An Unexpected Visitor

Remember a few posts ago, I mentioned not seeing my son often enough....not because of lack of interest on either of our parts...just the circumstance of life, as it goes. Well, unbeknownst to me, my son, Scott, and daughter Kelly have surprised me....he's HERE!

Kelly invited that old navy man and I to dinner last night 'so Rick could grill hamburgers for me.' Rick is my son-in-law and I love his hamburgers, so, of course, I said yes right away. He's a good cook and a good son-in-law. So, about 6:00 p.m. off we go to their house. Kelly wasn't there and being a realtor, we thought she was out showing a property and would be home any minute, so Richard (the old navy man) and Rick visited while I took the 'granddog' Trixie for a walk.

I should have known something was up when Rick came looking for us, saying I should come on the back patio til Kelly showed up....so I did. I didn't know it, but he was in on the surprise and didn't want me in the front of the house when Kelly and Scott arrived. So, I'm sitting at the table talking to the guys, petting the dog, when Kelly comes out on the patio. Someone was with her, but it didn't quite dawn on me who it was until I took a good look and it was SCOTT!
What a fabulous surprise!!!

So, I guess I'd better be more careful what I write about in this blog. I know both my kids are followers of it, but I didn't know Scott read it that carefully....but, who cares? He's here, not without some expense and trouble on his part, and keeping a secret on Kelly's part, plus she drove to Little Rock to get him at the airport. Aren't they cool!!! And, he's here until Monday!!! And, I get to SEE that face.....what a wonderful thing!

Give me a few days...then, I'll post again.....take care, pat

My Crazy Quilt Doll

Today I've decided to show you Monique, my crazy-quilt doll. She's old now, made many years ago because of a class I took in Little Rock taught by elinor peace bailey. I call her my 'crazy quilt doll' because her jacket is made in the crazy quilt style with silk ribbon embroidery.

elinor came to teach us how to make dolls, something I had done before, but not like this, so I immediately signed up for the class along with several of my friends. We had a blast. I must confess, I had a good bit of her made before the class started. Have a I ever mentioned that I am a lousy student? I thought I should at least have the basics done beforehand or I'd never get anywhere in the class. I enjoyed the class very much...elinor will make you feel good! And, dear that she is, she painted this beautiful face for me....naturally, picking roses to paint since that's what I was adding to the clothes. OR, did I make the clothes to match the face...it's been so long I don't remember. Anyway, I think she is delightful and she's handling her age well.

I wanted to make the jacket from a piece of crazy quilting with embroidery and silk ribbon roses...and it turned out fairly well. Then, I took the rose theme and carried it out with rose fabric, some purchased rose trim and more of my hand embroidery along hems, etc. She has a skirt, underskirt and green pantaloons, also embroidered and embellished. And, I love her shoes! She has a little drawstring bag, complete with some change in it, beads at her neck and I used a real ladies veil with feathers, purchased from the local flea market. A mixture of yarns for hair, some beads for earrings and there she is...all decked out!

Monique is made from elinor's pattern "Monique, a French Bed Doll" and she's approximately 28 inches tall. Actually, I've never measured, but I do remember one reason I wanted to make her was her long legs. I've always envied long legs. Well, I'm 5'1", what would you expect?

So, there you are....my crazy quilt doll...I'm thinking I should make more dolls....I've an angel I might show you one day....and I like it quite well....more on the primitive side. You never know what I will do, so hopefully, you will 'stay tuned.' And, if you ever get a chance to take a class from elinor, as I did...do not walk...RUN...you will love it! take care out there, pat

Mother's Day Giveaway Winner(s)

Well, it's after 10:00 p.m. on Sunday night, so I'm ready to announce the winner of the Mother's Day GiveAway. I had some time to think about this since I posted the giveaway on Thursday. Since I had two of Brenda's needlebooks, I have decided to also give the second one (and more goodies) to a second lucky person. Yea!!!!

The first needlebook (and all it's assorted goodies), (pink) as shown here and on the previous post, will be sent to Maya in India. Maya, I am thrilled to be sending something from my Nest to your home.

Having the two needlebooks and feeling the need to really share....the second needlebook and it's goodies will be sent to Francien in Holland. I'm so excited to do this as it really is more fun to give than to receive.

