Cross Stitch for Christmas

I wanted to do something really special for the holidays this year.  It can be difficult to create gifts sometimes, or maybe that is just my perspective.  I mean, how many dreamcatchers can you give someone?  So I am always looking to do new things.  I used to do cross stitch when I was younger, so when I saw these dishtowels in WalMart that had a customizing panel on them...perfect!  But what I didn't figure was the difficulty of trying to come up with a design to put on them.  So after half a notebook of graph paper and a few sacrificed pencils I came up with two designs to go to two very close people in my life.

So the hardest part was done, now it was just the time consuming stitching.  It ended up to be kind of a meditative process, but the best was still being able to look at the finished product.

Though I highly doubt this will become a running thing in my line of work, it was definitely a lot of fun to make.  I may consider creating custom designs in the future, but the construction takes too long compared to a lot of other work that I do.

If you're looking to do your own cross stitch as a gift, remind them that because of the delicate stitching it is only to be hand-washed and not put into a washing machine!

The Mystery of Owls

There's always mixed feelings about owls.  They're shrouded in mystery, superstition and linger around death.  It's often said that if you hear a screech owl calling outside your home, someone close to you is fated to die.  Most spooky of all the owls seem to be the barn owl.  It's snowy white face, almost reminiscent of a ghostly human face.  Their call sounds like a screaming spectral woman in fury or fanatical sorrow.  When someone infringed on their hunting grounds as they camp huddled around the campfire, they'll swoop down after crying out, stopping just short of the unsuspecting camper's face and shooting soundlessly up again; leaving the camper hit with the wind of it's powerful wings going through them.

Detail

They're said to be the boarder between the spirit world and the material world; their large, dark eyes peering into the unseen just as easily as they witness the obvious.  I think for this reason, is why they are more intimidating to those who see mystery and magic as something to be feared.  For those that are afraid of the shadows, the owl poses a threat to that fear, and will tear it down if they would only allow it to.  Death is not something to be feared behind mystery and shadows, but a natural part of life that should be accepted just as sorrow and joy and anger and accomplishment.

Large amethyst and tiger's eye chips attached to the feather shaft