Some fun and facts!

Yesterday, the four of us traveled to Wildwood for lunch at the Cotillion Southern Cafe!  What a unique place and what good food...oh yea, they had great desserts, which Carol and I both enjoyed!  No, I didn't get pics of the food!  I was too busy eating!


The inside is decorated with lots and lots of old, antique items including posters framed on the walls.  You can see some of them in the next picture way at the top!

Now I don't honestly think I have a fascination with bathrooms, other than I like them to be clean when I'm at restaurant....but at times there have been some unusual bathrooms I've posted about.  One was back in 2010 when we ladies took a day trip to Gainesville.  You can see my old post and pics of that bathroom here!  Quite unique...well, to finish my story about bathrooms....check out the bathroom at the Cotillion!

This is the bathroom mirror decorated with silk in black and white....and guess what's hanging on the back of the door!  You can see some  in the mirror but check out the last picture!

Yep..nightgowns!  I wasn't planning on spending the night but just in case I know which one I want to wear!


Anyway, it was a nice afternoon with the ladies...when Carol and I got back we headed out again to take my 1090 sewing machine in for her week at the spa!  It's been a few years since it's been cleaned well so guess it's time.  Right now I'm working on some beading projects.  One for the Art Quilts Around the World blog challenge and another for our Master's exhibit.  I'll post sneak peaks of the Carnival challenge later this weekend.  I'm just getting Dr. Seuss design set up so it will be awhile before I have pictures of that work. 

It's been cool today with temps in the mid to high 50's.  I've just been playing Suzie Homemaker...cleaning and doing laundry!  So weather is perfect for me!

Now to some stats!!  I just heard this on the Sunday Morning show and had to share.  For as bad as some news media like to report that our economy is in, it's amazing to think folks are spending this much money on Valentine's Day gifts! These are just some of the stats I copied down!

$18.6 billion was spent on cards & gifts for Valentine's Day!
$1.9 billion on flowers
$1.6 billion on candy
$4.4 billion on jewelry (this is most likely those who make over $250,000 a year!)
$1.5 billion on cards
The average person will spend $130.97 which is up from last year!  And all Bob got was a can of soup!

GO FIGURE!

Happy Valentine's Day from Florida!

It's actually just another day for Bob and I...we stopped with the 'gift giving' years ago for holiday's, BD's, etc. but I still like to get him something silly so....this is what hubby got for his Valentine's gift!

Now you have to know my hubby...yes, he loves his dark chocolate but we always seem to have little Dove candies around so what's his next best "thing" he likes but doesn't get!!  Clam Chowder soup!  I won't buy Bob heavy, fatty soups and usually only buy the low sodium, veggie soups to have on hand for those cold days he's not golfing.  So this is his treat!  A can of clam chowder!  He was quite happy this morning! 

We are going to have a cold spell of upper 60's to mid 70's the rest of this week...now that's not a cold day for me!!  It's perfect weather!!  Tomorrow four of we ladies are headed south to a quaint restaurant and on Sunday, Carol and I are headed to the art fair.  One of our annual trips, which I love.  There's always really cool art paintings, sculptures and  mixed media.  I'm looking forward to that day as well.

So off for dog walk and to get my day going! 

I finished the binding on my table runner this a.m.!  (the flowers/vase are from Jan!  Thanks, Jan!!) This started off as a piece of batik...

Thought it would be a good time to practice my FMQing...yikes...I haven't been doing any free motion work other than my self portrait so figured I should get back in the swing of things!  Not good!!  I just couldn't get comfortable with my hands or speed...plus my seating here is different....ok, that's all the excuses I can think of!!  But I'll keep trying!

After looking at the quilting, I thought I'd just cover with some paint....so I mixed some of my white paint with textile medium then rolled the paint on top.  Looked ok but still a little bland so I went back over some of the feathers with a deep grey, almost black thread.  

That worked for me...then I added a black/white batik for the binding.  It doesn't look too bad on the table and with my b/w dishes I think it will be a fun addition for when the ladies come to lunch on Tues.

It's quite warm today and we've had the air on since last night.  Good sleeping at least.  I'm going to take Kalee to the post office and maybe for a walk.  We didn't walk yet this a.m. so we need to get moving!!

How lucky am I!

Yep...I am one lucky, blessed girl (love referring to myself as a "girl")....I've been on the receiving end of gifts from my blog friends and yesterday I had another gift in the mail!!

Cindy, from Stitches in Time, sent me these beautiful cards she made!!  I love them...only problem, I'll keep them for a very long time before I send them on!  It will take just the right moment or person for me to send them to someone.  But that's ok...they were sent to me special by Cindy and I'll send them on when I feel a special person would appreciate a note from me inside!

See the lace doily butterfly on the bottom of her 'window frame'!   

