R is for rock hound.

”Diamonds are a girls best friend.” – Marilyn Monroe

Most folks collect trinkets on their travels. I collect rocks. Haven’t found any diamonds yet. 

What I have found are heart-shaped rocks. When you seriously gaze at the ground, you’d be amazed at how many there are!

The largest ones are about 6 inches square, and the smallest one is about 1½ inches square.

Now, here’s a recipe

   that 

       rocks

          for 

             celebrating

                New 

                   Year’s

                       Eve!

Bubbly on the rocks

fresh fruit, such as strawberries, blueberries, and pineapple

ginger ale or champagne

Place a slice of fruit in each cup of an ice cube tray. Fill with water and freeze. Fill flute glasses with the ale or champagne, and pop a fruited cube or two into each glass.

And, a variation that masks the nasty taste of cheap red wine: Instead of water, freeze the fruit in lime or lemonade.

Collecting rocks is awesome. Putting them in a drink? Zany!

Q is for quilter.

“To quilt is human. To finish, divine.” – unknown

Well, it’s the end of the year—holiday time—and here’s what’s hangin’ quilt-wise in my house.

The center of each star is made from four identical triangles cut from one fabric—“stack-n-whacked” Bethany Reynolds’ style. I knew about her method for some time but didn’t stack-n-whack anything until I edited one of Bethany’s books. Now I’m hooked on S-n-W. Or possessed. Not sure which. Perhaps both?

The cutie little reindeers are miniature quilts that I pieced, quilted, and then embellished with pompoms, bells, beads, and a wreath.

Sometimes my quilting spills over to other stuff I make, like this envelope that held a 50^th birthday card. It’s my version of Zentangle. My colorful version. No black and white for me!

A yummy and gooey treat this time of year is my mom’s fudge. A couple of years ago I heard on Food TV that the recipe was originally from Eleanor Roosevelt. I dunno, and I’m too lazy to research it. I just rather make a bunch and eat it!

Million dollar fudge

4 1/2 cups sugar

1 tbsp butter

1 can evaporated milk

~ ~ ~

1 pint marshmallow cream

2 small packages of chocolate chips

2 large Hershey bars, broken into pieces

~ ~ ~

chopped nuts (optional)

Bring the first 3 ingredients to a hard boil for 6 minutes. Pour this mixture over the last 3 ingredients.

Mix together thoroughly and add nuts as desired. Pour into a buttered square or rectangle pan.

Make 5 pounds of fudge. Bet you can’t eat it all in one sitting! I know 'cause I’ve tried.

 

And here's Santa sleeping with his pups after he has tended to his reindeer and ate the little bit of fudge that was left over after I chowed down.

Holidays are zany!

P is for passionate.

“I like light, color, luminosity. I like things full of color and vibrant.” – Oscar de la Renta

Passionate for color. Superlative, splendid, stunning color!

Color popped, jumped, and hopped out at me at this year’s Evergreen Summerfest. Here's a bit about the artists and their creations that grabbed me.

Corded creations from Bellas Gifts by Tamra Adducci. She and I had a lively discussion about who between us has the most fabric. I'm sure it's me, me, me! One, because Tamra is younger; reason two, because my first job while still in high school was at a fabric store, where I first started my stash; reason three, because I went from sewing clothes to also making quilts, which requires a smacking big stash; and reason four, because in the 1990’s, I worked for Quiltmaker magazine when the mail-order shop Quilts and Other Comforts was part of the "sisterhood" and where I picked up a lot of fabric on sale at $2 per yard. So, I win! I must have the most fabric!!!

Tamra lives in Arvada, Colorado, my home town!

 

Ceramics from Mary Judy. I’m glad ceramists are branching out from salad bowls and soap holders to fun pieces like Mary Judy makes!

She lives down the creek from me in Morrison, Colorado.

Fun stuff, huh!?!

Fiber hats from Hats Panache by Richlyn McArthur of Santa Fe, New Mexico. 

Richlyn used to be a teacher. Ain't it fantastic when someone goes from “working in a real job” to “creating a real life.”

