Keeping the love going..

I hope everyone had a great weekend . We had a really nice four day weekend, which was much needed as my little guy can't seem to get rid of a lingering sinus infection.

I was lucky enough to be able to sneak away to a Yoga retreat that I participate in three times a year. I am so grateful that I get to spend this time every year with my beloved teacher and a wonderful group of beings that have become family. Some of us have been training together for 10 years!!

It was very inspiring and a lot of talk about Beauty Bliss and Love ...which will be the theme of my third and final tea towel.

After this tea towel I am going to jump over the Amy Made That and start on one of the Heart Mug rugs tutorials she has there and add it to the "Across the pond sew along" . Meanwhile I made some tags for the Valentine tag a long with Nana Company and Pretty by Hand. My tags were a bit of a bust (I was rushing!) but I decided to add them anyhow. Can we say humility !! And that should wrap up the love theme projects of February!

So here are some pics from last week ...

Trying to catch the light through the melting snow

The Valentine tags

I finished the infinity scarf for my daughter finally !

This week I am going to start a series "Essential yoga poses for Crafters" to help with all those aches and pain we acquire after many hours of sewing, knitting,embroidery,cooking,cleaning you get the gist. I think I am going to use the beauty above as my model !

Have a great week !

Ming

Spreading Love... Tea Towel part duex

What is your favorite way to spread the love on Valentines Day...Let's keep it clean now ..hee hee. My favorite is that I get to wake up with all my loved ones first thing in the morning and give them all a kiss and wish them a lovely day! From my parents to my husband and kiddies (we all live together in this big ol'crazy house! ) Sadly, my mother lost her mother on Valentines day 43 yrs ago, so being able to spend this day with her is a very special gift.

However we do have an upbeat note here. The big joke is the gifts from our husbands, who are the most wonderful men, but lack in gift giving. So we love to see how pitiful it can get ! This year my mother won..My stepfather did get my mom some flowers, but also a quarter of an already eaten cake re- wrapped rather pathetically but wonderfully hysterical . Here is the kicker, she gives up sweets for Lent which started yesterday! Did we laugh !!! I got a bag of my husbands favorite chocolates which he will eat cause I staying away from refined sugar! This is all in jest, well somewhat,( I have gotten the same Christmas gift for about 5 years now..) because they are both incredible men who we love with all our hearts!

Another favorite is that I get to revisit, with my 5 year old, the excitement of  school holiday parties. Last night we made the gifts for all his classmates, made the cupcakes for the party( well my 19 yr old did that for me) and the gifts for his teachers and bus driver. How sweet to watch his enthusiasm this morning. Especially when he was giving all the girls at the bus stop their treats, he is the only boy at the stop!I loved watching him "Spread  Love"

Speaking of which, here is the second tea towel ...

 What do you think???

 

 I labored again about adding stitching around the heart, but when I did it looked over done, so I am going with a less is more attitude here.

 There is a slight imperfection with a stitch in the light pink stem stitch but I am a big believer in "humility" stitches!

 and I added a wider crocheted trim here.

Meanwhile my brother is spreading some love ( oh god this could go to the gutter real fast ;-) ..his first child is due in a few months. Too all my Italian friends out there, you know what a big deal this is when the only son in an Italian family reproduces .. It's like the second coming of Jesus! So my mother and I will be busy creating lots of handmades for this little darling. This will be for a fabric backed crochet blanket. I am in love with the colors and they were all sale items too boot!

 My sister who is always finding me vintage sewing items ( she loves me!!) found this vintage pin cushion made in Japan. She looked it up, its about 40 yrs old. I am going to remake the pin cushion ..it fell through the hole here.

My lovely African Violets have been spreading some love too..check out these blooms!

Well I'm off to the kitchen .. I cant decide on whether to make Red Velvet cupcakes or Madelines for our Valentine's Day sweet treat. Of course made with sugar in the raw! My gift back to my husband, now he can have the candies all to himself :-O

How are you going to "Spread Love " today ?? ( I really should of thought this out better)heehee

xoxo

Ming

"Cake Boss" our trip to Hoboken

This past Saturday we took a drive to Hoboken to visit the famous Carlo's bakery from the TLC show "Cake Boss". It was a surprise birthday gift for my goddaughter who turned 12 on Saturday. It is her favorite show and she has been yearning to get there.

  It was a cold clear day on Saturday and we were prepared and dressed to sit outside for hours . According to all the reviews on the web they all told stories of hours long lines. Well here is a little secret ..if you get there first thing on a cold February morning(7am and 15 degrees Fahrenheit ) you can walk right in!! We even got a free parking space right in front of the store! BONUS!! ( needless to say i was having horrid hot flashes from all the layers I had!) Damn you pre menopause!!!

