I Like Thursday # 188

Suze's chair(c) Suze Huie

Welcome to this week's list of likes. I'm gonna come up with something... let's see
I talked to a long time friend who lives in FL this week. She is an artist but her passion is fostering kittens. She Recovered this old chair with stuffed toys, see her cat lying in the seat? they're all stitched down!

see  why I love her so much?

we had another snow/ice storm last week, and we noticed this frozen spiderweb on a bush

frozen spiderweb

I like that dh can work from home two days a week now. He's quietly sequestered in a closed home office, but he's here and I'm not alone.

I have learned so much on sketchbook revival this week. I can put down my anxiety usually for the time it takes to paint a lesson. More about those tomorrow, but the teachers are very emotion based this time, and several are leading us through self awareness and self expression while learning techniques. Not what I expected to learn, so much better.

Amber sent this out to color before the prayer time

One teacher, Amber K.  Bonicci gave an extra free course which I signed up for, and she sends out lovely emails like the one saying there was a world wide prayer going on last Saturday night all of us praying at the same moment, for world wide healing.

 I like mood enhancers like Lindt truffles on the counter in a pretty cup

We are cooking all the time now, and made a good dish last night, no pics. Turkey tenderloins, simmered in a sauce of mango dressing, olive oil, minced garlic and minced ginger, and cooking sherry. It was so good on brown rice, and yes we were very lucky to find rice this time at the store.

we wondered why there are shortages when people are eating out less frequently. DH read that businesses that supply restaurants package food in enormous sizes and they aren't set up to package all of that in smaller packages yet.

You know I love a cow... OMG this one wants to come inside and be a lap cow

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=msyf4c5x7EY

I like the classes I took on Blueprint this week
There was one on using precuts by Angela Pingle and disappearing blocks
One on embroidery I loved, actually basics, then beyond the basics with Myra Wood
A quilting class on WordPlay by Sarah Felke (that was just okay)

They are free (as advertising) right now, but you can't access the patterns or handouts

I loved this song's message on Sunday's post https://lapaylor.blogspot.com/2020/04/love.html

come on already, I'm dressed and waiting to walk!!

Milo's Moments
Hi y'all, are your human/s faces looking weird now? When we go for a walk their faces are behind fabric... is it because my mama likes to sew or is this happening to your humans?

Guess what I can count.
 Yep "one treat two treat three treat" "Mama gives me three treats in a row on walks!"
Milo: Heyyyyyy where are my other two treats?
Mama: Milo I gave you one treat and that other dog one treat, isn't that fair? This time?"
Milo: "no you give me one- treat two- treat three- treat"
Mama:"okay then here is treat two"
Milo: "Um, Mama, now that's one- treat, so I gets two more"
Mama: " you already had one!"
 Milo: "it starts over after you give one to some other dog." long-suffering sigh...
Mama: this is officially the worst version of "who's on first? no, who's on second" ever

abbot and costello version:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sShMA85pv8M

now please enjoy these other people sharing lists of their own for the week!
craftscaviescontras 
  https://whataboutrheema.blogspot.com/
http://littlepenguinquilts 
http://homesewnbyus 
https://canadianneedlenana.blogspot.com/

http://imworkingonaproject.blogspot.com/
http://3poodlesandanana.blogspot.com  
  http://www.piecefulthoughts.com
https://knittingquilter.blogspot.com/    
https://scrapatches.blogspot.com/      
 https://lavenderdreamstoo.blogspot.com/  
https://100sweets.blogspot.com/2020/04/thursday-things.html
https://sonjahagemanndesigns.blogspot.com/ 

http://daybyday12101.blogspot.com/
 maryinpeoriahandmade.blogspot.com  
spiralj2

LINKING TO
http://goodrandomfun.blogspot.com
http://itsasmalltownlife.blogspot.com/ 

home

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HoRkntoHkIE&list=PLhXQhpqBNAYsiwGQ6e4rxgbQ0gGVfKZ2u&index=14

one of my very favorite songs.... and concepts. Home. What does home mean to you?

Home did not mean safety growing up. It did not mean belonging or joy, but I saw it could mean those things when I watched TV. I saw it in friend's homes and families. I read it in books.

When I moved out, I became responsible for all financial responsibilities and decisions about my future. I was able to say that's how it's done in THIS house!
 I began to build traditions. I collected things that made me happy and brought light into my life.

Having a pretty home to me was not decorating the whole place like a designer would, it was showing collections, it was pretty pillows and artwork, it was cheerful curtains and kitsch and comfort.

I feel like other people,  like on Pinterest,  have all matching items. I want a sense of space, and to see things that remind me of people I like. We recently put some pretty curtains on a bedroom window that is bright through the blinds. The curtains are a pretty shade of pink with black floral patterns, very subtle but they make the room feel small now! One little change made the whole room feel different.

I have been reluctant to hang artwork, even quilts in this house. I like the calm wall color that goes thruout the house. But. I have lots of pretty pictures too, and some pretty quilts. I hung our V-day quilt on the stairway wall and love it.
I may be sliding into decorating a bit.

How do you decorate your home? Formally  with planned colors or with eclectic mixes of sentiment like I do? How does it effect you?  Does your home look like you?

what is home to you?

be brave

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QUQsqBqxoR4&list=PLhXQhpqBNAYsiwGQ6e4rxgbQ0gGVfKZ2u&index=7

Tell me about a time when you were brave and stood up for what was right?

