Pink and Pretty

 

 So, here are a few of my favorite things......placed in front of one of my favorite quilts.  It's a family quilt, lots of names on it....so a cross-stitched LOVE ONE ANOTHER just seems to go there really well.   And, that reminder never hurts anyone, does it? I've no clue who did the cross-stitch, but I made the quilt long ago.  I got the cross-stitch from Sheila at the Junk House.....it really called my name....as you well know....the colors pink and green are always calling my name, so it was irresistible.  It's beautifully stitched.

 

 A recent acquistion was this pink ceramic flower vase from the 40's.........and a heart too....how could I go wrong?  Love it!!!  The little heart bowl I was given a few years ago....it is adorable and the little pink bowl is just dear also.  They sit atop a wonderful cake plate I got from Kathy a while back......it is wonderful.........a few meadow flowers amongst roses.  I love it.

 

 This lovely green vase is a recent purchase also.  From Charles, also at the Junk House.  Just lovely.

And, such a sweet bird perched on it's edge.  

 

 The yellow 'flower' bowl with pink bird....oh, my, I loved it at first sight, but have had it for a while now.

One filled with perle cotton in great colors....some pink.  The other filled with tiny paper roses.  Tickles my fancy....just saying.

 

 The yellow bowl,  underside.

 

 The green vase, underside.

 

 The pink heart vase is not marked, but I found it online under McCoy.

I really need to bake a cake and show it off on that cake plate sometime soon!

 

And, here they all are in my tiny dining room.......all that pink and green mixed in with lots of red and part of my flag collection. I hope you enjoyed seeing this little piece of Bird Nest Cottage, with it's new colorful ceramic pieces, all the stitching and my best wishes for a 

Happy Memorial Day. 

 And, a gentle reminder:

LOVE ONE ANOTHER.

Until next time

from

Bird Nest Cottage

♥️♥️♥️

Are You a Wildflower?

 

 Are you a wildflower?  Do you find them wherever you go?  Do you take photos of them?  Draw them?  Press them in books?  Put them in tiny bottles or glasses hoping they will last for a few days?

If so, you probably are a hopelessly romantic Wildflower.  Me too.

A couple of years ago, I discovered this artist....a young person....who immediately became one of my favorites.  She's definitely a Wildflower!  I recently ordered her book...."How to be a Wildflower",  a field guide by Katie Daisy by Chronicle Books, San Francisco.   It is wonderful!!!

I got my copy from amazon.com, but you can also order it from Katie

HERE

 So, here are some pages from the book.  Two of my favorites.  And, one of my all time favorite quotes:  

"MY SOUL IS MADE OF MEADOW FLOWERS"

Indeed.

  

 Love these adorable birds.  There are more.

  

 I want to do this....."Walk down a dirt path at Sunset."  Well, okay....I don't know where that path is yet and I don't know who I would walk down it with...but, hey....a person can imagine such things, right?

  

 Now, you know I have trees behind my house....love this page!!! 

  

 This page isn't in it the book, but I saw it online....and boy....remember me telling you I had named the land behind me "Two Pines Park"?  

I have also been to the Muir Woods in California.  A not only beautiful, but also sacred place if you ask me.

  

 Here are the two pines.....do you see the doorway to a new world?  I think I do.......and so does Trixie, the grand-dog.  She loves to take her walk in Two Pines Park when she stays with me.  I enjoy it also. 

  

 And here is a photo of the section right behind my house....where I go every Spring to scope out the Bluets.

  

 And, here are some of the current blossoms.........there are also white and sometimes a pinkish color making an appearance too.  They are the sweetest, tiniest little flowers and I do love them so. 

At about a quarter of an inch wide....they aren't really visible unless you really look for them and I do.

Every Spring.  Yes....I am a Wildflower too....Katie truly is....and I bet you might be too!!!

until next time

from

Bird Nest Cottage

♥️♥️♥️

Mother's Day, 2018

 

 HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY

 2018

I found this print a couple years ago...yes, I've even shown it on this blog....but I love it, so thought I'd show it again and follow it with something from my quilt cottage.  In case you can't get it large enough for you to read....here:

"My Mother"

"You fill the world with kindness,

Your voice is soft and low;

Your face is like some picture,

A dream of long ago.

