Sunday, December 23, 2012

                                               Almost ready for Christmas!
The Christmas cake is baked and only needs it's icing, the Christmas lights are hanging in front of the window for weeks already and the Christmas tree is decorated in my favorite color turquoise this year! Christmas songs are playing on the radio, why am I not in a Christmas mood yet? Outside it looks like autumn, it rains and rains and rains............



Sunday, December 16, 2012

Some Christmas presents......
At last I managed to finish some Crazy Quilted Christmas hearts, they will go in the mail tomorrow. I was planning to make much more, but they'll have to wait until next year.....
Life is just to busy with work and taking care for my mother at this moment! I am happy if I find some time to stitch in the evening, luckely I don't have to work the week of Christmas, I am already looking forward to that!

Saturday, December 08, 2012

Winter has come......

                   Winter has come...........
with a lot of snow, about 6 to 8 inches! Yesterday it snowed all day and it was very misty also. Temperatures last night -13 o C! Today temperatures around zero and icerain is expected..........We have been walking in the woods and I have taken a lot of pictures, think this one is great for a painting!

Wednesday, December 05, 2012

     Work in progress Wednesday...... it's finished!
      This is my November page for the CQJP2012
I have decided to participate also in the CQJP challenge for 2013. If you want to join also, registration is open until 12 december. 
You can read more about it here.

Tuesday, December 04, 2012

In 3 weeks it is Christmas, this week I received the first Christmas card from Maureen in Australia.

Beautiful, isn't it? When you click on her name you can see more of her lovely work. Thanks so much for swapping Christmas cards Maureen! 

Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Work in progress wednesday

Haven't had much time to work on my journal page for November, this is what I have done so far. I added the Moulin Rouge and the word Paris and stitched two seams, I don't think I'll manage to finish it this month but maybe this coming weekend. Temperatures are going down and snow is expected, so a good time to stitch!

Thursday, November 22, 2012

To all my American friends, wishing you all a






Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Work in Progress Wednesday
Let me show you what I am working on now.
I stitched another journal page for the Crazy Quilt Journal Project. I think you will recognize the place I am remembering with this page.........My last longer visit was many years ago in 1980, but we drove through this beautiful city several times on our way to the Atlantic coast. I hope to show you some progress next Wednesday!

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Some autumn pictures made today






We made these pictures during a walk in the woods and along the duck pond close to our home, temperatures are around 10 o C at the moment and there's a bit of drizzle. Tomorrow temperatures are going down again just like last week and we will have ground frost again!




Mist coming in over the river Rhine and a view on the locks of Driel by sunset, both taken behind our home











Sunday, November 11, 2012

                                                                                                   The first Christmas fabric postcard is on it's way to his new owner on the other side of the world. 

Here a little close-up!                                         

Now I am working on the next one, this one is a bit more old fashioned, just like his new owner will like. 

Still have a lot to embellish................ 

Can you imagine that in 6 weeks it is almost Christmas?

Time flies!




     



Thursday, November 08, 2012

                               
October CQJP finishedThis is my octoberpage for the CQJP 2012. It is a memory of our visit to Monument Valley in 2008. I tried to use the warm red colors of the rocks and added turquoise to give it an Indian feeling. I embroidered Kokopelli. Think he embodies the true South West. He dates back over 3000 years ago when the first petroglyphs were carved. Also I added a turtle, I have talked over there to Navajo people who told me a turtle stood for a long and rich life. I was deeply impressed by Monument Valley and the Valley of the Gods and still are. Here some pictures we made:





Sunday, November 04, 2012

Je t'aime Paris
This month I started in a new Round Robin from the CrazyQuiltingInternational Yahoogroup.

The first block to work on I received from Kathy Shaw. It is a beautiful feminin block in the colors grey, salmon pink and rose. I started embroidering the word "Paris" in stem stitch.I used Press&Seal (like in my article in Crazy Quilt Gathering).
In the same way I  embroidered the Eifel Tower on the middle part of the block in a dark grey. Than I added some vintage lace in the under left corner to soften the strong fabric. Also I added salmon lace in the upper right corner and after that I embroidered some seams. This is how the block looks now, I hope Kathy likes it!

