Travelin' Shoes

 Last week I had my travelin' shoes

buckled on and Running Man and I

 headed off to Vancouver, BC.

We stayed in a condo right in downtown (Gastown)

 on the 38th floor with a terrific view

of the harbor and the mountains to the north.

We crisscrossed the city,

enjoying the aquabus ride

to Granville Island even on a very rainy day, and

 the food booths brimming with tempting eats at the Public Market.

 It was a foodie extravaganza 

Stanley Park

was a must

along with the 

 Vancouver Aquarium with

the beluga whales.

A day trip to 

Capilano Suspension Bridge

was fun inching our way

over the swaying cable bridge 

that stretches across a river canyon

and then enjoying the elevated

 tree trail through the cedars and Douglas firs.

Then a ferry trip

 over to visit Victoria,

 the capitol city of British Columbia.

Despite a little drizzle

we wandered passed the century 

old Empress Hotel located on the harbor,

enjoyed some wonderful local fish and chips

and the lovely coastline of the island.

It was a great trip to Vancouver, but you can't 

ignore the happenin' street food scene.

So with the help of the Food Truck Tour,

we ate ourselves silly.

From Japadog

to TacoFinos and more.

 

It was delicious way to spend lunchtime.

 We only had a few days to explore this beautiful 

area rich in multicultural experiences,

and we had to leave so many things out,

but I guess,

 there's always next time.

Happy Travelin'

Until Next Time-

A New Endeavor

Over the years I've enjoyed

watching my three daughters

develop their own sense of style.

From the colors they use in their homes,

 to the clothes they enjoy wearing

to the furnishings that they use

to decorate their homes.

Jessica, Kate and Elizabeth

They are all very busy with their

careers and families and 

don't have much time 

to pursue many crafty hobbies.

Except recently.

My daughter, Kate,

over at La Vita,

has decided to make and sell

 some fun stationary cards on Etsy.

I'm always looking for simple cards

to express a thought or kind word.

I like her use of

different fonts and colors

to express a simple greeting.

They're modern and playful.

Email has taken away some of 

the letter writing and note sending habit.

But who still doesn't love getting

a card or a note the old fashion way?

Maybe a hand written note or card

 will find its way back

as we become more and more

impersonal with so much"social media".

Until Next Time-

I'm Going to do Something for Fall

 The weather has definitely changed

and fall is in the air.

There have been lots of blogs written

about the change of season and all the

fall projects that are being worked on.

I've been continuing to work on 

Di Ford's mystery quilt.

The next part just came out,

so I'm actually not behind.

 I'm also still working on my

"Put your money where your mouth is" quilt.

 It's the one I paid $5 to the quilt group

as incentive to get it done.

It's the pattern Home for the Holidays

by Lisa Bongean.

And then there's

A-Z with Ewe and Me,

the block of the month from 

The Quilt Show designed by Janet Stone.

The center is done

 so next month will be the beginning of the borders.

And finally,

there's Noah and Matilda,

 

the applique pattern reproduced and sold by Dawn

of Collector with a Needle.

Here are 6 of the next 8 blocks that I have to applique.

I've been so good about sticking with these 4 quilts.

But this week

with the beautiful fall weather,

I needed to do something fallish.

I decided to do an embroidery pattern

from Crabapple Hill,

Autumn's Harvest Pumpkin.

I had a piece of Onaburg cloth

and thought it would make a great pillow.

The problem is the light box doesn't easily work with it

so it took awhile to trace the pattern.

But it's traced and ready to go. 

I should have picked something I could piece quickly,

 but no, I chose more handwork!

There wasn't much time for sewing this

past weekend.

 There were just more important places to be

 

and special people to share it with.

This week has the potential of being a productive one.

Hope yours is too.

Until Next Time-

New Pieces from the Past

The other day I was driving home
and saw a sign on a corner
advertising an Estate Sale.

I had some spare time and thought
I'd check it out.

The sale hadn't started yet and
shoppers were eagerly waiting on the sidewalk, but
with each passing minute, the line was growing restless
and was slowly
edging its way closer and closer to the door.

When the estate seller finally opened the door....

all sanity left.
I just had to stare at the madness
that was happening in front of me.
I didn't pause long
or I might have been trampled.

I spent a few minutes going from room to room
looking at the huge amount of stuff that was in this house.
I could tell this owner had been a collector, a traveler,
a shopper, and had eclectic taste.

I poked and looked
as other shopper literally ran from
room to room, grabbing, posting sold signs on everything
and making piles.
I headed to the basement and was
amazed to see even more stuff.

But look what I found
hanging on a hanger in a corner that
no one had apparently noticed yet.
I had found my treasure.

The price was perfect and
 it's made with all those wonderful

indigos, cadet blues, turkey reds,
shirtings, and double pinks fabrics.
My favorites.

The blocks are all hand pieced and 

there's only one fabric that is starting to shred just a bit.

I did some  investigating trying to find the pattern name.

It looks so familiar.
But I couldn't find it exactly.

Anyone want to venture a guess?

I love the fact that the alternating squares

are white with tiny black dots.

So current, in terms of trends.

Someone had gotten this as a quilt top and 

decided to have it machine quilted with an

overall design.

I generally don't like to see vintage tops

quilted this way, but

maybe there are situations where it might actually

have saved the top.

The quilt's been washed and it's

soft and clean.

Now it has a new home
where it will be cared for and appreciated.

As I watched this person's belonging
being packed up and scattered to the winds,
I was reminded
how fleeting our collections can be.
Hopefully, many of her
treasures found new homes
and can hang out in new collections,
at least for awhile.

Until Next Time-

The Last Bits Of Summer

 Labor Day Monday,

for most of us, feels like the last

hurrah of summer.

It was no exception at Nana's

house this weekend.

Playing with bubbles,

using two different techniques.

Both ways work

until

soap gets in your eye.

It's even fun if you're an observer.

Maybe safer.

Next, it's never too soon

to decide what you're going to be

for Halloween.

Nana knows the best place to shop for costumes.

Still need more to do?

Then head off to the Farmer's Market.

And maybe add a little hiking

.

  and running with Running Man

or hanging out with Nana

,

or learning about raptors,

but eventually it's time to head back

because everyone's pooped

even Nana.

See you next year, summer.

Until Next Time-