beautiful envelopes... and our move...

sorry about not posting in so long.  here is my story, and i am sticking to it...
on september 13, we put our house on the market... time for a new adventure... 
on september 14, we sold our house.  on september 18, we put an offer on a house...
on october 19, we closed on the house we were selling...
on october 26, we closed on our new house, packed a uhaul, and moved. 

one craaaazy month!   we still have boxes strewn about. no curtains or blinds. a POD in our driveway. but... i love it in our new place.  it is a little mini farm.  or at least that is what i like to call it.  i was going to include a couple pictures of the place. but alas, my camera just ran out of batteries.  i will be posting more about our move, the house, and a new floorcloth.

in the meantime...

in may, i signed up to be part of the summer elevated envelope project.  i was excited.  i had big plans.  i usually do.

raspberry bushes through paper art...

through this project i was assigned 9 lovely ladies to create artistic envelopes for.  and they made envelopes for me.  how fun is that?

bunting is always cute, right?  well... i think so :-)

i showed my first attempt at my envelope back in june.  my design involved paper cutting, scrapbooking, and embroidery.  it was exciting for me to try it out.  i could have done it a quicker way which allowed me to complete them earlier (which really meant... on time), but i really had a desire to make the envelopes this way.  it was challenging and took some time (a lot of time to be exact), but i think they ended up beautiful.  when i took them to the post office to mail them the postal worker really loved them.  she wanted to know where i purchased them!  i was so happy to be able to tell her that i made them myself.

envelope loveliness.

so, 2 months late, i successfully mailed all my envelopes.  yay!  and a month later... i am finally posting about them.  it felt so good to finish the project and feel so good about the final product.  i will definitely sign up for a future elevated envelope project.

happy wednesday!

~ julie

the new adventure begins...

soooo...  i mentioned in my last post that we had decided to sell our house, right?  little did i know that we would put our house on the market on thursday, september 13... at noon on friday, september 14th... we sold our house!  ridiculous, right?  crazy, right?  i know!  we figured our home would sell, but we figured it would take a month or two. 

sooooo... we have been busy looking for our new place.  our new adventure.  the place we will cultivate new dreams (and hopefully bees with honey & hens with eggs)! 

to be honest, i have felt a bit panicky.  my stomach hasn't been quite right for the last week. 

we looked at one house that seemed like it had great potential.  we planned to go back and take a look at it with our daughter and son-in-law.  BUT before we could, it went into contract.  seriously?  ugh!

we have spent more hours on realtor.com than any normal person should.  we made our search larger, changed some of our 'wants', tried new areas.  we looked and looked.  so many were already 'in contract.'  seems to me, as a home buyer, that the market may just be picking up.  good for the economy.  bad for us at the moment.

but then this week, we went to a listing we hadn't looked at yet.  we thought, 'this seems to be what we are looking for!'  then our agent called the listing agent... they have a contract on the table already!!  YOU ARE KIDDING!  so, we sent an offer an hour later... and the next day they took our offer!!  woot-woot!  today, we found out we are allowed to have bees & chicks.  shoo-weeeee.

so in one month's time we decided to sell our house, had to find another, found one, oops, found another, got our offer accepted and will be moving!  we are excited about our new place now that the dust is settling.

i just wanted to explain why i have been absent.  off the grid.  in la-la land.  that's my excuse for the past few weeks.  my new excuse will be that i have to pack up 16 years of life and move it to another place.  oh, and weed out all those things we have accumulated and don't really need or want anymore.  it won't be quick... or easy.  you should see our garage!

i am challenging myself to put blog posts on about my move, about leaving one home for another, our new cottage home,  and trying to stay creative throughout the process.  it is good to be challenged.  it is also good to accept the fact that i might not get it all done.  you gotta have goals though!

sorry about no photos today.  i have some just waiting to be uploaded and put online.  soon.  very soon.

happy friday!

