Happy Anniversary, Caroline and Larry

To my favorite sister in Bull River that is an artist and a newly minted potter!

To such a great couple..Happy, Happy Anniversary! See you soon!

Ahoy Mates!

We asked permission to board...permission granted...various chores assigned....life jackets put on and the all girl crew took Shirley's lovely boat out for a cruise..
Here are some of this seasons most fashionably dressed chicks.

Jim called just as we were going to start the boat up and he said if he was a pirate he would try to capture our boat..aharr mates!!!!!!



Frosso took control of Adelante when we were in calm waters and did a superb job...we had such fun...then dinner and wine aboard...a perfect evening with such great pals. Layne did a wonderful job keeping her eyes peeled for small crafts and dead heads...( logs)

Thanks so much Shirley for the cruise! Hope your grand baby arrives this weekend.

The Fruits and Flowers of Granville Market

Layne, Frosso and I met up before hand at the Granville Island Market.
We bought dinner to share with Shirley on her beautiful 1912 wooden Queenship boat."Adalente". Here are some photos of the market produce and flowers. If you are ever in Vancouver..it is a must see place.

Walking in Vancouver

Being in Vancouver with Frosso is such a joy...we walk everywhere.....here are a few of the things we saw...the flowers in gardens along the way.





There is nothing like a long time friendship..and here is one of my dearest long time friends...Frosso....




Frosso in front of a beautiful rododendron just steps away from her home.



At Dr. Sen Yet Sen Japanese Gardens...beautiful....





Stopping for a sugar bun..(shared)....a coffee and later on a cider at the Fairmont Waterfront Hoel....we played tourists..Fro had a Vancouver pass and we hopped on the blue line trolley bus and did a tour..great to see all this places again with a local girlfriend.





Different kinds of grates...Today we are off for an other excellent adventure..meeting Layne, picking up dinner and joining Shirley on her boat...won't that be fun!

The dimples...and the wrinkles .. :)

The smoothest baby skin next to a few well deserved laugh lines.....


aka...wrinkles..happiness is holding and snuggling up to a mere 16 lbs of love and sweetness.

It's love!

Claire was up shortly after I arrived..she was all smiles, giggles, and wiggles...the very best part was she remembered me and started laughing..something she hasn't done since I was here last..my heart just about burst with happiness..holding her and having her snuggle into me was such joy...just watching her play and roll over...she is very active.



She loved the little shrug..perfect fit...today we will be color co-ordinated...






Out for a walk, the sun shone briefly...some fresh air for all of us....She loves her stroller rides and seeing new things..The weather is supposed to be very nice today..more walks...some fun in the sun as well as I get to babysit her tonight while Jeremy and Julie go on a dinner date.

Going to see Claire...

Heading out this morning to see Claire..She will be 6 months old on Wednesday...she is sitting up, rolling over, teething and I know she is just waiting for her Oma to arrive. I am entrusted with looking after she while she sleeps when Jeremy and Julie go out for dinner on Sunday night...I will be a great babysitter.
I will be visiting Frosso, Layne and Shirley, shopping at Granville Market as we are having a picnic on Shirley's boat....on the dock or on the hook in False Creek. I think you know that there will definitely be more photos coming your way!
Jimmy will have our friends Bob and Sue here while I am gone..no need to cook as Sue has so kindly offered!

Sewing Notebook....

When Cindy and I were at the Farm Chicks Show, I bought this wonderful linen bag that was fully lined with an interior pocket..I knew I wanted to make several more as a gift....My good friend Alanna is an excellent seamstress/quilt maker, crafter...etc.
When we stayed overnight with them on Monday....I brought my bag with me and she was able to deconstruct it. This is our prototype...We just used remants from her stash pile and made 2 identical bags...great for the market...she has already used hers and she said it held everything she needed!
Thanks Alanna for showing me how to make more of these very useful and comfortable bags!
This is the one I bought...beautifully made.....








This is the colorful market bag we made. Alanna did all the sewing on her Bernina machine while I did the pressing and measuring the corners..team work it's best!








It is all in the details...

