Little Bits of Interest

Christmas Cactus Bloomed Finally

2012-01-07T11:46:00.000-08:00

I was very excited as my Christmas cactus finally bloomed. I had received slips from a friend who had the cactus for 20 years and it did nothing. She thought it was a 'male' cactus but surprise, surprise. Below you will find photos.

More Cards - Dec 7

2011-12-09T14:26:00.001-08:00

We made some awesome Thank you cards which could also be used for other things as well.

What am I doing now?

2011-11-16T18:03:00.000-08:00

Well my latest project is card making. I wanted to learn some new techniques so when I make a cross stitched card it has some pizzazz. Tonight we made Christmas cards and here are the results. It was a fun class and I made some new friends who have the same interests as me. The class was run through the Military Family Resource Center at Base Trenton.

More Pillowcases

2011-11-13T20:17:00.000-08:00

Here is the latest pillowcase I have just finished for the grandson. It is a train which I digitized and then machine embroidered and appliqued. I still have a couple more to do, so watch for more photos.

How to make a 3 Fold Card - Freebie

2011-11-11T16:08:00.000-08:00

Here are my instructions for making a 3 Fold Card. If you are unable to see this photo clearly, just send me a comment with your email address and I will be more than happy to send it to you in .pdf format.

Today's Appliqué Class

2011-11-10T19:52:00.000-08:00

Today, I went to our Christmas Projects club at Pine Ridge Knit and Sew and we made appliquéd pillowcases. Here are my pillowcases. I had a lot of fun making these as they were quick and easy to do.

Chipmunk stealing bird seed

2011-09-28T07:53:00.000-07:00

I have a small plastic container full of bird seed on the front step. Yesterday when I went out to go shopping, I noticed the chipmunk into the container. Here are the photos. It gives a whole new definition of "Bold as Brass"

Tonight's Sunset

2011-09-06T17:09:00.000-07:00

Tonight we had a sunset that was like a painting on canvas. We truly need to appreciate God's creativity in this world. Ithought this was pretty amazing especially if you look at the cloud formations.

Something new

2011-08-23T18:48:00.000-07:00

I have just finished this table runner. I bought the fabric on Friday afternoon and delivered the finished product to Andjareenas, Trenton, ON. We will be running a class on this, two Tuesday mornings from 9:30am to 12 pm. This runner is totally reversible and unfortunately my photos dont do it justice.

Making Wreaths

2011-08-07T19:09:00.001-07:00

I always make the wreath that hangs on my front door. Recently I cut back the wisteria and make the vine into a wreath, then I wrapped it with purple and white ribbon. It sat like that all through the spring. Yesterday I went shopping at the dollar store and found exactly the flowers I was looking for. Here is the final result.

Projects recently finished

2011-07-16T18:55:00.000-07:00

Here are some of the projects I have recently finished. They are the test pilots for some of my Christmas present ideas. These are my table runners.

Here is a close up of the embroidered center of the red and green table runner.

Then I went to a monthly Embroidery Club and we made aprons from scratch. These aprons have a large pocket which I divided into two sections. However it is not that visible in the photo.

More flowers from the Garden

2011-06-02T14:15:00.000-07:00

Here are more flower photos from my garden taken this morning before I went off to the Quinte Needlearts Guild for a fun day of stitching and luncheon. These are my bearded iris which is actually a bronze color and is found in the front garden

These are photos of my poppies, close ups and overall photo of them growning in the back yard.

More florals from my gardens

2011-05-21T11:47:00.000-07:00

Spring has finally arrived and here are more photos of the blooms in my gardens. We start with the crocus which is still blooming, the ornamental crab apple tree and then move through the tulips finally ending with the strawberry plants and wild violets.

Spring is Finally Here

2011-05-04T09:16:00.000-07:00

Spring is finally here and to help celebrate, I went into the garden took photos of my Magnolias. They are gorgeous!

Here is one of my Daffodils and the colors are so rich.

This is a view of the pond and if you look closely, you can see my Koi Fish in there as well. They are the little bits of orange.

We also had a robin who after that big windstorm decided to build his nest within our piazza. I am waiting to see the babies next.

Albert College, Belleville, Ontario

2011-04-18T06:41:00.000-07:00

We had the privilege of attending an open house at Albert College in Belleville, Ontario on Sunday. Our tour guide was most informative about the college and she is a senior student attending this school. We took a few photos which will help show the architecture, some of the school teaching structure and the gifted artists who are attending and have attended this school.

Quilt Frame for Sale

2011-04-16T14:47:00.000-07:00

I have decided it is time to sell my Long Arm Quilt frame, included are the control handles and laser pointer. The frame can be set up as either 10 feet or 5 feet long. There are 3 bars, one for the top, one for the batt and one for the backing. Plus there is the final bar which you roll the quilted section of your quilt on. I am selling at a reasonable price and the frame has been used by me only once or twice. These are photos of the frame and if you want to drop by and see it, please contact me at quiltlady49@hotmail.com.

