Saturday, July 11, 2026

Creative time this week adding to new blocks, finishing a flimsy, and finishing a needlebook

 

I've been working on two quilts this week. My watercolor summer piece which is now bordered and ready to quilt, and my new block, goody goody gumdrops which is addictive and a fun way to use scraps

While I've been going through my scraps for components for that block, I've been pulling out pieces that are square or able to be turned into small squares for my growing collection

usually I keep scraps by color no matter size or shape,

this is the aqua scrap bin plus yardage from my stash
but I decided it could be really useful to keep 2.5"   3"   3.5"  squares together by size and I have kept 2" squares together to make water color quilts for years. 

I decided to put larger watercolor style fabrics around for a border without a spacer...

and in the quilting I'll couch down a satin cream piping between center and border... 
It's so pretty and delicate! How will I quilt it? 

bunny butterfly  fairy

big flower, birdhouses 

I am loving it ! I think a soft backing of nature print  maybe concentric lines?  sweeping long lines? 


for now my obsession with the GGG  blocks continues. 
It's amazing how many pretty scraps I'm finding. I do not start with 5" squares like the pattern. 

I start with a piece at least 2.5" from which I cut a 5" piece, and two 1.5 X 2.5" pieces, for the outside

and use one of my newly cut 2.5" squares for the centers of the blocks. 
right now I'm focusing on Aqua/turquoise,  pink, blue, lime as colors to pull from for this.. 
it's hard to leave off in the evenings, "JUST ONE MORE"  my snoopervisor has fallen asleep despite the thunderstorm going on outside
When I left last night I had 89 blocks done,, and two more cut and waiting to start again the next day


I betcha I will rearrange them before sewing together! Aren't they a bright happy set of colors? 

I finished hand stitching my needlebook from last week, and machine sewed it into a usable form
those are mermaid arms from one of my "sea" quilts, and I thought to bead it but... it's good 
the insides all scraps!
no painting except for painting videos. 
Creativity used in baking and cooking this week. I'll leave you with one of our pretty skies

it's about 100F here in the sun...too hot for me! On one slightly cooler morning we made fresh cherry scones... so good. And a ruby red watermelon was summer delish but didn't last cut up in the fridge this time... we are enjoying fruit this summer





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Thursday, July 9, 2026

I Like Thursday # 513 summer heat, flowers, potato salad and a poodle

 

welcome to this week's list of likes starting with neighbors who have day lilies ! 

walks with my friend Alfie

come ON mama!! It's not getting any cooler out there! 

shadows from the intense sun, high temps, and altitude
I like wearing dresses in the summer (with shorts under them
flowers sneaking out a fence


hey why'd you stop alfie? 
oh, a tasty tiny appetizer sized bunny!! they are all over right now

oh my gosh skies are so beautiful here

I'd stop for my chocolate chip/ pecan/oatmeal cookies  (from Gasparilla cookbook from Tampa)
we used to drop them from spoons, now a cookie scoop is faster! 

I'd stop for flamingos...

yet another gorgeous sky
the temps are already 100 in the sun here.  I moved here to avoid hot weather. 

love this series, reading this one now on audio



what kind of potato salad is your favorite to make? 

I LOVE potato salad. I've been making a sort of Greek version for years, 
boiled cubed potatoes
Mayo + yogurt
lemon juice + grated lemon rind
oregano, salt pepper, 
bit of minced onion and bell peppers
spoon of cider vinegar
chill

I am allergic to eggs so none of those, and I like the kind of salad the Greek restaurant used to put in a big greek salad so we either have this as a lunch side, 
or when I make a BIG lettuce salad I include  potato salad, Kalamata olives, tomatoes, cukes, and a pepper! 

I tend to boil a lot of potatoes at once, and turn some into twice baked potatoes, some into salad, some into cubes to fry crispy at breakfast, etc.

I made scones again, this time with fresh cherries (I had to cut out the stone) and they are so good

I'm sewing on:
pattern source goody goody gumdrops by villa rosa

It's already twice this size and so much fun 

We survived

Survived a week of fireworks done by our stupid neighbors.... with  tranquilizers for Alfie. He has survived enough leaving him shell shocked, so the horrible boom boom boom is traumatic for him. We got some CBD/hemp chews to try for lesser issues in the future. 

He hides, and then gets diarrhea and vomiting when stressed. 

Aflie says

okay, my turn! I'm Alfie, I'm just turned 2, and I've been here with my pawrents for 5 months almost. I love them, and eating regularly, and going for walks to see people and dogs and especially, bunnies! 
One time this week there were 4 in one yard! One time we saw a fox! 

Mama doesn't seem to know a walk is for sniffing. 
she nearly never sniffs, and fusses if I stop to sniff for too long, how about your mamas? 

we walked up to ask neighbors about their nervous dog, and for the first time Alfie waked up between us, not cowering behind us! SO HAPPY!

