Saturday, November 30, 2024

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC24 - Week 48

Welcome to Week 48 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!
  This week there will DEFINITELY be some scrap sewing.  You know it's so because the November TABLE SCRAPS Challenge goes live on Friday.

SUNDAY -    Weekly Morning Art Zoom started my week.  I finished up painting out my new stencils, but the stamps will have to wait:


The afternoon was filled with time spent out in the yard trimming up my azalea bush.  After that, it was the rose bush's turn.  What did I spy, but this lovely rosebud beginning to open:


MONDAY - Mail Call Monday

I accidentally cut off the rosebud shown above.  It appears to be thriving inside:


Work

The latest construction news is that FOUR driveways were poured today.

After dinner, I did some quilting.  Sorry!  Check out Friday's entry for more info.

TUESDAY - Day Off

Groceries, groceries, and more groceries!  When I returned home I notice a work van already parked on the newest driveway:


This afternoon there was a Collage-Lab Play Date.  Kelly shared her process for making collaged tags:


Here's the one that I made which may not be completely finished yet:



While waiting for time to Zoom with LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of ColorI worked on getting the binding on my TABLE SCRAPS Challenge entry:


I ran out of time while waiting for LeeAnna and had to head off to my Monthly Evening Quilt Bee.  We weren't sure how many members would be able to attend since it is a holiday week AND an alternate day of the week than our regular meeting, but it turned out that we had a good sized group:


WEDNESDAY - Day Off

It's pie making day.  Mistakes were made, but I don't think my guys will notice or care:


In neighborhood news today, another house is SOLD!  That makes three out of eleven.  There are two houses between this one and ours:


As I walked thru our yard, I notice dandelions?!?!?!  On the day before thanksgiving???  The crazy Spring-like weather last week really has the local flora confused.  Flowers...


As well as seed heads have popped up:


THURSDAY - Happy Thanksgiving to all who celebrate!!!

There was some cooking going on, but not too much more than a regular meal.  No guests this year.  I managed to sneak away from the kitchen once the turkey was in the oven.  Why?  I wanted to attend my first Paper and Pieces hangout at Get Messy.  The timing is rarely right for me, but this time, it worked out and I created the following collage:  


Try to ignore the bright pink stars.  They were already on the page, so I left them there (for now.)


Work

Knit Group was questionable this week due to the holiday.  Either way, I'm working today so I won't be able to attend.  Sigh...

After dinner, I headed up to the studio for my Weekly Evening Art Zoom.  I worked on finishing my Patchwork Journal from Meg Journals which I plan to use for this year's Care December from Kasia Avery @ Everything Art:



SATURDAY - Work

It's LINK PARTY day for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!  I hope you will join me in visiting Angela @ So Scrappy to see what the RSC Quilters have been up to this week.

And, yes, I did a bit of scrap sewing this week.  Here is a glimpse, but you can see the whole thing in the link provided in yesterday's entry:



Until next time...
Get SCRAPPY!!

Friday, November 29, 2024

November 2024 - TABLE SCRAPS Challenge - Link Party

Welcome to the November 2024 edition of the TABLE SCRAPS Challenge here at the Joyful Quilter!!  I'll start with a little backstory, in case you are new here.  (Apologies to my regular readers since you already know all about it.) I'm a scrap quilter who had been setting up individual challenges for several years in conjunction with Angela's (RSC) Rainbow Scrap Challenge @ So Scrappy.  Participants from around the corner, across the country and around the world have been having SEW much fun and we all have MORE scraps to use, so I am pleased to offer the...


In 2024, we have a broad range of quilted items that are appropriate for linking to the Challenge.  Baskets and bins, along with pillows and pin cushions, are all qualifying projects.  Not just the toppers, runners, and mug rugs.  Basically, ANY small quilted item qualifies.  The main premise is that you USE the (new or old) SCRAPS from your cutting table (or your friend's cutting table - since that's where the majority of my scraps come from!)

There will be a prompt each month to help get your creative juices flowing.  While you are NOT required to use it in your project, the guiding word will be revealed at the end of each month's LINK PARTY post.  Scroll down to the bottom of the page to see the following month's focus.  It, along with the RSC Color of the Month (as soon as Angela releases it - around the 1st of the month.) will also be added to the 2024 TABLE SCRAPS Challenge page at the top of the blog.

