New Website.... Up and Alive!!!

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm...........

I just had another bowl of strawberry shortcake!    


 Last one.... ALL GONE!  Boo Hoo!

PLUS... more great news!  Our NEW website is up and alive!  I've asked everyone to email me with any feedback... good or bad... if you find any boo-boo's or want something new and different.. let me know!  It's so much easier to make changes... instantly!!  

Olde Green Cupboard Website

See my sweet new friend?  I love, love, love ivy plants... I found this little girl (I've named her "ivy"... ha!) and couldn't resist bringing her home.  She's sitting on my nice screened in back porch and I can tell she loves it... see her new little green leaves?  Yep... she's lovin' life!  NOW... if I can just keep her alive!

Yes... I am known as the plant murderer!!  I had a beautiful flowering plant in the front... by the garage door... well... it was doing great... growing this really long tendril that I was training to grow up the downspout... well... the mailman went whipping by it (he was in a real BIG hurry!) and tore it off!  Yes... when I went to the mailbox... there it was - lying on the parking pad!  I screamed with anger, pain, and was just downright MAD!  Then... I was gone for a few days (in Tennessee...sewing...) and we had so much rain the pot OVERFLOWED WITH WATER!  Of course... the plant... well you know what happened!  Yes... it drowned to death - root rot!  It was not a pretty death I'm telling you!

So... in the trash can it went!

Then... I bought a sweet basil plant to use in cooking!  Well... we all know how that worked out - it died... outgrew the pot it was in!  Jack threw it in the trash can.  

My petunias.... well... let's just say they are on their way out too.  Jack hung them out by the bird feeder... and the squirrels have been using it as a trampoline... yes..that's right.. a trampoline... to jump from the tree limb - to the petunia planter - to the bird feeder that is full of sunflower seeds.  Sometimes they make it... sometimes they don't... and to see them sliding down that staff pole is simply hilarious!  They just keep trying and trying and trying!  Dumb squirrels... you think they would figure out it ain't gonna happen!

So... needless to say - the petunias are no more - they too are dead...soon to hit the trash can!

As you can tell...plants growing outside are not my thing.  So.. I thought having an ivy on the porch might work... only time will tell!  I'll post pictures from time to time to keep you all up on it's growth.

However... I did forget... we have planted knock-out roses in the front flower bed and they are doing ravishingly well!  As is the big pot of Lantana.... oh well...the Lantana is still alive and green.  It has NO MORE BLOOMS thanks to all of the rain we had that knocked everyone of them off.  I did give them some go-go juice (to help them bloom) so we'll see how that works!  It's been a week already.. and not one stinkin' bloom has popped out!  I'm just sayin'.... 

Okay..that's enough plant talk... I'm off to do some stitchin' on the new tote bag we are making with our fabric!  

I think I'm in love with it.... it still has pins in it and I have handwork to do... add the handles...sew up the sides... but it's coming along!  This design is on both sides!

Chat with you all later....

Keep stitchin' and Celebrate Handmade!

Gloria

Happy Independence Day!

Happy Birthday America!

Do you remember how excited you got on the 4th of July when you were a kid?  How you couldn't wait for it to get dark outside so you could play with sparklers?  I sure can...!  Picnics... cooking out on the grill... there was no better time of the year for roasted hot dogs, hamburgers, corn on the cob, and watermelon...then we topped it off with homemade ice cream!  Plus... we had the crank kind... wow did that handle ever get hard to turn when it was almost finished!  It tasted soooooo good!!  My daddy always made the ice cream.  He told us he had a secret recipe... to this day I still am not sure what all he put in it... but it was so good!  And... soooo... cold!  Brain Freeze big time! 

To top it off (for an even more delicious flavor) were the homegrown strawberries from our HUGE strawberry patch.  It was as big as the sales floor in my old store!  I've never seen so many strawberries

produced in one patch in my life.  YUM!!!  We furnished all of the houses on our country road with strawberries all summer long!


We would even have ONLY... strawberry shortcake for our evening meal.. made with Bisquick shortcake.  Man.. my tummy is growling!

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Vicky and I had such a productive day yesterday.... You can surely tell by looking at our sewing studio!  Oh My!!!  It looks like we fought a war in it.  I'm telling you what... I can destroy a perfectly great looking room in the matter of a heartbeat!  Here is a picture of our new quilt from our County Londonderry fabrics.. PLUS we used the sueded flannel from Marcus Brothers Fabric!  Sorry for the blurry picture... I'm certainly not as skilled as Heather when it comes to photography... I was using my ipad and I obviously was not very steady!

