Inspiration–Picture Frames

Since no sewing is going on here will share some more inspiration photos that could be a start for an applique design, quilting pattern or trapunto design.  These photos are all photo frames or frames around mirrors.

Frame Inspiration VIEW SLIDE SHOW DOWNLOAD ALL

Look at that center photo – wouldn’t that be a beautiful design quilted in a border?  How would you use these designs?  How would you change them?

Check out my previous blog posts with other inspiration for quilters.
March 2, 2011 - March 4, 2011 - April 8, 2011 - April 11, 2011

Lynn

Pretty Toes?

Are toes ever pretty?  When you look at them closely they are really kind of funny looking aren’t they?  I like to have polish on my toenails during the summer when I wear sandals and flip flops.  Our local Wal-Mart has a small nail salon right as you come in the front door and usually you can just walk in and get one of the gals to work on you right away, plus it is fairly inexpensive too.  Maybe they don’t do as good a job as more expensive places but most people’s eyes are at least three feet from your toes so who is going to see any imperfections. 


Last Friday I had to make a trip to Hastings and decided I would treat myself to a pedicure.  I don’t think there is anything much more wonderful than getting your feet and lower legs massaged, buffed and nails polished.  This time I decided to have a design painted on my big toenails and the gal added 3 rhinestones to each nail…pretty fancy for this country girl.   The bumpiness of the rhinestones takes a little getting used to but so far they are stuck tight and don’t rub on my regular shoes either.  I probably won’t have the fancy, blingy toes done again this summer but is fun for a “pick me up.”

Speaking of “pick me ups” everyone around here needs one as we are experiencing a heat wave that just won’t quit.  We have had temperatures nearing 100° F (37.7 C) and high humidity for close to a week now and the heat index yesterday was 115° F (46.1 C.)  That is too hot for man or beast in my opinion!

We are having the windows (they leak) in our basement replaced with glass block in the bathroom and furnace room and larger egress windows put in the two bedrooms.  A young man that grew up near here but works in Hastings is doing the work for us on weekends.  He has worked for a builder several years since he graduated from carpentry and masonry school so he knows what he is doing.  He came yesterday for the first time and worked on the west side of our brick house from about 7:30 am until 7:00 pm.  I really don’t know how he did it as it was so hot  out and the brick intensified the heat plus he was working in full sun during the afternoon but he took an old box fan we had and had it blowing directly on him as he worked.  He was still saturated though – looked like he had jumped in the shower with his clothes on.   He had a thermos of water but I kept pushing liquid on him too by tempting him with lemonade and iced tea.

He got the two windows out in the furnace room  and the new glass block in yesterday and he is back to work this morning working on the bathroom window.  It all sounds so easy but he has to saw through the cement basement wall to level it up, put in a row of cement blocks then the row of glass blocks and finish the joins inside and out then put a slope on the ledge so the water runs away.  The cutting of the cement is the hardest job and it is leaving a fine grey dust outside and inside but he has used plastic to try to contain it and it is not too bad in the house.  All I can say is I sure couldn’t be out doing what he is doing when it is this hot out.  (Who am I kidding…I couldn’t do this kind of job anytime in any weather!)  It is 10:30 am right now and the temperature is already 93° F (33.8° C) and the same high humidity as yesterday.

Probably no sewing today but am thinking about cleaning my closet this afternoon  a job I can do inside where it is nice and cool.  We have a pretty good sized closet and John is good about sorting and getting rid of his old clothes, etc. but I am a saver and really need to sort and bag up stuff to take to Goodwill the next time I go to Hastings.  When something has not been worn in several years it is probably time to get rid of it and make room for the clothes that fit and that I wear.

Until Later,
Lynn

Lilies…A Bug’s Eye View

Photoshop Elements 7 can give some interesting effects to these cropped close up views of my lilies.  I’ve posted before and after the manipulation in Elements 7 so you can see how the photos originally looked.

Accented Edges

  

Craquelure

 

Glowing Edges

 

Dry Brush

 

Fun, right?

Lynn

PS Click on the photos to enlarge them to really see the details of the results of the manipulation.

The Beauty of Flowers

The flower offered of itself
And eloquently spoke
Of Gods
In languages of rainbows
Perfumes
And secret silence...
~Phillip Pulfrey, from Love, Abstraction and other Speculations

Lynn