Tulips

I found cute little bundles of tulips at WalMart last week that were only $2.25 for a little bundle. Of course, I had to have some. A girl needs flowers in winter!

These candles say Beach

At least I hope so. My parents are going to be going on vacation this coming week and they'll be at the beach. I'm sitting here in cold, snowy Pittsburgh wishing I were going with them. So I am making a bunch of candles to look a bit "beachy" for my fireplace.

More Monograms

Today, I did another set of towels.

Yo-Yo Makers

Ha ha ha. I gave in and bought both sizes of Clover Yo-Yo Makers from Quilt in a Day. Shipping was rather cheap, which pleased me. I hate excess shipping charges.

New Project

Here's a sneak peek of my new project. I started this this week and its been slow going with a bunch of tiny pieces in multiple prints. Just my thing. It requires some attention to make it truly random, but I love the effect.

Coasters

I saw this post over on Monogram Momma's the other day. I like this idea for coasters. Seems like maybe Martha was doing this recently too. I may have to do this one. I'm thinking a lovely black and white damask print. Yum.

Pretty Little Things on Martha

Did you happen to catch Martha today? There was a girl on there demonstrating a fabric portrait of her frenchie, Matilda. It was cute! She has a website and an Etsy shop, where you can purchase a giclee print of the portrait.

Sluggish

I'm having such a hard time getting anywhere these days. I think that all the busyness is catching up with me. I spent the whole day at home today with my husband, since it is his day off, and we did nothing but laundry and cooking and a bit of cleaning really. I struggled with what to do with myself until about 4:00 and I finally sat down to sew. Tiny pieces that took forever to put together. At least I've got a project, though. I'm just feeling guilty that it is a new project rather than an old one. Oops.

I found something else I want to make. Its this Red Yo-Yo Quilt from Gooseberry Patch.

Why, you ask? I have no idea. Why torture myself with another never-ending project? Cause its adorable!

You do realize, though, that this will require that I purchase the Clover Yo-Yo Makers. In both sizes. Cause I might change my mind about the size I want.

Oh, and while I was there to find the picture, I also found this quilt that I love. Its very similar to one that I've already made (in the Gingham Rose fabrics by 3 Sisters). But its my very favorite. Again, I don't know why. It just is.

Linens

This is all I've managed to accomplish really (outside of my real job, that is). Its a lovely monogram on floursack kitchen towels in cream thread. How pretty is that? I really like it. Sorta looks like vintage linens.

I obviously have no talent for photographing white. Must work on that.

The World's Shortest Attention Span

I think I have it. The world's shortest attention span, that is. I have been trying to write down some plans for the new year - not resolutions - just plans. I am realizing just how many projects I have planned or started and not finished.

Here's just a few:

I have a red & white quilt that I'm hand quilting. It was started 2 years ago and is approximately half way done. I work on it in fits and starts.

I have one more of those little Tudor Rose patchwork quilts to quilt. There were 4 altogether and I did one when I first bought the fabric and 2 during this past year. Must finish the 3rd.

I have a green & white quilt that is quilted & bound and just needs the centers of the circles handquilted with a "loop" motif in them (since I can't do it by machine).

I have a halfway quilted Summer Wind quilt that needs to be finished. Again, my quilting dreams are ahead of my quilting abilities and its stalled me.

I have a blue & green quilt started that need to be basted and quilted. I've been carrying that around in my trunk for months, as I really need to do it at my parents, since I don't have the space to do it here. I haven't felt like basting it the last several times I've been up there so it just continues to ride around.

I have a quilt started in 2 shades of blue. I suppose there's about 4 blocks finished? Need to work on that.

See - how terrible is this?? I also have a half-finished scarf laying beside the couch. Can't decide what size needles I really want to use to make it with. I have a beautiful robin's egg blue jute fabric that i want to make bags out of, but I can't decide what to use for handles. I have a half-finished sage green one for the same reason. I have a beautiful chocolate damask fabric laying here to make myself an apron out of. I have leftover fabric from the aprons that I made for Christmas presents that I should use up for half aprons and potholders and list on Etsy.

