"Show Your Jugs"

Isabelle has issued a challenge. Now I would call them pitchers, not jugs, but semantics aside, here they are. :)
Sorry, not the best photo. I have more jugs/pitchers, but they don't fit on the mantel. The big one in the middle is quite big and was a wonderful gift from wonderful friends I left behind in New Jersey. Some of the others are from my mom's ironstone collection.

And speaking of "jugs" and the possible risque nature of the challenge, Eldest D, on our recent shopping excursion took a photo of me and Mom that we dubbed the "bosom shot". It isn't really, but as she moved closer and closer in with the camera we were sure that's what the camera was seeing and had a really good laugh over it. What this photo does show me is that I REALLY REALLY need to get a better haircut! Yikes!

The light at the end of the tunnel...

Well...one of the tunnels anyway. Yesterday I busted my butt finishing up the painting in my study. There are counters and cabinets on four sides, and upper shelving on three sides. I moved my cutting table into the middle and have started to sort stuff. What a mess...
This was the last room I worked on with paint brush and roller. I was so exhausted after six days on the scaffold that I quit this room half way down.
The window frame and baseboard aren't done but I'm happy to say the rest is! I bought some of these plastic drawers for fabric scraps.
They fit perfectly on these shelves. This was the production room for the former owner's photography business. The shelves are wonderful. I sure can't complain that we don't have enough. They were built by the former owner who said she would leave them if we were going to use them. We were ecstatic! Now I just have to get things onto them. The top shelves are empty because they are so high I had to buy a step stool to keep handy. Now I can fill them up! :)


When the painting was done I got out the Oxi Clean and had a go at the counters. I'm not fond of their yellowey color but at least they are clean and almost like new.
The lower cabinets aren't quite as useful as they could be. There aren't any shelves or dividers in them and half of the "drawers" are just false fronts. Eventually we'll make them better. The next job is to try cleaning the carpet. You can see the dirty ring where an office chair was. I'd love to put down tile but that can wait.

We stopped at the thrift store with Eldest D the other day and I was thrilled to find this rocker, including the nice cushions. A bargain at $38!
It's just what I wanted for a corner of my sewing room!

Better and better every day

I seemed to have turned the corner as far as post-operative energy is concerned. Today I worked hard painting the bottom half of my study. It's so nice to have it done! I scrubbed the counter tops and just have some boxes of stuff to put away. My excuse is I can't lift them, so they have to wait for The Tramp. I still have to paint the window frame.

These are the two patterns I bought on our excursion the other day. I can't wait to make them but I've got a few things to finish first. (what else is new???) Karen, the designer of the wallet pattern turned out to be the person working behind the counter at the store!

I mentioned a while ago that I have to keep tabs on Belle when she's in the carpeted part of the house. When I catch her I put her in a crate under my cutting table. I run all over the house looking under beds etc trying to find her (she sits tight when I call her...sigh) when I should just look here first! Do you think the crate is big enough??? LOL
And I got the evil eye as well because I disturbed her. :)
Miss Ngaire on the other hand is very hard to miss. If I had a nickel for every time I stepped over or around her each day.....

Is this cool or what!

Cooliris Previews

Watch the tutorial, you will be amazed. Of course you have to be Firefox fans like we are. Where was this when I was doing hours and hours of internet research for work???

Excursion Day

Mom, Eldest D and I had great fun at a wire-working class on Saturday at the Carolina Bead Co. so were fired up to find more local bead shops. So Monday was excursion day. On the way we stopped at some sewing stores as well. We managed to fit in seven shops, though one was closed darn it. Three were bead and four were "sewing". We still haven't found the quilting shop of our dreams as so far JoAnn has the biggest selection of cottons I've seen around here. I don't know about the store that was closed, but two were mostly dedicated to machines and the third had a nice but not huge selection. I did find lots of Amy Butler patterns and like-minded stuff though. I bought a bag pattern at one store and a wallet pattern...from the designer...at another. (I need to take a photo.)

By accident we found Flame Kissed Beads. I hadn't put it on our itinerary, not realizing where it was. Nice store!

