The Lacey Thread

Snowmageddon, 2012

2012-01-21T10:34:00.000-08:00

From beauty.....

to devastation in a few short hours:

We had a very bad ice storm the day after our huge snow storm that the weather forecasters did not see coming and so we had no warning to prepare. We were without power for 48 hours, trying to stay warm with our little fireplace meant for ambiance and not survival heat. After a day and a half, my parents house had power so we spent the night there. I was so thankful to get warm! It got down to 51 degrees inside the house before the power was restored early this morning! What an ordeal. What a devastating mess to clean up!

The Big Snow!

2012-01-18T11:57:00.000-08:00

We rarely get snow here in the Pacific Northwest at the bottom end of Puget Sound. It is even more rare to get a huge dump all in one day...I measured over 12 inches on our patio this morning, all from last night. So thankful that work declared a snow day and I get to stay home to enjoy it. I made homemade muffins for breakfast, and John and I are sitting in a very quiet house in front of the fire, enjoying our third cup of coffee. What a pleasure to be forced to stop and rest!

I'm going to work on the layout for a new design leaflet this afternoon, hoping to get it finished and emailed to the printer by tonight! This design is called Spring Roses, a sweet little hardanger doily accented with pink and yellow flowers!


Spring Roses, Lacey Thread Designs

My Perfect Day...(next to being on the beach in Hawaii!)

2012-01-15T10:14:00.000-08:00

Snow outside my window!

A hot latte and my favorite chocolate!

Scented Candles burning!

A cozy fire in the fireplace!

A new design to stitch!

In short, a day like today!! Happy weekend everyone!

Hey! I remember these!

2012-01-14T21:51:00.000-08:00

This morning I was cleaning up an extra room in my parents house, and ran across these two pieces in a drawer! My very, very first attempt at counted cross stitch, stitched when I was in college....ummm, let's see, 38 years ago!!!

What is even more amazing to me is that at the time, there was really very little counted cross stitch available, no patterns, no beautiful even weave or Aida fabric...nada...nothing. I had found this yellow "towel" at a dime store sort of place, and since I could actually see the weave, decided to take it home. I found a needlepoint design in a catalog and painstakingly transferred it square by square onto graph paper, then chose some embroidery floss and started stitching what I had so tediously counted and graphed. It was a lot of work for a couple of little designs, but from that point on I was hooked on counted cross stitch. I then found some hardanger fabric at a needlepoint store and began doing cross stitch on the hardanger fabric. It was nearly three years later before I discovered Aida fabric and counted cross stitch patterns...that was an exciting day, let me tell you!

2012-01-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

I love it when something that is "meant just for me" happens to land in my lap, unsought and unbidden. Today I ran into Michael's craft store to grab a ball of DMC Perle cotton, and I decide on a whim to quickly peruse the 75% off Christmas items aisle. Less than 2 feet into the aisle I look down, and there is this book:

cozily sharing a shelf with mismatched Christmas whatnot's! I picked it up, thinking, "Wow, this is out of place". My next thought after flipping quickly through it was "Wow, I am going to take this home!" I started reading it this evening, jumping around and perusing the parts that looked interesting. While most of the tips I am already familiar with, the author shares her favorite blogs, podcasts and handmade item businesses that will be a valuable resource. My only regret, I could have gotten it for $5 less on Amazon!

John and I spent Labor Day weekend at the cabin and drove up to Mt. Baker one gorgeous afternoon. There was still 17 feet of snow left on the upper road from last winter, so we were unable to drive clear to the top parking lot to enjoy a view of Mt. Baker, but Mt. Shuksan was out in all it's glory. Did you know that this is most photographed mountain in the world? Isn't it absolutely incredible? I love living in the Pacific Northwest!

2012-01-08T15:02:00.000-08:00

I sort of had it in my mind to create a post everyday this month. I am thankful I didn't publish such a notion, for today I would surely be eating crow...life certainly gets in the way of my best laid plans occasionally. Dad is doing better, and we hope to have him home this week, the sooner the better if you ask any of us. It's been a rough 10 days all around. I spent a couple of nights keeping Mom company earlier this weekend, and managed to get a good start on a promotional design for a large needlework retreat that I design for every year. I am excited about how it is turning out, it is the fourth annual needle book design in the series!

I take my own needlework retreat, alone, at least once every year and get away for a few days to work on my designs and the "business" end of Lacey Thread Designs. This last August, right after Amy and Chad's wedding, I traveled up to my parent's cabin near the Canadian border and spent four lovely days stitching and working and walking and enjoying nature.

