I had a social life this week!

We order craft, quilting, and needlecraft books from Edward Hamilton Booksellers.....they have some REALLY great LOW prices!  They're on the internet too...check them out!  We send all our orders together as one so we save on shipping....smart huh?

This lady is SO talented!  Everything she does is beautiful.  She's inspiring and oh, how many unfinished cross-stitch projects do I have waiting in the wings?  Woe is me....

Here is a wall hanging that is in-progress but SO CUTE!!!!  I love crows and primitive styles and those colors of Fall are right up my alley.   LOVE! LOVE! LOVE!

This is GORGEOUS in all neutrals.  The picture doesn't do it justice and of course the blocks are not together yet.  But it's going to be a beauty!

This is all hand -done and hand quilted by a woman who judges quilts...they told me this AFTER I showed my first hand quilting attempt....but she gave me some tips and I learned from her....after I crawled out of the hole.

This is a sewing machine cover....I want it!!!!

Wow!  I was gone 2 days this week!  I had Fit n' Sew, a group of all ages and all stages of needlework and fiber arts of all kinds!   It's pretty much all day at the fairgrounds and sponsored by the county extension.  We bring whatever we're working on and lots of "goodies" of the edible type and there is always someone teaching some type of skill or project which you can partake in or just watch and work on your own project.  It meets once a month and I love it!   Here are some of the people, projects and talent at this month's meeting.

Another collection???? HELP!!!!

Nebraska, Wyoming and Montana!   Only 45 more to go!

This is a LARGE plate and will probably take center stage.  It is very well done in different shades of sepia.  The back says England......are we even importing our state plates now?  Actually, it really can't be classified as a state plate but it was so gorgeous I could not pass it up! 

Okay...so when did you start collecting state plates you ask.    When I saw these!!!!!  This is exactly how these things snowball!  I was just browsing when all of a sudden I found one, then another, and another and pretty soon  I knew I was on to something....this was NO COINCIDENCE!  I was MEANT to have them. So now I will probably spend the rest of life searching for the other 45!  This is much worse than the state quarter thing.  Woe is me.  (There are still 50 states right?  I haven't really been watching the news lately.)

Whoops!!! Forgot the pics

This is a cheesy imported yellow lucite necklace but I LOVE IT!  Does that mean I'm cheesy?  Cheese IS yellow and I love cheese too.....hmmmm....

Okay...now don't laugh....oh you can laugh...I can't hear you anyway!  I have been wanting to learn woodworking and I saw this little kit for children and I have also been wanting a chalkboard in my kitchen!  Double Whammy!!!!!  Of course if I ever get it made it will get painted red!  LOL!  Mostly to cover up my mistakes I think.  But if that little guy on in the picture can do it....stand back!  I will also wear my Wonder Woman bracelet just to make sure it all works out and I don't hurt myself.

Still has the plastic on it and thought I would use it for my pictorial dream journal.  What is a dream journal you ask?  Stay tuned for upcoming developments and announcements!

The tiniest birdhouse in the world!  Going in a plant for sure!  It's about 2 inches tall...too cute!  And crackled...who knew?

Since I AM the star of my own life, the stars were totally appropriate and who wouldn't love the retro red button earrings?  The little star and sun are charms....I guess I need to buy a charm bracelet now!

4 watches...what can I say...I couldn't make up my mind and the prices were SO LOW!  They need batteries and some cleaning....tarnish is a good thing! 

Here's the GOLD!  2 bracelets, a necklace and 2 pairs of earrings

There's the red tablecloth and some cute little potted plant decorations...so cute they are!

Rednesday...not an original idea though.

Rednesday was started by www.suelovescherries.blogspot.com  and she does it beautifully!  Please check out her blog and Etsy shop as she carries lots of vintage items and is a big Mary Englebreit fan.
I went to the thrift shop again.  I have got to watch it!  My theory was that if I went more often I wouldn't buy as much...WRONG!!!!  Here's what I got today and some things for Rednesday too.
BTW...all of a sudden I am getting into jewelry...I have never been much of a jewelry person other than to wear things that have meaning or have been passed down.  But all of a sudden I want some BLING!  I think it is because I am aging and I need SOMETHING to brighten me up a bit.  I am SO sallow and bluch just isn't doing it.  Also, I've been watching jewelry shows on QVC and love it but I can't afford that stuff especially if this is just a fickle fad with me and also where would I wear it?  To Wally World??? Plus, I watched Rachel Zoe on QVC with her FAB accessories which is another area I could use improvement in....I am so conservative...BORING! I heard she has a show on Bravo which I want to check out.  She is so cute and has such great ideas. So..... with thrift store prices I figure I can splurge a little to see if I can possibly "gussie" myself up a bit and experiment without spending a fortune.  I apologize about the blurry pics...I think my camera is going downhill since one picture is clear and the next is blurry and they all look good through the viewer until I download them....what's a girl to do?

