Making a Terrairum

Being an apartment dweller these days,

I decided I needed a little terrarium to brighten up my place.

It was quite easy to put together.

First I found a glass jar with a lid.

I layered the bottom with sand and then big rocks.

This photo should have been first, I don't know why blogger

rearranges my pictures.  I guess it thinks it knows best.  Ha!

Here are my supplies gathered from the beach

and the local greenhouse.

So back to the layering.

Sand, rocks, shells, sea glass . . .

Potting Soil . . . 

I love the look of the shells and sea glass in there.

I had a big bowl of sea glass from all my gatherings 

at different beaches around the world.

My BIL will laugh at this, but the glass is being put to good use now.

Little plants and ferns and succulents added in.

And a couple of shells in the midst.

The kid thinks is needs a tiny gnome.

I think I agree, will need to hunt one done.

So here is my little peace of heaven.

Life.

Be grateful. 

This and that . . .

There was a little bit of sewing this week . . .

I finished the quilt for my new niece!

I did simple straight line quilting a half inch from each seam.

I love this easy and quick quilting method.

I still need to wash this, but it is already soft and crinkly.

I also did a little exploring with a friend of mine.

We stopped at a roadside gardening place that

I have driven by a hundred times . . . 

Very inspiring! I wish I had seen this bird bath before I moved

out of my house.  How cute is that!?  My bird bath always had

a film on the bottom, this is a great solution to an unsightly

problem.  But of course, there would be no water for the birds!

And these lovely glass jars in three pieces. . . 

I can see a terrarium in my future!

The perfect thing for apartment living.

Love those colors!

on another note . . .

Halloween is only about a week away.

Don't you love this enthusiasm? 

I'm so glad others have the drive to do this.

It is fun, but . . . 

So much work!

Do you see the body on the roof wrapped in spider webbing?

Very inventive.  Hahaha.

Hope you had a great weekend and had some fun!

A Lazy Sunday . . .

I love a three day weekend . . . every weekend should be a three day weekend!

There was much activity in the garden yesterday, more on that at the end.

This morning I crept up to the attic to sew for a bit.

I wanted to try Margaret's June block

from 15 minutes play.

Her instruction were great! Thanks Margaret!

I "made" my fabric in the monochromatic colors . . .

Cut them out as instructed and then went about finding a background.

I tried a few different fabrics, but they were all too busy.

I really like this darker green, it works well to contrast with the colors.

Can you see where I made the mistake???

It was laid out right in the photo above . . .

I sewed from my cutting table . . .

What the heck!

I'll make another, it was so fun!

I must have been daydreaming about the BBQ I'm off to this evening!

on another note . . .

I used to have two palm trees in my back yard.

They were a gift from a friend when we did our patio . . .

But, we had to drag them inside during winter and they were huge and sharp.

I decorated them for Christmas . . .

They stabbed people that got too close! And the dropped sap everywhere.

This year I said, "Let's see if they make it outside . . .

I would like a traditional Christmas tree."

The winter before was very mild, who knew I was tempting the Gods!

(Let me say I am not taking any kind of credit for our winter!

I just wanted a 'real' Christmas tree!)

Needless to say, the poor palms didn't make it . . .

They should really stay in Florida where they belong.

Although, I have to say, while they were here,

my terrace looked like a swank spa that I could never afford to go to!

And here is my fix to all the empty pots in my back yard . . .

Trees and shrubs that actually live in Connecticut!

And some flowers around the bottom for color.

I know the palms were sexier, but really, we all must

come to our senses sometime, am I right?

The peonies are in full bloom and I could sit next to them for hours.

I think I will have to snip one or two to put next to my bed

so I will have sweet dreams this week!

And this last shot is the pots next to my back door.

Yes that is a little pot of sand next to them.

The kid smokes and that drives me crazy!

KID PLEASE STOP SMOKING!!

There I said it, and for everyone to hear . . .

