quilteddogs blog

Something to make life easier

2012-01-31T05:43:00.001-08:00

When we visited the Art Institute last fall, we visited the museum store and I saw this scarf that was made up of round pieces of wool felt. The price of it of course was outrageous so I snapped some shots knowing that I would be able to make it myself.

I found some wool felt on eBay for a decent price and as soon as it arrived, I started tracing little circles on the wool felt and cutting them out. It didnt take a brick falling on my head to figure out that this would take forever so I put it aside thinking that some day soon I would get back to it...or not.

Well that day has now arrived with the purchase of my new Accuquilt Go cutter that is advertised to be 90% faster than rotary cutters. This will speed things up considerably I would say.

And besides that, I got a screaming deal on this from my favorite quilt store here in town. I saw it at the Sewing and Quilt Festival this weekend. Their price was 25% off their regular price but I told them what their competitor down the way was selling it for, and they gave it to me at that price. And that price was below their cost so I was very pleased with my little bit of bargaining. Never hurts to ask.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Scarf

2012-01-26T12:29:00.001-08:00

I have put this new scarf up on etsy for sale but I had a hard time doing it because I just love this scarf. It is so soft and so colorful. I would love to make more out of this stuff. Easy to knit with and beautiful in the end.

Work bomb

2012-01-24T07:09:00.000-08:00

My second attempt

2012-01-22T07:30:00.001-08:00

Learning from my mistakes, I once again attempted to knit with metal and my metal knitting is getting better and easier. I was even able to put a clasp on it. Not sure how much of this I want to do because that means buying a whole new set of supplies and I sure don't need another hobby. But take a peak. The beads are place chaotically but I like asymmetry much more than symmetry.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My next endeavor

2012-01-20T13:40:00.001-08:00

Not having enough to keep me busy, I now plan on learning how to do Viking knitting. Apparently, a very ancient art form. I got a kit from etsy that came with a 25 page tutorial and I have requested some books from the library. Hope to give it a go this weekend.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Lessons learned

2012-01-20T07:07:00.001-08:00

Having learned to knit six months ago and having learned nothing other than the garter stitch, and still unable or unwilling to try anything other than a scarf or cowl, I have now embarked on knitting with wire. The first lesson learned is to put more beads on because they will cover bad stitches. When I get better at wire, I can use less beads.

The next lesson is to put all the beads on the same side; it will look and feel much better in the end.

Here is my first attempt in the middle of the project . Not too good but also not terribly bad. I will get better.

Finally, there will be blood. Metal is a wee bit harder than yarn and very unforgiving. It took some time but one finger was bleeding. I switched to thinner wire and it's much better.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Aging dogs

2012-01-05T14:08:00.001-08:00

So sad to see your special friends age. These two guys who had boundless energy and were always raring to go, have slowed down so much. Even though they still like to go for walks, they no longer torment me until I hook them to their leashes. Even though they still like to eat, they don't try waking me before 5:00 in the a.m. I have to resign myself to the fact that the end is drawing nearer for them. I don't know why they can't be with us forever.

Addie, 14 years old

Roscoe, 11 years old.

Roscoe is suffering through a bout of old age vestibular syndrome (google it if you want the whole definition) which is the closest thing to a stroke that a dog can have since, technically, they don't have strokes. It's a very scary thing and he has already been to the emergency animal hospital (at 5:30 in the morning) as well as to his own vet. He is getting better day by day. I hope this never happens again.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Fun little things

2012-01-02T17:16:00.001-08:00

Here are a couple of fun little things I bought from etsy. The seller is homestudio and you can search for their store by going to etsy.com and searching for that name under shops (I don't know how to hyperlink with this blogging app, sorry).

These little charms are made from Scrabble tiles and there are tons of choices in their shop. I chose these because 1) I love the Ruby Slippers, and 2) I really, really liked two of Ayn Rand's books (I've only read two).

The other good thing is you can wear one or several. Nothing fancy about them; just a little bit of fun.

As always, click on the photos to make them bigger.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Bowl making

2012-01-01T17:25:00.001-08:00

I have been having lots of fun making bowls from clothesline; it's kind of like making pottery but you don't get dirty. You wrap fabric around clothesline and then zig zag stitch it on the machine. The fun part is seeing how it's going to turn out because you never quite know. Lately, I have been choosing neutral and solid colors because the final results look a lot like actual woven baskets. The first photos below are neutral and this is a gift for my friend Carol who enjoys getting handmade gifts.

Sometimes, I am really very happy with my fabric choice. I have no idea what I will do with this bowl below but I am really pleased with it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

The mother of all knitting needles

2011-12-30T11:27:00.001-08:00

Or maybe just the little sis but these are the biggest I have ever used. Size 17. I guess there is a size 50 but I have not seen them. The knitting is going so fast for me with these and they are really easy to use.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Siri , the iPhone personal assistant

2011-12-28T11:05:00.001-08:00

I don't have any game apps on this iPhone and even if I did, I probably would not play them because I'm having too much fun with Siri.

The shot below is of some of the things she is supposed to do:

The shots below are the fun things she says back to me:

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

A few signs of Christmas

2011-12-25T10:38:00.001-08:00

A photo of my neighbor's house. He likes to go all out for all holidays.

Below is a photo of our lights. We weave in and out through the brickwork. That's all for our lights but every year I always think I will do something different.

Our neighbors across the street. They also went all out this year.

The embroidered nativity set my friend Lynn made for my mom. Very cute, yes?

A blue poinsettia. Gorgeous.

