Hi there friends,
      Popping back in with you to share some of my latest creations— and one, the painting above, about creating! I am wanting to make a concerted effort this year to celebrate dads more in my art, and this newest piece is all about a dad and his kids taking some time to create.
    In this painting called “Painting The Dala Horse,” a dad is putting the finishing touches on a traditional Swedish wooden horse as his kids watch early. They are settled in a cozy winter kitchen, woolly knits drying over the old wood stove, and a room devoted to fiber art visible just past the doorway.
   I have a soft spot for Swedish art and traditions, and thought it would be fun to make a painting that nods to this without being ‘Christmas art’ as I usually make….and also about a Dad getting creative with his kids. The original painting is now available in my etsy shop.
   Of course it was winter when I started the painting, and now we’ve got a spring world in bloom as its ready to share. No matter though, I hope that this is a piece that can be enjoyed all year round!

   And speaking of creating for enjoyment….

  I recently finished many stitching projects that I’ve been cuddled up with this winter, one of which was this little series of flowers from the book Zakka Embroidery by Yumiko Higuchi.  Her designs are sweet and whimsical and have a lovely mix of Japanese and Scandinavian aesthetic. I finished up these little yellow flowers on orange linen that used to be one of my painting aprons. Now its going to be a little zipper pouch to enjoy!

   And speaking of stitching, I am still very much enjoying cross stitch embroidery, and have ventured out into playing around with my own designs (you knew this would happen, I’ve always got to run off on my own with creating things…)

     These three little pin keep pillows are all my own little designs. The middle pillow was just a free-form playing around with different motifs I saw in various books, but the two Easter themed pillows (the one on the right and the one on the left) were both two I designed specifically with an embroidery software program that I purchased at Christmas time. Its fun to ‘draw’ these patterns and then see how they come out with needle and thread!

   After a bit of interest, I’ve decided that I will offer some PDF patterns of some of my favorite designs I come up with, and the first one I’ve gotten in my shop is the little “Easter 1851” pillow. You can purchase it now for instant download and make your own pillow pin keep, or use the design in any other stitching project you’d like to make.

    I personally like small projects that are simple to complete and are more ‘comfort stitching’ than a complicated work. If you also like a little stitching project that can be completed in a couple of sittings and can be used for seasonal decor (or a little bag, pocket, sewing roll, whatever you want to use it on!) this might be a project for you! I am all about the cozy projects.

   You can find the PDF instant download HERE in my shop. The pattern comes with the chart and instructions on how to age your fabric and make the pillow.

   Well, its a beautiful spring day here with the wind whipping through the peach blossoms. I’ve got the windows open in the studio, and its time to get a little work done.
  Hope all is well,
Take Joy!~
H