HAPPY 4TH OF JULY

CELEBRATING OUR COUNTRY!!!

"UNITED WE STAND" 44" x 28" - available for purchase with certified appraisal

 - contact me

Detail - intricate beaded edging treatment

MEMORIAL DAY 2019

"This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave." Elmer Davis - Director of the U.S. Office of War Information during World War II.

Whether your tribute is big or small.....take time to remember the fallen.

MERRY CHRISTMAS

MERRY CHRISTMAS........ Thank you for following my fiber adventures. Have a safe and wonderful holiday.  I'll see you soon again in 2019!

HAPPY 4TH OF JULY!!!

The booms and flashes in sky this evening remind us how we Americans still love and wish to celebrate this country! 

UNITED WE STAND   44" X 28"

This piece was created for one of my books to showcase my beaded netting technique for quilt bindings.  The quilt is available at www.marystorishop.blogspot.com

Embellished edge detail

A DAY TO REMEMBER

Please take time today to give thanks to our veterans and their families.  Memorial Day is reserved for those who can't return a smile or a salute, not to mention the families and friends who have been left behind.  Fly your American flags at half-staff until noon on Monday. 

UNITED WE STAND!

GOODBYE 2015 - HELLO 2016

Many bloggers write thoughtful posts reflecting upon their activities, accomplishments, and ups and downs of the departing year. It's fun to read their memories.  However, I'm more of a 'look forward' kinda gal......so you won't be seeing any of that here.  

Instead, let me take this time to thank all of you for allowing my world to evade your space!  I'm so grateful for your visits and comments.  The connections with new and old friends have meant a lot. Please always feel free to jump in and chat.

Let's look forward to a new year filled with creativity, good health and happiness.

EQUIPMENT FAILURE

Oh dear......my friends have had to listen to me rant for the last several weeks as one darn piece of equipment after another has failed....combined with horrible customer service!

Besides the ordeal I went through to get a new sewing machine, in an effort to get the Packer games every week....we  were ready to give up DISH, who we've been with for 25 years.  I don't want to get started here...... but I can say I'll never deal with DIRECT TV EVER (realizing that the customer experience can be severely impacted by local providers....ours stints)!! This drama played out for well over a week, leaving us w/o any service at all!!  

Our hot water heater broke.....despite calling 5 plumbers - 2 of which advertised 24-7 emergency service.....only 1 returned our call 2 days later (not the emergency one either)!  

My Keurig stopped working.....and now my iron stopped heating....spuing water everywhere......what on earth does one do without a working iron?!?  

It's time for a big fat, calorie filled cookie!!!

MEMORIAL DAY 2015

PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO REMEMBER THIS IS MORE THAN A 3 DAY WEEKEND!!

ALL GAVE SOME, SOME GAVE ALL.

NEVER FORGET FREEDOM ISN'T FREE!

CHRISTMAS GREETINGS/BLOG ANNIVERSARY

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE.......

With astonishment, I realized that my first blog post was Christmas Day 2007.  While visiting our son in CA, his (now) SIL helped me set up my blog that day while the rest of the family was either preparing our feast or watching football!

It began as a means to keep in touch with students and became a helpful method of documenting my work as well.  My posts have remained fairly constant, about 20 per month, with a total approaching 1,900.

Now that my travel teaching retirement has arrived, I expect to continue blogging....perhaps not as frequently??  Hard to say right now.  But I wanted to take a moment to thank you....faithful readers for giving me a reason to write!

I'll be hanging out a lot more now in my home studio located in the beautiful Crabtree mountain valley community in Western North Carolina.  My goals have changed since 2007, focusing now on creating fiber art to sell.  I'm sure it will be as rewarding as the previous 25+ years.

May the season bring you peace, joy, hope and happiness. 

  

CHRISTMAS DAY 2013

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!!!

HAPPY EASTER

Happy Easter everyone......

There weren't any Easter baskets in this household today.....however we have a very thoughtful neighbor who presented these yummy treats to us.  BUT WAIT....they aren't people food....nope....instead these are doggie treats!

Here's our Sooty with her Easter beggin' face!