Merry Christmas to all out there in blogland.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Why I like to knit

2011-12-21T14:28:00.001-08:00

Ok, I learned to knit about 6 months ago and have not tired of it yet. I can't make anything other than scarfs, cowls and shawls, but right now, I don't have much interest in anything else. What I like most about knitting, besides the relaxation factor and the ease of transport, is the amazing variety of yarns. This is not your grandmother's yarn. Look at this yarn...and this is just el cheapo from Joann's.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

iPhone

2011-12-19T11:29:00.001-08:00

Hooray! I got the iPhone a couple of weeks ago and just love it. I had no idea I would like it so much or use it as much as I do. I can even blog from it which is how I started this post. So very easy to use and so cooperative. Even though I really like the SWYPE technology in my other phone, I soon discovered that a Windows based phone is very limited. And besides, every time I tried to email a photo or a video, it would crash.

This one has Siri, my personal assistant and that is quite fun and amazing. The other day, Tom asked me to pick up a Starbucks coffee on my way home from the vet and I got a little confused as to where the one was I intended to go to. So after driving in a couple different directions and helter skelter, I asked Siri to find me the closest Starbucks. She told me "there a are several close by" and then popped up a map for me to choose one. And, because I have Bluetooth in my car, it was all done through the speakers. Cool!

And here is a photo taken from it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Let sleeping dogs lie

2011-12-13T09:26:00.001-08:00

A very lazy sunday for the dogs.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

How now black cowl

2011-11-20T12:19:00.001-08:00

Well, two craft shows have come and gone. The first sale, I did better than I expected. So that's a good thing. It was at my law firm so it's a private sale and not much traffic. This year, the traffic was positively dismal so I am lucky to have the sales I did. The next sale was at a huge church here in town with quite a bit more traffic. My sales were pathetic and almost non-existent. But that is ok because I considered this one to be a learning process since this was my first time out in the big, wide world. Lot of people interested in my stuff and complimentary about it, but no one buying. Unfortunately, I spent half of my profits on the shawl pin shown below. It's just a piece of wood but it looks like bone. I guess I am drawn by it's simplicity and how primitive it is. I made the cowl that is showcasing it and hope to have it soon on my etsy site.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Location:Some news

Progress

2011-11-01T07:51:00.000-07:00

No pictures to show yet but I have been making much progress in the sewing room (aka "sewing cave" or "sweatshop"). The weekend before this last, I made 5 coffee cup aprons and still have one more of those to make in the next two weeks. This last weekend, I made two bags and one Owl case. One of the bags that had a lot of ruffles on the front, took a long time so making more of those to sell, will not be economically feasible at this time. I need a running start with those kinds of things I guess. Need to get both the embroidery machine and the sewing machine going together but I'm not sure what I want to make on the embroidery machine...maybe bookmarks since those take a bit of time and don't take me away from the sewing machine. Plus, they proved to be pretty popular at the last craft sale. Yeah, that's the ticket, bookmarks.

Blog Neglect

2011-10-18T07:45:00.000-07:00

I have been away from my blog for a little while and looks like posting to it in the future is going to be pretty choppy. I have made a commitment to myself to knit or sew at least once a day and since work cuts into my fun time, I'm not left with a whole lot of down time. So as Tom says, I need to "make hay while the sun shines." I am getting ready for two craft markets in addition to helping my mom out with another one. Even though my etsy sales will not allow me to quit my day job, someone in Phoenix discovered it and has asked if I would like to participate in a craft market to benefit one of the local schools. I agreed and we will now see how it goes. I have a lot to do.

Some not so famous pictures

2011-10-05T12:31:00.001-07:00

Here are some other pictures from the Art Institute. They are actually kind of repulsive but your eye is drawn to them and I even went back to look at them. All of these were done by a man named Ivan Albright. The first one is called "The Picture of Dorian Gray" and was made for that movie. The second one took him ten years to finish and the third one shows the ravages of time and is most depressing.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Art Institute of Chicago

2011-09-28T11:55:00.001-07:00

The Art Institute is one of my favorite places and it seems that every time I am in Chicago, I have to go there. It has a massive amount of art and some of the most famous pieces in the world are there. Without further ado, here are some of them (I bet you will recognize all of them):

Jellyfish

2011-09-23T11:55:00.001-07:00

In Chicago, we visited the Shedd Aquarium, a place I had never been to before.

While we were there, there was a jellyfish exhibit going on and they are really quite amazing (and beautiful creatures). The excerpt below is taken straight from the aquarium's website: *

"For 500 million years, the seemingly simple systems of sea jellies have thrived in the world's oceans. Learn how jellies' bodies are 95% water and their feeding arms can grow up to 8 feet long; how drifting with the current, jellies travel thousands of miles; and how the tiniest jelly could nestle into a contact lens, while the largest couldn't squeeze into a minivan. Enter this mesmerizing world of jellies, where your hosts are these spectacular creatures—some beautiful, some mysterious, but every one of them fascinating".

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

* Yes, I took these photos. I did not copy them from the Shedd's website.

Is it art or a bunch of junk?

2011-09-17T08:12:00.001-07:00

You tell me...here are some pieces from the Art Institute of Chicago that were considered to be art. I don't get it and I'm not embarrassed to say so. I like and appreciate art and even took an art history course in college, but to me, this is not art:

A bunch of candy thrown in a corner in a pile....

A string of lights....

Cardboard painted gold with letters....

Seriously?

A pile of rocks....

Some patchwork squares lined up on the ground....

This is art, in my humble opinion:

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Pretty colors

2011-09-07T21:46:00.001-07:00

It's seems I am starting to knit more and more and sew less and less. But this weekend, I was lucky enough to do a little of both. I'm still stumbling my way through the ins and outs of knitting but I have discovered that I like really bulky yarn the best and the more colorful, the better. Sitting on the front porch at the cabin, I was drawn to the wonderful colors in my lap.

Pretty. Don't you think? This ended up being a scarf which is the only thing I know how to make. Next time I drag Ms. Human Female Torso out for a photo shoot, I will take some shots of the final product. Now, if only winter would get here since this scarf is made of 100% wool....

