crocus and a march fabric postcard

 

 

a purple spring crocus peeping out of a small rock wall in the garden. 

i love my crocus. they are a welcome sight in early spring and i am finding that they have begun to multiply themselves nicely. i have many colors including white, purple orange and yellow.

did you know that they are part of the iris family? and that there are about 80 species? this group of plants  can tolerate the earliest spring temperatures and even snow due to a special natural "waxy  cuticle".  to read lots more about these early spring beauties follow the link that i provided to "The Plant Encyclopedia". LOTS of great info~!!~

 

the green leaves that you can see to the right of the crocus is a tulip coming up. i wonder what color it will be?

 

i have been out of town just about every other day since my last post. around here that means a minimum of an hour drive in one direction. almost two hours if i go north and almost three if i go east. over the past few weeks i've been in every direction (more than once) and it makes for long days. i'm not as resilient as i used to be and so my blog is neglected as i regain my energy and try to catch up on other stuff. dang the laundry and dishes and vaccuming anyway~!

i have things to share and posts within my brain but just can't summon the time and energy to make it happen. i hope to get better about this but am not sure just how to go about doing that. do i need a special blogging calendar, am i unorganized? lazy? or just plain crazy?

if you have ideas to share with me in regards to being a more regular blogger? i sure could use them~! in the meantime, i'll just appreciate a dose of understanding from you.

 

the good news is that since it's something that i have had to do for all of my adult years i have gotten smart about using the driving time to stitch so i manage to keep a few hand projects moving along.

 

today i'll show you the finished postcard that i made my wonderful daughter for march.  

 

 

i went with a green on green color scheme and lots of stitched texture for this card. see that tiny little shamrock within the glass bubble? i've had that since i was in early elementary school. it was on a chain at one time and i frequently wore it as a necklace when i was young but unfortunately i don't remember where it came from. anyway it's been hanging out in my jewelry box for quite some time so i decided that it must have been waiting for just this occasion to be seen regularly again. on the back there were tiny letters engraved into it spelling out various phrases such as mazel tov, good luck, etc. 

i also tossed in a few beads (the largest wooden green one from a trip to Honduras), sequins and even a couple of washers that i stitched around. 

this card ended up being extra bulky so i mailed it in a padded envelope. normally i mail them in a 4 inch x 6 inch clear plastic sleeve.

 

i'm well on my way to getting april's card completed as this Slow Sunday Stitching shot shows. this is a detail of an edge stitch that i am embroidering (a taylor's buttonhole stitch) onto a leaf. the fabric is a leaf printed batik that i fussy cut. i want the leaf to remain (mostly) unattached . . . sort of an experiment but it seems to be going well. i like the way that the edge of the leaf is beginning to curl a bit . . . it seems more natural to me that way. i have to say though that frequently i have an idea of where i'm going visually and as i sew it changes so be prepared for a possible different outcome once finished. that is one of the joys of slow stitching for me: lots of time to consider and work and 'intuit' just what the piece is whispering into my heart.

 

i recently mailed a birthday postcard to my MIL. i'll show that one to you in the next post.

 

i am also currently working on a small doll sized random sampler and have just a bit of applique (more slow stitching) to finish up and then the hand quilting will begin (more slow stitching~!). LOVE that slow stitching~! for a really good summing up on more of the benefits of slow stitching as well as a linky show and tell, visit Kathy at Kathy's Quilts.

 

can you believe that i'm still mending socks~!?

they make a great take-along project on those trips that i  mentioned. you'd think i'd have every sock in the house mended by now but nope, not quite. partly because it's, yep, you guessed it, slow stitching, but i have to admit to actually seeking out socks to mend . . . a stitch in time, saves nine and all that. and yes, i'm still loving doing it. one can only imagine that there is something seriously wrong with me in that respect.

are there other closet sock darners out there? maybe a secret sock stitching society/club/guild or something?   hhhmmmmm . . .

 

 

 recent gifts include:

• getting outside with my camera for a fun spring floral photo shoot around the yard/garden
• the taste of sweet juicy california strawberries
• discovering how much i like the taste of fresh grated ginger in my breakfast smoothies
• opening up the windows on a particularly warm spring day for fresh breezes through the house.

 

 linking up with:

 

 

Saving the Bees at Photo Art Friday

  

 

"Unique among all God's creatures, only the honeybee improves the environment and preys not on any other species." ~ Royden Brown


"If the bee disappears from the surface of the earth, man would have no more than four years to live." ~ Albert Einstein

 

 

Colony collapse disorder in bee populations has increased this year, wiping out as much as half of commercial honeybees. The New York Times has this story as front page news in their print version, but you can read online how this problem will mean smaller harvest and higher prices on produce. 

 

 

Ingredients Magazine has an interesting article just out on the continuing problem of  our Disappearing Honey Bees. 

 

 

 

 

We rely on honey bees for one-third of our food supply (one out of every three bites), so when honey bees are in danger, we’re all in danger.

 

 

 

Honey is the only food that includes all the substances necessary to sustain life, including enzymes, vitamins, minerals, and water; and it's the only food that contains "pinocembrin", an antioxidant associated with improved brain functioning.

