floral fibril

very vernal xxoo

peony pattern and cloth clover

a different kind of spring!

soft and silly

I've been sewing more lately and came across this fun book my crafty friend Susan Roseman gave me, Softies Only a Mother Could Love. Crafters from around the world share their patterns and instructions for these fun creatures they invented, plus a few sweet comments, as if more needs to be said to adore them:

A new take on an old favorite, Mamma Bear is funky and modern, but is just as nice to cuddle as any old-fashioned teddy bear.  

This [Albert Monkey] dapper gentleman can be made from recycled wool clothing and is a durable and dependable companion.  

Here is the clever table of contents:

wonders of wanders

My mom gave me an Atlas Obscura calendar for Christmas which has odd bits and pieces about places and things to discover in the world.  Sneaking a peek through the coming year, here are a few that I think are beautiful, interesting, funny and very worth visiting/trying.

Ice Music Festival every first full moon in Hol, Norway

 Neolithic (4000-5000 BC) couple's remains in Mantova, Italy

Neversink Pit, 162 foot deep home to bats, rare ferns and rock climbers in Fackler, Alabama

Thor's Well, a 20 foot hole in the Pacific near Yachats, Oregon

beech trees planted in the 18th century in Antrim, Northern Ireland

 houses with eyes in Sibiu, Romania

watermelon cubes from Japan

honey toast box dessert, popular in Taiwan

Rainbow Mountain in the Andes, Peru

dial for music lover

This Music Lover's Handy-Dial Guide to the Great Composers and Great Operas is fun to spin.  Things of interest such as the years the composers lived and their important works are found in each slot, as are the main characters and important songs within works on the other side. The dial is still a useful tool today to "Keep...in a handy spot near your radio." 

children's books 101

Night Driving is a beautiful book illustrated completely in pencil by Peter McCarty.  The medium makes the mood perfectly for the story written by John Coy, about a father and son on an all-night road trip complete with starry skies, truck stops and baseball games on the radio.