December Star

Here it is December tomorrow. I am posting this now in the evening before December 1st, as I will be away tomorrow in the AM. I am pleased to present to you my December Star, Gene Black, who is an outstanding painter, quilter, and fibre artist. His blog, website, and etsy store will amaze you and get ready for some really wonderful eye candy.

Here is Gene's Interview, and I know you will enjoy every bit of it!

Interview For December

• A Bit About Me: I am an American Indian and Irish ( with a few other bits thrown in for good measure.) I create, therefore I am. I have been creating since I was a child. I love to make things with my hands. Both my grandmothers were quilters. I grew up lying under a quilting frame that was hung from the rafters on the front porch. From that I developed a sense of abstract AND a history with quilting.
• What Inspires Me: I am inspired by so many things. Today, I was inspired by the sun peeking though the early morning fog. I wanted to paint it, but I was on my way to work. Still, that memory will keep until I need it. The entire natural world inspires me. I am also inspired by the work of others. Sometimes just a color will inspire me.
• What I Love to Do the Most Creatively: Most? That changes over time. For now, I am totally immersing in fiber art, in the form of quilting or sewing. However, I love to paint abstracts, design beads to make into jewelry, and draw or doodle. My drawings and doodles sometimes become fabric designs.
• My Favorite Fabric and Designer: I don't actually have a favourite fabric or designer. I love a wide variety of types of fabric. But if you want me to pick one, I would probably say Kaffe Fassett.Why? Because he uses a wonderful range of VIVID BRIGHT colors. I am in love with bright color and good forms.
• UFO I Intend to Finish First: UFO? I only have one, but it is on a slow track. It is a quilt top that I made for my own bed using a single line of fabrics. I designed the pattern myself and actually managed to follow my own pattern. I confess that I don't follow patterns very well. The quilt needs to be quilted, but I am planning on getting it done by a longarm quilter. I don't want to wrestle that large quilt thru my machine. I suppose all my UFOs are in my head at this time.
• What's on the Design Wall Now: I don't really have a design wall, but I do have some spare blocks that are waiting to be made into a table runner.
• Who Would I Love to Meet: I think I would love to meet Ricky Tims. I admire his wide range of creativity. He composes and plays music. He quilts and has written quilting books and has made videos. I think it would be great to get a chance to hang out with him.
• If I Had One Wish: I would spend a lot of time deciding what I would wish for- probably so long that I wouldn't be able to wish for anything.
• Plans for the Future: The future is wide open. I want to get some of my fabric designs printed by a major fabric company. I also plan to "retire" to Mexico, somewhere on the Yucatan Peninsula. That is a few years away. However, I don't see myself ever stopping the creative process.

At the end of the interview, Gene said: "Thank you so much Micki. This has been really fun. I enjoyed letting you get inside my head."
I have to admit that it was fun for me to find out so many things about Gene, and thanks so much for allowing you to be my Star and for an inspiring interview!!!

Here are some of Gene's wonderful works:

Wonderful Surprises in the Mail

I received a wonderful package today from Simona for Christmas. It was two beautiful table toppers, with the cutest teddy bears on them, and also a gorgeous 2010 tea towel. I put the two table toppers on each end table in the bedroom, as they magically matched our colour scheme there. Thanks so much for wonderful gifts!!!!! If you haven't visited Simona's blog, please do so here, as you will be charmed by her work. Thanks again Simona...It really made my day!









The postman also brought me my giveaway prize from Joy who has a blog called Joy Patch, which is out of this world. Well, the pattern called "Under Lock and Key" is drop dread beautiful!!!! I flew, yes flew, to my fabric storage unit, and I grabbed fat quarters and fabrics for the block keeper bag. I envisioned my putting all of my siggies in it, so they won't get dirty or wrinkled, as the pattern so aptly states. Oh, look at the cute keys that came with it! Thanks so much for a wonderful pattern as my prize in your giveaway! You have to see Joy's patterns, so please visit her blog here and hop on over to her website to see her store.
What a lucky girl I was today! I don't know about you, but I have tons of gifts to make for Christmas....I am getting overwhelmed just thinking about it. Enjoy your first day of the week!

