Goofin' Off With Topiaries and a Farewell to Tink (For Now)

Spring has arrived in full swing with an occasional sunny day here in the Pacific Northwest.  We’re predicted to (possibly) get into the 70’s temperature-wise here for a few days.  It’s got my mind on spring and flowers and…all the beautiful flowers and topiaries we saw at the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival a few months ago.  The festival will be wrapping up pretty quick here, but the beauty is still fresh in my mind. 

I wasn’t quite ready to let go of those memories yet, as I am waiting for more sunny skies and less gray skies to appear here.  So the other day I put together a little video slide show of all the beautiful topiaries we saw there.  So if you like gardening, flowers, topiaries, or Disney (and who doesn’t love Disney), go ahead and sit back and enjoy a few moments of spring with me.  If you like, enjoy it with your favorite beverage and maybe a little bit of chocolate…or lots of chocolate.  Maybe I'll have to go grab a Ghirardelli chocolate off my desk.  

Not only is the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival wrapping up, but I have also wrapped up my Tinkerbell projects.  I’ll miss the pretty greens, blues, and lavenders of both of these projects.  The next set of projects I’ve decided to work on, while still very Disney, will be in more blacks, browns, grays, and whites.  

Here is the finish of my Tinkerbell cross stitch.  The pattern shows the title as “Tinkerbell Flying Happily.”  I know working on her sure brought a lot of smiles to my face.  I hope once it’s framed and gifted, it can bring some smiles to someone else. 

Tinkerbell Cross Stitch Finish - April 2017

I know I posted a finish of the quilted Tink quilt on my last post, but I have finished the binding now, and here is how it came out.  I won’t be missing this one as much because I plan to keep it for myself.   

Tinkerbell Quilt Finish - April 2017

So what’s up next?  Well, for cross stitch projects, I’ve got another Disney project I started a long time ago that I just need to do the back stitching for.  I imagine that will be done very quickly.  After that, I’ve chosen another extremely large project.  When I had it narrowed down to two, I let hubby make the final choice.  He chose a project which I’ll simply call Mickey and His Pirate Pals for now.  No sneak peeks on this one.  I want you to watch it come alive as I stitch it. 

In the queue for quilting projects, as you already know, is a quilt using Marvel fabrics of Captain America (and possibly Ant Man).  I’ve previewed the Captain America fabric in a previous post, but now I’ll let you peek at the rest of the fabrics.  This will be a queen-sized quilt for our bedroom.  Then it’s time to get back to pumping out some charity quilts.  So many projects…never enough time.  

Sneak Peek - Captain America Quilt Fabric Palette

Goofin' Off With Ziplocs...and Project Updates 4/24/2017

You know that commercial that asks “What’s in your wallet?”  I’m not sure why, but this morning as I was grabbing yet another Ziploc bag out of the kitchen, I thought, “What’s in your Ziploc?”  I was thinking about how many Ziplocs we use and the variety of ways that we use them.  Please don’t start to sweat thinking I am trying to sell you Ziplocs, nor am I participating in any sort of MLM scheme involving Ziplocs.  It’s just one of those odd thoughts that creeps into your mind on an early Monday morning.  Before we get too deeply into Ziplocs, I’ll give you some updates on my projects. 

The first update is for my Tinkerbell quilt.  This past weekend I bit the bullet and finally decided to try my hand at machine quilting using my Brother sewing machine.  I had fun with it and tried stitch-in-the-ditch, echo quilting, and even using a decorative stitches for quilting.  For the record:  I HAD FUN!  Seriously, the finished product is kind of a mish-mash of designs, but I had so much fun in the process.  I learned some things my machine did well, and other things that it (or I) didn’t do so well.  I’ve posted a picture below of my favorite corner of the quilt with the quilting.  

Because this project wound up being more of “learning experience” for me, I’ve decided to keep this little lap quilt for myself when it’s done rather than donate to charity.  My family will tell you I like to stay warm.  I almost always have a quilt or blanket on my lap when I’m working or cross stitching.  As an added bonus, having Tink in my room will brighten things up quite a bit.  

Next update is my Tinkerbell cross stitch.  I can’t believe I only have one more tiny section to go before this is done.  My hubby asked me the other night what I would be doing for my blog once all my Tink projects were done.  Um, you’ll have to keep an eye on my blog go find out, sweetie (wink, wink). 

