turkey feathers

Bambi

Easter is early this year and I do seem to be having time issues with that, so we've decided to just keep things as simple as possible around here.  We're planning a mid-day brunch with our collective families so there's a little prep and baking to be done, but before I slip into my apron and get started, I wanted to leave you with a little Spring inspiration.   We rarely see deer during the winter (where do they go?), but they're slowly coming out of hiding again and this little guy was the first to poke his head out.  The girls and I were in the kitchen washing dishes and cleaning up after lunch, and we looked up and there he was just standing there, as still as a statue, just mesmerized.  He stood staring for the longest time. Just watching us.  I'm not sure who was more entertained, him watching us, or us watching him.  Or if he was seeing his own reflection in the glass for the first time.  Maybe thinking his double was a buddy.  He lost his mother, and had been tagging along with another doe and her twins last year, but it looks like he's on his own now and doing fine.  After a little grazing on the hill, he settled down in the vinca vines for a nap.  The vines are scattered with tiny blue flowers now, a sweet sight and a reminder of life anew.  I'll be back next week.  Have a wonderful holiday!

*Welcome Spring*

Happy Chewing Gum

It's Valentine's Day and I've got some calorie-free sweetness to show you this time.  Just a few little things to brighten your day the way you brighten mine when you stop by to say hello.  I'm still making surprise visits to your blogs when time permits, and as always, am so inspired by all I see and read.  I love this crafty community!  You guys have the biggest hearts too.  Speaking of hearts, if you're my age you may remember having these kinds of Valentines when you were growing up in the fifties.  These cute images are actually printed on fabric though.  I couldn't resist them.  Especially the colorful vintage flowers & polka dots prints.  And of course, the charming, lost in translation messages!  I  don't have a clue what I'm going to do with this yet, except that it will definitely be something fun. I ordered it last year from ReproDepot.  It's called, Doll Doll by Atsuko Matsuyama printed by YUWA.  They carry a lot of neat Japanese fabrics now, and they sell out fast.  I looked for this and didn't see it available any more, unless I missed it, but no worries because there's always more cuteness up around the bend.  More pix of this fabric here.  Have a L-O-V-E-L-Y Day! xo

Birthday Bliss

Thank you all for the thoughtful birthday wishes and sweet notes.  I've taken them all into my heart where they will live on forever.  I am truly grateful for my family and friends, old and new, and those I've made through this blog.  It seems there are many Virgo's among us:: my Birthday Wishes to Heather, Charlotte,  Janice, and Teresa!  I want to thank Diane at Persnickety Quilts for the Birthday Tribute too.  It was so nice to be honored in that way.  Gosh, I nearly fell off my chair with surprise!  The fall quilt (she made in 1994) is a stunner, as all of her quilts are.   She's also shared her method for organizing quilt information which I think is brilliant, and I hope to get around to doing that myself one of these days. 

 

Amber (my oldest daughter, living in Asia) and I, have started a new tradition of sending each other "cyber presents" instead of trying to ship things overseas.  She travels light and I want for nothing,  so this has been a fun compromise.  She sent me some inspirational links yesterday that I really enjoyed, but this one had me laughing until tears were streaming down my cheeks.  I think I watched this half a dozen times.  It  not only made me laugh, but also reminded me of Aaron (our grown son) who was such a happy, giggley little guy like this when he was a baby. (If you are reading this at work, be warned, baby laughter is contagious!)

Well, I must say it's been a wonderful birthday week for me, sprinkled with so many of my favorite things.  Including time to relax, a little quilt-sewing,  some fun reading, a walk in the woods, dining out and dining in.  Grace and Ginger baked me the best cake I've ever had, hands down.  They worked on it most of the day.  I was told to cover my eyes and stay out of the kitchen.   I'm always so touched by how hard they try, all the effort they put into things for my sake.  That's a gift in itself.  But they had also wrapped up scented candles, paper goods, and this "jelly roll" presented with their own beautiful handmade cards decorated with cut-outs, glitter, and glue.  I tell ya, it's the gifts of the heart that mean the most. 