 Here's Sooty nearly removing fingers as she enthusiastically gobbles one.

Here's Sooty trying to vacuum up every tidbit.

......and here's Nali, our son's black lab on Easter day 2004.  She's the reason 'the husband' has coveted a lab for years and years.  We often 'dog sat' Nali and had fun doing 'art theraphy' with her as she 'finger painted sheets of blank paper in our basement...which were ultimately framed!!  Among many other notable activities, we also took her to a paint your own pottery shop where she imprinted her paws on coffee cups.  In this photo, she had fun finding Easter eggs filled with dog treats!  

Hope you and yours are enjoying and treasuring this day as well.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Merry Christmas......and may all good things come your way in the New Year.

Fiber (and perhaps beads, grinning) are the threads that binds us. It's been an honor and a pleasure to be joined by all of you this past year, many of whom I  know personally, others I hope to meet in person someday. 

Goose Feather Christmas Tree   
16.5" x 20.5  © 2000  -  by Mary Stori 

Inspired by an authentic one my Grandmother displayed every Christmas.  Published in "The Stori of Beaded Embellishment", by That Patchwork Place, 2001.

Cotton background, Ultra-suede trunk and branches, embellished with beads, charms, and yes...unbelievably brass fishing lures!

TURKEY DAY REVIEW

So......did all the Thanksgiving Day goodies require you to unsnap your waistband last night??  Good thing this food fest is only once a year.....though we ought to remember to be thankful every day!

 Here's our prep. center....... peanut oil and a Butterball turkey deep fryer.

 'The husband' likes to brine the turkey for about 24 hrs. ahead of time.

 About an hour before frying the turkey.....it's removed from the refrigerator, the brine drained, turkey patted dry and placed in it's frying basket.

 After a mere 50 mins. in the deep fryer for our 12 pound turkey......ta da....it's done.  Seriously, for those of you that never experienced this culinary delight....I can positively guarantee it IS NOT GREASY.  Hard to believe but true.  

Of course we will be eating turkey & all the trimmings for the next two weeks to come since there were only the two of us yesterday......but no one is complaining.

Dessert anyone???  No....we didn't have Twinkies...but I have to admit 'the husband' would eat a cow pie if it was frosted with chocolate.  Though, I would eat a cow pie if it was covered with cheese and someone told me it was a pizza.

Actually, we've never seen Hostess products in this part of the country (although to be honest.....we really never shopped for them....haven't touched such stuff in probably 25 years...hummmm maybe that's why they are going out of business?!?)  BUT...of course when you think you can't get it anymore....you want it.  

Perhaps I shouldn't admit this......but after not being able to find Hostess goodies in our stores, (they only carry Little Debbie products), 'the husband' went to his favorite shopping source..... AMAZON!!  I know, I know....ridiculous.....but that doesn't mean I didn't eat one!!!

CELEBRATE!!!

Summer can be such a busy time of the year.....like most Americans, celebrating the 4th of July is a tradition filled with good food, family & friends, and of course fireworks.

We are hoping our rescue dog, Sooty (who by the way has turned the corner and has become so well behaved, except on the leash, we think we might have brought a different dog home from the pet boarding facility two weeks ago!!)  Anyway, we hope the noise that is usually associated with the celebration, doesn't freak her out!

United We Stand

44" x 28"

Available for purchase here (about halfway down the page)

The edging treatment makes this quilt too difficult to travel with when I teach so it needs a new home where it can be enjoyed!

 P.S. - the Fiber Junkies will be celebrating in our own way at the end of this week....we are off for a 3 day non-stop marbling fabric getaway.  Member Judy Simmons wrote a book on the subject and will be leading us through this time consuming but so worth it process.  Can't wait to show you what we've done.....  Will take lots of photos and share when I get back.

MEMORIAL DAY 2012

And I'm proud to be an American, where at least I know I'm free, and I won't forget the men who died, who gave that right to me and I'll proudly stand next to him to defend her still today, 'cuz there ain't no doubt I love this land, god bless the USA. - Lee Greenwood

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE.....FROM OUR HOUSE TO YOURS.......

