Happy Halloween!

Well, it is time to say good-bye to our son and to all my friends here in Albuquerque.  I was hoping for an extended stay, but the weather is not cooperating.  There is a cold front moving south and will be here by Wednesday.  So, tomorrow we are on our way to El Paso, TX.  I'm not sure how long we will stay, but you can bet I will let you know!

A very good friend sent this cute email and I wanted to share it with you.  I wish I could figure out how to upload the cute clipart.  Since I can't, I thought some LOLCats will have to do....

Halloween Rules for Seniors

You know you are too old to Trick or Treat when:

10. You keep knocking on your own front door.

9. You remove your false teeth to

Change your appearance.

8. You ask for soft high fiber candy only.

7. When someone drops a candy bar in your bag,

You lose your balance and fall over.

6. People say: 'Great Boris Karloff Mask,'
And you're not wearing a mask.

see more dog and puppy pictures

5. When the door opens you yell, 'Trick or...'

And you can't remember the rest.

4. By the end of the night, You have a bag full
of restraining orders.

3. You have to carefully choose a costume that

Doesn't dislodge your hairpiece.

2. You're the only Power Ranger in the

Neighborhood with a walker.

And the number one reason

Seniors should not go

Trick Or Treating...
*
*
*
1. You keep having to go home to pee.

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

No matter, have a Safe and 
HAPPY HALLOWEEN anyway.

Share the Memories ~ Freebie Friday!

It's that time again, Scrapbookers!  Here are two free downloads from My Memories Scrapbook.  Just click on the picture and it will take you to the website.  (downloads only work with My Memories Scrapbook v.2)

If you do not have the digital scrapbook, please use the code below for a great discount!

Use the DISCOUNT CODE

STMMMS75192 

during your checkout and receive:

$10 off the software purchase

and a $10 gift certificate to the online store

This Digital Kit Includes:

• 2 Digital Papers
• 3 Page Elements
• 2 Quick Pages

This Digital Kit Includes:

• 2 Digital Papers
• 4 Page Elements
• 2 Quick Pages

Bloggers' Quilt Festival

Today, I have entered my quilt in the Blogger's Quilt Festival hosted by Amy's Creative Side.  Thanks Amy for hosting this festival.  I am often the viewer, but this time I want to share my favorite quilt..If you have a little time, please click on the link below.  There are some fantastic quilters and beautiful quilts participating in this virtual quilt show!

I picked this quilt because it had a very unusual start.  Most of my quilts start with the fabric or a pattern, but this one started with a photo and became the most fun quilt I have ever made.

We were staying in Camp Lejuene's campground near the beach.  There were "Seashells" marked on a map as squares on the beach.  Curious, we took a walk and found these lovely pastel picnic shelters.  I love the colors so much that I had to dig through my stash to see if I could match them.

Camp Lejeune's Seashells

I'm attracted to bold and primary colors so I was amazed to find these sitting in my stash.  Surprised to see them and actually liking them, I decided to make a quilt.

Using a simple pattern, the top started looking more like a cluster of flowers instead of reminding me of the beach.

Now I am not very talented when it comes to drawing so I like to use books or clipart.  I have a book with some amazing Art Nouveau free clipart.

  I love doing turn-under appliqué, so I picked out a butterfly and a flower patterns.  I find using batiks are very forgiving and easy to manipulate.  I picked colors that would blend into the background and yet I wanted it to look like one flower standing out from the rest.

Close-up of hand-stitching

I challenged myself by making this the largest appliqué project I have done.  I had so much fun with this one that I want to do another.  I'm on the lookout for another photo to inspire me and I'm keeping a few appliqué projects in mind.

 Thanks for stopping by! Happy Quilting!

Size: 49.75 x 40 (126.36 x 101.6 cm)

Quilting: Free form meandering on sewing machine
 
Butterfly and flower from "The Complete Book of ART NOUVEAU DESIGNS"

Día De Los Muertos

 Day of the Dead

I never get tired of wandering around historic Old Town Albuquerque - an old Spanish settlement founded in 1706.   There are several sites with information about the historic Old Town area.  I only picked out two of the sites. Here are a few photos I took along our walk...just to give you a taste of the old southwest....

shady walk

San Felipe de Neri Church rebuilt in 1793

Ristras

We walked around the Plaza surrounded by traditional adobe style buildings doing a little window shopping, wandering down little alley ways, smelling delicious spicy aromas, and viewing a variety of artwork. 

It is always a peaceful walk.  I find the multi-cultural artwork and the southwest colors are very inspiring.

Old Town is getting ready to celebrate the Day of the Dead and All Souls Day.  The Mexicans have celebrated the Day of the Dead for centuries.  

Later, the Spaniards moved the celebration date to coincided with their All Souls Day with the Day of the Dead to keep the ritual more Christian.   

