Back from vacation : )

Hi again! We are back from vacation, all rested and ready to take on the world : ) Actually, I cannot tell a lie, we have been back for a little over a week, I was taking time off from posting to gather some more, really neat links, unmount most of my wooden stamps, organize my stamping area and be a bit lazy : )

Where to start? How about the obligatory vacation pictures? Just a few, I promise, and yes, I did finish one embroidery project.

We stayed at a really neat place, Mill Creek Resort, it is very rustic, in the middle of a forest and just an overall wonderful place to stay, especially if you want to get away from TV and the computer : )

During our stay at Mill Creek we toured Lassen. Here is a picture of our son who climbed up on a rock (and on the other side of that rock? A straight drop of about a million feet).



Then we traveled to the Lava Caves, saw Burney Falls (heads up: if you want to take a family vacation away from crowds travel to Lassen). Here is a picture of Burney Falls:



Then went to Eureka for the night and on our way to visit my Dad in Bodega Bay went to the Loleta Cheese Factory (you can order their cheese online starting October 1st, order some because it is the most amazing cheese I have ever tasted). Went to Scotia (old lumber town) and toured the Eel River Brewing Company then drove to see my Dad, then back here. : )

I have to share a picture of the most amazing bakery you will ever run into. This bakery is located in the town of "Freestone," a few miles outside of the town of Bodega. Basically it is in the middle of no where. The thing is that you drive up to the bakery, called "Wild Flour Bread" and there are crowds of folks waiting to get their bread! The bread is amazing, and if you are ever in the area make sure you stop in and grab a loaf, you will not be sorry.

Here is the side road that leads to the bakery:



Oh, and here is the embroidery I finished on the trip:



Anyhow, that is the whole story on our trip. Tomorrow we will dive right back into the stamping stuff, and I have some really neat links to share with you!

Until then, have a great night and a most amazing tomorrow.

Something different and Vacation Time : )

We are going on vacation starting tomorrow, will be back in a week or so, and I am not sure that we are going to have any internet access while on the road, so this post will be the only one for a week (can I go a week without surfing the net?).

Instead of stamping stuff I am bringing embroidery with me, and yes, I embroider every so often : ) I bought some of the old fashioned flour cloth towels, heat transferred some designs (not well mind you, sigh) and will stitch around the whole towel as well. Embroidery is just easier to take with us in the car, though I really was trying to figure out how to bring some of my stamping stuff.

Embroidery reminds me of a time gone by, of less hectic times, simpler times. Used to be that when someone had a bridal or baby shower guests would bring hand made things, blankets, embroidery, now for the most part we go out and buy things. I miss the hand made connections in our lives, maybe that is why I love rubber stamping so much, it reminds me of days gone by because of the handmade nature of the craft.

My grandmother's kitchen (my mom's mom, we called her "noni") always had an embroidered towel or two, an embroidered table cloth, napkin or some other little piece that someone had made. My Noni crocheted, sewed, embroidered and knitted. My mom knits, crochets, does calligraphy, flower arranging, needlepoint and has embroidered a bit.

In addition to doing some embroidery I also collect vintage embroidery (just pick up a piece here and there, don't have a huge amount, just a few pieces. Am still trying to figure out what to do with them). I have also started collecting vintage handmade aprons, not fancy ones, just plain ones that are old, mostly worn, and reflective of a time passed. My Mom gave me the most amazing laundry bag that someone made for her years ago (as a wedding or engagement gift), here is a picture of the bag, with some wonderful embroidery on it:



Here are some close ups:





The whole bag is hand sewn, not one stitch is on a machine (the front and back were hand stitched together). After making the bag the person embroidered all over, covering the bag with flowers, birds, a adorable girl, it is an amazing piece. When my Mom gave it to me it was all stained and I was able to get most of the stains out (the stains were from age and yellowing), haven't decided what to do with it yet, it is just stored in the linen closet for now.

Here is a pillowcase I did for my Mom:



Some close ups:





And here are some other embroidery pieces that I have found in thrift stores:









Anyhow, hope you don't mind that tonight I posted a bunch of embroidery : ) Will get back to the stamping when we are home.

Until then, do something different, don't be afraid to try something new, and have a great week all, I am really going to miss you.