Quilt... for the Birds

The time that I spend with the sewing machine is usually dedicated to the production of bags for Threadbeaur, however, I was in the mood for a new quilt. I looked on the shelf to see if one of my quilting books would lend me a little inspiration. Usually I will pick out the fabric then the pattern, this time I only had one fabric that I wanted to use. I picked up a book that I got for Christmas called Making Antique Quilts by Rita Weiss. The book has great pictures, and easy to follow instructions. I rarely use a pattern, so it is very important that they are easy to follow. I found a quilt called King David's Crown, and it was perfect for me. The title of my quilt will be Quilt...For the Birds. I took my fabric which happened to be Alexander Henrys Bird seed in yellow, and matched it up to all the fabric in my stash. I would post a picture of my stash, but it is a little messy at the moment. I will reorganize it and post pictures later. I had a ton of fabric to choose from and this is what I came up with.



I like to make a tester block, and this one came out great. I will finish this into a 3x4 throw blanket. Off to cut more pieces!

Summer is Over

Summer break is officially over. It was back to work this week at the Montessori school. The kids are all excited and having fun getting back into the routine. Summer is our shortest season, and I know that it is nearing the end. It is the small things that add up to the advances of fall. First, where did the sun go. Just a few weeks ago we played tennis well after 8 pm. Now our games are cut short by 7 pm. This afternoon as I drove home from work I noticed the trees. They are starting to change. It is gradual, but I noticed. The bright yellow leaves of fall are on there way, in just a few short weeks we will be in the peak of our fall color. I would say that autumn is my favorite season, but I dread the inevitable dreary winter. I am going to enjoy this weekend and the weather it brings. The skies are going to be blue and clear, and the air will be warm. This is summers one last Hoorah! I hope everyone has a great, safe long weekend! Enjoy!

Arte Y Pico

Many thanks to Mary over at Now Entering Momville. She has given me a great award. There are so many blogs to choose from and I am happy that she picked mine! So thank you Mary. Now I get to share some blogs that over the last year have really captured my attention!


This award recognizes a blog’s creativity and overall contribution to the blogger community. Once you’ve been selected, please follow these guidelines and pay it forward:

1) Choose 5 blogs that you consider deserving of this award based on creativity, design, interesting material, and overall contribution to the blogger community, regardless of the language.
2) Post the name of the author and a link to his or her blog by so everyone can view it.
3) Each award-winner has to show the award and put the name and link to the blog that has given her or him the award.
4) The award-winner and the presenter should post the link of the “Arte y pico“blog , so everyone will know the origin of this award.
5) Please post these rules.


I pass this award on to more deserving blogs. Drum Roll Please!!!

1). Misosouper- She not only knows how to shop, but she knows where to shop! Thanks for keeping us ALL in the know!

2) Grapeinabottle-Who doesn't love grapes in a bottle! Yum.

3)Irene Design- always fun to read and great web design

4) Try Handmade I like this blog because she is an advocate for all things handmade. Great blog.

5) Eco Blog-This blog always has something great about the environment! Thanks for trying to get everyone to go green.


The original website where the award started is Arte Y Pico

Hair Hair Everywhere

It is that time of year, Nilla the giant yellow lab is shedding up a storm. If you have a lab you know what I am talking about. Here in the cold climate she is fine in the winter with a little hair here and there, but come summer it is hair everywhere. I am talking about tumbleweeds of hair in the corner, that blow around when the doors are open for a breeze.
I found a great contest on What's that smell?. They are giving away the FURminator, and I need one. I had never seen anything like it before, and her before and after pictures are great. If you have a dog, cat or other shedding animal, I would check out the contest on What's that Smell?, you don't want to miss out on that great shedding tool!

Get a little splash of color for your walls!

Your walls will thank you if you win this great contest sponsored by GreenYourDecor. They are giving away two wall panels from SusyJack on their blog. Each of the panels are 10x10 and with two of them image the statement you can create on your blank wall! I know excatly where they would go if I win them!
Good Luck to all, check out greenyourdecor.com to enter!

