Everyday Pleasures #12

Happy August Everyone!

Summer in Lancaster County means being able to get locally grown, fresh produce all the time! We have several great farmers markets, and farmers often sell there bounty along side the road, as well. Actually, it seems that during the summer, produce stands of one kind or another can be found on almost every back road around here!

Pictured below is what I picked up yesterday at a local road side stand, (I only wish I had had my camera with me at the time, as the beautiful plow mules were standing right next to me as I paid!)


Local yellow plums! (Yes, yellow!) These are the sweetest, most juiciest things around!


Farm fresh tomatoes, summer squash, and onions. I'll cook them up with some black beans and serve them over pasta tonight.


Lancaster County corn on the cob. I could eat this for breakfast, lunch and dinner, everyday of the week! It is the taste of summer!

Details 27 & 28

I didn't really have any fun doing #27. I just couldn't get the angles straight even though I did mark out the row. If it was on a small block I would definitely have unpicked, but it's on this 4' x 2' 6" hanging that I'm doing, and from a distance it looks OK! #28 doesn't look like much either, but in reality is quite pretty. The bugle & seed beads and lazy daisy stitches are all gold!

Vaulting - Balance in motion

My youngest son has taken up vaulting - gymnastics on horseback - more photo opportunities....... The children first practice the routine on a barrel before they move onto the back of the horse.There is a quilt in here somewhere.... :D

Falling Behind!!!

Maybe some of you have noticed that I haven't posted any new details of the "100 Details in 200 Days" in a while. The problem has been that I have run out of seams to work on. I have no blocks "on the go". Since I started CQing in March I have accumulated six completed blocks (which I think will make a nice wall hanging for my bedroom), but I don't want to start another block unless it is for a gift or RR. So this evening I decided to begin my big wall hanging for the living room, just so I could get some seams to work on. I hadn't planned on starting this big project so soon, but, hey, I 'm up for the challenge!

It will be 4' x 2' 1/2". The maroon bit that I have laid out above is about 8" wide and should provide plenty of seams for the next month of details.

BRILLANTE WEBLOG PREMIO - 2008

Thank you Gerry, for nominating me for this Award. Now it is my turn to nominate some deserving bloggers. I've had this post as a draft for a couple of days planning to choose some more winners, but so many of them have already been nominated by someone else.

Here's my first nominee: I'm nominating Niki Lee's RavioLee Dreams as a Brillante Weblog Premio -2008. Although Niki Lee has only been blogging since June of this year, her blog is chock full of interesting stuff, wonderful photos and beautiful embroidery, dolls, CQs, amazing scenery and good stories. Well done Niki. You'll find a link to her blog on the right.

Ready to send

Just a quick note to say that my Favourite Things RR block is pressed and ready to send to Sandi in Pleasanton California. Before it arrives back in Canada it will have passed through Springfield Ohio, Anaheim California, Plympton Massachusetts, Earlville Illinois and West Ipswich Australia. What a lot of miles!

Added on Monday 28th. Well it's on it's way to Sandi. At the last minute I removed the large pink bead that is the body of the bottom right angel. I thought it would be a bit bulky to go through the measuring thing at the post office. I'll sew it back on again when it comes home. Or....if any of my "Mums" group has something flat that would fit, please add it if you want to.

Shoulder bag

This bag came about because I was running out of seams for the 100 details in 200 days. I had bought a pattern at the Quilt Show in Lancaster PA in April and I was anxious to have a go at it. The front part of the bag is CQ and the back plain, and because there are only three pieces making up the CQ part, there weren't many seams, three, that's all! One of them is Detail 25 from the 100 details, another is a row of angels for the Christmas Motif at CQ4Newbies, and the third is one I made up. In the spaces I did some fern, a whirly thing and a fan which I really like. But now I am out of seams again for the 100 details.

It came together fairly easily except for the lining which I made with a nice piece of polished cotton, and cut the same size as the outside. It was just a bit too big and I had to trim it down a bit. Now all it needs is a chain or cord and some kind of fastener. The instructions call for velcro, but I want to use something else.

What's Elie Sewing

Wow the last 2 weeks just flew past I have been sooooooooo busy family, work, family work, vacation. Not a lot of sewing. Here is my sewing machine Elie this morning. My sewing table is a mess. I am trying to finish this doll quilt so I can use it as one of my finishes for "Finish 5 by the end of July" I will only get 3. But I'm happy with that. The fabric I picked up Thursday at the local Good Will .50 cents a yard. There's 19 yards there. The red white and blue strip I know I seen a neat quilt somewhere that used strips in the setting blocks. The orange check I just love. And the other I feel sorry for it's so ugly, But I will find I good use for it.
Ahh yes and my little distraction. I had the joy of babysitting this little one the last 2 days ( my one and only grand child ). Regular babysitter on vacation. I thought I would get some sewing done home all day but no didn't even go into the sewing room. She is a joy!!!

