Orangey Stone makes the trio

Another stone completed and again the colors amaze me. For a very long time I've thought my favorite color palette is muted, but just look at them.

Through felting and embroidery I'm unearthing deeper levels of personal preferences :)
And I love it!

Wish you time to get creative on Sunday!

My windowsill herbs

My little herbal garden on the windowsill. Washing dishes has another dimension with the mixed fragrances of herbs going straight into your nose! Even such a small herb garden - oregano, thyme, rosemary and parsley - is invaluable. It's both culinary and medicinal.
Oregano that has a warming and aromatic flavor, is a wonderful antibiotic with incredible anti-oxidant capacity, bigger than that of blueberries! It improves digestion, destroys harmful bacteria, acts as an disinfectant. Oregano oil is used in ear, nose and respiratory infections, fights candida and also viral conditions. What's more, it suppresses inflammations and cancer cells production.
Thyme is your herb when it comes to throat problems and cough. It's actions are anti-microbial and expectorant - it helps both with dry and "wet" cough. Remember to keep the infusion covered in order not to loose the volatile oils! Inhale as much as you can. Use in bronchitis, whooping cough and asthma. Similarly to oregano, thyme is an antiseptic too and can be used on infected wounds. As an astringent, it helps in bed wetting and childhood diarrhea. 
Rosemary's actions include antiseptic, anti-spasmodic, anti-depressant and parasiticide. It acts as a circulatory and nervine stimulant, and because it also tones and calms digestion, it's invaluable in treating cases where psychological tension is present (ie flatulent dyspepsia). You can use it externally to ease muscular and sciatica pains. Interestingly, it stimulates the hair follicles and may be used in premature baldness!
Parsley is one of the richest sources of vitamin C. It is a good diuretic, which means it helps the body to get rid of excess water (stimulates the kidneys). Remember that the cause of this problem must be sought and treated. Parsley also stimulates menstrual processes (emmenagogue), so cannot be used medicinally during pregnancy. The third use is carminative, easing flatulence and colic pains.
Just in the middle of my windowsill garden sit English Primulas. I've put them there for color and beauty, but do you know they have a very long history of medicinal use? The whole plant is sedative and has been successfully used in cases of restlessness, insomnia and extreme sensitiveness. The infusion of the root is a good remedy for nervous headaches. Pliny spoke about Primrose as a panacea for gout, rheumatism and paralysis. Culpepper suggested a salve made of Primrose for healing wounds. Primroses can also be used in cookery; in ancient times the flowers were the main ingredient in "Primrose Pottage". You can still toss them in a salad today!
Hope this encourages you to start your own windowsill herbal garden. If you don't have time to sow seeds, simply buy the plants. Remember they need as much light as they can get and don't let the soil get dry. Spend time close to them everyday, smell and touch them and they will flourish!

Frida's Stone

I love short, monochrome winter days, the purity and loneliness of the landscape. 

Winter is enchanting, hypnotizing. I let it pull me in. I go out to wander through the fields and hills and never have enough.
But after you get back home, what  a pleasure to sit in the favorite corner of the room with a cup of herbal tea, take out embroidery and relax over stitching.

Someone has said that being creative is the highest form of meditation.

I embroidered the purple stone yesterday and named it "Frida's Stone". The colors remind me of Frida Kahlo.
It was easy work again; this stone knew its design.

The two weekend stones make a lovely pair. I'm just searching for a name for the brown one.

Love adverse weather conditions

We're snowed over!
The GNOMES have gone wild.

After the second walk with all compulsory attractions - snow fight, snowman, snow angel, snow fall... - I snuggled on a couch under a blanket to work on a new stone. This one was easy, because the idea suggested itself accidentally. That's the best way to work. 

There are a few more waiting to be embroidered. These are not round, but quite flat.

I cannot wait to see how they will turn out. You never know before you start working. Sometimes until the very end!

...and the snow kept falling until the world was totally transformed...

I love it when I manage to finish a project on the same day. It gives me a sense of completeness. The project finished, the day ended.
Hope for a creative tomorrow.