MAGPIE'S MUMBLINGS

A blog about my interests, which include fabric landscapes and various and assorted other artsy pursuits and sometimes known to contain mumblings of a random nature.

Friday, July 17, 2026

Out of the Twilight Zone

 The air quality here is pretty awful right now due to the wildfires that are burning all over Ontario.  I know it's hard to tell the surreal light that's outside from this picture, but hopefully you can (this was taken at noon on Wednesday)....

This is the view from our balcony towards the river that runs through the town.  That big tree to the right is just outside our bedroom window and you can see the pathway that runs along the river all the way to the downtown.  Our thoughts are with all the brave fire fighters who are battling in this extreme heat under very trying conditions.  

- HERE is a little project that would be a great way to gift something small to a quilter or sewer.

- Those of you who are interested in weaving might enjoy a scroll through the creations of THIS artist!

- And THIS artist does some interesting work (several galleries to peek through)

- Since it's watermelon season, perhaps you might like to try making THIS.

Today's quote is from Winston Churchill..."I'd rather argue against a hundred idiots, than have one agree with me"



Wednesday, July 15, 2026

 The latest on the tech front - I fixed the tv!  Don't ask me how I did it because it was more by luck than good management but the RC is happy so that's all that counts.  I even managed to get the screen brighter than it was which was an additional bonus I never expected.  Now I'm leaving the cell phone issues for another week or so in order to recover my equilibrium.

In the interim whilst I had no computer I finished the latest landscape...


FOR SALE!!

- If you happen to be searching for ideas for using up scrap fabrics, perhaps one of the ideas found HERE might interest you.

- THIS is a little different take on a pincushion design.

- Have a peek through the gallery of THIS artist!

- THIS artist too - check out all her galleries.

Today's quote is from Nelson Mandela..."Fools multiply when wise men are silent"



Monday, July 13, 2026

I'm back!!!

 I'm back in the land of tech and the proud new owner of a Lenovo All-In-One along with the learning curve that goes along with it.  I'm utterly amazed at what the tech guy could do - I no longer have umpteen-dozen cords running all over the place (everything is now wireless).  No longer do I need to have a router which makes the internet far faster (who knew?!).  No longer do I need a separate camera to use for video-chatting - it's built in.  No longer do I need a separate anti-virus program - it's built in.  No longer do I need a box full of CD's for various and assorted programs - everything comes with it, including a non-dinosaur word processing program (I was running Word 2007).  No longer do I need a shoebox full of manuals/CD's/how to's.  I have entered the current century!!

I will be publishing your recent comments but won't take time to respond to them and will start again from now (so I will respond to the comments on this post, but not the previous ones) and I have been managing to read your blog posts on my phone but haven't been able to respond.  Next 'up' on my dance card is going to be replacing my phone but I'll leave the dust to settle a bit before I undertake that new adventure.

Onwards....


UPDATE!  Well,that didn't last long.  Finally got the computer up and running (with the capable assistance of 'my guy') and then the provider for our cable tv/landline/internet went down  for several hours.  The upshot of THAT issue is that it's left the tv not working and it's telling me I have to go in and reset everything back to the beginning which I have NO clue how to do.  

Tuesday, July 07, 2026

Toast

 I will be off the computer for a while....my computer fried after several power disruptions yesterday.  It appears the router is toast too.  Not only that but my tablet and my cell phone aren't working either...both are refusing to turn on.  They say things happen in 3's and seems it's my lot right now.  Call is in to a computer repair guru but of course he's on holidays.  I will return when I can 

Monday, July 06, 2026

Some progress

 There's been some progress on the landscape.  You might notice that the bottom edge has changed because I decided to add some 'sand' and that there's been a tent and what I thought was a canoe but now I'm thinking it's more like  a rowboat.  Not sure if it will be staying because I really had been planning on a canoe.      The Resident Chef informs me that the 'canoe' is actually a dory and therefore would not be transportable into this sort of setting.  So...the dory is gone and it's been replaced with something much more the shape of a canoe.  Phew, disaster averted!


Question - is anyone else having difficulties either making comments, or responding to them, on blogs?  I periodically have issues it seems and am wondering if it's just me or if it's a universal issue.

- THESE would make cute therapy chickens!

- THIS looks like it would be a fun process albeit a bit messy!  (scroll down for the how-to)

- I found THIS article quite interesting and something we all should beware of when buying patterns.

- Have a peek at the varied creations of THIS artist!  I love her use of colour and raw materials.

Today's quote is from Martin Luther King Jr....."We have flown the air like birds and swum the sea like fishes, but have yet to learn the simple act of walking the earth like brothers"



Friday, July 03, 2026

You knew it, didn't you

 Yes, a new landscape is underway and this is where it stands now...


- Joy has announced a fun new quilt-a-long and you can find her introductory post HERE.

- Although I don't have the necessary 'base' to make any of THESE I must admit I am intrigued.

- Although there are no instructions for THIS I think it's so pretty!!

- Sometimes it IS the little things as you can see from THESE.

And - I would like to wish all my friends in the US a very happy July 4th!

Today's quote..."A narcissist wants the authority of a king while having the accountability of a toddler"




Wednesday, July 01, 2026

Happy Canada Day!

 I am going off schedule with this post but I wanted to wish all my Canadian friends a very happy Canada Day.  


This short You-Tube video says what I feel about my country 



A wee finish

 Here is the little knitted project I was telling you about last time....


My friend is expecting a new grand baby so I want to make a couple things to welcome the new addition.  This is the toy I often make for babies and the pattern can be found HERE.  I used sock yarn for this one but I have made it in other weights of yarn as well.  It measures about 12" from the tip of the hat to his/her toes.

- THIS is a cute project for summer use.

- Depending on the colourway you choose, THIS would be a nice addition to your decor (and would use up scraps too).

- You could use THIS pattern to make all sorts of things.

- THIS would be a fun project and wouldn't it make nice gifts too?

Today's quote..."If Plan 'A' didn't work, the alphabet has 25 more letters"