Friday, June 18, 2010

The Color Blue, a Finish and HEXED!!

Happy Friday everyone!!  I don't know about you, but I'm glad that's it Friday.  It's going to be a hot one around here too - kind of crazy weather we've been having in Michigan - but I'll take it - at least it's not snowing.

I love the color blue - it's my favorite - maybe because it's so calming - laying in a chair watching clouds go across a blue sky, the ocean.  It's a color that makes me happy.  So I'm smiling this week because I acquired something blue - such a gorgeous shade of blue that it makes me smile every time I look at it and makes me smile to think of Jolene who sent it to me:

I JUST LOVE IT!!!
Jolene wrote in her card "since you love blue & frogs & scissors......you may need a 'new' dish to display your future scissor purchases".  Well, she was right - I love all those things and I just happen to have a frog lid and a pair of blue scissors (why is no one surprised?)!!!!

I just love this so much Jolene - the color is sooooooooo pretty!  I will treasure it forever!!!  Thank you so, so much!!

It's been another one of those weeks where things have gone not according to plan.  Do they ever?  But I did have a little finish this week - something that I've been dragging around with me to put stitches in here and there:

This was really a fun stitch.  I put the pins that I recently received from Faye's giveaway into it and I think that they're perfect!  Not a big finish, but a finish nonetheless.

I did manage to work on Sarah Seifer this week, but didn't make too much progress on it.  It's a smaller piece, but I haven't had a lot of opportunity to park my butt in the happy stitching chair:

I've managed to get a little bit of quilting done this week, but not enough to really show.  Sometimes I think that I get my hands in too many pots with these crafts so I work on everything a little bit, but by the end of the week, there's not much to show.  But part of that is because now I've been bitten by the hexie bug.

I've got hexies hanging from my trees:

I've got hexies laying on the floor!!!!!

But not a flower put together!!  Well, one, but I'm still trying to find the right needle for putting them together, so I've been experimenting.  But I know of someone else who has been hit by the bug!!!!  My friend Diane.  She is not a quilter.  Well, she's made a couple quilts, but then decided that machine quilting wasn't for her.  But then I told her about hexies and she loves to hand sew.  She was interested, she looked online - she became more interested - so much so that she made me take her to the quilt store.  She bought some fabric - quite a bit of fabric.  I gave her some out of my stash.  SHE BECAME OBSESSED!!!  And this is what she's done:

Okay, I can't get this picture to rotate since I took it with my picture phone.  We met at a Coney Island for breakfast (yes, a strange place to meet, but they do have good breakfasts) and hexies started growing on the table!

Look at these wonderful hexies Di made out of batiks.  Be still my heart.  Are these not the prettiest flowers?  I think that I've created a monster!  Oh, it's such a happy world to enable others!!   Now she's making me want to do batik hexies!  Now she's enabling me - I guess the saying "What goes around, comes around" is true!!

Well, that all I have to report this week.  I spent most of it running around to appliance stores.  If you've been reading my blog for a while, you know that I've been cooking on appliances from hell.  Original stuff from when the house was built 20 years ago.  We've been here five years and nothing has ever worked right - burners from hell, double ovens that didn't heat right, refrigerator with drawers on their last legs.  Well, last weekend the ovens blew up (no, I didn't purposely do something to them, although it has been a thought).  The oven started making screeching noises and error messages began appearing on the control panel and the ovens shut off.  Since I don't have the manuals, who knew what was going on (and even if I had those manuals, they wouldn't have made an appearance - no way Jose').  Did you think that I was secretly smiling at this development???  You bet 'cha!!   I could not contain my excitement because I knew that the time had come!!  So, I spent my week buying all new appliances!  YAHOOO!   DH had to lay down after I was done - I told him NO to just replacing the stove and ovens, but I had to have a refrigerator and microwave too - they all had to match (the dishwasher I had already replaced last year).  The kitchen is my second workroom!!  We got home after placing the order and DH had to retire to the man chair and put an ice pack on his head.  HA!  Me, well, I was dancing all over the house.  It's the small things in life that make you happy right?  That's what I told DH.  His answer, "That da#$ed bill isn't going to be small!"  Oh well, he'll get over it right?