I also took up making bowls out of fabric wrapped clothesline. I have made several in the past and really enjoyed it so thought I would try it again.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Yearning for fall

2011-08-29T20:39:00.001-07:00

It is so blasted hot here lately that everyday I am just waiting for the first morning that I can step outside my door and feel a little bit of cool. Or even a return to 105 degree heat instead of the 113 and upwards we have been having. This photo gave me just a little feeling of fall but of course, it was taken 100 miles from this sweltering desert.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Updating my etsy store

2011-08-28T12:14:00.001-07:00

Yesterday, I spent a good chunk of the day photographing the items I plan to add to my etsy store and editing the photos. Plus it gave me an opportunity to play with the new camera. Right now, since it is about 113 degrees outside, all photography must be done in the house. I don't want to use flash so I tried to bring in as much natural light as possible. I would say, the majority of the photos look pretty good. Now if people would just send some money my way. Here is a first look at some of the items I will be adding.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

My sweet spaniels

2011-08-24T12:13:00.001-07:00

Both of my dogs are seniors and have entered the twilight of their lives. I got Addie when she was 3 from the humane society and I got Roscoe when he was about 1 from springer rescue. They are very good dogs and have been wonderful companions in good times and bad.

Now, they mostly lay around and are not too active. But what can you expect since Addie is 14 and Roscoe is 11. Pretty good ages for springers. So here are some shots of them engaged in their most common activity:

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

GRUNGE SUNFLOWER

2011-08-22T12:24:00.001-07:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Location:Grunge sunflower

EVERYBODY INTO THE POOL

2011-08-19T07:55:00.001-07:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Some shots from the new camera

2011-08-18T08:05:00.001-07:00

Every morning, hummingbirds come to our fountain to drink and splash around. Since the new camera came with a telephoto lens, I have been out taking pictures of these little guys.. Not sure what kind they are and they aren't very colorful but they are still cute as the dickens.

Click on the photos to make them larger. In this one, you can see the water droplets flying off.

And here is a finch thrown in for good measure.

Dive bomber.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

New Camera

2011-08-15T08:35:00.001-07:00

Just got it yesterday and took a few pictures with it but was working with my old camera in order to get photos of items I'm selling on etsy.

More about the camera and etsy later.

Amazing sunset last night

2011-08-08T19:09:00.001-07:00

This is unedited. It was stunning.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Beatniks

2011-08-02T12:27:00.001-07:00

In about 2001, my friend Lydia celebrated her 40th birthday by having a party and requesting that all of her friends dress as if the current year was 1961. This was my garb.

I dyed my hair black and bought a little goatee that I glued on. On top of my hair was a beret and I was dressed all in black. I guess you could say I was in drag.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Out of the mouths of babes (or 88 year old women)

2011-07-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

"I just woke up from a good nap. I could conquer the world but I think I'll crochet a few lines instead."

The joys of home ownership

2011-07-27T12:01:00.001-07:00

Tom and I were finally able to get up to the cabin last weekend which makes only the second time this summer. The first weekend we were there, we had to hire a plumber to come replace the bathroom faucet and luckily that wasn't overly expensive. But this time, we saw some water on the ground just outside the house and it turns out there is a leak in the water line between the house and the street. So that giant sucking sound you hear is money going down the drain to pay for the repair. The pipes are over 50 years old so I guess it comes as no surprise and this was bound to happen.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

In the hoop owl case

2011-07-25T10:05:00.001-07:00

This little owl was made entirely in the hoop; no sewing required. I know the little ribbon at the top doesn't match, but it was all I had.
It took very little fabric and supplies and stitched out really quickly.

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

My new hobby

2011-07-24T18:51:00.001-07:00

So, as I said before, my friend Sylvia taught me to knit. However, I learned on weird yarn using a weird pattern which did not use all the actual steps of knitting such as casting on, casting off and so forth. I was able to teach myself how to do those things and now I need to learn what to do when you drop a stitch or add a stitch that you don't want.

Thinking for several months that I was going to learn to knit, I used some forethought and nabbed Knitting for Dummies when it was free at amazon for my kindle. So using that and a lot of good videos on YouTube, I am slowly teaching myself to knit the basics. And here again, I have to give kudos to my iPad. If I'm sitting on the couch or kitchen table trying to knit and I have a question, I just find a video on YouTube and watch it right there and immediately have my question answered. I have found that for me, seeing something done on a video or in real time is easier for me to comprehend than reading a book. I'm real happy about YouTube. The Internet is such a powerful thing.

Still, I think my first project is going to look like the spider webs made by spiders on LSD. But it can only get better from here, right?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

The perfect day...off

2011-07-22T11:41:00.000-07:00

Being kind of slow at work, I thought taking a vacation day for no reason at all would be a good idea and I had no plans for it other than to take my dogs to the groomer for badly needed furcuts. So, since I had no goals and no plans, I would not be disappointed if they weren't met.

I got up at the regular time and vacuumed the pool (for the third time in 2 weeks) due to the dust storm the evening before. Then, I drove the dogs out to the groomer and afterwards took myself over to Joann's to purchase a couple of items. Turns out I bought 7 items and I had 7 coupons for 40% each so I got to use all of them and saved over $25.00. Very happy.

I went back home and puttered around for a bit with this and that. Had lunch and then cleaned out the refrigerator. Then got down to the serious stuff of sewing, embroidering and knitting. I was able to get a quilt top put together and it is ready to make into a quilt sandwich and quilt. Then, I got on the embroidery machine and made a cute little owl purse (photos at a later time) that I have been wanting to try out to see how it comes out. I was very happy with it. Then a little bit of knitting, a little bit of reading, a little bit of wash and a little bit of Mad Men.

And that was my perfect, uninspired, unplanned for day. You should try it sometime.

