The Fire Victims Need our Help

Red Cross is doing all they can to help those in my home state who are losing their homes and livelihoods to the fires. Please, if you can, help.

Someone Somewhere Loves the Rain !~!

I wanna kiss that little face.

Coloring Pages and the Amazing Mediums !~!

More fun ahead:

 Inexpensive tools of the coloring trade brought to you by Amazon.com
Total cost was less than forty dollars delivered for these three pieces: gel pens $15; Watercolor pencils $15; SuperTips $8 at the local Walgreens. 

The Fiskars Gel Pens (on the left with orange label and clear case) color like a dream and are true to the cap colors. There are metallic pens with sparkly colors, soft pastel tints, vibrant primary shades. The only color missing is brown-I haven't found a single shade of my favorite earthtone in the 48 different pens.

This blue tin case at the bottom of the picture is my first set of watercolor pencils and I will report back after I have used them with actual ... Water !~!

The SuperTips markers (on the right in yellow and green box) are not true to their cap colors and I will not replace them when they dry out. They apply much darker with little variation within the colors themselves. Disappointed. I wish I had bought using Amazon. I could get my money back then-live and learn.

Printed directly from the web using simple search terms:

"coloring pages" animal intricate

Easy peasy to look thru the hundreds of offerings and see which you like and print it out and then color til your brain waves feel happy.

If you want to find fabulous pages to color Dr Google is your best buddy. I just type in { "coloring pages" elephants or owls or unicorns } without the brackets but with the quote marks and get pages of pictures with varying degrees of difficulty and detail from which to choose. Print them out on my desktop printer on whatever paper goes with the particular pens or colored pencils I am using, and viola:  Fun for days !!~!

I found this link and the list of additional coloring pages (with even more links) two-thirds of the way down the page is phenomenal!

At this moment I am in love with gels pens but that is subject to change
as I grow more familiar with how watercolor pencils work.
I hope to gain proficiency on that medium thru these pages of fun (free) artwork.

Have some fun of your own, with the Littles in your life, or an afternoon in the park with that SO you've been trying to squeeze in some special time.

If you color and send me a picture I'll post it in a blog entry all its own !~!

Hello to the Horses

Lucia has a horse, Little Nemo, and we went to the stables Sunday afternoon to say hello, feed 'Mo some carrots, and tidy up the area a bit. We were the only one around; the quiet so different from where we live among other people.

Couldn't resist taking photos of some their gorgeous faces.

Aren't they amazing animals ?~!

Potholders for My Kitchen Too !~!

When I get on a roll I have a tendency to keep at it for a time...

These are my three newest potholders. Where will it end ?~! Get your requests in now before the urge to create flies onto the next lucky maker.            

Having too much fun to stop now. I have a small basket of "coin strips" that I can do anything with-more potholders perhaps, stuffed toys for the neighborhood kitties, who knows what else will occur to me as I play with the fabric ?~!

Still some quilting to do but you can see where we're going.

For My Beloved Sisters so Far Away

Unable to be part of their everyday lives, I make stuff that Karen and Phyllis use, see, touch so they are reminded that I am always close by.

Sending small items proves most practical from several standpoints so I  make lightweight cloth pieces, either to hang from the walls, cover the windows, or lay on their desk. Pot holder, trivet, mug rug... such possibilities. It's cool that I can send them stuff so they know that I am thinking of them.

Photos anyone ?~!

Karen's desk set under construction: here's the mug rug cut from "made" fabric.

The armrest measures six by twelve inches using the same fabric.

Padding is a double layer of polyester batting.

Tying it together went very quickly.

Completed with binding in place.
Six by six inches - mug rug.
Six by twelve inches - arm rest.
Much loved by Karen; she received it.

* * * 

Phyllis's 10 by 10 inch potholder/trivet. The binding is the ever-popular star fabric that I buy by the yard and use in lots of different stuff.
The sparkly silver stars are so fun--what's not to love ?~!

* * *

Oh, this ?~! Making small talk with an iguana?

It's what passes for fun in the Florida Keys.

waving at Pat and Iggy from the land of bears and coyote

Linking up with Richard and Tanya and Amanda Jean this week.

Thanks for stopping by; I'd love to visit your blog if you leave me a comment.

I Love the Paris Sisters with All My Heart

 Shirts make the very best pillows. Over the years I have made a half dozen or more for kids I babysit, new moms, people who need joint cushioning in their wheelchairs or beds and myself for sleeping comfort.

Last trip thru the second-hand store brought a PARIS shirt to my attention and immediately into my cart.

Hello new pillow for my two favorite kids: Frankie-Noodles and Lulu Bells.

Pulling the top together was easier than I thought.
I didn't even have to cut this shirt;
I folded it creatively and sewed it shut.

The arms of the shirt turned into a really cute handle.
..

Martha, their mom; Lucia and Frankie, the Paris sisters.

Number One Son Stops By

The phone rings; it's our son. He's in the area and wants to make us dinner in his Volvo semi. Soup's ON !~!

I love when he comes this close and we can go visit him.

Stay safe, my precious son.

Gifts for Friends

When a gift is needed and a quilt too much, I put together potholders for those who cook-which is most of our friends. Personalizing them is half the fun, or more !~!

I made two this week for two different men, both of whom are special to me.

Sander

Sander is a cook and the best dad I know. His mom became my friend many years ago when she was visiting from The Netherlands the summer Piper was born-2008. She and I have remained close and when she wanted a piece made out of one of Sander's favorite t-shirts, I was the artist she contacted. So I took the piece of t-shirt, backed it with Insul-Brite, then added a log cabin square with a personalization on the light blue log.

He will love it I am sure.

Chris

Next piece is for Chris, in Florida, who loves my niece, Heather. He, too, is a cook as well as a retired Paramedic/Firefighter, so when I came upon a pair of pj bottoms for a baby in the motif of the local fire department, I couldn't resist. Wedding gift? I've got it !~!

So that's what I have been doing this past week since I returned from my trip to see my sister.

What have you been up to?

Florida Bound

I leave in the morning for Florida to visit my soulmate for a week.  Distance has kept us apart for five years and were it not for FaceTime and Skype, we'd have flown sooner.

Getting older has compromised our health and made traveling difficult for us. But there comes a time when one says "I must" and that time is now.

See you in a week with pictures of tropical waters, sunsets, family and friends.

Sunflower Joy !~!

Taller than we are now...

Shading CAtCAt in her kingdom; all the bugs are hers !~!

Sunburst-like in its beauty.

Multiple heads on some will be so fun when they're all abloom at once.

The brown ones are magnificent in their uniquity.

As the annuals go to seed, St Francis continues to provide water for the animals.