It is always so gorgeous up at the cabin in the summer, I sure wish we lived closer to be able to get up there more often! I always get so much accomplished when I am away from the demands of "home", and the knowledge I have gotten so much done is very refreshing.

When I was in sixth grade and just turning 12 years old, my class spent a day "in the woods" learning "conservation", basically plant and tree identification. At the end of our trip we were given a Ponderosa Pine seedling to take home, and mine was ultimately planted at the cabin....here it is 45 years later, huge and finally flourishing. It was a bit crowded when it was "young" by the other fir trees surrounding it, but now that it is as tall or taller than the firs it is finally looking majestic. I love my tree, and I go have a visit with it every time I make it up there!

A Very Special Day!

2012-01-05T17:46:00.000-08:00

On July 30th, our oldest daughter, Amy Sue, married Chad Manley at a sunset ceremony by the bay. It was such a gorgeous location (Pioneer Orchard Park in Steilacoom) on a gorgeous day, and everything was perfect! Here are some of the best pictures:

Alana and Gracie


Alana and Gracie

The new Mr. and Mrs. Manley

Exchanging Rings. My husband John officiated the ceremony.

Unity Sand part of the ceremony. The girls had their own little vial of sand to add.

Alana and Gracie walking their Mom Amy down the aisle.

Sisters. Alizabeth, Amy Sue and Allison

Alana in a sweet moment, unaware of the camera.


Chad and Amy Sue, July 30, 2011.

Role Reversals

2012-01-04T20:39:00.000-08:00

My family has had a difficult week. My father, who will be 88 in two months "had a spell" last Thursday, and ended up in the hospital for 5 days. Over New Years. (Did we have a News Years this year???) On Monday we had him moved to a wonderful rehab facility in Lacey, and he is recovering pretty well. . We have a "care conference" with all the key people at the rehab center tomorrow afternoon, hoping to come up with a plan for Dad's care and desired release to go home. This is new territory for all of us, prayers and good thoughts are appreciated. Also, any wisdom would be greatly appreciated!

On a lighter note, we adopted a new kitten last July. I swear, this cat thinks it is a dog most days...never seen a cat act like he does...running through the house at 50 miles per hour, round and round, losing his footing on the slick floor and smashing headlong into the cupboards and furniture. He is a true klutz in every sense of the word! When we first brought him home, we would growl at us if we got too close to his food, and he would neglect his own food bowl to hungrily devour our older cat's food. John has been working with him for the past month or so, and has taught him to "sit" and "stay" with the food bowl in front of him, and he actually now will wait for the signal to go to his bowl to start eating!!! I have never ever seen a cat be able to do that!!! Our ankles are fair game for "pounce on the mouse" and he loves to bite our toes through the covers while we sleep. But he has the softest silkiest fur of any cat we have ever had...what a pleasure to have him fall asleep in our lap! Kolo certainly keeps us entertained!

Happy Birthday to You!

2012-01-03T18:12:00.000-08:00

We celebrated my grandson's third birthday a couple of weeks ago, here's a short video of his birthday song. I love the way he starts singing along!!!! I love you Silas!

Christmas Crack

2012-01-02T18:40:00.000-08:00

About a month ago a friend of mine in Croatia posted a recipe called Christmas Crack that sounded really good and easy to make. For some reason this year, I was in the mood to make Christmas cookies, so I decided to try it out. Oh My Gosh! IT WAS FANTASTIC! We could not stop eating it. Lizzie brought over some friends that night and they were gushing over how good it was. By the next morning it was ALL GONE!! I ended up making 5 batches of the stuff in about 10 days! Even my nephew was asking for the recipe.

So even though Christmas is over, I thought you all might enjoy having this recipe anyway. In doing a little research on the internet, it seems the "real name" is Terribly Terrific Toffee, but it is called Christmas "Crack" for three reasons:

1. It's made with Saltine Crackers.
2. You "crack" pieces off of the larger piece.
3. Literally, it is hard to stop eating, as in the crack you can't get enough of.

So here it is, the recipe for Christmas Crack. It is certainly not "my" recipe, I claim no credit for it...Oh, and I used dark chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate.

TerriblyTerrific Toffee (Christmas Crack)
1 cup unsalted butter (no margarine allowed)
1 cup brown sugar
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
40 saltine crackers

Preheat oven to 350ºF. Line jelly roll pan or cookie sheet with foil (make sureit is a pan with sides) and spray with non-stick spray. Lay a flat layer ofcrackers out on the foil. Melt the sugar and butter until a boil is reached.Reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 5-6 minutes or until mixture isthickened and sugar is completely dissolved. Pour this mixture over thecrackers and spread to coat evenly. Bake for 5-8 minutes, or until the toffeebecomes bubbly. After removing the pan from the oven, let it sit for 3-5minutes. Sprinkle on the chocolate chips, let them soften and melt, and thenspread them into an even layer. (Youcan add nuts, cracker crumbs, or whatever else at this point.) Let cool and, if desired refrigerate until hardened. Break into piecesthe size of your choice.

