Blackberry Creek Home Arts

And the Pink Goes On

This is what I worked on yesterday. It's a small wall quilt for a pink SwapBot swap. It's supposed to be a vase of flowers in case you can't tell. The yo yos, which aren't yet attached, are the flowers. I'm pretty sure my Swedish swap partner doesn't read Blackberry Creek, so I don't think I'm giving away any secrets--I hope.

It's funny how you can see things in photos that you can't see in real life. I think now that I shouldn't have made the vase black, unless I was going to use more black in the quilt. It seems to sort of punch you in the eye, doesn't it? Maybe if I bind the finished quilt in the same black, that will help. What do you think?

Vann grilled steaks for us yesterday--his best effort in quite a while. The steaks were soooooooo good. I have to brag a little here: my husband is the best griller in the world.

Andy and Steve came by in the afternoon and brought plums they had bought at the Farmer's Market in Birmingham.

The neighborhood was full of booms last night. You could hear the sound of fireworks on into the night. Some of the neighbors gathered in Paul and Karen's yard to see the displays. I didn't stay long (and didn't see anything). I came in, put on my PJs, and read. (I'm reading a book of gory short stories by Joyce Carol Oates.) Vann and Sophie came in just before 10:00.

Today I hope to baste the pink quit and machine quilt it. The deadline is July 15 to get it (and my other pink stuff) in the mail.

BTW, my dad would have been 97 years old yesterday. He passed away in 1977.

Happy Independence Day

I got this idea from Karla at Sugar Bear Designs. Hope you don't mind me borrowing it, Karla. I'm wishing all you out there in Blogland a happy, safe, and fun-filled 4th.

Click on the image to see it larger.

Buenos Dias

Blackberry Creek has been awarded the Arte Y Pico blog award by Clare at Sorta Frugal. Being a right poor student of the Spanish language, I'm not sure what the literal translation of the award is. I found what I think is the originating blog (see first link above), but it's written in (yep!) Spanish, and the blogger doesn't have a translator button. (Which I find to be not much help anyway. The Spanish blogs that I read regularly are more understandable in the native language than when I click on the BabelFish button.)

Well anyway, I went to an online translator, and it told me that Arte Y Pico translates to mean Art and Tip. That makes no sense. So I typed in pico de gallo, the only other Spanish phrase I know using the word pico. Well, that I'm told means "tip of the rooster." So when I eat pico de gallo, which I love, I'm eating the tip of the rooster??? Which tip, I wonder? Eeeewwwww!

So I guess this blog award means "art and tip" after all. Whatever the translation might be, I know the spirit in which Clare awarded it was one of friendship, so I thank you so much, Clare. All of us at Blackberry Creek are honored.

Speaking of Two-Color Quilts, which I seem to have not done lately, go over to Clare's blog and see the one she found at a yard sale and snapped up for five bucks. You won't believe it.

Here are my altered playing cards $25/52 and 26/52. I don't like either one of them and have hesitated to post them, but if I don't, there'll be a gap, so there they are. Ugh!

I'm going to the sewing room now. I'm going to lock the door, take the phone off the hook and pretend I'm someplace else. I have too many project to work on to be interrupted constantly by phone calls, door bells, family emergencies, and dog barks. See you later.

Oh, by the way, can anyone give me a source for acquiring one of these mirrors for my bathroom?

P.S. to Cupcakes

This is the pattern I plan to use for the cupcake fabrics. It's free at Fat Quarter Shop. I love the pinwheel design, and I think the whimsy of it is just right for those sweet pink fabrics. Also, it takes just 12 fat quarters, which is just what I have.

Cupcake Crazy

In a recent e-mail from Fat Quarter Shop, I saw this. And even though I have sworn (several times) not to buy any more fabric until I finish some projects, that monkey wouldn't get off my back until I placed my order. So here it is, even more pretty and luscious in person than it was online (of course).