Learning to knit (more)

2011-07-17T10:37:00.001-07:00

When I first saw my friend Lynn's scarf knitted from ribbon yarn, I knew I had to have one. So finally I saw the ribbon yarn and got some. First, I searched the Internet for pointers because I knew this would be difficult yarn to use. Found a couple that seemed useful so off I go. Here is the start of a skinny scarf . Photo was taken with the iPad and there was not much planning involved.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

More projects done

2011-07-16T10:26:00.001-07:00

I have now knitted 3 of the flamenco scarfs and I'm about to try a new scarf made of ribbon. Now that will be real knitting. Don't have too much ambition yet to try anything other than scarfs at this point. Here is the latest one:

And I have finally finished the spicy spiral table runner. Not sure why it is called "spicy". It required a special ruler but once you got past the cutting, it was surprisingly quick and easy.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Another photo mess around

2011-07-13T08:09:00.001-07:00

Playing some more with snapseed. The first photo is the after shot followed by the before shot (screwed the order up when posting). The before shot is nice enough but the after shot brings out the colors. Click on them for the full effect.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

New app

2011-07-06T12:58:00.001-07:00

I don't think I've said lately how great the iPad is. Everyone in the world should have one. Here is a new app called "snapseed" that has been getting rave reviews. Here is the before photo:

And here is the after photo:

What do you think? As always, clicking on the photo will make it bigger.

A few handmade items...by me and others

2011-07-03T19:48:00.001-07:00

So, the sewing mojo is coming back slowly but surely. But now, I am off on a knitting adventure. My friend Sylvia showed me how to knit because I wanted to try this crazy yarn. Kind of loud in the color choice but I like it. It took me a looooonnnngg time too but now it's done and I'm ready for more. .

The above and below pics show an in-the-hoop table runner I made at the Sew In last week. I started it back in February and finally finished it. It would be better if it were a tad longer but who knew . (sorry for the scew up here. Just messing around..

This wall hanging was made by my friend, Lynn. What a lot of work this was and I so love it. She calls him "Pugasso"

I was the winner of the place mats above and below. They were being raffled off at the Sew In and used half of my raffle tickets for these because I really wanted them. Turns out, my friend Sylvia made them. Same person who taught me to knit.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Mayor

2011-07-03T08:58:00.001-07:00

Here is another thing in a person's yard. Right now, these signs are all over the place. This particular sign belongs to Greg Stanton who is running for mayor of Phoenix. I know Greg and even though we are of different parties, I will be voting for him. I'm sure we are total opposites on a lot of things, but he is a really good, honest and well meaning guy. His wife works with me and Greg also used to work for the firm, and in fact, that is where they met.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

The things in people's yards

2011-07-02T15:40:00.001-07:00

Walking the dogs on a daily basis lets me see how people like to decorate their front yards. Some normal things, some not so normal.

I really like the courtyard of the house above. Very Spanish I think.

The guy who lives here like a bunch of old stuff. Wonder what his wife thinks.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Blowing bubbles

2011-07-02T08:40:00.001-07:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Things are looking up

2011-06-30T12:28:00.000-07:00

Having a few weeks of having quite a bit of stress going on, things are finally starting to improve:

1. My mom will be discharged from the care center where she has been for a week after spending a week in the hospital.

2. We got a new roof put on due to the hail damage that occurred in October. Perfect timing since the monsoon season is upon us. Plus, it will be more energy efficient which is always a good thing. The roof was paid for by insurance. A really good thing.

3. I'm learning to knit! Thanks to my friend Sylvia. I'm going slow and steady and I have to with this crazy yarn I'm crazy about. You will see the final product in a future post.

4. Even though Addie suffers with arthritis, all of her blood work came back as normal or even a little below. The vet was thrilled! Addie is 14 which is very old for a Springer Spaniel.

5. Insurance will pay for the small crack in the windshield of my new car. It won't count against me as a claim and we don't have to pay a penny.

So see? The future is bright.

Where do the Children Play

2011-06-29T14:33:00.001-07:00

He is a totally different man than he was in the '70s but he sure does sound the same.

No time to post

2011-06-22T07:58:00.001-07:00

WEnt to see Alison Krauss and Union Station last night. Robert Plant did not show up but maybe this will have to do.

What is this?

2011-06-19T08:54:00.001-07:00

Do people sleep in it? (As always, click on the photos to make them bigger).

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Rough weekend

2011-06-13T12:25:00.001-07:00

The weekend started out well but took a turn for the worse in the afternoon. The double sinks in the kitchen were not draining and I asked Tom to take a look. Once he took a look, he said to go get the drano so I headed to the laundry room where I saw the entire floor was covered with water, food and other disgusting detritus. It was nasty! We immediately started soaking up the gunk and called the plumber to come over to clear out the line. Took him over 2 hours to get there but he finally came and took care of the problem. Tom had to move the washer and dryer out and I had to scrub the floor, clean the wall, clean the machines and the supply lines. Again, disgusting. But now it's really clean back there.

Later, I went over to my moms and she was feeling poorly (has been for 2 weeks) and after putting in a call to her doctor, everyone agreed she should go to emergency the next day. So I took her on Sunday and we stayed in emergency from 10:30 to 5:30 when they finally decided to admit her. This morning they did some procedures and hopefully, she will now be better but she will be staying a bit longer.

I was wanded and my bags searched at the hospital as well. THAT has never happened before.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Thursday Tunes - Taj Mahal

2011-06-09T08:15:00.001-07:00

New projects

2011-06-08T12:15:00.001-07:00

My sewing mojo has left me and doesn't appear to be coming back anytime soon. So I have just been finishing up some things and here they are. The first is a table runner using a border print taught in our sewing club. Broke my camera trying to take a shot of this. Still works but it is damaged.

