Bright Flowers

See, the human mind is kind of like... a piñata.  When it breaks open, there's a lot of surprises inside.  Once you get the piñata perspective, you see that losing your mind can be a peak experience.  
~Jane Wagner

I had such a wonderful weekend and hope that you did too.  Our DD#2 and SIL came for a visit - they hadn't been here since Christmas.  The weather couldn't have been nicer - cool mornings and mild afternoons, both of which aren't normal for late May.  DH did some amazing barbecue and we all ate too much all weekend long.  Monday I gave DH an early birthday present - 3 passes to the local indoor kart racing.  The three of them had a blast.  I was totally content to sit and watch and take a few photos.  I couldn't have asked for 3 more relaxing days than those just passed.  Now on with the rest of the week.

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Manatees

Here on the west coast we are not blessed to have these wonderful creatures.  Here are some interesting facts I found out about manatees:

*  the average Manatee is 10ft long weighing 800-1200 pounds. They have been known to reach 13 ft and 3500 pounds

* When born they are 3-4 ft long and 60-70 pounds

* Manatees are herbivores meaning plant eating animals.

* Manatees cannot survive in temperatures below 68 degrees (20 Celsius) and range from Virginia to Texas and one was documented in Rhode Island. (Very rare)

* They have fairly good vision and can distinguish between colors

* Did you know that manatees have three fingernails on each flipper and when they get into shallow water the manatee walks on its nails?

* Manatees have trouble with depth perception

* They can stay submerged up to 20 minutes

* Females mature for breeding at about 5 years old and 8 years old for males. On average one calf is born every 5 years. Gestation period is about 1 year long

* Manatees may live as long as 60 years

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ONE FLOWER WEDNESDAY

I created one flower this week's One Flower Wednesday.  Nothing spectacular but definitely bright....

Last week in the mail I received a couple of flowers from my April Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap partner, Jane K.

Aren't these flowers just the cutest?  The purple with the happy flower center makes me smile.  And the music notes with the red center makes me want to dance - well, at least sway to the music.  Thank you so very much, Jane!

To see more hexies out there in blogland, Karen has provided a linky page for our One Flower Wednesday creations.  To go there, just click HERE.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will continue working on the doll quilt I started working on yesterday.

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FINAL THOUGHT

It's a Day Full of Flowers

Just remember, there's a right way and a wrong way to do everything and the wrong way is to keep trying to make everybody else do it the right way.

  ~M*A*S*H, Colonel Potter

I haves so many projects that I want to work on!  I have the fabrics and the patterns.  And what do I end up doing?  Procrastinating!  I don't know if it's because I have several I want to start or becomes of other commitments that keep coming up.  I really need to get started on a couple of them as I have hopes on entering them in our guild's 2014 quilt show and at least two of the quilts are very detailed.  I have two Loving Hands quilts to make, a doll swap quilt to make, and Thursday will be a computer day preparing June swap partners for Block Swap Adventure.  See there!  I've already puttered away several days and still haven't started on any of my major projects.  Does this ever happen to you?

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Solar System

Did any of you notice the solar eclipse we had on Sunday?  That got me to thinking about the solar system - something I haven't studied since grade school.  Here are a few facts about our wonderful solar system...

* The solar system includes the Sun and all the objects that orbit around it due to its gravity. This includes things such as planets, comets, asteroids, meteoroids and moons.

* The Solar System formed around 4.6 billion years ago.

* There are eight planets in the Solar System. The four inner planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars while the four outer planets are Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and Neptune.

* The inner planets (also known as terrestrial planets) are smaller and made mostly of rock and metal.

* The outer planets (also known as gas giants) are much larger and made mostly of hydrogen, helium and other gases.

* As of 2008, there are also five dwarf planets: Pluto, Ceres, Eris, Makemake and Haumea.  (When I was growing up, Pluto was considered a planet).

* For thousands of years humans were unaware of the Solar System and believed that Earth was at the center of the Universe.

