Five on a Monday

It's Monday....and it might rain today. I'm hoping so anyway. Rainy days are my favorite. It's a mood thing. I have the door open and the birds are singing....so already the day is improving....well, except for that laundry I also have to do. (Don't you get tired of seeing the same old things in that washing machine? I'd love to open it one day and magically see new clothes, just for a change in the wash-day landscape!)

Today, I thought I would choose five items from my studio to highlight....just for fun. Now, bear in mind that I love my Nest/Studio, so I think every little tiny item in it is just great....but I don't expect others to feel the same way...in fact, sometime I expect someone to say, "Well, what's the big deal anyway?" There really isn't a big deal except that this is my sanctuary and in it is the "stuff" that keeps me going. So, today I'm sharing a tiny part of it with you.

Five items...and this is the first: Last night, late, I finished quilting a very small quilt that I had been trying to quilt for a whole year! It isn't bound and washed yet, so I am only going to show you a snippet of it until it's completely finished. (Well, a little bird just flew in here...so I've turned off the lights so he can see the doorway and fly back out...this happens frequently in the Nest! Oh..there he goes! Just a visit from a feathered friend on a Monday morning!! Ooops, how funny -- he's back and he's brought a friend! Now there are two birds INSIDE my Bird Nest on the Ground. A first!!!)

Back to the quilt "snippet." It's an appliqued and embroidered "sampler," made to resemble a cross-stitched sampler. I'll show it to you when it's all done...probably next week. Here you can see the tiny appliqued chickens. I think they are "cute."

#2 You've seen this item before if you read my post when I did the studio "tour." This is the cutest toy pickup truck. Naturally, I found it at the flea market. It was originally red, but has faded into a red leaning toward pink. I love the cute thing.....filled with buttons, a heart container with beads given to me by a friend, and a vintage button card that says "Mermaid Pearls." The two little vintage dolls are so cute. The taller one is wearing a red bathing suit and I thought the Mermaid button card "went" with her. Isn't this just too much!

#3 These are doll pins. Actually, they are kind of on the large side if you plan on wearing them...but I have actually worn the smaller of the two....either of them look really sweet pinned on a totebag too. The small one was made from a vintage embroidered dinner napkin and the larger one is dressed with some painted lace. They are six and eight inches tall. Both have vintage buttons and "jewelry" on....the smaller one is wearing a crown that I just happened to find in a bag of "junk" from the flea market. How fun is that?

#4 I learned to make these beaded flowers from a blog (inthefold.blogspot.com). I have certainly enjoyed making them. Using different sized beads determines their size and it's fun to see how they turn out. You can make one in a very few minutes...just another one of those little sideline adventures we crafty people like to go on!! And, oh yes, the tiny ones are somewhat tedious....but my favorite! (Does it mean I'm a "tedious" person if I love doing "tedious" things??? Don't answer that!)

#5 Having finished the quilting on "that chicken quilt" last night, I immediately went to the UFO drawer and brought out another quilt to start the quilting on....(I certainly hope this one goes faster). I'm only showing you a "snippet" though...you'll see the rest later. Just let me tell you that it is definitely out of my comfort zone as it is, without a doubt, the busiest quilt I have ever made....yellow flowers, butterflies and all!

So, now you have a peek into the Nest for a Monday morning with a visit from birds to boot! I hope you enjoyed the visit!

**I've added photos of the bird visitors to the Nest....hope they had a good time too! Try to come back on Saturday, that's my birthday, so I will be showing you one of my very best quilts!