turkey feathers

Decisions, Decisions

 

What better way to herald Earth Day than in the garden.  The sun IS peeking in and out, but night temps are still dipping down into the 30's here, so our seed starts are happening inside, under a grow lite.  Peas were planted in the ground though and should be OK.  If the blue-jays don't find them first.

  

Herb garden is looking good.  However, I spy a few things that shouldn't be there.  Things that hopped over from nearby flower beds.  I sprayed the roses and a few other "at risk" flowers with the *magic concoction* (deer repellent).  In case you don't know, this is earth friendly and can be mixed up in your kitchen.  Here's the link to the original recipe if you want to check it out. I'm still having great success with it.

 

Oh, and the wren house has been hung and already had a few lookers (English sparrows), but no takers. It's in a location we can easily view from the kitchen sink.  We keep watching and waiting for the wrens to return.  Which, should be soon.  At one point yesterday, we looked up to see about a hundred Canadian geese in loose formations heading north.  They were up so high we could just barely hear them honking as they passed overhead.  We watched them as they disappeared in the distance, thinking about their incredible stamina and perseverance. It always amazes me.  What a marvelous planet we live on.

thanks for the memories

I never know what surprises my mailbox has in store for me.  Mostly good ones.  (With the exception of some ridiculously high gas bills over the winter; rather a frightful experience opening those. I could've gotten my silver-fillings replaced for less.)  Nevermind.  Let's focus on the generous people among us.  Those who send sweet letters with pictures of what they are working on, and sometimes little presents they've made.  Like this darling Sunbonnet Sewing Case, from Chase.  She actually sent this awhile ago, but I'm just getting around to showing you.  I love all the sweet things she tucked inside.  Check out her ETSY shop to see more of her crafty handiwork. She also included some yummy linen prints she picked up on her trip to Asia earlier this year. I haven't decided how to use them yet.  I'm still staring at the little cars.  They remind me of some I hand-stenciled across the wall (bumper to bumper), in our son's bedroom when he was a little guy.  We were living in southern California at the time, so freeways and cars featured prominently.  He had these "classic" sheets too, which inspired the wall art. Hard to believe they're still available today.  I can't look at them without thinking about those early years of his childhood. Isn't it funny how certain images imprint on your mind? 

 

Update on the Spring Chicks tea towel; it is happily residing in Shari's farmhouse kitchen and it couldn't have been a better match!  Go take a look--you'll see what I mean.

Wandering Around

 

We suddenly find ourselves in the midst of beautiful weather here.  I'll soon be heading back out to enjoy it while it lasts.  Finally making a little progress in the garden; there's still so much to be done.  Great to get a jump on things for a change; it's usually damp and chilly here until after the 4th of July.  Nice to open up the doors and windows again and let in the fresh air.  Almost makes me want to tackle some spring cleaning and wash the windows.  Almost. 

 

Until something like this unexpectedly stops me in my tracks.

 

And I wander off, again. . .

Tea Party

 

I was up early and decided to do a little sewing and finish up this dish towel I started last week.  The design is from a group of  old liquid embroidery patterns I found somewhere.  Remember liquid embroidery?  I never went down that road; seemed like a rather messy craft with all those fat tubes of paint.  There are two more darling motifs that compliment this tea cup, check *Sweet Surprises* if you want them.  If you need a refresher on how to band a dishtowel, visit my tutorial here.  (Watch-out for that peanut butter cup though!  Just scroll down...)

 

As I went digging through my stash of jellyroll strips I found this print that matched perfectly!  I wish I could remember the name of this bundle; they get all mixed up after I unroll them.   Maybe it's one of these.   I checked but didn't see it.  And while I was over there innocently "checking", I  found way too many new rolls calling my name.  Now that could be dangerous.  At least they're not fattening. 

Good Day

 

And...we have a winner for the spring chicks tea towel!  Comment::  "I'm not exactly a Spring chicken, but I sure do love these Spring chicks! Definitely happy!"  Posted by: Shari

Congratulations Shari!  After visiting her blog, Big Yellow Farmhouse I can see that this little treasure will fit in quite nicely.  (And I ask you, just how cute is that farmhouse? And that chicken?)  I'll pop this little prize in the mailbox ASAP!  Thanks to everyone who stopped by and left a comment and joined the fun.   Happy Spring!

Things Are Looking Up

 

  Every spring, it surprises me how a scrubby patch of weeds under one tree suddenly turns into this glorious show.

 

It seems to happen so fast, making me stop and catch my breath.

And go running for a camera.

 

hello, sunshine!

 

Such a lovely view from which to sit and contemplate the world. 

I'm busy stitching...will be back on Friday to announce the winner of the "spring chicks" embroidered tea towel. Thank you for the sweet & lovely comments..and for the *smock love* too. 

Good luck all!

Simple Smock

For months, I've been snug inside pull-over sweaters and jeans, but a hint of warm weather over the weekend got me thinking about smocks again.  

I didn't have a pattern, or any fabric for that matter, but why let that stop me?  If  Scarlet O'Hara and Maria (Von Trapp) can make gowns and garments out of curtains--then let's try.  

Well, maybe not from curtains exactly.  I went digging, and found a softly worn cotton sheet in the linen closet instead that worked perfectly well for my proto-type.  I used Miss Violet (my manikin) to work out my the design details. 

However, her shoulders are much broader than mine; she's built like a quarterback!  I'll need to make alterations to the pattern I drafted.  This turned out just a little bit big.  Although I'll probably still wear it around the house because it's comfortable.  So--a fun sewing project, and a blank canvas for some embroidery..later, maybe. 

 

Perhaps the biggest challenge though, was getting a decent picture of it.  After a few attempts with it hanging on the back of the door, I finally had the angle, the light, the camera, and then---some unexpected action.  Say, "cheese."

Spring Chicks Give-Away

I just wandered in from my sewing room after putting the last finishing detail on this;  a bit of vintage rick-rack as "grass"---it's interpretive, use your imagination here.  (smile)  Yesterday, after I found this cute old pattern among my boxes of orphan transfer sheets, I  literally dropped everything I was doing and took up my embroidery needle.  It's been awhile since I stitched anything and I could not resist such cuteness.  Spring chicks also seemed like the perfect "conclusion" to the newest*sweet surprises* towel designs too (don't ya think?),  so I made them part of this month's bonus collection which is up on the website now.  And...I'm giving away the dishtowel shown here!  No April foolin' either.  Leave a comment to enter the drawing and I'll announce a winner on Good Friday (4-10).  My sincere apologies to International readers, but due to sky-high postage rates this drawing is limited to U. S. residents.   OK, I think that's it...now I need to go make more of these. 

*Comments are closed--a winner will be chosen soon*