How does your Garden Grow?

It's May, which in my world means one starts thinking about the garden and what one plans to do with it. In the City of Calgary the main gardening rule is this, Do not plant until after the May long weekend. So you do the math we have a really short growing season. Things are popping up  all over my garden and I want to uncover the new growth but it will wait for another two weeks so that the greens are protected until after the last crazy snow we will get. Now if you have to start gardening here are some things you can do to save you money and meet your neighbors. Go for a walk, look at all the gardens in the area most gardeners have plants they need to split or move or for that matter just give away. I know I am always looking to share as my plants seem to start taking over the space in no time flat. So ask and you may just met your newest friend. Plus you just saved yourself at least fifty bucks at the garden centre. Also start going to yard sales, if you think outside the box you may find that one item that will go into your garden with out you spending a ton. People are always giving crazy things away that if you rework you might just have that special thing in the garden that makes people stop and look at your yard. And really who cares what the weather does to them it was cheap. I buy mirrors for my fence at yard sales and then hang them , it adds depth to my small yard  plus I can see what the kids are doing and they wonder how. Evil laugh. Old yard furniture can be painted. Last year I tried to give this old garden bistro set away for free to friends and no one would take it. Well a trip to the hardware store 4 cans of spray paint. Yellow, Blue, Red and a bright green a couple of hours of work and now the Bistro set is amazing. Plus the one friend said she would love to have them now. Hits of color in the yard also help. I plant perennials and to say the least they are not showy flowers, or they are but for a short time. But add some yard art that has color and it's interesting. No I don't do garden gnome's !!! Okay yes I have one but it gets moved around the gardens like the traveling gnome. And when you come to our house for a BBQ if you are the first to find it you get the door prize. Last summer many quilted table runners where given this way. It's a good party game and the kids love finding new places to hid it. So I hope I have given you some idea's and maybe inspired you to think outside the box when it comes time to start playing in your garden. If your around this summer you can always raid my garden or come yard sailing with us. It's time to get some fresh Air. Thinking maybe the first BBQ will have to start being planned. Well now go and enjoy your day cause I sure am.

Spring is Here ????

Afternoon everyone, taking a break right now the kids are eating papaya fruit and dogs are asleep. The wind and snow outside is just crazy stupid. Well I will say one thing about weather like this it makes you want to stay under a quilt and read a book. This is not in my cards today as well last week I did not do paperwork or invoicing for that matter anything I normally do. Quilts Canada was my main focus. But got into the swing of things this week. Cleaned the studio and reorganized. You would think this would be a simple process but I swear I can purge like a crazy fool when it comes to everyday things but quilting stuff I can't seem to let go cause you may need it . The words every man uses when talking about nuts and bolts. My fathers voice rings in my head lol. Well it took two days to finally do it all. My fabrics are in a hutch so they will no longer be exposed to the sun. They are organized by color and let me tell you one would think I would have a ton of Purple but in fact Blue is the one that is over flowing.  My closet is now organize and one can see everything and everything has a home .The cutting table is now totally set up so I can cut most anything. Sewing station is cleaned dust bunnies gone. So when I get my sewing machine back it's space is clean. Time for it's Oil Lube and Filter to be done.  Just like my car one needs to keep it in good running order and annual cleanings are important. So while it is in the shop the invoicing will get done cause well there is no distractions. Hard to get my homework done but well that's just life.
At quilts Canada we went to a lecture on organizing ones sewing room. Well let me tell you some ladies sure make wonderful quilts in shitty spaces. I left feeling good about my studio but could improve a few things which I think happened this week. Didn't take much away from that lecture other than knowing my work space was more than most have. So what does your spaces look like does it function the way it should. You may not quilt but where you create does it work for you? So many people work at the dinning room table and the lighting may not be great so take this thought away today. You deserve your own space to work so claim some space in your home that is just yours. That's a thought I have a friend that writes and she needs to find that space to write. That amazing novel needs a jumping off point. Well since I have now wasted thirty minutes doing this should get back to invoicing and cleaning up the mess the kids are making . Go and enjoy your day even if it's snowing. ahhhhhhhh

Monkey Business

Good morning, sun is out and I am heading to the convention centre to pick up my quilt. It was an amazing week. The quilts in Quilts Canada where works of art even mine fit right in (well I hope it did). Although seeing all those wonderful quilts has inspired me to kick it up a notch. It's a good thing to have a challenge even if it is one you set for yourself. So for those that know me look out cause the crazy is just about to get worse. Evil laugh, the newest quilt idea is floating in my head waiting to break forth. I even met Matt the quilting Man at the show and think I have found the right person to quilt my quilts. Plus I think all his kids are going to love my monkeys. Yes the new quilt will be filled with flying monkeys, monkeys in a barrel I don't know how many but I am up for a little monkey business. lol. Like I said it's in my head right now. Would love your impute cause well the more the merrier. 
So my face book friend packed up her bags and headed back to Montana, truck loaded not with to much extra but with a new quilt sitting on the seat beside her. Yes she was the first person in Deb's quilting boot camp. In just five days we started and finished a lap size quilt. Taught her the Disappearing Nine patch quilt. We got the top done borders on and then headed downstairs to the long arm. There I taught her how to load the quilt. She has the same frame as I have and has owned it for over a yr but has not used it because the instructions suck. Quilt loaded and off she went. Training wheels off. She did a great job and will improve with more practice. Words I should heed as I am way to hard on myself and my skills. Then Made Her load a second quilt with out my help so that once home she knows what she is doing. Then she started quilting the second quilt. She made the mistake of not checking her back for thread tension and we had three inches all across the quilt to take out. Note to self when teaching don't leave for ten minutes to deal with something else. Will not do that one again. Finished the Binding, now mind you it was done on the machine and not by hand because well this is not a show piece its one to put on a table or chair. Did a sleeve and label. Yes people you should always do a label. The quilt we made was nothing special to anyone else but us, but in years to come when some one buys this quilt at a yard sale for ten dollars they will turn it over and read why and by whom this quilt was made by. On our label it explains that it was her first real visit to Canada she met me and we worked on this together while attending the quilt show. It's a quilt we made getting to know each other and I know it's a good memory that I will add to my quilting journey in my memory. Sappy I know. But when it passes onto another person they will know it is a special quilt for those reasons. Well anyways we had a good time this week going up the Calgary Tower , heading to Drumheller in a snow storm, Getting soaked looking into Horseshoe Canyon. It was a good time. It was nice meeting someone that I had been chatting to on face book. Now I have a real face for that person. Hope some of you all get that chance. Well should go get that quilt Enjoy your day and set a goal to improve something in your life.  ;)

