My gift

I'm not all that keen on poinsettias but I do feel it isn't Christmas unless I have one. I saw this in a local grocery store and it was a small one in a four inch pot. Just right for me.

Both the Bromeliad and the Amaryllis were purchased at another grocery store. I really should plant the Amaryllis. I bought these as a gift to me. 

Autumn

Well, the cooler temperatures have finally arrived and it is looking more like fall.

Garden centres have stocked up on mums and other fall garden plants.

I don't do much outdoor decorating but I do admire the things out there that I could use if I wanted to. I'm more of an indoor person. Always have been.

I do like the two colours of mums in one container. 

Some trees change quicker than others and it makes for an interesting photo.

Lovely trees and great colours. Soon, they will be bare branches. I'm glad I went out to photograph the colours before it got too cold, rainy and windy. 

The main street close to where I live has been decked out with wonderful planters.

All summer long we've had the joy of watching these plants and flowers grow and multiply.

Even the markets look like they've gotten into the fall colour scheme.

This is my only concession to outdoor decorating. 

In an effort to use up some yarn, I decided to make a hat for Teemu. Hopefully, this will be finished soon. The girls will get a blue one and a pink one. I asked them what their favourite colour was and that's what they told me. Mackenzie likes blue and Severn likes pink. I don't know if I'll use this same pattern (it's knit one, purl one) or if I will be looking at other patterns. I was hoping to get a sweater or two done also. The patterns have been printed out. I just need the time.

I have been busy sewing costumes. The girls will be going out on Hallowe'en dressed as aliens from the Simpsons (Kang and Kodos Johnson.) I have never watched the Simpsons but my son, the twins' father, is a fan. I just have to make a hood for them so that my son can then put one eye in the back. I thought it would be better for the girls if they could leave with the impression of Kang and Kodos while being able to walk comfortably trick or treating.

I have also been trying to keep up with the monthly installments of the Meadow Mystery. This is the clue/task for October. All cut and trimmed.

Pretty streets

I love looking at the different ways the Business Improvement Area (BIA) groups spruce up the streets.

 The summer plantings are so pretty.

I really like the concrete pebbled planters on the sidewalks.

 Sometimes the owners of buildings take it upon themselves to spruce up their little space in this city.

 Here's a much bigger but not as attractive a planter.

Pretty hanging planters are found along some of the streets.

 The hanging planters come in all sizes and the flowers vary from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.

 I had fun sitting in the passenger seat looking at all the different flowers...

and all the different colours.

More concrete planters.

Sometimes there is a tree in the middle of the planter.

Trees of all size are surrounded by very pretty flowers.

 Different flowers in different neighbourhoods.

I like the height of those long plants (I have no idea what they are.)

Wonderful lime green accents. A feast for the eyes.

And the last photo. Too bad they don't de-weed around the planters.

These were all taken on major streets where there's lots of traffic.

Shelf shopping

I have a stash of fabric and it's not just quilt related fabrics either. I have been sewing for years having made my own clothes as well as a  lot of my children's clothes as they were growing up. I love fabric and would purchase yardage of something or else remnants or small pieces thinking I could make something out of them or incorporate them in a bigger item of clothing. I have slowed down on the making of clothing but I still do sew whenever someone requests something. Maili, my middle daughter, had a shift dress that she had purchased and she liked the way it fit. Next month she and her significant other are going to Scandinavia for two weeks and she wanted another one of the shifts to wear. Since it's such an easy thing to make, she asked if I could replicate it - and since there was so much fabric on my shelves, she wanted to use up some of it. So there comes the phrase "shelf shopping." 

This is the fabric she chose. I'm not a red person but I did like this fabric when I bought it. It's relatively crease resistant but not totally.

So, I've been busy with trying to make an item of clothing using another item as a pattern. The paper pattern above, was used only to mark a dart at the bust line. I'll show you what it looks like once it's all finished.

While looking for something else in the sewing room, these fell on the floor. Luckily, I know why I bought them so I just have to find the bin that holds the project and put them safely away.

I had to take a photo of this because it's not often that I get a nice cluster all together. Usually, there is a stem that's in bloom and right beside it are some dead or dying blooms.

There are other projects in the works and once the recipients receive them, I'll post a photo. 

I hope everyone has a safe weekend with great weather. Ours is supposed to be sunny and warm.

African Violets

My African Violets seem to know what season it is. More daylight has given them a little hint.

I love the two-colour, mottled flowers on this one.

Purple, but not the darkest.

 Another little flower about to open on this delicate, periwinkle blue violet. It's too bad the photo does not do the colour justice.

A lady that used to belong to my quilt guild gave me a leaf one day (she belonged to a group of violet lovers that showed off their plants) and it has been with me for years.

This one is much richer in colour. The 'regular' purple violet.

And lastly, this one is finished blooming. Note the kitty hair on the leaves...

Mail goodies and other things

I was fortunate to win a couple of things in the One World One Heart blog tour recently.

I won these five wonderful patterns from Jill at Jillily Studio. The waves are 3-D prairie points on the Ahoy! pattern.

 I was also very fortunate to win these mini journals. I had my choice of papers and cover colours. I requested watercolour paper inside and I left the cover colours to Sophie of the Art of Being Miss Kool Aid. What a cute blog title.

These are linkable note books. I plan on using them for creative ideas.

That's one of the reasons I requested watercolour paper - so I can use my watercolour pencil crayons.

Please excuse the sideways photo but blogger wasn't letting me turn it.

Here's my amaryllis. It was on sale about a month ago. I guess they wanted to get rid of the ones they had and so they were already planted. All I did was bring it home and water it.

One day.

The next day.

The day after that.

Today. Just a little bit of colour in my kitchen. A change from tulips and daffodils.

Working on some secret projects. I will post the finished item once it has been received. These are some Dilly Dally charm squares with some of my own fabrics mixed in. I didn't like the blacks that were in the charm square package and so I took them out.

I don't know why the colours don't come out the way they should. This is a soft green colour. It's a surprise and so I can't show it yet. Once it's complete and received, I will show the whole thing. I amazed myself by knitting this. I am not as dumb as I thought. Maybe one day I will be knitting socks...