Tail gating vs. Tail Wagging

We used to have NY Giants season tickets. I used to look forward to Sumday games, packing goodies in a cooler along with beverages, blankets if it was cold, and our collapsible chairs to do some tailgating pre-game. It was fun to watch how everyone gets set up and parties heartily before the games. We met some very interesting people at these games. Eventually, 45 minutes before the game we would secure the vehicle, walk the walk, and wander through the gates after surrendering our tickets to be scanned. I loved walking to our end zone seats in row 25. We'd greet our usual seat mates and eTch the goings on of warm ups, preparations and people watch. I loved the early autumn games, while it was still warm and sunny weather. I wasn't so crazy about the really cold, windy, wintery weather games. When everyone is bundled up like sleeping bags and the seating is really tight.

I really enjoyed the thunder of the crowds, singing the National Anthem and every kick off in the game. My most favorite part was hearing them play "Hells Bells" for a kick off. It really got me excited. Everytime I hear that song now I got back to Giants Stadium. You get a lot of exercise at an NFL game. You stand up and cheer many times each quarter, you have to if you want to see the play. Yes you can watch the plays on the jumbotron, but from where we sat, it was easier to watch the field and just seemed more natural.

Now that we are almost a decade older, we enjoy tail wagging it instead of tailgating. We stay home and watch them game from the comfort of our comfy leather sofa with our canines by our sides. I cook a variety of fun foods to enjoy and we never miss a play. Today we enjoyed hummus dip and chips along with home made pulled pork sandwiches and crunchy coleslaw salad on the side. The pork cooked in the crock pot all afternoon and it was delicious.

So while I miss being among the crazy cheering crowd and being outside on the nicer weather Sundays, I enjoy watching the games with my honey and one of my two dogs cuddled up next to me instead of some beer guzzling kid cussing up a storm and shaking his leg from nervous energy. I know the dogs like it also because they get our attention, playtime and yard runs better than if we were in East Rutherford. The way the Giants are losing so far this season, there is also the added bonus of being able to watch another game if their contest is too one sided.

Have you seen the latest AllState Mayhem commercial? The one with the SUV that blows up because the tail gaiter was in too much of a hire to properly put out the grill Hilarious!

Comment as you see fit!

Fantasy Flowers Quilt

This morning I decided the weather was perfect to take my newly quilted (yet still to be bound) Fantasy Flower Quilt and photograph it. It was a bit overcast, yet warm and this make perfect picture taking weather for me.

I'm lucky in some ways to live next to an elementary school. My back yard fence is super tall and high and wide, making it the perfect place to easily hang my quilts up to photograph them. Using
some wooden clothespins, I clipped it up, made sure it was flat and straight, and started snapping away. The quilt is not too big and it worked well.

Here is a photo of the entire quilt.



I decided since I had used different quilting patterns in the background of each block, in the border and on the outside, I needed to photograph each of the 9 flower blocks up close.



This was really my first attempt to make a bigger quilt (large wallhanging size) using my Accuquilt cutter and fusible raw edge applique.

I decided since each block fabrics and the placement of them varied, that varying the quilting in the background would be a great way to showcase my free hand quilting skills. I'm a bit rusty with the longarm, but this quilt really allowed me to play with the stitching designs and use the non-regulated, manual mode to create and finish the quilting designs. I'm happy with the results.

While its not my best work, its nice to have finally finishing something again and get back my quilting mojo.

Feedback and comments welcome.

Pumpkin, Pumpkin everywhere!

On Wednesday I went to my favorite grocery store, Trader Joe's, to shop for food. I was overwhelmed with the vast array of PUMPKIN flavored products on every shelf. I love pumpkin and before I knew it, my cart was filled to the brim with a myriad of pumpkin products.

I started with Pumpkin Coffee. Love this item and true to my hoarding tendencies, purchased 3 tins of this. Not everyone drinks coffee, so I also got the Pumpkin Chai tea mix and the Harvest Blend Tea Bags. In the spice aisle I found Pumpkin Pie spice which I used year round, so into my cart with some nutmeg this was paired. I found Pumpkin Cranberry Snack Crisp, said to be delectable with soft cheeses. From the frozen foods section, I grabbed some dessert Pumpkin mini pies for company dinners. Pumpkin Honey Raviolis, sure, why not? MMmm, dinner later this week for sure! 20 oz boxes of Cream of Pumpkin Soup? Yes, perfect to eat for lunch while long arming! Organic Pumpkin Puree in a cannp, yes, plunk, plunk, several of those tossed into my cart!

Holiday Pumpkin biscotti? Okay, got to try those! So my cabinets and kitchen are overflowing with these autumnal treats. I look forward to enjoying and sharing many of these culinary delights. If I don't share them, I will certainly become more pumpkin shaped myself! I think I will be wearing something in the orange palette today, don't you?