 

 

 

The average worker bee produces about 1/12th teaspoon of honey in her lifetime.

 

 

 

A hive of bees will fly 90,000 miles, the equivalent of three orbits around the earth to collect 1 kg (not quite 3 cups) of honey.


A honey bee visits 50 to 100 flowers during a collection trip.

 

 

additional links:

Mysterious, Massive Disappearance/Death of the US Honey Bees  

 

 

Honey Bee Die-off Alarms Beekeepers, Crop Growers and Researchers

 

 

 

 

Bee friending the bees - Ways to help

• promote bee habitat - plants and flowers
• plant nectar producing plants
• do not spray insecticide
• wherever possible do not mow flowering plants (dandelions are a life saver for bees)
• support research - $
• gardening for honeybees: a bee needs water and flowers to survive. you can attract them with blue, purple, yellow or white flowers such as lilacs, honeysuckles, sunflowers and azaleas. bees also love herbs such as mint, lavender and thyme. They avoid flowers that have had the nectar and pollen bred out of them (like many contemporary rose breeds).
• consider becoming a backyard beekeeper

SOME RECOMMENDED BOOKS ON THE ART OF BACKYARD BEEKEEPING:

*The Backyard Beekeeper - Revised and Updated: An Absolute Beginner's Guide to Keeping Bees in Your Yard and Garden by Kim Flottum
*The Beekeeper's Handbook by Diana Sammataro
*The Beekeeper's Bible: Bees, Honey, Recipes & Other Home Uses by Richard A Jones and Sharon Sweeney-Lynch

 

 <3   *   <3   *   <3   *   <3   *   <3   *   <3

 

linking up with:

Photo Art Friday:

"This week our optional theme/challenge is to create a piece of photo-art that contains some sort of graffiti.  It can be a photograph of graffiti that you have digitally edited or a photograph upon which you have applied text to look like graffiti.  As always, any piece of photo-art is welcome.  Following the optional challenge is not obligatory - that's why it's optional!"

Texture Tuesday with Kim Klassen and a finished little quilt

this a.m. i sit at the computer, bare feet resting on the cool floor and as i wait for photos to upload i close my eyes and listen to the neighborhood sounds floating through the window; cars passing, birds singing, the pond's fountain flowing over the big boulder and splashing back into circulation . . . life is good. peaceful. i am so grateful.
i hope that you are experiencing your own peaceful moments with senses wide open and a grateful heart. i hope that your life is good too.

i'll be linking up with Kim Klassen for the Texture Tuesday event this week. she asked that we use any one of her textures and create an image suitable for the 'flower power' theme. i chose to use one of her oldies but goodies called "Golden" and layered a photo from last year's columbine crop on top of it. i made some opacity adjustments and cropped artistically and ta-da~!
i hope that you will pop over and see what a few of the other Texture Tuesday participants are coming up with.

btw: remember the green bits of brand new growth in my last post that i asked you to guess about . . . some of my returning columbine have begun to poke up out of the spring soil. 
i loved reading your guesses. thanks for playing along.

i finished the little nine patch primitive piece that Cheri inspired.

i think it turned out nicely and now i have TWO small quilts on my donation/gift stack~! i'll start working on a third very soon.

 

i also have several postcards to work up for the month of april so i should have some very busy hands for the next few weeks.

 

recent gifts include:

• the grand-dog Suki and the kitties getting along SO much better lately. it's taken almost two years~!
• watching the garden come back to life
• a blooming easter lily and orchid plants
• opportunities for spring cleaning and redecorating
• the appearance of a pair of robins in the yard
• healing and strength returning to my hip 

 

 

also sharing this post with Mona's Picturesque

for Floral Love Friday.

TextureTuesday with Kim Klassen and some green goodness

i'm joining up with Kim Klassen for Texture Tuesday. today is the 'Anything Goes eDition' and i thought that i could use one of my own created textures and several different photos from within my archives and join in.
the base texture for this image is the same one i posted a few days ago.
it's always interesting to see all of the different talent that decides to join into this event.


i mentioned that my phalaenopsis (moth orchid) was  sending out some stalks with buds . . . no flowers yet, but i can be patient . . .
if you don't happen to be feeling that patient, check this out.

my small nine patch from Cheri's SAL is now basted but i can't seem to get serious about choosing and starting the quilting.
maybe i'm a little distracted by the seasonal changes . . .









recent gifts include:

• waking up to sunshine
• hearing the birds celebrating that sunshine in all out spring song
• seeing a few gold fish in the pond as they begin to feel a bit warmer and move around more

can anyone guess what this last shot is? i'll send a small sweet surprise to whomever guesses correctly first. (within the comments)

photo art friday

 

 it's time for the Photo Art Friday challenge over at Pixel Dust Photo Art where the optional theme/challenge this week was to create an image using one of her textures and a photo of my own. i decided to go abstract this week with my entry. 



Bonnie freely offered up
this texture for those who
might wish to use it.
she calls it "Gift". 

i added this texture
that i created from
two of my own images

and created the above abstract piece. i did some doubling up and flipping as well as some filter adjustments in order to get the final result.

i'm not sure i'm any good at 'abstract' but i had fun giving it a go.

