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, December 31, 2010

2011 - what will it hold?

My hope
for all
in the
year
to come...

GOOD HEALTH

MUCH HAPPINESS

PEACE

AND....
 
AS MUCH
CREATIVITY 
AS YOU CAN 
STAND!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

 

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Christmas houseguests

We have had two guests visiting with us over the Christmas week. They went home this morning, but will be returning for another few days a week from now, while their 'humans' are away on holidays.

This is Winnie...
and before you comment,
yes, I know....
we had two Winnie's here,
which led to some confusion,
especially when one
is human,
and one thinks she is!!




And this is Nipper -
who happens to be our
Odin's brother.



It's hard to believe that Odin and Nipper were actually brothers - Odin was a definite throwback to the border collie whereas Nipper is very much a springer spaniel. 

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

My loved ones...

I know I've probably never shown pictures
here of my boys and their fiances.

I think it's high time I 'introduced' them,
don't you?


First is #1 son RJ (Robert)
and his fiance Julia...


And...
here is # 2 son Shawn
and his fiance Winnie...


and finally,
just to make your day complete,
Mr & Mrs. S. Claus...

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Fiddling about

Hope everyone had a very happy Christmas!  I certainly did...my family was all home and a few friends thrown in for good measure and a grand time was had by all.  We're still eating leftovers, but that is fine by me!

You will notice yet another change with my blog - it's a work in progress.  I'm not at all sure that I'm liking the current change, but we'll see.  My favourite flower is the poppy so I thought it would be a good background - just not so sure about the colours I've put with it.  Any ideas?    EDITED TO ADD:  Well, the poppies didn't last long and now I'm trying this one instead. 

The picture today is of the gift I gave to a friend who loves to knit.  She has a gorgeous shawl she wears over her winter coat and was lamenting one day that she didn't have a shawl pin to hold it in place.  'Aha', said I, and began a search for one.  Well, this town didn't haven't a CLUE what I was talking about.  I was met with total blank stares.  Obviously my quest was going to be a fruitless one.  Hmmm.  So to the internet I went, hoping that I could order one for delivery in time for Christmas.  Nope.

SO.....


I made her one!

My stash yielded up some copper wire which I bent somewhat into the shape I wanted.  Then I hammered it flat (making my husband come running wondering what on earth I was doing).  A quick dip in a warm water/lemon juice/salt bath made it all shiny again, and voila - a one-of-a-kind shawl pin.  The colour in this picture just doesn't do it justice.

Do you think I should take up business??

Friday, December 24, 2010

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

TO YOU,
AND
TO THOSE
YOU HOLD
MOST
DEAR.

MAY IT BE
HAPPY,
HEALTHY
AND
SAFE
FOR ALL

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Christmas Potatoes

Here's our favourite recipe for
a potato dish you can make
ahead for Christmas.

10 potatoes, cooked, mashed & cooled slightly
250 g. pkg. cream cheese
1/4 c. butter or margarine
 ---
Combine above.
---
1 c. chopped green onions
1 c. sour cream
1/2 c. minced parsley (or 3 T. dried)
pinch of marjoram
salt & pepper to taste
---
Add to potato mixture.
Place in 2 L casserole dish
and top with
1/2 c. dried breadcrumbs.

At this point you can freeze it if you like.
Unthaw before cooking tho'!

Bake at 350 degrees 40 mins.

ENJOY!!!





Simple creche



I never look at this
without
'Oh Holy Night'
coming to mind.





Jack made this several years ago.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

A hug to you, from me


Did you know?
That a group of bears
is called a 'hug'?

Our Christmas tree has
lots of bears on it,
including one
on the VERY TOP!!





Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Christmas mouse


There's a wee little
Christmas mouse
at my house!

Monday, December 20, 2010

It's Christmas time!


This little fellow makes me feel happy.

Doesn't he look like he's
full of fun
and mischief?

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Thursday, December 16, 2010

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Monday, December 13, 2010

New Visitor!

