Thursday, September 23, 2010

Peek a Boo

It's been a nice week here - and I hope it has been for you too.  Monday and Tuesday I was with the wonderful Knot-y Embroidery Ladies.  We do have a good time and they take turns bringing the most delicious desserts and treats to share.  It is exciting to see what they have been working on during the month and to hear about where they have been since we last met.  It is even exciting to teach them new stitches ...  but some of them are very Knot-y and you know how that goes.


Here is a little peek at what I have been working on this week as a shop sample.





Bareroots - Halloween wraps and candle mats.
They were fun to do and got me into the Halloween spirit.  Well, going on a pumpkin adventure with Kim on Wednesday at lunch time really got me in the Halloween spirit.  Here is a link to her blog about our adventure - I left my camera at home ... Kim's Blog Post


It was a great day at the shop today.  So many new things kept coming in, students excited about their classes, and wonderful customers.  Joe the UPS man is a hoot and we make sure he walks out with a plate of treats.  I am looking forward to my Time for Tea and Embroidery tomorrow.  If you are wanting to join in, please do.  I will save you a spot - a spot tea that is.


Grey's Anatomy's season opener just came on - Tootles!

Thursday, September 16, 2010

One For The Squirrel

Yesterday morning while checking into blogland and having my morning cup of tea, what should I see out side my kitchen window - 
I grabbed my camera.
Is he smiling?
I did not bother him one bit.
See how he pushes the top down, eh!?
After the "Photo Shoot" and he was through eating ... I checked out the feeder   He had eaten right through the top of the bird feeder by pushing down the top   (It was supposed to be squirrel proof and slide down and cover the holes where the birds eat if one should try to eat the seed.  Everything has worked just fine all this time - who knew that this little guy this year would chew away the top of the feeder on one side and around the corner.  His weight does move the outer cage down and sits there happily reaching into the top of the feeder.)
All these years the squirrels have "respected" the routine - the birds always dropped enough sunflower seeds for them ...

Now, we have two, well maybe three choices.  
1. Get a new and "improved" anti squirrel, bird feeder.
2.  Fill the feeder only half full - well below his reach. Wait and watch when the "fat, full and roundly packed tummy squirrel sits on top of the feeder and the bottom falls off.  
(I have visions of him being catapulted into the tree ... )
3.  Find the big plastic dome somewhere in the garage ...  we bought it a long time ago to deter squirrels ...  it did not then.  I could dream it might work to keep this guy out of the bird seed.

What should I do?
What would you do?

Giveaway - not mine ... But Shelley has Good Stuff!

Shelley is celebrating her 100th post and it is a celebration worth checking out.      Shelley's Red Quilts Blog    Congratulations Shelley!



Tuesday, September 14, 2010

I Have Not Tried This Either and DS's Don't You Even Think About It ...



GOOOOOD MORRRRRRNING!

While reading Carrie Nelson's blog this morning she had something so interesting to share I checked it out. 
She writes that she has not tried it ...  
I am mostly thinking of my dear sons for this post, 
yet, trust me you will find it pretty amazing to watch.  
Carrie suggested that we turn up the volume on our sound and enlarge the picture to full view before viewing.  I have to admit that I did not follow her instructions the first time because I was so intrigued by what she thought was so cool (impatient I know ... ) 
but then I went back and replayed the video three times after following her instructions before 
I felt like I saw it all ... 
Thank you Carrie!
What do you think of the video?

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Some Days Are Just Better Then Other Days

Yup, some days are just better then other days.


While I was away in Colorado a surprise package and a card came for me.  DH tucked it away and I found it yesterday morning while I was unpacking my suitcases - and it was like Christmas.  
She had a secret giveaway and I was her secret winner!
  She wrote, "The idea for the secret giveaway was from Heidi at All My Scattering Moments, where I was a secret winner!  Both the needle case and pin cushion were made from my recently finished quilt scraps.  
Can't seem to throw away even the smallest of scraps."
Thank you Dawn.  
You will never know how much your thoughtful
 surprise gift has lifted me.  It made me laugh out loud and snap out of being so down about the trip to Colorado.
Life is good and now that I am back home I celebrate my many blessings 
and feel like your secret gift was a sign of how blessed I am.
Tootles 

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Growing Pains

Learning the Judith Baker Montano Crazy Quilting method has been a blood, sweat and tears experience.
The learning curve has been so outside of my box I have had to stretch and pull from places in me that I did not know existed, just to be able to place my first piece of fabric down.

I only show this tiny snippet because I have not had time to blog in and I wanted you to see I really was learning crazy quilting and not just on holiday.....
I have lots to share - 
we were hand dying lace today - loved it.
Well, off to bed we are going on a photo shoot very early 
tomorrow morning.

Thinking of you. 