Hope that everyone has a wonderful weekend and that you have some quality time with your father and/or husband.  I'm going to just make sure that the ice packs are at the ready for DH's headache!  It's the least I can do!!  I have a funny feeling he's going to be laying in the prone position for most of the weekend with those ice packs on his head!  LOL

57 comments:

Annie said...

That scissors frog is so pretty with that domed top!

Love your sweet little finish with those super-cute pins. You found the perfect home for them.

Beautiful array of hexies. We all have our little obsessions!

And enjoy your new kitchen toys!

jayne@~an eye for threads~ said...

What a lovely gift. Congratulations Deb. Enjoy the new appliances and I am sure once you get to cooking and chilling your DH will agree that it was worth that da#$ed bill.
Be always in stitches.

Parsley said...

Your blue gifts just make me smile. Such a happy color and so peaceful.

Cari said...

That Jolene...is she not just the best friend ever? I love her to pieces. And I love your hexies...especially in the tree. They look so cute. I guess I'll have to take pics of mine. I've kind of got that bug too! I think we like them because they're small and we get to do hand work. I take them with me when our stitch group meets at Panera Bread. And WHOO HOO for the brand new kitchen appliances. Good for you. Have a simply fabulous week!! BIG Stitching HUGS !!!

Heidi said...

What a fabulous gift. I love using my flower frog for my scissors. And your little stitched pincushion is fabulous!!! What a sweet design. I have the charms to make those pins...humm...just need the time now...lol.

I will look forward to seeing what you do with your hexagons. I have mine packed away and they are coming out no time soon. It is an old UFO but I have so many UFOs that this one is not a priority yet as we will be moving in the autumn.

I have your last email saved to answer you but life has been too nuts and it is still waiting. I want to go back and see if you finished your bull's eye quilt. I wish I had things more organized as I find I am not great at keeping up with blog reading.

Hugs from Holland ~
Heidi

Berit said...

Another great Post, Deb. I'll do a bullet-point response.

• That is the prettiest blue dish I've ever seen. I don't think blue's my fav. color, but this dish'll stand up and argue the point with me. :) What a great gift from Jolene!

• I love hexagons. Anything Hexagonal. All hexagons. Just sayin'. :P

• New appliances = Yes. You should see our oven. I'd show it, but it'd give you nightmares. I'm all but certain it's the original from when these units were built in 1970. Hey, 10 more years makes it an antique!

Have an awesome weekend, and stay cool. :D

Berit said...

P.S.

• Love that JB. This winter I need to start my kitted-up JB Christmas.

• I love Eve's hair. It's as lively as the snake.

Sharlotte said...

Another great post Deb! I think a lot of people are getting the hexie bug as I have seen them on a few other blogs as well. I've never seen a flower frog with a lid before. Leave it to Jolene to find it.She does the cleverest things!

aprilmecheelesdulllife said...

Great gift From Jolene !! Beautiful Blue. You have been busy this week with all those Hexies.. You will have to show us a picture of all those new appliances. That way I can drool and envie you ! LOL

Melissa said...

Belated Happy Birthday, Deb! I'm behind with reading so I see I have lots to catch up on in your world!

Congratulations on getting new appliances! They make such a huge difference! Will we be seeing lots of food photos in the next while?

The gift from Jolene is absolutely Blue-ti-ful! And I love all the pressies you got in your previous post, the highlight of which are the beautiful hand made gifts!

Love the new Wash Day chart! Oh I hope Kathy releases out to the rest of us! Do tell if you hear of it happening!

Have a lovely weekend!

Anonymous said...

I love your new blue piece. Blue is so soothing to me, too. And I am so excited for you to have new appliances! You are absolutely right to have them all matchy, matchy. :)

Alice said...

Jolene sure has an eye for beauty. It is a gorgeous frog! I love it too. Adorable pinkeep finish and such sweet pins. You DID make a lot of progress on Sarah Seifer. You encourage me to get my bud into my stitching chair and make progress. I love the hexies. Such pretty material with the roses. Di's batik hexies sure are catchy. It will make a most unusual quilt.
I am so happy for you that you have your kitchen appliances sorted out and that they all match. I bet you cannot wait to plug them in to give them life.
Have a lovely weekend too. : )
{{{Hugs}}}
Alice

Andrea said...

