Jonesing Jessica Jones (fabric): Meet Outside Oslo

Jessica Jones of the blog  how about orange has a new fabric line that makes me crazy with ideas! I love her subtle use of vivid colors and the graphics are mid century reminiscent. My whole house is 60's and veddy veddy cool. I can picture table linens, pillows, a bed quilt or wall hanging... the options are endless.

The stylized designs remind me of pine trees or ferns (frond), waves (skiff), spring flowers (wildflower & tulip), picturesque homey fencing (picket), and fresh cut firewood stacked (sticks). All that's missing is the lovely little Nordic cottage they belong around. She's smart though, the cottage would be trite and she is NEVER trite.


There are 2 color schemes, 1 daytime (Dawn Colorway) and 1 evening (Dusk Colorway). The daytime has tangerine, burnt orange, deep toasted orange, light robin's egg, dusty blue, rich grey brown, and creamy white.  The evening round up has rich grey brown, warm charcoal, turquoise, mustard, and creamy white. 

This gorgeous line is being produced by The Needle Shop and is coming out in May for retail sale. I'm sure Jessica will be posting where her goods can be bought by those of us not fortunate enough to have our very own fabric store. Pdf's with inspiring ideas and photos are available for download at the shop. Go forth sewers, quilters, and crafters and dream...

Threads of Insanity aka The Thrill of the Hunt...

Only a quilter will spent hours driving through a blizzard to an estate sale on the other side of East Jebubs Nowhere to buy thread. That's right... I said thread.  


But baby, did I land a stash!  Whether quilting, embroidering, or serging you use a lot, I mean A LOT of thread.  Its extremely expensive if you buy the good stuff. You'd think I was referring to a Law and Order Criminal Intent script for drug running.  Good thread doesn't fray, split, or break easily.  It doesn't jam or jump tension. Its worth every penny and it also costs a bunch of them.

So anyway, back to my score. Normally I'd be one of the first people there to try and secure the goods I wanted however there was some serious snow flying, up to 10 inches had fallen.  In the morning the interstates were all but closed.  Finally things let up about 11am so off I went.  I was lucky that everyone was after the sewing machines and left the thread alone.  


So here's what I got: 
40 spools of assorted metallics.  
60 to 70 spools of Sulky in a rainbow of colors
27 spools of Wooly Nylon serger thread
15 spools of standard serger thread
4 half yard pieces of St. Patricks appropriate fabric
3 specialty sewing feet (that I didn't have) unused/unopened retail value $75 
Some miscellaneous other notions and 5 plastic storage boxes

And what did I pay for this hoarders delight of sewing goods?  $90!  I added up the retail value (including a 40% JoAnns discount for every item) and quit at $500! LIFE IS GOOD! I would never risk wrecking my car or injuring myself driving to a sale, I was just lucky it was all still there. Someday I'll expose photos of the fabric spilling from every storage orifice, nook, cranny, closet, and cubby in our house. My hubs is a saint to accommodate my obsession. For now though I'm still trying to figure out where I'm going to stash my new stash.


About Arthur- the bastard still controls my life right now. Treatment issues, stress, etc. continue to give him the upper hand but one of these days... his ass will be mine.

Nationwide Debilitating Syndrome, GSCC, being delivered in US by unsuspecting youth!

BEWARE: I'm afraid I may soon be suffering from a debilitating new syndrome.  Its called GSCC or Girl Scout Cookie Coma.  Brought on by the delicious taste and endless sugar rush, this syndrome results in a calm bliss disabling the desire to do anything beyond eating more cookies. This will no doubt turn epidemic and the only cure is for all cookies nationwide to be consumed.  News reports of hoarding among suburban housewives is rampant with cartels developing in centers of large or dense Girl Scout populations. These cookies are plainly addictive thus encouraging behaviors beyond the norm. 

Beware of those pushing boxes of eleven different types of this substance, among them Samoas, Do-Si-Dos, Thin Mints, etc. You will find them lurking outside any US "big box" store hidden behind card tables.


This scourge comes right on the heels of two other health epidemics, CCO (Christmas Cookie Overload) and VTG (Valentine Truffle Gluttony). There is reported to be a common household antidote for all three of these ills, consuming vast quantities of Boy Scout Popcorn. 

HELP!!! Must find Lemon Chalets...  

P.S. Thanks to my neighbor, Lydia, for delivering my 11 (yes eleven!) boxes so quickly :)  yummmmmmmmmmm

What I did last summer...

Happy 60th Anniversary Aunt Joyce and Uncle Walter!!!

This summer I'd like to say I sailed around the world, invented the next great infomercial product, won the lottery, or wrote a book. But I didn't. I did develop a complete lack of confidence, a huge roadblock in treatment, and a severe case of writer's block.  Somehow in spite of that I kept plugging away driven by gifts I wanted to make for people I love. There's nothing like the people who hold some of your best memories as well as a piece of your heart to bring out your best intentions :)

Wedding Photo 1950

Their lovely home

The hubs has a very special aunt and uncle who celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary. This couple is really something. He was in several WWII combat theaters and she was a bride a couple weeks after graduating high school. They're huge patriots and truly love America more than Sarah Palin claims to. They've lived in the same house forever and still have a fabulous 1962 Chrysler 300 convertible that is in mint condition that they bought new. Travel is one of their great loves right behind their family. 

In the Beginning...

In Process

Detail of Chrysler 300 Convertible

This very cool pair has always treated me as if I was a blood relative and I love them dearly!  In honor of this very special anniversary I chose to honor their home and that very special car in a mini quilt.  It's the first truly pictorial quilt I've ever made and came out pretty well if I do say so myself.  On the back is a collage of wedding and anniversary photos through the last 60 years.  The pictures tell the story better than I can.  