* Mercury takes 59 days to make a rotation but only 88 days to circle the Sun.   That means that there are fewer than 2 days in a year!  Many astronomers believe that Mercury might be the core of what was once a much larger planet -- it appears to be a huge ball of iron covered by a thin layer of rock.

* Mars is the home of "Olympus Mons", the largest volcano found in the solar system.

* Jupiter is the largest planet in the solar system, but it spins very quickly on its axis.  A day on Jupiter lasts only 9 hours and 55 minutes.

* The ring that surrounds Saturn could be the remnants of a moon that was shattered by Saturn's gravity.

* Neptune was discovered in 1846 (over 150 years ago).  Since that time it has only orbited around the sun once, because one Neptune year lasts 165 Earth years

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ONE FLOWER WEDNESDAY

I didn't get any flowers made for myself but I did get two flowers made for my Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap partner, Linda Mc.  I originally had made two other flowers until I double checked the roster and found out I had made flowers for someone else.  

Linda requested red, taupe, or brown civil war fabrics with a cream center.  I'm never sure what 'civil war' fabrics exactly means so I'm hoping these fit that description.  I know the colors are right - lol!  These should be reaching Linda shortly, if she hasn't received them already.

To see more hexagon flowers, Karen has provided a linky for One Flower Wednesday that you may access HERE.

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BEAUTIFUL DOLL QUILT

Monday I received a beautiful little doll quilt from my Doll Quilt Swap partner, Diane W.

Isn't is gorgeous! Diane couldn't have selected better colors for my living room if she tried.  And she included a special little card that she created.  This wonderful quilt now resides on my living room table.  Diane also added a hanging sleeve so that I could use it that way, too.  Thank you so very much, Diane, for making Monday's mail so enjoyable.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I will work on next month's 2 Loving Hands quilts.

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FINAL THOUGHT

Flowers and Love

Expecting the world to treat you fairly because you are good is like expecting the bull not to charge because you are a vegetarian.  

~Dennis Wholey

It's definitely warming up here in my corner of the world.  And it's doing it a little bit too fast for my taste.  After all, we had highs in the low 50's at the end of last week and now they are forecasting 90 degrees for Saturday.  I think if will feel more like 110 degrees after such a rapid climb.  There has been nothing normal about our spring so far so I don't know why I expect the temperatures to be normal - lol!  I'll just stay inside and, if necessary, turn on the fans while I sew the hours away.  I'm not looking forward to the summer heat making its appearance and then refusing to leave.  Oh well, thank goodness for the good ol' AC!

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Worms

Does the sight of worms send your skin to crawling?  I remember as a child enjoying having a worm crawl around on my hand.  They are wonderful for the garden and make great fishing bait (and, yes, I put worms on my hook myself).  Here are a few facts about worms:

* A worm has no eyes, legs or arms

* There are 2700 different types of earthworms in the world

* There can be up to 1 million earthworms in just 1 acre of land.

* The sticky slime a worm makes helps keep it from drying out. If the worm dries out, it will die, because it ‘breathes’ through it’s skin.

* A single worm has both male and female parts. This is called a ‘hermaphrodite.’ But they still need a mate to reproduce.

* Some of the largest worms can live to be 50 years old.  Regular earthworms can live 15 years.

* A worm chopped in half will not become 2 worms. Just the head end will regenerate into a new worm.

* The largest earthworm ever found was in South Africa and measured 22 feet from its nose to the tip of its tail.

* Baby worms are not born. They hatch from cocoons smaller than a grain of rice.

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ONE FLOWER WEDNESDAY

During my week off, I didn't find time to make any hexie flowers for myself  for One Flower Wednesday, but I did make two for my swap partner.

Karyli, my April swap partner for The Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap, requested yellow petals with black centers.  I checked with her before using a print on the petals and she said that would be fine. I went with bananas and bumblebees.  I tried to make sure the traveling lines on the bee petals matched going from one petal to the next.  These were fun flowers to make and I hope that Karyli likes them.

