For that perfect "little black dress"...

The iconic "little black dress"...a fashion statement that is always in style.  We spend endless shopping minutes searching for that special dress. Not too long...not to short. Not too tight,but maybe a "little tight" (in all the right places.) It has to be "perfect". 
And when we find it ... we want to accessorize it. 
May I make a suggestion...

the "perfect" accessory

for that perfect "little black dress"...

knitted with a gorgeous, shimmery, 

super soft

acrylic yarn...

 this beautiful wrap has that "wow factor"

when it comes to accessorizing your

 holiday dress...

this beautiful yarn, (an Italian yarn,)

stands alone in its ability to shimmer and shine...

ohhhh, and the weight of this wrap

is PERFECT...

(you will love the way it hugs your shoulders)

in mingled shades of shimmery

 black, pink, pale yellow, moss green...

each end of the wrap is accented with a beautiful

 border design.

(it is magnificent!) 

~~~ 

measurements...

length-90 inches

width -30 inches

this "one of a kind" knitted wrap

could be your most perfect accessory for the holidays.

You can find it here in my ETSY shop.
update..11/29
I have just removed the listing from
my ETSY shop because my wrap
was purchased locally...

Speaking of yarn...

By now you must surely know that I am addicted to beautiful yarns. Irresistible, gorgeous yarns. And... even though I do not need any more yarn.... I just bought some.  And,...it is SO beautiful, that I will most surely buy more. 
 

My friend of many talents, Tanya Greb,

 has branched out into designing her own yarns

 in a magnificent array of beautiful colorways.

  There are hand painted yarns,...

 and then there are THESE hand painted yarns.

 I want them all.

 (LOL).

You can find these irresistible yarns 

at Tanya's online ETSY shop,

 Pink Adobe Dyeworks
(just click on the link above to get there) 
~~~
As a special incentive for those
who might wish to purchase some of these
beautiful yarns...
Tanya is offering a 10% discount
for purchases made between 