Passports in Canada

2011-03-30T20:41:00.000-07:00

Recently the government of Canada decided to change the Application Form for a Canadian passport. I have been in Canada for over 40 years and have not travelled outside the country except for one trip to the USA with my husband and the hockey team. At that time, all I needed was my Canadian citizenship card to cross the border.

Now due to 911, border crossings are a lot more complicated and a passport is required to enter the USA. My husband and I have decided, now that we are older, we would like to travel more and see some of the good old USA.

My husband who was born in Quebec city in the province of Quebec is a natural Canadian born of Canadian parents. So to obtain a passport for him shouldnt be that complicated. WRONG! The fact that he was born in Quebec means that he has to obtain a new birth certificate as now they have expiry dates. Hmmm, last time I checked he was a living human being and I never knew we had expiry dates. Then he had to get a guarantor to sign a statement saying that my husband is who he states on the application, plus you have to have 2 other persons who will also sign an affidavit if required to state that you are who you say you are. Then you have to get passport photos which are outrageous in price and trust me, if you look anything like your passport photo, then you really shouldn't be travelling. Most passport photos look like you have died and come back for the third or fourth time.

I was born in England of English parents and this further complicates the passport process. Not only is just my birth certificate good enough, I have to get the Registrar of Passports to sign a certification statement saying that this is my birth certificate. Then the Registrar also has to sign another certification statement stating that my Canadian Citizenship certificate is the real "McCoy". Then I still have to jump through all the other hoops that my husband did, plus I have to show proof that within my old passport I really did emigrate to Canada.

On this note, I have to really wonder ... Is it worth going through all this trouble to get a Canadian passport when I hold dual citizenship? Maybe just renewing my British passport would be a lot faster and easier in the long run. It would certainly facilitate travelling in Europe and what type of issues am I going to encounter when entering the USA?

In conclusion, I would advise you to renew your passport as it comes due. Do not try to renew it early as this sends up a red flag and opens Pandora's box as to why you need it early. Do not let it expire or I will see you standing in the line with myself and everyone else who now has to get a new passport with all the extra documentation.

A book I am reading

2011-03-28T16:13:00.000-07:00

I am reading a book called Awesome. It is a book composed of small anecdotes about every day things but extremely funny. For example, in one chapter, the author is describing the old playgrounds before the new plastic ones. He describes the slide in such a way, that for 1 second, you are there back on that old metal slide burning your legs and doing the stagger as you come off the slide. It is not a book to be read all at once, it is a book to be savored. Read a page or two each day and enjoy the memories the book brings back. The author also has a site 1000awesomethings.com

This site is much like the book and well worth a read and a giggle first thing in the morning. Enjoy!

Why We Should Pass Needle Arts onto Others

2011-03-26T21:09:00.001-07:00

I believe it is important to pass along these Needle Arts to our children and grandchildren. In today’s world we are inundated with technology everywhere to make things easier but it also means that we as human beings are losing our personal interactions with each other. We are too busy rushing around to stop and be aware of our surroundings and the details that make up our environment.
I find that cross stitching with a group once a week is similar to the old fashioned stitching bees from long ago. We not only share ideas and advice on projects but we discuss families and things going on around us in the world today. We are re-establishing that connectivity in the human race and it can be a most relaxing experience.
Teaching your children or the neighbours’ children to stitch, not only promotes the needle arts for the next generation but it helps to build relationships, teaches children patience in a world of violence and builds self esteem as a project nears completion.
So in conclusion, I would have to say “Never pass up an opportunity to teach someone else to stitch, you never know where else it may take you.”

March 25 Rant - Upcoming Canadian Election

2011-03-25T20:14:00.000-07:00

The upcoming Canadian election---can we taxpayers really afford to have another election? While Mr. Harper may not be everyone's favorite choice, he has certainly kept Canada together when the global market was going downhill and other nations were going bankrupt.

The Liberal party, the Bloc and the NDP are like a bunch of little kids who all want to be at the top and run the country. But listen to what they are saying---They are alleging that the Conservatives are not doing good bookkeeping. Did they think we would forget the sponsorship scandal so quickly? Do we want a different Prime Minister who couldnt make up his mind which country he was going to belong? Or a Prime Minister who was talking separation not so very long ago? What about the NDP? All the changes they want to implement and where do they think the money is going to come from?

As taxpayers we might complain about the cost of new aircraft but dont you think that our military ,who are responsible to protect our soldiers and civilians in time of war, should have decent equipment to fight the war? Most of their equipment is so old, its considered obsolete by even the Russians--What does that tell you?

So on a closing note if you are going to vote Conservative, lets do it so we have a majority government and we can have at least 5 years before having to pay for another election and have our GST hike.