I made a Heart ........

 meet "Sparkle Heart". She is about 5" wide.

I have a stack of hearts cut out and I am having fun playing with them. I'm hoping that "Peaceful Heart" has arrived at her destination.
Oh before I forget, sign ups for my PIF gifts close tomorrow. Scroll down a few blog entries to Tuesday February 15th, if you want to play along :)

Scots Corner - it's been a while

I know a number of you enjoy reading my Scots Corner posts and they have been absent for a while. Hopefully I can get back into the swing of things again. This year they will be posted on Wednesdays.

So where shall we go today I wonder ......... mmm ........ oh I know ........ Mull. In fact why don't we visit some of the islands off the west coast of Scotland for the next few weeks.

Mull is a fabulous island and very popular for day trippers and holiday goers. I have relatives and friends that wax lyrical of the place. As for me ........ the closest I've been is Oban, but it's on my list.
Lonely Planet has this to say "From the rugged ridges of Ben More and the black basalt crags of Burg to the blinding white sand, rose-pink granite and emerald waters that fringe the Ross, Mull may lay claim to some of the most varied scenery in the Inner Hebrides. Add in two impressive castles, a narrow-gauge railway, the sacred island of Iona and easy access from Oban and you can see why it's sometimes impossible to find a spare bed on the island."

Duart Castle is old, as in really old. It was originally a rectangular wall surrounding a courtyard and was part of a line of fortifications. You can see Ben Nevis to the north and Jura to the south. When Mary MacDonald, daughter of the Lord of the Isles, married in 1350 she was given the castle as part of her dowry. It's been added to over a period of time and even those additions are really old. Like many old monuments in Scotland it eventually was abandoned and lay empty for more years than you really want to know about. Sir Fitzroy Maclean bought the place in 1910 and started the mammoth task of restoring the place. (If you collect Lilliput Lane it's in there.)

Torosay Castle is a whole lot younger and was completed in 1858 in what is known as the "Scottish Baronial Style". The castle and gardens were open to the public up until October 2010 and as far as I know it is still up for sale. Oooh who wants to buy a Scottish "pile" with a gorgeous view?

One one of my visits to Scotland I watched a program, with my kids, called Balamory. Loved it. It used Tobermory, the capital of Mull as it's backdrop. I loved the colorfulness of the town AND the characters and wished I could be there watching the program being filmed. It looked like so much fun.

Photos found at
http://eiluned.com
http://www.duartcastle.com
http://www.castles.org
http://en.wikipedia.org
http://www.panoramio.com
http://corkmull.com
http://www.tobermorybandb.com
www.123rf.com

Meet Lachlan Macquarie (1762-1824). Now why would I want to talk about him? Well he was a local laddie, born on Ulva,  who is buried on the island at Gruline. An inscription on his tomb says "The Father of Australia." He transitioned New South Wales from a penal to a free colony and helped to shape Australia. He also took part in the American War of Independence in 1777 (via Nova Scotia)  and stopped off in Jamaica for a wee while, so he got about a bit :) Before becoming Governor of NSW he did a stint in India and Egypt. He is credited with designing one of the original street layouts for what is now Sydney. While he did not think up the name Australia he was the first to use it in official dispatches in 1817.

And just because I love the scenery here's Carsaig Arches on the Ross of Mull. mmmm shades of "How to Train Your Dragon" don't you think ;)

Fabric Postcard

This one is heading to Shirley P. in Canada. She is the newly retired leader of Learning FA an on-line fabric arts group I am with. Her husband recently had surgery and she had a bad fall. We all hope both of them recover well and soon :)

This is my "before" picture of the pieces cut out ready to do something with. Each piece is cut 4"x6" and depending on how I decide to embellish I either iron all the pieces together and do some surface design or iron the top three pieces together and do top design stitching and then iron the back on afterwards. Regardless of how I start I always do 2 to 3 rows of zig-zag- stitching round the outside to hold everything together.

Blog of the week - Karanan

I absolutely love the photographs and projects in this blog. This artist of whimsy and quiet beauty hails from Finland. I showed the blog to my daughter and she went "oooooh, how interesting ..... I like that one." She likes the dragonfly, I like the snail :)

There's whimsical people by the bucket load celebrating all kinds of activities.

And since I am in the mood for making hearts I had to show you this one :)

There are fun loving animals.

And what self respecting artist/crafter does not have a "quality control" expert in their midst.

To those of you from Northern Europe I apologize for not having the ..'s and o's above the a's. I know there's a way to do it but I have not worked it out yet.
Anyway ....... fabulous blog, great projects of excellent quality, a delight to visit. Enjoy. And if you are a Tilda fan K. has lots of links to go oooh and aaah at :)

Addendum - Oh please excuse my foggy brain the link is http://tygodamm.blogspot.com/ (Thanks Elaine for spotting that).
Also if you want to see how I am re-arranging my sewing/craft room hop on over to http://stitchacrosstheborder.blogspot.com/2011/02/my-creative-space.html

I made a star ......

just one .....  to send to Jaye at http://artquiltmaker.com/blog/ Her mom is making some star quilts for family and friends that were impacted by the St. Bruno fires.

I did a deliberate raw edge so that it will fray when washed but if Jaye or her mom decide to sew down the edges that's okay too.
Size - 81/2", blue background, yellow star (any kind) was the requirement.

PIF 2011- do you want to play?

I am going to be the recipient of a gift from the delightful, and very talented Cheryl at http://stitchingcubbyhole.blogspot.com

If you would like to receive a PIF gift from me (by Jan 2012) just leave a comment. I'll do a drawing for 3 people on Friday 25th February. You can then PIF (or not). Entirely up to yourselves :)

Addendum - Drawing now closed. The recipients of a PIF from me will be Joan, Mickie and Sue. Congratulations ladies. I'm looking forward to making you each something.

Colourful Fridays - valentine

Most people probably associate the colors red and white with Valentine's Day. Mine gravitates more toward burgundy, a color my grandmother enjoyed, but really for me it's more about a shape and a feeling. I have a collection of hearts ....... much more than this picture shows ....... and they come in many forms. All are special to me in that they bring back fond memories of places, people, events. A gift given made with love, a poem shared, the sweet scent of vanilla as candles are lit, love of home, family, friends and a far away country.
So what is your favorite color of this sweet heart time, what memory does it bring to your mind and heart? To find out more about what some other wonderful people think hop on over to http://daisyquilts.blogspot.com/
It's our wedding anniversary on the 14th and the day of the event was cold, damp, and windy. No flowers could be seen because spring had not come. I wore a hand made white dress and veil and borrowed my sister-in-law's shoes. Another sister-in-law and her hubbie travelled a far distance to surprise us. We ate dinner together at a nearby restaurant. I had been in the USA for a short 6 weeks with excited expectations for a new life ahead. The hubster was still in school and working part-time. We never did have a honeymoon. Many years later we marvel at having 4 almost grown children that have survived some of our blundering attempts at parenthood. Who knows one day we might become grandparents but that's for them to decide :)