Kaleidoscope quilt blocks

I think the Kaleidoscope quilt blocks makes up so pretty. Each block is different even after being cut from the same fabrics.

The first block I am showing is one square, pick the same corner from each square to be in center. Four squares make up a block.

Sew two blocks together and press seams open. Sew two halves together and press seams open.

Picture showing back of block.

This is finished block after all four sqaures have been sewn together.

I put two new quilt kits on my etsy site using the kaleidoscope design. One design is poppy's and the other tropical.

My second Christmas

Ok, so this is my second Christmas with my mistress. She let me help wrap gifts.
First I checked out the bows and paper and they passed my approval.
I did not think wrapping gifts was a lot of fun.
Where’s mine?

I hate to tell her but she is not good at wrapping gifts.
Next year I will get her a gift certificate on how to wrap gifts.

This is the lousy tree she bought for me and it only has lights on it. My mistress says , “It has 250 lights and was on sale”. No balls for me to bat around and not even a tree skirt, what is wrong with her?
My favorite part is being able to lie under the wood box that she has tree setting on. I can hide and it is so warm under here. Heck with the lousy tree! I'm going to take a nap. All this gift wrapping has made me tired.

Angel lavender sachet

Just put this beautiful angel lavender sachet on my etsy site.
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I want to show the cat sachet as I think it turned out cute. The cat sachet is sold.

mixed media art picture

I made this picture today using scrap pieces of mat board that I had painted some time ago.

I did not know what I was going to make with them and today they seemed to just fall in place as I layed them out on my table.

I painted a small canvas board to put pieces on.

I had a copy of a vintage sign about spitting that also went just right on picture.

I am showing picture framed and a close up.

I thought it turned out nice and looks good in a the frame that I put it in.

I also showing another aceo today and still working on making 100. I need to count them and see how many I have already made.

Fireman greeting card

I just made this card and put on my etsy site. It is in honor of the fireman that worked so hard this summer. I usually make cards for women but will be making some different ones for men.

100 aceo and counting

I started some time back making an aceo a day. My goal is to make 100 new ones.
What am I going to do with them? Put most of them on my etsy site and a few in an art show next month.

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I like seeing all the different things that you can put in jars. I am going to see how many things I can put in aceo jar cards.
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A few years ago there was a quilt pattern with bugs in a jar. I never did get one made but have always admired them.

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You can see most of these on my etsy site for sell.

Aceo's for the holiday's

I love making aceo cards to give and sell. I have made over 200 and have never made the same design twice.
I might use some of the same vintage pictures but each one is still different.
I started collecting aceo’s when they first came on the market.
I have bought aceo cards in different mediums and styles. Each one is a beautiful work of art.
The first Friday in December our local art group, http://www.sassart.org/ sell aceos and Christmas ornaments at the local http://www.stevensvillehotel.com/. All items are hand-made and originals.

Collecting aceo's

Aceo cards are a lot of fun to make, sell and give.
I started buying aceo’s when they first came on the market a few years ago.
They are like tiny works of art and each one is different.
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I make and sell aceo cards but I still like to collect them.
I spent this weekend making new ones to put on my etsy site and also for a craft show in December.
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Hope you will take the time to look at my etsy site and see what is for sell while you are here.

Volunteer of the year

My husband and I volunteer at Lee Metcalf NWR.
He does data entries and I man the front desk, and any other jobs that they need me to do.
Every year they have a volunteer recognition ceremony.
This year we won the volunteer of the year award. We was given a certificate of appreciation, gift certificates and this beautiful California Quail statue.
We was very surprised that we was chosen and won.
Had cake and ice cream after the ceremony.
If you are ever in Montana, please stop by this beautiful refuge.

Mixed media collage greeting cards

I have not made greeting cards in about two years and decided to make some new ones to put on my etsy site. ----------------------------------------

The woman in this picture reminded me of Paris. I found a few pictures in my stash of Paris and put them together for this beautiful card.