The theme for November was...

TREE

This was a month where I knew EXACTLY what I wanted to do...

The Color of the Month was MAKER'S Choice and when I rummaged through one of my scrap baskets, I came up with a this adorable tree themed fabric:


The project I chose was scrappy UFO that was begun many years ago, but for now, I'll leave you in suspense...

I'll give you a hint, though.  This project hasn't made an appearance on my UFO List since the Fall 2021 UFO Club.  Crazy for a quilt this size!!  I completed the applique at this year's Pedal Pushers Retreat, but didn't take any photos.

Fast forward to earlier this week...

I finally quilted the project.  The tree fabric scrap shown above made a perfect binding for this little quilt:


Here is my completed entry:


10" wide x 12" tall

Ignore the fact that My Small Christmas Tree has no trunk!!

It either got lost in the move or since then, I'm not sure which.  I wasn't able to find a brown scrap that worked for me so I'm calling it done as it is.  I'm happy to have it ready for display this holiday season and SEW pleased to mark another UFO off my list...

TOO BAD IT WASN'T ON THE FALL 2024 LIST!!!

Sigh...  I won't get credit for finishing it (but I'm still glad it's done.)

What's next, Joyful???

The new month begins the day after tomorrow.  Angela won't be assigning a Color of the Month for December on her Rainbow Scrap Challenge, as she has set the month aside for RSC quilt finishing.  That means that I get to choose and my choice is...

RAINBOW

December's theme is:

PLUS SIGN(S)

And now...

It's time for YOU to link up your ANY COLOR and/or TREE project in the LINK PARTY below.  All entries MUST be submitted by Wednesday, December 4th @ 11:59PM (EST).

Until next time...
USE those table scraps!!!
#tablescrapschallenge2024

Sharing with Cynthia
for

Monday, November 25, 2024

Mail Call Monday - Surprise Art Supplies

Welcome to another edition of Mail Call Monday!!  I've been remiss in posting articles for this series lately and now I've posted two in a row.  The box on our porch one afternoon last week reminded me that I need to catch you up on the influx of items arriving.  It was a surprise from Quilt Diva Julie.  

If you think Julie sent me a box of fabric...

You would be WRONG!!!  Today's story is about the contents of this box:


I opened the outer flaps to find this note...


And further inspection found that Julie had sent a HUGE destash of art suppies:


All will be revealed layer by layer...

Here's the top layer with three beautifully decorated composition-style notebooks:


The next layer held the entire contents of a stamp journal which included stitched line stamps, Seth Apter designs, alpha/numeric stamps, as well as botanicals and more:


The following layer featured stencils, Rainbow Sparkle gel sticks, and Derwent watercolour pencils.  It also included a brand new brayer along with a set of Mini Shaped Gel Plates that I have been on my Arty Wish List since they were first released and I absolutely cannot WAIT to try them out:


The bottom of the box held the "heavy stuff".  There was a variety of fancy papers (the most photogenic shown below) which were accompanied by a lovely book titled Creative Watercolor & Mixed Media which looks to be very informative:


The following is an excerpt of the email I sent upon receipt of this fabulous gift...

... I've already added nearly ALL of the stencils into my "Pink" journal. (One word from each of that type and one repeat from any with multiple designs.) It took two art sessions to get all of them in and I enjoyed every minute of it. I also created another entry in my Happy Mail journal and swatched supplies there.

... Thank you, Julie! Opening that box and exploring its contents yesterday was the highlight of my week. It felt like an early Christmas! ...You should have seen me jumping up and down when I came across those mini shaped gel plate. They've been on my MUST HAVE list since they were released.

Sending quilty hugs of gratitude! 
Joy

Her replay...

Oh, Joy - what a marvelous thank you!  

I’m delighted that so many of the items were immediately taken in and loved.  And yes, I had hoped it would feel like an early Christmas!

(The secret portion in this section of Julie's email has been left out - Joy)

And I’m thrilled you had been wanting the mini shaped gel plates — I really thought I might use those sizes, but I didn’t.  MUCH better that they will be loved in your studio.

Have fun playing,
Julie

In closing...

As indicated, Julie no longer wished to experiment and play with these supplies any longer.  Thank you for thinking of me, Julie!  I was thrilled to sort through this box of goodies.  As with the previous box she sent, I will keep what I can use and pass along the rest to local artists who are always happy to receive new or used art supplies.