To see more hexie flowers out there in blogland, Karen, of Journey of a Quilter, has provided a linky for us.  It sure makes hunting for hexies easy!  Thanks, Karen.

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LOVING HANDS QUILT

This little quilt for Loving Hands has been completed for a couple of weeks.

I will be turning this in Thursday evening when I attend my guild meeting.  I used the same block pattern, Squares Upon Squares, that I used to make the pink one.  I really like how this pattern worked up and will definitely be using it for future Loving Hands quilts.  Sorry for the darkness of the photo but it didn't show up well in bright sun light so I went with the photo in the shade.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I just might start something new.

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GIVEAWAYS

The Barn Hollow is having a giveaway.  You could win an adorable stuffed doll made from a Craftaholic Creations design.  This giveaway ends Monday, April 30.

SewCalGal is having a giveaway.  You could win two spools of Aurifil Invisible thread with 1094 yards each, or two spools of Aurifil Invisible thread with 16400 yards each, or Pat Sloan's Simple Stitches and  a collection of cotton threads contain 10 spools of 40 wt. Mako thread, 150 yards each.  This giveaway ends Friday, April 20.

Quilting Gallery is having a giveaway.  You could win a pair of Olfa 5" Precision Applique Scissors.  This giveaway ends Sunday, April 22.

Quilty Pleasures is having a giveaway.  You could win a 3 pack of Sulky Blendables.  This giveaway ends Friday, April 20.

Gene Black is having a giveaway.  You could win a great package of goodies from Colonial Needle, or a small machine embroidered lace bookmark made by Gene and a pack of "betweens" needles.  This giveaway ends Friday, April 20.

Sarah Beth's Cross Stitch Blog is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of Donna Killer's book of Christmas Stockings.  Not sure when this giveaway ends. 

Annie's Ruby Slipperz is having her weekly Monday Mystery giveaway.  You could win 5 fat quarters in your choice of colors.  This giveaway ends Saturday, April 21, at midnight MT.

Cat Patches is having her Fun Fact Friday Freebie.  You could win a fat quarter.  The winner will be announced Friday, April 20.

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FINAL THOUGHT

Oh Look - More Flowers!

Cookies are made of butter and love.  

~Norwegian Proverb 



I've been enjoying the last couple of mornings with the temperatures down in the upper 30's.  It certainly makes for great sleeping weather.  But once again we are to shoot back up with our highs nearing 80 degrees.  It's definitely the roller coaster of spring weather.  Yesterday was rather quiet and I was able to get some stitching in.  I like days when there is nothing much going on.  It's good for the soul, not to mention what you can get accomplished.  I'm looking forward to a good day today too.

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Girl Scout Cookies

It's that time of year when buying cookies is a necessity in our house.  We can never seem to pass up those Thin Mints.  My favorite are the Lemonades and my husband's are Peanut Butter Patties.  I was a Girl Scout growing up and sold many boxes of these sweet treats to neighbors and family members.  At the time (in the 60's, the cookies sold for 50 cents a box!  While you are munching on your favorite, here are some things I learned about Girl Scout Cookies:

* Girl Scout cookie sales began in 1917 in Muskogee, Okla., when the Mistletoe troop began baking and selling cookies in its high school cafeteria as a service project. 

* The first cookies were sold by troops for 25 or 30 cents per dozen. 

* In 1934, Greater Philadelphia became the first council to sell commercially baked cookies.

* In 1951, Girl Scout Cookies came in three varieties: Sandwich, Shortbread, and Chocolate Mints (now known as Thin Mints)

* All Girl Scout cookies are kosher

* In 1942, Girl Scouts sold calendars in lieu of cookies due to sugar, flour and butter shortages during World War II.

* Thin Mints are the biggest seller, making up 25 percent of all sales, followed by Samoas/Caramel deLites at 19 percent.

* Jennifer Sharpe, age 15, of Dearborn, Mich., holds the record for most cookies ever sold, with 17,328 boxes in 2008. Of the $21,000 her troop raised to go on a 10-day tour of Europe, $14,000 was due to Sharpe.