......and a special thank you all for keeping me company as I babble away on this blog.  Tomorrow will begin my 5th year as a blogger....oh my.....did I really have that much to say?  I guess so......and it's been fun sharing it with you!

SANTA WEARS GREEN!

Today is such an appropriate day for this post.......why??  Well if you are a football fan you know why.....the Pack is back (though for some of us....the Pack is always alive and well, no matter what their record is.) Today all us Cheesehead/Packer backers will hold their collective breathe as the Packers try for a 14-0 record.

SANTA CAME EARLY TO THE STORI HOUSEHOLD......AND HE TOO WEARS GREEN.  We give thanks to our very, very thoughtful kids for such a perfect Christmas gift!.

 So, we get this UPS envelope.......

 .......Looking all legal and official......

......and behold.........what do we see......why, it's a GREEN BAY PACKER STOCK SHARE.  We are now official owners of the Packers!!!!


The Green Bay Packers, Inc. has been a been a publicly owned, nonprofit corporation since Aug. 18, 1923.  A total of 4,750,937 shares is owned by 112,158 stockholders, none of whom receives any dividend on the initial investment.  In fact, in this 5th (ever) round of stock sales more than 1K of stock was sold in 11 minutes. It's THE ONLY publicly owned NFL franchise in the country and that will assure the Packer will always remain in Green Bay, hopefully playing on real turf in an open air stadium (where football should be played)!!


Of course it's a glorified, yet treasured, piece of memorabilia since it can't be sold or traded. So what....we are OWNERS!!!  However, it does entitle the holder to purchase special "owner" items from the Packer Pro Shop, attend the annual stock holders meeting, AND purchase an "owners" Super Bowl Ring......just another reason to cheer on the Pack!  2011 Super Bowl Champs, I like the 'ring' of that!


GOOOOOOOooooooo PACK!!!

GOBBLE GOBBLE

HAPPY TURKEY DAY TO ALL......(a day early)   We have VERY special guests arriving tonight so I suspect I'll be taking a break from blogging tomorrow.

I'm thankful for my loving family and dear friends....for our happy and healthy life....and for the sacrifice of those serving our great country.

I don't have to remind everyone what they should be doing tomorrow at 12:30 EST do I???  Packer Nation will be collectively holding their breathe as the Green Bay Packers face the Detroit Lions. Our flag would be hanging even today if it wasn't for the monsoon we are having here in the mountains...but it ain't snow so I'm not complaining.

However, I suspect other two legged creatures will not be having a very good day tomorrow......chuckle....

CHRISTMAS IN NASHVILLE

With the 'perfect child' & 'perfect DIL' living across the country.....we enjoy spending Christmas in Nashville when we can't be with them.

The Gaylord Opryland Hotel provides a very festive feel for those of us (like me) whose enthusiasm for Christmas decorating wanes when we don't have company. If you aren't familiar with this massive hotel.....all under one roof.....click on the link provided and explore this incredible place.

Around every corner you'll find waterfalls, walkways surrounded by tropical plants, restaurants, shops, entertainment, and even a man made river with its our tour boat.

Beautiful!

****MOUNTAIN WEATHER UPDATE........IT CONTINUES TO SNOW, AND SNOW, AND SNOW.....WE HAVE AT LEAST 15" ON THE GROUND AND 6 MORE ARE PREDICTED. ON THE POSITIVE SIDE....IT'S BEAUTIFUL!!!

GOBBLE GOBBLE

Happy Turkey Day everyone! I'm thankful for so many things....among them...YOU my faithful readers who give me a reason to continue blogging!

On this crisp early morning in the mountains, I paused to take in this view of the fog down our valley. We are crystal clear up at our elevation.....but it will be a thick as soup down below until the sun burns it off.

We will be enjoying deep fried turkey again this Thanksgiving.....and happily I don't have to make it. However, 'the husband' has been whimpering about getting a fryer for ourselves.....and when he gets an idea in his head......you can guess the rest. So the next photo on this subject may actually have my mitts in the picture!

Enjoy your Thanksgiving....wherever you are.....