We have it laid out on the office floor... I still need my honey to make me a design wall.  I'm just too old to be crawling around on the floor.  The old back and knees just can't take it.  

We really haven't picked a final name for it yet... we've been calling in Bluebird In My Garden... but as you can tell... there are more than just Bluebirds!  Can you help us name it?  

Post some names for us... if we pick yours... we'll send you a free pattern when it's all ready!!!  How does that sound?  To help you.. the name of our fabric line is County Londonderry... the applique is made from sueded looking flannel.  You would swear it's wool!!  So much easier to work with... very reasonable in cost and washable!

So... tell us your ideas... we'd love to hear from you!!!

Today I'm putting a sleeve on one of our finished quilts!  I normally sew it on with the binding and for some reason my brain did not remind me to do that...so now it's all going on by hand.  Then I have to finish up my Londonderry Garden applique (only a small amount left to do) then put that quilt together... then applique these sweet birds and flowers.  We're using the regular applique method on these little fellows...not the buttonhole hand stitch... just for a different look.

So... with that all in mind... It's time to get busy.  

I hope you all have a wonderful July 4th.  Pray for our country and our armed forces that are defending it... 

Chat with you all later!!

Gloria

One UFO - FINISHED! (aaahhh... I love crossing it off the list!)

Hey everyone!

Well... my sewing marathon paid off!  Yes.... it did!  Check this out!  My Pioneer Braid Quilt is all pieced and will be delivered to Lynn and Cathy this morning... along with our Londonderry Market quilt!

Londonderry Market

(actual picture will be out soon - after it's quilted)

Vicky and I have been sewing maniacs this past week.  Now Vicky is working on this one!

Bluebird in the Garden

We are still contemplating the birds... we want to use a wonderful fabric from Marcus Brothers Fabrics - Sueded Hand Dyed Flannels

They tell us they are so wonderful to work with... especially if using in applique.  So we are giving them a try... they sure will be more reasonable in cost for the consumer - flannel versus wool.  Plus the quilt will be washable.  It's small in size... around 57" square.

Plus... we will do a bit more with the birds...give them wings... flowers in their mouths... things like that.  I can't wait to see it finished!  My flannel package should be arriving from Marcus today.  It's always like Christmas when you get packages at the front door...isn't it?  LOVE IT!

I am moving on to my hand stitching of my Londonderry Garden wool applique!

I'm a pretty fast stitcher... so it's time to turn up the needle!  Ha!!

You will never guess what happened to my sewing machine (Viking - about 14 years old...).  While I was sewing this weekend... one of the gals at my table commented that it didn't appear as though my machine was feeding the fabric through as it should.  After inspection... she was correct!  I have barely NO TEETH left on my feed dogs!!!  Can you believe that?  I had been wondering why in the world it was giving me such issues over this last month or so!

Yep... I've plum wore them off!  Oh My... at first I thought it was a good excuse to buy a new machine... (hahahahahahaha!) but then I was told they can replace them.  Damn!  Oh well... I adore my machine.  The only thing I wish it had was "needle-down" (love that feature) and "X" - cutting the thread!  Love that one too but I still have to use the manual cutter or scissors. (oh how spoiled some of us are....)  I guess someday I will upgrade to a new machine.  But for now... I love my Viking!

So... with all of these issues ... she's all packed up and headed to the "doc" today for new "teeth"....hhhmmmm... that's kind of what happens to us when we get old!  We begin to lose everything don't we? (hair, teeth, elasticity in our skin, bladder functions... oh my... I'll stop here...)

It's darn early right now.... 4:30 am.  I woke up and realized my honey had left for the gym already!  Wow... he's a nut case!  He's got a NEW hobby... working out in the gym and visiting with everyone while getting more fit.  He's such a nut... he celebrated last night by cooking us a steak dinner and topping it off with a small piece of cheese cake.  He's lost 20 pounds and feels so much better.... but still wants to lose more.  Good for him...(no more cheesecake...)

So.. since it's so early... I may as well read up on my blogs - do a little Pinterest posting and then get busy stitching!!

Ta Da... see you all soon!

Gloria