What's Elie Sewing

Wow the last 2 weeks just flew past I have been sooooooooo busy family, work, family work, vacation. Not a lot of sewing. Here is my sewing machine Elie this morning. My sewing table is a mess. I am trying to finish this doll quilt so I can use it as one of my finishes for "Finish 5 by the end of July" I will only get 3. But I'm happy with that. The fabric I picked up Thursday at the local Good Will .50 cents a yard. There's 19 yards there. The red white and blue strip I know I seen a neat quilt somewhere that used strips in the setting blocks. The orange check I just love. And the other I feel sorry for it's so ugly, But I will find I good use for it.
Ahh yes and my little distraction. I had the joy of babysitting this little one the last 2 days ( my one and only grand child ). Regular babysitter on vacation. I thought I would get some sewing done home all day but no didn't even go into the sewing room. She is a joy!!!

My favourite things RR

I've joined this round robin on CQEmbellishes. It's my first RR so I have been thinking about it for a few weeks, wondering exactly what my favourite things are that can be worked into a CQ block. Two things that I want to include are cake decorating and flowers. But I kept thinking that there was something else. It suddenly occurred to me when I was working on a seam for the Christmas motif for CQ4Newbies, that Angels are my other favourite things. My Christmas tree is covered in angels, my girls have kept them coming every year for ages! So, I'm hoping that my RR group, the "Mums" (chrysanthemums) will just fill my block with angels, cakes and flowers!

Here's my first little angel on my RR block. I think she needs a halo!

Just for interest's sake I took the bottom photo without my light box. Both were taken in full sun. The box works well. There's a photo of it under "Taking Photos" on July 1.

Pretty Pretty Pincushion

I decided to skip my usual Friday "Everyday Pleasures" post today so that I could share with you the exquisitely pretty, pretty pincushion that I recently purchased from Karen, of Etsy's Contemporary Stitches and of the lovely blog Contemporary Embroidery.


I have been enamored of Karen's work for sometime now, and am thrilled to have a piece of it! This beautiful hand stitched silk pincushion features cutaway areas with bits of vintage embroidered textile peeking through!


I love the attention to detail!


And it's just as pretty on the reverse side!

And look at the beautiful gift that Karen included for me!

Darling handmade silk and vintage embroidered buttons!! I am in heaven! Thank you Karen, I will treasure your work forever!

In keeping with the vintage textile feel of today's post, here is today's "BooDilly Daily Dilly"...

A vintage cloth tape measure!



Purchase this "BooDilly's Daily Dilly" featured item, from my BooDilly's Shop from July 25th to July 27, 2008, and I will refund you via PayPal, 10% of your purchase price for this item, plus 10% of your shipping price for this item! All you have to do, is after your purchase, leave a message either in the comment section here or through Etsy, to let me know you saw it here! This offer is only good for the days listed, and only as long as the item is available! Check back on Monday for the next featured Dilly!

Cottages of Mount Gretna

As promised, here are more pictures of just a few of the charming cottages found amongst the trees in enchanting Mount Gretna!











In keeping with the old time feel of Historic Mount Gretna, today's "BooDilly Daily Dilly" is this Vintage Cabinet Card.


Because this is the "BooDilly's Daily Dilly" featured item, if you decide to purchase this "Handsome Young Man Vintage Cabinet Card" Photograph from my BooDilly's Shop from July 23rd to July 25nd, 2008, I will refund you via PayPal, 10% of your purchase price for this item, plus 10% of your shipping price for this item! All you have to do, is after your purchase, leave a message either in the comment section here or through Etsy, to let me know you saw it here! This offer is only good for the days listed, and only as long as the item is available! Check back on Friday for the next featured Dilly!

Detail 25

I enjoyed doing this one for a few reasons! The first one was that my order of threads arrived from Evening Star Designs. Beautiful variegated threads, and lovely to work with. Second, I found some gorgeous buttons in the button boxes at my Seniors Club, and third, I did this detail on the front of an small shoulder bag which I think will be very nice when it is finished.

Mount Gretna

We spent Sunday enjoying beautiful Mount Gretna, which is about a half hour from our home. I so want to live there!


Old shady trees, grassy slopes, a sandy beach and a cool, lovely lake. Perfection!



The bath house features a lovely big old porch with adirondack chairs. Perfect for sitting and relaxing with a good book!


Fun on a trapeze swing!


The Mount Gretna Community Building


The Jigger Shop, (Great ice cream!)


Mount Gretna Playhouse.


Look closely! There are dozens of enchanting cottages tucked everywhere amongst the trees!


Here is one such cottage.

I promise to post more Mount Gretna cottage pictures in my next post. (You will love them!)

And before I forget, here is the "BooDilly Daily Dilly"...


5 Little Plastic People!

Because this is the "BooDilly's Daily Dilly" featured item, if you decide to purchase these Little Plastic People from my BooDilly's Shop from July 21st to July 22nd, 2008, I will refund you via PayPal, 10% of your purchase price for this item, plus 10% of your shipping price for this item! All you have to do, is after your purchase, leave a message either in the comment section here or through Etsy, to let me know you saw it here! This offer is only good for the days listed, and only as long as the item is available! Check back on Wednesday for the next featured Dilly!