birthdays and gnomes, oh my

July is rolling right along, isn't it?

Lily's birthday was this past week, and she had a roller skating party to commemorate turning 11 years old.  Needless to say, a good time was had by all.  Its been years since I've been to a roller rink.  It was nice to see the little supports like you see that Ashlynn has in front of her.  While Elise and cousins Cage and Echo couldn't quite maneuver it real well, it was a big hit with several of the kids who were still new to roller skating.

I participated in another mug rug swap this month, and the theme was "In the Garden".  I had in mind to find fabric with gnomes on it, but no luck.  However, in my search this pattern for a paper pieced gnome kept popping up.  I've done very little paper piecing, but decided to give it a try.   Here's the pattern's picture:

I was really pleased with how it came out.  In fact, I had to make another one so I could have one too!  

These little guys have different hats, beards, and bindings, otherwise they're pretty much the same.  Not knowing quite how to choose which one to part with I put them in a sack and pulled one out.  My swap partner got the white bearded gnome, and I've kept the gray bearded fellow.  I used a batik for the background, and really like the shaded look.  It sets the tone for being in the underbelly of the garden, don't you think?

I liked the paper piecing so much I can see more of it in the near future.  First though, I have a baby quilt to complete for an upcoming shower.  You'll see pictures of it in 2 or 3 weeks.

That's it for now.  Have fun summer days...

more stuff

I decided I wanted to paint the bedroom that Elise sleeps in, also known as the toy room, and for a long time my "office".  I painted it a few years ago, but can't say I was ever completely satisfied with it, plus I didn't like the popcorn ceilings. 

Since Elise has a bit of a claim to the room, she helped choose the color...purple.  So in the color family, I chose Behr's Lavender Bouquet for 3 walls, and an accent wall of Lilac Bloom.  As it turns out, the accent wall was just a shade or two darker, so it's not really a noticeable difference unless you happen to paint a bit on the other wall by mistake (ask me how I know).   

Elise wanted to help, and she happened to be staying with me for a couple of days shortly after I scraped the popcorn ceiling and got some cutting in done.  We got her set up with a brush, and she enjoyed herself. 

Previously it had been yellow, and most of the wall accents were in wood stains, or darker colors.  I decided I wanted it air-ier, and painted most of them white.  I have a bulletin board on another wall that will eventually get painted.  I lucked out on the curtains, finding 4 sheers hanging in a closet that I had forgotten about.  The clock was a garage sale find that I also painted.   Nice to have this project done.  And I won't be scraping anymore popcorn ceilings. 


I forgot to post a picture of a storm cloud that came up on my trip to Arkansas recently.  Shortly after I took the picture just outside of Greenville, it poured for several hours of my trip.  I've always said that I can count on a rain either coming or going when I go to Sue's.  I thought these clouds were amazing.

Ashlynn had her birthday party last weekend, 7 years old!   It was fun, and while I didn't get any particularly special pics, I got enough to get a feel of the activity. 

Elizabeth sent me a picture of one of Elise's adventures.  She went with a friend, and took a ride just sitting in the chair...it had a video and the chair shook at appropriate places.  I don't know that she knows quite what to think of it!

Well, that's the "stuff" in my life this time around.  Have a good week everyone.