Lucky Me

I've had two very nice things happen in the last couple of days.

Firstly, I won Karen's give-away! I never win anything! I'm so excited...wait til you see these wonderful acrylic templates! I can't wait to see what I can make with them! Check out Karen's blog-its really great!

Then DH came home from the Post Office with a package for me! Inside- this lovely Yellow Rose of Texas stained glass mini-quilt from my Spring Blossoms Mini Quilt swap partner, Tennye L. GiOtis. Tennye didn't include a card so I don't know if she has a blog...but she is from Texas! Anyone know her?
Tomorrow we're going to a Maccabiah Games baseball game. Yahoo! The Maccabiah Games are held in Israel every 4 years and Jewish athletes come from all over the world to participate. Tonight we watched the opening ceremonies on TV-I love seeing the parade of athletes with their national flags (a favorite part of the Olympics for me too!) The largest group, of course, was from Israel (1,200) , next the USA (over 900) , 560 from Great Britain and another group from Scotland-wearing kilts! and 300-400 from several countries-Australia, Argentina, Brazil, Canada... There are two athletes participating from Costa Rico-the smallest contingent! but also athletes from Azerbyjian (sp?), Finland, Sweden, Holland...oh, I could go on and on.

It was especially nice to see the large group from Australia. In 1997, there was a terrible accident as the Australian athletes were crossing a bridge to enter the stadium-the bridge collapsed killing 4 athletes and coaches and injuring many-some very very severely. It really was terrible.

The Maccabiah Games have a special place in my family. The Games began in 1932 and were held again in 1935. My cousin Yehuda was a boxer and he participated in both Games, traveling from Europe. He, like most of the athletes, did not go back to Europe after the 1935 games but merged into the Jewish population in British Mandate Palestine. He was the only member of the European branch of my mother's family to survive the Holocaust. You can imagine the excitement when my cousin Fanny, traveling in Israel on a visit was able to reunite with him and meet his wife and children... over the years, Yehuda and his family traveled to the US to see the family and the family traveled to Israel to see him-all thanks to the Maccabiah Games!

Stash Busting Busted!

When do your stash busting ideas get busted?

Mine got busted twice this past week...it all began very rationally, I decided it was time to begin a new hand applique project which meant buying background fabric... so I was off to the Quilt Center. 5 1/2 yards of 60" wide Kona Cotton (not my favorite but I can't find the Springs Rangefinder bleached muslin that I love anymore).

Then my eye spied this little gem! and 2 1/4 yards came home with me.

When we lived in Pennsylvania, I worked on restoring/repairing this vintage -late 19th century- quilt.

I have had this yellow fabric in my head ever since...it was love at first sight :)

Can you see in the close up how my new fabric is really similar?

I thought that was that...back to the stash...but oh no, Trouble, I said, Trouble, Trouble with a Capital T was just waiting to spring out on my good intentions and resolutions.

My girlfriend showed me the fabric that she had just bought at a fabric shop in Tiberias!

Well, I loved it! This happy, bright pink and lime green stripe ...I just had to go get it!

I came home with 2 meters x 2 1/2 meters wide (that's 80" x 100") enough for at least one quilt back and I'm thinking maybe an apron or a bag, plus I got this cute floral that just accents the stripe perfectly! And just maybe gave the idea to the shopkeeper that if he stocked more 100% cotton fabrics, why they would just fly out the door!

Vintage Thursday Thingie: A Honey Bunch Book and more

The Honey Bunch books were one of the Stratemeyer Syndicate series. (Others were Nancy Drew, the Hardy Boys, Tom Swift and more) This is the eighth book in the series and was published in 1927. The author, known for this series as Helen Louise Thorndike, was Josephine Lawrence. She met Mr. Stratemeyer (yes, there really was one!) when she was a reporter and interviewed him. He told her to send over a story if she ever wanted to write fiction and she did.

Josephine Lawrence wrote the first sixteen books in the Honey Bunch series, from 1923-1934.

She went on to write adult (and juvenile) fiction under her own name.

This is the fly leaf! Isn't it darling? There's Honey Bunch and her friends and they have many

adventures...but Honey Bunch has the best adventures-she's always going off with her parents on an adventure.

See, she's off on a trip on an ocean liner! (Yes, Honey Bunch's family is quite "comfortable"!)

Here's the table of contents and you'll get the idea of the kind of adventures Honey Bunch has:

The Bon-Bon party, New York again, Tess and her jewels, and best of all, Bermuda days...oh I would love to have some adventures like Honey Bunch!

This second vintage book is quite a different kind of story. Its the tale of a young woman and her family settling Alaska! The book dates from 1949 but this edition, purchased at the public library sale recently for NIS 5 or $1.25, is from 1962.

The dust jacket art was actually the original Frontpiece so I got two of this rather odd painting.

I have actually read this book-at first I thought I wouldn't like it, that it was extremely dated in its attitudes but it turned out that it wasn't and was really I think quite a powerful and empowering book for a girl in 1949. She learns to look at the world through her own eyes even when it means challenging her father's views and comes to understand that she must do what she believes is right.

Margaret Bell wrote many other historical novels of pioneer life and I'm going to keep my eye out for them!

To see more vintage treasures or to join us in the fun, hop on over to Coloradolady!

