(this says Jan. 31, because I uploaded the first photo yesterday!)

February arrives here in a gray day with a PINK lining....
Remember the giveaway at Rookery Ramblings back in December ?.....



Pink luster ware teacups were being given away by Tasha Tudor's family!
I was the winner of teacup "C". Wow!
While waiting for it to come, I read about pink luster ware and found these lovely plates coming up in an auction....in the UK. [perhaps I need to start a collection??? or just a collection of images????]
I am posting them here to show you more pink!!!


I love the color pink on gray days this time of year! Pink is my color for February! It gives me energy and hope that spring will come again!
The pinks here on these plates are made with hand-painted brush strokes which are wonderfully varied in color and intensity!

I have written before about my admiration for artist/illustrator and wise woman, Tasha Tudor......

so, yesterday when the postman brought a box to the door, I was delighted!


My teacup had arrived, along with a letter from Tasha Tudor and family!

The cup has no handle, I love that. It must be from the 1800's....made in England???
probably....here are some more views...

Truly a treasure! Highly prized! Lucky me!

What is your favorite color for this month? What do you highly prize??? ...being in the pink of health?? ;-)

Here is the February newsletter from Tasha Tudor's family!

This watercolor of a shelf of pink lusterware teacups comes from "The Tasha Tudor Cookbook", page 94....now I will definitely have to do a watercolor!

Photos of large daffodil bulbs taken on a sunny backporch!!!

[NOTE:The beautiful blue pottery plate belongs to my mother and was made for her by my brother!]

We are having our warmest day for a long time! It will be 60 degrees F this afternoon! I plan two outdoor activities, a walk in a nearby park with a friend and a last minute daffodil planting!
These are called "Main Program" daffodils and if the bulbs (which are all double!)are any indication, the flowers should be quite large and showy (which their name indicates too!). I was unable to locate images of them through my usual "Google" search, so spring will bring some wonderful surprises. Let me know if you have grown this variety or know of it!

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Before planting the last double bulb, I did a sketchbook journal page!
"OOOps! the daffodil is "Main Program" not "Main Performance"!
>

Good company!

Still struggling with a new computer, without my photoshop at the moment....endless re-booting....as it presents us with "blue screens" and shutdown notices.

So, I will continue trying to get my bird paintings posted, in the mean time I am reading short stories from this wonderful book, "Birds of America" by Lorrie Moore! The stories are quirky but overall joyful in celebrating life! Great company for winter afternoons!
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NOTE: got the photos up here! Now off to yoga!

Creative projects for cold winter days.....

Painting birds and tulips and enjoying the sunshine! [this may be for sale on ETSY soon...or should I start saving paintings for a gallery show???]

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A fast and fun baby girl quilt....the ruffle being the hardest part. I WILL finish it soon!!!!!

Simple Pleasures for January......


Working on a small indigo art quilt. It features hand-dyed fabric (from shiborigirl.com), indigo bits and pieces, primitive embroidery stitches, and a ceramic button. Soon it will be finished....[click the photo for larger image].

A small begonia cutting given to me by my friend, Paula, has been thriving. I found a slightly larger pot for it and this lovely copper container...which picks up the color under the leaves!

A pot of rosemary was brought in from the garden....the pot (which I really like!) was beginnning to crack.....solution (maybe temporary but good) was to bind it with a bit of copper wire from Mr. P's workshop....

More simplicity in the copper and indigo blue vein.....a pottery bowl made by my brother, Chris now holds two large glass ornaments, a gift from friend, Tracie!

What are your simple pleasures for this week???

A wonderful slightly snowy and cloudy day!!

I have moved my Singer featherweight sewing machine to the kitchen table, to sew a crib quilt....it is inspired by this one (below) from "Piece'O Cake" designs! A FREE PDF file is here !

I have just strip-pieced a background (below) to use behind some bright pink appliqued "wheel" flowers on this Baby Girl Crib Quilt! I will try to use fabrics for the flowers which repeat the deep pink in the zinnias which you see in that one stripe! I may also add a border to frame this "field" and help contain the flowers!



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Decorating news!

Amazingly, this antique machine is now considered a decorator item. You can order these old machines...each one of a kind, and when you place an order, they choose your machine! From Pottery Barn!

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Another sewing project. Recycled demin shopping bags!

Inspired by Islander Sewing Systems "green denim" pattern. These are made from thrift store blue jeans and decorated with my cheerful little indigo bird logo!

Today, on the church calendar, is the feast of Epiphany. Also called "little Christmas". It is the 12th day of Christmas! Tomorrow, I will pack away all the decorations. But today gives me one last chance to enjoy some favorites!

