So, here is the plumeria stub I brought back from Hawaii. I planted it and one of the leaves slowly unfurled and spread. They are a very slow growing plant, as these things go. According to the instructions, I can expect more leaves for the next year or so, and then will get flowers.

 

These are the plumeria seedlings from the seeds I got from Tradewinds. I really didn't expect them to sprout quite so quickly. Some of the seeds I got can take several weeks to months to sprout. I just moved everything indoors as it is starting to get cold outside.

 

This, I am pretty sure, is the guava tree seedling. I also planted Lilikoi (passion fruit) in the same color/shape of pot, so am guessing on this, but since one is a tree and one is a vine, I am guessing this is the tree seedling. I would have checked online, but there are precious few pictures (ah, make that none) on the net. So in order to alleviate this omission, here is a guava seedling. Unless it is the Lilikoi.

This is the Eastern Empress Rose as far as I've gotten on her. I got some peach colored silver lined seed beads from Michael's and did a row around the petal beads in a peyote variant, I did a running stitch type row and then filled in. After I got the row around the petal bead, I did a sleeve across the bottom of the petal in a peyote type stitch. I have one petal bead lifted so you can see the first row of seed beads.

So, cross stitching. Having gotten tired of endless backstitching in gold metallic cord, I have put away the oriental quilt for a time and begun stitching again on the Black Cat quilt. The patch I am working on is one from a set of six by Diane Graebner, called, appropriately enough, Cats and Quilts. I also have one by Springberry Kreek started, "What Now?" of a cat hanging on the bottom of a bird house.

Which reminds me, I was thinking that I know a lot of stitchers who are also gardeners, and that maybe that is because gardens take a lot of sitting and waiting while seeds sprout etc... and stitching gives something to do while waiting. Not that I don't have plenty of things to occupy myself. But with stitching, I get to do something once, and hold in my hands something that I have made. Let's face it, cleaning house, cooking, washing clothes--they all have to be done over and over. But I never have to stitch a charted piece twice. Even if I give it away after, the memory will live on in my hands. And if I keep the piece, I can sometimes remember what I was doing when I made it. Kind of nice, that.

I am also making jewelry, in preparation for doing a couple of craft fairs. I learned how to do beaded bezels for cabochons, and got some clear flat glass marbles to use. Then I took some of the brochures we brought back from Hawaii and have cut out and glued the pictures to the marbles with some jewelers glue (it dries clear, very nice) and am going to bead around them to make pendants. I think that Jill Oxton did something of the sort in her magazine ages ago. If I recall correctly, she was using photographs.

I'll take a picture of some of the cabochons I've beaded and post them tomorrow, along with pictures of some of the black cats and some of the flowers etc...

THE Magpie