The second needlebook is green and I've beaded it's edges also...such fun to do. I wanted to add photos of all the goodies accompanying this needlebook, but my camera battery was dead...so it's charging and I'll try to add more photos tomorrow. (Monday a.m., the new photo has been added!)

Thanks to you all for your kind comments and continued reading of this blog....I really do appreciate each and every one of you. Take care, pat

A Mother's Day GiveAway

I've been looking at the calendar today. Seems like the year 2010 is sailing along even faster than 2009 did. Does it seem that way to you? Life just seems to be zooming past, barely allowing me to recognize one day from the next. I can't say I'm crazy about my days turning into yesterdays in such a blur.

The other day I was feeling particularly down about time going by so fast. It had occurred to me that I only get to see my son about once a year and if I am lucky enough to live another twenty years....that means I'll only see him twenty more times. Well, that's simply not enough!! What's a mother to do? So, I called him and let him know that he needs to let me 'see' him more often on that lovely camera we have with our Apple computers......I figure seeing him and hearing his voice via the computer is much better than not seeing him at all and even though we have to kind of 'plan' it...it's a real treat for me. We simply must do that more often. You know, a phone call is great....after all there's 'that' voice. But, the face...well, there's nothing better for a mother to see than 'that' face!

So, having said all that....I'm having a giveaway for Mother's Day. Leave your comment on this post and your name will be in the running for the following items:

A little book about mothers by Mary Engelbreit
A package of three charms by Blue Moon
A card of vintage crystal buttons
Two spools of silk embroidery thread by Kreinik
A tiny rose plate with three mother-of-pearl buttons
A wonderful crazyquilted needle case made by my friend, Brenda, which I purchased to give to YOU...embellished with a beaded edge I added just today.

So, there you have it....a Mother's Day GiveAway....please comment, then let me send all these goodies to one of you to keep or give to your mom! take care, pat

PS. Remember to check back on Sunday night!

Out for a Little Drive

Over the weekend, that old navy man wanted (and needed) to get out of the house for a bit. He just insisted he needed to go for a drive. Although it was getting late in the afternoon, off we went. One of the places he likes to go is on the Little Red River just out of Pangburn. It's about fifteen minutes from our house and is a pretty drive.

One of the beautiful sights along the way is the newest crop of Red Clover along the highway. I never see Red Clover without thinking of my friend, Sharon, who is no longer here to see it, so I appreciate it for her every year. Isn't this patch of it pretty?

On the right side of the highway, right before you get to Pangburn is a very old house. It's one of my favorites in the area and I am always trying to get a good photo of it. Seems like every time we get near it, the traffic picks up and I can't get a decent photo. I missed it this time going, but got a semi-ok picture of it on the way back home....even through the dirty windshield. I love this old house. They are widening the highway there, so I expect someday in the not-so-distant future, we will go for a little ride up that way and the house will be gone. I'll be sad about that.

The old navy man likes to go and stand on the bridge and look into the water and down the river. You can drive close and walk out on the bridge, just look around, as we did, or, you can fish here. One of the things you may not know about me is that I have a fear of being 'on the water,' either at the railing of a bridge or heaven forbid...out in a boat. It's hard for me to look over the railing, as my phobia sometimes gets the best of me. He just loves being there, so I figure I can just try a little harder. (The last time I was on a boat was 2004 when we visited my son in San Francisco. We toured the bay on one of those tour boats. I only went because my son had his heart set on showing us around and that included the boat tour. I had a death grip on the boat railing the whole entire time. But, I did do it and although San Francisco Bay is gorgeous and I did love the views, I was very glad to get off the boat.) Of course, this bridge is small, and not high at all....but, for me, it's still a somewhat difficult thing to do. Aren't we funny creatures...me especially.

This river is pretty and as long as I look 'way off and not up close, I do ok, after all, a bridge isn't a boat! (Well, let's don't even talk about driving over large bridges!!) Here's the view looking west and then, east. The old navy man enjoyed this little diversion, so I'm glad we went and will go with him whenever he wants. Hopefully, we'll go again one day soon as he really enjoyed the drive. Maybe I'll get an even better photo of that old house too! take care, pat

Studio Draperies

I spoke with my friend, Sherry, over the phone this afternoon. Amongst the things we talked about was my inability to think of something to post about today. I just got through the annual headache caused by working on our income taxes, so my creative juices were freaked out and not flowing at all. Somehow, I decided that just looking at some of the photos I have taken lately might inspire me to show you 'something.'

