Snowy Sunday...

Ahh...It is Sunday May 15th, 2011 and it is snowing. All the poor leafing out trees and the freshly planted flowers are really getting a rude greeting to Spring/Summer. I learned many years ago NOT to plant any beautiful flowers until at least Memorial weekend just because of the probability of snow in May. The snow is truly beautiful.

I do not have TV when it snows so I have no idea of the Amgen progress. Amgen is a bicycle race that is supposed to begin in South Lake Tahoe this morning and ride around the lake a couple of times to end up at North Lake Tahoe tonight. I have yet to hear of their alternate plans in case of snow. It will be interesting for the riders. I do hope they all stay safe.

Today will be a day of rest once I get my chores done. We will be celebrating one of our friends who is turning 40 and graduating the RN program. There will be lots of people and food and conversation and laughter. Mr. C put together a DVD of her life in pictures that will play throughout the day for all to see.

For those of you who have sunshine...enjoy.

For those of you who are having flooding and uncertainty in your safety...I am praying for you.

For those of you who are being creative...fabulous.

May the week ahead be the best for all of us.

Lost days of blogging...

Do you ever have a plan and your plan gets sidetracked? That is what has happened to me.
Bad Blogger.com really caused me to get my plan off track when it decided to have a two day breakdown. Yes, I admit I am addicted to blogging and so many super creative artists who blog. I was beside myself every time I checked my computer merely to find Blogger "unavailable".
Well I am flexible and I did manage to spend my time otherwise as well. I did a LOT of yardwork. It is amazing to me how quickly our five month very wet winter turned from nice moist ground to harder than a clay brick which won't release even the tiniest weed when I tug on it. So after spending untold hours on my hands and knees you would never even guess that I had done so much weeding. Argh............
I also sewed. The fabric in the top photo was purchased for a special yoke on a swing jacket. The grey circles are actually a bit metallic and I love the sheen they have.

Then I thought how fun to use my Texture Magic and sew a grid pattern on this fabric. I sewed four circles in each grid. Next time I would sew the same four circles but inside of each circle to see what design comes from the magic.

Now I have a photo of the sewn fabric which I have partially steamed and you can begin to see the pattern emerging. I do love the texture that this process creates. It does take a bit of time and a lot of thread but what a fun technique. I remember hand smocking with my Grandma many years ago and I can honestly say that was time consuming!

So now my fabric is all "smocked". What was I thinking? What plan did I think I had? The bulk that this fabric would create on the yoke of my jacket is far more than this mature body needs to be wearing.

Well, now I have a lovely piece of fabric and have scrapped the jacket yoke plan. It would make a lovely pillow however I have no rooms with these color schemes. How about a tote bag? I am flexible and will merely put the fabric on a padded hanger in the sewing closet to await the perfect project.

So this week has been quite the challenge in my planning department.

Today we are preparing for rain and snow tomorrow. Our temperatures have dropped and it is quite cold. Unusual? No. Last year it snowed in May. The Amgen bicycle race is supposed to begin tomorrow in nearby Lake Tahoe and then on Monday pass through our little Historic gold town. Do they even make snow tires for racing bicycles? Hmmm...plans and flexibility are what life is all about.

I hope everyone is recovering from Blogger misbehaving. May you each have a relaxing and wonderful weekend.

Now I am off to catch up on my favorite blogs I missed for two days. :o)

Snow and Easter Eggs...

