Return of the Stamper

A couple of months ago my friends Jane, Trish and I had a stamping session. I had not stamped in awhile so it was lots of fun. Here are some of the cards I made The birthday girl stamp in the card above is from Red Lead Paperworks. They are such geniuses!
The stamp above is from B-Line Designs; one of my favorite companies.
The little girl stamp is from Jane for my birthday; can't remember what company it is from but if you are going ape over it let me know and I will try to find it. The fun, frivolous and fanciful stamp is from Red Lead.

This is another B-Line Designs stamp. Love her!

I hope to stamp again soon! It is difficult having so many passions; hard to find the time for everything!

Facebook

My Mom said I better update my blog so I am complying with that directive!
I joined Facebook a couple of months ago and it is lots of fun (and an extreme time-waster!). I have reconnected with some old friends and I am able to opine on numerous subjects which I quite enjoy.
Now, I know you are supposed to put a picture of your own face on your Facebook wall, but currently I do not have a photo of myself that is suitable for publication.
The pictures in this post are some of the pictures i have used for my Facebook profile picture. I think I got all of them from the internet by googling images.

Now that I have done a post for my Mom I know she will be asking me about Facebook. I bet she has no idea what it is; but I will show her because a couple of her own friends are on there!

Recommending.....

I recommend that you run, don't walk, to the nearest bookstore to get your own copy of this book. I started it this morning and am past page 100 (would be further but you know how those Sunday afternoon naps are my favorite thing ever).

I love the characters in this book. Love the writing. Love the story. It fits all my requirements to make it on my end of the year best books list.

Starbucks Music

Over the last month I bought these two CD's on a whim at Starbucks. I had never heard the music; I just got a good vibe from the covers. Well, lucky me....they are both wonderful! I highly recommend both.
On tap for my weekend: my Mom and her childhood friend are coming over to stamp tomorrow. Her friend has been wanting to try it and has never had a chance. Should be fun; I can pretend I am Instructor Laura.

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend.

Diane Duda Strikes Again!!!

This card was made by the very lovely Anjou Krelovich and can be seen on her beautiful blog, Dreaming in Color.

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Guess what???? Diane Duda has a stamp line featuring her completely amazing and wonderful images!!! Above is a card that Anjou Krelovich made with one of the stamps. Isn't it a gorgeous card????

Here is the scoop....there is a company called Sugar Nellie and they asked Diane if she would like to have some of her images made into stamps. The rest, as they say, is history. Click HERE to see all of the images available. This company is in Scotland. Everyone who has ordered from them says that they get their stamps in about a week. So, shipping does not seem to be a problem.

To introduce the stamps they had a "blog hop." A number of women were given the stamps in advance and then yesterday the blog hop started here. I was absolutely riveted to my computer to see all the different way the images were used.

I am hoping to have a few in my collection very soon. Diane's art is just so gorgeous and spreads joy to all who see it. Congratulations Diane!!!!

Placeholder

It is a very dark and rainy day here in Illinois. Just my favorite kind of day, except......due to the lack of sunlight I cannot play with my new camera as I would like! Yes, I got a new camera last weekend; the one pictured on one of the posts below; a Sony Cybershot! Mike and I went to a great store where the salesman really knew his stuff and we got a good price. I have been playing with it and think I know how to use it (basically). It has a macro feature on it so I can finally start to take some pictures of my cross-stitch projects (hopefully in an artful manner!)

In the meantime, Mike has issued an edict. My stamp room must be straightened up. He is right. I couldn't even walk in there. There were bags and boxes and stuff everywhere. I had a rare burst of energy last night and I started. I have unearthed stuff I totally forgot about. Lots of treasures! and lots of extras! I am going to work on setting some stuff aside for giveaways.

Okay, back to reading, sleeping, cleaning, cross-stitching, watching TV with Mike, and petting cats.............. (Thanks Relyn for the prompt to get posting!)

Eye candy from Red Lead

RED LEAD MEANS: Lots of sparkle!
Amazing stamps!
Time with the best of friends
Inspiration everywhere you turn. What are you waiting for? Get yourself to St. Louis!!!!! (Webster Groves, MO to be exact!)

Mr. Mojo Rising

Let me set the scene for you......Saturday morning. 11 a.m. I have just talked to my Mom and we decided not to get together for a day of cross-stitching in favor of a day of slothing......Phone rings. It is my friend Jane. She tells me that her husband said she could take his new car out for a spin. She asked him if she could take a spin to St. Louis. He said yes. Could I be ready in half an hour to go with? I bolted out of that bed and into the shower. I was ready in lightning speed. Off we went!!!!

