Watercolor Painting - Approaching Murano, Italy

Another painting from our vacation to Italy has been completed.  Water is a challenge for me but I will never improve if I don't face the challenge - right?  This one was done on a half sheet of  300 lb. watercolor paper so it is a bit larger than the last two.

Venice/Murano Italy painting by Connie R Eyberg - 2015

I haven't decided on my next painting yet.  So many ideas going through my head.  I am thinking I would like to do a series of paintings from our many trips.  I also have a couple of other 'series' paintings I want to start but not sure if this time between Thanksgiving and Christmas is a good time to be able to focus on the work.

Back to Reality - Trip Is Over and Mini Quilt Near Completion!

It is back to reality for me.  We had such a wonderful trip.  We travelled 23 days, starting from Iowa we headed to Virginia/Washington D.C. ending up in San Antonio, TX.  Along the way we met up with several friends and relatives as well as some beautiful places including Virginia Beach, Myrtle Beach, Ashville to see the Biltmore Estate, Hilton Head Island, Savannah, Orlando/Disney World, and New Orleans.  We made lots of new memories.  It was our first Thanksgiving away from home and I sort of missed the family gathering but we met up with our daughter's family who was vacationing at Orlando.  Our Thanksgiving dinner consisted of order-in pizza at 10 p.m.  The important part was being with at least some of the family and spending a couple of fun days with our granddaughters.

When I was settled in back at home I began working on my doll-size crazy quilt again.  I am happy to say it is nearly completed!  I'm sharing lots of photos here.

Here are the blocks stitched together without added embellishments.  It started out as my CQJP 2013 but I knew I would have a lot of work to do after the blocks were connected so I fell short on the number of blocks for the year.  This entire quilt minus binding is 16" x 19" with each block being just slightly over 3" square.  I therefore was doing four blocks a month.

I knew I wanted to add stitching on the seam lines between blocks and also wanted to embroider on the blocks.  My goal was to create a CQ that was similar to an antique.  It looks antique to me but unfortunately in the photos the colors pale a bit and the burgundy has a pink cast to it.

As you may know, I am a firm believer in God and believe the skills I have are a gift from him so I try to honor him in my work.  This quilt is filled with some of my favorite things including some of my favorite Bible verses.  Alternating blocks have various flowers as I also love flowers.  Below is a sampling of some of the blocks.  You should be able to click on them to enlarge them for a closer look.

I truly enjoyed working on this mini quilt and could probably go on adding things for quite some time, but it is time to finish it and move on to my next unfinished project.  Although it started out as a bit of a challenge not adding lace, buttons, beads and other embellishments I soon began to love the purity of decorative stitching and I'm sure this will have an effect on future work (after my UFO's are completed).  I also normally work in softer and more romantic colors but really like the rich colors of this quilt.

My goal is to have this mini-quilt completed before the end of the year.  My word for 2014 is 'focus' so I will continue working on my unfinished projects and try not to start anything new until I finish them.  That is incentive to get done if ever I needed it!  What do you all have planned for the coming year?  Do you have a word that will inspire you?

I do love to get comments!

Trip to the South and Work on Another Project

I am so excited.  My DH and I have now both retired (technically that is) and have decided to take a long driving trip down south.  We will start by heading east to Washington DC and West Virginia and perhaps Virginia Beach depending on the weather.  Of course if the weather is bad heading east we will skip step one and go directly south.  But the plan for now is to first head east.  We will then drive to the Myrtle Beach area, then over to Ashville, NC to visit the Biltmore and some friends in Jasper.  Next on our agenda is the Savannah area, including dinner with some relatives.  Then on to Orlando's Disney World to join up with our daughter and her family who will be vacationing there for the week.  We will spend a couple of days there before heading north an hour or so and spend some time with a favorite cousin.  If we still have energy left we will go to New Orleans to visit a niece and her family, then on to San Antonio to do some sightseeing and visit with a dear lady I used to work with.  My husband went to college at Emporia, KS and thought it would be fun do drive through there on the way home.  Hope we can hold up!  