Giveaway News

Dear Heidi is having a Christmas Giveaway at her blog at
Fairy Footprints in the Sand, and she is giving away a lovely domino necklace. I told her it inspired me to get dominos and play it with Joe, as I was planning to get an UNO deck too....all great fun on Christmas day...that and a few good movies, gifts, and great food.

Also, I won a book called Bon Appetit by Sandra Byrd, and I am thrilled. Colletta at Colletta's Kitchen was having a giveaway , and lucky me won. Well, it should be a delightful read over the holidays.

Also, don't forget that I will have a wee Irish Christmas givewaway right before Christmas, and boy is time flying by!

Magical Disney Sunday and The Lion King

I loved Disney's "The Lion King". It had everything that you would want in a Disney film like a wonderful hero called Simba, beautiful songs, great animation, but most importantly, lots of charm. I can't say that it is my all time favorite Disney film, but it is at the top of my list. It has the most loveable characters, but the music was out of this world! One of my favorite singers of all time, Elton John, wrote two of my favorite songs in that movie called "Circle of Life" and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"...I sang those songs over and over after I heard them in the movie. There is an obvious connection with nature in that film...After all the theme is "The Circle of Life." One important lesson that Simba learned ,with the help of Timone and Pumba, was that life is not always so serious, if you see it with a sense of humor. Hey, even in a difficult situation, a smile can get you through anything, can't it?I remember my dad saying that " Let a smile be your umbrella on a rainy day," and I do always try to smile. "Circle of Life " is also about your finding your place in the Circle of Life.

As to the music in the film,here are the two songs that I so fell in love with:" Circle of Life "and "Can You Feel the Love Tonight"....Enjoy listening to Elton John singing these two gorgeous songs, because both of them will touch your heart.

Happy Thanksgiving

To answer some of your questions, no, we don't celebrate Thanksgiving here in Ireland, and I haven't personally done so since I left America, and my goodness that's a long time ago! Anyways, Joe and I do love to have stuffed turkey and mashed potatoes out, and we have a favorite place where we have gotten the best turkey dinner ever, but no celebration at home. But, to all those who are celebrating Thanksgiving, have a blessed weekend and enjoy your dinners and time with your families. I do have to tell you that the Irish know how to have fun, and boy do they love their celebrations and festivities, and there are tons of them! The pubs and hotels are always filled with music and fun! Enjoy it all! Just wanted to wish you all great craic, and don't forget to tell me all about it.

Down to One UFO and Two Siggies

I finally finished my Sunbonnet Sue wallhanging, and Joe gratiously held it up while I took the picture. Later today, Joe will drill the wall and hang it up in its rightful place in our bedroom over the television. I do love Sunbonnet Sue and these blocks are so cute and were such fun to hand applique! I am down to only one UFO to complete, that is till I start another project.LOL

Also,two wonderful quilters from the Netherlands named Mieke and Dorine, who sent me some beautiful siggy blocks. I am really slowly but surely building up my siggy collection. It has been a great experience for me!

Is it just me, or are the weeks just flying by at a ridiculously fast rate? The weekend is upon us already, and I just can't believe it! We had a terrible week with the weather, as there were lots of storms and high winds. I also fell again...this time trying to avoid stepping on one of our dogs Charlie, as he decided to stand right behind me in the kitchen while I was working at the counter. Well, in a split second, I decided that stepping on him was not an option, so I took the fall and pop went my ligament. I am feeling better, as Joe insisted that I stay at home and rest. Today is a sunny day, so that put a smile on my face. Enjoy your weekend everyone!

