ROOM WITH A VIEW

Gazing out at our first big snow storm....it is wet and heavy and our cedars are bowing in the wind.....

                                             HEARTS OF SNOW
My new hand piece continuing my Comfort Cloth series...I am letting the first one
(Grief cloth) rest a bit on my wall...it needs something else--but I don't know what as yet..............and so......needing to continue with a comforting hand work.....

Here are the floating hearts I appliqued last night...using the fabrics I  tea/metal
dyed 
appliqued on a nice white linen....
you can see where the darker stain was touching the metal...
this was from a walnut dye pot from long ago--

a Summer simmering in the shimmering heat....

looking out at our white landscape today,
              it doesn't seem possible that Summer will come again....

But we are tucked up inside under lap quilts sipping tea
--not having to go anywhere--so---
it is a gift of beauty in this grey Winter...

I have prepared a roast chicken for a mid afternoon dinner with mashed potatoes and stuffing and cran sauce....warms the cockles of our hearts just thinking about it
 (what are cockles anyway??) LOL

I managed to trim Steven's quilt yesterday and it is resting on the spare bed until I gather enough black and white fabrics to cut for binding.....

I hope you are all warm and safe and able to enjoy this Winter blessing.....
hugs Julierose, La Blageuse (snowed-in-euse)

MY FRANKLIN DAILY JOURNAL

For as long as I can remember i have kept journals of one sort or another; but 
of all of them, this has been my favorite--my Franklin Covey Planner. 
 I totally wore out the first one (it had an all arouund zipper which I loved--
but this is ok too)

It has a monthly calendar along with other monthly pages...where I try to keep track of
all of our appointments..
.I {heart} paper and pen....
.I really don't use any computer calendars at all....they just don't feel real to me...I know, I know,
 I am old fashioned...
well, so be it  ;--)))

and

Here is my page which i have prepared for tomorrow--(I really prefer not to share  written pages as they are private....)
but here is my decorated page ready for tomorrow's happenings...

As you can tell, I keep track of water intake, coffee and tea--and often do
weather and moon cycles...along with daily thoughts and our lives....a bit of planner stamping and much decoration....

I am used to this set up--and love it--and I love the fact that it is a ringed binder and I can replace the dated pages each year.....

Here is my little "place keeper". this also has an alphabetized address book in the back...

all in all my FAVORITE  planner of all times....

This Christmas (!! really??!! ) Cactus is going into bloom for the fourth time this year....lovely white flowers with purple insides....GOTTA LOVE IT!!

AND....on the quilting front:

I managed the two last vertical seams on Steven's quilt today...will take the day off tomorrow and concentrate on my other Art Journal...one which I can share with you....and then I will only have 4 horizontal and shorter seams to quilt....YAY   ;--)))

Went to (trash can..) JoAnnes this morning with DH and got acrylic paint brushes and charcoal pencils for my Art Journal...and a little bottle of CC for making Manhattans...well, we are going to be in a blizazrd after all...lol you do what you have to do--right???

Mr. DH gave me a snow blower lesson this afternoon and I am ready (yessir!! aye aye sir0
 with, peaked cap, mittens and earmuffs in hand (not at all a good visual!!) to go out into the storm and snow blow...."Nanouk of the North "  that will be me !!

hugs to you all and I hope that you are staying warm and safe in this snow storm=-ey weather...
hugs, to all
Julierose, La blageuse...

BACKING FABRICS

I have chosen the three fabric slices for the back of Steven's Quilt:  this is just a sample layout--it is not sewed together as yet....

the top and bottom are this lovely classic leather-bound books print set up in library style:

I  {heart} this fabric and have been saving (hoarding!lol) it for a special project...I cut it half
and will place 1/2 on the top and one on the bottom...

and in between is this lovely:

 Old fountain Pens on a lovely swirl-ey gray background with names of Authors in script (another stashed print)

Ray Bradbury, and

Arthur Conan Doyle and many others.....love this fabric.....

And for the two sides :
I had this baby in dark gray in my meager solids stash...(yes,
people, Julierose does have a few solids ;--000)

I love that deep, dark color--it almost looks blue here, but it is really mostly grayish with a blue undertone....

I will start on sewing this together tomorrow....

And when someone asks me: "what will you use this fabric for?" and I answer: "Oh, I just loved it,{silence} I really don't know yet" and any non-quilters give me that look..
.and you all have gotten that look, I am sure.....

here is the reason why I surf the internet fabric shops and buy fabrics just because I love them....;--)))

 And that's the TRUTH!!

As for my walking--NOPE--not yesterday and not today--just too dang cold and windy out there--especially by the Ocean where we love to walk the boardwalk, which is now 1.5 miles roundtrip
and in the Spring it will have been extended to be a 2 mile trip....