Today a new visitor arrived!
Serenity
came for a visit....

Serenity is the next doll in the current Art Doll Coolaberation 
and belongs to Amy.

Can't wait to see what
Serenity wants me to
give her!!

Friday, December 10, 2010

Angels we have heard on high?

Yesterday and today I've been busy creating these little charmers.  24 of the little white ones and the four coloured ones you see here.  The white ones are from the 'Littlest Angels Kit' put out by The Beadery.  There were several pieces left over and I combined some of the bits in my stash to make the coloured ones.  These are little presents and/or 'bows' for the top of parcels.  Every year I make a number of ornaments and some of my friends have collections!

Thursday, December 09, 2010

Sparkles!!

Nothing quite like treating yourself
like a queen!!





Yes, it's gold.
Of the 'real' variety.

While I was cleaning out the things that belonged to Dad I came across both his wedding ring (broken) and my mothers' engagement ring.  I already had Moms' diamond placed into the new ring I got on our 25th wedding anniversary (it has my engagement diamond and a sapphire, along with the diamond from Mom).  Gold is expensive right now, so I decided I would put the rings, along with a couple of other ones I had, together and have a cross made - so that I could wear a piece of all three of us.  

This was made by a local jeweler - didn't she create something lovely?  I gave her free rein to do whatever she pleased with it and I'm so glad I did!  There was enough gold left over that I was able to sell it and pay for half of the chain I'm getting to go along with it.  I don't have much 'good' jewelry, so this is pretty special.

btw - the red showing at the bottom of the cross is a reflection from my shirt!

Wednesday, December 08, 2010

Art doll - Raisa

Yes, I messed my studio up today!!

But, I was playing with a doll which was
WAY more fun than a clean studio
any day!

Meet Raisa....


Isn't she sweet?
Her body is a petit-point box measuring about 3x4".
Gail had added the ruffle around the bottom, along
with some interchangeable legs.
I thought and thought about what Raisa
would want next,
and finally she told me she wanted
more music in her life.
So....
in my clearing out of 'stuff' lately
I happened across a
"Let Us Have Music For Piano"
book I had when I was little,
and an idea was formed.

I copied the first few bars of 'Rigoletto' (La Donna e mobile) by Verdi  onto fabric and made her a collar with some beads as embellishment.  She liked that very much.  
But she wanted MORE!!
So I stash dived and made her arms - using some coiled wire with more beads - plus copper wire inside for strength.  Now she has arms AND legs and she's pretty happy.
Next came her journal.
Yvonne had altered an old music book
for us to use as a journal for Raisa.

Here's the first page....
I used the first few bars of 'Rigoletto' again, along with a copy of the words.  More stash diving yielded the lace flower and the word 'music'.  There's a tag in behind the words that has my info.

And here's page two...

More of the music from 'Rigoletto', a piece of turquoise ribbon and some music charms.  The quote is from Maya Angelou.   Hope you like what I did Yvonne!






Tuesday, December 07, 2010

Studio unveil (Part Two)

Thank you so much for all the lovely comments yesterday about my studio redo!  I'm certainly happy with it.  As promised, here are more pictures....

The computer area.  Above the desk you can see a wonderful carved
wooden clock that a friend gave me a few years ago.  
Under the printer is the latest sewing machine
I've acquired.  I have yet to try it out!
My work area.
My trusty Janome is at the ready!
Above is a shelf that holds several things
I'm displaying - these are on a rotation so that
there's something new there periodically.
In a former life this little unit was red.
Now it's a nice cream colour and holds
little bits of things.  Perhaps if you
embiggen the picture you can see what
I keep in there.
This little treasure is a music box - 
another thrift store find!

A new addition to my space is this
lazy susan supply holder. 
I love it because all my
most used things are easy
to see.

Finally, this unit fits handily in the
corner and holds yet more
of my most-used supplies.
See the little sewing machine?
It's a pencil sharpener!

