the week ahead

One of my stamping experiments on fabric (4" square)

It's Monday again... life moves forward to another week.

Weather in Aurora CO
We seem to be in a rainy pattern. It rains daily here, sometimes all day off and on, or sunny turning to violent wind, rain and hail. As in life, I guess you make the most of sunshine moments, then cope with the rainy ones. The temps have been merciful at least in the last few days... between 60-80 mostly.

To Do
number one is put one foot in front of the other and face down my big fear of doctors... today it's the dentist and repairing my three front teeth. He strongly advised to do it all in one sitting.
I. Am. So. Scared.
I read a quote that growth comes from facing difficult situations and growth is important to life.
There are the usual daily home maintenance items, and there is comfort in routine. I love being home so I do not mind laundry, dishes, mopping.
Be gentle with myself as this is a hard week... be kind in my self talk, rest more, sit outside when I can, paint when I like, watch fun shows on tv, read magazines, pet my poodle-son, be quiet.
plant the iris bulbs a neighbor gave me and keep an eye on the vegetables!
watch my puppy playing with other dogs... and laugh at their antics

Gracie and Milo, sitting on the lawn... first comes love...

reading
I hope to finally finish my night novel... it hasn't been great, not bad but not engaging and I forget to take another up, so each night I read this one. (Cake on a hot tin roof)

watching on TV and youtube
Amazing Race, Agatha Raisin, Time team, Mrs Maisel, Frankie and Grace, chopped junior, Master Chef, (screaming at) the bachelorette.
On youtube I am loving the tutorials of Shayda Campbell, and CreationsCeeCee.

link to video on youtube
My painting from the video lesson, so easy anyone can do one!

Fun experience last week

Our dealer was fast!

DH and I dragged ourselves to the neighborhood Casino night in the clubhouse, expecting to be there an hour and meet people. It was so much fun we stayed the whole night! Each of us was given $500 play money to use, and we got a ticket at the end of the night for each $100 we had left to win prizes.
I had no idea how to play roulette or craps and am no good at poker, but I sat at the blackjack table and laughed with my new friends and the dealer who was very informative. It was fun and I got to know my neighbors much better. DH ended up playing roulette and meeting other people.
I played for hours and had about 600 play bucks at the end! I won a gift card to Khols too!
What I learned:
you never know what might turn out to be fun, til you try!
I won't be gambling real money, it's not fun for me, but this was win win!

Eating
We went to the local farmer's market on Saturday and found these interesting items...

dessert wine (raspberry peach moscato), cherry balsamic vinegar, and lemongrass white balsamic

and  home-made from a Greek family...

awesome tabbouleh and hummus. (we supplied the plantain chips and crackers)



Inspiration:

“Be soft. Do not let the world make you hard. Do not let pain make you hate. Do not let the bitterness steal your sweetness.

― Kurt Vonnegut 

Linking to

https://comedy-plus.com/ Awe Mondays
happy homemaker monday

 

blue beaded curtain

Here are my Rainbow Scrap Challenge chandelier blocks (from Stitchin' Therapy blog) in dark blues.
Pretty! There's just something about blue... most people's favorite color.

as usual I tried to find pretty prints in the scrap bin, although I also try to find a scrap near the size I need to cut too.

I love a mix of tone, shade and pattern although these read almost the same
After making 14 (as I have a LOT of blue scraps) I pulled previous month's colors out and played a bit... here is an analogous color scheme with green, blue and aqua

now wouldn't that make a nice bed quilt?
Linking to
design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
lovelaughquilt.mondays
blue mondays
oh Scrap Sundays 
http://superscrappy.blogspot.com/

paint party Friday Fabric, paper, ink, paint... it's all fun!

I've had a good time with color this week!
The poodle was from free coloring pages, an the font was from this free list of cool fonts
https://medium.muz.li/30-great-free-fonts-for-2019-14814a17e91a

I used my tombow markers to color in letters done in sharpie
yesterday's session started with a little box from Michaels to hold my tiny stamps and stencils

As I chose ones to put in the little box, which is how I wish I could store all my stamps since it's one layer and easy to see, I tried some out on some scraps of fabric













using my fabrico markers to brush color onto the stamps...

to make art...

and the cute little stencils were used on my leftover painted daisies strip (used to finish my painted birds background!!)

