Giveaway Alert

Kathie Mackie of Quilting Along the Gorge is giving away a Baby Go and three dies of your choice . Even though I own the larger Go, I can see the advantages to having the smaller Baby Go too. Hurry on over and enter as the giveaway will be over on July 9th.

Are You Ready for the Beam N Read Blog Hop and Giveaway?

I was so thrilled when Kelly from I Have a Notion asked me to be a participant in the Beam N Read Blog Hop. I also wanted to thank Bob, the Marketing Director from Beam N Read, who sent me the Beam N Read to try out. Boy do I love it!

Let me begin by saying that as I just turned 61, my eyes aren't what they used to be. I began using the Beam N Read while I was sitting in my favorite leather lounge chair. I usually am sewing or crocheting in the evening, and the overhead light just doesn't cut it. The Beam N Read light illuminates perfectly!

What else can I say about the Beam N Read? Lots!

1. It is well built and a solid piece of equipment!

2. The head of the unit pivots up, so you can really adjust the light to the area you are working on, like hand sewing.

3. You can use Beam N Read with your laptop while you are are in bed.

4.It is lightweight to wear around your neck.

5. Far more superior to any head lamp or clip on light.

6. When used with the Kindle, it doesn't cause a glare.

So for all of you crafters, sewers, knitters or crocheters, and avid book readers, this is a must!

I love needleturn applique, and the Beam N Read makes it so easy with the wonderful lighting it provides. For successful needleturn applique, I recommend a good fabric glue like Clover, Reynolds Freezer paper, a stiletto,and of course the Beam N Read!

If you would like to try out a Beam N Read, see Kelly, or you can try to win one by just leaving a comment on this post by telling me you are a follower for one chance, and for a second chance, telling me one way you intend to use the Beam N Read . Two chances to win...how nice is that! The drawing will be on July 1st at 2 PM Irish time, so you have until then to enter.

Please stop by today to visit Jocelyn Pleus, as that will give you another chance to enter and win a Beam N Read.

The participating blogs posting about the quilting light are:

• June 27:
  
  
  • Sew I Quilt
  
  
  • Amy's Creative Side
  
  
• June 28:
  
  
  • Irish Muses
  
  
  • Happy Cottage Quilter
  
  
• June 29:
  
  
  • Insights from SewCalGal
  
  
  • Jane's Fabric and Quilts
  
  
• June 30:
  
  
  • Bejeweled Quilts By Barb
  
  
  • Hanging On by a Needle and Thread
  
  
• July 1:
  
  
  • Patsy Thompson Designs
  
  
  • I Have A Notion
  
  

Have fun and don't forget to enter all of the giveaways!

22 Free AccuQuilt Patterns

Here is some really great news!You can get 22 free patterns from AccuQuilt by signing up for their newsletter. You simply need to click on the image below to get to the page to sign up. Enjoy your patterns!

Another June Star

I am happy to present to you Judee, who is my other June Star. I am thrilled to be able to introduce to you such talented and inspiring quilters like Judee. Judee's blog Meinca is wonderful, and I hope you take the time to visit her, as she is so welcoming. I also know you will enjoy her interview, so have a cup of coffee or tea and enjoy your read.

A Bit About Me:

Quilting is still new to me. A few years ago, I decided to finish an old quilt top made by my late grandmother. In the search for the right fabric I went into a couple of quilt shops in town. That was it. I was hooked. Ever since, I have been learning the craft through the Internet, reading magazines and books and taking classes at various shops. Until this year I was building my stash as I learned. This year I am committed to putting that stash to use. Most of my quilts are donated to Loma Linda University Medical Center nearby. They give them to patients upon their discharge as a source of comfort. Of course, I keep a few quilts and all my friends and family have received them.

What Inspires Me:
Various sources inspire me. I was flying over the Rocky Mountains last fall and took photos of the snow capped peaks to one day make a landscape quilt. Nature and its beauty inspire me. Fabric, especially batiks, give me more ideas than I have time to accomplish. Seeing a quilt in a shop or a show will sometimes inspire me, as the Buggy Barn My Three Stars did a little over a year ago.

What I Love to Do the Most Creatively:
Probably the actual quilting of a quilt is the most enjoyable. What design to use, what color and weight of thread, how densely it should be quilted are all decisions that call upon my creative juices.

