A Combo Slow Sunday/Design Wall Monday rambling, because...

I'm late late late... Hello all!  Where do the the hours go??? I've been semi- busy and partially productive in the last 2 weeks... along with spending waaaaaay too much time scrolling through IG and surfing the net... the mindless activity of someone too tired to get their butt out of their chair... that would be me... 

I usually try to get my Slow Sunday post together on Saturday so it can show up early, but obviously that didn't happen... and it is late in the day so I'm just going to post my Design Wall Monday here too. 

So what have I been up to?? Well, I've spent a lot of time outside in my yard watering, and it has been rewarding as the flowers look great... the dahlias are really coming into their own ... here's are some I picked the other day...

This one is my new favorite... I LOVE the orange-y glow

And this appeared in my yard last week... the Deer Park Beautification Award... 

This is the 4th time I've gotten this award in the 7 years I've lived here... and I am unashamedly smug about it...LOL... I get lots of compliments on my yard... people walking by while I'm watering and people who stop in their cars and roll down the window to tell me how pretty it looks... and I'm more than a bit competitive and every year when August rolls around, I may say it doesn't matter... but it DOES!!  I really really really really  want that sign in my yard!! So I'm busting my buttons that graces my yard...  

On the crafty front, I finished stitching A Needleworker's Sampler from WTN&T...

The charts has 3 dogs on it... and I like dogs but it didn't seem to fit with the needlework theme... so I replaced two of them with my initials ... and the 3rd one I replaced with a spool of thread...

I took this piece to the framer last Monday... hoping for a quick turn around... they've been having trouble getting in certain moldings and I've had a piece there going on 8 weeks or more... decided to try another frame and hope it comes in soon too... 

And today (Sunday) I turned my attention to a deadline project I needed to get to...  my handyman Dan who you know is like family to me is expecting his first grandchild... a little girl... and I've met his daughter who is expecting this little bundle of joy numerous times... a very sweet young lady... anyway her due date is early November... so I thought I still had time to put together a baby quilt... but I didn't think about there being a baby shower before that date... and the baby shower is scheduled for the end of August ... yikes... gotta get my butt in gear... which I did today...

It turns out that the mom-to-be's favorite color is also YELLOW!!!   So I thought a yellow and pink quilt would be appropriate... all of these fabrics came out of my stash... and look at this square... I did not fussy cut it... in fact I had a very small scrap of this left in my stash and this is how it came out... it was meant to be!!

 I got the idea for this design from Aunt Em's Quilts... you can check her out here... she has some wonderful ideas for scrap quilts... and here is the IG post that inspired me... she calls this Jumbo Scrappy Star... and you could make it any size you want... I went with a 3.5" finished square so with a small border it turned out 45" square... now to get some minkee for the back and then see if I can get someone to long arm quilt it for me quickly... otherwise I'll be the one quilting it and I really don't want to be that person... years ago when I lived in Modesto (over 30 years ago) I belonged to the nicest little guild... it had 2 meetings a month...one was a business meeting and the other was a program... and after each meeting lots of us would go to Marie Callendar's restaurant for pie... oh it was so much fun...anyway, where was I going with this story...oh yeah, back then most of us were quilting our own tops ... either by hand (OMG I can't believe I did actually do hand quilting ... never again)... or on a machine or maybe take it to a long arm quilter who had about 5 panto designs... anyway one of the ladies in the guild was always turning out the most beautiful tops but she never got around to quilting them and she declared that she wasn't a quilter... she was a topper... and I'm a topper too!!! It is great that there are so many long arm quilters now with so many beautiful pantos to choose from... and I'd much rather piece a top than quilt a top...

And I finally got around to a guilt project that has been hanging over my head... I got my furnace/storage room re-arranged and re-organized... now it ain't pretty but it is certainly easier to access all my stuff...and I have a LOT OF STUFF!!!  I think I have entered the realm of "organized hoarder"... but I prefer the "curator of good stuff"...LOL

On the right, a wall of bins with seasonal decor ...and in front of them baskets filled with my seasonal crossstitch pieces... to the back lots and lots of yarn, sorted and in bins on top of a huge heavy dresser that belonged to my sainted Grandma... trust me it is there even if you can't see it...

And on the other side of the room another piece of furniture I have no space upstairs for, but I don't want to get rid of it.. on top lots and lots of cute tier trays... below... lots and lots of picture frames... I'm a sucker for a cute picture frame that is 50% off!!

It amazes even me how much crap great stuff  I've hauled into this house in the last 8 years... but I LOVE LOVE LOVE all my stuff... I tell myself that when I shuffle off this mortal coil it will be easier for my kids to get rid of all this stuff because it is organized and largely in plastic bins... oh how I adore a good plastic bin...LOL!!!  Now I can set up the appointment for the Duke guy to come inspect the inside meter... he can actually walk up to it!!!   There is a nice size area in the middle of the room that is completely empty... and while it is compelling to fill it up, I'm going to try to restrain myself... for a while... 

Soooo... next week has filled up... haircut for my son, babysitting, dental appointment for my son, appointment to get the oil changed in my car, lunch with a friend... and the things I want to do here at the house.  I finally got my patriotic stuff put away and I've hauled up (ok actually my son Nick hauled up) my chicken stuff... but I haven't gotten anything arranged yet... and I need to get back to the stocking... I found a great font for the lettering and it is only 5 letters long... wanted get that finished by the end of the month...and I want to stitch some smalls from the new release by WTN&T  Jack o Lantern Jublilee...you can see it here... and there are two more quilt tops I want to get to... oh maybe 3... one is Fall and the other 2 are Halloween... need more hours in a day... and then I shouldn't waste them mindlessly scrolling through IG...oh well...

I'll link up with Kathy's Quilts today and tomorrow I'll link up with Small Quilts and Doll Quilts, and Love Laugh Quilt for Monday Making... Hope you have a great week ahead... typical August weather forecast here, hot and a chance of rain most days... fingers crossed for the rain so I don't have to water every day...

happy stitching-

carol fun