocking I made last year for myself which was also a Christine Little pattern.

Denver’s favourite colours are pink and purple so I knew those colours would need to be incorporated into his stocking.  Denver is usually with us each weekend and he saw the progress I was making and loved it.  I was struggling with the trees and how I was going to do them so I got out a bunch of green wool and had Denver help me pick out colours.  He says to me ‘Grammy, I think the trees need to be purple!’  "You know" I said "Denver, you are right" the trees will look fabulous purple.  The back of the stocking I used a big piece of recycled purple, 100% wool I had laying around and I lined his stocking.  Denver loves it and it was so much fun to do.  I love Christine’s patterns and wish I could hook on them every day. 

To view other Christmas Stocking Patterns click the link: http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/seasonal-designs.html

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WILLIAM MORRIS STRAWBERRY THIEF
What can I say; I’ve wanted to do a William Morris for some time now.  Several ladies in our hooking group have done William Morris patterns and I’ve always admired them.  I’ve been learning to hand dye wool and last Christmas I decided to gift to myself a couple of Christine’s patterns; one was the William Morris, Strawberry Thief.  I began this rug May of 2013.  I wanted to dye all of my own wool for this project as I’ve been slowly learning how to dye wool using Lucy Richard’s, Wooly Mason Jar Method of dyeing.  I had a plan now I needed to execute.  I had borrowed some William Morris books from a few of the ladies from rug hooking.  I had a few versions of the Strawberry Thief that other ladies had hooked to give me inspiration and to figure out how I wanted mine to look.  I researched online and felt I was ready!  Figuring out the colours I wanted to do was the hardest for me, decisions decisions.

The birds were the most challenging for me, as I didn’t want them to ‘pop out’ at the viewer.  I wanted the birds to blend in and be a pleasant surprise to see.  I tried many different colours and mediums and decided to go with some silk type of fabric very stringy and was silver/grey in colour, a light and a darker shade of each.  I thought this would simulate feathers nicely.  The silky type of fabric was about 1” in width if I were to ‘uncurl’ it and very difficult to work with but once I had some hooked, I knew right away, it wasn’t right.  I was very disappointed as I was so sure that would make the wings look  lovely.  I tried some various other colours and mediums and nothing looked right so back to my silky fabric I went and got the bright idea, ‘what if’ I were cut the fabric in half?  I ended up cutting the fabric into fourths by hand, ask me how much of a pain that was! Lol

I used recycled black for the background and the border I tried various methods for that as well before settling on the light/dark green in the center and black on the outer edge.  It is funny how we know what looks right and what does not.  I always say ‘if it talks to me’ I’m good  to go. Always trust your gut, it knows!

I mainly used #4 cut in the rug and #5 for the background.  I enjoyed this rug and I am very proud of how it turned out and can’t believe I DID THAT!  Might be once in a life time kind of thing as it was a lot of work and I finished the rug January 2014.  Hope you all enjoy!


To view other William Morris designs click the link: http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/william-morris.html
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LOTUS
This is Della's current project....one of my designs called "Lotus".  All I can say is that Della can hook my designs any time!   I love this piece and her colours are fabulous!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
4 Comments

Instead of snow and yell, it's another day of Show & Tell!

2/7/2014

1 Comment

 
Hello to my FAVORITE Blog! My sweetheart of 35 years and I are finishing our week off  in Costa Rica and we have found these folks to be almost as nice as our friends at Encompassing Designs in Mahone Bay, NS, Canada who we met this Summer.

Each year we bring a project and scrap wool strips for "poolside" and it begins as a blank slate piece of linen. As we ready ourselves for the trip back to New Hampshire … another finished mat travels with us!
Best regards, Dick Barr

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 WISH UPON A STAR has gotten me through this winter with a smile. It turned out just as I had imagined. I love the perspective. The shooting star and your dyed spot Razzle Dazzle swirls in the night sky are my favs. Hooking the toques was almost as fun as knitting them might have been.   This rug makes me smile!
Thanks Patricia Truesdale
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Hi Christine ,
I think the colours worked out beautifully. They are all yours: Hair: Dijon & marigold, Skin: #'s 1,3,5 of your six value skin tone, Tail: moon mist, Bikini top: aquamarine, Background: abrashed aquamarine,  Purple row in Border: Lupin.  Thanks for all your help. Now beginning the other mermaid for Naomi as this one is for Julia.   Jennie Ferguson

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A rug hooker friend told me you like to see picture of your designs finished. I just hooked SEE TURTLES TANGO,  a Susan Leslie design.  The Turtles were so fun to do, its a happy rug! I hooked it with #6 and #4  cuts.  Vivily Powers dyed the back ground wool special for this rug, and one of the Greens is a new color she made special for me, Galapagos Green, since I had just come back from those islands, and wanted to honor that trip with this happy rug!

