Fairy Tale RR Progress

I've just finished working on Leona'a Wizard of Oz block. It was a bit of a challenge because I've never worked on a block so large. But I did have fun with it. I did more work to it than I have to some of the other blocks because I had a little more time on my hands.



I'm still working on lettering. It's getting easier. I'm still struggling with buttonhole wheels, though.



The "Wicked Witch" photo was found on the Internet, copied to fabric and then attached with ribbon, rick-rack and beads. I wish it had printed a little lighter. Oh well...



How many of you remember the hourglass from the movie? My DH and DS didn't. Obviously, this one is very basic because there was no way I was going to attempt recreating the movie prop, which had dragons for handles. I also used blue sand instead of the red from the movie. I think the mixture of threads and beads makes it look kind of cool. Fluid almost.



At the bottom of the block I added the "Somewhere over the Rainbow", and the rainbow. I chuckle because my cursive is much better than my printing. Another 'lettering' lesson. LOL. And I also know that a rainbow is made up of only 7 colors but after all this is OZ...



Well, I better go get this little beauty into an envelope and on its way. Happy Needling!

Blogging Day!

Gosh, I miss having time to blog. So, today is my designated day to catch up. Hopefully, I won't get a hard time from blogger and I can get through it in a reasonable amount of time. LOL.

Okay....off and running (weeeeee)

Mother's Day
It was great! Even though I still did my typical "MOM" stuff like making huevos rancheros for breakfast, a pork roast for dinner, doing dishes, straightening up, yada, yada, yada, I did take some "ME" time too. I decided to dye my hair again. Up until 2 years ago I had dyed my hair some version of red for the past 20 or so years. I couldn't remember why I quit dying it. That was until I remembered that I hate to touch-up the roots. Oh well....

I also broke down and bought some nail polish. I bought 3 in fact. So....I did my finger and toe nails. Now if I could loose that extra 20 (really 25) pounds, get the extra skin removed from my eyelids, and get into better physical shape I WOULD HAVE IT MADE! LOL. Pretty tall order, though. I better go sit down and think about it. LOL.

Tomorrow DH and DS are taking me to Brennan's for a New Orleans Jazz Brunch (a late Mother's Day gift). I LOVE THIS PLACE! I can hardly wait. Here, go check out the Menu for yourself. It's such a nice place. Valet parking, champagne cocktails, Shrimp Remoulade, Eggs Benedict, Banana's Foster. YUMMY!!!!

Speaking of MOM's Day. My DH gave me the most wonderful present. A plane ticket for my mom to come and visit. I'm so excited. She has never been to our house in the 4 years we've been in Texas. And I haven't made a trip to Phoenix in 2 years. Telephone calls and email only go so far. Now, all I need to do is find some fun stuff for us to do while she's here. I don't get out much!

School is out next week. YAY!!! Monday is my last day of the year for packing a lunch in the morning. And Thursday is my last day for waking up a 16 1/2 year old who can't wake up to an alarm.

I leave for Charlotte, NC on the 30th. I am going to Nationals for the USBC (bowling). I don't expect to win any money but I am looking forward to 5 days with 'the girls.' No cooking, no cleaning, no laundry, no errands....FUN FUN FUN! If anyone reading this post has any ideas about what there is to do, see, etc., I would love to hear from you. I can't seem to get any useful information from the Internet.

Current projects. Well, there's actually only been two. First I made myself a cell phone pouch. The pattern was a no-brainer and it went together 'sew' easy. Even the lining (BONUS). I just love the way it turned out. I have room enough for a pen, ID and credit card, some cash, my phone, and a lipstick.

And I was finally able to use some of the beautiful goodies that I have received in swaps, for MEME's, etc. I have a really tough time deciding what to use since I couldn't use it all! LOL. In the end...this is what I came up with.

The back is brocade and it just shimmers. The photo really doesn't do it justice. Of course, on this particular day, none of the photos I took turned out very well. Oh well.... As for the strap, I decided just to add a place to 'clip' them on. I have a number of different straps and chains, in different lengths. I wanted some flexibility and now I have that. I also needed a place to put my keys (I only carry 2: car and house). Next I'll be working on a beaded key fob.