 

As you see, I even ordered a kit to make a precious little cupcake pincusion.

Don't you just love cupcakes? Of course, I love to eat cupcakes--a little bit of sweet, delicious goodness that reminds me of elementary school Valentine parties. But I also love cupcakes as a motif. Like hearts, they just look so happy.

Here are some cupcake liners and boxes that I found at Micheal's the other day. I'm going to make cupcakes for our next bake sale and put them in these.

I think I'll have other cupcake stuff to show in the future here. I'm in, guess what?, a cupcake swap. I'm working on that now.

Damn Good Dog

He was the winningest mascot in all of Georgia football history. During his tenure (1999-2007), Georgia football teams compiled an 87-27 record and scored two SEC championships. Today Uga VI will be laid to rest in a marble vault in the Southwest corner of Sanford Stadium with his five predecessors. He was nine years old.

Uga VI died Friday of congestive heart failure in his hometown of Savannah, Georgia. His body will be transported, along with his owners, the Sonny Seiler family, to Athens via a University of Georgia plane.

Uga VI's successor will be announced at a later date. The Seilers assured that the Uga lineage is secure.

The Cleveland family mourns the loss of this damn good dog, along with the Seiler family and all the Bulldog Nation. Vann, who is a Georgia alumnus and a rabid Bulldogs fan, was grief stricken when he heard of Uga's demise yesterday.

Vann's favorite Uga VI memory is of the big guy going for the crotch of an Auburn player who got in his way? Mine is of him lying on a bag of ice to cool his, er uh, tenders? Rest in peace, Uga old boy. You were indeed a DAMN GOOD DOG!

Market Day

This summer, my little town has started something new. Each Friday afternoon, growers and merchants from all around set up their tents in the street between the First United Methodist Church and the Chamber of Commerce (formerly Aunt Ima's house) and give Leeds residents a chance to purchase fresh produce, honey, and even flowers without leaving town.

Our WOW! (Women of Worship) group decided to set up a bake sale booth this Friday. We made $428 on our first Market Day. We'll continue to do this throughout the summer to raise money to refurbish the kitchen in our fellowship hall.

In preparation for the bake sale, I baked all morning yesterday. I made a sour cream pound cake, a blackberry cobbler, and three loaves of banana nut bread.

 

Whazup?

Yesterday I made a couple of tags to attach to cakes for our Wow Bake Sale tomorrow. Thought a little embellishment might entice shoppers to buy.

I also worked on my next two altered playing cards. But I really don't like them, and I don't think I'm ready to show them. Maybe I can fix them..

Today has been full speed ahead. First, I had a doctor's appointment at 9:30. Then I went to the Thrift Store, where I found a few treasures. Grocery shopping at Target came next, followed by lunch, then more blackberry picking in Paul's garden. After all that, I was completely exhausted so I thought I'd take a nap. But every time I dozed, the phone would ring, or somebody would ring the doorbell, sending the dogs into barking spasms. So I finally got up and started the Lemon Pound Cake that I'm baking for Andy to take to work tomorrow for a birthday party for one of her co-workers.

Below are my treasures: 1) two pretty mugs for 50 cents each, 2) a fun mug of hearts--39 cents, 3) a great Corning dish for $3, 4) more sheets and pillow cases for making PJs and tote bags (except I'm going to use the blue striped sheets for the guest room. They'll go perfectly.

Oh, and the wedding quilt came in from the quilter today. When I've bound it, I'll post a picture of the whole quilt and give you the quilter's name. She's a good 'un.

I've Got the Blues

This week's Shades of Inspiration color is BLUE. Here are a few blue touches I find around The Yellow House. You can see lots more BLUEs at the Flickr group site.

 

 

Farewell, Tasha

I just learned that Tasha Tudor died on Wednesday, and I'm very sad. She was 92. I believe that she was just as gentle as her art. We've lost a wonderful talent and a dear woman. I wonder who will care for her animals.