This one is a quilt I am calling "Fruit Chews" because it looks like Starburst candies. This is one of my all time favorites.

Two weeks from tomorrow our yearly Sew In starts. They have added an extra day. I need to get busy and get my stuff together.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Tuesday Tunes - Bruce Cockburn

2011-06-07T08:08:00.001-07:00

Sunflower

2011-05-08T20:48:00.001-07:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

More fun with photos

2011-05-06T12:15:00.001-07:00

- Posted
using BlogPress from my iPad 2

OH! Wouldn't this be something to see!!

2011-05-06T08:09:00.001-07:00

Alexander McQueen

Talking Dog and funny stuff

2011-05-04T12:19:00.001-07:00

Death of a Terrorist

2011-05-04T08:14:00.000-07:00

When I heard of the death of Osama Bin Laden, I didn't know how to express what I was feeling because I was not happy or elated as I thought I would be when that time came. Instead, I found a quote from Martin Luther King, Jr. that said in his words, pretty much what I was feeling. Am I glad, Bin Laden is no longer in the world to continue spewing vile, yes, but...

"I mourn the loss of thousands of precious lives, but I will not rejoice in the death of one, not even an enemy. Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness: only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate: only love can do that."-Martin Luther King, Jr

Shopping extravaganza

2011-05-03T12:34:00.001-07:00

In my younger years, shopping was a much anticipated event. Now, not so much...more of a chore. But I needed some new things so off I trooped to Kohls. Also, in the past, I was a bit of a snob when it came to shopping and back then would have never dreamed of shopping in a place like Kohls. But times have changed and so have I. Kohls carries several of the brands I like at a fraction of the price and I pretty much knew what I was shopping for. Power shopping at its finest.

I ended up with:

2 pairs of pants
5 pairs of capris
7 pairs of shorts, including 2 pairs of work out shorts
4 bras, including 2 sport bras
2 pairs of undies
6 pairs of socks
1 tshirt

All were on sale and I spent a little over $300 and got 20% off my entire purchase. Plus $50 in Kohls cash. Hard to beat that. I'm a happy shopper. Although afterwards, I took myself to the urgent care center but that's a blog for another day.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

A relaxing sunday afternoon

2011-04-27T12:04:00.001-07:00

Sitting in the backyard enjoying my Easter Sunday with my camera and some crocheting. I was able to take photos of Roscoe but none of Addie. Next time.

You will need to click on the one above to see the little yellow finch in the fountain. All of the dead ficus branches are now gone and hopefully they will grow back.

Isn't he a handsome boy?

-Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Necklaces

2011-04-24T09:15:00.001-07:00

Last week, my mom had a necklace sale at the independent living place she might move to someday. She asked the gift shop there if they would like to take some of her necklaces to sell and they said she could come in and sell them. She did great! She sold 23 of them which is amazing for such a limited venue.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

To you irresponsible dog owners

2011-04-22T21:09:00.001-07:00

I'm getting really tired of coming home from my dog walks with my nerves on end:

To you Mr. Yard Gardener:

Please don't try and make me feel less scared after your 150 lb Rottweiler comes running out of your garage into the street after my dogs by saying "he's friendly." There is nothing friendly about 150 lbs of pure muscle and big, white shiny teeth hurtling straight at you.

To you 12 year old boy:

If you are too weak to control your dog, maybe you should not be walking him. Or maybe the two of you should enroll in a dog obedience class so he doesn't drag your scrawny body down the road.

And finally, to you Ms. Oblivious Cell Phone User:

Two words of advice; get off the damn phone and put your dog on a damn leash. You were clueless that your dog was all over the street off the leash because you were too busy talking on the phone. The only thing that got your attention was me yelling at your dog to get away. Even then you continued with your conversation and left the dog to run in the street. Good way for the dog to get hit.

Nuff said. I am a dog lover but this past week has been a little beyond the pale with irresponsible dog owners.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad 2

Still messing with photos

2011-04-15T12:47:00.001-07:00

I need to take more time in the future but these are just for fun. Click on the photos to make them bigger.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Mommas got a brand new bag

2011-04-13T12:06:00.001-07:00

For the past two months, my sewing group has been making the Amy Butler weekender bag. And is it rough!

First, it took me 4.5-5 hours to cut out. Then it took two Saturday's to put it together. I had to finish it at home and after tearing out bad seams six times, enduring constant needle pricks, and then having my fingernail bent back all the way to the middle of the nail bed, I decided enough was enough and that it was good enough. Not pretty close up but I will get use out of it.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A bad walk

2011-04-12T12:44:00.001-07:00

A couple of Saturdays ago, I was getting the dogs ready for a walk. Addie was hooked up and Roscoe was messing around. The courtyard gate was open, but knowing my dogs, I did not expect anything to happen. Finally, getting Roscoe leashed, we were ready to go. But Addie was gone. Thinking she headed east, I went that way but she was not there. I looked to the west and saw her heading down the street already having crossed 15th ave., a fairly busy street. My stomach lurched and I grabbed Roscoe and ran as fast as I could go. We finally caught up with her and she was so happy to be walking and to have a rawhide in her mouth that I think she didn't even know we weren't along for the walk the entire time.

Anyway, with the adrenaline still flowing, we continued our walk. Only to be set upon by a loose schnauzer who was hell bent on attacking my dogs. Twice he attacked them and there was nothing I could do because I was holding both leashes. Finally, a bunch of neighbors came out upon hearing the ruckus and helped me. They checked out my dogs to see that they were alright and then went to the schnauzer owner's home to inform him of what happened.

Again, we continued our walk but I was pretty shaken up.

Once we got home, I broke down and cried a little. Later Tom saw Roscoe was bleeding some but otherwise we all were ok.

