Lucy Boston

Monday, October 31, 2011

Way too much going on :) [part one]

and loving it!


First - the giveaway -
thanks to all who entered:
Everyone else must be as busy as I have been,
as there were only 7 entrants -
Better odds for you, huh? :)

Anyway, WINNERS of the little cinnamon-grunge candles:

Alecia from Clinton, NY & http://chickenscratchny.blogspot.com/
and
(I've emailed Mary from Quilt Hollow,
but don't have an email for Alecia,
so if you know her, let her know she won and
needs to get me an address by Wednesday midnight.
If I don't hear back from her, I'll re-draw.)

Congratulations, gals!
Send me your mailing addresses 
and I'll get these in the mail to you this week!

Busy - to be continued!

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Cookin'! & Giveaway

Go here to leave a comment for the giveaway!

Now, on to the important stuff:  FOOD

Do you want an impressive but quick dessert?
Well, here it is...
You mix up the "stuff" like you're making a pumpkin pie
BUT - no crust to hassle with!!! (not that I ever have a hassle with crust :)!
Dump the mixture into a 9"x13" and
top with a dry cake mix (yellow is my preferred choice) and bake.
Wa-la!, spice-y, yummy, pumpkin-y goodness!
And, so impressive served with a dollop of whipping cream!
Use your "fine" china and they'll think you worked all day on this!

Pumpkin Pie Cake
1 lg. can pumpkin puree - unsweetened, unflavored, (1lb 13oz)
3 eggs
12 oz. evaporated milk
1 1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground cloves
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger

Mix this all together, and pour into a greased and floured 9" x 13" pan...

one DRY boxed, yellow cake mix, sprinkled over the top. 
Using a spatula, cut through the surface of the mix and into the filling.
Some dry mix will remain on the surface of the filling.

12 Tbsp (1 1/2 sticks) butter, melted and drizzled over the top.
Optional:  1 cup chopped pecans can be sprinkled over the top at this point.

Bake, 350 degrees, 50 minutes.
Makes 12 generous servings.
Serve warm with dollops of whipping cream.
Store refrigerated.
Easy and impressive!
It also makes your house smell delicious as it's baking - holiday seasons are just around the corner, ready or not!

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Autumn-y GIVEAWAY & smiles

See that cute little cinnamon-grungy candle?
For no reason other than because I like cinnamon-grungy candles,
I'll give a couple of them away (one each to two different people).
These grungies 
have a battery operated tea light
that drops down into a grungy-wax "shell".
Too cute!
Anyway,
leave a comment on this post and
I'll do the random number thing
so you can have some cinnamon-grunge in your home, too!
I figure cinnamon-grunge is great any time of the year,
but especially for Autumn  through Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Don't forget - I need to have a way to contact the winners-
if you are a no-reply blogger, leave your e-address in your comment, please.
Yes, I will ship to winners "across the pond"!

Saturday, October 22, 2011

more smiles

As you can see in my header picture,
I have a wardrobe cupboard in my living room
in which I have stacked my old, family quilts.
Also stacked are some newer quilts
that can be pulled out and used on cold winter nights, for couch snugglin'.
In the bottom of this wardrobe cupboard,
I have a very large, 16 inch-tall, "Ball" canning jar.
It's wired with a "candle" bulb/candlestick,  and bottom-filled with rose hips and mini pine cones.
I needed a replacement bulb for this great jar...
this is exactly what I was looking for:
While shopping for said replacement bulb,
I found this:
It's in the candlestick on the front porch table vignette...
and it
makes me smile!

Happy October!
(ps...I found something else that makes me smile,
so watch for a great little autumn-y give-away
in the next couple of days) 

Friday, October 21, 2011

crunchy leaves

The weather has been weird this year here in Ohio,
and this fall is no exception.
The leaves are changing color and falling to the ground.
The sun is shining bright during the day and the nights are cool and crisp.
So, far, seems normal;
but, then add the rain, like it's November already...
The rain comes and goes - leaving a big, mushy mess.
The wet leaf and rain combination is making for some slick driving conditions.
I prefer the dry, cool days to the cold, wet, mushy days, don't you?