My Favorite Fabric and Designer:
I have gone through phases from Mary Englebreit to Mark Lipinski to Minick and Simpson to Judie Rothermel. I am not loyal to any one designer. My favorite fabric is definitely batiks. I love their strength and beauty. Anytime I see a pattern that calls for batiks, I get excited as I did with the Starlit Forest pattern.

UFO I Intend to Finish First:
Definitely the 1800s lap quilt. The fabric has been confined too long to its project box and is too close to completion.

What's on the Design Wall Now:
The 1800s blocks. I have 8 done of the needed 12. This should get done this week.

Who Would I Love to Meet:
President Barack Obama and his family. I was a political science major, after all.

If I Had One Wish:
I would be able to make points perfectly every time.

Plans for the Future:

Enjoying retirement with my husband of 36 years. Continue quilting and trying new techniques and styles of quilting. Photo art quilts and landscape quilts are in my future.

Each day is a gift. That is why it is called the present.

Thanks again Judee for a great interview!

Announcing a Beam N Read Blog Hop

Kelly from IHAN is hosting a Beam N Read Blog Hop from June 27th to July 1st.

Kelly asked me to be one of the blogs in the hop, and I got a free Beam N Read to try out. I will be explaining what the Beam N Read is all about and also reviewing this product on June 28th, and I will be giving away one of the Beam N Reads to one lucky person who comments on that post.

As several bloggers are involved in the blog hop, check out this link, as Kelly will be posting the schedule of the blog hop very soon there, and then you can visit each blog that is involved in the hop and enter all of the giveaways for a chance to win a Beam N Read.

I am so excited to be a part of this fun event! It will give you all not only a chance to win a Beam N Read, but also allow you the opportunity to meet some wonderful bloggers and see their awesome blogs. That is what is fun about blogging... I love visiting blogs and getting inspired by so many talented people.

Just wanted to tell you about it,and please do attend the hop and just have loads of fun!

Don't forget to visit me on June 28th, where I will be reviewing the Beam N Read and also giving you a useful sewing tip. Also, you may be the lucky one to win a Beam N Read for your very own!

My Birthday

Today is my birthday! I was born on Father's Day, but this is not the year that the two days are celebrated at once. My dad reminded me each and every year that I was the best gift he ever got. He would sit me on his lap and tell me the story about how I was born on Father's Day. It was always so special to me when he did that. I wish that he was here so I could hear the story from him again, but I will always remember it in my heart.

Joe and I are planning a great day! We are starting off with a wonderful Irish breakfast at one of the coffee shops on our main street. Then lots of fun planned afterwards. He bought me a Nintendo 3DS and two games for my birthday. I know...I am a kid at heart,and today I get to see what all the 3D hype is about. Also, Dougal is part of my gift, even though he is not here yet , and he is definitely the best gift ever!

I will tell you that I am 61 today. Age is relative anyways, and I have always been such a kid. Joe always tells me that is one of the reasons he loves me.

I love birthdays, so I am looking forward to today! Thanks for the well wishes that I received this morning when I woke up on Facebook! I do appreciate all the Happy Birthday wishes from good friends!

More News About Dougal

Friday, our new 5 foot fence is being built by our friend Ernin, who will have it done in one day's time. I am ordering tons of supplies for Dougal. You cannot begin to imagine how much there is to order, like crates, grooming supplies, a bed, toys, etc.You might not believe this, but the supplies cost more than the dog. LOL Rufus and Charlie, our current dogs, are getting two new orthopedic beds out of it, plus they are sharing in some of the toys that are being ordered.

We are waiting for the breeder to tell us which day is best to pick up Dougal, so I can book a flight for him and me.Yes, we are flying back. I am taking a bus up to Dublin, as I did before, which as you remember was a four and a half hour trip, and then I am booking us to fly back to Donegal Airport on Aer Arann , which is going to be so much easier for Dougal, as it is only a 45 minute flight. Dougal will have to be in a crate in the baggage area, but it is only for a very short while. Joe will meet us at the airport, and then we will head home, which is only 20 minutes from Donegal Airport. We just can't wait!

Hope you enjoy the additional pics and video of him. What can I say? I am an expectant mother. You should see how excited Joe is.

Great Giveaway

Want a chance to win three Go Cutter dies of your choice? Talin is having a giveaway that gives you the opportunity of doing just that.

http://talinscorner.blogspot.com/2011/06/go-cutter-sponsored-giveaway.html?showComment=1308032395782#c2736822764132992499

Hurry up and enter!