Well it is snowing here again. The weather reports said a chance of rain early afternoon. Hmmm...by 9:30 am we had an inch of snow and the snowflakes were huge and beautiful. As the day has progressed the weather has turned to all wetness...rain, sleet, hail, snow, slush. I want to thank each of you for your wonderful comments on my last post. I have had some really good visuals of projects you have sewn. I have also had some really great laughs over some of the antics that led up to sewing something or not sewing something. Thank you my wonderful blog friends. You really make my days so interesting and happy. Now for Easter eggs...I love to hard boil dozens of eggs and then color and decorate them just like when I was a little girl. My mother would boil one dozen for each of us and an extra dozen just for breakfast. By my count that would have been about 7 or 8 dozen eggs each Easter. We had a giant old library table for our dining table as it could accomodate so many of us. Lots of layers of newspaper and plastic cloths and every fun color you could imagine for dipping and rolling and coloring our eggs. We used stickers and crayons and lots of imagination. Even mom would color a dozen eggs. I think she had as much fun as we youngsters had. Maybe that is why I always enjoyed coloring eggs when my daughter was home and then when my granddaughters were visiting. Now there are no eggs to color as Mr. C won't eat hardboiled eggs, deviled eggs or eggs-a-la-goldenrod. My girls are 500 miles away. I do miss the fun. This year I am going to try to color a few with beet juice, which will make them so softly pink, from my canned beets I love to eat, the water from boiling artichokes which makes a lovely greenish blue aqua shade and some brown onion skins for the creamy tan colors. I think that ought to satisy my creative need to color eggs. At least my girlfriend and I like to eat egg salad sandwiches so the eggs will not go to waste. What are you doing for egg coloring? My daughter will at least carry on the old family tradition of eating brunch consisting of eggs-a-la-goldenrod. Such good comfort food. I made this lace bunny for my sister who is having her birthday Saturday and we are celebrating on Sunday with a day of shopping and lunching. This will be her Easter decoration from me. I am really having fun making these. No two alike but all with the same ideas. Happy creating...

Spring and Quilting...

Here we are April 1st and our weather has given us a glorious Spring day. The sun is shining and the frogs are croaking their mating songs. The Robins are searching the grounds for just the perfect things. I have spent the better part of the day working in the yard. I decided to put my blinders on as we still have some snow on the ground in the yard and also so I wouldn't get overwhelmed with the massive job to do just cleaning up the debris from such a harsh winter. I chose a small walkway near the pond and merely worked in a small circle hand raking and picking up pine needles, oak leaves, old acorns and heavy wet soggy mushy plant stems. After a few hours I had finished with my little piece of heaven walkway. I have daffodils blooming and there are even hopeful tiny new green sprouts on a very dead looking geranium I didn't think would survive the winter. Life is good. Now for quilting...my small little patches of cleanup work remind me of how quilting goes. In small little patches of fabric that eventually become the finished piece to be proud of. The photo above is a small piece of Cathedral Quilting I did all by hand about 4 decades ago. It was tedius and took forever because I wanted my stitches to be as tiny as possible. Now all these years later it is still perfect...in my eyes. Oh yes, I can see flaws however these only make it more cherished to me. Now days I don't quilt however I know that someday I shall...when I am ready. As I follow blogs and find things that really speak to me I was super fortunate to find Terri Stegmiller. I know many of you already know Terri but for those who don't here is her link. Terri is also part of 3 Creative Studios and you will find lots of inspiration there. From Terri's blog one day I visited the Twelve By Twelve blog. I was intrigued by the quilts that various artists were creating. They were each only 12 inches by 12 inches. Hmmm...now that seems much more doable than some huge king-sized piece that is montrous to work with. I digress but back in the 70's Dear Grandma and I each made king-sized crazy quilts out of small pieces of double knit fabrics. What were we thinking?!! And I don't even still have that monster...me who never gets rid of anything! I do hope you visit both Terri and the 12x12 just to see all the amazing art that is created. Twelve By Twelve had a lovely coming out party online for their book they published and I was super fortunate to be selected one of the lucky recipients of a copy. The book is published by Lark Crafts and Terri actually signed my copy that she sent to me. Thank you very much Terri. This photo above is the front of the book cover. This photo is the back cover. I have perused this book from front to back and it is so beautifully done. Each of the twelve artists who participated and created twelve quilts in the 12x12 inch size are featured. How fun and challenging that each quilt had a theme and it is amazing to see how each artist represented it in their quilt. I will definitely be devouring this book for a very long time. Each time I look I see something new and different. Who knows...maybe this is the catalyst for me to make a tiny little 12x12 inch quilt of my very own to be proud of for decades to come. How are you enjoying your weekend? Maybe a little outdoors and a little indoors creativity? This sunshine is definitely re-energizing me after all the gray, cold, wet and snowy days we have had. What?!! Rain is predicted for Saturday???

