Friday, December 31, 2010
Sunday, December 12, 2010
And MORE Bling!
Today when I went to snoop down at the retreat (I love to check out all the projects and goings-on with my retreaters), I found another gift from beader Royelle: a pair of Christmas tree earrings! The photo doesn't do them justice as they are much more sparkly in person. Thank you, Royelle - you are too much!
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Christmas Party Bling
My local guild had our annual Christmas party the other night and I noticed that many of our members went all out in their Christmas attire. Some had jazzy vests, some had cute earrings, and others had some good-looking bling! Harking back to my footwear fotos at Quilt Market, I thought I'd annoy everyone with extreme closeups of their holiday finest. Mostly they didn't mind my leaning in with TSA-inspired intrusiveness, and just smiled and nodded til I went away.
But I was rewarded for my self-control when, on my way home, I stopped at the retreat to lock up after the beading group that just left, and I found this:
Royelle left this for me. How exquisite is this?! If I'd stopped at the retreat on my way to the party, I would have had some bling to wear, too! Next year I'll be ready.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
December 2010 Desktop Calendar
Where did the year go? Here's the last calendar of 2010...only 31 days left to think of a theme for 2011 - which I won't actually do til 11:30 NYE as usual. Click on the calendar to expand image to full size, right-click and choose Set as Wallpaper or Background. To really jazz up your desktop, right-click on your background and choose a color that coordinates with the calendar - you'll be the envy of your cubicle!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
November 2010 - Finished!
You know, I don't get near as many quilts finished as I used to. Some years I'd get 4 or 5 done, and now, I'm lucky if I get 1 finished. In a year. But this actually makes my 2nd one of 2010, and I'm planning on having another one done in the next week or so.
This one's for Sofie - and it's only 5 months late! It's a scrap quilt made of 1930's repros and white ric-rac. It's quilted with a panto by Dave Hudson called Security Blanket - perfect, and way cute! I gave it to her on Thanksgiving.
And here's the pretty girl trying out her first quilt from Nana. 
And her 5 month picture
And speaking of pretty...how about this Thanksgiving Banana Pumpkin Meringue Pie? Yes, it was very yummy!!
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
This one's for Sofie - and it's only 5 months late! It's a scrap quilt made of 1930's repros and white ric-rac. It's quilted with a panto by Dave Hudson called Security Blanket - perfect, and way cute! I gave it to her on Thanksgiving.
Wednesday, November 17, 2010
Speaking of New Homes...
We were, right? Well, we were a few months back, anyway. I'm still getting my studio in order and it should be picture-perfect in another week or so. I hope.
But for now...I've got two other moving-related things to share. Guess who's moved in with us? No, not any more of our grown kids (for a change).
Mr. Collins and Angelique!
Mr. Collins is wearing the blue collar. Angelique has a pink one, which she promptly lost outside somewhere. They were strays living at the quilt shop in town, and after a week or so, they came to live with us. They're Snowshoe cats which are a relatively new breed, a cross between the American Shorthair and Siamese. He's full grown, but she's an older kitten. They don't talk nearly as much as Siamese do, and are very, very cuddly. Neither is afraid of Libby, our 150lb English Mastiff, and they taught her to back off in the first 30 seconds after meeting. They walk right under her chin to antagonize her, and she struggles to ignore them. They've settled in nicely!
Moving-related item Number 2:
Remember I said my oldest daughter and family moved into the log cabin? Well, they moved out again...and into their own house!
They bought a beautiful 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2.5 car garage that's just perfect for them. Lots of wood flooring, 14' ceilings, formal dining room, state of the art appliances, and an attic that has a stairway not a pull-down ladder! Oh! And a Christmas Closet! We had no idea that it was anything other than an oddly-large hall closet (the size of a bedroom), until my friend Shirley saw it, and told Megan that it's for storing your fully-decorated Christmas tree, along with tons of shelves and cubbies for storing wreaths, garlands, and ornaments. Who'da thunk it?!
And look how big Baby Sofie's gotten! And that Jack is such a cutie! It's not as much fun not having them in the cabin, but it's a good move for them, so we're happy.
