Cardinal Cross Stitch

Beginning a new project is always fun. I've had this little kit around for a couple of years and decided this is the time to get it done.  I love cross stitch but I do have a little issue with it.  I have to watch out for eyestrain with all the counting of those tiny holes.  It is also easy to make a mistake; I finally wised up and learned to mark off a grid by drawing a coloured thread through the quandrants on my fabric. This has helped to keep the stitches in their proper place without all the recounting.

This is called the Hope Ornament by Dimensions.  Of course, you know with my admiration of cardinals why this would have caught my eye.

And here it is in my hoop. It is being worked on 14 count Aida and I like how the cardinal has turned out. The reds are pretty and the overall look is certainly one of Christmas.

My Cut and Come Again Cake

This cake is very popular at home.  It is a variation of the famous war cake, a time of rationing when the kitchen larder would have been kind of skimpy.  In Newfoundland this cake is often called Boiled Raisin Cake and used to be a staple kept on hand in case company dropped in, the way people did back in the day.  It would be served sometimes with a little butter spread over a piece and always with a cup of tea.  Raisins were very common and relied upon during those times when dried or candied fruit was expensive and scarce.  They are good for you and I love the local way of calling this cake a "Come and Cut Again" or "Cut and Come Again" cake depending on where you lived. A cake meant to be shared...

Cut and Come Again Cake

Boil the following ingredients together for about 20 minutes (many recipes say 10 but I like more time boiling)

1 cup sugar
2 cups raisins
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. cloves
1 tsp. allspice
3/4 cup butter
1 cup water

Cool and add the following

2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt

Mix and pour into prepared pan.  Bake approx. 1 hour in a 350 degree oven. (Try not to overbake.)
I decided to give mine a thin icing sugar glaze to dress it up a bit.

This is very easy as cakes go; for one thing no beating eggs so you don't have to get a mixer out.  You can also dress it up with more fruit...adding candied cherries, for instance, or icing the top. In fact with just a few nuts and more fruit this could pass for a small Christmas cake.
And an added bonus...the boiling and baking of this cake definitely lent a Christmasy smell to the house. 

So Many Orphans- I'm Talking About Blogs

I just celebrated a year of blogging.
 This was not a venture I entered into lightly. Though I write a little every day, a blog was something I had not thought of at all.  It was a friend who mentioned I should give it a try that got me started.
 First I did research.  I read a lot of blogs before deciding how and what I would be able to focus on for my own.  I like the idea of writing daily as part of a warm up so I knew right away that I would attempt to do that. I had to have a blog where I could write about different things to be able to accomplish a day by day entry.  I knew I didn't know enough about say birds, or dogs, or cross stitch, or quilting to make just one of those my daily blog focus
 Coming up with a name for my blog was surprisingly difficult; in fact perhaps the hardest part of the whole process.  I thought of lots of cute ones but they were all taken.  Likewise play on words types or bits of sayings.  It turns out lots of people a lot more creative than me had beaten me to the punch. 
  I recently decided to do a little blog review again as a way of checking out how it is going in the blogspot world.  I mostly looked at blogs related to my interests- needlearts, sewing, cooking, etc. Many, many of these writers began their blog with the news that they hadn't blogged in awhile and in fact, checking the dates for some it was months and for others years between posts.  They usually included an apology with sometimes a reason why they were 'away'; I was surprised by how many had been involved in illness, either themselves or a family member.  Understandable absence for sure.  This was followed by a promise to do better and publish more often.  Checking these dates and more often than not, they hadn't been able to keep that promise which made me wonder how they were doing.
Also surprising  is how scanty some of the posts were; after many months away I would have thought more would have been happening craftwise or life-wise that would be worthy of writing about. I was dismayed by how many people pad their blog with the same photo repeated several times in one post. 
I was surprised too by how many blogs have now become 'commercialized'.  So many peppered with ads and pop-ups.  It seems a lot of crafters have opened Etsy accounts and are now selling their wares and offer links on their blogs to other crafters on Etsy.  Many are touting a certain fabric, a tool, yarn or the like with links to how to purchase these items.
 Not that there is anything wrong with that; in fact collecting buyers through blog readers is probably a clear way to get and keep the creative juices flowing.  And I myself love Etsy and enjoy checking out the hand made items.
I've read a whopping 95% of blogs become orphans. Maybe introducing the commercial element ensures longevity because it seems the successful blogs are doing just that.
 But I wish and hope it doesn't always have to be that way.
 

Ending Felt Ornaments and Starting Cross Stitched Ones

More of my embroidered trees.... They represent the end of this project.  It has kept my fingers busy since the middle of September and were a real pleasure to work on...drawing a pattern, cutting the felt and then sewing them together with whatever stitch struck my fancy.  It was sewing heaven.
 I love working on Christmas pieces during the time leading up to the big day.  And there are just so many wonderful and varied projects to choose from.
Honestly my fingers have been itching to get back into yarn again.  Winter and wool naturally go together. If you check my past posts, you'll see that I completed three afghans last winter...knitted ones for Hubby and myself, and a crocheted one using granny squares with a circle in the center that's sitting in my closet...haven't decided what to do with it yet.
As you can tell, I love birds and when I saw this poster I couldn't resist sharing it with you.  Corny I know, but what a great sentiment and adorable picture. 

