Incidental inspiration

Where does your inspiration come from?

 

Don't you just love polkadots?!  I do!

I find myself being inspired mostly by color combinations.   Random combinations in my flower beds, color on clothing, or piles of toys in a basket.

Pinterest, of course.   But that tends to put my brain into overdrive at times :) (-you can check out my boards from the link to the right)

Other times it comes from news - someone getting married, or someone having a baby.  Then I find I often say "Oh congratulations!" but my brain is churning with "Oooh!  Now I can try that new quilt pattern!"

This is what I worked on this weekend.  Just some sneaks til I can get it delivered.   I like baby size projects very much!  So cute, sweet, and quick!   This pattern is called Hidden Stars from a book by Pam & Nicky Lintott - Layer Cake, Jelly Roll and Charm Quilts

I cut all the measurements in half for my project so I could get a nice small quilt. More photos to come....

still completely enamored

My quilt - red and white completed

It's finished!   A quilt just for me :)  how often does that happen??

I did not like stuffing a queen sized quilt through my little Brother machine.  I had some puckering at the top (in the photo above) but nothing would stop me from tossing this on the bed right away. :)

 I used a simple off white with dots for the backing and added a bold print for the binding.

 

The pattern - from Quiltmakers Cottage in Hershey, Pa.

There are 2 different reds and 2 different whites that make up the blocks.

This quilt will get a lot of use! 

Here's the previous posts on creating this one.

(piecing) progress

this-may-take-awhile

red-and-white-piecing-weekend-project-2

red-and-white-quilt-top

red-and-white-progress

I have performed a miracle.

Bobs on the grill. That all three monkeys ate. AND liked. Even the sneaky middle one.

Total. Mommy. Win.

Team RED WHITE BLUE

I'm a runner.  It took a year to finally be able to say that and truly believe it.  I may not be the fastest or be able to run the longest but I get'r done.  :)

I'm proud to say I've just become a member of Team RWB of Philly.  

Here's the link - http://www.teamrwb.com/

 "Team Red, White & Blue has a vision to transform the way America supports its wounded veterans when they exit their position. Our intent is to create a community of veterans, their families, and American citizens, bringing them together so they can spend time with one another. We believe that the American people can best support our TeamRWB veterans through authentic social interaction and shared experiences in communities all over America."

To be able to combine my love of running to support veterans is a cause near and dear to my heart.  I'll proudly wear this eagle to every race I enter and  tell anyone who asks why I do. 

red and white progress

Making some progress.  Nothing fancy in the way of quilting, just in the ditches.  I will use this quilt on my own bed and it will be a nearly constant fixture so I want it to hold up well for years to come.

I will say this, if I make another queen size quilt, I will not be trying to stuff it through my table-top Brother sewing machine!   The wrestling is, however, helping with my upper body strength :)
 

Broad Street Run in Philly

 I went in to Philly this weekend to run in my longest race to date.  The Broad Street Run is a 10 mile course, straight down Broad Street in the center of Philly.   You start at Olney and end at the Naval Yard just past the stadiums.

Here's a few highlight photos....

 Starting line - yellow corral

5 mile mark

Finish line area.  

Dawn

PA

USA

F

40 TO 44

chip time -

02:03:37

clock time - 02:06:09

overall - 31655

female - 17300

division - 1776

I'm not going to lie, this was hard.   Mile 9 almost did me in.  I walked a bit and wasn't as fast as I wanted to be.   But I did it.    I finished just around 2 hours.  (I was shooting for 1:30-1:40)

Will I do it again? - Sunday after I crossed the finish line, I decided I was never running again.   (wasn't real sure I was going to walk again either)

Yesterday while trying to get out of bed? - nope, never running again this year.

Today? - I didn't curse outloud getting up and I'm thinking I might run before the end of the month.

I think the problem is running 10 miles running 10 miles then jumping back into a vehicle and driving 3+ hours on the same day.   Dumb.  Don't do it.   Stay the extra night just to keep from getting stiff and sore and cranky.  Or at the very least stay until you've had a nice long soak in the tub and stretched out a bit longer. 