Under the Big Top

I am not talking about any old circus, this is the Cirque Du Soleil, and it was amazing. For the last few years, my husband and I gave up going to the movie theatre, in part so we could save the money, and part so we go to the real theatre. Cirque Du Soleil was traveling through Chicago this summer, and we wanted to go. Kooza was the show that was here this year. Finally with only 3 shows left I decided we were going to go. I checked my email, and there was a notice from the Cirque Club that the tickets were 50% off! Wow! I went to their site and picked the best tickets I could find, on an aisle. Once we were there and in our seats we remembered how fun the shows are. The actors started milling around in the audience picking people to bring to the stage.
Then the lights dimmed and we were in for the show of a lifetime. The thing about Cirque Du Soleil is that everything down to the details of the set are timed so you don't even notice the technical moves. You are distracted to another part of the stage as they set up the next apparatus. The artists are amazing during ever element that they perform, and the stunts are breath taking! If you ever have the chance it is well worth skipping a years worth of movies to enjoy a 2 hour spectacle under the blue and yellow big top!

Waterless Car Wash

What a prize I won the other day from Recycle your Day. She had contest to win EcoTouch Waterless Car Wash. This was perfect for me, since we are trying to be more earth friendly on a daily basis. When I got two boxes in the mail on Friday I was so excited, I ripped them open to my surprise found 4 bottles and two towels! It was incredible. EcoTouch had sent one bottle of each of the following: waterless car wash, dash and trim, carpet and upholstery, and chrome detail. On Saturday morning I moved my car from the garage to a shady spot in the drive. I could have just done it in the garage, but it was really nice out. Just as the directions stated, I sprayed the area on the car, and the towel and got to polishing! After a few minutes when the haze appears you buff it with the other towel and the car just glows! You do have to use a little elbow grease to clean up the car, but I just considered it a little extra exercise for the day. The ease of use of this waterless car wash is amazing, I would recommend this to anyone who would like to save a little water, but keep their car clean. You don't have to worry about set up or a messy clean up when you are finished. You just wash the towel in the next load of laundry, and put the bottle away! Thank you to Recycle your Day for hosting a great contest with a great prize!

BEFORE AFTER

You can read her full interview about the product on Recycle your Day.

Vintage Fabric Find

Another great place in Mt. Dora is the Village Antiques Mall. They have a ton of vendors in the mall that have a wide variety of items. My mom has a shop in there and she is constantly buying and rearranging her corner of the shop. They were voted the best antique mall in the Orlando area two years in a row! During this last visit, I wandered the mall while she put the finishing touches on her latest finds, and I found something wonderful! A bolt of vintage fabric! It was 14 yards of this great pattern.
I was so excited about the fabric, and it turned out that my mom knew the vendor who was selling the fabric. With Tropical Storm Fay approaching we had little time to negotiate a price, so when they called back we quickly went back to the shop to pick up the material! Then the chore was to fit all that fabric in my small carryon suitcase! I did it though, and now I will list a few yards of my vintage fabric on etsy!

Take Me Home

Over the weekend, I travelled to Mt. Dora, FL, my hometown. Most things in this quiet little town never change. I think people like it that way, I do. Each time I visit I am reminded of the joys of small town living. They now have more and more big box type stores, and chain resturants, but you can search out the local goods. I went downtown to see what was new, and found a cute shop called The Painter's Daughter, they had a wonderful selection of items from antiques furniture to bamboo clothing. I picked up a few bamboo tee's for the up coming school year. They were so soft, and made in the USA, what could be better than that! We walked to a few more stores, then went for ice cream at La Cremerie (I used to work there in high school), the cool treat was nice in the hot, humid Florida afternoon. No trip to Mt. Dora is complete until you visit Renningers Flea Market. It happened to be the monthly antique fair, so we had a blast poking around in all the old stuff. So if you are ever down in Florida, I would suggest a trip to Mt. Dora, it is a wonderful little town with lots to see!

Strapping

I recently found the Etsy shop TanyBug, she was having a photo contest a few months back. I found out that she is holding another giveaway. I am so excited about her camera straps that I had to dedicate a post to her contest. I have been looking for a handmade camera strap to sport around when I am in lugging around my Sony A100! Her handmade straps look like they would be oh so comfortable, especially compared to the one that came with my Sony A100 D-SLR. If you are a shutterbug, pro or hobbiest go check out the giveaway on TanyBug's Blog. Of course there is a deadline to enter, so scurry over to her blog before August 23rd!