A New Camera!

Santa brought me a new camera. Actually it's from the DH. It's been a long time since I've blogged. My agenda has been full. I married the nicest man on the planet. He's the guy that bought me the spiffy new camera.

Not much commetary to this post. Tonight is a freeze so it seemed like a good time to capture some of the current blooms. I'm learning how to use the camera and loving it.

Turk's Cap

Mexican Flame Bush/Vine

Chinese Lanterns

Bougenvilla

Carolina Jessmine

Azaleas

Hope Christmas was a joyful and peaceful time for you.

Quilt Festival- The Beauty

I'm on my way back to the Internatinal Quilt Festival. This is just a quick post and just one of the pictures I took. I think this quilt it beautiful in it's simplicity. It is made of raw edge pieces. They might all be triangles but probably not. I left thinking " I could attempt that."

Yesterday at Festival I sat down to eat a bite with a new book I bought. A woman joined me and began talking. She knows a whole lot about quilting. It's her 17th year. She told me there were many quilts that won awards that are sloppily done. She went on to talk about sloppy bindings etc. She wasn't impolite....she just knows alot and has an opinion.

I hope I never see what she sees. Ignorance is bliss. My breath is taken away by the quilts. While some are more my taste than others, I am stunned by what people can create. And most of those people are women.

Off to take in more beauty and do some sloppy work in the class I am taking.

Aster Manor #2 In Progress

I started my second Aster Manor Disappearing Nine Patch. It's so quick and easy. My thinking is that this will be a Christmas gift for someone. I was just going to make one but I bought way too much material for the sashing and border that it just seemed cost effective to mass produce. So here is a go at the second version.



I decided to make the center block solids in each of these blocks. I didn't do that with the first version. Below is the nine patch in red before cutting. It was hard to cut that up. I think it's so pretty.



Then one of the brown nine patch blocks.







Here are all 9 disappearing nine patch blocks without the sashing or binding. I'm not sure how I'm going to like this one. With the center blocks being solid and all the others being prints...I feel like I see the same print blocks over and over. Not enough variation. We'll see what it looks like with sashing and border.
This is version #1 with sashing and border. I'll compare both when the sashing and border is added to version #2.

I need an entry level camera for blogging pictures. My fabrics and flowers don't get the credit due them with this camera. What kind should I get????

Kaffe Hexagons

At last year's quilt festival I bought a charm pack of Kaffe prints. I had no idea what to do with them. That little pack has gone a long way. I just love, love, love these prints.

I have a weird hallway space that I have to fill. I've never been able to find prints that I like or want to pay the price for. I decided to frame some blocks that I could later change. I have enough spare fabric, for sure.

So, here is the start to a hexagon design that I'll frame. We'll see where it goes. I think the center of each flower will be yellow.

It's just a few weeks until quilt festival. Think I'll need some more Kaffe.

Nothing but heaven itself is better than a friend who is really a friend. Plautus.

That's a picture of my dog not my best friend. She would kill me if I posted her picture.

Just got off the phone with a friend of over 30 years. Tomorrow night I go out with a friend of over 25 years. Both are my "best friends." I am blessed.

Call your best friend. It will make your day.

Fancy Spinning Shoes

I'm putting these on tomorrow. They are my fancy spinning shoes. On the bottom is a clip to make me and the bike one. I have visions of me falling off the bike with my shoes still clipped in. I think that wouldn't turn out well.

Notice how new and unused they look. Shame on me. Off to bed so I can get up early. And spin.

What's Wrong With This Plant?

Yesterday I went to a lecture by Dr. Charles Cole about insects in the garden. He retired from Texas A&M and now works with the Master Gardener program along with other ventures. I love listening to people who really know their stuff. He said that by identifying insects we can solve 80% of the problems in our garden. My goal is to identify and differentiate between the nuisance insects and the troublemakers. He carries a small magnifying glass in his pocket. I need to add that to my supplies.



To continue my education I purchased the book below, What's Wrong with My Plant? It is well laid out using a flowchart to lead you to the possible issue.







The mandevilla below has old leaves turning yellow but still has new growth. The flowchart led me to nitrogen or magnesium deficiency. Not rocket science on that one but I realized that I fertilized it's neighbor but not this newer addition. I gave it some fertilizer. Let's see what happens.





The lantana has suspicious leaves. I'll research this today to see what ails it. Leaf miners? Hmmm.







Now for the happy places. I filled a hanging basket with cyclamen, snapdragons, and petunias. It's wonderful to have cooler weather. The previous tenant of this basket dried up in the heat.





The passion vine on the right has gone over to it's neighbor, the clematis, on the left. It is so much fun to watch both of these vines cover the pergola. I love sitting out here in the evening.

And a basket of roses to look at each day. My mother had miniature roses at the front of her house. I think of her when I look at these. I love all my plants but nothing is as pretty as a rose. Passing by and taking a sniff makes me happy.

I hope fall weather has hit your area. It's a beautiful time of year.