"Write it on your heart that every day is the best day in the year." — Ralph Waldo Emerson 

Gosh, Ralph, I'm trying but these winter days--nights!--- have been hard this year.

modified Hugs N Kisses free TQC pattern, years ago.

Happy Valentines Day!

I collect hearts, always have, since childhood. I still have the

gold puffy heart my parents gave me for my sixteenth birthday  

and my mom's Elsa Peretti heart from 

NYC Tiffany's. A handmade wooden box my dad's grandfather made, and so on. 

Heart shaped pebbles from our beach on Cape Cod, in a basket in the blue bedroom.

Mo's ID tags are almost always hearts.

One of my fave collections is heart cooky cutters. This combines two interests, hearts and vintage or

 primitive tin cooky cutters.

Big tin heart sign in the background.

I especially love the the cutters with the scalloped edges. This is my best one, quite large.

This is one of my herbal hearts.

A sprig of rosemary or a tiny antique Pug Valentine tucked into the front pocket. (or a secret name of the one you love?, a folded bill for a favorite child? A chocolate kiss?)

The big bowl of fabric hearts keeps growing.

I know it's too many! I added a set of blues then more blues.

Not sure how to break them up, any takers?

A little scrap of ticking became a rare for me nowadays patriotic heart. I'll add a string to tie it on the pitcher handle maybe.

Have a fun Valentine's Day. It need not be champagne and roses at $100 each, this week only--it can be a call or a text to a friend, a hug for your kids or husband, an extra treat for your doggy. Make of it what you choose.

Mo is btw very fond of these treats. The heart cookies are a rare treat for him and he also loves the Zuke's minis. They were a staple when he was a puppy then hard to find during Covid. They always do  special holiday versions like these hearts.

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️ I have a friend who married his teenage sweetheart. Years ago, when they were 14, he'd give her a rose for every Valentine's Day they spent together, one for first year, two the next year, three, four--and so on. So romantic. Only romantic Valentine's tradition I ever knew anyone to do. Except my dad made my mom a handmade card each year and brought her red carnations, never expensive roses from Mr Frugal. He'd bring pink  mini carnations for me sometimes too. I guess that counts. Anyway the first couple have  been together now for many years and I wonder: Does he give her dozens of roses now? Just one instead? I didn't ask. 

Happy Valentine's Day!

love

lizzy

gone to the beach...

...walked a bit today, sun is melting the snow a little. Photo from Mo's sweet dogwalker, who bundles him up and takes him out to play each afternoon.

And I saw Mr Mockingbird! Singing away to his lady love. If it's the same bird, he must be 20 +years old. 

I also saw a hawk cruising endlessly, low on the dunes. As the snow melts he can perhaps more easily find dinner.

♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️♥️

I Used to Love January, even February...

Hello, hello, friends. It's been a week of ups and downs, hasn't it. Downers: news is appalling, it's terrible cold, I had a post-flu doctor appointment. And on the quilt front--yeesh. Good news is I got the deck door open almost two weeks after the storm. Mo was so happy. He rolled in the snow and did zoomies. then had a happy nap, warming his butt on the radiator while we wait for the spa van.

He's also slowly accepting his bed moved away from the frigid window wall in the bedroom/

January is when I start my indoor bulb garden. First the paperwhites, around Jan 15. New varieties, not real pleased. 

Nice large firm bulbs, but...? zzzzzz....no action.

Choosing the containers. 

I know I'll regret the tureen, but I ve wanted to try it for years. If the bulbs grow they'll flop over badly.

 

A pretty little red transferware bowl, also a floppy in waiting.

The Costco glass bulb vase and scary prongs insert should be more stable. And a lavender glass canning jar, dump dug by my dad.

So far, three weeks later.

Only a couple bulbs are growing and show buds. Still, I'm thrilled to see that.

Then the other day I finally planted the poor sad amaryllis bulbs.

You may recall I usually have the ammies grow outdoors til November--fed, watered, nurtured with love, before a couple months of darkened dry rest. But last summer, mid-July I rescued them from the brick repair men, so destructive. The bulbs are small and dry, but worth a try. This would have been Big Red's 9th year.

Nothing happeningg yet.

......

Grey Baskets:

Let's choose a border. [my floor is not dirty, just weathered, bleached.]

aqua seaweed

red and blue confetti dots

Deep slate grey ribbons

Which one do you think I 'll use? (took me three weeks to decide, hahah). 

The pansies will be the backing probably.

.......................................................

And then Noah's Ark. One great big hassle and disappointment. It oughta go in Julierose's bad project time out closet for a few years.

1- Too big. [1-A wrong color]

2-The plaid fabrics are too old [recycled shirts] and too flimsy. My temperamental machine chews the old plaids up and spits them out. What a job, not fun at all.

3-the doves are too pale. 

4-But the worst part is the horizontal top border's background fabric is too dark. What was I thinking? It makes  the quilt too vertical yet top heavy, a glaring mistake. Must be picked out [remember how hard it was to sew the plaids!) and redone.

IThe quilt also needs, if possible, to be widened, so it is not a long rectangle. Maybe sawtooth edges? A scrappy strips border? I should be enjoying the challenge but instead am just bored, frustrated, discouraged. Mo agrees, he hates it. lol. But is lured into the sewing room with TJ turkey meatballs anyway.

And it's gonna snow again tomorrow, plus wind chills in sub-zeros range, like -15*F. So strange--I have always loved winter. But this cold, this year? Nope.

Hope you all have a warm cozy weekend! Or a cool sunny weekend of you're one of the lucky southern hemi folks.

love

lizzy

gone to the beach....