An Icey February - Happy Valentine's Day

 We've had snow, freezing rain, & temps that are unusually warm. It is an unusual year for sure!

It is a winter wonderland outside right now, it is beautiful when there's sunshine, it makes all the ice look like crystals.

We never lost any of our electricity either.

All these pics were taken from the front porch, too icey to venture out!

With Bill home, the birds stay well-fed & the chickadees eat out of his familiar hands.

Nature is so beautiful through the seasons it is ever-changing!

I love everything about Valentine's Day! The colour, the love, the chocolates... lol

I made these muslin bunnies back in 1990 & have dressed them in cotton & red velvet outfits that I made back then. Their little shoes were Mitch & Nick's baby shoes from the late 1980s. These have become memory bunnies every Valentine's Day when I bin I open for the home decorating. 

The pillow sleeve is a memory for me too when several of us use to gather in Bev's dining room every Thursday morning for some stitching time & inspiration on projects that each of us was working on. The pillow sleeve came from Bev's pattern when she lived in BC, I embellished the pattern with some pearls & used scrap fabric from the table-topper I had made.

This is my pattern of blocks, tatting, embroidery, a folded fabric heart & scrap fabrics from other projects to create this 'Valentine picture'. 

Let's look at more decor...

A vintage Royal Doulton Valentines Day plate & a red wool/cotton candle mat that I made whilst practicing machine quilting.

A button card that Bill gave me a few years back & roses that are brought out of the bin for this special day of love. This is the table-topper that I made several years ago from a Valentine charm pack.

I love how the black & white dining room looks great with all the warm red accents!

This little quilt always makes me laugh! I date my work & finished embroidering this snowman in 2010, then finally finished incorporating him in the center of this red/white quilt in 2018. Talk about 'round-to-it-projects! lol

This little quilt comes out at Christmas & Canada Day too! It was a mystery quilt with Primitive Gatherings years back. And that's why it is important to date your quilts!!

This is the wall quilt this winter as the Christmas one has been put downstairs in storage.

The title is called South Shore, a Quiltmaker magazine pattern that Liz(RIP) & I did back in 2004.

I taught her how to paper piece with this quilt, she was a wonderful quilter that wanted to learn so many different techniques. It was always a joy to see what she was creating. She sent me a trunk of finished & unfinished quilts that I will finish for her. I think she had the east coast in mind as she embroidered lighthouses to be put in a quilt, in my favourite colour, blue!

Happy Valentines' Day & I'm glad you're virtually visiting today!

This large glass heart was purchased at Open Door Antiques in Chatham NB. I miss not being able to frequent Louis shop, I love browsing through the past.

I made this piece this year, it's a Buttermilk pattern of the month. I added silk tassels around it & used my Pfaff's fancy stitches with variegated threads.

This silk ribbon was made into a bellpull many years back for our century home on Kennon Place.

I added a heart around the window candle star & love the silhouette that appears.

This bay window is the furbabies favourite spot to look out to the backyard & watch the smelt fishermen glide over the ice in their skidoos.

The Bay du Vin island is the strip of land that can be seen looking out now.

It is such an unusual year to be able to view this, usually, the window is covered by a huge snowdrift but we have not had much snow nor drifting.

It does make for a more pleasant winter for me as I don't go outside & view it from indoors.

I laugh at seeing the Skidoos far off on the iced Miramichi Bay as they resemble ants going across a white table cloth. lol

Baxter loves to sit in the vintage wicker chair from one of my England finds with Nicola, she is fantastic at knowing all the charity shops in northeast England. Fond memories. 

Bridget likes the chair too, they're so sweet together!

Here is my finished Valentine picture! It finished 3' x 5ft' & Bill was so helpful in bringing my idea to life! The frame is from a bevelled Costco mirror that hung in our workplace in London ON. 

It broke when we were moving out of that building & I saw a beautiful frame for a quilt one day & here is one of many that I will make for this monthly/seasonal picture to be exchanged with seasons & special events.

Thank you Bill for moving that frame through the years & bringing my idea to life!

I was pleased with how it turned out.

I had put the pink checked heart in but it did not seem right, so I added a finish around it, still was not right...it seemed empty. Marva gifted me with a tatted heart years back & I placed it on the checkered area & voila! The heart in a heart was what was needed. To secure it, I embellished each picot by sewing a pearl on it. I then added a snowball corner to make it look like the old pictures that were held in with triangles pieces.

The top left & bottom right silk photos were from Bombay photos that were removed to use the frame. I had planned on making a pair of pillow covers from them & loved how they auditioned in this quilt.

I embroidered four cupid squares whilst doing my ice/heat therapy then coloured them with soy crayons that Paulette had gifted me years back. I added granddaughter Madison's favourite rose to them.

Years back we made this folded heart at a workshop at the London Friendship Quilt Guild & every Valentine it too comes out of the Valentine bin & was auditioned for the quilt & it too made it in.

I wanted the frame to be hung in the great room mezzanine to be viewed from that room & for guests to see as they enter the guest wing of the house.

Thank you, Bill! 

+

Block seven of the Hugs & Kisses quilt is now done! See the 'X' for the kiss, the next one I will work on will have the wreath style for the 'O' hug. XO

Looking at Luna Lapin's poster bed - I had an idea to use the Lexington Moda 2 1/2" squares for a wee quilt, that quilt used two packs, with only 6 squares left for an accent something?!

Here's Luna's Valentine's Day tea party!

I think Billy Badger is smitten with Luna. lol

I had made chocolate chewies that morning & made some for this photoshoot too!

Luna has a new apron for her dress & a necklace from Billy Badger. I've had this miniature cake stand & cake's that are changeable with different events. It is perfect for the table & will be seen again & again with different settings.

LOL, I just noticed that I was auditioning shoes on Luna to see which one was perfect for her outfit...I never made a choice of sparkle or plain. lol

Alfie Lupin is reading the story of Beatrix Potter, what a very special talented, giving woman she was. 

Alfie is having green tea with his cookie & carrot!

And Bill photobombs my photoshoot as he reaches to steal a cookie from the table!

Talk about being caught in the act! lol

His comment to me is 'You're having too much fun with this!' Yes, I am! 

It is a world that I escape all the COVID doom & gloom from if only for a few hours before life surfaces to the top again.

I added a dust ruffle around Luna's bed.

I'm pleased with the way the blue & white look with the white poster bed.

I had ordered a Nautica sheet set & the kingsize pillowcases are just too long for our pillows, I cut them to size. With the leftover fabric, I had enough to make this bed a fitted sheet, flat sheet trimmed in gathered eyelet, & a pillowcase! I just love the look that is under the new quilted cover!

Rexton the Manx just loves the new quilted cover too!

So glad you stopped by for a virtual visit!

An update on my MRI, I've L3 & L4 slightly bulging disc problem & will be seeing an orthopedic clinic as my GP wants a second opinion on the pain that I had experienced.

I am feeling much better & must work up to a 30 min brisk walk a day, Dr's order. , to start slow & steady with that & any exercise that I do. Bloodwork was good except for the triglycerides keep creeping up, which has put an end to my potatoe chip/cashew days.

Thank you for stopping by & visiting!

A saying from Helen Keller - The only thing worse than being blind is having sight and no vision.

Happy Valentine's Day wherever you are. Stay safe.

Cynthia