May God Bless You this day beyond measure! May He pour out His richest blessings in lavish ever-increasing abundant overflowing blessings of LOVE, JOY, PEACE, HOPE and PERFECT HEALTH upon YOU!!! May your every need be met and may everything you put your hand to prosper. Know that you are His chosen child and you are Loved and Treasured by the King of Kings. God Bless You!

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Goodbye April

Mercy! Time is flying I double checked and tomorrow really is the first day of May! I better get busy, as I am running behind on some of my projects.

Enjoy today as May arrives very soon!

Friday, April 26, 2013

Ms. Flamingo made me Do it!

When I was in the schools teaching art, many of my students could not pronounce my last name...it's not an uncommon or difficult name but for whatever reason their tongues would trip over my last  name. Quite by accident, I was renamed by my students as Ms. Flamingo.

 

As an art teacher, I was one of the few teachers in the building that would allow students the freedom to experiment with their assignments...in other words...be Creative! You've not seen joy on a child's face until you see the child experience using 'real glue' not glue sticks...and then by adding glitter, paint, sprinkles, confetti to the mix.... oh what an explosion of joyful delight!

I was working in my painting studio when the idea hit me. The creative freedom 'allowed' by Ms. Flamingo came to visit me, Beulah! I've been running up and down the stairs from the sewing room to the painting studio, working on a project that includes such materials as paint, canvas, fabric, thread, brushes, paper, sewing machine, sparkles and bling. Soon I shall be ready to share this project for now, it is under the watchful eye of Ms. Flamingo.



All smiles here as I am enjoying a Fun Friday with Ms. Flamingo!
with Love as always,

Beulah

Thursday, April 25, 2013

Shake Your POM POMS Blog Hop

Shake Your Pom Poms!
2 bits
4 bits
6 bits
a dollar


Clover  Our AWESOME Sponsor!
  http://clover-usa.com/category/ 
and

Aurifil Our AWESOME Sponsor!http://www.aurifil.com/SiteAurifil/HOME.html
and
Red Rooster Our AWESOME Sponsor!
http://www.redroosterfabrics.com/
and 
Madame Samm of: http://www.sewwequilt.com/
and
Thearica of: http://www.pigtalesandquilts.com/

are the GREATEST!

Now come on everyone, stand up and holler!

THANK YOU!THANK YOU!!THANK YOU!!!




Once upon a time...when I was in high school I was a member of a traveling ministry team. We would perform dramas, sing, dance a little bit of everything. When Madame Samm announced this hop my mind went back to those days instantly! In one of our dramas, we gave out warm fuzzies...[colorful pompoms saturated in LOVE]. Now if you have ever received a warm fuzzy you know that if you keep it and do not pass it along they turn into a cold prickly and no one ever wants to be left holding a cold prickly! The moral of this story, "come on people, smile on your brother everybody get together let us LOVE one another....".  

Back to the hop before I get totally lost down memory lane.

In the beginning.
These are the only pom pom makers our local store carried...I got both.
And instantly fell in LOVE with those tiny pom pom makers on the left!
 
A lamp to display my vintage spools of  thread complete with
pom poms which are an almost a perfect match to the wall color.
Pom poms are simple to make, even for 'little' hands.
All I can think about when I see these are the Who's down in Whoville, thank you Dr Seuss :)
These flowers are headed to the playhouse for some darling little children!
And last but not least, a bit more from the Who's living on the small clover flower and their friend Horton. I love the story Horton Hears a Who one of my very favorites of all time...how he bravely defends the Who's down in Whoville...I'm talking Love in action! :)


A new mug rug for my morning tea in the garden.

Here is the schedule for today....headed now to shake my pom poms!
April 25

Thanks for stopping by! 
May your day be filled with unexpected delights and warm fuzzies!
Happy Thursday!
with Love as always,
Beulah




Wednesday, April 24, 2013

When I grow up I want to be an Ornithologist

I really am somewhat serious, I LOVE birds! Big birds, little birds, fat birds, skinny birds, red birds, blue birds, spotted birds, striped birds, loud birds, quiet birds...
I LOVE BIRDS! This Spring our yard has been blessed with nesting birds! It has been such a joy watching them build their nests and soon to be feeding their chicks. At the moment I know of 2 blue bird nests in our bluebird boxes, a mocking bird nest in the Lady Bank's Rose on our back porch, on our very small front porch we have a wren nest and a nest of house finches, in yet another bird box a family of chickadees!


