More mumblings

- Modem - check

- Phone - check

- TV Remote - check

- Photos - check

- Netflix - hmmm - working on it

After much flexing of this creaky old bod, I managed to get the new modem installed.  There was a lot of crawling about on the floor involved in order to accomplish the feat, but perhaps the biggest feat of all was getting UP off the floor!!!  Oh....and the battle with dust bunnies was epic.  

Am considering a new career in technology....

any takers?

There are no pictures today.  Several days of wrestling with technology have put me behind in my creating.  Yesterday I did add some stitching to the treeline in the landscape, but  a picture looks pretty much like it did before.  So, instead of that...how about this...

- Although there are no directions as to how to make any of THESE, some of them are pretty creative!

- THESE made me smile this morning, so thought you might enjoy them too.

- If you happen to have some old denim jeans lying about, perhaps making one of THESE would be fun.  Something older kids could do over the summer perhaps?

- And for some pretty amazing denim art, have a look HERE.  

- HERE is a great yarn stash buster idea!

- We all need to reduce our consumption of plastic (if only the manufacturers would realize that!) so HERE is a great tutorial to make your own bowl covers.

Today's quote...another from an anonymous source..."People are often unreasonable, illogical and self-centered; forgive them anyway.  If you are kind, people may accuse you of selfish, ulterior motives; be kind anyway.  If you are successful, you will win some false friends and some true enemies; succeed anyway.  If you are honest and frank, people may cheat you; be honest and frank anyway.  What you spend years building, someone could destroy overnight;  build anyway.  If you find serenity and happiness, they may be jealous; be happy anyway.  The good you do today, people will often forget tomorrow; do good anyway.  Give the world the best you have, and it may never be enough; give the world the best you've got anyway.  You see, in the final analysis, it is between you and God; it was never between you and them anyway"

An assortment of mumblings today!

Sorry I was MIA on Monday!  We had an overnight visit from our #1 son and his family so I was playing Grandma to a very active (and talkative!) 5-year old.  Great fun, but we were tired when they went home!

While they were here #1 son got us set up with Netflix - or at least tried to.  It was working when he left but of course it wouldn't co-operate later.  I spent most of Tuesday wrestling with all sorts of techno-stuff that is a complete mystery to me, but I think (fingers crossed!!) I finally got it figured out.  In the middle of it all I had to stop and install a new tv remote too - another learning curve!!  AND....to top it all off, my modem decided that it had had enough with all this foolishness and decided that maybe it should decide to die a slow death.  Oh goody - more techno stuff to figure out how to do!!  I await delivery of the next challenge as we speak.

Oh....and just to add more fuel to the fire.....for reasons totally unknown to this writer, my downloaded photos that always show up as icons have suddenly chosen to convert themselves to a series of letters and numbers which makes choosing photos for blog posts a challenge I never wanted to deal with.  One more thing to try to figure out how to fix!  Maybe....just maybe.....the new modem will do the trick?  Not counting on it!!!

And...another little twist - our house phone has suddenly ceased to operate!  Hoping THAT has something to do with the modem as well....but why is the internet working?  Sigh.  I'm SO over this!!

I did manage to add a wee bit more to the current landscape.  So much, in fact, that I'm sure you'll have to look closely to see what I did....but here it is anyway.....

- I stumbled across THIS video and thought some of the ideas were pretty great.  Be sure to click on the 'Play' arrow to watch it.

- Have a look at the incredibly detailed work of THIS artist!  And THIS artist as well!!

- I have always loved anything stained glass or wood - and THIS artist combines both beautifully.

- THIS is a cute table runner for summer (link to free pdf of pattern is at the bottom).  THIS one would be nice for fall.  And THIS one is perfect for Christmas (how about starting your gift making early?)

Today's quote is from Anatole France..."One must never lose time in vainly regretting the past or in complaining against the changes which cause us discomfort, for change is the essence of life"

As requested, and a beginning

I have made a start at my next landscape (you can scroll down to  my previous post to see what I'm hoping to accomplish).  At this point in the process I'm never sure that what I've done is even going to work, but we'll see.