November 29 and December 3
(so let the shopping begin!) 

~~~~~~~

For us it is a year of firsts......

first Thanksgiving, first Christmas, first almost everything. We are making our way down this uncharted path, and I am happy to say that we are becoming stronger. The Gardener and I slipped away on a 10 day cruise.. the photo here was taken on the island of Curacao. I'll be posting photos from our travels on my

 2 Bags Full Instagram page. You are invited to follow me there!  

Several of you have written to me asking about the annual (well, almost annual) "Grow Your Blog party". Let me just say that I am sorry that I have let you down this year. Nothing has progressed this year. I am behind on the blog party, the "Kindness Quilt Project" is very much behind.... and I could go on and on and on.
This next year there WILL be a blog party. Most definitely. And...by spring the Kindness Quilt Project will progress. If you have ever suffered a terrible loss in your life then you know that for many months afterwards... your life is a just a hazy blur. Only now is that beginning to clear.

Thank you all for your continued support, I am still getting emails of love and support, and I am overwhelmed with your kindness. 
I hope to have another blog post before the holidays...
xoxo
Vicki

October Awareness...my knitted wrap for a Warrior Princess

October is here and with it comes the awareness and attentions given to the prevention and early detection of Breast Cancer. For my family, we think of it every day. I suppose it's going to be that way for a long, long time. Our hearts still hurt...

 traditionally, 

I have always created a beautiful

and special knitted wrap

to raise awareness...

this year's knitted wrap

is truly special..

 a creation

to honor of our own beautiful

Warrior Princess..

 my commitment

to raising awareness is unwavering,

although humble,

this is my little contribution

to the cause..

  as always,

the charitable proceeds 

will be donated

to a local organization that provides

assistance to women

with breast cancer.

this wrap was created

with amazingly soft yarns,

every stitch bound together with a

prayer... 

measurements...

68 inches long

18 inches wide

the wrap is embellished with a garden of blooms...

  vintage fabrics, old crochet pieces, lace, ribbons..

exquisitely and intricately 

hand beaded.

each embellishment is unique

and special..

no two are alike.

a tiny patch 

in the corner of the wrap

bears a beaded breast cancer awareness

symbol..

subtle, yet powerful reminder

of the cause..

 the body of the wrap is

knitted with muted tones of tan and light brown...

leading into

 a banner of soft, pink awareness..

uniquely special...

there is only this one...

 

the wrap is available for purchase

in my ETSY shop

 here...

 

 my thoughts on October...

It has been hard to see the signs and advertisements everywhere you look. The whole world is pink right now...and sometimes, that's not pretty. Our wounds are still raw, and the month of October is like a giant stab of salt to what still hurts. I care deeply about raising awareness, my commitment will remain strong. I do this to honor our beautiful Alicia and for all those, who like her, must find a way to live their lives while fighting this disease. My contribution seems so very small. I hope and pray that through this meager effort, someone will gain strength and know that they have within themselves the power and the courage to become a warrior princess like no other..

 

xoxo

Vicki

Dahlia Acres Farm... (a flower lover's dream come true)

 Don't we all love beautiful bouquets of fresh flowers?
Who knew that a visit to an early morning farmer's market would lead to an amazing opportunity to gaze upon fields of colorful Dahlia's and learn about the joy and (labors) of owning a flower farm...

 we ran away from home...

(the Gardner and I)

a brief little get away to one of our favorite places..

South Haven, Michigan

                                

 one of our favorite things to do in South Haven

is to visit the early Saturday morning Farmer's Market..

a stunning display of "just picked" dahlia's at the market

led me to a conversation with Melissa..

and an invitation to visit 

this pretty little farm

with it's fields of dahlias...

 an hour's drive, just north of South Haven

is Allendale, Michigan...

on a quiet and quaint country road

is this pretty little place...

Dahlia Acres Farm

 sitting alongside the road

is a market cart filled with farm fresh produce

and beautiful "just picked" dahlia's...

  

 we're on the "honor system" here...

take what you want, and leave your money

in the box...

(don't you love that?)

 

just behind the market cart... for as far as you can see,

are beautiful fields of blooming dahlia's..

a colorful palette of blooms...

 we were warmly welcomed to Dahlia Acres

by Dave Buist,
he and his business partner, Marcy Krause
 are the owners
of this beautiful farm...
~

we were invited to walked through the fields

 and along the road,

taking photos...
(and photos, and photos...)

~

all the while I'm thinking,

I've got to share these photos

with all of you!

 Did you ever think that you would like

to own a flower farm?

( I will admit to maybe having those thoughts...)

however briefly... 

 Dave explained to us the business and the "busyness"

of running a Dahlia Farm...

..."the dahlia tubers (hundreds and hundreds of them)

are planted in early April... 

first blooms will begin to flower

by early July." 

 

 "the tubers are harvested (by a potato digger) after the first frost... 

during the late autumn weeks, 

they are then tediously sorted
 according to color..."

   

 Dahlia Acres is a family run farm

and the work is done by family members and a few hired laborers.

most of the planting, harvesting,sorting... 

is all done by hand

~

a million hours of labor

just to harvest these beautiful blooms

 So...

 what happens to all these 

flowers?

nimble fingered bloom lovers

can make an appointment to pick their own flowers...

perhaps for a party, special occasion, wedding,

or just because we all love a

beautiful fresh bouquet...

~ those who are not so nimble,

can request to have their flowers

picked and made ready

for pick up...

 

 beautiful blooms are always for sale

at the roadside cart...

in season,

 you'll find Melissa or other family members

selling these beautiful blooms at the local

farmer's markets.

You'll notice them right away --

they will be the most colorful and stunning

display at the markets!

For those of you who are local...

you can find the blooms at the

