tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-19241635044895227222023-11-16T02:33:54.496-08:00Quilt, ScrapKimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-59954069252978953642010-07-19T10:50:00.001-07:002010-07-19T10:50:55.800-07:00Teach one, reach one<p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZKLBY2SzuZYzMaTX2ac_pvcLzQCChyphenhyphenP3CEBqjj2Gv2eO-MwX7ucHMgIo5r8En2z40K6mHnR21UTJ5dF1f4az3bAOpMO-4iIY3BWR85urvJcikM3CUWvMSieBs54-lcuDndvDx4mZo-7Co/s1600-h/Wiz%20of%20Oz%5B8%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; margin-left: 0px; border-top: 0px; margin-right: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Wiz of Oz" border="0" alt="Wiz of Oz" align="left" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHfMnE9I4vAO4m1KJh6ijG88m6eeYu6IDNoBCC0JYZSTKkZfa9cpj4TvPWap40IGGJh7dAs2sCPNP0mLIAo_oMVUVdzUEjqP4ClIRKCEA0Nd2CyYQJ-oPPifCFuVIL4l0cH9VsY5ix65Jo//?imgmax=800" width="244" height="168" /></a> A fellow quilter and guild member asked me the other day if I was contagious – passing on the quilting bug to all my friends. Well, it certainly seems that way. I am proud to introduce my friend Angela’s amazing Wizard of Oz quilt. She picked up the fabric from the internet and the local quilt shop and had questions about how to put it all together so that the different tones and colors would work well. We had lots of fun going through my extra fat quarters to find colors and prints that played well with the theme fabric.</p> <p>After that I said, Add pieces until the blocks are all the same size, very vague instructions, I know. But Angela’s an experienced seamstress and crafter and she knew just what I meant, took it and ran with it. The finished top is 66 x 90 and absolutely stunning. I don’t know yet who the lucky recipient will be.<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKTgLdNZRYwXq7UGiZlVQmOck9jLdlPCA7CTU-RM9C2jZEv9sRQBhcRluojRc4A8r0DjdmCsz9ah6YJ7WjGMLCpHomARJz-T-6iVPylYznXLDLgessTCDO7g21St4IbOIUzuh5-l2XcV5g/s1600-h/Wiz%20of%20Oz%202%5B3%5D.jpg"><img style="border-bottom: 0px; border-left: 0px; display: inline; border-top: 0px; border-right: 0px" title="Wiz of Oz 2" border="0" alt="Wiz of Oz 2" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghYQWGiFeUmDyCyEqEHf6tb5bLkGb529F_V88oWa-fC2bDKCuWxWWE2Y7pxKlCcZXzcGKssIlQ9W5vGMEPRJ4IsfhCdoIah0tTamphrm39iySJUiV7BzLlqBOc9Xg3FBVVZ7B8Qx3BHrut//?imgmax=800" width="390" height="379" /></a></p> Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-31633445162559917322010-05-15T12:27:00.000-07:002010-05-15T12:36:39.952-07:00Kaffe Fassett Quilt Along<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfA2bmSufZXtz3bY0Z-EfqrS9S-A6VC0D2LzLuIp6vDaV5grvbmrWZ1xWpBbQy3XaIa64AyLwd-OqJFH-iGvsBWNxWE16bZeK6xs-eKtLI-s4rYskxBJLXC95ACr4yCH08-X4iglh-l8dn/s1600/simple+shapes.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfA2bmSufZXtz3bY0Z-EfqrS9S-A6VC0D2LzLuIp6vDaV5grvbmrWZ1xWpBbQy3XaIa64AyLwd-OqJFH-iGvsBWNxWE16bZeK6xs-eKtLI-s4rYskxBJLXC95ACr4yCH08-X4iglh-l8dn/s400/simple+shapes.jpg" width="400" /></a></div><br />
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Do you like Kaffe Fassett's designs? Well, I adore them. Although I don't have all of his books, I have quite a few, including a coveted out-of-print Glorious Color, his home decor book, published before he become a quilt world icon. Kaffe wowed the quilting world with his bold use of color and pattern in ways we quilters hadn't even considered previously. Imagine hanging a patchwork piece without batting or backing in a window just so you could see the play of light through the seam allowances. Imagine putting bright, bold oversized prints all together in large diamonds or squares without sashing or borders. That's Kaffe Fassett and Liza Prior Lucy, his partner in quilting crime.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgef8iEh2ruRhefHqrVlEmip53jPDZtNA0lZb1PabP41SuHz3RjvmbAh7qTTxg4d_OonAulfsdneMffSYOacWTUXzx2lYZQem-zufd7kjpO7AjrlF-UHdRFddV_tKOUew_GsTztvUw_DufJ/s1600/mini+yoda.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgef8iEh2ruRhefHqrVlEmip53jPDZtNA0lZb1PabP41SuHz3RjvmbAh7qTTxg4d_OonAulfsdneMffSYOacWTUXzx2lYZQem-zufd7kjpO7AjrlF-UHdRFddV_tKOUew_GsTztvUw_DufJ/s200/mini+yoda.jpg" width="160" /></a>Back in March, the publisher <a href="http://www.melaniefalickbooks.com/news/2010/5/5/kaffe-fassetts-simple-shapes-spectacular-quilts-blog-tour.html">Melanie Falick Books</a>, in cooperation with numerous quilting blogs started a Quilt Along. Check out the link above. Besides having the contest rules and a free pattern, there are also links to numerous fascinating and fun quilting and craft blogs. Check out the crocheted mini-Yoda and Pac-Man at <a href="http://whipup.net/">http://whipup.net/</a> or see Darling Dolly Dresses at <a href="http://quiltersbuzz.com/">QuiltersBuzz.com</a>.<br />
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I haven't crocheted in a long, long time, but that mini Yoda is sooooo tempting. Who's with me?Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-72282916848310565722010-05-04T09:03:00.000-07:002010-05-04T09:03:14.769-07:00At Long Last Love<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufauhGkcwuyLHuWuXNq6Dh4dFIywULmhmrLsLfdJxE5SOlKjV7Ns7UBeaN9w3nc4rJTO23pr44tXrIhrMzlHZhvDmIkYf0B8ZmpSWSkZTVZw3OHulLmbz4dyIAPWCVy_TUWpMNk_ftrpY/s1600/paintbox+quilt.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiufauhGkcwuyLHuWuXNq6Dh4dFIywULmhmrLsLfdJxE5SOlKjV7Ns7UBeaN9w3nc4rJTO23pr44tXrIhrMzlHZhvDmIkYf0B8ZmpSWSkZTVZw3OHulLmbz4dyIAPWCVy_TUWpMNk_ftrpY/s320/paintbox+quilt.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>No, I'm not speaking of romance. I'm speaking of a quilt. My life has been so hectic between training my replacement, moving the office, traveling, and setting up my new computer room (purple, natch), that my quilting and blogging has taken a back seat. So today, when I actually had time to go through my backlog of email, I was so excited to find a link to <a href="http://www.ohfransson.com/oh_fransson/paintbox-quilt-along/">Oh, Fransson!'s Paintbox Quilt</a><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5cAC3JMS5KkEtuVmnDnzTR0Ute43HjMmpU8yZOEuQbU4t6EH_T16PHUx4T8h15kx8aDSgdVtClxbnhkTXD9LrWoPTI-51i6JSfjqxqLZOvgahNo7GJWr3HPIuQPRFYN60kGjn3Rr4J-q9/s1600/img_27311.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5cAC3JMS5KkEtuVmnDnzTR0Ute43HjMmpU8yZOEuQbU4t6EH_T16PHUx4T8h15kx8aDSgdVtClxbnhkTXD9LrWoPTI-51i6JSfjqxqLZOvgahNo7GJWr3HPIuQPRFYN60kGjn3Rr4J-q9/s200/img_27311.jpg" width="200" /></a></div>I just love this quilt and I think you will too. Elizabeth of Oh, Fransson! made hers from bright, happy colors, but you could make it from any colors you like. You also don't have to make the squares exactly the same way. Here's <a href="http://perrymoffitt.com/2010/04/30/paintbox-quilt-start-the-timer/">Perry Moffitt's</a> squares, before she has a chance to even them up. They are much more random as you can see, but just as lovely. It will be awhile before she can set them in a quilt as she has a new baby to occupy her arms for a while.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxusNVS_sey38S5RJ3gUk2o7-odk_Iemly-NX12B2AxWJgC3CwCbOo5ezkGC7qS0NReWd4Dq_64e3FNiuhY82VOFXk9nGXCfncAs-LJhffXc7lC3uUX18uAwcIS2EoSkfUErF_3-DUQ0rD/s1600/4572015951_31234f6b5c.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxusNVS_sey38S5RJ3gUk2o7-odk_Iemly-NX12B2AxWJgC3CwCbOo5ezkGC7qS0NReWd4Dq_64e3FNiuhY82VOFXk9nGXCfncAs-LJhffXc7lC3uUX18uAwcIS2EoSkfUErF_3-DUQ0rD/s400/4572015951_31234f6b5c.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>You can look on the <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/24237389@N05/4572015951/in/pool-paintboxquiltalong">Flickr photo pool</a> for over 630 different Paintbox quilts for inspiration. If you're like me, you're already in love and salivating to start a new quilt. Damn the UFOs, full speed ahead!Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-90287981246978495242010-03-07T06:39:00.000-08:002010-03-07T06:39:26.209-08:00Crazy Quilt Party Time<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaqwSetC4616rN1UjbgjOUbwTIIdCti6ocYYfCiebpUuZ_-X7fWHRP-OZu5cD0cW7-NqzOq1TbcBs3Pe5WRCQHHgw5j6uLliSoPOgYCcITWwHHBNzPOTpZVQLvqp7oUbYDRGg6HSytjqx/s1600-h/crazy_quilt_party.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmaqwSetC4616rN1UjbgjOUbwTIIdCti6ocYYfCiebpUuZ_-X7fWHRP-OZu5cD0cW7-NqzOq1TbcBs3Pe5WRCQHHgw5j6uLliSoPOgYCcITWwHHBNzPOTpZVQLvqp7oUbYDRGg6HSytjqx/s320/crazy_quilt_party.jpg" /></a></div>I will soon be able to fulfill a dream and become a full-time writer/quilter/artist. DH has decided that having the business office in our home has been a detriment to our marriage, a sentiment to which I fully agree. In the next few months, I will be consolidating, organizing, combining and simplifying the way the bookkeeping is run to be able to either pass it to a new employee at a new location, or to a private bookkeeping service. The day that the office is out of here will be a big happy-dance day. <span style="color: purple; font-size: xx-small;">(Photo titled "Crazy Quilt Party")</span>Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-8447412489045806822010-02-22T13:35:00.000-08:002010-02-22T13:36:59.290-08:00Rouenneries<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4f7BwRROLCB19yofMC1RDKBKDtfp2vZCe73Mhs5Hh3PaiFwbOxOlSHCwoVCxmkcDeytXIu3OxeL0gsB1DtnQ46mY2jbJ_wDAbrkCxbiyomqea0EpeGpE6VEBzw-vML6dDjHFfjGQ2KkA/s1600-h/z.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX4f7BwRROLCB19yofMC1RDKBKDtfp2vZCe73Mhs5Hh3PaiFwbOxOlSHCwoVCxmkcDeytXIu3OxeL0gsB1DtnQ46mY2jbJ_wDAbrkCxbiyomqea0EpeGpE6VEBzw-vML6dDjHFfjGQ2KkA/s320/z.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Some months ago, while on the <a href="http://www.hancocks-paducah.com/">Hancock's of Paducah</a> website, I was looking at their pages of fabrics-to-come. There was an example of a quilt, a very basic quilt, pieced from squares and strips from a line of fabric called Rouenneries, designed by <a href="https://www.frenchgeneral.com/">French General</a>, a Soho dry-goods shop specializing in things Francais and printed and distributed by <a href="http://www.unitednotions.com/un_main.nsf/main?openpage">Moda</a>.<br />
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Normally, I am a bright, clear color fabric sort of gal. These muted, antique tones don't really do anything for me. But I was drawn to the quilt and drawn to the fabric. And I don't know why. I had seen other French General items and books, but they did not appeal to my personal sense of design - why this one? Imagine my surprise to read that this line of fabric has been one of the fastest selling lines ever produced by Moda.<br />
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The kit to make this quilt was going to sell for around $90.00. Well, I certainly wasn't going to spend that much on someone else's idea of a quilt. I would just put my own kit together and make it myself. So, I started collecting fabric, ordering online, shopping locally and going through my stash. About half of what I purchased online didn't suit; the fabrics were either too blue or too pink, too gray or too yellow. I finally collected enough to start the quilt. Believe me, I had spent well over $90.00 by this time.<br />
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I gauged the pattern by looking at the finished measurements, 80x80. I then calculated where they would have been likely to use 2 1/2" strips, 5" squares or 5" strips. From there I started cutting, then working row by row using my version of Rouenneries. In the middle of cutting, I took a trip to a quilt show in Fort Lauderdale. I had the fantastic luck to find a charm square pack and 5" strip pack of the Rouennerie fabrics for 25% off at a vendors booth. I brought them home to add in to my quilt.<br />
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I am almost done piecing the rows and started piecing row 1 to row 2 last night. I'm planning on making it larger than the specified 80x80 so that it will fit on my king-size bed. Then I will dream sweet dreams of <a href="http://www.leonardfrank.com/Worldheritage/Rouen.html">Rouen, France</a> under my Rouenneries.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-91768605975062878622010-02-19T11:48:00.001-08:002010-02-19T11:48:10.356-08:00Little House keyholder<div style="float: right; margin-left: 10px; margin-bottom: 10px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/corneliar/4348093735/" title="photo sharing"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2779/4348093735_97ac344ee8_m.jpg" alt="" style="border: solid 2px #000000;" /></a><br /><span style="font-size: 0.9em; margin-top: 0px;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/corneliar/4348093735/">keyhanger</a><br />Originally uploaded by <a href="http://www.flickr.com/people/corneliar/">dutch blue</a></span></div>I just love this little keyholder from Corry's blog at Dutch Blue. I'd want to make it with a wrist strap or some way to attach it to a purse. Check out Dutch Blue's blog at http://dutch-blue.blogspot.com/. She is so creative!<br clear="all" />Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-65905562716050922462010-02-17T06:35:00.000-08:002010-02-17T07:06:34.825-08:00Collection Addiction<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QzOi1EouaoxL9Bujk7HYD6OpWpPuju1GgbW3F1sY358-LyXQ9OxVW0mjxDoN199IUnHBIwm1iRyVg-G8FhsdOH3L_Hv0oZBg6Q9seD1Va22tfbViKakQBvrqjGICHBKCRl7zI8j4ZCm8/s1600-h/quilt_fabric.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2QzOi1EouaoxL9Bujk7HYD6OpWpPuju1GgbW3F1sY358-LyXQ9OxVW0mjxDoN199IUnHBIwm1iRyVg-G8FhsdOH3L_Hv0oZBg6Q9seD1Va22tfbViKakQBvrqjGICHBKCRl7zI8j4ZCm8/s200/quilt_fabric.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439222203903075794" border="0" /></a><br />After a frenzy of catching up on work, attending meetings, hosting gatherings and cleaning up, I took an hour last night to go upstairs and start cleaning my sewing room. The piles had gotten so bad that I had to take giant steps over them to get to my sewing machine, and the surface of my cutting table was no longer visible. My cleaning method is to put things neatly into boxes and bins to get them out of the way, and then go back through the boxes after I have cleared space for the contents.<br /><br />I started folding and placing my recent fabric and notion purchases in a large box. The stack just kept growing and growing. I again have <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfJRr05B2bglzCjHYPX_f1yMzUuVOlUIyZMOvqUCsQ5pdbLPl3c1sLF3O4rlImXv24wBtdAMEWd5l5vmiUSigQijILtmyCTXvZfWzkLojsTN0wU4xnEraLuV-9gcA2HeDZmc3eqYjXlYE/s1600-h/the-domestic-diva-fabric-collection_lg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 174px; height: 131px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUfJRr05B2bglzCjHYPX_f1yMzUuVOlUIyZMOvqUCsQ5pdbLPl3c1sLF3O4rlImXv24wBtdAMEWd5l5vmiUSigQijILtmyCTXvZfWzkLojsTN0wU4xnEraLuV-9gcA2HeDZmc3eqYjXlYE/s200/the-domestic-diva-fabric-collection_lg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439226015933452514" border="0" /></a>more fabric than I have a place to put it. My husband had pointed out to me, upon arrival of yet another carton of fabric by UPS yesterday, that I had told him I would stop buying 'stuff'. I immediately became defensive and made an excuse about having ordered sometime back and I lied about the contents of the box.<br /><br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsF_qHo84QppfJofJ3151oU_ff4F9Yr3ITOVtuInrK363G5lsWJBE_yeG-yTfSX9k1UUnECqUS7nQO0s069EJxzooFEVfVLlNF4uKe_RFXslP_Cf7wjExQYr1QSZE3NdbUHdW0qIPL8vvn/s1600-h/zzzz.