A Christmas Quote and Craft for the Week

 

 

A CHRISTMAS QUOTE FOR THE WEEK:

 

This is from the introduction in one of my many copies of Dickens' "A Christmas Carol".  It's my all-time favorite book and I read it every year.  

 

"The story begins one cold, bleak, biting Christmas Eve, when the fog is so thick and the dampness so complete that wheezing is the only way to breathe, when the clock in the frozen tower strikes the hours as if its teeth are chattering when the afternoon is as dark as the evening, and the evening so dark that even familiar courtyards require groping to find one's way."

 

(Patricia Barrett Perkins, Baltimore, Maryland, 1987)

 

 

A HOLIDAY CRAFT IDEA FOR THE WEEK:

 

A quick candle gift -- Take a plain white pillar candle and hot glue cinnamon sticks all around the bottom.  Tie with a red ribbon and add a sprig of holly.

Wordless Wednesday - Fall Stitching

Old Friends and Letters

My friend Denise and I have been sending each other long, long handwritten letters for over 25 years.  Other friends I keep in touch with have all moved on to emails, which I love since it's so quick.  But there's something wonderful about setting aside some special time, making a cup of tea, deciding on pretty stationery and a favorite pen, and spending an afternoon writing a long, newsy letter to an old friend.  I think taking the time for that makes it all the more meaningful -- a gift, in fact -- especially in our rushed everyday lives.
 

No Little Events In Life

"There are no little events in life;

those we think of no consequence may be full of fate, 

and it is at our own risk if we neglect the acquaintances and opportunities that seem to be casually offered, and of small importance."

~ Ameilia Barr

"Every encounter we have, even if brief and seemingly unimportant,

may have more significance than we know. 

A brief encounter may begin a greater ripple that reaches its intended purpose years later. 

Everyone who comes into our lives may be part of our mission, and we, a part of theirs... 

By being positive and helpful towards others, even in casual moments, 

we can make the most of our time on earth."

~ Author Unknown 

I love these two quotes and wrote them in one of my notebooks years ago so I'd always have them.

They really give you much to think about as you go about everyday life.  You never know if that casual acquaintance in something as simple as talking to someone in a grocery line, or letting someone else go ahead of you as you're at a traffic stop, or just a simple smile, can be something important to another person as they go about their day.  It's something worth thinking about, isn't it??

Of course, there are more significant meetings, too.  Someone you meet at one point in your life, and then years later that person is back again in a completely different way and still a friend and willing to help you.

I've always thought about these types of encounters, but as I get older and realize I've experienced many of these moments in my own life, it makes me pay even more attention to little moments in a day and the people I encounter.

Joanne

Monday Inspiration

“Reach high, for stars lie hidden in your soul.
Dream deep, for every dream precedes the goal.”

Pamela Vaull Starr

On Mother's Day

"Her children arise up, and call her blessed; 

her husband also, and he praiseth her. 

Many daughters have done virtuously, 

but thou excellest them all."

Proverbs 31: 28-29

Wishing Joyful Blessings to all mothers and daughters today!!

Joanne

Goal Setting

I've recently been busy going over the annual goals I had set for my business, Of Generations Past.  I had several deadlines recently (which have been met... yay!), and now I'm going back over what I had planned for goals for the 1st quarter of the year to see how real life actually compared.  I'm also making several changes for the rest of the year from what I had originally set... I have lots of different creative ideas that have popped into my head recently and want to incorporate those into the planned goals.

It's funny that I just came across a quote I had written down several years ago on setting goals.  Since it goes with my current tasks, I thought I'd share it with you...

"Not having a goal is more to be feared than not reaching a goal. I would rather attempt to do something great and fail than to attempt to do nothing and succeed."

~ Alda Ellis from "Heart Full of Happiness"

If you'd like to keep up with my goals, work, and new creative ideas, please visit my Of Generations Past blog!!

The Blessing of Spring

It's been a long time since I wrote that last post!  I thought it would be a good time to share a beautiful quote about spring.  I found it in one of my notebooks where I copied it down in 2006.