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Remember the Television program of Route 66? I had this sign and wanted to make a card using it for some time.

Lavender sachets

I used the same photo of the woman that I have on my collage listed earlier. It is one of my favorite pictures to use. I also like to use pictures of horses on my sachets. I especially like this one as it features two horses. The pictures are from a vintage painting. Sachets are for sell on my etsy site. ***Both sachets have sold***.

Wild rose and hot weather

Since it is so hot I have not been doing a lot of sewing .
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I decided to put on some flower pictures that I had taken since they are so refreshing looking.
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This one is a wild rose that grows in Montana.
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This one is of my pink geraniums. It seems that I must like pink a lot. For some reason most of the flowers that I bought this year are pink. Most of them was suppose to be red and I guess the plants had wrong tags in them.
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The red rose is a climbing rose that grew wild in a mill village in NC. I believe it was back in the 60’s the homes where sold for $25.00 a room and anyone that wanted to buy one had to have houses moved to their own property. Now wild flowers and fruit trees grow and bloom all over this small mountain.

Etsy bloggers group writing project:orange!

The theme is to post something orange.

This is the only thing I could find that I had made that was orange was this aceo. I used my hand dyed fabrics. I put a gecko ( lizard) and a ginkgo ( leaf) on front.

I have not offered this one for sell and thinking of keeping this one in my collection.

You can find the official site at, http://etsybloggers.blogspot.com/.

Horse lavender sachets and bitterroot flower

I made two new lavender sachets today and put on my etsy site.I love making these sachets using vintage pictures and each one turns out different.
"Sold"





Went for a long hike today in the mountains with my husband, son-in-law, daughter and grandson. Climbed some steep hills and went down some deep valleys. Saw a beautiful mule deer peering at us from behind a bush. He thought we did not see him but I got a good picture before he bounded off. I seen my first bitterroot flower in the outdoors. I have seen these in shops for sell but their beauty pales to the ones growing out in the open. The flowers are very beautiful and the history of there use by the native american is interesting.

Baby mule and Indian paint brush

I have not had time this week to make any new crafts. Have been working on my flower beds and garden. I am showing a picture of a baby mule that I took and some beautiful Indian paint brush flowers.The baby mule was one of many in a field of new born mules and colts.

goldfish aceo

These are new aceos that I have on my etsy site.

Oriental pillow

I designed this pillow pattern some time back when I needed some small items to sell. Click on pillow to be taken to my etsy site. Pillow with girl has lavender.

Story of the lost quilts

I put two quilts on etsy today, click on quilt to be taken to etsy. I made this full quilt last year and had it machine quilted before moving cross country. I put my quilts in large black plastic bags to keep them clean in my move. When I unpacked I found 4 quilts missing. I gave my daughter some large clear bags that was in another black plastic bag. About two months later she called me and said "guess what I found"? She had looked in bag and found this cat quilt. My husband and son then went thorough every black plastic bag in the garage and did not find my other quilts. We finally figured out that they was either taken to the trash or given to a charity in our haste to get packed and move. Moral of story: do not put your quilts in black garbage bags for any reason.

Memorial Day Heroes.

I made this card yesterday in memory of our military. It is made with vintage drawings from WW II. Every year I buy a red poppy and usually put them in a jar in the house. Over the years I have lost them are the kids played with them and now they are gone. Two years ago I started to put them on the visor of my car. I now have two. I like looking at them in remembrance of our brave men and women when I pull down my sun visor and see the beautiful red poppies. I got the habit of buying Memorial Day poppies from my grandmother and parents who always bought a poppy each year when I was growing up. My grandmother would wear hers proudly on her dress for several days. I heard many stories about WWI and WWII and hope that one day our children will not have to hear stories of wars are even have to be in them. A beautiful poem by Moina Michael, “We cherish too, The Poppy red. That grows on fields where valor led. It seems to signal to the sky. That blood of heroes never die“.

