Happy New Year Fiber Friends!
Here is wishing you and yours the very best for 2024, may all your wishes come true!
One of my wishes for the month of December was to have the time and energy to cook and bake for a few close friends in time to share goodies for the holidays. Growing up in Germany, any gifts given were hand made and any meals shared with friends and family were prepared at home.
I remember when my grandparents were visiting us in the big city (Frankfurt) from their country home, they carried a freshly killed rabbit in their luggage on the train! My grandfather skinned and dissected it in our bathtub, and we had a delicious meal, if you ignored the occasional buck shot between your teeth! This was gourmet fare when I was very young. In other years one of their suitcases produced a duck or a goose, accompanied by fresh Brussel sprouts, cut after the first frost. There were benefits to living in the country!
As an adult I have always enjoyed cooking a turkey around Thanksgiving or on Christmas and I am very grateful for the oven ready variety that has already been plucked and cleaned.
I did not have to cook for either holiday in 2023, I was just asked to bring pies or my famous bread pudding with brandy sauce and whip cream! This treat is limited to Christmas in my house, it’s just too rich to enjoy more often.
All my neighbors who were home at Christmas got together at the house across the street from me and we had a wonderful buffet; everybody brought their favorites or holiday specialties. We ate and then ate some more until everybody was ready for a break!
One of our neighborhood community traditions is to play “Pictionary”, the old-fashioned kind. There is a set of cards in different colors for different teams with different words and meanings. We form teams of 3, one member of the team drawing images on a whiteboard and the other team members try to guess as many words as possible in 3 minutes! It was fun and we played several rounds until we were ready to enjoy the pies. It was all about joy, sharing, friendship and community. I am so lucky to live in such a loving community of like-minded neighbors.
I took the time to talk to members of my family in Florida, Ohio and Maine just before Christmas and lots of updates and good wishes were going back and forth. I am planning on flying to Boston for a quick visit in March, when the weather improves and before I get busy with demos and teaching again.
I noticed that I received fewer Christmas cards this year than in years past and quite a few more ecards, which are really works of art these days. Some are so pretty that I print them out and save them! I am guilty of using ecards myself and enjoy picking out just the right one for each recipient, although I did send about a dozen old-fashioned cards through the mail.
To finish out the year at the Folk Art Center, I participated in our annual Christmas sale and had one last demo session the middle of the month. As usual at this time of the year, my snowflakes and ornaments were best sellers and I need to replenish my inventory for next year.
I also restored a beautiful tablecloth and got it back home in time for the holidays. I am always relieved once the restored treasures arrive back home, especially around Christmas time.
Now I have about 3 months to replenish my inventory, fill some special orders and create some of my own designs for next spring and summer. During this quiet time of fewer activities, I love to have the time to work on my own ideas and creations and also take more time to read and rest whenever possible.
I will have several restoration projects coming in after January 2nd, which I really enjoy as well. I usually take time off between Christmas and New Year’s Day for a little rest and relaxation, although my way to relax is spending time with thread, yarn and hooks. I do try to enjoy my tree and decorations until they are packed away to the garage again. Our trees are turned into mulch and returned to our flower beds in the spring.
So here is wishing you a healthy and creative new year, take some time to take care of yourself! I have a new sign in my office, and this is my wish for you as well:
You have permission to rest.
You are not responsible for fixing everything that is broken.
You do not have to try and make everybody happy.
For now, take time for you.
It is time to replenish…………………
Take good care of yourself and have a wonder filled 2024!
“I do what I love and I love what I do.”
New in the Studio:
December tablecloth restoration
Fun at the big annual Christmas sale
Special order: Green hats parade.