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 174px; height: 118px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsF_qHo84QppfJofJ3151oU_ff4F9Yr3ITOVtuInrK363G5lsWJBE_yeG-yTfSX9k1UUnECqUS7nQO0s069EJxzooFEVfVLlNF4uKe_RFXslP_Cf7wjExQYr1QSZE3NdbUHdW0qIPL8vvn/s200/zzzz.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439226850388192434" border="0" /></a>Gentle reader, I have fallen back into my Collection Addiction. Look at this quote from eHow.com: "A person will become irritable or defensive when a family member or friend wants to discuss a perceived addictive behavior." I've descended into full-blown addictive behavior.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnTTFOGUVwL_h8dpkDXBGb1_Ux4t-OGiujXd1GL2CW6oCoVQLLn1Iyu8Xrqu0n6R66_ti1TcM0gMuzPTH_gEy1-s2zidhaDES5e7BOd-VW8x0CPCCWwiw-BTx0qBFzz0Pc2wsx-W19Yl9/s1600-h/zzzzz.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 114px; height: 145px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOnTTFOGUVwL_h8dpkDXBGb1_Ux4t-OGiujXd1GL2CW6oCoVQLLn1Iyu8Xrqu0n6R66_ti1TcM0gMuzPTH_gEy1-s2zidhaDES5e7BOd-VW8x0CPCCWwiw-BTx0qBFzz0Pc2wsx-W19Yl9/s200/zzzzz.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5439227326086489810" border="0" /></a><br />Those fellow addicts will recognize one of the hallmark symptoms of addiction behavior: "shame for what they're doing and fear of the addiction being taken from them can force people to hide their addiction from friends and family." I'm coming clean on the record. My name is Kim and I'm addicted to collecting fabric.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-87442278758942552822010-01-29T07:18:00.000-08:002010-01-30T22:20:04.583-08:00Melody Crust - Fiber Artist: Easy Blocks for Sharing<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_QVJxJgJMpW_TVpqyuVfDMJNqBDgpEZr7n_3m-TRALoI4M-chyphenhyphenT01lbItz2h9VYKB8Cq67G-kvIBjfL1ytRk3LGHrzIEa3FIRI9NjN_KwrcSmyPas3cIHjVIZHQshBd9rUMoI2fKKy_A/s1600-h/zzzz.JPG"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgp_QVJxJgJMpW_TVpqyuVfDMJNqBDgpEZr7n_3m-TRALoI4M-chyphenhyphenT01lbItz2h9VYKB8Cq67G-kvIBjfL1ytRk3LGHrzIEa3FIRI9NjN_KwrcSmyPas3cIHjVIZHQshBd9rUMoI2fKKy_A/s200/zzzz.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5432784860083449602" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="http://melodycrust.blogspot.com/2010/01/easy-blocks-for-sharing.html">Melody Crust - Fiber Artist: Easy Blocks for Sharing</a><br />What a super cool thing to do with 9-patches. I can see it for making quick and interesting quilts from all my charm squares.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-46602702872032563662010-01-28T11:03:00.000-08:002010-01-28T11:19:05.979-08:00100% Quilty<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXi22ZGE6Y7njiH0aessXZ9_ophSt6h0qs1SrBFW38DkDeeC9fsM3sIaK79oFgOfkik2uARYst4Uu3irBoGtNsZ3rHxlfLcbEGuUJKjitcgMZUE7oM3rfNfrhJg71aZyZq_6tWF2W9n3pK/s1600-h/2009+At+Home+047.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 240px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXi22ZGE6Y7njiH0aessXZ9_ophSt6h0qs1SrBFW38DkDeeC9fsM3sIaK79oFgOfkik2uARYst4Uu3irBoGtNsZ3rHxlfLcbEGuUJKjitcgMZUE7oM3rfNfrhJg71aZyZq_6tWF2W9n3pK/s320/2009+At+Home+047.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5431868532976141762" border="0" /></a><br />The above picture looks kind of <span style="font-style: italic;">quilty</span>, doesn't it? It's the top layer of my ornament box after putting away my Christmas ornaments. I've used only purple ornaments for some years now. The purples shade from blue-violet to violet-red. This year I decided to widen the spectrum a little bit and add red, which you see represented in the top right corner with a red glitter ball. And, no, I'm not a member of the Red Hat Society.<br /><br />Speaking of <span style="font-style: italic;">quilty</span>, one of the things I love about making quilts and being a member of a quilt guild is how very supportive the world of quiltmaking is. I started thinking on this topic after having lunch today with my husband. We were listening to a political news story and arguing about the validity of the acts discussed. While not at polar opposites politically, we disagree about certain things. I was adamant in telling him that he was wrong and I was right. I am 100%, positively, absolutely sure of my rightness. As is he.<br /><br />But in the world of quiltmaking, we all agree that there is no 100%, positively, absolutely right way to make a quilt. You can have a perfect quarter-inch seam or your <span style="font-style: italic;">personal</span> quarter inch. You can hand-quilt, machine-quilt, tie, tack, button or fuse your quilts. You can use cotton, wool, polyester, bamboo, or silk batting, or no batting at all. You can sew twigs between two layers of plastic wrap and call it an art quilt if you so desire. And you are not wrong.<br /><br />The world of quilting, at least in my guild, is all-encompassing, accepting and forgiving. We love your very first yarn-tied one-patch quilt and we love the blue-ribbon, award-winning, 3000 hours of hand stitching, whole-cloth quilt. We applaud your choice of muddy browns and grays and taupes and we cheer your rainbow in-your-face colors, too. We are just happy that you, too, decided to join us on our quilting venture. It's so good to have you.<br /><br />Happy quilting, everybody.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-47908439517569650572010-01-08T08:06:00.001-08:002010-01-08T09:35:34.160-08:00All Kitted Out<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GVw9chZ1XrMOX25exBZ5cAAWjAIOmmUVgKCRrycZrhb8_l_YA9nsfOQRa8h3z5KjYdF4ELlpCJRuhYCe2rfokxe-F-7GYZhjm31NBQogO_OHho0h2-6M6dNnXw9oVztkN9-f6S0NNQJC/s1600-h/zzz.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 179px; height: 208px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4GVw9chZ1XrMOX25exBZ5cAAWjAIOmmUVgKCRrycZrhb8_l_YA9nsfOQRa8h3z5KjYdF4ELlpCJRuhYCe2rfokxe-F-7GYZhjm31NBQogO_OHho0h2-6M6dNnXw9oVztkN9-f6S0NNQJC/s320/zzz.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424401158444138674" border="0" /></a><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lae7X05phnFJ_pjv7HlvDXpWq0_nfb98Xc6srA90jXoEThw9wmswmQbYIQeGONZVogQ_MY9_NQj9bsN1oH52JHgI4i01IFtjByCTAGTWI4bpLrTrR-23zaSxdXwRc77rE_onPHDm9tgj/s1600-h/zzzz.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 201px; height: 201px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3lae7X05phnFJ_pjv7HlvDXpWq0_nfb98Xc6srA90jXoEThw9wmswmQbYIQeGONZVogQ_MY9_NQj9bsN1oH52JHgI4i01IFtjByCTAGTWI4bpLrTrR-23zaSxdXwRc77rE_onPHDm9tgj/s320/zzzz.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5424401239785621522" border="0" /></a><br />I received the Winter 2010 Connecting Threads catalog in the mail yesterday. Browsing through the catalog and promising myself that I'm 'just looking', I'm struck by how popular complete quilt kits seem to be. When, and if, I buy a quilt kit that includes both pattern and the matching fabrics to complete the top, it's solely because I can't get those fabrics any other way. To me, understanding the mind of the quilter who enjoys putting together quilt kits is comparable to understanding the mind of the male species.<br /><br />Don't misunderstand me - I love kit quilts. Just look at the two gorgeous kit quilts shown above (the left one is from Connecting Threads, the one on the right from EverythingQuilts.com) . My mom sent my sister a quilt for Christmas - one that was made by my great aunt Ida Belle Combs - and it is a rather well known iris applique pattern that was sold in kits during the 30s and 40s. I've put together lots of Block of the Month kits while I was teaching quilting, but somehow those blocks never actually made it into a quilt - no surprise there.