Merry Christmas!

 

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From the Heredia Home to yours, we hope that you have a very blessed Christmas.

Hugs.

Travel Tips

I L-O-V-E NYC. It is one of my favorite travel destinations.
The architecture, the museums, the food, Broadway, Times Square, Ellis Island, the shopping.........
I love it so much I have even toyed with the idea of living there for a year.
This, of course, will never happen but I like to think about it.

So when I came across this the other day, travel tips for NYC tourists, I just had to share it with you!

And now you know!

Have Handwork, Will Travel

What are your handwork essentials?

You know, the things you HAVE TO HAVE to stitch up a little something.

Here are mine. (Besides the little something, of course!)

How do you tote them around when you are on the move?

Dare I suggest an eye glass case??

So simple. So little. So tidy. So portable. Sew perfect!

4th Graders Rock

I was at the Diablo Valley Quilters show in Walnut Creek earlier this fall, and they had this little gem displayed.

A quilter and a story-teller all packaged into one little 4th grade girl.

Book Worm's Delight

I have no idea how I came by this picture...

But I have a couple of book-loving daughters who will love it.
Hope you both find plenty of warm, snuggle-y, super-silent, hot chocolate infused reading time this winter!!

Triangle Love

Oh yes!

Double Rainbow

This is my first ever double rainbow sighting.

I was SO glad to actually have a camera with me when I saw it.
I was in Sonora, at a quilt show of course, during a BIG rainstorm. It was my first rainy day of the season, so it felt fresh and cool and wonderful. Then as the storm blew out of town, we were blessed with this sight!

Just lovely.

A Lazy Sunday

What does a lazy Sunday look like at your house?

Around here, the look differs by the week and by the person asked. But for me, this past Sunday full of tootling around looked like this....

a little canning...

a little roasting...

a little iced coffee...

a new recipe...

and dinner made by my guy.

(He, of course, would have preferred 2 steaks and 1 artichoke but sadly we only had 1 steak and 2 artichokes, so he had to make do. He's a trooper like that.)

As I put these pictures up it occurred to me that this looks a lot more like work than tootling, but I guess it's all in the attitude. And this past Sunday the attitude was all about ease.

Why did the tarantula cross the road?

I don't know either, but they are definitely on the move!!

Actually, I think this must be their migratory-or mating-or something-season because they are out in full force this time of year. If you come up the hill to visit me, be on the look out.
It would be too gross to squish one, even with the car!!

Scissor Love

How many pairs of scissors do you have in your studio/sewing room?

I probably have a dozen pair. Maybe more.
They all get used. Regularly.

Let me show you five of my favorites.
The two pair with patterned handles, those are Ginghers. They are the work horses of the studio.
The little swordfish pair, those are my newest addition. I just picked them up at a show and they are going into a little handwork case.
The red nippers live by my sewing machine and I use them when I am piecing.
And the thin, curvy nippers, I use those when I machine quilt.

The right tool for the job, and all that jazz!

And how about that fabric? I just picked it up at a flea market. And I think I might be in L-O-V-E!!

Vera Bradley

Hello all you Vera Bradley lovers!

Did you know you could add a little Vera flare to your computer?? For free??

It's true. Just hop over to her website (link here) and check out the great backgrounds she has to offer.

I picked this one. For now.

San Jose Museum of Quilts and Textiles

I stopped by the SJMQT last week on my way to Walnut Creek. They are currently showcasing an exhibit called Collecting New York Beauty Quilts: Bill Volckening's Passion. (It runs through the 27th of October if you want to see it yourself.) It was amazing!

Here are just a few of the Beauties on display.

Makes you want to break out the paper and start piecing doesn't it??!!

He is taunting me!

Do you see him??

He is running along the retaining wall trying to get my attention. And when I look up he stops and stares back. He doesn't even run away when I make big noise or take his picture. And he does not seem to be at all phased by my evil-stink-eye, and that is saying something because my evil-stink-eye is the bomb!! 

Quotable

More for Moore

What started out as a little handmade love....

Turned into a lot of handmade love....

This is what happens when one quilter asks a bunch of other quilters to help make a difference!!
These dollies, with handmade quilts, and rolls of hot wheels cars are on their way to Moore, Oklahoma where I trust they will make a lot of children happy.

A million thank yous to everyone who sewed, and shopped, and gave with love.