Putting thoughts into action.

2012-01-01T16:40:00.000-08:00

One of my unspoken, secret, resolutions this new year is to get back to blogging. I have finally reached the point of saturation and overload with Facebook. While I love being able to keep up with far away friends and family, I am weary of wading through game postings, scam postings and "pass it on" postings from multitudes of people, just to find the "gems" that are really important to me. Like the updates from a dear friend with Stage Four cancer, updates from friends and relatives that are struggling with health issues, people I love and care for dearly...just knowing what they are thinking. I am not sure how I am going to deal with the fluff yet without totally casting off these friends...but my first step is to begin blogging again, and not fill up other people's walls with my own unwanted fluff. My blog will not get as much traffic I know, but the people I care most about know where to find me. I am also finding I am losing a vital part of myself by trying to share my life in only a sentence or two, when I need to be really talking in paragraphs! I don't know how to describe this vital part other than as "depth". I found myself growing shallower, and I don't like it. So here is my first day in a new year striving to walk out this blog revival.

I have a years worth of events and ideas to talk about in depth, and while it may seem stale and belated to talk about the old news, don't be surprised if I visit these things, just to get them down and remembered.

My grandchildren, Alana (left) age 6, Gracie (center) age 4, Silas (right) age 3, just before opening presents at our house on Christmas Eve, 2011.

We celebrated Christmas with our kids and grandkids on Saturday morning, Christmas Eve this year, as it was the girl's year to spend Christmas with their dad. We had such a a sweet and wonderful time having breakfast, visiting and opening gifts. The weather was amazingly warm that day, so about noon John and I ventured out and took a leisurely walk around the neighborhood, then spent the remainder of the day watching Christmas movies on TV. In the early afternoon on Christmas Day we gathered at Mom and Dad's house for Christmas dinner. It was a good weekend, peaceful and fun!

Announcing a New Design!

2011-07-23T18:00:00.001-07:00

Announcing the release of English Garden, in honor of a very special royal wedding! Stitched on Summer Khaki Cashel with Gloriana silk floss, Mill Hill beads and two kinds of special Heart beads, this box top and needle pocket will cheer up your summer stitching!

You can check out all of Lacey Thread's Designs at our website:
LaceyThread

A milestone day for our daughter!

2011-06-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

Allison Christine Dunton Phillips, Bachelor of Science

There was no pomp and circumstance, they didn't walk in orderly rows, some wore costumes and others wore cap and gowns, they danced to their seats and cheered all their hard work, it was sit on the grass and eat cookies and hot dogs, but they did not lack for enthusiasm and families that are proud! Congratulations to all the graduates of the Evergreen State College! We are so proud of you Allison!

Alli's son, Silas, trying to see Mommy walking with the rest of graduates!

Proud Mom and Dad!

And here is a little bragging about Allison! She is not only graduated with her Bachelors of Science, which she accomplished with a two year old child and a hubby; she also took her ACS the other day, which is like the SAT for science to get into grad school, and she scored in the top 95% for the nation! WITHOUT EVEN STUDYING!!!!! Way to go Alli!

Allison and hubby Christopher

Sisters! Amy Sue, Allison and Alizabeth.

A restful day!

2011-05-14T22:23:00.001-07:00

This morning we woke up to fair skies and warm weather...it was so beautiful outside! I spent some time puttering around on the patio, sprucing up the flowers and sweeping, and after a couple of errands I came home and sat in the sun and stitched for a couple of hours! I then went and had my nails done, and by the time I got home, it was pouring down rain, thunder and lightening! So I lit a fire and a candle, turned on some quiet music and sat down to play with my new beads!!

I have been wanting to have all the Mill Hill beads for my designing, and I scored a great find on Ebay! .5 gram bags of each and every color of Mill Hill for $35. I was so happy! The .5 gram bags are not enough beads to stitch a whole project, but I can at least see all the colors available in hand now and know which beads to order for a project! I had a lot of fun sorting by number and then by color...

Last week on Mother's Day we had most of the family over here to our house for dinner, and had a really fun time. We were able to take some pictures of "us girls", thanks to the beginning photography skills of Alana, age 5. She did pretty well for her first time, though we are a little off center! LOL!