Now back to my Ziploc obsession discussion.  I went to pull a Ziploc this morning so I could put my thread and bobbin together for the quilting I had done this weekend.  I kept thinking of all the Ziplocs of varying sizes I have in my sewing room/office.  I use them for so many things.  I took a peek in the refrigerator, and can you believe there was only one Ziploc in there…which was helping to keep some Colby Jack cheese from drying out.  

Here are some of the ways I am using Ziplocs in my sewing room/office: 

My techie (and I use the term techie loosely) Ziploc full of thumb drives and all the cords I use to recharge the few electronics I have…my laptop, my camera, my .mp3 player...and my never charged so don't try to call me cell phone.  

My supply of birthday cards and my list of family birthdays month-by-month.

Keeping threads together for a particular cross stitching project. 

Kits I have made up for charity quilts.  I have about a dozen patterns that call for three different fabrics and uses one yard of each fabric.  These are the perfect size for charity quilts, so when I find fabric that I think goes together well, I stash them together for the future in these Ziploc bags.  

I probably have more Ziplocs than I choose to admit in my room.  On the sort of eco-friendly side, I do re-use them when I'm finished with a project.  

So I ask you today:  What's in your Ziploc?  

Goofin' Off Around the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival and Weekly Updates

How does one, who has a brown thumb, manage to create lovely Disney-inspired topiaries?  One doesn't.  One simply heads to Florida during the Epcot International Flower and Garden Festival.  We have been able to attend this festival to celebrate my birthday for the past five years or so. Thankfully, our timeshare makes it all possible and affordable for us.  And, of course, how could I not snap a picture of this little pixie for my blog when all my projects right now are inspired by her?  

Before I get too ahead of myself with all the flowers and stuff, I'll go ahead and post a few updates on my projects.  The projects have been slow going as of late since my dad was in the hospital for two weeks and is just starting his second week at a rehab center.  The long visits to the hospital have tapered off, and we are just visiting every other day or so for now.  I'm starting to feel like things are getting back to "normal" [knocking on wood].  

Here are a couple of pictures of the Tinkerbell quilt.  The top is completed.  The pictures show what it looks like with both the first border and then the second border added.  It's nice to be done with this one.  

And just in case you didn't think this post was heavy enough with Tink, here is where I am at with the cross stitch piece.  Only two more sections to go before it's finished, too.  I am so excited.  

Now for a quick review and highlight photos for the 2017 Flower & Garden Festival.  What we loved:  

• Free "Garden Rocks Concert Series".  While we were there, Jon Secada, Dennis DeYoung of STYX, and The Pointer Sisters all gave live concerts.  These concerts are included in the cost of your admission.  The only concert I could convince my hubby to attend was with Dennis DeYoung.  Yes, we were welcomed to the grand illusion.  This was one of hubby's favorite bands in his teen years.  

Dennis DeYoung:  The Music of Styx

• The "Butterflies on the Go" walk through area.  Lots of beautiful butterflies flying around.  

• The "Outdoor Kitchens" kiosks with lots of great food.  There were 15 kiosks this year, and I think we tried something at each one of them.  Hmm...maybe I'll have to a blog entry with all my foodie pictures.  

Key Lime Tart with Toasted Meringue

• Beautiful Disney-inspired topiaries.  There were three new topiaries this year.  Here are some of my favorites this year...actually, they're all my favorites.  

Bambi, Thumper, and Flower

Andrea, Lance, and Figment

The Fab Five:  

Mickey, Minnie, and Goofy

Donald and Pluto

Goofy and His Bestie

Peter Pan Keeping an Eye On Things From Above

I've got so many more pictures to show.  But I'm thinking I'll save them for another time and post. Thanks for hanging in for as long as you have.  Until the next update...

Where is Spring? - Update Pictures - Trip to Wizarding World of Harry Potter

I am so excited to have some progress pictures on my projects today.  This week has been very
productive for me, so I’ll probably have some more pictures by the end of the week for another blog post.  Hubby and I are headed to JoAnn’s tonight to pick up some batting and just a smidgen more fabric that I’ll need for the Captain America quilt.  JoAnn’s Daffodil Days has both of these at 40% off this week, so I am a pretty happy camper.

I am happy to report that the center for the Tinkerbell quilt is complete.  It seems a little busy, but I can tell you that after laying out the borders, it really seems to tone things down a bit.  You can see a picture of the quilt center below.

