I Like Thursday #191

flamingo writing pen and a poodle pin cushion

Welcome to this week's list of likes...

I love my llama tissue holder... it's a small thing that brings me happiness on just looking at it. (I keep refilling it from a plain tissue box)

... just hearing the voice of friends makes me feel less lonely and more able to face life.I liked talking to some of my friends on the phone this week.

I like knowing Monika for many reasons and she is knowledgeable about the healing power of oils too. She sells some mistures and dog stuff too.

I like the mask pattern Mary sent me as it fits better than the ones with pleats (her link no longer works, sorry but this one is like it https://www.prettyhandygirl.com/best-fit-facemask/) I especially like the chords (shoelaces) and pony bead set up.
Look I'm a princess!

 the pink scrap has been hanging around for a long time! Also I like that masks help with pollen, and keep the sun off my face! Win win win!

I like how my latest tiny art quilt came out! Post here


I like that today is the last day of April....  it's been a difficult month... go in peace...

I like that I can basically cut my own hair. Like any skill, I watched experts and learned


(I love that there are experts in any field. I am not threatened by them, I know that NO ONE can know everything, and there  are knowledgeable people there to inform me! That's a great thing about respecting people and living in a society.... everyone brings something different to the table!)

I like the tv show Songland.... three experts in field of music production, a performance artist, and new song writers get together to choose a song for the artist to perform. All three experts listen to all new songs, three songs are chosen and the songwriters allow the experts to guide them into improving their presentation.

The new songwriters  don't bluster and brag and make fun of anyone who challenges them, they welcome the challenge to improve.

Best yet is that each expert supports the others. They applaud the new rendition and tell what they like about it even though it is not "their writer" and let the artist choose the song right for them.

Then the artist acknowledges that all the songs are good... all are appropriate but one is chosen to produce at this time.
Miraculously then the songwriters in competition then congratulate the winner, with good hearts and generosity of spirit. They know if they keep writing they will one day find an artist to produce their work.They seem to realize it's just one competition in life. Nice!

I like that I pointed out a shirt in the Lands end catalogue and dh ordered it for himself... heh heh who doesn't love an armadillo?

I like that he can work from home two days a week, and today's the day so I get to see the armadillos when he pokes his head out of the cave for lunch!


I found this easy way to make english muffins on youtube.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpQYpq5isH4
Of course it's not easy to find instant yeast... we've had none on shelves for months now. Our grocery shelves remain basically empty of many items one wants. Now our meat options will be quite limited in CO because owners didn't take the infection crisis seriously and a great number of their employees got sick.

I love this new to me woman.... she's reminds me of the creative types I knew while acting in my 20's

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oMF6pIglmmk

Milo's Moments

I hate it when Mama barks!
I will just let the family know, in a NORMAL tone of voice, that there is potential danger outside the door, then Mama barks in her shrill voice, "MILO! stop barking!" Oy her voice is SO LOUD!
Or she makes that annoying Shhhhhh! noise. It's enough to put a poodle in a home for the very very nervous.

I've been hittin' the bottle..... don't judge!

I liked having Daddy home some this week, although I used to know what days he went for a rideinnacar but now it's weird. He goes into his cave, shuts the door, and I can't get to him to remind him to go outside and play ball.

I just don't know! People! Who can understand them?

Oh and my "ice cream" has started tasting like yogurt all of a sudden! Did you notice that?
(editors note: Milo's ears are yeasty again, and we are hoping yogurt will help balance his system)
Milo: See!!! it's a conspiracy against sugar! I knew it! Help! My people are keeping me away from sugar! It's against the laws of nature! Attica! Attica!

Mama: Oh Milo, stand down.... we love you and want you healthy! You don't know what's good for you all the time.
Milo: oh, well, I do remember Daddy picking me up once and carrying me across the street, and I hated that so much I started biting the leash.
Mama: that was to keep you from walking on broken glass.
Milo: well you took away my rights to walk at that moment!!!  You penned my legs close to the daddy.