You are not great or famous,

Nor known in realms of art,

But you are rich in treasures

Which gild a kindly heart."

by

Mary Gold, a pseudonym for artist Marion Crowe

1896-1979

 

 

And, now, something from Bedroom #2 in my cottage...where this little painting resides.  Normally on the wall, of course, but I had to take it down to get a photo without glare.   It's a very sweet vintage watercolor from the 30's....and it goes so well with my other treasures.  That quilt, well, I showed it to you two posts back.......it's here for a while.  I don't want to put it on the bed until it is "rescued."

Of all places, that bird pillow came from Hobby Lobby a couple of years ago....just looked so good on the chair from the Junk House....where most of my "really neat stuff" comes from  there these days.

 A closer look.

 

 On the wall is a quilt you have all seen many times.  It's really at home here in this room, so, thought you might want to see it again.

 

 I'll probably never make another quilt even remotely like this one, so I like taking a good look at it now and again....and it hangs well here as there is no direct sun shining on it....

 

So....a few close-ups to give you a better look if you've never seen it before.  Silk Ribbon Embroidery can be a lot of fun, but no matter, it is also still WORK.  Good, fun work though.  This little basket is one of my favorite things I've made.  And, lots of French Knots on this quilt!!!  And, beading too!

 

Here, if you look closely, you can see the beads I added on the borders.  I added a bead now and again, here and there, as I quilted.  They don't show up very well, but then, I've always like to do work that a person would have to stand and look at for a while until all the elements were noticed.

Evidently, I don't make anything bright and colorful and shouts about what it is.   Guess I'm funny that way.

I always have liked that little heart with a plant coming out of the top of it.  For some reason.

 

 Another basket...and I like the leaves on the rose.  They are fun to stitch!

  

 The same with the leaves with the blue flowers.  Great fun!

 

 Those little pearl-ish beads on the border, were also a very faint pastels.  That quilting was really fun to do and I went through each bead twice to make sure they stayed in place.

 

 I LOVE the purple flowers here.  I usually call all my embroidered flowers "fantasy flowers" because they often don't resemble real ones.  But, these purple ones reminded me of lilacs, so I feel comfortable calling them that.  The round blue flowers...well, a fantasy for sure.  Buttonhole stitch was used.  They are so easy and fun too.

  

 Another rose.

  

 And, as always, I have to have hearts everywhere.....those large ribbon knots are French Knots done very loosely....and the heart itself is also French Knots...just tighter ones. 

 These needlepoint birds flew into my cottage on Friday....a gift from Jackie, my good friend in Waco.

I think I've said this before....I grew up in McGregor, Texas, just 'next door' to Waco.  Jackie started out as my sister's best friend...but, grew into my sweet friend also.  She is dear.  THANK YOU, Jackie!!!

  

 TWEET!!!

  

One sings, one listens....how cute!

So...hope you had a lovely Mother's Day!

until next time, 

from 

Bird Nest Cottage

 ♥️♥️♥️

 

A Hot Cup of Tea

 

 When I was forty, I gave up coffee.  So I turned to tea. As often as possible a decaf.  I absolutely love a hot cup of tea.  At any time of day.  Or, sometimes at night.  I'm not fond of fancy flavored ones...I tend to like it plain.  No sugar, no cream either.  Plain and HOT!

The Old Navy Man used to say that the only reason I drank tea was  "to hold a hot cup." He was right about a lot of things....and I DO love to hold a hot cup....but I appreciate the tea also.  And, as I get older...even more so.

 

 I barely have space in my kitchen for a table, but this one is just fine.  It's only 28 inches in diameter and I can squeeze two chairs in there also.    Let's see...that would be tea for ME and tea for YOU.

 

 

 About my teapot:  Yes, Keep Calm and Drink Tea!  

Found at a flea market several years ago and loved ever since....and so true!  The bird teacup...Oh, My!  I found it browsing around amazon.com one day and purchased it immediately.  Isn't it sweet?

 

 This vintage tablecloth...just love it....also found at the flea.  Love the colors!

 

 These tea things I just placed here to show you...........but at this moment...I am planning on having a cup of tea while I watch "The Unforgotten" on my PBS station.  I am always glued to British mysteries and this one is really good.  Such excellent writing and acting!!!  Definitely good to have tea along with watching!!

 

 I found this tea tin at the Junk House just a couple of weeks ago.  Happened to have a pretend Monarch butterfly in the house.........they met and I just loved it!!!  That bird spoon a gift from Kathy...I think I showed it last year, but memory doesn't always serve me.