Here's the something: how about the draperies I 'made' for the Second Saturday Studio front window. It's a wide window and we had no idea how to make draperies without a) spending a lot of money, and b) going to a lot of trouble. At that time, my creativity did kick in and I mentioned to Kelly that we could make them out of painter's canvas. It comes in huge sizes....and two 9' x 12' canvases would do the trick. (You can also get them 8' x 10.') She thought that was a great idea (me too!), so she bought two of them...I went in search of grommets, and the rest is history. There already was a rod in place, permanently, I might add, so we used shower curtain hooks to hang them.

So, here they are at different times of the day, open and closed, and from indoors and out. We will have these open most of the time. I'm kinda pleased with them. Simple, inexpensive (look in the paint department at Walmart or your local home improvement place), durable and oh, my.....versatile! We also used some for tablecovers and I'm thinking slipcovers would be great too!

One suggestion: I did prewash them. With my quilting background, using unwashed fabric just didn't appeal to me. This part was not easy....they weigh a ton! I did manage, though, and ended up laying them out in the backyard to dry. (There are four here because we had 'extra.') One other thing....they are not all identical in size...there could be an inch or so difference in length and width. These two weren't too far off from each other, so we decided not to worry about it.

Well, what do you think? OK? Y'all take care out there....pat

The Grand Opening

Yesterday, Saturday, April 10, we had the 'Grand Opening' of Second Saturday Studio. Boy, was it ever fun! We got there early, a little after 8:00 a.m., to prepare for the day and left at 6:00 p.m. Lots of food, door prizes, friends coming by, family too, and many, many visitors. It was just great!

I thought I'd show you some photos I took. Most times, it was too crowded to take photos, so I took some during the few slow minutes we had. So many more could be shown, but Kelly is doing a fine job of showing just about everything on the studio blog, so check it out if you'd like to see more on the opening and more of the art. She has been showcasing each artist, so check out the previous posts there also.

That's Kelly with the blonde pony tail standing just inside the door....by this time, she had already just about run her legs off....but, just like her, always has time to stop and visit with people. Being a realtor and a 'people person', she has a talent for it.

Take a look at the artwork....such a variety. One of my favorite new things, but not shown in any of these photos are the beautiful Shaker style boxes made by a local man. I've picked out one for Mother's Day....well, why not? Christie, Beth, Sandy and Micah (in light green sweater by the back wall) are shown doing their part to visit with each other and visitors.....one thing I enjoyed was hearing the artists talk not only about their own work, but each other's work as well. It was very exciting.

The other day I took the time to do something I rarely do....paint a piece of furniture. Here you will see the black cabinet I painted to house my own artwork......not the best photo, but you get the idea.

I hope you enjoyed seeing our new place....we had a great day and hope for many more. Do visit someplace like this in your town...you just never know who you will meet or what you will find. Have a great new week! take care, pat

The Wedding Heart

Recently I made a 'wedding heart' per request of a friend, for a friend of hers. I wanted to post it, but also wanted to wait til the bride had the heart in her hand, so so speak, before I showed it here. She has it now, so I am free to show it to you and tell the story.

Do you remember me telling you about our retreat called AWOL? That lovely time when a bunch of us get together, sew, laugh, talk all night, and have a GREAT time. It was during that time when one of my friends asked if I would make a heart for her good friend who was getting married. Of course, I would, so added her to the 'list.' Having several other requests, this one would possibly not be ready until after the wedding, but that was ok, she said.

Now, I know the bride, but not well, so I asked for more information so I could customize the heart. It turns out she loves sage green and cream and Fall is her favorite season, so putting on my thinking cap was next. Do you see that leaf print in the upper left corner? Well, that is the fabric I used to choose my other colors and also was used for the back of the heart. I'm not showing you the back as I've added names, etc., so for privacy, you'll have to just enjoy the front.

Also, for the life of me, I couldn't find 'sage green' beads, or ribbon, so just used what I had. It's my thinking that absolutely ALL greens go together. I added a glass flower bead and glass beads around the entire heart. The other 'Fall' colors I pulled from the print fabric and although the photos you see don't show 'the true color,' (in real life they are a bit deeper in color), it turned out pretty well. It's very soft looking.

