Stitches Of Another Kind

I've enjoyed making my own hand bound journals for several years now. There is so much you can do to personalize a journal.

I'm getting ready to teach the high schoolers from my homeschool group how to make a journal. I'm trying to keep it simple while still pushing their creativity.

Here is sample #1

From a collage I put together using magazine clippings. 

To a journal cover.

I left the cover blank for now, but I can see adding a quote someday.

Sample #2

Here, I used a map, a train ticket stub, a tag, magazine clippings, and ink to make it look old.

Learning To Weave Yarn

Six weeks ago, I signed up for my first weaving class, and I am loving it.

This is the sampler I'm making.

Natalie said "pick colors that make you happy today."

Each week I keep learning new techniques.

Love this magenta! Makes me very happy.

At the end.

 Time to take it off the loom. 

Yes, I'm Still Here

My focus these last few months has been all about food. What to eat. What's the best way to cook it, and learning to like it!

Ever since I was diagnosed with this awful gluten thing, adapting to a new eating lifestyle has been my focus. Not like I need to eat so I don't starve, but like I need to figure out what I can eat without sending my body into a tail spin.

It turns out my body is rejecting a lot of different foods, so I mainly eat a Paleo Diet. It requires a different mindset, and if you are not used to eating a lot of vegetables, it's quite challenging. 

Here are just a few things that I have managed to add back into my diet, which makes me very happy.

Coffee! 

I couldn't figure out why I was having major flare ups (my immune system thinking I was eating gluten) after a cup of coffee. Come to find out……

Not all coffee is created equal. It's all in the processing, and you can read more about it here. 

Chocolate!

It seems that if you are sensitive to gluten, good chance you're sensitive to dairy, so I had to give up chocolate. My initial thought was………Shoot me now!

Good News…….I have tried many recipes, and now I'm making my own chocolate candy.

The paleo diet doesn't really focus on sweets, but I've still got a sweet tooth I need to tend to.

My latest obsession………dehydrating. Still learning this one!

If you've come back to visit my blog, thank you for sticking with me :-)

A Little Knitting

One of my favorite ways to relax in the evenings is to listen to podcasts while I stitch. Next to my stitching chair is a big wooden bowl that is a catch all for small projects.

I don't consider myself a good knitter, but I do enjoy working on small items like scarves and washcloths. 

Wintery

Have you ever seen one of those Sunsets while you're driving, and you just have to pull off the road to stare at it or take a picture?

Yeah, you know what I'm talkin about.

Rag Rug

Changing things up a bit, so I started working on this rag rug again. It's referred to as a toothbrush rug because of the type of needle used to stitch with. The needle was made by cutting off the brush section of a toothbrush.

I'm trying to use up some fabrics that are not worthy of using for quilts. I'll show more detail in the next couple of days.

Happy New Year!

We have been getting a lot of snow here in the Midwest, and the temperature has been extremely cold. Hope your New Year is off to a good start.

Maggie loves playing and digging in the snow.