Pop Art Challenge - An Andy Warhol Wanna BeAD!

Because this time of year is my really busy time...I finished my Pop Art challenge piece in October!  I almost forgot to post it!   This was fun to work on.  It's 11.5" x 16" and stamped, free motion quilted, yarn for facing/binding and beaded, of course!

I actually found the background fabric first in my stash.  Next I used some face stencils from Mary Shaw's site and stenciled with blue acrylic paint.   A buddy in Florida, Beth, had used similar stencil(s) on some of her pieces and I just loved the faces she ended up with.

After I did some free motion quilting, I started beading!

Fun piece to work on!  

I also finished off the 'facing/binding' by using yarn I couched down.  I like this finish which is a technique by Sarah Ann Smith..I also used it on my Steampunk quilt.  Sarah did an episode on QATV showing different finishing techniques.  I believe it was episode 2007.  Really a good one to watch!

And now to prepare for Christmas and our trip south!!!  Next challenge from the Art Quilts Around the World due January 31, 2018.  Check out the other art works for Pop Art from our members!  

Preparing for Christmas

I'll be busy today cooking or prepping food for a visit with the kids.  They are driving up from Indiana to spend the weekend!  We are really looking forward to spending time with them.  Of course the guys will be watching the Michigan/Ohio foot ball game! 

I like to have the house decorated for Christmas when the kids visit.  We won't see them at Christmas so this will be our Christmas!  I actually had the tree up this past weekend.  So I'm all done with that part of the holidays! 

Hard part is putting all the extra boxes and 'stuff' back!  I mainly decorate down in our family room and our storage unit is under the stairs.  So I don't really have far to go to put stuff away!

We'll have our house decorated until the evening of  December 25th!  Bob's daughter and hubby come Christmas day for dinner and gifts and when they leave at night I have most of the tree/decorations taken down before they get to their home!  They only live about 20 min. from us.  We pack our clothes the next day (26th) and I finish up laundry so I have to put everything away the day before so the house is back to normal.  I don't want to come home in the spring to Christmas decorations!  We leave on the 27th....grass doesn't grow under my feet!

Thanksgiving Week

Well, I've not been doing any sewing...some knitting...not much...but lots of cooking!  Which I love to do, so that's ok!  I had kids up a week ago for brunch and we had a good meal (well, I thought so...so did they!  HA).

I made:  Cowgirl Quiche *- which was delicious!!!!  I forgot to take pictures...too busy cooking! I'm making these* again this weekend!
Overnight French Toast*
Baked Hash brown potatoes - friend's recipe
Fancy Pancake (old recipe from one of my patients that my  kids loved)
Sausage patties and links*
Baked egg muffins - lots of recipes out there...I just mix what I have!  HA
Easy Sticky Buns* - my go to for home made cinnamon rolls..delish! Always a hit!
Chocolate bread - another favorite
Maple Nut Scones* - these are good..but not great.  I wouldn't make again but I did freeze some for this weekend.  I ate them a few days for breakfast!

We are looking forward to spending time with Bob's son, Ron, Mary Jo and our grand son, Ian.

 Of course the Michigan/Ohio football game is on Saturday.  Ian is for Ohio and Bob is Michigan...should be an interesting day on Saturday.  I'll be cooking turkey dinner for us, although I am for Michigan as well.  Friday we'll just have pizza or stromboli from our local restaurant.  Grandma will need a break!  HA

Thanksgiving we are going to my son's house along with my DIL's parents.  My daughter goes to her hubby's family for Thanksgiving each year.  She usually makes the turkey and some fixings but not sure what she's cooking this year.  We will miss her and Jeff but it should be a nice day with the kids and the Brohl's.  I just have to make lemon pies.  I'm going to make 2 so we can each have a piece or two leftover! 

Hope you have a nice Thanksgiving with family and/or friends!

Congrats Amber!!!

 

Amber and Nick surprised us this past weekend with a visit.  So nice to see the kids and of course talk of Amber's college selection was brought up.  She told us she didn't have to decide until the end of the month.  Well, little did we know!  This happened today!

Amber asked us on Saturday if we would come down for a presentation she was doing for her leadership class.  Well, YES, I'll be there!  Little did we know the kids were surprising everyone with Amber signing her letter of intent with Siena Heights University!

Her new Lacrosse coach from Siena came down to sign Amber!!!  It was so exciting and emotional. So hard to think our girl is growing up and will leave home in the summer!!!  I was quite impressed with her coach, Cindy Hill.  I just know she'll take good care of our girl!!! 

Front row is Amber's High School LaCrosse coach, Siri Mason, Amber, Cindy Hill, Amber's new coach at Siena and Mom and dad!

Very proud mom (Kris)  and dad (Darrin).

I  am so proud of this young lady and her maintaining a high scholastic achievement as well as pursuing her love of Lacrosse!  Which, she is really good at!  Didn't get that from her grandma! 

Amber's Oxford Lacrosse team was also in attendance!

Leaf Diary Addition

Not much work being done on my leaf book...it will be heading to Florida with me.  But I did find a piece that I may include in the leaf diary! 

This piece was painted on fabric by my bud, Joan.  Back in 2013, Joan came to the house to play with painting on fabric.  Joan is a beautiful watercolor artist but she has never painted on fabric, so I thought it would be fun for her and I knew she would do a wonderful job.  And she didn't disappoint me!  I know she's so talented and you can just take a look at this picture and read the blog post to see her results and her talent! 

Joan ended up giving me the first flower she painted and I ended up making her a snap bag from it.

 The back of the snap bag.

You can read that blog post here.  So, why am I telling you about Joan?  Well, she took home some paints and fabric that same year and she made another flower, which she gave me!