It’s weird that it’s almost April 1^st here but most of the trees around here are still pretty bare because of the weather we’ve had.  This quilt really helps to brighten up the house during the day after day of gray and rain.  I am really looking forward to this coming spring and summer when the trees fill out and the flowers bloom. 

I also have an update on the Tinkerbell cross stitch.  She also brightens my day when I get to work on her.  I can’t believe how close I am getting to the end with each and every update.  It won’t be long now.

Like I mentioned above, it has been an extremely productive week.  One of the things I was able to get done last weekend was put together a video for my niece of our time at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter.  I think I mentioned before that she joined us for part of our time in Orlando a few weeks ago.  I apologize for my amateur video skills.  That is something I hope on working on this year.  You can see the video below:

My top five favorite experiences at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter are:

• Butterbeer – I prefer it in its carbonated, cold form.  It tastes something like a cream soda with a touch of butterscotch.  They also offer it in an ice cream form, a warm beverage during the winter, and in an iced form. 
• Tour through Hogwart’s Castle – Technically, the castle is the queue area for the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride.  The ride itself makes me extremely nauseous, so it’s nice that they offer you the opportunity to walk through and take pictures and “chicken out” before you actually get on the ride.  The inside of the castle is very detailed and feels like you’re walking right through the movie. 
• Hogwart’s Express – Yes, you can ride the Hogwart’s Express either from London to Hogsmeade or Hogsmeade to London.  The experience of leaving from London affords you the opportunity to walk through (or run through if you’re a muggle) Platform 9-3/4.  I won’t give any spoilers, but it’s pretty amazing what they have done to recreate the experience. 
• Gringott’s Bank – Like Hogwart’s Castle, the walkthrough of Gringott’s mirrors the details and experience of Gringott’s Bank from the final Harry Potter movie.  Remember that scene where they’re in the cart speeding down to the vault?  Yep, that is what they try to recreate in the ride. 
• The Knight Bus – This is a personal experience with the driver of the Knight Bus as well as the shrunken head.  The shrunken head talks to and interacts with you.  

We had such a fun time on this trip.  I am grateful that even though our nieces and

nephews are all pretty much grown now, they don’t mind hanging out with their aunt
and uncle.  

2017 St. Patrick's Day Updates With a Little Green

A St. Patrick’s Day Irish poem for my readers: 

For each petal on the shamrock

This brings a wish your way –

Good health, good luck, and happiness

For today and every day.  –Author Unknown

Today is St. Patrick’s Day 2017.  It really snuck up on me this year…probably because I’m still doing a lot of catching up from our trip to Disney World to visit the mouse last week.  There will be no corned beef and cabbage for dinner this year.  I think we’ve settled on dessert from Applebee’s tonight after our leftovers for dinner.  Not exactly Irish, but it is making me hungry. 

I managed to get the last set of blocks completed for the Tinkerbell quilt today.  As you can see, it really didn’t take but a few minutes as these were just 6-1/2” squares of the Tinkerbell fabric.  As a reminder, this quilt is an easy design and was adapted from the June/July 2014 McCalls Quick Quilts magazine.  For the time being, I am choosing easy patterns to work on since I have so many things on my plate.  Please note the color of these blocks is green.  Quite befitting on this St. Patrick’s Day. 

And now for a St. Patrick’s Day joke.  It’s got a little bit of mischief in it just like my favorite fairy Tinkerbell. 

What do you get when you cross poison ivy with a four-leaf clover?  

A rash of good luck.  –Author Unknown

The next update I have is for my Tinkerbell cross stitch piece.  I got carried away on Wednesday and was able to complete one section.  I am sooo close to finishing this piece.  I love this little pixie more and more with each update.  It will be hard to give her away, but I know exactly who I want it to go to.  I’ve had her in mind from the moment I saw the pattern. 

And now for another St. Patrick’s Day joke.  I can’t seem to get enough of them today.  I thought this one was fitting for a quilting and stitching blog. 

Never iron a four-leaf clover, because you don’t want to press your luck.  –Author Unknown

Do you have a favorite St. Patrick’s Day quote or joke?  Feel free to leave it below in the comments. Hubby and I always enjoy a good joke.  

As I mentioned before, we were out of town in Disney World last week.  I got to take a lot of pictures and haven’t quite decided what I am going to do with all of them.  Here is one of my favorites.  Can you guess why? 

This little pixie has a way of showing up everywhere...even on our vacation.  