Magical Disney Sunday with Cinderella

"Cinderella" is the Disney story about finding true love. I just wanted to be just like her and boy did I want to find my Prince Charming, and guess what, I did! I loved when Cinderella sang "So This is Love" to Prince Charming, and how romantic was that scene. If only Joe and I could dance like that, but it is more likely that one of us will step on the other's toe....Oh well! I do love romance and shmaltz, I guess, and I will find myself in tears in a really romantic scene that I see. Cinderella makes you believe that wishes can come true when she sings the beautiful song " A Dream is a Wish Your Heart Makes". You truly believe in any possibility. That's why I always wished on a star or closed my eyes and wished for love and romance, and believed that one day I would find it. I am always amazed when I think back on how I met Joe and found my true soulmate, my "anam cara". I do believe that dreams do come true if you only believe! As you see Prince Charming put on that slipper and it fits perfectly, you are magically caught up in that moment. Yes, Disney has a way of giving us the perfect happy ending, and yes, they do happen!

Over the Moon with New Moon

"New Moon" was just so amazing, and I just loved it! It was so much better than the first movie "Twilight" and that is because of the new director Chris Weitz. There were some wonderful scenes in the movie! The wolves were incredible, and you will love the special effects. It was so sad when Edward said goodbye to Bella, and so touching when he thought she had died, but when they finally reunite, it was the most romantic scene ever! The epic scene with the Volturi was so exciting, and needless to say, I loved the ending...who wouldn't love to hear Edward propose to Bella? I have to say that Taylor Lautner played Jacob well, and he is a very likeable character indeed, but my heart was into Edward and Bella getting back together. I just think they are the perfect couple, except for Joe and me of course.The scene where Bella and Edward are finally reunited , and she saves him is just so romantic and exciting! Here is a snippet of it, but if you don't want to see it, just ignore the link, but the embrace and kiss were just so romantic! Well, now I will have to wait for "Eclipse", and it will fall in the month of June, which is my birthday month, so that will be the perfect bonus present for me. I just had to tell you all that I throughly enjoyed the movie, and it was just a perfect afternoon, especially since I shared it with Joe!

A Wonderful Givewaway

Sew Cal Gal is having a great giveaway. Please check it out here, as there are wonderful prizes.Here is a sneak peak of one of them with more gifts inside.

Off to See the Movie "New Moon"

Joe just purchased the movie tickets online for the movie "New Moon", and I can't wait to see it. I am a die hard Twilight fan, so not only do I intend to see each and every movie, but I intend to own each dvd too, so I can watch them over and over again. Now, I have to admit that I didn't want Bella to land up with Jacob, even though he was a sweet character. No one could replace Edward in my heart, so thank God, it turned out like I wanted.

Anyways, we are off to see "New Moon"on Saturday, and I will post what I thought of it. We are leaving on the 11 AM bus and the showing will be at 1:30....lots of time to go shopping and visit the malls.

PS: The countdown clock for "Eclipse" is up....Can you imagine a movie based on that book? My favorite book though was "Breaking Dawn"...That is going to be an awesome movie. Here is a teaser trailer for "Breaking Dawn".

Advent Package

My Advent package arrived, and I was thrilled. I won't open it till December, and then I will open one gift at a time like a good girl. Thanks so much to Rachelle, who was my partner! She has a wonderful blog called Quarantine Quilting, and I was so lucky to get her as my swap partner. I will post a pic of each gift as I open them. I have a feeling that a bit of Australia will be in the box, and I love that! I made my package mostly Irish theme, so I know Rachelle will love that too, as she has Irish heritage in her family.

That was the big news! I was just thrilled with that! Joe hid the box in the closet with the other Christmas packages, but at least, I get to open it starting December 1st. Thanks so much again Rachelle!

Oh....I started to decorate a bit today for the holidays.I put up Christmas stockings and hung up some Christmas wallhangings. We have to buy a tree , and I want an animated Santa, and there are presents to buy, and oh my gosh, so much to do!