And check out the lace doily hummingbird!  Just beautiful....THANK YOU AGAIN, CINDY!!!!  You have to stop by Cindy's blog and see some more of her creations.  She's quite talented from scrapbooking/cards, working with felt/wool and embroidery!  Just a very relaxing blog to read!  

I did finish my sister's bracelet, at least the beading part.  I'll attach one end of the clasp but I won't finish it until I meet up with her again, just to make sure it's the size she wants.

Today I'm working on my table runner....it's not something I'd show many people, but hopefully with lots of dishes on it you won't notice the stitching!  I'll post pics tomorrow...I should be able to get the binding put on today and do the hand work tonight. 

I think Bob and I have had our fill of butter and garlic!  Last night was dinner at Pavarotti's and the "eating of 3-4 dozen knots" (there were six of us!) put us over the top.  It's a lot of butter and garlic and I'm looking forward to a healthy dinner at home tonight!  I'm making baked salmon and vegetables!  Even Kalee will get her baked tilapia!  Yes, she's a fish eater too...she's not allowed to have beef, chicken or lamb...so her diet has changed too!  And she's lost 1lb!!!  Wahoo!  At least one in this family is losing weight!

Just some show and tell!

 My friend, Mary,  received this fiber card from her Design Works group back in Michigan!  Isn't it adorable!  Mary said the glasses come on and off from her hand!!  It was made by Nadine Cloutier and I think it's just adorable!!!  How clever!!! I asked Mary if I could share it with my blog friends.  

I haven't been just sitting around...although, I was a little off my game yesterday...just felt pukey...I headed off with Carol to run some errands and have a cup of soup at Panera's.  Came home and started to feel a little better by last night.  Feel great today!  A few days ago I started making my sister her Tila bracelet in black and gold.  It's coming along pretty good so far!  Although one of the Tila beads broke and I had to rip our SEVERAL rows! 

And the background is a table runner I thought I'd stitch up.  I haven't been doing any free motion quilting to speak of, other than my self portrait which was only 11" x 16" and not much FMQ on it to speak of....I can't remember the last piece I actually did free motion on way back in the summer or fall....and it's true..."use it or lose it".  WOW!  Have I ever lost it!  I just couldn't get in the rhythm of quilting.  Oh well...this is a good practice piece and from a 747 no one will notice!

It's going to be pretty busy around her for the next few weeks...I know...so what else is new, right!  We're going to dinner tonight with Carol/Tony and Peg/Sammy at one of our favorite Italian restaurants.  Guess what they have as a speciality!  Knots!  Yum...these are pizza dough with melted garlic butter and salt on them!!  Friday, it's a girls day out to the The Cotillion southern Cafe in Wildwood.  And, Peggy, they now serve wine!!  We aren't driving so....this weekend is the Tiogo Art Fair which Carol and I go to each year.  It's a juried art festival with so many unique art objects. 
Next Tuesday, I'm having the ladies over for a luncheon, which I'm really looking forward to.  I love having folks other for treats or dinner!!  Then on the 20th, I may plan another trip to see my sister depending on her company and how long they are staying!  The 25th is another girls day out to yarn shops, soap shops, whatever!   Whew!  I'm tired already!!
Time sure flies during our winter months...but we enjoy every minute with friends!  So off to do some quilting and perhaps beading.  Good day for doing laundry too!!  Have to get my 'work' out of the way so I can play!

More Fiber Valentines! And beading, of course!

I received my 2nd and 3rd Valentine from friends!! 

Check out the fiber card from my Florida buddy, Susan!  Isn't it great!!!  I love the fabric she chose for the flamingo!    The background fabric was something we made a few years ago at one of our weaver meetings we attended.  It's using chalk on milk soaked fabric!  Pretty cool isn't it! 







And check out how Susan scanned in the heart center from her flamingo fabric above to use for her stamp!  Such a clever lady!!  Thanks Susan!!  Love my flamingo!

And yesterday I received this collage Valentine card from my friend, Carol, back in Michigan! 

 

 The card is made up of different fibers/papers and collage...it's adorable!  The card was made by Sandy Mooney, a fiber artist back home.   I love my cards that I receive!  Thanks, Carol!!

 

For those who follow my blog, you may remember seeing this beaded bird.  I had two of my pieces framed back home a few months ago and I just happen to bring the other four with me to finish some hand stitching on the painted leaves.  My Q buddy, Susan, gave me a $25 gift certificate she won for one of the local art/framing stores.  So...I got busy finishing two of the pieces by adding some shading to the leaves and stitching.  

Here's one of the pieces with the stitching and shading finished....

 And the 2nd one...I dropped off both of these yesterday to the framing shop.  We picked out a great frame that is the same green family as my leaves.  It also has some yellow on the frame but it really looked good against the two pieces.  I should have them back within a few weeks!  I'm really excited to see these two framed.

