Thursday, December 29, 2016

" I LIke" Thursdays #16 ---the last of 2016


1. I Like my TV-watching-reading-cuddle quilt. It is flannel and about 50 X 60.   I like needing a quilt because the weather is chilly, because I'd rather be cold than hot.

This quilt was made with a simple block. After I arranged them the way I liked I appliqued flannel hearts on them. Puh-leeze note the pieced in flannel dog and cow fabrics!
Check out the back...

2. I like getting fabric from friends... who know my taste!  Nancy  gave me the lush flamingos and Mary
gave me the birch with cardinals and drinks fabric.




Totally taking me by surprise was this from my good friend Gayle at mangofeet  who said "this little piggy wanted to live with you!" Her pig quilt is awesome!
3.I like cows! Boy howdy do I like cows! Lookie what else my friend Nancy gave me...

a Box O'Cows. (ooooo the bovine dancers! The little one with a tail handle needs to hold pins!)

She collected them for years, and somehow moved on to pug collection. Hmmm, interesting. Her car is called the pugmobile and she is called pugmom. I'm seeing a connection.
Look at the dancing couple... aweeee

4. I like my husband being home for the week between Christmas and New Year. We have the gift of time. We've spent it watching dvd's and home stuff and museum going and lots of walking.
5. After spending 2 hours that felt like ten minutes in an exhibit of Medieval objects at the Walters Art Gallery in downtown Baltimore, Mr. Not Afraid of Color suggested a trip to Dick Blick art supplies. He knows how I feel about art supplies! One of my favorite stores full of fun and possibility. I looked through all books, trinkets for artists, brushes, paints, and stopped at a display of pencils.
Recently I watched a tutorial comparing prismacolor pencils (which I use, love) to Faber Castell pencils. Prismacolor is wax based and FC is oil based. There are differences in application and blending.

Dick Blick had open stock, so I chose 4 favorite colors of FC to try, and 3 colors of watercolor pencil to try, just for Science,you know. Just doing my bit to add to information out there! (snicker) I work on paper as well as fabric with these pencils. The prismacolor have been good to me on fabric when heat set. I'll let you know how they compare.


6. I like this book of my entire first year of blogging.  Wow does it look good in print! My husband figured out the logistics and included a dedication that means a lot to me.

I have several books in me to write but am reluctant to call myself a writer. I've written short stories, long letters, humorous interpretations of my dog's opinions, and almost 800 blog posts.  I keep notebooks of my stories that my husband has read but I have not published yet. I aspire to be a published author.
His dedication made me realize I am a writer. I write. I use words to convey meaning and feeling in much the same way  I paint or quilt.
Pignolis, red cherry, and amaretti cookies from Vaccaros in Little Italy Baltimore
7.I sometimes include food items here. Today I will be general and say I like food.
 Recently on a visit to Air and Space museum, we rode in an elevator driven old school by an attendant. I asked him between floors if he got a Christmas gift.
He chuckled and said "yes, some clothes and... food".
He looked a bit sheepish and said he guessed not many people would include food as a gift.
I said I do. It's a gift to have enough to eat, then beyond that, food I like to eat.
I agreed with him about food. I left the elevator with a renewed sense of gratitude.

8. Just before Christmas on another shop around Frederick, we stopped in three stores with specialty food. We got homemade pimento cheese spread, (I LOVE that) some special drinks made with sugar not corn syrup, and these tiny mints.

Very special, very French, very powerful! I would not have bought them for myself but lingered over them, and my husband indulgently bought them for my stocking.

9. I'm thankful to have a generous husband who looked and found items I needed like quality magnifiers to wear doing handwork, tripods to hold my camera for doing tutorial videos, and a big surprise a mini ipad. I have a serviceable old one that is big and heavy and won't run current games or apps. It was fine, I'm no techie. Guess he wanted me to leave his ipad mini alone!

10.I love old buildings and architecture. Recently we visited the old patent office which now houses the Portrait Gallery and the Smithsonian Art Museum. The building is amazingly beautiful, unlike the square sterile style building of today. Thank goodness someone valued it and saved it from being knocked down and replaced with yet another boring squared off building. Functional without beauty or grace. People need beauty to remain human.

