Every Inchie Monday--BOOKS

Happy Inchie Monday everyone!  

Today's theme "Books" could definitely go many directions. I chose to see how many favorite books would fit on an inch. I suppose my hand-written font could have been even smaller, for sure, but after listing a few, I went ahead and added a few stitches (all good, non-digital books have stitches), some color, a teeny button and little tacks.

I could spend all day dreaming up book Inchies, but thank goodness there are many creative ones to look at on www.everyinchiemonday.com.

My daughter and I had a lovely morning today at Barnes & Noble book store. Once in a while it's nice to go on a quiet weekday morning, get a table in the coffee corner, and take your time leafing through books and mags. And I love to see what she picks out--she's quite the avid reader and writer. Very proud of her! (a future English major) I grab all the latest issues of Somerset-everything (they have several varieties of publications) and choose which one I can't live without! And now, when I'm settled down for the night with my cup of tea, I'm going to attempt "Howard's End."

We have been enjoying our summer, in spite of the continuing heatwave. I try to get up as early as possible and do my gardening by 8:30 a.m. I have a lot of writing to do, reading to do, and plenty of stitching inbetween! Due to the lateness of my garden, the tomatoes have not quite turned yet. But the plants are loaded so when they do...I'll be chained to the waterbath canner, getting all the yummy fresh tomato love packed into jars of salsa and other goodies!

Eat, READ, Write, Dream, Stitch!

 

 

 

 

 

Sweet!

A tiny button and bead for the flower.

I love this little pewter Pooh button, and finally found a way to use him for today's Every Inchie Monday theme: SWEET. 

Pooh is someone who would definitely take the time to stop and smell the flowers, and even wait for the bee to show up and lead him to the honey!

Started with three layers of fabric.

Visit amazing, tiny, one-square-inch artworks at www.everyinchiemonday.blogspot.com.

Put as much as you want in the cap and throw it in.

I don't usually do product reviews, but I'm very excited about a new laundry product that is coming out. I love it when my whole laundry room smells fresh and sweet, and couldn't wait to try a product that is nothing more than a scent booster for anything from bedding, to workout clothes. I'm one of those people that will use more than one dryer sheet at a time, just to get the scent into things like quilts and towels. But here's the thing about this Downey Unstopables: the scent lasts for more than 30 days! I have been using the fresh scent, and it really is ahhhmazing! The fresh scent is floating into every room of my house. Love it!

I got this full-size product, free to try, from vocalpoint.com. Vocalpoint is a great website filled with information, tips, savings, and ideas. I was really excited to get Downey Unstopables in the mail, and a cute pair of socks to go with it! All I can say is, sweet!!

My roma tomatoes are all grown up and producing!

Remember my little Roma tomatoes?

Art of a Woman--Every Inchie Monday

Every Inchie Monday Theme Today: Woman.

Visit www.everyinchiemonday.blogspot.com.

working on the Inchie

All kinds-a-woman in one-square-inch of art: the hairdresser, the society woman, the bride-to-be, the new girl, the crazy neighbor, the mom--we were backstage and getting in costume for our 2004 stage production of the play, Steel Magnolias, when this photo was snapped. I made another Inchie, a while back, using a photo of me and my fellow cast members. We were not in costume for that session, it was just a fun black and white picture of the six of us. So it was only fitting I needed to do another Inchie of all of us in costume (I played Truvy, second from the right). Steel Magnolias not only celebrates friendship, but really celebrates being a woman, and being a strong woman too. So that's why I had to add the word, "wonderful." I highly recommend the movie! Happy Monday! Hey, I think I'm onto something: "Theatre Inchies!"

"You don't love a woman because she is beautiful, but she is beautiful because you love her."

--Anon.

My little kitty woman, Princess Minnie

A Sister Is a Friend for Life

My Every-Inchie-Monday creation this week, was stitched with love. The theme is "sisters" and luckily, I found a little "friends" charm in my box of what-nots and after that, I got right to my stitching. Three tiny layers of fabric later, I had embroidered, added a couple of teeny sequins and a button, and lastly, the little charm.

This piece is meant to have a rustic look (not perfect), and yet have layers, interest, and beauty--just like sisters!

My little sister is my life-long friend. But if you don't have one of those, then hopefully you have a friend who is a life-long sister!

Right when I was snipping the last thread, here comes Joseph! He loves to help.

Visit all of the teeny tiny creativity at www.everyinchiemonday.blogspot.com.

Every Inchie Monday with a Little Heart

This Monday's Inchies are going to be filled with love--the theme is Heart. And since I love stitching hearts, I had fun cross-stitching a tiny heart Inchie on 18-count white aida cloth. I used a dark pink varigated DMC floss, and buttoned it all up by stitching on two teeny tiny buttons, and a felt backing. I think it will be a cute addition, overall, to the entire Inchie collection I now have going on. 

Visit these one-square-inch works of art with big creativity at www.EveryInchieMonday.blogspot.com.

I also hope to catch up on the Inchie's I missed soon. I am studying for a big test this week, so maybe after that! Happy stitching and creating everyone!

