Out of My Element

oh.  my. 

I can't believe I grew up 28 miles from here.  I am not from here.  I am from 28 miles from here.  I am absolutely having culture shock.

Things I expected to see, I've seen.

Then there's the somewhat familiar, only different:

(How's that for an eye in the sky?  It is NOT the Goodyear blimp!  If it is, it's in disguise!)

And then there's the stuff that's making me a bit uneasy.  Like these shops on kitty-corner street corners:

oh wait!  I found a sign that explains it all:

I think that I will try to steer clear of the Billionaires, and maybe walk along the Coast road again.  After all, where else can you see a lifeguard rescue a snorkler?

There were two more lifeguards standing near me - I was high above the rescue, looking down.  One said to the other, "Can you believe how many foolish people are out today?"  hmmm.  I think I'll stay out of the water.

Where else can you find people out on a guard-railed precipice, looking at sleeping harbor seals?

I totally expected a rogue wave to come out of nowhere and sweep this couple away:

I think this is all a bit much for me.  Time to get back to the machine, put my fabric together and sew!

I am certain I will post more later.  I've already taken more than 100 pictures!

Have you figured out where I am?  If so, tell me.  All I know is I'm feeling like a stranger in a strange land!  ;)

Road Trip!

Pack up the car, and let's hit the road!  First, a stop to check on Roscoe.  He looks okay.

" I am a good dog!  It's not my spot.  Sheila did it."  Speaking of Sheila, if you were Pixel, would you want to play near those fangs?  Not I!

I think I mentioned helping hang a gate and some fence.  My oldest son did most of the work.  Looks good!

Once all was determined to be in order at the walnuts, I headed south.  As I hit Bakersfield, I thought, "Oh!  Ming Avenue!  I can see if they have green trim!"  (Did I mention this was a road trip?)

 My car swung west off the 99, and I found myself here.

 They did not have the green I was looking for, but they did have these.  I had to have them too.

I was delightfully surprised to discover that although they had ended their chip/card/punch program, my card had $15 on it, which was exactly enough to cover the cost of the trim.  Things are looking up!

And then I headed south-er.  That doesn't look so good.

No, it's not so good.  The Grapevine was on fire.

 This was climbing the hill, before Lebec.

 Once past Lebec, we went around the big curve and wow.  You couldn't even see Frazier Park.  The fire had burned up one side of the mountain and was coming down the other.  They were evacuating residents.  oh my.

By the time I got to LA, I found this:

It took me 5 hours to creep to my destination.  By the time I got here, it was almost dark.  I barely had time to unload a few of my bags.  I definitely did not have time to take pictures.

And don't worry about my mentioning the road trip.  Everyone else is home.  Too much to do, no time to spare.  Me?  I couldn't take another week of 100+ weather.  I'm so outta there!

Filling Time

I made another card, for my friend.  I really liked this one, and was tempted for a while, to keep it.  But I made it for her, and so I put it in the mail yesterday.  I hope she got it today.  :)

I spent 5 hours yesterday, at the walnuts, helping put up a gate and weeding.  We hit a couple of bumps in the road, one being that my son discovered that Roscoe had wedged a stick horizontally, between his molars.

This picture was taken a year ago.  His neck and jaws have doubled in size.  He's a force to be reckoned with - except that he had a stick wedged in his upper jaw.  Poor guy.  He's now on antibiotics, for the necrotic infection.  :(

I also pulled weeds, a LOT of weeds.  I went back today, for another 4 hour session of fence building.  It's now up and functioning.  Next step:  to add expanded metal, to keep Pixel from dancing through to the other side.  That's going to take a while.  Goals are good!

Oh.

And I fired up the quilting machine today.  I couldn't get the tension balanced.  Obviously there's more to it than just turning it on.  oh well.  Tomorrow is another day.

