Flowers

As you know by now, Wednesday was my birthday - and Don brought me roses - pretty, perfect, sweet smelling roses. He brings me flowers all the time - and I mean ALL the time. Sometimes on Fridays - to celebrate the end of a week and the coming weekend, sometimes on Thursdays just because, and always on holidays. This past christmas I had many bouquets of flowers placed all around the house.

He recently discovered a new store - with more flowers and different ones than our usual stores - so he came home with these roses.

Are these not the most perfect roses you've ever seen?

There are bouquets of Iris and lilies. You can see that he even brings me flowers when we are busy packing to move (see the boxes in the background?)

And gladiolas to brighten my day . . .

Pretty all-white flowers on a wintery day . . .

Spring time tulips and white miniature roses . . .

And always carnations - sometimes with Baby's Breath, sometimes with mums - sometimes just by themselves - but always Carnations. The scent is pure heaven!!!

During tulip season there are tulips galore . . .

And sometimes bouquets of water lilies blossoms- now THOSE are hard to pick!!!

And daffodils - so many daffodils - 50 in a bouquet - arms-ful of daffodils - all colors and styles of daffodils - usually daffodils for my birthday - daffodils whenever they are in the stores - daffodils on rainy days - daffodils on sunny days.

I am very spoiled!!!!

I have a lot of vases - some tall - some short - some fance - some plain - but all loved . . .

I like to use tiny salt shakers for bouquets of violets that he picks from our yard . . . I need a lot of vases when Don brings flowers so often . . .

Sometimes I use vintage green glass salt shakers
that have lost their lids . . .

Sometimes an old green measuring cup . . .

I use whatever strikes my fancy - and all look wonderful when filled with flowers . . .

Earth hour

On Saturday - March 28 - the world is joining together for one hour - turning off the lights in homes, towns and cities. www.earthhour.org is the place to find more information.

Come, let's all join together - for one hour. Turn off the lights - sit in the calm darkness . . .

Light a candle - let's make a statement for our earth - we need changes and we need them now.

Besides turning off the lights for one hour - let's all decide to use less power - turn off the lights when not using them. . .

Use the dishwasher instead of hand washing dishes (if you have a dishwasher) - it uses less power and less hot water than hand washing . . .

Turn off the water when brushing your teeth . . .

Use filtered water instead of buying bottles that go into the land fill . . .

Use a stainless steel cup for our coffee or tea . . .

Dry clothes on the clothesline whenever possible (ahhh the smell of sheets dried outdoors)

Use cloth bags when shopping - instead of plastic. I'm workingon remembering my bags every time I shop for anything. If I forget my cloth bags and don't want to go back to the car to fetch them, I make myself carry everything to the car without a bag. A couple times of juggling things and my "rememberer" got a lot better. I fancied up some canvas bags I got on ebay for about 1.10 each - by adding a quilt block - they are pretty and get lots of comments in the stores.

The list goes on and on - let's all step up and do our part.
Together we can be the solution.

We plan a quiet hour - though we will probably start at 7:30 and go until at least 9:30 - so we can watch the evening come in - one of our favorite things to do in the spring, summer and fall.

Our kids often stop by when we are watching the evening come in - and they laugh and call us moles - but we are certainly happy moles.

Visit earthhour.org for more information . . . let's make a difference!

Oh - more thrift shop fun!!!!

My birthday was Wednesday - and I had quite a day!!!! First - Don and I went to DOL to get our enhanced driver's licenses. These are a little more complicated than regular Washington driver's licenses - you can use them instead of a passport for crossing the border into Canada - and since we only live about 25 miles from the border - we like to take jaunts up there now and then.

My license was expiring on my birthday so I had to get mine done and we figured we would get Don's done at the same time. At least they give you appointments for the enhanced license - so we got right in at 8:30. You have to take proof of WA residence (property tax statement for this year), proof of citizenship (certified birth certificate - don't even think about taking a copy of it) and for me, proof of name change (marriage license, with identifiable number from the state of issue (Texas). They do a facial scan electronically and put a chip on the license that can be scanned at the border and they scan your face again and see if it matches. Hope old age and gravity don't change us too much. :-)

Then I did some errands, groceries, library, fabric store, craft store, prescription - then to Lynden for a birthday lunch with a new friend. She goes to a thrift store in Lynden and I'd never been before - so off we went after a fish 'n chips lunch.

Did I have fun? Or did I have fun? The prices are wild - wildly cheap that is - in this store and I made off with some great stuff.

First some gallon bags full of fabrics - usually fat quarters - but some a little smaller. The three bags were 49 cents, or 69 cents and 79 cents each - wow - I couldn't believe it - after asking Gayle if she wanted them - and she declined - I grabbed them up.

This was a mixed bag - it also had several nice pieces of muslin . . .

I split up some of the bags to show the fabrics that goes together - these darling bears are some of my favorites . . .

And some springtime fabrics and bunnies in a border . . .

There were two of these sections stitched together already - have to figure something to do with them - they are about a yard long each . . .

This didn't go with anything else - but sure is a cute fat quarter . . .

A bag of blues and some cute sailboats . . .

And then I saw it - a big big bag - full of quilt blocks - just stuffed full . . .

