Please vote for me!

I entered my Etsy Hookers Crochet team's challenge with an Irish theme. Voting started today and will continue till Thursday, April 8th at noon. Just click below to vote!

Etsy Hookers Crochet team's blog

Please vote for me (or for your favorite entry.) My Irish bathroom tissue doll called "When Irish Eyes are Smiling" is entry number 12 (from the top). It would be nice if you could pass this on to your family, friends and collegues, because voting is open to everyone.

Once more, here's a photo of my entry:

I hope you will take a few moments to vote via the link above or by clicking the picture of my entry on my sidebar (top, left.) Thank you for your help!

Let's play "If I were..."

I found this list on a dear fellow blogger's post, Annie Coe of Blissful-Bohemian, and thought I would play this game too. I like it because it makes you think and reflect about who you are. Why don't you try it too?


If I were a month I’d be December

If I were a day I’d be Saturday

If I were a time of day I'd be Dawn

If I were a font I'd be bold Script

If I were a sea animal I’d be an Octopus

If I were a direction I’d be South

If I were a piece of furniture I’d be a big, soft, comfy Recliner

If I were a liquid I’d be Mercury

If I were a gemstone I’d be a Ruby

If I were a tree I’d be a Christmas Tree

If I were a tool I’d be a Crochet Hook

If I were a flower I’d be a Sunflower

If I were an element of weather I’d be an Electrical Thunder Storm

If I were a musical instrument I’d be an Accordeon

If I were a color I’d be Green in love with Burgundy (or vice versa)

If I were an emotion I’d be pensive Sadness speckled with Hope

If I were a fruit I’d be a Lemon

If I were a sound I’d be one of Falling Rain

If I were an element I’d be a raging barn Fire

If I were a car I’d be a Red Truck

If I were a food I’d be a Pickle

If I were a place I’d be a Forest

If I were material I’d be Velvet

If I were a taste I’d be strong Coffee

If I were a scent I’d be Lilac

If I were a body part I’d be a Heart

If I were a song I’d be "Fields of Gold" (by Sting)

If I were a bird I’d be a Goose

If I were a gift I’d be a Surprise

If I were a city I’d be Nuremberg

If I were a door I’d be Open

If I were a pair of shoes I’d be well-worn Sandals

If I were a poem I’d be "eeny, meeny, miney, moe..."


Now, wasn't that fun? Tag, you're it!

I survived the inspection

I'm late with my post, but that's because I've been up most of the night, reorganizing, sorting, reading, reminiscing, condensing, rearranging and cleaning the apartment. Once every three months, we have an inspection or a walk-through, because I live in rental assisted apartments, meaning, everyone pays approximately 30% of their income for rent. Therefore, it's government/state subsidized and inspections are part of the routine. I guess they want to make sure we don't have barn yard animals in here or knocking out walls. It's actually works well for me because I am by nature somewhat of a collector of things for repurposing and recycling; also, my yarn has a way of taking over the apartment, because as all knitters and crocheters know, yarn seems to have some sort of a subliminal power over us. Thus, once every three months, I declutter and do some major housekeeping by taking a bunch of stuff to the garbage bin and having new space to start over again.

Of course, while I was sorting and reading through some of my papers, I came across a couple of old photos from my last visit to Germany - and that, ladies and gents, was back in April of 2003. I can't believe it! It's been that long! (Note to self: buy more photo albums!)

I remember driving through the country side in good ole Bavaria and since it was around Easter Time, the villagers had hung decorated Easter eggs (hollowed out and painted) all around the town's well/fountain (Brunnen) which is Easter tradition where I come from. It looked so cheerful and I decided to sit beside it and have my photo taken by dad. Here are the two photos of the decorated hollowed out eggs hanging around the well.

I had to photograph the photos with my digital in order to show you, but I believe you can make it out if you  increase the percentage a little, like to 200 maybe?

It looks as if I am smelling the daffodils, doesn't it? But, it's just optical illusion a la Papa!

I'll leave you with a fun Easter illustration I found on the German website called GermanDeli.com where I shop sometimes to quench my German food cravings, such as Himbeersaft, Hagebuttenmarmelade und Himbeerpudding and the occasional Weisswurst (mmmmmm.)

COME GET YOUR EASTER BASKETS HERE - Hershey's Better Basket Blog Hop

Come one, come all - everybody is invited to do this:

This Easter season, Hershey is celebrating it’s new Easter products sold exclusively at Walmart and their legacy of making a difference. Hershey’s will donate up to a total of $5,000 to the Children’s Miracle Network. For each blog that participates in the blog hop by sending virtual Easter Baskets, Hershey’s is donating $10 to the Children’s Miracle Network.

I received a virtual Hershey's Easter Basket from Anke of Our Little Piece of Heaven and now I'm passing it on to my friends. You can pass this on to as many people as you like, I chose the following, but everyone who reads this post is welcomed and invited to please pass this on to your friends. The more the merrier - and the more for the children!