Mama: you're welcome, just doing my job of keeping you safe darling. Want a treat?
Milo: always

now sit! stay! visit these peeps and see their lists of likes this week!

https://faithtrustandbreastcancer.blogspot.com/

https://quiltschmilt.wordpress.com 
craftscaviescontras 
  https://whataboutrheema.blogspot.com/
http://littlepenguinquilts 
http://homesewnbyus 
https://canadianneedlenana.blogspot.com/
 
  maryinpeoriahandmade.blogspot.com 
http://imworkingonaproject.blogspot.com/
http://3poodlesandanana.blogspot.com  
  http://www.piecefulthoughts.com
https://www.mmmquilts.com/

https://knittingquilter.blogspot.com/    
https://scrapatches.blogspot.com/      
 https://lavenderdreamstoo.blogspot.com/  
daybyday12101.blogspot.com/ 
https://100sweets.blogspot.com/

LINKING TO 
cheesy photos at ched curtain
Pink Saturday!
 http://backroadstraveller.blogspot.com/
Thursday Thirteen
http://goodrandomfun.blogspot.com
http://itsasmalltownlife.blogspot.com/
https://www.myslicesoflife.com/ 

want a diversion?

ufo's I could be working on but won't

I am beaten down by life so I looked around for something to stop the mental game of frogger I am on...

After drinking some coffee and watching my new obsession Safiya on youtube,

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_N0AxCzVLg


I turned to blueprint to see the "free patterns" they sent in yet another advertising bid to get me to subscibe.
 (I already subscribed at the half price rate thinking now is the time to learn stuff but they don't seem to realize I am.... .already.... a.... member)

Nothing interesting there so I hopped over to Bonnie Hunter's blog and started reading... she had this video and it's truly a hilarious diversion... enjoy

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4c5eo_3-y0&t=182s

think there's nothing funny about masks? Oh con-trare

I will not be making masks today... don't get me started on the idiots who think drinking lysol is smarter than wearing a mask...

pushing those cords through a pony bead is no joke!

On the diversion trail today will be watching inane tv
my new guilty pleasure? Watching pillow talk of 90 day fiance. People watch the show from their homes and make hilarious comments, it's like watching with a friend. DH who ignores most numbing  tv I enjoy, laughs out loud at this.
I might watch something from the 50's too, as it was a much safer time for me
I might watch the Great British Gardening show on youtube... I love "sewing bee/pottery throw down/baking show" so I imagine it will be good

I might paint some fabric as it went from snow to heat wave here and I can be outside

I might spend a moment cutting dh's hair. I don't really know how to cut men's hair, but I cut the poodle's hair. (dh might end up with a poof)

I will not watch any people making grand stupid statements about the health situation on tv. I prefer to learn about it from scientists and people who DO know what this is.

I won't be walking near anyone who refuses to wear a mask, if I can outrun them. They buzz by panting open mouthed on bikes, so it's not easy to avoid the stupid.

I may remove the Christmas garland of pine cones from the mantle where it's been gathering dust for months. Oh it was soothing and pretty during the snow but now that it's HOT...
Speaking of which, I may have to dig out the bins of summer clothes. I have Spring like clothes but it went from snow to hot here so they're too warm to wear.

I plan to put iridescent sequins on this today, then bind it

The library is making sounds of reopening so I should actually look at the books I've had for months how, like peyote stitch butterflies and try it. Our library was one of the first places to close as they had infections nearly immediately. I won't be going back any time soon. Can books be disinfected?
No reason to risk it.

I might look through some old magazines hoarded  BC (before corona) to see how I won't be decorating my home, or what I won't be cooking from a recipe requiring foods I can't find on grocery shelves. I might look at fashions I can't squeeze over my growing middle innertube of a waist. I might chuckle at the celebrities who are together/not together.

the main thing I am looking forward to today is eating my leftover fajitas from yesterday's meal!

Love to hear what you're doing today

How about you?

Linking to
cheesy photos at ched curtain

bright/light blue log cabins and color study

welcome to this week's sewing round up!
Like most responsible sew-ists I made masks this week including a uni of VA one for DH (his undergraduate alma mater) Now on with the show!

11" X 12 "

this little lady was the HST color study done with 64 teensy leftovers from doing the lozenge blocks in bright blues

I do not measure them, they are the cut offs from lozenge blocks. I try to use them in some new way each month.

 This time I sewed the tiny 1" blocks to each other to form one flying geese block then looked through my box of parts.I found the little screen print of a mucha female artist (I've owned this at least 20 years waiting for a good project to use it in)

I quilted it in hologram mylar thread for sparkle, then pulled out the seed bead box, and some pretty floral sequins to add some bling!

Then I turned my sights to the pile of little blue scraps to make some improv log cabin blocks.

Whee! Make a mess!

each block is around 7"

Perfect mindless sewing for Friday. Don't worry, just keep sewing! It'll all come together when all the RSC color challenge for the year is over. Imagine all the colors interacting on the design wall!!!

meanwhile I get to look at little bits of cute motifs as I sew... dogs running!

