It's always tea time somewhere in the world....

Just a little something from my childhood. This didn't actually match the style of my doll house but now it makes me want to build a new one and decorate mid-century modern.

Just testing the waters...

Finally switched over to the new blog editor and I must say there is a great improvement  -- at this end anyway.  Also I'm so happy it's cooler here now.  I might actually get a few things done.  I may even hit the road and take more pics with my new camera.

 

Cool blues and little flowers

Still too hot to do much of anything beyond playing with my camera. Here's a little something I picked up at the thrift store around the corner:



And then a very tiny something which belonged to my aunt as a child -- this is a perfume bottle which stands approximately 1.5" tall. I'd taken some pictures of it earlier and was then mortified to see that my camera was so very very good that the thing was covered with a thick layer of dust. Here it is after it's bath all clean and shiny:

Too too too hot

It's too hot to do anything -- one of the downfalls of living in an attic space.... I have gotten a few more photos from Lewis Ginter processed and I have given some serious thought to a few things I might do when the weather cools down a bit. Like this fixer-upper for a start... major cracking in the paint job and she needs a new wig. I'll probably change her costume as well. I know to some she might look like she's in horrible condition but actually, she's not and I'm still quite proud of the fact I only paid $22 for her. I'll be quite satisfied if I can make her look brand new!

There he is!

There he is!
Originally uploaded by Crazy Spider

Is this not just one of the most darling little guys you've ever seen? At least... I'm assuming this is a male. There's a smaller, less colourful frog which lives in the pond as well - maybe a female? If this is the male, then his name is "Louis". The other one's name is Antoinette and she's very shy. I've only seen her once and not long enough to get my camera ready. I'd have to lurk very quietly for a great deal of time and hey... it's just to daggone hot here right now for that.

Little itty bitty quilts

I finally got around to putting the binding on a quilt I started over a year ago -- my goal is to cover the wall in my stairwell with miniature quilts that I and my mother have made over the years as well as other things family members have done.







My mother made this little star quilt for my doll house way back when.

Nicole's I-Spy Quilt

I made two of these quilts for my cousins' little babies. Yes, two cousins had babies at the same time. They're about 18 mo now -- just starting to really learn about the world around them. Each quilt has 100 different squares, a number of which have special meaning to both the recipients and the quilt maker. This is Nicole's quilt which she just received yesterday:

Mad Tea Party

My mother, whose birthday is in March, has always loved "Alice in Wonderland" -- especially the Hatter. So this year when they brought out fabric with the original Tenniel illustrations, I knew I had to make her a table runner for her birthday. I gave it to her a bit early so she could use it at her bridge party. Gotta love those Mean Mothers!

I promise I'll take some "more better pictures" once I learn more about my new camera. With out further ado, here it is!


"Jam yesterday, jam tomorrow but never jam today!" Featured in this close-up...."yesterday's jam".

Pink

Pink
Originally uploaded by Crazy Spider

Absolutely gorgeous day in Richmond on Saturday. I took my new camera out for a spin and found loads of trees in bloom including one mini-Cherry Blossom Festival over near Byrd Park. Nothing quite says spring as well as a boat-load of blossoms against a blue sky.

Well, maybe nothing except a rainy day. I can barely see across the street now!

Anywho, got some really nice close-up shots which will come in handy when designing floral motifs for crazy quilting.

Comfort Flowers

Comfort Flowers
Originally uploaded by Crazy Spider

Sunshine and lots of yellow flowers! I can't wait to catch the rest of the rainbow with my new camera.

Attacked

My Blogger account has been attacked by foreign invaders so I now have to moderate comments. Ack. Why can't these little peons get a life!!! If they had normal hobbies like the rest of us the world would be a much better place.

A New Dawn

OK, so I was really only going to the Doll Show to look. Maybe... just maybe if I saw someone who had clothing for Dawn (that doll made by Topper in the early '70's) I would see if I could get a pair of shoes.

Sigh.

I should have known better. I came home with this:



I also got a new camera this past week and I'm still getting used to it otherwise I'd also be showing you the clothing in the case and the 3 pairs of shoes besides the blue ones which go with the original outfit. I love working in miniature and this is about as small as a fashion doll needs to be. She presents a little bit of a challenge but I've found a great set of patterns on line by Alix North. I had gotten a set of these dolls last year and have made a couple of outfits already.


I'm looking very forward to filling that trunk to the brim and perhaps making a couple of quilts as well. Something '70's inspired for sure.

When Joyce says quilt....