 

It is not the variegated colors, the cheerful sounds, 

and the warm breezes which enliven us so much in spring; 

it is the quiet prophetic spirit of endless hope, a presentiment of many happy days,

the anticipation of higher everlasting blossoms and fruits, 

and the secret sympathy with the world that is developing itself.
 
~ Martin Opitz

Stitching for Autumn

I'm still busy creating a few new charts which will be released around September 1st and that will be perfect for some autumn stitching!  (You can read more about the Bits of History in my previous post... think "Salem"!).

In the meantime, here's a reminder of one I released last year in October 2009, which is still available for $7.00.  It's one of my favorite quotes by Henry David Thoreau :)   

The chart can be ordered through my Of Generations Past webshop, or through my Of Generations Past ebay shop.

Welcome August

"Ah! What pleasant visions haunt me
As I gaze upon the sea!
All the old romantic legends,
All my dreams, come back to me...

Like the long waves on a sea-beach,
Where the sand and silver shines,
With a soft, monotonous cadence,
Flow its unrhymed lyric lines ... "

~ Henry Wadsworth Longfellow,
From 'The Secret of the Sea'

When I think of August I always connect it with the sea. I'm not sure why. Maybe it's because I love the ocean. I grew up on Long Island. A short drive north and you were at Long Island Sound... a short drive south and you were at the Atlantic Ocean. As a child we'd join a group from our church for picnics at Jones Beach one night a week. We often had cousins visit from upstate, and a beach day was always included. As a preteen we often spent long weekends camping at a park by the Sound. A short walk from the campsite through the piney area and you were at the beach.

School was still in session in June so I never even considered it summer until the end of that month. July had the 4th of July family barbeque and a few weeks of traveling around the country. August is when we were back home. It was a whole month to just enjoy the summer, the beach, and my birthday (which unfortunately always brought back-to-school clothes, reminding me of what was ahead two days after Labor Day!).



This morning I turned the page on the wall calendar, and then changed the desktop background on my computer to show an ocean scene with a gull in flight. I pulled out Anne Morrow Lindbergh's "Gift from the Sea" to read once again, as well as May Sarton's "The House by the Sea" ... perfect books for August reading.

I'm reminded of something I wrote to friends several years ago on this very subject. It's not about August, but is my own little tribute to the sea ~

I love water! I love looking at it, wiggling my toes in it, chasing waves along the ocean, or driving on winding roads, following the path of a river. I love the salty smell of the sea air, the feel of the sand as it slips between your toes, and the smoothness of the shells washed in with the tide. I've often thought it was because I grew up on Long Island, New York, where many roads lead to water. We had summer evening picnics at Jones Beach; would drive to the docks where fishing boats returned with their catch of the day; took long Sunday drives to the lighthouse at Montauk Point; and we even drove along the coastal roads in driver's education in high school.

I know loving water isn't unusual, and many people spend their summers by the sea. But the water I love the most is the rough ocean after a storm ~ and especially in winter ~ when there are few people on the beach and you can enjoy the peacefulness and the solitary moments ~ listening to the crashing surf, the cry of the sea gulls as they glide past you looking for food, the whistling of the wind intermingling with the crescendo of the waves as they roll into shore, walking barefoot in the cold sand and occasionally wetting my feet in the waves... and experiencing the power of God's beautiful gift of the sea...


Joanne

In Honor of the 4th and Other Cross Stitch Designs

The last several months I've been working on various new designs and getting them charted and stitched. My progress ended there, at least for now, since I'm concentrating on spending time with our daughter these few months before her move to Canada for graduate school. I'll have plenty of time to get my designs finished (framed, made into pillows, banners, ornaments, etc.) and then print up the charts for sale. In the meantime, since I haven't shared any handiwork here in quite some time, I thought I'd share the designs I've been working on.


I've always had in mind that I'd love to have something in honor of the Declaration of Independence and the beginning of our country. I thought it's perfect to share as the first photo since it's date is July 4, 1776. The phrase I selected is at the end of the Declaration and reads, "...And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our fortunes, and our Sacred Honor." I found this reproduction fabric in a favorite quilt shop and plan to use it somewhere in the banner.


