Invitation To A Quilt Show

I invite you to go to Around The World In 20 Quilts to see the beautiful quilts from the first challenge now completed by this group I joined in Australia four short months ago. There is a collage of all of them (18, as 2 members had to leave the group early) and you can scroll down to see each quilt and it's progression to completion in greater detail as well. I believe it's worth the visit. (find the link on my sidebar under My Other Blogs directly to the right of this post. I might add that I am humbled to be a member of such a group of artists, a wonderful place for me to learn from seasoned art quilters.

Sweaters and Hats Done!

Grand son's hat with frogs and dragonflies: my first attempt to do circular knitting...it was fun!

All yarns gleaned at garage sales and thrift stores...buttons from novelties at Michael's. Grand daughter's hat to match the sweater I blogged earlier. Her hat is crocheted and the sweater is knit but with this bouce yarn it's hard to see a difference. I know she'll like all the hearts and butterflies and bugs on her sweater and hat. These will be 4th birthday gifts next month!

I make a new set each year and my knitting just keeps getting

better and better. (I taught my self to knit when they were born).

Frogs are a favorite!

Both sweaters got 2 pockets for their goodies. Kids love pockets!

Thank YOU KELLY!!!

If you happen to visit Kelly in Canada...be careful what you compliment her on... I really liked the natural oatmeal soap that she gave me to use for my shower on this past summer visit. I told her how soft it made my skin feel and how much I liked it (I'd taken it with me and used it during the rest of our long journey in June.) Today in my mail I found a box from Kelly! Filled to the brim with FIFTEEN (15) BARS of this wonderful natural soap each one a different color, blend of oils and herbs and plants etc. Including 2 of that beloved oatmeal soap bar! Now I wonder what would have happened had I made a fuss over Sylvain's large flat screen TV? LOL Thank you Kelly for your very generous gift which I will enjoy using for a year to come for sure! The box was packed with pretty tissues and accordion pleated pretty papers too. Kelly's added touch.

Soul Brush Challenged Me to Six Random Things About Me:

Six Random things about me: 1. I have lost 15-16 pounds since January! (the scale bounces a bit up and down) and I look and feel GOOD! 2. I was recently with all four of my grandchildren at the same event for the first time ever. 3. I went to Israel for five weeks and stayed five years when I was 19 yrs old! 4. I have traveled in Europe, Mexico, The United States, Israel and China. 7. I have had a best girl friend for 67 and a half years now. ;-) 8. I have been with my current husband for going on 30 years next month, and I still love him as much or probably more than the first years we were together. He is that special! And I am that lucky!

Creative Every Day in One Stage Or Another

#2 Shawl: Pattern my own, just a rectangle in SC and a Speed Hook using "Grey Heather" and "Black" Woolese yarn by Lion Brand, and "Tundra" in Moonlight Mohair on the trim which is a mix of sparkly silver,black and grey. In two days I used two skeins of grey and part of black and the rest of the Tundra! This light green sweater for my GS is from yarn gleaned at a garage sale a while ago, I have enough left for a hat or more. The pattern is from a book called Style Your Own Kids' Knits by Kate Buller. I've used this book for the past two years of knit sweaters for my grand kids. You use a basic pattern but can choose motifs, edgings, and stitches to suit your fancy. This one is pretty basic. But last years for GD I learned a stitch called "boxy eyelets" that had little holes all over. While I was busy being creative, Henry V was taking a nap on DH's back pack. Leah, at Creative Everyday talked today about her stages of creativity. It made me think about my own and I wrote this comment on her blog which I'll share here as well: "Thanks for sharing your stages of art/creativity. I definitely do lots of search and gathering in thrift stores, garage sales, shops, kitchen drawers for fabrics, yarns, and other embellishments. I get ideas looking at others art on blogs and in magazines and art shows! I like the just letting it stew in my head a while too...lots of creating grows there first, simmers, then spills out onto the "canvas", which for me is fabric and/or yarn and needles or hooks lately. I have been very creative today: finished crocheting a second shawl using up yarn bought for the first one; finished knitting the bands on a grandson's sweater and blocked it; finished with some last minute flourishes at the sewing machine on GDs artwork now quilted by Grandma Lynn.(see below at yesterday's post). I can see two other projects I could work on now and will choose one of them. I am on a roll!!!

