Stitchin' Chicks Quilt Camp - Jan. 2012

Home again, home again with lots of projects - some complete and some not.  Fourteen creative women all in one sewing room - heaven!!!  We are beginning our 6th year, I think.  Can't believe we have been creating together that long!

Ok - so my diet didn't work during these five days of intense sewing, eating and laughing.  But I've already lost the four pounds I gained - whew!  Too much olive spread at midnight I guess.

Anyway I did get lots of little things done for our February sale AND I learned how to embroider with my embroidery machine!  Yay!!!

Hot pads - so cute!!!

Journal cover with space for pens and pencils inside!

And another surprise!!!  Another Amaryllis bloom! We need some more beautiful red color around here - the brown grass is boring!  Less snow that we've had in a long time.  I kinda miss it.

Off to finish up some more embroidery so I can show you what I've learned next time we talk.

Take care,

Bonnie

Comfort over Style...and a Giveaway!




Norma Jean - my photo helper!

 





Hey!  Don't you have
something else to do???





Crazy cat!



I'm at the time in my life where comfort is more important than style...at least when I'm at home.  My home attire has evolved to an all time low... leggings, light weight fleece, light weight quilted vest, fleece socks and Birkie's.  Not that pretty but warm and the Birkie's keep my back healthy and almost pain free.  Ugh!

As usual, Norma Jean was all over my photo shoot of my feet - making it interesting to get pictures (why I'm sharing, I'll never know!)

I'm supposed to be cooking for hubby so he has something to eat while I'm gone besides his usual Mac and Cheese with a can of chili added.  He never even asks but my wifely guilt sets in and sometimes he gets some meals in the freezer.  Although sometimes, those items are still in the freezer when I get home from five day camp.  Gotta love him!

Our grandson, John, was here for a couple of days over the weekend.  Grandpa helped him with his Pinewood Derby car so Gram (me) interrupted the bonding and got a couple pictures of their project.  On my way back to the house, I spotted some little galvanized buckets I had Hubby buy a few years ago.  I forgot the project they were purchased for but thought with the chalkboard craze, I would ready them for our spring sale. 

However, while on Pinterest this a.m., I spotted a great idea created by French Country Cottage and when I followed Courtney's link to her page, I discovered a giveaway!!!  Yay!  So you could click on her link and sign up to win a $100 Lowe's gift card.



So now I can get them ready for our Farmgirls Country Sale in June by adding a chalkboard tag!  I'll embellish them a bit more but how clever to just use them for organizing!!!

I better go cook or sew or pack for my quilt camp!

Take care,

Bonnie



Creating Something Every Day...

Today the rubber hits the road - so to speak!  Next week is the Stitchin' Chicks Quilt Camp!  Five days and four nights of sewing!!!  Yay!

Now I have to lock myself in my sewing room and cut fabric so that when I get to camp, I am ready to sew.  As I've said before...can't cut fabric accurately when laughing, talking and/or eating! 

Ok - so the issue is - what projects to work on?  I think its always good to work on small projects being I don't need any quilts right now.  I have quilt ladders and cupboards full of vintage and new quilts.  So baby quilts, purses, pillows, journals, maybe some hot pads and even some jewelry sounds good to me.

Shuffled this little girl around for quite a while and finally made her into a pillow!
She's guarded by two mohair bears I made.

Another little pillow made from a appliqued quilt square
leftover from a quilt I made.  Hugged by one of my loving bears!

I've been trying to make/finish something every day until our February sale...not doing too bad.

Hope you are having a great day!  I'm off to get ready for camp!

Bonnie

Oh, oh - Dr. Appointment Tomorrow...

I'm in love with chickens...

Tomorrow's the day.  Usually I go to the doctor once a year and tomorrow is the day I go to be weighed.  That's all I think about in the days leading up to that day - not my blood pressure or cholesterol or anything else!  Just the scale - that darn thing is not my friend.
 
