SPRING IS COMING

While my DH was out in the yard filling the birdfeeders this is what he discovered!!!

The snowdrops are up... sure sign spring is on the way...YEAH!

Retreat at the Elmhurst

 This is where our retreat was held.... "The Elmhurst" a very special luxurious place to stay, dine, relax at the spa.

This was the bedroom and the beds so comfy

The bathroom was very modern and the shower wasfull width of the room and big enoughh to have a party in!!! We didn't VBG

Here is where we enjoyed a fabulous buffet every day

The tables with lovely linen cloths.

This is what I planned top work on?????

Yes a tote full of strips of fabric of every color and design.I have been saving these for a long time but I swear these strips multiply overnight! I have used them before again and again and yet there must be another 25 quilts  in there.

I decided to do a spiderweb string quilt. It was so much fun and very addictive.

Sorry this picture is blurry but it gives you and idea how the quilt grew(80"x80")

I might add the strips were sewn on  tissue paper  and when I got it as big as I wanted it took me a whole evening to 4 am in the morning to remove the tissue!! worth it though as making the quilt was so much fun.

I also worked on this triple 4 patch and I used 30's fabric for this one...It was suppose to be a baby quilt but the size grew to 58"x64" without borders. I'm thinking I will divide it in half and make two baby quilts..Time will tell.;-)

This heart table runner was a gift from the hostess Cynthia from

   Cherished Pieces, Cynthia's online quilt shopWe worked on that the first evening.

These were some of the quilts the other quilters were working on.

Here is a pair of happy quilters....

There were 21 of us and we had a wonderful time together for the 3 days we were here..

Already looking forward to the next one..

My ORTS JAR

Here is my "Orts" Jar.

I joined in with hundreds of other bloggers  at "Daffy Cat's blog" for this Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long.

Check it out.

You post a picture of your Orts Jar every new moon.

There are 12 2012 New Moon Dates:

January 23

February 21

March 22

April 21

May 20

June 19

July 19

August 17

September 16

October 15

November 13

December 13

Let me know what you think ;-)

Catching Up

Once a year in January the Thursday Evening Quilters get to-gether for a Hen Party.

We bring something to work on....

  

We just relax....

We show and share...

We discuss  the project...

 AND of course we enjoy a fabulous pot luck luncheon.

This lemon cheesecake was to die for....

the pickled asparagus took my fancy... 

busy busy....and

Smile you're on Candid Camera..

Thanks Ann for a warm and fuzzy day to-gether

MRI Results

Hello dear friends.
I thought I would let you know what is happening around me just now.
I thought I had sciatica which was the source of my horrible pain BUT ....not so!
Turns out the MRI revealed I had inflamation of the spinal column. The doctor wanted to clear it up ASAP so he prescribed the drug I hate most....PREDNISONE!
It was what I had to endure for 2 years when I had polymyalgia rheumatica. I blew up like a balloon..
He assured me I would not be on it long term and it would not affect me that way...whew!, just a week or 2 of a high dose should do  the trick.
All well and good but Prednisone and diabetes is not  compatible and my blood sugar shot up from 5 to 29. I nearly fainted when I saw the numbers. When this happened before I had to go on insulin as my regular metformin does not work to control the blood sugar.
Well after a couple of days on  the insulin my reading this am was 4.2...YEAH!
Looks like things are returning to normal(whatever that is!)
So that is the story to date..I am feeling so much better and no back pain thank goodness.
I am back working in my studio, finishing up some hand applique on a quilt, and then getting ready for a retreat next week... I am so looking forward to that.
I have some other things to tell you but for now I will call it  a day.
Thank you to everyone that takes the time to stop by for a visit and leave a helllo.It makes me feel soooooo good..
Toodlesfor now

Getting an Early Start

Isn't this a beautiful early morning sky......
Well as some of you know I am NOT a morning person... I like to move from chair  to chair with my coffee when I get up and contemplate the day.. I usually come alive and get going by 10 am.
Well since the new year I have tried to get up early and make my mornings longer and more productive....
It really pays off when you get to see a beautiful sunrise!.. Now I am not promising  and it is not a new year's resolution, but I hope to see many more  early morning sunrises....
Have a great day everyone.

