Happy Valentine's Day (belated), & Happy Birthday Sisters

Well, this back to full time is making it a bit harder to get my blogging done, but I'm thinking Thursdays will be my day. I did work today, but it was for my pal Mindy, who is off in Hawaii getting some vitamin D. I got home just now (4 pm), where I usually get home around 7 from the hospital. Above is the Valentine card I made for my DH . I stamped the image of the soaring birds on to the fabric of the heart using a fabric glue, which I then sprinkled with embossing powder, & heated with a heat gun. If you try this, just be careful not to hold the heat on too long in any one place, you could burn the fabric.

I have a sister,( Em) & several sisters-by-heart, (Mindy, Ilene, & Kate), who all have birthdays this month. So happy birthday girls, I love you all !

Mindy was here for Super Bowl Sunday, & we (us girls) watched the commercials, then played our own games, while the guys watched the game. Warren being from New England was a little sad at the end of it all.

Mindy's hat was left over from the Women's Ski she had participated in earlier in the day.

Below are Blueberry cupcakes I made  for her cake.

This table full goodies is what I came home to on Valentine's day. Fabric wrapped packages, chocolates, & little luscious tarts from my favorite bakery, The Flying Dutchman.

I found this book in a package on the front porch, left by the mailman. I'm looking forward to getting into it. I love these books.

Warren is really enjoying the retired life. He has been my chauffeur, & cook, & I'm loving it too! I had been a little worried about the cooking part, but he follows recipes well, & has made some really good food! Who knew life would be so good!

Birthdays Quards

I have to start out, by saying gee Thanks! for all the compliments on the Raven! It was nothing! Really! I could teach each & every one of you haw to do the same thing!

 

Always there are people I want to make quilts for, & never enough time to do all I want to do. I make little "Quards" (my term for quilted cards), for special people in my life. July is birthday for 2 of my grand-daughters. Alex turned 19 on the 2nd.

Carys turned 4 on the 19th. (Which is today for her, but tomorrow for me yet, since she is over the International Dateline). Carys's card was a bit of serendipity. I had a felted piece, with 2 goofy little fishes on it, that I made a long time ago. She is into mermaids right now, & I had this great photo of her from our vacation time together last month. I just cut out her face & glued it on the background, then added the Threadplay & quilting. Easy-peasy, & lots of fun. I called her tonight to say happy birthday. She has a cold, as does her baby sister Zoe, & Daddy Brandon has a cold & Mono again. It's a good thing Laura is healthy!

Thursday was Calendar Girls at Margaret's house. Margaret shared some of her latest projects, & fed us great food. We also had a great time talking & laughing.Her crown was made by Carol. She has made each one of us one this year. We are going to wear them at the Quilt Show in Sept.

This is the front cover,

inside,

& back cover of a portfolio booklet that Margaret made.

I also want to mention that my pal Stephanie told me I would like author Janet Evanovich. I just finished reading "One For the Money", & I have to say, it was the funniest, laugh out loud book, that I have read in a long time. I am already on to the next book, & it's making me laugh too. They are detective type stories, & my kind of humor. Thanks Steph!

Holiday's End

We had a great time with my son Brandon & his lovely Laura. We enjoyed their company for our holidays. They left early on Wednesday, & I've been working.
Today I played a little in my studio. I pulled together a few items to submit to Somerset Studio. They are asking for things to go into their "Nature Preserved" theme. I thought my October JQ fit the theme, & had a couple of other things that might work, so I'll send them all. Below is the card I made to go with the items, I used a piece of my rusted fabric, & some hand painted cheese cloth, along with one of my calling cards cut up.

This is a wall hanging, I made a while back, using shells & coral bits that Brandon had given me from Kwajelein.

This little Birchbark angel was a gift for us this year, from our friends John & Kathy Jolman. John made her, & then embellished her with some vintage beads that they got at a Pow-Wow.

This is a full view of the basket we got from Brandon & Laura. I think I should wrap it in cotton & turn it into a snowman for the holidays next year.

This ceramic plaque came from my dear friend Ilene. Just thinking of her & her hubby Stu, makes me smile.
Speaking of hubbies....my DH was playing Paul Bunyun today, & sliced a bit of skin off of his finger with a saw, while trying to cut a piece of firewood. Lucky he has a nurse for a wife!

I hope you'll all have a safe & Happy New Year! Love & Best Wishes to all!!

Happy Birthday Warren & Brandon

You all had such nice comments on what a babe my Brandon is. It's funny because the card I made for Warren says," Beautiful young people are accidents of nature, but beautiful old people are works of art."-M. Breenbie... It seemed appropriate. Brandon is a good genetic blend of his father & my father, who Brandon looks a LOT like.
Inside I wrote "Happy Birthday to my favorite work of Art!" Warren appreciated it. :)
For you who are interested in the technical details of this Quard....I started with a piece of hand-painted cotton Batting (wadding for those of you who use that term), layered on a piece of paper towel. Yes, I said paper towel. It was one of the towels I used for clean up after one of my fabric painting sessions & it was too pretty to throw away! I sprinkled on thread bits (I save everything!), & 3 little pieces of Whisper (that cellophane like stuff Florists use to make bows for plants),a piece of painted Bounce (dryer sheet), the little quote (from my Cryptoquote that I do every day in the newspaper), & a piece of gold Tulle to hold it all down. Quilted with Sulky Holoshimmer Copper color thread, then a few more Bouce bits for frame & stitched right on to a card blank.
I just finished another Reversible Purse. I sent the last to my DDIL in Kwajelain. This one will be a sample for my class at Coupville Arts in the spring. (If you want to check out the classes, go to "workshops", Mine are Threadplay Apr. 28 & 29, then April 30 & May 1st, for free motion quilting & the reversible purses).
I really like the button detail on this side. It is fused glass from my friend Mindy Meyn. It took me almost 4 hours to get the beading done to my satisfaction, to hold it in place.
The reverse side includes a bit of the Calendar Girls Challenge fabric, just like the last, & I used several pieces of my hand painted Sheer silk to layer over the top of commercial prints to make them softer looking.
I used one of my Thread-paint Flowers, that will be part of another class at Coupville in April, for this side of the purse.
This last photo is just a little detail shot of some of the quilting.