Runners

I never make runners.
Um. Er, I never make runners intentionally, but it turns out I have made a bunch. This is Sorbet, a pieced quilt from my pastel hand dyed cottons. It has been hanging in the closet since 20I0 when made it. But now for the first time it is being used!

 It's about the same size as the yellow desk and the colors are close enough to make it go together. Plus it covers up the chipped paint, so that makes it perfect.

 I got this ceramic egg tray at World Market after seeing a really expensive one at Anthropologie.  This one holds 12 eggs vs the other one that held only 6.  It may be early for Easter, but it's yellow and ties in with the rest of the yellow in the room. The eggs are papier-mâché from Joann's. 

This pieced and machine quilted 'runner' was also unused and hanging in the quilt closet. All the colors echo the rugs and other quilts and set off the whiteness of the dining table. I won't actually serve food on these pieces, but just use them for decoration.

Same color scheme as on the wall quilt. Turns out that my long and skinny quilts are just the right shape to add personality to the room.

Limehouse

Limehouse

Hand dyed cottons and silks, fused, hand embroidered, machine quilted. Mounted on painted wood panel, 12x12". $100 Email me. SOLD

 
I am trying to stretch myself by keeping to a single color palette. Today was lime green, everyone's favorite neutral, ha! But as you can see, I found I needed just a touch of a few other nearby colors. It's the VALUE (stupid!!!!) with which I must contend. I have a real lime here...
 lots of different shades within. Lime peel is different than lime sections. Whatever...it's all good in a Margarita!
+++++++
 I got my friend M**** to model the newest knit. I promised not to show  her face.

New Finishes

Sunny and Warm

Hand dyed cottons and silks, fused, machine quilted, mounted on painted wood panel.

12x12" $100 Email me. SOLD

 

  

 Just finished my lucky 13th jacket for Shelly B. Silk Garden and Malabrigo Rios. It was so scrumptious to knit, that I am sad that it is over.

Logic: Try to follow mine

 The rug saga: Love the big circles rug we put in the dining area.

 And was totally happy with the smaller zigzag-y one in the living area. 

But then when the two long runners came, I didn't even open them up to see what they looked like. 

Suddenly I realized that I had two rugs I couldn't use anywhere. So I started trying to imagine a place to put them...eventually (soon if I have my way) we plan to rip up the beige carpets in the bedrooms and replace them with the white Pergo I have in my studio which is impervious to everything dog. In my imagination I thought they could go bedside, so when one gets out of bed one has a nice soft rug to stand on. Blech. Not thrilled with that idea. Back online to Overstock and lo and behold this rug was on superdupersale. 

Safavieh Handmade Nantucket Multicolored Cotton Rug (7'6 x 9'6) 

OK I have it all figgert out now. I am returning the long runners. I have ordered this rug to go in the living area, and will put the one that is currently there in Dave's room since he has a big open space and needs a soft rug (to fall out of bed onto, his latest nighttime adventure).

Now I am happy. Again. It don't take much.

OK. Next! My friend Mary and I are on the same page, Decorating. So off to Homegoods, TJMaxx and Marshall's we went. I found two different bedside chests, and brought them home, and kept one and returned the other (no picture was ever taken of that one, no loss) the next day. Then went to my other TJMaxx and found the second exact same Lane chest. I love these small but  efficient chests. Hated the handles.
 So off to Lowe's to replace them. I had only one choice, but they worked.

I only really needed one drawer, for my glasses, the latest book, dental floss, and the two remotes.
So the rest of the drawers got filled with ten pairs of shoes! This makes lots more room in my closet.
I am so proud of myself that I actually deleted all the online shopping carts full of sale yarn that I have been saving.

And then while looking for something else (???) I found this quilt in my quilt closet. Forgot all about it. Lime green is on my mind these days (paint colors?) and this has several of the shades I really like. 48x36, ready to hang, except for the rod pocket, of course.

I also uncovered this little treasure trove. Pink is also on my mind for my room. I bought these yo-yos online years ago. Can't remember why. Don't laugh. You do the same thing.
+++++
We woke up to 0 degrees today.
I want my money back. The South is supposed to be warmer. Grumph.

Inspired and Satisfied

 Saturday I went window shopping with my friend Mary and saw the most beautiful furnishings and rooms, and decor and came home to my beautiful new living/dining room and felt satisfied. And then I entered my bedroom and knew I needed to give it some love. We have this pug, Tony, who will be 2 in a week and is in the chewing stage. My duvet and pillows are his fave, and like a baby, he sucks on corners until he drops off to sleep. So there are little 'mouse holes' he says, all over the duvet. But we'll let it stand for the time being. Doesn't he look like a prince snuggled up on the cushy pillow? 

Nevertheless I thought a bit of rearranging would be just the thing today. I moved my chair and ottoman back to its former corner, but put the turquoise end table on the other side along with my about to be read books. And then decided that the TV in the guest room could come to the foot of my bed. I want to snuggle up and watch Downtown Abbey and then doze off without having to walk downstairs. Not to mention watching Netflix from my chair whilst I knit...To test the HDML setting I plugged in the laptop and voila! I got great reception. Later I borrowed the dvd player from upstairs and brought it down and enjoyed the first two episodes of The Honorable Woman while I knit. Really good BBC drama.

 There was some furniture elimination too, a table and lamp went out and in came the drop leaf table from our guest room 'warehouse' to hold the TV at the right height for viewing. It feels so good to use what I have. The best part tho, is that I culled lots of stuff out of my chest of drawers and made them so much more organized and easy to find what I need. I discovered that I have four pairs of black leggings...wha? (not to mention about 30 pairs of unmentionables that Christmas feasting has rendered too tight. More inspiration to get fit).

I am thinking about what color to paint this room, in the Spring. Not red. Not white. But I am finding yummy hues on Pinterest and dreaming. And then I am also thinking of new art work to make for this room, and got lots of wonderful ideas in Anthropologie and the other high end shops we visited. Mostly stuff that I can adapt for my real life, Les Petites Knockoffs.
Just a few days ago I didn't seem to have enough wall space, and now I have found a lot of naked walls. Woowoo!

A Summer Day in the Garden

It may be January, but already we are talking about what we'll be planting this Spring.

2014 Finished Work

I've made a photo album on Google of the 121 finished works. I don't know how to put it in the blog. Here's the link. Happy New Year!