Such a nice gift from Jolene, she's a doll!

Love the hexies, wish I could make those but I don't think it's in my powers!

Your Jenny Bean pincushion is adorable and I love the pins you put in it. I need to stitch that one up soon!

So happy that you finally have your new appliances! Your DH will get over the shock soon enough, you can just whip up his favorites for dinner, etc. and he'll forget all about it, lol!
I am hoping for a new oven someday, the one that is in this house is the original from when it was built back in the 70's. Still works fine, but it's ugly and too small. I think most women love to have the newer, shiner, nicer appliances! :-)

xoxo

Alice said...

Love that blue, love the frog, love the hexies, love new appliances! Hooray!

Karen said...

Diane's flowers sure are beautiful and you are well on the way!

KarenV said...

Love your JB pincushion Deb, it turned out beautifully and the pins are perfect for it! :) Love the hexies too, so cute! The fabric you're using for these is so pretty.

Sarah Seifer is looking lovely, despite the lack of stitching time. Even a few stitches is progress (as long as you don't have to rip them out again! ;)

Missy said...

That frog is the prettiest I have seen. I love the way you photographed your hexes.

Having a new kitchen appliance is like having a new lover. LOL LOL LOL

Hope you have a wonderful weekend with you new kitchen toys.

hugs
-missy-

http://eatstitchlove.blogspot.com/

valerie said...

Wow, how sweet of Jolene to send you that blue flower frog...the blue is so vibrant!!

Love your JB Tuffet! You sound like you've been busy! Congrats on the new appliances and be sure to have lots of ice on hand for DH! LOL

Carol said...

Amazing gift from Jolene, Deb--you are one lucky stitcher. I'm with you, blue is the best :)

Your little finish is a beautiful place to hold those pretty pins of Faye's. I need those small finishes to get me through the big ones.

Hope you have a wonderful weekend!

Karen said...

I collect blue glass so your scissor holder is of great interest to me. Oh so pretty.

Loraine said...

Totally cracking up with you appliance story! So glad you got new ones, although I have some pity on your DH. That can set one back a while! Happy cooking though. Should be a pleasure now, and I want to see the new kitchen!
Love your hexie flowers!Your quilt is going to be darling.
Oh my, that blue flower frog dish is to die for! Jolene is such a sweetheart. I don't know of anyone more generous than her! You are so deserving too!
Tell me about your Farmer's Wife quilt. I just found out that they are all templates, not rotary instructions. Do you have rotary instructions? My local quilt store is doing a class where they will offer the instructions, but I don't want to pay extra when I already have the fabric and book.
Your stitching pieces are looking wonderful too. So many wonderful things to do!
Have a great day! Hugs to you.

Myra said...

You made me LOL with your appliance story. What are you going to cook first? :o) Love the blue frog - Jolene is such a sweetie. I love the hexagons too. I got carried away for a period of time with yo-yo's. So much fun with color.

Sylvia said...

A very belated birthday - you got some very, very nice presents. The Vera bag is just beautiful, and I am coveting your blue scissor frog. What a nice thing to have Kathy B. visit, I love the chart she made for you guys - lucky you.

Siobhán said...

Beautiful gift from Jolene, and fantastic finish, too! Sarah looks like she's coming along well. :) I've barely done a stitch this week because I've been busy with the kids. I'm hoping next week will be more quiet. Love love love the hexies and Di's flowers!

JOLENE said...

You are too funny girl! I can just visualize your hubby crashed in the chair, sweating bullets and waiting for the ice packs.....the ice packs that are still freezing while you are happy dancing around the house!!! Ha!

I am so happy you love the blue frog base. I spent the Saturday before my anniversary with my husband and I made him stop at an antique store I hadn't been in for years. He said he would stay in the car.....but after about 15 minutes he got too hot and came inside. I bought a neat old chippy butermilk colored wall shelf and just as we were finishing up paying for it I saw the "Blue" glaring at me and chanting "Buy me, buy me!! I picked it up and hugged it, and put it back down, it was so beautiful, and then I started to walk away and I just had this really strong feeling that Deb needed this. So, long story short, it is now in the rightful owner's hands.

