Bunny in the Kitchen

I just finished making a fun and cheery addition to my kitchen. It's a log cabin quilt square featuring the cutest little bunny..I named her Beulah. She is nibbling on a yummy carrot that she plucked out of Mr. McBurmeister's garden! Last year sometime I purchased a CD with 30 different applique patterns of little Beulah's adorable brothers and sisters. Bunnies, bunnies, everywhere! It's called Grandma's Bunnies by Darcy Ashton. I can't wait to make some more of these sweet little critters. I just love them! They make me smile. Hope Beulah does the same for you!

We are fast approaching the end of March and I must say, this has been one busy month! I've had a really unusual zest for spring cleaning this year which is definitely NOT my norm. But, it does feel great to clean out those closets and make old things look new with a little sprucing up and a bit of creativity! My sewing room really got a new look. I realized today that just having it look neat and tidy contributes a lot to my creativity! Um-m-m...good thought-I wonder what will happen when it spreads to the kitchen??? I have been doing more cooking lately,too, come to think of it...Gosh, sunny days and warm breezes add a lot to one's life! I know that dh is enjoying the rewards of all this creativity,too! Mostly in the waistline!

I'll offer you a glimpse of some papercrafting that I did this past week with a promise of more to come soon. I got these lovely Amy Butler papers on sale a few weeks ago at Hobby Lobby. I love the subtle seaglass blues with the cocoa browns. It is just a yummy combination.

Had to add a little pink here...it IS spring now, you know!What do you think about those buttons? This was a birthday card for our pastor and great friend Roy. I wanted to make it look more masculine which is why I added the brown buttons. I think this one is my favorite. I love those flowers! And that little baby butterfly. Bet she loves the flowers, too!

In Like a Lion...

Here we are on the third day of March and it feels like the middle of January. But, as I recall from my childhood days, probably around third grade somewhere, my teacher spoke of the seasons and taught me the adage, "March comes in like a lion, but goes out like a lamb." And it always seems to hold true. We know that spring is on the way, warmer days are just around the corner...and WE CAN'T WAIT ! We always long for the changing of the seasons...to spy that first blooming daffodil, the cheery little robin hopping across the lawn in search of that tasty morsel of worm, the beginning of buds appearing, and my favorite of all, that lovely lime green cast that the trees carry on their boughs as we gaze across the Tennessee hills and valleys...yes, I just can't wait to see it once again. We love you, Spring!
And with spring, comes the beginning of new life in the nursery. EverGreen Farm will soon have pots of lovely blossoms, like those in the picture above from years past, and eager customers coming down the lane looking for just the right combination of flowers and greenery for their decks and landscapes. My dear Lamar has been getting several calls already from people wanting to purchase blueberry bushes and grapevines for their garden plots. I have a feeling that people are going to be purchasing more edible plants this year than before because of the unstable economy. Dollars may be going to go for the practical this year rather than the posh. Whichever it is, he wants to be ready with good quality plants for his great customers! You can be sure there will be lots of varieties of tomatoes and peppers, too. Gotta have the goods for makin' salsa, ya know!!

I love Sundays!

Aren't Sundays wonderful? I love getting up a bit later in the morning, then getting myself "spruced" up to go to my church where all my Christian family meets and comes together to worship the Lord, pray to Him, and thank Him for providing all our needs. Having fellowship with like-minded friends who love one another in the Lord...what a privilege! Then leaving church and coming home to spend the day relaxing all afternoon! God is so wise to provide us a sabbath. Our minds and bodies really need a day of rest...

I mentioned a few days ago that I would post a picture of my handmade Valentine for my Honey...I had such fun making it, thinking of him and all the wonderful years we've spent together (it was 27 years that we've been married this past Christmas! How time flies...), and I just love him more and more everyday. I know I'm very much an amateur when it comes to this new cardmaking and stamping stuff, but he didn't notice all my "goofs"--he just knew that it was the thought that counts...and he loved it! What a guy!

Another Week Gone By

I had a great week with a few days spent with my grandkids. On Wednesday afternoon I pulled out my basket of stamps and colorful papers and I helped them make special birthday cards for their daddy. We had such fun and so did they. It's amazing how creative their little minds can be! My only regret is that I didn't take any pictures...:(

They spent quite a long time (especially the girls) working to make their cards just right. I only hope their daddy appreciated all our efforts!!

This afternoon I finished a long awaited for Train Quilt for my little grandson, John. He turned 5 on Valentine's Day and this grandma had promised him a quilt for "quite" a long time. I am so thankful that I finally got it done! Now it just needs to go to the quilt shop to be quilted. I'll be taking it down to Spring Creek tomorrow. It has little train engines in the small squares in the middle of the blocks. The picture below this one is the back of it.