Altered Spring Bird...

In lieu of Spring weather I made this altered lace bird. With all the snow and sleet and slush and rain and more snow I just had to feel like I could help Spring arrive.
The base is canvas I cut freehand. Then I layered muslin and various laces which I sewed randomly. A muslin heart and yellow feather for the wing. A small brown button for the eye.
Now I have a lovely Spring Bird to help me await the songs of real birds when the weather permits.
I think I shall make some more altered lace birds. I love how tweet (sweet) they are.
Happy hearing of all the wonderful warm weather most of you are experiencing.
Our local newspaper headline actually said, SNOWPRISE! We usually get snow into May but this winter has been especially harsh. We have had storm after storm after storm.
Happy week ahead my bloggy friends...

This is NOT Spring...

This is NOT Spring...

I just stepped out my front door and took this photo.

This snow and rain is here for the next seven (7) days.

Only one of my couple hundred daffodils started to blossom yesterday.

Now it will be smashed to the ground with heavy wet snow.

Please wait for me dear daffodils.

I so look forward to your bright yellow blooms.

That bright yellow that makes me smile.

That gives me hope sunshine will come and stay.

Oh winter you may rest for another year.

Our water tables are happily full to capacity.

Our forest trees have filled their energy with your water.

Please bring Spring...

Birds Who Sing...

Sunshine and Smiles...

Snow Inspiration=Pure Sparkle...

In honor of all our recent snow I thought I would show you one of the necklace and earrings sets I recently made. I titled it Pure Sparkle. As you can see by this close up shown on one of my hats I love working with lace in my jewelry. This combination of stick pearls, Swarovski crystals and lace really do sparkle when in the sun or lovely lighting.

Here is a view showing the clasp which is beautiful all on its own. The perfect compliment to the beads used in this necklace.

Here is the necklace and earrings together. The sparkle does not show in these photos. You really must see this in person to get the full effect of sparkle, shine and glimmer.

Have you worked with stick pearls?

With all of our weather I am spending time indoors going through some drawers and organizing them. It is like a treasure hunt as I find my personal treasures I have. Yesterday I found some fun things I will share in the future.
I am so happy that March is here and I can experience the days staying light later which gives me more energy. I am hoping our rain storm we are having will help to melt the snow and wash it away so I might be able to enjoy my daffodils which were just beginning to bud when they got buried under 4 feet of snow last week. I do so love the bright yellow blooms as they really do give me hope that Spring will be here even if for a very short time as we always get snow in April and May.

I am off to my studio to work on a small project.

May you have a wonderful and super creative day that brings you much joy.

Happy creating...

Magic Pink Project Completed...

This will be a very quick and short post as we are snowed in with about 5 feet of snow and zero power. We have a generator however with power out everywhere the fuel stations are either out of fuel or not able to pump without power.
I finished my Texture Magic super pink fabric trial. I did make a purse out of the small piece I had textured. This first photo shows the fabric plain under the fun flower button and also the magic "smocked" fabric. I love this fabric and product.

This side of my purse is for the little girl in me.

This side of the purse if for the adult in me.

Fun and flirty side.

Fun and flirty side. Yes, I believe both sides are fun and flirty.

Texture Magic is made by Superior Threads and can be purchased in fabric and craft stores. I have no affiliation with this company or product except as a successful consumer.

I finished this purse this past week just before the huge storm hit.

Just a note: I always unplug my sewing machine due to power issues so the computer part does not get fried. Just like turning off all computers in the house.

Now I must sign off and I am truly missing reading all of the blogs I so love to follow. We must conserve our generator and fuel.

All in all I feel very blessed as we do have a generator for heat and lights. There were many years when we moved here that we didn't have this luxury and survived power outages for on average five days at a time.

Yes, the chain saws, shovels, brooms, axe, hoe and lots of physical muscle has been in force the past two days. I can get really creative about shoveling and brooming and chopping ice from our very steep (16% grade) driveway.

Stay warm and well everyone.

Happy creating...

Aubergine and Lace...

