Valentines

As I mentioned last week, I'm working on a few little Valentine gifts. I finished up this little cat over the weekend:



I decided to stitch this all in Ecru and then embellished with red & gold. I may make a cat for my mom too. She's more of a dog person, but she likes these little cat dolls.

My next Valentine is a cellphone pouch:



I'll start on this later today.

I've often been asked how I get so much stitching done. Honestly, I make it a priority. Just like with cleaning and laundry, I make the time to stitch. I also make time to read and sew. It has to be a scheduled event. Many people don't set aside time for themselves. They take care of chores, kids, meals and errands but when it comes to themselves, they put it off. I don't do that. Yes, there are days that don't quite work out to my scheduled plan, but for the most part, the reason I get so much stitching time in is because I schedule it.

If you're having trouble getting some stitching time, set aside just 20 minutes today to start with. Find a quiet place, take your things and insist on having that 20 minutes of peace and quiet to yourself. If the TV has to babysit for that 20 minutes, then so be it! The world will not stop turning if you take a little time for yourself. My philosophy is this: if we don't take care of ourselves, we're no good to anyone else.