Meet Isabella

Here she is at last..."Isabella"

The gold crispinettes hold her braids in place and the fillet lies across her forehead.
A veil is attatched at the back of the fillet.
At her neck is a wimple  made of fine silk.

 Her waistcoat is a soft purple made of silk duppione trimmed in white mink.

          The front has a row of crystal buttons for an accent
           She carries a gold lame bag encrusted in beads and sequins
           I used a special hand made bead on the bottom of the bag.

                  Around her waist is a jewelled belt made up of crystals and beads...

Last year I had the pleasure of taking a doll class from Colleen Babcock, a very well known international doll maker living in England.This was the doll Colleen taught, which she calls "A Stitch In Time"It is a history lesson in disguise, as I learned all the names of her garments, which I had not heard of before, it was such fun.
If ever you get a chance to take a class from Colleen you will not be disappointed.Colleen's Blog is here....check it out
Thanks so much Colleen for this opportunity, I loved every moment. It took me awhile to finish her , but I feel it was worth the wait. She should have a piece of cross stitch of a dragon that she is holding but since I am not fond of cross stitch, I decided to  give her a very elegant bag to carry. I hope you like her..

HAPPY NEW YEAR 2012

 Thanks you so very much for taking the time to visit my blog.
I love hearing from each of you with all your kind comments. it really means a lot to me.
Lets hope 2012 is full of love and wonderment for all..
HAPPY HAPPY NEW YEAR ONE AND ALL
xoxo
Maggie

Tutorial for Paper Christmas Tree

This is the cutest Christmas TreeTutorial (here) made from a paperback book. I am sure we all have a few of those laying around that we have read.
My library offers a grocery bag full of books from their discarded book table for $1.00
I get the hardcovers and use them for my altered journals.I only use the covers so now I have a reason to use the pages.I think you could really glam them up and paint them as well as adding some other bits.
I got the idea from Freda's Blog (here)
Thanks Freda.

Merry Christmas Card from the Robinsons

Hello Dear Friends,

Things are pretty good around here and I am feeling much better.

Thanks to everyone for your care and kind thoughts and prayers.

I imagine everyone is hurrying around in the Christmas rush....so...

I thought it was time you took a break and enjoyed the Christmas card my hubby made up.

It is so cute and a great way to wish all of you a very Merry Christmas.

All you have to do is click on the link .
http://sendables.jibjab.com/view/5z4MFEHxegJ3Uhue

All Is Well and I Feel Lucky

Hello dear Friends.

It has been so long since I was here.

I want to thank everyone that sent good thoughts and prayers when I was down and out!

I am still waiting for an MRI, but as near as I can figure out from my diagnosis it was sciatica!!!

I never knew such pain in my life.

I am nearly off the oxycotin and am being very careful with my movements. I hope I never have to go through that again..

So.... as I continue to improve I do feel "Lucky"  to have this over with.

I did manage to get through the artist's sales I was committed to with the help of drugs and my walking stick!

They were very long days, but  it was a successful  occasion.

 I see my Etsy Shop is nearly empty...... oh dear... .

I will have to work on that in the new year....I promise

I have had time to sit around and do a lot of thinking and I  am planning some kind of a draw for you faithful "followers" in the near future....
I hope you will stay tuned...
Meanwhile, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and hope you have a wonderful time with those close to you.
xoxo
Maggie

Ambulance Needed

If only I had wings I could fly because right now I can't walk without a cane.

I  awoke at 3:30 am Saturday  and needed a bathroom break. My feet barely hit the floor and I was immediately crippled with the worst pain I have ever had.

I suffered with this until I could not stand it any longer and tyenol was not helping at all so DH called 911.When I got to the hospital the doctor took all the info, and sent me to Xray. The pictures showed a bone that should be straight was tipped. The doctor thought it could be causing a pinched nerve?? They gave me a shot of something to take the edge off the pain which did help. Other than that I was given a prescription for Tyenol 3 and released.

Fortunately I was booked for an appointment with my doctor on Tuesday(to-morrow) to have him look at my toe where I had the nail removed! Guess he will be doing more than looking at my toe.

I don't know what the solution will be but I hope something can help me.

This week is soo busy getting ready for the Artist's Sale on the week-end..Yikes! Not sure how I can pull this off but I am going to give it a good try...Any good thoughts and prayers would be greatly appreciated.....