Halloween or Spring

Heat, ma'am! it was so dreadful here, that I found there was nothing left for it but to take off my flesh and sit in my bones.  

~Sydney Smith, Lady Holland's Memoir

My week of relaxation was interrupted by an intestinal bug.  Not fun!  The only plus side to being sick was feeling chilled most of the day.  I didn't even have to have the ceiling fan on to stay cool.  I definitely stayed away from the sewing machine since I knew any attempt at sewing would not go well.  Sleep and a bit of stitching and I seem to be coming out on the good side.  We only have a few errands to run over the weekend and the temps are supposed to be in the mid nineties so everything looks promising.  Hopefully there will be time for some stitching.  What are your plans for the weekend?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Crayons

Does this take you back to your childhood?  Are you creating quilts using crayons?  So many colors are available today.  I remember receiving a box of 72 Crayola crayons for Christmas as a child and thinking there wasn't anything more beautiful.  Here are some fun facts:

* The first box of Crayola crayons was sold in 1903 for a nickel and included the same colors available in the eight-count box today: red, blue, yellow, green, violet, orange, black and brown.

* In the last 98 years, more than 100 billion Crayola crayons have been made.

* The name Crayola was coined by Alice Binney, wife of company founder Edwin, and a former school teacher. She combined the words craie, which is French for chalk, and ola, for oleaginous, because crayons are made from petroleum based paraffin.

* Crayola crayons currently come in 120 colors including 23 reds, 20 greens, 19 blues, 16 purples, 14 oranges, 11 browns, 8 yellows, 2 grays, 2 coppers, 2 blacks, 1 white, 1 gold and 1 silver. 

* The average child in the United States will wear down 730 crayons by his 10th birthday (or 11.4 boxes of 64s). Kids, ages 2-8, spend an average of 28 minutes each day coloring.

* Crayola crayon color names rarely change. However, there are exceptions. In 1958, Prussian blue was changed to midnight blue in response to teacher recommendations that children could no longer relate to Prussian history. In 1962, the color flesh was changed to peach recognizing that not every one's flesh is the same shade.

* 25,000 crayon users voted on their favorite colors and the number one favorite color is blue.

* According to a study completed by Yale University, the scent of crayon is in the 20 most recognizable to American adults. Coffee and peanut butter are in spots number 1 and 2. Crayola® crayons are number 18 on the list.

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YES I KNOW......

The last thing I needed to do was join another swap group.  I was asked to join a yahoo group (Rugs With Friends) that is made up of only 10 members and we only swap every other month.  It's being hosted by Ida.   My first swap partner was Maria from Australia.  We had the option of making a holiday mug rug - Halloween this time, or seasonal.  I went with seasonal since not all of Australia celebrates Halloween.

Doesn't this mug rug scream spring?  It is raw edge applique and I just did a simple along the edge stitching.  The colors are much more vibrant than what appears to show up here (hmmm....maybe my camera needs new batteries).  It measures 8" X 10", a little larger than I normally make but that size fit the bird and flowers best.  

Here is the darling rug that Maria made for me!  I don't know if you can see it, but just above the ghost on the left is a button spider hanging from his web.  Isn't it the best Halloween mug rug?  Too cute to get coffee stains on but it will look good with my other Halloween decorations when I put it out in October.  Thank you, Maria!!

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FINAL THOUGHT