I hope you enjoyed the tea things.......do Be Well and relax with your own cup of tea now and again!

Until next time

from 

Bird Nest Cottage

♥️♥️♥️

Stars in Two Pines Park, Parts I. and 2.

 

Part 1. 

This week's post is in two parts.  Longer than usual, I guess.  Whatever 'usual' might be on this blog.

I bought this quilt several months ago at my favorite flea market...the Junk House in Beebe.  It is very pretty.  Vintage.  Hand pieced and hand quilted.  Pink and Brown mostly. And, a star quilt.  What's not to love?  

While it is pretty good condition....and beautifully quilted....there are seven or eight of the stars that are in various stages of disappearing.  Literally.  There will be evidence of this in a photo further into the post.  It happens with some older quilts...the fabric just melts away over time.  So sad.  

Years ago, Georgia Bonesteel made a quilt she named "Rescue the Perishing."  I thought of that some time back when I came into possession of several very old quilts also in various stages of decline.  Some of them way too far gone for rescue.  I have recently hand quilted a top made in the 30's.  The top is in decline also, but I've quilted it anyway.  It has a story but I can't tell you about it until after July when it will be given as a gift.  Do you remember a while back, I also rescued a beaded bag from the 20's?  It took a while.  So did the quilt I have been working on....and so will this one.  Perhaps in rescuing these quilts and other items, I am also rescuing myself.  Seems that way to me.

 Most of the quilt looks just like this.  Solid as can be, beautifully pieced and quilted.

 

 The batting is extremely thin, as you can see it where the fabrics are gone, but even the backing looks good and the quilting stitches are very small.

  

 And, it's very soft, both in looks and to the touch.

I took these photos about 5:30 in the evening.  The light is good at that time on a pretty day and being as I took the photos under the trees....well, you can see the quilting really well.

 

Lastly, here is a star that has virtually disappeared.  The only star fabric left is where there was a seam and in the center...down the five lines of quilt stitches.  The rest has gone.  So, those few stars will have to be replaced.  I'll applique as appropriate a fabric as possible where there used to be vintage fabric OR, I'll piece a new block and insert it into the space left by this one when I remove it.  We'll just have to see.  Tricky either way and time consuming.

I've two important projects going on and taking into next year to complete, but you can bet, this star quilt will be one of the first rescues I will attempt after they are done.  And, then I will show them to YOU.

 Part 2.

 

 As mentioned, I had decided to photograph this quilt yesterday about 5:30.  It really is a nice time to take quilt photos.   This photo shows the quilt and the back of my house, where there is a property where an old home used to be.  Now, on that property, way at the back is a clinic.  The front of the property is right behind my house, and though I think it also belongs to the hospital, as does the clinic, I call it my backyard.  For now.  I'm sure another clinic will be built there at some point.  I do love it though and as you can see, it's NICE.  I have also named it.  Two Pines Park.   There are two very large pine trees on this property.   You can see their trunks on the right side of photo #1 toward the street and also the photo below.  I wanted to tell you why I named it the way I did.  (Now, everyone I know also calls it TWO PINES PARK!)

A couple of years ago, I began reading a series of mysteries written by Louise Penny, a Canadian novelist.  You might enjoy them as much as I have if you love mysteries.  The stories of Chief Inspector Armand Gamache, and the village of THREE PINES, a village south of Montreal, Canada, kept me on the edge of my seat through the entire series and I am ready for another!  They are excellent!

The first book is named STILL LIFE should you want to read one.  

So, did you catch why my little backyard park is named TWO PINES?  It's my little homage to the village in Canada.

Another little interesting fact:  my son-in-law has lived here his whole life.  He remembers the old home that was torn down when the hospital built the clinic.  It belonged to a family named Quattlebaum.  I was telling him about reading the books and why I named  the property TWO PINES PARK and he said, "Well, that's funny, because I believe Mrs. Quattlebaum was from Canada!"

Do you find that as crazy a coincidence as I do?

Love it!!!

So, there you have two stories....one about a star quilt and one about a fictional village in Canada, both connected, in my mind,  to this little cottage home of mine. 

  

We could have a picnic right here in this photo!

Here is a photo of the book.........if you like mysteries, you'll probably like this series.  You may also be inspired to name a special place of your own after the village...or maybe that's just done by a funny person like me.  Or, make a Star quilt....for no other reason than they are beautiful.

until next time

from

BIRD NEST COTTAGE

♥️♥️♥️