I have always loved the word aubergine. It just sounds so regal. And regal is just what purple has always represented. My mother's favorite color was purple. I never really cared much for it one way or another. However as I "mature" I find I am drawn more and more to the colors of purple and it's many hues. I created this necklace from beads I had picked up in Rome Italy and several other much more local places.

I am realizing that I like working with the asymmetrical rather than the completely balanced matching ways of style. I did make matching pierced earrings using the amethyst beads. Actually amethyst is the gemstone for February so this is quite fitting.

I might list this set in my etsy shop. I have spent several hours recently lowering my prices in my etsy shop so as to allow everyone the opportunity to acquire their favorite pieces. Please do take a look just in case you find a gift for yourself or for someone dear to you.
We are having lots of snow here in Northern California. Awoke to a good sized oak tree crashed down over the driveway. Mr. C and I spent the day outside shoveling, brooming, clearing, chain-sawing and hauling debris off the driveway just so we can get out if need be. However it is snowing as fast as we can shovel. Time for warm tea and homebaked peanut butter cookies.

May you enjoy your weekend and make something wonderful.

Happy creating...

May Snow...

Yes hello this is May 10th the day after Mother's Day. We always seem to get snow in May and here we are this year. Granted it is not sticking or piling up on our ground as of yet. We are 3400 feet elevation and it has been cold and raining all last night and today. It is now late afternoon and snowing. Big fluffy white snowflakes. So pretty.
This is the view out my front door and looking to the East side. Yes, my house faces North. The builders didn't understand that is not a good idea but they did it before I came along. :o)

This is the same view direction but from my kitchen french doors overlooking the deck. Big fluffy white snowflakes falling everywhere.

The pond is quite full with all the rain. The plants and lawn are fully hydrated. The trees are happy with more water soaking into the earth for them to drink.

This is the perfect evening for baking with the oven on. I think chicken breasts coated with sour cream and crushed Chicken in a Biscuit crackers will be just right. Baked potatoes too. That will keep the oven on for a good while. Then I shall make some simple apple turnovers for dessert. Yum! What are you fixing for dinner tonight?

Winter is here...

Yes it is April and this is how lovely it looks while it is snowing. Winter is definitely here. Oh we did have Spring a couple of weeks back but it didn't last. This is how every year fools us.

The newbies all have spent their money on flowers and plants and put them in the ground. Silly newbies! It always snows in April and May too. The snow is so quiet and ethereal. It will be interesting to wake up tomorrow and see how much snow we will have then. This is just beginning to snow when I took these photos.

Happy Winter...again.

We usually go from Winter right into Summer because Spring is just so short lived and only lasts just a few days here and there. Now that I know how this weather works I feel much better about experiencing seasons. When I lived in Southern California I never had seasons and loved the weather all year long. Oh how I miss the sunshine and consistency of beautiful weather all year. I do not seem to need seasons and I never like the cold.

But it is beautiful here and the air is clean and refreshing and the pine trees are amazing and...

I do like it here very much!

Friday already???

Well, I can hardly believe this is Friday already. I remember Monday, then it was Wednesday and now suddenly it is Friday. My goodness the time is flying by this year. I know the old adage that as we age time passes more quickly but I have lots of younger...much younger...people feeling the same and commenting on how fast the days are flying by.

I just had to show the pictures of this little red shoe. It is a size 5 and my daughter wore this shoe when she was very young and adorable. She actually had two of them...a right and a left and she wore them as a pair. I however only have this one shoe left. My grandmother had the other shoe as a remembrance but through the years after Grandmother passed away the little red shoe got lost from its mate. To this very day I just love this little red shoe and of course my daughter, now grown, so very much. I keep this red shoe displayed in my dressing room and I smile every day when I look at it and remember the times she wore it. I still have a passion for shoes and especially red shoes.

Today is the official first day of Spring and our weather here in Northern California was absolutely perfect! Blue skies, sunshine and happy daffodils blooming everywhere. Our little stretch of highway along town has thousands of daffodils that are blooming and making drivers smile. However, we are well aware of the changing mood of Mother Nature and we are on alert for rain and snow by this Saturday night. Yes, it will smash the daffodils as it does every year but somehow they seem to bounce back and look happy no matter what.