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween!

Thursday, October 25, 2012



CQJP september finished......

I am a bit behind in making blocks for the Crazy Quilt Journal Pages challenge 2012. My theme is "Memories"and my challenge is to use novelty fabrics in my pages. This is the start of my september 

page. We visited Las Vegas in 2008 and yes, I lost some money (but only 15$!) This page had to be bold and colorful just like Las Vegas and I think I managed that......LOL






























And a picture of me in Las Vegas.....

Sorry for not updating my blog these last weeks but I am very busy taking care for my mother, she is now first on the list to move to an institute for the blind. (She became blind at one eye and now only still sees 7% with the other), so she can't do her hobbies like quilting and postcardmaking anymore. She has a lot of stuff to pack..

Monday, October 01, 2012

Last week I finished this painting. It is made in acrylics after a picture I took in Chinatown, NYC last year.                                                     



I also finished these 3 Fall ATC's for a swap on CQForNewbies.


It is a pity I couldn't find the time to make more of these little ones.....

Now I have to start making my CQJPages for september and october,
so much to do and so little time!

Monday, September 24, 2012

                               CQJP 2012 
Finally finished my August block for the CQJP 2012. As you might know my theme is memories and this block sure brings back good memories of the wonderful times and great weather we had in Florida at Ft. Myers Beach and Sanibel, especially on a very wet and very stormy day like today over here in the Netherlands......
The flamingo´s come from Gerry´s Etsy shop!

Thursday, September 20, 2012

The owner was so fond of the painting that she asked me to paint their former doggie Tommie for her husbands birthday last Friday. I just managed to finish it in time....
Here you can see the old guy!


Friday, September 14, 2012

Sorry for not posting these last weeks, but I have been so busy! Some years ago pollution was found in our garden and at last a builder has been busy digging up our garden this summer months. We have been living in this "Sahara" from May until early September ........
The builder even found a bomb from WWII close to our kitchen door........!(We live close to the place where the English and Polish Airbornes in WWII crossed the Rhine to free the South of the Netherlands).

The last weeks we have been working hard to get a new garden, this is the first part that is finished and I am very happy with it!



When we were in France in June I bought the two oleanders behind the statue, the flowers are a beautiful soft yellow and a pink double rose. I sure hope they will survive the coming winter........
          And this is our new lounge set, very comfortable!
And Daisy also likes our new terrace, last week was her birthday, the old lady is 11 years now!

Thursday, August 23, 2012

Although I missed the WIP Wednesday because of our stay in Belgium, here a little update on the block I am working on. This is how it looks now!











And some pictures from Aywaille/Remouchamps, the Ardennes, Belgium:


Wouldn't this make a great embroidery pattern?


Last Sunday we had the hottest day of the year in Belgium, 39 o C!! Doggie Daisy did spent much time in the Amblève to cool down!
And this is our view on the other side of the river, can you find the goats?

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

                     Work in Progress Wednesday..........

Sharon Boggon started a WIP Wednesday to encourage people to finish their projects. You can read more about it over here.
This is a project I like to finish, I stitched a block in blue and brown and I am planning to make a bag from it. Have never made one before and have no idea how to do that..... will keep you updated!

Sunday, August 12, 2012

A lovely gift..

Yesterday I received a package from my friend Cathy with some more tins to alter! She also added some of her beautiful dyed laces from her Etsy shop, thanks so much Cathy! Can you imagine what I did today?

                      Yes, one more altered tin finished.......!
All ATC's from the last post are swapped, they are on their way to Norway and the USA.


Thursday I was in Apeldoorn again at the last brocante market of this summer, I was happy to find this vintage sewing box from the fifties and a few silkies!