Joseph says hello to everyone!

Friends - Magnolias - Every Inchie Monday

Hair...makeup...laughter...tears through laughter...the color pink...peaches and cream...love and caring. We all need our friends!

When I started working on my "Friends" Inchie, I immediately thought of this black and white photo taken of me and the girls I was privileged to perform with in the stage play, Steel Magnolias. Out of our character wigs, costumes, and makeup, we got to have this fun, glamorous photo session one day, with photographer Randy Bacon. (that's me, second from the left) I loved playing Truvy, loved the play, and especially loved bonding with these exceptional ladies during the run of the show, and long after.

I was inspired to whip up a "Magnolia" cross-stitch, which is framed and hangs over my sewing table.

[By the way, an "Inchie" is one-square-inch of art work--join the fun at www.everyinchiemonday.blogspot.com]

I scanned and printed the photo as tiny as possible, still had to crop it to fit on my one-square-inch black board, and then started decorating.

At that photo session, some six years ago, we were all crammed onto a little velvet sofa, and we were laughing so hard! I love it. This is why having friends makes life so good!  

 

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it back to you when you've forgotten the words."

I feel blessed, lately, to have seen and enjoyed a lot of my friends. Including at the Elton John concert! We had so much fun (I have loved Elton's music since my teen years) and couldn't help singing along to all the songs. Elton gives an exceptional concert--so glad I got to go! Happy Monday to you! Hug a friend today!

My own little photo of Sir Elton!

Had to get a t-shirt at the concert!!

Inchie Monday - Live in PEACE

Well for someone who has not been home much this weekend...notice I'm just now posting my Every Inchie Monday creation...when I thought of the theme, "Peace," I thought of home.

I stitched a little white peaceful house, added the sun, and there you have it. Live in Peace!

Happy Monday!

Note to Self: It's Musical "Every Inchie Monday!"

My "Inchie" sings!  

Visit www.everyinchiemonday.blogspot.com and click on those who have commented to see all of this Monday's "Sing" Inchies.

Last week I also created my Inchie on one-square-inch of black aida with beads and stitching, and I've decided to make as many as I can in this format to get a nice continuity going. Someday, all of my Inchies will join together in one piece of artwork. That is going to be so much fun to create.

In the meantime, as I got out the black aida cloth and tiny aqua beads again, I sort of free-handed a musical note--all stitching, no glue. I decided to add some letters from a stash of alphabet beads and silver sequins which look like symbols clashing together!

This all stitched together quickly, and I finished it with a brown felt backing with all the edges loop-stitched tightly to the felt.

This could easily be turned into a pin. I could wear it to choir rehearsal this week!

Minnie had something to say about it!

I hope everything is sunny and happy at your house. Eat, Write, Dream, Stitch!

Spring's Wings--It's "Every Inchie Monday"

Okay, first of all, there is snow on the ground this morning in the Ozarks! I don't think my radish seeds out in the garden are very happy...but other than that I am still going to celebrate today's Every Inchie Monday theme, which is "Winged," with my favorite spring winged thing: a butterfly.

Please visit the Every Inchie Monday blog for the most amazing art ever to grace one square inch at www.everyinchiemonday.blogspot.com.

This teeny tiny cross-stitch piece began when I was searching for something else...as usual...and this time it was a piece of black aida cloth which I need for another project. Looking at it I realized that a little stitched butterfly would really pop on that black background, and so it began. 

I designed my butterfly using yellow and green DMC satin floss, and stitched it up in no time at all. I knew I wanted the body to be beaded, and my little aqua beads were perfect. After sewing on the little beads, I trimmed out my one-square-inch.

 My silver DMC memory thread was also ideal for the antennas. And just like that, she was finished! I sewed a linen backing on the black piece of aida, and trimmed the corners with a bit of a bigger bead.

I dearly love this little butterfly, and I'm starting to imagine a bigger canvas with several of them flittering around and some flowers--so I've now got some designing to do! 

 

I'm also really starting to look forward to the time when I have a year's worth of Inchies to put together in one art piece! I've noticed other participants talking about that idea, and I can't wait to see what that will look like and what shape it will all take.

Ahh. Snow...shmoe...let the sun shine in!

In the meantime, I had seedlings to water on the greenhouse, and my little princess, Minnie, loves to help. She follows me and the watering can all the way down the greenhouse, and of course, has to water herself in the process. Helping Mommy is exhausting! My roma tomato seedlings, planted in mid-February, are getting hearty, and everything else is coming along. I've now planted the yellow pear tomatoes from my sister, so I hope this cold weather snap doesn't put my seedlings to sleep!

I just keep reminding myself, it is, indeed, spring! Although yesterday, the cold led me to mugs of hot tea with my orange blossom honey, and knitting--so I was fine. I watched a wonderful movie on PBS.org about the life of Dolley Madison--loved it so much, I'm going to have to watch it again. If you watch it, don't miss the special feature about the making of the costumes.

It's all good. Happy eating, writing dreaming, and stitching!