Until next time...
I'll be busy in my art journals!!


Saturday, November 23, 2024

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC24 - Week 47

DON'T MISS MONDAY'S ENTRY for some GOOD NEWS!!!

Welcome to Week 47 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  This week... I plan to sew (since this month's TABLE SCRAPS Challenge entry is due next week.  Will that happen?

Read on to find out...

SUNDAY - Like most, the week began with my Weekly Morning Art Zoom.  It was time to play Roll the Dice which is always a fun time.

Prompt set one:
1 collage a dark background using magazines or painted papers
2 stencil
3 use white
4 text
5 add something transparent


Prompt set two:
1 use book pages
2 scribble
3 scrape paint on your page
4 pattern
5 stars


MONDAY - Work...

Was followed by my Weekly Zoom with LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color.  Here I am, waiting for her to join the call:


During the call, I worked on this stitched journal tag.  It was finished it this evening...


During my Monthly Quilt Guild via Zoom tonight we enjoyed the quilts of Linda and Carl Sullivan of Colourwerx Quilts:


AND...

 Good news for YOU!! 

We were given this DISCOUNT CODE for all COLOURWERX Patterns!!!

The code:  DURHAM

NOTE:  It's valid through Sunday, November 24th.  Thank you, Linda and Carl, for generously offering this for all of our quilting friends!!

TUESDAY - Work

After which, I mixed up some dirt-colored spackle for my take on the TEXTURE prompt for Treasure Trovember.  I'm hoping the photo gives you the 3-D effect that I can see in real life. Focus on the letters in the word BIKE shown below:


WEDNESDAY - Work

Not just work, but I worked late after only 3.5 hours of sleep last night.  When will I learn?!  I can no longer eat a donut and chicken nuggets in the same day.  :o((

After a failed nap attempt, I took a walk to look for a construction update  Work is being done on the front porches of these two sided homes down near the cul de sac...


As well as these three which are awaiting their siding:


THURSDAY - Day Off

I was pleased to attend my Weekly Quilt Group meeting this morning.  Not only was I there, but I also remembered to take a photo of what turned out to be almost our entire group:


An errand followed the meeting.  I had planned a trip to The Scrap Exchange:


When I got home I went up to the studio to prepare for Winging It.  Traci is a hangout host with lots of fun ideas for participants.  Below, she's showing a collection of scrap papers while explaining the plan for this afternoon's art exploration:


I combined the papers that I created during the hangout onto a page in my (Britt-made) Hangout Journal using my new favorite stencil which was purchased this afternoon:


FRIDAY - Day Off

There were three of us available for Knit Group this morning:


After lunch, I went upstairs for this month's final Get Messy lesson called Colleen and the Season of Binding, but rather than a demonstration, she had pearls of wisdom to share.  My takeaway from her talk about attitude was this:


Upon completion of the lesson, I was immediately back on the computer for my Weekly Zoom Call with Knittingsuek.  We skipped last week and were just now able to meet:


The day ended with my Weekly Evening Art Zoom.  I thought I might work on finishing the final section of this journal spread...


But...

This stack of stencils (and my Get Messy Art Journal) was calling my name:


You should hear more about those and other supplies next week, but I had so much fun adding them to the pages of my journal during the meeting...


And afterwards, as well.  Britt and I kept working when everyone else left the meeting:



She was in the middle of something and I had more paint to use up.  Ultimately, I believe that I discovered another use for the vellum pages in my journal, as I accidentally stenciled on and it worked perfectly with a light coat of acrylic paint:



SATURDAY - It's LINK PARTY day for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!  I hope you will join me in visiting Angela @ So Scrappy to see what the RSC Quilters have been up to this week.

But, WAIT!!!  What did YOU do for scrap sewing this week, Joyful???

Well... Not a whole lot!  That tag on Monday made with scraps of paper and then it was hand stitched to hold the flowers and leave in place.  I also moved this month's quilting scrap project from Point A to Point B, but that's where it sits.  The good news is that Point B sits right on top of my quilting machine.  Let's call that progress, shall we?  I laid hands on the project instead of walking past it AND it was moved to a position of readiness.  Quilting can commence at a moment's notice.  That moment may even be this afternoon.  :o))

Come back next week to see the results.  Surely, by then it will be DONE!!!