Anyway - almost all their stuff is out of the cabin now, so Andy and I have been pondering what to do with it. It sits right in the middle of our 16+ acres, so we don't want to sell it.
Sooo....we've decided to fix it up and make it the retreat annex, the "Cabin Too." (Name subject to change depending on what I can come up with - suggestions welcome!) Some of the logs need to be replaced, and the inside needs some spiffing up, but we're hoping that a year from now, we'll be able to handle more retreaters. As it stands now, our calendar is almost totally full, including weekdays. Usually only holiday weeks are open. And most of my retreats are repeat bookings, which makes it really difficult for new groups to squeeze in. We're thinking we'll just use the downstairs for now (since nobody really likes to haul their luggage upstairs), and we'll be able to sleep a max of 5-6. That'll still give plenty of room for sewing, scrapping, beading, etc, and some of the smaller groups can book it without worrying about the 6 minimum required at the Quilter's Cabin. I'm considering not having a minimum number at all for the Cabin Too. So, rather than settling into a predictable schedule, we're back to planning, budgeting, working with tradesmen, redecorating...the same thing we were doing almost 3 years ago. I'll post updates and photos when we actually get started. And we really hope a year is a workable goal. Wish us luck!
But for now...I've got two other moving-related things to share. Guess who's moved in with us? No, not any more of our grown kids (for a change).
Mr. Collins is wearing the blue collar. Angelique has a pink one, which she promptly lost outside somewhere. They were strays living at the quilt shop in town, and after a week or so, they came to live with us. They're Snowshoe cats which are a relatively new breed, a cross between the American Shorthair and Siamese. He's full grown, but she's an older kitten. They don't talk nearly as much as Siamese do, and are very, very cuddly. Neither is afraid of Libby, our 150lb English Mastiff, and they taught her to back off in the first 30 seconds after meeting. They walk right under her chin to antagonize her, and she struggles to ignore them. They've settled in nicely!
Moving-related item Number 2:
Remember I said my oldest daughter and family moved into the log cabin? Well, they moved out again...and into their own house!
They bought a beautiful 3 bedroom, 2 bath, 2.5 car garage that's just perfect for them. Lots of wood flooring, 14' ceilings, formal dining room, state of the art appliances, and an attic that has a stairway not a pull-down ladder! Oh! And a Christmas Closet! We had no idea that it was anything other than an oddly-large hall closet (the size of a bedroom), until my friend Shirley saw it, and told Megan that it's for storing your fully-decorated Christmas tree, along with tons of shelves and cubbies for storing wreaths, garlands, and ornaments. Who'da thunk it?!
And look how big Baby Sofie's gotten! And that Jack is such a cutie! It's not as much fun not having them in the cabin, but it's a good move for them, so we're happy.
Anyway - almost all their stuff is out of the cabin now, so Andy and I have been pondering what to do with it. It sits right in the middle of our 16+ acres, so we don't want to sell it.
Sooo....we've decided to fix it up and make it the retreat annex, the "Cabin Too." (Name subject to change depending on what I can come up with - suggestions welcome!) Some of the logs need to be replaced, and the inside needs some spiffing up, but we're hoping that a year from now, we'll be able to handle more retreaters. As it stands now, our calendar is almost totally full, including weekdays. Usually only holiday weeks are open. And most of my retreats are repeat bookings, which makes it really difficult for new groups to squeeze in. We're thinking we'll just use the downstairs for now (since nobody really likes to haul their luggage upstairs), and we'll be able to sleep a max of 5-6. That'll still give plenty of room for sewing, scrapping, beading, etc, and some of the smaller groups can book it without worrying about the 6 minimum required at the Quilter's Cabin. I'm considering not having a minimum number at all for the Cabin Too. So, rather than settling into a predictable schedule, we're back to planning, budgeting, working with tradesmen, redecorating...the same thing we were doing almost 3 years ago. I'll post updates and photos when we actually get started. And we really hope a year is a workable goal. Wish us luck!
Monday, November 1, 2010
November 2010 Desktop Calendar
Click to expand image to full size, right-click and choose Set as Wallpaper or Background. To really jazz up your desktop, right-click on your background and choose a color that coordinates with the calendar - you'll be the envy of your cubicle!