I love the JB pincushion, I need to get my finished up, love this design. And for the hexies, well let's just say that between you and Loraine, I am wanting to start a quilt. Just what I need, more irons in the fire! LOL

Anonymous said...

I have thousands of hexies at my house! They are sooooo addicting!
-GingerCat

woolwoman said...

Love your JB pin tuffet - darling! Good for you wrangling those new appliances you have been secretly lusting after - we all know you've been putting the voodoo "hex" on your old ones. on the subject of hexed - I was almost hexed by Siobhan - I must say I have done a good bit of research on the subject - I just don't know much about quilting but working with tiny pieces of beautiful fabric and hand stitching just seems so appealing - I'm trying hard to stick to stitching, knitting and hooking because I have mountains of projects that need attention and I sure don't need to start something new - hummmm - but's how can a few little hexies hurt anything ?????????? Have a great weekend - Mel

Katherine said...

While you are hexed, it sounds like your husband is vexed. Sounds like you'll have to make cooking and food storage your newest projects! The blue jar is GORGEOUS - I am SO jealous - I can't find one single colored one when I go shopping. Maybe you can do a tutorial for finding and putting those things together. Love your hexie garden. Oh, and did you realize you are an enabler? Your friend sounds like she may never recover since being bitten by the hexie bug.

Kaaren said...

Wow, Deb! An early Christmas at the Roman household with all the new kitchen toys, huh? Good for you!

Happy belated birthday to you. Love that blue flower frog. Now that's SPECIAL!

Love your pincushion too!

Amy said...

Love that color of blue also.

This is the third place I have seen hexies. I think I will have to get in on it. I like the idea of doing it by hand like my Grandma did in the 1930's and 1940's.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Rugs and Pugs said...

Deb ~
Love the hexies, and love the description of your hubby after your appliance purchase. Good for you that you are getting all new ones!
Have a great weekend.
Pug hugs :)
Lauren

Margaret said...

Ok, that is one gorgeous blue! Love it! How sweet of Jolene! Love all your hexies, and your friend's hexies too! I'm currently obsessing about clamshell quilts. :D Love your Jenny Bean pincushion too, and Sarah Seifer is looking great!

Mel said...

That is just a lovely blue! What a great gift.

I love the hexi tree!

Nancy said...

Such a gorgeous blue gift, and a very special friend you have that sent it to you! Your finish is very pretty too!

I love all the hexagons. Can you imagine how amazing it will look when they are all together?

Anonymous said...

What a pretty gift...love that blue color.
How exciting to be getting all new appliances!
Have a great weekend.
~Cindy~

Isabelle said...

Hi Deb, you received such a wonderful blue gift for your collection of scissors : you have a nice friend :-)
Your Sarah Seifer is turning out very nice and Wow !!! all those little hexies are so cheerful : you made ancie work with them Deb :-)
Have a great week-end,
Isabelle

Sue-Anne said...

Your blue bowl is beautiful and I love your needlework. I can definately relate to the appliance dilemma. Our oven is 20 years old and I have to use a broom to prop against the door to keep it shut properly!

Diane (di) said...

Deb, I *love* your flower flog (and esp. that lid). Simply gorgeous. Sarah Seifer is looking wonderful and the pincushion is too. Great job with the finishing on that one.
And yes, I hold you and Siobhan solely responsible for my hex addiction (and thank you)!! :) These things are like eating potato chips. Plus I get mini happy dances every time I put a flower together. Although mine is 'batik-ed', did you notice the drool when I saw yours? Beware everyone, Deb has got to be the Queen of all Who Enable (and I'm thinking she loves every single minute of it)!! lol hugs, di

MyLifesAStitch said...

Hehe... I was wondering when you'd get bitten by the hexie bug. That didn't take long, did it?? :)

Your Jenny Bean pincushion is too cute! Just love it.

Sarah is coming right along, isn't she? YGG! You are a stitching Mario Andretti!

Love the blue frog from Jolene! I too, love blue, and that shade is a stunner!

Have a great weekend!!

Jackie's Stitches said...

