Around America - Carolina BalloonFest

I don't know about anyone else but I love to see hot air balloons gliding along. There is something so magical about them as they pass (almost) silently overhead. The level of art work that is seen on many balloons can take your breath away.  I have ambitions to go up in one if I can keep some of my vertigo issues squelched :)
I was reading a posting yesterday about the Carolina BalloonFest and a book called "Lighter Than Air" by David Owen.

The photographs in the post are stunning so I hope you will take the time to go visit.
http://homeiswheretheboatis.wordpress.com/2010/11/09/lighter-than-air

Just to whet your appetite a bit here's one of Mary's montages. Reminds me of a quilt pattern ...... what do you think?

Then check out the rest of her blog because it is gorgeous and I am having photography envy in a BIG way !!!!!!!

Oh ...... before I forget here's the link to the BalloonFest http://www.carolinaballoonfest.com/ This is an annual event, the first being held in 1974.

Creative Prompt Project #92-MOVE

Okay so with this one I got whimsical and based my sketch on the sound cows make :)

I like to draw on tracing paper and put colored paper behind it just to see what happens. This time round it is placed over a sunset/sunrise. The "randoms" could be clouds or cow hide patterns (no not patties) ....... whatever Moooooves you in your singalong :)

Beautiful Britain - Ickworth House & Park

We really wanted to visit Ickworth near Bury St.Edmunds, when we went to England last year but did not have enough time to do so. John was able to go this year and enjoyed himself. Not many photos because he did a video on what sounded like bit of a windy day.

The rotunda is over 100 feet high. There's some very pretty friezes round the outside.

The park was laid out by Capability Brown. The rear of the house looks out on to some beautiful gardens.

Quiltmakers 100 Blocks vol.2

http://www.quiltmaker.com/100blocks-vol02.html

Coming soon to a computer near you - The 100 blocks blog tour Nov 8-12. The last one was a whoooole lot of fun.

Colourful Friday - Pink

There's a lot of pink around our place - not deliberate - just happened over a loooong period of time. Four rooms are painted various shades of pink and we "inherited" a bathroom with pink flowers in the wallpaper pattern. I love magenta/fuschia so it shows up a lot in the back garden.

Our Christmas tree in the family room from last year. The hubster and kidlets painted the walls and ceiling and laid the floor when I was on an extended visit to Scotland a few years ago. We are getting ready to redo the room. While I love the color of the walls they have been an absolute bear to try and decorate round :)

A gift I received in an exchange last year. She sits in my deep blue sewing room year round :)

One of a pair of children's galoshes I found abandoned in the grass on one of my walks earlier this summer.

Speaking of boots. We got some fairly decent snow last winter and I had to borrow my daughter's longer winter boots to go outside because I don't have any. There was a hard layer of frost on top of the snow which made it extra crunchy to walk on.

Our soon to be 18 year old daughter lives in a yellow and pink room of her own design (when she is not hanging out in her sister's pink, white and green room watching TV!!!) Teddy is waiting for her party to arrive :)

My absolute favorite quilt block. This is why I have decided to try and "walk the path" of quilting and embroidery together. I made it a few years ago, look at it often for inspiration,  and yesterday had an AHA moment about how to finally finish it.
(I'm posting my Friday blog early because of other commitments tomorrow.)

Around America- Pacific International Quilt Festival 2010

I don't live conveniently close to any of the main quilt festivals :( Once my kids are done with school (2013) maybe I'll start traveling too some. Anyhoo there was a lot of cyber chat about the California Festival and here are two. They are deliberately "Japanese" linked, albeit VERY subtly, because I am totally impressed with what has been coming out of that part of the world over the past few years.

http://ayumills.blogspot.com/2010/10/pacific-international-quilt-festival.html Love the zipper quilt. (Take some time out to visit the rest of her blog.)

http://www.flickr.com/photos/quiltotaku/sets/72157625051799367/show/ She does a good job of showing labels and details.

I am currently taking a landscaping class at QU (birthday present to myself) so I really like this award winning quilt by Kathy McNeil.

I am at the "picking out a landscape and deciding on fabrics" stage fro my mini so have nothing to show yet and probably won't for a while. I do have the small zig-zag stitch on my machine up and running again so that is a start :)

Creative Prompt Project -Autumn

We have two tall scarecrows that sit in our front entryway during part of October and November. They are supposed to sit outside but after a couple of years I got a bit weary of picking them up every time  gusty winds knocked them over. So my sketch for today shows part of one of them. He used to have a perky hat like his companion but it is now keeps falling off his head ... poor wee thing.
Taking photographs at my house can be a bit of a challenge and today was no exception. My download cord had fallen behind my sewing machine desk last night when I was attaching scout badges to my son's uniform. Now I have to tidy up my sewing room .... again.
I took the photo in our sun room - which is slowly filling up with the hubsters main hobby, Lego and Technics - next to this beastie which almost poked me in the eye. It needs repotting but after my last painful experience doing that I might have to invest in a suit of armor.