Spring!

Spring Green, originally uploaded by ivoryblushroses.

What a lovely Easter Sunday! My oldest son Jonathan is here to help me out for the next couple of weeks. We had a lovely drive south to Sedona where we took in the sights and enjoyed all the signs of spring that haven't yet arrived in Flagstaff! The lovely green meadows in Oak Creek Canyon were so beautiful!


We first headed toward Courthouse Wash where we hoped to take in a view of the rocks with the creek in the foreground, but there was such a wait to get into the park, that we turned around and instead enjoyed the view from a higher vantage point. Still a gorgeous view!


We stopped several places, but ended up spending most of our time further up Oak Creek Canyon where we had spotted some blooming trees. Once upon a time, the canyon was filled with orchards, mostly apple. Most of the orchards are long gone along with all the old houses and buildings, but the trees live on! We had a lovely little walk up a grassy valley to this amazing grove of wild cherry trees! The scent was amazing!


The sight of these pristine white blossoms against the lush green grass lifted my heart and lightened my spirit! What a perfect way to relax before my surgery!


While most of the apple trees were already done blooming, there were still some beautiful blossoms to behold!


Jonathan brought his beautiful dog Conrad along. What a joy to have them both here

Here's me, pre surgery! I've lost about 35 pounds so far in prep for surgery, still have a hundred pounds to loose!

I'll be taking a blog pause for the next week or so. Thanks so much for the prayers and well wishes for my surgery! It means so much to me!

Spring Projects

Beaded Heart Framed, originally uploaded by ivoryblushroses.

With a few days off work before my upcoming surgery, I've been working around the apartment, doing some old fashioned spring cleaning and getting a few projects done. One of my small projects was framing the little beaded heart that I stitched last year. The background fabric is a piece of handwoven cloth in silk that I believe was woven by one of my mother's friends. The little bit of silk luster went perfectly with the beads! The lace pieces came from my stash.


I finally finished hanging things on the wall of my study, including the little beaded heart. There is one more small frame to fill to complete the set! I love having all these things in view! One of these days, the desk will get painted creamy white to match the other furniture and I'll finish the slipcover for the office chair. But for now, I'm focusing on putting the finishing touches on the apartment in preparation for my oldest son's arrival on Saturday! He'll be here to help me out for a couple of weeks!


The pot of tulips I purchased a couple of weeks ago is aging gracefully! Soon, I'll plant them out on the bank in hopes that they will bloom in the spring for years to come!

Heart of Lace

Heart of Lace, originally uploaded by ivoryblushroses.

Still working on the Whispering Hearts! A few vintage pearls make such a difference on the lace heart!


The old rayon embroidered lace this heart is made from came from an old slip, made years ago by an adopted Grandmother of mine. I love incorporating bits that trigger wonderful memories into my stitching!


I found little heart shapes in the eyelet lace I used to weave the background. A little accenting with pale pink embroidery thread makes them stand out!


Another day of stitching and I think this piece might be finished!

Autumn Block for Margreet

Autumn DYB Block for Margreet, originally uploaded by ivoryblushroses.

At long last (and way overdue), I've completed the last of the Autumn DYB blocks. This one is Margreet's. She pieces the loveliest blocks! I had fun adding the little Fly Amanita mushrooms to this as well as bits of pieces of lace that I dyed.


Margreet usually includes things for us to use on each block. It really helps to add continuity to the set. This time, she sent along the little flower button to use as well as the fringe-like fiber in autumn shades. The last block is for Margreet to finish!

Heart Whispers Day 2

Heart Whispers Day 2, originally uploaded by ivoryblushroses.

Been busy stitching on the Whispering Hearts!


Yesterday we had about 13" of snow in Flagstaff!


Today, the snow is nearly all gone and the sound of snowmelt off the roof is like a waterfall! One of my neighbors put out the birdhouse last summer. At first I wasn't thrilled about it, preferring the natural landscape, but the whimsy of it has grown on me!


Inside, several of my pots of flowers have burst into bloom! I love the pristine white of these geraniums and the little flowers of the Oxalis (shamrock).


A pot of tulips from the grocery store has opened up beautifully! Love that glimpse of gold in the heart of each bloom!

Whispering Hearts

Scrap piecing, originally uploaded by ivoryblushroses.

This past month when I was so ill, my creativity took a little vacation. So when I saw that Jude Hill was offering a month of Heart Whispering, I signed up for it. Watching someone else brainstorm and think through how they create, helps to inspire me. To get started, I looked through my bag of bits and pieces and found this little piece of silk piecing that I put together out of tiny silk scraps a while back.


The little piece seemed too small, so I added to it, using all those teensy silk scraps that seem too small to do anything with, but are too big to just throw away. I ended up with a nice 6" square piece that I backed with a piece of old soft muslin from a worn out pillowcase. The idea of whispering hearts really captured my attention. The idea of hearts that are so soft and quiet they almost aren't there.


I also played with some little velvet and felt hearts in my stash with some other backgrounds. But they didn't whisper, but rather shouted. Not quite what I was after.


I even found an old CQ heart that I pieced years ago, long before I really became interested in CQ. I had made a couple of pin keeps for family members and was going to make one for myself but never finished it. This heart wasn't whispering either, seeming instead to be trying too hard to be fancy.


I thought maybe I'd try using some of the red wool I have to make something with, but right now it just seems too bold, though I like the lace heart and how the edges seem to disappear. That's more like a whisper.


Then today, I remembered one of my favorite projects from last year, Gentle Blue Dreams, and decided to do something similar but with just the palest hint of pink. The eyelet lace came from Susan W who kindly gifted me with it last year! I love the way this is starting out! Like the tiny daffodils sleeping beneath the foot of snow that Flagstaff received last night, I feel my creativity starting to grow a little bit!

Knitted Washcloth

Knitted Washcloth, originally uploaded by ivoryblushroses.

While recuperating at my parent's house in Colorado this past week, I finished the knitted washcloth!


It was a enjoyable small project and easy to carry. I love the way it looks with my antique ironstone washbasin!

Thanks so much for all the well wishes during my illness. A week with the family was just what I needed. I'm feeling so much better now and am headed back to work tonight! My surgery has been rescheduled for April 25th.