2013 –

Alumni Game

October 9, 2013 1 Comment

I ventured down South the other weekend to attend dear younger son’s first game of the season, the Alumni game. Dear hubby was out of town so I went alone – it was worth it to see both kids. The UCSD Ice Hockey team played against the alumni to kick start their season. I’m not into sports as much as the rest of my family, but when one of my kids play, it’s always fun to watch. This will be his last season, as he is a Senior. So technically, he should be playing as an alumni next year, unless he takes an additional quarter to graduate… A real possibility as he did not declare his major until the end of his Sophomore year. Then he will be a Super Senior. And if someone takes an additional second year, I am told they are called Stupid Seniors! I don’t think that will happen…

Filed Under: Family and Friends

Vintage Fabric And Things

October 7, 2013 4 Comments

I love all things vintage, and with my current quilting obsession, I have come to love vintage fabrics.

A package arrived the other day from my dear blog friend Nancy. She sent me some teacup vintage fabric that she had kept for over 30 years! It is delightful, and I love it! Thank you Nancy!

I also noticed the super cute pumpkin can Halloween decorations Viv, Kim, and Shirley created, and decided to try my hand at making some. This is as far as I got:

I will post again when I finish them – hopefully before Halloween!

Filed Under: Crafting

Sewing, Cutting, Tying, … And Empty Nesting

September 29, 2013 7 Comments

I’ve been keeping quite busy since dear daughter left for college. My thoughts on Empty Nesting, Hmmm… Odd. Before she left, I had moments of melancholy, didn’t last long, but it was sad all the same. Now, it’s just an odd feeling. I spent the first few days cleaning. And you know what’s amazing? whatever I picked up and cleaned, stayed that way! And I can now stay longer with my quilt group, have lunch with them, and not have to rush home. Like I said, it’s all very odd, strange… I think I can get used to this.

After all the cleaning and organizing, I even did some sewing, cutting, and tying. I noticed dear daughters dorm room looked a bit sparse so I made her this cute flower pillow:

And all three of my kids have been asking me to make them new fleece blankets. I made them one each when they were little, and I guess the boys, especially have outgrown them, literally. So, I bought 2 1/2 yards each, which should be enough to cover their whole bodies, and made them new blankets. Rotary cutter, and electric scissors made quick work of them. Dear daughter’s is pink, younger son’s is a monster print, and what 23 year old could resist a sock monkey blanket – for older son:

And here they are, tied, washed, and ready to be delivered/mailed!

Filed Under: Crafting

September 2013 Garden & Boy Next Door

September 18, 2013 9 Comments

Yes, I am waxing nostalgic these last few days before dear daughter heads off to college… I took a photo of her and boy next door the other day before they took off on a bike ride. And I remembered a cute photo I took of them many years ago, so I thought I’d share. They have grown so much… He will be heading up north at the end of the week for college, and she will be heading down south – how time flies…

And now to my garden. Lots of flowers still hanging on, some going to seed. I noticed one Oro Blanco left on the tree – so big! Valencias are in season. Navels, gold nuggets, and lemons are coming along:

Thanks for stopping by!

Filed Under: Family and Friends, Garden 2013

Halloween Spoolie Swap 2013

September 17, 2013 7 Comments

Yup, another swap! This time a Halloween Spoolie Swap hosted by Deb (Garage Sale Gal) and Sandy (521 Lake Street). I was partnered with Debby (Cozy Blanket). Debby is very sweet – I have participated in swaps hosted by her in the past. And look at the cute little ghost spoolie Debby made for me! She also sent me some yummy candy and fun stamps – yay! more crafting fun!

And the owl spoolie is what I made for Debby. She said she liked owls, and I just happened to have the right one. Thank you again to Deb & Sandy for hosting this fun event & Debby for being my partner!

Filed Under: Crafting

Show And Tell – Baby Quilt

September 13, 2013 5 Comments

I have been quilting for almost three months now. So far, I have two completed quilt tops and nine other quilts at various stages (some just started). Yes, I think I do have some OCD tendencies! And, I will probably add to the quilt tops before any of them get completed, sooo… I mentioned earlier that I did some quilting a long time ago. I thought I’d share a baby quilt I made for my dear younger son just before he was born – 21 years ago! It’s a small baby quilt with bunnies on it. I machine quilted and machine embroidered, and painted some features with acrylic paint. It has withstood the test of time, but back then, quilting was a free for all for me. I just used fabrics I liked regardless of type and blend. Rather than quilt it, I tied it. And now, it sits on a rocking chair in dear younger sons room. It makes me smile, every time I have the occasion to peek in. And, I am still eying his room for my future sewing room 🙂

Filed Under: Quilting

Quilty Barns #11, #12, & Vintagy Farm Girl Tractor #2

September 11, 2013 3 Comments

Here are the last two Quilty Barn blocks from Lori Holt’s Quilty Barn A Long. I also made a second Tractor Label, this time a pink one. After all, it’s a Vintagy Farm “Girl” Tractor Label.