<br /><br />So what do I personally have against kitted quilts? I think it goes back a knee jerk, rebellious reaction to years of being a 'good girl' and doing what I was told, seeking everyone's approval. I'm not exactly tearing it up out here with my head-banging, hard-rockin' ways, but I certainly do resist being told what to do, and that includes in my quilting.<br /><br />For example, for a Christmas gift exchange with my mini-group friends, I decided to use <a href="http://www.marthastewart.com/article/homegrown-tomato-pincushions">Martha Stewart's pattern</a> for 'homegrown' tomato pincushions. I glanced through the pattern instructions, then ignored them and went my own way. I ignored the fact that you needed to cut the fabric on the bias, that you first needed to sew a tube before hand-stitching the bottom closed, and ignored the suggestion to use cotton batting. Luckily I had only cut out 1 of the 12 I had planned to make.<br /><br />Back to the beginning - re-cut the fabric (on the bias), stitch one side only, turn, baste, stuff and close. The 'test' model I ended up keeping. I had stuffed it full of polyester fleece scraps and it's so hard you can barely poke a pin in it. Who knew polyester fleece was such tough stuff?<br /><br />So my hard-headed mulishness got me one rock hard pincushion as a souvenir. Then my quick learning resulted in eleven lovely cushy 'homegrown' tomatoes to share with my friends. Would I ever make a kit quilt by following the instructions to the letter? Well, it's not likely. Would I appreciate it if someone made me a quilt from a kit? Oh, you betcha.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-53762722397689633952009-12-14T10:17:00.000-08:002009-12-14T11:05:19.019-08:00The Queen is Dead, Long Live the Queen!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vlTX3LVpEhgOZJyfkk3zUGrQboQ11NGA2ePRn2KZplTdsH9BCm_5NjICh_AaCyscFrGHGUR-o4qQIcTWJ5fGANIZqwHfZ9XD3SbWne0helE2Bs90qeF0KY43LtbNjx9IPYZRTjxxEpPB/s1600-h/zqueen.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 200px; height: 198px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6vlTX3LVpEhgOZJyfkk3zUGrQboQ11NGA2ePRn2KZplTdsH9BCm_5NjICh_AaCyscFrGHGUR-o4qQIcTWJ5fGANIZqwHfZ9XD3SbWne0helE2Bs90qeF0KY43LtbNjx9IPYZRTjxxEpPB/s200/zqueen.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5415159278709038034" border="0" /></a><br />I finished a quilt! <span style="font-style: italic;">I</span> finished a quilt! So what, you say? Well, it's been <span style="font-style: italic;">years</span> since I actually completed a quilt project that wasn't small enough to hide in my purse. I had called myself Queen of the UFOs (Un-Finished Objects) but I now will have to relinquish the crown. Maybe now I'll call myself Queen of Everything (acknowledgment to Mary Engelbreit here.<br /><br />When my mom offered to ship gifts to my sister and nephew if I had them ready by today, I thought about going shopping. However, I was inspired by my friend and neighbor who is making all of her Christmas gifts and getting them <span style="font-style: italic;">all</span> finished prior to having surgery on the 17th. She inspires me often. So I dived into the crate of UFOs and came up with a sofa-sized one-block quilt top I made as sample for a class I taught years ago. It still needed borders, quilting and binding, but I was sure I could knock that out in a few hours.<br /><br />Oh, how the proud are humbled. I managed to make the quilting more complicated than necessary by doing in-the-ditch quilting, 1/4 inch outline quilting and decorative stitching. Then, trying a time saving tip using white glue to baste together binding, I unintentionally used 'fusible' glue, making permanently fused stiff seams in my binding. I can promise you they'll never un-sew! I ended up spending about 12 hours total finishing this quilt.<br /><br />On the plus side, I was lucky to have enough fabric for the borders in my unsold fat-quarter stash. And I got creative in my binding fabrics by using 2 1/2" wide strips from my recently cut strip stash. Rather than sew on a label on the back, I inked a Christmas greeting with a Micron .03 pen right on the front of the quilt. It's barely noticeable within the 1/4 inch outline quilting.<br /><br />I'm so happy to have this project finished. It lays flat (mostly) and came out square (relatively) without my trying to hard. And the fleece fabric quilts beautifully, showing the quilting on the back in relief.<br /><br />While searching for an image to use for Queen of UFOs, I encountered a lovely blog from a quilter from the Netherlands who makes the extra special effort to write in English. Brava for her! Take a look at her wonderful projects at <a href="http://dutch-blue.blogspot.com/">Dutch Blue</a>.<br /><br />P.S. I promise to post a picture soon. I'm waiting for the sunlight to move across the living room floor so that I can take a picture without a bright spot in the middle.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-27792301264972001332009-12-04T08:36:00.001-08:002009-12-04T09:13:14.542-08:00Attention, please!<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPGxbggk_RJLQjIB58wu1vPr8oWmJQtTdL615L3ofdshxliGFnWcp0z5klvO9Pk2N2aqqDAXhKHWiyH8L9ZN4YRK-zR3V2QMB0Rx5MmqJC6HDQhugxzNu_9MyUR9j6mFpaQz6Tzy9l3er/s1600-h/scrap+bin.jpg"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 200px; height: 150px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaPGxbggk_RJLQjIB58wu1vPr8oWmJQtTdL615L3ofdshxliGFnWcp0z5klvO9Pk2N2aqqDAXhKHWiyH8L9ZN4YRK-zR3V2QMB0Rx5MmqJC6HDQhugxzNu_9MyUR9j6mFpaQz6Tzy9l3er/s200/scrap+bin.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5411420943458572194" /></a><br />May I have your attention for an important annoucement! (drumroll please)...........<br />My scrap bin is <span style="font-weight:bold;">EMPTY!</span><br /><br />The cleaning-out process was inspired by my quilt buddy Cat and her daughter Beth who had come over to peruse the bin for scrap quilts they were making. Watching them have such fun going through the goodies reminded me of how much fun it was to collect all those scraps. So I decided to start going through them myself and breaking them down into workable parts.<br /><br />I cut 10" and 9" squares out first for big block quilts. After that, I cut one each of a 5" and/or 6" square for my charm square collections. Then, from longer pieces, I cut strips 2 1/2" wide (jelly rolls) down to 1" wide. Narrower strips and selvages got thrown into a ziploc bag. All others scraps were set aside to die cut into 4" and 2" squares or equilateral triangles.<br /><br />As I dug through the box, it was great fun to remember where the fabrics came from. "Ah, here's Cheo's Spiderman shorts." "These are left from the first block-of-the-month class that I taught with my friend Patti at Hancocks." "These are from the bag of scraps that I won at our guild's Chinese Auction." "Here's the leftovers from Laurel's Crazy Strip class." "Here's a big chunk from that pink, blue & purple Western shirt I bought for Pedro that he wouldn't wear." and "These are all from the Dollar Bag Day at the thrift shop."<br /><br />One of the greatest pleasures of a scrap quilt or a charm quilt are just these; touching the fabrics and recalling the special memories that go along with each piece. It may be nothing more than, "Oh, this was a great deal at the quilt shop." or "I bought this on that Road Trip to Tampa." These are good memories to be sure; to me the even more special are "This hot pink print is from the dress I was wearing the first time I felt my baby Cheo move inside me" and "This Looney Tunes print is from the shorts and vest outfit Cheo wore on his first day of first grade."