New artwork and ready for planting

I like to plant a few vegetables, specifically tomatoes and basil every year.  But over the last 25 years the volunteer trees in my neighbor's yard at the back of my lot have shaded out my garden spot.  A few years ago at the Home and Garden show I attended a lecture on container gardening.  This has proven to be very successful for me.  The tomatoes go beside the driveway near the white garage door facing south, so they get all the sun and heat that they want.  Then nearby I have a planter with basil and rosemary, and another 2 with different varieties of cherry tomatoes.  This is the time of year to get things started.

I put a tarp down on the drive, dump the planters and start to break everything up.  I add about half again fresh compost and some time release fertilizer.  Then  it all goes back into the containers.  So last Sunday ( 2 weeks ago now) I spent the day getting everything ready.  Screened more compost, worked everything up and got it ready.  Here is Michigan it's a little early to plant out.  Probably will wait until around Memorial Day. (Couldn't wait, May 10 planted 11 tomato plants). But seeds are started  and trips planned to Van Atta's.

The blue planter usually has my full size tomatoes in it.  But this winter really wreck havoc on it. So I had to buy a new container this spring.

I also got around to hanging some artwork that I have been buying.  I hung these in my stairway going to the basement.  This is the door I come and go by most often so I get to enjoy them on a regular basis.

And I also had a new driveway put in the first of May.  Of course once the old driveway was lifted it had to rain and make a terrible mess.

I should be able to park on the new drive on Wednesday.  Will be so glad to get my truck off the street.

One additional little picture.  On the way to Eaton Rapids there is a barn with a quilt design.  I finally stopped this weekend and got a picture of it.

Gearing up for a busy may.

Craft class

Saturday I took a class at the MSU recycling center of how to recycle wine bottles.  The class taught us how to cut the bottom's off of bottles, add mosaic tile and use them as shades on votives.  Though expensive the class included a bottle cutter, mosaic nippers,  safety glasses, nippers, the copper hanging aparatus and 2 wine bottles. 

I took stained glass classes through MSU Evening college 30 years ago, but was living in an apartment to couldn't really do it much.  There were about 14 of us in class.  This is a picture of the class sample.

I'll put up a picture of mine when I finish the mosaic.

The new recycling center on campus is really a neat place.  Near the bathrooms was a sign showing how they use collected rain water for the toilets to conserve water, and there was this display in the lobby area.

Estate Sale Find

I gave my nephew and his wife a queen size quilt for Christmas.  In the photo they sent me of it on their bed I noticed that they didn't really have any bed size tables.  So I started taking notice at the estate sales I went to.  I found an excellent candidate.  A really good piece of old furniture that just needed a face lift.  I forgot to take a before picture.  Here she is...

Problem is they live in the Chicago area, and when they were home for Easter the vehicle they came in was too small to take it home.  Guess I will have to plan a trip to Illinois.

This and that

Here at the school I and the other faculty secretary often get thank yous.  We each had received orchids a couple of years ago.  And we had kept them alive but they had never rebloomed.  So I started to give them a little more attention and bought some orchid food.  And I got them to rebloom. Yeah!!

I waswatching Bonnie Hunter's last quilt cam someone asked about the little "doily" that she had under the spool of thread on her machine.  She showed some that she has received to use instead of the red felt disc under your thread on your spool pin.  A light bulb suddenly sent off.  At an estate sale last summer I bought a whole bag full of old tatting. I figures I could use it for crafts, but I didn't want to see it just thrown away, so I snatched it up.  Last night I look through it again and realized there there were a lot of little tatted pieces what would work perfectly at spool pin doilies.  Great, another item for my booth at the Capitol City Quilt Guild Quilt show, May 4 and 5.

Worst task this weekend is going to be taking apart the plumbing on my tub to clean out the drain. Tub still has water in it from yesterday so no choice but to take it apart to get at the clog.  Oh, the joys of home ownership.



