''How cold is it, Lizzy?" (Hi, everyone!)
''It's so cold ...''
1- no walkies for Mo some afternoons.
2- no window washing. It's so cold I can't wash the crusted salt spray off my windows. Windex--and my fingers--freeze.
And it's so cold, some days I just shiver and dither. I imagine this is the coldest winter ever.
On deck is Bramble Berries One [Bramble Blooms, a sewalong from Quilty Folk] but I diverted to a little project, Old Blue Baskets, a little quilt using rescued tattered and faded early 1900s blocks.
They were in the in work pile, rediscovered as I mindlessly tidied, aka procrastinated, in the frigid sewing room. Right beyond that To Do stack is my pile of favorite fabrics, and this blue foulard from French General was on top. Perfect! Hand and machine quilt mix maybe? The Baskets are backed w fusible so not good for hand quilting.
I also made some brown hearts bowl fillers. Going for a primitive look. Blue dough bowl is an antiquue from Maine.
I was disappointed at first but they're growing on me, if I keep the setting very simple.
My Nature Journal is quite neglected, though I am gathering twigs and pods to draw ''someday''. Imagine my joy--such a little thing, to make me so happy!---when a 4" twig I saved for drawing back in early January suddenly burst into bright yellow blooms in its seaglass inkwell.
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Faffing around the big room a bit, going for midwinter, post-Valentine look. Much too early for spring!
Black and white transferware set out. Decided to wait and do all blue in the spring, or like May whichever comes first.
Pillows, note the funny Kaffe Fassett ''Fish Lips'' black print...
............
The winter bulb garden has been glorious. ALL these paperwhites were $7.99, I think. HERE Sold
out now as bulb but great sale prices on preplanted paperwhites and amies.
This is just three ''leftover bulbs!
Main event: this---
to this
Prize winning, if only in my own opinion, white amaryllis. It was so many blooms.
Pinky is slow but coming. I like that it will be blooming as the others finish. See edit at end of post!
Even Baby Blue has a bud, albeit w a hint of red not blue. And Big Red was beautiful if short-lived. aaand, suddenly now has yet another bud. I think I need to pot it in its summer soil while the next blooms grow.
This has been a wonderful indoor garden year so far.
As mentioned Mo has been easy going about walk or no walk. He does seem to be liking his sweaters now that he is an older little man.
Last---no new pic, but! I did work on Bramble Berries, just a little. The wild recycled nine patch top cut up and used on sides so far. Imagine my amazement--it works, it actually looks as I imagined a whole year or more ago.
Now must go cook, using last of roast pork to make friend rice. Sounds good as the snow gently wafts down outside on the dunes. I had Trader Joe's spring rolls to go with, yum.
Have a good week ahead! February's last hurrah.
love,
lizzy....gone to the beach
EDIT: Overnight! Pinky bloomed! Isn't she gorgeous. Bud on the right is surprise flowering of Baby Blue, who I am thrilled to see even if he turns out to be pink.
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Love the little nine patches with your Bramble Berries center...perfect pairing...
ReplyDeleteYour winter garden is so lovely...
It HAS been so cold for sure...hoping for a warming trend this coming week...
Your little hearts in that lovely antique bowl are perfect....
hugs, Julierose
I do like your bench/Settle, and your flowers are lovely. I've never tried growing Amerylis in water. The one in the hyacinth vase seems fine, but doesn't the one in deeper water rot the bulb? Don't they topple over when they get tall, and is your Mrs Tiggy-Winkle by Beswick? I have some Bestwick figures, including Mrs T-W.
ReplyDeleteJean.
Hello, Jean! Thanks about the flowers and bench. The bulbs in water are sitting on ''gravel'', pebbles and seaglass shards. Or w the hyacinth vase, only the lower section is filled. Only the bases should get wet, so no rotting. [both are a bit overfilled bec the water was evaporating really fast ]. But neither amaryllis nor narcissus seem to rot in water, not sure why--bec they're growing? As for the topple factor, yes you're correct, the hyacinth vase will fall if I don't put in into a tall cylinder vase soon. That bulb had never produced a bud before this year, year3 or 4, I forget, so I wasn't concerned about it at first.. Planting in soil is truly better, I as experimenting.
DeleteNot sure if Mrs T is Beswick, I think not. I ll come back and add after I go look.
lizzy
Lizzy I've just checked my Mrs T W in the cabinet. Mine is the same figure, is Bestwick which I knew, and is stamped underneath Mrs Tiggy- Winkle takes tea. 🙂 I wouldn't be surprised to find yours was Beswick too.
DeleteJean.
Mrs Tiggywinkle IS Beswick, dated 1989.I had Mrs T and a few other figures as a child, long gone, but my Mrs T was the one where she is holding her iron. I thought early figures were Royal Doulton, but that seems to be incorrect.
DeletePosting for Penny: Apologies for the duplication - almost hit post, a third time!!
ReplyDeleteMy girls loved kid's cookbooks. Marmite cheese muffins were a hit and were even demonstrated in Engish class at junior school!
When we've been overheating, I look at your snowy pics and weather temperatures to cool down. You really have had some low figures.
Your amaryllus and paperwhites are an absolute triumph.
You have such a talent of combining colours together. The hearts are perfect in your blue wooden bowl.
I'm very taken with Mo's wonderful red jersey. It looks just the thing with cables making it thicker. Definitely his colour!!
There's a huge dark grey cloud coming up the valley. We have a weather warning for severe storms, but luckily we're often on the edge of heavy hail. Let's hope.
Keep warm.
Much love,
Pennyxx
P.S. Nearly forgot. Antique blue baskets are magical. Will you be adding anything to them? They work so well as they are.
So cold there, our house is also very cold when the wind blows. Which is most of the time! Happy to see the progress on your Bramble Blossoms top, is this current work the final border or will you be adding more? Hope it warms up soon, for both of us.
ReplyDeleteSo cold there, our house is also very cold when the wind blows. Which is most of the time! Happy to see the progress on your Bramble Blossoms top, is this current work the final border or will you be adding more? Hope it warms up soon, for both of us.
ReplyDeleteI love all your bloomings and goings. Each winter it makes me wish I had also made the effort for a little indoor garden. I love the term "topple factor". Wouldn't that make a great title for a book? Looking forward to your "blue" amaryllis' actual color. How sweet that your twig burst into bloom. It's probably all the influence of the other blooming plants nearby. I don't accomplish much when I'm really cold. All I can think about is being cold. This winter I have put on an old robe on top of my regular clothing to go downstairs and sew at night. It's like wearing a heavy blanket. It works!
ReplyDeleteAlso your blue baskets quilt is a triumph. So lovely.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry I'm so late leaving a comment, Lizzy! Where does the time go?
ReplyDeleteI hope your weather is warmer now that it was a week ago. It's hard to stay warm sometimes. When we first moved to the house where we live now, the single-pane windows were framed in aluminum. Gosh, I don't think I was ever in a colder house! It's amazing how much cold air came come through windows.
Oh, I love your basket quilt. I must be warming up to blue to like it so much.
Your brown hearts are very sweet. I like the high sides and the deep v. And the fabrics! They look great with the blue background of the container they're in (a trencher?). And the two on the door knob are wonderful, too, especially the little grey patch on the one.
How amazing that a little twig would bloom. You'd been keeping it in water?
How lovely to see the paperwhites in bloom. (They are too fragrant for our house but beautiful to see.)
Bramble Berries looks great!