Stones In My Garden

Always walk through life as if you have something new to learn and you will.
~Vernon Howard

I finally got around to cleaning up my sewing room.  Well, maybe I shouldn't call it cleaning as much as straightening.  I did put all the scraps away in their colorway totes and removed the piles from my cutting table.  It's  so nice not to have to move piles just to cut fabric.  I also started two new projects this week - one counted cross stitch and a raw edge applique.  It's always fun to start something new.  What are you working on this week?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Lipsticks

I've never been a wearer of lipstick.  I can't seem to find a color that I really like.  And, besides, it gets in the way when you have to lick the end of a thread to get it through a needle's eye.  However, I did find some interesting little bits of information about lipstick:

* During the revolution wearing lipstick of any kind was taken as a sign that you sympathized with the aristocracy and could get you sent to the guillotine. This ended the era of men wearing lipstick. 

* During her heyday Elizabeth Taylor was so known for her siren red lipstick that, on certain movie sets, no one else was allowed to wear the color.

* Most lipsticks contain fish scales

* The first recorded evidence of lipstick use dates back to the Sumerian city of Ur, 2000 B.C.

* The most important ingredient which creates a shiny film after drying that does not smear easily is the caster oil.* Cosmetics giant Max Factor began life as a servant to Czar Nicholas. Max wasn't that into that. He needed to find a way to escape from the Royal household, so he used tubes of lipstick to make himself look sickly. He was taken to the infirmary, from which he escaped, and made his way to America

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MY GARDEN GROWS

Once again I didn't get any hexie flowers made for One Flower Wednesday but I did make stepping stones.....

Not a lot of fun but a necessary part of a garden.  And with some of these stepping stones I was able to  add to my Grandmother's Flower Garden/Eye Spy quilt top.......

The garden is growing ever so slowly.  Maybe a dose of fertilizer is necessary - lol!

This is where I worked in the garden over the weekend.  I see that the peace/rainbow flower didn't go on facing the correct way.  Oh well.  I think it will stay that way for now.

I was surprised to receive two hexie flowers in the mail.....

These flowers came from Beverly.  She was not my swap partner for February's Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap so it was quite a lovely surprise to receive these.  Beverly says that she is "hooked on the no template method of piecing" her hexagons.  She is much braver than me.  I need those templates to make sure everything stays accurate.  Thank you so very much, Beverly!

If you would like to see flowers that have been made this week, Karen has created a linky that will take you all over blogland to view beautiful flowers HERE.  Thank you, Karen!

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will continue with the raw edge applique I'm working on.

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GIVEAWAYS

Fresh Lemons is having a giveaway.  You could win  10 fat quarters from Art Gallery’s Modernology line, sponsored by Jacqueline of Canton Village Quilt Works.  This giveaway ends Thursday, February 9.

Annie's Ruby Slipperz is having her weekly giveaway.  You could win 5 fat quarters.  This giveaway ends Saturday, February 11, at midnight MT.

Quiltscapes is having a giveaway.  You could win a kit to make a Drunkard's Path Table Topper.  This giveaway ends Saturday, February 11.

Quilting Ranny is having a giveaway.  You could win a cute tape measure, a pattern, or a darling bag.  This giveaway ends Saturday, February 11, at noon PST.


Hanging On By A Thread is having a giveaway.  You could win a needlebook.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, February 14.

Richard Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win something handmade by Richard and his wife.  This giveaway ends on the day of his daughter's birth.

Cloth Stitched is having a giveaway.  You could win 4 FQs of the Far Meadow colorway of Aunt Edna by Denyse Schmidt or Picnic Parade FQs.  This giveaway ends Saturday, February 11.

All About Applique is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Quilt Fiesta by Cheryl Lynch.  This giveaway ends Friday, February 10.

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FINAL THOUGHT