It isn't cheap to have your work framed (these are only 8 1/2" x 11") but I've invested so many hours of beading into the pieces I do want to preserve them and at least be able to hang them.  You can't see your work if it's hidden in a container in your closet!  

Today, Carol and I are off to library, run some errands and then to do our grocery shopping.  Appears to be our day for food shopping! 

One of our most memorable nights

Welcome to the Freezer!!!  I was too busy reading the menu as we walked into the Freezer to take a picture of the outside or entrance...but more on that later! 
This was one memorable night!!!  Yesterday afternoon we took off with Patricia & Pat to meet up with the Miller's then off to The Freezer!  I'm not sure if it was the food or the company, perhaps both! that gave Bob and I one of our most memorable days in Florida!!

The Freezer is a Tiki Bar so perhaps that explains the menu on the chalk board or on the walls...or the paper towel roll on the tables - which you need!!!  We started off with a pretzel...you get the size of it above compared to the cup of beer...the pretzel is baked on site and laid ontop of melted butter!!!  I'm not a butter eater, no butter on my toast or sandwiches, etc., BUT I did dip the pretzel in the butter and WOW!  I'm hooked!  Oh, and this pretzel only cost $1.95!  Each of we ladies ordered one and THANK goodness Bob ordered his own (thanks, honey!)!  I ate the entire pretzel!!

The rest of the group enjoyed pitchers of beer but I prefer wine so my gallant hubby splurged and bought me 2 glasses of wine!  At $2 each!!  $2!  OK, it wasn't the best red wine but it was good enough to go with my pretzel!

This was Bob and Pat waiting for our dinner.  You have to go up to the bar counter to order and pay for your dinner.  You then get a ticket with your name/number on it...if you lose it, you're out of luck!  It's the only way they know you've already paid for your dinner. 

You can see the paper towel on a roll on the table!  I didn't think much about whey they would have a roll of paper towels but....

This is what we were waiting for!!!  Steamed shrimp and the best shrimp Bob and I have had!!!  You had to peel the shrimp but the way they remove the vein the shell just falls off with a flick of your finger.  You also get more butter sauce and cocktail sauce! 
When I order shrimp at a restaurant and get 6-8 pieces, I usually stop at 3-4..depending...sometimes I'll eat 5 but never more than that.  I don't know how many of these shrimp I ate but let me tell you it was WAY more than 5!!!  I'm almost embarrassed to think or count how many I ate.  Plus, this was 1 1/2lbs of shrimp Bob and I shared, which is their half order which cost a little over $10!!  $10!!  You are served in a Styrofoam container which you need to put all the shells into!  that's what you see in this next picture!  One of our scrap containers!

So here's the procedure...pick up a shrimp, flick off the shell, dip and eat!!!  What can be better!!!  We each had a half order but Larry ended up ordering one more half order for everyone to share!  Thanks, Larry!

We had such a great time with everyone and definitely will go back before we head home in April.

We laughed, ate, laughed and ate the entire time!  But wait!!!  There's more!!!

On our way out, this was the sight we ran into!  What a sight!!  The lights were flashing on these beautiful bikes!  We had all we could do to  keep Patricia off one of the bikes!

I tried to lighten the picture best I could...this is Patricia almost getting a leg up on the bike!  We all had visions of bikers coming out to prevent it but Jan and Larry mentioned dessert so Patricia came along quietly!

Bob was driving so Larry was giving him directions.  He kept telling Bob to turn right, but Bob couldn't see a road....but he did what he was told and low and behold we ended up at another favorite Florida haunt!  DQ!!! 

Yep...we all had dessert!  Bob and I each had a small blizzard!!  What a great ending to a great evening.  We can't thank Jan & Larry for setting up this night for us!!!! 

And so I'll close this post with a picture of our 'welcoming host' at the Freezer!!!  If you are in the Homosassa area or close to it, definitely head to The Freezer.  It's not easy to find but it will be a night/day you won't forget...although, our friends won't be with you so you might not have as much fun as us but you'll still have great steamed shrimp!   Oh, and make sure you try  the pretzel too!

It's going to be a shrimp night!

Before I post about the 'shrimp' night...look what I got yesterday!  It's my first Valentine card from my Florida friend, Carol.

Isn't it great!!  Carol made it herself and even did doodling around the border on each side!! 

Carol is really good at keep scrapbooks of her grand kids (they have four little ones!) and now she's working on cards!  I think she did a great job and I'm happy to have received one from her too!!!

So tonight, we are heading out with another couple to meet up with Jan and Larry to go to a place called 'The Freezer Tiki bar'!