Got the lawn mowed! Whew!

I am SO BLESSED!  It was the perfect day to mow!  All my neighbors were out mowing yesterday while there was a heat advisory and I knew I should mow but I'd already taken a bath so I figured I would mow today and LO & BEHOLD.....no heat advisory, I got an early start this morning and there were breeezes!  I barely broke a sweat...miracle of miracles!  It has been so hot here and don't get me wrong...I did not turn my ac off....but it was actually nice out and I enjoyed it and the lawn looks SO NICE now!  I would have taken a picture but after I mowed I watered outside and then promptly came in and took a bath and now I'm in my jammies!

So, I took pictures of a few items I got at the thrift store the other day that I never posted.  

This is a clay bird from Mexico that I will stick in one of my plants for a little decoration....under a $1.00

Isn't this little bluebird cute?  These types of decorations are so cute and are a VERY inexpensive way to add a little decoration to your potted plants.  I got the idea from an all-time GREAT thrifter....Nancy-Jo....check out her blog at www.nancy-jo.blogspot.com

This is a solid soapstone candle "platter"?  It still had the label on it and I don't think it had ever been used.  I think it was about $2.00 for soapstone!  You could also use it to set a plant on it as it is about 8-10 inches across.A little smaller but less than a $1.00 in my FAVORITE color...YELLOW!  I will probably use it as a candle stand.

I was just starting to check out when one of the gals started unloading a box with this basket in it...I said "I'll take it"!!!!!!  It is in really good shape with just enough paint missing to look "shabby" and in RED!  Now don't we just love us a bit of RED!!!!!  I probably should have saved it for REDNESDAY!  This was $4.00 I think but well worth it in my book!  It is about a foot across and at least a foot high and stands up perfectly.  I will probably use it for magazines.

It's MONDAY!!!!

This is one of my first quilting projects....Grandma's Flower Garden paper piecing.  I loved doing it and I made it into a pillow with hand embroidery and some embellishing with little tiny buttons.This is my little heart mini-quilt that I've been working on with those great binding clips I was telling you about!Can you believe it!  A candle actually called SUMMER?  This is Crabtree & Eveleyn...ahhhh....let SUMMER begin!

This is my wonderful OLD cat Patches.....she is 18 and "hangin in there" 

Sorry to all my followers....you are out there aren't you? LOL!  I took the weekend off, not really, but I was clearing and cleaning and trying to get a routine going around here which is actually working but doesn't give me as much interesting blog material....no wonder I have no followers....I"M BORING!  But I don't bore myself so I guess that's the important part.
I hope everyone had a great weekend.  I did and it was very nice because it was more balanced than usual....ie; a little cleaning, a little clearing (my thrift store box to take is growing and I've started a garage sale box now too)!  I saved Sunday for Rn'R and REALLY TRIED to relax and I did....a little.  I sew baby quilts for our Quilt Guild and I got one almost finished.  I try to have both regular sewing (sewing machine) projects and then hand sewing projects for the in the evening when I watch t.v.  I got my guest room cleaned up and part of the hallway and started on the linen closet.  I found some great summer candles in the linen closet that I had forgotten about!
I love that when that happens...it's like a surprise gift!
I'm almost finished with my little heart mini-quilt.  I finished hand quilting the hearts and used my new binding clips to keep the binding in place while I hand sewed it.  I should be able to finish it tonight!  Those binding clips are SO NICE!  It makes the whole process much easier.  If you're a quilter (I'm just a beginner) you will love these!
For some reason my pictures sometimes turn out clear and sometimes blurry.  I think it's the "shaking" syndrome but I have a Fuji 4.1 mega pixel digital camera but maybe it's time to "upgrade"?  If anyone has any solutions or suggestions please let me know meanwhile I apologize for the "sad" photography.