Front Detail of the house/front door 

Back Collage of anniversary pictures through the years

Back Detail

Finished mini quilt

Joyce and Walter with their Family and Friends!

Election Day... When does the campaigning end and the governing begin?

Phood for Thought...

"Educating the mind without educating the heart is no education at all."  Aristotle

Its Election Day, I hope you were an educated voter. I hope you got your facts from reasonable, reliable sources and not talking heads or attack ads. 

My question is for every elected candidate: When does the campaigning end and governing begin??? Will you be able to set aside all the mud and bitterness and sit at the big table as a mature responsible adult. No matter your party, you've been asked and you've given your oath to represent all of us. To do what's best for the country not your party. 

Today's Web Word:  MANITAT

A man cave, boy barracks, guy grotto, cowboy cabin, dog house, fraternity house, generally a habitat for men?

Lotsa "New"s... or all the New you need M-F with Arthur and I

I have a New Header Photo, New Focus, a New Attitude, and a New Daily Structure for Arthur and I. I'm hoping that by targeting a general subject each day it will help me organize my head and my life. Posting makes me feel productive and I really missed it this summer. I was ready to chuck the whole thing but one of my friends helped me realize it built confidence to put my efforts into words. The failures didn't seem so fatal and the successes led me to new endeavors.  So......

Mondays will be about photos. Some that I've taken, some taken by others and credit will be given whenever its available or findable. You can thank or blame Miss B for this leap of faith (that anyone will care what I shot). I'll also be giving you the scoop on any exhibits I've been privileged to see. There's a doozy of a show in Akron right now that will rock your world (huge pun there that will be revealed next monday)!!!

Tuesdays: Phood for Thought and Web Words. I will post a quote that I find interesting or provoking and probably why it impacted me. Web Words, well most times when we choose to comment on a blog we're asked to verify by typing in some silly nonsense word (wadop).  However I've been collecting them and imagining what they might define.  Check them out next time you comment somewhere.  I'd love to have you tell me what you think it could mean.

Wednesday is for posting Projects and Busy Work. I mean, what's a gimpy housewife supposed to do all day anyway.  I'm not exactly a part of the bridge club or bonbon set, I don't play golf, volunteering is rough because I never know when I'll wake up in knots ala arthur (the resident sadist in our house). For some reason charities and non-profits prefer people they can count on, go figure. My hubs is a CNN addict, I get enough politics at home without going door to door. I'm a rotten cook but if you're lucky I'll even treat you to a recipe and how I knocked it out of the park or threw it in the landfill.

Thursday is Worth Webbing About day: I, like most other bloggers, like to see what everyone else is up to, talking about, going to see, etc. So I'll share what I liked best or maybe the most ridiculous process, product, or idea someone had. I'm kind of a snarky little thing so expect both. 

Friday... well that leaves The Learning Curve.  As a 50something housewife and mom, with arthur hanging like a perpetual monkey on my back, everyday presents new challenges. I'll share what I've learned personally or with any luck I'll gain knowledge from the experience of the masses. Yes, I was always one of those people who had to learn the hard way, dammit. 

If this format bombs then it will be relegated to a final Friday and I'll start over. What will I lose but time and those days will tick by whether I type something or not, lucky you. Time to crack that daily Diet Coke (my drug of choice) and post this. I'm already a day behind, nothing new there, and its election day in the US. I feel a rant coming on and I don't want to waste it, it is after all Tuesday and Phood for Thought day.

Happy Halloween =o the story of a vengeful housewife

Happy Halloween Everyone!!! I've posted some pictures from my online photo class.  Well... I took these but they didn't necessarily make the class cut but they're still a little spooky and happy accidents.  Arthur is cutting me a break today but who knows, he could cut loose and by tonight my hands will look like the claws of death :(  In the meantime I'm going to try to bust out as many holiday projects today as I can. 

 Yes this is our sweet little Livia when the moon is full.

Back to Halloween, how many trick or treaters do you get? We live in a large neighborhood but there aren't any sidewalks and the yards are pretty large so we average between 15 to 20 a year.  That's provided the weather is good.  We've had as few as 8.  The lucky ducks that do show get either giant size candy bars or handfuls of the little ones.  I usually make up special bags for little ones tied up with ribbon. I love Trick or Treat and really loved making costumes for my kidlets. The hubs on the other hand is very much the dress up dud in our house.  Back when businesses encouraged employees to wear costumes, he went in a suit and said he was Bobby Ewing (from the show Dallas).  Boring!!!!!!  Back in Georgia there was always a neighborhood adult costume party.  He wouldn't go so I made sure he paid for his grinchyness.  I organized a giant babysitting party sponsored by the swim team (yes I was the fundraising chair). All the teens volunteered to help and we charged $10 for one child, $15 for two, and $20 for three or more per family.  We had healthy snacks, movies, dress up pictures, scavenger hunts, and bedded them all down in the family room in sleeping bags.  That way the adults could imbibe spirits and pick up their kids safe and sound after a breakfast of orange juice or milk and loads of frosted donuts.  

Come on, I know what you're thinking.  Why healthy snacks at night and then send them home in a glucose haze.  Well, I am a bit of a vengeful spirit.  If I lost sleep all night then the parents should at least have to deal with amped up little monkeys the next day, right???? Unfortunately the hubs thought it was a great idea and tradition was born. We ran the party for 5 years until we moved. The up side?  Our kids had the best Halloween's ever and we were the "fun" house from that time on. Oh yeah, that and we usually raised around $500 after expenses (yes, there were that many kids).

What I want to know from anyone reading this? What Halloween tricks have you employed to bedevil your friends, neighbors, and/or significant other. Also how have you given grins, giggles, and great memories to the little ones in your life (yours or someone elses). 

Have a devil of a good time tonight... BWAHHHHAAHAAHAAHAA