Portland's White House

I don't know how many of you have seen "Portland's White House". It is not too far from Lloyd Center. It's a wonderfully grand bed and breakfast. It has great sentimental meaning for Gary and I, as it was where we spent the first night of our honeymoon 25 years ago. We just celebrated our anniversary yesterday. Twenty-five years ago we "blended" our two families and became the Scarbrough Bunch! We were able to have 6 of our 7 children together here at home for Thanksgiving and it was a great anniversary gift!

A Little Springtime on a Cold Rainy November Day

I recently finished these dish towels. I used one of the block patterns from "A Tisket A Tasket".
If you are a regular visitor to my blog, you may have noticed the "Blogs I follow" column on the left where I have links to some of my favorite blogs. Two I really love are "Birdie Blue" and "Bluebird Notes". Their photographs are so appealing - darling colors and subject matter, soooo, I am trying to borrow their style. I think I need a bit more education on photography. The first lesson would be actually getting my pictures IN FOCUS!
Today is a dreary, rainy northwest day, BUT, tomorrow my two daughters arrive from Utah with grandchildren in tow, for Thanksgiving, so I am a happy girl as I scramble to get my house cleaned up.
I wish a very Happy Thanksgiving to all my dear friends, old and new and to my loved ones.

Christmas at "Creative Interiors and Design"

I dropped by "Creative Interiors and Design" and was wowed by the elegant, luxurious, over-the-top Christmas decorations they have on display. None of the pictures I took of the several trees they have in the store turned out, but you really should stop by and see them.
This is a fun store for dreaming...




Another store with amazing Christmas decor is "Rare Earth Design" at the Ridgefield Junction.
If you've never been there or haven't lately, it is a "rare" treat. They have things I've never seen anywhere else and it's quite stunning!

I am grateful...for my "Sisters 'n' Stitches

We had a great time at our November meeting last Tuesday at Barb's. Lorali was our hostess. Candy started off "show and tell" with this amazing fabric bowl. It is a project for her Art Quilt Group.

This is the back. She explained out she formed it. It was really fascinating. She still has to do the stitching on it.

This was another bowl. She felted this one. The colors were soft and muted - really cool and completely unique!
This picture really doesn't do justice to these dish towels that Margy embroidered on her machine. You had to be there!
Lorali made this quilt for charity I believe. We loved the colors and I loved the piano keys border.

Lorali sewed this darling reversible apron for a friend. Soooo cute!
Here are our post cards for the month - one for each of the six of us that were there. We missed the rest of you!!

To borrow a quote from a blog I follow:
"When you're grateful, whatever you have is enough"

Cool Local Barns

I never thought I'd be blogging about barns, but there are a couple I've seen lately that belong to friends of mine that certainly deserve a mention! This barn belongs to a dear friend and fellow quilter, Colleen Bloemke. Her sons helped her add these quilt blocks to the side of her barn in Ridgefield and I LOVE the result!
This is the ULTIMATE Party Barn. It belongs to Roberta and Jerry Peterson of Woodland. She gave me a tour and I was blown away! They refitted the barn with everything you would need for a large gathering. On the main level, is a HUGE kitchen and dining area, a beautiful lobby and restrooms. Upstairs in a huge stunning room for weddings, parties, quilt shows or anything you can imagine. As you can see in the foreground of this picture, the grounds outside are fabulous too. Notice the sculpted bush in the shape of a dog.

This pond is part of the lovely landscaping surrounding the barn.
This is the view standing in the middle of the upstairs room and looking west. The other end of the room is equally dramatic.

These beautiful doors lead from the foyer to the kitchen/dining room. (Sorry this is out of focus)
The doors and nearly all the building materials they used were salvaged or reclaimed or garage sale pieces, but they add up to something amazing. Roberta said the barn is available to be rented. It would really be a treat to be able to have a function there!