It was a rough day.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

My mother's passion

2011-04-11T12:15:00.001-07:00

My sewing group had a class in making crocheted necklaces which my mom attended. These aren't your granny's crocheted doilies either. Anyway, she has gone overboard with them and has now made 81. However, she had the cojones to ask the gift shop at the assisted living place where she may eventually live (she is 88) if she could sell them there. They have agreed and will let her sell them there next Monday. She is thrilled and excited and is working toward a total goal of 100 to take over.

Here is what she has so far, pretty, huh?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

I love Morgan Freeman

2011-04-08T08:06:00.000-07:00

100% Healthy

2011-04-07T12:45:00.001-07:00

My firm had a company come in to do fasting bloodwork for the employees who wanted it free of charge. A really great deal that I took advantage of. Pretty much, everything was perfect including blood pressure, cholesterol (both good and bad), triglycerides, BMI, etc. The only bad thing was that my GGT enzyme was over double what it should be. This means it is either a mistake or my liver is damaged. I'm seeing my doc in a couple weeks to get this straightened out.

A shot of the most recent quilt I have made. I use it at work when it's cold.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Heading back to normal

2011-04-05T12:24:00.001-07:00

Ok. Enough of this messing with photos. Here is a breath of fresh air from Greer. (Click on it to enlarge).

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Still messing around

2011-04-04T12:00:00.001-07:00

I haven't been 100% well for the past two weeks and have had 0 motivation to do much. Have not even been in my sewing room for two weeks! Just basically being a slug and doing as little as possible. But I have been having fun with my new iPad (as you should be able to tell by now). So, here is another photo creation.

-
And another.

Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

A weird space creature

2011-04-03T07:44:00.001-07:00

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Another test

2011-04-02T10:51:00.001-07:00

Using the color splash app. First it take out the colors and then I put in what color I want. See the difference?

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

Testing new app

2011-03-28T15:10:00.001-07:00

This video was taken with the ipad. I was just messing around and was not trying to make it a good video or an interesting video. Just testing out what the ipad video looks like.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPad

YouTube Video

Look ma, no hands

2011-03-27T09:35:00.000-07:00

This post is entirely written by speaking the words instead of writing them on my new IPad. Yea! I finally got it and yes there is an app for hands free speech.

I think this is one of the greatest inventions ever and think everyone should have one. More later. If anyone can tell me how to post pix from the iPad to blogger, I would appreciate it.

Glorious color and texture with some cray-cray thrown in for good measure

2011-03-17T08:17:00.000-07:00

My New Toy!!!

2011-03-11T10:03:00.000-08:00

I have been waiting a year for this and saving up my pennies. Finally bought it. Since I ordered it online at the Apple Store, it won't be coming until the week of March 20. But since I have waited this long, I can absolutely wait longer. This is definitely a "want" not a "need" but maybe at some point, it will turn into a need.

Crazy Stuff...and look at all these zippers

2011-03-10T07:09:00.001-08:00

Me at Work (except for the firing part)

2011-03-09T12:15:00.001-08:00

HOLY FREAKING COW!!!

2011-03-02T07:09:00.000-08:00

Who knew that Costco would be so cheap for glasses???? Tom has been telling me that I could get a pretty reasonably priced pair of glasses for awhile but I was thinking he probably meant like $50 less. But wow!!! I decided I needed a new pair of glasses since I have had my old pair for about 4 years or more and even though the prescription hasn't changed much, they are starting to cause some pain on my face and give me some eye strain. So, due to Tom's recommendation and due to Consumer Reports saying Costco was the best place for eyeglasses, I trotted over and was stunned to find out I could get two pairs for less than the price of the one pair I got at the other place. Cheap, cheap, cheap! Plus, for buying 2 I got an additional $25 off.

Of course, your choices are much more limited but having thousands to choose from just adds to the confusion. I'm pretty happy about this.

New Kindle cover

2011-02-27T08:35:00.000-08:00

Here is the cover I have made for my Kindle. Of course, since this was the first one, I now know what changes I would make to it in the future. Otherwise, I think it came out pretty nicely. It was almost all done on the embroidery machine which was pretty easy (just a lot of steps). I think the directions could have been better if there were more pictures to show you exactly how it should be sewn together after the embroidery is done. I struggled a bit with that part.

Pretty Stuff

2011-02-22T14:24:00.001-08:00

Random post

2011-02-20T07:11:00.001-08:00

A few weeks ago, Phoenix had several days of extremely cold weather. I mean highs in the 40's. Unfortunately, it looks like a lot of the vegetation suffered frost damage but hopefully, the plants are hardy enough and will come back this spring.

I went in the backyard and was shocked to see our fountain looking like this:

Those are icicles hanging there and the water in the bottom is frozen. The freeze did something to the fountain so when it warmed up, we had to empty out the water and also cleaned all the algae you see in the photos.

Also, a couple of weeks ago, the firm had bought a bunch of kindles for a client event and had 6 left so they offered them to us in a raffle at a cost of $100 (normally $139). I was one of the winners. It came gift wrapped so I had my mom give that to me for my birthday last week. Worked out well for all parties concerned.

Now the thing with the kindle is you can't load library books on it. I'm at the library all the time so the ability to do this would be great. But before I got the kindle, I saw there are tons of free books available on Amazon and on other websites so I'm hoping this will work perfectly for me. There are several books I have read before or have never read that I would like to read. So currently in my kindle library I have Little Women, The Secret Garden and The Wizard of Oz. All free and all downloaded wirelessly while sitting in my sewing room. It is a very easy thing to use. I'm impressed so far.

Tom made the best lasagna he has ever made in his life for my birthday. It was the best lasagna I have ever eaten before. Not sure what he did to it to make it so good but I hope he can duplicate it.

He had the 3 layer lemon cake made special by the wife of his coworker. It was scrumptious.

Tomorrow, we have the day off so we are going to see Body Worlds & the Brain at the Arizona Science Museum. Seen one of the versions before and I liked a lot. Tom, not so much.

