WHAT?!? Roses blooming in December?? This is CA, (Northern CA) sure....but the temperature when I did my morning 'forced march' was only 49 degrees. Yet when I was waiting as my car was getting washed I spotted these beauties......WOW, what a way to ring in 2025!
A family member took a deep dive into genealogy and managed to track down the Stori family crest. After sharing the info with my husband, he took the mantel and decided to have patches and metal placards made for close family members.
Last Christmas our DIL went one step further and commissioned a wood carver in Germany to recreate one for our son. She was so pleased with the result that she gifted one to 'the husband' for Christmas this year.
Have you investigated your family tree?? It was always assumed our surname Stori had been changed/shortened but apparently not.........its Norwegian heritage has remained the same for well over a century.
I learned a new Christmas party game from our son's MIL. It was a lot of fun for all ages of our family.
Various sizes and shapes of wrapped packages and one jar of candy canes were set out. On a prepared chart, we were to guess & document how many jingle bells were in each labeled package and how many candy canes were in the jar.
No prizes....just a lot of laughs!!
The stockings were hung over our son's fireplace at his vacation home in Truckee, CA when we arrived on Dec. 23rd for Christmas in the mountains. Chris pointed out ‘We still have yours’. WHAT???? Amazing!
When Chris moved to SF to work for McKinsey & Company Consulting in 2005, we flew out for Christmas bringing two Christmas stockings. My family didn't follow the 'stocking' tradition, therefore when it was suggested that we needed them to join DIL's family tradition....I made these.
Now after nearly 25 years and many moves on the part of our son....there they were!*! I had zero memory of their existence, but did recognize my work a car for 'the husband' and mine with needle & thread.
After a rocky beginning of our new CA lifestyle.....the reason is clear....family......Wishing all the best for you faithful followers...may 2025 bring you good health, happiness, and love.
2023 Christmas in Upper Crabtree Valley in NC sure looks different than Christmas this year in the ever growing Heritage Placer Vineyards in Sacramento Valley.......What a difference a year can make!
I just love the idea of taking time out of each day to document a great moment.
We found the weirdest items missing after our move......won't go into details because it doesn't make sense.....several things from the kitchen, some from garage, and a few from my sewing room. It makes no sense.
One being a $$ non-slip 12" sq. ruler. Upon pricing a replacement my jaw dropped. Instead I purchased a ruler set of 5 clear, easy to see markings for half the price of one replacement item. They were advertised as non-slip and I truly was not surprised that they weren't.
Ta-da......I did some research and purchased Odif Grippy spray from Amazon - $12.00. IT WORKED!!! I have enough to do older odd sized ruler that I don't use much but will appreciate not wasting fabric when I do use them. Apparently I've lost my ability to press down hard enough to stop them from moving as I cut.
I don't know how long lasting this will be or if it will wear off but for now I'm a believer! Thought I'd share this find......
Need last minute gifts?? I have 4 fabric 11" diameter bowls (use for catch all, fruit, pine cones, glass holiday ornaments etc.) And two larger 'focus' Asian themed art quilts. Holler for details if you are interested.
After living across the country, days away by car from family, our relocation has gained us the opportunity to see each other more often.
With a short non-stop flight to Eugene, OR this past week, I enjoyed an early Christmas with my brother, SIL and some of their offsprings.
Their home was decorated to perfection, making it such a festive time. Quilts I've made seemed to be in every room, including one of my well known whimsy embellished quilts....."Bacon & Eggs"..... (sorry for the bad lighting!)
Total bliss......
Every year I decide on one theme used to wrap Christmas gifts. This year I'm making gift bags, or large envelopes made with Christmas fabric. It's nice that they will be reusable. My sewing room is filled with ribbons, fabric, homemade gift cards....fun!
Newspaper comics (in the day they were available)
Solid red wrapping paper - the twist is using cellephane wrapped penny candy as ribbons/bows. Think candy buttons paper strips, licorice ropes, gum ball strings, etc.
News print paper (white unprinted - I used to buy ends at the local newspaper publishing office). White ribbons, laces, doilies etc. are featured as the ribbons.
Brown Kraft paper tied with brown twine.
White tissue paper (or doctor's exam table paper - rolls available at Amazon) and all ribbons, bows etc. are black and white.....stripes, polka dots, etc.
Hope this may give you some ideas for future use and more enjoyment to the wrapping task!
NEW WORK NOW AVAILABE.....Text if interested.
Artist ice-dyed silk noil, hand-dyed cottons & batiks. Fused and machine appliquéd floral motifs. Hand stitching, machine quilted, & faced edges with hanging sleeve attached.
It's a thrill to get photos of my work hanging in their new homes......tis the reason I make art quilts!!!
I've never been a Black Friday Shopper....in fact, except for antique primitive furniture searches, I don't care to shop.
However, 'Small Business Saturday' shopping is encouraged. Please consider visiting my online gallery shop using the links on this page. *** NOTE UPDATED BOWL PHOTO OF CURRENT INVENTORY - These fabric bowls are not shown in the gallery, but you can order one by contacting me. ($30 plus shipping) Use them to contain fresh fruit, like apples, oranges. Or as a catch all for your car keys, coins, sun glasses...instead of throwing them on your hard surface counter tops. Christmas ornaments, pine cones or evergreen branches would look lovely displayed in a bowl as well.
Happy Thanksgiving from CA, where we are still astonished to find ourselves living. We are saying our thanks for being able to live closer to our son/family....being close to the 'grands' is wonderful.
Our Turkey Day was yesterday.....today there will be lots of leftovers and lots of football....do I need to say it???
GO PACK GO!!! 💚🏈💛
For most of us, Thanksgiving week is all about family, friends, meal preparation, and the warm up to Christmas activities. Meaning, less studio time.
My goal this past weekend (besides watching our Packers trounce the 49ers) was to get a new art quilt started. The decision to feature roses had been made, next task was gathering the fabrics. For the background, a hunk of ice-dyed silk noil called me. Next, I did a deep dive into my hand-dyed greens & reds/pinks.
I try to keep my posts focused on art, but sometimes family happenings sneak in. THE reason for our move from NC to CA was to be closer to family. This week I had the opportunity to attend Grandparents Day at our grandsons' school. We have a 3rd grader and 7th grader at The San Francisco School. It was Wonderfull being there along with their other grandparents (The Hayashi's) who I adore.
The making of a T-shirt quilt at Heritage Placer Vineyards for a couple who recently lost their adult daughter continued this past week.
The pictures don't really indicate the overwhelming enthusiasm of the quilters who have banded together for this project, be assured it was there! As we approach Thanksgiving, it's a reminder to be thankful for the good things in life