Ricklyn's work inspires me! And I'm not much of a hat wearer!

Mixed media from Heart Bow Press by Peggy Corpeny. Colorful, colorful, colorful! And quirky! And inspirational!

Like Ricklyn, Peggy went from a real job to a real life. Hooray for women with gumption!

Wood turnings from Bark by Woods by Dave Barkley of Dover, Pennsylvania. Brights are my usual eye candy, but this piece flew in my face as I first walked into the fest. 

It covered one outside wall of Dave’s booth, it is big, and it is marvelous!!! I would have loved having it make it’s way into my abode if only I didn’t have a Sarah Susanka-like not-so-big house.

Being passionate about bright colors flows over into my food creations. If it's colorful, into my basket it jumps. This is but one of the colorful dishes I’ve made from "basket jumpers" that I bought at farmers markets this summer. My friend John E. shared the recipe with me in the mid-1970’s. It’s good for dipping or as a topping. Here’s the recipe, and add to, subtract from, and change any it which way you wish!

Pico de Gallo

1/8 cup vinegar

juice of 1 lime

4 ounces extra virgin olive oil

1/2 teaspoon each salt, pepper, and ground cumin

1/4 teaspoon Mexican oregano

1 or 2 fresh garlic cloves, finely chopped

5 each of 3 types of chilies (such as jalapeno, Anaheim, Hatch, or Big Jim)

2 or 3 medium-ripe avocadoes, diced

3 or 4 tomatoes, diced and drained

1 bunch green onions, diced

1 bunch fresh cilantro, diced

Mix the first 6 ingredients. Add the remaining ingredients and gently mix together with a large, preferably wooden, spoon.

Serve with tortilla chips and crème cheese. And, of course, margaritas!

Being passionate for color is awesome!

O is for observant. 

“All of us are watchers—of television, of time clocks, of traffic on the freeway—but few are observers. Everyone is looking but not many are seeing.” – Peter M. Leschak

A hailstorm in July did in a beautiful dragonfly. My sharp eyes—except why can’t I read without adding a second pair?—spotted this little body just outside my front door. Got a little  “ewwww” factor on when I picked her up. But I just had to. Look at the magnificent wings! I see a sculpted fantasy figure (okay, really, a cloth art doll...but doesn't "sculpted fantasy figure" sound more artsy?) percolating. And since one of the items in my bucket list is a kitchen witch, why not a kitchen dragonfly instead? It’s just about the time of the year for pesky flies to be invading our domiciles, and I think a flying purple dragonfly made of mesh, beads, angelica, and whatever fun things awaiting in my stash would be perfect! Thanks little lovely lady for making your final resting place in my yard!

Another percolating design happened because of a hike on the Square Tower Group trail in Hovenweep National Monument this past May. 

As I hiked the trail, I took photos of the patterns on the walls of the ruins.

I also found this colorful Eastern collared lizard. He was quite used to posing, thank you very much.

I’m using these two photos and hand-dyed "Canyonland" fabrics by Debra Lunn (when her Lunn Fabric store was in Denver) as my starting point for a quilt design. I’ll post the quilt and it’s progression when it gets out of my head and onto the design wall.

Being observant is awesome!

N is for needlewoman.

What’s a needlewomen without a healthy stash of needles? My hand-sewing ones range almost from A to Z: from applique to yarn needles (photo A). The three in the top middle—between the rippers—are vintage, probably from my grandmother. One is marked ten cents, and one is marked five cents. They’re keepers!

When unsewing is required, which is way too often, I have…drum roll…a collection of seam rippers. And that’s just what they do when I get frustrated after unsewing a seam two or three times: they often rip the fabric. Does impatience get you in deep dodo too?

The ripper on the left in photo A is my oldest one from junior high home ec class (engraved with my name…thanks Dad!). The one on the right is my newest, Alex Anderson’s 4-in-1, that is a ripper and a stiletto, presser, and turner (thanks Alex!).

