I've been lucky (and apparently busy too)

... and I am grateful. Slow but grateful (it wouldn't in the least surprise me if that ended up on my tombstone -- I guess it's either that or something along the lines of "I suppose this means you're not going to finsh that project you promised to get done....").

I have receieved some awesome sqaures through Fair and Square in the last 2 rounds --
First, from Elaine this absoluely darling little Sweetheart Tree piece --

I wish you could see in person how lovely and dainty this piece is. The bees are little beads and the honeycomb is absolutely mesmerizing.

From Linda Four Fat Friends --

Linda is apparently channeling her inner Ruth since I've wanted to do this piece for a long time. I have for years pulled it out of my stash and looked longingly at it, only to put it back because something more pressing had to get done.

Some posts back I showed what I did for Elaine, but what I did for Linda has escaped my yammmeirng thus far. For the front I adjusted and Annie Beez pattern--

I changed the house she had to make it look like my favorite light house (Point Loma). I also switched out the lawn colors for aqua wave colors and added some extra motifs to the sky as clouds and, well, sky. The best I could do to make it stand out was switch the bird to medium grey and call him an adolescent gull.
For the back I found out what lighthouse was likely closest to Linda, modified another pattern to fit, and used it to decorate the salutation on the back

I did it all in Belle Soies because I was in a self-indulgent mood and decided I *needed* and *deserved* to stitch in silk just then.

Do you get like that? You just have to stitch in a certain tread because it makes you happy? Sometimes I get downright whine-y about it --- paryt of me floats away from myself and watches what seems like an over-sized toddle have an inner temper tantrum because she wants silks, or the perfect dove grey-brown (I'm in the midst of that one right now so I know it well), or to stitch on hand-dyed fabric regardless of the actual necessity or possibility.

Maybe there's some chemical in stash that builds up in the system as we amass our piles that makes us have these toddler-ish moments.

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I want to thank you all for your kind comments on my Aunt. I appreciate the thoughts. Thank you very much.
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There's still ample time to be in the blogiversary if you so choose.... see the appropriate post below.

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Humorous thought of the day -- from the 1604 Table Alphabeticall's (dictionary) dedication "for the benefit on Ladies, Gentlewomen, or any other unskillful person..."
(yes, I'm listening to Simon Winchester's history of the devlopment of the OED)