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Festival Fashions & Footwear!
Deb (one of the owners of Quilters' Crossing in Tomball) and I spent the last two days at the International Quilt Market in Houston, and after seeing quite a few interesting ensembles, I decided they needed to be immortalized on my blog. Forget the quilts, fabrics, notions, patterns and embellishments - the real action was the people watching.
Since this is Halloween weekend, many of the visitors and vendors got all decked out - some more successfully than others.
This vendor said she couldn't compete with the one across the aisle, so she was reduced to playing crossing guard
Unfortunately for her, she was forced to spend the entire time being upstaged by
These ladies coordinated their outfits
As did they
And so did they!
Speaking of retro - how about bell-bottoms?
Or how about this guy? What a good sport, to walk around the convention center in a giant version of their company's pattern
And no trip to Market or Festival would be complete without an Elinor Peace Bailey sighting!
Scanning down to her feet, here's what Elinor was wearing
Speaking of quilting celebrity feet - guess who belongs to these?
Cara Gulati!
These two didn't know quite what to make of me, but I thought their boots looked pretty darn good!
Some shoes were winners, and some not so much, but I enjoyed looking for samples to shoot!
I had a pair just like these back in '68 which I wore with my straight leg Levis and levi jacket. Which I still have!
And these feet had a sweet story. They belonged to a young mother who'd lost her little girl Kyrie to cancer a fews years ago, so she has her daughter's name along with a halo and angel wings tattoo'd on her foot. I wasn't expecting that when I asked to take a photo of her camo slippers all bling'd up.
Deb & I made it 3/4 of the way through the convention center before we finally cratered. Made our way to the Starbucks stand to take a break and put our feet up. This is just the way I like my coffee: strong enough to stand a spoon up in it!
After we'd rested, we dragged ourselves up and down the last 1/2 dozen aisles and stumbled on this booth, featuring the new book by quilt and fabric designer RaNae Merrill...and the quilt that I quilted for her was featured on the cover! How cool is that?!
Oh - and last but not least, this doesn't really count as fashion, but what the hey. This is an ironing board cover with a sexy hunk covered only by a loosely draped fabric. Guess what happens when you iron on it??
Don't think I can top that, so I'll call it a day. Except I still haven't finished the November desktop calendar. Better get movin' on that before I hit the sack.
Since this is Halloween weekend, many of the visitors and vendors got all decked out - some more successfully than others.
This vendor said she couldn't compete with the one across the aisle, so she was reduced to playing crossing guard
Unfortunately for her, she was forced to spend the entire time being upstaged by
Or how about this guy? What a good sport, to walk around the convention center in a giant version of their company's pattern
And no trip to Market or Festival would be complete without an Elinor Peace Bailey sighting!
Scanning down to her feet, here's what Elinor was wearing
Speaking of quilting celebrity feet - guess who belongs to these?
These two didn't know quite what to make of me, but I thought their boots looked pretty darn good!
Some shoes were winners, and some not so much, but I enjoyed looking for samples to shoot!
I had a pair just like these back in '68 which I wore with my straight leg Levis and levi jacket. Which I still have!
And these feet had a sweet story. They belonged to a young mother who'd lost her little girl Kyrie to cancer a fews years ago, so she has her daughter's name along with a halo and angel wings tattoo'd on her foot. I wasn't expecting that when I asked to take a photo of her camo slippers all bling'd up.
Deb & I made it 3/4 of the way through the convention center before we finally cratered. Made our way to the Starbucks stand to take a break and put our feet up. This is just the way I like my coffee: strong enough to stand a spoon up in it!
After we'd rested, we dragged ourselves up and down the last 1/2 dozen aisles and stumbled on this booth, featuring the new book by quilt and fabric designer RaNae Merrill...and the quilt that I quilted for her was featured on the cover! How cool is that?!
Oh - and last but not least, this doesn't really count as fashion, but what the hey. This is an ironing board cover with a sexy hunk covered only by a loosely draped fabric. Guess what happens when you iron on it??
Don't think I can top that, so I'll call it a day. Except I still haven't finished the November desktop calendar. Better get movin' on that before I hit the sack.
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