Happy Labor Day 2012

i hope that this day is finding you in a peaceful place and that you are able to settle both your body and mind from all of the busyness of the summer.

i also want to share with you my newest little gem of a quilt. this one was a team effort. the top was made by Kathie at Inspired by Antique Quilts and then it was finished up (hand quilting~!!~) by Lori of Humble Quilts.
i was the lucky buyer over on the AAQI website. not much feels better than finding a quilt that you love, supporting the AAQI in their efforts to treat and cure Alzheimer's Disease AND snagging it before it's gone.

with that in mind i wanted to alert you to the fact that AAQI has already begun their grand auction affair for this month. these auctions are always during the first ten days of the month and there are some special quilts set aside and presented during this time. even if you really don't plan on buying i urge you to hop over there and see them. it's like a mini quilting show right at your fingertips.


so i've shown you the close-up for this little quilt but i would also like to share with you it's current display area.
this is a shot of part of the front porch as you go into my home. i've decorated it especially for this brief relaxing time of the year when long hot summer days begin to shorten and cool. soon the snow will be flying and the holidays will be upon us with all of their hustle and bustle. i think that these shorter days are a reminder that we should enjoy life and relax a bit. so take a seat. savor some time on the front porch, drink a tall cool beverage and calm your mind and body. 

 

btw: if you're the type to want a bit of reading material while you're out there on the front porch you should check this out:

 

 

 



and hey, if you happen to relax for a smidge too long and miss the auction you can always go to the AAQI site and see what quilts they have for sale (while they last). there is a constantly changing bonanza of small quilts to delight. something is sure to capture your heart. trust me. if you see something you like, don't hesitate. i happen to know from experience: they sometimes can and do get snapped right up. of course if your a bit too slow you can always shop for another.

;- )

 

 

whatever you do, don't think for a second that you can't make a difference by participating in some way because the AAQI is here to prove that a difference can be made and they can show you every detail of that difference as they see it currently. take a look at how things are stacking up against this disease from the AAQI standpoint~!~it's truly amazing what can happen when people work together to create a change~!!~

 

 

 

 

recent gifts include:

• being the lucky buyer of this cute little quilt (it measures just barely over 7 x 11 inches)
• being able to help spread the goodness that AAQI is working toward with a cure for Alzheimer's
• long dreamy sessions on my front porch with the hummingbirds for company and a needle in my hand
• being able to figure out and embed my very first video link~!!~

busy as a bee . . .

these shots really must be clicked on and seen large to be fully appreciated. i hope you enjoy them as much as i enjoyed taking them.
today's gifts included:

• watching the bees and other pollinators within the mint blossoms
• productive 'nesty' feelings
• a cool evening on the back deck with my family

~HAPPY HALLOWEEN~

it's been a fairly productive weekend. i got my donation quilt back from the machine quilters a few days ago and so proceeded to get the binding and label on.


oh happy me~!!~ it's done and even a couple of weeks before the deadline~!!~



i worked on and finished another Christmas postcard for my daughter . . .


and i have two more ATC's (artist trading cards) finished. i think these are the last two in this particular series . . . but they sure were fun to make. this one (laugh) has already been requested for in a trade. i've also had a request for the "joy" card that i posted previously. i'm pleased that others like them and want to trade their beautiful cards with me. i can hardly wait to see what comes in the mail over the next week or so . . .

;-)

this second XOXO card is no longer available for trade.

the cauldron of treats (with obligatory faux bone stir stik) awaits, for all of those little ghosts and witches who will be out and about this evening . . .

i hope you have a fun (and chocolate) filled Halloween holiday.

the past week has been FULL of busy~! appointments, visits from far-away family and the fall yard duties have kept me from my internet friends and i've missed you all. the constantly changing and saturated colors of this season have been delighting me on a daily basis.

i hope you're finding your fall to be just as captivating.kale is one of my favorites. it's frost hardy so i'm still managing to keep it alive in a pot on my front porch. the colors and shapes add so much when mixed in with the bright pumpkin oranges, berry branches carrying small scarlet morsels and tall feathery grasses that it sits with.

i've also managed to get a few small projects across the finish line . . .

these last two cards were made for my daughter. i'll send them to her and she'll use them to wish her far away friends a merry Christmas when the time comes.

i've completed my little teddy bear quilt. it's been a good way to use up a bit more of all of my accumulated scraps. i decided that a big stitch using a larger thread would be just right for the "not-too-perfect" look that i wanted for it. i think that i may have mentioned it's for a fundraiser and that i was going to package it up nicely with some books and a teddy bear.

i've now decided that i'm going to help my dh make a primitive little doll bed to go with it. i may even make some cute little linens to include . . . the project groweth . . .

i hope that you are all enjoying the sun warmed days of this golden season of ripe~!!~

have a peek at the tiny flock of birdies that migrated to my house recently.
aren't they oh-so-adorable~!!!?!!!~ after they arrived they immediately began flitting about the house finding their own special nesty spots . . .

some have claimed the grapevine wreath that i have hanging on my front door . . .

they are just the tiniest, cutest cleverest handmade little peeps i have ever seen~!!~!

sometimes when you find something really great like this it's hard to share where you got it from but it would be a crime not to let you in on the secret wouldn't it~!?!~

i was browsing around on flickr the other day and came across a photo of one of these handmade wrens. i found it totally irresistible and before you know it i had tracked down where i could get a flock of my own.

