Once in A...

Blue Moon!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

The Twins

Pat A. reminded me that I had not posted pictures of the doe and twins.  Here they are; I think deer twins are probably as mischievous as human twins!  And I don't see the dad helping....

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to A Fatal Flaw by Dana Stabenow.

New and Delicious!

I'm always on the look-out for snacks that are easy to pop in your mouth and keep on doing--whatever.  Without a mess.  As we all know, M&Ms are the perfect quilting snack, but sometimes a bit of variety is in order.

First up, Oreo Thins Mint.  Okay, they also come in regular Oreo flavor, but the mint...to die for!

This is how thin they are.  The absolutely perfect ratio of cookie to filling.  And pop-able!

These are the new Keebler Town House Pretzel Thins in parmesan herb.  There are other flavors, but this caught my eye.  They are small, crisp and delish!

I've know about these for a few weeks, and this is a perfect time to share.  OMG!!!!  They are 100% cheese!  Baked!  YUM!

They are also pop-able and oh. so. good.

I have a slight preference for the Parmesan over the Asiago, but I won't turn either down.

So there you have it, my snacking friends.  Be sure to look for them in a timely fashion, because, as many of you know, once I put my seal of approval on something it is discontinued.  In the case of these snacks, that would be a shame.

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  Mommy Robin, please send me your snail mail address so that I can send out your prize.  Yes, it's you that won!

P.P.S.  Jay, the "oxygen mask" post is at http://sharonstroud.com/Out-of-My-Mind---September-2-2007.  Enjoy!

The Results Are In!

Thirty people visited the new website and took the time to comment.  I wrote each name on a slip of paper.

The papers went into the bowl and...

we are ready for the draw.  Well, actually I will draw three times!

At this point I had made a quite odd interesting video of the draw as it happened.  And I uploaded it to the blog--and it wouldn't play.  So I did a capture for this photo to show you that I drew from the bowl without looking.

The first pouch (an Atkinson Designs pattern), with the butterflies, goes to Barb MacA!
The second pouch, flowered, in the back, goes to Pat S. and the third pouch, pink, goes to Robin!

Here is what the insides look like.  These are great for storing cords, quilting supplies, in your purse for all those things that fall to the bottom.

Many thanks to all who entered!  It was great fun to see who commented each day.  And some "lurkers" came into the light!  And some friends I haven't heard from in a while, though I think of them often.

That's it for tonight.  I'll try to get my video hat to fit better next time.  Or my uploading hat, or my....  

Blissful hugs,

Sharon

P.S.  Barb, Pat, and Robin, please send your snail mail addresses to sharon@sharonstroud.com.  Thank you!

No Longer Renting Apartments

The glitch is fixed!  My website people (www.datamomentum.com) are the best!

So...I am extending the contest to noon on Monday, July 27.  A reminder of what the deal is:  Go to my newly-revamped website sharonstroud.com and, using the contact me form at the bottom of any page, or returning to the blog, leave me a comment.  You will then be eligible to win!  No entry, no chance; zero, nada, zip, zilch.

Many thanks to those who have commented already!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

A Glitch

Technology.  Love it when it works.  Not so much love when it doesn't.  Two people contacted me by email today to say that they could not get into the website.  I checked it and...it goes to an apartment leasing website, but under the Sharon Stroud heading!  No, I am not leasing apartments!

So, in an effort to play fair, I will extend the comment contest until the website is back up and running properly.  So for those who have been lurking (you know who you are!), you still have time to put yourself into the drawing.

I have reported the error, but don't really expect anything to happen until Monday.  I will keep you posted on progress.  Thanks for your patience.  (Hand work makes a whole lot more sense now, doesn't it?)

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

Help?

I'm trying to get a set of handouts finished and needed to take more pics.  I was doing okay until I needed an overhead shot of the entire project and had to lay it on the floor.

Dickens, who had been asleep on my  office chair, decided to help.  A little...

And then a lot.  After this he actually rolled on his side and gave me some 'tude'.

I did get the pictures I needed, although one has his toes featured in the corner!

Have a great day.  I am going out to try to bale some more lawn.  Yes, it's that bad!

Blissful (and early!) hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  Many thanks to those who are commenting from the new website.  You still have a bit of time to get yourself on the list!  www.sharonstroud.com

Out My Window

A young doe trying to escape the heat and get a bit to eat.  She's very thin and has twins.  The twins were running about wildly, but I did get pics of them on a different day, and I will share those a bit later.

Remember you only have until Saturday, July 25, to go the the website to enter a comment.  You will then be eligible to win a prize!  Thanks to those who have already entered!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

Just for Fun

A couple days ago, as I was taking pictures for a new handout, my camera was just resting on the table.  So--I pressed the button!  A table's-eye view of part of my sewing room.  (Okay, a very minuscule part.)

Clover Wonder Clips.  Just because.

Don't forget to go to the website (www.sharonstroud.com) and use the contact form to send me a comment, or come back here to the blog and enter a comment to be eligible for the drawing on Saturday, July 25.  No comment, no entry, no winning for you :-(  And thank you to those of you have entered!  Your comments are appreciated!

That's it for tonight.  I still have some hand sewing to do...and maybe a bit more monkeying with the camera?

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to The Lincoln Myth by Steve Berry.

It's New and It's Live!!!!

