One Definition of Success

“To live well, to laugh often, to love much, to gain the respect of intelligent people, to win the love of little children. To fill one’s niche and accomplish one’s task, to leave the world better than one finds it whether by an improved flower, a perfect poem or another life ennobled. to never lack appreciation of earth’s beauty or fail to express it, to always look for the best in others, to give the best one has. To make one’s life an inspiration and one’s memory a benediction. This is success.” 
(variation of the original)




"A door opens in the center of our being and we seem to fall through it into the immense depths which, although they are infinite, are all accessible to us; all eternity seems to have become ours in this one placid and breathless contact. Where already, supernatural instinct teaches us that the function of this abyss of freedom, which has been open within our midsts, is to draw us utterly out of our own selfhood and into its own immensity of liberation." ~Thomas Merton

facebook wisdom

‎"At some point you will realize that you have done too much for someone, that the only next possible step to do is to stop. Leave them alone. Walk away. It’s not like you’re giving up, and it’s not like you shouldn’t try. It’s just that you have to draw the line of determination from desperation. What's truly yours will eventually be yours, and what's not, no matter how hard you try, will never be." ~ L. D. D.

via: Kitty Ackerman Armstrong on facebook

Christmas in July Sale

CIJ10 is the "Christmas in July" Discount Code for the month of July. Enter it upon checkout for a 10% discount on your selections! For more see my etsy store: Christmas in July Sale .

Sweet Geranium Cathedral Windows Wallhanging

Cathedral Windows

Sweet Geranium by Free Spirit

Finished today! This is the first black background I've tried with the Cathedral Windows.  For more than 10 years I refrained from using black because I thought it would be too fatiguing for my eyes, and discovered much to my surprise, that it actually was not!

I Have a Heart Shelf!

A Goodwill  Shelf

Today Fred installed the wall shelf. It was a Goodwill find that fits my needs perfectly. My needs being that of having something attractive to hang my tote bags onto for photo ops. Little things like this actually make me feel quite happy!

Floating Petals and Reclaimed Linen....

My latest....

For all the little details click....this link!

Fiber of America Etsy Treasury

One of sixteen photos in a treasury collection featuring fiber art and craft handmade in the U.S.of America.

http://www.etsy.com/people/hatchettdesigns

For the rest of the treasury click ... Fiber of America Etsy Treasury

Rocky Mountain size Floral Pancakes

Yesterday I finally cut the floral piece of fabric I've been mooning over for months - thought I had enough to make 4 zippered zafu covers. Not so fast! Turns out there was enough for the eight circles, but not enough for the sides, which incidentally I did not notice till this morning. (continued at bottom)

Pair of Round  Floral  Pillows

Another View

OK...now there will be two zafu covers, and these two (Rocky Mountain size) floral pancakes.

The "Rocky Mountain size" thing...I thought you'd wonder. Years ago my parents went on a cross country trip to Colorado with my Mom's sister and her husband. One thing I remember they said was that the further west they travelled the larger the breakfast pancakes were.

Gingko Cathedral Windows Quilted Wall Art Raffle

"Gingko Fantasy"

Gingko Cathedral Windows Wall Art

Mostly handstitched and handmade by me in 2005, this quilt is being donated & raffled off this year to benefit the Old Miakka Schoolhouse's ongoing Restoration Fund. The Old Miakka Schoolhouse is the only original one-room schoolhouse left in Sarasota County. The Community Club members are once again hosting the Hootenanny, their one annual fundraiser, this fall on October 2nd.  For last year's blog post about the schoolhouse see: http://earthnsky8d.blogspot.com/2010/02/old-miakka-schoolhouse.html

Same Quilt - Another View




Raffle tickets are available for $1.00 each. If you are interested in purchasing one or more please ask for my mailing address in a comment. You will need to send a self-addressed stamped envelope with your postal money order, or if you want to pay in postage stamps the club is always needing postage stamps too. Or, we can use Paypal to receive payment, too, with a small fee added to cover Paypal's commission & postage for the tickets. No need to be present to win.  