Mockingbird nest on our back porch.

Happy Wednesday!
May your day be filled with happy bird songs.
with LOVE as always,

Beulah

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Snail Mail bundle of Joy

Recently I had a wonderful opportunity to test quilt block patterns for Quiltmaker Magazine volume 7. http://www.quiltmaker.com/index.html
A delightful challenge  to stitch beautiful quilt blocks and not be able to talk about them or post progress ... at times I felt like a secret agent surrounded by such lovely hush-hush projects. Soon, very soon I can share, the magazine is headed to stores as I type. 

You can imagine the thrill when I opened the mailbox and saw these!


Tonight I shall curl up with my giant denim pillows and feast on these fabulous blocks as I plot and plan for several new projects!


Thank you Quiltmaker for such a delightful bundle of joy!


Sweet Dreams!

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Bees are Buzzing

Yesterday about this time I mentioned I was participating in 2 Quilting Bees. Just want to take a second and share my excitement over the 2nd quilting bee which will be hosted by Patti, over at 'A Yankee in Queen Liz's Court'. http://quiltoo.blogspot.com/2013_04_01_archive.html[ Her cute button for the bee is on my side bar.] The quilting bee isn't even underway and I've already started playing around and creating blocks using only scraps! Seriously, I don't think I shall ever toss fabric scraps again!

Some are a bit wonky as I get a handle on this pattern...but oh how I am loving the way this is starting to look!

The plan at the moment is to use the blocks and create curtains for my sewing studio...however, that is subject to change!I'm also considering the possibility of using these blocks to create a lined maxi skirt....or a quilted table covering...or a...

Happy Thursday!
with Love as always,

Beulah

Consider this a Public Service Announcement

As it stands at the moment,  I will not be making the change to bloglovin.
I actually follow the blogs I follow [that's a tongue twister] by using the dashboard at my blog and not Google Reader.
On my blog 'proper' the 10 most recent posts by my bloggy friends are shown at all times if I need a fast glance connection.
Google Reader and Google Friends Connect and Blogger are not the same...therefore...I will be able to view all the blogs I follow on my dashboard like I do now.
But what I find most peculiar about the whole issue is the lack of chatter to Google requesting them not to get rid of the Google Reader.
Remember the concept, squeaky wheel gets the grease?
And be reminded of the credit card and bank added fees that the public cried foul and they suddenly vanished.
It's time to speak up, we each have a voice, let Google know how you feel...you do not have to remain silent.
Could it be that Google was clueless on how vital Google Reader is for so many bloggers.
Speak Up!
Now's your chance...history has shown that when the people speak corporations listen!


That's my 2 cents worth and thoughts on the Google Reader issue.
I hopping off my soapbox and heading to the sewing machine for a full day of stitching!

Happy Thursday!
with LOVE as always,

Beulah

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Termites and Bee Blocks

Termites in Swarm

These are Termites! They must be really tough Termites as they began their swarm emerging from our brick and stamped concrete porch! The 'bug man' is coming today to make sure this doesn't happen again. Amazing what you learn about bugs as they invade...Termites swarm in the thousands! They are very similar to flying ants or queen ants yet there is a difference. Termites do not have segmented bodies and they are leaner than ants.  There are other facts...but I won't gross you out with those tidbits of information. Just be on the look out, if you see anything that looks like these little critters, you probably should call your 'bug guy' and have them investigate to make sure you do not have any Termite damage.

Now on to nicer insects...Bees! Not the actual bee but Quilting Bees. I am currently participating in 2 Quilting Bees...little did I know how inspiring and what a jump-start of creativity a Quilting Bee could provide! :)

June will be 'my month' for the "We Bee With It" Modern Quilting Bee.I have chosen a Vanishing 9 Patch as 'my' block. Currently I am making the blocks and will cut and trim to create the vanish once all of the blocks are in hand. For a bit of relief from the bugs above, below you will find a few of the blocks...Bee Blocks are much nicer than Termites.




Blocks to be used in my Vanishing 9 Patch

If you would like to create your own these are great for using up scraps! They are fast and easy and pack quite a punch.
For this Vanishing 9 Patch I decided to use scraps in 'color families' and placed them around a solid white block. Each of the 9 patches are created using a 4 1/2 inch square...which creates a 12 1/2 inch block.


