Happy Heart

Hello friends! I just got back from a much-needed trip to northern Illinois to visit my parents, and it was the perfect reset. I always treasure time with my mom and second dad, and this visit was full of meaningful moments. My momma and I shared plenty of laughs while spending hours in her incredible gardens—we weeded, transplanted, planted seeds, tackled the veggie beds, and even spread out pea gravel. My second dad treated us to peaceful boat rides (grand dog included!) and we even started dreaming up our next big adventure—hopefully happening this November. As always, I painted a picture for my momma during the trip… this time, it was a squirrel. Scroll through the photos to catch a peek!

To everyone who’s reached out about the classes I’ll be teaching at the Threadworxs Fair in June 2026—thank you so much! I truly appreciate your interest and enthusiasm. I’ll be sharing an update tomorrow (Friday) that will answer some of the common questions I’ve received, so stay tuned. Thanks again for your patience and support—I’m really looking forward to both classes and can’t wait to share more with you soon!

For now, I will leave you with my favorite photos from my trip to Lake Summerset...enjoy!

Family Time

Greetings friends! I am headed off to northern Illinois for the rest of the week to visit my momma and second dad - I'll be off the grid until next week, enjoying good times with family...so, this is my short public service/housekeeping announcement....

While I am out of my office/studio, I will have very limited access to correspondence, so please be patient if you send me a message, comment, or inquiry that requires a response. All shippable items will be deactivated in my Etsy Shop. Shippable items (paper patterns/charts, project bags, Stitch Starter Rulers, etc.) will return on Monday, May 27th. All digital items will continue to be available. I will respond to all messages, comments and emails in the order received on May 28th. Thank you for your patience!

I'm sure I'll be back to blog soon, when I will have more fun and creative things to share with you! Have a wonderful week/weekend....
(Eye candy - a few photos from my flower beds.)

Relaxing and Celebrating in the Dominican

Hola family and friends! I have returned from the Dominican Republic feeling refreshed and recharged...so today I am going to interrupt the creativity posts with some favorite vacation photos. This trip had a special agenda - we were attending a wedding for one of my husband's best friends from high school. We were treated like royalty at the resort (Secrets Resort Cap Cana Resort & Spa) and had a lovely premium swim out suite with stylish Caribbean style décor. We sampled some wonderful foods, ate at most of the restaurants on the property and were spoiled by fresh tropical fruit daily! We spent quite a bit of time with friends (family) at the pool and the private beach and enjoyed fabulous meals and cocktails (and a wonderful coffee house!)...and also met some delightful people. The beach wedding was beautiful and the bride looked stunning. We also went on a private catamaran excursion with snorkeling at a coral reef and cocktail time/swimming at a sandbar. It was a fabulous trip - the islanders were warm and welcoming, the service was impeccable, the views were incredible and the food/drinks were tasty! This was our second trip to the DR and we would be happy to return...in fact, I could have stayed another week and enjoyed the pampering, sun, and sand...

Here is a selection of my favorite photos (as always, I took a gazillion images and narrowed it down to a grouping of favorites)...

Unfortunately, it's back to reality and business as usual in the studio (I'm already missing my toes in the sand and the resort pampering)...I'm busy working on some needlework finishing and project bags, along with model stitching/sewing and finishing up some new designs (hmmm - maybe I should work on one with a Caribbean theme). I have a fun Poppie Cotton Fabric Tour post scheduled for next week (think Halloween) and a new Therm O Web project tutorial that will be posted next Tuesday. Now that we are back, my website and Etsy shop are both open again...and I have responded to all correspondence, so if you contacted me while we were gone, you should have a message from me.

There will be more artistic things to share with you in the near future, so stop back soon!💙