Let's Celebrate

It's the tail end of 2012 and life was very good to us this year.  No major tumbles and falls or hurdles to leap over.  We took one day at a time and lived it in our usual slow-moving-Jones-pace.  And that is a good thing, since we are moving more slowly with each passing year. 

I'm reminded of what someone once told me ...."you can't do what you should have done."  So, here's looking at you twenty thirteen - I'm putting my 'should haves' for 2012 behind me. 

Now it's time to see the front end of 2013.  Looking forward is the best way to see the world.  Memories of the past are wonderful.  Reminiscing with family and friends over a cuppa brings tears of joy and sadness, but I won't linger.   I my optimism, I enjoy thinking that the best is yet to come. 

Oh, yes, let the celebrating begin.  I'm looking forward to the new year....a year to be filled with love, laughter, good cheer and great health. 

 

ColorWheel (Fabric) Swap

ColorWheel Swap with CITYstitches was my first ever fabric swap and I'm in love with what I got in the mail last week.  Eight fat quarters of delicious modern fabric -

Hmmmmmmmm....now to get this cut and sewn into more modern quilts:  Let the fun begin! 
To enjoy more, here's Megan's ColorSwap Flickr Group. 










 

I feel as though the year is ending, but I've only just

BEGUN: 

 

 

 

 

It's going to be a busy day again, but I just couldn't resist the temptation to reflect!

 

 

 

 

 

December 26

 

Christmas isn't over until the last picture is edited!

 

 

 

What's all this hoopla about!



Mister Santa, my list is really too long, so I'll just smile for you and the camera.

There really is a Santa Claus ~

 

 

Who dat?

 

Oh, really!  For Me? 

I'm dressed and ready~ Let's start the show.....



 

 

December 25

Where the tree tops glisten and children listen to hear sleigh bells.....

in the snow

No, there's no snow in Louisiana, but the tree tops are glistening. 

Santa and his sleigh had no trouble finding the way. 

 

Merry Christmas!  May your day be merry and bright.

 

 

Spreading Holiday Cheer.....

.....from the Oak Point front door - throughout the house. 

 

 

Wishing you a  Merry Christmas filled with good cheer

and a Happy New Year filled good health ~

Marty and Tom

 

Holiday Cooking Assignment ~

My family, as I am sure yours is too, is scattered from here to wherever.  And the family now has families, which now have families which makes it difficult for all of us to come up with just the right day during the holidays to be festive together.   Today is the day!  We all share the cooking and my cooking (?) assignment is fruit salad.  I started the prep work yesterday, draining and chilling.  On alighting from the bed this morning, I mixed!  That's it.....an Easy Fruit Salad.  So yummy for so little effort. 

 

 

 

My fruit salad is ready to load in the car and travel.....let the holiday fun begin!

 

 

 

Christmas Time At Oak Point

It's a special time of year:

Feeling the spirit at the dining table ~

and seeing a Southern winter approach from the front porch ~

and dreaming of another day at the lake ~

No, it isn't mine, but I can dream, can't I! 

 

Lou, Lou, Skip to the Lou

I haven't sketched anything in so long....this morning

was the right time to renew an old habit.

 

Louise and I greeted the day together.

 

 

Fly's in the buttermilk, Shoo, fly, shoo

There's a little red wagon, Paint it blue

Lost my partner, What'll I do?

I'll get another one, Prettier than you

Can't get a red bird, Jay bird'll do

Cat's in the cream jar, Ooh, ooh, ooh

Off to Texas, Two by two

Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,

Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,

Skip, skip, skip to the Lou,

Skip to the Lou, my darlin'.

 

Just a few of my favorite things from yesterday:

What a joy filled day

 

 

 

 

On the Hearth

 

 

The only thing blue in this home was the bottle collection.

Christmas is everywhere

In the sleeping loft

Vintage quilt in the foyer to help spread the Christmas cheer

 

 

What a happy time of year:  Surrounded by family and friends.....

 

 

 

Putting triangles together! A triangle quilt work in progress

Know your triangles: 

Isosceles Triangle:  Any triangle with any two sides the same length.  I wanted mine to be 6" top to bottom, so I  cut a 6" square, found center and cut off each side to form my Isosceles triangle template. 

Right Angle Triangle:  Triangle has one interior angle that is a right angle (90 degrees).

To get a pair to attach to my Isosceles triangle, I cut a rectangle 3" x 6", then cut diagonal corner to corner:

Putting them together:   You naturally loose some of your width and length when the two types of triangles are sewn together.

Trimming to fit my purpose:  Since I didn't know what I was doing when I made my first cuts, I trimmed everything down to 5" square so all things would be the same! 