Samantha from Samantha's Art Studio
Kathy from Happy at Home
Holly of Banner Haus News
Sarah of Musings of an Eclectic Quilter
Ulrike of Lingering Shades
Jane of Frugal Fine Living
Kerrie of Kerrie's Korner
Silke from Metamorphosis
Tina of Beansie Babbles
Glenna of Glenna's Garden
Aunt Pitty Pat of Aunt Pitty Pat's

HERSHEY’S BETTER BASKET BLOG HOP RULES

* Copy and paste these rules to your blog post.

* Create a blog post giving a virtual Easter Basket to another blogger – you can give as many Virtual Baskets as you want.

* Link back to person who gave you an Easter Basket.

* Let each person you are giving a Virtual Easter Basket know you have given them a Basket.

* Leave your link at BetterBasket.info/BlogHop comment section. You can also find the official rules of this Better Basket Blog Hop, and more information about Better Basket with Hershey’s there.

* Hershey’s is donating $10 per each blog participating to the Better Basket Blog Hop to Children’s Miracle Network (up to total of $5,000 by blog posts written by April 4th, 2010).

* Please note that only one blog post by each blog url will count towards the donation.

Thanks everyone for being good sports and playing along and raising some money for the kids. Happy Easter!

Hush - baby's sleeping

The weather's been kind of iffy the last few days, typical for this time of year, I suppose. Gizzy's turning out to be the most perfect dog for me as he and I age together. He sleeps a lot now and when I want to go outside, I often have to wake him and then he's ready for action. He's alert and eager to explore. He loves to leisurely walk around the lake and sniff every blade of grass and just sit there and watch. He's 12 years old now and will be 13 on November 1st. Like I said, he sleeps a lot more, but I'm glad for it, thinking a) he won't harass the cat and b) he might live longer.
This is is typical sleeping position:

Do you think he could be any more relaxed? I hear him gently snoring and I will do something quiet, like maybe crochet?

It looks like it might rain, but one just never knows. I will miss this cool breeze, because soon enough the heat will set in and come August, I'm a limp, exhausted dishrag of a person tired of breathing the artifical air and unable to breathe the outside air.

I know that (as soon as I'm able) I should move somewhere cooler, but honestly, I'm so tired of starting over every five to ten years. Moving gets old and very, very tiring (not to mention expensive.) I have a few nice friends here and as I age, those bonds become more important, especially since all my family is long-distance and I have no physical family contact, making Gizzy and Middi my immediate family for hugging and kissing.

Today is Palm Sunday and Easter will be celebrated next week. I will boil some eggs later this week and color them to bring with us for snacks while on our trip to the annual Cherokee Spring Powwow  in Saint George next Saturday. Happy Palm Sunday everyone!

Cherokee of Georgia Spring Powwow

I was invited yesterday to come to an authentic Cherokee Powwow on Saturday April 3rd and I said yes...I can't wait! I met Jerry (who is Cherokee Indian) at a mutual friend's pre-Valentine's party. He was at the library yesterday when I was returning some DVDs. Turns out he's a long time friend of another friend who goes to the library to use the computer regularly and she was there too, so we both got invited to go with him to St. George next Saturday, the 3rd.  It's near the Okefenokee Swamp (a National Wildlife Reserve), about a two-hour car ride from here. At first we hesitated because it entails camping overnight in a tent and we both snore. Jerry said we can use one of his tents. It'll be interesting to see who falls asleep first, because I'm going to lay awake, waiting for her to fall asleep and she'll probably do the same. Here's the link to the website, if anyone wants to take a look:

Cherokee of Georgia

Jerry said that this is not an ordinary powwow where there is 95% tourists and 5% tribal Indians, but more like the other way around.

Im so excited! I can hardly wait. I was told it's ok to bring my camera, so I'll be returning with lots of good photos. I've always been fascinated with Indian ways and when I found out that there will be story telling, I rememberd the spooky stories my ex mother-in-law used to tell me, who was Hopi Indian. Her stories made my skin crawl and my hair stand straight up. I LOVED them!

Now I have to call my mother in Germany and get some Easter cards mailed, but not before I walk the boy, he's standing here crying.

REMEMBER: It's Earth Hour tonight from 8:30 pm to 9:30 pm (all time zones) and I, for one, will turn  my lights off during that time.

Yellow

WARNING: Put on your shades - this post is very bright!

I just wanted to show you a few yellow things I crocheted, two of them recently and another a while back, but I'm in a yellow mood. Bright yellow always cheers me up. I need a lift today, because my back's killing me, even when I'm sitting. So, are you ready? Got your shades on? Here's what I made:

I know at least one of my dear friends is going to be wondering ... hmmm....???

And now I'm off to do something ...right after my Motrin kicks in. Top it off, my trusty ole rollator walker broke the other day and the Gizzy and I've not been walking around the lake for a couple days. He's getting anxious and I'm starting to fall apart over here too. Walking keeps me somewhat limber.

