Hi Friends,
Just a quick reminder here that if you haven’t grabbed the Rick Rack letter O to be sure and get it now.
Sometime tomorrow I will be replacing it with the letter P.
Blessings,
Nancy
Be Creative Daily and Live Life Beautifully
Dear Friends,
You know if you are reading my newsletters that I’ve been working on my weight loss with a goal of losing 30 pounds. I am happy to say I have now lost 12 of them. I am almost half way to my goal!
It is a slow process as most weeks I only lose a pound. It is a frustrating process as there are days I feel deprived. I feel deprived because my eating habits were out of control and sometimes, every afternoon, I want to go back to those old eating habits. I was putting the wrong foods and the wrong quantities in my mouth all too often, think daily or even multiple times a day here. It had become a very bad habit. That said, I think it is ok to have some of those “not so healthy choices” some of the time and in moderate amounts but not the way I had been previously eating them.
My biggest struggle is between lunch and supper when I get hungry. I get bored. I want something tasty. I want that full feeling in my tummy.
So each day it becomes a battle with my mind, a test of my will power. I keep thinking it will become easier one of these days. It has not.
There are many habits we are encouraged to do when it comes to our health. We are told to eat healthy, exercise, stop smoking (I’m not a smoker), get plenty of rest, decrease our stress and the list goes on. Out of these, I’ve come to the conclusion that the number one habit to do when it comes to our health is to exercise. Some of you may argue with me that diet or stopping smoking is more important and maybe for you it is. For me though I see exercise being such a huge key to our health.
Exercise has a list of benefits a mile long. It helps our muscles and joints, improves our brain’s functioning, regulates the hormones in our body, helps us sleep better and decreases stress just to name a few.
I also think exercise needs to be more than just moving our body. I’m really seeing the importance of getting our heart rate up, and how in doing so, it in a way it cleanses our body and does a reset of all our body systems. I know I feel better after I exercise.
Probably one of the biggest benefits that I’m counting on is that it will make me feel better in the future as I age. I want to be able to move around as long as possible. I want to be independent as long as possible. There are things I never used to think about but in getting older and in watching my parents I desire having a healthy body as long as I am on this earth.
I wish though that I liked to exercise. I don’t. I don’t like going to the gym. I don’t like the time it takes out of my day. I don’t even like thinking about exercise. I do like spending time outdoors especially now that things are starting to turn green. I do like the dance lessons that my husband and I are taking. I do like listening to podcasts when walking alone. I do like walking with my husband, children or friends and chatting with them and sharing what is on our hearts.
I do see improvements with the whole weight loss, diet, exercise, healthy lifestyle thing I have going on. I still have a long way to go but I’m determined. I will get there.
Here are a few of the podcasts that I’m listening to these days.
Daily Audio Bible
The Model Health Show – Excellent for health and fitness
Pursuing a Balanced Life
Elise Gets Crafty
Etsy Conversations Podcast
The Launch Grow Joy Show
If any of you have any tips for me, please feel free to leave a comment as I am open to all the help I can get here. Not only do I want to reach my weight loss goal but I want to be healthy and STAY healthy.
Be Creative Daily and Live Life Beautifully,
Nancy
Pictures from walk last night. Enjoying God’s beauty.
Hi Friends,
I am getting geared up and so excited for the Michigan Embroiderer’s Spring Fest. I truly hope to meet many of you there!
I will be teaching Saturday afternoon and the topic I’m teaching is Machine Embroidery on unusual objects.
Here is just a sneak peek at a couple of the items I will be teaching.
These designs will be for sale in the Embroidery It Etsy shop after the Spring Fest.
Be creative daily and live life beautifully!
Nancy
Hi Friends,
A quick reminder that today is the last day to get the free Rick Rack Letter M as I will be replacing it with N tomorrow.
Blessings everyone,
Nancy
Be creative daily and live life beautifully!
Dear Friends,
My latest designs have been inspired by out daughter Katie who as you know is currently serving in the Air Force. Katie loves horses. Actually she loves all animals and for a long time she wanted to be a veterinarian. When she finishes her time in the Air Force, which will be next May, she plans to study equine dentistry and become a horse dentist. She hopes to live on a farm where she can raise lots of animals and little critters. She has the heart of St. Francis.
Remember the “Barn Girl” jacket she asked me to embroider for her.
There are three horseshoe applique designs and they are sold individually. There is a small single horseshoe which fits the 4 x 4 hoop, a large single horseshoe for the 5 x 7 hoop, and a double horseshoe which fits the 5 x 7 hoop.