And for straight pins, I have long flower heads, glass-head and plastic-head applique in two sizes, pearl-head and glass-head dressmaker in a bunch of sizes, short sequins, assorted sharps, and silks. Making their home in the strawberry emery “pouch” are an assortment of quick-to-get-to hand-sewing needles. 

I’ve been teased a time or two about fussy placing my pins in their cushion (photo B). Doesn’t everyone do that?

My steel needlewomen notions also again range almost from A to Z: from ballpoint to wing machine-sewing needles. I fooled around with a plain ole universal machine needle making a wedding gift in July, a batik Log Cabin quilt block (photo C). 

The first round of "logs" are folded strips that hold the invitation (photo D). I used a A size 11 needle. It's “just perfect” because it makes small holes, which is great when sewing finely woven batiks “just in case” unsewing is required. Whew, for once, this was a project with impeccable seams! Yipee, no rippie!!!

The ring bearers were the bride’s young son and the groom’s not-quite-two nephew.

And the flower girls were the groom’s young nieces. Cute, huh! 

And for the bride and groom…the dress is vintage and was remade to look new. What great things a needlewoman can do!

Being a needlewoman is awesome!

M is for merry.

Cheery, happy, merry I am. What made me merry last week is finding out, after a CT scan, that the meds I’m taking are working on tumors in my liver. For what more could I be merry?!!!! A high school class reunion!

Ever the procrastinator, I waited until Friday, July 08, to start on outfit to wear to the class picnic the next day. Did I say “ever?” Yup, I’m a dawdler from way back when. Here’s how the sewing went:

2:05 p.m. ~ Before I could even start, I had to clear the deck. I dumped WIPs from the tabletop to the couch (ouch!). Included in the dumpees were Zentangle placemats started in my fiber arts group meeting last month, yarn I bought last week to crochet a summer topper, a fabric and paper collage started in February, "prompts" that I've been gathering since the fall of 2009 that are waiting to be painted onto popsicle sticks, and beads and a bracelet pattern that's been sitting around since the summer of 2007.Yikes. Dumped the stuff onto the couch in the family room (another ouch!). Changed to a new needle, loaded a bobbin with orange thread, changed from a zigzag to a straight-stitch throat plate, slipped on a patchwork foot, and even did a little D&C on the lint from the last project (D&C? dusting and cleaning!). ~ 2:15 p.m.

2:20 p.m. ~ Started this blog post, then cut out the skirt panels ~  2:39 p.m.

3:47 p.m.~ Four of the eight skirt panels are hemmed. These are yellow and orange synthetic gauze fabric, and I turned under ¼" twice and topstitched, starting at the waist and going all the way around to the other side. Changed to lime green thread for the hems of the last four panels (and remembered to change throat plate to allow me to zigzag stitch. I’ve broken many a needle, and after umpteen years, I guess I’ve learned something!) These are pink and lime green sheers that were hand-rolled as I went to make very narrow hems, shown in this photo. Stopped for dinner. ~ 4:52 p.m.

7:37 p.m. ~ Finished the skirt. ~ 9:16 p.m.

10:05 p.m. ~ Thought I should keep on goin'. Pinned first piece of the blouse pattern in place to the pink linen. Cut it out. Use thread tacks to make the darts. Been up since 4:30 a.m.—off to bed! ~ 10:12 p.m.

 

Saturday:

7:47 a.m. ~ Cut out rest of blouse. Used pin tacks (much easier than thread!) to mark remaining darts. Ran out of fabric. Cut the sheer fabric from skirt for pattern piece 8, the sleeve facings. Breakfast time! ~ 8:53 a.m.

9:04 a.m. ~ Sewed blouse fronts and back wrong sides together. “Unsewed” the seams. Tried again. Success! With a quickie lunch break, finished up just in time to hurry and get pretty. ~ 2:01 p.m.

3:06 p.m. ~ Leaving for the reunion. Cute outfit, huh?!!! I'm holding my 7th grade and my senior yearbooks. Honey Bear, my "Velcro" dog, is never more than a couple of feet away from me.