I'm a Winner

Joy at Joy Patch just picked three lucky winners for her Under Lock & Key Pattern...I was one of the winners. I am thrilled! Thanks so much Joy, as I always love to get wonderful patterns. I can't wait to make this one.

Magical Disney Sunday with Bambi

I love animals, and if I could, I would have brought home every stray that I saw. I told Joe that if I ever won the lottery, I would take in tons of animals. Joe and I did rescue our dogs Rufus and Charlie, and I can say without a shadow of doubt that they are like our children.Well, it is not surprising that I loved the Disney movie "Bambi".

It is the story of a fawn who grows up with his friends Thumper the rabbit and Flower a skunk.

He suffers the death of his mother, which is a very touching scene, as it is so hard and traumatizing when anyone loses one's parent. I read that alot of kids had to be carried out of the theater in tears, because that scene was so sad.

However, as in all Disney films, there is also a love story, and Bambi falls in love with Faline, and it is such a touching part of the movie. At the end, Bambi barely escapes a catastrophic forest fire, but thank God, Disney does not let us down again, as there is a happy ending when Faline gives birth to her baby fawns. Bambi is the story that follows the natural cycle of birth, death, and rebirth. It is the classic story of "doe-eyed innocence of childhood," of parental love, and discovering that the world around us can be both beautiful and quite ugly....a lesson that we all learn in life. Even though there were heartbreaking scenes in Bambi, there were endearing moments when Bambi learned how to talk ,but when you see his last days of innocence in this heart wrenching scene, you can't help but feel sad.

Bambi makes you smile, but it also makes you cry, and I loved every moment of the movie.

Bear Giveaway

I don't know if you are into bears, but I found a blog called Bearbits and it is wonderful. She is having a giveaway, and her prize is the most adorable bear. Please enter, as this one is so cute!

Happy Saturday!

Recipe Swap

Welcome to The Recipe Swap! Karrie is having a wonderful swap, so stop by her blog and check out the links to the other people who are giving recipes.

I am starting off with my favorite thing of all....chocolate. Here is a recipe for Chocolate Truffle....Enjoy!

5 oz of dark chocolate in small pieces

1 and a quarter pint of double cream

1 oz unsalted butter

To coat:

2 oz pistachios, chopped

2 oz, dark chocolate

2 oz coconut

Place the chocolate, double cream and butter in a bowl, set it over a pan of barely simmering water and allow to melt slowly, stirring occasionally. Once melted, put in a cool place or in the fridge until the mixture is firm, but not completely solid.

Then grate the dark chocolate and set aside. Take a heaped teaspoon of truffle mixture and roll out in your hands to make a ball. Roll the ball in one of the coatings, then repeat with the rest of the mixture, alternating coatings to create a selection. Place in paper cases and put in the fridge until you are ready to box them up....,Yummy!

This is a popular dessert in Ireland.....Figgy pudding. This one can be eaten straight away or in a few days.

8 oz dried figs, chopped

1 and three quarters dates chopped

grated rind and juice of 1 orange

2 tablespoons brandy

4 and a half ounces plain flour

pinch of salt

1 teaspoon of mixed spice

1 teaspoon of baking powder

3 and a half oz fresh white breadcrumbs

4 and a half ounces of shredded suet

4 and a half oz of dark muscovado sugar

4 eggs

butter for greasing

Put the figs and dates in a bowl and pour over the orange juice and brandy. Cover and leave to soak overnight. Sift the flour, salt, spices, and baking powder into a large bowl and stir in the breadcrumbs, suet, sugar,soaked fruit and grated orange rind. Beat the eggs and stir into the fruit mixture. Butter a 1 and a half pint pudding basin and spoon the mixture into it. Make a pleat in a large circle of foil and use this to cover the pudding basin. Tie around the edge with a string to secure and steam for three hours until cooked. Turn out of the basin and serve with custard of brandy butter....Delicious!

Also, if you have leftovers over Christmas, this recipe uses some of the extras to make a great snack or lunch.