Can you tell I'm also indecisive?

Maybe writing it down will help me start knocking it off.

Down with the sickness

Oh my word. I got a nasty cold on Monday and it just won't go away. I feel lousy. It is just a cold, after all, but my nose is stuffy & running and I'm sneezy and my eyes are watering nonstop. Blah. I've done very little. So here's another picture from Phipps.

Phipps Favorites

Here's another favorite from Phipps Conservatory.

This is another living wreath and I can't for the life of me remember what its made of. Its the same genus of plant

that is sphagnum moss (which is the dead plant dried up).

Last of the Aprons

So I gave all my aprons for Christmas and they were well-received. My neices, though, were funny. You can't read them when they open gifts. They seemed to like them and I saw one of them running her fingers over her name on the front, tracing the letters, but I can never tell for sure. But my sister-in-law said that when they were going home, one of them said to her: "Grandma and Aunt Val and Aunt Carol must be awful tired." "Why?" she asked her. "Because they must have spent sooooo much time getting us the perfect presents." She's 6. That totally cracks me up.

Christmas Goodies

This is what I spent my Christmas Eve and Christmas doing. My husband had to work both nights, so I baked my little heart out.

First, a couple batches of cream puffs filled with a mixture of whipping cream and pastry cream and peppermint.
Then, I made a couple batches of cinnamon rolls - one for him to take to work with him and another to take to my parents (we went up on Tuesday).

Last, I made one batch of lady locks but that makes a million of the little buggers.

Then, I made myself some Orange/Pineapple/Banana Slush and had some shrimp.

That, I can share with you. You mix up a can each of frozen OJ and frozen pineapple juice and blend in 3 bananas and freeze. When you're ready to serve, you let it thaw for awhile. I scrape it with an ice cream scoop and put it into big glasses and mix it up with 7-Up Plus (the kind with only 8 calories or something). Yum yum.

As you can imagine, I've stuffed myself silly for about a week with all the baking and then the family get-togethers. I'm in detox now that I'm home and I'm warily eyeing my treadmill. I'll will have to make better friends with it soon.

More Phipps Love

Another favorite from Phipps Conservatory for your enjoyment.

Presents Are DONE!

I'm finally done with all of my Christmas presents. Now I need to make lists of everything that I need to take to Mom's, or I'll forget.


And get on the baking. My husband informed me today that I need to make sure to send in two plates of cinnamon rolls for Christmas day so both his shift and the one after can have them. Oh, and chocolate chip cookies. Pbtht. Spoiled man, he is.


I also want to make peppermint cream filled cream puffs, lady locks & cinnamon rolls for Mom's. We won't be able to go up on Christmas Day, but we'll go the day after and stay for several days.

This is my tree with the presents wrapped and waiting. I made some glitter monogram tags for them. They didn't turn out quite as well as I hoped, but they're still cute. I'll have to try it again and perfect my technique.

The last of the potholders

I've actually gotten tired of the potholders. But these are the last. Today I think I will start wrapping up the gifts so that I have pretty packages under my tree.

Phipps love

Today, my husband and I went to Phipps Conservatory for the first time. I wasn't sure how great it would be because sometimes these types of places charge an arm & a leg and it just isn't worth it. This was. I was in heaven. I need beauty and flowers like air and this was fresh air to me!

This was one of my favorite shots. This is a living wreath out of begonias, I think. I'll upload more now and then. I took over a hundred.

Black & White Potholders

Set 2 of who knows how many??

These are for Mom & Dad.

On a completely unrelated note, my husband heard from a friend that one of the houses that we made an offer on this summer is being sold again because the owner just got a new job. I don't know whether or not to be excited . . . I want to be, but we spent all year looking for a house and haven't had any luck yet. Its such a big decision but we are so ready to buy a place of our own.

Now on to Potholders!

I thought I'd use up some of the extra fabric and make some matching potholders to go with all the aprons. We'll see if I have enough time! Speaking of time, hand sewing binding on these buggers takes forever. There has to be a better way, right?

They did turn out well, though. These are Grandma's.