This is just a mishmash of odds and ends...but it IS just the back ya know!

Can't wait to get down to Spring Creek though. I need to find some neutral fabrics (blacks, tans, and creams) to start working on a quilt for my daughter-in-law who lives in North Carolina. I think I'm going to make her a Carpenter Star. It is one of my favorite patterns. This is one that I have hanging in my dining room. I made this about a year ago. It was really a fun class that I took at Spring Creek with my sister Sandy.

You can see the fabrics a little better in this pic. It really is an easy quilt to make, though I think it looks hard....surprise! It's not!

The-Day-After-Valentine's-Day-Return-to-the-Blog!

I recently was talking to my sister on the phone and she casually mentioned she had visited my blog...and, all of a sudden, I remembered that, once upon a time, I had one! Honestly, having a busy life and then being bitten by the Facebook bug, I just plum forgot about my Quaint & Cozy Cottage! Guess I better get out the mop and bucket to shine these floors, the broom to clean out the cobwebs and dust off the shelves and get back in the groove again!

I have been rather busy lately doing my favorite thing ...crafting activities like sewing for my friends and family. Made several Christmas stockings ...for the grands (like the ones above), some totes,

for my daughter and friends, and most recently, attended a papercrafting workshop. Now I'm all excited about making my own cards. It's so much fun and there are no rules-the sky's the limit. I made a few birthday cards last week , some Valentine treat boxes,and yesterday made a Valentine for my honey. (I'll post a pic of that later) It really is easy once I learned a few tricks. There are tons of helps on the web, too. Thanks all you 'stamp-a-holics' for your adorable ideas. I just love finding stampers' websites. They are all so ingenius! And so willing to share their cute ideas. It just makes one feel so cheery inside making something for someone else...looking forward to that expression on their face when you hand them a gift. It is a priceless feeling.

Recent Projects

Ah-h-h! Another steaming hot summer June day in Tennessee! It is too hot to do anything but stay inside. And what better place to stay than in my sewing room! We have had quite a few 90+ degree days recently, so I've been stitching away quite a lot. Thought I'd show you some recent projects that I've been working on. The quilts are just the tops as I've not ventured down to Spring Creek yet to get them quilted..(did I mention it was hot? Too hot to do anything? Even go to the quilt shop?) Good thing I have plenty of projects waiting to be started! I think I could go for at least 6 months without "really" needing to buy anymore fabric! So, because of the heat, I've decided to just stay in and work on them.

I'll start with a picture or two of a Log Cabin quilt that I started at a quilt class in May down at Spring Creek. I've made it for my bed and made some extra blocks so it is somewhat longer than normal full size would be. Also added strips with appliqued flowers between the blocks to tone down the dark mahogany fabric of the final "log" in each block. This was the pattern from Eleanor Burns Quilt in a Day book.

I have also made a little pillow that will go on the bed when I get this top quilted. It was a pattern from Bunny Hill Designs called Flowers for Emma. It was so easy! And I just love how it came out!

I can't wait to see it when it all gets quilted and put together. I have a few extra blocks that I may make pillow shams with. Not sure yet.

Another easy project that I recently did was a little wallhanging for my kitchen. I "flew by the seat of my pants' on this one and didn't purchase a pattern, just looked closely at the pictures on Anne Sutton's website at Bunny Hill. She called it Posy Time . I used charm squares from

Susan Branch's collection Martha's Vineyard . It went together really fast!

This one also has yet to be quilted! But I love the Yo-yo flowers! And the bright colors are just so cheery! Another Anne Sutton "quilt" I finished recently is from the pattern Taffy Treats. I started it at a class I took in March or April. But, had never got it finished until this week. I shouldn't say "finished" as it really isn't. It needs to be quilted yet and a scalloped edge needs to be put on. But, because they're so back-logged at the quilt shop, I knew I wouldn't get it back til nearly the end of the summer and I wanted it for a tablecloth in my kitchen...so, I just put it on the way it is and covered it with a clear vinyl top to keep it clean. Sophie seems to like it!!
The most recent finished (although that is a relative term throughout this post!) projects are a couple of placemats I made for my dear DIL, Bethany. I used the Daydreams fabrics designed by Deb Strain for Moda for the majority of the patterns. Though I kind of concocted the designs myself. The butterfly is taken from the panel in that collection. I still want to make her a few more in the weeks to come.

I really like the "dots" and it makes it look trendy to me. Here is the reverse side so she can use it either way...She really seemed to like this one...

I've got some ideas for the next couple I'll make, but just have to sit down and do it. Guess I need to get started!