Someone slap my hand...

Am I the only one who has a problem saying "No" to buying more fabric?? I sure hope not because I tell you my stash is just not that much. I know that I am new to quilting and so it does require me buying just to be able to make projects. Guess I am going to have to put myself on a budget and stick with it... LOL!!!!!!

I went to my sewing bee yesterday and finally started work on my new project which is the Freddy Moran way to quilt -- Colorful and Loud Colors will make the quilt perfect for hanging in my hallway. Just can't believe that I am sewing with purples, polka dots and wild combinations. But I Love It and you certainly stay awake while sewing the pieces. The wilder you get the better it is going to be.

Now then -- I am having difficulty with a plant I have. This resides in my bedroom and it is spreading out all over the floor. However, I cannot identify the plant and need to know how to handle the long shoots growing spreading out all over the floor. I definitely need to cut it back and want to know how to root this. Can anyone identify for me??

I guess if nothing else I will cut off a piece and try getting it identified at the nursery. That is my last resort...




Here is a picture of LuLu on her cage in the breakfast room. Such a big cage for a little bird. I leave the cage door all day and she plays on the top and in the window. I caught her climbing up the wood blinds several times so then I have to yell at her and get out a rolled up TV guide which I threaten her with. She does not like me slapping that rolled up guide around and then usually she retreats and will stay off for awhile. YES, I could be mean and stick her cage in the corner away from the blinds but I am such a softie when it comes to my animals and usually let them rule me instead of the other way. LOL!! I threaten to put up curtains instead of the blinds but not sure if she wouldn't grab the fabric and climb up that anyway. She is a mess - what can I say!!!


Well the Olympics are on and I need to go glue myself to the TV so stay warm and cozy and I will write again later... Hugs, Linda

Happy Valentine's Day...

It's a beautiful day here as the sun is finally shining and of course it is Valentine's Day. Always a special day for me as my firstborn was born on this day in 1968. I can still see my wonderful husband James all smiles because he got his son!!! Back in those days we never knew the sex of the baby before birth. My husband had just been discharged from the Marine Corp 3 weeks before and it was a good time in our life. James was standing there afterward with a huge white teddy bear and a beautiful card which I still have. So YES, it's a good day today...

My son Kelly is out of town this weekend as his girlfriend has surprised him with a trip to Washington DC (and all that snow). I am sure that they are having a good time and enjoying themselves. I on the other hand will spend the day relaxing around here and enjoying having the Olympics on TV. And I'm sure I will get a little sewing done. I am trying to decide what my next project will be. So guess I will be digging thru the stash and patterns and getting something laid out to start. That is always a fun project - just deciding what to make!!!

Friday, I spent several hours at the first "Quilt Show" by Tri-County Quilt Guide. It was so much fun looking at the quilts made by several friends and getting to see their ribbons. Maybe next year I will get brave and enter something myself.
Well friends it is time to get up from the computer and make myself useful around here. LuLu is in the kitchen "screaming" because she needs some attention. She wants Mama to come and pick her up and carry her around the house. She likes to wash dishes and play in the sink so maybe we will do that first. Have a wonderful day... Hugs from Linda

My Bird "LuLu'...

As some of you know I am the mother to a "Blue Crown Conure" parrot called "LuLu" and believe me the name fits her just fine. I complain about her all the time as she runs my life, however I have to be honest and say that she does keep me company.


She does talk and can really jabber away when it suits her. This morning I was in the kitchen eating a piece a toast and she is asking "Is it good"??? That seems to be her favorite phrase when she sees me stuffing my face. I can then offer her a bite and she will keep on saying "Is it good" over and over again. She is totally spoiled but can also be very sweet. During warm weather she likes to take her bath with the waterhose outside and then blames me because she is all wet...


During the day when she takes a nap, for some strange reason she gets cozy with a bell on her head and a rope. The bell is like her security blaket and she always peeks out at you. She is a real character that's for sure...


Well it is time that I get up from the computer and make myself useful. I need to head out to Wal-Mart before it gets too crazy around here. We are expecting some rain tonight so I need my errands done early. So I bid you farewell and hope everyone has a good day.

Go Saints!!!!

Super Bowl Sunday and YES, the Saints won... Now we can put football to rest and frankly I am ready!!! I have managed to stay busy this weekend as I started a new project and it is coming along nicely. I did have trouble concentrating on the pattern and made several bad cuts but have just made a short pile of those and will manage to squeak out a table runner or something else. Don't worry, the fabric is not being wasted. Here is a picture of the project so far. I have been dying to make something out of my black and white fabric collection and this fits the bill nicely. Do you like it???


On Saturday I received a package from Amazon.com and in it were 6 books I had ordered at the beginning of the week. I have fallen in love with The Freddy Moran and Gwen Marston book "Talking It Over". Love all of those bright colors and I am determined to make something that is just as bright. Can't wait to start collecting all of the fabrics that it will require.


I've had the urge lately to make some stuffed birds so I tried out a couple of patterns that I found on the internet. This is what I managed to stitch up during the football game. Need several more as I want to link them together with some beads and hang them in the sewing room. The picture is not very good but you get the ideal...



Well it is getting late and I still have to clean up my mess in the sewing room and go put "LuLu" to bed. So till next time... Hugs, Linda

Oh my gosh!!!