Second, I made Bella a little cushion for the end table that she won't stay off of. Actually, this project was DH's idea. He had to prod me for awhile but then I caved and made it for her. I've resigned myself to the fact that she is not going to stay off of that table. So, I guess if you can't change something, you can at least protect the furniture. LOL.

And the verdict is....she LOVES IT! You can't see it but there's a strap underneath that velcro's together to keep it taut on the table. And I put a little non-skip shelf liner under it so what when she sees a squirrel and bolts off of the table, she doesn't take the lamp out with her.

BTW, this is what she sees while she's resting on her cushion. There's squirrels out in them thar trees!

Okay, it's time to let her get back to relaxing. LOL.

Lastly, there are the flower beds, an unexpected visitor and a planting experiment. First are a couple of photos of flower beds. I did this as an after thought, and didn't really do a great job with getting photos of the nicer, more colorful areas of the yard. But then again the point is that the weather has been cooler. The humidity has been WAY down, and our foliage is growing nicely. My little rose bush is in full bloom and the Tea Rose that we planted recently has 2 blooms already. Gosh, I hate to think that I might start liking roses. LOL.

We lost one of our established hibiscus from last year's freeze. The other two had to be cut back nearly to the ground but they are leafing out nicely and will be blooming later on this summer. Just for good measure, we planted 4 more of them. Along with a wide variety of other plants/shrubs. As you can see the Hostas and Firebushes are huge. The Day Lillies are blooming nicely and I THINK, the Hardy Lillies will bloom again.

You can just see (if you squint) my favorite yellow tree in the left hand corner of the photo. We're not sure if we will let it reach tree status or not. Maybe just a nice, plump bush would be good. Hmmmm.
This is a Cotton-tail running out of the front yard. When I went out to get the newspaper I never expected to see this little guy. It was munching on some weeds that DH had pulled out and left on the lawn. I went in and out of the house to stare at him for 10 minutes or so. Then when I finally remembered "MY CAMERA" I barely got a snap-shot before it scurried away!

This little beauty will someday be a potato! At least that's what my DH tells me. He grew up on a farm, chose agriculture for his trade, and loves to plant and grow things around the yard. When I described my understanding of a potato plant, he laughed. I won't even offer that version to you. Anyway, this was his "SEE" how it's done to convince me that he knows what he's talking about.

Well, I think I've covered it for now. Thanks for stopping by!

Wishing You All A...

I've Been Tagged...

You know, it's actually quite flattering that someone who you admire and respect would think of you, too. This time it happened twice. Thank you, Pat and Ati.

And even though we 'blog' and share within our groups, I've noticed that few of us really share any secrets or details of our lives. I'm often curious about the persons behind the blogs I read. Not because I'm nosey but because my 'on-line' friends are such a big part of my social circle. Most of it in fact. But we'll get to that later - or maybe not.

I've been reading the "MeMe's" posted around and I've realized that there are some very talented, interesting, caring, and yet very regular women out there who do the best that they can from one day to the next. They deal with households, children, bills, errands, husbands, homework, sickness, pain, and loss. And throughout it all, they do a remarkable job of maintaining a sense of humor and realistically, positive perspective. I applaud you all.

So, this MEME is to list 7 things about yourself, and then pass it off to 7 others. Or some number depending....

It's really difficult to come up with so many things about yourself when it's not new to you. Or when you're, like me, just not very exciting. LOL. But here goes, anyway:

1. I am the oldest of 5, and the only girl. Can you say, "SPOILED?" LOL. I guess I was. Right up until my DH and DS stole my heart and I wanted to give everything to them. Anyway, in the spirit of 'those days' and still maintaining an 'Attitude', I have a shirt that says, "You say SPOILED like it's a bad thing!" My license plate cover reads, "If I don't have it...it's because I don't want it" (that one BTW replaced the original that read, "I want it ALL, and I bet I GET IT!") I have a key ring that reads, "I don't have an Attitude Problem...It's supposed to be this way!" and I have finally changed the saying on my checks from "A woman's place is in control" to "If a MOM can't do it; it can't be done."