 South Haven, Grand Haven, and Muskegon 

farmer's markets.
~

you can also purchase dahlia tubers
in the color of your choice
by visiting their website here...

 

 For the Ladies only....

a unique activity for your special

 "girl's night out"...

~

Attention all my Michigan readers...

if you are local to the area or want to plan

a special outing...

how fun would this be?

 a few more photos of this gorgeous vintage

truck display...

 If you find yourself in Michigan...

or want one of many excuses to travel in this direction..

(we LOVE Michigan!)

you can visit Dahlia Acres Farm at

7577 Buchanan St.

Allendale, MI

49401

you can find these nice folks

on Facebook here...

~

And a note from me...

everyday we grow stronger,somehow. The pain is there still, and I often shed tears when a memory is stirred... but we are moving forward as we all must do.  Your notes of condolence and love continue to move me and warm my heart.  You are all so very precious to me.  Thank you for caring so much.

The summer has been one of non stop tasks and that has helped to keep our minds busy.  My son and the little girls have moved here to my hometown.  They have a beautiful home and live only about 10 miles from me. Needless to say I have spent endless days and hours packing up boxes and then unpacking them in the new house. In actuality ... we will probably still be unpacking boxes a year from now.. but at least they are here close by, and beginning to settle into a new life.

Somehow, the Gardener and I did manage to sneak away to Michigan for a few days.... it was wonderful to enjoy our travels again. You can see more photos from our beautiful Michigan trip on my 2 Bags Full Instagram page as well as more photos from the lovely Dahlia Farm. I'll be posting them soon! Please join me on Instagram if you wish.  (If you have never done Instagram.... it is SO easy! So much easier than Facebook or blogging!

An update on the Kindness Quilt Project...

You are amazing! We now have over 300 quilt squares for this project. Our deadline has passed so we will now move forward with the completion of the quilt (quilts!). Within the next few weeks I will announce the winners of the giveaway.  And -- I promise the photos are coming.  I have had hardly a spare minute to finish them this summer.  

Lets talk about the quilt (s)... how in the world am I going to put all of these quilt squares together??? I'm trying to think of a way that you all can help me with this.  Please put your thinking caps on and if you have any ideas, please leave a comment or email me.  The potential for this project has moved beyond anything that I could have imagined.  Your caring spirits are proof that there is genuine kindness and caring in this world. Let's all think about the best way to move forward with over 300 quilt squares!!....I welcome your input and ideas!!

xoxo,

Vicki

ps....

you probably won't believe this... but I am now a chicken Mama. The little girls have chickens...(they came with the house) and I have claimed them as my own.  I know..... it's totally crazy, but I am in love with the chicky girls...

stop laughing...

Baby love...

We have welcomed a precious new baby girl into our family... another beautiful little great niece for me.  Our Maddy girl is now a big sister. Of course I knitted something special for her arrival...

  precious pink baby blanket

knitted in my 

"mistake stitch" pattern...

 a tiny whisper thin mohair

matching wrap and hat

for her newborn 

photos...

the tiny wrap is knitted 

in a variation of a honeycomb stitch.. 

 both the little wrap and hat

are embellished

with pink satin rosebuds

and trim...

 the gray mohair 

is from my "never ending stash...

~

the hat is knitted with grey 

ribbon ball yarn from

"Be Sweet"

(thank goodness it was also 

in my stash...)

(be forewarned... it is quite costly!)

 the blanket is knitted with 

the most wonderfully soft and exquisite yarn...

Sirdar Snuggly Baby Bamboo.

(omgosh... I love this yarn!) 

this yarn knitted up so beautifully..

it is the perfect weight for a baby blanket

and is so wonderfully soft.

(this might be my new favorite yarn for

baby blankets)

As you know,

 our family has had

some great sadness in our lives...

knitting this little ensemble has been 

such a great help to me.

It is true what is said about the rhythm 

of knitting...

it calms the soul.

 Welcome to our beautiful

"Kynzley Jayde"

tiny fingers and toes...

she is perfect..

we are in baby love...

A little note from me...

I want to tell you something... 

I love you. All of you.  These past days have been difficult and dark for our family, but as you all know... we must go on.  We have to.  Your messages of comfort and love, the cards you sent, the emails, texts, messages on IG,.... everyday it seems there is something from you. Words to comfort me, telling me that you understand and that you are still here... waiting for me.  I cannot begin to tell you how much that your thoughts and prayers have meant to me.  

We still grieve, we always will.... but there is sunshine to warm my heart.  We have just returned from accompanying my son and our little grandaughters on a Disney cruise. "Pixie dust" is the cure for almost anything it seems.  I've been posting photos of our little trip, as well as my gardening, and some other tidbits on my

 "2 Bags Full" Instagram page.  I would love for you to follow me there...

For those of you who cannot, don't worry, I will still be here.  I will post as often as I can... but we are busy with so many things right now. And honestly..it is just so much easier and quicker to post on IG.  If you do follow me there, please say hello and tell me that you are one of my blog readers.  I would love to follow you back on your own Instagram page. Rest assured though... my posts regarding the nests, and my knitted items will always be here.

Regarding the nests...

I'm so behind. Way behind. Way, way behind.  There is no way that the newest nest, the patriotic Freebird nest is going to be ready this summer.  So... I am pushing it back until early next summer.  It will be ready for the holidays next summer for sure.

Regarding the Kindness Quilt Project...

well, I'm behind on that too. Your beautiful contributions are all here and my next post will have photographs of all of the latest contributions.  Everything that has been donated since the first post with photos -- will be in this next post. August 1 is the deadline to send your contributions.  The quilt is going to be breathtaking -- truly lovely.  Thank you for understanding how and why I am so behind..

I'll be back as soon as I can... 

xoxo

Vicki