Back from Dublin and Pics of Dougal

I am totally exhausted, but so happy! I travelled four and a half hours each way to and from Dublin, but I got to see my cute Cairn named Dougal. He is four months old, a bit chubby, and so utterly sweet. He is a light red brindle, and totally beautiful and gentle! He took to me right away. I brought him a frog that croaks, and Dougal loved, loved, loved it.

He was playing in the kitchen, then went out in the garden, and I took him for a wee walk on the lead, and he did so well walking with the leash for the first time.. I fell in love with him. Enjoy a few of the pics and one video where he is running around the kitchen a bit.

The breeder, named Marie, was trying to get his attention with

the frog so I could take the video, as all he wanted to do was run around at high speed...so funny!Joe loved seeing the videos and pics. I will be returning to Dublin in two weeks to bring him home. Next week, our fence will be completed, and then the shed is going up, and I will be ordering the supplies I need for him. Marie gave me advice as to what to buy.

We both can't wait to get him home!

Some Doggy News

Joe and I are getting a puppy. Our two dogs are both getting very old. Rufus, who is the border collie is almost 13 years, but he still likes to play. Charlie, our corgi/heeler is almost 15 years, and he has really deteriorated this year. He still wants to go out a lot, so that part is encouraging, but when he walks back home, it is so sad to see how slowly he is walking. I am thankful for each day we have them both.

We decided to get the puppy,and we are getting a Cairn terrier. I am going to Dublin this Saturday to choose the puppy from a breeder named Marie Cadagio. There is also a puppy from the February litter, who is 4 months old, and very friendly and sweet that I may choose. The breeder says that he is wonderful, and his being a bit older will be easier on us. I am taking the bus to Dublin, which is a four and a half hour trip.I am arriving at 11:45 AM, so you know how early I am waking up . Lots of coffee that morning. LOL I will go back at the end of the month to take him home, as we are building a new fence for our backyard, putting in a larger shed, which we sorely need, and ordering lots of supplies.

Oh, his name will be Dougal...We picked a very Scottish name, as Cairns are from the Isle of Skye. I can't wait to meet him on Saturday. I am taking the 6 PM bus back, so I will get to know him well and have a good day with him and the breeder. I just don't like being away from Joe so long.

When I go back at the end of June to take him home, I will arrive by bus at the airport, pick him up, and then fly back to Donegal Airport, which will only take 45 minutes. He can stay in the Sherpa bag under my seat, so that will be so much better for him than a 5 hour trip by bus. Joe will be at the airport there to meet us and take us home. It is only a 20 minute drive back home from the airport here.

Stay tuned this weekend to get pics of Dougal and also a video of him. Joe is showing me how to make a video. I promised him one and lots of pics.

I have included a pic of a Cairn to show you how they look, in case someone forgot what they look like. Think Wizard of Oz and Toto. I probably won't get him in the darker color. Cairns come in tons of colors. The 4 month old is a red brindle,and supposedly, they change colors many times over their lifetime, so who knows what color he will turn out to be.

That's the latest news! Cairns are supposed to be lots of fun, intelligent, and so funny. Perfect for "Oh Be Joyful" and this whole family.

Artistic Inspiration

I have been busy with my watercolor painting. I am doing Native American Indians. As you know, I taught at a Navajo reservation in Arizona many years ago, and I so enjoyed my experiences there. I love making art journals and paintings, especially portraits of Indians . I do enjoy capturing their expressions, as they always so impressed me. I was so inspired by the Indian culture, and I do miss teaching at times. I was a good teacher ,and I truly loved teaching children and seeing their excited faces when they read and discussed literature.

I will never forget my time with them, and although I do not use the name they gave me, I enjoyed being called "Oh Be Joyful". Sometimes,when things get rough, as sometimes life is, it is a good reminder that I must keep on being joyful and just try to smile. Back then, I didn't have much to smile about, but now I am lucky that I am blessed with so much.

Just wanted to share a bit of my art and thoughts with you.

Joe and I are still enjoying our walks together. If you ever visit Ireland, you will see that there is much artistic inspiration here in our beautiful scenery.

Hope you have a wonderful day, and that you find time to enjoy a walk too.

By the way, our wee village of Dunfanaghy has two art galleries opened on our main street, both rather different in character, but really neat places to visit.