{Post #936} More Ivy and Surprise

After Elisabeth's contribution to the ivy removal, here is how it looks:

...now for my surprise.  I guess everyone likes their decorations for their own reasons.  I have never had an above-the-bed decoration that I really, really liked.  I've had wreaths, purchased artwork, etc.  After seeing some different ideas, I decided to take some of my wedding pictures (that were 4 x 6 actual photos...not digital) and did this:

I had to take this from the side so there would not be any glare.  The photos are 8 x 10 and mounted on artist canvases.  I spray painted the edges black and used Mod Podge to adhere the photos to the canvases.  In our wedding, I had the veil down over my face until "you may now kiss your bride", so my face is fuzzy in the top picture.


I hope my husband likes it!!


~Joan

{Post #935} Ivy: Halfway Finished; Me: Completely Finished

Well, I am kaput.  Don't know how to spell that, but the definition is "all done in", "worn out", "can't pull up another ivy leaf".  Did I mention I've been awake since about 4 AM?


My son, Ben, has a karate tournament in Raleigh today.  He actually should start competing in about 2 minutes.  It's over 3 hours away.  I didn't go, but I can't stop thinking about it.


Here's the "after" pictures.  Wish there was no ivy at all in the pictures.  Elisabeth offered to help.  What a blessing!

I have a surprise for my husband that I will be working on later this afternoon.  Truth be told, rolling up that ivy tumbleweed just did.  me.  in.  

Hope I can get the project finished.  It is something I've been wanting to do for a while, but my idea never came together.  I have it partway finished, and may I just say that it is looking VERY promising.

~Joan

{Post #934} Ivy Be Gone!

Ivy, we need you no more.  At least where the flower beds will be.  


My camera was on its last ounce of juice, so I brought it in to charge.  I took 3 of these pics and Isaac took 1...guess which one he took?

This ivy is the most tenacious stuff.  That can be good and that can be bad.  I want to pull/cut/dig up what will be under my future flower bed (which will be right up against the house).  It is so green, lovely, and verdant.  See how the fat lady in the last picture is rolling it away from her?  Much to her my surprise, it is only rooted in a couple places.  The key is having the strength and dexterity to roll it away from you while ripping out the root without having it throw you back into the front of the house.  I know--I make it sound like a piece of cake.

Better get back to it.

Lord willing, the flower bed construction will begin on Monday and I can plant this little beauty after it grows all big and strong...it's a Shasta Daisy seedling.  I only sowed the seed 5 days ago.  This little overachiever is ahead of schedule!

~Joan, hopefully with "after" pictures in no time!!

{Post #933} Florabunda Bordered

My Florabunda quilt top has both borders on it.  I did another "Bonnie" and cut enough 6" wide dark florals to frame out the 2" wide lights I used for the inner border.  Mix and match--just use it up!


Now to start a backing tonight.  I want to use up a bunch of the florals.  I am leaning towards alternating light and dark 10" squares.  But me being me, I want to cut up ANY little bits left over so I don't have any little more bits to store.  That means I need another quilt to cut out or at least sizes of pieces so I don't end up putting most of this back on the shelf.  I have lots more lights than darks, so I may just use lights.


It has been fun to use some non-Thimbleberries.  Don't be me wrong--I love them, but a change has been nice.


Here is the quilt folded in half and pinned to my design wall.

Here is what I have left after making the above quilt:

Hopefully after backing it will be a much shorter stack...but I don't really think it will.


~Joan

{Post #932} Bow Tie Center Finished

This AM I finished sewing my bow tie quilt center.  Here are some pictures.  I picked border fabric.  The plaid alternate blocks are dark cream with sage green and eggplant color plaid lines.

I was packaging up my surprise package that was posted today.  Spontaneity overtook me, and I took a self-portrait.  On the cutting edge of technology, I tell you.  Photoshop can only do so much!  ;)

If statistics can be believed, I'm one of only 2% of the world's population with green eyes.  


~Joan

{Post #931} Bow Ties Partly Set

Here is how much I have sewn together of my bow tie top.  I have one more diagonal row put together, and that will be the final row, making the set of blocks 7 x 8.

I am really liking the setting plaid.  I didn't measure the piece before I started, and it turns out that I will have just enough after cutting the corner and side triangles as well as the 6-1/2" alternate blocks.  I think I have 2 of the square blocks left over.  That was cutting it close!  I am going to use a sage green for an inner border and a dark purple for the outer border.  Those are the two colors in the plaid with the dark cream.


In other breaking news, Elisabeth mowed our yard today and cut down the prolific monkey grass around our huge natural areas.  Thanks, Elisabeth!!

Rachel had oral surgery yesterday AM and is doing fantastic!!  Here is a bad pic of some lovely flowers she rec'd as a get-well from our church family:

{Post #930} Possible Layout

I really want to make a plaid quilt.  I also am not thrilled with using side-by-side-by-side bow tie blocks.  What do you think of this on-point setting with plaid alternate blocks?  Best of both worlds or yuck?

~Joan