I have enjoyed this week even as quick as it came and went. I hope each of you have had a wonderful week and will continue to have many more wonderful weeks ahead.

http://createology.etsy.com

Happy Wednesday to each of you.

Our weather is sunshine today and the snow is melting from the trees and railings of the decks. We are shoveling lots of snow from our very big and steep driveway. Time to be able to get the cars moved around to their proper garages so hubby can work on them properly.

I have posted a new item on etsy and this is a picture of it. A very fun paper apron. My wonderful and beloved Grandma taught me how to make these many years ago while she was alive. When Somerset Studios magazine announced a "challenge" for their newest publication apron*ology we couldn't resist submitting an apron to them. Unfortunately we Saucy Chicks did not get selected, however we are still hopeful as we have not received our apron back as of yet. In purchasing their first edition of apron*ology and reading it through we Saucy Chicks are somewhat surprised that they didn't select our paper apron. What are they thinking?!?! Maybe the next edition will feature us and our accomplishment. We have actually submitted many items to Somerset Studios and their numerous pulications and we feel very confident that our turn is coming. We know we are worthy!

I am checking my list of to do's and trying to complete some of them today. Listing a new item on etsy and posting a new blog today is definitely a completion of two items on the list.

Bright spot...

Here we are in mid February and winter and yes it is snowing again today. However with my new "cheery, not dreary" attitude I felt it was most appropriate to post this beautiful photo of happy cheery begonia flowers taken last July at Butchart Gardens, Victoria BC.

Today I am sitting at my kitchen table with the blinds wide open even though the heater works harder and I have lots of light from all the white snow on the deck. I am using the notebook computer and editing lots of photos previously taken. I find it much more pleasant to sit here than in the office where there are no windows.

At least I am not in bed with the covers pulled over my head waiting for summer and sunshine and warmth. :-)

Have a cup of hot cocoa and enjoy your day as much as I am enjoying mine.

Snowy Sunday...

This is a picture of Sasha BooBoo kitty. This is not her favorite shot but she did approve my posting of it tonight.

Well today I braved the snow as it was falling to drive down the hill to meet my sister so we could finally celebrate our Christmas together and give one another our gifts. I just did not want to cancel our visit so that is why I weighed the "should I stay home or be brave and leave and hope the snow quits and I can get back up the hill to come home and take care of my beloved fur-child Sasha BooBoo kitty". Thank goodness I was lucky and returned home with no incident of snow on the roads. Actually it turned out to be a beautiful day both visiting with my sister and with the weather. Now as I am watching the evening news...what? No television signal? Oh, of course, it is snowing again!

Of course I did take a few pictures with the fabulous new camera but the multimedia notebook is not home so I am not able to transfer them or upload to my blog. I actually went outside this morning and took a photo of the snow falling and my camera has a "snow" feature so I got the actual snowflakes in the photo as they were falling. Amazing!!! I will show it in future posts.

My sister had a theme to her gifts she gave me and I love them all. The theme was pampering and I am going to get used to this treatment very quickly I think. My feet are nice and massaged, my body is buttered and my senses are peaked and calmed with Ruby Guava scented candle and I am wrapped in a luxurious soft plush plum colored throw. How special I feel. Thank you my dear sister. I love you very much.

Have your best week of January as it is the last week of January. Make time for yourself.

Snow pictures...

Here are some pictures of the snow we have just gotten this week.

December Snow...

Hello anyone out there reading this blog.

Here in Northern California we have finally gotten some snow. Our weather has been very dry so far this year and as everyone else knows we desperately need the rain and snow for the water table. We have over a foot of very beautiful white snow. Today it is very sunny so all of the snow has fallen off the trees and landed on any driveways or roads to then become ice as it is very very cold. So if driving (which I am not one to do in this weather) please be extra careful since ice makes a vehicle have a mind of its own!

I did decorate an outdoor Christmas tree this year and took this photo of it before the snow fell. So far my tree seems to be doing just fine as the snow falls off of it. Even the bows are popping back to shape. The CD's are twirling and catching all the light they can so they look very festive.

I will try to blog again very soon. Some holiday plans have changed due to life circumstances so we are adapting as well as possible.

Lots of Jolly to everyone!