more snow and letter writing

Weather update, Snow!

We had been under a winter advisory since Thursday and it was not as bad as it was suppose to be. We had some freezing rain, at least I got home before it got bad...today we have snow it started around noon on Friday and fell all day. I worked from home and got to enjoy watching it come down with a glass of canela (cinnamon tea). Roger made some chili for dinner...yummy!May be good sledding today! Hopefully everyone has power and is staying warm!

Here are some pictures from Friday.

Letter Writing

I bought Good Mail Day at the bookstore while I was looking for a sewing book, but they had been picked over, and always the book lover I had to keep looking at other stuff. I love it, the pictures, the feel, the look and it's a pretty easy read. It has information about the lost art of sending mail through the post office and how to send mail art with lots of ideas and websites on how to get started. It's also a great sources of inspiration with all the pictues of different correspondances. I love getting mail and I have noticed lately I do not get anything besides a few junk pieces and bills...??? Even the junk mail has dwindled quit a bit lately. Well I'm going to initiate a new practice of sending more mail and loving our USPS! Their motto is "neither snow nor ran nor heat nor gloom" mine will be "neither postal price nor size of object nor uncreativity" haha! So I'm going to start sending mail, maybe not as fancy and artsy as some of the ones in the book but it will be a start for me. I have actually already sent my sister a postcard which I did not take a picture off (maybe she will and send it to me) and I have another postcard getting ready to go out to my other sister. That's more writing than I have done in awhile.

One of the Ten Commandments of Mail Art

Thou shalt reciprocate.

The boys and their no school activities.

Ram drawing a rocket and holding one of his many airplanes. They have a HUGE collection.

Rem watching TV. I took the opportunity to take a quick shot of him with the snow in the background.

sewing machine and calendars

Just a quick note to everyone. I got a new sewing machine!! Actually I have had it for almost a week now...long story but I used it just once at a workshop at the OKC quilt show and I fell in love. Roger...just spoiled me...! I'm feeling the love! He really didn't like going to the quilt shop to pick it up...haha! But he did and I'm happy. It cost an arm and a leg and I don't think I'm going to ask for anything for awhile...haha!

Here it is...

Bernina Aurora 440QE

I didn't shop around, but I did go online and check out the reviews, it got great reviews. It sews like a dream! (Now I know how men feel about cars.) It's quiet and it threads itself...WOW! Since I'm getting old and my eyes get tired quick...haha! It does a whole lot more but I have not played with all the features, embroider, quilting, button holes, my old sewing machine didn't do this much so I'm quite amazed. The metal stick coming out of the machine towards the table is a hands free lever to lift the presser foot, you hit it with your knee. I thought I wouldn't use it until I tried it...love it! So although I have not had a chance to try all the features I give it a thumps up.

The pin cushion in the front is the pattern I had bought at the quilt show. Yes, I finished a project! It's a pin cushion and trash bag in one. I used some Alexander Henry fabric I got at JoAnn's. One of my favorite fabric designers and places to shop.

Calendars, Karla we talked about calendars and here are the ones I have at home...

I bought this one from esty.com the store, Merry Blues Art, the artist made a calendar from her artwork and I think it's neat looking I bought it. I also bought some winter greetings postcards.

This is one of the months, May, all the months are done in different languages, this one is Indonesia.

This calendar is in the kitchen this was a Christmas gift for Remington from his aunt Kelli. Yes it's about airplanes, fighter jets.

This calendar, we have not put up yet, is Ramsey's Christmas present from his aunt Kelli. More fighter jets... This one will go in the boys room was I am done moving their furniture around.

This calendar we got free from the oriental fast food, Kuaizi, love their food, the bottom section is the menu! It's by the door to the backyard.

This is my planner that I carry around, I have bought one for the past 5 years, it's a MomAgenda.

This is the background on my laptop, it's a calendar I downloaded from the web. At this moment I cannot remember which site but I will have to look because I will soon need to download February.

This one is my own artwork. I started doing these last year when I was home on maternity leave and I came across this artist on flickr. I love to draw (I know you do too Karla) so I used her idea and started drawing one a month. This is my sketch pad, Christine uses a larger piece of paper.