Saturday, September 4, 2010

Our First Full Day of Class

It was fun, full of sunshine and learning.
What was a big surprise to me and the others -
this is not just in the studio workshop.  
We are out and about as you will see.
And we have many other field trips and events
that we will be attending.  
We might get around to crazy quilting!

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Please forgive that there are not captions.  
I am happy that I had time this evening to make up a slideshow of todays events, well most of them.
We are having a ball.


Tootles

Friday, September 3, 2010

The Inn at Spanish Peaks

Looking at the back of the Inn.
Breakfast being served by Frank - Inn Keeper.
He is a hoot and very nice.
Tracy making final touches to the breakfast. She is a bright, kind and charming lady.  
She and Frank have been Inn-Keepers here for 13 years.
I am going to get this recipe!  It was delicious.
I needed a nap this afternoon and what should I see out in the back yard - an apple tree.  Yup, you guessed it!
I sitting there in the afternoon sun studying for my class and heard the tree calling - "Nap Time, it's Nap Time!"
Grabbed a couple of pillows off my bed and a spare sheet, gathered my books and a timer.  It was a heavenly time.  Quiet, not much reading happened and I don't remember any apples dropping on me.  You can see them in the grass.
The gang is all here.  Two Australians, two from New Hampshire and two from California.  We had a great introduction with Judith and then she was off to an appointment and we all went out to dinner to really get acquainted.  Lots of good times are going to be had 
by this lovely bunch of coconuts!)
It was a great beginning!


I am Flying in an Jet Plane

Top of the Mornin' to yaw!

Heading out to Colorado to have fun with Judith Baker Montano.  I am going to spend 5 full days with her and 5 other ladies who, like me, have waited a long time to study with her.  What is the class you ask?  It is basic crazy quilting.  

You should see the huge bag I have with her supply list needs.  I thought that I wrote through supply lists, well she wins.  At lunch yesterday with Kim, I was showing her some of the lists and she then of course had to tease me about my lists....  that Kim.


Yup, I needed a Kim fix before I left town and she suggested that we meet at the corner.....
No, we did not sit in the bar, we were in the respectable restaurant part and we laughed when we ordered the same thing.  It was a great sandwich and girl talk!
Speaking of Kim, she looks wonderful, still has her gorgeous new hair do and I think that her gentle life style change to eat healthy is starting to show in her face with a little weight loss.  Yea, Kim.  We of course had too short a time to be together before it was time to get her back to work.  Speaking of her work, she works in a very luxurious, large ground floor sprawling, high ceilings, nature type office.  What a wonderful environment to have to work in.  And I have heard that they are VERY happy to have her back.

On the way down to La Veta from Denver, I enjoyed shopping at the outlets in Castle Rock and a quilt shop in Colorado Springs called Ruth's Stitchery.
They boast a 7000 bolt of fabric shop and I thought hm-m-m I have to check it out.  Well, it was worth the stop (escaped with only spending $67.00) and managed to cause only a "mild" fiasco...

This is Beth, who works a Ruth's, and who just happens to have known Lindy for years and her mother lives near Marconi and Eastern in my city.  She and her mother know Bear Paws well and love it too.
So what is she doing on the floor with all those buttons?
Read on -
See up in the left hand corner of the picture... There was a little plastic case with tiny pull our plastic drawers.  No, I did not drop the case, but, I found the most precious brass acorn button and was thinking of Lindy and her love for all things acorn.  I turned the button over to check out the back and I dropped it.  It happened so fast (officer) I heard it drop into a bucket of buttons on the floor.  You know the sound of a button hitting other buttons from a distance.  (Come on - I know I am not the only one who plays with buttons and I know you know the sound...) Phew, I thought that was a close call, it has got to be right there in the bucket....

I looked immediately, didn't touch a thing, and could not see it.  Groan!  Well, Beth happened to come by and asked if I need help.  Hm-m-m that would be a yes (visualize me staring into the bucket, caboose in the air and not moving, not breathing either.

So, Beth comes up with lets just scoop some of the buttons in the bucket out onto the floor and look for the button that way.  By then I knew I was not going to find it by staring.  We went through the whole bucket that way and nada.  Other customers and staff happened by and offer to search (play) with the buttons, and pretty soon we had a bunch of women on the floor "looking" for the brass acorn button.  

We did however, find many very interesting buttons and even ones that "were not supposed to be in the buckets" because they were something or others and more expensive then the buttons in the buckets."  See there is a silver lining to my little adventure - I guess.

Needless to say they have my name and number it they should ever find the acorn button and I promised to stop there on my way back to Denver, just in case they find it.  I have never seen so many happy people wanting to "help", even to the point of taking off their shoes, and stretching out on the floor making themselves comfortable for the "job" at hand...

Button, Button who has the Acorn Button, eh!?

Tootles from La Veta 
Yes, I have been "chatty Kathy" because I am so ready to go meet the group and Judith and thought this sharing  I would settle my nerves a bit.  And it did  - thanks for listening.