While it's been raining this week, I've meandered over a couple of quilts.
This is Mary's -
it's a king-sized beauty for a friend who had surgery complications.
It is very inspirational:
This next one is mine -
and not really a quilt,
but a wall-hanging...
 Right now, it's a floor-laying :)
so I could take a pic before giving to my
favorite sonny and his family.
Then it will be a wall-hanging!
Anyway, this was a Moda panel with a free web-pattern.
The pattern told you to chop up the panel,
and use companion fabrics to make the piecing and prairie points. 
It was a pretty quick project, and I think the kids will love it.
And, it's the first time that I only put prairie points on two sides of a quilt.
The prairie points kind of remind me of fall leaves....
even after you rake them into piles,
there are a few that still stick out around the edges.

So, back on that leaf-y subject...
I miss the crunchy-leaf weather.
I like to walk in them, rake them into big piles and rustle through them.
Maybe even a jump (or two) into them. 
That's what crunchy leaves are for!

Since I can't go play in the crunchy leaves,
it's back to stitching and meandering for me.
Happy Stitching to you!
Are you a fall weather fan?  Crunchy leaves and all?

Wednesday, October 19, 2011

hello around the globe!

I've had a blog for a while now, and don't usually check the statistical numbers.
I just write because I love the process of writing,
NOT because I care about the "numbers"
But for some reason, today I gave a little look, and my "blogger stats"  made me jump up and say WOW!!
I have folks from all around the globe visiting me right now!!!

That is just amazing to me -
from countries all around the whole world,
there are people stopping in!

Here are the countries and the numbers of the people visiting my blog:
United States-1462,
Canada-141,
Australia-35,
Germany-25,
Russia-22,
Italy-16,
Norway-12,
France-9,
Brazil-7,
and Netherlands-4.

So, just wanted to say a big hello to all of you folks from around the entire globe -
and, thanks for stopping by to visit!!!

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

this week

Yes, this week is packed with "stuff" I need to do.

But, as I was sitting, awaiting my "time in the chair" -
dental, that is,
I decided it was time to get some things finished up...
you know, all of those little unfinished things
that need to be done that would finish a project.

Like, sewing- it just needs a border. 
This piece just needs to be framed:
Or quilting-
mine and commission. 
Or binding, or snipping threads, or layering. 
Or, just sorting through some stacks of fabric to come up with the right one color/shade to finish a kit of my own that I wanted to put together for a magazine project that I loved.
IE: Primitive Quilts & Projects, the first issue, that I didn't ever do the FAVORITE project that I loved when that magazine came, oh, about six months ago!

What made me think of this
was this past weekend
when I stopped in a new wool shop
in Centerville Ohio-
(click the shop name to see some of her pics).
It's just a little place, only 288 square feet,
but so full of fun and inspiration. 
There were great wools, flosses, patterns,
and finished primitive/folky items! 
You could tell that Valerie, the owner,
loved every little bit of wool and space there. 

What this cute little space reminded me of
was the fact that
it doesn't take a whole boatload of stuff
to finish your whatever. 
You just have to jump in and do it!

So, without any kind of priority list, I'm jumpin' in!
It seems that I have stack of things
that I'd like to do, or finish, or, even start. 

(: Yes, I purchased some wool
from The Wooden Acorn -
another something to add to my stack of things to do! :)

Sunday, October 16, 2011

restful

This past Thursday was my last day working at the closing LQS.
I thought I'd get started on some reorganization/cleaning around the house. 

And I have SOOOOOO many things on my to-do list here. 
I feel like I did a ba-zillion things yesterday a.m, but it sure doesn't look like it.

Then a friend stopped by in the afternoon 
and we just sat and talked and hand-stitched.
(I have her doing hand-stitching - never thought I'd see the day :))
(And she's enjoying it!!!)

Anyway, I needed that break, so restful...

This afternoon, I'm heading to another friend's
to have a little retreat just for the afternoon and tomorrow. 
I'm going to do some more hand-stitching (bow ties, hexies, and an applique bow on the "present" quilt) so I'm not taking my machine. 

So, even though I'm not packing the whole 9 yards machine, etc., I still have about 2 tons of stuff ready to put into the back of the vehicle.  Why does that happen?  Guess I'm afraid that I'll stitch so fast I'll complete EVERYTHING and not have anything to do - ha!