Poodles, and dachshunds and

bees.... OH MY!

LINKING TO
off the wall Fridays
can I get a whoop whoop Fridays  
wendysquiltsandmore peacock party (quilts)
tgiffriday
http://www.inquiringquilter.com/ Wednesday wait loss
Midweek makers wednesdays
design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
lovelaughquilt.mondays
blue mondays
oh Scrap Sundays 
 scrap happy Saturdays
https://www.mmmquilts.com/2020/04/dreami-39.html

Welcome to paint party Friday... I finished up the lessons from Sketchbook revival and it was a wonderful learning experience!

This was one lesson I thought I'd make a mess of but I loved it from start to finish. The teacher was calm and encouraging, she broke the task into easy lines, encouraged us to scribble and dab.
I collected my pens and pencils, paints, sketchbook and water color paper. I started with her portrait and some notes, and she said, sketch with black pen.

Bold! No going back! It was great to see the lines appearing, and a release to know there would be no erasures. As it turned out I LOVED the sketch in black and white I did on the watercolor paper so ironically it remained a sketch while the thin paper of my sketchbook became the painted one!

I added another portrait in my 16 squares page... I learned so much about features, and how to age a person, how to paint different shaped lips, and eyes, and hair by doing these small thumbnail portraits. Now when I see an interesting face I do a little sketch. It is very satisfying to capture a gesture, or shading, and still remain abstract.

I feel I caught the teacher (with the earrings) and learned a new mouth shape. I learned by doing how to do a shirt better, and like her so much. The one on the bottom was a complete miss, it looks very little like her but I like the character she turned out to be.

I didn't enjoy all the exercises and got kind of cross with a couple teachers
This one was rude in my opinion so it came out in my portrait of her. She does have a really big mouth but not like this!

 she had really unique hair too. I didn't learn a lot but I learned to do a basic shape then soften it, round it, and try different components.

 This woman was beautiful, with a really different chin. I tried to capture her but she was teaching perspective, and taught it like she was talking to experienced architects! I was so out of my wheel house!Still I learned a little from her, I think!

 That's it for this week. I hope to continue to paint even though the classes are over.

If you like random lists of things I liked this week, check out Thursday's post! HERE!

Tomorrow is quilting round up with lots to show. Now that it's warmer I hope to return to painting on fabric, and quilting it.

LINKING TO

https://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/

I Like Thursday #190

Yea! The store had broth and cute little hershey's kisses!!

It's been a very nice week of people leaving comments, I follow them home and discover the greatest blogs! One of them was this artist's blog, and she provided a free downloadable poster to spread kindness
https://kristindudish.blogspot.com/p/kindness.html

I like 15 bean soup... made with chicken broth, chopped onion, tbsp of chopped garlic, olive oil and a tsp of butter to saute onion and garlic, S& P, and carrots.
Oh my it was good with dinner! It's not easy to find broth these days of grocery hoarding. Last time there was no cream cheese, no broth, only one carton of egg whites.

The hershey's kisses in bright spring wrapping makes me smile each time I pass them


I was struck once again by the writing of Garrison Keillor Here

I watched the first few episodes of Making the Cut with Tim Gunn and Heidi Klum
different from project runway in a very fresh way of respecting the designers. Glad to see something new, and set in Paris... so pretty! 

during a major meltdown this week, I found the San Diego Zoo live animal cams to be calming:
https://animals.sandiegozoo.org/live-cams

My design wall had items on it, including this little piece I'll show on Saturday's Sewing Round up

MIlo's Moments

Mama: Awe, you ran outside to play fetch didn't you, what a good boy!
Milo: Well I guess I could play, let me get a sip of water and we'll go out, I mean I just came in but okay!
Mama: No, I meant you already did that with Daddy, out back, for a long time
Milo: I said I'd go out, just a minute Mama and I'll take you out.

Mama: NO! I mean you already went out for fetch...earlier!  You've already done that!
Milo: HEY! You know time is relative Mama, past... present... future  it's all the same to me... and to great thinkers. Don't bring it up if you don't want to do it!
Mama: sorry buddy, I might not be as smart as a poodle

There! Got the toys placed back in the yard, stop picking them up!

