~ Coastal Christmas Colors ~

So I freely admit that I have jumped on the bandwagon this year and gotten a head start on the decorating.  I actually finished it all before leaving town for Thanksgiving.

Upon arriving home ... I was so thankful that I had.

I love my new Shell Tree, full of my new ornaments ...

... a sparkly starfish on the top ...

... a few snowflakes to remind me that even in southern California, we can always dream ...

... and some sparkly birds.

And just in case you would like such a beachy tree for your own home, here are my resources:

Snowflakes: Crate and Barrel
Starfish Ornaments: TJ Maxx
Birds: Michaels
The pattern to make your own shell ornaments: My Etsy Shop.

Oh how I love Christmas!

PS ... Thanks so much to Maya at Completely Coastal
for featuring me on her delightfully coastal blog!!

~ More Painting with Fabric ~

So ... after the Octopus, I decided to try my hand (and machine) at a
Sea Horse.

Once again the fun was out of control!

Picking the fabrics, designing my little equine friend and machine quilting her down were all delightful jobs.
It's funny because I didn't used to enjoy the machine quilting part.
That has all changed.

The size is the very same as my Octopus ... 25" wide x 36" long.
That is partly determined by the relatively small size of my design wall.

The astute eye will note that the same bright green fishes are swimming (probably to avoid becoming dinner) in all three of my Deep Blue Sea series.  Just in case you might want to hang them all together.

You can see them here on my Etsy Shop.

Thanks for all your sweet comments which have only encouraged me.

I guess that's the point though, isn't it?

~ Sunshine in Winter ~

The weather is about to turn cold again, even here in Southern Cal ... but no worries ... I have decided to do something about it.

This week I am offering this bright and happy sunburst quilt for sale on my Etsy Shop.
This is a classic New York Beauty pattern and the intricate points and curved seams make it a special find indeed.

I dare you to feel gloomy.

As in prior weeks, I am putting this piece of quilted art  for sale ... here ... and then I am putting the pattern for this same quilt on sale ... here ... for 50% off.  This week only.

Fear the clouds no longer, people. 

The sun can shine every single day now!

~ Christmas near the Beach ~

 

 

 

 

I am loving the beachy color scheme in my living room this Christmas.

Blue.  Green.  White.

What's not to love? 

~ Green Glorious Green ~

I spent some time this week in the Great Northwest.Oregon, to be exact.

I fell in love with the landscape there.

I was facinated by the moss.  Moss is not shy about showing her colors.

The views were stunning.

The sky ... amazing.

I'm not gonna lie.  Blue may be my favorite color, but Green sure gives her a run for her money.

~ Flora & Fauna ~

I finished the "June Bug" quilt ... except for the binding.

What fun I had!

I loved every part of the (relatively short) process. The finished quilt will measure 30" square. It's not meant to be a bed quilt or even a crib quilt. Like most of the quilts that I make, it will be a piece of art hanging over her crib. Her two sisters each have one that also encorporates their name.

I had a little deja vu of a "Honey, I Shrunk the Kids" variety. I loved creating grass and leaves and vines.

Bugs that crawled ...

And bugs that flew.

I sure hope my little June Bug knows how much I love her. 'Cause I do.

Linking to:
Freckled Laundry
Sew Happy Geek
Creative Me!

~ Color Day: GREEN ~

I was hoping to have some long-and-drawn-out sewing projects done by now and ready to post about, but the fact that my machine is still in the shop (due to the hospitalization of the tech guy, which I am very sorry about and don't begrudge), and alas I still have 2/3 of a bedskirt and 3/4 of a sailboat quilt hanging around.

So I have resorted to another Color Day and this one is in my favorite accent color ... Green. The painted tin above was on the sale table at Anthropologie years ago. That pretty much established my favorite accent color then and there.

Also in the dining room ... this runner by April Cornell.

These are the second set of dining room curtains in the 10 months since I made the first ones. I sewed these babies less than a month before Christmas. What was I thinking? Well, I was thinking about how much I loved that green fabric against my blue walls ... that's what I was thinking.

Here is a lovely (small) oil painting that I picked up at a thrift store for a thrifty ten bucks. I cherish it.

Sometime in November/December I decided I needed more pattern in my home so I picked up this lovely pillow at Target.

This one I have had for years ... probably from Marshall's.

What you see here in my living room is "The Yellow Desk". True story. This is a relatively old piece that I grew up with and for most of my childhood it was painted a pale yellow and at one point had a drop down feature which made a desk surface. Sometime in the 70's (when "antiquing" was all the rage) my mom "antiqued" it (which is odd because I think even at that point it already was a true antique) in this stunning green. My mom was very good with color.

Get a load of all the nooks ...

and crannies.

She also "antiqued" this vanity with the same can of paint. Before it was green it was a dark wood and my sister and I actually used it as ... you guessed it ... a vanity table.

She loves to drink in the sun.

Moving upstairs to the guest room you'll find this lovely fleece blanket ...

... sitting below my Bluebird Quilt with it's green border, binding and leafy quilting.

Both of those things inspired me to paint my IKEA chest with Martha Stewart "Calabash" green paint.

Then I went out and bought that chest a younger sister.

Well, I can NOT deny that my favorite accent of green comes when I open my front door and see ... this.

I do indeed love green. Especially when I find it with these original and masterful paint strokes.

Linking to:
Common Ground
Feathered Nest Fridays
Potpourri Friday
Home Sweet Home