If there's anything you'd like a better look at, let me know in the comments and I'll try to get a close up.

The room isn't quite done yet - the trim needs to go down around the baseboards, but it will have to wait until after Christmas.  The cabinet I keep my iron on is also destined for a paint job in the new year.  Hope you've enjoyed seeing my new space.

NOW I CAN GO AND MESS IT UP!!!!!

Monday, December 06, 2010

Studio unveil!! (Part One)

The long-awaited studio unveil
(or at least part of it!!).

Do you remember this???

The above pictures are the 'befores' that I took just before I began painting.   The walls were a soft purple and the furniture was green.  OK, but not something that might be advantageous to attract any potential buyers!  If you have a look in my sidebar under 'studio tour' you can see more 'before' pictures.

I will show you the 'new' studio in two posts, one today and one tomorrow.  There are a number of pictures and I wouldn't want to either bore you OR overload your computer!!  The colours here aren't exactly 'true' - envision a lb. of butter and you have the wall colour.

Here you go...
TAH DAH!!!!

This is just inside the door.  The dresser holds my crazy quilting fabrics, pretty much sorted by colour.
The cabinet to the left holds my beads and there is more fabric storage below.

My bookshelf, being guarded by my dragon!
You can just see my 1950's sewing machine.
The cabinet under the iron holds various items - a few
office supplies and little things that don't seem
to fit anywhere else.

The little cabinet above is a 'find' from
the thrift store - little cubbies to hold
treasures.

See?

There's my little sewing machine and the
cabinet below - all yard sale finds!
This is beside the door in the other direction.
My cutting table, up on blocks to make it
high enough for me to use in comfort.
You can see the cat toy hanging from the
drawer handle.
The plastic unit below holds my laces and trims.
Above is my inspiration board
(another yard sale find).
See?



More tomorrow!!




Wednesday, December 01, 2010

Wooz - eeeeee?????

Well, the basement reno is moving along and today the new carpet was installed.  It looks really nice and certainly brightens up the space considerably (the old carpet was dark brown and this is a pretty taupe).  The only problem is that I have a physical aversion to the smell of new carpet and my trips down to my studio (which is right next door to the freshly carpeted area) are going to be sadly curtailed until the smell leaves the premises.  I don't know why it is, but I get decidedly light-headed when I'm in carpet stores and sometimes in fabric stores too. 
-------------------------------------------------------------


Just a quick reminder - Dolores and Leone?  I need your snail mail addys so I can sent out the magazines you 'won' yesterday...thanks.
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Mary Corbet of NeedlenThread reminded me of a lovely piece of needlework that, if it gets enough votes, might be headed into space!  Go here to check her post and then place your vote.  Wouldn't it be something if a piece of stitching went into space?    While you are at Mary's site, don't forget to look around.  She never fails to have something interesting to share about stitching.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

New home???

Up for grabs - a copy of Somerset Life magazine -
issue from Oct/Nov/Dec 2010 as pictured above

and.... a copy of Green Craft
Autumn 2010 issue.
What shall I ask you to do in order to have one of them winging their way to you??  

TWO things!!

1. Leave me a comment noting which magazine you'd like (the first person 'wins')

2.  Please donate $5 to your local animal shelter

EDITED TO ADD:  BOTH ARE HEADING TO NEW HOMES!!  Thanks!




Monday, November 29, 2010

Puzzled????

I know - two posts in one day?  What's this world coming to?

However, I'm totally puzzled about something that's happening in cyberspace and I wanted to know if anyone else was experiencing the same phenomenon.  Today I have suddenly received (in my email account) a number of emails that I had sent to myself (and never received) over a year ago!!!  Not only that, I just received another email from a friend who was quite puzzled as to why I had emailed her in great excitement over winning something from her blog...which also happened OVER A YEAR AGO!!   W-h-aaaa-t???? 

Any ideas of what's going on??  Have the planets shifted or something and let loose all the lost emails that I figured had ended up plugging the hole in the ozone layer? 