* Different types of cookies are sold in different regions at varying prices set by individual Girl Scout councils. And sometimes even the same cookies have different names.  For example, Do-Si-Dos, formerly called Gauchos, are also called Peanut Butter Sandwiches in other areas. Confusing, right? This is because there are two licensed bakers, ABC and Little Brownie, that get to propose and name the cookies that they bake. 

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WEDNESDAY AND THE CONTINUING FLOWER SAGA

It's time again to share hexie flowers that I made during the last week....

This flower is sort of hypnotizing.  DH says it reminds him of the painting "The Scream".  

Sing along with me....'One of these bugs is not like the other'.  LOL!  I didn't even notice the mistake until I was taking the picture.  Looks like one of the bugs is trying to make an escape.  Guess it's time to unsew that petal and straighten out that poor little bug.

Once again I didn't get any flowers added to my GFG quilt.  *Sigh*  Maybe I should just collect all my flowers together and give them to someone who would spend the time sewing them all together.  

To see more hexie flowers out in blogland, Karen (of Journey of a Quilter) has put together a linky page.  You can visit that page HERE.

The creator and hostess of The Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap was my swap partner for March.

Jane sent me two of the cutest flowers.  With Easter just around the corner, these are perfect.  Jane's fussy cutting is perfect and both flowers will be a wonderful addition to my GFG/Eye Spy quilt.  Jane also included a scrap of the hen fabric.  Thank you so very much, Jane!

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ANOTHER FEBRUARY BLOCK

I'm still behind on sharing blocks so here is my Block Swap Adventure block for February....

Linda B requested a log cabin block made with "cream on one side and either purples, blues or greens on the other".  I have a very limited supply of purple fabrics and just couldn't find the blues I wanted to work with so ended up working with greens.  Wouldn't this make a pretty quilt?  Linda B was pleased with the block and so was I.

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TODAY'S GOAL

Today I hope to start a new project

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GIVEAWAYS

Seriously..I think it needs stitches is having a giveaway.  You could win a 9 fat quarters of Pee Wee Parade.  This giveaway ends Friday, March 23.

Sew Bittersweet Designs is having a giveaway.  You could win a Fat Quarter Bundle of Desert Daydreams in Santa Fe Sky.  This giveaway ends Friday, March 23, at 9:00 pm PDT.


World Of Charity Stitching is having a giveaway.  You could win 30 6x9" sheets of Benzie Blend Felt.  This giveaway ends Sunday, March 25.


Annie's Ruby Slipperz is having a giveaway.  You could win a GO! Baby.  This giveaway ends Saturday, March 24, at midnight MT.


Quilty Pleasures is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of EQ7.  This giveaway ends Monday, March 26.


Desertsky Quilting is having a giveaway.  You could win an e-pattern for a darling daffodil pincushion.  This giveaway ends Thursday, March 22.


Jaybird Quilts is having a sponsored giveaway.  You could win a Kona Classic Fat Quarter Bundle from Mad About Patchwork.  This giveaway ends Friday, March 23, at 9:00 pm PDT.


Contemporary Cloth is having a giveaway.  You could win a $17 gift certificate.  This giveaway ends Friday, March 23, at midnight.

Don't forget about my giveaway.  You can enter HERE.  And, of course, there's all those other wonderful giveaways at the Blog Hop Party With Giveaways.

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FINAL THOUGHT

Flowers From Here and There

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world.  This makes it hard to plan the day.  
~Elwyn Brooks White

It's leap year!  That gives us one extra day this year.  An extra day of sewing and crafting.  This is exactly what I've been looking for!  But it just feels like any other day.  Will I notice that we had an extra day once the end of the year rolls around?  Probably not.  Will you be using this day in any special way?  I guess we will be celebrating it by going grocery shopping this evening.  Oh boy!  I can hardly wait - lol!

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LITTLE FACT OF THE DAY

Leap Year

2012 is a leap year, with 366 days instead of the usual 365 days.

