Where Has The Time Gone?

I have been very amiss at blogging lately, again.....time just slips by. I was going to make this spectacular American flag quilt and put it on Etsy waaaay before Fourth of July! And here it is, less than one week away. Oh well, patriotic spirit abounds all through the year in the American household anyway...so here is a picture of the progress!

View of Lake Tahoe

This is the view from Dobbins Hall, where we do our sewing. The tables are all set up when we get there and we even take our sewing chairs from home! Nothing lacking here! Oh, and chipmunks abound....they are so cute.

Here is what we see when we are in the dining hall. I had taken this picture of the pink hyacinth when we arrived....going in September usually, you would not have seen these! Spectacular!

Zephyr at Lake Tahoe Was Beautiful!

This is the building where we sleep. When we woke up, it was snowing...so beautiful!

Eleanor Peace Bailey Doll Revision

I had made this doll for a friend in 1989 using Eleanor Peace Bailey's pattern of a Victorian Lady. A while back, my friend asked me if I could spruce her up....hair was messy, clothes were faded, etc.

I decided to use her head (I fixed her hair and re-did her makeup) and her legs since those were the most time consuming parts of the doll.

New fabric and a while later,......wala! She was done...I took a picture also of before I re-attached her head...thought you would get a kick out of that.

Yesterday, my husband and I trecked to Sonoma to meet her for lunch and give her the doll. She had not seen it in two years....and we had not seen her in two years. Needless to say, she LOVED the doll.

BACK TO ZEPHYR!

Well I am off to Zephyr Cove at Lake Tahoe tomorrow morning! My friend and I are actually going to Reno first for a night and will hit all the great quilt shops on the way.....particularly love FABRIC CHICKS in Minden, Nevada! OMG.....this little shop is an industrial park is unbelievable. If you ever get to Minden, Nevada, you have got to stop there. One of the owners is the daughter in law of Eleanor Peace Bailey (I was making her dolls twenty years ago) and her name is Heather Bailey.....yes, the same one that designs the beautiful fabrics and patterns. Anyway, really looking forward to seeing all the spectacular fabrics there.

Our retreat is very special...I usually only go in September, but decided to go in May also this year. One week at the edge of Take Tahoe, gourmet meals, great company, relaxing walks, and being able to sew day and night with no laundry, meals, housework to worry about.

I will try and post some pictures for all to see. I'll be back!

I have been so busy, as usual so I haven't taken the time to sign on and blog! I was in a local show, which was fantastic! I have great supportive customers that cleaned me out of lots of items so now I need to get back to the creative process again. I have, however, not been too busy to take some photos of my garden! Spring has busted out here in California after all that rain. The roses are all in bloom and my oldest son constructed a grape arbor for my grapes....I thought I would share a few photos with you.....hope you have a Great Easter! I'll be back.

NEW CREATIONS

Here are a few things I have been working on for the upcoming show I will be in.....they were soooooo much fun, I think I will make more!

NEW CREATIONS

Shabby Chic Girly Quilt

I am working on a cute little quilt (girly, of course) that has the softest pastel fabrics all in a row. Between each row I have inserted lace (some vintage). Tomorrow I will quilt it and put it in my Etsy shop. Here is a little preview of the fabrics.

Silly little Lily

RAIN, RAIN, AND MORE RAIN

I have been very bad lately about blogging! I think it must be the rain. It feels like it has been raining non-stop for a month! I have been wanting to go into the garage where I had started my "Glitter Girl Studio" and fix it all up and take a picture to share but it is just too cold and damp out there. I promise I will do that, though, and put up pictures as soon as the weather clears. It is suppose to rain straight through now for one more week!

I found out how hard it is to take good pictures without the sun and good daylight. I always like to take pictures of my creations in the garden but have been totally unable to. Today I made a cute little (summer, of course) dress in size 4-5 for my Etsy shop. I invited my little neighbor friend, Lily, over to model it and she was acting pretty silly (must be from being cooped up so long). Anyway, here it is.

And here is my most favorite bag of all! Isn't it the epitomy of shabby chicness and femininity?

NEW CREATIONS

Here are a couple of new bags I made for my Etsy site. Every once in a while I revert to making bags to enable myself to finish something not so time consuming as a quilt.

Love that Victoria magazine!

I love Victoria magazine!  The stunning photos of table settings in the March/April edition were just stunning!  One, so pink and white, and green and LOVE the different green chairs!
The other one is a moss covered table amidst the forest....beautiful!

