Pin It Weekly #276

Are you having a good week? I pray that's an affirmative.  And I hope you have had a few minutes of pinning.

It's one of the few things that I have felt well enough to do. I can get off my feet and my hiney, kick back on the sofa, and enjoy some beautiful photos of things I really love. So that's what I've been doing. It's difficult not going into the studio, but I just don't have the stamina to be on my feet for very long. 

Of course, I've found a few quilts to pin to my "heart, quilts" board. 

And a few random barns for my "barn, shed, corncrib" board.

What have you been pinning anything? Share one of your boards with us in comments!

Fleur de Lis is back, baby!

Innocent of all charges!

UPS came by this afternoon and handed over a big box. The inside was filled with mostly air and very heavy cardboard, but in a sliver of space was my Dell computer. That one that Milly plowed onto the floor. 

It's all better, which is great because I expected they would have to replace the whole thing. Nope, but there's a new hard drive and electrical outlet thingy and some plastic casing. That baby can do some damage!

Storms can bring in some beautiful clouds.
I love the way this one has that line of white reflecting the sun.

While my computer was away getting some geek love, I was just living large: a trip to the doctor with Richard, a day at the in-laws' with Richard, two hours (and $200) in Walmart with Richard. On occasion I snapped a picture, just because I knew this day would eventually arrive. And finally it has.

An old barn near the doctor's office. I just couldn't resist.

A pair of doves by Richard's shed.

Pin It Weekly #236

How's your Pinterest? I've been struggling to get on the computer at all. I've been busy cleaning the studio (YAY!) and doing some sewing (happy dance!) 

All that translates to I haven't been pinning. 

But other people have. So let's take a look at their work, shall we? Let's start with some artwork from James McNichols' "Paintings" board.

Isn't this little fella cute? He reminds me of my boys when they were about this age. Cowboys in their bones. Then they grew up!

These quilts are on my "Heart, quilts" board and have been pinned to Emily Y's "Quilt On My Friend" board.

And finally Kim Hyatt's "Barns" board. Lots of these have been pinned from my "barn, yard" board.

Thanks to everyone who has been visiting and pinning my boards. 

Pin It Weekly #226

I haven't been posting as often as I'd like, but this upset in my already-crazy life has left me rather crumpled. We're all beginning to put things right in the sense that we're finding our places in this new order. More on our recovery from the fire at our son's home later. Let's enjoy a few pins and forget my insane world.

I've been especially interested in mixed media work lately. I think it may have to do with some of my "playing" in recent months. There are elements in these that are quite likely going to influence my play. It would probably help if I could put my finger on what it is about each that speaks to me. That element's voice is loud and strong but far from clear.

I've also been pinning more barns, bridges, and dams. Except I've added mills to the mix. Honestly, I'm beginning to think that when I get depressed and want to crawl into a hiding place, I want it to be an interesting one. What's more interesting than an old barn or any old building? I'd curl up and dream about how the place must have been at one time. Even better, I'd dream about how cool it would be to live in such a place!

Okay, so maybe bridges wouldn't be a livable place, but you know what I mean, right? How much would you want to live in an old barn or mill or even (maybe) an enclosed shed?

And and these wheels and cogs are just interesting in and of themselves. Sorry I think I got sidetracked, if you're going to dream about making such a place livable, you need to think QUILTS! Do you think that displaying several quilts might make the place cozy and warm?

Call me quirky, but I love the contrast of an old building dressed up in modern quilts. What do you think? What style of quilt would best work in an old building repurposed as a dwelling?

Table Manners ~~ A Finish

I have a finish to show you, but it's not what you might expect. It's not even (exactly) my finish. Here's the backstory: We have a growing family. Our three boys are married adults. Their marriages have produced seven children! The grandchildren are almost adults themselves now that the oldest is a senior in high school.

This growth is causing a bit of a problem on those days when everyone wants to break bread together. Since our table was intended to seat six comfortably and we were five people when we purchased it, we were all quite happy. But the girls came along and joined the fun. That was easy: add two chairs and everyone could squeeze closer. It was a tight fit, but closeness is a good thing. Did you notice that the end chairs don't match?

Grandchildren became the problem. After two or three needed their own chairs, we just didn't have enough room, but we fixed that with a children's table. Because the cousins love each other and I've always dressed the kiddie table to coordinate with the grownup table, they didn't mind being relegated to another space.

However! The some of the grands are getting to an age that they want to bring friends or dates when there's a big family shindig. I learned from my own parents that inviting young people and their friends is a way to include them in family gatherings--they come if their friends can come. At the very least, it's more difficult to excuse yourself out of the gathering.

So what to do about grown grands who don't want to be seated at the kiddo's table? We've tried mixing up into groups with adults in both groups but having to be in two different rooms meant someone is always left out. When there's laughter in one room, the others have to leave their food to come join the conversation. So Richard decided to resolve the problem with a larger table. 

Louisiana cypress. 12 foot long.  Completely hand-made, or hand-hewn. The top from smooth-cut cypress, and the base from old barn cypress. The best part? Richard salvaged the barn cypress from my parents' barn. So while the top is beautiful to look at--it has a rustic but finished look--the base has a beautiful, sentimental story that is part of our family since I was about six years old (50 years now). Richard sanded the base so that it won't splinter, but still has an aged, grayish look. This is wood that has seen things, knows things. 

Right now we have only the eight wooden chairs from the other table. I've decided to add more by purchasing mismatched ones from flea-markets and such. It will be a work in progress rather than one that is resolved quickly, but we have folding chairs that will work for a while should more than eight want to sit at the table. It took months to complete. But it is perfect! 

What do you think? Would you consider having a rustic farm table in your only dining space? 

Linking up with

Needle and Thread Thursday at My Quilt Infatuation

Amanda Jean at Crazy Mom Quilts
Can I Get a Whoop Whoop at Confessions of a Fabric Addict