Romantic Notions

I have post-poned the journey by at least one day, due to the weather and the swearing in of a new Gov. in Tallahassee. I really prefer the best possible driving conditions and traffic in the rain sure aren't at the top of my list. Fred wants me to wait until next week, even, but M & D want that tree down yesterday!! Hahaha. Whatever. I am going to get the oil changed in the hemi beastie then do some grocery buying then some more laundry and think about it. Would rather stay home on line or sewing in my pj's if the truth were to be told.
I love the folks but wonder if I'm pushing my luck by attempting another visit so soon. Oh well, at least I got our decorations put away. Sadie kept watching me and I think she knows things are different. All the big bins and stuff moved all around. She is constantly right where I am. It's comforting to have a dog and after so many years without one.  I really do love to brush, pet, hug and play with her!  She is a leaping, joyful, full-charge Frisbee champ!! I want to take her with me but I'm scared that Charlie the black demon poodle will teach her some bad manners. He loves to run off with socks, shoes, hair doodles, pens, anything that wasn't supposed to be gnawed on- he grabs  and runs  away with! Then he growls like a feral dog when I try to get them back!! Sadie has never growled at me and I'm not sure what I would do if she did. Bad dog Charlie.

So I wanted to post about this really neat site that I found. It's called Vintage Collage and Quilts and is written and maintained by a Wonderful Lady named Sandy Berry of Berryvine Designs. She is a quilt pattern designer and digital collage artist. She has a book titled: Quick & Easy Romantic Quilts  I have enjoyed browsing her site filled with some wonderful links to even more wondrous places. I imagine walking down a quiet little shady lane with tall oak trees all around and roses and flowering wildflowers surround the path. Then I come upon a beautiful little cottage with lace curtains at the leaded glass windows and I am drawn to the porch where the rockers and hanging baskets filled with flowers suggest happy relaxed moments. When I peek in the window I find quilts and teddy bears and books and sewing baskets filled with embroidery waiting to be finished. I walk in and am offered tea and fairie cakes and a chair by the fire. I pick up a book lying on the table next to me and begin to find page after page of wonderful, romantic, shabby dabby do vintage collections of things. This is how I feel when I check out her site. Maybe my imagination makes it better than it's reality but I don't think so. Then I find The Curious Sofa on her blog roll and I am even more content.
I can be lost for hours.
Then Sadie nudges me with her nose, or the phone rings or the mail-lady is at the door and I'm thrown back to the reality of dirty dishes and dog walking! So check  out Sandy's site. She has some killer T-shirts with quilt/vintage themed stuff for sale at Cafe Press and I'm going back for another peek at her patterns.  I have started collecting fabrics for a blend able quilt- like the one pictured on the cover of her book. I seem to have a lot of whimsical novelty fabrics in my collection and not many flower prints required to do this sort of thing. I know, another  trip to the quilt shop, oh dear!

Over at Tie One On the theme is Valentine's Day and it's on for two months, Jan & Feb so I may actually have time to come up with an apron and sew it!!
I have been collecting hearts for a while.
I guess  it started because my birthday is the day before Valentines day.
I have in my collection: a clear glass heart with cracks inside, a wooden heart, a puzzle piece wooden heart, a silver metal heart, a cat's eye heart, a battery operated fortune tellers heart that answers yes, no or maybe to a question. I have a wooden heart box that twists open to reveal a hidden compartment. I have a beautiful red leather heart. Rocks shaped like hearts. A tiny red glass heart. I have books on hearts and I want to find a sailor's heart. I have a wooden folk art heart, too. One of my favorite hearts  is a quilted picture with a tattered heart that says:" Love is the thread that mends worn hearts".  I have always been keen on the condition of peoples hearts. Whether they were cold, worn, pierced with cupid's arrow or just broken. Mine is usually worn on my sleeve and anyone can determine the condition it's in. Some people hide their's so well that even they don't see how the tiny cracks are veining and spreading. Like a pebble thrown at a windshield, unseen until it begins to expand, spreading till it reaches all margins. I've had several windows replaced in my time and they always say to act quickly, before the cracks spread too big and you have to buy a whole new windshield! So maybe that's the focus of this post after all. If there is someone you know that has a fractured heart then reach out to them with kindness and help them heal before the cracks get too big to repair. If it's your own heart then take some quiet time to search inside for what it is that will fix your damage and move forward into healing. This is a new start and another chance to grow into the best human being that you can possibly be.
oh boy.
I just love the way my writing meanders around from subject to subject!
Ol Granny is on her soapbox again, spouting out on aprons, art, quilts and new starts!
I pause and read back and wonder what to delete. All?
Nothing?
Whatever.
Get started now.

Above pic "borrowed" from: Bubbles La Mar at Bittersweet Soap Co. You must go check her shop- full of delightfully decadent wonderfully Shabby Dabby Do Delights! She also has a great Clip Art DVD for sale....worth a peek or two.....