<br /><br />Now my 32 gallon scrap box is empty, waiting to be filled with fresh new fabric or UFOs or orphaned blocks - who knows. I've enjoyed the pleasure of all the memories passing under my ruler and rotary cutter as they transformed into the building blocks of new projects. I look forward to the new memories yet to be formed.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-5265441829186772672009-11-20T09:16:00.000-08:002009-11-20T09:25:20.969-08:00Waxing Philosophical<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhWjQyY-JfS8IbF7ZMupU7kbx3UP5yvarI_PBfGs5B-AQCzsDnhsXvmsfIti7rJsSG6u7rQk0RSPRozugYcqpaa7BbGmsOep-uVgnn1wAnL6VgclVU6REphyphenhypheniBdqvWIpjlXuxta50CHSL/s1600/toilet20paper3.gif"><img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 311px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWhWjQyY-JfS8IbF7ZMupU7kbx3UP5yvarI_PBfGs5B-AQCzsDnhsXvmsfIti7rJsSG6u7rQk0RSPRozugYcqpaa7BbGmsOep-uVgnn1wAnL6VgclVU6REphyphenhypheniBdqvWIpjlXuxta50CHSL/s320/toilet20paper3.gif" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5406236022656672402" /></a><br />I had a TP emergency in the bathroom today. I'm one of those people who likes to have something to read while I'm in the bathroom and I was reading a book from the series "Conversations with God". This particular passage touched on the ideas of being One with God and the nature of how that appears in daily life. It also touched on the quote, "Ask and you shall receive." I set the book down and reached for the TP and there just wasn't enough there for my needs. I frantically looked back over my shoulder to see if an extra roll was on the tank and saw nothing. Since I was alone in the house, no one was going to come to my rescue.<br />The thought popped into my head, "Well, if I had total faith, a roll of toilet paper would just appear." A very facetious thought, that. I looked back over my shoulder one more time, and there it was - a new roll of toilet paper!<br />Now I'm assuming that the roll of toilet paper was there the whole time and, in my panic, I just didn't look back far enough to see it. But even so, aren't the smallest of miracles sometimes the most marvelous.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-68692684579474739952009-11-07T13:35:00.000-08:002009-11-07T13:51:59.520-08:00The Excitement of TravelToday is our third day in New York City. Day one was a travel day, which is inevitably tiring, but we still managed to pull off a hike around central Manhattan, seeing Radio City Music Hall, the big retailers on Fifth Avenue including Macy's and Bloomie's, and St. Patrick's Cathedral. Yesterday we saw the Yankee's victory parade from Battery Park, shopped a little, went to Staten Island on the ferry and managed to get stuck there due to a riot at the ferry terminal on the Manhattan side. Eventually back to Manhattan, on to Ground Zero, then subway and bus to Greenwich Village for my birthday dinner at Veselka, an Ukrainian restaurant that's been there for 44 years. After that we rode the bus around Greenwich Village and the East Village, hopped off to change buses and ended up back on the subway for the trip back to Queens.<br /><br />So, are you worn out yet? I am. Today we stayed in Queens (today two of the places I wanted to go to in Manhattan are closed for the Jewish sabbath). We went to Jamaica Center, a shopping area much like a glorified flea market, with lots of cheap shoes, clothing and jewelry, mostly faux in some way, but we found a few bargains. No place to eat, though, except McDonald's and Subway, and we have vowed to stay away from chain restaurants during this trip. So, back to Queens Boulevard and a tiny little hole-in-the-wall Chinese restaurant for General Tso's and Garlic chicken. Mm-mmm.<br /><br />I love this neighborhood. It's called Briarwood, and is a combination of small businesses, attached multi-family homes, skinny little single family homes and apartments. The streets are tree lined and quiet. It hardly seems like New York. Of course, our hotel is on the main thoroughfare and not <i>as</i> quiet, but a great deal for us.<br /><br />We got back to our room and, sadly, it was not made up, so I tucked down here to the business center to blog while our bed gets made and towels changed out. I am worn out and its only 4:45 p.m. My dogs are barkin' as my dad would say.<br /><br />Here's a secret - don't tell Pedro! A few days ago, a cute little dachsund puppy was born with Minnie Mouse ears in black on her back, and brown spots on white. She just happens to be designated for me in 8 weeks. A little spotted long-haired doxie!<br /><br />Almost out of time, $2.00 for 20 minutes, so I'd better hit PUBLISH and get this posted.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-69419714033807052202009-11-02T09:15:00.000-08:002009-11-02T09:28:18.478-08:00Happy Today<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TMRZSpS9UYX5-hk_YqmyS3Vm-B6cWz3R7ZAbAWrhENLJSdsr8CMC3zL5-aOJ7exNL67ksTI9Qq8Czc0NhlOYfbMNwA82ps0l0lpWtdLLEGwFcHrdkfUVpW8Hjqw8B0Fpewv1gjo-7_i_/s1600-h/Happy_Girl_on_a_Beach.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 240px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_TMRZSpS9UYX5-hk_YqmyS3Vm-B6cWz3R7ZAbAWrhENLJSdsr8CMC3zL5-aOJ7exNL67ksTI9Qq8Czc0NhlOYfbMNwA82ps0l0lpWtdLLEGwFcHrdkfUVpW8Hjqw8B0Fpewv1gjo-7_i_/s320/Happy_Girl_on_a_Beach.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5399559375346034418" /></a><br />Today I've made a decision to be happy. Let's face it, I am addicted to anxiety. Worrying about my son at college, my backlog of work, the never-ending household chores, my relationships with family, friends and acquaintances keeps me on the treadmill of anxiety. Just for right now, I'm stepping off the treadmill and declaring, "I'm happy."<br /><br />I have a cushy job. Let's face it, how many people get to set their own hours, roll out of bed, and stroll into their office (in my jammies, if I want). So, maybe it's not my dream job. But it's valuable work.<br /><br />I have a husband that still adores me after 20 years. Not every minute or even every day, but often enough, he looks at me with caring and desire. How lucky am I!<br /><br />I have two amazing sons. My oldest is on a wonderful journey of self-discovery, is polite, handsome, smart and kind. My youngest shares his days with me and fills my world with his thoughts and ideas, bringing a unique perspective from his Asperger's mind.<br /><br />I have a beautiful home with space and color and filled with the things that I love, and then some. I am very blessed to have plenty and enough again to share.<br /><br />One of my very favorite things to do, play with color and texture, is fulfilled by my collection of fabrics. My younger son noticed me cutting scraps into strips and squares the other day and commented, "That makes you fell peaceful, doesn't it." You're darn right!<br /><br />So, just for a few minutes, let me stop grinding my teeth and clenching my jaw, squinching my shoulders and forgetting to breathe. Right this minute, I am happy.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-90882690307138060442009-08-23T08:39:00.000-07:002009-08-23T08:47:44.429-07:00Who Do You Know?<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEHxaEw5tuaAUDOr68-2TJxcDAP8rjgf0aGraNMDMNp4bXckKXz3mo3Qu7JFXF8sC-fokH8TwGO37l2_D6XO7TJIQTDXOjt2fZ1RjwB6i-g14p0DP4p-H8vFhMWzLKHQ0hK9w56y7QvNE/s1600-h/longing.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 249px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjaEHxaEw5tuaAUDOr68-2TJxcDAP8rjgf0aGraNMDMNp4bXckKXz3mo3Qu7JFXF8sC-fokH8TwGO37l2_D6XO7TJIQTDXOjt2fZ1RjwB6i-g14p0DP4p-H8vFhMWzLKHQ0hK9w56y7QvNE/s320/longing.