Quilt Canada

Today was a good day , spent time with a friend working on a quilt she had never done. We visited and got to know each other. This wonderful women came into my life through a block exchange. We got to know each other on Facebook. The joys of the internet. It's funny cause well she has been married almost as long as Rod and I have. And we share similar interests. She took the leap of faith that us Canadians where kind people and is staying with us for the week to enjoy Quilts Canada. Yesterday she arrived and hope she felt welcomed. Anyways today I was a slave driver. lol can you imagine evil giggle I worked her fingers to the bone working on a disappearing nine patch. We got the top done and will get the borders on in the next day or so. Then it was off to My Sewing room , http://www.mysewingroom.ca/ to see the biggest quilt store in Canada. Met up with another friend whom also was in the block exchange then headed to Along came quilting to get our free 6 1/2 inch square . Free is free, bought a book which really I did not need but quilting is not about need. Mark Lapinski  said that last night to us at his trunk show. We laughter so hard our sides hurt!!!  So after our small quilt hopping we headed to dinner enjoyed a wonderful meal and off to quilts Canada we went. I must say when we arrived and I signed in and a rush of fear filled my soul. What was I thinking that I would even consider doing such a silly thing. Standing and waiting to hear my name which sad to say was not called. Yep No ribbon for my quilt. But while I was waiting surrounded by fellow quilters there was much joy for all the winners cause we all understood that each quilt was made with love, much care and thought so we where all winners in some way or another. Heading into the show to see these amazing works of art inspired the three of us. We want to improve, and push a little bit harder to challege our selfs. Floating through I know that I need to improve in alot of area's but also know that so many amazing teachers have already brought us so far in our journey . And if we don't say it we should show these amazing teachers how they inspire us. So my goal is to show those ladies that look you gave me these skills and I am using them to my fullest. They have inspired and I hope that I can inspire someone in some way. Now I am setting a challenge out which is to do your best cause you don't know when or how but you can also inspire in some way. Well it's time for bed cause tomorrow we are heading to Drumheller , Alberta so my Friend can see a little bit of our wonder country. Night

Good morning world, such a gloomy day here in the city of Calgary but my mindset is sunny and cheerful. Think one has to be that way even when the world around you seems grey. Thought for today, if you surround yourself with the colors that make you feel something does it change how you look at life and live? I quilt with amazing colors sometimes way to many but it makes my soul sings. A teacher told me I read bright never thought about it before that moment. Then it made me take a look how the quilters around me pick and choose colors. We all choose colors to work with and decorate with because it's what makes our eyes happy. So if you always pick creams and light colors what does that say about you , or if you pick crazy bold colors does that mean that's you. Scary thought ! So when I painted my kitchen / dinning room this bright green what does it say about me? I love it while one of my friends asked when I would repaint it. She really dislikes it. For years my home was white or cream the furniture the same but now color is beginning to take hold and my family and I are living in color. As I told my friend it's just paint one can pick up a brush and repaint when it's time to sell as we all can't live with such color. So what colors does your eye read , are you afraid of color this is something that seems interesting what do you think? Just putting it out there, now one must head back to my normal life dealing with kids, messes to clean, house work to do, office to run etc. Spent yesterday working on a baby quilt which started at 11 and was finished at 4 to give away at 7. Needless to say did not do much yesterday so today must kick it into high gear . Have  a great sunny day .

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Crazy messy

As I sit in my studio surrounded by fabric, paints, buttons and beads it's a miracle anything gets done. It's an organized mess. It gets cleaned at least once a week but when the brain waves start spinning the area reflects the shock waves. I am a visual person so if I don't see it then well I forget where I put things (could be old age) . The goals I have set this year are high which means one does have to focus on keeping the mess in check. So how do you keep things organized? Thats the question of the day. Yesterday I cleaned my house from top to bottom so I did not have to deal with my paperwork and messy studio. Today I am here surrounded by paper and not wanting to deal with it but one must. Right that's why I am blogging lol , to avoid avoid avoid. I have started organizing other area's of my home with some small things but wow some I wish I had thought about years ago. In the kitchen I put hooks up on the cupboard doors on the inside. There hang my measuring spoons, cups and tools to bake. It has made things alot faster and one knows where everything is. Also label everthing and put food in containers rather than leaving in packaging takes up alot less space. Little house need all the space I can find. Been purging this week and will take advantage of Craigs list or Kijji free is free. Well guess one should really face the paper Hope the day finds you well and would love to hear how you organize that one might use .