This Astronomical Calendar I have been buying for years, you might remember one I had at home. I don't use this to plan events like a planner but it's got daily information about astronomy. I used to buy them at Borders but the have stopped carrying them now I buy them from the author's website. I love the artwork on the covers. This one has the Mayan pyramids at Palenque, Mexico.

This is January's page, there is a lot of information and it's nice to know when an eclipse or meteor shower is going to happen. January 30th will be a full moon.

This one I use for my library books I got it at Etsy.com, from auntjune shop. It's a pdf file.

Also I use the calendar in my Treo phone and Yahoo Calendar. Yahoo saves things much longer and it sends reminders to my phone.

Karla, you said you didn't have a calendar although I will not part with any of mine, I will send a new one in the mail.

Sorry this post ended up being longer than I had planned!!

Quilt Show

Oklahoma City Winter Quilt Show 2010

Ok it has taken me awhile to post this, but last Friday I went to the quilt show in OKC and had a great time! Even though I went by myself. The weather was warmer than it had been, which I'm glad because I was not looking forward to the drive, rain had been predicted. There was a lot fog making it really hard to see, but I made it with plenty of time to spare. The bag above was a gift they were giving out to everyone.


Just to say I did take my camera with me, but alot of booths had no photography signs that I didn't bother to take it out, which was fine because I had forgotten to put the card back in so I wouldn't have taken any pictures.


I had registered for a workshop so I had to be there at 9 a.m. It was a very early drive, I forgot how much I enjoy driving trips. No one in the car to listen to your bad singing, picking the radio station you want and the volumn you want...haha! When the sun came up and the fog burned off it turned out to be a relaxing drive.


The workshop was Juke Box Baby, reverse applique, given by Linda Everhart, she was great. It was a small class so we got lots of attention and instructions. The top had lots of cutting and that part was fun too. I got to learn to use a new tool, a surgical knife. Yes I did buy one it was easy and made cutting alot easier.


This is the top, I need to bind and quilt and I will have an update picture for everyone. Hopefully soon. I bought so much stuff I've got tons of projects to do (okay just a few, but it feels like more).
These are two dishtowels I bought usually you find them in red I was surprised to see them in blue, matches my kitchen.

If you can believe it this is all the fabric I bought I had planned on buying more but I got distracted with other stuff...hehe. The two in the front are vintage I belive corn sacks. They had so many I had to limit myself to two.

I got an African basket made from elephant grass, it is suppose to last a long time and you can get it wet, actually they said to reshape it just get it wet. I did get a fat quarter bundle and a quilt kit, Heather Bailey fabrics in the quilt kit. I have now been exposed to Heather Bailey fabric and they are beautiful. The rope you see is from one of the vendors that sold supplies for baskets, It's a Wrap book had more instructions but I thought it was a good way to get rid of extra fabric and something to do with the kids. I'm thinking of having them make presents for teacher appreciation.

The instructor had a booth and I stopped by and bought other supplies and this book about Scandinavian crafts translated to Japanese. The pictures are great and it will be easy to follow...yes more projects. Good thing one of my new years resolutions was to finish what I started at least for this year, previous projects not so sure...hehe!

Here is another pattern I bought, pin cushion and trash bag. I almost didn't get it, but decided to go back for it. I love it. I have all my fabric cut up and ready to sew. I'm hesitant on the sewing part because I am getting a sewing machine and torn between going ahead and making it and getting to use the new machine. I fell in love with the Bernina 440 they had in the workshop, it's like a cadillac compare to my White and it does sooooo much more. I went online and checked out the reviews...all positive. So by the end of the week I should have it...so excited I can't wait! I will definately be taking pictures for everyone to see. My local fabric store is a dealer.

This kit was just something new to try and it is so easy as you can see in the picture I'm almost done with it. I started it Saturday evening and would have been done except I wanted to save something for Sunday. Which I did finish, no picture of the finished product because I'm making a pillow out of it and will show it finished. It was so much fun, I think I can design my own patterns and make a rug or something. I got the needle at the booth as well. They were so nice all of the vendors were nice they all had time to explain and show you what they had, I had a blast.

