Quilting with Joy

I took on a unique quilting project last year when I won a contest on  Barbara's blog, Cat Patches.   The moment that I entered the contest I had the thought "if I win I'll share the prize with the blogger that told me about the contest."  So when I won a stack of fabric, I contacted Denise at Count It All Joy and told her she had also won.  I sent her half the fabric and she picked out a pattern for us to use.  I had plans for this little project to be finished by March 2012 so that I would have a 'ready made' post for you.

Life got busy, almost to the point of overwhelming, and my sewing machine made two unexpected trips to the repair shop.  I made it through all this and I am proud to announce that I have (at last) finished my block.  That's right, we were making just a simple block...  Here's the pattern by Adrianne at Little Bluebell with its own little story.  The original was a little pillow.  What did Denise make?  Here it is (along with her adventure in making this little gem). 

What did Joy do?  I promise I started off thinking 'little pillow' - something to give a friend who likes to read in bed so she could prop up her book.  But as I played with the fabric something else came to mind, as you can see in this post from July.  If I bought just a couple of yards of fabric I could make a blanket.  Off I went in search of more of the MODA 'little apples' fabric.  (This was the year I learned that fabric lines can come and go quickly.)  All I could find was a few fat quarters of the printed white, a few more of the gray fabrics, and less than three yards of the green. 

This "Mommie Blanket" is for Allison, a new friend of mine.  She recently had her second baby - two under three.  I figure if anyone could use a blankie it would be this sweet (and brave!) young woman.



My 'little pillow.'

Here is it, almost the end of the year, and I have finally finished this little quilt. Many thanks to Denise, Barbara, and Adrianne. 

Cute Fabric - Love the Squirrels!

I learned a few more things working on this little project. Like "share your joy" and "there's no job that can't be put off" and, my favorite, "be nice to strangers - that's how we make friends."

Happy New Year !

             Joy

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Paint and Tea

Who washes the walls and cleans the base boards on those wonderful fix up the house shows?  Who goes to the hardware store to purchase more paint when they realize they need just a bit more to finish?  When will they show up at my door? 

I know it looks bad but until a few days ago it didn't have all those different colors and it was only a storage room.

Remodeling, decorating or just painting a room is work. I try to look at it as a fun project but the part I like best is the job completed. The shows I love to watch always show the before and a little of the work going on and then the BIG REVEAL. My big reveal is days, maybe weeks, away. 

I was up early this weekend because cooler weather was promised and I wanted to work in the garage so I can finish my sewing room and actually do some sewing.  Last week it was so very hot I didn't go outside except to water the plants and feed the birds.  I stayed inside and started sorting through my stuff deciding what to put in the "new" room.  Almost everything is ready to transition to the new sewing room/studio, now I've got to paint so this can happen. 

My sewing room (I may not be a studio person) has served as this house's storage room for the past 45 years.  I am painting in a room that got one quick spray of builders' white in 1966 and hasn't been touched since.  We swept the place up in 2005 and then started storing things in there, but now I have a new use for the space.  The former owner collected tools and motors, those things were gone when we bought the house, but we were left with plenty of smudges around the door and on the walls.  He also used nails to hang things and part of my morning was spent taking down large (3 inch) nails and patching holes. 

At some point I started to worry if I paint this room white it will look the same as it does now.  I searched for a 'happy' yellow color and then thought, "This room isn't white, just paint it white."

I had to sand the walls - I've never had to sand walls before - they felt gritty.  I put on a mask and started working.  I took a break and went out to breathe for a few minutes, then went back in and swept the floor, took another break, and then quickly washed the walls and left them to dry. 

I was trying to decide what color to go with, looking through all the little paint chips, when I noticed a white near the yellows called "Magnolia White." That's right. I bought a gallon of paint because I liked the name of it. 

Walls sanded, washed, and taped up - ready to paint.

Monday morning it was cooler than it had been in months - I put down newspapers and started painting. It's been a long time since I painted a ceiling.   The walls and ceiling are the same color. I have a semi-gloss white to do the trim and I'm planning on getting a new door.

It was about here I wanted to quit.  I didn't, I just wanted to.

I'm painting in sections. I'll work at organizing this area and then move to another area in the room.   

Notice I got a new switch plate, the other one didn't cover the hole that was cut in the sheet rock.  I always thought the old switch plate looked like it was holding on for dear life.  Now I've just got to wipe down the trim and give it two coats of paint.

This evening my plan is to get my husband to help me put the bookcases in here.  I hope they fit, I don't have much wiggle room - 90 1/2" of bookcases in a 91 1/2" space.  

During my breaks I had iced tea, I've had that a lot this summer, but I've been enjoying a new flavor the last few weeks.


Recipe:

3 bags decaf tea 
1 bag of Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice tea
Boiling water

I sometimes have a cup mid-morning and the leftovers (I make extra on purpose) I drink iced during the afternoon. I know, you thought I was all about the booze or caffeine, nope. This summer I found this new tea "Bengal Spice" - well, the favor is new to me and after months of hot, hot temperatures and gallons of iced tea, I just wanted to try something a little different.  The flavor reminds me a bit of Chai, it's caffeine free, just spicy enough to jazz up my tea - iced or hot.  If you try it, let me know what you think.  I'll help - the first comment that requests a box of tea I'll send you a box of Celestial Seasonings Bengal Spice Tea.

cJoy

Addicted to House Porn

House Porn - (noun) - Any picture(s) in a book, magazine or (especially) in a 30 minute television program that makes remodeling or redecorating a house look simple, quick, and easy.  Especially dangerous when it looks inexpensive. 

I should warn you now that if you google the words "House Porn" you will not see this definition.  Trust me on this one. 

I heard the expression or read it somewhere, I just don't remember where.  I'm truly sorry I can't remember where I heard it because I believe in giving credit where credit is due.  I also wish this was my original idea. 

I should also tell you now that I am 50 years old  (51, but who's counting) and I have spent more than half my life watching "This Old House."  By the time HGTV arrived I was addicted House Porn.

Almost six years ago, we found the oldest house we could afford (that was in a neighborhood we wanted to live in) and bought it.  Yesterday we had an electrician repair all the bathroom exhaust fans.  Almost SIX YEARS it's taken to getting around to that job.  Six years without a heater in the bathrooms.  Six years without an exhaust fan where it is needed most.  Our powder room could have been used to get confessions out of harden criminals - excessively hot in the summer, bottom freezingly cold in the winter. 

Today, I'm a happy woman. O.K., truth is most days I'm a happy woman, it's just my nature.  Today, I'm an 'extra' happy woman... except now I need another project.  So I leave you to go and find my list.   The one I made six years ago as I walked through my 'dream house.'  The list that we add to each New Year's when we plan the year before us.  The list that grows almost every time I watch a little house porn.