So let me give you a quick outline of the visit..

1. no we didnt get to see any of the cast nor were they filming.

2. His Italian pastries are good, (yet not the best I've ever had though)

3. Unfortunately his cakes are very heavy and too sweet.( my ex husband's family are professional bakers, so I am somewhat of a snob)

4.I would not recommend basing a trip around this ...if your a fan coincide it with a trip to the Big Apple.

However, any experience with and for my goddaughter is completely worth it! I love you Peanut ! 

My Peanut Gabe!

My little guy checking out the goods

Buddy from Cake Boss

 After while we took a walk to the river to stretch our legs and here are some of the sights...

Love this sight!

Lower Manhattan.. the new tower is almost done

Lackawanna railway..such a beautiful building.

On a creative note, here is a peak of the second of my tea towels...

Have a beautiful day!
Ming

Valentine Tea Towel finished and SNOW!

And it is up in my Etsy shop ! I decided to leave it alone, without adding anything more stitching.  I have another one similar in mind, so maybe I'll try it there.

Along with this....

My "Little Flower" Stroller set 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was a great morning ...I got to sit and have my latte with some of this stuff...

My  new machine !

Sometimes a bit of credit card debit can get you these things called "reward points" and you can get one of these! Heehee

Have a great weekend !

Ming

Wip let love in & vintage day

The towel is almost done..I am obsessing if it needs more. I added a crochet trim, as adding a fabric border just looked to busy. I am now wondering if it needs some stitching around the hearts. Here's a look..

here it is pre-sewn

I have been dying to use this yarn "seduce " by Berroco

 

So what do you think? I'll give it one more day of thought.

On another note, my mother gave me more of my baby things. This one is my favorite, isn't it sweet!

I guess I am considered vintage now (41)!! Well I am feeling it this week and because of this my 19 yr. old daughter gave me these today...

Isn't she SWEET!

Hope you are experiencing some sweetness today.

love and peace 

Ming

WIP Valentine embroidered tea towel

WIP Valentine embroidered tea towel, a photo by All things Ming on Flickr.

Let love In

“Hate is too big of burden to bear. I have decided to love."

Martin Luther King jr.

Most of us as humans have become hardened throughout our lifetime. 

Like that  ice cream condiment, you know the hard shell one, that you dip the ice cream ... that starts off soft and becomes hard as the outside elements hit it hiding the soft delicious ice cream underneath. Yes, it does add some taste but it's not the good stuff!

  We have to bite into it break it apart to get to that yummy soft ice cream. 

Yup ..that's the good stuff right there!! My youngest in Italy, 3 yrs ago eating Gelato !

This hardening often happens without even knowing it,  It is just what life does. As we make our journey we pick up attachments, fears, identities, anxieties, and conditions that mold us into who we become. Some of these are good and some, well I don't want to say bad, but they harden us. Creating a shell of protection. Sometimes this is necessary for our emotional survival in life. Cause let's face it life can be tough. We pick up a lot along the way. As this happens our true "self" gets burdened.

I often notice how hard or closed off I am when I am driving. There I am, just driving along, thinking all is well and then I notice the white knuckles of my hands gripping the heck out of that steering  wheel. It is a key sign that I need to do an internal check in of my mind. I look for all the places or thoughts that are hardening me, closing me up and making me heavy and becoming burdened, 

The quote above reminds me off this ...of all the heavy or burdening thoughts I can tend to hold onto and carry..Oh how heavy I feel some days! I wouldn't say they are all negative ..but think of it ( another example ) as a heavy hand bag carrying a bunch of "stuff" that we may have once needed and are finished with but still carrying. When we finally notice and say " Wow how did this get so heavy" and clean it out we are surprised at how light and soft it feels... 

In yoga one of the first cues in class is to become soft, put down the mind stuff and open up and become soft . This does not happen instantly ..TRUST ME!! It takes constant reminders and internal "check ins" Yet if we remember a few ques it may help...Open...Soften...and Let Love ...In  and watch that hard shell melt away or that heavy handbag become light and reveal our true nature. A nature that I believe is open and full of LOVE

 
So here is my creative inspiration this week...

work in progress embroidered  tea towel

I just love this print...sweet isn't it?

 I need to finish the applique and add some fabric or crochet trim. Perfect for Valentines Day!

 and I finally got some of that winter weather i have been longing for!

It's not much but I will take it !  

 Peace and Love

Ming