The final stitching of the design is the nails in the horseshoe. These may be eliminated and you may replace them with rhinestones or sequins for an added touch. A bow also adds a bit of fun.
The designs may be found in my Etsy store.
Blessings,
Nancy
Be creative daily and live life beautifully!
Dear Friends,
Sometimes you just don’t want to mark on your fabric to show where the center of the design is to go. There could be different reasons such as the type of fabric. You might not want to mark on velvet, satin, or organza for instance.
When this is the case, a handy way to mark the center is to use a ring reinforcer found in any store that sells office or school supplies. You can see exactly where you want the center of your design placed. The back of the ring reinforcer is adhesive and is easily removed from the fabric.
Be creative daily and live life beautifully,
Nancy
On the most holy of all days, a very Happy Easter to all my machine embroidery friends from me and my family.
Our oldest daughter continues to serve in the Air Force and we miss her very much. We wish she could be here to celebrate with us.
May each of you have a very special and blessed Easter today.
Christ’s love to you all,
Nancy
Available HERE in the Embroidery It Etsy Store.
Be Creative Daily and Live Life Beautifully,
Nancy
Hi Friends,
Just a quick note to let you know that the Rick Rack Letter K is now available for free this week. Scroll down to the bottom of the home page.
Enjoy!
Nancy
Be Creative Daily and Live Life Beautifully
Dear Friends,
Just outside my window, mama robin has a big belly full of eggs!
Spring is working it’s way up to Michigan! It is up to 60 degrees today and the birds have been chirping all day long. Beautiful new life is showing itself all around and I couldn’t be happier! Today is such a nice day for sure.
With all this new life, I have a sweet new set I now have HERE in the Embroidery It Etsy store.
It is a Baby Clothes Closet Organizer. This design is just in time being the perfect gift for the new mom or mom-to-be. It will help keep her closet organized by separating the baby clothing into the appropriate sizes. No more searching for clothes that fit her growing baby.
The design can be done in pink or blue colors if she knows the gender or stitch it in the colors to match her nursery. It is a gift any new mama will greatly appreciate.
This contains 7 designs. Newborn, 3 Months, 6 Months, 9 Months, 12 Months, 18 Months and 24 Months. It fits closet rods up to 1 3/8″ diameter. It is all done in the 4 x 4 hoop.
Happy Spring everyone!!
Be creative daily and live life beautifully,
Nancy
What a difference just one week makes with my kitchen skin herbs. Makes me smile. I love spring!
Hi Friends,
I’ve been having so much fun with my Rick Rack Alphabet! My embroidery machine has been busy. As the snow melts I’m certainly looking forward to warmer weather. I also wanted to create a banner for my eat in kitchen area. I will be putting the banner up very soon!
Can’t you just tell I’m dreaming that the thermometer will soon rise 🙂
Then I’ve always had in the back of my mind spelling out “Merry Christmas” with the Rick Rack Alphabet and using silver rick rack. I got started with the letter M this past week. Along with the yo-yo looking like a flower, it certainly looks like a lollypop so I’m going with the candy theme here. The little embellishments are from “Dress It Up.”
Finally, more requests have been coming in asking for the remaining Rick Rack Alphabet letters. I don’t have them all completed but here is what I am going to do. The letters will still be free, one each week, but as I complete other letters further down the alphabet, I will have them in my Etsy store. This way if you don’t want to wait for them to be free, you have the option of grabbing them sooner. I won’t promise when the additional letters will be available, so be sure to pick in from time to time.
Hugs to each of you.
Remember…Be creative daily and live life beautifully.
Nancy
We’ve just had the first day of spring. Here in Michigan it is still in the 20’s at night but we have had a few nice days now. I took our beagle, Cindy, for a walk and the temperature was a nice 40 with no wind. The snow is melting and green grass is showing underneath! Along with the signs of spring another gift is all are the sounds I hear now. Hearing the birds chirping that they joyfully know winter is almost over is something I will never get tired of listening to.
A favorite family game of ours. Catan. 
I couldn’t resist walking through the lawn and garden area of the grocery store. This little set from Burpee made it into my cart. It now makes me smile every time I’m at the kitchen sink. (And that is quite often.) Chives are planted in the pot at the back. I hope each of you have been enjoying your first few days of spring.
Be creative daily and live life beautifully,
Hi Friends,
You know I love the country look of patchwork and of rick rack. Here I have combined the two into a patchwork Easter egg. There are two files in the design. One for an egg that says, “Happy Easter” and another for a blank egg to add a name too. There is no font included.
