Where Flowers Bloom

 

Kathy sent me this quote over the weekend.  Such a nice one.  Having grown up in Texas, and being of a certain age, I had heard it "back in the day."  And, it never hurts to remember it.  I have been fascinated by people making up these little "kits" these days, so had a couple handy.  I thought I could use one to make a pincushion and wouldn't it be nice to use the quote Kathy had sent.  Indeed!  A really good idea.  So, here you are, a place to begin.

 

These days, I am much better at dreaming up a project than I am actually making it.  I keep telling myself they are here patiently waiting for me to begin and I should take them up on it.  Never give up I say.

 

That piece of lace in pink and yellow...right there on the right side of the photo...I painted that an age ago.  Not even realizing what I was doing today...I placed a yellow heart pin and a pink pin into that little bundle and didn't realize it until I took the photo.  Just a little visual treat, I would say.  A happy little accident.  Serendipity.  

 

 Some of the "ingredients" peeking out the side of the little bundle.  Oh, my goodness.....I will never get tired of playing with all this stuff!!!

 

 "Where flowers bloom so does Hope."

Lady Bird Johnson

Seems to me we are in need of lots of Hope these days....so let's all plant or sew more flowers!

until next time

BE WELL

from

Bird Nest Cottage

Gatherings

 

Other than the actual stitching of quilting, embroidery, beading and so forth...there is nothing more fun to me than finding all the things required to make them, then gathering them together in a basket, a box or a bowl, or on a platter, well, just any decorative item that would hold them, then display them around the house.

I find them to be beautiful and I look at them over and over.  Eventually, some of them are used to create my various projects and when they are...I enjoy them again in the stitching.

 

I've taken to wrapping DMC embroidery floss in pieces of fabrics...pre-selected for an as yet designed project.  It's FUN!

 

Just pick a color scheme and shop your house for any and all items calling your name that day.

 

You can tell from these photos exactly what kind of things I like to collect.  In the upper right square of this box, you can see a piece of knitting rolled up.  I knitted that with crochet cotton in one of my favorite colors....I don't really remember, but I think I used a size 1 or 2 knitting needle.  So tiny.

I've no idea what I will do with it, but it will tell me what it's supposed to be one of these days!

 

I've tons of buttons, just took a few from my collections to add to this cute little divided box made from yardsticks.  I love that blue one with a star.

 

 I loved these glass leaves....and clear glass buttons too.

 

 Here there are two crowns.  Hard to tell here.  I like to find them...reminds me that my daughter calls me 'the queen of everything."

 

 Here are two very old bodkins, given to me long ago, by my friend Jim.  I treasure them, of course.

And, who finds rayon seam binding labeled with their own last name?  

 

 A little pincushion made by my friend, Deb,  another treasure from the past.

 

 One roll of embroidery floss wrapped in fabric, one in a vintage dinner napkin.  And, an odd cotton thread wrapped in lace.

 

 Just seeing them makes me want to stitch something.  I'm trying very hard to get back to doing more of that....but the vision issues get keep getting in my way.  As it goes now, no stitching until afternoon and I've turned into a real 'night person.'  Isn't it always something?

 

 I've never been able to tat.  I have tried.  Over and over.  One instructor once told me to stick with what I know and quilt.   So, I buy tatting whenever I see it at the flea.

You can use it for a thousand things.

 

There's that piece of knitting again.  I just love it...not to even mention how much I LOVE Perle Cotton.  I once quilted two quilts with Size 12 Perle Cotton in black...Seriously, what fun that was!

 

 And, this house I call a 'cottage' is loaded with the kind of stuff shown here.

There are buttons and threads, fabrics and beads to make flowers and trees.  Really, whatever I please.

My cup does runneth over.

until next time,

BE WELL

from 

Bird Nest Cottage

 

The Unexpected in a Dining Room

 

The other day, one of my friends suggested that I post about some of the things in my house that are 'unexpected' or displayed in an unexpected way.  I think she was trying to be complimentary, however I consider myself a hoarder, so thinking of how to decorate in an unexpected way sounds foreign to me.  I don't know what my 'style' is and I surely don't give a lot of thought to how I decorate.  What I do is hunt and gather,  find things I really like....then simply "find a place to put them."

