Anything is possible if you just take your time

Remember the conglomeration of tangled floss that I acquired from my friend in the vintage sewing basket. I knew that if I took my time I could accomplished the incredible task of detangling the mass of twisted floss
Well here is the before and after.

See, anything is possible if you just take your time.

Floss Nightmare

Now if this was given to you and you love thread and floss and fiber like I do, you wouldn't think of tossing it and starting over, so that being said, where would you begin to untangle this nightmare.
There must be at least 100 + skeins of floss and I probably would never have to buy floss again but I just can't decide how to go about untangling all of this. Suggestions please! ! !

                        Do you see what I am talking about????

I didn't do this. I am a good boy. Don't blame me. Wallace didn't do it.

Yes, I'm punch drunk again. Heheh

 Just wanted to show you what I am working on now.  You can see more on my other blog  for punch needle







All finished, now to decide on the application of where to put it.I am thinking of putting it on a little pillow for now.
Not completely happy with final results. I think I am trying to put too much detail in it and it takes away from the simplicity of punch needle. Think I am going back to the more basic of designs.

I finished it finally

Just a little peek at what is on my Punch Drunk Needle Works blog.
I have been working on this piece for about a week and a half maybe two. It is a fairly large piece and I think it came out great. Do I sound like I am bragging.... well, maybe just a little. What do you think?

I had to remove the existing handle that was on the basket as it would have had to come through the needle work piece, so I added gold cording which is okay for now but I am on the look out for a better handle that seems to fit the basket better. 

Still waiting for the Sun

This is my way of doing the sunshine dance. I figure if I post enough pictures and play the right music we will get some nice sunny weather. Yes, I know I am complaining about the rain but even the ducks are leaving because they can't get enough dry time for there poor feathers to dry off.

I would hate to think that I have to go to Holland to get some nice sunny days but it wouldn't be bad if I got to see these awesome windmills,





Other then doing my usual needle work projects I haven't been doing much else.

I wish that I had a nice green house as I would be out there getting some seedlings going for the garden. I was in the nursery section at Wally world yesterday  and looking at all the pretty flowers and fruit trees and flowering trees. I want to plant some trees this year in hope that they will love the rain and grow quickly.

We have one area in the back yard that during the rainy times is like a


small pond. Now I am wondering what sort of trees love to grow near water. I am open to suggestions. I heard that Weeping Willows like lots of water as do cotton woods too but many folks have allergies to cotton woods and I would hate to make enemies. So I am also contemplating growing willows too.  I love the curly willows. Suggestions please



Phoebe's Easter bunny came early. She got a bag of Penn tennis balls from a friend and a container of Wilsons from Dad. They are her favorites as they last the  longest.

She love her tennis balls so much that they are like a pacifier for her. She has fallen asleep with one in her mouth. Her Kong is still # uno in her basket of goodies though. When she is playing with them she always has two, one in her mouth and one to bat around on the floor like a soccer ball.She never ceases to amaze me. Sleeping with her tennis ball in her mouth. 

.

Thank God she can't swallow it.

So my friends if you have any influence with the weather man, and I am not talking about the one on the TV, please ask him to give us some sunshine. I am not the only one that would appreciate it but so would these little kids

PLEASE SEND US SOME SUNSHINE ! ! !

Where is the Sun?

The weather men keep promising us sunshine and dry days then takea it back. Heheh, it's not nice to fool with this rain soaked granny as I am going through sunshine withdrawls.
Well, I promised I wouldn't complain about the weather anymore and here I go again. I just want to be reminded now and then that there is still a sun in the sky and that it is warm.
I have been working on my needle work projects as it is TOO WET outside to do any garden prep work yet but this too shall pass I HOPE! ! ! LOL
I see as the weatherman is reporting on the morning news the only place there is sunshine today is in the south west, hum maybe I was too quick to leave Arizona . Aww.....now he is saying there is suppose to be a dry day on Wednesday and maybe Thursday. I won't hold my breath though.

I showed you a picture a while back that a little girl named Kara painted. It is a Rooster and I am experimenting and doing my first rug hook with yarn. I can see where wool strips will be much more rewarding but its not too bad for my first go at rug hooking. I still have more sky to put in and the green hills. Once I get it all in I will need to go back and highlight around Kara's rooster a bit so that he stands out better. I think that maybe I should've used a lighter blue for the sky but it is what I had and this is still my first.

Well, I am not going to give up on the weather men yet but we all know that they are not in control.  I keep saying my prayers and hoping that the one that is in control is listening so keep your fingers and heart crossed, it will come out tomorrow.

Please????

Hugs to all of you and I hope that the sun will shine where you are.