The design fits a 4 x 4 hoop and will be perfect on a child’s shirt or to personalize napkins around the Easter dinner table.
Blessings everyone,
Remember…Be Creative Daily and Live Life Beautifully,
Nancy
Dear Friends,
About a month ago, Mike had some work down in Florida over a couple of weeks. So for the weekend I went down to join him and get away from the bitter cold and snow. We had an enjoyable weekend at Disney World, just the two of us! For his birthday I made us matching polo shirts using built in Disney designs that came with my Brother 1250D. I thought I used good stabilization by using a cut away stabilizer but there was still some pulling of the knit fabric that caused a bit of alignment issues.
Remember…Be Creative Daily and Live Life Beautifully,
Nancy
Hi Friends,
Just a quick note that the letter H is available for free this week only! Letters F and G have been placed in my Etsy store. I used three leaves for the letter H. The file comes with two leaves so if you would like three just make an extra! I just like to show you that it is all up to you…no leaves, one leaf, two leaves, three leaves…..You get it 🙂
Thank you all so much for supporting me.
Love and hugs to each one of you! You mean the world to me!!!
Nancy
Dear Friends,
The Rick Rack letters F and G have been available this week and I just wanted you to take note that on their final stitching, which is the triple stitching up the center of the satin stitch I used a different color thread. You see it more on the letter F with the pink thread. On the letter G I used yellow thread but it doesn’t stand out as much.
I just want you to know this is another option!
Blessings everyone and remember…
Be Creative Daily and
Live Life Beautifully,
Nancy
Hi Friends,
I’m hosting the mug rug this month over in the Fit2BStitched Yahoo group. You only have till tomorrow night to sign up. By signing up you will receive the mug rug pattern free and it has a bonus heart tea-bag tab.
Be Creative Daily and
Live Life Beautifully,
Nancy
Dear Friends,
Emily and I made it home from our big road trip to see family. I wish I could say that the weather cooperated better during her spring break but it did not. It was bitter cold! Even so, it was good to see everyone.
Mom and Dad are coming along. Not great but not bad either. Dad’s oncologist has kept tabs on him since he got so sick last November and Dad’s last PSA test was up to 168. (It should be 0 in men) Even though Dad had said no more cancer treatments, today he is going in for a “light” chemotherapy treatment. As always, I we appreciate all prayers for him.
While I was there we put their house on the market. That was sad as they bought that house before I was born and lived in it almost 57 years.
While Emily and I were down in Oklahoma City with Katie we did some fun crafting. I wish I had photos. We did some soap making and glass etching. Both were really neat to do and we all had a good time.
Finally, today I start a new online course called SHIFT. It is offered through the website Create and Thrive. Create and Thrive is located in Australia and is run by a sweet lady named Jess. SHIFT is intended to help creative businesses advance to the next level. There are 16 of us in the class. I’m the only embroiderer. Several people do sewing, jewelry making and paper crafting. Then there is a mix of others. I’ve been following the Create and Thrive blog/website for a while now and have found the information on it to be very helpful so I have high expectations of the class.
Make it a great day and remember…
Be Creative Daily and
Live Life Beautifully!
Nancy
ps. I’m playing around on Canva so you will be seeing more of these images I create.
Hi Friends,
I’ve finished these fun little gift boxes this week. There are four in the set, one with a shamrock for St. Patrick’s Day, one for Easter, one with a heart for a special someone or for Valentine’s day, and one for any occasion.
They are lined with a coordinating fabric and hold nine small candies or other small gift. A fragrant bar of handmade soap would fit in here perfectly!
This set requires a 5 x 7 hoop and is such a breeze to make using tear-away stabilizer.
Be creative daily!
Nancy
Joyful Flags located in my Etsy Shop.
Hi Friends,
Did you know that sewing tension issues are the most common repair problem? The tension devise on our sewing/embroidery machines have not changed in the last 150 years. It consists of two cymbal like disks, squeezed together by a spring and the spring is controlled with a tightening dial.
Sometimes a wad of thread or lint can lodge in the thread path between the cymbal disks wedging them open and resulting in tension chaos.
If this happens, try to floss it out. You can use unwaxed dental floss or just take a piece of embroidery floss that you use to do hand embroidery and floss the thread path between the disks. Do this with your pressure foot in the up position. If you don’t have either of those handy, take 4 or 5 pieces of thread and twist the thread together like a rope and floss with that.
Be creative daily!
Nancy