Grand Daughter's art Quilted by Grandma Lynn

All the art spread out on design board, with the 2 quilted pieces in the center. Click on photo to see enlarged. The very white pieces are her original art. The next white is her originals sewn onto muslin cloth, and the center pieces are finished with paint stik colors, free motion top stitching by me on my choices of fabric. Close up of "GD and her mother" she said...I wish you could see the glittery gold thread in the yellow section and in the blond girls hair. My machine finally is allowing me to sew with speciality threads!!! (Since it had it's first year tune up!) The red inner border sports hearts free motion sewn around it. A close up of her quilted castle. The blue sky has silver sequins in it that also reflect the light and twinkle when you walk past it! The border is the backing fabric brought to the front and folded over batting and sewn into place making a thick border on each piece. GD's prince and princess...that is a bow in her hair as it sails to the left. This is still to be quilted. And one more charming piece of art. There are too many to make into cloth pictures but all are keepsakes for sure. All art done by GD age 3 and 3 quarters! And sewn by proud grandma whose age is "up there!" ;-)

Cocktail Mas-kerade

 

After the wedding ceremony we all went into the lodge and donned masks (well, I carried mine so I could take photos of everyone elses) and drinks were served and merry-ment made while the tables were being set up outside for dinner. I liked the colorfulness of it all, the gaiety...even the kids got into the act.

It was everything beautiful, full of love, a truely wonderful wedding

The Katuba: The signing of the marriage contract or agreement My Dear Brother and Me DH and Happy Mother of the Groom DH and my Lovely Daughter and GD Bride, Groom and Groomsmen Blessing over the Wine (Kiddush) Standing Under The Chuppah (borrowed from my daughter's wedding 6 yrs ago)Son's step Brother is Officiating, Who said: "I am not a rabbi, but I can act like one, and he did...beautifully) The Happy Bride and Groom We returned home late last night from the most wonderful four days in Mt. Hood and Hood River, Oregon for the occasion of my son's and daughter in laws' wedding. This was the most well organized, orchestrated, down to the tiniest detail wedding that these too young people did themselves (with help from a few friends/family members, but mostly they did it all.) I was so impressed from the moment we arrived at our hotel to find a basket on the bed filled with gifts and goodies from these two love birds. I wore the beautiful green silk scarf from the NY Met Art Museum gift to the meeting with bride and groom and all the parents. (Two sets each) over dessert and coffee at another elegant lodge. The following day a group of us,including bride and groom, hiked up to a lookout to Mt. Hood. A spectacular view. Our Mt. Hood hotel served scrumptious foods for breakfast, lunch and dinner. And we got $10 vouchers for each breakfast there. Friday afternoon was the rehearsal followed by the rehearsal dinner...a salmon buffet with huge flowers on the food platters adding to the decor. At each event I had time with both my son and his beloved together and separately. I felt so included in every aspect of this event. Saturday we rested up, after my brother and I took a long walk up and back totalling 25 blocks before heading out the 20 minute drive to Mt. Hood/Big Foot Lodge where the wedding would take place. On this walk, I happened to look down at my feet and found a business card on the sidewalk, on which the name was the same as my daughter in laws. (She does not live in this town, nor had she visited it recently). When I told her about the card she said it was indeed her card. It just seemed serendipitous that I should find it on her wedding day. The guests arrived at the lodge all dressed in their finery. Women in beautiful dresses and men wearing black tie in tuxedos. It was very elegant. The only thing we would have changed if we could would have been the weather. It was HOT OUT. And everything was outdoors and it was one hundred and four degrees! We were pouring sweat. They handed out fans for all and they were used well. We were there until 11:30 at night and I did not need the shawl I hurriedly crocheted at the last minute. I had taken off my little jacket to dance...2 Israeli dances and faked one modern dance! ;-) The wedding ceremony was beautifully designed in a mix of Jewish customs and what I will call new age nuances. There were speakers and actors/poets performing, musicians playing, singers singing, blessings spoken, glass broken...it was awesome to behold and love flowed throughout the audience of 125 guests and between the groom and bride. And Now They are Man and Wife

Lynn IS VERY EXCITED and Packing

Can you handle one more outfit to review?

This is what I'll wear on Friday night to the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner. It's a little something old (the two tops) and something new (the pants and medallion)... (I know, I know, I am NOT the bride, just the mother-of-the-groom all caught up in the excitement. Thank you all for enjoying it along with me...we fly out tomorrow and let the fun begin!!!!!

I'll wear it without the jacket in the afternoon for "lawn games"...

And with the jacket for the dinner in the evening.

I love goucho pants. I found these at Chicos today at my lunch break. The fabric of all these are spandix and poly so all as light as a feather. Very comfy and summer feeling even if the colors shout fall. Oh, and I have sandals to match...will not go barefoot! I promise. ;-)

In the Cool Cool Cool of the Evening...Tell Them I'll Be There...

The groom to be, my son, sent out an email on Sunday letting us know that it might be cool in the evenings at the wedding, and this event is outdoors: ceremony, dinner, reception etc. So...I ran to the yarn shop (Michael's actually) and purchased Silver Heather Jiffy yarn, some black Jiffy and some sparkly silver/black angora for trim and a big fat red Speed Hook. And came home and crocheted all day Sunday and Monday evening to finish up this hopefully dressy enough shawl that would also keep me warm if need be. What do you think? This also qualifies for being Creative Every Day! Oops, I forgot my silver sandals!

Spa Day!