Maybe, if this bitter cold lets up tomorrow and Mr. Sun graces us with his presence, we will go
for a walk.
 And tomorrow will also be a trip to the grocery store for me....and

So it goes my week --the New Year has begun with its daily rounds.....

Hugs and stay warm if you are in this cold spell....if not, well, I'll just have to envy you hahaha

Julierose, La Blageuse  (backing-euse)

A FLIMSEY + and Reading Update

Here is Steven's quilt top finally all sewn together in QAYGo method

As i am sure you know: it has been quilted, square by square, (uff dah!!) and then sewn
together in rows.  So I am  calling it a Flimsy+.

A closer look at Steven's saxophone and...

My piano with some music,
and

And some surfin' at our beach in the summertime...among other novelties (eat up your oranges now! lol)...

So now onto the backing---I plan to attach it by sewing 1/4" on either side of the existing horizontal and vertical seam lines on the front--nothing fancy just really solid--as I recall things get tossed around dorm room quite a bit hahaha...

My first Flimsy+ in 2016...YAY!!

****************************************************
I am a bit under the weather today (up at 4 am isn't good for this old bod!!) so
will be pretty much resting this afternoon and reading my first Christmas book from my son, Jeff, in the Longmire Series "The Cold Dish" by Craig Johnson.  DH and I have been watching the series on NetFlix and loving it....

I had just been reading Elizabeth George's latest "A Banquet of Consequences" but I just couldn't get through it--I do not find it enjoyable to read about graphic child abuse....need I say more?? Also, lovely Lynley was not much in evidence--this book really disappointed me....i hate it when a former favorite author goes off the rails....at least in my humble opinion.....;--(((

Hugs to you all from
Julierose, La Blageuse

SUNDAY SAMPLER (picture heavy)

Awakened to another gray and foggy morning--soooo, DH took me out for breakfast and then we shopped for the next couple weeks at BJ's (HELL0 Cape Cod chips ;--))
 Goodbye Mr. Atkins!!)  I guess I'll have to check the "Naughty" box
 for next year already!! ;-ooo

This will be a picture heavy post BECAUSE:

See what Santa Thom got me--a wonderful tripod--loving this!  Perfect gift....

                               {Just had to try a candlelight shot--} 
Prepping my dinner salad for the evening....
one resolution for 2016 is to have ONE big salad every day--and
since we ate out and I had hash brown potatoes (who can resist?? Pas Moi!!) 
no lunch and salad for supper....

AND here are a selection of gifts i received:  (Quite a haul) there are more that
I will post later on ....

FOUR new books--love that Longmire series, two candles for my deck this summer
(See how they are supported on those little low holders?? How neat!!)
AND

                                 TA-DAH:  My new Miguel Ruis Journaling book,,,
                                 600 pages of blank graph papers.....to play with!

I have prepared January's 31 days like this so far:

the circle calendar date stamps every graph paper page,
 the header will be the day of the week and the weather 
(I have to wait for those stamps to come in--DH gave me [almost heh heh] 
carte blanche to shop online for "STUFF" for my other presents from him--
what a sweetie!!  
The lower section will be my foodie & walking section; 
the rest will be my journaling and art stamping and/or sticker workings....
I washi-taped two pages together to  avoid ink bleed-through yesterday--
harder than it sounds actually!!

SO, gals: .  This is my "Fauxbonichi" (FB) (you can see YouTubes on this 
type of journaling online).

                                                              AND

I have sewn the first vertical row (left) together for Steven's quilt and hope to get the 2nd done today.  
I am so excited to see it finally coming together!!

I asked Cassidy (next in line for a quilt) her fave color and it was:
                                                      PURPLE
                               yay!!  a COLOR I CAN REALLY DO A LOT WITH......

I have done 49 circles and am stopping here for now--just too hard
 (emotionally )  for me. 
 Perhaps, I will pick them up in a bit...
and am continuing my Grief Cloth work.

I will be absent for a bit; making my New Year's Resolutions [this year feels like I
want to for the first year in a LONG time] 
and 
generally catching up with myself....a quiet time....

hugs to you all and
                                                       HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR
Julierose, La Blageuse (graeful-euse)

SLOWLY

WORKING SLOWLY ON GRIEF CLOTH TODAY....

                              THESE TWO HEARTS REPRESENT MOM AND DAD-

                                                 -DEEP ROOTING BACK TO THE EARTH

(They are joined together once more...) I used Jude Hill's "wrap stitch"....on these...

AND 

THIS REPRESENTS ME, MOVING ON....I will be linking up with Kathy....

This afternoon I also finished pin basting all of the blocks for Steven's quilt--all 20 --onto

needle punched batting; now ready to "Quilt-as-you-Go" on them....

Phew--that was a back breaker...but they're ready...tomorrow I will set up my machine for quilting with Helga's Walking Foot

                  ("put your little foot, put your little foot, put your little foot right there..."

