Hello! Last week a dear friend came to visit. We curtailed our usual thrifting expedition since I didn't want to leave Mo home alone too long. Especially with the early darkness. He is rarely left home alone at night, needs to be acclimated. [He barks frantically at the suddenly visible lights of helicopters and planes headed for JKF and the city. Every November it's a new training protocol til he relearns to ignore the active skies.]
Instead we opted for a trip to Home Goods--I needed new soup bowls.
The Marshes were quiet, the egrets that gather like ghosts in autumn were long gone. The marsh grass bronze-y brown and drought scorched now.
Home Goods is always fun for me, but on the just after Halloween day it was jam packed to the rafters with tatty Christmas --um, junk.
Lots of pastels.
Gingerbread is a big theme.
Blue or black offerings for the minimalists.
I loved the Swedish tomtes [elves], but look at that price for a stocking stuffer that a 21st century child will instantly toss aside.
I treasured my tomtes* and Dala horses, one brought carefully each year from a Chicago or NYC shop by my dad. One for each of us, I wonder if my brother still has his?
No soup bowls, all was Christmas cookware.
I did get some needed Christmas supplies, velvet ribbon and wrapping paper, stocking stuffers. And my friend found a lovely toile comforter for her winter bedroom. I also added a box of Shiny Brites minis to my collection. There were no garlands which are on my wish list.
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Another fun outing was craft night and dinner with my little artist friend. The project was a somewhat odd but popular family craft seen in preschool and now kindergarten. A family project, hahaha. (some are very slick! obviously made by adults)
''Disguise the Turkey'' [i envision all sorts of tears and food refusal on the big day!]
D wanted her turkey to wear a Furby costume.
This is the kit I put together. We had so much fun. She did such a great job and added her own touches, was a great gluer, and was all smiles--to me that is the whole point. She refuses to call it the Turby though. Furky?
And I adore Japanese food, delish.
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Googly Eyed Jacks top is mostly complete.
The sideways flying geese blocks as jaggy pennants worked perfectly. But there's really no seam allowance to accomodate after-quilting straightening and trimming. A small border is needed or the bunting triangles points will be lost.
I had my heart set on the bellybutton cheddar print. But it overwhelms the Jacks.
I like the black calico okay.
Another option is to add the shirting plaid so that the triangles float as planned; black for the binding. Not exciting or fun but probably best design choice. I struggle with ''primitive'' style and colors, wanting bright even though I know it is wrong.
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.A freeze was briefly predicted earlier in the week. Instead we had dense fog and a warm night but I brought in the last tiny flowers when I went out to yet again bungee everything down.
Wouldn't it be great if we had a few more warm sunny days. Mo and I have three more stars and the Moon to applique , then Noah's Ark / stage one/ hand app/ is done.
The frost never happened, the pots bravely bloom on.
Have a great weekend.
love
lizzy
gone to the beach...
The skies are filled with flocks of birds. Geese, ocean ducks, even swans--and these dense gatherings of tiny ''black'' birds.
One year I investigated a flock that landed to feed in the dunes and was amazed that they were, in that case, snow buntings. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHrgHeUS_uM
Elegantly pink and tan and black. But these could be swallows or starlings, warblers???
Yes the dune sand is that white.
A painting and a poem by an artist I admire, recently passed away but his gallery continues to show his work.
TOMTE : A tomte is a solitary, mischievous mythical creature from Scandinavian folklore that is believed to protect farms and households. Traditionally, a tomte is a small, older man with a long beard who wears a red cap and grey clothes, and resides in the barn or pantry. He is responsible for the welfare of the farm animals and the property, and expects a bowl of porridge with butter on Christmas Eve in return for his work. [from Wiki]
snow bunting https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHrgHeUS_uM
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