Crafty Guy

I never knew my husband to be particularly crafty. Oh, there was that one time when our son was a toddler and they both got wrapped up in creating with Play-Doh. They ended up making every Winnie the Pooh character known. So cute!! Why did I not take pictures? He also builds things very well. For example, today he's working on his latest project -- the ultimate garage storage system. No purchased plans for him!

So when a kind neighbor gave him a "vintage" wood lathe, I was pleasantly surprised to see what came spinning off of that thing. One of my favorites is the pencil holder he made for me. Then there are the embroidery scissor holders, which are great for us stitchers. If you look closely, one of them features a "captured ring" that moves, but doesn't come off. How he did this is a wood-
working mystery to me.

The little wooden box that kind of looks like a cross between an apple, an acorn and a pumpkin is another favorite.

There are more -- bowls, candle holders, Christmas ornaments and Easter eggs. Each creation is a unique treasure. I'll post more as they come off the lathe.

Oldies But Definitely Goodies

In my ongoing quest to organize my craft supplies, I've been a little surprised at how much stuff I was willing to part with. Attempting organization also uncovered a couple of things from my past that I had forgotten about. One is a small cross stitch sampler that I stitched in 1988. I know this because I conveniently stitched that it was "wrought" by me with the date right beside it. Also interesting is that this is my first piece stitched on linen, and it looks like 32 count. I don't know what the pattern is, but I'm pretty sure it came out of a cross stitch magazine. Why have I never framed this? It's a nice pattern and the colors are very pretty. Now that it's been unearthed, it will be getting framed.

The next item is a little strange, but I like it. It's a pillow kit that I bought from Avon in the late 70's. No year on this one but I'm thinking about 1978. Instead of cross stitch, this little number features yarn embroidery done on stamped fabric. The kit originally came with a pillow back in a very shocking shade of turquoise, which must have hit the circular file sometime ago. Despite the funky color combos and the fact that this looks a little dated, it will become a little throw pillow.

See what you might come up with when you decide to organize! A lot of trash (as in my case), and possibly some treasures.