My Sweet Babboo managed to get the pole for the bird feeder straightened, but we didn’t want to put the feeder back on it yet. Still, he wanted the birds to have some food available, so he rigged up a feeder to hang high off the ground from a tree limb. The birds found that quickly, and this titmouse grabbed a seed to eat while sitting on a limb. They like to hold a seed between their toes and peck at it.
Jasper came by for a sandwich, and was happy with the service at this bistro. He grabbed his sandwich to-go, and scampered off to a tree to enjoy his lunch.
Inside, the orchid has fully opened, and it is lovely! It is a phalaenopsis orchid, with wonderful markings.
The exciting thing is that there may be more flowers on the way. The flower stalk is showing at least three and maybe even four buds.
It was a delightful week for temperatures, and I opened all the windows behind the longarm to work with fresh air. I could hear the birdsong melodies all day. The view is lush and green. I was able to get a lot of quilting done on the Quilt of Valor.
It was a fun week, with lots of play time which was a nice break after several busy weeks. I pulled out some of our MINI club business cards, and tied them on some of the ducks I just got. These will be in the trunk to place on MINIs as we see them out and about.
I did some stamping too, making some cards for friends and a few to keep on the shelf for quick use if an occasion arises. This one was mailed the next day to a lovely friend who moved last year.
These were made for ‘on the shelf’, so I’ll have one already made if I need one in a hurry. They are blank inside. I love the iris stamp on the left, and it can be used for any purpose. The card on the right is a birthday card, as I always have birthdays sneak up on me, and I am scrambling for a card at the last moment.
Once I start stamping, it is hard to stop, LOL!! The French theme one on the left uses a dimensional gift tag with a “Por Toi” stamp which is French for ‘for you’, and is good for just about any occasion. The Best Wishes card on the right has a sewing theme with the thread spools.
On Friday, I was able to join my Chookshed Stitchers blogger buddies in Australia and New Zealand for a Zoom chat and sew. Always fun to see what we are all up to. I could only stay 2 hours, but I managed to get some progress made on my next project. I’m planning to make another miniature quilt from the book Easy Paper Pieced Miniatures by Carol Doak. I’ve made two other little quilts from this book in the past – my Miniature Hunters Star and the Jeweled Fans. This time I am going to do the Nosegays, and it will require the tiny blocks to be individually sewn, as the configuration of the background colors is challenging. I printed out the patterns on Foundation Paper. I use a newsprint weight. Then, I got out my pencils for coloring the block papers to keep myself on track.
I colored each one separately, making sure I had the correct number of each configuration. I then numbered the top and bottom halves, so I would know which ones went together. The red background and green background will represent two different fabrics. I hope to get started on this soon.
The next project will be to get a start on a donation quilt for our MINI club’s Christmas auction. I did a London quilt last year, and I have some fabric left over from last year’s quilt. I’ll be looking for some coordinating fabrics, and then I’ll need to decide what I am doing and get started.
I hope you are having fun this Memorial Day weekend. We plan to cook brats on the grill for dinner, and watch racing all day with little nibbles for lunch. I also plan a bit of online browsing of the sales today, who knows what I might find? Links to the Memorial Day sales for my affiliates are below, thank you for browsing today!
What are your plans for this holiday weekend?
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Memorial Day Weekend, C&T Publishing is having a 50% Off Sale on all E-books, just use the code SUMMERBOOK at checkout.
Shop the May sales at Fat Quarter Shop! Sales on Notions, Books, Patterns, and Fabric. This month get 20% off the Basic of the Month Bella Solids by Moda, 30% Off Books by Vanessa Goertzen of Lella Boutique, Patterns by Fig Tree Quilts and see the Precuts of the week. Save on Notions from Sewline, and don’t forget the daily Flash Sale!
Visit Sulky Threads for the Memorial Weekend BOGO sale on Blendables variegated threads king spools in both 12 wt and 30 wt.
Shop Memorial Weekend Doorbuster Deals at Madam Sew.
Impression Obsession has 25% Off their Featured Collection, plus free shipping on orders of $75. Plus super Clearance Sale on Steel Dies.
Amazon has great deals on their Summer Beauty Haul – specials on hair, nails, makeup, skin care and more, today only! Plus 25-50% Off Select Memorial Day Sale specials, and up to 50% Off Clearance Deals!
From My Carolina Home 
Your ducks are so cute! I try to have some cards on hand but I lose them so often. On the other hand, it’s fun to come across them at a later date! With a new grand baby I’m spending a lot of time entertaining the older sibling. Good news, he loves sewing – bad news, accuracy has declined with a kid on my lap & a head in the way.