I was a bit nervous about the heart...would the bride like it....were the colors ok, etc. But, I'm told that she 'loved, loved, loved it." That's all I need to know, and I am wishing the happy couple the best of everything!

Hope you enjoyed seeing the wedding heart and as always, I wish you the best too. take care out there! pat

Redbud Tree on Easter Sunday

It's just gotten dark here on this Easter Sunday. It's been pretty quiet around here today as I only had that old navy man and his stepdad (90 years old!) here. They're easy. Food, dessert, tv, then more food. They are two sweet guys. After Richard took Bob home...around 6:00, I stepped out to the Nest to see if I had email. I also had my camera in my hand, and since the weather has been just gorgeous today, I looked around for something to photograph to show you. Not much going on around here, but our little Redbud tree looked pretty good and so did the one across the street, so they became my blog subject for the day.

First, here's the one across the street! It's really pretty, much larger than ours (you'll see why next photo!). I always love photos with the American flag flying in the breeze - this one belongs to our next door neighbor. Looks great up against the color of the redbud tree across the street!

Then, there is OUR poor little redbud tree! Notice how small and leaning it is, but truly doing what we are trying to do around here these days....and that is to 'hang in there.' I think it's still pretty, but actually, it's days are numbered. Each year it leans a bit more. When we moved into this house in 2001, this redbud tree was really pretty. Two days after we moved in, there was a terrible thunderstorm which completely destroyed one of our huge Bradford pear trees in the front yard, damaged one in the back yard, and split this redbud right down the middle.
We are holding onto it as long as it blooms.

The blooms on this tree are just gorgeous....take a close look...don't you agree?

So, a quiet Easter Sunday, a breath of fresh air as I looked for a subject to photograph, something really pretty to look at and another day nearly over. I'm heading in to fall into a comfy chair and spend a couple of hours reading the new issue of Somerset Life and the debut issue of Prims, also by Stampington. Hope your Easter Sunday was beautiful too. take care, pat

"My New Old Bed"

OK, it's late! Too late for me to still be up as there are doctor's appointments early in the a.m. I am not very efficient these days, so trying to have some kind of 'routine' going. If you know me, then you know I am a creature of habit and having my routine messed up makes me nuts. I meant to do this post much earlier today, but now find myself burning the midnight oil. In my last post, I mentioned the bed given to me by my friend, Sherry, so now I'm showing it to you. (Thank you so much, Sherry!!!!)

Here it is! Vintage iron bed....really cool, really tall. Actually too big for this little room, but I love it in there anyway. If you remember me showing you this room in a previous post, you will notice that I have moved the quilt I had on the wall over to the opposite wall, plus I have taken down just about everything that was on the walls in this room. Except for that quilt and Mary Lou's paper dolls, which I'll show you another time. I also moved the vanity to another wall in the room.......opposite the bed. Then, I put my antique doll bed under the quilt.....love this old doll bed with it's chippy paint...I wonder what little kid played with it and where.

On the doll bed, you will see a doll given to me by my mother. She's so cute! She's an Annette Himstedt doll....if I got the name right. I recently took her hair down, rebraided it and added a white ribbon. She's wearing a vintage rhinestone necklace I found you know where...the flea market. She's also wearing glasses. One of my friends visited Chicago a few years ago and came back with these glasses. She told me she saw them and knew right away any doll of mine would need glasses! Just fit too.

Do you see those black patent leather shoes next to the doll? Those belong to my daughter, Kelly. She wore them long ago and I've saved them. Well, today is her birthday! Yes, I gave birth to her on April 1, 1967. She is very dear....and so are those little black shoes. Maybe someday, she will actually want them. (Gee, I just realized that 'today' is already yesterday!)

Do you notice the bed quilt? I bought that at the flea market for $16. I've used the heck out of it as it's so nice and soft. Lots of names embroidered on the quilt.......I don't know them, but they keep me warm. I mentioned the other day that my grandson put the bed up for me and he also put the dust ruffle on the bed. Notice that it's way too short now. Well, I'll remedy that at some point...then I guess I'll have to show you again.....notice I said 'at some point.' The top of the mattress is above my waist...making a step stool very important. I'll have to find a more interesting step stool too.

I finished another heart and as soon as I know the recipient has it in her hands, I'll post photos of it....meantime, lots to do. Hope you are all well and having some FUN. Do take care, pat