2. When I was younger (around 10 or so) I was in to gymnastics. I was limber enough and strong enough then to lock my legs behind my head and walk around on my hands. I could also do the splits standing up. I used to hang out doing that in a doorway while talking on the phone. Now, I have to settle for tying a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue. (Still quite a feat, BTW)

3. I never had a Barbie doll. I didn't like Barbie and I still don't.

4. I have more pairs of shoes that I want to admit to but I almost never wear shoes. And if I do, they are usually slip-ons and I only put them on when I have to go into a store or eatery, etc. If I'm not getting out of the car, I'm going barefoot!

5. I'm a coffee snob. I only drink fresh ground and brewed coffee (espresso strength). And always black. I also love iced coffee.

6. I hate ripe bananas. The smell of them makes me gag. If I eat them, they are still fairly green and very firm.

7. I'm an avid reader. I read every night for 1-2 hours. When I travel I take an extra book just in case. I read fantasy and sci-fi, and always in a series of 3-10 books. I'm fascinated with witches, magic, dragons, vampires, and faerie.

Okay, that's it for now. I'm also NOT going to tag 14 people. But I am tagging:
Kathy,
Sweet Pea,
Art Junk Girl,
Connie, and
Susan

And PLEASE anyone who reads this and hasn't been tagged feel free to tag yourself. But be sure to let me know you've done it so that I can come and see!

Do You Really Think It's Free?????

I routinely borrow animations and graphics from "FREE" sites. I always give them credit and a link back in my side bar. But recently a site that I truly enjoy and visit often, Heather's Animations grabbed my attention. She is asking for DONATIONS in order to maintain her site. Apparently, it's very expensive to host an animated graphics site. Especially, one this size.

Well, I sent her a donation not only because I have frequented her site and it was the RIGHT thing to do, but also because I like what she's done and I would like to see her be able to both EAT and MAINTAIN the site.

I don't know if any of you are familiar with her site, or maybe another. But if you borrow from a site, if you enjoy putting goodies on your blog, and you have the good common sense to know IT'S NOT FREE....please consider giving a little help to the maintenance.

Swap Updates

This is the work that I did on Judi's Wizard of Oz block for the Fairy Tale Round Robin in the Crazy4CQ group. I found the Emerald City and Ruby Slippers photo on line and copied it to fabric. The brooms I saw on (and borrowed from) Jo's blog. She had borrowed them from, oddly enough, a Wizard of Oz block she had recently seen.







And this is the May birthday heart for JoAnn for the CQForNewbies (CQN) group's Sharing Our Hearts swap.









Well, that's it for now. Got to go work on some ATC's. Happy Needling!

Spring Fling Block

This block is for the Spring Fling swap with the CQN group.

(click on any of the photos for an enlarged view)


Naked block: The idea behind this swap was to create a block with the look and feel of spring. So, appropriately I added fabric in bright colors with butterflies, flowers and bumble bees. The finished size is 8" square (with unfinished edges). And we are allowed to embellish however we choose.



Center: In the center I added a garden themed siggie which you might recognize from the top of my blog. I copied the photo onto fabric, trimmed around the subject and attached it with ribbon and beads. Don't you think the bow and beads looks like a butterfly? Well, it's supposed to...

At the top of the block I added some ferns (at least they're supposed to be) and some french knots for flower buds.



Corner 1: This piece of lace came from DD. A few months ago I swapped some fabrics for some antique and vintage lace. Isn't this a beautiful piece? At the top of the motif I placed a smiling sun charm. Then glass beads around the center and a purple flower in the center. In keeping with the theme, I added flower charms along the seam above it and a butterfly off to the side.



Corner 2: I chose to add "Spring" to the block. Just for the heck of it. I've been practicing lately with lettering, so I was once again given the opportunity with this block. The bee is supposed to be the dot for the "i" and I was just in the mood for a pink spider. So, there you are!



Corner 3: This was actually a bit of an experiment in seam treatments. I had my Treasury of Crazy Quilt Stitches by Carole Samples in my lap and I just couldn't resist. I also chose to throw in some black. I think it adds a nice contrast with the white beads. Oh, and of course there is a dragonfly.



Corner 4: And finally, a button and bead trail with a bonnet, rose, ladybug, beads, and of course buttons. Below the lace I added a flip-flop charm.



And here is the finished block. Our co-list mama Lesa is hostessing this swap. And it will go out to her on Monday.











Happy Needling!

On The Road Again!