Are you familiar with Red Lead? It is like Disney World to us. It is the perfect place of happiness and joy; rubber stamps, beautiful paper, vintage images, inspiring samples, the wonderfully great and welcoming sisters, Chris and Sharon, who own the shop, and a new location!!! They just moved into their new shop in Webster Groves, MO the previous Wednesday. We were dying to have a peak. It is SO WONDERFUL!! Along with all the great products they have decorated their shop with vintage touches everywhere (see lamp in above picture!) Everywhere you look it is a feast for the eyes. Webster Groves is a darling town. The houses are just so cute and there is a relaxed feel to the whole area. We are hoping to go back for a Christmas in July workshop.

We went to a couple of antique malls too. As per usual we found some great ephemera which I will highlight soon and I got a figurine lamp too! Not as great as the one pictured above; but pretty cool all the same.

We had a wonderful quick getaway. Stayed overnight in a nice hotel. Had lovely meals. Met some wonderful gals. Got inspired. Drove a lot (nice car too!). Laughed a lot. Oh, and the title of this post is a tribute to our newfound fascination with the song "L.A. Woman" by The Doors.

Late to the Party

I finally saw the movie "Marie Antoinette" tonight. Wow! Talk about a beautiful film. I wanted to jump right in and swim around in the gorgeous blues, pinks, creams and yellows that were such a part of the cinematography.
I will now have to read more about the doomed queen. She seemed like a nice person; hope that part is true. I do understand the intensity of the poor people against the royals though. Too bad we can't all share the wealth! (What a socialist I am!)
We also watched "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist" this weekend which I really loved too! I have "Neverland" to watch next. I am quite behind on my movie watching!

Need Your Help

I need some recommendations. Both of my digital cameras have stopped working. Mike and I did a cursory look at cameras yesterday; and so far I like this one, but it is about $300 so I we did not get it because we need to do more research. I want a camera to take pictures for my blog. I guess a basic point and shoot type of camera is what I am looking for. Could you all give me some ideas of what you think a good blog camera would be?

Checking In (EDITED TO ADD A WINNER)

For crying out loud! Where have I been???? Well, I have been working, sleeping, reading, doing a bit of cross-stitching, watching the time trials for the Indy 500, went to see Bruce Springsteen, and doing more sleeping.

I don't have anything scintillating to report; but I figured I better show my face before everyone forgot about me!!

The picture above is the latest issue of Sampler and Antique Needlework. I am all done reading it and would love to pass it on. If you would like it; please leave me a note on this post. I will pick a winner on Monday.
These scissors are gorgeous! I think they have been photographed upside down, and they are still gorgeous. If anyone knows who makes these please let me know. I bet they are cost prohibitive though.

I hope you all have a nice relaxing weekend.

EDITED TO ADD WINNER: Diana, you are the winner!!! Please email your address to me at duetabode@comcast.net and I will have the magazine off to you quickly. Thanks to all for the comments! As soon as I get another good magazine I will have another drawing.

Memoir Heaven

I went on a bit of a rampage at the library. These four books I requested came in today! How exciting! They are all memoirs (my favorite genre) and they all look delectable.
I wish I could be shipped off to a cabin by a lake with these four books, my cross-stitch, and Mike. Oh, and Buddy and Pal (our cats).
Back in the "good old days" I would have bought all of these books; but due to an attempt at financial maturity and the fact that our house is overrun with books; I am getting books at the library (sometimes). Especially, memoirs, because I can read them really fast.
I sure don't have time to work, houseclean or anything else! I just want to read, cross-stitch, shop, talk to friends, and have a gay old time! Well, at least for tonight I will be happy and under the covers reading away!

Perfect Night

Last night was a perfect night! I am loving all of these perfect times coming my way. On the first Tuesday evening of each month there is a stitching night at my local and wonderful cross-stitch shop, Inspired Needle, in Lemont, Illinois.
There were several women who attended and all of them were so nice and fun! We looked through all of the great charts that Kathy has (by the way, she has the most unique and cool stuff that you will not find anywhere else!). People were finding things that had been on their wish list for years and had not been able to get before. I bought the Shepard's Bush Mermaid Sampler because I have been wanting to try an SB pattern. This one was attractive to me because it is small and I love the color of the material.

The BBD pattern pictured above is one I saw on someone's blog and fell in love with. It looks so much better in real life than it does on the pattern. That was a lucky find!
One of Kathy's friends came in with "Imagine" finished on a different colored fabric and it was so cool. I ordered the fabric right up and brought home the pattern. Love the little girl skipping rope!