  From what i understand, it's a bar/restaurant that used to be an actual freezer for keeping fresh caught fish and shrimp.  The shrimp is suppose to be the best around and Jan said they serve both a butter and horseradish sauce with the shrimp!  They also have crab and other fresh caught fish but I'm sure bob and I will go for the shrimp.

This is just a picture I found on the web...go figure!  So it will be interesting to see what pictures I take tonight of our food.   We'll be driving over to the Miller's house and then the six of us heading out to Homosassa for drinks and food at The Freezer! 

Hmmmmmm  I wonder if margaritas go with shrimp!  Hope I get to find out!  If not, white wine will do!  Yes, retirees sure do drink a lot here in Florida!  Heck, we live each day like it's our last so why not!!!   Might as well be happy at Happy Hour!

Finished!

I finished all 23 cards yesterday and put in the mail.  In fact, my friend, Carol, here in Florida, just called me and she received her fiber card today!  Wow! So here is a preview of the cards! 

I mentioned that I use a heavy weight Pellon interface(71F) on the back to give my cards some oomph!  And I also use Sulky Totally Stable stabilizer     to print out my labels.  I think I may have said in a previous post I use Solvy...it's SULKY....duh!  I buy this by the bolt and only brought a small piece with me so I couldn't remember the name!  But I was close...

Anyway, if you want to print out a label just create your label in word or other document software.  I then use my chalk pastels (make sure it's the chalk) and rub the side of the chalk along the entire piece.  I like to color at least a yard to have  on hand.  Next, using  a foam brush dipped in water, wipe over the chalk.  The chalk will blend just like watercolor and gives the stabilizer a nice color.  Once the Sulky is dry (I usually hang on a pant hanger!), I cut to 8 1/2" x 11" and iron lightly onto copy paper and feed through my printer.  Works great.   Just make sure you don't use a really hot iron to iron onto copy paper...it will stick.  

After printing out your label,  cut to size and iron onto the back of the pellon/fiber card.  I finish the edges by painting the batting/pellon with fabric paint, so you don't see much white...then stitch around the edges with a decorative machine stitch. 

 

This year I ran out of my Sulky and had to buy another iron on interfacing.  I used  Pellon 809 Decor Bond which worked through printer too.  I just put two pieces of double sided tape on the top of my copy paper, attached the cut 8 1/2" x 11" piece of pellon and fed through printer. I didn't color these pieces but I'm sure process below would work.  

 

So now on to some other projects!!!  Wonder what I'll do next!!!!  Too many ideas and too much social activity!  

 

I finished placing the extra firm pellon on the backs of the fiber cards yesterday and then ironed on Solvy interfacing that I printed address labels on.






Next step is to paint the edges. 

Of course this step isn't necessary but it's nice to have some color so the batting and white interfacing(s) don't show through.  You can't color in all the white but works good enough.

This was my production line all set up! 





You can see some of the edges colored in below.

So after I walk Kalee, I'll start edge stitching the cards.  I had a target date of Friday but I might be able to get the out of state cards in the mail on Thursday!  Yippee!!

On to next phase!

I finished all the hand stitching on my fiber Valentine post cards!  Yippee!!

So now I have to put the backing interface, labels and finish stitching around the edges.  Whew! 

I need to at least finish the ones going out of state and have in the mail by Friday...my target is Thursday but just giving myself an extra day to finish all 21 cards! 





The other morning I noticed these Egrets, I think!, walking across the street.  I grabbed my camera and headed out.  You have to check out the video at the bottom of this post.  What a hoot!!!  Gotta love Florida!

Goodbye to a gentle giant....

Goodbye to Ben - the gentle giant.  The kids had to put Ben to sleep yesterday and as we all know this is one of the hardest events in our lives to do.  The kids adopted Ben from a rescue several, several years ago and Ben instantly became one of their family.  You never would think a dog this big could be as sweet and so well mannered but  he was.  I just know in my heart he and Mandy are playing together...they were two of the best dogs anyone could ask for.

This was the first time Ben and Kalee met in '2011.  It shows how sweet he was....we'll miss you Ben but you'll always be in our hearts and thoughts.

Fiber card for a post office!

My friend, Mary, back in Michigan sent an email the other day from Jane Davies blog, from Rupert, Vermont. 

It seems Jane owns the local post office and as she states on her blog, "It is one of the smallest, and definitely the cutest, post office in the state, and probably in the country.  It just missed the small post office closures by the skin of it's little postal teeth, but they are cutting the hours it will be open. "

So Jane was asking for folks to send her a fiber cards so there will be an increase in the amount of mail passing through this "cute" little post office!  We have two smaller post offices back in our area and I just love them!  You never have to wait in line and they always know your name!  Sure hope Jane can keep her post office going! 

You have to go to Jane's blog and check out the video of the post office!  Scroll to the bottom of her post here to see the welcoming committee they even have!!  Just so cute!