Well when Joyce says stay inside and quilt, people listen! I made this yesterday afternoon after deciding it really was too cold and wet to be outside with my camera:

I think I did get some pretty decent shots for the small amount of time I did stay outside.

Which all in all really makes me just want to hurry up and finish this so I can curl up under it with a cup of tea and a good book:

All I want for Christmas...

.....fortunately I am still in possession of my two front teeth so I reckon next on the list would be an Internet connection at home. I'm tired of not being able to post photographs!!

What I did on my summer vacation...

I moved... that's what I did. I still don't have an internet connection at home and lately I've not had much time to post to my blog.

I have had time to read "The Painter of Battles" by Arturo Pérez-Reverte. I'm not sure I would recommend this to everyone, but I would recommend it to any one with a creative mind because it really demands thinking outside the box, off the page, beyond the cubicle and definitely across the street if not the ocean. I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the creative process the antagonist goes through to craft his painting and was glad the plot wasn't hampered by the inclusion of a huge cast of characters and the all-too-common desire so many authors have to write as if they're trying to sell something to Hollywood. It definitely brings an insight into the world of war photography as well as the painting of battles.

I've also, as usual, read far too many mysteries to list. I've knit another pair of socks, started on a scarf, made a pillow or two, sewn most of a quilt and given some serious thought towards what need to make for Christmas gifts. Is it really only 2 months away?

AAAAAACK!

Expanded Horizons

I can't believe how quickly this month has flown by. It's like a wave, swirling around my feet and flowing away to other shores. I'm in the process of packing to move into a new place. I'm moving in with my best friend from high school and her wee one. Some folks think I'm a bit crazy but I think it's going to be a non-stop tea party. Anywho, I get a lovely attic "flat" to decorate however I want. In the meantime, I've been to Sandbridge to celebrate my nephew's graduation from high school and managed to get a few new pics of sunrises and sunsets. I've also managed to read quite a few books. Absolute stacks of mysteries. The latest Susan Wittig Albert -"Wormwood", a couple of Alexander McCall-Smith's "Precious Ramotswe" series, Margaret Maron's "Hard Row", Raymond Khoury's "The Last Templar", about 3 Lillian Braun "The Cat Who's" and a couple of Carola Dunn's "Daisy Dalrymple" series. I just finished reading Agatha Christie's "Sleeping Murder" and started "Murder At The Vicarage". I'm sure I'll have to make a run to the used book store before the long weekend.

Here's a look at what I did on my summer vacation:

I saw the sunrise over the Atlantic

And the sun set over Back Bay....

Lobsta

I just spent the weekend in New England with my mother's family. We were all gathered for a memorial service for her cousin Hank who will be very greatly missed. He was the one who was always at a family gathering no matter how far, how long or how short a time it was. I think he would be delighted to know that we all had a wonderful time this past weekend, seeing folks we hadn't seen in a long time and getting to know the ones we'd never met. We did get to spend a little bit of time travelling around the area. I have fallen in love with Newburyport, MA. Wouldn't it be wonderful to wake up to a view like this every day?

The other alternative might be a nice little cottage along the shore at Seabrook Beach, NH.

We also drove around Haverhill a bit and had a look at the house my grandfather grew up in. That neck of the woods has very sadly gone down hill -- I'm sure between the city and what ever absentee landlord owns the building now they obviously couldn't care less. How's this for a before and after!

It's nice, though, to see that the house is still a sort of greyish-lavender. Grandma Alice would be very happy in that regard.

And speaking of happy, I can't tell you how happy Malcolm and Charlie are that I'm home. You know I came back expressly to cater to their needs 24/7!

MEEEEEEEERRRRROW!

Where's my pith helmet?

Where's my pith helmet?
Originally uploaded by Crazy Spider

Today we've been on a safari in the back yard showing off Esmerelda's new dress. Mostly we were attacked by "oak worms". I just love this time of year!

Just a little crazy....

....about working in miniature. Some of the fabric I've used is hand-painted and some is hand-dyed using Colour Vie pigments.

Smocking

I don't normally link to other people's blogs -- primarily because there are so many wonderful things out there I just don't have time to pick and choose. But this smocking tutorial on Marie Grace Designs is just too fantastic to miss!

The first part is here:

http://www.mariegracedesigns.com/marie_grace/2009/03/handpleating-fabric-tutorial.html

And the second part is here:

http://www.mariegracedesigns.com/marie_grace/2009/04/smocking-by-hand.html

Now I know what I'll be doing on my next day off!