You did have a fun week Carole! We have had two nice rains this week, and it looks like more is on the way. This morning is cool and damp; I almost got up at 3:30 to start cinnamon rolls in the bread machine, but went back to sleep instead! Bandit and I are sitting here, I’m drinking coffee and reading blogs and he is napping. We are trying to be extra still so DH an sleep, as he had multiple bad nights with breathing or joints while the smoke hung in the air. The rain Friday cleared the air and that made such a big difference.
I did lots of sewing last week, and hope to get the cutting table cleared this week, too many things laying out in a jumble!
your stamping is always so pretty and the ducks so cute – when one of my daughters had a jeep she found them on her vehicle now and then – I guess people do it for certain kinds?
I noticed you didn’t mention a brand when stating what newsprint you used for your paper-piecing. I found that Blick Art has reams of newsprint that was less than $5 per ream the last time I bought it. With inflation, I should probably check again, but the difference in price is unreal!! The more you buy, the cheaper the price, so I generally buy half a dozen reams at once for an even lower price. What a difference!! I love Carol Doak, but I can’t justify paying that price for newsprint when I can get it at such a discounted price. $12-$14 for 100 sheets compared to $6 for 500 sheets – it adds up FAST!!!
I spent from Monday through Friday in your beautiful state to spend some time with my mom. She’s in failing health, so I wanted to be sure I got to see her again before she’s gone. The weather was gorgeous while we were there, and it was nice to enjoy the warmth and sun!! Keep up the great work!!
That’s a beautiful orchid, Carole! Is it the one that didn’t bloom in past years? It’s sure making up for it now. Your longarm spot with all the windows open looks so appealing! That is some tiny paper-piecing – have fun!
Oh my, that paper pieced project is truly miniature! Remember to put in a fresh fine needle when sewing those tiny bits on paper, and to change it after the paper work is finished. I’ve spent a lot of the week hanging out around the pool, just enjoying watching the birds in the woods behind us. I did a bit of English paper piecing too….but my hands reminded me why I stopped doing this very often. I just cut the backing and batting for my Scrap Dance Square Dance; cleaned and oiled my Janome 1500 on the frame; and think I will give it another try with this quilt. Just too big to do any FMQ off frame. Going to load it today and maybe do some stitching on Memorial Day. (Last time I used it the tension went nuts) Fingers crossed.
Stamping and cards is something I need to get back to. Two of my Grand girls have birthdays so guess I need to hop to it. We could use some rain..I hate to start watering this early be I have needed to. The little ducks are cute and you as usual are so thoughtful to look for minis when out and about. The weekend here will be quite…oh goodness..I don’t even hear birds..wonder if the cats keep them away..maybe my hearing is getting bad..but life goes on..enjoy your weekend..
Carole, your orchid is beautiful! You had a fun-filled week with stamping and the cute ducks. We will be enjoying our slightly cooler weather for today and Monday!
Prompting orchids to flourish is tricky. You must have a green thumb!
I love foundation paper piecing! It’s perfect for small scale and sharp points. I like the idea of coloring for reference.
Will be planting the tender vegetables in the garden this weekend. It’s finally warmed enough that we don’t have to worry about a late frost.
What a good week you have had! A bit of quilting, a bit of stamping and the pleasant temperatures as well.
You are a fine Ambassador for your Mini Club. I wouldn’t be able to resist joining up if I found a little duck on my bonnet. 🙂
A beautiful Orchid indeed. The birds will be pleased to have their goodies back and it’s wonderful that they found them so quick too. I guess the bear has been back to check out the pole. He will have forgotten he wrecked it!!
Love reading about the goings on in your garden. :))
Not as productive as you, but finished a quilt top last night, now to set up to be quilted. Long walk in the park, then Family Zoom from Arizona to D. C. area. (Something good did come out of the last 2 years – family will always find a way to stay in touch.) Hiding out as our dog hates the fire works, but I’ll watch them on tv with the sound wayyyyy down. LOVE your nature photos. Thanks
I hope your Memorial Day was all you planned. We saw the kids briefly and I also had a friend visiting so all good! Oh, it’s killing me, putting dozens of stamps on a yard sale. I have no idea how to price them. And origami paper (want any? They make nice backgrounds!), embossing powders, stamp pads…. I’m saving some but really doing a clean-out. Most of the time I’m painting these days, a little mixed media still, on occasion.
Love that you got your ducks! Some mini is going to be happy!
lovely to see you on zoom even if it was only a short time……….