More Summer Decorating

Thank goodness I posted a photo of my bedroom yesterday because this morning the bed's unmade and doesn't look nearly as nice. Today I'll share a couple photos of the kitchen.

Since the dishes aren't done, there will be no photos of the sink area. Isn't it funny the way a house can look just mah-velous at 6 p.m. one day and trashed the next morning? What happens to it in the middle of the night? I could swear it didn't happen before we went to bed, because both my husband and I were pretty much unable to move--me from cleaning and decorating most of the day and him from working around the yard and garage. You see, that's why I like quilting more than cleaning. With cleaning, you're constantly having to do the same thing over and over. With quilting, your stitching doesn't come undone while you sleep, so you can just go on with the next step the next day. I had the same issues with gardening--darn weeds! And every time I'd sit down to admire the beautiful garden, I'd see something else that needed doing--weeding, trimming, watering, etc. Gardening is definitely NOT restful! One of these days, when I have more time, I'll give it another go, because I truly do love the look of a garden. Maybe when I have more time, I'll even make my bed. Maybe I'll win the lottery and will be able to hire a gardener and maid. Yep, that's what I'm aiming for.

We have these ugly, dark cupboards. You'd think that since our son is in the kitchen cabinet business, we'd have them redone, right? It's kind of funny because whenever he comes over, he just looks around and shakes his head. I'm pretty sure it's head-shaking amazement over the idea that we live with these things, but it might just be that he can't find any food that appeals to him. We've actually thought about having them redone several times over the years, but there's always something else that takes priority.

I worked a little bit on appliqueing the new quilt last night, but I think I need to get out the seam ripper tonight and take out what I did, because it's looking too bulky/heavy. I guess that's a little bit like having to clean house over and over again, but not exactly. Once I try a couple different options, I'm sure I'll find something I like. I'll share a photo of a section once I get it figured out.

Back to work today, but at least it's only a four day work week! (Note to self: Buy a lottery ticket.)

How I Spent Memorial Day!

With the last day of the three day weekend here, I figured I'd better get over my failures of yesterday and kick it into gear in order to get some things done before I have to go back to work tomorrow. This morning I finished getting the borders on my quilt top--now all that remains (besides the quilting) is to add some applique. There's not a great deal of space for it and the quilt's pretty busy as it is, so I'll probably keep it simple. I think I'll also need to dig into my stash for the applique fabrics because if I wait for the charm packs and use the same fabric line, I think the applique will just fade into the pieced background. Assuming I don't simply collapse on the couch in exhaustion tonight, I'll probably start working on adding the applique then.

And did I hear you ask why would I collapse in exhaustion tonight? Well, remember I mentioned needing to do a little house cleaning and wanting to change out the decorations from spring to summer? That's the other thing I've been working on for the last few hours, and I still have the kitchen to do, which is the biggest project of all.

Spike has been a big help as you can see. One of the first things I did was to strip the bedding and get out some of my summer quilts and runners--Spike just loves to climb under quilts to sleep, and it's usually right in the middle of whatever I'm doing. I can tell you, trying to make a bed is a real pleasure! Not!

Since most of you are quilters, I thought I'd share a few photos of my summer quilts. This is my son's former room. The quilt started out as one of those $5 quilts at one of my LQSs--each month we got a pattern for a different block, and I chose the Americana colorway. I added a bit to it like the chimneys and cornerstone blocks and finished it up a few years ago.

I also wanted to share with you the way I store my quilt tops. I have this theory that quilt tops should age for a year or two before being quilted. I have a small house and am always looking for ways to store things that are somewhat decorative, and this is what I came up with for my quilt tops. Once the top's done, I roll it and tie it with raffia and then put it into the basket. When the basket gets full, it means it's time to quilt a few tops. I adhere strictly to that rule. Do you believe that? Okay, you're right--I do have a couple tops that aren't quilted and don't fit in that darn basket. I think I need a bigger basket. Or maybe I could just get another basket to decorate another room? Hummmm.

This is my daughter's former bedroom. I'm still in the process of redecorating the room, but it's not a high priority in my life. It's a little bare, but this quilt livens it up a bit. Tracey just posted some similar roses on her blog the other day. I pieced the roses and then appliqued them onto the quilt along with pansies and leaves.

Finally, this is the quilt in the master bedroom. It's basically a Linda Ballard design called Stars Over St. Louis, but instead of a plain border as she did in the final round, I continued another round of stars. This is also the basic pattern I used for the Halloween/pumpkin quilt I showed you a couple weeks ago.

Well unfortunately my break is over and it's time to head out to the kitchen and get back to work. I've been rummaging in the cupboards and closets and I've pulled out a lot of the things I want to use in there and have put away a lot of the spring decorations, so at least I've made a start. The older I get, the harder it is to decorate several times a year, but I really do love changing my house to fit the seasons and holidays. Thank goodness for Advil!