I used a subtle blue fabrico marker to color in the fairy stencil, and the tan and pink ones for the mushrooms

it all worked, the markers on top of the painted fabric

I have been drawing or painting each morning, and loved finding the artist Shayda Campbell as she is clever and a great teacher. She has a large video collection of lessons on youtube!
She recommended a warm gray pen to outline, and shade with so I bought a staedtler triplus fineliner in gray and amazingly to me, I LOVE IT! I did all three with it above!

she teaches a lot of botanical lessons, and I combined a printed quote in one of mine (sorry for the warped shot of it)

quote by Antony Douglas, painting by me!

This is a trial of blending tombow markers on paper.... even a painted doodle can come out good, right?












Linking to
off the wall Fridays
https://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/

I Like Thursday #146

Welcome to this week's list of likes! I liked finding these solar lanterns in the garage,they are pretty in the daylight, but sadly they didn't work after all this time... still they feel festive!

My little angel also came out of the garage, joining the pretty shade lovers. I like a porch, and the new outdoor rug makes the sitting area feel cozy.

I even found a little purple blossom on the bean plant yesterday, so I'm on my way to vegetables.

I like Milo having friends and play dates. If I could set one up each day I would. I enjoy chatting with the humans while the pups play. This week he met the cutest 9 month old black lab and we walked together. I liked having a walking mate for a day.

I liked going to the retiree's weekly group and knowing most of the people.

I loved my art quilt group meeting yesterday. It is a small but mighty group, very talented funny and nice. It was nice to get feedback on my two latest quilts, Orange lady, and the painted birds.

I like painting every morning to start the day. I'm enjoying so many teachers on youtube and am currently obsessed with Shayda Campbell and her lessons. This is one of her drawing and painting a planner for June 2019

I have learned to draw people, flowers, leaves and do more graphic work from her.


I like historical fiction, and this was a great page of the most popular historical fiction in the last few years...  https://www.goodreads.com/blog/

So much to read, isn't there?

I liked going to a local quilt show and chatting with other quilters. Want to see a couple of the quilts?

a cow caught my eye of course

pretty aqua background on the double wedding ring pattern

love hexies and bright colors with applique!

Milo's Moment
I like playing "chase me" with Daddy at night around the coffee table! I am always faster! I cut back and forth, then change it up by running thru the chairs (he's too big, so I get away!) I like my whimzee chewies every night at 8. I just don't understand why I only get one... I do all the work around here. I have to entertain the pawrents, guard the yard from walkers and cars, chew up paper, walk those two several times a day... I should get two whimzees. Right? Am I right?
I liked one of our neighbors who said I really lost weight... I did! I lost at least two small poodles worth of hair on Sunday's grooming caper, heh heh.

Please visit Mama's friends keeping their lists of likes for the week too!

maryinpeoriahandmade.blogspot.com 

https://julierosequilts.blogspot.com/   
http://littlepenguinquilts 

https://scrapatches.blogspot.com/ 
http://homesewnbyus  

https://canadianneedlenana.blogspot.com/ 
http://imworkingonaproject.blogspot.com/

http://3poodlesandanana.blogspot.com     

https://knittingquilter.blogspot.com/   

https://whataboutrheema.blogspot.com/  

https://quiltingreadersgarden.blogspot.com/ 
http://sandysnowden.blogspot.com/
http://daybyday12101.blogspot.com/
 Linking to:
 http://backroadstraveller.blogspot.com/
rosie and the boys nature pics  
Thankful Thursdays pet parade
http://goodrandomfun.blogspot.com
http://itsasmalltownlife.blogspot.com/

the week ahead

sunny with clouds, turning to rain and hail, then sunny but colder

Welcome to this week's Happy Homemaker post! Looking out on another day...

The weather in Aurora
Somehow mother nature has been kinder, gentler than usual... I'm sure the heat is coming this way but for the middle of June this year, we had temperate 70's and 80's during the day, and 50's and 60's at night. Nice. My garden thanks you. Oh, and rain, we do get rain here on what's called the steppes of the front range.In fact today will be mostly overcast here. 1 mile away may be different!

Wearing
I default to capris and t-shirts or shorts and cute t's but have a lot of summer dresses I hope to wear this year. It's hard to dress up when it's just you at home. I admit to seldom putting on make up these days. First of all, my deep set eyes tend to rub off eyeliner that I love. I am wearing sunscreen but I'm already tan from the intense sun.