So in preparation:

• had my haircut this week.  Scale didn't move up or down...darn! 
• parked farther away from most destinations...nothing.
• took my fluid pills faithfully...not a pound gone
• remembering that before Christmas I had lost 7 pounds - apparently doesn't count I guess - its all back...although it gives me hope that I can do it.  Sigh...
• cut down on my Dove love...didn't make a difference.
• went to Curves twice - three times a week is my goal - payback for not going on Monday.
• no ice cream all week - substituted the wrong thing I guess - again. 

I used to have my annual physical near my birthday...I don't know what happened because now its in January.  Not good to schedule appointment so close to Christmas where butter and salt and sugar seem to reign.

Seriously, I need to be serious this year.  I know what I have to do...no magic involved.  Maybe we'll have a "come to Jesus" meeting/appointment tomorrow - well, maybe after my labs come back.  Doctor always says in astonishment, "You are really healthy."  I shouldn't be pushing the envelope - I need to get this part of my life - my health - under control. 

Take care and think of me tomorrow!  Maybe if everyone thinks positive for me the scale will reflect less than last year...

Bonnie

Amaryllis Update...

My Amaryllis is stunted - usually they grow quite tall for me but when you begin your early life in a dark box there are consequences.  Actually being too tall is not always good...sometimes my blossoms have been so heavy, the plant has tipped over from upper body weight!  I should plunk the plastic pot in a pottery pot.  That would help it from drying out and keep it stable.

It is so pretty!

We are still experiencing a no-snow winter so this bright spot in my little indoor garden is very welcome and energizing!

I have been working in my sewing room today after Hubby fixed my high buck light that is made so cheaply!  But its fixed now and I can see again while I'm ironing!

So I cleaned things up around the light so Hubby could work on the lamp!  A small victory but a step in the right direction.  Now I feel like I need to continue the mission and sort and organize my piles of fabric.  I'm finding so many wonderful stacks of coordinating material, patterns and even pieces of an old Dresden Plate quilt that I cut up and used to recover small stools.  As long as I live, I wouldn't need to buy another piece of fabric but what fun would that be???

Off to conquer the mountains of cotton!

Bonnie

My Interest in Pinterest...

For a compulsive/obsessive person like me, Pinterest is my new addiction.  I have 100+ boards and over 3,000 pins.  It's a cheap hobby...just costs me  time.  I consider it a business expense and time well used...works for me as an excuse anyway!

I usually check in after 10 p.m.  Not that good of an idea...getting all craft overwhelmed and stimulated is a sleep depriver.  But I continue to do it anyway!!!  What would I accomplish in a day if I started checking DIYin' It right after breakfast???

My computer area has multiple project lists - stuff I think have already somewhere in the house, new barn or old pole barn and then stuff I need to find/buy somewhere else...like Joann's or the thrift store or ?

My brain is on overload and overdrive - more overload than overdrive.  I see from other Pinteresters that I am in good company.

Gotta go - its getting to be that time of the day!!!

Bonnie

Make Your Own Peace and Happiness First...

"The creation of a more peaceful and happier society has to begin from the level of the

individual, and from there it can expand to one's family, to one's neighborhood, to one's

community and so on." - Dalai Lama

 

Where my day begins...

 I follow the Dalai Lama on Facebook...and not everyday but every once in a while I get a

 

message that really hits home so to speak.  I say that with tongue in cheek because he's

 

all for non-violence - no hitting.

 

Today was a bit of a challenge for me in the happiness column.  I'm pretty even tempered

 

when out of my house.  In my house I can get crabby - what can I say we're both retired

 

and 24-7 can be trying for both of us.  But considering we are pretty opposite, we cohabit 

 

quite easily I think.

 

Two things could have really tanked my day - going to talk about mortgage/banking issues

 

first thing this a.m. and then after I got home calling a non-human phone line to talk

 

pension irregularities.  The bank lady just took my problem and made the necessary calls

 

and all is/will be good.  The other deal, however, took part of my happiness and wrung it

 

pretty dry.  By the time I got to a human, I was near - close - aw - I was tearing up. 

 

Those exasperation kind of tears.  