From left to right is me, daughter Allison, sister Karen, daughter Amy Sue

and granddaughter Gracie down in front.

And of course, granddaughters Alana (left) and Gracie.

I did the smocking on both of their dresses, actually the purple dress I made for Amy Sue 25 years ago when she was Alana's age! It is so fun to see two generations wear the same dress!

Finally, the time has arrived!

2011-04-30T21:47:00.000-07:00

I have been waiting for this impatiently since December 10th! I could hardly wait to get my tools out and get my hands dirty, and it just kept raining, and raining, and raining! Finally, this week, spring has decided to take up residence in the Pacific Northwest and I was able to do what I have been longing for since we bought this house! Transform the patio and flower beds from ugly and overgrown to beautiful and restful.

The picture of the patio before I began working!

I have always wanted to do a color coordinated flower garden, and this seemed like the perfect opportunity. Friday afternoon I hit the garden departments of Home Depot and Lowe's and began making my choices! I was so excited to bring home a car load of pink, purple and white flowers!

Here is the result of my efforts...I love how it is looking, and in a few weeks when the plants have grown some it is going to be spectacular!

I am looking forward to spending many, many happy hours on the patio this summer!

Musings....

2011-04-22T21:17:00.000-07:00

I get so wrapped up in Facebook. Addicted really. I find I use it as my primary means of communication, even with family. I rarely send emails anymore. Phone calls are even rarer. Personal messages on Facebook are so easy and no switching between programs!

I have found that I sometimes forget, totally, that I even have a blog. Until I run across something like this at the local Joannes store:
A beautiful (and expensive) 150 page "magazine" (I would call it a book actually) highlighting beautiful and artsy blogs. Of course, I snatched it up and brought it home...for inspiration I told myself. In actuality, it left me feeling woefully inadequate and un-artistic! Upon careful reading, it seems as if most of the featured bloggers don't do much with their lives except take beautiful pictures with expensive cameras and then write about them on their blogs. Yeah, I'm complaining, mainly because I am insanely jealous that I can't do the same.

What I need is a magazine that can inspire people who have an actual 8 to 5 job, plus are running their own small business, plus are raising children and managing a household. Now that is a magazine I would love to see! I love taking beautiful pictures, and I do have some really good ones. But I don't have the time to fiddle with Photoshop getting those pictures even better. Maybe in my next life called retirement???

Anyway, we have just returned from a long overdue vacation in paradise! We spent a week at our timeshare on Kahana beach on Maui...very soothing for my soul...here are a few of the best pictures from this trip. Hope you enjoy them. And I really have made a resolution to blog more! Promise!

Favorite Things

2011-01-24T16:48:00.001-08:00

One of the things I enjoy most in starting a new design is pulling fabric, threads and beads in the palette I have envisioned. I did that yesterday for a my next adventure...aren't these threads gorgeous? Gloriana Threads has released a new line of silk threads using hand dyed Soie d'Alger that is called "Florimel". They don't have all the colors of their other silk threads yet, so I am using both in this design. This newest design is tentatively called "Beyond the Garden Gate" . I'm looking forward to some great stitching in the next few weeks!

Pictures and some grandma bragging!

2011-01-23T21:41:00.000-08:00

We had pictures taken of the grand kids, just want to show them off a little.

Alana is 5, Gracie is 3 and Silas is 2.

This picture is Gracie wearing the heirloom dress that her mother, sisters and aunties also wore!

Whew, I think I am tired!

2011-01-09T15:15:00.000-08:00

Oh my, what a whirlwind the last six weeks have been! Today I can finally sit down with my cup of peppermint cocoa and catch everyone up with my world! So here goes!

On December 9th we had a meeting at the Title Company, where we signed the closing documents on our house that we SOLD!! And immediately signed the closing documents on the house we BOUGHT!! What a huge relief and accomplishment to come to that point! We took possession of our new home the next day at 5 PM and immediately starting moving in! We were excited, can you tell? We needed to buy some things for the house, like window coverings, washer and dryer and new living room furniture. And with having to prepare for Christmas, it took us nearly 2 1/2 weeks to get everything moved over and another 2 weeks to finish unpacking! But last night, I hung the last picture and organized the last drawer, and I can finally rejoice in having my home finished! We love our home and new neighborhood and we are so thankful to be here!

Here is a quick little picture tour of our new home:

Our Master Bedroom

The living room and dining behind.

Dining Room

The Kitchen, with all new stainless steel appliances! There is full pantry next to the refrigerator.

Coming up the stairs to the second floor. Lizzie's room in the center, bathroom is on the right.
And, the room I am most excited about, a studio for Lacey Thread Designs!