What is really eerie, as we were researching San Antonio we saw an image of a famous landmark and I instantly recognized it...from one of my dreams.  I can't remember just what the dream was but knew I had been in that very spot.  Strangely I have never been to Texas or really researched the area.  Has that ever happened to you?  Isn't it a strange feeling!

As you probably know, I love to visit great shops so if you know of any really fabulous places to tour, visit or browse, I would love to hear your suggestions. 

I have done some more work on my mini crazy quilt but have also been 'playing' with ideas on another project when I need a break from stitching.  

I hand painted some roses on the tops of these jars and have played around with different labels and/or ribbons, lace etc.  I am also thinking I might like some tapered corks in a natural color instead of these lids.

The lids themselves could work as pegs on a board since they have a shape conducive to that.  The jars and lids were in rough shape when I got them.  There was a sealer that had decayed and stuck to the glass rim, in the glass and on the stoppers.  The lids and shelf were stained and scuffed up quite a bit also as you can see in the two photos that follow.

It all looks much nicer painted up but needs a little more I think.  These stoppers don't fit snug at all since the sealer had melted into a yucky mess.  

I have some fun ideas for how to use the jars once they are done and can't wait to share those ideas.  It likely won't be until the end of December or first of 2014 though.  I need to try to locate some corks in the meantime.  

A New WIP and Blog Prize Received

One step forward, two steps back.  I was determined to finish my WIPs (works in progress) before starting new projects.  How is that working out you ask?  Not so well.  I have a new WIP.

While browsing through some of my bead magazines recently I came across this necklace I had tagged as a future project.  I thought maybe I would go through my stash of beads and see if I had what I needed on hand.  I pulled a combination of one of my favorite color combinations - turquoise and copper/brown - and selected beads I could substitute for some listed. We all do that, right?

I even had some back-up options.  I followed the first three steps.  I didn't have any bead tips (wasn't even sure what they were?) for the ends so I decided to just supplement an 8mm gold bead and try to figure out attaching the closure later.  I finished the 16" length for the base of the necklace.  The colors and beads worked beautifully together!

Then it was time for the dangles.  It was then that I realized I had drops in a nice color but the holes went across instead of down through the center.  I would prefer the latter and now also decided I would like a turquoise drop rather than brown like I have, so I am in search of the perfect teardrop bead leaving me with a WIP until I find exactly what I want.  Do any of you do that? 

I have been anxiously awaiting a blog prize I won from Annamaria over at her blog (http://manya72.blogspot.com).  I have been a huge fan of her beautiful work for quite some time but her stitching is even more stunning in person.  Everything about this eyeglass case is sheer perfection.  I feel so fortunate to own one of her stitched pieces.  Among other things she also does some lovely (gorgeous!) Hardanger embroidery as well as some very charming pendants with tiny ribbon embroidery flowers.  Some of these are offered in her Etsy shop.  Thank you Annamaria.  I love it!

Finally, I am convinced this is an eternal UFO, my genealogy project.  My dining room table looks like an explosion of notes and papers no matter how hard I have tried to keep it simple and under control.  Like I would assume most of you, our ancestors had a bunch of kids.  I even have one family that had so many kids, when he married his second wife their offspring were given the same names as a couple of children from the first (wife) marriage!  I've noticed too that when a baby passed on, a later child was given that baby's name as well.  Also confusing the issue, my great grandfather married a woman with the same first name as his sister leaving two Adelheid's to distinguish who were born in the same area of Germany and born about the same year.  Don't forget also the offspring given the same name as their father's and their father's father and their brother's children and...well, you get the picture.

We are heading back to the KC area soon and spending some time with our daughter and her family at a condo in the Ozarks.  Unfortunately it appears the weather is not going to be very warm while we are there, but we will at least be in good company.  I'll be taking some of my naked blocks to work on during the wee early morning hours before the rest of them wake up.  Stitching and a cup pot of coffee lakeside.  Ahhh!