127 hours - I can't stop thinking about this movie

2011-02-05T07:12:00.001-08:00

I probably would have said "that's all folks" on the first day. Don't know how he survived 5 days but it sure demonstrates man's will to live at all costs.

Highly recommend.

New creations

2011-01-30T14:02:00.000-08:00

Tom's niece had a baby girl a few weeks ago and I have been working on a baby quilt for awhile. I wanted something fresh, crisp and unbabylike in color so chose white and red. I also wanted to make very simple blocks and then at the end decided to make it just a little more complicated by embroidering some red work baby designs. I'm pleased with the outcome and hope the mom and baby will like it as much a I do.

Also, I have almost finished a patchwork embroidery quilt from Anita Goodesigns. Just need to add the binding and then I will hang it in my office. This was a lot of work and took a lot of time to do, but again, I am pleased with the final result.

I have been working like mad crocheting these new scarves. The purple/green/blue one is pom pom yarn as is the brown/beige white one. The yarn can be bought in Phoenix. But the two others are from yarn made in Turkey called Cocoon and I can only find these on the internet. They are so easy to make and a really different look.

Robert Plant & Band of Joy

2011-01-24T07:01:00.000-08:00

Tom bought this CD at Starbucks and I love every song on it. Take a listen.

Learning to crochet

2011-01-16T18:10:00.000-08:00

I have never crocheted in my life, but my friend Sylvia had a necklace that her friend, Ginny made her that I just loved (as did all the people who saw it). So, Ginny was roped into teaching a class to my sewing group. My necklaces were way too tight as far as the crochet stitches were concerned but it turns out, I kind of like that. Plus, it would be good to make tight and loose necklaces because there is a definite difference in the look of the two. Anyway, I have made four so far and I'm having a good time with it all.

So much so that now I want to try and duplicate a scarf I bought from etsy.com that came from Turkey. I found a video of how to do it (even though it was in Portugese) and I think I have sort of figured it out and I'm attempting it. The first pic is the purchased scarf and the second one is the beginnings of my scarf.

Smokin' Deals

2011-01-09T13:14:00.000-08:00

My cousin was in town this week and one of the places we like to go is the Brass Armadillo. She found a case containing a lot of silver jewelry and she bought about 10 or so rings and pendants. All .925 sterling which is almost 100% pure. They were priced to clear that's for sure. So I wandered over when she told me and bought a sterling and pearl (real) ring and went back and bought a bracelet. Anywhere else, I bet the bracelet would cost at least $100 and the ring would probably be between $75 and $100. I paid $17 for the bracelet and $7 for the ring. Talk about a deal. Smokin'!!!

Perfection continues to elude me

2011-01-02T11:58:00.000-08:00

I try so hard to get my embroidery and quilting as close to perfect as I can but it seems, I fall just short of the mark. This embroidered quilt block is going to be part of a quilt and the imperfections will eventually be lost in the maze of the entire quilt but still.... Why could I not line up the middle perfectly??? I'm not totally unhappy with the result and this block will not go into the rag heap. It does not offend me enough for that but I really thought this was going exceptionally well. Part of the problem is I can't get the template to print dark enough, even using only black ink, so my design is totally disappearing. But the grid lines of the template are still clear which should give me more help than I'm getting. Oh well. Practice, practice, practice.

Unlike this rose which is perfection.

Roosters and chickens

2011-01-02T07:03:00.000-08:00

Well, they're at it again...pecking away in someone's front yard. They have been around for the past several weeks and yesterday was a cacophony of crowing. I could see the one rooster chiming in but there were two others located off in the distance that contributed to the volume. Made me smile to hear all that.

It's cold here. I'm girding myself up to take the dogs on a walk. I have been waiting later for the sun to warm some but it hasn't warmed much.

Joyous Boxing Day

2010-12-26T08:47:00.000-08:00

Not that I celebrate Boxing Day but I missed posting on Christmas Day so chose the next best thing.

This year was a terrific holiday. My family gathered together for the Christmas exchange on Christmas Eve after attending Midnight Mass (at 5:00 in the eve.) My mom had baked spaghetti on hand for our dinner first. It was really nice but you won't see any pictures of the people because most of them don't want to appear in my blog so I honor their request.

Every Christmas has been celebrated at my parents house. They stopped putting up a tree ages ago so my mom will stack all the gifts on the bar and barstools. I once had a cocker spaniel named Mad Max who was like a little kid (with obsessive/compulsive behavior) because he would sit for hours just staring at the bar and the presents. He did this because he knew many of the gifts were for him and there was nothing better he liked to do than to rip into one gift and move on to the next. He also didn't stop at opening only his gifts...eventually, he would move on to Amber's (my other cocker spaniel) gifts. Poor Amber. But she could care less about the presents. Max would even stare for hours at the closet because he knew that was where my mom stored the gifts until they were wrapped.

I really miss Max but I especially miss him at Christmas. He was a hoot and the whole family loved to watch his antics.

This year, my mom got out all her Christmas dishes and set a mean table for Christmas dinner. She invites two of our friends over and so it makes quite a nice little group of people. One of these years, I guess I will have to take over but I'll need to learn to cook first. Can't invite people over if you don't cook.

Christmas in Arizona

2010-12-19T07:31:00.001-08:00

While everyone else in this country seems to be shoveling snow or dealing with cold weather in other forms, here is the view that greets us as we leave The Camelback Inn

GLORIOUS!

I CAN SEE!!