***I want to send my condolences to Mickie at 3poodles blog. She usually links here but...Her beloved standard poodle Seamus was taken by cancer over the holidays. I have to believe Cole welcomed him to Heaven, they compared stories of their cancer battles and their people. They are together chasing critters, and telling each other stories of their funny people, and how much they miss us***

*** I just found out another poodle passed. D'Art another beautiful boy, over at Forest Poodles. Too many poodles left this year... too many beloved sons. We feel the grief with you Eliza***

If you also played along and did an I Like post, let me know and I'll include a link. I like that this idea is catching on and thankful that so many of you are also doing posts of likes.
Please enjoy a visit to these folks who also did one:
1.http://littlepenguinquilts.blogspot.com/
2.
3.

That's it for today. What did you find to like this week?

34 comments:

Julierose said...

Oh wonderful post, LeeAnn; my Mom always said "Life is short, eat dessert first"...isn't that just the truth?;)))
Sounds like you had a wonderful Holiday--I hope you and yours have a healthy and a Happy New Year...I am now able to see a lot better (oh, the colors!!)and am doing some coloring with my Prismas, too...love them...hugs Julierose

LA Paylor said...

oh how nice to have JulieRose back among the seeing! She had some surgery y'all. Can't wait to see what you do with your newfound colors!LeeAnna

LIttle Penguin Quilts said...

Sounds like you have a hubby who really GETS you! That is a wonderful gift! I, too, love being wrapped up in a quilt this time of year. I've been hand quilting one these last few weeks, and it's like double the warmth - putting stitches in it and being wqrm and cozy at the same time! Love all your cow things and unique fabric! I'll have to keep you in mind when I am fabric shopping!

Kathy E. said...

I, too, would rather be cold that hot! It's much easier to add piles of clothing or quilts than run around naked...who wants that? Your post made me smile, LeeAnna, with so much gratitude that you find in everyday life. Choosing joy and sharing that with others will never disappoint!

Needled Mom said...

Thanks so much for visiting my blog. I cannot reply to you as you pop up as a "no reply" blogger, but I do appreciate your comments.

It is fantastic that you were able to enjoy a week of having your husband home for special times. It sounds like it was a great Christmas with some terrific gifts. The blog book is wonderful and so thoughtful.

PaintedThread said...

I love your like posts. So much fun, and so many things I like, too. (One of these days, I'll write one.)

That flannel quilt looks so cozy. I have yet to make a lap quilt because I have two awesome crocheted and knitted afghans that are so comfy.

sonja said...

Lee Anna, I like your Thursday post this morning! The cookies remind me of lebacuchion (sp?) the German honey cookies that are aged a month or so before eating that i made only once, Nuremberg cakes? i love the blog year book your husband made for you! i look at Blurb and wonder how i might do that, print out posts and photos tho i would probably do a few years at a session. I too love prismas and have for decades and decades and love Dick Blick to get in the mail supplies! I love to read your appreciation of all this good and good things and the elevator story priceless! you remind us all to appreciate the small and large opportunities all around us!! now i will go back and reread as i hum a show tune sung by Julie Andrews..... be well, Sonja

Susan said...

I think you should pursue the writing - you convey a wonderful sense of humor in your writing. And goodness knows, we could all use some of that! Thanks again for sharing!

Tails Around the Ranch said...

So sorry about your friend's poodle; I swung by her blog. Everyone hurts when we lose one of our fur-kids and Seamus sounded like quite the fella. 💔 The blog book that Drew created was so sweet with such a touching dedication. Am loving looking at your TV viewing quilt and fabrics. That cocktail one with the black background is divine! Wishing you a Happy 2017. ღ

claudia said...

I like the cool over the hot. I keep my bedroom closed with my bathroom window open just a tad, when I walk into the rest of the house, it's like going into an oven!
Your post was fun...in general I like food too, most everything. I started WeightWatchers four weeks ago and have lost just under fourteen pounds, so food and I are on a little vacay. (well, not all food!)
Happy New Year to you, can't wait to see what you come up with for us to drool over in the new year!

