Working Hard On This!

I had no idea how much stash had built up when I was not feeling so well, and I'm going through tons of things I'd forgotten even came in the door. It's too easy to just go online and order it sent to one's house! I think during this digging-out process and during the time when I was not well, I forgot to post a couple of finishes, so I'll have to go through those and see what I haven't posted. Here's one I know I haven't yet posted, which was for a very recent SAL with my Little House, Country Cottage Needleworks Yahoo Group:

And here we have what is truly just an evil indulgence on my part, a coveting, a silly thought of a collection that I think I may "someday" stitch. I have a plethora of lovely Mirabilias and Lavender & Lace, as well as Told ln A Garden (the latter being some of those of which I've actually stitched, as they slip into my decor without eyes bulging as though I'd taken leave of my senses, trying to sew a silk purse of a sow's ear). It's a weird magnetism I have to (especially) Mirabilias. There is a poutiness, mysticism, and in some cases, an Old World Renaissance look to each and every one---in such contrast to Nora Corbett's mother, Marilyn Leavitt-Imblum's realistic and detailed faces, m so much contrast to some of Nora's obvious interpretations of the human personna. I see some of her ladies' poses looking awkward, and some of her faces looking a bit off, as though I could improve a bit myself. I'm in total love with Marilyn's Amish Told In A Garden series because of my rich history of living near the IL Amish community nearly all my life and living among the "Plain People," who tip their hats to me in my car as I drive past their horse-drawn buggies going to the Rockome Gardens Counted Cross Stitch Show in the summer, or going to the Pumpkin Patch in Arthur IL in the fall.

Getting back to Marilyn's art as compared to her daughter, Nora's..... I think Nora is just as talented as her mother in some regards, although she doesn't defer to the unusual in form as Nora does. You won't find one of Marilyn's ladies in the style of Art Nouveau or mystic mermaids of enchanted, fabled sunken cities. It is those designs that draw me into a fascinating study of every detail and carrying me away to somewhere I believe existed in my childhood. So I get my Mirabilia fix every now & then, though I still have yet to finish the first one I ever started, quite some time ago.. I think it will be one of my 2008 goals. Now, on the other hand, I bought Lady Claire by MLI's Lavender & Lace, and it's possibly the most beautifully serene and realistic piece of art I've ever beheld. I got it at a bargain bin price of $3, and it's worth it just to hold and admire. I really want to stitch that one before I can no longer stitch. Here are the Miras I bought at bargain prices while I was recovering from outpatient procedures in the lsat few months. I'd forgotten I had them and all the lovely embellishments. I just dream of someday having them hang in a smaller, more traditionally decorated home.

It's feeling good to get all this organizing done, and I've been cleaning up around the house, putting away Thanksgiving decor, and pulling out the Christmas decor I'm going to use this year, getting ready for my cleaning girl tomorrow. It's so nice to light a seasonal candle when she lieaves and brathe in all the cleanliness after she leaves. I have such a tough time doing it all at one time, and though I do some work work while she's here, and we talk and laugh (great friend s for 20 years), she ends up telling me to sit down and cross stitch, seeing the pain on my face when I've had enough. She is a gem, and I enjoy so much having her here with me. We even exchange Christmas gifts. I have to get busy and find the perfect design to cross stitch for her. She loves my cross stitch, which is so gratifying!