Tags and Postcards

I think it is exciting to get ANY letter in the mail these days, but imagine how thrilled I was to get this envelope with foreign stamps all over it! It was my Give-A-Way prize from Fleur at Yokko Bears all the way from the Netherlands.

She sent me 30 hand made tags! So Cool! Each one is different and the backs have an aged, antiqued look to them. THANK YOU, Fleur! I love them!

I haven't shown you the quilted postcards from our last quilt group meeting yet, so here they are...enjoy!

Thank you for visiting my little corner of the world.It means so much to have you stop by! -Derrith

Happy St. Paddy's Day

Happy Sunday and St. Patrick's Day, friends. These are some Pyrex bowls that belong to my daughter-in-law. We have them down at her shop, and I thought they were quite fitting for today's festivities!

More vintage bowls...not Pyrex, but quite cool. (I realize those are 4-leaf clovers, but we can use our imagination)

Spring really is just around the corner! Please visit again anytime. Love, Derrith

Playing With Bunnies

This is my little friend Buffy, the bunny. She was a rescue bunny from Goodwill.

When she came to me, she was buff colored with a dull green bow and drab brown basket.  Drab colors aren't welcome in my house, so I had to do an intervention.

She had a light sprinkling of glitter so I sanded that off.  It may be the first time I've actually removed glitter from anything!

Then I gave her a couple coats of white paint.

Then I added back in the shading and painted her bow and basket. Next, I painted the whole thing with Modge Podge so the paint would smear when I put on the glue for the glitter.

I realized that once she was covered in glitter, I wouldn't be able to put any candy in her basket, so I thought I'd better fill it first. I made eggs out of PaperClay, painted them and glued them in. Then I had to pick what glitter to use. I decided on one that stayed white and wasn't too prizmatic. Now Buffy is perfectly pastel and glittery and enjoying life on my coffee table.

These two cuties were also rescue bunnies. I didn't mind their original color too much. My philosophy has always been that anything can be improved with glitter, so...

They got the treatment and...well, I guess it's possible that perhaps there are times when my philosophy doesn't hold. I used German glass glitter and I think the flakes were too large for the size of the figurine. I did clear their eyes so they can still see, but they give me that look, like "Why did you do this to us?" Oh well, not every project works out like we think it will! 

I really appreciate your visits and I hope you will come again.   Love, Derrith

Dazzling Show and Tell

Two friends from my quilt group went to a quilting retreat and learned how to make these "vessels". They were so spectacular! They were created from painted "conso cord", then beaded and embellished. This one was Candy's.

Lorali made this one. I love all the details. She also added glitter (a girl after my own heart).

This is another one of Lorali's. To me, they look like they came out of an enchanted forest, but I do tend to take flights of fancy. (Does anyone say that anymore?)

 

One of the fun things about our group is that we show off and share all our needlework projects in addition to our quilts. Margy created this pillow on her embroidery machine. I think it's gorgeous.

Darlene, our professional quilt and fabric designer and talented machine quilter, created this wonderful handbag. I'm sorry the picture cut off the strap, but it is so fun. Notice the cute quilting she added. Love it!

My friends do some amazing things with their embroidery machines. Margy embellished these towels for a wedding gift. Quite stunning!

This is Margy's too. It is a fun cuff or collar. It was a new technique she learned in a class. I don't think she has decided exactly what she will do with it yet. As you can see, there is so much skill and imagination in my group. They really inspire me to challenge myself. Thanks again for stopping by. It is so fun to share with you and I really enjoy your comments. -Derrith

March Quilt Group Show Stoppers

Our March meeting of "Sisters 'n' Stitches" was quite a showcase of beautiful quilts and other projects. I will show the quilts first and some of the other really special things will be in my next post. Candy was especially prolific this month. These first four quilts are all hers. This red and white quilt was gorgeous.

I loved this "Shadow Play" quilt. It's such a wonderfully graphic technique.

I loved this bright, fun quilt. It was an original design from Candy.

This was a modified "Jelly Roll Race" or "1600" pattern. She used bright batiks and added the black "coins" to great effect!

I enlarged this photo so you can see the detail on Pat H.s quilt. It was so lovely. It took us a while to realize that each block is actually the same pattern. So pretty!

Michelle made this fun earth tone Americana quilt. Loved it!

Lorali made this darling quilt. Irresistible!

Pat K. showed us her fantastic quilt in progress. We all love her work.

Our hostess, Margy had her beautiful Christmas Quilt on the wall. It is amazing. Thank you so much for visiting. I will have more to see soon. Love, Derrith

Too Early For Easter?

Like many of you, I am anxiously anticipating spring. Since Easter is early this year, I am now officially in Easter mode. I found this precious lamb cup at Goodwill. It really is so dear...not very practical for a child because it's breakable, but just right for Spring-y pictures. I had a dish towel I had dyed pink for valentines that I hadn't used yet, so I bleached it out a bit to soften the color and appliqued the lamb on it.

Isn't this the sweetest thing! It makes me sad that my youngest grand children are 8 years old (three of them) already.

I'm not sure why anyone would want a lamb on their dish towel, but nevertheless, there she is.  I hope your day is a happy and fulfilling one.  Thank you for stopping by.  -Derrith

Fun New Finds and Bev's Fab Give Away

Happy Thursday everyone. I finally finished my "Blue Vase" dish towels last night- as with everything else- they took longer than I thought. I found a new vintage consignment shop in Battle Ground yesterday, called "Nest". I couldn't resist this beautiful bright red pitcher. It's not vintage but I love it anyway.  I picked up the tin tray at a flea market a while ago.

I wanted to tell you about a great Give Away from Bev at 44th Street Fabric. Click on the link to visit her blog and follow the instructions for entering to win this gorgeous 5 yard stack of fabric. The contest closes on Feb. 28th so hurry!  Gary and I are off on a weekend jaunt tomorrow. I hope your weekend is wonderful! -Derrith

 

Reed College

Gary and I enjoy taking drives and exploring this neck of the woods. There is a lot to see in the greater Portland Oregon area. I remember seeing this beautiful college campus several years ago, so I asked Gary if we could find it again on a grey Sunday afternoon.  This is Reed College, a highly respected Liberal Arts college in the East Moreland area of Portland.

The campus is so charming. I love the Tudor - Gothic style of the buildings. Even in the winter, the lawns are lush and green. We took a walk around with Molly in tow.

Then we started exploring the neighborhoods close to the school. I love charming old homes with historical interest. Here are just a few of the beautiful houses we saw:

Well, I must get back to my cleaning and sewing this morning. Today begins a new week and there is much to do! Please visit again...I so appreciate you stopping by! -Derrith