On the lighter side, I was looking at our cat Missy one day as she was sitting there pondering (not sure what, but she ponders a lot!). She's a grey cat so naturally looks perfect with pink. The little pot of flowers was added because one of her favorite things to do since she was a kitten (and she's now 17) is to eat flowers :) I think I'm making this one into a pillow and thought the pink floral fabric might look good. I found the salmon pink ric-rac at a quilt store and might use it for one part of the pillow. It actually matches the fabric better than it looks in this picture. Missy has "sent" greeting cards for the holidays to our daughter throughout the years, and this is the drawing I've always done inside those cards as Missy's signature. (Yes, I'm a wee bit silly.) There'll be a few companion pieces to this using our other kitties.


After our annual trip to Santa Fe in January I was in a southwest mood and drew up this little design. It's very typical of the gates and entryways you see along some of the winding side streets in Santa Fe as you head to all the art galleries. Unfortunately the picture is a little blurry. I found a perfect turquoise frame at a local quilt and needlework shop in Austin, and I'll use that to finish this. I already have a few small companion pieces to this charted so I can stitch them when I get the chance.




Finally, this simple little design is in honor of Fiesta, an annual celebration here in San Antonio each April. I stitched two, one using a multicolor overdye and the other using individual primary colors. My plans are to finish them as a small wreath ornament, representing the Fiesta wreaths you see in the area. You can see the little hoops which I'll use as the frames, and then all the colorful ribbons can be seen in the next picture. I also have small flowers to decorate the frames.

Monday Inspiration & Christmas Plans

"Focus on the journey, not the destination.
Joy is found not in finishing an activity but in doing it."

~ Greg Anderson

I think the above quote is perfect as I work on Christmas plans. My friend Heidi at Needle Necessities suggested a "Stocking Along" and my plans have begun. You can read all about it over at my The Keeping of Christmas blog, where I hope to be more active. I have so many projects and plans and promise to share pictures and details as I work! Come visit me there :)

Monday Inspiration

"A happy life is not built up of tours abroad and pleasant holidays,
but of little clumps of violets noticed by the roadside,
hidden away almost so that only those can see them
who have God's peace and love in their hearts."

~ Edward Wilson

Monday Inspiration

"Two conflicting forces cannot exist in one human heart.
When doubt reigns, faith cannot abide.
Where hatred rules, love is crowded out.
Where selfishness rules, there love cannot dwell.
When worry is present, trust cannot crowd its way in.
The very best prescription for banishing worry is found in Psalm 37:5.
'Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass.'
The word 'commit' means to turn over to, to entrust completely."

~ Billy Graham "Unto the Hills"

Monday Inspiration

"You must learn day by day, year by year,
to broaden your horizons.
The more things you love,
the more you are interested in,
the more you enjoy..."
~ Ethel Barrymore


"Learning... should be a joy and full of excitement.
It is life's greatest adventure;
it is an illustrated excursion into the mind of noble and learned men..."
~ Taylor Caldwell

Monday Inspiration

"The more you praise and celebrate your life,
the more there is in life to celebrate."

~ Author Unknown

Monday Inspiration

"If the sight of the blue skies fills you with joy, if a blade of grass springing up in the fields has power to move you, if the simple things of nature have a message that you understand, rejoice, for your soul is alive..."

~ Eleonora Duse

Monday Inspiration

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm."

~ Ralph Waldo Emerson

Monday Inspiration

"Work joyfully and peacefully, knowing that right thoughts and right efforts will inevitably bring about right results."

~ James Allen

Monday Inspiration and Weekend Stitching

"The art of being happy lies in the power of extracting happiness from common things."

~ Henry Ward Beecher


This weekend I spent quite a bit of time stitching. In the afternoons I was finishing up a model for a new design that I hope to have up for sale at my website this week, but in the evenings I was working on these cute designs from Plum Pudding Needleart's Bits of Blue. I'm making extras to have on hand to use as small gifts throughout the year. There's also a larger sampler and a small design (but larger than these two) where you can add a person's name. It's been fun stitching in just the one color and the designs are working up quickly.

I'll have a busy week as I plan to stitch two more models, which I also hope to have available for sale by the end of the month.