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5373185013772551762" border="0" /><span style="font-size:78%;"><span style="font-style: italic;">(Image Copyright Sharon Lam)</span></span></a><br />When do we ever tell “the whole truth” to any one person? Bits of our past, our hopes and dreams, are scattered about, confided piecemeal to our friends, co-workers, therapists, even strangers. When can we ever truly say, “I really know him.”?<br /><br />Last night, sharing our mutual feelings of longing for our son, I discovered something new, something big, about the time my husband came to the U.S. His original plan was to accompany his sister across the border, see her off on her journey to Florida, and then go back home. 23 years later, he’s still here.<br /><br />How could I have missed this? How did this tiny little detail that is so absolutely crucial to our life and present circumstances never have come up in conversation before?<br /><br />Isn’t Cheo’s present longing for a best friend actually a longing for someone to know him, to share his hopes with, to see the whole of him, and not just that face he presents to the casual world? I absolutely understand that longing.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-84539595146788410292009-04-13T08:39:00.000-07:002009-04-13T08:56:19.263-07:00PBS is a Major Distraction<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecKdX9ONstqi2BvKMh5EKSLsqvirh8VN4pyreF3L7NGbLlWZw_E93fDkWwouPXSJEWWwyjvjS8HxAZLzrYn41wj-lhG4brRxVQH9nmPRcSshGevV2KbwmvI8utdehMUHscHFhBYIubABt/s1600-h/PBS.png"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 124px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiecKdX9ONstqi2BvKMh5EKSLsqvirh8VN4pyreF3L7NGbLlWZw_E93fDkWwouPXSJEWWwyjvjS8HxAZLzrYn41wj-lhG4brRxVQH9nmPRcSshGevV2KbwmvI8utdehMUHscHFhBYIubABt/s400/PBS.png" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5324205381434463938" border="0" /></a><br />No, not Public Broadcasting System, but <a href="http://www.paperbackswap.com/index.php">PaperBack Swap</a>. I signed up for this free service a little over a month ago and its been more than a little distracting. It works like this: you go through your bookshelf, pull out books you want to get rid of, you post them on you PBS Bookshelf, other members request them from you, and you send them off and receive 1 trading point for each completed transaction.<br /><br />Initially I thought this would be a quick and easy way to get rid of my excess of paperback books. The thought of trading books I'd read for those that I want was just too tempting. But then, after an initial surge of requests for my newly posted books, I stopped getting requests. So, after a little trial and error, I discovered that I could purchase points and get the books I wanted that way. Hey, wait a minute! Wasn't I supposed to be <span style="font-weight: bold;">getting rid</span> of books?<br /><br />Here's what I've learned - For the cost of shipping one paperback book from my bookshelf, $2.02, I get a fresh copy of a (much desired) book that would have cost me $7.00 or more from Books-A-Million or Amazon. That's a good deal. And I can purchase a point for $3.45, which is still half the cost of buying new. However, if I shop garage sales or library book sales, I can purchase more commonly available books for as little as 25 cents each. So, I save my points for those books which are hard to find used (like those of favorite authors <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.charlaineharris.com">Charlaine Harris</a> or <a href="http://www.blogger.com/www.hipiers.com">Piers Anthony</a>) and that I plan to keep. Otherwise, I request books from the library.<br /><br />In the meantime, I still have a box of books in my office. Anyone interested in a trade?Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-17079319113246618902009-04-10T12:19:00.000-07:002010-02-17T21:55:38.791-08:00Seesaw Wheat OofIt's a wonderful feeling when something you've been patiently, albeit sporadically trying to learn, starts to show results. It could be anything from learning to drive a standard transmission car (which I've been teaching my oldest) to a new quilting technique to studying a foreign language.<br /><br />For a few years now, I've been teaching myself French with the help of books, videos and some coaching from my son, who's studied three years of French. Periodically, I visit websites that have mini French lessons, and I practice my pronunciation. French is very similar to English in that the pronunciation has little or nothing to do with what is written.<br /><br />I was following a link to the Paris newspaper, Le Figaro's, website with an <a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9a5NQ-Yk-KwjcGzHpYC1TqM2LOkQk6E-vO-dg9RjFYXGr_9N11idlcoBTE4W6SIR88kZ26P4j_YDeJHev13rJNHkr1R_lte5Rk0ppe0BmQTdbhby20E3a4ySfbNSQ2tJKLYw__D-gb6m/s1600-h/Flan.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 150px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs9a5NQ-Yk-KwjcGzHpYC1TqM2LOkQk6E-vO-dg9RjFYXGr_9N11idlcoBTE4W6SIR88kZ26P4j_YDeJHev13rJNHkr1R_lte5Rk0ppe0BmQTdbhby20E3a4ySfbNSQ2tJKLYw__D-gb6m/s200/Flan.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5323147812365759810" border="0" /></a>article (in French) about a contest judging the best flan of Paris. There is also a short video showing the judging process, so I watched and listened to see what I could pick up. I picked out "texture" "cream" "color" "golden" "bakery" and "food store". Then I heard this phrase "Seesaw Wheat Oof". I knew I recognized those sounds. What could it be? I kept repeating it to myself. Sees - that's <span style="font-style: italic;">six</span>. Wheat aka <span style="font-style: italic;">huit</span> - that's eight. And Oof is <span style="font-style: italic;">ouef</span> - egg. <span style="font-style: italic;">Six a huit ouefs</span>! Six to eight eggs! I have a lightbulb going off over my head moment and it feels awesome!Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-49325829189427512332009-04-06T14:34:00.000-07:002009-04-06T14:56:52.492-07:00Water, water everywhere<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoCgyETfjYUxsLNJFESYzaycGhSafzlbyOsKkWopC0iBUx9aMdn88kF26LBO2IM-uttvOJulS_sGOcYrzz8HPTK-cwThbILJp73YqOKcOv3IjpkuW88WnJuqH1I4eOsAoqvXl0BcJVVT6/s1600-h/vittel-lrg.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 74px; height: 200px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaoCgyETfjYUxsLNJFESYzaycGhSafzlbyOsKkWopC0iBUx9aMdn88kF26LBO2IM-uttvOJulS_sGOcYrzz8HPTK-cwThbILJp73YqOKcOv3IjpkuW88WnJuqH1I4eOsAoqvXl0BcJVVT6/s200/vittel-lrg.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5321694972457194194" border="0" /></a>When I was in France, I drank a lot of water. Coming from the humidity of Florida's climate, the naturally drier climate of France in September had us sucking on bottled water pretty much all day long. Like everything in France, the water was expensive. Whenever we sat down to eat in a restaurant, we would order the complementary "carafe d'eau" - a pitcher of cold water, to save the $4.00 bottled water charge.<br /><br />One day in Lyons, I got separated from our group after I made an extended stop at the post office. Since I was on my own for the next six hours, I decided to make the best of it and stopped to have lunch at the outdoor seating area of a cafe on the central square. I was able to order the special, a pork chop with cauliflower gratin, without any problem and I asked for the pitcher of "d'eau" (pronounced DOH). The waitress looked at me quizzically and asked me "a pitcher of what?" "D'eau", I replied, "D'eau, d'eau, d'eau." Which made me feel like a <a href="http://www.rpi.edu/%7Emarkhn/sounds/32dohs.wav"><span style="font-weight: bold;">Doh </span>(Homer Simpson style.)</a><br /><br />I ended up ordering lemonade.