Happy Easter Eggs

 Happy Easter everyone.
We're having Baby Back ribs and Teresa's Carrot cake tomorrow.

 Ukrainian egg decorating. My library repeated a class they held two years ago. You start with a blown-out egg. Apparently, there is a tool to do this instead of blowing them out the hard way!
Funny girl bought a kit, so I blew out three green eggs for her - I almost get a headache doing it the hard way.

This time, we worked with white eggs. Two years ago, brown eggs.

Basically, this is a wax resist method aka batik. Using wax to trace designs, then coloring them, then more wax to enhance the design, then more dye and maybe another run through with wax and dye.

The tool in the right hand is called a kistka. A little tube to hold beeswax that is then melted over the candle flame.

Funny friend's sunny egg

Creative Girl's egg masterpiece.

 Late last week, an old friend emailed me to ask a question. As I still had a few plastic eggs left, I whipped up these drawstring pouches and mailed a wee present to the cutest little girl and her brother. This little girl used to bring me flowers at work - the kind with no stems. I had a little plastic dish to float her bouquets in.
*smile*

These were fun to make too.
These are yarn wrapped around a water balloon which you squeeze a chocolate egg or two into first. Soak the yarn in watered glue adn wrap, then let dry. Pop the balloon and you have candy trapped inside the stiff 'egg'.



My first attempt at Ukrainian eggs.

This year's eggs

Friday Flowers

 My Christmas Cheer Rhodies are spectacular this year.
We have not had snow to weigh them down although we have had rain and winds.
I've never seen them looking this nice for this long - 26 years.

 The Hostas are unfurling.
 I will have to get some slug bait out soon although they always win in the end anyway.

 A look up to the street. Christmas Cheer Rhododendron forefront. With Redbud in middle with Star Magnolia behind.

My neighbors and I have all tried RedBuds with no success. This one, was bought for an embarrassing amount of $$ and has been in place for five years or so. It's stunning in it's blooms.

 The regular rhodies starting to bloom.

 In front of the big front window are my sea of Anemones. They look a bit ravaged from the rain today but they are doing their patriotic duty!

 Over on the left side of the yard, these yellow and orange short tulips that open like a peony.

 My front door and pathway. Rusty is always leaving his toys out.

 My Sasanqua Camellia. My hubby didn't want an espalier or anything attached to the siding. So I created this by training the camellia to stakes with wire so it would be self-supporting. The entire bush can be pulled 'down' for painting.

This year, several birds have taken up residence. I don't know how I'm going to prune it without dislodging them. Another month may see any babies out of the nest when all the new growth goes all over.

 And this is my side yard I look out the kitchen window at.

The curve of Hostas at the front of the bed. With two Christmas Cheer rhodies at left, the redbud towards the right with the Star Magnolia too close by. That Star Magnolia was sheered to the ground when we cut down our leaning fir trees and then had the temerity to come back from the root stock AFTER I planted the redbud.

All that remains of the crocuses/croci

 Haha! My sis in Minnesota just had her first crocus blooms.

 I have plenty of daffodils after living here for over 25 years. Enough to keep me in bouquets anyway.

 I was trying to pose Rusty but he wasn't cooperating.

I managed to catch a hummingbird outside!


I kind of stopped throwing my flower photos on the blog. I'm much more active on Instagram with those. But Rusty wanted to go in, and then go out, then come back in, then go back out, so I took him for a walk around the yard to settle him down.

Postcards and Fabric

This has to be my favorite piece of Happy Mail.

Look at that striped bunny wingwalking on the Stearman Biplane.
I sewed that bunny but he now wears aviator goggles.

 Someone knows me well. Fabric with an airplane endicia on it.

Pencil Girl was able to attend SewExpo this year. My 14 year old dog was near death (and since recovered) and my dad needed some medical help so I stayed home.
She texted me photos randomly during the day to make it feel like I was there.
Then she sent me the SewExpo Swag box of goodies.

Advertisements from Pacific Fabrics (one of our favorite booths), an airplane item (Stencil book), fabric, patterns. Japanese style fabric - dragonflies! This box and her photos felt like I was there.

I have to go next year.

Knitting Girl

I had breakfast with a friend from high school Sunday morning.

We talked non-stop for three hours! The Donald Cafe had to shut us down.

Knitting Girl gave me these fingerless gloves that she hand knitted. How awesome is that?

Teresa's Car PopUp

Teresa ordered a pop up in red polka dots. Here it is.

 I did the same modification from my first one with two loops of FOE (fold over elastic) at the top. One to hold the plastic bag in place and the second to secure it (to my gear shift).

I added back in the white elastic at the bottom  to secure it 'flatter' but now I can't think of a reason to keep it flatter so I will leave this off next time. And there will be a next time. I also added the label this time because Teresa would get a kick out of it.

Both sets of elastic have an adjacent buttonhole to slink the elastic into to neaten up the appearance.

Red polka dots came from Japan (Nippori).