Escape

I don't know about you, but if I put my head down and focus on thread and fabric, I can escape from almost anything.  You've probably noticed that the heat is getting to me.  It might be making me a bit crazy.  Yesterday I put my head down, and worked on cards.  I did the same thing on Saturday.  Here are a few of the pretties that resulted from my efforts.  I prefer the soft little quiltlets, but some techniques call for the stiff postcard treatment.  I made a few of each.

The reds for this birthday card were leftovers from the Crazy Heart class with Allison Aller back in January.

 The surf-themed strips were leftover from the surfboard quilts.  The tropical print on the back was purchased in Maui.  The starfish came from that button close-out in which I gorged myself back in May.

 Again the reds were leftover from the Crazy Heart class.  I'm not sure where the doily came from.  The heart charm was from the button close-out.

 More leftover trimmings from the surfboard quilts.

I was trying to both play catch-up on cardmaking, and avoid thinking about the Houston notification coming tomorrow.  Mine came one day early.  "The IQA judged show is very prestigious...regretfully...blah blah blah."  You can't get in if you don't try.  And so I keep trying, even though I had my shot, and got in once. 

I think I'm make more cards today.  The process is very therapeutic.

Stay cool!

It No Longer Matters

How hot is it?  It's so hot, that it doesn't matter any more.  It's so hot, that 99 seems like sweater weather.  It's so hot, that I stopped counting after Day 12 of triple digits.  It's so hot, there seems no end in sight, even though I'm currently standing in a 69 degree breeze as I run the whole house fan.

It's so hot, Malcolm lies out there fully exposed, willing the end to come.

"Hey!  What?  What?!!"

I interrupted his dreams of escape, escape by any means possible.

I'm finding it hard to be motivated to do much of anything.  However, I've been knocking out pieces for my Thimble Towne Challenge.  I suppose I could show you our color palette:

I really need to get a new camera.  The"blue" is deep blue violet, the "red" is more of a fuchsia.  My project is moving right along, and will hopefully meet the end of August deadline.

I asked them if it was a blind challenge (keep it secret, shhhh) and they said, "No, but why would you want anyone to steal your idea?" 

hmmm.  I don't think anyone would do that.  The kits are all sold, and surely, with the impending deadline, the challenge quilts are underway...

Let's just say that mine will be fairly clean and uncomplicated...but that does not mean that it is in any way simple.  I'll show you more, later.

For now, I'd better enjoy the current 69 degree offering.  I know it won't last, and if I don't soak it up and savor it, I'll probably be the next one on my back, legs to the sky, wondering when it's going to end...

Think cool thoughts!  ;)

Finished!

Last night Sew Eclectic met, and it was time to reveal our latest installment of our Design Board Challenge.

I began work on mine in Oceanside, knowing exactly what I wanted to do.  I just now looked, and found that I neglected to take a picture of the board I was working from.  doggone!  How are you going to know what inspired me? 

Cindy collaged pictures from magazines.  Those that stood out were a deep blue moonlit bay, blue geode, blue beach glass, and a random assortment of gemstones.  Lots and lots of blue, shots of color, and lots of sparkle and reflection.  It only followed that I would use blue, add some color, and bead.  A no-brainer.  I just finished.  Here is my quilt, "Inspired by Cindy."

 close-up

Maybe, once the series is finished, I'll come up with "real" names for these quilts, but for now, I'll differentiate them by whose board my quilt is based on.

Next project:  Thimble Towne's Challenge is due in August.  I've got my fabric pack, I've got my idea, I've cut the first pieces.  On your mark, get set, go!

Zoom, Zoom!

Where would you be, if a statue of a pig was the greatest way to celebrate and honor something?

 It would probably have to be a place where hogs are the be-all, end-all.

 A place where they keep a submarine in the river...because it sounds like it's named for a favorite mascot.

 This is a place that not only celebrates all things pork, it's a place where I was introduced to "faux bois."  Sounds elegant, right?  "Faux bois," means "fake wood."  The Old Mill was loaded with it.

 Have you guessed it?  We were in Arkansas, to visit our son.  Over the past 15 months, he's overseen the transformation of this (camera wouldn't focus):

to this:

The plant is up and running.  Good job!  Good jobs, for the locals.  Well done, son.