I hope you all have a wonderful

Memorial Day Weekend.

Please make sure that you thank everyone you know

who has served our country.

THANK YOU JESSICA AND DOUGLAS!

AND MY BIG JON!

Hooky . . . and not the crochet kind!

I played hooky today . . .

Well, maybe not technically hooky, because I took a vacation day,

and there was nothing sneaky about it.

Something tells me the sneaky factor makes it a little more fun.

So first up I took a nice long walk by the water . . .

It was kinda chilly and foggy, but really quiet and serene.

Then I headed to Katonah to lunch with a new friend.

It's so nice to get to know someone who is new in your life.

Everything is fresh.

From there I headed to the Quilter's Alley, because, well,

I was almost right there!

You can't play hooky and not have fabric involved!

I was pretty good, three yards all together . . .

I also picked up a quilt that Roxanne finished up for me.

My Zig Zag quilt! All Kaffe all the time!

I had Roxanne to an all over leafy pattern.

The back is pieced too and is kind of busy, but I love it!

I have the perfect polka dot all set for the binding.

Of course no day of hooky would be complete

without a little time in the garden.

The peonies are starting to pop!

I am so anxious to take in their wonderful fragrance!

The rhoddies are in full bloom too.

This is my drive way, makes me think of a quilt . . .

What did you do today?

Hope you had fun!

Another Sunday

It's been two weeks since I had anytime to sew . . .

So I was happy to steal a little time in the attic this weekend.

Why is it this time of year gets so busy?

It just seems like the garden starts to bloom and the calendar fills up!

Not that I'm complaining at all, I am so glad that we can sit outside

and enjoy the sunshine.

But . . . I do love to sew. I need to figure out a way to get rid of the job. hehehe

I made a signature block for Victoria's quilt . . .

This is going to be a beautiful quilt when it's done, such a great idea!

It's on it's way tomorrow V!

Then I set to work on our NYC Metro Mod quilting bee block.

This month is Earamichia's block and it was SO FUN.

She sent us these fabrics (and I added one), with the instruction to
depict earth, wind, fire, and water.

I was a little nervous, this is my first quilting bee,
and when you get a package of beautiful fabrics to use, you don't want to mess it up!
These were just perfect for this bee block.

For the curving water part, I needed to practice first.
I can do a New York Beauty with no problem,
but this kind of organic curved piecing is very new to me.
The pink and green on the left was my first attempt.
TRAIN WRECK!
My second attempt was sooo much better.
I am definitely a learn by doing kind of girl!

* * * * * * * *

Here are a few of the things that have kept me busy
and away from my sewing machine . . .

My wonderful garden is really waking up!
That is my beautiful peony bush, it has grown a foot and a half in two weeks!




And this is a taste of my crazy weekend with my Mom
and Aunt Betsy!

We watched the Royal wedding together, (at 4:30am ug!)
My Mom made us these fabulous hats,
she's very crafty and creative!
I wore mine with the flowers in front, why hide the beauty?
And she bought us engagement rings at Micheal's.
They were hilarious!
Actually they looked really great, and I wore mine to work
the following Monday, to much hilarity there too.

We don't look too much alike do we? Haha!

Hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day and a wonderful weekend.

Spring has Sprung!

It is finally sunny and 65* here today!

YEAH!

I finished mending this little beauty yesterday.

It was a much bigger job than I thought.

This is the blanket I bought at a tag sale for 8 dollars,

and now I know why . . .

I had to mend almost every intersection.

Which really wasn't so bad, I just did it

while I was watching the tube.

It really is so retro and fun.

I can just imagine some one's grandma crocheting away . . .

Glad I saved it from being tossed.


on another note . . . .

My garden is really starting to pop!

The bleeding hearts are blooming.

The Hyacinth are almost done,

and the peonies in the bottom left corner

are just peaking through.

Peonies are my faves, don't tell the rest of the garden!