All these Dresden Plate blocks - English paper pieced and appliqued to a white background - one or two had the centers appliqued - the rest were just waiting for the centers. . .

They are done in late 70s, early 80s fabrics - and as charming as can be. There were three plates that weren't appliqued to the backgrounds, but the background fabric for those was included - plus enough background squares to make several more blocks if I want to - or need to make more, to make this into a bed quilt. Each block is 16" square. And now - are you ready for the price??? Are you sure you are ready?? Maybe you'd better sit down - oh right - you are sitting at the computer - ok - I got all the blocks - plus the extra background fabrics - for . . . .

$2.99 - total - that was it - $2.99 - I just couldn't believe it!!! That bag was in my basket so fast you couldn't even follow it. :-) A whole quilt top for $2.99 - wow - that is the best bargain I've ever found!!!! Now you see why I liked that new thrift shop!!!!

The unfinished blocks . . .
This one sort of doesn't match - it might become part of the label on the back - we'll see. . .
The back of one of the blocks - I can take the brown paper out and use it for a pattern if I decide I want more blocks. Now I need to find more fabrics from the 70s and 80s - or at least some that appear to be from that time - I want to border each block with scrappy strips - like the one below.

This one block has this little border and I love it - but unfortunately there wasn't any leftover fabrics included - so I begin the hunt!!! Do you know anyplace to get some 70s and 80s scraps?

I also picked up two old cookbooks - one for vegetables from the WA vegetable council and one for Ben and Jahn - Fun with Cooking with Kids. It was a great day!!!

Thank you Gayle for such a fun afternoon!!!

An Award - what fun

I was so flattered to receive the Sisterhood Award from Christine - it is always nice to be complimented. The award is for blogs that show great Attitude and/or Gratitude - how very nice to be nominated.

The Sisterhood award rules are as follows:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Be sure to link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to the person from whom you received your award.

As with many of you - I find it hard to pick some winners - I love all my blogger friends and think all of them show greatness and gratitude. Many have already been given this award - and I'd hate to miss anyone who is deserving - so I shall ponder this a few days and get back to you with my nominees. It is going to be hard to pick only 10 - maybe I will pick a few more and sneak them in.

And here is a photo to cheer your day - while I put on my thinking cap and review my favorite blogs.

This cute little lantern hangs in my neighbor's garden - right next to where we park our car - and I've looked at it from a distance many times - it is so much cuter up close - don't you agree?

Happy Friday - enjoy!!!!

A finished quilt - with a little help from my friends

Yesterday I gave the quilt to Judy. Her mother had pieced the quilt in 1994, before she became ill. She passed away in 2004 and Judy wanted the quilt finished to give it to her father, as a remembrance to her mother. Julie, in Idaho, did the machine quilting, and as always, did a fabulous job. If you want to see other great quilts, stop over and visit Julie.

When I got the quilt back from Julie I just had to buy fabric and make the binding. It was hard to find a fabric that coordinated, since Judy had no fabrics left from the original quilt. The fabrics were not current fabrics that we see in the quilt shops - so I shopped around a bit and found a wonderful piece of pink that coordinated well with the main part of log cabin blocks, and matched a pink in the outer border.

A lovely swirly pink - cut and pressed . . .

Next we stitch on the Featherweight - I leave the excess batting and backing attached until after the binding is stitched onto the front, then trim it all even. I find it is easier to work with, than to trim the edges first and have to work with just that 1/4" of quilt edge. I had to stitch the binding in just a smidge from the edge of the border as the fabric was frayed in several places along the outer edge.

Look out - here comes a corner - but mitering is easy - just take it step by step. . .

All bound . . .

Oh - the binding is so pretty - and it matches the pink in the border just perfectly. . .

Here is the whole quilt - ready for Judy and her dad . . .

And a nice close up fo the log cabin blocks . . .

And the label . . .

Happy National Quilting Day

In honor of this special day for all of us quilters - I have a very pretty quilt to show you.

I went to the library the other day and when walking out came face to face with this quilt. There was no information about it - nothing about who made it - or why it was hanging in the library. Someone did a fabulous job on this quilt and it really made the library space glow. I carry my camera in my purse at all times - in a cute little handmade bag - so I whipped it out and got these photos. You just never know where you will meet a quilt!!

Close up of the center - everything is done so perfectly - and the colors make your eye travel around the quilt. That is the test of a good Lone Star quilt - the movement it gives you when looking at the center.

And the quilting - it is absolutely gorgeous - click on the photo for a larger view - and be prepared to be amazed!!!!

We are going back to the library today, for a puppet show with our grandson - and I am going to try and find out something about this quilt.

In honor of National Quilting Day I will get out the Grandmother's Flower Garden hexagons and make several "flowers". I also have a quilt to bind for a friend -

Before quilting

The quilting from back of the quilt - I snitched this photo from Julie's blog
She does such fabulous quilting!!!!!!

The quilt came back from Julie this week and I bought the binding fabric, so that project is almost complete. Don't you love doing the binding? It is one of my favorite parts - because that quilt is almost done and ready to be used.

What will you do for National Quilting Day? Will you make a quilt top? Or bind something? Or tidy up your quilting space? (I know mine can always stand a little extra spiffing up). Or plan and start a new project? I'd love to hear how you will celebrate this wonderful day, set aside just for us quilters!!!