If you want to read more about the history, please click on the following links:

Dayof the Dead History and Day of the Dead in Mexico 

Today, depending on the location the Day of the Dead is celebrated in many ways.  Basically, it is a time to honor the dead by playing their favorite music and fixing their favorite foods.  This is a wonderful way to remember loved ones and to celebrate life.  

Here's a Treasury filled with Day of the Dead artwork.  Enjoy!

I'm Not Here Right Now, Please Leave a Message...

The past couple of days have been busy.  We have been out more than in....




Dan has been busy working on our motorhome...



and helping our son with his car....




Eating lots of good New Mexican food....



It has been wonderful to visit with friends and family again...



I'll be back on Wednesday!

see more Lolcats and funny pictures, and check out our Socially Awkward Penguin lolz!

Shopping Spree for Me!

Delicious!

Look at what I bought at Whole Foods.  My favorite fruit tart.  This is my main reason for going to this one store that is a good 15 minutes or more depending on traffic away from our motorhome. There are other grocery stores along the way, but this is my all-time favorite fruit tart and Yes! This is as delicious as it looks!  It was so good, I had to buy two of them.  Yea, this one is gone!  I will save the other one for tomorrow.  Okay, I'll admit it...I did buy other items from Whole Foods, but this was my main mission.

I also stopped by Joann's Fabric store.  I need backing for the Fancy Sue blocks and since they were having 30% off, I thought I would take a look.  It is not an excuse!  I really need backing!  I found some wonderful floral prints.  I think the pink floral is a good match, don't you?   I did not need the tan fabric, but I like the print.  Maybe I'll use it for the cornerstones in the sashings.

Fancy Sue's new backing

I found my salsa at the Commissary and stocked up on some good snacks from Trader Joe's along with some hummus and veggies.  Yum!

When I grocery shop I like to use my reusable canvas bags so I don't end up with a lot of plastic bags. I get asked quite often where did I get my shopping bags.  My Mom gave them to me several years ago from the Miles Kimball's catalog.  They are still available if you are interested in getting some for yourself (please see the link below). They are holding up very well.  When I remember to use them, I get a lot of comments from the store's employees.  They love my bags because they are clean and hold a lot of groceries.

Many people are using the recyclable shopping bags, but they are not keeping them clean.  From what I have seen used in the stores, they are big and bulky not to mention, they do not look like they can be machine washed.  I guess they would need to be mopped out by hand.  What a pain!  I know I would not be cleaning them very often. I have heard some horror stories from both the cashiers and the baggers.  Sticky, smelly bags with dried juices, old forgotten vegetables, and ..well, you get the idea.  How can people use a dirty bag to carry home their fresh groceries?  Yuk!  It is not much fun for the person bagging the groceries into dirty bags either.

I like my white bags for several reasons.  A dozen bags fit into one.  They are lightweight and don't take up a lot of room in my shopping basket or in our motorhome.   I also love the fact that I can toss all of them into the wash machine with a little Clorox, detergent, and hot water.  So far all of the stains have washed out including some cherry juice stains.

They get used for other things as well.  I often carry my laptop, books, drinks, camera equipment, or quilting projects in them.   Great to use at the Farmer's Markets too.  They are very handy for all sorts of things.

The price is right and I'm just sharing this information because I have been asked several times while shopping.  You can Google "White Canvas Bags" or go to this site -- Miles Kimball's:  Canvas Shopping Bags Set/4

 Happy Shopping!

Making Yo-Yo's (Albuquerque, NM)

Yesterday, I woke up with a very stiff neck and sore shoulders.  I must have slept wrong or it was all that rubber necking I was doing while Dan drove around Albuquerque.  We drove through our old neighborhood and saw our house.  They repainted the exterior.  I'm happy to see the owners taking care of the house and yard.

Since Dan had to take our car in for it's annual check-up with the dealer, I decided to stay home and focus on making my first yo-yo's.  It is a lot more comfortable to sit in my favorite quilting chair than sitting in the dining area trying to type on the computer especially when I am in pain.  (I feel better today.)

So, here's my first try at making a yo-yo.  Oh, I'm making them for the Fancy Sue block.  I was tempted to use the small tulip pattern from the Dresden Plate, but it was time to try something new.

I'm using freezer paper as a template.  I made a dozen circles so I could just relax and just sew without jumping up to iron on another circle.

ironed the circle onto the reverse side

cut 1/4 inch seam

marked the circle (template doesn't slide)

a perfect circle

running stitch the seam

gather

done..hmmm

Okay - not a perfect looking circle, but with some practice...

lots of practice

I think they are starting to look better.  I found it easier to start the gather while I am sewing the seam down.  Not too bad for a day of vegging out, eh?