I have a project...I am happy!

I found this small chest of drawers at Goodwill in Georgia and have brought it home.

I didn't get a photo of it with the drawers....but after chalk painting and finding pretty knobs...different ones for each drawer...it has a new life!

I am also painting to be ready for another outdoor art event, Art in the Park!

September 17th at Dave Peel Park in Bentonville. 8:00-3:00.

Also working on 5x5 small paintings for Art Center of the Ozarks.

 

 

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One thing I found this summer that I love is coconut shrimp from Mojito's Grill!

 

It is the dipping sauce which is amazing! Coconut milk, coconut, mango and cilantro!

I make this at home too, sometimes. I bake the coconut shrimp on a rack in the oven! [ My last blog post showed my "girls" enjoying the shrimp from the oven!]

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This past Saturday I went to a quilt workshop. It was about diagonal design in quilts. I started a fun scrappy, strip pieced quilt.

My friend, Paula Mariedaughter was our teacher. Her quilts are exquisite, and she is a good and patient teacher!

Lori had this beautiful antique machine which I enjoyed seeing! A New Home. The company is now called Janome!

This was a wall hanging one student was working on! Bright batiks!

Another friend worked on this split 9 patch block. Fun, lots of small pieces!

I chose something fast and scrappy....it will take about 5 or 6 of these chains, sewn together with contrasting strips,to make a quilt top....

 

Since Paula's birthday was the following day, I made some carrot cake cupcakes! Carrot cake is Paula's favorite! The recipe was published just this week by Susan Branch on her FB page...

http://www.susanbranch.com/carrot-cupcakes/ ( this may not be a live link...but the recipe is below)

Here are a couple of the ones I baked....

Here is one of Susan's beautiful handwritten recipes...for Carrot layer cake...which is exactly the one I made but baked in cupcakes! [ and I added chopped crystallized candied ginger! To her recipe]

 

The latest current project is rearranging and decluttering my sewing space...doing this is like doing an archilogical dig...through 2-3 generations of my family who sewed and saved scraps!!!

The view from the basement stairs, at the moment....my sewing and painting....the big bookcase is headed out to the yard sale!

That's enough for tonight...

 

April art times! And recap of life!!!!

This is now finished and hanging in my studio! Influenced by artist Faith Ringgold!

I am working to add patchwork and stitching on this art piece too!

Using a sashiko needle, I am able to embellish the painting with per level cotton stitches!

The patchwork border will come later...
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This week I have been able to do other art too!

Friends came and we did watercolor....

Featuring a fabulous tulip bouquet from the local farmer's market.

Moving from watercolor to acrylics ....

These are finished now....?...I think!

And 2 smaller ones...which may still see some finishing!

The store where I have a part time job is closing....so I will have even more art and creative time.

I have plenty of fabric, and am making scrappy quilts and quilt tops for various family members and for charity!

And sewing for grandchildren!

Sophie in a dress I made!
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moving towards grey hair....saving $$$$ as we are on Social Security!
I thank God for my many dear friends, especially those with whom I share such good times!

With Karen at a birthday for Tracie!

With Gayle and her granddaughters, friends Sally and Liz, at a French restaurant in Carthage, MO.
April is great, and today is friend Sally's birthday!
Our lilacs...on a windy day!

Hope to be back with more good things soon!

Saffron pumpkin buns and winter quilts!

With cold winter weather, I felt like baking today! These were a big hit!

A friend had given me some saffron, then I saw a chef making pumpkin buns with saffron on P. Allen Smith's show....I found a similar recipe.

In my pantry, I also had this specialty flour from Italy. The flour is made from an ancient wheat called einkorn.

I got it at our local Natural Grocery store and was anxious to try it! It has a less offensive protein than the gluten found in modern wheat!

I do not have a stand mixer, with a dough hook so I "kneaded" the dough in the big crockery bowl with a wooden spoon for quite awhile...until it was ready for it's rising time. ( watched some TV while doing this!)

After rising and being rolled up around their filling, the rolls baked up perfectly, very moist with the canned pumpkin as an ingredient!

Here is a link to the recipe: http://www.thekitchykitchen.com/?recipes=/pumpkin-saffron-rolls/

These will be our breakfast tomorrow, Saturday!

I plan to sleep in, so it is nice to have the breakfast all prepared!

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A couple of quilts have been finished lately, crib size! This (above) is a scrappy 16 patch with turquoise lattice.

I used a bright busy fabric for the binding! See a small piece of the blue background binding fabric in the lower left of this photo...(below).

It gives a very nice effect!

The other recent quilt is this one for a baby girl who is coming into the world this March!

It is called "Baby Bricks" and can be made using a fabric "jelly roll"! Mine is just from my scrap bin of 2.5 " strips!

Above our fireplace I now have a favorite wall hanging. Inspired by Sujata Shah's Cultural Fusion book!

These blocks were being tested before sewing together.....

This is Sujata's original called "Winter"! I love the soft grays, but the pink just "makes" it for me!

Here is Sujata hand quilting on another of her wonderful quilts! She is coming in October to do a lecture and workshop for our quilt guild!

I am so excited!

 

Time to find my quilt/covers for tonight...the heat is turned down and it is time for a long winter's nap!

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Sunday update.

I finished knitting my "Queen Street Sweater" using a pattern in Knitscene magazine (above) Issue winter 2015.

Mine is in yarn by NORO a blend of silk and rayon. A tweedy green as that was the only color with enough skeins at the local yarn shop!

The unusual pockets were what caught my eye in the pattern....

It actually fits nicely and I am very pleased with. It's the appearance and the feel, soft comfy and not too warm...just right! (Silk is a good insulator against cold winter days!)

 

A couple more Idaho memories!

Visiting the zoo and the carousel ....

Dining out in old downtown Boise, al fresco. They have great summer weather!

We had yummy tacos, and beer! The tacos were soft corn tortillas and came with great metal holders! I ordered some for us, as I like making fish tacos!

That's all from that trip, (I think). I am working on quilts,....

Taking painting classes...these quilting ladies I worked on today....still need fine tuning.

And these hens! They are so much fun to do....collage and acrylic paint!

 

I also fell in love with a piece of cotton,which my friend, quilter Paula Mariedaughter had purchased.

So, I ran and got enough for a cool cotton summer dress! It reminds me of Japanese indigo fabrics, so I chose a pattern that has a kimono look....

It is fun to wear too!

That's all now, off for a free woodwinds concert at the botanical gardens!