Wow, January was a fast month & it ended with a good northeastern snowstorm. It is a good one!
Bill spent his day plowing out our property & the apartment's & friends' property & was ready for a hot lunch/supper every time he returned inside.
The invested time & money for this equipment has been a real blessing for us living here as we age together with both of us having arthritis. Oh, they say the 'Golden Years', we say the 'Rust Years', the movement of the body is the key to staying 'oiled'.
We are out of our lockdown again & I'm happy to get my hair done on Wednesday, my appointment was the first of the lockdown & the top of my hair is 'glow white' with a 2" growth. My hair is my time that I truly enjoy getting done, I started having white hair at the age of 16 & now it is 100% white, not grey, not salt/pepper, white! So the light blonde is just a tone of warm colour to frame my ageing face.
This was our family photo taken a Christmas & as you see we are all together, a very special time as it will not happen again for two years. The kids will come to visit on their own but not the whole family cluster until Christmas 2023.
This was our last family photo with Aunt Alice from Montreal joining in with us at Easter 2019.
I love my family so much & hope to have Aunt Alice here in the warmer/Covid safe visit this year when some of the kids are visiting.
I've been doing some more sewing...those that know me, know that is my happy place to be & create.
I worked on a 2010 kit by Robyn Pandolph called 'It's Snowing Trees'. I saw the hearts & immediately thought of a Valentine table topper!
I did not start it until this quilt top was completed & I was awaiting the backing arrival from Connecting Threads.
The white squares are a Robyn Pandolph fabric, I've never seen her do a nautical print as she is a southern girl from Texas.
I did enjoy working with her fabric design & Kathy Shimitz's Maryland fabric line. I love how the two married together beautifully!
I also got creative with Edyta Sitar's free pattern from her website patterns & used up some more of the 2 1/2" squares with it. I did wool handles & used a whole package of beige rickrack to add a cottage charm to the little runner.
Photobombed again by Rexton!
Here's the little runner & it fits perfectly on Bill's bedside table!
With an orphan block from the quilt, I made a small accent pillow with fabric on one side...
And crocheted a granny square to fit the other side with a zipper closure on the bottom!
See where the colour combination came from for the pillow?!
OK, back to the table topper!
It was done with a quilt-as-you-go technique & I reversed the other side for a St. Patrick's Day table topper! It was done with metallic fabrics to add to the pot of gold feel!
I had purchased this fabric a Joanne's in Flordia, the year we visited Liz & Bob at their place.
It was one of those precious fabrics that were hard to cut to pieces but the four large 16" squares were a perfect showing of this fun fabric!
The 44 round red dots were done in wool as the others that I prepared from the kit seemed flat & I wanted the red bright.
The green metallic border is a Christmas fabric that works beautifully with the print, mimicking the movement within it.
Bridget was getting into the Valentine spirit too! This tulle collar was designed for one of the geese on the porch but the storms are too heavy right now.
Baxter was so jealous of Bridget that he too wanted his photo taken. lol
And she sat patiently awaiting his photoshoot on a warm Valentine mini quilt.
A little Boston terrier distraction to make you smile!
I changed out the cornerstones that were to be whimsical stars to my embroidered potted willows & I used up some of those red fabric dots around them!
It was a few nights of stitching the stems & leaves from the pot & was so worth it to add texture to the corners of this topper! The pot & stem are done with wool scraps too!
I left the cornerstones plan but did use a metallic thread in my bobbin to add more glitz to the back.
I really was glad to see this fabric used in a project that will be used year after year now!
Here is the finished table topper on the dining room table!
I pulled out some Valentine decor & just love how the red warms the room up!
The Dalmation paper puppies have been with me for years when we had Nichele our girl Dal for 13 years. I had had two other Dalmations before her, Oreo & Sparky. Bill purchased Nichele for me as a surprise & what surprised him was how stubborn that gorgeous dog was & she was to be my last.
Boston terriers would fill our hearts now & they are true companion dogs with personality!
Look out the window, see the railing? The snowdrift on the deck is now two feet above the railing!
I left the Restoration Hardware birch lights & wreath up & decorated the garland for Valentine's Day!
The beaded ornaments are from La Cache in London several years ago. I would go later for the sales as it is a pricey store to purchase from having such unique products. Three birds were purchased there...
Two resin/metal cupids with roses & a heart locket that I still have not put our small facial pics in yet!
So sweet, they usually hang in a wreath but this is so fitting for them!
Cupids, roses, & hearts! Happy Valentine's Day to you!!
I'm working on a BOW called All Around the Neighbourhood - A Sampler Quilt but I can only show the blocks on the Fabric Cupboard Sew-a-long site. I'll post a photo of the finished neighbourhood when it is done!
Thank you for stopping by for a visit!
I hope you are warm & cozy this winter season wherever you are.
I'll post more Valentine decor around the house, you saw the dining room today. ;)
Wishing you a great week & health & happiness always!