Milo: Yum! I love Ice cream in my own bowl. I'm glad the daddy finally realizes that.
Mama: it's so good, and you have your own bowl, so why do you rush through and eat it so fast you get a head rush?
Milo: it tastes good. Why do you eat so slow?
Mama: well I'm finished now,  do you want to lick my bowl?
Milo: duh! It's obvious you had more or we'd have been done at the same time, so pass it over

Milo: done with your bowl daddy?
Daddy: Milo you've already had two bowls...
Milo: I'd have had three by now if you weren't so slow

please visit these fine people keeping lists of likes too!
https://www.su-sieeemac.com/2020/04/this-that.html
https://quiltschmilt.wordpress.com/2020/04/23/i-love-thursday-4/ 
craftscaviescontras 
  https://whataboutrheema.blogspot.com/
http://littlepenguinquilts 
http://homesewnbyus 
https://canadianneedlenana.blogspot.com/
 
  maryinpeoriahandmade.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/

LINKING WITH
rosie and the boys nature pics  
http://goodrandomfun.blogspot.com
http://itsasmalltownlife.blogspot.com/
https://www.myslicesoflife.com/ 

a robin in spring

Earth spinning on Mother Nature's finger

She hops along carrying a wad of tangled string.

She stops periodically to gain control of the mess, wadding it tighter in her mouth, not willing to lose a bit of the building material that would become her home. Hers and the babies to come.

Hopping over to the breakfast bar, she carefully puts down the wad pushing it into grass up to her knees, and pecking away she finds a juicy tidbit to have for breakfast. Hop hop hop to another place along the bar she grabs another worm.

Satisfied she has eaten the last of the food for the moment, she hops back to her string and picks it up. It has managed to unravel enough to swirl around her beak in the breeze. She pecks it back into a manageable ball and walks away from the woman watching her from inside the house.

More robins come to take her place at the worm cafe but they don't affect the watching human as much as the first one did. They are not juggling needs, they are not under pressure to build a safe haven in which to survive, they are merely eating.

Eating is also necessary but when several necessary needs pile up, it forces one to prioritize equal needs and possibly give some up in the crunch.

A great thinker came up with a needs hierachy for humans. Supporting all the rest, is breathing




I don't know why some people prefer to ignore facts about the threat among us, and insist on having things their way while endangering others.

I've heard this a lot lately,
 "We're all in this together"
It's earth day... a day we set aside to consider how to keep house.
To breathe, eat, have air and water we need to clean house.

Most animal groups rely on others to survive.
I've heard a lot of statistics lately, such as in Colorado we have documented nearly 500 deaths from covid in the last 3 months. Nearly 500 people were alive, all ages, most loved by someone.

Only 500... deaths... and many were unnecessary deaths. If people were encouraged to believe facts maybe they'd realize the only way to stop the deaths is to stay far away from the virus. People who have bumper stickers that say "pro life" must only mean pro fetus because I've heard them say, the dying were on their last legs anyway.  I've heard them say grandparents are expendable and should give up their lives to keep commerce going the way it was before. (I believe people are smart and will figure out new ways to provide a commercial service to the country)

At what point does life have no further purpose or meaning? How many deaths are acceptable? If we could stop the spread of this illness, why won't we? Are we really that selfish?

 Ironically the ones who blow off the deaths are also older....

Babies and children fare better in this particular pandemic but they are also dying. Yes they are. Young viral men who work in law enforcement and on ambulances are dying too. Are they valuable enough to get the attention of leaders? I imagine the wife of a young 30 year old who died because this virus attacked his lungs, knows the pandemic is real. The mother of a 16 year old who died yesterday is begging people to take this seriously.

So many people report not knowing how they got it. That's because it's spread so easily from someone who's infected but hasn't shown symptoms yet. Someone just in front of you running and panting as you go for a walk, someone who just handled the groceries before you got there, someone who is not wearing a mask because they mistakenly believed a leader who said this is just a hoax.

I am one who believes we all have purpose, and something to offer the world. I believe we are all tied to each other, and to the earth, and to other sentient beings.
I feel I still have something to offer in life.
I am also at the mercy of the ignorant ones who choose to believe this is not a real threat just an inconvenience.
Earth day.... The earth is here to support us if we work with it, and protect it and each other.

I say this not for the many people who are doing what they can to support each other, I say it in case one person might open their eyes to what is, and puts on a mask, or better yet stays home for now.

sewing saturday

I loved the dance of light circles hitting the design wall!!!

welcome to this week's sewing round-up. The color of the month at RSC is light or bright blue.
Calming but not stimulating following on the heels of a month of turquoise.

