Love Springs

I know we've all heard that "love springs eternal," but for those of us surrounded by snow, sometimes we need a reminder. I spent yesterday at a conservatory and was reminded that spring is on its way.

Happy Valentine's Day!

Is it Still Spring?

I figured I'd better get busy posting my spring stitching progress (I can hear you laughing with me now!) before summer is upon us.

Proof....

Just a wee bit of stitching on Jenny Bean's church. It's not that I've lost my desire to stitch, I've just not sat still long enough! Instead, I've been out enjoying the spring season and taking advantage of photo ops.

I have engaged in a bit of spring stashing, though. I fell in love with Tyler's Lion by Long Dog Samplers as soon as I saw it. My photo is not the best, but you get the idea of what a lovely design this happens to be.

If you, or someone you know, is working on Tyler's Lion, please let me know. There's so much possibility with this design!

As for other random thoughts...check out the gorgeous just-completed sampler at the Sampler Lover's blog. And, for those sampler lovers out there, the new (at least new to me) Needleprint blog is a must see and read.

I'll leave you with one more random spring photo from Parke County, IN and a not-so-random wish that you are all enjoying your spring stitching and non-stitching adventures!

Friday's Hooking and Saturday's Whimsey

Last night I completed row four of my rug hooking project.

Hopefully, the next time I post a picture of this project it will be out of the hoop and waiting for its finishing touches.

My husband and I, along with several other photographers, spent the day engaged in another type of creative pursuit at Hidden Hill Nursery in Utica, IN. If you are in the area and have never been, it's worth the trip if you enjoy interesting gardens and magic around every turn. Today was our second trip in the last two years just to photograph the place. Bob and Janet Hill are gracious hosts, and their plant selections are very good. I came home with three new types of perennials that I've not had before, so tomorrow's "creative" project may very well be planting these new garden members!

To give you a taste of today's creative pursuits, here's a bit of garden whimsey until tomorrow.

Portable Projects and An Excuse

There's only one problem with traveling and a portable project: finding time to open it! I'm guilty.

I was out of town for work for a week, came home, put the taxes in the mail, and immediately headed out of town for vacation. I'm always prepared for "down" time, but there never seems to be any when I travel--for whatever reason. In fact, I've had more rest since I came back to work earlier this week than when I was away on "vacation." But here's my excuse . . .

Photography. Just one other thing I like to do in my "free" time. In fact, my husband and I love to be outdoors and shoot so much, there's no cross stitch, rug hooking, or rest while on vacation. We are out the door before sunrise, on the go until well after dark, and taking advantage of every photo op at every turn. We are s-l-o-w. In fact, part of our vacation was spent in the Smoky Mountains. We spent one day on a trail brimming with wildflowers and 6 hours going the first 2.5 miles.

But here's part of the pleasure and the payoff. We ended our vacation at Cumberland Falls State Park for their Nature Photography Weekend. My husband has been attending and competing in the photo competition off and on since the 1980s. You have a little over 24 hours to shoot for the competition, and six photographs to select for six different categories. I've only competed for the last three years--first shooting slides and now shooting digital. Out of approximately 80 competitors, we both came away with two of the first place awards: my husband for wildflowers and mine for a "wet and wild" shot of a cascades that I converted to a black and white. We always enjoy the weekend, the nightly programs, and seeing the work of other photographers. We were both tickled and validated by the recognition. Now if I could only learn how to photograph my craft projects!

So . . . no project updates to share this week. Thanks, though, for your feedback on the Hannah Lancaster sampler. I will leave her as is. I have so much catching up to do with your blogs, and I hope you have had a more productive spring than I've had thus far. It's difficult tearing myself away from the outdoors. Happy spring and happy stitching!