I’ll give you a few of the highlights of our trip, but I’ll adding more pictures, videos, and stories over the next few weeks.  We ate lots of delicious food…many of the dishes new to us and Disney World.  We were able to enjoy the Epcot International Flower & Garden Festival for two full days of our trip.  Our 29-year-old niece joined us several days into the trip, so we decided to jump to the “other” theme parks in Orlando and catch a ride on the Hogwart’s Express.  I could go on and on (and probably will in the near future). 

Thanks for following along!  I am enjoying all the new friends I am making around the world through blogging.  It's so much fun to check to see where people are visiting from and reading your comments.  

Starting March Off With a Few Updates

I am starting off March with a few small updates.  I wish they were more, but there are only so many minutes in a day, and I can't spend them all working at my sewing machine.

The first update is the third set of blocks for the Tinkerbell quilt.  When I started working on this set, I had a sewing mishap.  I sewed two of the strips with wrong side on one of the strips.  I didn't feel in the mood to rip the seam at the time, so luckily I had enough scraps left to sew together another strip set.  Now I just need to cut out the Tinkerbell squares and start the assembly of the quilt.  I am guessing that won't happen until after my annual trek to Orlando to visit the big cheese himself.  You can see the third set of blocks below.

I was able to get another section finished on the Tinkerbell cross stitch piece the past few days.  I was hoping to finish one more section before we head out, but now I am not sure that is going to happen.

It is nice to see this one coming up on the finish line now.  It will have been several years in the making, and I am going to miss it when I am finished.

As we are getting ready to head out to Florida soon, I decided to take my parents some brownies last night.  I know my dad had not been feeling well since last Thursday, but to see him struggling so much last night broke my heart.  Excuse my French, but it really sucks to watch your parents age.  I am grateful that they were able to do so much traveling while they had their good health.

The above picture is a picture of my parents when they took their kids on a cruise through the Panama Canal a couple of years back.  You can see the track for the machinery of the canal in the background.  My parents had the room directly below the room I was sharing with my sister.  Their room was a mini suite, so the balcony stuck out a little further than the balcony of our room.  One day my mom accused us of throwing potato chips onto their balcony.  We got a good laugh when we realized that the outside burger place was directly above us about five floors up.  People had been tossing potato chips off the side to feed the birds.

My parents have instilled in me a deep desire to travel.  People who know me get a little chuckle that I still just have a "dumb" phone on a limited pay as you go plan which only costs about $5 a month, and  I only use the phone in emergencies.  My current sewing machine is a Brother that I bought at WalMart over 10 years ago for less than $150.  We all have limited amounts of money, so I choose to spend mine on hobbies and travel instead of keeping up with all the newest technology.

I will stop rambling now and get going.  There is so much to do before we head out.

More Updates - 02/27/2017

It’s been a rollercoaster of weather here today…snow, sleet, hail, snow, hail, snow, sleet….all day long.  I made it out long enough to get my hair cut today.  But now I’ve heard that girls’ night has been canceled, so I’ll take the time to write another blog post and keep everyone updated as to where my projects are at. 

I’ve completed the second set of blocks for the Tinkerbell quilt.  I’ve switched some things up from my original plan.  I am still enjoying working on this one, but I just wish I had more time to work on it.  I know the next few weeks will be crazy busy, but I’ll be working on it whenever I get the chance.  You can see the next set of blocks below. 

Last night I spent some time designing some quilt patterns for my next quilt…the Captain America quilt.  I’ve got three designs so far that I am leaning towards.  They’re in 12-inch blocks with the center of the blocks being 6 inches.  The centers will be the Captain America fabric.  It’s a medium-sized print, so I wanted to be sure it would be large enough to show off Captain America. 

I’ve also finished another section of my Tinkerbell cross stitch.  This piece makes me smile every time I look at it.  You can see the latest update below. 

Yesterday, I got to have brunch with my niece.  She’ll be joining us midway through our upcoming trip to Florida.  She and I collaborated and made vacation plans while I savored my strawberry-rhubarb French toast.  I’m counting down the days and feeling like a little kid right before Christmas. 

My husband went to the Northwest Aviation Conference & Trade show on Sunday and spent the evening telling me about the things he saw and the people he met and talked to.  I think he had a bit of fun.  He said this is a picture of him and his next toy.  

Since I was catching up with the hubby last night, I didn’t watch the Oscars.  But I did see this morning that Disney won two Oscars last night.  Congratulations to Zootopia for Best Animated Picture and Jungle Book for Best Visual Effects.  

