Lizzy's Champion Ribbons

Thanks for stopping by at the workroom, Lizzy!  We had the best afternoon making Champion Ribbons with a great bunch of women creating beautiful prize ribbons .

One of the women brought a scrumptious spicy cake, decorated with this adorable flag banner made out of Lizzy's fabric collection.

Here I am cutting my base out of felt.

The table was filled with fabric, jars of ribbon and buttons.

The ideas were endless.

  ....... and this is Lizzy's quilt Diamond Mountain.

Catching up with sleep

Four days in Europe for family business and having many challenges on the way, I am back home and feeling like this pooch. Waking up after a 10 hour flight the next morning with a fresh ground pot of coffee and a little message stamped on the coffee filter really sweetened my return.

Pack and Go

This is a very short post. There were no traveling plans this summer but I have get things fast to catch a plane tonight. This day marks also my blog anniversary . One year ago my friend Nancy helped me to set up my blog. I had for the first month my silent followers ( thank you) to get my feet wet. I connected with friends here and overseas. I overcame the fear of leaving comments on other blogs and making new friends and sharing what I like to do. It's a life line when there is less time to meet friends.

Bon voyage,

Ludgera

Brown wrapping paper never looked so good!

Does it happen to you that you have to shop for a special occasion but can't find the right gift? Weeks later you come across the perfect gift but it's too late. So yesterday I found a thing and her name was written all over it. Instead of stuffing it in a mailing envelope, I decided to transform the brown paper into a large canvas. The end result was taken to the post office where to guy in line ask me to take a photo of the parcel.

some detail work

I found this ad in a 1973 Time magazine

I am inspired........

I am inspired of by the lack of sales at our local artist show. Sounds strange? This year we had 600 less entries and the quality of true painters were missing. There are lots of collages of cut- out photo copies glued on a canvas, transfers or other clipart images integrated on a surface. I have done it and it's instant gratification to built up your surface. Buyers are reluctant to pay $225 plus tax and I do understand because we expect that art connoisseurs are coming to these exhibitions. So... I decided challenging myself and sign up for a life drawing class in the fall.
I am inspired by yesterdays walking class at the Running Room. We did hill training for 1 1/2 hr . The group of women a few years older than I, had a vigorous speed walk after the forth hill. They all signed up for the half marathon in Florida.
I am inspired by my neighbour who did a 2 week  hiking tour in B.C. and prepares herself for the next endeavour to climb the Kilimanjaro in Africa.
I am inspired by the Iyengar yoga class I took this morning to get the kinks out of my joints from yesterday's hill training. I decided to take a yoga class a week .
I am inspired by my two sons. One has a talented eye for black and white photography. He captures the real mood of a setting. The other one has built amazing furniture for his new apartment and at his age (19) he feels  the world is waiting to be explored. He is also off to Europe to join his brother in France.

and....I am inspired by ordinary brown wrapping paper........ I will post tomorrow what I did.

Pot holders made from a bounty of scraps

This weekend I followed sewing instructions from fresh & quilting by Malka Dubrawsky to make some pot holders for my friend Ursula in Germany. She just re-designed her whole kitchen in a daring blue palette and got a new retro fridge in a pale blue tone. I am dying to see it. Gifts to send overseas always have to be light -weight and I thought these pot holders will be perfect in her new kitchen.

It's good to have a dog

I am sipping my coffee this morning and my foot is up on a chair with a maybe broken toe. It all began around 2 A.M. when my dog Skip started barking. She loves to watch  curious raccoons trying to open our   garbage bins. This is when she gets into a frantic bark. Half asleep I walked to the window to check it out and I saw a guy coming with my bike out of our garage! I yelled something to my husband who is always in the deep sleep mode, ran downstairs, the kitchen door was flying open and I raced into the lane way. I was surprised about myself because I let a roar out and yelled at the guy to leave my bike. I think he was surprised that a woman caught him in his act and doesn't put up with theft! That woke up my son, I race back inside, that's when I tripped my toe on a stone latch, grabbed my car key and cell and jumped into the car.( I think my inner tiger mom came out of me.) The guy was such a pro, he had a second bike around the corner were he fled the scene. This all for a 20 year old bike? This is not new to me in our good neighborhood. It happened 5 years ago when Skip sensed that somebody broke in next door. I met the guy face to face in the lane way too. We both were surprised. My drive through the neighborhood was unsuccessful, which was a good thing. Why didn't I call the police ? Last time I had to wait over one hour that they showed up. I don't drive a flashy car , my bike is 20 years old but there is always an opportunity for theft. So... always  lock your cars, bikes and doors.
Thanks to Skip, she deserves a big bone today!  - good dog -

Flea market finds from Clarence

( from right to left: vintage barb,15inch long scissor, wire,sugar sacks, cutlery, JFK transfer on canvas by Norman Rockwell
bone buttons from the Civil War area, 48 star flag 1912-1959, coat hanger, double size vintage Dresden Plate handmade!quilt, wooden letters, baby spring mattress)