And...a couple of people have requested additional photos of the felt food 'all together' and this is the best that I can do in order to fit it all in....

I also made a 'Thomas The Tank Engine' apron

and found a child-size set of 'tools'...

- If you are owned by a cat, perhaps you might like to make them one of THESE.

- This is something fun - THESE ladies knit a miniature version of their town. 

- THESE are for the fans of Harry Potter.  As are THESE (and don't make ME knit them!!!).

- Interesting tutorial HERE on making fabric collages.

Today's quote is from Joshua Becker..."Stop the glorification of busy.  Busy, in and of itself, is not a badge of honor.  It's okay to not be busy"

Felt Finish!

My fun with felt has come to an end - the shoebox is full.  Today I'm making a little apron to go along with it and I can call that project done!

The plate is plastic and will be included in the box

- THIS is a great gift for the end of the year for a teacher (or anyone else, come to think of it!).

- If you are interested in embroidery (and designing you own) perhaps you would like to check out THIS. 

- If you're like me and often end up chasing your wayward ball of yarn, perhaps one of THESE holders might be handy to try.  (and yes, I know I can pull from the centre of the ball, but it pretty much always leads to yarn barf and I have zero patience for untangling yarn!!)

- What if.....you had some  jigsaw puzzle pieces (the large ones) and used them to wrap your embroidery floss on to??? 

Today the quote is from James C. Humes...."Oh Lord we thank you for giving us minds and mouths, please help us to keep the two of them connected"

More fun with felt

Just a friendly reminder - if you comment anonymously, 

I won't publish it.  Recently I've been getting

some rather 'interesting' spam.

AND...

Don't forget that I now respond to your comments

right here in the comment section so don't

forget to check back!

Over the weekend I played with more felt and came up with these additions to the shoebox of fun I'm making...

I promise, the box will soon be full and

I'll be past this phase and back to the

regular mumblings!

- Have a peek at the amazing work done by THIS artist!!  I can't imagine it.  (Be sure to check out her 'Work' galleries).

- THIS is a handy chart to have if you are attempting to crochet a flat circle.

- Have a look at the amazing work done by THIS artist!  And THIS artist as well.

- THIS is so cute!  Perfect for a little one for summer.  

- If you're planning on giving money to your graduate, perhaps some of THESE fun presentation ideas might catch your eye.

Today's quote..."When I clean my sewing room:  1% cleaning; 29% complaining, and 70% playing with stuff"

Fun With Felt (with a nod to Sheldon)

I'm still playing with felt here at Chez Magpie and today's 'offerings' are these....

The beginning of a salad

I'm also pondering how I will create a landscape quilt from this photo...

Image used with the kind permission of

Dale Stewart

- Sometimes I come across something that has absolutely no bearing on anything but quite simply makes me laugh.  THIS is one of those things.  Just look at the expressions on their faces!!

- Good tutorial HERE for a box pouch - handy for lots of things!

- I really like THIS fabric house - and the blogger gives some photos of the process to make it (and if you click on some of her previous posts you can see more).  There's a 'translate' option so you can read more about it too.

- HERE's some eye candy for you to enjoy - be sure to explore her other galleries as well.

Today's quote..."You can't force someone to respect you, but you can refuse to be disrespected"

Feelin' felty!

First of all, for those of you who were kind enough to ask, I did survive the dreaded 'speech' at the trunk show yesterday.  Luckily it wasn't a large audience (only about 20 ladies) so that helped.  I didn't have to get up on a stage OR hold a microphone (both things give me the heebie jeebies).  They seemed interested in what I had to show them and made very nice comments - and even laughed (I'm sure politely) at my pitiful jokes.  Now I can put it behind me and return to my happy place - my sewing room - where they know me here and don't judge.

