New Items Added

Buzz Lightyear 

Star Wars

New Items have been added to my Etsy Store.  These are two more insulated water bottle carriers.

Doing a Happy Dance

Today I am doing a happy dance.  I sold two items from my Etsy store yesterday.  I used to love the "high" I felt at a craft show when someone bought something I had made.  I had almost forgotten how good it felt!  Two of the floral neck wallets are now sold out, so I shopped this morning for some fabric to make some
that are more "summer-y".

I added three new items to the store.  They are Disney themed, insulated water bottle carriers that are meant to be used either cross-body or on the shoulder.  One is Mickey Mouse themed.

One is Minnie Mouse themed.

And the third is Lion King themed.


I am now working on carriers that are Star Wars and Buzz Lightyear themed.

Sights and Sounds of Spring

Yesterday was such a beautiful day.  The kids and I spent most of the afternoon outside.  They were playing in the dirt in one of the unplanted garden boxes, I was on the back porch reading and enjoying the day.

As I've said before, one of my greatest joys is the pond that Rod and the twins put in several years ago,  We stocked that pond with 3 Shubunkin that we bought and 5 orange fish that were given to us by a neighbor.  Since that time, these fish have blessed us with additions, several orange and white, one black one with an orange belly, and many all orange ones.  All have beautiful fancy tails.  Yesterday, as I sat watching the fish, I was so thrilled to see a baby Shubunkin - our first. I also found a black baby, and an all white baby in addition to several orange babies.  Hopefully our three frogs will make their appearance as the weather continues to warm up.

Izzy told me that she saw a bird flying into the roof of the porch.  As I sat there yesterday, a lady cardinal was flying in and out of the rafters - in with dried grass and twigs, out with nothing.  I'm assuming that she's building a nest in preparation for motherhood.  We have several pairs of cardinals who frequent our feeders, but had never seen one building a nest.  So, we're now looking forward to new little cardinals.

And I listened to all the beautiful songbirds as they practiced their newest songs.  Sadly, I heard a mourning dove calling and not getting any response.

***And last, but certainly not least, my thoughts and prayers are with those families who were affected by Monday's senseless acts of terror. I am so proud to be a citizen of this country where people jump in to assist others in times of need.  There were certainly many heroes on Monday.   I can only pray that those responsible will be brought to justice, whether man's or otherwise.

Busy, busy . . .

I've been really busy.  I finished the quilt top for the quilt that was ordered, and will sandwich and quilt it this weekend.

But, this week, I've been working on the two quilts for the Saddle Up.  The first quilt was the embroidered horse blocks.  I used the red and blue bandana fabrics and did the Austin block that I had described in an earlier post. This block is so simple, and yet I think it showcases the embroidered horses beautifully.  I'm wanting to do sashing, but haven't made a decision as to which fabric to use.

The second quilt is the kid's western quilt.  These are embroidered designs that I purchased from www.designsbyjuju, named Wild Wild West.  These designs are so cute, and I wanted something bright for the kids.  I chose to use the bright yellow, orange and hunter green bandana fabrics. Churn Dash is one of my favorite quilt blocks, and there was no doubt that it would frame these embroidered designs beautifully.  Today, I hope to finish building these blocks.

Have a great weekend.

Reminiscing

During Holy Week last week, I found myself reminiscing about my childhood Easter times.  My family attended the First Christian Church in Beaver, PA.  My uncle Leonard was a deacon in the church, and when he passed, my dad was selected to take his place.  On Holy Thursday, our church had the most wonderful service, complete with a tableau of Christ's Last Supper.  I have tried to find a photo of the tableau, but so far have only located a newspaper article about the service.  My dad, Lawrence Peters, portrayed Judas.  The costuming was amazing, and I remember the smell of the spirit gum they used to apply their facial hair. I knew most of these men personally, but when the curtains parted, could barely recognize them.  They sat amazingly still, not blinking and then the curtains closed again. We always had quite a laugh about Daddy being Judas.  I remember he carried a blue satin bag tied with a gold cord, but it was not filled with gold coins but rather jelly beans.  At the end of the evening, Nancy and I were allowed to eat those jelly beans.  And believe me, I loved (and still love) jelly beans.

Good Friday was a very somber day in our house.  Grandma lived with us, and didn't allow us to play during the hours from Noon to three when Christ suffered on the cross.  We were allowed to sit and read a book, but no play.  My dad worked for the Post Office, and you may find this hard to believe, but he came home between noon and 3, and did not carry mail at that time.  The government at that time recognized that this was truly a Holy time.  We never at meat on Friday during Lent.  One of my favorite meals as a kid was when we made Creamed Dried Beef with Mashed Potatoes.  My grandma added a little Worcestershire sauce and cut-up hard boiled eggs to the creamed beef.  During Lent, she would make just the creamed eggs (no dried beef).  I loved this Lenten meal.  Aunt Ethel and Uncle Virg would come down on Saturday, and I loved spending time with my cousins, Larry and Trudy.  They would stay over and all of us kids slept on the living room floor. My Aunt Betty lived next door, and the adults played Pinochle til midnight.  Easter morning, the ladies went to sunrise service, and then we had a big breakfast when they came home.  How I long for those times, but the memories are sweet.

A Good Reason to Try Something New

I am a person of habit.  I just don't like change. But sometimes I just have to try something new - many times it's because I've heard about a new product that promises good things.  But to be perfectly honest, most times it's a money thing.  I've always been a fan of Heat n Bond, and I do a lot of applique, so I use a lot of Heat n Bond Lite. But the last time I was running low of fusible, I received an offer on Wonder Under that I just couldn't refuse.  So I ordered a couple of yards.  It seemed flimsier, but it was all I had.  So, I traced my pieces and fused them to the fabric.  So far so good!  I did find that it was, at times,a little more difficult to peel the backing off.  But. I took my time, and got the backing off clean.  This morning, I fused my applique pieces to the background blocks.  I have to tell you, I am so pleased with the results.  The Wonder Under is not nearly so stiff as the Heat n Bond.  And, it seems to be sticking better to the background.  No one is paying for me to say this, but I truly believe that I will use the Wonder Under when possible.  Don't get me wrong, I'm not dissing the Heat n Bond, I just prefer the feel of the Wonder Under.  And, I think that I will have a more open mind when it comes to trying something new.

April Fool

Just when we thought that Mother Nature had given up on the long lasting winter, she shouts "April Fool".  Today's forecast is for falling temps, combined with a mix of rain and snow.  (And that's the truth).  The weather man on our local channel just reported that when the snow begins to fall today, it will be the seventh consecutive month that frozen precipitation has been recorded at Pittsburgh International Airport.

The most horrible thing happened yesterday -- my glasses broke.  Oh, they're still wearable, but the one temple is jutting out to the far right (and that's not political).  If I turn my head to the right, that side of my glasses falls off my ear, and I look absolutely ridiculous.  It doesn't seem like such a bad thing, but when you wear bifocals, it throws off your vision and many times your balance.  So if you happen by and see me weaving from one room to another, please know that I'm not drinking, just wearing my "off the ear" glasses.

Have a great week.