Sunday DH and I took the motorcycle out. The first time in I don't remember how long. The weather here has been unusually nice and the timing was perfect. We only put on about 100 miles which seems so few when you consider that we (mostly DH) used to put about 10,000 miles a year on the bike. We even got married in July so that we could take a bike trip yearly to celebrate our anniversary. We always had a different destination, usually in mountainous country and would put anywhere from 2,000 to 4,000 miles on in 10-14 days. The longest day we ever did was 750 miles. And if that doesn't sound like very many miles to you, try it sometime. You need 'world class buns' to do it. Awe, those were the good old days. LOL

This photo is an older one of DH stopping (in the middle of the road) to take in the beauty of the mountains. I was safely off of the road taking the photo.

Sadly, since we moved to the Houston area we seldom get out on the bike. If it's not the weather, the bugs, the sudden storms; it's the traffic. With 5.8 million people in the Greater Houston Area, people take their lives in their own hands just climbing into a TANK and hitting the roadways. Getting on a motorcycle is just short of suicide! So needless to say, when we ride we stay to country roads, farm to market (FM's) roads, and the like. Luckily it's still very wooded and rural around us, so even though we don't have nice winding, sweeper type roads we can still get away in relatively few miles. Still and at any rate, it was nice to get out for the day together :-)

In The Works (and Stuff)

I decided to do something for my 9 year-old (second) nieces in Nebraska. They are fraternal (not identical) twins. They are very cute, polite, and fun girls. Anyway, this is what I made for them....POSTCARDS! My first attempts at them. I had to chuckle because the same day that I finished the first postcard, I received my wonderful little postcard from Jeri.








I had originally intend to serge the outer edges but my serger became possessed by the "ruin your work GODS" and damn near ate my blocks. I'll have to over-haul that thing later. I'm still not talking to it.

Anyway, all that's left to do is to finish sewing the edging around the second postcard, find some of those blasted clear plastic protector/mailer duhickies, and get them sent out. Did you notice my 'signature' spider? I need to perfect the embroidered version of it.




I've also been toying around with some girly, dress-up type quilt blocks. I'm not sure if I like them or not. Maybe they will grow on me before I decide to yank off the good stuff and chuck them out. Time will tell, I suppose.

I bought another crafting book at JoAnn's last week, and some patterns. All McCall's for a buck. I also bought more fabric. I probably won't use in my lifetime but it was soooooo cute. I swear it was calling to me. I need to start wearing earplugs when I go there. It's getting really difficult to find a place to stash it all. My collection certainly gives "stash" a whole new meaning. LOL.


Oh well. It was a HUGE sale. You know, the kind you just can't pass up. I got the book for $5 and is very cool. There's a little bit of everything in there. I also couldn't pass up on discounted fat quarters or fabrics for $1 per yard. I didn't take photos of them but I bought 9 remnant pieces of silkies for crazy quilting. Most are near a yard and at 70% off! Brocades, silks, wovens, etc. NICE, NICE, NICE. Here are a few of the others I picked up though. The Asian fabrics are fat quarters.


















This last fabric I picked up awhile back. I thought it would be fun to have. Maybe for a spring or garden themed block. Or something!?!?!?












As alway, Happy Needling!

Big Thanks To

Candi for sending these goodies along with an RR block for me to work on. I apologize for the photo. I had a hard time with light adjustment today. The bag is a shiny Burgundy, edged with antique gold trim, and has a draw string closure with beads at their ends. Look at the butterfly. It has springs on its wings. Too cute! I was very touched by the Breast Cancer pin that was tucked away inside. I'm not familiar with the threads but I'm excited to try them. And last but certainly not least...the buttons, oh my, the buttons! They are gorgeous colored and etched glass. The photo does not do them justice.


This darling little postcard was sent to me by Jeri. It was a complete surprise. On the back she simply wrote, "A Gift of Art From Me to You!" Each petal on the flower is a separate piece, sewn down and topped with a clump of sparkly beads in the center. The flower is resting on a patchwork of assorted black and white patterned fabrics. It's so COOL! The outer edge is serged.

I only have two questions:
1. How do you get that edge? My serger is so loose and sloppy. (And yes, I have read the directions! Maybe I need to do it again)
2. Where do you get the clear plastic packages that you mailed it in? I've looked EVERYWHERE for them!


Thanks soooo much ladies!