Here we are at the last day of February!
I had planned to participate in the monthly Sketchbook Challenge (see button on the side of this blog) and the month whose theme was "Opposites" was nearly gone.
Yesterday, in church, I heard "Worry is the OPPOSITE of Faith".....that started my wheels turning....and this morning, I pulled out a sketchbook and set to work. Mostly this is cut and paste with lots of random journaling thoughts.

I have a page about how it feels to be wrapped in worries and cares....isolated. I used the brown daffodil bulb as the visual theme. Even though it is dry and brown, there is a lot of potential there.

Across the page, I have my "FAITH" page. Mostly cut and paste from my art and magazine photos. The missing quote is "I don't believe, I know" ---Carl Jung. It shows the bulb's future as it developes and blossoms.

My "art" journals are not always wonderful pleasing works of beauty, but since I am a visual thinker, this method, getting it out here on the page, calms and centers me and often gives me insight into what is going on!
Now, off to add this to the Flickr group for the challenge and tomorrow,March, we will have another theme to deal with!

Early spring beauty....

I did not grow these, they were the last blue iris bouquet at a local shop.

I "needed" them for a watercolor session tomorrow. My friend Lizzzie and I will be enjoying them.....now you enjoy too!

Also...

Relax, Breathe and Sleep....

FYI--If you can do this yoga pose (the plow), it is wonderful for helping with insomnia! LOL!

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And of course, if you haven't seen "The King's Speech" yet, you must go right out and see it!

The best movie in years!

I find that I am always sewing for our daughter's children. So I found a way to sometimes sew for our son's "child". The sweet female dog named "Juniper" is a precious family member!
Here she models her Halloween "boo!" neck scarf.

And this month, her Valentine scarf! LOL! [Thanks guys, for sending me the photos! It always makes me happy to see any of you in one of my creations!]

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Orange Upside-down Cake

I love baking in my iron skillet so when I found this recipe,and having the oranges on hand, I had to make it! Another thing I love, is the use of cornmeal as part of the "cake". It makes it more rustic!

We found it even made a good breakfast this morning! [I always use less sugar and brown sugar than called for, AND I use whole grain for the all purpose flour.

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My "ticker tape" crib quilt is now finished. It was a fun project. But funny thing, I still have piles of scraps! It is just impossible to use them all!

Today's projects will be to put a black and white polka dot binding on another crib quilt, and possibly to start on a applique of a raven silhouette for a pillow. Back with photo later...

Happy Valentine's Day!

Here are coral pink roses and my "ticker tape" quilt in progress!







Yesterday, I baked Ingrid Michaelson's recipe for flourless chocolate cake. [from Feb. 6th Parade magazine]

It is wonderful! a gluten-free treat for those who care! Perfect for Valentine's Day!

What ever treat's you need for Valentine's I pray that they may be yours!
BTW, we are delighted to have thawed out now and a week of sunshine is predicted!

Here comes the sun!



[Click on the photo to see more "sparkle" ! See the pink in the icicles???]

Photos taken as the sun was coming out this morning! It was hitting these icicles just outside the bathroom window, so I grabbed my camera! [ It was sunny yesterday too...and the temperature was minus 18! A record low for our city!]

Today should get above freezing and then the weekend will be warm! Yeah!

Mr. P and I are wondering about the HUGE icicles on our house and none of the newer homes...because we just got a new roof AND a new energy star heating system this past November...
SO, why is the snow melting off of our house and not others.....unless our heat ducts in the attic are leaking....so we will have to be getting back with the company which installed the central heat...hmmm.
Meanwhile, the icicles are record breakers too!

Special post for Kathleen!

Hi!

the quilt is called "Topsy Turvy". It was in the autumn issue of quilter's Newsletter Best Weeken Quilts magazine.

Today, our new computer is not working. This computer is not hooked up to our scanner or able to share photos....or I could scan and send the directions to you. [The photo is of something similar...more blocks fewer fabrics in it!]

I can't find a phone # for you (I will keep looking).

You will need 16 different 10 " squares.

Basically, you just stack the 2 10" squares of fabric on top of each other, face up.

Cut off a right and left side piece, leaving a long chunky middle. From this middle, cut off a top and a bottom piece.

NOW switch the centers. Stack all the pieces in such a way that you can remember where they belong on the block. GO to the sewing machine and sew these two blocks. Repeat until you have made 16 block.

Sew into rows of 4 blocks......quilt as desired!

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Note: I am back up with the scanner, here is the diagram!

backyard this afternoon

 

I’m trying some features from the new computer with this photo taken this afternoon. we have record snowfall! So Mr. P didn’t go to work today..first time ever to be stuck home by weather conditions!

Now, he drove down the hill to get groceries and got the car stuck a mile away from home….to be retrieved tomorrow, weather permitting!

Before the snow comes again (tonight).... I joined many of my fellow shoppers who were suffering from cabin fever and in need of some "resale therapy"...at the local thrift stores.

I was searching for pink...just need more of it this time of year!!!!

I must have looked at a dozen pink sweaters, only to remember that this one is already coming my way, as I "won" it on Ebay last week. [It is also on QVC (which I have NEVER watched!), item #A66504--in case you NEED one]

Two pink long-sleeved T-shirts did find me.....here they are in the background behind a pink dish of Dove Valentine chocolates and a "new" (thirft store) romantic historic novel. Yes, I am now ready for a snow day or two! LOL!

A day or so ago, I had just posted about making my heart pillow with the hand crocheted doily [on my "Lila's Quilt's" blog] when I saw a similar doily on Garage Sale Gal's blog! I like the way it is framed with the key..."key to my heart" obviously!





Both of us had found these doilies in the resale market, mine was in a thrift store here in Arkansas, hers in Minnesota. This tells me that there must be a pattern out there for this crocheted heart doily....I wonder how many are in the resale/thrift stores this month!


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Later---after looking through more images on Google I found this crocheted heart for sale . Joggles.com also offers a similar heart in a 6" size....so "factories" in the far east are making these too...

More pink for February...

The folk art wedding quilt on the bed is from Robyn Pandolph's pattern.

The last row, to make the quilt wider, is 4 blocks which I designed. They are a lotus or water lily with dragon flies, two swans, a beehive and morning glories, and last, rock-a-bye baby with a cradle on a tree branch.

(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???