Until next time...
Get SCRAPPY!!

Monday, November 18, 2024

Mail Call Monday - Cherie & Anchors Away

Welcome to another edition of Mail Call Monday!!  This post is a bit behind schedule, as Mondays have a way of slipping by without my noticing.

Here's the (brief) story...

I recently got an email from Cherie (formerly of) The Quilted Jonquil blog:

Hi Joy, 

Cherie here.  I'm wondering if the address below is still good for you.  If not, may I have your current address, please?

Thanks!
Cherie 

My reply:

Certainly, Cherie! We moved 3 years ago. Our new address is (details removed).

Thanks for changing your records! I hope you are doing well. What have you been up to lately?

Happy quilting!

Joy

Not many days passed...

In the interim, the interaction had me wondering what Cherie might have put in the mail for me.  On the day that Cherie's surprise arrived, my suspicions proved to be true:

The backstory...

Cherie once posted a thrifted shirt haul and I volunteered to take a variety off her hands.  She graciously mailed them to me.  You can read about that HERE.  Before that, we did a swap (in 2019) which you can read about in THIS POST.

Here is the card that arrive...

And the sweet little bundle of fabrics that came with it:


What you can't see from the somewhat blurry photo is that the fabric on top is a sweet little anchor print.  LOVE it!!  I'm looking forward to using it in something special in the not-too-distant future.


Thank you for thinking of me after all this time, Cherie, and it was sweet of you to send along some friends to accompany the main attraction!

Until next time...
Color me SEW surprised!!



Saturday, November 16, 2024

ScrapHappy Saturday - RSC24 - Week 46

Welcome to Week 46 of the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!!  This week, I'm afraid I might be singing the same old song.  No sewing going on.  Again.  If you are here for the quilting, you may be sorely disappointed.

Check out how my week went by...

SUNDAY - It started with my Weekly Morning Art Zoom.  I can't recall what I worked on, but later in the day, I participated in a co-create time with Wendy @willawanders on her YouTube channel.  I finally took the time to complete my final art experiment from Get Messy's Season of Experimentation.  The following pages in my Altered Book Journal were inspired by a reel from @hannahhh.mp on Instagram:


After an early dinner, I headed up to the studio for Collage Club.  I completed the following simple collage in my Get Messy Art Journal:


MONDAY - I'm always thankful for a holiday that falls on a Monday!  That meant there was time for coffee with a side of knitting.  This is the first chance that Tracy and I have gotten to catch up in quite some time:


After lunch, I was thrilled to be able to attend Curiosity Collective.  The nature-inspired lesson reminded me that I had plucked the last geranium leaf for stamping:


I also drew and painted flowers in hopes of catching up on Rae Missigman's lesson for Get Messy:


TUESDAY - I had a long-overdue hair appointment this morning...

And...

Ended my 8-day weekend two days early by going in to work on a corporate order for my office mate whose son is sick.  :o((

WEDNESDAY - Work

Afterwards, I enjoyed my Weekly Zoom call with LeeAnna @ Not Afraid of Color:


THURSDAY - Work

A quick stop at the grocery store on the way home scored a butternut squash for the pot of soup shown below.  DH coined the term "dessert soup" to describe the flavor:


FRIDAY - Work

Pizza for dinner was followed by my Weekly Evening Art Zoom.  I worked on pushing back the words inside my latest Altered Book Journal with copious coats of gesso.  Nothing photo worthy, but Britt and I stayed after for a few minutes to plan tomorrow's ARTventure:


SATURDAY - It's LINK PARTY day for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!  I hope you will join me in visiting Angela @ So Scrappy to see what the RSC Quilters have been up to this week.  There's no scrappy quilting to share this week...

Knittingsuek and I postponed our Weekly Zoom call so that I could go to Britt's today.  (Thanks, Sue!)  When I should have been putting the final touches on my blog post, I was off and away for a bit of art.  We watched a couple of video tutorials and worked on the Week Three journal for No-Sew November.  Mine is a memory zine from this years TWO trips to Rhode Island and Britt's is more like Meg's:


Whoops!  My post ended up not being scheduled for release.  I'm releasing it as if it were done on time in order to maintain the proper flow of the blog.  Sorry!  Life got in the way this week.

Until next time...
Get SCRAPPY!!