Have a great weekend.  One month closer to spring!!

Estate Sale Finds

For me estate sales are almost addictive.  Seeing the treasures that people have.  What I find interesting compared to other people.  I have been taking some of the girls from work who haven't every really been to estate sales before.  I find myself explaining a lot: why I chose particular items, either for myself or to resell or what certain items are.  I am splitting my finds between my fleamarket stash and one I have started of items I will have in my booth at the CCQG quilt show in May.  Here are a few of the items:

This little guy may stay with me.  Love that blue & white

 

 

Got this cute 1 cup tea pot yesterday.

 

I think this is a match holder.

At Christmas Wendy got a small christmas tree made on a styrofoam cone.  She thought it would look better on a pedastal so I made this one from a candle holder and small plate for her.

In following quilter Bonnie Hunter and my friend, Carol, I have become hooked on recycling men's 100% cotton shirts.  I have found at Goodwill they are $3.69 each, where as at Volunteers of American they are $1.99 and up. And it only recently occurred to me to look at estate sales for them.  I usually don't look at clothing. I have been "de-boning" them as Bonnie shows on her webpage.  These are a few of the candidates I picked up this week.

I plan of making up bags of fronts and sleeves of maybe 5 shirts for my booth at the quilt show.  Will also be selling the buttons that come off the shirts.  I am keeping the backs for quilt backs and have been using the cuffs and collar pieces to make strippy blocks to use in a quilt.  I recently also found a wonderful old travel iron that is small and heavy which will also be at the quilt show in addition to a couple of sewing machines that I have picked up.  Still need to prep them to be sure that they are ready to go.

As I sit here listening to the sleet beat on the windows I wonder what travel to work tomorrow will be like.  Have a good evening





 

 

 

Tailgate treasurers

I have been reading on some blogs lately about recycling canvasses.  At the cost of new canvas people are buying used ones, and painting over them.  So last weekend I have the opportunity to pick up these 4 canvases. I may keep the ship one but the others may get sold at the flea market or painted over.  Have a look.









Garden Whimsey and the Variable Stars

Tuesday night we met again at Roxie's house, this time to try our hand at making garden whimsey's out of garage sale finds.  There was some glass breakage, but all in all I think even those who didn't make one still had fun.  Even Roxie's grandsons joined in.

Carol concentrating very hard to get it just right.

This is the red, white and blue one I have been saving bits and pieced for for the last few months.



Is Roxie wondering it it's tooooo tall?

This is my green one.  Melanie pulled some of the class that I used.

Tailgate Treasurers

These are a few of my purchases over the last few weekends.  Before I headed to the quilt retreat I hit an estate sale.  More glass for possible garden whimseys and items to resell at the flea market.  The variable stars are going to get together and try their hand at making garden whimseys. 

Got this small metal folding chair at GR sale.  It's perfect for setting a pot on on my deck.

Hankerd Quilt Retreat

This was the weekend of our Variable Star Quilt Retreat at Pleasant Lake.  These are always so much fun.  Time to get some serious sewing done, no cooking, no cleaning, no interruptions.  I went with 4 projects: Darryl's quilt, Molly's quilt, our current mystery quilt and a mondo bag project.

Working steadily I finally finished Darryl's top except for the final border.  I stopped at a couple of shops on the way home but didn't find what I was looking for so I ordered my border and backing fabric when I got home.  I have some adjustment to make on one border that doesn't want to lay flat, I think my edge setting triangles are too big, but all in all it is good to have it this far.

Wendy introduced us to these mondo bags.  They are built on a gridded fusible web.  I think there were four of us, Carol S., Melanie, Barb and I, who were working on our bags.  I actually got mine done by Saturday night.  It is a little tricky, but if you take your time, it's not too hard.  But that meant that I didn't get any farther on poor Miss Molly's quilt.  Next week I'm on staycation so I will try to get some time in on her quilt as well as the challenge and the mystery.