Jennifer Hall of www.bubbletime.etsy.com and www.SeaPinks.etsy.com has these as well as many more of the most amazingly fantastically sweet whimsical items that you can imagine. some seriously CUTE STUFF here~!!!~

if you link over to her sites you will be delighted and smiling all day at what you find there, whether or not you choose to actually purchase you will be rewarded with a day long smile and if by chance you find something that you can't live without, i guarantee you will be very pleased with the quality of workmanship within this gal's shops. trust me on this one: it's some REALLY GOOD stuff.

btw: let's just say "a little bird" told you~!~

i've gotten a confirmation on the receipt of this mixed media postcard that i made for a very special someone.

it's always good to hear when a card i've sent has gotten to it's intended destination and has found a good home.

happy birthday Harry and you are so very welcome~!~

in my dining room i have two ceramic pieces that i really love. and wouldn't you know it~!~they are just full of textural details~!~ the one is a small plate by an unknown artist and the other is a pot by a local artist. both are done in a similar technique using the firing process as a way to crackle the pieces. the maker of the pot explained this process to me but i can't remember now what he called it . . . hhhmmmmmmm. i have also placed a small found wasps nest by the two as an added interesting detail. i am realizing that i've always enjoyed textures at a deeper level than i realized . . . for instance, these pieces rest on an old antique dresser that was painted blue and white and the paint has naturally peeled off of most of it over time. now this piece is oak and i know that if i were to strip and re-finish it the results would be beautiful, but i so love the look of the peeling paint that i have yet to do it~!~ many of the items resting on the dresser are rich in various textures as well; a very large roughly woven willow basket, a red and cream piece of homespun cloth with frayed edges, candles, and other little lovelies . . . my~!!!~i really am (and probably always have been) texturally addicted~!!~

a textural macro shot of the ceramic pot.

these are two quick shots of the window screening with the thundercloudy sky in the background. i simply angled the camera for the variations.

this is the inside of a large cone of garden twine.

and . . .

another macro shot; this time of the plate.

Wooden Spoon and a Crab Knuckle~!!~!

i decided that others may be getting tired of all of the floral shots so challenged myself to put together a still life from three random objects that i had around the house: a large shell (background), a small carved wooden spoon and a crab knuckle that i found while wandering on the beach a few years ago. i really like the light, textures and colors captured in this odd still life . . .

and here i have the newest progress on the small hand pieced blocks . . . they continue to be just slightly wonky. i've photographed them resting on a small antique and primitive garden bench. i actually keep this bench in the house and use it as furniture because i love it's worn appearance and i never worry about having to use a coaster with this piece~!~

Jumping on the Bed

a couple of years ago i bought this antique dolly bed from ebay. it is wooden and was once painted green and is made in a spindle style. i think it must have been played with a lot as it's a bit wobbly and worn. it actually has a metal spring bottom that has a caved in appearance . . . as if the former owners cat made a regular bed out of it . . . or maybe their dollies did a lot of jumping on the bed too~!~

it came with the old quilt that has been cut to the size of a doll bed cover but i made the tiny ticking pillows as well as fashioning a lace bedskirt for it from a bit of crocheted antique lace. i also draped another old crocheted lace piece over the end of the bed.

the bed and it's playful occupants are arranged on top of an antique pie safe that i have loved for years. the pie safe is also in pretty rough shape and has a warped top. but i love it anyway. or maybe i love it because it's not perfect . . .

under the bed is a well loved book from my own childhood. when i take a moment to look at the pictures in this book i can actually remember enjoying it. the memories are vague and as ephemeral as the book but still recognizable to me.

due to the wobbly bed and the uneven surface of the pie safe i have had to prop the bed with a tiny book under one of it's legs in order for it to remain stable.
i just love that most of the paint has been worn off of this little bed . . . i imagine it to have been played with by more than one child losing her or himself in the lovely world of "let's pretend".

and in keeping with the saggy mattress springs i have posed my little brown bear as if he's been jumping on the bed . . . and i swear~!~his facial expression is just perfect for this . . .does he not look sheepish to you~!?!~

my daughter is home from school for the Easter weekend and we decided that we would take a trip down memory lane and dye some eggs. it was a simple fun time and we both enjoyed it and love the look of those bright pastel eggs~!!~ i tucked in a stem of Jasmine and snapped this shot. Happy Easter Eve~!!~

Woven With Love

it occurs to me while setting up this still life that all of these things were hand "woven" with love; the basket, the antique lace and the tablecloth (which a very good friend made for me for my birthday a few years back).

i like the basket because it has a bunch of different little viney bits poking out randomly all over the place.

and the lace which is crocheted, was a piece i picked up at a yard sale partially finished . . . still had the pattern and the crochet hook with it. every time that i see it i wonder about it's "her"story.

i hope the collection makes you feel as warm, comforted and happy inside as it makes me~!~

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