Something to Remember

 " The truth of Gods love is not that he allows bad things to happen but that he will be there beside us when they do"

I need to remind myself of that each and everyday while our world and lives are in crisis. We need to be grateful that we are able to have the things we do, and wake up each and every morning as there is always someone worse off then we are.

Well here is the update on the Studio

This is as good as I can do with the room that I have to work with. I need to down size and eliminate those thing that I don't work with anymore but I know that the minute I do that I am going to need one of those things again. I have a huge amount of Water Colors that I have done that I just want to get rid of but just yesterday I was just inspired to use them as patterns for my punch needle and rug hooking. So you see if I would have tossed them I would have been so angry with myself for throwing them out. So unless I get a permanent studio separate from the house I am just going to have to accept the space I have. At least it is cleaner and I did throw away some old magazines and scraps of fabric and a few other items.

So now I guess that I am either going to have to get one of those small storage sheds that is water tight or I am going to have to just get rid of some of my not so important stuff. heheh Yea right !  !  !

I also found a wonderful inspriational picture drawn by a young lady named Kara. I have been given permission to reproduce it into one of my punchneedle or rug hooks.
The picture is  of a rooster and comes from  Vicki's blog called http://rustyroostervintage.blogspot.com/
This is the great rooster picture.
I think that children's paintings and pictures are a great source of inspiration for many forms of art work such as Cross Stitch, Needle Punch, Rug Hooking or even appliqué. Can't you just see a whole quilt done in farm animals or just a combination of children's drawings all put into one big quilt? 

Monday Monday, I love this day

Good Morning my blogging friends. I may be weird but I love Mondays. I guess because its like my Friday.
My Dear Sweet Hubby goes back to work. I have all my laundry done as I get that done early Sunday morning so that DSH clothes are ready for the week and the only thing I really have to do is vacuum from the weekend.

Then.... I get to get back to my creativity and studio. Now.... the studio is another story. It needs a lot of TLC and organizing again. I don't understand how it gets so disorganized so quickly. Hummmm there must be some gremlins running around up there. I am going to have to send in the trooper Phoebe to survey the situation and see what we can do to fix this chaos and turn it into serenity again.
I will update this as soon as we get it organized again.
Have a great Monday

 This poem is my feeling regarding the tsunami and how I was feeling but now I realize that even though the people of Japan feel abandoned they are never alone as are we never alone.

Footprints in the Sand

One night I dreamed I was walking along the beach with the Lord.

Many scenes from my life flashed across the sky.

In each scene I noticed footprints in the sand.

Sometimes there were two sets of footprints,

other times there were one set of footprints.

This bothered me because I noticed

that during the low periods of my life,

when I was suffering from

anguish, sorrow or defeat,

I could see only one set of footprints.

So I said to the Lord,

"You promised me Lord,

that if I followed you,

you would walk with me always.

But I have noticed that during

the most trying periods of my life

there have only been one

set of footprints in the sand.

Why, when I needed you most,

you have not been there for me?"

The Lord replied,

"The times when you have

seen only one set of footprints,

is when I carried you."

Mary Stevenson

Feeling Grateful

I want to begin with thanking all of those that commented on my last post. It has reminded me to be greatful for the things we have and not to complain as things and life in general can always be much worse somewhere else.
So I am very grateful for my family and my friends and that I do have a roof over my head and that life, no matter how difficult it may be at times could always be worse somewhere else. So I just want to say.
Thank You God for being there for us and watching over those less fortunate then me.
The spots on the picture are raindrops on the lens.
So my friends, what is happening in your neck of the woods. We are getting more rain and by the time that Summer arrives we should be well watered. I doubt that I will have to water all summer. Heheh
I can't wait to get out there and start clean up in my yard and garden. I have taken to just dipping my dogs feet in warm soapy water as they come in instead of just wiping them off as the mud has gotten a little heavier. Then I dry them off. Thank God I don't have a doggy door or my house would look as muddy as the yard. Heheh
I have been working diligently on my Punch needle work and I am looking forward to starting a new project of rug hooking. I think that is going to be a little more work intensive as I will have to be cutting loads of strips for hooking unless I can find a good source and not too expensive place to buy them.

I found a great web site that has given me renewed inspiration for my Water Colors

I used to teach water color and paint all the time but once I got into the beading of my gourds I lost interest in water color painting. This is one of my beaded gourds that I used to make a lot of but have sort of lost intrest in those too. Very time intensive and hard on the wrists and hands and  caused me to have to have two major hand surgeries to fuse bones and remove two bones from under the thumbs. I am hoping that my new projects will be easier on the hands.
On this website she uses her Water Colors as patterns for her punch needle and rug hooking so it can all work together http://rugsandpaintings.typepad.com/
 I can see a nice water color with a rug to match or pillow too.
Sounds like I have got my work cut out for me.