To-Do

Well, Mama got out the flamingo pot this weekend, and put down a pretty outdoor rug. Guess it's about tie for the three of us to start porch sitting when Dad comes home!
Now that the poodle is bathed and groomed, and two small dogs worth of hair cut away, all I need to do it pluck his ears and trim his nails. He looks so pretty when just groomed!
I need to mop the floors again, and all the daily maintenance things.
I want to find laminating film to make bookmarks from one of my paintings
I decided to finish the orange petal woman as art not a big quilt of ladies, so I would like to finish it.
I have an art quilt group meeting this week, and the neighborhood coffee group.
Watch the flowers and vegetables grow which is very soothing and satisfying. I now must water them every morning though, another little chore on the list.
I'd love to clear off the horizontal surfaces of the house, but that's just crazy talk

eating
what's easy and quick?

reading
I'm so slow... I'm finished with God and the afterlife, my porch read (alone) A medical doctor documented all the death back to life stories. Pretty much all the same despite cultures or religions. God is love. We are meant to express love on earth, love for ourselves, each other and the earth. In each circumstance, the people report God as unconditional love, not vengeful or judging.

Seems like we're here to experience and learn, to support others, not to judge them.

DH and I are reading the forgotten garden aloud and he's working later so I may have to read it alone.
Still slogging thru my cake on a hot tin roof mystery at night... kind of slow read.
Magazines... home dec I'll never do... celebrities who are a hot mess...

view from water's edge

gardening
I got some more annuals as I want to surround us in colors this summer. That means more pots as the soil is not supportive here, and there are just so many rocks. I loved finding an Oxalis who's leaves look like shamrocks and the flowers are delicate little ballerinas. Also my fuchias are so pretty in the porch shade. Vegetables are hanging on, but not thriving. I hope to see flowers soon on those, with the hope of food to come.

There was so much rain, we didn't turn out sprinklers on til last week, when they promptly broke. Oy.
I had just met a neighbor who mentioned a lawn guy who worked on them, and we called and he came out next morning to fix them. We called one company who said they'd be there in a month (!!!)
Found out an Ash tree in our front yard has borers killing it. The developer put these in, knowing they had not treated the ground for them, and one by one owners have to replace them. We were told by a neighbor to use bio-advanced tree and shrub, protect and feed. He said it killed the borers and saved his tree. They are costly to remove and replace!

made by Janet Finely quilted by Myerhoff

Outings
I went to a small local quilt guild show last Friday. It was nice to see a show, but I'm missing the national shows on the East coast. I'd say 90% of the quilts were from patterns or kits... I look for originality... but I met a really nice woman who will hopefully become a friend! That was worth the trip.


watching
We are still enjoying Agatha Raisin on ACORN. So clever, quirky and funny.
I now like chopped chef junior on Family channel.
Enjoying Songland where new writers pitch their music to known stars. So you think you can dance is back, yea! (I danced for so many years, ballet, tap, ballroom, cajun jitterbug) Amazing race is so good too. Project runway ended as expected, but it will be missed.

I loved this youtube video on painting/sketching fanciful tulips. I think anyone could do it!
It's just for fun, as a daily moment before you jump into the fray.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CHZvikbX9h8
my interpretation... I must remember that no first attempt will look as good as the teachers... we learn by watching, then doing sometimes over and over

making
I paint something daily now to start the day.
I need to quilt more this week too.

Here's to another week of creativity, learning, getting to know people, acceptance/tolerance, and love. I think that's what God wants us to focus on. 

Linking to:
Wednesday around the World
cheesy photos at ched curtain
https://comedy-plus.com/ Awe Mondays
happy homemaker monday

Using the blues

back in the studio this week... to make blue flowering snowball blocks for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge. Color of the month is blue, and I'm assuming dark and medium blues as there will be light blue as a monthly color later.

No surprise, I have a lot of blue scraps, so it was good to use some of them.

I really like using this template and the effect. When you lay them all out, it's fairly quick to sew.

I made 12 blocks, and it took a few hours while watching a rerun of Gilmore Girls. I do use a variety of tone on tone white and beige blocks but it doesn't show here. I worry the whites are too similar and boring.


Just like  with people, it's the variations in our looks, experiences, and personalities that keep life interesting.

Speaking of people, I quilted my orange petal woman, my orange Mona Lisa, and now am kind of stuck...
Do I keep this as a one-off piece, or do a series of stand alone flower ladies? I painted five other ladies as possibilities

It's a decision to be made before I finish the background quilting. If they go together I need to leave a margin for joining. Do I want a big quilt with people staring at me? Or ones I could hang alone each month.... endless choices to make!