I'm also taking my Calendula Patterdrip's Cottage project 
(I have block 5 in stitching-progress-above,
and I have block number 6 ready to trace and color).
(Below are blocks 2, 3 & 4 - all finished!)
It is going to be a great weekend...so restful... 

Can't wait 'til next week, as it's:
tooth repair time, annual check-up time, colon check time, clean the windows time, call the computer guru time, clean up the garden time, and I'm sure I'm missing something many other things...

Yes, that last paragraph was sarcasm,
and yep, I needed this restful weekend!

Happy stitching!

Thursday, October 13, 2011

the next scrap basket & many thanks

My last day at
work that isn't work
is today, Thursday.

It was a tough decision when I was offered this job a handful of years ago...
A 45 minute drive each way through down-town,
three-major-highway-splits traffic,
twice a day, 
a few times a week.

But, I thought, "they" were just the friendliest people and shop.
And I was right...  I've met great gals who will be quilting friends for life, I'm sure.

As this beautiful shop gets ready to close, I reminisce...
As I hosted the last sit-and-stitch this past week,
it really hit home that this is it...
a time to move on,
to grow,
to jump into the next opportunity scrap basket...
To see what is around the next corner turn of the rotary cutter.

It has truly been a blessing to have had this opportunity, and I thank each and every one of you who have welcomed me into your part of the quilting world:

Thanks, Mary, for everything.
Thanks, colleagues that have become as close as family.
Thanks,  for sharing my tears and laughter -
and laughter so hard that it brought tears!
Thanks for sharing fabrics, wools and flosses.

Thanks to everyone that has entrusted me with their quilt tops.. I've truly loved to meander across so many beautiful masterpieces in cloth.

Thanks to those of you who have given me the opportunity to share my love of stitching by joining me in classes and sit and stitch groups.

Thanks for letting me run my myriad of ideas past you. Thanks to everyone for sharing your knowledge and helping me grow in my textile addiction love.
Thanks to all of the gals on the bus trips:
Chicago, Cincinnati and places in between... - thanks, also, to Chuck for driving the bus through the Krispy Kreme when the "HOT" light was on so that I could initiate those inexperienced into the fresh, hot Donut experience :)
Thanks to each and every one of you.
It's been just a wonderful blessing.
 
Until we meet again,
Happy Stitching!!!
Debra

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

meanderings last week

I had the opportunity to do some more
meanderings in thread
for a couple of gals last week.
It's so inspirational, seeing these great finishes.

Joell made this great baby gift...
a wonderful I-spy/shape/letter recognition twin sized quilt.
What a lucky little one!
 And Glenna did this very large king...
Yes, I know that king-sized quilts are large -
this one just seemed larger than large :)
(I can't remember how many bobbins I filled).
It was very berry/rust/fall-ish and just beautifully made.
 
Today is my day "off",
so I plan on doing some more meanderings in thread. 
And then, maybe, quilt a couple of my own!
Thanks for the inspiration, gals!

Monday, October 10, 2011

more meanderings

A beginner quilter...
Her first class:
fabric choices, cutting, piecing, & pressing.
Squares, flying geese and half square triangles.
I'm sure she passed with flying quilt colors when I saw this.
And I got to quilt it for her!

I love to see the finishes of beginner classes.

Happy October stitching!

Friday, October 7, 2011

Things that make me smile

I went to pick up a friend for lunch last week,
and when I pulled up in front of her office building,
THIS:
was walking strutting in!!
Boom box, bag of helium ballons and full rubber chicken-face mask!!!
Yes, the hat was covered in yellow feathers.

Monday, October 3, 2011

No way!

Way!!
It's October already!!

Where has time gone?
That December holiday is now just under 3 month away!

A group of us quilty friends were talking and realized that we all had the same pattern purchased and were planning on making the "present" quilt for gifting this year. 

So, next step, get together and stitch them up!!
And girl, did we. 
I hosted and there were peeps coming and going all day! 
I made wedding soup, a mixed green salad and blueberry-zucchini muffins and called that lunch. 
And, surprise, surprise, the same leftovers were called dinner later in the day.
It was a fun, laughter-filled day.

So, yes, Way!
Just need to applique stitch that bow!
I have a gift almost ready to quilt and it's just October!!!