An Eight Stones Week to Finish off the Year

And so 2017 is coming to an end

It was the year that brought our precious
grand daughter Stevie Ray
into this world.

It was the year I turned Seventy
Have to say this was the first birthday
that shook me!

It was the year Grand Daughter
Ashley Rose
turned three
and what a fascinating age that is.

It was the year son Brett found his Amber

Outside of our family circle though
it has been a year of shocking changes
that have whirled around the world.

For me it has been the year of the stone
The year of finding stones both beautiful and ugly
The year of learning to notice just the smallest
and most subtle markings in nature.
I hope I have learned something.

I am finishing the year with a black full stop.
A fossil
that I have held in my hands for years and years.
A fossil with markings so subtle they don't even
show up in the photo.

And now I will probably spend a good part of 2018
to put them all together!

Happy New Year Everyone
and Thank you for dropping by
Through this process
I have made so many friends
and I love having those relationships.

Just to let those of you who might not know...
....when you take the time to comment
my response to comes back to you in the form of an email.

May Your Christmas be Surrounded by Stones/Family!

And so the year has nearly gone full circle

Me and my stones hope

you and your family circle

are having a warm and loving Christmas.

Stone circles are ancient gathering places

I hope families all over the world

are coming together in love

Dancing circles around a stone

might not have rhythm

I hope your dance this holiday season

is full of rhythm

An island on a stone

I hope you are not alone but

in the embrace of your families

A plain jane stone

Christmas is definitely not the time to be plain

but to celebrate

Celebrate pink!

A new colour for me to love!

A stone with a bite taken out of it.

Perhaps a Christmas pudding stone.

Don't take too big a bite this holiday season!

Merry Christmas to you all

Of Stones and Butterflies

Slowly but surely

I am sewing butterfly quilts

for the grand girls

an old, old pattern

I have always loved

I have never had the opportunity

to make this pattern

My children were all boys

But now I have grand girls

and I am excited to spend a couple of years

making butterflies!

It will take me that long

because I am taking my time

No rush

they are just wee babes for now.

This fall my friend Lynda gave me

a simply enormous rock.

I didn't want to leave it out

so

I sewed two squares together

 tucked a tiny pebble in one corner

and....

....and let the giant of a rock

fill the rest of any available space.

Thank you, Linda.

December Stones

Red to me is a Christmas colour

and because it is fast approaching

I sought out a red background

despite stones generally being soft greys and beiges.

Kind of a plain Jane stone

a contrast to all the Christmas lights

appearing everywhere

Christmas gifts are on their way

to the grand babies

It would be so much better to deliver them in person

but travelling at Christmastime is not my favourite

thing to do.

Some stones appear seem to be wearing winter hats

To me this is a funky snow capped stone

or perhaps a stone of Canadian origin

wearing his wintery took!

A rock couldn't get more Christmassy

being made of velvet

and wearing red garlands!

Christmas red

pathways across a smooth rock.

Snow has fallen just about everywhere in Canada

but here it has only managed a few slushy flakes

amidst the raindrops. 

I hope your Christmas preparations are going well.

Stoney Beach Inspiration

And so December arrives

And speckled stones still dot our shorelines

Some stones look like the land

or perhaps a map of the land

But all stones reflect their life experiences

as do we

Some are cut deep beneath 

beneath barely visible scars

Some are so smooth

their life experience is barely visible

Others are fragile and so delicate

but often the strongest among us.

As they gather on our Western shores

they get to experience sunsets

like streaks of colour against soft grey skies

This streaky sunset in particular made me think of Mark's skies

First Snow Blanket to Warm Winter's Stones

As Handy Hubby and his golfing friends 

watched snow create havoc with

Ottawa's Grey Cup last night

we laughed

But they got the last laugh 'cos

we woke up to our first snow covering this morning.

In honour of Winter's arrival

I decided on a white background.

This could be a favourite stone

Simply love that little patch of darning.

Just thought I had better go on a rock hunt

snow soon blankets everything

and I need stones to finish off the year.

This one could be a favourite too!

A funny thing happened this week.

If you who have been following my daily stitchings over the years

you will remember when my beautiful car was murdered

by mice.

Well....for the last month our Internet has been spotty

and this week we discovered 

that our connection to the outside world

had nearly been destroyed by.....mice!

Those little munchers had chewed through wires at the top of a pole on the road.

Nowhere is safe!

Sometimes just the fabric says it all

and

not a stitched is needed.

Oh, perhaps this is my favourite!

Just love that crosshatched look.

I suppose you can't tell

but this one is enormous and heavy

and....

it could be my favourite too!

But really....

 we love all our children equally,

don't we.

Enjoy your Christmas preparations.

One Pebble at a Time

As I loaded up this week's stones onto Tanglewood Threads

I noticed how faded and low energy they look

Very grey

and minimal

Perhaps uninspired even.

And boy is that a reflection of how my week has been!

So strange

The one saving grace is this rusched

rock to end the week.

Things must be looking up!

As stones pile up on the studio windowsills

and despite my grey mood

the wild holly berries....

....are spectacular and abundant this year.

I hope this week brings you some red

some vibrancy.