Deb, your posts are always full of such good stuff. I have to admit that I laughed out loud when you wrote you were dancing all over the house while your husband nursed his headache with an ice pack! Too funny! He'll survive though and I'm sure will come to appreciate the new matching appliances.

Your JB tuffet is wonderful and the pins from Faye look at home. How was the finishing? I have this in my stash to do too. SS is looking even more beautiful. You've made good progress.

Aren't hexagons just so darn cute? I love seeing them all piled up sorted by color as much as I like seeing them sewn together.

Lainey said...

Love the blue flower frog and your Jenny Bean is just darling!
Your friends hexie flowers are so pretty, I can;t wait to see what you do with yours.
Happy Dancing with you on those new appliances!

Kajsa said...

Oh, that's a pretty blue color! Is that Jenny Bean pincushion still available or was it a market special? Yours turned out really cute, I might have to try and find one.

Patricia Lessell said...

I love the scissor frog. Mine is a purpleish color and I love it but it's getting full. I shall have to look for another. Also your stitching is just devine and I can't wait to see all the hexes made into a quilt.
Lots of Love
Patti xxx

florence said...

absolument magnifique ce pique ciseaux bleu !!!!

BrendaS said...

Your blue scissor frog is gorgeous and your little pincushion finish is just precious. A finish is a finish no matter how small.

Love your WIP's and the colors of your hexies are great!

Thanks for visiting my blog.

Katrina said...

Fun post, love Sarah Seifer and the Jenny Bean pin cushion. And all the hexies, what fun :-).

Michelle said...

Your Jenny Tuffet looks fabulous - those pins are perfect. And Sarah is looking lovely too. I think she's next on my list. Loving your hexies - I think I'm going to give these a try too. What fun they look like! And wow - the batik hexies are amazing. Love them!!!

Sherry said...

Love your new bowl and it really compliments your frog and scissors! Ohhhhhhh,look at all those hexxies and the batik flowers are too yummy! Lucky you on all the new appliances! I am ready for a new washer and dryer but I don't think DH is ready yet. Enjoy your new goodies!

Sherry :o) said...

What a beautiful flower frog...Jolene made a great find! And it's so pretty. I love the Jenny Bean finish. I have been working on the Halloween Sampler and have the JB Christmas Sampler in the wings. I love, LOVE the the red/black hexie flower your friend did. Stunning! And you've made progress since I saw you at KSSG with your hexies...whew, I think that's a lot, lot of sewing and it will be beautiful. See you soon.

Lois said...

Love the JB finish, the pins are prefect with it. What a lovely blue scissor frog! Got to love those hexes, I'm doing my best to avoid giving in to temptation because I could very easily start a new addiction! Diane's hexes are lovely! New appliances - enjoy - my DH would be doing the exact same thing as yours, he'd be off to a darkened room for a month to recover!

Nicole said...

Your cross stitching is amazing. Love the blue jar with the frog insert!

Linda said...

Hi Deb, I did not know that they made scissor frogs. Love the blue.
Happy belated birthday. Now you have inspired me to stitch some more. A hot one here today and stormy weather. We had a earthquake
5.5 at around 2pm today. Never know what the day will bring.

Stitch By Stitch said...

What a wonderful and thoughtful gift! What a lovely shade of blue too:)

Sally said...

Love the scissor frog. It's a beautiful colour.

Your Jenny Bean finish is gorgeous.

Kathy A. said...

OH MY that is the most gorgeous shade of blue - that jar - EVER! I love it and it looks great as a scissor frog dish.
I was laughing my head off reading about you buying new appliances. We have just bought a house after living in a small cottage for 8 years and we need stuff.
Yesterday, stove, fridge, washer, dryer and two leather chairs. I think my DH needs to borrow the ice packs from yours lol.
And I'm not done yet!!!1

Solstitches said...

I've seen lots of scissor frogs on various blogs but that has to be the prettiest ever!
I had to smile to see your hexagons hanging from the tree. Fun!

Margaret

Nancy M said...

That Coney Island wasn't Lipuma's was it?? I went to school with Tony. More beautiful gifts and congrats on getting the new appliances. We got a new dishwasher and fridge and they are great!! Just need a new stove and microwave myself. Should I wish a breakdown on them???