How entertaining it is to make original work. I went to a small local quilt show yesterday and 90% of the quilts were made from patterns or kits. The original quilts stood out. I am making the flowering snowball blocks from a traditional block so I do enjoy working from the quilters who came before me, but... mostly it's more fun to create something from my heart.
It's more satisfying and exciting to me.
It's more restful to make something from traditional sources so that has it's place, but whether I'm writing, painting, beading, cooking, or quilt making it's better to express myself.
Know what I mean?

linking to:
can I get a whoop whoop Fridays  
Esther's blog Wednesdays 
Midweek makers wednesdays
design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
lovelaughquilt.mondays
oh Scrap Sundays 
 
 scrap happy Saturdays

I Like Thursday #145

Hi y'all! Welcome to this week's list of likes! I like cows and wind sculptures that are cows.

I like grouping flowers in a pot, then watching them fill out and grow. I also like the colors here, purple pot with lime green creeping jenny, and red celosia.

I've enjoyed seeing the vegetables recovering from being put in the raised beds. I have high hopes for their producing before first snow!  I'll learn what can survive here.

I moved my easter eggs to the back yard for the turquoise color, and put one in the crab plant holder on the table

He looks kind of cross, no?
It's so nice to see summer after a winter of snow, and a spring of rain. I love flowers, and last weekend I found these 12 roses at the grocery store for $8. What a deal!

And they are healthy! Look at the pretty mix of color!

I like that my neighbor shared a raspberry lemonade mix with me, to make me drink more water! And she also told me she found out Johnson's baby oil cream repels mosquitoes. You can bet I'm going to try that!

I loved finding big ceramic pots and hanging baskets on sale at the grocery.
I like Amazing Race, Project Runway, Master Chef, and chopped Junior on TV.
I like watching the bachelorette, but the current one is such a mess I spend the hour yelling at the tv.

I'm enjoying my novels for summer reading, (especially forgotten garden) and quilting again. It's hard to go up to the studio in summer, with all that sunlight calling me outside. I liked going for a walk yesterday and meeting a neighbor who has formed a haven in her back yard.

 She took me on a tour of her flowers, and I loved her rustic birdhouse, fence and bush. She grew up in PA and her Dad made this. It's so nice to meet new people who share an interest with you!!
She had this plastic guard around her tomatoes to keep tomato worms off...

I love my art supplies. I have a great assortment now, paints, pencils, markers, brushes. I'm enjoying printing quotes to put on my pictures too. I still quilt and bead, but I'm having a love affair with paint on paper at the moment.
Making this art is influencing my writing,  how I look at objects and my quilt making.

I noticed this shadow on a walk, and loved the gradation of light to  dark as well as the organic image.

Last week, Shannon put some pretty pics of her trip to Scotland on her I Like post, and I painted one of them... fun!

 Diann at little penguins shared a hike picture on her I Like post, and I had to paint it too!

If you missed their original photos, check their blogs for last Thursday.

Milo's moment

I LIKE BELLY RUBS

I love my neighbors! Tonight while Daddy was trying to get the sprinklers to work, I ran off next door to play with the boys.
Hey! I'm a boy! I brought my ring toy, to make them jealous and want it.
 At one point all three boys held hands pulling together to get the toy away from me but I won the tug of war!It was hilarious, you should have been there!
I like my ring toy. First you gotta bite off all the fuzzy covering, then it's just great to carry around.

Even human puppies like it!

visit mama's friends also keeping lists of things they liked this week! Gotta keep paw-sitive!

maryinpeoriahandmade.blogspot.com 

https://julierosequilts.blogspot.com/   
http://littlepenguinquilts 

https://scrapatches.blogspot.com/ 
http://homesewnbyus  

https://canadianneedlenana.blogspot.com/ 

http://3poodlesandanana.blogspot.com     

https://canadianneedlenana.blogspot.com/ 

 https://knittingquilter.blogspot.com/   

http://imworkingonaproject.blogspot.com/

https://whataboutrheema.blogspot.com/  

https://quiltingreadersgarden.blogspot.com/ 
http://sandysnowden.blogspot.com/




Linking to these parties!

shadow sundays
Pink Saturday!
http://floralfridayfoto.blogspot.com/
https://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/
 http://backroadstraveller.blogspot.com/

rosie and the boys nature pics  
Thankful Thursdays pet parade 
http://goodrandomfun.blogspot.com
 http://itsasmalltownlife.blogspot.com/