Playing with John Lennons' Words  :)

I've started my next project and I'll show it to you soon.

Carol Shields: Still Read and Still Missed

Every time I'm in the library, I take a moment to run my hand along Carol Shields' books.  It is my little tribute to her memory and the loss I feel; how many wonderful books did we miss out on by her death at a comparatively young age.  I adored The Stone Diaries, loved Larry's Party and also enjoyed Unless.  I am so happy she did get so many awards and the Pulitzer Prize as well; she deserved it all.
Imagine my surprise when I realized I had not read this one of hers- The Republic of Love.  I really don't know how this missed me.  But what a find.
I am not a romance lover, not in movies or in novels.  I will reluctantly watch a movie but I don't ever seek out books that are of that genre.  So I wondered how this so-called romance story would work for me.
  I realized an important point, the story is almost irrelevant; it is the strength of the writing that carries this particular novel.  And it is precisely that that drew me in and kept me reading to the end.  What a gift Carol had, to be able to write with such attention to detail, but yet not extend it to the point of boredom.  I like this manner, this description of the ordinary; there is a quietness to such writing that I enjoy and find satisfying. It is so much like my own life I guess so I identify. 
 And as for Fay and Tom, two supposedly ordinary, but to me, wholly interesting people...will they be star-crossed lovers or live to be a 'happily-ever-after' couple?  You'll have to read the book to see for yourself.
This novel has been made made into a movie of the same name.  Despite it being billed as a romantic comedy, I would give it a try just to compare with the book.  Seeing as how not a lot happens per se in the book, I'm curious what would have been culled together to make a movie.  I've never seen the movie available anywhere  so...

Thinking of Trees as Homes and Lumber

You can't tell from this photo, but this was an extraordinarily large tree we came across a couple of springs ago part way across the path. It must have been taken down by one of the high wind storms we had that winter.  Goodness knows how old this tree would have been.  Hubby thinks most of this land is on its third regrowth since pioneer days but judging by its size and state of dying, this tree would have been pretty old.  It became a goldmine for Hubby in the form of wood for burning that winter; and what a great excuse for him to fire up his new Husquvarna chainsaw.

And here it is later on in the wood shed (yes the one where a number of rescued mice are living) and as you can see some of the largest pieces had to be split by the wood splitter.  This tree had been peppered with holes large and small; I'm guessing many tiny animals and birds had made this dying tree their home over the years. Its' wood was eventually burned warming our house, and the ashes were saved and spread in the flower and vegetable beds the next spring, completing an important life cycle, the unique life cycle of a tree.

Pushing My Comfort Zone Boundaries

Selling anything has always been hard for me and usually avoided.  We tell the story of when our daughters had to sell chocolate bars for Girl Guides many years ago.  We wound up with a case in our freezer because none of us were good at asking people to buy something.  Yes, we were behind the door when God gave out the entrepreunurial genes that's for sure. 
My daughter is a crafty person too and has a number of favourite past times...needlepoint, quilting, beading and quilling.  She asked if I would enter a craft fair with her, thinking taking on a new venture would be good for both of us. I agreed and last Saturday found us in a local school gymnasium participating in one of the many Christmas craft fairs that occur at this time of the year.  A first for both of us. 

Here is our table.  I made the circuit around the gym and talked to many of our fellow crafters/sellers.  It is sometimes disappointing at these fairs to see how many commercial ventures also rent a table.  I say disappointing because I prefer to see the hand made items, you know the ladies with their stash of crocheted scarves and dish cloths or the young mother who has discovered  she can sew bibs or crib sheets for selling.  I noticed at this one, a couple of recyclers...one lady turning old bed sheets into rag rugs using crochet and a lady selling rings and bracelets she makes from old silverware. These were actually quite pretty.

A sampling of Daughters' quilled ornaments on display which were much admired. 

 We noticed a lot of the lookers were elderly and many of them stopped for a chat and loved our ornaments but went on to say they no longer had a Christmas tree so didn't need any ornaments.  They were there for a great outing, to meet up with friends and enjoy the lunch the local church ladies were offering.  I just loved seeing so many of them out and about. 

 This was what was a real hit...

Tiny paper quilled snowmen ornaments.  All the children wanted one and would take ages picking which one.  I can only imagine the patience it took to make such fiddly little items but then Daughter is blessed with that plus a sense of perfectionism about what ever she does that I can only admire.  I am definitely more slap dash about my work.
Anyway, we had an enjoyable day together, met a lot of interesting people, and in the process had pushed our personal comfort zones. We agreed at the end that we would definitely do another craft fair, perhaps one in a bigger venue with a more mixed clientele next time.