 

Then I read the Dalai's words and thought - small potatoes.  So my new mission is his

 

message...I will start in my little world to be happy and peacefull so hopefully that attitude

 

will spread and enlarge.  I can only hope.  I can only control my world and my interactions

 

in my world.  It would be nice if we all followed his teachings in this area.  Don't you

 

agree?

 

Peace and Happiness!

 

Bonnie

Amaryllis - Oh Dear!

This winter is certainly not normal so far because we haven't had much winter yet and its one week into January!  Living in Minnesota is always a challenge by now - either bitter cold (many a New Year's Eve experience where the defrosters couldn't keep up with the cold frosty windows!) and/or scary drives in snow and ice.

But when I opened a gift from D2 and saw a box with a beautiful picture of a Susan G. Komen Amaryllis on it - I thought, oh yes, something growing and blooming will be wonderful.  It's pretty brown outside my window.

Today was the day to get the bulb in the pot after moisturizing the large soil pellet with warm water.  

So much to my surprise, here's what I saw when I opened the box!

Oh oh...

Can't stake it  yet!!!

Well - this little bulb had quite a fine time in the dark box!  A unique growing experience - I'll keep you informed about its challenge to stand upright...think good thoughts!

Take care,
Bonnie

Pure Joy!

I spent a few hours today with my oldest best friend...obf?  Because we live almost 100 miles apart, I don't get to spend that much time with her anymore.  Makes me kinda sad. 

We share the love of Cherry Pastries from Panera
and shared some with coffee today.

But today was wonderful - she's recovering from major surgery and she was feeling way better.  It's only been one week and with microsurgery, healing is faster than the old fashioned big slash and stitch kind.  It is major surgery, however, and at our age, it is serious. 

While she has lost lots of weight and I haven't, we do share the love of food.  We weren't 1/2 hour down the road on our way back home when I got a call.  She was holed up in her bed wearing the gloves I gave her (her hands are always cold), eating the jalapeno jelly and cream cheese on crackers while inhaling the scent of Frazier Fir cleaner she loves.  She warms my heart and makes me laugh always and immediately after 46 years of friendship.

Now I'm off to enjoy and sample the gifts she gave to me:  lemon cookies and cranberry walnut tart from Trader Joe's, Bill Clinton's Back to Work book, and the stress relieving eucalyptus spearmint candle! 

Get well my friend - we have many more years of conversation and laughter!

Bonnie

More Favorite Handmade Gifts!

I'm totally in love with jewelry with personality - especially the personalities of family members - past and present.

D2 (daughter #2), as opposed to D1 who made the adorable sock monkeys in my previous post, made these two necklaces for me.

My late Mom is on the left and
there I am on my brother's tractor on the right.

 I love the sentiment -
it means a lot to me!

Two of my grandkids (D2's)
So cute!

The other side is my Mom taken in the 1940's!

D1's homemade cocoa mix, marshmallows, Honey's treats,
soap with a cute fish peeking out, and the sparkly candle that Addy made for us!

Both of my daughters (Addy too!) spent lots of time thinking and creating gifts for us this year.  They mean so much more than store bought stuff to us!

Thanks to all!

Bonnie

Our New Sock Monkey

Hand made gifts are so great and thoughtful.  This post will highlight one of our handmades we received this Christmas!  I'm loving my Christmas gifts because I can write another post on some more favorites tomorrow!  (I'm in a dry spell for blogging so now I'm full of enthusiasm again!) 

It was so much fun to see my grandkids open their gifts from Auntie.  Sock monkeys for both of them - they were so excited.  A Princess, a Snowman, and a cute little Girl Monkey were opened around the room!  So I was so surprised to find one for hubby and I!

This day Norma Jean wasn't feeling very cuddly. 
Aren't they both so cute???

Today Norma Jean was open for hugs from Lulu!

My one-eyed beauty, Honey, and her new friend!

She loves her Lulu!

I'm thinking handmades are the rule for Christmas from now on!  Don't you think so too?  Wait until I show you what else we got in the Handmade Dept.

Happy New Year!
Bonnie