~ julie

picking, canning, moving...

life has been busy these last few weeks (ok, always... but this is my excuse for not update my blog over the last 2 weeks... not forever... that will entail more excuses at a later date)

here is a little photo journal of just what i have been up to...

visited a local 'u-pick' farm and picked mcintosh &  bought honeycrisp apples.
(fyi, it was lynd's fruit farm)

the trees were loaded! it was the first day of picking... so there was a crowd!

the best ones are always at the top, aren't they?

my mini cooper was full of delicious smelling apples! mmmmm!
this is going to make great applesauce for canning!

our neighbors got two, yep 2, new puppies!  they are sooo cute.
so we have spent time visiting with them lately. 

going to a small skateboard competition to watch my son. 
he does crazy tricks.

we have been driving around the country lately (more on that below)
and found a great farm.  they picked us a bushel of tomatoes for canning.

not a bad view... tomatoes, herbs, floorcloth, etc. 

and, the final product... 24 pints & 2 quarts of canned loveliness!

there is something satisfying about knowing we have stored up some
freshness to open during the colder months! isn't there?

so... we haven't made or canned the applesauce... maybe later this week... maybe next week.  but at least we have the apples and are ready to go with that process.

and... we have decided to put our house on the market and look for a place in the country.  yep, it was a tough decision.  we have lived here for 16 years.  since our youngest was 2.  that's a lot of memories stored up in one place.  lots & lots of great memories, good times with family, great neighbors, etc. 

but... we also believe it is time for a new adventure.  there are so many things to experience and enjoy in this little life we have, and we have always dreamed of living on a small farm in the country... so, we best be gettin' on that, right?  my sweet husband and i are getting excited about this (even though i have warned him there will be crying when it is closer to time to go & we have to say goodbye to our neighbors).  i do believe that change is good though.  it makes you think, and challenges you in new ways.  plus, i want some chickens who will lay me fresh eggs.  :-) 

there are, of course, other things going happening... because there always are... but i will share more on those (like my elevated envelopes which are just about done.  hey, don't judge me because they are late. :-)  that's how i roll.)

so, thursday's the day the house goes 'on the market'.  i can't wait to get to work on decluttering, fixing, touching up paint, rearranging furniture, cleaning... hey, you get the picture.  (*this is sarcasm, in case you weren't sure.)  the house will look great and we will start questioning ourselves... we must stay focused, we must stay focused. ~ smile!

to new adventures!

~ julie

quiltin'... sugar dish & point me

well, i survived the arts & crafts show last weekend!  it was very much a learning experience for me, my daughter (who stayed with me all afternoon), and my husband (who made my display).  it was a new show in columbus.  there were lots and lots of vendors... and not so many shoppers.  i heard this is typical for a new show.  here is my area at the show:

the lime loft 'booth'

this week was spent getting a few things done that had been put 'on the back burner' while we were getting everything ready for the show... especially a little quilting!

i am taking a class at sew to speak with the amazing, wonderful mary of molly flanders!  it started last monday and we are making the point me quilt from denyse schmidt.  she is full of tips & tricks to help us out in lining up our points. thank goodness!

so, she gave us home work (and added twice as many triangles to my quilt... which i think will look great!).  and here i go...

lots of 4 1/2" squares!

ready to be cut into quarters...

cut up and divided...

so, once the squares were sewn, they were then cut into quarters, then ironed open, trimmed of their dog ears, and arranged into larger triangles...

a completed triangle!

 at this point, i have sewn 5 triangles... only 11 to go... before monday!  yikes!

and also this week, i was able to bind and complete my sugar dish quilt!  finally!!  it is being sent to some friends in new jersey who have opened their home to us many times over the last 4 years while our son has been at west point.  hope they like it. 

pretty colors! fabric: hometown by sweetwater.
i think the hand quilting turned out nicely.

i really, really love all these polka dots!

so, now to get back to work on my floorcloths... and the 13 triangles for the point me quilt... and i must finish my elevated envelopes which were supposed to be sent out almost a month ago... and... :-)  such is life, right? 

happy saturday!!

~ julie

omg, do i have everything??

so, in less than 4 hours, i will be setting up for the avant-garde arts & crafts show here in columbus.  i know, i know, i should have signed up for the show months ago... i should have started preparing months ago...  shoulda, woulda, coulda...  i am famous for deciding to do things at the last minute. well, maybe not famous... but... i do like to 'wing' it at times.  and here i am updating my blog and facebook page while a list of 'to-do's' wait for my attention.  soon enough.

in the meantime, i wanted to share a couple of the new floorcloths that i finished up last week for the show!  i think they are beautiful and hope the someone will think the same of them today.

this one is a little smaller, but i really love the english linen pattern.

since fall is around the corner... i thought some fall colors might be nice.

a simple, but unique green & white checked with some worn lovin' in spots.

for that last shot, my daughter climbed out on our trellis and took pictures looking down... i wasn't going to do that, but i am glad she did... i like how the shot came out. 

come by the show if you are in the area!  it is being held at the greek orthodox church (555 n. high street, columbus) right beside the north market!  1:30-6:30pm.  $3 admission. 

hope to see you there!  (and happy sunday, too!)