Hirsute Spider

Hirsute Spider

Not liking it...he's in my bathroom ......it's gotta be a "he" with those hairy legs, right? I want someone to remove him to the exterior of the house unharmed. That would only solve the problem for a while because there are more in the house. OK, Fred has responded to my request for removal. He says its just a little one. That must be the boy in the man speaking....

Buddha Nature - 喜多郎 Kitaro

Shabby Chic Earring Holder

From this....

and this...

To this!

I am going to reupholster the chair as soon as I know which fabric to use. And I do have another green picture frame to use for more of my earrings.

It All Began with Linen Table Napkins

 The walnut brown frames fabric was a set of (real) linen table napkins from Goodwill or a thrift store. (It's been awhile since acquiring them) The fabric insets on the front are cut from the same fabric as the backing fabric.

While these photos leave something to be desired it the way of clarity etc., I believe you can get an idea of the possibilities for using fabrics like these to get different effects on Cathedral Windows quilts.

Cinnamon & Hearts

Rather than swatting at wasps and destroying spider webs and spiders I much prefer to sew.

Womens' Clutch

 I do so adore the cinnamon color!

Another Version

And the hearts aren't too shabby either! Well, one is a bit...shabby chic, I guess.

NOTE: the heart graphic came from the etsy store of graphique.

When Sloppy Housekeeping Turns Deadly! Yikes!

I have been looking at this spider web daily. In fact, every time I do anything at the kitchen sink I see this web! And, every day I notice that I have been looking at this web. I have seen how one part of me thinks this is very sloppy housekeeping. And, another part of me thinks this is a part of the bigger picture of life. How balance happens as things keep each other in check.

Spider Engages Wasp

Personally, I don't like wasps. I was afraid of them when I was very young. It always seemed to me that they were strategizing on how they could sting me. Or, maybe just keep me in suspense that they would. I could see it in the way their eyes followed my every move, and the way they bombed me without any warning. I don't care for spiders much either. But today, as I see how this spider is slowly but surely wrangling this wasp to its death, I feel vindicated. Well, sortof...I mean, for all the times I've been stung by wasps. And maybe I can sortof justify my lack of housekeeping, because we don't like the wasps flying around in the house. Ya' think?

What's a RehabiTote, Anyway?

Rehabilitated Tote Bag

Too bad I didn't take a "before" photo...this was a rummage sale find that I picked up for pennies. It had navy webbing handles, and the name of a business screenprinted across it.  I washed it, cut it apart, and reconstructed it using a black and white trim to hide the name and then used the rest of the piece of trim for handles. A little part of the name still appears along the bottom of the trim. All in all, I feel pretty good about the interesting turnout of this particular tote bag!

Upcycled Shoebox Bookmarks, etc.

Still very pretty even though it has a little hole in the upper left corner....especially with the new iron-on bird nest transfer! I do want someone to tell me exactly what this was used for...a hand towel?

Vintage Linen with Bird Nest Iron-On Transfer

 Anyway, this is going to be listed on my Listia very soon....to hopefully find a good home with a lover of all things vintage.  Ditto for the bookmarks. I mean, they're going to be offered on Listia.

Upcycled Shoebox Bookmarks

                          Payless shoe boxes...you just cannot not do something with them!

I Think I Like This!

My First Framed Cathedral Windows Wall Hanging

This  rustic wood frame with little hearts in each corner had  needlework in it when I bought it at Goodwill. I plan to auction the needlework on Listia, soon. I think this frame and Cathedral Windows were made for each other, albeit they came together by some circuitous route!

New listings in my Listia account - May 3,2011

Cathedral Windows Pillow Top - Used



Lot of 22 Vintage Yo Yo's



Leather Thimble - New in Package



"Community" Silver Spoons - Vintage



Two New Wooden Buttons

My Listia

May 1st, 2011 And the Winner of the Cathedral Windows Pillow is....

Teal Cathedral Windows Pillow

Thank you to all the entrants of this Mother's Day Giveaway of a Teal Cathedral Windows Pillow, complete with a feather insert and postage paid shipping. Now to announce the winner! Drum roll!!! And the winner is Deci of http://flowertrek.blogspot.com/