what sparks the light in you

today i ...

washed some vintage sheets i found at the local goodwill for future quilt projects.

i marveled at the whiteness of my geraniums.

i waited for guests that never arrived.

i thought about advice from oprah ... "you also have to know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world."

i smiled when i saw my iris, that i planted three years ago from a piece of root a guest gave me, bloomed for the first time.

i waited for strong storms. they didn't arrive either.

i started piecing together my quilt. it was as wonderfully enjoyable, just as i thought it would be.

it was a good day.

what a good day, may 4 of this year

with what seems to be one of the busiest summers on the horizon, i'm trying to take things one day at a time instead of tackling the whole picture. easier said than done.

i am extremely grateful for people and notes like this one...

old charm b&b

dear michael:

what a good day, may 4 of this year. a
good nights stay in rooms with wonderful,

well thought out details. follow this with a

delightful breakfast that included, among
other things, home made muffins and the

most delicious bacon.

we just finished our own home made breakfast

which included a lightly toasted roll with your

champagne ginger peach jam.

thanks to your decorator and food prep skills,
i will have to place 'old charm' number one, even

ahead of the brewery, for st. mary's attractions.

we have stayed in a few up-scale b&bs, of

which yours is certainly one, none however

were as reasonable as yours.

i hope reading this letter doesn't take too
much time away from your busy housekeeping,
cooking, backing, jam making, gift shop chores.
decorating, etc. etc. etc.

sincerely.



thank you. thank you. thank you. one day almost done. on to the next.

it seems like i missed a few

i was reorganizing my fabric stash today and noticed that i missed a few pieces of fabric sent to me for my quilt in my final fabric post. uh oh. so sorry about that.

'a quilt {inspired by charm}' is still a work in progress. i was really hoping to have it finished for this summer, but i've been much busier than expected so i don't foresee that happening. don't worry though, i am still working on it. besides, i think a quilt project should be a relaxing process, not a rushed one. so it's coming, slowly but surely.

now onto the fabric that i missed. the first lovely batch is from nick in indiana. love all the colors and patterns ... especially the one with the little umbrellas/parasols. love it!

the next three are from the always lovely tiffin from over at linewood avenue. for some reason i'm obsessed with yellow these days, so i'm obviously loving these. super summery!

these next two sets of fabric are from a wonderful guest of mine, marsha. she has stayed at old charm with her beautiful family on several occasions and it's always a treat.

 

the fabric is 'leftover' from quilts she made for her mother and mother-in-laws birthdays. she is quite the quilter, so there is no doubt they made beautiful gifts.

and last, but not least, is this beautiful large and color chevron print from ali  over at my third true love. i can't tell you how much i adore this fabric. the colors and pattern are genius.

so, now i think i can finally say that's the last of the fabric. i'm off to cut the final blocks and will continue to piece everything together.

thanks again to nick, tiffin, marsha and ali! i love the material. sorry again i missed you in the shuffle.

*if you still wanted to have a piece of material in this quilt, but haven't had a chance to send it yet, i can still squeeze a few more pieces in. but i do need you to put it in the mail this week or it may not make the cut. for details follow this link.

inspired by ... in color order

for some reason i've been super obsessed with quilts lately. i currently have three that i'm 'working on' or starting. i have a feeling this may be a common occurrence with quilters.

why the obsession? i blame the blog 'in color order'. this woman is seriously beyond talented and every quilt (and vintage sheet wreath) she makes i feel the need to make as well.

one of her most recent creations (and hands down my favorite [which for those of you who follow me on pinterest already know this as i think i pinned the same pictures a dozen times]) is her 'dream on quilt'.

 via

beautiful. right? and, hopefully, seems simple enough. i've ordered the charm packs and corn yellow fabric to copy this master piece. i can't wait to get started.

'they' are calling for a wet summer, so hopefully this quilt project will make the wettness a little more tolerable. i hope. and if the rain is even worse than anticipated i'll be making this quilt next.

via

who doesn't love a beautiful madras?

if you invite me to your summer party...

... i promise to bring one of the following deliciously fabulous things.

roasted garlic, olive and tomato pasta salad

pizza dip

baked spinach dip mini bread bowls

mozzarella and pesto stuffed tomatoes

antipasta kabobs

  

  chocolate dipped peanut butter pretzel bites

sesame peanut noodles

crazy pizza bread

cheesecake stuffed strawberries

jalapeno popper dip

i'll be waiting for my invitations. i do love a good summer party. just know i may dance on a table or two.



sour cream, chocolate, banana, hazelnut bread

oh my. talk about a super moist, super delicious quick bread.

as soon as i saw this recipe, baking this delicious confection became a priority. i followed the recipe exactly except i substituted hazelnuts for walnuts.

wow. this recipe is a keeper. and makes such a sweet little gift.

wouldn't you agree?

the ladder

at first glace i saw a wooden painter's ladder attached to the wall.

 

then i realized that taken together,

ladder, shelf, and various objects it became a very artistic sculpture-like piece of art.

written in the garden suite journal by a guest on 5.5.2011

today felt like a giant evil test

and although i'm pretty sure i failed miserably,

i'm happy i get another chance at it tomorrow.