Love this wreath for the beach

I just love this wreath.



And of course I want to make it. I'd love to give credit for the inspiration but the reality is I was on a walk with my girlfriend and she snapped a pic on her fancy phone and sent it to me. The closest I can get for accurate accreditation is some great bungalow type house in Pacific Beach.

It has air plants and maybe some bromeliad type plants and star fish and I think some very well placed shells. You can click on the photo to make it larger, not that it will be all that much more detailed. But hey, it looks great for a phone photo!

This was over the holidays so I wonder if this is just their 'holiday' wreath or if they have it up year round. I wonder if I could find that house again.....

I sure do wonder a lot.

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How to fancy up your appliqué

I did some fused appliqué trees on my Christmas quilt. And then I started blanket stitching around the ELEVEN trees and of course their bases. Now I know there are some appliqué lovers out there. And bless your souls for having the patience for loving the time it takes to finish it all off. I am not one of them. I am more of a down and dirty, get 'er done kind of project person. So to say that I was enjoying all of that would be a huge understatement. Oh, and my stitching isn't that great so I was not really contributing to the beauty of this quilt like I could have.


And then I went to Road to California and did a little shopping. Really, only a little. And stumbled across a booth that had beautiful appliqué that was finished with this gorgeous shiny ribbon type stuff. That wonder product is actually called hot Ribbon Art made by Junko.



You use a mini iron (thank you Linda) to fuse it down. And it adds just so much. My new best appliqué friend. Okay, not that I had an appliqué friend before. But I really liked the stuff. So not only did it make the job so much easier, it covered said blanket stitch, and added a little fancy to my top.





Wow, I really need to take better photos. Sorry about that....

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So pretty...

Glittering with the bug. Although she is now in bed and I am continuing to have fun. A little girl is such a good excuse for glitter and glue and other fun things.


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The pieces of my Chistmas Quilt

Here are the two parts of my Christmas Quilt, the king size quilt I mentioned somewhere.






It has since been put together and is officially at top, a flimsy, another item in the stack of things that need to be quilted.

Oh, I need to tell you about the awesome stuff I used to totally cheat on finishing the appliqué, and that I might say added just a bit of fancy to the things. Hot Ribbon Art by Junko. Love it!


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Cooper

My brother-in-law is one of the nicest people you will ever meet. Truly. And he has had a hard few years with the loss of his mother, then is sister shortly after, and now his brother. I guess that makes him the patriarch now. (Hmmm, he might like that.) My BIL is called Coop and it turns out his brother was always called Cooper. Can you tell their last name?

We attended a wonderful memorial for him last weekend and one of the readings follows. It struck a chord with me so I had to find it and share.

He is Gone
You can shed tears that he is gone
or you can smile because he has lived.
You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back
or you can open your eyes and see all he's left.
Your heart can be empty because you can't see him
or you can be full of the love you shared.
You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.
You can remember him and only that he's gone
or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.
You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
or you can do what he'd want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.
- Anonymous

(The version I found on line was She is Gone.)

Cathedral Window Update

Man, I forgot the most important stuff on the Cathedral Window Pillow. I used the tute from Heather at A La Mode Fabric. There is a Part 1 that talks about sizes and ironing oragami and a Part 2 that is the sewing part.

You should try it, really. Just one. And then you can cross it off your "Things I Have Done" list. Unless your mother-in-law wants one too.

Oh, and the fabric is Whimsy by Michael Miller. I think.