I wanted to share with you that I was awarded at second place at the Florida State Fair for my for "See Turtles Tango"....such a wonderful design!  Susan Leslie lives on thru her designs!
Regards,  Betsy Boltik

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Shelley Wither's dog pillow.  We've watched her hook and complete this one during our Wednesday evening hook-ins.  Fun subject and original idea but that's Shelley, creative to the bone!  
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"A rug called "Ruth" or "Insanity", take your pick", says Janet.  She took a course with Ruth Downing and was told she had to do this in a fine cut which wasn't her initial plan.  If she'd known, she would have chosen a smaller project!  Not much left to do but what is done is fabulous!  Can't wait to see the finished picture, after all the Town of Mahone Bay is near and dear to my heart!  I told her that she had to hook my building red, blue and gold and she did, but it's rolled on the bottom at the moment.   Hooked by Janet Delo, design by Sue Cunningham,  called Mahone Bay.
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1 Comment

Mary Schlech show and tell.....

2/6/2014

1 Comment

 
A treat by Guest Blogger Mary Schlech
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Mary said it was fun raiding my shop of wool during our special on plaids! 
I think the smile says it all! 

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Remember this?  You helped me try and figure out how to make the feet look dusty.  This was from a photo taken in Uganda and I gave it to a friend who had joined with us to reach out to people in this tiny rural community. Webale nnyo nnyo means thank you very much in Lungandan.  The website for what we are doing there is www.ugandaventure.com

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Hi Christine, I promised you pictures, sorry it’s taken me so long! This was the first one I did for our cottage. I wanted to do some of the birds we see regularly pass by. I liked the image of flying Canada geese and thought a square geometric background would be a nice contrast and fun to hook, using up extra blue wool. I find by Googling my subject and then checking out the images I find plenty of subjects to choose and draw.

Next I drew a blue heron. I wanted the background to be colourful because the heron is such a tall goofy grey bird! I added the frame with the fish to draw the colours out and maybe because I was feeling silly.
The cormorant was another goofy black bird that needed some back up! I ran out of the background wool so decided to add colourful balloons. This is my favourite rug of all. I feel like it says “welcome to the party!”.

Thanks for all the help and advice you’ve given me over the years. Your store is always a treat to visit… so many beautiful rugs and supplies. Hope to see you soon, Mary

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Here is my first original design.  You helped me with the colours showing me how to get the stained glass effect with light to dark dyed wool and told me to make it big enough to have plenty of colour between black outlines . It was so much fun I gave it to a dear friend. 

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This is the first piece I've hung on a wall. I wanted to represent the sound of a loon at night, haunting and beautiful. I used, along with wool, sari silk, yarn, and even a silver sweatshirt string discarded as being tacky by my son. I bound the edges with a strip of sari material. It was fun to hook.
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My son married a beautiful girl form Dublin.   When we went to the wedding we visited Trinity College where the Book of Kells was on display, the ancient biblical manuscript with fantastic, colourful images drawn and painted around the year 800.  So for Christmas I made this rug, using some of the images from the book.  It was challenging! Celtic designs are crazy!  I had to colour the design at first to make sense of it.  Again thanks so much for your help with colour choices and design thoughts.  I Think the newly weds liked their rug. 
1 Comment

Hue and saturation

2/5/2014

1 Comment

 
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Unless you've read previous blogs you probably wouldn't be able to guess which stocking is the original among the altered copies.  Undeniably, each colour palette is a reasonable choice for the design and depending on personal taste, anyone of these could be a precious heirloom.  I've altered the original colours in Photoshop, but I believe any picture printing software comes with this function called Hue & Saturation.  At times I like to play lay around a bit because it's nice to offer an alternate colour scheme without doing the actual hooking.  Different versions help to provide a visual of what the finished piece can be. 

Beauty and colour is in the eye of the beholder" is not just a cliche, and there could never be enough samples to satisfy the masses, but even these few suggestions showcase  how beautiful different palettes can be for this particular design. It's fun to play with the varying colours and intensity, finding pleasing combinations without getting out the box of crayons or markers. Unfortunately all the colours are altered together with this program, changing them individually takes a higher degree of skill that I don't have, but I hope to take a few classes for the basics in Photoshop in the future.  I would like to be able to hook a pattern using the computer by cutting and pasting existing parts of hooked rugs and forming them into the shape needed on the pattern.  It would be nice to have a coloured picture on all the new designs or patterns not hooked without having to do the work. 
Whenever possible we attach a colour photo of the finished rug, although most rug hookers don't follow the originals picture.  They like to use it as a guide, substitute the colours they don't like for those they do. It just makes the process easier. 


So most will know that the  one on the top left with the lime, royal blue and turquoise is my original but I must say the red one is rather fetching.....so much so I might have used these colours to hook the original if I'd thought of it.     I very much like the gold one below as well.   Variety being the spice of life,  maybe I'll print off some of these pictures to attach to the patterns to offer alternate colours choices. 
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We have a Glitz for Ditz winner! 