~ julie

show prepology

this weekend is my first arts & crafts show... that is... my first time as a vendor in a show.  i have, of course, journeyed to many a show and purchased lots of lovely items. but, this is different.  i have been working with my husband (he is just the best) and my daughter (crazy amazing) to design a holder for all my floorcloths so that they are easy for folks to see, yet, doesn't take up too much of the booth space.  i must be honest... it has been challenging.  in a good way.  at this point, i have turned the engineering of the floorcloth display unit over to my sweetie... and i have moved on to working on a few more floorcloths before sunday.

two floorcloths in the works!  i am loving the polka dotted one!!

in addition to working on the floorcloths, we have been excited that our herbs have been looking good this year. 

oregano, rosemary, and basil

and...

sage, thyme, chives, and more sage 

and something new this year: we have some collard greens growing.  yep, collard greens! there were some left over plants at a garden near my husband's fire station and they said to take them.  so we have 2 collard green plants and a tomato plant growing outside our window, too.  i think we might be eating some collard greens this week... any suggestions about how to cook those? 

collard greens & a tomato plant

so, life is alive and well in our home right now (even if i seem to have been missing in action on the blog scene lately).  and we will continue to be busy forever through next week. 

if you are in the columbus, ohio area... stop by the Avante Garde Arts & Crafts show at the Greek Orthodox Church on North High Street (beside the north market & across from the convention center).  it is open from 1:30-6:30 and admission is $3/person.  more info here.  125+ are expected at this wonderful show!  you don't want to miss it! 

happy wednesday!

~ julie

whiteside design... and salvage part II

my friend, susie, is quite talented!  i had a chance to visit her at her shop located in the black dog salvage shop last week when we were at home (roanoke, va).  her interior design business is...

this is susie's business!

she has such a beautiful selection of furniture coverings, carpet, rugs, and sooo many great misc. accesories! 

isn't this furniture amazing??  i love it!

more items...

and then... here are some more photos from the Black Dog Salvage Store, too...

i. want. this. swinging. daybed. 
(excuse my sweet husband from pretending to be sleeping on it!)

more stain glass loveliness

so many shutters...

funny face fountains

i hope you had a great weekend!  and did something fun... our work went well in southern ohio!  one house painted and looking good!

happy monday!

~ julie

mission work

i was hoping to get more on here about black dog salvage & whiteside design... but this morning was just too busy. i am on my way to southern ohio on a work weekend with my church. it will be a great weekend with a wonderful group of people! soooo... be patient & on monday i will post more pics & info. happy friday! ~ julie

Salvage heaven!

i spent the last weekend in roanoke, virginia at my husband & my 30th high school reunion! 30... that is just craaazy...  it was so much fun catching up with many friends we hadn't seen in years. lots of talking over friday and saturday evenings. we also spent time with our parents which was nice, too.

 at one of our reunion events, i got to chat with my high school friend, susie, and found out about her business and about her husband's salvage business in town...

so, of course we had to go check it out before we left town. It was amazing! soooo many unique items all in one place.

this is just the first... small... room!  love the iron gates. 

there is just so much to love in this place.   there were 2 full rooms of just doors!  all kinds of old doors.  bathroom sinks, toilets, vanities.  there was even a full staircase to be purchased! 

beautiful stain glass windows

they had huge stain glass windows, windows, and other large pieces that we can't imagine how they moved them from their original 'home' to the store. 

so many things, so little time...

there was a large warehouse room that had 'booths' from various businesses ranging from woven bags to antique furniture to chalk paint.  anyone use annie sloan's chalk paint before??  it isn't paint that you can use chalk on... it looks wonderful and has lovely colors.  wish i had taken a picture of that booth. 

kitchen cabinets, rocking chairs, pharmacy signs...

it was such a wonderfully eclectic place to be.  we were limited in our time to spend there, but i could have looked for hours!  and spent a few dollars too! 

more tomorrow about black dog salvage & my friend susie's business, too... 

happy thursday!