Kathy's shop is THE BEST! I wish I could go there once a week to sit and stitch! It was great to be with some other addicted people and share in the joy everyone was feeling! I love to be with people who are passionate about their hobbies!

A Perfect Day

Yesterday was a perfect day. Actually, it was a magical day. Here is a recounting: First stop was JoAnne's Fabrics where I bought some 32 count linen to practice on (I have been using only 28 count; so I wanted to try the count that the "big girls" use). Then on the way out of that store I spied the new issues of "Where Women Create" and "Somerset Studio." Major score!
Next stop, lunch at Panera. My Mom met me there and she was accompanied by some of her friends. My friends Sharon and Melissa came also. We all sat at one big table and had a most delightful time. We were there to eat before going to the Elizabeth Berg reading at a local library. While eating our lunch guess who else stopped by to eat? None other than the author herself! What a wonderful coincidence! We had a quick little chat with her and were able to tell her how much her books mean to us.

Then it was off to the reading; the Orland Park Library where it was held was a beautiful building. It was so inviting. The weather was perfect; clear, sunny with a lovely breeze. The spring flowers were all in bloom. I was surrounded by beloved friends; believe me when I say I was giddy! My friend, Patti (Creative Cottage Dreamer) met us there. She was the first to arrive and got the #1 ticket to get her book signed. It was exciting because Elizabeth Berg is her favorite author and she had never met her before. Also, my friend Kathy and her daughter, Jackie, came. They are big fans of Elizabeth also. We were there about an hour early which was great because it gave us time to chat and trade names of great books.

Elizabeth Berg's reading was just wonderful. Listening to her read from her novel is just like listening to a fairy reading a story. The feeling of joy in the room was palpable. Everyone was sharing a moment with an author who writes books that are so meaningful to them. Ms. Berg also answered questions from the audience; and she gave real, true, deeply honest answers that were so appreciated. She is just one of the coolest people I have ever met. Again, I urge you, if you can go to a reading by her; get there!

After the reading my Mom, her friend, Judy, and I went over to Judy's house. Judy is the mom of one of my best childhood friends, Julie, whom I have not seen in some time. Well, magically, perfectly, Julie called and said she was on her way over to her Mom's house so I got to surprise her and give her a big hug. The day was like that all day long; such perfect coincidences; a day full of surprises and deeply felt love for so many people, ideas, books, and soft breezes. Perfect.

The lovely 1920's patterns that you see illustrating this post were part of a perfect day my friend, Jane, had without me. She went to a garage sale and found these patterns for 25 cents each!!!! Total score! Aren't they just gorgeous?

We really are lucky people around here.

New Book!

My favorite author has a new book out! I just picked it up on my way home from work. While I was waiting at the train station for Mike I started reading. Only got 3 pages in and I am hooked!! I will put aside my current book so that I can read the new Elizabeth Berg. If you have not read a book by her; do yourself a favor and do so. She is a wonderful storyteller and has a way of putting into words your most soulful thoughts. She is starting a book tour for this book. This Sunday she will be at the Orland Park, Illinois library. My Mom and some of our friends are planning on going. By the way, my Mom is doing much better. She is recovering her strength a bit slowly; but all in all she is doing great. Here is a link to Elizabeth Berg's website; her book tour is quite extensive. She might be coming to a town near you. If you get a chance to attend one of her readings; try to go because she is just wonderful!

Artful Blogging

I had a lovely surprise last week when I found the latest issue of Artful Blogging in my mailbox. They have a feature in each issue called "Banners We Love." Guess what??? They love my banner!!

I came up with my blog name, Maude and Mozart, because I love stories. I made up this lady named Maude (I really love that name) and she was a woman who loved the music of Mozart (so do I, imagine that?). I really can't explain it more than that. I just liked it. Later I found the picture of Maude you see in the banner. The photograph was in an antique shop and it just screamed out to me that this was The Maude! I plan on framing that picture and putting it in my craft room someday.

The most important thing you need to know about my banner is that it was designed by Heather Simpson-Bluhm. She is simply a genius in the world of banner design. If I was wealthy I would have her come up with banners every month for me. You just tell her what you like and BAMM she comes up with something beautiful. Here is a link to Heather's designs business in case you want to work with her. She has very reasonable prices!
In honor of my good fortune at having my banner selected; I would love to have a giveaway of the previous issue of Artful Blogging. The extra special part of this magazine is that Diane Duda's blog is featured in this magazine! I tell you I almost cried when I read the article. I have been a big fan of Diane's for years and it great to see her flying high! Here is a link to Diane's blog, Duda Daze. If you have not seen her art; don't wait; go look at it now!

I will draw a name on Friday night after work. This will give me something to look forward to all week. Just leave me a comment on this post to enter.