Turkey and Ham Spread

8 oz cold roast turkey

4 oz cold cooked ham

7 oz cream cheese softened

2 oz watercress, finely chopped
a few drops of tabasco
1 lime halved
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Put the turkey and ham into a food processor and whiz until chopped.Stir in the creamed cheese and add the watercress, a few drops of tabasco or slices of lime. Use to make sandwiches or spreading on toast. It will keep for a few days in the fridge.....Don't freeze!

Finally, you know how the Irish love potatoes, well here is a recipe called Potatoes with Parmesan, which is a winner.

1 and a half oz butter

2 lb, 4 oz waxy potatoes, thinly sliced

salt and freshly ground black pepper

2 sprigs fresh thymes, leaves pulled out

18 fl oz double cream

1 and a half pint sour cream

7 fl oz full fat milk

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1 oz parmesan, grated

Preheat the oven to 300F . Butter a large oven proof baking dish. Cover the bottom of the dish with a layer of overlapping potato slices and season with salt, pepper, and thyme.

Continue until you have used all of the potatoes, remembering to add seasoning at each level.

Mix together the double cream, sour cream, milk and garlic and pour over the potatoes so the liquid just covers them. Scatter with the parmesan. Place on a baking sheet to catch any drips and cook for one hour. Increase the temp. to 400 degrees F and cook for a further 45 minutes. Stand for 5 minutes before serving to allow the cream to settle.....Yummy on a cold day.

Enjoy the recipes. Don't forget to visit Kerrie's blog to get more blogs to visit, so you can gather recipes.

A Pink Giveaway

Heidi is giving away a lovely necklace and card for Pink Saturday. Stop by her blog, and enter. If you love pink, you will adore this.

Please also stop by Barb's blog Bejeweled Quilts to see her giveaway. She is giving away a gorgeous quilt that she made in honor of her neice Jennifer opening up her online fabric shop. Please go over and support Jennifer's new venture at Inchworm Fabrics, and also join in the giveaway!

What's Up In Dunfanaghy This Week

Yeah, we finished our painting, so we are done for this year!!!! Of course, next year, we will have more plans to work on, I am sure.

I got my giveaway book in the mail from "The Irish Quilting Magazine". It is called Quilting for Embroiderers, and it is just wonderful. It contains beautiful patterns and wonderful color photos, in addition to lessons on how to do all the embroidery stitches. I would check it out if you are into embroidery. The mailman also brought me a lovely siggy from Kaaren Johnston, who made me a siggy which represents the Canadian flag. I love it Kaaren and thank you so much!

Then, Joe and I went to a thrift store, and I found a lovely mohair, white bear whom I named Molly, and a gorgeous doll made in Holland, all for four euro. You should have seen how quickly I grabbed the two of them! I love thrift shops, and I never can go into one without walking out with something.

Good news....Joe and I had the Swine Flu vaccine, and both of us had no reaction from the shots, so we were so grateful for that! I am now finishing up a Sun Bonnet Sue Wallhanging, and then I have one more UFO to complete. I can actually say soon, "No more UFOS"...then of course I will start the Civil War Bride Quilt.LOL I am in the process of ordering the Civil War Fabrics and pattern for the Civil War Bride Quilt, so when the fabrics arrive, I will post a pic. These fabrics are so pretty!

The weather has been very cold in Dunfanaghy....Winter is approaching. We took a lovely walk by Horn Head and here are some pics that Joe took of our village. You can see Muckish Mountain behind our village.

I hope you have a wonderful week....The week has been truly flying.

Check These Out

Just a quick post..... I wanted to tell you about Gene, who is a wonderful artist and quilter, and I have been inspired by his work. He also has a great Etsy shop, and lots of eye candy there. Please check out his blog called Gene Black an Alabama Artist and stop by his shop, and you will be amazed.

Also Christine from Once Upon a Quilt is having a 2nd Anniversary Giveaway. Visit her blog and join in the fun, as she will be giving away two of her wonderful patterns! Congrats to Christine!