I remember back in my college days, I had just decided I needed to change majors. I had gone through the first two years of Pre-Med (lots of chemistry, physics, calculus) and was not content. I had that niggling feeling that I was in the wrong place.
I could do the work, I wanted to do it, but if all felt so wrong.

I was out and about one day, and saw someone taking advantage of some kids... I went over and spoke up for them to the adult, and it worked out for them. I thought... this feels right.

I began taking tests to see what careers I might fit into and social worker came up.
I spent the next two years in a very different learning environment, and spent the majority of my career working on behalf of kids.

 I made a lot less money than I would have as a doctor!

tell me your stories...

monday's chuckle and a question

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5oGyBXv6_eg

Just so we can mingle and get to know each other.... the question of the day is:

what was your favorite childhood board game?

I guess I liked monopoly a lot, and yahtzee
I also loved, and still do puzzles starting with those big wooden ones as a 3 year old, and moving along to today's online jigsawplanet puzzles of thousands pieces.

our family was big on card games too, go fish for me, poker for the adults

what about you? Any fun memories of board games as a kid?

Linking to
https://comedy-plus.com/ Awe Mondays

I mostly like BALL games!

love

Please remember... we are light... we are not what has been done to us or broken dreams, we are light

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OL-gxfx2QtY

want to read the beautiful prose she sang?  https://www.azlyrics.com/lyrics/indiaarie/iamlight.html
"I Am Light"

I am not the things my family did
I am not the voices in my head
I am not the pieces of the brokenness inside, I am light
I am light

I'm not the mistakes that I have made
Or any of the things that caused me pain
I am not the pieces of the dream I left behind, I am light
I am light

I am not the color of my eyes
I am not the skin on the outside
I am not my age, I am not my race
My soul inside is all light
All light

I am divinity defined
I am the God on the inside
I am a star, a piece of it all
I am light

  Linking to All Seasons  all seasons

sewing Saturdays.... table runner from scraps

How to make a diamond star table runner....
start with a bag of scraps sent to you from a good friend, after letting them age for a few months lol

there! All washed and sorted, pressed and stacked! Find 18 diamonds of the same fabric and place on the design wall

this stage may take a while... look at this and decide what to do with it. Once you decide on a table runner, then look through scraps to see if there are pieces that can go around these to fill in

no, not big enough, then off to the stash for some supporting players, green fossil ferns, purple solid, etc.
Then with a series of pretty fiddly Y-Seams, join it into the top! See the top picture of that!

You're not done yet... find a suitable backing, batting and layer to start quilting. I used Sulky halogram mylar sparkly threads in blue and purple

This proves noting is too small to be really fiddly in the quilting too! Make sure to use a size 90 metalica needle. I went around each star, then started really quilting. Not done yet

the back

 Isn't the back pretty showing the quilting lines? It's an old cotton fabric that looks like grosgrain ribbon. Old old old.

I really want to see the big quilt my friend made with all the pretty fabrics she sent!
I will have a lot of fun with these!
Speaking of scraps, I went ahead and made more tiny HST's when I pieced my lozenges last week. Then I made an abstract arrangement of them to make another tiny color study piece

 That was fun, but also just a little crazy to sew!!! Well we're living in crazy times, right?

I took all the pressed 1 1/2" HST's to my little flannel board, then to the machine, and I won't say I didn't get turned around a few times while trying to keep these organized to sew....

and it's confusing as the seams take up so much space that the whole piece shrinks a lot....

See how much?



but it's all sewn now, and waiting with the orange one to be turned into something.

Sewing is it's own reward!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Psto3Q7RcJs

Linking to
http://www.inquiringquilter.com/ Wednesday wait loss
Midweek makers wednesdays
design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
lovelaughquilt.mondays
sew can do mondays
oh Scrap Sundays 

 scrap happy Saturdays

watching paint dry

If it's Friday, it's all about paint! And drawing lessons for me!
Sketchbook revival has saved my sanity. I learn something from each teacher, especially from Tamara LaPorte who taught me to draw little villages last year. This year it was expressive birds.
I love the colors, the free way we approached painting them, and the details I added.

I paint a little portrait of the teacher on each sketchbook page, and put their names the lesson title and today's date. I keep notes to help me do it again after the lessons go away. Click on images to enlarge.

On this one, I put painted toenails, a pearl necklace with pendant, a scarf, tiara, words like "shine" and "truth" near her mouth... truth and facts are very important to me.

I am very behind on the lessons but I am now doing two a day. I also took advantage of Amber Bonicci's (from Hawaii) extra lessons, combining spirituality (meditation) and art. They were intense and she asked a lot of hard questions to lead us to self awareness

 How do you approach coloring in an image? I felt very free to use pencil to texture and blend, to add my own words and meaning.

In this lesson we learned 5 ways  to add whimsical words to your paintings

In this one we learned to draw illustrated bunnies

how to draw cartoons from real life... and how to imply movement

this architect taught us how they approach drawing, and how to loosen up your whole arm to draw from any angle... how trees can be implied and rocks, etc. So cool. Also a little challenging to sketch a man... what makes someone look male or female?? I think he came out okay. 

 This person had us do large sweeping curving lines. Then fill each one with a different texture.

I have magazine pages, napkins, stamps made from TP cardboard centers, and inking.

Her technique was like my quilting.
I liked putting gluestick inside the lines, pressing paper on, then tearing away the excess.

 While learning to paint food, I learned how to paint white items, and reflective surfaces too

so much to learn....
LINKING TO
https://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/
Create, Bake, Grow & Gather Link Party