Getting ready for my son's up-coming wedding is becoming an obsession for me. Today I spent more time and money on my person than I spend in a month of Sundays/a life time/a long time/ever/...but I had a fun day, a fully self pampering day and I enjoyed every single moment of it. Let me walk you though my Day at the Spa!

First I waited for my first of three appointments in this huge waiting room.

Jennifer came to get me and led me back to her little dimly lit room where she would preform magic on my eyebrows. I happen to come from a family on my father's side that sported rather thick lush eyebrows. My DH has always referred to them as "caterpillars". Jennifer's job is to tame them, shape them to look more becoming.

When I got home today, DH said that they now look like "anorexic caterpillars".

DH has quite the sense of humour.

Jennifer did a very good job that made me happy with the results ; and then I went to Rose Ann who would color my hair and wash, trim and style it for me. She has been my hair stylist for many, many, many years and I always leave her station looking better than when I came in and happy for our time together, talking and laughing and laughing and just having a positive good time.

This is me taking my own picture in her mirror with all the magic goop on my hair waiting for the mysterious changes to take place...and they do! ;-)

Next, and final appointment for the day was with Kathy, who has her own little room too, with one huge comfortable chair and this lovely tub of hot/warm water with jets pulsating around it onto my legs and feet. It is Kathy who suggests I smell the mulitude of bottles of minerals and lotions she has and pick the ones I want her to use on me. Then she applies a cream for my hands and arms as I stand before this round modern sink and she massages my hands and arms up to my elbows. My hands and arms feel like silk when she is finished. Then I get to sit in the huge chair and dunk my feet into the pulsating waters. Kathy then spent time giving me a luxurious manicure on my both hands taking her time and making my hands and fingernails look like they belong to a movie star. At least I felt I was getting that kind of grand attention.

And then my feet and legs up to my knees get massaged and rubbed with lime minerals and lotions. Ahhhhhhhhhhhhh. Can you feel what I felt? Can you imagine the luxury of all of this?

I might mention here that the pedicure was a gift for my birthday from my best from childhood friend, Patty. Thank you Patty. This is a gift of a lifetime.

Kathy then uses her tools and gets rid of every old cell on my skin until both feet look and feel silky smooth.

We had discussed what I'd be wearing to the wedding and she pulled out a little bottle of very purple very irridescent nail polish for my toes. (I've only had a few pedicures in my life time and the use of color is new for me. But I have to tell you I am just delighted with my purple toes that match exactly the big stone on the beautiful silver necklace I had made to wear with my purple dress for the wedding! My fingernails are more subdued with a clear polish that has just a hint of pink tone to it that will give me " a finished look" Kathy said.

I felt very finished after this long day at the spa. Very relaxed. And very, very beautiful from head to toe.

I recommend giving yourself such a day sometime, it is so worth it. All three women said they have male clients too. ;-)

Meet Terry Busse and Enjoy Her ART!

This evening DH and I drove to Davis to the Davis Art Center to see a show of Terry Busse's art quilts, the wonderful quilted art of a woman I have come to know through her blog. She only started making her large quilted pieces last spring she told me, and they are wonderfully delightful pieces. She writes little stories and/or poems that go with them. I was amazed at how many she turned out in this short time, the details each contains, and how wonderful they are in every way. I took lots of photos but I'll tell you photos do not do them justice. I had seen some of these on her blog, and I did indeed fall in love with them there, but close up and real is a whole other story. The colors, the fabrics, the textures are so alive and cannot be captured 100% by the best camera. So I felt very fortunate to be there to see them in person. So take what you see here and multiply the beauty of them many many percentiles to realize the full depth of their wonder and awe inspiring greatness. All her works are for sale too. You can contact her at terrybusse.blogspot.com or at busset@sbcglobal.net. I enjoyed meeting Terry too and talking to her. She recognized me first, which was really fun. She startled DH I do believe by telling him she recognized him as well (from my blog posts of course!) Terry reminded me that she found my blog when wanting to learn how to add her stories to cloth and I told her how. I felt good to see that she did that and had her stories on cloth hanging by each art quilt, and will sew them to the backs later on as I do on mine.

Davis Art Center

To meet Terry Busse, the art quilt artist and her beautifully quilted stories I was entranced by her attention to detail DH and I loved the pockets on this apron we could poke our fingers in... Lynnie Penny Popcorn is a story that went with this quilt about her mom I'd like to know more about... I loved how the veggies laid in the field behind the barn here...

and the wonderful swirls in the sky above... I was happy to see Terry got her stories printed on cloth for all to see and read... There was quite a turn out I like the way Terry layers her layers and leaves frayed edges... And of course I was drawn to this big fat cat sleeping in his red chair.... We compared notes about our husbands old V W vans from the 60's... and one more close up of those delightful pockets!!! Remember to click on photos to see them larger and enjoy the details... If you are in the area to see this show! You won't be disappointed. ;-) I do hope Terry and I will meet up again before too long!