DREAMING OF A PLAID CHRISTMAS

Alison of The Polohouse has chosen Plaid Tidings as the theme for her December party, Favorites on First.  

I just couldn't make myself do any Christmas decorating until Thanksgiving was over, but I didn't want to miss a plaid party.   Therefore, I'm showing some of the plaid Christmas from 2012.  

Plaid has been a staple here at Christmastime for a few years; so I'm sure all of the above will make a reappearance.  Plus, I have a couple of new plaid containers that are just waiting to be decorated for the season.  It's now time for me to start decorating for Christmas 2013  - bring it on!

In addition to The Polohouse I'm joining the following parties:
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday
The Dedicated House for Make It Pretty Monday
Dwellings for Amaze Me Monday
Coastal Charm for Nifty Thrifty Tuesday
A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday

CHANGE IS GOOD!

This time of the year, I'm usually ready to do some DEEP cleaning before pulling the Christmas stuff out of the closet.  So, this week it has been time to tackle the computer room.  Deep cleaning also usually involves change around here.  I mean if you're going to take all of the books out of the bookcase to clean, you might as well move the bookcases and other furniture around.  Right?
Carolyn at Aiken House & Gardens quoted her Mother this week - "A change is as good as a rest."  I agree - not only does change refresh a room, I seem to come away refreshed as well - just like taking a good occasional nap!
We hadn't changed the furniture layout in this room for five years.  Previously, we had the bookcases split up on two different walls.  We now have lined them up all on one wall - it seems to make the room feel larger.  That's a good thing, as I intend to put a Christmas tree in this room this year (another change).

 These aren't beautiful bookcases to be styled -- they are workhorses designed to hold -- well, books!
In moving furniture around, I then had to work on the small gallery wall in here.  I added prints that we had picked up in England, France, and Germany to go with prints of our Rocky Mountains, specifically antique prints of the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park owned by our little town.  Now all of my favorite places are grouped together.

It is cloudy out today -- snowy and cold, but I'm refreshed and ready to tackle cleaning another room.

I'll be joining the following:
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday
Romantic Home for Show and Tell Friday
Creatively Living for Monday Funday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
The Heart of your Home for Amaze Me Monday
Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays At Our Home
Cozy Little House for Tweak It Tuesday
No Minimalist Here for Thursday Open House

THE TORTOISE VERSUS THE HARE QUILTING

In my lifetime, I have made more quilts than we, our kids, or grandkids will ever need.

But, I still get the creative urge to make another one.  These days I try to make something simple using scraps from previous quilts.  At least, it satisfies my love of playing with fabric. Also, I have always been a hand-quilter, but I'm trying to move into the modern quilting age where machine quilting is the norm.

 I made this piece last week  -- an example of my new-found "Hare" quilting mode -- simple and fast.  Instead for a rabbit, it looks more like a quilt suitable for a snake!

 

 I'm still learning the machine-quilting part, as I struggle with the machine tension, stitch length, and design of continuous quilting patterns.  But, I'm getting there.

 Since, fortunately, we don't have a pet snake; it is now a table runner.

 Now, for the "Tortoise" -- that slow, persevering animal.  Even though I'm working on learning to machine quilt, I still prefer to hand quilt.  

 This quilt has been in the making for almost 10 years.  Granted it has been stored away off and on when life got in the way of quilting.  However, I'm determined to finish it this winter.  

It is large with 6l blocks plus sashing and borders.  There are over 100 different fabrics in the quilt -- all fussy cut to produce different combinations of fabric designs.  I spent a couple of years making the top using hand-piecing, machine-piecing, hand-applique, and paper-piecing techniques.  Finally, the layers were basted together and the hand quilting began.  It takes me about three evenings to hand quilt one block.  I'm now over half-way done on the quilting -- this has definitely been my life lesson in patience and perseverance.  My 75th birthday is tomorrow, but I'm still trying to learn that patience thing! 

 You can bet that when I finally do finish this "tortoise" of a quilt, I will blog about it!!

I'm joining the following:
The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday
Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday
French Country Cottage for Feathered Nest Friday
The Dedicated House for Anything Blue Friday
Pieced Pastimes for Saturday Sparks
Funky Junk Interiors for Saturday Nite Special
Creative Home Expressions for The Creative Home and Garden Hop Sunday
Between Naps on the Porch for Metamorphosis Monday
Better with Age for Give Me the Goods Monday
Smiling Sally for Blue Monday
Cedar Hill Ranch for The Scoop Tuesday
My Uncommon Slice of Suburbia for Tuesday Treasures
A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday
Cozy Little House for Tweak it Tuesday
Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday
No Minimalist Here for Thursday Open House
Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday

OLD CIGARS, OLD FOLKS

A couple of years ago, when my mother-in-law was downsizing, Bob brought home this box.

 The inside graphic tells the story of the box -- cigar seconds (or throw-outs) -- off colors and shapes, but half price!

 But what made it really interesting were all of the old pictures housed inside.  Bob's mother said the box came to her from her mother-in-law.  Most of the pictures are not identified.

 The picture below, however, identifies the old folks on the front row left as Eliza and Elijah Saulmon (Bob's great, great grandparents) and the tall guy in the back row is Louis Heritage Saulmon (Bob's great grandfather).  Love those old-fashioned first names.

 But who do these adorable faces belong to?

This is a great reminder that I need to be more diligent in documenting our current family photos.

How about you?  Are your current family pictures all identified?

Joining the following:

Common Ground for Be Inspired Friday

The Charm of Home for Home Sweet Home Friday

Pieced Pastimes for Saturday Sparks

Sunday View for Vintage View Sunday

Creatively Living  for Monday Funday

 Better With Age for Give Me The Goods Monday

Our Home Away from Home for Tuesdays at our Home

A Stroll Thru Life for Inspire Me Tuesday

Knick of Time Interiors for Knick of Time Vintage Tuesday

Ivy and Elephants for What's It Wednesday

No Minimalist Here for Thursday Open House

Have a Daily Cup for Share Your Cup Thursday