Once I find a place, I look at it for a while and if I like it, it stays.  If I don't, I just look again and find another place.  I find it fun to hunt and gather.    A lot of time is never spent wondering if it's 'right'.....I live alone, so if I'm happy with it......all is well and good.  And, then again, I'm apt to decide to change things around a week later.

These photos are of one wall in the dining room.  I actually do have a dining room, but you'd never know from these photos.  It's a collection of things I love, found as I hunt and gather.  It has to be put somewhere, so here is where I chose to put it, helped along by two wire racks I found at my favorite flea market.  I couldn't resist them.  So, they came home with  me, I cleaned them and discovered the only place they would fit was "this spot" in the dining room.  I liked them so much, that I spent a couple of days gathering things from around the house to fill the racks.  Then, as I always do, I have to overload them, hang things on the walls, find a chair or two to fill, etc.  It was great FUN and I will still place a thing or two there from time to time.  These racks are one of the things that will not be moved around...they simply won't 'go' anywhere else.

 

So, take a look at these photos.  I've probably chosen too many, but I did want you to see ALL of this dining room wall.  In my mind, it looks just like something I would do.  To you, maybe a bit too much and in the wrong place.  Not to worry, though.  Here's a quote...(I don't know who said it, but it's me all over!):

"I live in my own little world and it's ok.  They know me here."

 

 One of my favorite parts of this vast array of 'stuff.'

 

If you click on these photos, you can actually see what is on each shelf.  Some of you may want to do that.  Others won't.  All is ok.

 

 And, there it all is.  (Sorry about the reflection in the glass).

 

 So many stories here on these shelves.  No way I can tell them all, so you can just make up your own stories.   Or, if you see something you want to know about...kindly ask me in a comment or email.

 

 No end to the inspiration I find here.  These things, their stories, and my imagination can lead me to come up with a good many ideas.  So many I will never be able to finish them all.  Think about this:

"To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk."  

Thomas Edison

 

  

 

 I'm fairly creative, so here is another quote I really like:

"Being creative is not a hobby, it is a way of life." 

 

 This little trunk is one of my favorite things.  I did the inside of the lid myself, several years ago, using old ledger sheets and paper napkins.  Inside is a collection of some of my favorite things.

Of course!!!

So, there you are.  Most folks probably wouldn't put all this in a dining room.  Would you?

I would....as is obvious, but I have no one else here to please, so why not?  

I'll show you more of the dining room if you'd care to see it. 

from

BIRD NEST COTTAGE 

until next time

♥♥♥

 

A Pink Bird

 

In the last couple of days, I 'unearthed' this ceramic piece in the garage.  As I tend to fill every kind of container you can think of with buttons and such...this time, I thought of a little collection I have of tiny balls of perle cotton, crochet thread, etc.  The colors were just so perfect.  I love this little 

'flower' dish with the perfect pink bird hovering over it....and so, with a bit more color  -  a quilt, this blog post came about.

 

 I love how the top of the "flower" is yellow and as you look down, it turns into this pretty pink color...just like the bird.

 

 A bit closer....

 

 And, upside down.  Where it's really pink!  There you see the maker...Royal Copley.

 

Thought I should give you a better idea of it's size...even the thread size can be noted.    I don't think I can ever use this thread...as I rarely find these little balls of thread in my flea market trips...and this thread is, to me, very special.  

 

And, what about the quilt?  It's special too.  Actually, most of the quilt is in need of lots of repair, so it may not happen.  However, I will do something with it...meantime, it's great for a backdrop.  With PINK!    

 

 Closer.

 

 And, more color!

As you know, shopping at the flea market is one of my favorite things and I've been doing it for years.  So, therefore, my house is full of "stuff.'  My doctor recently told me to keep it up as it "keeps me going."  Oh, yea, Permission!  How cool is that?  People tell me that my house 'looks just like me."  And, you know I have always said there is a story for every item.  With that in mind, I found this quote today:

"Collect things that you love, that are authentic to you, and your house becomes your story."

