Sunday, August 28, 2011

The Heat Is On...



Way to hot to quilt...

Yesterday it was 118 degrees around 11:00 AM....

Today it was a bit cooler...only 113 degrees at the same time...

I can take the 90's....maybe the lower 100's...but definite don't do well when it hits 110 degrees or more...

But the peppers seem to love it....

I love to get it up in the morning to see all the different colors....

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

Doggy Day Care


He stayed at our house for a week...

My DH made a trip to the store to get him his favorite rope toy....

He learned to like apples, so much that he was pulling them directly from the tree....

He got lost, played in traffic, and was rescued by the neighbors down the hill...

He learned Saturdays and Sundays mean car rides down the windy canyon roads to get breakfast for Mom, including a large diet coke....

He went home so tired that he slept for two days.....

Now I've been told he wants to come back because he's lonely and doesn't have any other dogs to play with....

Ummm...maybe next year?

Friday, August 19, 2011

Looks Much Better...


Disregard the mess...we've been redoing for a few months now...piles abound in my home.

Focus on the nice brown tones of the roof...the newly painted roof...

Really, really dislike white-wash...which is what the roof of this room was when we bought our home over ten years ago....doesn't it look much better?

Tuesday, August 16, 2011

A Little Bunny Crazy


Maybe having no water at the house the past three days made me do it....

Maybe not having Fred, supreme studio watch commander, made me do it....

Maybe not being able to sleep a few nights back and wandering ebay made me do it....

But Aristotle sure is cute, isn't he?

Sunday, August 14, 2011

Once Again Without Water



We live in an area know for not one, but two natural year-round waterfalls...so how can it be that we awoke to no water in the house you ask?

Hmmm...

Let's just say our Water Company consists of a lot of old pipes....

And the main closest to our house broke....

Water spewed forth everywhere, so much that the local Sherriff's Department closed off the road due to flooding and the road buckling...

There's now sink hole in the middle of Live Oak Canyon that's almost 16 feet deep...

And, of course, it's going to require a "special" team of engineers to fix it...

Which translates into "you'll have water in about a week"...

Could be worse...just think I could have no electricity and no water....



Wednesday, August 10, 2011

The Guardian Rabbit of the Quilting Studio


Meet Fred, the rabbit who stands guard in my studio...that is until I broke him and my Ott light last weekend while doing a bit of Spring Cleaning.

My quest for this week is to replace the broken things...being mindful of the budget (yeah, right).

Replace Ott light: mission accomplished.  That big ol' bad store down the hill (starts with a "J") has a 50% off sale right now, and I snagged one for under $25.

Find a new Fred...not such an easy task.  I had to figure out Fred's real name...offically he's called Jim Shore 2004 Heartland Creek Rabbit...wow, that's a bit name.

There's two of them currently on ebay...one at a way too astronomical price...and the second more a wee bit more than I paid for Fred...and she takes offers.

So guess what I did???

I put in an offer for the original price I paid for Fred.

She has 48 hours to respond.

Cross your fingers and toes, please!

Tuesday, August 9, 2011

I Broke It....


Yesterday was not a good day...while cleaning the studio, I not only broke my Jim Shore bunny but also my Ott light....yes, I know..very stupid move.

I don't know if I can replace the Jim Shore bunny...I'll have to scout around ebay and etsy to see if I can find another.

But the Ott light...guess who's having a 50% off sale this week?  And guess again who's going on the way home tomorrow?  Not me if my husband's asking.....

Monday, August 8, 2011

Schnibbles...and the Missing Fabric

Schnibble: noun A scrap of fabric; a leftover bit of cloth; a small piece. The word has a German origin and is found primarily in German settlements in the Midwest.


It's just way hot here...way too hot to "reverse sew" four rows on my Postage Stamp quilt to take out the ripple of fabric that appeared..and it just plain bugs me to much to leave it...so I need to wait for the next few days of cool weather to continue...it's on hold for now.

Needing a bit of relaxation tonight, I decided to go down to the studio and pull out a little something to do...and the Joy Luck pattern from Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. seemed to fit the need perfectly. Something small, not complicated...and I just love how beautiful the Schnibbles come together.

Where's the charm squares I bought to make it with?  I know I bought Kate Spain's Central Park a while back to do this project...they're hiding.  I've cleaned off the ironing table...and still can't find them.  I cleaned down the sewing table, breaking the bunny as I cleaned, and they're still missing.  I organized the cutting table...boy, the studio is looking cleaner...but still no charm packs.

At the rate I'm going, I'll have a perfectly clean studio before I find those charm packs....

Sunday, August 7, 2011

Be Somebody

You can be somebody without having wealth, fame and power.  These gifts define a standard of life, not our standard of virtue.  You will be remembered for your virtues. The headlines you make in this life will be based on the differences you make in the lives of others.
            - Philosophy Green Tea Hot Salt, Tub and Shower Scrub

Words of simple wisdom are found in the weirdest places, even on bodycare products...

Watermelon Toenails


Yes, I have been told on numerous occassions I have short fat feet...thank you, my dear Daughter.

But I needed to show you my toes...Watermelon Toenails...aren't they just too cute?

OPI Big Hair, Big Nails...add in a wee bit of dark green plus a few dollops of black...and you have the cutes toenails for any summer event...

Aren't you way jealous?

Saturday, August 6, 2011

Critter Control


Out here in the OC we have our own version of critter control...meet Silas, who's feasted on four squirrels this week...thank you, Silas!

And yes, he does eat them...haven't you heard that squirrel meat is a delicacy?

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

Concerned...

This past weekend a few friends and I got together to go to the International Quilt Festival in Long Beach...even the Cutie Patootie was there!

It was really fun to see everyone and catch up with what was going on in their lives.

But, quite frankly, I was really disappointed in the show.  The first year was awesome...lots of new fabric everywhere you looked...plus a lot of my favorite vendors.  This year, the Festival's third, was loaded with lots of embellishments and personal stuff (purses, jewelry, etc.)...hardly any new fabric to be seen...no favorite vendors, not even the tool guy.

I went with a basic list, at least I thought so...a particular spool of thread (to finish a quilt I started three years ago), basic color threads from Superior Threads (lots of color, no beige-white-black in the studio), the Angler II (mine's a missing), Foxglove needles, Little Schoolhouse pins, and some new and pretty fabric (just because)...

The only thing I came home with from my list was the thing I thought I'd have a hard time finding...the thread from three years ago. Where was the tool guy (he's always around)? Where was the new fabric (everything was way old)? Where were my favorite designers and patterns?

I would label myself more of a traditional quilter...no art quilts here.  I see the beauty in a simple square quilt...and, if you ask me, it's definitely harder to do a traditional quilt...everyone will see if you don't match your seams...and there's no covering up your mistakes with more fabric or thread.

Please come back old Festival...or (BIG GASP) we might not return for another year.