A good sized work table to spread out on!
And plenty of room for storage AND display!
Storage in the closet in the studio!

I have been longing for studio for quite some time, so this is really a huge blessing and treat to be able to have the space just for designing and stitching!

I am working on a pattern for the Nordic Needle retreat this spring, and then plan on getting the companion piece to Blossoms and Lace charted and printed!

Alana, 5; Gracie, 3; Silas, 2

Christmas was fun this year, Silas was finally old enough to understand presents, and the grand-kids all had such a good time. I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season, and Happy New Year to you all!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2010-11-25T10:30:00.000-08:00

The pies and salad are made, and the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade is on the television. We are savoring our second cup of coffee and a helping of Apple Cobbler before we head over to my parents house to join most of the rest of the family (17 of us this year) for dinner about 1:00. We have much to be thankful for this year, and I am glad to be able to spend the day celebrating that fact!

We had a harrowing time with snow and ice this week. My office was closed Tuesday and Wednesday morning, and school was closed for the kids on Tuesday and Wednesday, so we were able to safely stay warm and cozy without having to worry about driving the treacherous streets. I spent most of my day off deep cleaning the apartment, like scouring the drip pans, and dusting every little corner. It feels good to have the house spotless for the long weekend, and I can just stitch and watch movies to my heart's content. It is still cold this morning, just one degree above freezing, but the weatherman is promising it will warm up and rain later today.

Granddaughters Alana and Gracie both had birthdays last week, so we had three different parties for them, one family dinner at their favorite restaurant on their respective birthday, and then a big party for all their friends at Chuck E Cheese. Lots of fun and laughter!

Alana, Grandson Silas and Gracie enjoying the rides at Chuck E Cheese.

I hope that all of you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

New Design Released!

2010-11-07T18:34:00.000-08:00

I am so pleased to announce the release of "Blossoms and Lace"! These delicate and lacey stitching accessories are stitched on Platinum Cashel Linen, and uses Gloriana silk floss, Delica beads and pearls, combining elegant hardanger with sweet flowers! When the needle pocket hardanger edges open, you will find a very precious and secret place to slip in your needles or thread. The leaflet has complete directions for stitching and constructing the needle pocket, biscornu and scissor fob. All pearls, beads and charms are included with each leaflet.

A Rare Weekend Away

2010-09-12T19:28:00.000-07:00

John actually had a Saturday and Sunday off this weekend, so we took advantage of that and headed up to the cabin for the weekend. It was so nice to get away as a family, as it has been over a year since we have been able to do that. Saturday was a nice warm day, and at the Lizzie's request, we drove up to Blaine, WA, to visit the Peace Arch Park.

The gardens were so beautiful and the white arch was gorgeous against the blue sky.

Zoe and Lizzie were quite excited to be "IN" Canada, and sat for a long time on the Canadian side of the arch talking and texting to their friends back home.

Lizzie's phone actually went into the roaming mode, even though they were literally only 10 feet away from the border! We then drove down to Birch Bay State Park and spent some time on the beach.

I remembered on our back to Bellingham that there was a Sonic Drive In in Ferndale, so of course we had to stop and have lunch!

It was a great weekend, I even managed to get a little bit of work done on the newest leaflet, which will be called Blossoms and Lace. I hope I can get it wrapped up this week and off to the printer by next week.

So, it's back to the daily grind tomorrow. The girls are trying to settle into school, and only have one class together, French. I am hoping that having them both in French will be a good excuse for me to brush up my very rusty French as well!

(For those who don't know, we have a new Daughter-in-Love, Zoe, who will be living with us the next year or three, and attending school with Lizzie. It's been a change having two teens in the house, but it is going well!)

Gorgeous afternoon in Washington

2010-08-22T19:17:00.000-07:00

We spent the afternoon in DuPont, looking again at houses. We keep coming back to the same one, especially now that the price has been reduced $15,000. It will be interesting to see if it is still available when we actually have the go ahead to make an offer. (We are still waiting on the buyer's loan for our old house to get to the point where we can safely assume it will close) It was such a beautiful afternoon, there was a historical gathering/demonstration at the old Ft Nisqually site..what a surprise it was to find a booth for the Embroiderer's Guild of America...I think I may get involved as there is a small subgroup that meets in Tacoma, and the regular meetings near Seattle are actually on Saturday mornings! They also told me that there is a group that specializes in hardanger embroidery! Then John and I hiked the 3 mile round trip down to the DuPont Beach...what an incredibly beautiful hike and it was fairly smooth and easy...it was so nice to have a day off with my hubby, the first one in about a month.