 Go figure! I was going through my stash and I found this piece and I think I might put it in my leaf diary!  It could be the last page to show 'spring' is coming!  Most of my leaves are representing fall!  Just a thought!  After all, Joan doesn't need another snap bag!  HA  Yep...it's going in my diary!   Just too  pretty not to use somewhere!

Snow!

Yep, we've had snow already and temps as low as 16 degrees.  Thursday it was in the low 20's when I took the girls for a walk!  Of course, Gigi has to get dressed up!  Kalee...not so much!  HA

I haven't been doing any sewing but have been practicing the Portuguese knitting technique that I mentioned in a past blog post (here).  I thought I had enough yarn to  make another shrug using a Sally Melville pattern but no such luck.  So instead I have just been practicing this new method of knitting that I love. 

My bud, Carol, and I went shopping this past Wednesday so on our way home from lunch, we stopped off at Beyond the Rainforest Yarn shop.    This is my go to yarn shop, close to home and they offer good classes each month. 

I was looking for yarn to make another shrug, but Carol spotted two cute wraps!  So she talked me into getting the pattern(s) and yarn!  Actually, they are both cute so I'll have to thank Carol! 

This is the Scalene Scarf by Theresa Gaffery. 

I purchased a avocado green and pale brown. Actually, the yarn shop used the two colors on each end and the center was one color, which I would like to follow.  This is a very lightweight yarn and will make a nice scarf to wear year round.  I haven't read the pattern yet so I may have to improvise!

The next wrap I got talked into is also cute. It's Summer Night by DROPS design.  The yarn shop made this up in a shorter version, which again I think I'd prefer so it's more of a wrap/shrug vs a longer wrap as shown here.

I bought a multi color grey linen yarn so it should go  well with all the black I wear!  HA  Or even with jeans and a white turtle neck. 

I went back to the yarn shop today to have them wind the skeins so I didn't have to do that.  I always end up with knots and their winding machine works so well!!!  So these two projects should keep me busy at night!!! 

Kids are coming on Sunday for brunch and I'm really looking forward to having them over!  Amber has to work so she won't be able to come...sniff, sniff!!!!  I am making some new recipes so hope they turn out! If not, you can always blame it on the recipe, right!

Productive weekend!

I had some errands to run on Friday and also received my first Prolia injection for my osteoporosis!  When I got home, I started back on my SIL, Jeff's, quillow for Christmas. I finished quilting the pillow section and just need to trim and edge stitch it.

Saturday I ironed about 5 yards of fabric (2.5 each front and back) to get ready to sandwich for the quillow.  Cut the batting and stitched the pieces all around, with the exception of about 12" so I can turn the fabrics.  You make the so called quilt envelope style, which is pretty easy...just cumbersome! 

Now I just need to attach the pillow flap and it will be finished!  Woohoo!  One more project I can check off my list! 

In between sewing, I made some dinner buns from a free class  by Jeff Yankellow that was offered a week ago on Craftsy.com.  My bud, Carol, sent me an email (which I already had but didn't read!) on this class being free.  I'm so glad she did as the recipe was delicious and the lessons are so interesting.  I just made the first recipe but I believe there are at least 3 or 4 different recipes for buns. 

This was my dough rising and some more buns that  just came out of the oven! 

They were delicious!!!!    I usually make my own biscuits but these are way better!!!

I also made cheese chowder soup to go with the rolls, which turned out perfectly.  The rolls and soup! were great!!!  I'm thinking I may even have a roll for breakfast today! 

And you thought all I did was drink wine or margaritas!  I am Suzie Homemaker at my root!  HA

Another week almost over!

Well, we're getting some cooler, or down right cold, weather here in Michigan.  But that's to be expected...it is November after all!  Although, last year on November 1st, it was 76 degrees and we were at a football game to watch Nick play!  Not so November 1st this year!  It's 41 degrees as I write this post!  Brrrrrrrrr

Kalee had a really nice day on Halloween visiting with the residents at our local nursing home and the memory care unit.  Patients loved her Minnie Mouse outfit...Kalle not so much...but when she would walk up to the residents they really got a good laugh. 

 The story behind the picture above....this resident's daughter surprised him by flying in from California and dressing up as a witch.  She said he didn't even recognize her! How sweet is that!!  I did print out two pictures for him (one for her and one for him) and delivered those yesterday.  He was really surprised and so happy to have the pictures.  I thought that was so sweet of his daughter to surprise him that way!

Gigi dressed up for the trick or treaters!!!  But she did have to stay in her crate when kids came to the door.  Kalee had on her Lion's cheerleader outfit but I forgot to take her picture! 










I have been doing some sewing....finished two of the leaves on my solar print piece for the leaf diary. 

And I made the pillow flap for the quillow I'm working on for a Christmas present for my SIL!  The one I made him several years ago is starting to wear out.  My daughter told me he would love a new one as he uses the quillow a lot during cooler/cold weather.  The background color is pale blue and the batik's are actually navy.  Looks black in the photos.

Now I need to sandwich this 'pocket' and quilt it then sandwich 2.5 yards of the two different fabrics with batting, sew on the flap and quillow will be finished!  WooHoo...might get this finished by the end of this weekend.  At least that's my plan!

Several years ago, when I was still working, a few of we 'EDS'er' made several quillows and donated them to Outreach East.  At the time, Sister Rita was still running this organization and she decided to save the quillows we made to hand out at Christmas.  I hope those folks still enjoy theirs and they haven't fallen apart like my SIL's!  HA

Yesterday, I took the girls for a ride to run some errands.  Gigi rides in her crate and Kalee has her dog harness.  They both can look out the window and it gets them out of the house.  We did take a small walk after the Rite Aid stop but it was so cold I didn't walk far!  Then I spent some time knitting and trying to catch up on some of my shows on TV!  Just not enough time in the day is there!