AND we were very pleased to discover they have a selection of Myuki Delicas which Mom prefers to use. These are some of her wonderful amulet bags and necklaces.
In between we browsed through a pet store (Eldest D can't pass one without going in) and met Arnie the blue and gold macaw. He gave us lots of kisses and said hello.

We also like Beadazzled.
Grrrr....look at her....why can't I still be that slender??? Sigh.

Finally we went home to collapse for a while. The Tramp treated us to dinner at Golden Corral. We figured at least it was some place Eldest D couldn't go to in New Jersey. We refused to take her to any chain restaurants she recognized. :)
I just got a text that her plane landed in NJ. Bye honey. I miss you already.

Woohoo!

I WON! Sharon is sending me a goodie. Thank you Sharon!

Also woohoo is that Eldest Daughter is here. We've been to dinner...lunch...breakfast (read - too much food), to a wire-working class (courtesy of Nanny), a NC Symphony Pops concert (Magical Music of Disney with Erich Kunzel guest conducting), been to the flea market etc. Today we are going to pick up Nanny and do a round of bead shops and maybe a quilt shop or two. It's time we investigated the local offerings!

So far on today's list are: Sew Unique Fabrics, Beadazzled, Plain & Simple Quilt Shop, SLR Beads & Jewelry, and Elegant Stitches. There are many more but I think we need to pace ourselves. LOL

Daughters

Eldest Daughter is coming for a visit tomorrow. FIVE whole days! *happy dance* We've never been apart for so long before. I'm sure I shall embarrass her thoroughly and cry all over her at the airport. Lovely! :D

This photo was taken at Oma's Doll Shop in Cape May, New Jersey. We took six of my favorite Lee Middleton dolls to be signed by Reva Schick, the designer (on the left). She was a lovely lady. The shop is an amazing place and Cape May is a must-see if you are ever in New Jersey.

Do wishes grow on trees?

The morning is gone. I've enjoyed myself but what have I "done"??? I baked some granola bars. Took a shower. Watched the birds. Chatted online. But what I'm really doing is Wishing. Wishing my house was clean, Wishing the laundry was done, Wishing I had a clothesline, Wishing I had a platform bird feeder, Wishing I was sewing...and so on and so on.

Ok...time to get to work. Sigh.

What a morning!

Look what happened to my neighbor today! Marie lives a couple of doors down from me. Thank goodness no one was hurt.

My feet are cold!

The weather has been sooooooo nice and cool. It seems everyone I read is feeling the same relief and the stirring of the soul that goes with a change in seasons. It doesn't look like fall around here yet but as I'm sitting here with the windows all open and listening to the Chickadees playing around the feeders, my feet are Freezing! Mind you, my internal thermostat has been out of whack for a few years now, but I'm usually hot, not cold! How nice!

Sunday, lovely Sunday

Today was absolutely gorgeous. In the 70s and clear. We had real rain a couple of days ago too. Wonderful. So I just had to sit outside for a while and enjoy it all. It was also wonderful to be able to have the windows open all day long!

The sky was so blue.

Yesterday I started to "decorate" my Charmed One. I hope I don't ruin her when I get to the stage of doing her face! Eeeek.

Ouchies

I got a clean bill of health from the doctor on Tuesday though she said I should be at about 50% of my normal strength. Judging by how easy it is for me to "overdo it", I think she was quite right. Since I'm now allowed to drive I of course went out on Wednesday. I went to the bank (drive-thru), the post office (drive-thru), the pharmacy (drive-thru) and took a bottle of rum to Mom (also drive-thru). (The rum is for Christmas Pudding.) Then I took a slow walk around Walmart. I'm not sure what tired me the most, driving or walking, but I paid for it! Yesterday had to be a day of rest.

So I spent most of the day in My Sandbox. I worked on the grandson quilt.

I painted over The Charmed One twice, since the first go round with crackle medium was a nasty mess! She also now has "flesh".

Ngaire keeps a close watch on me. She's established "her" spot under my work table. Now if I could just get the little one to do that....