And speaking of my sewing room, here are a few more felt-bits that I've created....

Took me two days to make the corn!!

- Those of you who like to play with paper may find THIS article about different ways to make it look old of interest.

- THIS is another fun creation that paper crafters will enjoy - and it's useful too!

- Another rather cute scrap-buster perfect for carrying your teabags can be found  HERE.

- Wouldn't THIS be so pretty to wear at a summer wedding?

- You may be interested in having a look at the San Francisco School of Needlework and Design's latest online show 'Borders' and you may see it HERE.

- Have a look at the eye candy HERE.

A quote from George Jessel..."The human brain starts working the moment you are born and never stops until you stand up to speak in public"

A change of pace!

And now, for something different.....

How about a peanut butter & jelly sandwich?

Or maybe a burger?.....

I'm a grandma, what can I say?

If you are of the mind, please send some positive thoughts my way for tomorrow.  I'm destined to do a trunk show for a small quilt guild in the area and I am SO not a public speaker!!!  I know it's difficult for smaller guilds to get speakers and it's also a way to promote the fact that I hope to get commissions and sales for my landscapes.  That's not, however, making me feel the least bit braver!

- THIS little fellow made me smile!

- HERE is another tutorial for a really cute crocheted flower with many different uses.

- There's an excellent article HERE discussing how to make foolproof French Knots.  I know some people struggle with them at times.

- And further on French Knots - have a look at THIS project!!!!!

- THIS is one of those tips that can make your sewing life SEW much simpler!!

- Have a look at the eye candy of THIS artist!  Be sure to check her artwork gallery.

Today's quote is from Dale Carnegie...."There are always three speeches for every one you actually gave.  The one you practiced, the one you gave, and the one you wish you gave"

A finish!

I finished the grain elevator landscape a couple of days ago and here it is....

SOLD!

And to refresh your memory, this is the 

original photo I worked from...

Photo by Dale Stewart,

used with his kind permission

(thank you Dale!)

- THIS is a really great tote bag pattern that would be handy for so many different things.

- There are a number of great ideas HERE to use your button collection (you know - like the ten jars I have filled with them!!!!)

- Have a look at THIS unique take on a needlebook!  You will need to use the translate feature to read about it.  

- THIS is a cute quilted coaster pattern - perfect for any time of the year, depending on the colours you choose.  Even better, they'd work for stash busting too!

- THIS is one of the those things that made me say 'awwww'!

Today's quote is from the Dalai Lama - "There are only two days in the year that nothing can be done.  One is called yesterday and the other is called tomorrow.  Today is the right day to love, believe, do and mostly live"

In the background

While I've been sharing our quilt guild show with you, the studio here at Chez Magpie hasn't been idle.  I've been working on my latest landscape, as you can see from this picture...

Or at least I hope you can see!  I've quilted the snow and the sky and added more details on the elevator.

- THESE are cute coasters - or perhaps you can think of other uses for them too.

- There are a number of links HERE to some pretty shawls made with sock yarn.

- Some of you may find THIS post (and video) about band samplers interesting.

- Would you like to make a nice little container for your thimble?  Have a look at THIS idea.

Today's quote...."The five types of people you should surround yourself with:  the inspired, the passionate, the motivated, the grateful, and the open minded"  (and I would add those with a sense of humour!).

Final installment of the tour

 Here are the final pictures I took at the quilt show.....Enjoy!  and we will return to the regularly anticipated (or dreaded, depending on your viewpoint) mumblings next time.

- Some of you may find THIS of interest and perhaps might want to join in.  

- There's is a great article (and very interesting follow-up discussion going on) regarding pricing our work, and you can find it HERE.  One quote I found interesting...'nothing is worth anything until it sells'

- HERE's a handy organizer for your sewing room!

Today's quote, from Hugh Sidey...."A sense of humor is needed armor.  Joy in one's heart and some laughter on one's lips is a sign that the person down deep has a pretty good grasp of life"