~ julie

the washington post...

something exciting has happened!  woo-hoo!  yesterday, i was featured in an article about floorcloths.  that, in and of itself, is exciting no matter when or where it is... but, i was so surprised when it first came in... the washington post online!  wow!  i don't know what i was expecting... but this is pretty cool. 

this floorcloth is included in the article...

take a peek at the article here.  i even found where it was in an international paper this morning!  crazy fun.

today is going to be a great day, don't you think?

happy thursday!

~ julie

2 floorcloths & a quilt

it has been a busy two weeks for me.  i have been trying to get some new floorcloths into my shop, finish up a couple quilts i have been working a... uh... a little to long, and also just keep up with life.  i am happy to say that i have now, today, finished two new floorcloths...

i really like this blue, black & white floorcloth.
the whimsical polka dot border balances the geometric design.

this one is turquoise with an orange/white border...
underneath is light green with brown swirls

and... i was able to send off a finished quilt to a wonderful friend down south who is moving to boston! 

front of the plus quilt!  so sweet!

and the back... i really think this turned out well.

and mostly, i love cam & alan. 

not a bad week... now to work on more wonderfulness.

happy monday!

~ julie

new binding technique

so, i have always used the same handsewn binding technique since i made my first quilt 2 years ago.  i love it, and think it looks lovely on my finished quilts... but it does take a bit of time.   here is what i usually do...

french binding technique

it has a clean neat finished look which is very nice, don't you agree?  i learned this technique from mary over at molly flanders. 

new binding technique... first pin in place...

but, this time i wanted to try a technique i found in simplify by camille roskelley.  in her book, she gives directions which are very simple for raw edge binding (page 36).  i love the warn, frayed look of the edges of the binding... so, i gave it a try.  in the book it looks as if she actually sewed two lines of stitches.  i only sewed one line using the my machine's reinforced straight stitch.  so this is a double stitch, but the stitches are right beside each other. 

trimming the excess fabric

i did modify hers a little... i sewed about 1/2" from the edge & then trimmed the excess fabric.  i think next time i will make the binding a little wider, sew two lines of stitching, and not have to trim it.  but, all in all, i like the look of it! 

finished look after washing.  i like the crinkled look with the soft edges.

happy thursday!

~ julie

the elevated envelope project

when reading one of my favorite blogs, i learned about a website called "the elevated envelope."  it is a fabulous idea where you design and make 4-10 envelopes reflecting the given theme for the project you are to be part of...  check it out here... tara explains it much, much better than i do. 

i love the idea of opening my mailbox and discovering a wonderful piece of art in the form of an envelope with maybe a little surprise inside, too!  we all love email, texts, twitter, etc... but if we are honest with ourselves, we still love a letter in the mailbox even more.  it's tangible, saveable, beautiful.  it was made by someone who was thinking of me.  oh, i am soooo excited!

my group is made up of 8 (i think) folks from the u.s., canada, and england!  hmmmm... maybe even one other country.  i need to take a look at my list again.  my 'job' is to create a unique envelope with the theme "sweet."  i can make them all the same or all different.  then before the deadline (the end of july) i will mail out all my envelopes to the my new friends!  and i will also receive envelopes from each of them as well.  i can NOT wait! 

today i began working on an idea i have for my envelopes.  for some reason i have been thinking about what materials i 'need' to use.  newspaper, kraft cardstock, paint and handstitching are all calling my name for this wonderous, creative work. 

raspberry plants... the large open spot was just a mistake. 
but, hey, i am just learning :-)

i tried my hand at some papercutting today.  trying to make some raspberry plants.  this is just the beginning, but it was fun to work on it.  as it progresses, i will give you an update.   need to figure out how i will add the raspberries... and what i will put behind the areas i cut out... lots to think about.  i am loving the new creative ideas i am developing in my head. 

if all goes well... i am signing up again for the fall exchange.  woop-woop!  why don't you sign up too?  maybe we will be "artistic pen pals." *smile*

happy friday!

~ julie