Squash Abounds!

Olive Juice & Co. was selling these kits to make these scrumptious squash!

I lucked out and bought mine early. Hate to tell ya they are sold out.

I've seen them on lots of blogs!

And, of course, Heather has a better photo of her's than I do.

Boo!

BFF Virginia made the cool witch collage above! And I sent out a few of these! They all said something different.... I love going through old paperbacks looking for just the right words!

Are you ready for all that is to come?

I can never remember the name of this vine! Do you know??? My friend, Brenda, that is a Master Gardener gave it to me after my mother died in 2003. I moved it a few years ago to this new location in the center of the yard and it is so happy there! When we have our first freeze, it will look dreadful...but who knows when that will happen here in southeast Texas!

And the wonderful joy of it is

that no matter how hard

the freeze......

it always comes back in the spring!

The above shot was taken a couple of weeks ago when apparently the butterflies were migrating! It was covered in them. Today I took the shot below... it is pouring down rain as another welcome cool front arrives!

Anna sent me a box! I'm hosting a simply wonderful Christmas swap and they are all due to me the end of this week...wait til you see it! But, in her box of swap stuff, she included goodies for me. Among them was this Emergency First Aid Kit for me to take to Silver Bella next month! She also sent wonderful paper goodies!

Anna always credits me with so much in her life.

Little does she know what a blessing she has been to my life.

She has given me the confidence

to do much of what

I do in working

with young moms

and young couples

in my church!

God continues to use Anna!

....and...

on Saturday

we

made

the

date

official

for

daughter's

wedding

Get Ready!

How's Your October Going?

My Daughter's Engaged!

Yes, Friday night he proposed! And, no, he didn't propose AT Gruene Hall!

Let the planning begin!

International Quilt Festival Part III

Over the years I've shown you lots of beads and buttons at Quilt Festival. And I've shared with you about the ATC Trades... and maybe that my sister goes to it also.. there she is below in the food court... and believe me when I tell you eating is a big part of International Quilt Festival! But I don't think I've ever mentioned what we women wear on our heads!

If I have shown your image

on here... please

let me know and I will give you

credit!

I think my favorite year

was the year

of

The Tiara!

International Quilt Festival 2009 Part II

The German quilt exhibit was my favorite! It was a German Forest!

Love how they hung them

from branches!

Here is an article about the Russian, German and Chinese exhibits this year.

The title cards were mounted flat

on the floor

beneath

each

one.

I loved the special Russian exhibit this year, too!

However, they would not allow photographs... This woman below was a definite photo op!

Had to show you some embroidery...

A different look tomorrow...

23rd Anniversary of Linda and Virginia at Quilt Festival... Part I

Here we are! Once again we got into a class at Make It University!

We were in Liz Kettle's Design A Brooch class!

Like I said the other day...

we've been coming for 23 years.

We were children the first time we came!

Yeah, right....

The highlight of the day was our discovery of this booth.... at Quilt Festival for the first time...

from the state of Washington....

We fell in love with all of her work and I photographed just about all of it!!!

Be sure and go to her website for better pictures... she has pattern books, etc.

Oh my goodness! You will love it!

Next time I'll show you some actual quilts that were on display!

International Quilt Festival 2009

This week is the 35th Anniversary of the International Quilt Festival in Houston, Texas. This week is the 23rd Anniversary of BFF Virginia and I attending it EVERY year.

(to the best of our knowledge..... )

These pictures are from 2008. I keep meaning to do this with my buttons....

This was the Make It University area one year... Cloth Paper Scissors... Virginia and I got to play in there last year.

Go here starting on Nov. 15

and there are ruby slippers for you to click

and "be there" through the wonders of technology.

Virginia and I are going on the 15th

and I plan to wear a yellow and blue plaid type shirt...

although they are saying it will be 90 outside Thursday....

so this could change.

Anyway... you know what I look like.

I will be in the vendor area from 10 a.m. til about 5:30 p.m.

then head to the Quilts

before it closes

at 7 p.m.

When we first started going.... we stood in line

wrapped around the George R. Brown

Convention Center in Downtown Houston...

now we print our tickets off on the

computer and they

scan the bar code.

Technology is good!

This is what it says on their Facebook page...

At the 35th annual edition of Festival, you can expect to shop at more than 1,100 booths, pick from more ethan 400 classes, lectures, and special events, enjoy free teacher demos, and learn from educational exhibits. But best of all... You'll see more ethan 2,000 great quilts, dolls, and pieces of fabric art in exhibits like "The Festival Gallery of Quilt Art: Fabric Forest," "The Silver Star Review," "SAQA@20: Art and Excellence," and "Quilts: A World of Beauty," the annual fall Judged Show of the International Quilt Association. Plus, the 2009 editions of "In Full Bloom: Floral Quilts," "In the American Tradition," "Tactile Architecture" "Celebrate Spring!" and "West Coast Wonders." International Quilt Festival also features over 365 hands-on classes, 27 lectures, numerous special events, and a renowned faculty of 119 experienced teachers. Select from a variety of beginning to advanced classes on every aspect of quilting plus other subjects. The 2009 International Quilt Festival/Houston will take place October 15-18, with classes and events beginning on October 12. Show hours are 10 a.m.-7 p.m. October 15-17, and 11 a.m.-5 p.m. October 18. Preview Night will be held on October 14, from 7-10 p.m. (Preview Night ticket is $10 and includes one additional day free).

What I've Been Working On....

Above are three pieces I made for a Silver Bella swap... they are due this week.

I have been so blank about what to do!!!! I couldn't make a decision and kept pulling

stitches out and starting over.

They were to be 4 x 5... our

hostess for the swap

is going to make us little

books with 3 samplers in them,

plus surprises! We

get them on Thursday

night at Silver Bella!

Below are some things I made over the last few months that are NOT going to the Silver Bella swap.... I tend to play a little too much sometimes....

This first one is based on a tea towel that Anthropologie has out...I've given you a sneak peak in the past of this one.... I may use it in my QB5 Birds at Work and at Home book.....

Here's another based on an Anthropologie tea towel..... I just draw them off and stitch..

making a few changes... like I added the row of flowers below.... hey... that counts.

And..this was something I was considering doing for Silver Bella Sampler Swap... but nah...

Birds at Work and at Home

...that was my theme for this recent Round Robin with 4 friends...

also known as...

The QB5!

In June we started this project where we each came up with a theme for pages that were around 4 x 5. Above is front and below is back of Carole's pages for me....

they're fabric!

Bob, the Night Watchman.... he apparently

has multi-tasking issues!

These are Patty's pages! ...about The Early Bird....

note the Blue-jay corn pasters ad!

I love it...also has a Bluejay feather... Patty also has her pages up on her blog here.

Her theme was Marie Antoinette.

Here are Nathalie's pages....

the one side is about

Bernie and Freida, the

worm farmers!

She inserted a transparency

with a sweet little bird

on it!

The Cricket Whisperer is great...

note the crickets

rubber stamped!

And below is the other side... the bee

is our icon!

...and Margaret's pages....

Love the bunting as she (in Switzerland) and Carole (New Zealand) call it!!!

I love the page/card she used that had this printed on it about "message transported by pigeon"! See, this is further proof that you must never throw anything away. You never know when you may need it for your strange friends' interests! ...these are the "starter pages" I furnished.... I may have to go in and spruce my pages up abit.... I have to make my covers before I can bind these.

Be sure and visit the other QB5er's pages....I heard that Nathalie's Divas are up!