"The first duty of love
is to listen."
{ paul tillich }
Here I stitched a simple heart design onto scrap of old sweater, stitched that to a scrap of vintage linen, then stitched that to a shipping tag. Then tied the tag to an old bottle with ribbon and an antique key. This heart design is on page 1 of my "50 Hearts" embroidery patterns here.
"The way to love anything
is to realize that it might be lost."
{ g k chesterton }
I'd like to share some of my favorite love quotes and thoughts over the next few days and weeks. And more stitching ideas with my hearts embroidery patterns here. Live to love!
A snowy day here today, perfect snuggling-in and stitching weather.
Today I'm stitching hearts, what with the season of love and all things sweet coming soon...
Lots of hearts actually...
Six pages of heart doodles that I made into a downloadable file that you can pick up in my Etsy shop. Lots of fun, simple, sweet hearts to stitch.
'Til next time...stay warm and cozy!
My word to live by for 2012 came swiftly and effortlessly. It made a sudden appearance in my mind and camped out there, no plans to go away.
So I embraced it. 'Give' it will be. Giving brings so much satisfaction, doesn't it? It is indeed "more blessed to give than to receive".
Giving is a spirit, an attitude...who wants to be a taker or a keeper, right? I already know that if I give a little bit of my resources, my time, myself each day this year that I will end the year richer, fuller, more blessed than ever.
Do you choose a word to live by each year? I would love to hear what it is and how you came to choose it.
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Here is a walk-through of a fun project you could adopt for your word...
Print your word in the size you'd like, then trace onto fabric lightly with pencil like so...
Outline stitch over the pencil marks...
Begin stitching organically around the outside of the outlines, using assorted threads, seed beads, french knots, etc...
The nice thing about this project is that you can stop at any time. Mine can be finished as it is, or I may decide to add to it as the year goes along.
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And speaking of giving, please visit my Haiti blog where we've started a fabric scrap drive. We all clean out and de-clutter in January, right? That neat, organized start to the new year feels so refreshing and calming.
May 2012 be all it should be for you and yours!
I stumbled upon these sweet little seasonal Hershey treats in an aisle at Target that I should've never ventured down. It took less than a minute for me to envision them on a favorite chocolate cookie...
Here's the recipe if you'd like to make your own...
CHOCOLATE CANDY-CANE KISS COOKIES:
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup dutch process cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
(sift above together and set aside)
1 cup sugar
3/4 cups room temp butter
1 large egg
Beat sugar and butter together, then beat in egg. Add dry ingredients. Refrigerate dough for about an hour.
Roll into 1" balls and then roll in coarse sugar. Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes (don't overbake!). Remove from oven and move promptly to a cooling rack. Press a candy-cane kiss into center of each cookie.
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And just in case I don't stop in here again before Christmas, may your holidays be merry and bright and simple and sweet. Breathe deeply and enjoy these days ahead.
"She will give birth to a son,
and they will call him Immanuel,
which means ‘God is with us.’"
{ matthew 1:23 }