The pattern is the Fun Skirt, pattern 414, by McPhee Workshop.

3:38 p.m. ~ Reunion time!

The four us in this photo (me at left, Dave in the middle, Debbie at right, and Renee in front) were in Mrs. Murphy’s morning kindergarten class at Secrest Elementary. The only vivid memory I have of kindergarten was when my mom, who was visiting with our Avon lady Mrs. Case (who happened to be a classmate’s mom), FORGOT to pick me after class. I remember sitting just outside the classroom door waiting and waiting and waiting. I wasn’t so merry then!

But I sure was merry on Saturday while visiting with my “old” Arvada High School chums.

My sweetie (in the middle) graduated from the rival Bear Creek High School, but Arvadians let him join in the merriment too. 

 

Being merry is awesome!

L is for light hearted.

I’m not scared of the “fun police.” They are like the tooth fairy, Santa, and other such nonexistence nonsense. So, any time there’s fun within my reach, I grab it!

Here’s just a few of the enjoyable stuff I’ve done the past year—ones that I have photos to prove I was having fun!

On May 23, 2010, I had fun making my Panda and Grizzly pose on the table at my favorite campground on McClure Pass in Colorado. 

That night, we enjoyed a campfire with new friends from British Columbia. It was such great weather that we sat out until about midnight.

I wasn’t so light hearted when we woke up to snow the next morning.

In August of 2010, I had fun riding a horse at the Pipefitters Local 208 picnic. 

So, who has the biggest behind, me or the horse, and who has the prettiest ponytail?

That same month, I had fun swinging in the park at the annual picnic for members of Colorado's BMW Motorcycle Club.

I had fun taking a photo of the ranger and his rescue horse Boomer as they traveled through the Bonita Canyon Campground on December 24, 2010, at Chiricahua National Monument in Arizona.

It's December folks, and see all the green leaves? We came home a few days later to snow and 20 below.

During my birthday camping trip, I hiked to Zapata Falls on May 1, 2011, and had way-cool fun sitting on the ice flow. 

The falls are just outside Sand Dunes National Park in Colorado.

A few days later, I cooled off again as I had fun running through the sprinklers at the Fruita Campground in Capitol Reef National Park in Utah.

And, the latest thing to bring light-heartedness to me is my little Honey Bear (aka Hotstuff), just adopted on June 20. Her and Panda are BFF!

Being light hearted is zany!

K is for knitter

I learned to knit at my grandmother’s knee. Literally. I sat on this needlepoint footstool next to her rocking chair and learned to knit.

Learned, but didn’t knit for years. And years. And more years.

Then, the recent scarf rage started me knitting them. Like crazy. I can’t stop! All the scarves shown I made with two types of yarn, except for the last one. It’s a knobby yarn and it was SO difficult to work with! I ripped it out three times before I finally got the gauge to be halfway consistent.

After I began copy editing for Love of Knitting magazine a few months ago, I’ve really become jazzed about knitting. I want to graduate, quickly, from scarves to socks like these. I just need a little guidance. Or maybe a lot!

Mostly I quilt, and using 50 or more fabrics in a quilt is the norm. Somehow I now have a healthy stash of yarns, and I want to make free-form stuff with lots of different yarns like Claudia makes.

K is not for crochet, but oh well. I don’t know when I learned to crochet. All I have ever made are these necklaces and a bracelet.

They are kinda free-form because I didn’t make each fringe with the same number of stitches and I didn’t use the same number of buttons on each.

The buttons in the top necklace are white plastic, and the buttons in the bottom necklace are mother of pearl (photo A).

The red, black, and white necklace is the first one I made, and it has plastic, metal, and polymer clay buttons (photo B).

The multicolored necklace (photo C) and the purple bracelet have plastic buttons (photo D). 

And now I want to combine knitting and crocheting to make free-form stuff like Myra does.

Oh, the possibilities! I'm raring to pull out some yarn from my sash and let loose those needles!

I’m ready to be a little zany!