And just when I thought it was as good as it could get, the Mister snuck in the back door carrying a huge bouquet of flowers and wrapped his arms around me.  A girl couldn't ask for more than that now could she? 

Have a great weekend!

Aiting Star

It's time to send out *HAPPY BIRTHDAY* wishes to our dear daughter who is off scuba diving and sight-seeing in Vietnam with friends today.  Wishing you all the best where ever you may roam!  (Don't worry, we'll happily eat a few cupcakes for you.)   

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Things are looking mighty fine over here.

Counting Our Blessings

Hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving. Ours was a big lively family affair at the relative's house. With so many of us we rotate holiday dinners. We're on for Christmas this year and I'm excited about that, but with all the things that have been happening (almost non-stop around here) I have to confess; I'm not exactly on top of things. I just hope I can pull it off because at the moment I STILL need to put the Halloween decorations away.  It's slightly embaressing.  At least I have a good excuse though. Amber is here!  My oldest daughter who lives abroad; she dropped in for a surprise visit last week and we've had a lot of catching up to do.

And just look what she brought back for me from her latest trip to Japan. I couldn't have been happier if she'd dropped a bag of gold coins in my lap. She says these craft mags sell for less than a couple of U.S. dollars over there and was shocked when I told her how much I've been paying for them here in the States.   The sweet,wool felted animals (above pic) are featured in this issue of Couturier ( ISBN4-89432-392-3).  Website here.  Amazing stuff!

Eco Trip

A few weeks ago, the lovely Felica Sullivan (a rep from Harper Collins) asked me to review Giving, due out this September, the latest book in Danny Seo's "Simply Green" series, and I couldn't have been happier to do so.  The book hasn't been released yet, but I can tell you that it's full of wonderful ways to create organic wrappings, tags, and gifts from everyday materials in ways you may not have thought of before.  At least, I never had.  The four chapters cover: cards & tags, recycled boxes, wraps & bows, and handmade gifts.  Just oodles of useful ideas that are fresh and inspiring, plus there's a nice closing piece about how we can all give back to make the world a better place.  And most of us have the desire to do that on some level, don't we? It's just hard to know how to go about it sometimes and I found the information to be solid and practical.  Danny's personal story is a remarkable one too.  He was born on Earth Day in 1977 and figures he was destined to lobby for Mother Earth.  At the tender age of 12, he was inspired to take action after hearing horror stories of environmental atrocities.  Eventually this lead to the start of the country's largest teenage environmental activist group Earth 2000, and now he's paving the way toward a more stylish eco-friendly lifestyle and every one's invited.  I found his blog to be pretty interesting too as he shares his latest finds and some creative uses for unusual objects.  I must say, Danny Seo's enthusiasm and commitment to the cause of change is admirable.  His first book, Parties just came out in June and I think it's terrific;  a great resource of ideas for house parties and casual event planning with a green twist.  Both books are filled to the brim with useful tips and doable projects and I plan to add them to my gift-giving list this year.  Wrapped "eco-style".   

You can catch Danny this Fall on LIME TV Network, or listen to his Talk-Radio Show on Sirius Satellite Radio. 

And he's also doing a monthly feature in Country Home magazine.  The May 2006 issue featured him at home in his eco-friendly Pennsylvania farmhouse... practicing what he preaches. 

Naturally.