I love the sunnyside up egg fabric, and the John Deere Tractor fabric. Now, all that is left are six more Quilty Silo Barn blocks to go.

Filed Under: Quilting

Autumn Witch Cross Stitch

September 6, 2013 2 Comments

I took a break from quilting, and did a bit of cross stitching. During one of my perusals through a quilting blog ( I can’t remember the blog name) I came across this most wonderful cross stitching blog, The Snowflower Diaries. Maja has exquisite little cross stitch designs, and she shares her designs for free. I stitched her Autumn Witch 2013.

I should be finishing up The Harvest, but I just wanted a quick, instant gratification mini project. I made the finished cross stitch into an ornament:

I didn’t have the wooden crescent moon button she used, so I just stitched one up with yellow seed beads. And I think I used double strand on the flower, so mine looks a bit big/thick.

Filed Under: Crafting

Ravenwood Whimzies Fall Pin Keep Swap

September 4, 2013 3 Comments

I just can’t seem to stop signing up for swaps when I see them. Wendy at Ravenwood Whimzies hosted a Fall Pin Keep Swap. I was paired with Michelle of Simple Pleasures. Funny, until I stumbled onto Wendy’s blog, I didn’t know what a pin keep was. Since then, I have made several as gifts. Now that I’m quilting again, I’ll have to make one for myself. Anyway, here is the cute cute Witches Hat pin keep Michelle made for me. This can double as a Halloween decoration too:

And here is the pin keep I made for Michelle. Michelle likes Amish things, so I created a little Amish girl on a pin cushion. Wendy also requested that the pin keep be mounted on something at least 4″ tall. I opted for a Ball jam jar. This way, it can hold buttons, scissors, thimbles, and such:

Thank you Wendy for hosting this fun event! And thank you Michelle for being my partner! I am going to call this doll #7. I am catching up!

Filed Under: Crafting, My Handmade Dolls

Pink Saturday

August 30, 2013 5 Comments

Happy Pink Saturday! Thank you to Beverly at How Sweet The Sound for hosting this weekly event.

Even though dear daughter never took ballet lessons, I adore this ballerina salt & pepper shaker. She always wanted to do what her older brothers did, and that meant playing ice hockey… We retired her from the sport after two fractures.

Filed Under: Pink Saturday

Zentangle Challenge #133 “Tipple” & Day Out With My Girl

August 29, 2013 8 Comments

I have had a happy few days sitting around with dear daughter. As most of her friends have already left for College, and adding to that her wisdom teeth extraction, she has been a homebody the last few days. So, as I sat around with her, I got the idea to do a Zentangle Challenge with the Diva. The theme is “Tipple” which are the little round tangles. I started with a Hearts and Loops quilting design, and worked around that:

And today, since most of her pain subsided, and her chipmunk cheeks have receded, we ventured out. I had her take a snap of the truck loaded with oranges on the freeway. I just love the fact that our town has an orange growing history, and that we live in a small grove. We stopped by Hobby Lobby before hitting Victoria Gardens. I get a bit overwhelmed at Hobby Lobby sometimes, they just have so much stuff! We managed to get out of there with just a few items. First stop at the mall was See’s Chocolate, to fortify ourselves for the shopping ahead. After hitting most of DH’s favorite shops, we sat down and had some frozen yoghurt. On the way home, we picked up her new glasses. It was a hot but wonderful day. I am cherishing every moment with her before she heads off to College…

Filed Under: Family and Friends, Outings And Adventures, Zentangle Challenge

Quilty Silo Barns #1 – #4

August 28, 2013 3 Comments

As if the Quilty Barns weren’t cute enough, Lori Holt of Bee In My Bonnet added a new Quilty Silo Barn to her Quilty Barn Along. I think she is planning 9 blocks, but I may just make an additional three. Here are the first four. I made the barns all different colors. And I put little characters in the barn windows – I just love the little pig in barn #4!