In case you are wondering, I did buy many non-squash food items as well. Now I am off to use my Pumpkin scented Wen and Autumn body wash and start my day!

Happy Indian Summer and may the Pumpkin be with you!

TV Quilting Shows

Today I decided to try and figure out when the 'quilting' shows air on my cable tv. Having been a working gal most of my adult life, I never really made the time to check out quilting shows on TV.
So, I looked at the channel guide and figured out that the primary channels that might air these type of craft shows would be HGTV, DIY network and Create channels. I know that some of the PBS stations might also have a few possibilities.

I was really disappointed to find out that the majority of these networks do not have an abundance of shows regarding quilting that air on a regular basis. Am I missing something here? I know that several big names in the industry have online shows and channels where you can catch shows, but I think they must be something you have to pay for in order to watch them.

Does anyone that live in the NJ area and has Cablevision, know if there are shows that air on PBS or other channels? Have we become a society where reality TV rules and no one wants to do quilting on TV anymore?

A Time to Reflect

As the sound of the "you can never look back' runs through my brain, I am eagerly awaiting the opportunity to meet some friends and ex-colleagues for lunch today just to catch up. I am excited about seeing them again because I very much enjoyed working with them both and we used to lunch together once a week or so. I also want to turn in some paper work so I can get paid with my final expenses and severance that is due to me at the end of the month. I believe I am now in a better place than I was just one month ago, being self-employed and working to establish my own business instead of trying to keep someone else's company afloat during turbulent times. Part of me is reluctant to sign the agreement because it truly favors the ex-employer. However, I just want to walk away from them and move forward, not having to look back on this part of my life again.

I'm happy taking a walk on the wild side at this point. With the beautiful weather outside and a few miles to be spent in the car, the next week has a lot of appointments and meetings with friends scheduled. Each of them has new meaning for me and I intend to make the most of them.

Later--

I Love Autumn

Autumn is my absolute favorite time of the year. The cool, crisp nights, clear skys, and low humidity make for perfect weather. The trees begin their annual colorshow, turning brilliant shades of orange, red, yellow, greens, golds and browns. The crunch of the leaves on the ground, with the acorns littering the sidewalks means that longer dog walks are in order for the time being. As my plants begin their passive transition into hibernation, the hosta leaves slowly wither and shrink up until the gardens subside their brilliant variegated foliage. I love being able to leave the windows wide open day and night in order to allow the cool breezes to play with the sheer curtains in the windows. The ground is drier now so it makes weeding the garden easier and faster to finish.

Apple picking, pumpkin patches, spiced pumpkin coffee and lattes and craft shows abound. Have you noticed how many pumpkin flavored recipes and items come out this time of year? Every day my Facebook contains recipes for new things made with pumpkin. I am in heaven because I love pumpkin anything. There aren't enough hours in the day to make and enjoy them all. Soon the Halloween and Autumn decorations will give way to the year end holiday decorations. I will think its too soon, keep the oranges, yellow, burgundy and brown things around a bit longer. That reminds me, I need to go in search of some mums to decorate the front of the house.

Its also football season. You can watch football on Thursdays, Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays and even Mondays right now on TV. I miss going to the Giants games with Mike, but as we have aged we are more comfortable watching them play from the comfort of our own leather couch cheering as we see fit and not having to stand after every play to see the action. I miss the crowds, the noise, the kickoff music and the tailgating. But I love being able to cook during the commercials and watch the game without being squished into a hard seat in between two other people. I prefer watching the game with either dog on my lap or next to it.

Autumn is a time for transition. The days are getting shorter, cooler and more beautiful. The nights are great for sleeping with the windows open. Its time to air out the heavier quilts and feather comforters for the colder weather and service the furnace, well before it is needed.

Off to the garden for me!

Photoshop play

Today I decided to play around a bit with Photoshop to learn how it works and see what I might be able to do to use it in my quiltmaking for images.

I'd used it to edit, mostly enhance the colors and cropping of photos I'd taken before posting them. But I have never really played around with the paintbrush options.

OMG! What fun it is! Easy to use and the possibilities are almost endless.

I started with a closeup shot taken with my webcam.




I cropped the photo to include just the eye area.




Then I tried the different artistic options.


First I clicked on the colored pencil option. Geez! I thought, "I can't use that my family will worry I am suicidal.." Nothing could be further from the truth.



Next I clicked to try the Cutout option. I really like this one and think it can be used to create a self portrait.





Here is the Watercolor option. Mmmmm...what do you think? I think I have a lot more photoshop play to do....



The next option employed was the Drybrush tool. I also like this one very much.





Neon option was the next image I created. Its pretty cool, don't you think?





And finally, this one is the Paint Duabs option that most things look like to me sans eyeglasses....LOL




I encourage you to play around with photoshop and see what kinds of wonderful images you can create using simple pictures taken with your webcam. I believe you will find many new quilts hiding inside.