Opening Pandora...

DISNEY AND PANDORA UPDATES – I Promise Quilt and Stitch Updates Below

This past week Disney’s CEO Bob Iger announced the opening date for Pandora – The World of Avatar.  The opening date is currently slated to be May 27, 2017.  Although my husband and I are excited to finally see this open (who wouldn’t with James Cameron and James Rohde overseeing it), we are disappointed that our trip this year will be before the opening.  We’ve got our fingers crossed for one of two things to happen:  1)  Husband gets sent to a conference in Orlando again this coming December; or 2)  We make an extra trip this year.  At this point the first seems much more likely to happen than the second as most our vacation time is already spoken for this year with family reunions and family weddings. 

The design artwork I’ve seen so far makes this Pandora look like it will be an incredibly immersive place to visit.  Anyone who has been to the Carsland area at Disneyland Resort knows what Disney is capable of.  I am really hoping that Pandora won’t disappoint.  When we were at Disney’s Animal Kingdom a year ago, here is a picture we took from the parking lot of what appears to be a floating rock.  You can see that picture below. 

Disney has announced two new attractions to be located here.  The first attraction will be some sort of river journey on a boat through a bioluminescent rainforest.  What isn’t clear yet is whether this will be a thrill ride or a more family friendly ride.  If this is a thrill ride, I hope I won’t get wet.  The second attraction has been announced entails exploring Pandora while riding on the back of a Banshee.  I have to imagine that this will definitely have some sort of thrill ride aspect to it.  I promise when I do finally get to see it, I will take lots and lots of pictures to share.  

QUILT UPDATE

I have finished Steps 5 and 6 on my current quilt project.  This is essentially the first two borders on the quilt.  As I have noted before, this quilt has been adapted from the October/November 2016 McCalls Quick Quilts magazine. 

Since I just have two steps left before I finish this quilt, it’s time to begin thinking about my next quilt.  I’ve got a couple of quilt ideas rolling around in the back of my head.  The first is a Captain America quilt.  I’ve picked out a pattern and some fabric to make a queen-sized quilt for our bed.  Captain America is hubby’s favorite Marvel character—oh, and he also says Ant Man is his favorite Marvel character, so I may sneak in some Ant Man fabric, too.  We really are overdue for a new quilt on our bed.  Several of the quilts we use on our bed during the winter were wedding gifts that we received over 28 years ago and are beginning to show their age. 

My second idea is to keep with the Tinkerbell theme as I finish up my Tinkerbell cross stitch.  I picked up some Tinkerbell fabric several years ago.  Who knows, maybe I can give a Tinkerbell quilt to my friend at the same time I give her the finished stitched piece.  

STITCHING UPDATE

Speaking of my Tinkerbell stitched piece, below you can find the latest updates from my Tinkerbell cross stitch.  I have completed two more small sections since my last update.  You can see them below.  

Thank you for reading along with the updates.  I hope you and yours have a nice week.   

Super Bowl, Pirates, and Quilts

So yesterday was the Super Bowl.  I have to admit, I watched very little of the game.  Had our Seahawks been playing, that might have been another story.  It would have been great had our Seahawks made it further in the playoffs.

During the Super Bowl, Disney debuted a few new movie trailers.  Among them was the trailer for "Pirates of the Caribbean:  Dead Men Tell No Tales".  I am a huge fan of the Pirates franchise.  I have been waiting to see a trailer for some time now.  In honor of the Pirates trailer, I have themed my update pictures with a pirate theme.  A big thanks to FranB Designs for her fun digital artwork that she allows me to use on my blog.  (Hint:  If you missed the trailer, you can find a link to it on the bottom of this post.)

The above picture represents a finish of Step 4 of my current quilt.  It is the completed center of the quilt.  I think I mentioned before that this was a "scrap" quilt.  I did try to coordinate the colors of the scraps and really like how it turned out.  I just have the borders to pop on.

Above is my Australian Square Dance quilt which has been tied and bound and is now completed and ready for donation.  You can see the cute Australian critters that were on the fabrics.

Now for the updates on my Tinkerbell cross stitch.  I actually finished stitching two more little sections on my piece.  Below are pictures of each of those updates.

If you happened to miss the "Pirates" trailer (or you just want to see it again), you can follow the link below to the official trailer on YouTube.

Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales Trailer