Although I chuckled at all of the submissions and felt your pain and humiliation, I have to say that almost sitting on a strangers lap in the dark, with pants down and nightie pulled up, led the pack. Every time I thought of you I smiled.  So Judy Grieve, you are our winner of a pair of earrings and 1/4 yard of Steel Blue Sky!  Hurray!  
Email me your snail mail address and I'll put your goodies in the mail!  

1 Comment

Trading Glitz for Ditz!

2/4/2014

15 Comments

 
PictureSEE, I'M NOT THE ONLY ONE CONFUSED!
I’d like to think I’m reasonably intelligent, although at times it’s questionable.  I’m not exempt from ditzy moments, although as I age they happen less.  But when it does occur, I don’t mind having a laugh my own expense, after all I am human and not afraid to admit it. 

For those of you south of our border, KY probably has a clear meaning.  And considering I send a lot of parcels that way, it should be for me as well. Maybe it’s because last week was tainted by a rather annoying stint of insomnia that haunted  every night. Actually, that's a plausible scapegoat…….yah, that's it!  Sleep deprivation made me do it!   

A customer emailed to say that she would like a pillow designed, and a kit made to say “I Love KY”.   Well, my brain must have been in the middle of an outer body experience because it was obviously MIA.   In disbelief, I read the email the second time and still a dense fog messed with the words.   I read it a third time and then figured it was a joke. I get spam all the time, solicitations and comments, so I chalked it up to just another bit of junk mail.  Really…..why would anyone in their right mind want a pillow that bragged they love KY jelly, a sexual lubricant?  

So before I could talk myself out of it, I forwarded the email to my friend with my comment about jelly and the absurdity of it all.  I'd been asked to draw some pretty weird things in the past, like design a pattern with a bouquet of penises, which of course I refused to do, so this request wasn't totally out of the left field.  But...and there's always that but...maybe if I'd read the email just one more time or let it go until the following day, perhaps I’d have found the clarity to prevent hitting SEND. 

Apparently my friend cracked up and then showed her hubby and he followed suit.  An email queried back, "What the hell was wrong with me?"  "KY is for Kentucky you twit!"  The egg on my face needed a spatula to remove but after the shock of my stupidity passed, I had to laugh....almost peed myself actually.  The email was from a woman who loves her State of Kentucky!....not someone sexually charged that's having a love affair with a lubricant.   I blame the ads on TV for planting the sound of those two  consonants together….K…Y… for steering my foggy brain off the road and into the gutter.    Sigh……double sigh..….triple sigh……I’ll bet Freud would have something interesting to say about this!?  

So how about making me feel better by sharing some of your ditz moments with me?   The one that elicits the biggest chuckle will receive a prezzie.  It doesn’t have to be your own zinger, maybe a family member or friend did something that made you roll on the floor laughing.  I’m offering Glitz for Ditz….a pair of handmade freshwater pearl earrings, made by yours truly, and because of your head in the cloud moment, I’ll also send you ¼ yard of our newest, hot off the stove, dyed sky.  A scrumptious wool with grey/blue highlights, first abrashed to perfection and then over dyed for colour continuity.    I’m sure this wool will become a top seller, not just for sky but backgrounds, water and so much more!  Be the very first to hook with this gorgeous wool!  Send me a short quip by clicking the comment button at the top or bottom of this blog page, (not on Facebook).  Here is a small example from my own archive of embarrassing moments. 

Many years ago I worked with a guy in the accounting department and we often went downtown for lunch together.   He’d purchased a pair of slacks the day before; his wife didn’t like them so he planned to return them to the store.  Wanting to go out to eat, I hollered from my desk to his office, “Steve, are you taking your pants down over lunch?” 

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STEEL BLUE SKY
15 Comments

February Pattern of the month is now available!

2/3/2014

0 Comments

 
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February's pattern is now available for the Pattern of the Month Club & Contest.  Of course you can still purchase January's design anytime if you decide to join later!   February's design is a mixture of symbols. 

February is Black History Month, a must mention, so the linking arms form from the top of a heart and end with the clasping of hands.

The hands can also represent Friendship is celebrated within
the month as well.

Of course most of us think of February as the month of love, Valentine's Day.  The heart comes complete with a keyhole to be unlocked to welcome love in.  Thence the key.
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If you are just tuning in and would like to know about our contest, click this link for all the information and prizes!
http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/contests.html
Also!
Only two days left for our Plaid & Texture Sale! 
To read click the link! 

http://www.encompassingdesigns.com/1/post/2014/01/plaids-and-textures-sale.html
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    Christine Little has been ranked #5​ out of the 60 top rug hooking bloggers by Rug Hooking Magazine!

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    Max Anderson, Australia, recipient of my Nova Scotia Treasures rug.  An award of excellence for promoting Canada through his writing.  
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