Video

still laughing

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/doS__1YbhvY


even my dress, kind of older, is HEMP


please visit these folk to see what they liked and what kind of potato salad they make


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Saturday, July 4, 2026

creativity this week the watercolor quilt grows, choices made, a new block

 

For sewing this week, I played with scraps in a slightly different way... the start to a quilt above is from an online design I saw... goody goody gumdrops

I decided to mainly use my aqua/turquoise scraps  for this, with lavendar, lime, fuchia mixed in

After all the time I spent on my watercolor quilt, I thought, I should gather some other sized squares from the color bins, to organize some scraps by size and shape not colors

My watercolor scraps are cut to 2" square, so I moved up in size to 2.5"   3"  and 3.5"  squares of all colors in one location. I used the 2.5" box (in front here) to pick out ones to use in the new block. 

I think the pattern was meant to use 5" precuts but I'm just pulling 2.5" pieces large enough to do the outside bits, and one 2.5" to use in the centers, from my recent collection of all colors

Surprisingly it has been fun! 
I hope I won't miss them all separated by colors, but it is just some squares and the color bins remain

12 blocks so far...and a mix of blue/green colors for rainbow scrap challenge July color

I sewed tiny bits together to make another needle book, and stitched the layers together with quick lines on sewing machine.. Now I plan to do hand stitching  before turning it into a needle book

probably chain stitch, fly stitch, colonial knots, or rows of straight stitch... then trim, bind, fold to hold felt needle storage

I chose these fabrics to do my hexie spiral this month.... 

yum, this is one of my fave colors., blue green light to dark

I dithered over inserting a strip between the larger border fabrics on my watercolor quilt. White? 
then after sewing all those tiny squares, adding another row around of them, decided to sew the larger watercolory fabrics right onto the center

In the quilting stage, I'll couch over a thicker cording in white or navy, maybe lime green to create a visual stop from center to border, more subtle than a tiny strip


It makes me happy to see on my design wall when I enter the room, but how to quilt it??? 

my snoopervisor sleeping on the job!

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Thursday, July 2, 2026

I Like Thursday # 512 Summer, flowers, fireworks

 

alfie, July 1 2026, laughing!

Welcome to this week's list of likes, starting with my puppy Alfie, 2 years old, and is developing a real sense of humor! He is greeting human friends now without prompting, and today greeted a schnauzer while out on a walk. 

Speaking of walks, a few pictures

the weather is hot, so when I see gathering clouds, it's a cause for celebration! I love the rays of turquoise and the white tinged clouds in this photo

usually it's blazing hot intense sun of high altitudes here, creating mighty shadows



alfie spotted this baby bunny on a walk, sooooo tiny but since Alfie is a scientist dog, he observes behaviors  of wild life     

However, this wasn't normal

the wind was so very harsh and this was bobbing and weaving, scaring the pup so no pic with it... he stayed far back, playing it cool, pretending to sniff a tree no time to dawdle mama


beautiful day lillies


wonderful cloud formation this afternoon!

Fine Dining 

Avgolemono

 

I made chicken, rice, lemon Greek soup this week, and we had it four times ! I love having soup to warm up pre meal....

yep that's feta cheese on top! 

Alfie's like this week: 
Watermelon! 


He is not an adventurous eater, and after the last two weeks of (urping daily, the diarrhea daily) an emergency room visit and flagyl medications he is ready to eat again! 
Heyyyy this tastes good! He just nibbled the tiniest bit of red melon, but it's a testament to bravery for him to try it! 
such a big dog, such tiny bites! 
Oh btw, Mama and Daddy loved this tiny black watermelon, so much sweeter than usual


Reading on audio books

another series by Connolly.... love it.... set in Ireland, mystery, great reader! Waiting for my turn at the next book in series

Reading on E book
Her royal spyness solves another mystery

Watched an old movie on FMC  that brought back memories  1963




surfing brings new meaning to "moon=doggie" of the 60's when this dog surfs

our conversation starter this week: 


Describe a memorable Fourth of July celebration

No one I knew set off dangerous fireworks in their neighborhoods when I was growing up. 

We went to city fireworks, being shown over the Bay in Tampa. 
When I was about 26 I moved to Canada to be with my then boyfriend,,,, I drove, and we spent the fourth of july in Oakley Kansas, at a fairgrounds. 
A truck rode up to the bleachers with an organ on the flatbed, and someone started playing patriotic songs. Those of us in the bleachers were singing along and when the first boom! went off I felt a little hand in mine!!! 
What? 
A little girl about age 4, squeezed next to me and held my hand for the duration! Ahhh  the mom was somewhere and smiled, and it felt cozy! 

While visiting my sister who lived in Salt Lake City Utah at the time, we went to a fairgrounds, sat on a blanket on the ground, and the fireworks were so close they nearly set our blanket on fire! 

I often went to Disney World who sent up fireworks every night... magical parade and all that color

I have a request of others.... stop firing off fireworks right next to my home, til midnight for weeks after the holiday. 

PLEASE stop
PLEASE
if this starts my pup's intestinal upset again, I might scream 


Another cute video to share:

excuse me maam is this yours? 




https://www.youtube.com/shorts/6D15BmcCino


horse love connections

please visit these folk to read about their holiday memories, and let me know to add in your link if you wrote an "I LIKE" post too
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