We also saw his new home (he lives in an apartment in the back):

 Met his cat, Kahn

 And had a few more hours to get to know his girlfriend.  All too soon we were at the airport and winging our way home.

Zoom, Zoom!

Little Things

We're sort of sweltering here, trying to pretend all is cool in the middle of an oppressive heat wave.  Quilting?  Don't feel like doing it.  Housework?  bah, humbug.  About all the energy I can scrape up is enough to refill my ice water and go back to collapsing on the couch.  ugh.

Okay, so maybe I exaggerate.  But not much.  ;)

I don't feel like I'm getting anything done.  It's just little things.  In reality, I've made a few birthday quiltlets and popped them in the mail.  Photos?  I forgot to take them.  I've made some postcards too.  Photos?  Same thing.  *sigh*  I took a photo this morning, and found one from a while back, that I forgot to post.

Which style do you prefer?  The 4 x 6" stiff postcard, with the writing on the back?  Or the soft, quilted 5 x7" quiltlet? 

Making quiltlets is easier, because I don't need to think ahead as I make them.  With postcards, I have to remember to add any embellishment first, before fusing to the peltex.  Adding beads or doodads after fusing just makes a mess.

The only problem with the quiltlets, is that I've had recipients ask me, "What is it?  It's a doily, right?"  umm, well, I kinda thought it was a Piece of Art, but if you want to use it as a doily, be my guest.  The beads and buttons might make that a bit challenging...

I've made at least 3 other quiltlets that I've sent off without photography.  oh well.  They were made from leftovers from my green crazy quilt.  The two pieces in the photos were made from scraps from the surfboard quilts.  I've got surf on the brain, as I look forward to another week on the coast in the not-so-distant future.

And the quilting machine?  Haven't touched it.  I'm working on a costume for my daughter's co-worker. 

Perhaps, on Monday, I'll fire up the machine.

Oh, wait.  I need to finish beading my latest quilt for the Design Board Challenge.  I think we meet on Monday night.  The machine will have to wait until Tuesday.

Stay cool!

Baby Steps

It's been two weeks since the carpet was installed.  I should be moved back into my house by now, shouldn't I?  Little by little, bit by bit, I'm working on it.  Big hurdles were cleared when I committed to hanging things on the wall.  The dozens of pieces of framed art that have been stacked in the laundry room are now mostly hanging on walls.  Six more pieces to hang...or store.  Decisions, decisions.

The pool bathroom has been sinkless for 7 days.  *sigh*  I'd prepared everything, or so I thought, but, long story short, the yard sale sink didn't fit, so I had to buy a new one, and now that it's set, the flexible hose is too short to reach the new faucet fixture...it's always something.  Hopefully I'll have running water in there before the sun goes down.  I'm especially hopeful that it will be running before our dinner guests arrive at 5:30!

But I'm rambling.

Back to cleaning up and putting away.

I started washing my way through the new fabric that has been piling up since April.  ooh  aah.  It dries quickly when it's 106 outside.  Now I just need to start pressing, and keep washing.  go, baby, go!

 uh oh.  The sewing table is beginning to look cluttered again.  I'm trying, desperately, to sort and store things, but every time I take two steps forward, I take another one back.  But look!  You can still see a lot of carpet!

 And finally, the grand finale.  A while back I referred to a Big Gift for our anniversary.  I tried this out at the quilt show, and wasn't convinced I wanted it.  I tried it again, with an actual project of mine, and can see how it could be very useful for large quilts.  It arrived yesterday.  And here it sits.

We're having a bit of a stand-off.  I look at it, it looks at me.  Should I start playing with it?  Or should I get back to work clearing and putting away?  I didn't even have a place to put this...it's just kind of HERE, until I'm able to find something better.

My husband says I need a bigger studio.

hmmm.  I wonder what that means?

Banish the thought, I am NOT moving any time soon.

I do have a few odds and ends that I should be able to show you in the next day or two.  Goals are good!