Signs and Flowrs 12-05-13

As many of you know, I really do hate to shop.  But the time comes when I must do it.  Today I bought two handbags at TJMaxx and a new pair of black pants at the Dress Barn.  I was exhausted!


Since I haven't been shopping in a long time this may be something that many stores do.  I went out of the dressing room to look for another size and when I returned there was my name on the door!  Gosh, I felt like a movie star!  What a great thing to do.  Congrats to Dress Barn.

Just cool!

I met my friends Carol and Dick at our favorite restaurant "Fish in a Bottle".  I know I have visited the ladies room before, but this interesting fresh flower bouquet was never there.

It is very striking against the "marble" wall and at first I thought they were artificial flowers.

But, on closer look I saw they were real, and lovely, flowers.

The secret is this heavy vinyl "vase".  I don't know how it is put together, but it is not sewn (of course).  There are three tapering, skinny compartments and the water goes up to about an inch below the top of the vinyl.  Cute, eh?   After I looked at these pictures I realized I should have checked behind the vase to see how it is fastened to the wall.   Sigh!  Guess I'll have to go back for dinner again, just to check out the vase in the bathroom. 

Wordless Wednesday 12-04-13

 

Monday Browsing + Portals 12-02-13

Google Doodles are a little bit of fun among the detritus of the Internet.  I especially like this year’s Thanksgiving Doodle.   Use the “finder” to look for almost any topic or date:

http://www.google.com/doodles/finder

http://www.google.com/doodles/thanksgiving-2013

Ecologically correct?  Or just a gimmick?  http://new.poopoopaper.com/

And yet another source:  http://www.londolozi.com/cubsden/how-to-make-elephant-dung-paper/

The results of the Alzheimers Project sale at Houston – w/videos and pictures:

http://aaqiupdate.wordpress.com/2013/11/18/we-made-it-1-million-for-alzheimers-research/

 

"This is a Quilt!" 12-01-13

SAQA is selling the matted examples from "This is a Quilt!" trunk show - see the website at:
http://www.saqa.com/storenew.php?scat=45
There are some little jewels, as long as you don't mind that they are matted and under the mat the edges are not necessarily finished. I don't like to add framed items to the Collection because they need special storage and are not portable enough for me to take along when I do programs for guilds and other organizations. However, these matted pieces are 12" square and will fit into the Mylar sleeves I use to store the quilts in the acid free boxes that are just the right size. I chose four favorites and will show them on my blog, but SAQA is removing the sold quilts from the page, so to see what kind of pieces there are you need to check in ASAP.
I don't know why the very white labels attached to the backs of the matting have turned blue.  I've taken the pictures twice at different times of the day.  Suggestions?

 

"Serendipity"  2011  Denise Oyama Miller - Fremont, CA.  8" square in a 12" mat. 

When I first looked at this quilt I thought it was a commercial batik, just quilted.  But Denise when through quite a process and came up with something I think is beautiful. 
 

DETAIL

My record keeping system doesn't like quilts that don't have titles, so I always make my own titles for untitled pieces.  This is now "Cow Country".  Original, eh?
 

"Cow Country"  2011  Keats Scott - Silverthorne, CO  8" square in a 12" mat.
 

DETAIL   I love Keats idea that all the dots are cows grazing across the landscape.
 

DETAIL  The mountains are cut from the upholstery fabric - I wonder if it had large flowers.  Sometimes fabric with big floppy roses makes perfect mountains or their reflection in still water.

Happy Thanksgiving to you all 11-28-13

Not much to say this evening.  Since Corky is gone I spent the day alone and missed the little guy a lot.  It has been very quiet in my neighborhood, although there are about four times as many parked cars as usual.  Still quite a few older people living here and the families come home for Thanksgiving dinner.  I had chicken, broccoli, a baked potato, TJoe's cranberry/orange relish and one piece of See's candy.  I bought a pumpkin pie at TJoe's and it is the worst pie I have ever tasted - the crust is like plaster of Paris and it doesn't taste like pumpkin, in fact, I'm not sure what it tastes like.  Tomorrow I'm taking it back.  Yuck.

I've been working on the Surfside QGuild newsletter and also on the records for the Thomas Contemporary Quilt Collection.  Today was a good day to take some pictures of the many quilts I added from the SAQA auction.  I'll have to put the hanging stand up for the larger pieces I have acquired in the last few months - that can wait for another day.

Hope you all have had just the Thanksgiving you have hoped for.  Thank you for reading my blog and coming back often.  Love, Del-at-home

  

A Kite Flying Day 11-26-13

It was a gorgeous day, a little cool in the morning, but the high in Anaheim (just two miles away and abutting Placentia's south border) was 81F, the warmest spot in the country.   I met my friend Liz for coffee and ran a few errands.   When I arrived back in my driveway I saw the two little boys on the corner were out enjoying the sunshine.  


Timmy was flying his kite, by himself for the first time.  He really had it up there and was handling like a pro.  I saw later than when it came down his dad was there to hold it up so Timmy could get it up in the sky again.  Little Adam is too small/young to hold the kite up high to give it a good start.  

There was a nice steady breeze that kept it steady in the sky. 

All of our wires are underground, so it is a good place to fly a kite, unless a kite eating tree snatches it.

Timmy flies and Adam has a drink of water from an Arrowhead bottle.

I love seeing these little guys growing and learning.  They were both born after their parents moved here.  Good parents = good boys. 

Monday Browsing 11-25-13

Feel  Good images:   http://www.buzzfeed.com/daves4/the-world-isnt-such-a-bad-place?bftw

Ice skating  - world competition:  https://www.youtube.com/embed/rv7dGhj5UlA

https://www.youtube.com/embed/rv7dGhj5UlA

Don't try this yourself!!! You have to wonder how many cars were damaged making this……….

Russian Car Ad - this is fun to watch. I think it is safe to say you may never see an ad like this for an American car.  What a great ad and what beauty is involved in making it.  The U.S. Car Manufacturers make 'zillions' of boring car commercials, and most of us have to 'mute' the hyped sound.  The Russians make one commercial a year, 3 minutes long, and this is it. This is an amazing car ad – on ice. You’ll like it. And at the end they actually give credits and the drivers bow in their cars.  Ice skating with automobiles:    

The Missouri Star Quilt Company has dozens of tutorials to make quick quilts.  Some very clever ideas.   http://quiltingtutorials.com/

Summer in the Park with Honey Buns precuts. I especially like this one.  Del

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yRTuyj_E_v8&list=PLD5EF21A981F69C28&index=58

Block by Linda Rigdon - Laguna Hills, CA