Friday, April 16, 2010

I Can't Decide!

Do you sometimes feel overwhelmed with color and design decisions? I'm feeling a little that way this evening.

New blog background. I realized last night that I had Easter eggs on my blog. Hello!? Easter's SO over! So I quickly shopped around for a different background and came up with this one. I think it's kind of okay, but not that great. Kind of ho-hum, you know? I need to find something I like better but it's hard to decide. I think I'm just not really in the mood.

Front garden. We've finally gotten to the point where we're selecting plants for our front "no lawn," low maintenance yard. I'll show you a photo of a few of them set out in place--I know it doesn't look like much so far!


Soccer Son laid the patio and built the pergola during the fall and winter months; now it's time for planting. We have a black wrought iron "gate" or fence section that will go in front of the pergola with some spiky/grassy looking plants in front of that to partially screen the patio, and I'll have more plants around, here and there. Soccer Son and I are looking for a small tree to put in the yard, and although we'd certainly LOVE a Japanese maple, they're kind of pricey and, more importantly, they don't really tolerate full sun in our Sacramento summer heat very well, so I'm thinking crepe myrtle. Maybe. I want to leave an open area in the center of the yard and look for some kind of artsy focal point to go in it--some kind of "found object," I think. Something cool, but not so cool that someone steals it. Gotta find it though. Anyway, I'm mostly going with spiky, grassy plants and some low, spreading plants (particularly near the dry stream bed) in purples, blues, whites, and a little bit of orange thrown in for a bit of POP! But it's hard to stick to a plan, and the plan keeps changing. Normally, I'd see that as a GOOD thing, but for some reason, right now it's just frustrating me a bit and I feel a little lost--like I'm going to end up buying all the wrong things and will hate the result.

Schnibbles Tagalong quilt. I've been working on this month's Schnibbles for the past several days. I love, love, love the new Garden Party line by Blackbird Designs and that's what I decided to use for this quilt, but once I got the blocks made, they seemed to fade into one another with no real definition. What to do? I considered sashing and decided that wasn't what I wanted. Then I turned the blocks on point and thought I'd add plain squares--but what color and what fabric? I cut and positioned three different colors--brown, mustardy yellow, and finally the cream (the brown in the setting triangles is what I started with). Here's how it looks so far, with the blocks stuck onto the design wall:


I think I like this version best and I may well stick with it, but it's frustrating when nothing turns out the way I envision it. Heck, I just either wasted a bunch of brown and mustardy yellow fabric, or I need to come up with a quilt that calls for brown and mustardy yellow 5" squares!

Maybe my eyes and my brain need a little break, but I don't think I'll get it just yet. Hubby and I are going to hit another home improvement store and a nursery tomorrow to try to finish up our plant shopping. Right now I'm thinking that stuff the doctor sucked out of my armpit? It was probably my creative juices! ARGH!

14 comments:

Anonymous said...

Enjoyed seeing the changes made to your Tagalong. Now you have wonderful blocks to show some pretty quilting in. Love that line of fabric too!!

SoozeM said...

Ooh gorgeous, I am still waiting for my pattern to arrive so I can make a start on my tagalong! How about trying a green background, the same green as is in the 9-patch on the far left hand column middle row?

Diane H said...

Your garden is going to look lovely. Up in my part of the world it is the Japanese Maples that get stolen out of the gardens.
Guess you have to chain your tree to a tree?

Shelley said...

Your tagalong is nice. The blog background is so NOT KIM! At the least Not the Kim that we here in blogland know. Honestly, the pale greeny yellow is too bland for such a wonderful personality! lOL but what do I know! LOL

Yvonne said...

NOT your creative juices....say it isn't so!

You will figure it all out and it will be wonderful as usual!

Jocelyn said...

Your Tagalong looks great. I did not order the pattern this time. Too much going on :-( I like yours on point.

Kim said...

Instead of "writer's block" I think you have a case of "creator's block"! Don't you just think your brain needs a break now and then??

We're headed to the nursery tomorrow to choose plants for our new landscaping. I've poured over books and the internet and haven't made as many decisions as you. Good luck!

Unknown said...

I'm still waiting for my pattern to arrive :(
I think your's looks good. I have a bunch of greens from the winter white hiding in a basket.
I can't commiserate about the garden..I've never had/got to design one.

Anonymous said...

Hi Kim,

Loved your Tagalong but I have the idea the setting triangles are not as "spring" as the blocks, almost Fall looking. When I looked at your blocks up close, they "Sing Spring." Do you have way more of one of the blocks fabrics that you can try for setting triangles??

If you are interested in a "floral" tree like a crepe myrtle...my family in Sacto planted a dozen and many years later they wished they planted "redbuds" instead.Early reddish-pink flowers just when you think winter will never end. The very best of them are Oklahoma Redbuds. They are cultivated as well, but also grow wild in the forests along the TX and OK fwys. and are gorgeous. Just saying...

I want those Japanese maples too. Had one in SoCal that I loved, but moved away from. I wish I took it with me.

Wishing you good growing - quilts, plants and otherwise.
Stephani

Laura said...

I love what you've done to the front yard! DH and I have talked about eventually making more of our yard like that so we don't have to mow it!

Heckety said...

Creative juices! EEEWGH!

I just love your pergola- I'm campaigning for one but without success so far...and the whole yard looks like its going to be really nice.

Like your quilt too the way you've shown it. You'll find a use for those other squares later in the year- like Autumn probably. Sometimes its just hard to be pleased by one's own ideas.

Tell you something really funny? Yesterday I saw this AMAZING RED POLKA DOT cup and saucer in a shop! I shot inside to investigate and was mentally counting my money, picked it up...and it was a planter! The cup had a big hole in it for drainage! I tell you I was really truly disappointed!

So anyhow, yesterday, in spirit you were with me in Enniskillen looking at a cup and saucer! Did you miss your spirit?!

Heckety said...

Me again! If you want something to do check out this link? She's having a treasure hunt through a book!

http://ravenmoonmagic.blogspot.com/2010/04/book-hunt.html

strawberrycream39 said...

Kim, your front yard is looking really nice. The pergola is a beautiful touch. Can hubby make something cool for yard art??

Kim said...

You are such a funny kid, lol, creative armpit juices, lol. I really like the patio and pergola that your son did for you and the plantings are going to look nice once they are in the ground...too bad we need to decide on what's safe from being stolen as part of our design process. I think you should just sew that quilt top together as it is, it looks real nice as you left it.