Archive for April, 2012

Cute

Sunday, April 29th, 2012

How cute is that!?

Getting Organized

Saturday, April 28th, 2012

The reorganizing is still in progress. Since I retired from doing Market, I was able to eliminate a few boxes. Consolidating ready to ship patterns with inventory when possible eliminated a few more. We even moved out an old computer and table that is no longer used, so things are coming along. I found some pattern bags I didn’t know I had just in time, as I was ready to order more! I also found some pieced blocks, samples for “Sunshine Flowers” and sewed them into a table runner. I hope I actually layer and quilt it so I can use it on the deck and not just let it continue to be another UFO ( Unfinished object).

Birds and Blooms

Friday, April 27th, 2012

This spring’s first sighting of a hummingbird was this morning! We have had the feeder out for a week at least, in anticipation.

Here is my newest acquisition for the shade garden, a double Columbine in pink and white. The flash kind of washed out the color, but it is really quite lovely. I hope it makes it here.

This Iris aptly named Kansas Blizzard is blooming now. Other Irises blooming now are yellow, purple, blue and some the color of orange sherbet!

I love this tiny Euonymous ground cover, the largest leaves are about a half an inch long and look nice against the Hosta which is a medium sized variety. I lost a couple of Hostas this past winter. Must have been too dry, it sure wasn’t too cold!

Thunder is rumbling so I need to shut down the computer.  I think these rain cups are about to be filled!!

Summer in April

Thursday, April 26th, 2012

Yesterday we had a record breaking temperature of 97! Last week there was freezing temperatures and we had to cover the peaches. I just wasn’t willing to take a chance with these fuzzy babies.

Every day they look just a little bigger!

This plum tree has quite a lot of fruit too, but the other, different variety plum tree has none. It’s only the second season for both the peaches and the plums.

These Knockout Roses are doing great, as this is only their second season, too. Whoever thought up this concept is brilliant..look at all of the buds! I have yellow ones, as well, but they are not so prolific.

We need some rain which they keep promising and then backing off, now they are saying tomorrow, so we did water this morning.

Because of the heat yesterday, I stayed inside and did some needed work with packaging patterns and generally straightening up the storage area. Sometimes it is just easier to choose to do the fun things! More of the same today, I guess…

Shows, Shipping & SAQA

Wednesday, April 25th, 2012

Reading through recent posts, I see some need updating. The show at Warehouse 414 looks great! The opening reception was very well attended. Everything comes down this Saturday, though, as it was only for a month. The current show at the Topeka Art Guild Gallery. “Earth, Wind and Fire” goes til the end of May. It was a juried show so the quality is very good. One of my entries, “Prairie Fire” was awarded third place.  I also had an entry at AQS in Paducah this past week, and several things in the Kaw Valley Guild Show in Lawrence, which is my local guild.  They only do Viewers Choice Awards and I have not heard the results of that yet.

Yesterday I sent “Majesty” off to the Denver National. “Watermelon Wine” has not made it home yet from Florida where it was in “Faces of Color” . That show ended around the first of April and it should have made it home by now, I think. So far, I have not gotten a good answer as to where it is. It’s always scary to put things out there, as you never know what will happen.

I remembered an old fabric, realistic waves in a gray colorway, that I have used for stormy skies and horse shadings, but never as waves! I decided to find it and use it for my SAQA Auction 12×12″ square. This was over a month ago and the piece that I made was boring and not very satisfactory. I thought perhaps I would skip the auction this year. If I finish it I will call it “Gray Atlantic”.

Then, I found this same print in blues and greens in the stash. I forgot I had it! So I remade the design with the more colorful fabric and so this is my entry this year. You really cannot see it in this photo, but I have beaded it for added sparkle. I’ll call this one “Blue Pacific” and it was sent off yesterday. I am letting them do the photography for the auction site and hope they can get the beads to show up.

I’m Back!

Tuesday, April 24th, 2012

I really did have good intentions concerning this blog, but I have not done too well with keeping up lately!

Now that the Seasonal Palette piece is done, I have had to submit photos for publication in the book that they are going to do. My photos were not deemed good enough so I have spent considerable time improving my skills in that area. Over a year ago, for my birthday, my husband bought me a new camera which scared me a lot with all of it’s settings and I continued to use my old camera which was comfortable for me. It’s a Fugi 2 megapix while the new one is 10m Nikkon! But this dilemma with the Seasonal Palette thing caused me to get out the new camera and seek help. After almost a week and 3 or 4 trips to town to the camera store I got some acceptable pictures and learned some stuff to even improve my shots with the old camera. For the most part I have been happy with my photos and have even once had a quilt professionally photographed which I thought was not any better than the photos I had taken myself, but this project presented some difficulties. I think partially the dimensions of the piece, 32 x 78″, caused some of the problems.

I finished another Chemo cap for my 8 year old niece. (She just had a birthday!)  This one is made with bamboo yarn and is really soft, I hope she likes it!

I HAVE done some quilting, too which I will show you tomorrow.

Spring Flowers

Wednesday, April 4th, 2012

Spring flowers are everywhere! I missed getting out to take photos of the early stuff, fruit trees, redbud trees and the spring bulb flowers but here is what’s blooming in my shade garden right now!

Hydrangea with Iris and Vinca.

These sweet bells start out pink, then turn blue, their proper name escapes me.

I LOVE the leaves on this Brunnera; the tiny flowers are a brilliant blue though you can’t tell it by this photo. I guess my camera doesn’t like blue as the previous photo is washed out too.

I didn’t plant this wild phlox, but if it wants to be here, I’m totally happy with that!

Bleeding Hearts- what a neat flower!