Oh, and before you ask why I would be silly enough to send emails to myself - they had to do with the book I was working on and were quite legitimate.  No, I haven't taken up emailing myself (I do talk to myself sometimes, but I haven't quite resorted to doing that via email.....yet).  

More cards and some mumblings

Here are a couple more of the baby cards for you to play with....
(scroll down for the remainder of this post!!)

Sorry!  I still haven't figured out the latest changes in the picture program and my cropping is leaving something to be desired. 



Today my order from Patternworks arrived in the mail and I'm now the proud owner of two sets (pairs, pair??) of Addi Turbo circular knitting needles.  I am so tired of knitting with my old aluminum/plastic ones and have it on good authority that Addi is the way to go.  I'll be testing them out later tonight.  I really hope to be able to knit faster!

Thursday, November 25, 2010

More, and wishes

First of all, I want to be sure to wish all my friends in the US a very happy Thanksgiving Day.  Hope you are enjoying turkey and all the trimmings, or whatever  is the tradition in your family.

And, are you tired of these yet???

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

here's more....

More of the 'found' baby cards.  Please do feel free to copy them and use them in your art! 
Sorry about one being sideways, but I think you can still make use of it. 

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Interesting 'find'!

I found all the cards my parents received when I was born and thought I'd share some of them here.  Please do feel free to make copies and use them in your art!!  I would LOVE to see what you do with them.  Enjoy!! (Edited to add:  Yes, I DID crop these and obviously it didn't work....hmmmmmm!!  Be sure to scroll down!)

Friday, November 19, 2010

Dilemma -

What to do, what to do?


Oh, what should I do
with a 10 inch stack
of these....
They're lovely old magazines and I really do wish I had space to keep them, but I don't.  Does anyone have any ideas of what I should do with them? 

Thursday, November 18, 2010

Oh, so close!!

The contractors arrived yesterday to begin tearing out the downstairs bathroom.  Today they undertook to move the new shower in.  Well, had it been an eighth of an inch bigger it would not have gone in!!  As it was, they had to take all the doors (and frames) off between the bathroom and outside ... that was four doorways.  Yikes!  I felt so sorry for the guys because they were sure sweating their way through it.  However, the shower is in the bathroom and the next step (also very much of a problem apparently) is to marry it up somehow with the drain.  We've been feeding them cookies and coffee in the hopes that they won't hate us TOO much!!

I should be finishing up my painting, but didn't want to chance it in case something they needed to move in ended up having to move through my space.  Instead I've continued attacking the fabric stash.  4 1/2 drawers done - 1 1/2 left to go. 

WHY OH WHY
DOES A CRAZY QUILTER
NEED SO MUCH
S-T-A-S-H
???????????

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Look what the mailman brought!!

A few weeks ago I was the lucky winner of a giveaway on Kim's blog - a $35 gift certificate from CSN Stores and was able to choose my own prize.  It was really hard to pick from all the goodies CSN have available, but I finally settled on this.....
Our old kitchen clock is exactly that - old.  It's been painted over several times to 'match' whatever the current kitchen colour scheme was and I know it's ready to give up the ghost.  B'sides, it's a plain old cheapie plastic clock!  This one is gorgeous...I love the old-fashioned look and it will go in our kitchen perfectly!!

Thank you SO much Kim for having the giveaway, and CSN Stores for their very prompt delivery all the way to Canada!  

Monday, November 15, 2010

ummmmmm.........

Paint


Paint


Painterly, paint, paint

AND

Hammer

hammer

saw

Yep, I got nuttin!!!

Please do carry on with what is
exciting in YOUR
life!!!!




Friday, November 12, 2010

Kitchen done!

Here's the before....


And, here's the after......




I love it!!!

I painted in my studio pretty much all day and got the second coat on the walls and the first coat on the ceiling, doors and trim.  You'll have to stay tuned for before and afters of that because right now it's just totally a MESS!!!