No Blogging Lately...

Sorry I haven't checked in with you all. Here's what I've been up too.

First the latest genius idea!  I cut lots of little strips of paper off of paper piecing patterns. Now I'm using them to keep the thread from unraveling off my bobbins when stored.  It's free, and I get another use out of the paper before I recycle. (Can we say "Cheap Skate"?)

 This has been taking up alot of my time. It takes more than an hour to make a block, but that's after the time choosing fabrics, ironing and cutting strips. This is just the rough set... I do like putting 2 blocks together. What do you think?

 This is my current favorite set. 

 But then there is this orange set... next to the pink.  Love this orange set, too.

I do love this yellow with orange veins.  Oh, you know I just love them all.

 

 

 And this is why there aren't more palm blocks. I've made oodles of plants for the Trick or Treaters. I haven't counted, but I'm close to 180.  There probably won't be as many of the cute little goblins this year. Halloween comes on a Wednesday!

So far there are: (L to R) Thyme, Spearmint, Geranium, Pittsuporium Varigata (i think), Vinca in the back of the box and Brown Bean (out of the box at the far R)

 

Here are some of the Morning Glory Vine (this one is a perennial - as are most of the plants I give away ) then more Geranium, in the soda bottles are avocado which were rooted in water in jelly jars in the kitchen window. I'm gonna miss those guys. In the yogurt cups at the far right there are clippings of a button fern? that sticks through the fence from my neighbors, and somewhere out of range are 6 potted Passion Flower Vines from our side of the fence. Only two Mullein plants this year. I love those for automatic bird feeders. They get a tall stalk (5-6') of  many small yellow flowers and make millions of seeds that the Goldfinches love! You gotta love that!  (Even though it is considered a weed in CA I give them as flowers... I've never been real keen on the separation of "real" flowers and weeds. - my garden looks like my sewing room. LOL)

Here is a large variety of starts from around the yard.. The tall one on the left is a nut of some kind started by a squirrel in my flower box on the front porch!  Next is a new Hoya (the mama is hanging down on the far right in this picture. Then there are some Pigs' Ears (actually I don't know what they are called. My neighbor gave me a large plant of them and I've been giving away some of it each year. Behind these are smaller plants. Some are Sweet Gum Trees that started up in our yard - all over the place. There are Oaks that we dug out and some weed trees that I can't ID, and a couple of Mimosa Trees. Also more Hoya, Christmas and Easter Cacti, Lipstick Vine, Butterfly Bushes in two colors - dark purple from the neighbors bush and a lavender color from ours,There are 6 Rosemary and 4 English Ivy I found in the yard last year and  Columbine from seed that my son gave me from his yard. I have a couple of Day Lilies that I started from seed - they are coming along nicely. They stay with me though, as well as the one Elm Tree that I started from seed. (One out of 8 that I potted, and only one remains. It's 2 years old, and only about 2" tall. Talk about slow growing. I might make a Bonsai out of it.

 

Sorry for the rambling.... Roses started below.

Now I need to get my seeds packed up, and I'll be ready to decorate.

See you soon!

 

Hugs,

Terri