Hoping for more photos later.....  :)

Enjoy your rainy Tuesday!

enough whining!

Time to get something accomplished (besides housework, I mean)

If I have enough time to whine and blog about not getting anything worked on, then I have enough time to work on something, right?
 

 

The backing is going to need to be pieced too, but I feel better just getting this together for now.

No pattern, just colors I liked and a technique I wanted to try.





...off to make a Red/White quilt sandwich!

Blah

I'm getting a whole, whopping lot of NOTHING done right now. 

Blah

I'd like to start thinking about some outdoor projects - it's currently 31 degrees out this morning.

I'd like to finish up a quilt (Red and White) or two (blue geese) but I have such a busy month, the thought of dragging it all out, just to have it sit there and be "in my way" while I'm flitting from here and there and NOT be able to really sit and work on it does not inspire me to get it out.

Blah

I did sell a painting on Etsy!   - yea

It covered the cost of repairing my lawn tractor.   Which is a good thing, really, but it still earns a blah.   A girl can dream of getting ahead a bit, can't she?


that's all

Blue geese almost together

Flying geese.   Love these colors even though they do not match a single thing in my house! 

 

Just laid out quickly here to see what it looks like.

 Opinions?

Highlights from my weekend ---> Phillies 5K

 That's warning track stuck in them shoes right there!

 Our names scrolling on the big BIG screen...

 

Had a great time!

 

Blue Geese

A shirt on someone at my school this week inspired these colors...

...which turned into a pile of geese...

...whose spare triangles ...

... are turning into squares...

...for a quilt just for fun. 

:)

I'm reflective today. I went to the memorial of an old high school classmate this morning. Sitting with another and talking reminded me of times from school. Band and chorus, singing with a group at a Christmas concert, bus trips to football games and whatnot.

Times flies so fast. Too fast. Todd will forever be 17 in my memories.

Let me take the time today to be present in each moment. To be patient and to be thankful.

Sent from my iPhone

DIY bubbler fountain

 

Ah, what a lovely run of warm weather we've been having here on the East Coast!!   Puts me right in the mood for lazy summer days listening to my fountain, sitting on a chair in the sun.  

Here's a fountain project you can make yourself!  

 

 

Materials needed
         - large pot (this one is fiberglass)
         -fountain pump and hose
         -smaller pots for inside the fountain
         -large ceramic saucer
         -GE silicone sealant
         -drill and drill bit for ceramic

     -I also used this hanging basket form for the center of my pot

First, take the silicone sealant and completely coat the interior of the large fiberglass pot.   Get right in there and spread it around with your hands.  

 

 

-also run a bead of silicone around the bottom drain part of the pot and spread it evenly with your finger. 

-let dry

While I was at it, and messy, I added a decorative row of small ceramic tiles for color.

While waiting for the silicone to dry, use your drill and ceramic bit to put a hole in the center of the ceramic saucer.   Add water to the saucer to reduce friction and go slowly!   Don't force it, just let the drill do the work.   This was a 1/2" bit to accommodate the 1/2" plastic tubing my fountain pump called for.   (This photo shows the plastic tubing at the top of the hole in the saucer, trimmed to the height of the fountain.)

When you buy a fountain pump, you will need a larger one than you think.   This one moves 60 gallons of water an hour (if I remember correctly)  The higher the bubbling you want, the stronger the pump you'll need.

To assemble, put the pump in the bottom of the pot, I added the wire basket frame to the bottom next to protect the pump and ensure I would have good circulation for the water.   On top of the frame I stacked terra cotta pots upside-down until they were the height I was looking for.   The tubing goes through all pots, through the center of the saucer and will be trimmed to just the height of the fountain at the top of the saucer. 

A top view.   The water bubbled nicely, but wasn't as noisy as I was hoping for so I added the rocks for splash.

This year I'm going to upgrade to a larger pump and add some taller pots for more of a cascading fountain.   I'll post the update, of course.

Like this one from marthastewart.com