But, tomorrow on my way to the hospital for yet another "pre-op" I'm dropping off the rollator to get it repaired. I was told that I'll be getting a loaner. Good! I have to go out there and walk - and so does my boy!


While I'm doing the yellow post, I thought I'd show some of my most favorite yellows:

The Canary on the right looks like he's whispering something in the middle one's ear - who is tilting  his head, and the one on the left looks so clueless and left out - aww...how sad!

                                             Isn't that Praying Mantis just too cool?

Miss Golie's Bedspreads

Today is an eye-candy of a post, so get ready to be amazed. I've got lots to show you. I have this sweet, little old lady neighbor. Her name is Golie and she's 86. Because she knows that I crochet and appreciate crafts, she took me over to her apartment yesterday afternoon and showed me a collection of handmade bedspreads, I mean handmade BY HAND - no machines (except for one which I'll point out to you.) Are you ready? Tell all your sewing and quilting friends, they'll want to see this:

This is what I saw when I walked in her bedroom, a yo-yo-bedspread. I've never seen or heard about a yo-yo bedspread before.

Now take a closer look:

(Top side)                                                                                   (Back side)
These are all little circles, gathered in the center and pulled together, then handsewn onto each other. No two colors are next to each other and she told me it took her cousin years to make, because she worked on it whenever she had some extra time, which in those days was probably not much. There is no background and they are all free standing. She wants to sew on a back ground because she's afraid to lift it because the the weight of the bedspread may tear the rounds. They all look to be a sheer kind of material, like nylon maybe.

She asked me if I were to sell it how much I would ask for it and I said at least $2,000 or $2,500. She said she was thinking at least $1,000 or $999 and I was thinking: "keep it and pass it on - or take it to the Antiques Road Show and have it appraised." I was flabbergasted! These photos don't do it justice, but I simply had to show you.

There's more...





She then pulled out this Quilt that she embroidered and hand quilted. The only part that is machine sewn is the outer edgings of the yellow and green borders, but each individual square is first embroidered and then quilted around each branch and each cluster of flowers as you will see in the photo:

She explained to me how difficult the embroidery yarn was to work with and that the only way she knew how to quilt it, is by going around each individual design of the embroidered branch or clusters of flowers and if you look closely, you will see the tiny imprint of her stitches (all by hand) to attach the backing. Again, the only part she did by machine is the green and yellow trim around the 12 squares.

She also explained how she made her quilting frame by asking her husband to put four big hooks in the ceiling and make her a frame out of wood so that she could pull it up and down. She said that whenever she had some time, she pulled the frame down from the ceiling to work on it and then pulled it back up and out of the way. How clever is that? I love how inventive people had to be back then when modern day conveniences were not yet available

On to the next...

Then Miss Golie pulled out this knitted bedspread that one of her cousins knitted (by hand, of course) and gave to her back in the 50's. She said that it was $15 "back then" but her (Golie's) husband wouldn't buy it for her, so her cousin sent it to her for free. (I love all the stories that go with these pieces.)

The next one has been in the making for a long time. Miss Golie's sister in law started it and then it lay around at her son in law's for a while (but him, being a guy, didn't even notice it) and now it came back to her. She's in the process of completeing the outer edging and then give it back to her son in law for him to use. It's all hand sewn, not a stitch is made by machine. Just look at these tiny squares:

Miss Golie said that "in those days, they sewed all their own clothes" and undoubtedly that's where all these little pieces came from. I couldn't stop admiring all those perfect little squares, all hand sewn together.

She showed me the hand made stitching inside (right pictures above) as this is the area she needs to finish. She will sew all around the outside edge to complete this item and return it to her son-in-law.

The last one is a bedspread she crocheted herself and it's been well used:

(I didn't even know she crocheted)

I'll ask her if she's serious about wanting to sell her Yo-Yo-bedspread (the fist one) and maybe I can list it for her on Etsy and Artfire.

Also, I have more exposures of all these bedspreads so that if anyone is interested in seeing more detailed pictures, just let me know and I'll send the photos to you in an e-mail.

And this concludes this section of today's bedspread post, so on to a few more nature shots from yesterday.

After I walked back from Miss Golie's apartment to mine, I looked up into the blossoms (as usual) and lo and behold, there was the moon.

Around 7:30 pm last night, I decided to drive to Bank's Lake with Gizzy to watch the sunset. I got there a little too late and will try it again tonight, but I was just in time to collect a few mosquitoe bites.

Right: Driving to the lake                                                   Right: at Bank's Lake

The trees at Bank's Lake were blocking the final sunset and I probably would have seen it better from the road, but there's always tomorrow - I still love the pink hues in the water and it was very romantic looking.

My boy had fun sniffing around, but when I heard an alligator croak rather close to the shore, I knew it was time to take my little doggy and go home - after all, canine is an alligator's favorite food, only Gizzy was not on the menu!