2010-12-18T18:18:00.000-08:00

I have worn glasses since probably about 7th grade and always for distance. In the not too distant past, I had to upgrade/downgrade to bifocals because now I can't see up close. So even while wearing contacts, I still have to have a pair of readers in order to see up close. Not so anymore! I just had a visit with my eye doctor and he thought I was a good candidate for multifocal contact lenses. They have the ability to be able to make you see far and near with either no use of readers for close up work or very limited use. It was an absolute miracle leaving his shop. I could read magazines, I could see the navigation and all the buttons and dials in my car clearly. I COULD SEE! The next day at work, I didn't need them to see the computer or read the tiny print on legal documents.

I have to go back and have them tweak them a bit. Even though close up is great, distance is now a little more fuzzy than I would like so I'm going to see what he can do.

Travels with Charlie

2010-12-12T06:54:00.000-08:00

Follow the exploits of my cyber friend, Tom. A few months ago he quit his job, packed up his truck and dog and the two of them are traveling the U.S. I say that takes some cojones. It's fun to visit his blog.

I want to take my dogs to the snow

2010-12-08T12:22:00.001-08:00

Funny commercial

2010-12-03T11:07:00.001-08:00

On the Streets Where I Live

2010-11-28T07:39:00.000-08:00

I realized the other day, that I have been walking dogs daily for more than 30 years. I made the decision one night to not walk the dogs and suddenly realized how long I had been doing it. It started with my family's springer spaniel and then continued with my two cockers and currently with my two springers. I felt kind of guilty but just said NO.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings we go a certain route and lately, I have been seeing roosters and hens in various yards. I don't know who they belong to but they are pecking away in the middle of PHOENIX, which was kind of funny to me. So, I took my camera along on the walk hoping I could get some photos. They were no where to be seen but I took these instead:

The roof of this house is made of dirt. There used to be grass growing as well but I guess it was hard to mow and there are no goats around to make it easier. I wonder if it leaks.

Right next door, was an old pink truck that I kind of liked. It was an old Ford:

In Phoenix, we have a water and power company called Salt River Project. Some people have irrigated yards where the water is provided by SRP through canals that were built hundreds or thousands of years ago by the Indians (I think the Hohokam). If you get irrigation, you are on a schedule when your water is to be delivered so you may have to get up at 3:00 in the a.m. to open or shut your "gates" for the water to come or go through your neighbor's yard. The fruit grown in these yards is much better than fruit grown in other yards, or so my friend who has irrigation tells me. Anyway, we live in desert and I was always amused/amazed by the intricate canal system we have here.

In Phoenix, we also have periodic bulk trash pickup which is a great way to get rid of big things or yard waste. You just pile it up on the sidewalk outside your house and during a designated period, sanitation will come and take it away. These people are way late because bulk trash has come and gone in this area:

Here are a couple of houses that I pass by. The shots of the first house show the really cool front yard they have. Lots of rockwork, a bridge and a little (fake) stream and decorated with some plant life. I really like this yard.

And then there is this house which was a pig sty for a long time and I guess it was foreclosed on. Anyway, they have been fixing it up and it's coming along nicely.

Another house I like is this one because the front columns are made of brick that is done up in a twisty pattern. Very, very different.

And here we are home again in front of my neighbor Doug's house. He is the hardest working man I know (or at least he appears to be). Here is his front entry decorated for Thanksgiving:

New projects

2010-11-14T14:55:00.000-08:00

I have been away from my blog for awhile...don't really know why. But I have been at my sewing machines and have produced some things I'm really happy with:

Here is a table runner I saw in a quilting & embroidery magazine. I have never done continuous borders so thought I would give that a try using the instructions in my magazine. It wasn't too hard at all; I just needed to make sure I had perfect markings. This table runner took 15 hoopings to do all the embroidery and I was able to use fabric from my stash and didn't have to buy one thing so I was really pleased about that.

Plus, it looks good with my crazy table decoration.

Then, I started sewing this Christmas dog wall hanging several months ago and this is what I was embroidering when the needle of my machine hit the embroidery hoop requiring service to the machine. But now it is all better and I was able to finish the embroidery. You can kind of tell from the picture that the dog is made up of 6 embroidered "tiles" each having about 30,000 stitches and several of the tiles had 20-30 thread changes. That is a LOT of thread. Anyway, it is not quite done but I was also pleased with this one. Again, all fabric came from my stash so I didn't have to buy any.

Wow!!!

2010-10-25T11:59:00.000-07:00

Ok. not ever having owned a luxury
car in my life, I guess I had no idea what it would be like. I'm kind of liking this new thing and I could get used to it.

Besides having the pleasure of driving a new car, the service provided by Lexus is unmatched (at least as far as I know):

1. Free car washes for the life of the car
2. Free 24 hour roadside assistance
3. If the car breaks down away from home, Lexus will set me up in a hotel and pay my per diem until the car is fixed
4. Free Lexus to drive if service requires more than 8 hours.

And none of this even has anything to do with the actual amenities of the car!!

I took my car in Saturday for its first car wash and the valet was dressed in white shirt, black pants, black vest and tie. [note: no grimy guy in overalls] He greets me and directs me to where I should pull up my car. Then, I enter the fancy schmancy service lobby and I'm greeted by the hostess who asks if I would like coffee, tea, soda, bagel, muffin, etc. [note: no water cooler that has no cups] I sit down in one of the luxurious chairs and find a brand new Wall Street Journal to read [note: no two year old magazines]. Twenty minutes later, my car is done and I'm ready to go.

Yup, like I said, I could get used to this kind of thing.

On a side note, I was in a criminal jury trial last week for several days but as it turned out I was the alternate so did not get to deliberate. I found out my fellow jurors convicted the defendant for armed robbery and kidnapping. I would have voted guilty as well.

Meanwhile, back at the ranch...

2010-10-03T07:33:00.000-07:00

More photos from our stay at the X Diamond Ranch

New Car!!

2010-09-30T08:15:00.001-07:00

After about a year of talking about a new car, Tom and I finally bought one. More on it later and more pics to follow (sorry about the quality of this one).