par avion from japan

from japan
Originally uploaded by ravenramandmoon

My order from thisandthatfromjapan etsy shop came in today! It came all the way from Japan!! I think that's the farthest I have gotten mail from. Getting the mail has always been exciting for me it's like getting presents, I even like getting the junk mail.
I ordered two books, both written in Japanese, Cotton Time has such good pictures I may be able to make some crafts by just following them. Japanese quilting is so simple it's elegant and they tend to use alot of linen....love linen! The other book I have no idea what the about the title, is for making zori's, japanese sandles made from fabric. They look so cute and the color combinations are endless. I had come across someones blog (can't remember the name of the blog and I guess I didn't mark it because it's nowhere in my favorites). Well she had made a pair while in Japan. I have tried to find a site to make a pair but none had them made completely from fabric. I will have to make a couple and try out on my tester friends...hehe! and have them tell me how they hold up after I get done making them. The pictures are great in this book too. I'm thinking they may make great gifts, it will depend how long it's going to take me to make a set. Remember the socks I was knitting??? I had taken those out and restarted about 10 times and I still don't have one done. So I have put that aside for now. Knitting may not be my thing...haha!
I also got cute fabric a linen blend with little red riding hood (it's too cute, don't know what I'm going to do with it yet???). The other fabric has sewing illustrations and words, plan to use it to make me a sewing kit.
Now I just need to clean up the sewing area, it became the catch all since I moved stuff around for the Christmas decorations. Next year need to come up with a better plan.

white christmas

It has been years since we had a white christmas (Roger says it's been more than 10 years, usually we get ice). This year we got a white powdery one and I'm loving it! It started to fall on the 24th and by the 25th it was a winter wonderland. This is L's first christmas so it's even more memorable.

View obscured by the snow on the windows, when I lived in Southern California we used to spray that fake snow to make it look like this.

Our christmas tree with the gifts we are giving. The tree is not crooked, the angel is. The boys need to get credit they decorated the tree this year. I did the bubble lights and garland. The bottom ribbon is messed up L pulled some of it out.

This year I was going to make stockings for all of us but I ran out of time and just barely finished the boy's stockings. Still working on the other four and maybe I can get them done in time to put the christmas stuff up...we will see.

Boys excited about opening presents Christmas morning, L didn't much care except for a piece of paper she found and watched tv most of the time. Remy making one of his goofy faces, can't seem to get a good shot without him doing that!! haha!

More gifts!

Ram holding L and she holding her giraffe, which she still has not played with!

Boys sledding

Roger helping pull it back up the hill. I got to ride it a couple of times but I had the camera...haha! Not sure how much snow we got but I think it's more than the 2-6 inches predicted!

L stayed in the car, the wind made it feel colder.

Still playing outside in the snow, Ram making tracks.

Rem running in the front yard.

Some of the snacks we had after Christmas. Cheddar and black peppercorn popcorn and pickled olives. The blue glass dishes are gifts from my sister and mother in law...lucky me, I got a place setting for 12!!!

Mints, chocolate and nuts.

Yummy cheese spread and water crackers.

More snacks, none of these snacks were made by yours truly they all came out of boxes.

Wishing everyone a prosperous New Year in 2010!!!

artwork

A quick post with some artwork from the boys.

Rem does 8-box artwork at school every week. His interpretation and detail amazes me! Just look at the detail he did for some of his words, like the cow flying through the air in the tornado block,...haha! Looks like a Holstein. The tail of the airplane picture in the art museum art block (he just informed me that its a FedEx 727), the death star in the star block and the space station for the dark block (in the bottom right). I did close ups of them so maybe you can find more objects, an I spy post.

Ram drew a turkey for me tracing his hand. I was sewing and he planted himself next to me and decided I needed a picture of a turkey. He actually got in my way but he didn't stop until he was done. It turned out pretty good. Which is a reminder that Thanksgiving is next week....uhhh! too quick!

We are starting to get busy with the holidays, behind is more realistic, but it all works out in the end. I have been sewing quite a bit, actually a lot. Some of the projects are turning out pretty decent so I keep going. The house has been neglected so now I have to stop and clean...of course tomorrow, I'll just start tomorrow...hehe. I'll try and post pictures of some of my completed projects.

In case I don't post before Thanksgiving, hope you all have a great Thanksgiving Holiday and enjoying a great dinner or lunch like we do.

Happy Thanksgiving!

8-box artwork

star block - star and death star

clear block - clear path and clear skies

tornado block - cow flying in the sky

dark block - space station and x-wing fighter

art block - FedEx 727 painting

Yes we love airlplanes!!!