spring....

spring....where is it??

warm weather,
sunshine, and flowers.

the sounds of birds
building nests, welcoming
mornings.


still waiting....

quilt show

this past sunday i woke to gentle snow falling outside my window.
it was a lovely sight as i fixed my cup of coffee and enjoyed the sunday newspaper. i realized that today would be a great day to go to the quilt show at the metro park. as i drove along the river road, it was a beautiful sight with snow sticking to the branches of the trees and rooftops.

the quilt show was a wonderful surprise with a nice mixture of traditional and contemporary designs. there were more than 200 quilts displayed throughout the building, dazzling colors everywhere.  

because there were so many, i will divide the posts by category:
traditional and contemporary/art quilts.  first the contemporary/art quilts, beginning with the best of show....

 isn't this amazing??

watercolor effect..

embellishments

andy warhol-like

from a photograph

hand dyed fabrics

tomorrow, the traditional quilt patterns

little doll house on euclid

it has been two weeks since my furniture and
all of my most treasured belongings were delivered
to my new place in willoughby.

those two weeks have passed in a blink.

my sister said that i would be settled and fully 
decorated within a week....it took a few days
longer than that, but now i am "open for business"
and ready for company.  

this tiny 700+ square foot space has challenged
my ability to organize and find storage space, and
as the spring season arrives, i will continue to 
tweek each room.

let me walk you through what i refer to as "the little doll house".

bedroom:  with exposed brick chimney (which created a challenge since it has a very crumbled texture and also had an opening at the top for an old flue)

 the bed is my much anticipated sofa bed which i held my breath whether it would fit up the staircase.

 this wonderful room is the closet....full of cubbies, shelves (which i covered with waffle weave shower curtains to hide the mess)  it is the room which will be my sewing room, my winter art room, and house my rather extensive collection of books on books)

 a great bathroom, although tiny, tiny....has lots of storage for my clothes (after all, that's where i get dressed right out of the shower)

 the kitchen door...decorated, of course.  behind the door there is a built in shelving area....houses my microwave, pantry, large cooking pots, baking stuff....tool box, etc.  all hidden.

first version of kitchen table....the art has since changed, and the wood around the air conditioner/exhaust fan has been painted to match the woodwork.

 the living room...full (FULL) of art work and all those tchotkes that i can't live without)

 Please come and visit!!

north chagrin reservation

as i am discovering, i live in an area surrounded by the cleveland metropark system.
these recreation areas and wildlife sanctuaries are only a few miles from my house
and will become very important to me as i settle into my retirement years.

this past saturday, we experienced an unusual break in the winter weather with a
hint at what spring will bring (but not soon enough).  the temperatures climbed to
near 70 degrees and the sun was shining brightly.

instead of a walkabout the neighborhood, Linda introduced me to the north chagrin
reservation, a lovely park with bridle trails, hiking trails, waterfalls, and wildlife to
enjoy.

we chose the buttermilk falls path and the sanctuary marsh.  there were the most beautiful
trees with papery leaves still hanging on to the branches, twirling in the breeze like pinwheels.
as we completed our walk and headed for the parking lot, we stopped at one of the lakes and
watched the sun begin to set.

winter at the beach

taking a break from the new house and all the unpacking,
my friend Linda and i went to the beach last week
on the very first day of sunshine since i arrived.
(actually, it's only been a few days, but time has
ZOOOOMED by so quickly!)

anyway, we arrived at the beach and everything
looked pretty normal, although the mounds of
sand seemed unusual.  as we passed the "snow
fences", it became apparent that this was new
(for me) and that the water had frozen, even as waves
were formed.

after the initial surprise, i began to look around for
beach glass.  there was none to be found and i 
assumed that it was probably buried pretty deep
under those mounds of frozen sand.

but then, i spotted a rather large piece....not very
soft on the edges, but an indication that even now
i might find some precious glass.

as we walked back toward the parking lot (the 
wind chill must have been in the teens and a gusty
wind was blowing) we began to find small pieces!
this was highly unusual because we were hundreds
of yards away from the frozen shore...many football
field lengths.  

unbelievable!  we left with a good handful of glass,
with intentions to go back on the next sunny (but warm)
day.