Mary in Boulder said...

Andrew is so sweet! What a wonderful dedication in your blog book. I'm jealous!

MissPat said...

LeeAnna, you've hit another one out of the park. These weekly "I likes" just keep getting better and better. I'm getting some good ideas, too. Love that Gayle sent you a piglet. And Drew picked a terrific gift with the blog book. Your flannel heart quilt is so cool, no make that warm. Hope you escaped the no'easter. Happy New Year.

PaulaB quilts said...

Love your hearts quilt,and it has dog park fabric on the back. Also the cute doggie on the front. Why is it that food is always on the top of my list too? I've been inundated with gifts of chocolate, even a heavenly block of homemade fudge, but healthy with cashews, dried cherries and cranberries. Totally legal day or night. Drew is such a sweetheart knowing exactly what makes you happy. That is not intuitive for most men. You got a winner! Happy New Year

Kat Scribner said...

Love this quilt, it's so dramatically cheerful!

quiltedfabricart said...

You are so lucky to have such a caring and wonderful husband!! May the honeymoon go on forever :-)

And thank you for making the supreme sacrifice and hardship of having to go to Blickland (the Disney of stores IMHO) in order to get supplies so you can test them out to report to your loyal readers. It's a tough job but somebody has to do it. I didn't know about the oil pencils but it makes sense.

Unknown said...

I LOVE pink flamingo fabric!

Unknown said...

You definitely are a writer and an artist.

The Colorful Fabriholic said...

Wonderful post, and really thoughtful gifts from your husband. I'm interested in how he printed your first year of blogging for your book. Would you consider a post about the proceedure? Thanks!

LA Paylor said...

ha! I'll have to get him to write that post! I know he used the site, blog2book. They have a limit of 1000 pictures per book and you choose size of picture and script. I told him I wanted to do it, but he figured out how and wrote the dedication.

Sara said...

Love your cuddle quilt. We always have a couple of cuddle quilts on our sofa because it's so cozy to use them. And I love, love, love your blog book. That is a really thoughtful gift. And yes - you are a writer!

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing that news about Seamus. I will have to send my sympathy.

Joanne said...

"...because desserts spelled backwards is Stressed!"
Thanks for writing! Sharing! Blogging!
Looking forward to more in 2017!

LA Paylor said...

please send your sympathy to Eliza too, I just found out she lots D'Art on Dec 27th. Too many poodles lost.

LA Paylor said...

Sorry I remembered the company wrong, it's blog2print.
See I told you I wasn't techie!

Michele McLaughlin said...

I like your flannel quilt! It looks snuggly! Food!!! I give homemade cookies to everyone as a gift (not a lot of people bake in my family) The man across the street shovels snow for me when Brad is away and he only wants to be paid in choc. chip cookies (I swear one universal truth is all men love that flavor cookie).
What kind of magnifiers did you get?
Thank you for all your kindness to us. We can't tell you how much your support has meant. Hugs and hugs, Mickie

wanda said...

Piękne żywe kolory

LA Paylor said...

In English Wanda said,"Beautiful bright colors"

Joanne said...

Wonderful list of likes; I love that you have a published book of blog posts. What a wonderful motivation to keep on writing.

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

Wonderful post Lee Anna, your husband is a keeper! It is sad to hear about the other poodles passing, I know how much Cole meant to you. Continue your writing!

Lena Pugacheva said...

I wouldn't mind curling under that fun flannel quilt, either! It makes you happy just to look at it ;))

Coombe Mill - Fiona said...

Love the book, what a great idea. I've been blogging 6 years and never thought to make mine a book. Happy New Year Popping by from the Real Carfty Link Party

Miaismine said...

Such a warm and loving post. Aren't husbands the best? :) Loved reading about your flannel quilt as I've purchased some flannel to make my first flannel quilt! Yea! Take good care!

Teresa B said...

Sounds like you had a great time. Thank you for joining The Really Crafty Link Party, and happy 2017!

Gosia @ Quilts My Way said...

Love your quilt!! It is so cheerful. Thank you for sharing your wonderful work with us.
Happy New Year !!!
Gosia