Too Cute!

Baby quilts: they are small, happy, and great fun to quilt.  One of my quilt ladies (D) is expecting a granddaughter in September and she asked if I would quilt a top she made for her.  The feature fabric has owls on it, so I named it Whoo, Whoo!  

 Pink sweetness

 Wavy crosshatch is so fun to do, and the I couldn't resist a little ivy in the edging.

 Isn't this fabric just adorable? I did a meander with circles to compliment the polka dotted fabric.

And a baby girl's quilt just has to have some hearts.

May this quilt get lots of lovin'.  

May Flowers

It wasn't April showers that brought me these flowers, but Mother's Day.  The carnation was from church, but the rest were from my son, D.  Thank you, D! :-)

 I have always loved irises.

 Bright yellow flowers are like little bursts of sunshine.

 Happy colors!

This carnation makes me think of a fiesta party dress.

To all who had opportunity to celebrate the day, Happy Mother's Day!

Seeking Simplicity: Fashion

The seasons have finally shifted from cold to warm (soon to be hot), so in bringing out the warm weather clothes, I did a bit of evaluating my dress style.  Thinking back, I realize that my style of fashion has generally been rather odd.  In high school, while all the other girls were wearing mini-skirts, I was wearing skirts to my ankles.  It took me a long time to embrace capris.  Platform shoes? No thanks.

As I have gotten older, though, my style has settled down into what I will call classic comfort. While I have firm admiration for a well put together outfit, it is not something I want to spend time on myself. Just give me a few basics in a few colors, and I am good.

So, what do I like to wear for the warm season?  

At home: yoga capris, t-shirts, and bare feet.  

Casual:  Capris or light weight pants, knit shirts, sandals (one pair of black and one pair of brown), and a light weight cardigan to fend off the air conditioning. (I do love cardigans!)

Dress:  Nice skirt or pants, nice knit top, nice sandals (two pair again-see above), and a shawl.  (Love those shawls, too!)

Accessories:  Earrings and necklaces that complement each other, but don't match exactly.  One small cross body purse and a tote.  Now I do find that totes call to me, but I try to resist their allure.  

My youngest majored in fashion design and really knows how to put together a nice outfit--classy, but up to date.  Hmmm, if she got that from my side at all, that gene must have skipped me.  

Keeping it simple…..

Springtime Frolic

Some quilts are just happy quilts, and this is one of them.  The top was made by one of my Tuesday ladies (L) as a graduation present.  I had the pleasure of doing the quilting--a fitting project for the spring season.    

Hello, Spring!

It looks like Winter has finally packed its bags and Spring has come to visit a while.  Though we are still lacking in rain, the wildflowers have put on a good show this year, much to everyone's delight.

One of the things I like about spring is that it is true to its name…it just springs up.  One day I will look out the window and see the branches bare from winter.  Then I look out a little later in the day and…

Ta da! 

It is also nice to see the birds coming around once more.  We started filling our birdbaths again and the locals come often to drink and bathe.

Hon! I found a great deal on nesting material.

Spring…such a cheerful season!

 A little sunshine, anyone?

A Local Surprise

Knitting can take some wacky forms--crazy hats, scarves, toys, and a what I think may be a fairly recent phenomena, yarn bombing.  For those who are unacquainted with this practice, let me share its definition.  According to Wikipedia:

"Yarn bombing, yarnbombing, yarn storming, guerrilla knitting, kniffiti, urban knitting or graffiti knitting is a type of graffiti or street art that employs colourful displays of knitted or crocheted yarn or fibre rather than paint or chalk."

Now I had read about this activity in forums with writers' opinions varying between it's awesome to it's a waste of yarn, but was surprised when I came across it locally.

This bit of knitterly expression was to show appreciation for participation in a local scarves for the homeless project and a breast cancer awareness project.  I am not sure what I think about yarn bombing, but it did make me smile.

Seeking Simplicity

Well, after a topsy-turvy house and a couple of rounds of illness, I think I am back to blogging.  The past few weeks have provided some opportunity for a little self-discovery. Raising a family on a single income has not afforded a lot of resources for home purchases, so I have made do with hand-me-downs and such for most of my married life.  No complaints there.  I was glad (for the most part :) ) for what we had and home decorating has never been a big issue with me.  

All the sifting, sorting, and paring down, though, has led me to realize that I love simplicity.  Not only simplicity in home decor, but in pretty much every area of life and interest.  For this post, however, I will focus on our home. 

We are down to the odds and ends--a few pictures, miscellaneous items that were stuck in closet corners, all the boxes we used for packing….Seems like those are always the hardest things to get to.  The one area of the house that is finished is the foyer and dining room, and this space is my inspiration for the rest of the house.  Here are some pics, but they don't quite do the room justice.  I needed to borrow one of those home magazine photographers, but unfortunately there weren't any readily available. 

What I like about this space:  furniture with simple lines, but warm finishes; minimal amount of furniture; pops of color; few decorative pieces.  This area of the house doesn't get a lot of use, so it is easier to minimize what is in the space.  The challenge for me, then, is to see how I can create the same feel in the spaces we use a lot.  I will keep you posted.