EDITED TO ADD THE NAME OF THE WINNER: I had Mike pick a number between 1 and 15 and the winner is........CATHY R.!!!!!!!!!! Sorry it took past Friday night to post the winner; I should know to never commit to anything on a Friday night as I am always pooped!

Mrs. Lincoln

I love this picture of Mary Todd Lincoln. She was reported to be such a beauty in her youth, yet all I had ever seen were pictures of her in her later years where she seemed so unhappy. What a vision of loveliness she is in this photograph. It is hard to believe that photographs that old are in existence.

I am still reading the book Mary by Janis Cooke Newman. I am getting more and more enthralled with Mrs. Lincoln as I go along. This book is a novel; so I am hoping that what I am reading is mostly true. I will have to do some non-fiction reading about Mrs. Lincoln soon. As far as I can tell from the novel, we have Mary Todd Lincoln to thank for urging her husband to run for President. She really motivated and pushed him forward.

"The marriage was one of mutual support and affection yet was always rocky. Both considered it a partnership of equals ... Had Mary not encouraged Lincoln in his quest for the presidency, he would almost certainly never have achieved the office." Source: Doranne Jacobson. Presidents & First Ladies of the United States.

I discovered that there is a cross-stitch pattern with a theme of Mrs. Lincoln. It is Mrs. Lincoln's Sampler by The Sampler Girl. I have that on my to do list now! Luckily, my local cross-stitch shop, Inspired Needle, has the pattern!! Will have to get that one soon.
Guess what? I feel light of spirit as I explore the world of Mrs. Lincoln! Who would of thunk it??

Seeking Lightness of Spirit

Over the past several weeks it seems that I have had very little "me" time. My job has been very demanding of late and that combined with all of the TV shows that Mike and I watch has left very little time in the evenings for reading books, cross-stitching or stamping. Frankly, I really need a day in the woods somewhere to recharge my batteries.

I need to go somewhere that is inspiring! I think the ladies in these pictures taken on March 3, 1950 by photographer Gordon Parks look inspired by something. They look thoughtful. I need to get in touch with my inner spirit. Maybe I should listen to the music of Bach as that always brings me closer to my spirit.
Other spirit boosters:

*an art museum
*listening to a symphony concert
*taking a drive in the country
*spending a day with wonderful friends
*reading a good book all day long
*walking through Bainbridge Gardens
*listening to the ocean waves
*feeling a soft breeze

I will be working on getting inspired this week!

April 11, 2009

Yesterday was Mike's birthday. He is now 46! Wow, we are getting up there people. Anyway, we did not have a specific plan of what we were going to do to celebrate (you know where this is leading, don't you???). So we had some choices (Museum of Science and Industry, Art Institute, lunch and a movie, or BOOKSTORES!!!). Well, bookstores won out, of course. I googled used book stores in Chicago and found one we had never been to. We drove into the city and located said bookstore and it was awful!!! So we whisked ourselves off to the North side of the city and went to our beautiful old standby Half-Price Books. And then to Barnes and Noble. and prior to the book store stops we had lunch at Steak and Shake. By the time we got there I was having some serious low blood sugar issues and needed food STAT! I ordered a strawberry/banana milkshake and a salad to start with! Interesting juxtoposition! Anyway, we had a high old time together and got some great books.

Last week I went to the stitching session at the wonderful new cross-stitch shop I discovered, Inspired Needle, in Lemont, IL. The ladies were just lovely and so friendly!!! So, this Tuesday I am going to a meeting of the Embroidery Guild of America where so many of these great gals met. It should be lots of fun!!!!

Out of Order

I wanted to do a post with an update of what I have been up to lately. I wanted it to be in chronological order with gorgeous pictures. I can't get it together though; so I am doing a post right this minute and will let it go where it wants to!

The project pictured above is my next cross-stitch project. Since I have renewed my love of stitching I have started about 5 projects and finished none! Naughty. This one I am going to start and finish! I got the linen and thread this past Saturday at the lovely Country Cupboard in Orland Park, IL. My friend Patti (her blog is Creative Cottage Dreamer) and I met there on Saturday morning for a spin around the shop and lunch at Panera. Needless to say we had fun!

I also scored the new Somerset Studio publication, Marie. Run, don't walk, to get your copy!!!! It is sumptuous.

On my way home on Saturday I remembered that I had read about a new cross-stitch shop opening in Lemont, IL which is not far from where I live. I drove around and around their little downtown until I found it. (I will not be denied more stash looking and obtaining when it is my blood!) Well, I found it and it is wonderful!!!!! Here is a link; Inspired Needle. If you are nearby get over there! If you are not close; make a road trip. There are tons of patterns, all of which are right up my alley. Tomorrow the shop is having a stitching get together and I plan on going to sit, stitch, and talk about stitching with other people.