All I did was take off the lid

Mostly this week,  I was able to find concentration while painting and learning. I took some classes at blueprint, and put that on yesterday's post. I painted the wee little landscape and then noticed the colors go so well with the batik scrap strip. Am I right? Maybe I need to try to paint or print this onto fabric... hmmmm... that might hold my interest.

anyway, I cut out blue scraps for the lozenges pattern I'm doing for this year.

I started cutting the small 2" squares in light, and dark fabrics to make them.

that's where it stopped and I started quilting the spring bunny applique I started last Sunday

Yes, some bright rayon threads should quilt it nicely!

12" X 12"

I forgot how much fun it is to fuse, but how fussy to reverse the pattern to do it, and I got a serious earache and sinus thing from the fusing fumes. Still... how happy this little collage is!
I combined components of the pattern into one.

I dragged out the fusible backed scrap box and added in the tiny strip cut with pinking sheers. LOVE!
Oh don't worry, it's getting a fun binding, and beads, maybe even thick hand embroidery, then it's off to the family room easel.

Magic and Merriment on the bunny tail

My snoopervisor has been keeping a close eye on me and my shenanigans.

HOW boring!

and I enjoyed this spring tune on youtube, hope you do too!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NdEhSIrQjYo&list=PLXJDGFlv7LhBZ2hls6umlcBhrHscT2XDM&index=27

and this... Salute !!!
On this day, in 1924, the first crossword puzzle book was published. Simon and Schuster commissioned the book to meet growing demand for these engaging puzzles, originally dubbed “word-crosses,” that first appeared in US newspapers a little over a decade earlier. Both the first and second printings of The Cross Word Puzzle Book sold out in weeks, so the publishers commissioned two more collections and rushed them to print. By the end of 1924, the books ranked No. 1, 2, and 3 on the national nonfiction best-seller list.(from writer's almanac)

LINKING TO
can I get a whoop whoop Fridays  
Midweek makers wednesdays
design wall Mondays at smallquiltsanddollquilts
lovelaughquilt.mondays
oh Scrap Sundays 
 scrap happy Saturdays

watching paint dry

Welcome to paint party Friday! A celebration of things drawn and painted! I continued learning this past week, taking lessons from sketchbook revival and from blueprint. The above painting is very small, on 5X6" watercolor paper.

 Luckily I leave my supplies on the kitchen table next to the computer, ready to use. This teacher started out calling for more supplies I didn't have but I made do

I did the lesson, and took notes, also drawing my sketch of the teacher all in my sketchbook.
I love the little trees!

I didn't feel equal to the task of shadows and landscapes so I turned my piece into a non-winter one.
She wanted us to use saran wrap to texture the water to look frozen. It couldn't stay wet enough to do that on sketch paper, so I got out a little watercolor card stock. Small so it held no expectations

I sort of repeated the lesson, and the saran wrap did move the paint around a bit, see?
She mentioned how to splatter paint on the snow, but I did it differently of course.

I used the brownish green with a good amount of water and laid the painting down on the table and hit the edge of my brush sharply on the edge. It didn't splatter, it sent long irregular dashes onto the grass.... and I LOVED it! I'll do that again. Not what she taught, but what I learned while painting along with the lesson!
I went in with gray pen, black gel pen, and white gel pen at the end to put some snow on mountain tops and accent the tree and water edge. 

It amazed me just how much I like this little painting. I like the colors I might not have chosen, as they are very Colorado like

Another lesson was changed up because of not having all the supplies.

I had pulled this magazine page a while back, and decided to use it. I like the mood. Our lesson was to combine media, so I painted a background with sweeping color. Pasted the torn image, and started drawing around her. We were to pull out words to suit the image, putting ourselves in the collage. Lastly I added some white gel pen on face and drawings, some black gel pen for bindi star and tears. 

This instructor had us doing an emotional survey to see what might hold us back from creating freely

the page next to it is my idea to keep painting interesting faces I encounter after I'm finished with the sketchbook revival lessons. I subdivided the page, and will just paint any faces I come across. The top guy was a TED talk, the next woman taught me the following lessons on graphics and lettering with watercolor (blueprint)

I ran across some more blueprint lessons on painting and drawing I'd like to do, so I plan to join for a year. I also hope to sign up with the sketchbook teachers to continue the learning after classes finish in a week. I'll miss it so much.  

And for fun, here's my all time favorite song

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09gJX0Cc6p0

LINKING TO
https://paintpartyfriday.blogspot.com/