lavender sachets

I have had good response to my lavender sachets. I sold three to a lovely lady in New Zealand, from an email inquiry. Purchase this lavender sachet on my etsy. "Sold"

Soiled Doves and flowers

Today we went to a gallery that had an exhibit of old photographs of women in brothels.The pictures are from the 1800's. Some of the women where very beautiful, and had on dresses and hats that I would even wear today. The madams looked like some tough woman. Almost like men and very large women that looked like they could hold their own with a rowdy male customer.I could not take pictures so am putting one that I have on my cd's posted. When I first started out working (years ago) I had a job collecting life and health insurance. One of my clients owned a brothel, except brothel is a nice name to call these places. Yes, they were still around in the 70's and 80's. The women were very kind to me and sometimes their "friend" would pay his favorite ladies insurance for that week. That was my favorite place to collect insurance. It was a hoot. The brothel is no longer in business ( owner was arrested and finally closed down) .
I also am trying to finish up my flower beds. Have a few more to finish planting. I bought two morning glory plants to put on fence. I can't help but laugh that only a few years ago morning glories was considered a pest. Now you can buy seeds and plants. I have always loved them, especially the heavenly blue.
I even think the lowly dandelion is beautiful.

Lavender sachet

I made several lavender sachets and put on etsy.
I have a lot of dried lavender and need to use it in
something so made these cute sachets. I like to give these as a thank you. Also are cute to put in a basket with silk flowers. The angel sachet has been sold. Purchase this cat sachet at my etsy site.
Both these sachets have sold.

shopping and cake

I made the butter milk cake that is listed on the-feathered-nest blog site. Site is posted in my "favorites places to visit". Taste pretty good. My families favorite cake is rum cake. Very easy to make. I will put recipe on at later time and day. Went to the university today and got some new art supplies. I have a picture of my cat checking them out. He loves to chew on brushes and paper.Does not eat them just chews on them. I have to keep my craft things in plastic boxes so he can't get to them plus keep cat hair off. There is nothing worse than buying a craft item that has cat hair all over it or smells like cigarette smoke. Cannot leave the news paper laying around, he tears it to shreds. Maybe he just likes the sound of paper ripping?

My cat who adopted us

Thought I would show a picture of the cat that adopted my husband and me. About a month before we moved cross country I kept seeing this cat in yard. About a week before we moved he was on the porch and I was so shocked at how skinny he was. I tried to find his owner and not finding them I took him to the vets and had the works done. He traveled cross country in our car like he had done this all his life. I am glad he found us as I had just lost a cat before this one and was not going to get anymore. He does keep my feet warm at night.

All my animals

Wanted to show you a picture that my husband made of me today. I was working on my computer trying to figure out a new program. I think I will go back to paper and pencil, seems to be easier to use. No, we do not have all these animals in our house. I thought it was funny. Boy! Do I need to get a hair cut and clean up around my computer. Yecks!!!

Beautiful day

Took a break from craft making and went walking around a wild life refuge, seen lots of ducks, sandhill cranes and a hawk setting on it's nest. Have been trying to make items for an art show next month. I will have some new aceo's on ebay and etsy at a later date. I want to make some aceo's out of fabric. These take a little longer to make. Trying to sew the fabric with a sewing machine can be a little tricky. Like trying to keep your finger away from the needle. I have twice this year broke a sewing machine needle off in my finger.

We all get heavier as we get older because there’s a lot more information in our heads. So I’m not fat, I’m just really intelligent and my head couldn’t hold any more so it started filling up the rest of me!

Trip around world quilt

Quilt top is called "Trip around the world". This is one of my favorite patterns alone with " Double Irish chain". The colors remind me of candy and ice cream colors. Quilt top has been sold.

I made card from papers, vintage pictures and put on matt board. Is blue jay talking to cat are telling others that "a cat is here"?