Erin Flett

Indeed!

from

Bird Nest Cottage

until next time,

♥️♥️♥️

 

Some Quilts, Some 'New' Old Shelves and What They Hold, Some Morning Flowers

 

Thinking of what to post about on my blog is sometimes difficult.  I tend to think I just ramble on about one thing or another, often wondering afterward why I did what I did.  Other times, I'm semi-pleased.  I've never been totally satisfied though.   I really needed to post today and tried to come up with one I'd be satisfied with and maybe you would be too.  Also, it's one of the rather long ones, so since I won't be posting until the last week or so in October,  I hope the content makes up for the lack of posts over the next couple of weeks.

I will be spending some time with my two brothers and sister this month.  We don't get to see each other very often...and we are getting older, so a visit is a good thing!  I said "we" are getting older, but actually, it seems like I am the one getting older.  I am the oldest of the four...by far.  I am sixteen months older than my brother, Mike.  Ten years older than my sister, Debbie.  Thirteen years older than my brother Robert.  So...yeah...it's me that's older.  So, thinking about those things I decided to give them something from the quilt closet.  Something that I have made in the past and preserved for just this kind of thing.  A quilt giveaway.

BYW, I have shown all these quilts on the blog before...but it's been a long time.  And, I'm not telling here who is getting what.  There is also a giveaway for a friend....one that is very nearly a relative!

 

This quilt began with a center block and just grew.  While making it, I received good advice from the old navy man....for that reason it is special.  And, I loved doing the drawing and writing on it.  Here is what it says: 

"May flowers of love around you be twined,

And the sunshine of peace shed its joy o're thy mind."

    from an antique Valentine

 

One day maybe I will actually do an embroidered version of this inked center.  That would be fun.

 

Applique has always been my favorite.

Here is an embroidered basket quilt.  It's going to a new home where the color red is much loved. 

A good place for it to be.

Redwork is a very relaxing kind of work to do.  You don't have to remember where you left off or what colors to use next.  Loved making it!

  

Is it hard to give these up?  Nah.  I'm at the point where I need to do this so that after I am gone, my kids won't have to wonder what I intended to do with all my work.  Of course, they will keep my favorites.  Well, up until now, they have all been my favorites but you have to draw the line somewhere and I do like sharing.

 

This is a smaller quilt.  Applique and Embroidery.  It's many years old now, but you can't tell.  I have taken very good care of my quilts.  I love the little church and that embroidered tree....

And, oh my stars!  "Jane Doe and the Star-Spangled Banner"  Adorned with lots of buttons and star sequins.

Yes, these are moving on to other homes.  A natural progression.

 

 And, now for a little break.

This photo was taken just a couple of days ago.....I walked into the kitchen that morning and the light was hitting those flowers in just the right place at the right time.  Loved it!

NEXT:

 

 So, okay...here's where we come to "things I would do, but you probably wouldn't."  I found these wire shelves at my friend, Kathy's, and a picture liked this popped right into my head, so I bought the shelves, took them home and started right away to create this 'scene.'  What fun!  Now, I have to say that you probably wouldn't put this in your dining room, but I would....because in my 'bird nest cottage' I have had to use all the space in just about every room to incorporate as much of my five hundred square foot studio as I could when I moved and had to find a place for my little treasures.  Since I live alone, I feel pretty comfortable putting things wherever I want...actually, it's pretty much turned into a form of entertainment for me and truth be told, I don't mind not being 'normal.'

 

 So, just take a look around.  I'm never bored.  There is so much to do....so little time.

 

 My favorite old door from the old Van Atkins building.  I actually do sometimes put real MAIL in that mailbox!

 

Sometimes when things are put away, I have trouble remembering what I have to choose from when I want to make something new.  I actually love having things 'out' where I can see them.  I know it's not for everyone, but it works for me.

 

 I am going to look forward to using things from these shelves....or sometimes just looking at them, getting inspired.

 

 Hope you enjoy looking too!!

 

 I have already planned for some good posts coming up after my visits with the siblings.  Look for more toward the last week of October.  And, take care, please.

from

Bird Nest Cottage

until next time

❤️❤️❤️