<br /><br />And to this day, I still don't know what I was saying so incorrectly that the waitress couldn't understand me. C'est la vie.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-6544539703330106242009-03-05T14:04:00.001-08:002009-03-05T14:25:27.899-08:00Camellia weather<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJChWW0voXysr2vckMwnyPldeUfk4O3nh4nMJKO5rf5uoNwzxJ-zjvySL94FBLUJXYyI5lVK8goeIDAaJfsnAfv76DuCgwzwPMtf6AjOKPrE5TufNmEYg9UJUlh6qRBiHqdbZsM-tGDhj/s1600-h/Camellia.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 300px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpJChWW0voXysr2vckMwnyPldeUfk4O3nh4nMJKO5rf5uoNwzxJ-zjvySL94FBLUJXYyI5lVK8goeIDAaJfsnAfv76DuCgwzwPMtf6AjOKPrE5TufNmEYg9UJUlh6qRBiHqdbZsM-tGDhj/s400/Camellia.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5309828062838542274" border="0" /></a>It's definitely not a usual plant for our hot and wet summers, but we have managed to keep a few camellia plants thriving in our heavily shaded side yard for three years now. Here at the cusp of spring, the gorgeous rose-like blossoms are a welcome sight in comparison to our heavily front-burnt bottle palms and Christmas palm. This is the first year in about seven that we've had such low, sustained temperatures and, like many homeowners and landscapers, we had become complacent about the risk of a freeze. We all cavalierly planted palms and tender perennials better suited for zone 10 and sometimes even zone 11.<br /><br />So, we now have burnt Hawaiian Ti, Crotons, Ixora and palms. On the "making lemonade" side, my "employer" has been getting calls from homeowners that need the dead plants torn out and replaced with hardier varieties. Would they like to try camellias, do you think?Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-45819038410982835942009-02-05T11:04:00.001-08:002009-02-05T11:36:13.669-08:00World Nutella Day<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpd3xO6eqNdBrqmiajYtG1m8hUrsNvkAB5TL_oq1rViNyv4Ln289XZdMw6J1U8eJLvGI7Qw_k8sOtWESxgM1yyiRFl1DT-5Q1apW22lXbfxfBJcXtAKo4wCbI1CqKNqxh-6_l5QfwHxAy/s1600-h/nutella.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 169px; height: 119px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPpd3xO6eqNdBrqmiajYtG1m8hUrsNvkAB5TL_oq1rViNyv4Ln289XZdMw6J1U8eJLvGI7Qw_k8sOtWESxgM1yyiRFl1DT-5Q1apW22lXbfxfBJcXtAKo4wCbI1CqKNqxh-6_l5QfwHxAy/s200/nutella.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299391291140873826" border="0" /></a>How fascinating for a snack food to have it's own day - who declared this anyway?<br /><br />It doesn't really matter because Nutella really does deserve it's own day. After all, it's hard not to love the wonderfully chocolaty, creamy, hazelnutty stuff. Thumbs up to the Italians who combine hazelnuts and chocolate in wonderful ways.<br /><br />I was well into adulthood when I discovered Nutella. I'd always considered it price prohibitive - more than $4.00 for stuff that gets thrown in with the peanut butter selection at the grocery store? How good could it be, anyway. When it was on sale one day at Publix, I decided to give it a whirl. Boy was I in for a treat.<br /><br />As soon as I realized how delicious it was straight out of the jar, I went on a journey to find what surface it was best spread upon. For me, Nutella on toast or baguette just didn't cut it. I tried it on various cookies and crackers and fruit and decided upon my favorite - cheap little butter cookies. These are flower shaped, hole-in-the-middle cookies you find at bakery thrift stores and drug stores, never in the grocery store, and they usually sell for about $1.00 a pack. Sometimes they are studied with bits of chocolate in an imitation of chocolate chip cookies. Try it and you'll see what I mean. My second choice is Bimbo Pan Tostado, but that's a little bit more difficult to find outside of a Mexican specialty shop. I suppose Rusk Toasts might be close. Pan Tostado has a slightly sweet taste that plain old toast doesn't have and I think that's why it combines so well with Nutella.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVrlI5mZKkDNHnvxP225_b0kRlmDQPITGW1TBc5Fb7wpXYhTyKZaDqfVqtKSvrSkOQ5ZWUJOoUzNXCAL8LQK-3UaJYGgKPAxMnPaWtPJmk5VfI-WtFPTpIdVxyndz4Yrt_V4ifOauad6W/s1600-h/sacre_coeur.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 166px; height: 204px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidVrlI5mZKkDNHnvxP225_b0kRlmDQPITGW1TBc5Fb7wpXYhTyKZaDqfVqtKSvrSkOQ5ZWUJOoUzNXCAL8LQK-3UaJYGgKPAxMnPaWtPJmk5VfI-WtFPTpIdVxyndz4Yrt_V4ifOauad6W/s200/sacre_coeur.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5299396616741939346" border="0" /></a><br /><br />My favorite Nutella memory - It was our last day in Paris and I had taken the Metro by myself to Montmartre, home of the Moulin Rouge, many African immigrants and the fabric stores of Paris. I was shopping my little heart out and filling my shopping bags to the brim when it finally occurred to me that I was starving. The cafes were all full to the brim with tourists and locals taking in the view, along with their coffee, of Sacre Couer on the hill above. A corner takeout window was selling warm crepes filled with a choice of toppings, from plain butter to strawberry preserves to (you guessed it) Nutella. I tucked my crepe into my purse and found a somewhat secluded door step behind a rack of fabric and there I dined, basking in the afterglow of fabric shopping, Paris on a September afternoon and two weeks of French bliss.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-78160926603093184962009-02-02T07:33:00.000-08:002009-02-02T09:02:39.760-08:00Autumn Leaves in January<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMb-0FHA92SYIudFWCKn41gmwQ_-jCO6MLB4xMCh3H03-ledCnCb_DwGFmSSAjQY0j9DHiI94YyopNXZvRXAQC2Y1k1L5H9m7TJXWkQyXZXJky8eO_T5O6cZnOUdrOdONhl4ys_toJHWb1/s1600-h/autumn_leaves.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 252px; height: 189px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMb-0FHA92SYIudFWCKn41gmwQ_-jCO6MLB4xMCh3H03-ledCnCb_DwGFmSSAjQY0j9DHiI94YyopNXZvRXAQC2Y1k1L5H9m7TJXWkQyXZXJky8eO_T5O6cZnOUdrOdONhl4ys_toJHWb1/s320/autumn_leaves.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5298223869512153314" border="0" /></a>I was driving down State Road 528 last Thursday on my way to the airport. This particular 4-lane toll road has many maple trees along its corridor. That day, they were blazing in their fall color glory. In the middle of winter.<br /><br />The Florida Maple trees had previously misinterpreted the long warm weeks of December and early January and decided that spring had arrived, so they set on fresh green leaves. One night last week, we had our first "freeze" in several years here in central Florida with temperatures dipping below 32F and staying there for a few hours. The maples were forced into a second "fall".<br /><br />The beauty of a maple tree in full fall color is a true treat, especially in ever-green Florida. As I cruised along the highway, the maples were lined up like runway models showing off their fall fashions. And in one particularly spectacular stand of trees, a younger slimmer maple had managed to hold on to its spring leaves and provided a spectacular contrast of chartreuse green to the fiery reds and oranges. Add to that a trio of fat wild turkeys foraging in the underbrush and I was provided a moment of temporal displacement, reliving colder northern climes.<br /><br />Well, no, not really, but isn't that prettily poetic. And yes, there was a trio of turkeys. And, with a particularly strong gust of crosswind, a scattering of red leaves whooshed over my windshield, providing the perfect fall moment. In January.