 

 

 

 

as promised here is my finished and newly washed 'Abundance' doll quilt.
the 'Abundance' quilt-along was sponsored by Lori at Humble Quilts and was great fun.
the light is a little harsh in this photo and the colors and contrasts aren't perfect but this is pretty close.
i enjoyed this one and really appreciated that it was a simple one this time. Thank You Lori~!
Lori just happens to have some really cute little quilts (within a recent post) that she has made recently for the benefit of the AAQI. it's my understanding that they are on their way to this amazing organization and will be posted for sale in the near future. you may or may not be inclined to purchase any one of them but if you want to see how cute they are pop over there and take a look . . . it's like a tiny quilt show~!




i recently decided to follow along with Cheri on her three part primitive  SAL on quiltsbycheri. i happened to have some nine patches laying around and they were very close to the size suggested so i played along. as it turned out i really only had time for the first of the three  little quilts but i now have it sewn up and ready for some hand quilting. i'll show you more of that one on a later post.



i recently visited Tammy at Flat Creek Farm and was delighted by some bird watching that she has shared.  she discovered a way to slow down the speed of the video and she has added some beautiful music to them creating a couple of totally magical shorts that really should not be missed~! if you follow only one link from this post, make it one of these because it will totally change your day.




recent gifts include:

• snuggling with the grand dog
• beginning the spring decorating
• seeing the crocus, daffodils and iris all beginning to send up their first green shoots
• the geese that have become regular visitors to the neighborhood

slow sunday stitching

digital art journal work/play

i created a texture from a photo that i took of one of my beautiful vintage tablecloths and then i blended in another layer consisting of a cropped bit from a shot of one of my fabric postcards . . . still playing with this page but i thought i'd share what i've done so far.

this a.m. i've woken up to a grey sky but rather than snow falling we have light rain. perhaps . . .

i've decided to link up with Kathy at Kathy's Quilting for slow sunday stitching today.
i am seeing the last few stitches into the binding of my 'Abundance' doll quilt. 

i should be able to get a label onto it later today and then give it a bath. i like to see the puckers that washing and drying give to my quilts.
stay tuned, i'll show it in it's completed glory in my next post.

be sure you check out what else is being stitched on this stitchy sunday.

recent gifts include:

• watching the snow slowly melt and thinking about the flowers that are beginning to awaken down in the soil. i may not see them yet, but i know that they stir upwards.
• hearing my wonderful daughter's voice on the phone as she tells me about her days
• the taste of dark chocolate

a giveaway announcement and a new orchid

there's a new orchid in the house~!~ 

 

 

 isn't is beautiful? it's an oncidium "twinkle fragrance fantasy". whenever i get a new orchid i wonder if i will be able to keep it growing, and even better, get it to re bloom. i have failed more times than i have succeeded but my phalaenopsis (moth orchid) is just now beginning to present a stem with a few buds so apparently i continue to succeed with that one.

 

 

 

 i decided to use a crop from the above photo for the Photo Art Friday challenge over at Pixel Dust Photo Art where the optional theme/challenge this week is to share a piece of photo art based on any of these words: connected/connecting/connection.

Bonnie has once again freely offered up one of her beautiful textures for those participating. this one is called "Scratched Lens Texture" and i thought that it was very pretty. 

Scratched Lens Texture

Oncidium Photo Crop

 

Photo Art Friday
connected challenge

i cannot remember exactly what i did with the various blending modes but i am happy with the final image.

it feels good for me to be 'connecting' with the PAF group once again.
:-)
maybe you would like to see some of the other submissions to this weeks' challenge? there are many talented artists submitting to the theme and it's well worth a few minutes of your time if you are interested in photography and/or the image artwork created from it.

february's postcard for the wonderful daughter has been received and so i'm once again sharing those results.


there is a small pocket made of a torn bit of wax paper stitched onto this card. the pocket holds a tiny metal key charm, dried lavender buds, a piece of sheet music with a small red heart shaped bead stitched onto it and a tiny fabric/paper tag. the tag has been embroidered and written on (both sides) and is attached to the postcard by way of that small pink triangular button and some pastel thread.

i've been working on my little 'Abundance' doll quilt and although i don't have any 'master' quilting plan in place it seems that i've been able to come up with a  design for each area as i get to it. i like the look of the playful childishness of this approach and it's all coming together nicely. 
i hope that you were able to see some of the other cute doll quilts made from this most recent quilt-along at Lori's Humble Quilts blog.

Cathy at Big Lake Quilter is hosting a generous give-away of a book by the Country Threads team called "Dear Emma". i love the look of all things Country Threads and if you do as well you might consider hopping over to Cathy's for a chance to win yourself. 

 

 

 

 

recent gifts include:

painting done by Torrie Smiley
 

• restful nights in a bed that i feel comfortable in
• word from Honduras that the wonderful daughter's host parents are doing well
• the joy and appreciation that i feel for my capable hands while i stitch or hold a pencil or pet the dog . . .