More to come:   Yes, I'm making a triangle quilt. 

 

Share projects: Now you can on Craftsy

So much to do, so little time.   But Craftsy is really helping 'simple' down my life.  So many classes, so much inspiration right at my fingertips.    This is just one of my projects that I shared on Craftsy.  Searching for DIY Inspiration....Craftsy on line classes, workshops, patterns, projects. 

Source: zipper pouches via Step 1-2-3 on Craftsy

It's a Charlie Brown Christmas

TREE - for those who are young and young at heart:

Finished part of my inside Christmas decor....this traditional dining room table display is done.  Yes, you guessed it - a Charlie Brown Christmas tree, all spindly and spiky with dumb little ornaments and lights that don't work.  But, like Charlie Brown, I believe in angels and I love my little tree decorated to my liking. 

While I had the camera out, I took a picture of the outtakes - what was left over from the CB tree:  birds - and played with this not so wonderful picture in photoshop this morning.  I'm no longer very young, but I'll always remain young at heart. 

SHE was waiting at the station
HE was getting off the train.....words from a song that seemed to fit the picture perfectly.
Must I explain everything?   

 

The bloodhound - a photoshoot with the dog

He posed so prettily:  Just for me:  Okay, I'm not telling the truth!  I took about 50 pictures and got two good ones.  I really need a book on how to take pictures of dogs.  Unless they are asleep, they are moving and normally in the wrong direction.  Or, their tail is wagging wildly or they are in half bark with a screwed up face -  just like people.  So, you see, I feel totally lucky to have this one posed, perfectly still, with that half smile, giving me his best side, chin up, tongue in, both eyes open, just waiting for me to get it. 

 

December comes but once a year: Calendar

Now, I'm Ready!  'Tis the season to be young, or young at heart: 

 

Handmade Zippered Pouches:

What I made yesterday:  Six Atkinson Design pouches.  Terry calls them her Cash and Carry pouches. Oh, I do love to keep my cash and credit cards contained, but  I like to contain other things in my purse.  I contain pencils and pens and little reminder note pads.  I contain my lipstick and chap stick and blush, my comb and brush.....every little thing to keep me pretty.  I contain......well, you get the zippered pouch picture. 

and the zippers......well, they came from - where else but  Zipit's Etsy shop where the choices are enormous and the prices are just right for my zippered pouches. 

 

When You're Smiling

 

 

 

Lyrics To Live By:  When You're Smiling,
when you're smiling, the whole world smiles with you.
When you're laughing, when you're laughing, the sun comes shining through.
But when you're crying, you bring on the rain.
So stop your sighing, be happy again. 

Billie Holiday

Rufus Wainright

Louis Armstrong

Frank Sinatra, et al

Strip Happy....Quilting on a Roll

 

 

 

As a rule, I don't buy jelly rolls (my mistake), but I did win a door prize jelly roll package last week!

As a rule, I don't purchase quilt books on how to make jelly roll quilts (my mistake), but I was given this Strip Happy Quilting on a Roll book by Donna Kinsey,  for hosting a meeting in my home last year. 

So, putting the things I don't usually do together was easy yesterday afternoon when I matched the package of jelly roll strips with the jelly roll book.

 

Added to the pleasure of the day was the border....Colors of the Wind by George Mendoza.  

 I think Margaret J. Miller, author of Smashing Sets, would approve of the use of the non-matching blue in the border!

 

 

 

 

 

On page 7 ~

 

 

In this book

 

Energized

I woke up refreshed and full of energy....marked a couple of things off my must-get-done-now-list, so decided to sew/play.

First out was my Fourth of July modern mug rugs.  I know, a little early for the season, but I had this red, white and blue fabric at my fingertips.   Six completed!  6" x 6"

I  picked up a panel of unwanted fabric the other day at Tuesday Bees sit and sew day and decided to give myself the Christmas spirit.....five holiday hot pads finished before I could even say

Ho! Ho! Ho! 

Imagine someone not wanting this fabric!

Had to do a little piecing on the back of three of them, but I like their one-of-a-kind personality - gotta go!  Chill Out! 

 

Big Winner Reveal

 PHOTOCRAFT -  learning more about mixed-media and digital transformations!

 

 

 

 

 

 

I WON!  I WON!  My very own copy of   PHOTOCRAFT

 by Susan Tuttle and Christy Hydeck

Yes, the holiday season has begun...I do love opening gift packages. 

Thank you Susan.

Thank you Christy.

 

 

the day after blues

when all the food is gone -

 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

From our house to yours ~

For all we have ~

for freedom and love and family and laughter, for God and forgiveness.....I give thanks everyday.