On the tail of the Full Snow Moon

Monday’s Full Snow Moon (also known as the Full Hunger Moon), heralded the way for another snowfall here on Tuesday. In spite of the not-so-distant memory of our record December snowstorms, this light snow brought welcome visual relief from toppling piles of tax-time paperwork.

I found myself lingering at the dining room window the greater portion of the day, watching the birds with renewed appreciation. Through the window, I could hear their excited chattering and melodious songs - renewing my spirit as they bustled about. A lovely, unexpected day, all on the tail of the Full Snow Moon.

Mixed Media Fabric Collage

Susan, Mom and I recently spent another wonderful two days together, this time playing with fiber and fabric. Gaining inspiration from the current issue of Cloth, Paper, Scissors magazine, we experimented with needle felting and raw-edge appliqué / collage. I learned a lot through this process, including what I will do differently next time! I still have more stitching to do before my collage is finished, but here are some in-progress pictures:

Happy Birthday, Mom!

Here’s a peek at the “before and after” of a collage I recently completed for my mother, using one of my earlier background pieces (see Nov. 2 post). The embellishments consist of new and antique trims, vintage millinery, and an antique Victorian die-cut. Happy Birthday, Mom!

Mr. & Mrs. Townsend

Today I was greeted with the most lovely surprise – our beloved winter residents, a beautiful pair of Townsend warblers, finally arrived. I so look forward to seeing them each winter, but had given up hope of gazing upon them again as they usually set up temporary housekeeping in December. Perhaps it was the bitter cold this year that kept them away; for whatever reason, they chose to delight us once again with their presence. The male is especially grand with his formidable plumage, sporting a dramatic eye mask and a bold, tarantula-like mark upon his chest. For the next few weeks, I will be glued to my post at the dining room window whenever possible.