Meatless Monday Recipe: Tofu and Black Beans

I saw a news bit on BBC about Paul McCartney and his daughters calling for Meatless Mondays to help save the planet (you know, those methane emitting cows!) Most of my meatless recipes won't do much as they use lots of cheese or eggs, but this one recipe might.

It's Tofu and Black Beans and is super easy and quick to make and best of all, delicious. None of the Chinese restaurants around here make a tofu dish, so I often make this when we're having Chinese take-out...DH leaves to pick up the food, I make this and I'm often finished before he gets back! Yep, its that fast. DS loves this dish and believe me, he is not a tofu lover (meat is his thing, like his Dad!) These are your basic ingredients.

1) 1 half cake firm tofu--make sure you get FIRM tofu...its the soft tofu that is slimy! Cut the tofu into slices and then into square or rectangular pieces...if you're not sure your family will like tofu, cut the pieces small-tofu really has no taste in itself but absorbs the tastes its cooked with...so smaller pieces means more sauce per piece!

2)1/4 cup soy sauce

3) Black beans

Drain the black beans and add to the 1/4 cup soy sauce until cup reads 2/3 (about 4 tablespoons).

4) 2 teaspoons of sugar -add to measuring cup

5) 2 teaspoons corn starch-add to measuring cup and stir until sugar and corn starch are blended in.

To store the unused tofu, cover with water in a container with a lid and refrigerate. It will stay good for a week with daily changes of water.

Before using, dry tofu with paper towels. This is true every time you use tofu...you'll notice that it was packaged wet regardless of if you're using fresh tofu from the dairy aisle of your super or boxed long life tofu from the health food aisle.

Cooking directions: Spray a frying pan with Pam and saute the tofu until lightly browned. You can see the golden color of the tofu pieces on the left-I hadn't turned the right side over yet.

Pour in the measuring cup ingredients.

Stir until thickened.

Serve with steamed broccoli and rice. (This is the only home made Chinese food I have ever made that looks like restaurant food! :)

Easy to copy and print recipe:

1/2 brick firm tofu, cut into cubes

1/4 cup soy sauce

2 tablespoons white wine

about 4 tablespoons drained black beans

2 teaspoons sugar

2 teaspoons corn starch

Spray frying pan with Pam and saute tofu. Mix all the rest of the ingredients together. When tofu is lightly browned, add mixed sauce ingredients, and stir until thickened.


Check out the other recipes at Kelly's Monday Blue Plate Specials. (No, they aren't Meatless Monday Blue Plates :)

Vintage Thursday Thingie: watercolor

This is a watercolor page from an illustrated book. I think its Persian but I'm not sure. I bought it at an antique store over 30 years ago and I just don't really remember what I was told...I just love the way it looks. Its like a quick sketch with a wonderful liveliness to the lines and the paint. I just love the flowers.

Now, eat your hearts out ladies...the Ultimate Sewing Tools Collection...

from 17th century Jamestown, the first permanent English settlement in what became the USA, as reported in the archaeological report from the 1950s excavation. Just a little sewing history memorabilia for the 4th of July!

Have a Happy 4th of July!

For more vintage treasures, hop on over to Coloradolady

Giveaway winner and Shabby Rose

I want to thank everyone who participated in the my 100th post giveaway.It was alot of fun seeing all the comments--thank you all very much. And the winner is....Marie Reed! I know Marie Reed from VTT-she has the most wonderful vintage postcards (and right now a great vintage video) so hop on over.



I've been slowly working on my Shabby Rose blocks and I am finally caught up!

I'm planning on using these blocks dispersed through a shabby chic style disappearing 9-patch, so I decided I should switch background fabrics after the first three blocks...but I'm not so happy with the results and may switch back again.

This is a little too light...I tried this fabric because there are curlyques in the fabric that are like the flowers and I thought that echo thing was rather neat but its really doesn't show up.

A little too busy...I could save myself some embroidery though-you can barely see the embroidered flowers for the printed ones!

Spring Blossoms Mini Quilt Swap Revealed

This is the quilt that I sent Mindy ( and she received) for the Spring Blossoms Mini Quilt Swap. I loved making this yo-yo basket quilt. Its all hand made (well, I did add the binding on one side by machine :).

It was alot of fun...there really was no pattern to follow, I just counted the bottom row of yo-yos, appliqued them in place and then subtracted and later added to the length of each row to create the basket shape. I laid out the handle yo-yos and then I basted them in place (only basting I did ;) I added the stems, (I had an oops there-I'd appliqued all of the top row of yo-yos so I had to open the ones I wanted the stems to go under and then re-applique them), then the flowers and then the leaves-sliding them under the basted handle as need be. Then I finally appliqued the handle on.

Remember when I had all that computer trouble: this quilt is the silver lining. I had plenty of time for doing my own hand work since I couldn't go looking at all the wonderful work being done elsewhere. (BTW, it happened again this week-end! but this time the cable company finally sent a repairman so I hope that is finally done with!)

Here's a close up of the yo-yos. They're 5/8" in circumference...1/2" just didn't look as good. You can see I used lots of 30s repros.

Here's a close-up of the hand-quilting. I used the little birds from the love birds heart that I designed for the wedding quilt.

Stop off at Mindy's blog and check out her beautiful applique quilt Fleur Pastelles.