I will post more in the future showing how I will be assembling creating the 'vanish'.


Happy Wednesday!
with Love as always,

Beulah

Monday, April 15, 2013

Monday Morning!

Making my list and checking it twice, adding more items is such a delight! :)

A productive day and creative week all lined up. Running between loads of laundry and a mountain of clothes to be ironed I will be working on:
1. 2 quilts for the 2013 Hands2Help quilt challenge [tops are complete, time to create the backs]
2. designing my block for the Modern Quilting Bee, We Bee with It
3. pulling my fabrics for the Bee hosted by A Yankee in Queen Liz's Court which is set to begin in May! [last time I checked, there was still space for 1 more Bee...hurry if you are interested this looks like it is going to be FUN!]

4. thinking about what to prepare for dinner
5. loading the dishwasher

6. adding the finishing embellishments for the Shake your Pom Poms Hop
7. hand quilting
8. sewing & nesting with the birds

9. dreaming of flowers that arrive in May
10. waiting on the arrival of fabrics for a secret project


Looks like a grand week is set with openings for creative changes to the schedule.
Taking my thread and snippets of cloth covered self off to load the washer, grab a glass of tea and head to the cutting table!




Have a great Monday!
with love as always,
Beulah

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Joy comes in the Morning!

Oh what a beautiful Morning!
Gone are the cold damp snowy days of last week as my corner of the world has finally begun celebrating Spring! Sunny days, warm breeze and can you believe it...81 degrees was the high yesterday, just last Thursday our high was 34 degrees!

I enjoyed my early morning walk as the air was filled with delightful bird songs, flowers are blooming and trees are budding...green...new life has returned once more. This garden moment was just too amazing not to share with you, look who I caught snoozing on the crab apple blossom!

He reminds me of Winnie the Pooh stuck in the Honey Jar

May your day be filled with JOY!
with Love as always,
Beulah

Monday, April 8, 2013

April Showers Blog Hop

Where would we all be without these 2 wonderful cheerleaders?!

Madame Samm of:  http://www.sewwequilt.com/

and
Erin of: http://mummyquilts.blogspot.ca/  

I for one would be less creative and less willing to take risks or try something new. Thank you ladies for leading the way, cheering us on to be the best we can be!

I have fallen head over heels for mug rugs this year which is so abnormal for me...as I tend to keep expanding my quilting projects until they fit a king size bed! When I saw the announcement that this hop would be devoted entirely to mug rugs...squeals, twirls and shouts of joy rang throughout the house!

Happy Easter!

Play Ball!


Spread your Wings!
Scrappy
Love Birds
For my Sewing Table

Below you will find the complete schedule of the hop! I am excited and ready to visit I can't wait to see what everyone has created!



Happy Hopping!
with Love as always,

Beulah


MONDAY, APRIL 8:
Erin @ Sew at Home Mummy
Patty @ A Stitch in Time
Jenny @ Squawk That
Stacey @ The Tilted Quilt
Daryl @ Patchouli Moon Studio
Lisa @ The Boon Docks
Julie @ Jolie Maxtin: the project girl
Beluah @ Sowing Stitches
Karen @ Bungalow Bay Quilts

DeAnna @ Georgia Girl Quilter




TUESDAY, APRIL 9th
Gina @ Sew Much and More
Sharon @ Vroomans Quilts
Theresa @ Bumbleberry Stitches
Sheila @ Sheila's Quilts World
Jennet @ The Feathered Nest Studio
Patti @ A Yankee in Queen Liz's Court
Gene @ Gene Black - Alabama Artist
Susan @ Susan's Scrappy Domain
Bente @ I Like to Quiltblog
Deb @ Quilting & Other Craft Therapy
Megan @ AnnieOak Designs



WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10th
Hayley @ Mrs. Pickles
Karen @ Sew Much 2 Luv
Mélanie @ Les passions de Cliodana
Cindy @ Quilt Doodle Doodles

Jamie @ Busy Bee Quilts
Judy @ That Other Blog
Regena @ The Distracted Domestic
Amy @ Domesticity and other Ponderous Things
Denise @ My Whittle Adventures
Heather @ a Reformed Heath'n
Marica @ ~Englating~



THURSDAY, APRIL 11th

Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures
Jill @ Apple Avenue Quilts
Cathy @ Cathy's Chatter
Quilter Kathy @ Kathy's Quilts
Marsha @ Quilter in Motion
Pat @ Life in the Scrapatch
Connie @ Shepody Mountain Crafter
Vickey @ Gingersnaps Quilts
Danielle @ A Geeky Crafty Life
Gwen @ Get More Done...Today
Rachel @ Sew Happily Ever After!