I have to tell you how excited I am that I have won a gift and it arrived today. Pat Eaton over at "Bird Nest On The Ground" sent me the wonderful gift and I can't tell you how lovely the little pillow is. I will attach a photo but know that it does not do it justice as it is simply lovely. Thank you so much Pat!!!!!!!

My firstborn was a Valentine Baby so YES, I am partial to this wonderful holiday. And too, RED is my favorite color so maybe that is why I love this wonderful holiday. Anyway, many hugs to Pat for the wonderful gift. Visit her site - http://birdnestontheground.blogspot.com/ and check out her wonderful things.

I've also been fabric shopping this week. A couple of my quilting buddies and I took a drive to LaPorte and Friendswood to see some quilt shops. I fell in love with "The Painted Pony". That shop is to die for!!!!! I have been on a mission this week to find some new fabric in deep shades of red and managed to accumulate several different ones as you will see in the photos below.

I am not going to share the pattern today but this weekend will show the full project. It is from Pat Sloan so check out her BLOG and this is called Camp Sloanie Weekend Stash Buster Weekend. So I have my fabric and have started cutting the strips. I am ready to start.........

I also did a little shopping and look at this gorgeous "African" basket that I bought. Just look at the size of it and I thought it was a bargin at $37. What do you think??? Thanks for stopping by and as always keep on stitching...

Some Quilting Done...

I hope this weekend finds everyone doing something fun. The weather here in Houston is dreary, gray and very cold. You know the wet cold that goes right thru you. So I have chosen to just stick around the house and get some sewing done. Didn't have a particular project when I started out but at least I was sewing. Started sewing a lot of "old" charms together from some fabric that I ordered a few years ago on eBay. So it will make a perfect small charity quilt...

Next I took a Moda jelly roll "Crazy Eight" which is Xmas fabric and started a coin quilt. I have it all stitched and it is now ready to be put together for quilting. I will save that for another day as I am ready to stop for a bit.

You can see from this picture what a wonderful sewing view I have in the sewing room. I recently moved over to this bedroom (it's small) but all of the windows allow me to overlook the pool while I sew and that makes it more relaxing. The old sewing room only had a tiny window in it and was awfully dark. I actually have to use 2 of my bedrooms for my sewing/craft things but it is nice to be able to spread out.

In November I purchased a new Brother Quattro sewing machine and I can't tell you how happy that machine makes me. It sews like a dream compared to what I had been sewing on. My family gave me a hard time for spending the money but I will just give up a trip or two and it will certainly be worth it.



Now I am about to go take an early bath as my shoulders are killing me from sitting at the machine all day. Then will cook a little dinner and sit down to continue reading the last Twilight book. It has been a good read so far and what better way to spend my Saturday night.


So life is good... Wishing you all a great weekend as well!!!

Linda

Charity Bee...

I went to my first "Charity Bee" today and met some lovely new friends. It was a good time working on something that a "youngster" will be enjoying in the future. The Charity bee is part of our Quilt Guide and they do a wonderful job of various projects they work on. I did throw my camera in my bag this morning but of course got busy and simply forgot to take it out and snap photos. But don't worry I will make sure to take a few next month.

Finding things to include in a post isn't easy but I am trying. I just need to make myself take more photos and go for it. I like the connection with people out there who are working on various "works of art" and it is so much fun to see what is going on in every one's life. So basically, life is good and I do have a few ideals as to what some of my next projects will be. Stay tuned to hear what they are... We are getting some rain over the next couple of days so maybe I will have some new projects to show you. Happy stitching!! Linda

I'm Excited...

I've been busy making purses for the past 2 days and loving each one. One of my quilting bees (Coles Crossing) had a sew-in where one of our members "Rachael" taught us how to make an "Origami Purse". We had been admiring her's before Christmas as she made approximately 14 of them to give as Xmas gifts. The purse is really quite simply to sew and we were finished in about 2 hours. So afterwards I headed to Hobby Lobby to buy some cute fabric and have now managed to make 3 of them. The pattern is from "Yone's Origami Purse Pattern." The purse has an outside pocket on each side and I am thrilled with mine. I may have to keep this in mind for unique gifts for friends and family.



I am really partial to the one with the safari fabric...





Let me know what you think of them as I always love to hear everyone's thoughts on my projects...

I am so thankful that it is Friday. My sisters and I always meet on Friday night and usually have other family members joining us as well. It is always fun to sit and chat with family and it is our way to unwind from the week. Plus -- we love those margaritas!!! Just so yummy... Well it's time to close for now so till next time... Linda

Blue Monday...

I am still dragging my feet from this terrible cold that I have and it is really hard to motivate myself to go to the sewing room right now. I have a sewing bee tomorrow morning so I have to decide what my project will be to work on. I can't miss going because the quilting store that we meet at (QuiltWorks) is having their big customer appreciation sale so everything is 25% off. So I don't care how bad I feel in the morning I have to be there for the sale. Such FUN!!!

I do have something that I can show you... I finished this pillow the first week in January and it is a YoYo pillow that I think turned out pretty good. It goes perfect on the couch with my zebra stripe pillows so take a look at it! I have always loved making yoyo's and even have a king size bedspread made from them and a tablecloth.


Well it is time to run -- until next time... Linda