Blog Neglect

There's just been so much to do. My poor little blog surely must feel neglected. We've had some very exciting events take shape in the last few weeks so I've dropped in to share them.

First of all it looks like Spring is making an effort to pop in a bit early then usual. No complaints here. It couldn't come soon enough for me. I start getting a bit of cabin fever or garden withdrawal this time of year. I happened to find the Snowdrops on January 29 and they are still out there hanging on in the cold days that have followed. On Wednesday we had temps in the 60's and I was truly excited to get outside and start cleaning the flower beds. Which leads me to the next segment of exciting news.

We bought a small cottage! We found a small parcel with a bit over an acre and a small house on it. I am proud to say we are in the midst of plastering and painting, scrubbing and installing. We are hoping to have it all done by May 1. Told Dear Fred that it can't be later then the 24th as that's when the gardening begins. Hey, I have my priorities. It was such a great day out on Wednesday we spent the day cleaning the yard. It's amazing what a rake and a bonfire can accomplish. And am very much looking forward to the surprises I see peeking thru the ground already. Something else looking forward to Spring. So there you have it dear blog. I have not forgotten you or the things that I want to accomplish this year. Things have been put on hold a bit, but I promise to stop in again soon.

Be Mine

Wishing you a wonderful day filled with love and joy. And, maybe, some chocolates.

Happy Valentines Day!!!

Lets talk about organization. I can hear the moans. I am not, by any means, an organized person and envy those of you who are. My Gramma B, Aunt Barb, German Mother In Law and cousin Ruthie now those are some organized women. Not only does everything have it's place, but it's always in the same place. Over and over and over again. How on earth did they do that and raise a family? I did not inherit that gene. It is work for me. Hard work, and I have the comfort of knowing I am not alone in this. Over the years I've gotten much better at putting things back in their place. My hubby I'm sure, will tell a different tale. It has gotten easier. Especially the last year when I became a full time domestic goddess engineer (sounds impressive doesn't it?). So in honor of you who are like me, I give you some helpful hints for making your sewing room a more organized place to hide from the unorganized closets, cupboards and drawers in your homes.

This is the closet. It is an easy DIY project. The shelves are adjustable and will hold alot of weight/fabric. I then raided Walmart and started with a dozen shoebox size Sterilite containers. Very inexpensive and they hold a nice amount of yardage. And did I mention how well they stack? The labels are decorative wine labels, but am sure there are plenty of places online to score some great print your own style of labels.

And then there are the buttons. I love buttons. And I have many. Including Gramma B's jar that she had in her sewing room. Years ago it was great fun to make my own clothes. But that was before I discovered my love of everything quilted. I found this turntable spice rack at a garage sale for $1. The blue-striped lid is a spice label from Martha Stewart. I've also seen them at thrift shops. Works like a charm too.

Here's a nifty idea for your scissors. A pipe holder. And it turns. This has been one of my favorite finds.

Another easy DIY is the bulletin board. Get a drop ceiling tile from Lowes/Home Depot. Cover it with your favorite fabric and hang on the wall.I'm pinning and unpinning stuff from here all the time. Don't mind the mess, I haven't figured out how to organize a bulletin board yet. Maybe next year.

And last but not least, a bit of wall bling to hold all the little charms, grommets, beads, flowers, and hardware that you love to add to your art quilts, mixed media, or scrapping. The silver mesh baskets are silverware organizers from the dollar store. And the little jars I found at the Restore. Now before all those like jars came to my house I used 4 different varieties of spice jars. They looked just as nice but I wanted something with a larger opening.

So there you have it. A bit of organization from a wannabe organizational guru. If you have any tips for me that you use I would love to hear about them. Us messy girls gotta stick together.

Styling Laundry

The sun is shining and the birds are singing here in our little part of the world. Which brings to mind laundry hanging out on the line. This was how I was raised. As soon as the weather got nice out, temps above 50 and sunny, out came the laundry. Now Gramma B was a bit more into the outdoor hanging of the laundry then my fair weather mom. There were times when I would head to Gramma B's in the middle of January and if the sun was out so were some dish towels, dust clothes and maybe a couple of pairs of Grampas socks. She would tell me she didn't want to waste the sun. I am my mothers daughter in this case and much prefer the warmer weather.

So yesterday was one of those sunny nice days that made me realize those clothesline days were getting closer and closer. And where were my clothes pins? This is what I found...a sad old bucket of nasty looking pins.

Ohhhh....I need to fix this. So I spent awhile searching for freebie patterns, finding a site entirely dedicated to them. But none of them were what I was looking for. And I really wanted to use this old wooden hanger I found at the local thrift shop.

So what's a girl to do? Well out came the paper, pencil and ruler and I went to town. This was the final creation. Am very happy with the way it turned out and am looking forward to making my clothesline look extra pretty this year. If you would like to make one like it go to the tab at the top for a quick tutorial...this is my first but I think I nailed it.

Real life has gotten in the way and I am afraid to say, interrupted my blogging. There have been many trips to the States lately to see the real estate agent. We have decided to purchase a smaller second home and use it as a cottage. My friends and family are still all there and it's such a long drive home after visiting. It will also give me the opportunity to spend more time with my Dad golfing and even doing a bit of volunteering on the side. So it is a very exciting adventure we're on at the moment. All we need now is a clear title from the lawyer and we can start moving. Or rather I can start painting, cleaning, shopping, and swearing. Not necessarily in that order.

But thanks to some very dear friends I have been able to get some quilting done. There has been some work on projects to share in the future. Here is a sample of some upcoming projects for your quilting pleasure. A floral credit card holder

and a set of Cupcake Potholders for your baking inspiration. I made a set of these for dear step-daughter for a Christmas gift. And made a pair of hanging hand towels to match. But those pics are for another day.

It is a steel day today. Cold, blustery and dreary all in shades of grey. But I have the rest of the day to sit at my sewing machine and work on some UFO's that are to be gifts. Now if I get them done it's one thing less to move. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

Staying inside on a blustery cold day can be fun. Was able to catch up and do some more doodling in my sketchbook. This is really a great project to help stay focused on practicing what you love.

I've started to add some journaling to the sketchbook. My penmanship is definately not what it used to be but I like adding the notes as to why or what it is I'm doing at the time. Who knows, maybe it'll be worth revisiting someday.

To learn more techniques for your sketchbook go to the Sketchbook Challenge It has a plethora, yes that's right, a plethora of info. And if you'd like to see more of the doodles being done at the challenge visit the Flickr page for the group. There is some amazing talent in this world.

As part of my New Years resolution I joined the Sketchbook Challenge. Another Monthly project to look forward to. This months theme is doodling. These are not true doodles as what I know a doodle to be. However, it is what happened when I put pen and brush to paper for this months theme and there you have it. String Beans and Apples.

I've had my watercolors for years but have not mastered them. That is a problem. I want to master them. How about we accept what we can make from them and be satisfied? In the past if something doesn't come out looking the way I want it to, I toss it aside and walk away. Not this time. It's about facing our limitations and being statisfied with what can be done vs an unrealistic vision of greatness. Greatness is not a bad thing. It is something some are born with and others sweat to become. I may not end up a great artist but I can sure try. Even Rembrandt and Michaelangelo had to begin somewhere.