FRIDAY, APRIL 12th

Bobbie @ From This to That
Leslie @ Les Quilts
Kristen @ Meadowbrook
Lavonna @ ZellerWear
Lynn @ Thimblemouse & Spouse
Amy @ Sew Incredibly Crazy
Martha @ Living Life
Shawn @ Creative Inspiraciones
Rhonda @ Sunrise at Ravelly's!
Toye @ Quilting Adventures of a Ginger



MONDAY, APRIL 15th
Cathy @ Cate's Linens
Nicola @ Sunshine Reflections
Martina @ Sunshinequilting
Judith @ Frimart
Anita @ Anita's quilts en handwerken
Linda @ Sew Nicely
Kris @ krislovesfabric
Laura Ann @ The Fuzzy Hat Quilter
Carol @ Just let me Quilt
Selina @ Selina Quilts
Mary @ Crooked Gulley Art Quilts
Marisa @ Passion et Couture



TUESDAY, APRIL 16th
Cathi @ Quilt Obsession
Jane @ Jane's Fabrics and Quilts
Heidi @ Nutz4Redwork
Cherry @ Cherry'sPrairiePrimatives
Christine @ Quilt Monster in my Closet
Vickie @ More Stars in Comanche
Pauline @ Stekje
Jan @ Jan's Art Friendzy
Nissa @ Nissa Made Stuff
Robin @ As Sweet As Peaches
Lyndsey @ Sew Many Yarns
Eleni @ That Other Blog







Wednesday, April 17
Jen @ Quilter in the Closet
Marjorie @ Marjorie's Busy Corner
Elita @ A Pieceful Perspective
Green @ So Sew Green
Mara @ Greco Mara
Wendy @ Why Knot Kwilt?
Gmama Jane @ GrandMama's Stories
Debby @ Debby Kravotil Quilts
Britt-Inger @ Hill Valley Quilter
Connie @ Freemotion by the River
Beth @ Words and Stitches
Kathy @ iHeartSquishy

Thursday April 18
Merry Gay @ Merry Gay in Stitches
Mary @ Sew Maybe I Can
Joanne @ Everyone Deserves a Quilt
Linda @ Buzzing and Bumbling
Mary @ NeedledMom
Sherry @ Peanuts Patchwork
Fredrika @ Feltfree på Åsly
Shauna @ Welcome to Shauna's World
Sharon @ Dancing thru Threads
Madame Samm @ !Sew WE Quilt!

Sunday, April 7, 2013

Weather Report is calling for RAIN!

The extended weather report is calling for RAIN! April showers are coming!
Make plans now to enjoy the gift of rainy days...
rush to your fabric stash...
create a list of needed supplies...
plan ahead for meals and family needs...

clean your sewing area...
sharpen those scissors...
load bobbins...

Chase those gloomy thoughts away...and get ready for some rainy day fun!

The April Showers Mug Rug Blog Hop Begins Tomorrow! 

with LOVE as always,
Beulah

Saturday, April 6, 2013

Oh Happy Day!

Thursday the weather was frightful......Cold 35*, Howling wind, Snow & Sleet....in April!
The difference a day makes!
Sunny skies and 65* greeted and entertained me on Friday!
And for the rest of the weekend....more sunny skies and we are flirting with the 70's!
If you need me today, I will be the one playing in the yard! :) Dividing plants, preparing the beds for a riot of color soon to come in the garden!!!
Happy Garden Day!
See you at Sundown!
Beulah

Wednesday, April 3, 2013

Spring Cleaning and Christmas

It's spring break here for the local schools...the weather is yet to turn towards spring but this morning I find myself in the midst of spring cleaning AND thinking about Christmas! Yep, Christmas. This morning I have already taken care of 3 folks on my Christmas List for Christmas 2013. I'm in shock!

I shall return later with a more timely Spring Note. :)