Alanna's quilt....

This is the lovely guest room of Alanna and Joe's that was ours for a night this week. This amazing quilt was made by her in a method called paper piecing..I asked her how many hours might be in this quilt?.......a labour of love...she thought probably 500 hours of sewing..it is a stunning piece of work.

Check out her blog where she and her quilting friends made over 50 quilts for her orphans.HERE......an amazing story of how with these quilts she gave love and warmth to so many children.

Table Runner into a Shawl....

While we were at our friends overnight I was able to add a crocheted shell
edge to the crocheted table runner I (thrift store find) found and now have transformed it into a lovely shawl! Perfect for a cool summer evening...how easy is that?

Flowering now...

This is what is blooming in the garden and in the neighborhood...joyful and
beautiful.....what is blooming in your garden?

Craft Room Up-date

My handsome and handy husband Jim, just finished one of my last requested projects in my craft room! ( wink wink)...still needs a shelf on top, a flip down table..etc..etc......So for Father's Day while he was getting emails from Brad and Carmen in Spain..on Skype with Shane, Laurie and Alexander in Sri Lanka and a Skype call from Jeremy and Claire.....I went downstairs to write this message on this newly constructed black board.

It was a very good day...after all the calls and messages we went to Bliss in Peachland for a landmark cinnamon bun...and a good long walk by the lake......a perfect day to celebrate what a great Dad, Grandada/Opa he truly is!

Claire's little shrug...

The bamboo and wool blend yarn was a delight to knit with..It was a very challenging pattern for this beginner.....but I stuck it out and continued with my classes...great help from my teacher.....Sue....thank you for all your help!

Here it is..I am hoping that she will love it as much as any 6 month old can..I will get some photos of her in her little shrug when I go to Vancouver on Sunday.

Father's Day

I think we need to be reminded how lucky we are by having a special day for mothers and fathers..a day give thanks and to remember.
As our kids grow, move away, get married and have families of their own...Father's Day takes on new meaning...a day where we take a moment to remember our Dad's...I wish that my Dad is still alive and well...but sadly he passed away 17 years ago.
This is Jeremy's first Father's day as a new dad to Claire and Shane's second with Alexander. A new and exciting chapter in their lives. Their guidance and love will help shape them into the young adults they will become.....how lucky these two children are to have dads like them.

As for grandads.....Jim and I will go out for a walk and to lunch..I will treat him from the grandchildren!....I wonder if there is a "grandparent day?"

Signature Style

I am a big fan of Jenny Doh, taken some classes and bought from her blog....I was able to meet her at the "Farm Chicks Show." I had read about her new book...Signature Styles and some of the wonderful women that craft..right up my alley. I saw them setting up for the signing and I happened to be first in line..viola...I also got this sweet gift that was handmade by her..a bonus......
I spent a few minutes chatting with her and then made room for the other women that were fans as well..Her book is really well written and lots of good projects and crafts to try..but her thoughtfulness of adding a handmade gift to the first few people is what made an impression..she is authentic..herself..something I have always strived to be..."be yourself, everyone else is taken!"

If you haven't seen her blog.....check it out...it is a lovely daily read....HERE
The crocheted necklace and pebble was her gift to me......not sure how many other lucky girls there were.

Bunting Flags...

Currently underway in my craft room...These little flags or buntings are such fun to make..following this tutorial from Lola Nova ..Here..
as well as her work in Mollie Makes..this is the version I came up with. I used a 12 x12 piece of card stock from my scrapbooking pile..sewed strips of fabric using her method of gluing on the ends ( my machine did not clog running thru the small bits of glue used) I wanted smaller triangles......I think I was able to get 18 out of one sheet.......Flip it over and mark them out.....once I got the top row marked out, I flipped the triangle over, matching the points......the other change I made for the second one ..( in progress).....is that I sewed thru each triangle from top to bottom thru the centre..I did this before I cut them out.... this stabilized the smaller points so the wouldn't fall off...Tell me what you think?I had this lovely vintage pop pom fringe which I thought was perfect for this handmade bunting..