Okay, next post I will try to be more organized. But I just had to chime in about all of the excitement about finding the new shop!

Day Off

I took the day off work so as to clear my head and my house of clutter. I probably did 35% of the housework I intended to do. The good news is that I started this book today and got to page 75 in one sitting. I can tell this book is going to be a winner. It is a novel and told from the point of view of Mrs. Lincoln. I don't know how accurate it is because I don't know much about her; but after I finish this book I will start researching her. It might even spur me to take a road trip to Springfield with Mike to go to the new Lincoln museum. So, if you are looking for a good book to read, get this one~!

Spring-y!

Even though there was snow on the ground this morning, it is all gone now and a blue sky is overhead. Here's hoping that this means that Spring will be out in full force soon. I have seen the first robins already; so it is close.

This post is to inform you that my Mom has been discharged from the hospital and is home! She was discharged two months from the day that she was admitted. What a long haul it was. She is now resting comfortably at home and building her strength back up. We were lucky that all of our family, friends, and nursing staff at the hospital took such good care of us. Thank you for all of your kind thoughts and deeds. I am hoping that I will be able to get back into the swing of normal life; which means updating my blog with more frequency. So, to that end, I will see you later this week!

Sign up to Win! - Edited to announce the winner!

Please sign up to win this magazine. It is full of inspiration; especially the Christmas ornaments by Chris at Red Lead!!!! I will draw a winner on Sunday night and mail the magazine out on Monday. This is a "quick draw McGraw!" (Edited to add the winner: Well, 4 people signed up. I can't understand that random number picking site so I told Mike to pick a number between 1 and 4. Miked picked NUMBER 3 and that is Patti! I will mail this to you tomorrow Patti! Thanks for all who signed up. As you know I wish I had one to send to everyone.)

I am hoping that this is the last weekend I will have to visit my Mom in the hospital. She had her surgery this week and it went very well. She has been recovering from that kind of slowly; but everyday brings some improvement. Yesterday she had two cups of apple juice; her first oral intake in seven weeks! I can't wait for the day when we can just have a normal day of running around to antique shops or spend a day crafting. I will be sure to have my camera ready on that day!

I am almost finished with Handle with Care by Jodi Picoult. Excellent read! I am totally involved in this story. Speaking of books, I joined Paperbackswap.com. Here is how it works; you list books on the site that you are willing to send to other people. You get credits for books you send out. Then you can "spend" those credits to receive books from a huge list of books that are available. It is fun! The only cost is postage. I urge you to sign up! The more people that sign up the more varied book selection they will have. I have seen tons of books on there that I have read and loved.

Best wishes to all for a wonderful weekend!!

My Return to Polite Society

Today I met up with some gal pals to attend a reading/signing by author Jodi Picoult. We had a fabulous time talking, eating lunch, and then foisting books on each other. My friend Trish brought her niece Jessica. Pictured above is Jessica meeting Jodi Picoult. It was great because Jessica was so excited to meet her as she loves her books. It was really great to meet a teenager who is so into reading and is such a lovely young lady. She also has her own pet sitting business! This girl is going places I tell ya!
I am currently reading Jodi's new book and it is very good.
Another exciting part of the day was meeting and hanging out with fellow blogger Patti! Her blog is Creative Cottage Dreamer. Patti and I have emailed and I think we have tons in common. It was so very nice of her to join us for lunch and the book signing. I loved meeting her and I hope that we see more of each other. We both like to stamp, read and cross-stitch; so it is not like we don't have lots to talk about! (Pictured above me, Jessica and Patti).

My dear friend Sharon joined us too which was so wonderful. Sharon and I met up early so that we could arm bands for everyone to have their book signed. Also, not pictured are my friend Joyce, her daughter Hannah (another young lady who loves to read!), and her sister. There is nothing like being in the company of like-minded people to really inspire you. I just feel so happy to have spent time with all of these wonderful gals.
Here are Trish and Jessica still basking in the Jodi glow! We are all going to try to get together in May for a reading that Elizabeth Berg is doing.

On the health front, my Mom is still in the hospital. It has been 6 weeks. The light at the end of the tunnel can be seen though. Her surgery is scheduled for this coming Tuesday afternoon. My brother and I will both be there with her. This surgery should take care of things and then she should be on the mend and ready to go home soon. Thank you all for your thoughts, prayers, cards and flowers. It has really helped us to get through this time. I am hoping to get back to a regular blog schedule. I have missed being part of things.