Bainbridge Fabric Found

On my recent tourist-close-to-home day a ferry ride away on Bainbridge Island I wandered into Eileen's Fabrics and just as I was about to have some fabric but I remembered to look in the basket of smaller fabric swatches.  I know you quilters probably do this all the time, but for those of you who hadn't thought of it - you can often find smaller pieces of fabric already cut for good prices.  Here's what I found:

I'm always on the lookout for unique cat fabrics which I can make into catnip toys or potholders. These will do nicely and I didn't need to ask for them to be cut!  They were just waiting for me to take them home.

Vintage Buttons - Stash Update

I got distracted last weekend shortly into my walk just a few streets from home by a big sign "Button Sale."  OMG!  Walk paused while my feet led me right in that door.  Not that my stash needed any additions, but I always like to have a stash of lovely buttons on hand (and yarn, and fabric).  Maybe I am a stashaholic, but you never know when you might need a beautiful button to complete a project, am I right?

Tell me if you don't think these are gorgeous vintage pearl buttons.  Well, I take that back, don't tell me because I am in love with these buttons of gloriousness.

And vintage glass buttons, too.  I was in heaven!

Yes, I went back for day #2 of the sale and added some more buttons to my bag.  Sometimes you buy the buttons . . . and then you come up with a project in which to use them.

Do These Eyes Freak You Out?

I'm trying out some more realistic safety eyes for my amigurami cats and I don't know what it is, but they kind of freak me out.  What about you?

I hope when completely assembled with a nice, embroidered nose those eyes will blend in with the rest of the face, but otherwise I'm going back to the regular safety eyes.  Yikes!

Cat Days of Summer

Folded Ear Cat enjoys some September sun between the roses and lavender.

Just a cat and her sunshine spending a little quality time together.

Where's the Yarn?

This is where I do my crocheting and creating.  Until a couple of days ago, bags and bins of yarn covered my coffee table and surrounded my chair on all sides.  

Then I ordered and assembled this enormous piece of furniture from Sears - and my yarn and crafting accoutrements are now mostly snugged away in the generous bins.  They are close enough to easily reach, but I don't feel like I am swamped by yarn.  The best part is that some of the bins are still empty!

Creative People in a Room

This is what a room filled with creative people looks like.  You can't hear it, but it is buzzing with conversations and connections as well.  Had a great time today at Schoolhouse Craft.  More creativity continues tomorrow, so join us!

Sheepish, or Unrepentant?

I was taking some action shots for Etsy and at first amurigami cat appears to be repentant on his Time Out bench, although I'm unsure what mischief he had gotten into.

But the next moment, he is waiting for birds to appear, though given the bird houses' placement indoors, he will wait for a very long time and be disappointed.

No birds for you to harass, my friend!

Fall Garden Projects

We are having a simply lovely, warm, sunny September in Seattle and before I start my new job I've been completing some garden projects I've been planning all summer and pruning back some plants that have passed their prime.

My potted lavender needed a new pot where it could spread out, as its clay pot lost most of its integrity over the winter.  Here's its replacement.

Notice my attempt at squirrel deterrent, i.e., strategic placement of spiky sticks to make it a bit harder for them to enjoy digging in the new dirt.  Boy, do squirrels love some fresh dirt to dig in, the cheeky devils.

My plan is to take out that whole strip of grass about a foot deep and replace it with pavers and potted plants.  We're trying to cut back on the grass (and mowing) a bit at a time.

I thought the purple plant added a bit of color to the mostly grayish foliage on the lavender.

I spent a lovely morning trimming back my white lavender plant, which clearly likes its location. Depending upon your state of mind, you could consider lavender pruning peaceful or incredibly boring, as you need to trim each lavender strand individually.  I have in the past pruned back lavender a bit too enthusiastically and lost the entire plant.  The key is to stop before your back goes out from bending over, trying to make the cuts in the right places.

I was joined by the neighbor cat, who kept me company by rolling in the trimmed lavender buds.  I am sure she was nicely scented for the rest of the day.

Another plant that is thriving is a white heather plant.  Now I have to research how to properly rein it in a bit, as it wasn't the plan to let it fill the entire planting bed!

Adding some nice color behind the enormous heather plant is a Coneflower (Echinacea) plant that I just added.

Another recent addition is a verdigris bird bath next to the fence.  It may need to weather inside when it starts to get cold.

On the left is a different variety of lavender, purple heather, with a peony bringing up the rear.  I do have a fondness for lavender and heather, as they both seem to thrive in Seattle weather.  Soon it will be time to haul home some mulch and tuck everything in for the fall and winter.

Does anyone else forget, when buying big bags of soil or mulch and letting a nursery man place them in your trunk, that when you get home YOU will need to lug them up the driveway and into the yard?  Darn, those bags are heavy!

In Honor of September 11

One of the blogs I follow has a great remembrance of September 11.  I especially liked this reminder:

It’s easy to live your life the way you are meant to live it when you are smacked upside the head with the truth that you could die any day now. It’s much harder to make the choices you need to make when you forget to remember that, it’s not just that you are GOING to die. It’s that you don’t know when.

Check out of the rest of it by Jennifer Boynton.

It reminded me to get outside today and appreciate that I have two supportive feet to carry me on a walk in the beautiful September sunshine.  I'm going to literally smell the flowers, appreciate the gardens and the joy of exercise.

Tiny Cat Crochet

Before I even give this little guy an embroidered nose, I had to give him a little blog space (he doesn't need much, he's little).  It's a beautiful thing when a new pattern turns into a sweet creature the first time I work through the instructions.

Doesn't he just draw you closer?

The chubby legs, the curvy tail - can't wait to try the next pattern!

Arms Like Michelle

I'm not much of a political person, but I was watching Michelle Obama speak last night and I really want my arms to look toned and strong like hers.  Those are some beautiful arms!

This summer, and August in particular, I have been focusing on walking and surprised myself by walking over 90 miles last month.  I amazed myself.  Perhaps I should take that accomplishment and run with it - well, not actually run, but you get the idea.

If this body, at this weight, can carry me 90 miles in one month, why not put a little effort into streamlining my arms and perhaps finding my core?

It may take me the rest of my life to get arms like Michelle, but I am going to be one good looking 90-year-old!