Magical Disney Sunday With The Little Mermaid

I chose to write about "The Little Mermaid", as it is another one of my favorite Disney movies. Who could not love Ariel? She is a mermaid, who seems to have a happy life under the sea, but who one day falls in love with a human, Prince Eric, and rescues him from drowning. She gives up her beautiful voice so that she can have human legs, so that she can strive to receive the "kiss of true love" from Eric. She sacrifices so much for love.

I loved Ariel, because she was beautiful and charming, but she also had many flaws. She was naive, impulsive, and easily swept away by her emotions. She repeatedly disobeyed her father, risked her life on several occasions and fell in love with Prince Eric on sight. Yet, for all her faults, she still managed to charm everyone around her. I guess that I loved the way she looked at the world with such wonder and excitement and always saw the beauty that existed in a sometimes cruel world. She so wanted to be human and part of Eric's world when she sings her signature song "Part of Your World," and when Eric meets Ariel at the palace for the first time, how charming and enchantingly naive she is as you can see in this scene. I loved the song "Kiss the Girl"....we all waited to see if Eric would kiss Ariel, and of course finally he did.

But let us not forget the villanous character in "The Little Mermaid" named Ursula, who was a cecaelia, or part woman and part octopus. She was a sea witch, and even though she was meant to be nasty, she made me laugh.

Of course, what I love about Disney is that there always is a happy ending, and I was just so elated when Ariel gets her voice back in this wonderful scene, and they all live happily ever after.

Happy Disney Sunday to you all! We are painting our final room today which is our bedroom, and then we are done. A celebration will be in order for sure. Enjoy your Sunday!

Latest News and The Stars and Stripes Quilt Finished

I will be a bit chatty today, as I have a bunch of news. First of all, I finished my Stars and Stripes Quilt and I am so happy about that. I have a bit of America now hanging on my walls, and that is nice. There was a lot of machine quilting, and yesterday, I did the hand sewing to finish the binding. Joe was thrilled with it too, so that is always nice. The camera did not capture all of the quilting...don't ask me why...I did the best that I could with Joe holding the quilt. It will have to do. I have added the pic of the quilt on the wall next to the heart quilt that I made.

Secondly, I was surprised with lovely snippets of fabrics from Lizzie who has the blog called A House in the Country. The fabric was to give me an idea of what I needed for The Civil War Bride Quilt. I have lots of ordering to do as far as the pattern, background fabric, and lots of fabric for the applqiue work. Thanks to Lizzie, I have a good idea as to the colours that I will need for the fabric. I love Civil War fabric and hand applique, so it should be lots of fun. I am buying most of the fabric from Autumn Rose Quilting but also from an online shop called Civil War Fabrics, which you can see here. Thanks again to Lizzie who has been encouraging me so much and for your lovely surprise. Lizzie said that it will cost a bit to get all of the supplies, but I know I will love it, as having a quilt like this on our bed will be stunning. Here is a pic to remind you what the quilt looks like:

Then, I got two siggies in the mail yesterday. One of the siggy blocks is from Eva who lives in Germany, and I just love that rose in the centre of the block. Also, a lovely red plaid block from Saskia in the Netherlands. Thanks both of you so much!

Finally, yesterday Sherry Nugent from The Irish Quilting Magazine told me that I won a book called Quilting for Embroiderers. Is that perfect or what? I do quilting and machine embroidery so that is just right for me. I can't wait to get it! Sherry said that it is in the mail with Issue 6 of the magazine, and I should get it next week. I also found out that my name is in Issue 6 of the magazine announcing my win, and that is always nice. I can't wait to see that!

Also, I wanted to tell you that Jaybird is having a wonderful giveaway. You have to check this out, as there are too many things to tell you about.

Have a wonderful weekend! Joe and I woke up to a lovely, sunny but cold day, but after the week of storms, we are thrilled with that!