Introduction

I believe the time has come for a proper introduction. Forgive me for having started a bit ahead of myself...

 My name is Mindy. I am the 'hook' and the author of this blog. Currently, I am living in the beautiful (small) city of Rome, Georgia, but I grew up in the lesser known Amish country of western Pennsylvania. The woods and fields were my brother's and my constant playmates and I draw much of my inspiration from them. If I wasn't sitting somewhere with my nose buried in a book, I was out exploring and finding all manner of wildflowers to drag home to my mother. To this day, I have to examine all of the flora that I come across; looking to find a seed head to bring home in hopes that I will be able to have the same plants in my gardens. I'm sure that I am quite a hopeless case. Thankfully, my children are my co-conspirators and don't mind my idiosyncrasies. 

 
Spring time has always been one of my most favorite times of the year. With the first warm days of the season, I would go out with my Grandfather to tap the Maple trees in preparation for the sugar run. Oh, how I loved spending the days in the sugar building watching the sap boil down, while outside the trees and flowers were preparing to burst into bloom; heralding the end of the cold once again. The warmer air meant that berry picking time was around the corner and the kitchen would be humming with the making of pies and jams. The sight and smell of freshly tilled fields signaled the start of a gardening season that would end in long summer evenings snapping beans and shucking corn in preparation for canning. Now my spring days are spent making my own flower beds and preparing to plant my own orchard for future enjoyment, while listening to my children squeal with delight as they find another new bug or flower of their own.

 Homemaking and the needle arts are in my blood. I had several amazing 'crafty' examples to follow while growing up. My grandfather was from Lisbon, Portugal, and, out of a desire to connect with my heritage, I was fascinated with the art of making Madeira Lace. (Unfortunately, I've yet to learn the process.) I grew up hearing stories from my grandmothers of how things had been when they were young girls, all while watching them with their knitting needles and crochet hooks constantly in motion. My memories of a great-aunt are filled with her sitting; tatting shuttles weaving in and out. My mother taught me how to sew and cross-stitch by the age of 12, and I've been in love with it ever since. I have never been content with knowing just 'the basics'. To keep me occupied while homeschooling our older children and to keep from going crazy while cooped up in the house on winter days, I taught myself how to knit and crochet. The patterns that I love are always the more difficult and I'm never satisfied until I can use them somewhere. I think that I get more joy out of the execution than I do out of the actual finished product. I am currently perfecting my tatting skills, which had to be put on hold while preparing for the Artist Expo. I am already in love with the art and have so many ideas for how to put it to use.

I've always loved the prints of historic fashion plates. The way that those women would combine basic skills to create such elaborate and beautiful dresses has been another source of inspiration to me. I hate that so many of those skills have been all but lost over time as they fell out of vogue. It is my hope to bring many of them back into use with a more modern twist; whether it be for personal fashion or around the home, in my soon to open Etsy store. They are just too beautiful to lose completely.