Altered Art/Paper Craft Studio

At the end of last summer I decided to set up a little studio in our garage, as I wanted to separate out my fabric and sewing supplies from the ever-growing supplies of my paper art creating.  I had started making crowns, memory boxes, paper dolls, and many other things and it was getting too confusing trying to store and mix everything in my small studio/sewing room.  I would have glue and glitter here and there, as I make a complete mess when crafting things.
Now that the weather is not too cold I am ready to go back into the garage and create in my once started studio.  So, tonight I made a fairly large studio sign to get me pumped up to clean and organize all my supplies.  There is a shop in Nevada City that I truly love called My Favorite Things.  Tina, the wonderful owner, has a little shop out back where you can purchase supplies and create to your heart's content.  She calls it her GLITTER GIRL STUDIO.  I loved that name, and since I am not setting up a commercial shop, I do not think she would mind me using her name for my little space!  Here is my sign but I will not show any pictures until my space is nice and neat.....then you will see it.

I don't know if you remember, but I told you I was planting a winter garden a few months back....well, here is what has transpired so far.  I have several broccoli and cauliflower/broccoli plants and they have actually started growing REAL veggies!  Don't they look nice?  I will probably have a real hard time harvesting them.....you know how hard it is to open a really pretty package?  Same thing.

MY VEGETABLES

GARDENING DELIGHT

What a perfect day to garden.....getting all those pesky leaves cleaned up, deadheading flowers, pruning here and there....and all of a sudden I NEEDED to go to the garden center....yes, I NEEDED to go.  I do not need much coaxing at all!  Found a few annuals to start me off

Happy New Year!

So here we are into the year 2011.  Boy, does that sound strange!  No rip roaring New Years parties here.....I went to bed at 9:30 and my husband stayed up late:  11:30.
Next important thing on my list is to work on my entries for our quilt show which takes place every February.  I am entering my chicken quilt because I feel someone might like it.  I took a lot of time running all over heck picking out my Kaffe Fassett fabric to make this wonderful Lightning quilt.  I had visions of granduer I guess because, once I made my templates, I discovered I REALLY did not want to make this quilt which included cutting a million paralleograms (sp?).  Therefore, I just chose a quilt I have been wanting to make for a long time and got on with it!  I actually finished the quilt top in just one day.....funny how fast things can go when you get your way and make what YOU want to make, instead of making something you think OTHERS would like to see.

So.....my new years resolution will be :  Make myself happy in all my creating
                                                                Don't make things to please others
                                                                Take time to smell the roses
                                                                 Enjoy family and friends and make THEM happy.....

Because......when you are happy, they are happy!    So....Happy New Year!
                                                               

BUSY, BUSY, CHRISTMAS TIME

I have been so busy making Christmas gifts that I almost forgot to blog!  I took time out this morning to post a few pictures I took of my husband's handiwork in the decorating field.  The pictures never look as good as in person.  Everything is painstakingly placed, every light perfect, every bow tweaked into the wee hours of the night.  We look forward to our family every year and they delight in the beautiful wonder of his decorating.  Everything from the pig in the rocking chair, the tree on the porch, and the dalmation with the neck bow is noticed.  Well, back to wrapping and baking!  Merry Christmas!

BLACK FRIDAY SALE!

I am having a Black Friday sale on my Etsy shop.  It starts immediately and will continue up until midnight Saturday, November 27th!  Everything you purchase will receive 10% off.  Now is the time to get that quilt you have had your eye on!  Ready, set, go.

WINTER GARDEN

Our weather has been so great lately that all of the flowers and plants are completely cooperating and doing what they should.....except the tomatoes....it is almost Thanksgiving and I am still picking tomatoes!  The chrysanthemums are spectacular and my little winter veggie garden has really taken off.  I hope to harvest broccoli, broccoli/caulifllower, and swiss chard before too long!

SPECTACULAR SKIES

As I looked out my sewing room window this morning I was blown away by the beautiful sky I was looking at.  The colors were too pretty to capture on my camera......pinks, blues, golds, yellows, purple.....  What a great sunrise!

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE SAN FRANCISCO GIANTS !!!

YAAAAYYYYY!!!!!  I AM SO HAPPY THE GIANTS WON!   THAT IS MY BIRTHPLACE....SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA!  I AM VERY PROUD OF THEM!