South Carolina

A couple of things from our South Carolina trip.  In looking through my aunt's gardening magazines I came across an unusual piece of artwork.

These old shovel were cut out and I thought there was something very beautiful about them.

When we went to our last quilt retreat in February we stopped at Keans in Mason and mom fell in love with a fabric there.  She had been looking at a new book I picked up called Take 5, which makes quilts using just 5 fabrics.  Plans she had made was to make a quilt for her sister to thank her for her hospitality.  So we rushed to get the quilt made and Wendy quilted it for us, so it was finished by the time we went.  Below is the result and Patricia and Phyllis.

The other thing I discovered in SC were beautiful blue beer bottles.  I had not seen these before, but then I don't spend a lot of time in the beer aisle.  I had run into Bi-Lo to just get some beer for us that evening and I spotted these.  I figure that they will work great for my garden whimseys.



Estate sales or "picking"

I tend to go to a lot of estate sales.  Back in the 70's and 80's it was auctions.  I loved to see all that was being sold and always hoped for a winning bid.  But often times the one item I might be interested in would be the last item the auctioneers would get to.  So estates sales became a better option.  I could be there early or come later, but I didn't need to spend the whole day waiting around.  My youngest brother, Dennis, runs an estate sale business as a second career. Actually he just has a passion for neat old stuff and the thrill of the hunt. His business is Beard Estate Service Team (BEST).  In working with him over the last 15 years, I have learned a lot and seen a lot.

I especially like that now there is estatesales.net on the internet which has listings of sales by state.  I especially like that some postings have pictures.  This way I can decide if it is worthwhile to go the first day, go at all, or wait until the 2nd or 3rd day of the sale.  Generally here in Michigan estates sales are usually 2 days, sometimes 3.  Prices the first day are always FIRM.  The second day and third day discounts are usually offered on most items, since the sales teams job is to sell as much as they can for the family.

The types of things that draw me in to going are, sewing related items i.e. sewing maching (toy or antique), sewing baskets, threads and fabric.  Quilts are also a draw.  I also am interested in quilting ephemera (patterns, books, quilting templates).  These are the items I have gotten at the last few sales.

This sale yielded a partial set of Wedgewood dishes including the platter and serving bowl, some votive cups, candle holders and vase for my craft work.  An old spooner, a dress length of vintage fabrics and some vintage trims.

This sale yielded an antique (treen) spool holder, a white hobmail fenton vase, an old pitcher, a sugar bowl with a replacement wooden lid a small cup in Royal Copenhagen and some pate spreaders.

I bought the spooner because it had almost a quilt pattern of feathers on it.

I also like to do crafts and often find these sales are a good place to pick up supplies.  This past year I have started to make garden whimsey's out of old glass items: vases, glasses, places, mirrors, ashtrays, etc.  Glue them up and put them in a piece of rebar or pipe in your flowerbeads.  So now at sales I look for those types of items to add to my inventory.  Here are the 2 I have made up so far.

But then I'm also attracted to blue & white china.  The last few years after my brother's estate sales I would note that there was still a lot of really nice items left that hadn't gotten bought.  I began filling boxes at his sales and then offering those items at the outdoor fleamarket's here at one of the Antique Malls.  These sales are just on Sundays, so it wasn't a big time commitment.  But after a number of bad sunburns, last summer I opted out of most of the sales.  Recently I have been thinking of starting again as a way of having something to occupy me in retirement.  Booth and show case rental at the 2 local antique malls is more that I want to pay right now for a $20 investment, I guess maybe this year I will try the outdoor fleas again.

The other items I often pick up are vintage jewelry.  If at Dennis's sale there is a lot, I will put it in a vintage suitcase and take it to work for my coworkers to look through.  I tend to pick up a variety of pieces as witnessed below.

Well the dryer just buzzed. Guess it's time to fold.

Almost forgot to show the best piece a probably 1940's quilt top.