Snail Trouble

I made pesto for dinner tonight.
Lots of basil in the garden these days, and it's just too hot to cook, so pesto is the perfect dinner.

I picked it all, brought it in, washed it, stripped off all of the leaves, and loaded it into my food processor. A triple batch. Then, as I was cleaning off the garlic I spotted this in my sink.

Yep, I jumped! And yelped. Not that I am scared of snails mind you. On the contrary, I am a wicked snail killer. But good grief...a snail in the sink. That's a first. And completely unexpected. It must have come in on the basil. (And yes, my old porcelain sink always looks like that. Trust me, it's clean.)

Now here's the thing. I understand organic. I understand home grown and hand picked and perfectly imperfect. And I KNOW that bugs crawl around on stuff. And I am okay with that. But the possibility of a second snail in the blender with the basil...oh boy. That is a whole different matter!!!

Fortunately, I had not blended it yet, so out it all came...basil, oil, parmesan, pine nuts....all of it. For a good sifting through. For peace of mind. For verification. For edibility.

And all was well. Unless you count the snail. Things didn't go well for him. He got a free ride in the garbage disposal. YIKES!
And yes, if you must know, I am now a little freaked out about the garbage disposal!!

Baby Buggy

I spotted this at a salvage yard.

Wouldn't it make the cutest embroidery or machine quilting motif?
Or even a little applique?

Big Love

I recently sent a little handmade love to my 3 1/2 year
old niece and nephew (yes, twins).

They sent me this.

The sweetness factor of these "scribbly" cards just never wears off!

Diaper Duty

We have some sweet friends who are expecting their first baby.
A girl!
Due in October.

So, of course, it is baby shower time!
I have not been in the baby-shower-season-of-life for a little while now, but it seems like that is about to change. Lots of young people in my daughters' age range are starting to have babies, so I am back in the loop. Hurray! 

This friend requested a diaper bag in pink, white and gray. I used my own pattern (Baby Zoe, and you can get it here if you are interested) to make one for her. The "E" is for Eden. Adorable, right! The name, not the bag.

So back to the shower....We really enjoyed it.
That's right "we". As in me AND my guy.
It was a first for him, and me. A couples shower.
He nearly balked when I told him he was invited, but then he remembered how much he cares for the parents-to-be, and agreed to go. And by remembered I might mean "was reminded repeatedly"!
Fortunately, it was not too girly, which he was very worried about. No tea sandwiches or funny little games. Nope, this was a tri-tip and beer, bbq in the park with plenty of other men to play horseshoes with. So he was able to overlook the daddy-to-be's bright neon pink t-shirt, the diaper cake and a mountain of pastel color packages. He was a real trooper.

Now tell me, are couples showers the latest trend??  I am so out of the loop!!

Quotable

 

Harvest Season

It's that time of year again, and the garden is busting with its bounty.
The tomatillos are  are practically marching themselves into the kitchen.

And that can mean only one thing. Chile Verde!!
And then it means chile verde omlettes.
And chile verde chicken quesedillas.
And green enchiladas.
And oh yum-yum all winter long!

12 Years

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Spreading Cheer

I recently joined the Secret Toy Society. Have you heard of it?
You can check it out here.
I haven't dropped off any toys yet, but I WANT to.

And, I also want to do this.

I haven't done it yet.
But I have found it! Someone beat me to it.

(See the dollar sticking out of the meter?)
And it was so fun and happy to be on the receiving end!!
I even shouted out a loud "thank you" in case the leaver was watching from behind a bush or something.
It just made my day.

So now I am on a mission to get out and spread a little cheer. All over my little town. Just because I can. And maybe, just maybe, you will find it!!

A Little Free-Form Fun

The inspiration.

Via

The strings.

The starting point.

The Top.

Oh my, my!

Now I need some quilting time. But where to find it.........

Fun x3

Three little friends and their mama came by for some sewing lessons today.
Actually, their mama is a friend too!
We chatted, rotary cut, pinned, stitched, ripped and stitched again.
And tonight they will all get to lay their cute little heads down on some handmade loveliness.

Green Tea Time

I have made a bit of progress on my Green Tea and Sweet Beans Quilt.

Here is section 1.

And section 2.

And section 3.

Notice the bow tie block. It was left over from a previous project 

so I used it in place of the missing block I needed to make. SO glad I found it!!

Section 4.

And the center, all in one piece.

I just have the borders left, and they will be a bit of work. But they are appliqued, so I will enjoy every bit if it!