Guys & Dolls

The porch needs sweeping and the flower beds could use a little sprucing up, but before I go and get busy with all my little chores this morning, I want to share this cute bundle of love from Dawn.   She makes the most beautiful things and when I saw this adorable sock monkey, "Arabella", on her blog I fell in love with it instantly.   By coincidence, Ginger had been asking me if I could make her another monkey after we gave GUY away to this good cause organized by Shanna.  But since I didn't have another pair of red-heel socks on hand, and no quick source for them, I purchase this for her instead.  Now I can cross that off my to-do list.  And needless to say, Ginger was absolutely thrilled.  Her dress is made from a vintage quilt, a crochet piece was fashioned into a vest, and those felt mary-janes are so cute I almost can't stand it!  There's also a little yo-yo flower tucked behind one ear.  Simply charming isn't she? And there were more surprises inside the box that I wasn't expecting, a flower pincushion, with cute handmade decorated pins, angel ornaments for the girls, and an array of vintage buttons along with a darling little pouch made from an embroidered linen napkin.  So nice!  Dawn's shop is often full of wonderful handmade things so take a look when you have a spare moment.  And, oh.  I almost forgot.  We found out that Arabella was expecting and had a little baby named "Gus" when no one was looking.

Gifts from the Heart

Woke up to the prettiest pink sunrise this morning and a weather forecast of 95 degrees F. which is almost spooky since this just never happens in May.  This could mean we're in for a scorching hot summer or a short one.  No telling.  But I think maybe it's time to plant tomatoes.  Had a great Mother's Day weekend.  Didn't have to lift a finger and was showered with gifts.  Handmade stuff from the kids always melts my heart.   Grace made me a delicious chocolate cream pie and from Ginger, a tiny shell, a lovely pink polished stone, a little heart-shaped rock, and a river stone that she painted and called a "lucky stone".  Now I ask you, what more could I possibly need having treasures such as this?  Well.  Maybe a place to kick back and enjoy it all.  Gosh, I still can't believe the Mister made these chairs when I wasn't looking.   And I don't even want to know how he did it either, just in case he wants to surprise me with anything like this again!  Oh my, I was so delighted and surprised. And what is it about an Adirondack chair that is so magically comfortable without a cushion even? There was a pretty bouquet too, and trip into town on Saturday, to visit a friend's mom who opens her garden (locally) once a year, and sells all kinds of wonderful plants that she's cultivated herself.  Truly one of the most impressive and amazing front and backyard gardens I've ever seen.   She told me that her garden evolved after her sons were grown.  Down came the pool and basketball hoop, then she started from scratch.   No empty nest boo-hoos for her, she simply redirected her energies into creating a garden haven that she now shares with others.  I found her to be as much of an inspiration as her garden.  So.  We brought home Siberian iris (purple and dusty pink), bee balm, foxglove, artemisia,  Scotch moss, and a few others.  Got everything bedded down and watered already.   I keep checking on them like a nervous new mother.  Keeping an eye out for deer that I know are lurking.  Wow.  It's already getting warm.  Time to turn on the sprinklers.  And hover. 

All The Trimmings

My mailbox has been brimming with goodies this week!  Good things come in small packages. Especially small 2 x 5-inch packages. Just look at all this.  I feel like I won the lottery, or gone to rick-rack heaven at least. The incredibly talented LK was kind enough to pass this along *just because* she knows my fondness for the stuff.  And she also included a darling old simplicity pattern for cute stuffies! I haven't seen this one before.  It sure is cute, is it not? All I can say is, I am really touched. Thank you so much!  I don't know what it is I love about rick-rack, but it speaks to me in mysteriously happy ways. The packaging is always fun to examine too. Long-gone names like Boiltex (now Coats & Clark), Trimtex, and Cameo (my personal favorite from Lion Mills). Some sold for a mere 19c. Imagine that! I ask you just what wonderful thing can we buy today for 19c? Not even one button, I'm afraid.  These older colors always seem easier on the eyes too.  Most new rick-rack is made from polyester now, I think the cotton is nicer, just knowing that it was grown from the earth and not spun out of a recipe of chemicals, although I do succumb to poly when I have to. Gosh, I hate to open some of these and spoil their perfectly preserved packaging (some 50 years old). The red stripe and the navy dotty bias binding is especially sweet. I'm already imagining all kinds of things I can do with them.