Some of you have heard rumors about it, and some of you may not know that an old one existed.  Either way--the new website is up and running!

Being a bit biased, I think it is fabulous!  You really need to check it out!

Go to www.sharonstroud.com

Then, using one of the contact forms available on the bottom of each page, send me a message.  OR you can come back to the blog and leave a message here.  On Saturday, July 25, I will put all the names in a hat and draw out a lucky winner!  No email message or blog comment, no chance to win.  For those of you have been lurking, now is the time!  Really check out the website--there is lots of cool new stuff.

For those who had visited the old site, your jaw will be on the floor!  So different and fresh.  Enjoy!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  Pat A, you are already entered!

Foldi LED Lamp

In a hand quilting class today, we were talking about lighting.  Over a year ago, I got two of these Foldi LED Lamps and just love them.  They are still available on Amazon, in black, or white.  Limited availability for the white.  Daylight U45001 is the item number.

30 full spectrum LED lights.

A side view.  That's a 6.5 inch ruler laid inside.

Plugged in, and that's the back of the box shown in the first photo.

More info.  You will need a USB power adapter, but the USB cord it provided.

I have had really good luck with mine.  They are small, compact, easy to carry, and very light.

Thanks, Sandy, Doris, Barb, Robin, and Helen, for a great day.  You all did a fabulous job!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

Picture-less Saturday

A little gardening, a lot of sewing, and the usual day-to-day stuff.  Why are there just never enough hours in the day to get all we want to done?  If I could clone myself, I would have one clone to clean house, one to do the yard work, one to do housework/cooking, and then I would be able to sew to my heart's content!  And be at the barn more, and ride more--maybe read more.  In other words, I would be the original--you know, the fun-loving, pedal-to-the-metal, do-it-with-gusto girl!

The one thing I'd like from the future?  Beaming.  AKA "Beam me up, Scotty!"  Only I want to be beamed "over", as in beam me over to the quilt shop, beam me over to the barn, etc.  That would save me untold commuter time each week.  Just think what I could get into with all that extra time!

Okay, enough silliness for tonight.  What would you wish for?

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

Another Student Finish

Carol R. of Ithaca, NY, completed this beauty and brought it to show me Tuesday night.  What a stunner!  Hand appliqued with batiks, machine set, and then machine quilted by Angie Roux (Quilting by Proxy).  The pattern is my "A Green Thumb for Everyone" which I taught as a long-term class at Quilters Corner in Ithaca.

It's so exciting to see finishes!  Don't hesitate to share yours!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

A Wee Bit of Knitting

Last fall my cousin came to visit from Georgia--and she was cold!  So we went to the store and I let her pick out the yarn she wanted--a bright, multi-colored worsted weight.  And I cast on the first wrist warmer.  I was pleasantly surprised to find that the colors spiraled around the wrister rather than pooling.

It's a pattern that I got many years ago from Patchwork Plus.  I use the Magic Loop method with one 40-inch circular needle.  I made one wrister each night, so she was warm in just a couple days.  I have also made them with longer cuffs.  Either way, they work to keep your hands warm but your fingers free to--oh, I don't know--knit, quilt, etc.  These would make great gifts and are a great take-along project for the summer.  Yes, people will look at you strangely as you are knitting at the beach, but so what?  Be a trend-setter!

Thanks to all who are commenting on the posts.  It's always good to hear from readers.

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to A Deeper Sleep by Dana Stabenow.

Hollyhocks

I adore hollyhocks, no matter the color.  It looks like most of mine will be shell pink this year.

Blissful end-of-the-holiday-weekend hugs,

Sharon

Long May She Wave

God Bless America!  Happy 4th, everyone!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

Sweet Faces

So pretty.  These just make me smile!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

A Flimsy-Not!

And it's mine!  Hard to believe, but sometimes I do actually do more than tops!  It all depends on the deadline for completion for a sample and whether inspiration strikes in time for me to do the quilting and binding!  

This is called Honeycomb, and is made with Moda's Lady Slipper Lodge fabric.  It started out as a 5-inch charm pack, and is hand pieced and machine quilted.  Notice the small triangles and half-honeycombs on the top/bottom and sides?  I actually make templates for these pieces and cut them accordingly.  That way I end up with a straight-sided quilt top without having to cut any of my finished honeycombs to achieve that.  I do the same thing with hexagons. 

To be honest I had marked the design for hand quilting and decided, after a couple unfruitful attempts, that there were many places where the quilting went a distance directly on top of seam allowances and through the intersections of honeycomb shapes.  What would have taken me several evenings to hand quilt took only about two hours by machine.

Here is what the pressing looks like on the back.  The seams had not yet been graded.

A closer look at the quilting.  Done on my Featherweight, definitely NOT free-motion!  YLI Colours variegated thread.  I love that the thread picks up every color in the top.  I even backtracked a few times to get to some of the smaller lines--something I've never tried before!

Finished size:  12.25 x 17.25 inches.  I just love it!

For those traveling for the holiday, be safe and allow extra time.  

Blissful hugs,

Sharon

Water?

If we continue to get more rain, most of our lawns will look like this.  Okay, maybe not the real flamingos, but we may want to get the fake ones here in the north.  Give our lawns a more tropical feel rather than just soggy.

It's good to have a plan!

Blissful hugs,
Sharon

P.S.  I am listening to The Lincoln Myth by Steve Berry.