Friday, April 30, 2010

Buttercup Yellow and Violet Blue


With the changing of the seasons comes the alluring introduction of new colours in Nature.


And so does the invitation to knitting from heavy wools to light delicate cottons.


I am spellbound by the use of soft butter yellow and country blue, both of which come in many shades.


The clarity of the sky, a carpet of woodland violets, the deep colour of indigo...



old butter crocks and bowls, a delicate magnolia tree...


each one enticing creativity throughout the months of Spring...

* Artwork by Kim Jacobs
* Quilt catalouge Keepsake Quilting

Monday, April 19, 2010

Paintbox Of Perfection


No one has a paint box quite like Mother Nature...



To awaken us from Winter's slumber she provokes our passions with yellows as magnificent as the sun shining brilliant on a Summer's day.



And once she has encouraged our attention her painting mellows to a softer side, dainty with whites and pinks.



Her paint brush is unmatched...


her choices pure perfection.


* Pictures taken at area historic homes, local fruit tree orchards and along the Niagara Parkway.

Monday, April 12, 2010

Between The Stitches


It is an interesting concept, our realization that in order to save the environment we must begin to be more conservative... to reuse and recycle.




While this is a worthy cause we have only to look back at the mastering of frugality used by quilters in the past...


Today was a perfect cloudy sky and light breeze for the airing of the quilts.


I am amazed at the utilitarian ones sewn from scraps, harvested from clothing and pieced together for life anew. Each one a work of art and functional too.


Oh and this is my daughter's new puppy Kai. Though she lives thousands of miles away I'll be able to watch her progress through the modern gift of email.

Sunday, April 4, 2010

Lessons Learned


Just like the tale of 'The Three Little Pigs' when it comes to building homes we have learned a great deal over the years...


Though the first little pig had nothing to be thankful for as his straw house did not survive the huffing and puffing of the big bad wolf, had he taken a few tips from modern day builders of straw bale homes he may not have needed to make a run for it to the second little pig's place...


I have been observing the progress of this straw bale house since last Fall and its construction is amazing.


Now the second little pig's house made of sticks did not succumb to the wolf quite as quickly as the first's, it was to the third little pig's home where they gathered, that offered safety and protection from that big bad wolf.



Moral of the story... brick houses dot the landscape, in every tiny hamlet, quaint village and sprawling city across this continent and they certainly have stood the test of time and oh yes the big bad wolf as well...



* Illustration by Scott Gustafson