Phoebe and Wallace are feeling a little neglected as I am a fair weather walker and we haven't had many dry days so I may have to adorn the ole raincoat and just go for it. I am sure they won't mind. At least Phoebe doesn't. I think she is part dog fish. eheheh she loves playing in the rain.
So my friends, family and followers, I hope that you can all find something to be grateful for and if not then just be grateful to be alive. I am. I thank God every morning I wake up for giving me another day here in this wonderful place we call earth.
Until tomorrow TTFN

Tsunami and us

I awoke yesterday morning to the wall of water overtaking the Japanese coast line. My daughter called me from Florida as they are there for my granddaughter cheer leading competitions. She is one of San Antonios grand champions and they are going for the national championships.
She called to make sure we were okay and I didn't have a clue what she was talking about until I looked at the TV. Evidently the tsunami sirens had been going off since about 4:30 am but we are inland about 5 miles so we were out of harms way but we still have a slough that comes into the town from the coast line that the boats dry dock here. So if there were a serge here we would be effected. We were fortunate though and just 15 miles north in Depoe Bay they were hit with a relatively large serge that put a few boats right up onto the docks. Nothing compared to what those unfortunate souls are experiencing in Japan. My heart and prayers as I hope many of you are sending there way. I feel so helpless and my minor donation will hardly make a difference but it is all I can do.
I can't fathom the fear and horror that those people are experiencing and experienced when it hit. May our dear Lord hold them in his hands and help them through all of the rebuilding of their lives that is to come in the future and pray that there are no more tragedies for them to endure.
I am still in shock and having a difficult time coping just now as I felt when Our Twin Towers were hit. The difference is one was a chosen destruction by  man where this is a natural destruction from nature. Now here is where I am having the problem and there will be many comments this I am sure.
I am praying to God that he will watch over them but why did he let this happen at all?
If God created our world and our life then why did he allow this sort of destruction happen. I know that I am opening up a can of worms here but I am just writing what I am feeling. So please, I would love to hear your feelings and comments on this. I do believe in God even though I don't practice particular faith or religion. I say my prayers and I believe but I don't have all the answers as I am sure that there are few that do.
May you all be safe today and say a little prayer for those that are having difficult times and for all the lose of lives though these trying times.
Thank you all for taking time to read this. I hope that I haven't damppend your day by my comments today.

I have been neglecting My Primitive Nest

A dear friend brought it to my attention that I haven't posted here in several days. I guess I have just been so wrapped up in my Needle punch work that I have been neglecting my other friends and family.
Its funny how you can become so consumed in your hobbies or projects that you forget that there is another world out there that is still awaiting your return. I apologize for not taking time to share with you all.
I suppose its like having two houses, one is a summer home and one is a winter home. During the winter when we are stuck inside we tend to do more of our indoor hobbies such as sewing and stitching which is what I have been doing in my Winter home, http://punchdrunkneedelworks.blogspot.com.
I do promise to spend a lot more time here during the summer months when I am gardening and doing all the cooking and other goodies that I will be sharing here more in my Summer home, http://myprimitivenest.blogspot.com.
I will still be sharing my family life and everything other then my needle work here. My sewing projects will go here and all family happenings will go here.
So that being said, all is well at the Mackay Nest. Phoebe is still huge and sleeping on my lap like as if she were only 5 lbs where she is almost 20 times that. Yes, she is close to 100lbs now.  the funnies thing happen yesterday. You all know how obsessed she is with balls, well , she also has a toy known as a Kong. It is the only toy that has held up to many months of chewing and gnawing and has still remained in one piece. We couldn't find it anywhere. My husband and I and Phoebe were on all fours looking everywhere for it. For two days we looked for it. Well today I found it and you will never guess where so I am going to show you. Yes, in the washing machine. I suppose she decided it needed to be washed and it did get washed. I am surprised I didn't hear it when it was spinning. Much to her delight, she now has her clean Kong back in her mouth.
Wallace doesn't play with toys much anymore. I guess that is because Phoebe usually ends up taking them away from him because he lets her and she can. Some times there is a little bit of a scuffle but he is easy and usually gives in quickly. He loves his sister.
DSH is still working 6 days a week and much to his delight, Nascar is back on TV. I am not much of a Nascar fan but because he enjoys it so much I watch it with him and have my favorites now and can pretty much keep up with what is going on. It also allows us to do something together and he can relax on his only day off. I can sit and watch it with him but still be working on my stictiching at the same time.
Well, my dear friends I promise not to forget you for so long again.
Thanks Diane for reminding me what is important. Hugs my friends