                                     another entry in SONGS FOR ALL OCCASIONS ! LOL)

AND HERE ARE MY LATEST TWO Circles of {My} Life..

.My Grand-mere was a "Rose" also,  and my Great Grand-mere was "Julie"--hence Julierose...I love that Mom and Dad put those two names together for me...I can still hear them calling me in french :"Juuulie--with the accent on the Juuu..." Sweet memories....

Hugs to all

Julierose, La blageuse  ( Memento Mori-euse)

JOYEUX NOEL

OUR LOCAL MIDDLE SCHOOL FRENCH CLASS MADE THESE WREATHS
              AS A FUND RAISER THIS YEAR. IN REMEMBRANCE OF THE
                                                       TRAGEDY IN PARIS....and

Our next door neighbor's daughter is in that class group, so we decided to purchase one from her....

Isn't this lovely?  And then the class  also decorated them....we just really love it....

As I am really not in any mood to be putting up a tree this year after Mom's death--
this is just enough and perfect for us....
their card read:

                                                                 "JOI ET PAIX"
                                                                   Joy and Peace

How perfect is that.....I couldn't imagine hanging it outside, so it is on the wall adjacent to our kitchen so we can enjoy it there.....I just love the smell of fresh pine boughs....

I will be taking a bit of a break on the blog here ....I will be continuing on Steven's quilt--only
five more blocks to go before I can begin quilting....

And will continue my handworks....and my Circles of {My} Life....and hopefully
"Mr and Mrs Turkey Lurkey" will make an appearance soon....

hugs to you all--be back in a bit....hugs, and hold your loved ones close in these perilous times....
Julierose, La Blageuse (grateful-euse)

WEDNESDAY WEBS

                            THREE  whole Webs done now--8 blocks....

Friday we have friends coming for dinner, so tomorrow will be shopping/cleaning/etc.......so I pushed and got two done this afternoon.
 (oof-dah my back is complaining......) I most likely will not get anymore sewing done until Saturday.....

My room is small, so I cannot get all of the top partial blocks in....here's an upper view:

and here are close ups of some webs....

I love that fish swimming along....("swim!,  said the Mama Fishie, Swim! if you can, and they swam and they swam all over the dam;
poop poop didem dadem whatem shoo-- and they swam and swam all over the dam") does that age me or what???? ;--0000

AND music scores.....and

cactus poking up.....
On my way to 35 blocks,,,,27 left (and that's 98 quadrants...methinks I will be
needing more orange....!!) 

DH is cleaning out our fireplace and the glass doors on it....I plan on a nice cuppa before I make my "Pasta Julianna" for our dinner....

Hope you are "working on Wednesday" to get your WIPS done....
hugs, Julierose, La Blageuse (web-euse)

BOO!! SEWING

I'LL BE SLOW SUNDAY STITCHING with Kathy and her friends this rainy afternoon.

I found my Skull (brrrr) and this wonderful dotted fabric for the background of my
                                            "BOO TO YOU"
wall hanging for Halloween.  (Some of those little dots are teeny skulls too!!)

I think Mr. Scarey Pants looks very content surrounded by webs, spiders, bats  and creepy crawlies......

AND.......................
Speaking of spiders.....

there are now three complete webs...as of this morning.....let's see...........29 more to
go......

And this little  one came "out of the closet" (I can hear all the others murmuring and muttering--
"why didn't she get me outta here?????")

I had begun this when I took an online class with Jude Hill at "Spirit Cloth"....a few years ago...
this is all hand work..and my own drawing (gee--can't you tell?? an artiste I am not).

.I need to tack down the woven bottom....this will be a little page keeper
for a friend this year....She is "Ms. Wintercat."....even though she's cold,-- her heart is warm....

hugs to you all on this grey Sunday--hop on over to Kathy's blog to see what hand sewers are up to (see linky above:--)))
Hugs
Julierose La Blageuse (Adagio-euse)

STEVEN'S FIRST BLOCK

The first block of Steven's "going away to college" quilt; orange is his favorite color and he is into Math and Music...I love this pattern for spider web.  I am using Jenny's tutorial from Missouri Star Quilt Co. --my only change is to fold back the wacky web papers so I only have to tear off the centers.....

It's not too baby-ish, ....right????  Let me know your thoughts.....thanks....

Here's a shot of those white with light black prints forming the stars...

there are 4 sections to each block and there will be 5 across, 7 down =ing
35 blocks with 4 sections to each block SOOOO...140 parts to make--

NOW you see why I began early??? He graduates in June 2017....

this gives me enough lead time to gather oranges, and sew s l o w l y.....

I will be joining in with superscrappy tomorrow for the RSC Orange in September
Challenge.....

hugs, from an "on and off" quilter, lately"  Julierose, La Blageuse  (on a sorta break)