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-71245016350150557652009-01-20T14:42:00.000-08:002009-02-02T09:04:19.305-08:00Octopi?!?I'm a sucker for a bargain. There is no arguing the fact that I'll buy stuff that's a "good deal" that I wouldn't normally purchase. So when my neighbor mentioned that Oriental Trading had some great deals on clearance scrapbooking supplies and they were offering free shipping on orders over $60, I figured I was good for half of that.<br />The order arrived last week and I was enjoying myself, unpacking the plastic bags everything comes in and finding tidy homes for each item. Then I came across these felt stickers.<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtduBXDJB-qHeFdEhgK0sSU0Iv9SpVC_Xwwh99tu4prgkJ8xrjgNjeLI2KfcGnQAstJnuW3lMBsxyk5AFfJ5YHgtSJt28CAU315kH43Xbz7u8ryJtqCKN6s_BRDS_XGWbIDmxQos7Co-8/s1600-h/zzz.jpg"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtduBXDJB-qHeFdEhgK0sSU0Iv9SpVC_Xwwh99tu4prgkJ8xrjgNjeLI2KfcGnQAstJnuW3lMBsxyk5AFfJ5YHgtSJt28CAU315kH43Xbz7u8ryJtqCKN6s_BRDS_XGWbIDmxQos7Co-8/s320/zzz.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5293510414388092450" border="0" /></a><br /><br />It's obvious that the green stickers are holly leaves and the red stickers<span style="font-style: italic;"> may be</span> peppermint candies, but what in the heck are those brown things. They look like upside down octopi! After a few minutes of puzzling at them and trying to figure out what an octopus has to do with Christmas, the visual puzzle cleared itself and I could see it - they are REINDEER HEADS with curly swirly antlers. Okay.<br /><br />So, I decided I needed to use these up right away before I forgot what they were. I laid them out in sections along the border of a 12x12 beige cardstock to form a frame. These little buggers were #@%& to get off the backing, tending to curl back on themselves. With a small tweezers and large patience, I did it. It took a good long while, let me tell you, and I didn't even use up the whole roll of border (and I still have another roll).<br /><br />My younger son, coming it to visit, looked over my shoulder at the finished page and said, "Mom, why did you put <span style="font-weight: bold;">octopus</span> on that page?"Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-50285626344734254312009-01-09T13:54:00.000-08:002009-01-09T14:29:11.797-08:00Ants at a Picnic<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-LDVOIrHquNyIB-ahgZHmNLff4q2mXZi1yXM5i9A19O4THmTBjkPowp8200kWY3OlsvKuiCyYpB8jo1F0KTBWuLvONLFjc4-93KAefEcd-tfmq2-k5QGghoR5nyMTdlRRRQSoAoqM1y4/s1600-h/_zzzz.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 10px 10px 0pt; float: left; cursor: pointer; width: 320px; height: 245px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEic-LDVOIrHquNyIB-ahgZHmNLff4q2mXZi1yXM5i9A19O4THmTBjkPowp8200kWY3OlsvKuiCyYpB8jo1F0KTBWuLvONLFjc4-93KAefEcd-tfmq2-k5QGghoR5nyMTdlRRRQSoAoqM1y4/s320/_zzzz.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289416703914010562" border="0" /></a><br />This card started out with just the dusty rose-colored card, a 9x9 piece. I cut it down to 8.5 x 5.5, as if it were half of a letter-sized piece. That way it will fit into my purchased envelopes. Then I dug through the pile of embellishments on my table (remember the "Oversized Stickers). I found these checked tablecloth border stickers and I immediately thought "picnic". Of course what's a picnic without ants? I just happen to have an ant paper punch (imagine that!), so I grabbed some black card and punched out an odd number of ants. For some reason, an odd number of items always looks better on a page than an even number.<br /><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSM8WXjfEOhMt6tkQ2kgQp_khIhjW3QYEv75gJRWcze5QRK5_qa-VHx-1QwbA_dKVfgYa1-84iBZyH38MfVeE8PpX10JNuufyaB2IkQ68fHfRIspUv7moz-YZsalYsMDcpZGwcK6NV_eBi/s1600-h/_zzzz+%282%29.JPG"><img style="margin: 0pt 0pt 10px 10px; float: right; cursor: pointer; width: 133px; height: 320px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSM8WXjfEOhMt6tkQ2kgQp_khIhjW3QYEv75gJRWcze5QRK5_qa-VHx-1QwbA_dKVfgYa1-84iBZyH38MfVeE8PpX10JNuufyaB2IkQ68fHfRIspUv7moz-YZsalYsMDcpZGwcK6NV_eBi/s320/_zzzz+%282%29.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5289416778764036530" border="0" /></a><br />Then I picked a funky alpha stamp from Close to my Heart and stamped and matted. I used their Barn Red ink, which came out a little browner than I expected, but it matches really well now that it's dried all the way. I've noticed with some Close to my Heart inks that, although they appear dry soon after stamping, the color seems to change slightly over time. Also, if you apply paper glaze or glitter glaze on the fresh ink, it lifts up a yellowish tinge into the glaze. So it's best to let the ink dry longer before glazing.<br /><br />I was challenged when it came to picking a saying for the inside. I didn't want to be specific to the picnic theme, and I search for quotes involving ants, but didn't find anything appropriate. "It's not a picnic without ants" is cute, but no. And this quote from The Family Guy - "You're an ant in the picnic of life" - definitely not. So I settled with "Don't let anything spoil your day".<br /><br />When I made the tag, I followed them theme and used a piece of barn red ribbon for the tassle, securing it with a snap attached with the <a href="http://www.save-on-crafts.com/cropadile.html">Crop-A-Dile</a> setter. It is an awesome tool. I could never have punched holes in ribbon without it, not even with a leather punch.Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1924163504489522722.post-53209628258418853022009-01-07T09:47:00.000-08:002009-01-07T09:56:39.295-08:00<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cQbKiC7XMDWxXe8w0OE5xOIg2G54RivfNaIRXfstcUzmtOeVOvMO_R6AYwi1W_BYiU06m2f2sMqyUALYwyFqblOq1W_v-mI_8NTRph08Tv5Npu9HPi0zJ6d9x42kIo_WBLetOwcg49jC/s1600-h/_z20001.JPG"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 311px; height: 244px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6cQbKiC7XMDWxXe8w0OE5xOIg2G54RivfNaIRXfstcUzmtOeVOvMO_R6AYwi1W_BYiU06m2f2sMqyUALYwyFqblOq1W_v-mI_8NTRph08Tv5Npu9HPi0zJ6d9x42kIo_WBLetOwcg49jC/s400/_z20001.JPG" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288610049428437506" border="0" /></a><br />Here are the tags to go along with the cards - I'm please with how they came out. Turns out I only have one stamp set that says To: From: so they all got that same stamp. It saves time setting individual letter stamps.<br /><br />I got an email today from <a href="http://www.hancocks-paducah.com/">Hancock's of Paducah</a>, one of my favorite internet shopping sites, and oh they are tempting me. 20% off an entire purchase of $50 or more. Lord, please help me be strong! I just got a big package from them on Christmas Eve.<br /><br />I've been on a hunt to help a customer identify a plant in her yard damaged by falling branches. It turns out to be the coolest thing - Indian Head Ginger. If we end up supplying her plants for her, I'd like to get a few myself for our shady side yard. Take a look:<a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSaGdqmwnYduQVZhEf383IS7b-MJZwLeQijfs5MN8KOWNucrJL173e1vINlhRXfCXfYzMxzYqxVJXHLfXaQLo9GzEiewpbp1JeqmT_UEiigs2hY64X-afP_hMTow7MbldntIEV0N91z-2Y/s1600-h/GingerIndianHeadGingerCostusscab-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; display: block; text-align: center; cursor: pointer; width: 257px; height: 257px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSaGdqmwnYduQVZhEf383IS7b-MJZwLeQijfs5MN8KOWNucrJL173e1vINlhRXfCXfYzMxzYqxVJXHLfXaQLo9GzEiewpbp1JeqmT_UEiigs2hY64X-afP_hMTow7MbldntIEV0N91z-2Y/s400/GingerIndianHeadGingerCostusscab-3.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5288611923578242562" border="0" /></a>Kimberlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16359707422288071717noreply@blogger.com0