Why?

It was the ancient Egyptians who first figured out that the solar year and the man-made calendar year didn't always match up.

That's because it actually takes the Earth a little longer than a year to travel around the Sun — 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, and 46 seconds, to be exact.

Therefore, as the hours accumulated over the centuries, an extra day was occasionally added to the calendar, and over time the practice became more or less official.

Leap Day traditions - no man is safe!

As the story goes, the tradition of women romantically pursuing men in leap years began in 5th century Ireland, when St. Bridget complained to St. Patrick about the fair sex having to wait for men to propose. Patrick finally relented and set February 29 aside as the day set aside allowing women the right to ask for a man's hand in marriage.While leap day helped official timekeepers, it also resulted in social customs turned upside down when February 29 became a "no man's land" without legal jurisdiction.

The tradition continued in Scotland, when Queen Margaret declared in 1288 that on February 29 a woman had the right to pop the question to any man she fancied. Menfolk who refused were faced with a fine in the form of a kiss, a silk dress, or a pair of gloves given to the rejected lady fair.

A similar modern American tradition, Sadie Hawkins Day, honors "the homeliest gal in the hills" created by Al Capp in the cartoon strip Li'l Abner. In the famous story line, Sadie and every other woman in town were allowed on that day to pursue and catch the most eligible bachelors in Dogpatch. Although the comic strip placed Sadie Hawkins Day in November, today it has become almost synonymous with February 29.

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FUN FLOWERS

Today is One Flower Wednesday and I made exactly one flower this week.

I am calling this flower "The Day In The Life Of A Sunflower".  Pretty long name for one small flower but that's exactly what I thought of while stitching this flower.  It goes from happiness, to despair, to being, to embarrassment, to being, to making a statement, and back to happiness.  That pretty much covers a days worth of emotions.  

For more hexie flowers out there in blogland, the lovely Karen has provided a linky to make it easy to do some blog hopping.  You can go HERE to check out more flowers.

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FUN SWAP FLOWERS

Earlier this week I received two fun flowers from my February swap partner in the Inchy Hexagon Flower Swap.

Lara made these wonderful hexie flowers for me and they traveled all the way from Perth, Australia.  Lara said "It's the first time I've done fussy cut" - can you believe it?  They are perfect!  She also included a precious crocheted heart.  Thank you so very much, Lara!

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TODAY'S GOAL

I hope to finish quilting the quilt I've been working on.

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GIVEAWAYS

Favequilts is having a giveaway.  You could win a Pat Sloan Starter Kit of Aurifil Thread.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, March 6.


Quiltville's Quips and Snips is having a giveaway.  You could win a copy of On Track!  This giveaway ends Friday, March 2.


McCall's is having a giveaway.  You could win thirty-eight 7" x 18" cuts of fabric of Moda Swirl.  This giveaway ends Tuesday, March 6.


Kool Benz is having a giveaway.  You could win a fat quarter bundle of Fresh Cut by Heather Bailey.  This giveaway ends Saturday, March 3, at midnight EST.


Annie's Ruby Slipperz is having her weekly Mystery Monday giveaway.  You could win 5 fat quarters.  This giveaway ends Saturday, March 3, at midnight MT.


Marcia's Crafty and Sewing Blog is having a short giveaway.  You could win a set of Photo Note Cards.  This giveaway ends tonight, February 29, at midnight.


Vrooman's Quilts is having a giveaway.  You could win one charm pack of Sassy and one charm pack of
Bella Solid.  This giveaway ends Friday, March 2, at midnight.


Lavender Dreams is having a giveaway.  You could win a Mystic Knot bracelet.  This giveaway ends Friday, March 2.


PickleDish is having a giveaway.  You could win American Summer: Seaside-Inspired Rugs & Quilts by Polly Minick.  This giveaway ends "sometime later this week".


Cosmo Cricket Blog is having a giveaway.  You could win a Salt Air layer cake from Fat Quarter Shop.  This giveaway ends ?

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FINAL THOUGHT

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