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This new year brings new journaling pages. I know of 2 free art journaling classes on line, both just starting!
Strathmore is offering a Visual Journaling workshop. Lesson one, we photocopy some of our own art work and use it for a journal page.....fun! Just getting warmed up here! [ I find I journal less now that I am blogging! LOL!]

The Sketchbook Challenge is sponsored by a number of mixed media artists. The first prompt for it is "Highly Prized". Here is my cut and paste page.....

Some of it is rather trite or tongue in cheek.....not necessarily the most prized things in one's life! However, the timing for this prompt was good! I have just learned that I AM A WINNER....I was chosen by the pink transfer ware giveaway (see a mid-December post with the link) to receive tea cup "C".
The teacups would have delighted Tasha Tudor, one of my all time favorite inspiring women!

I find that I love a cup of tea in the cold winter months.....here is Tasha having a tea party!

Here is the cup which will be arriving at my front door soon! I wish you could all come and have tea with me and Tasha!!!!

One of my traditions has been to start a new quilt at the New Year. This year, feeling like I have more than enough bed-sized quilts, I have decided to try some small art quilts.

This one, is called "Indigo Reflections". It features hand-dyed and hand painted fabrics including some batik from Bali. I will post it again when I have made more progress!

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The current issue of Quilting Arts magazine features an article by Sue Benner which tells how to make a small reverse applique art quilt.

After reading it, I had to try!

I think I like the 4" blocks just like they are now and will machine quilt them to a background using gold metallic thread and free motion. I will post that when it is done, also!

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One project I have finished is my new sweater! The pattern is from Sweater Babe's website. It uses size 11 needles and thick yarn....so it really knits up quickly! I am enjoying it, like being wrapped in a soft cloud rather than a stiff coat!

[oops, I got my foot in the photo! also wearing a knitted sock....LOL!]

My New Year's resolution: "Try to keep an open heart!" (above "Open Hearts by Jane Seymor)

Today I received a Peace pledge by Judith Fein in a newsletter from Spirituality and Health. Here is an excerpt:

"I suppose you could say that the cycle of hatred is created and maintained by attack and counterattack. I vilify you for doing something and you, feeling vilified, attack me back. Then I, angry, attack you. You, enraged, lash out at me. And we feud on and on and on. There is no more dialogue. There is reaction and counter-reaction.

“Don’t fall for that. Stay open,” my heart urges me, and I suspect that, as
usual, my heart is right. I solve nothing by engaging in the blame game. I also
learn nothing. I reduce your group to labels and adjectives and you do the same
to mine.

I have no illusions that I will change the world or stop people from demonizing
each other. But I can do something small that satisfies my own heart: I can
refuse to engage in hateful language about groups of people in my own country or
in countries abroad.
I can take a pledge of non-polarization.
I will not divide the world up into good and bad.["us and them" thinking--Lila] I will not wipe out whole groups by declaring them bad or worthless. I will not assume that what they
think and the way they behave are insane or evil. I will give them the benefit
of the doubt—that they are reacting to something, entrenched or angry because
something happened to them or they fear something will happen to them. I will
try to understand what it is.

I will not condone behaviors like war, violence, rape, or cruelty. I will fight
against them any way I can. But I will not condemn the way groups of people
think, even if it is radically different from the way I think. They are as
entitled to their beliefs as I am to mine.

I can be angry with and disappointed in individuals. I can choose not to engage
with them or make them part of my life. But I will try, to the best of my
ability, not to add to the polarization on our planet by verbally vilifying
groups that are not mine. A terrorist to some is a freedom fighter to others. I
will try to understand.

I will obey the request of my heart.

The photo above is from blogger's post. Between Sunday's the blog of a Lutheran pastor (there I go with those group labels again, LOL!)

We've just come to the end, today, of a very sweet Christmas time with our family!

The Gansey wool sweater I knitted for Andrew is a hit!

I love playing with 3 year old B!

B3 and sister Lilia will soon have new siblings, Mom is expecting twins in June!

A very happy Christmas morning!

Beaming with joy! (The gray hair is not a big hit with the gals in the family....)

After Christmas Eve candlelight church service.

Father and daughter together for a few days!

Mom (who stands at 5'10") and Andrew are having a good visit.

Still loving pomegranates! My photo below....and the results of searching for images on line.



I'm collecting ideas and materials for a pomegranate art quilt. These art pieces are great inspiration! This will be a project to start after the holidays! [Sorry about not giving individual artists credit here, but "Google" "art quilt pomegranate" then "images" and you will find these and many more with links to their source! ]

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Before those quiet days of working on the art quilt arrive, I have the excitement of the family coming for Christmas!!!!

I have been working out possible menus....have even ordered a deep fried turkey!

One tried and true recipe for buffet meals and family gatherings has come back to me, Broccoli and Sunflower Seed Salad! Even non broccoli lovers seem to like this one!

Here is a rough scetch of the menu as it develops....