So of course today I decided to venture out again. (and now I'm sitting here paying for it...sigh) I bought a new knitting book since the first baby afghan was pretty disasterous. I've ripped it out twice and have lost my enthusiasm for it. This book has afghans that require chunkier yarns and needles which is just what I need right now. :)

I drooled over these books but put them back on the rack like a good girl. Christmas is coming I keep telling myself...sigh. I do have Kaleidoscopes & Quilts by the same author as the Puzzle book already and I should actually use it. I also have to keep in mind my bins of UFO's! It's a struggle! LOL



Yesterday I notice that I have Morning Glories in the garden! They've grown up and joined this hanging basket. I guess since I water the baskets every day the long dormant seed got enough water splashed on it to germinate. Everything else that might be in the garden is all dried up from the heat and drought.

These baskets are getting a bit beyond it but it's still nice to have the color. :)

Tuesday

Today is doctor day. Yay. Hopefully all is well and she will clear me to drive.

I spent yesterday cutting strips and starting a quilt for the grandson. Winnie the Pooh is their theme. I had a few false starts but finally got back into the swing of sewing the strips. If you had seen me struggle you would never believe I've made two of these before. LOL The nice thing about it is it's a "quilt as you go" quilt so it can stand whatever treatment a kid puts it through.


Then I worked on The Charmed One (Sherry Goshen). She now has the cording around the Altoid tin base, Paperclay ears and a final coat of gesso. My first attemp at gluing her to her tin was a bit of a disaster, she had a serious forward lean. So last night I squirted in more glue and tied her down tight. Much better! I can't wait for the gesso to dry so I can start painting.

She's going to need a name. Hmmmmm.....

Finally...

I finished something! My Extraordinary Chair (Christine Shively pattern) is done.


Then I started on Sherry Goshen's Charmed doll. My hands were sooooo tired from turning the canvas (read - yanking with pliers) and stuffing it firm, and sewing the head to the neck. But I got it done. Phew! She's now gluing to her Altoid box. It took four hands to get the rubber bands on. Thank goodness I was doing it when The Tramp was home to lend his. I had given the feather boa on the chair a serious haircut and the bits of feather are EVERYWHERE. Thank goodness the canvas is thick because Charmed has bits of blue feather all through her stuffing!

The arms have the armature in them but definitely need some stuffing. I was watching (mostly listening to) Pirates of the Caribbean yesterday and they remind me very much of the disembodied pirate arm in the movie. LOL

I also sewed a blouse but I'm so out of practice I'm not going to take a photo of it. It's lousy fabric too. It's hard to iron and it shrunk width-wise and I had to piece one of the sleeves to get it out of the fabric. Sigh.

Confinement

Really I'm only confined if there's no one around to drive me where I have a yen to go. So I have to wait until tomorrow to go to JoAnn's. Hardship!!! LOL I'm moving pretty slowly and get tired quickly but I think a fabric store could get me moving, no problem. :)

Confinement isn't so bad really. My sewing room beckons. It's on the "hot" side of the house so I was really glad to get some curtains up a week or so ago. The windows have a film on them but I still need to add something heavier than the lace balloon shades.


I've been working on Christine Shively's Extraordinary Chair. It still needs wings, tassels and trims but it's coming along. I think I need to trim some of that blue feather boa stuff. It's just a bit overwhelming!

The wings waiting for some stitching detail.

It's so nice to be making a mess again!

Small dog has to be confined when I'm in here...sigh. I can't trust her on the carpet. Of course she would be curled up in some soft spot asleep anyway (her crate most likely in fact) so I don't know why it's worrying me.

Unfinished projects abound. There are at least three dolls and quilts in this pile. One of them is the Winnie the Pooh baby quilt for unborn grandson. I need more fabrics, hence the wish for a trip to JoAnn.

Let's see, a quilt top, fabric for a dog bed (like she needs another one!), pieced bag, and about six doll patterns in bags with fabric. And these are the projects that aren't put away in boxes and bins.

And The Tramp has sweetly provided a new toy to keep me company. Flat screen with built in DVD player. So I have no excuses not to get busy!