Sneak Peak at CQJP 2013 March Block

It never ceases to surprise me as to the huge difference made by adding seam treatments.  Below is the before and after of one of my CQJP 2013 blocks for March.  I really don't worry too much about how patches look next to each other on a block because I know the stitching will unify the block.

Last Monday and Tuesday my boss was out of town so DH and I decided to take a mini vacation to Kansas City just to get away.  We stayed near and shopped at the Crown Center and toured Hallmark, visited Union Station and the WWI Museum.  There is so much to do in the KC area.  Unfortunately the museum was closed both days so I guess we will have to plan another trip soon.  On the way home we went to Parkville, MO and shopped at Florilgium (my all time favorite!) and a couple of antique shops.  I drooled a lot and purchased some heart shaped crystals at Florilgium.  I bought more doilies and this dainty little fresh water pearl necklace (for a quarter!) at the antique shops.  We also stopped at an antique mall in St. Joe on the way home and I bought a couple more doilies and some beautiful copper fabric and some taffeta in subtle reds and golds.  The weather was beautiful and we had a wonderful time.

Do you have a special shop you love to visit?  Please share and if I am in the area I will be sure to visit it too.  I love visiting new places and quaint little shops.  My DH and I are planning to drive down to Florida to meet our daughter's family at Disney World and also do a little exploring in route, taking our time.  That will be in November some time.  I traveled a lot for my previous employer, but my DH hasn't seen a lot of the southeast and I look forward to seeing more.  This will be my first trip to Florida.  Can't wait!!!

Ozarks Vacation

Had a wonderful vacation at the Ozarks this past few days, spending quality time with my daughter and her family.

We had a gorgeous view of the lake from our condo and the temperature was beautiful, especially for early April!

Played a little miniature golf...

Swimming in the lake...

boating and tubing...

shopping...

The Dogwood trees were in bloom...

Went sightseeing. At the Ha Ha Tonka state park there are some old castle ruins. I hope you can click on the images to enlarge and read about the area. It is worth a visit if you are in the area.

Colorado Vacation, Getting Acquainted and Garden Flowers

For the past 20 years or so my DH and I have made an annual summer trip to Summit County, Colorado. We were hooked the first year. The air is so crisp and clean and the scenery is absolutely breathtaking. We have friends in and around the area we enjoy visiting as well. This year's trip was extra special because I met one of my bloggy friends for the first time. She lives near Breckenridge (OK, about an hour away) and we made arrangements to meet. Neither of us was sure how it all came about, but we have a lot in common, including riding bicycles.


Can you believe all the snow still in the mountains! Don't tell Jan I snuck the above photo from her blog. My DH had the camera so he could take photos of our granddaughter and grand niece, so I didn't have my own camera. Therefore, I have to resort to stealing! (forgive me Jan) We had so much fun and talked nonstop...I think we went into a quilt shop at one point, but we were so busy in conversation I'm not sure what they had. Jan is just the sweetest person and I felt like I had known her for years. I feel so lucky to know her, something that never would have happened had it not been for blogging. She is a very talented artist as well and has such a fun blog. We have decided we are going to try to make this a yearly event and also try to get our husbands together since they also seem to like the same things.

I'm back in Iowa now and getting ready to leave for another week. Colorado is now a memory. We are heading to Maine for a family reunion in a few days. I'll leave you with images of my flowers. They did quite well this year.

I was told these are called Beebaum. I'm not sure I even spelled that right.

My Hollyhocks did better this year than they had been, so I decided I better snap lots of photos of them...just in case.

I had rhubarb ready to pick and my tomato plants are just beginning to get blossoms! Yum!

Here are some more Hollyhock photos.

I was thrilled with the flowers outside my studio door! Hope you are all having a fantastic summer!