A technical moment…….

Let me tell you, changing host providers is quite the technical feat!  I’m moving my blog from a WordPress hosted blog to a WordPress blog hosted by Bluehost.  I’ve done most of this on my own and will give myself a pat on the back IF it works!

If you can’t find me just go to DaiseyJayne.com, If I’m gone I won’t be gone for long, this is way too much fun!!

Cheers!

Jayne

Quilters Haven, and heaven it is!!

Tags

CT, long arm quilting, Middletown, open sew, Quilter Haven, quilting, quilting classes, sewing

As I posted about yesterday I’m going to be finishing up some quilting projects.  So in the spirit of quilting and needing some help with my own machine piecing I stopped in at a local quilting retreat, Quilters Haven in Middletown, CT.  I call it a retreat because what’s more wonderful than being surrounded by quilters quilting?  It’s really a gathering place where classes and open “sews” are offered.  Sounds like heaven to me.

I’m throwing in this picture of a bib and baby quilt I made to add some color to this post!

As I entered to ask for a class schedule I hear my name being called, it was my cousin Claudia who I haven’t seen for at least 10 years!!!  What are the chances???  So needless to say we were both thrilled to see each other and did a bunch of catching up.  I love when things like that happen, it’s almost magical to me.  All of the other ladies and one handsome gentleman that were there sewing were so warm and welcoming and making the most beautiful quilts!

So the open sews are now on my schedule and its great to know my cousin, an amazing quilter by the way, will be there!

If you live in this area I highly recommend Quilters Haven, for the help, the classes and they also have a long arm quilting machine and offer professional machine quilting.

Cheers!

Jayne

A lovely year of finishes…….

Tags

hand piecing, link-up party, quilting, Smithsonian collection, spinning star block, The Rising Sun


Jenelle at Echinops and Aster, a wonderful needlework blog, posted a couple of days ago about a new link-up party called  "A Lovely Year of Finishes" which is hosted by Shanna of Fiber of All Sorts and Melissa of Bittersweet Designs.

I hope participating in this will give me the little nudge to finish up all the needlework projects I have started.  For January I’ll get my Spinning Star mini-quilt finished.

spinning star blocks

I’m  hand piecing these blocks, which is why I’m keeping it small.  Hand work is very relaxing for me and I just love how it looks.

vintage looking fabrics

Many years ago I bought a bunch of fabric from a Smithsonian collection called The Rising Sun.  I’ve got to look for more of it, I just love the whole collection and am sorry I didn’t buy more!

There are other fabrics mixed in and I’m keeping it on the scrappy side.  For me to get this done I will need to dedicate a couple of hours a day, which I’m not complaining about at all!

Cheers!

Jayne

meanwhile back in my living room…

Tags

antique pictures, gallery wall, living room, neutral colors

One of the projects I’m determined to finish is a gallery wall behind the sofa.  My last post about my living room was ages ago and I just want to get it finished.  But I must tell you as I was editing my photos I was totally struck by how woody, brown and super neutral it is!  My husband finished putting up the rods and drapes last week and they are a taupe tan color and man, you add that to all my neutral linen and I really feel the room cries for some color.  So that will be added to my project list.

I would LOVE to paint that maple coffee table, maybe black milk paint.  But my husband is dead set against it.

Walter just loves to relax on the love seat…

I began by laying out all of the pieces.  Then I asked for some help!  My husband and one of my sons came to the rescue.  They helped carry in the larger mirrors and other stuff, we have a very eclectic collection!

figuring out the placement

the silver gilt framed piece will soon have a new piece of glass

This is my favorite piece and I can’t wait to hang it.  It’s a photo of my father Jay and his identical twin Jack.  My dad is on the right, so adorable (both of them!).  They were born in 1928 and I just love how my grandmother let their curls grow!

Jack and Jay

Going to go and shuffle the pictures around.  I hope to get these all up on the wall by the end of the week so stay tuned!

Cheers,

Jayne

I’m sharing this at Carters Cottage

 Elizabeth & Co.

French Country Cottage

Miss Mustard Seed

Resolution or Challenge for 2013?

Tags

2013, challenge, fear, fearless, John Kabat-Zinn, resolution

I’ve been thinking a lot about whether or not to write a New Year’s resolution post. What would I write about since I’ve never made one!

So I thought I would challenge myself instead for 2013. The challenge being to not make so many decisions based on fear and anxiety.  You know that feeling when you’re given an opportunity or have a really intriguing idea but decide to say no or decide the idea it just too out there and no one will get it and realize that those choices were made out of fear?

 

“Maybe the fear is that 

we are less than

we think we are,

when the 

actuality of it

is that we are much much more”

–John Kabat-Zinn

So maybe for 2013 I will have a phrase, a question I can ask myself.

“What would I do if I wasn’t afraid?”

(I wanted to put a picture of a honey badger here but for the life of me can’t figure out how to do it, so use your imagination and envision a fearless honey badger!)

Have any of you ever felt that? How do you deal with it?

New Year’s Day breakfast

Tags

antiques, breakfast, depression glass, KitchenAid, New Years, pancakes, recipe, silver, transferware, vintage

Well, I made it to 10pm last night, my husband was in bed by 9pm because he has an awful cold.  My three sons stayed awake to see the new year in.

I knew I would be in bed by then anyway because it’s been years since I’ve watched the ball drop.  Actually ever since I had my sons!  It’s amazing how sleep becomes the priority after having children.

Truth be told I’m a morning person, up between 4:30 and 5:30am.  I love to watch the sun rise with a hot cup of coffee and truly enjoy the quiet start to my day.

To welcome the new year I made a special breakfast of pancakes and bacon.  My favorite recipe is from KitchenAid.  It’s in the little book that you get when you buy a KitchenAid mixer, I’ve had mine since 1986!  I remember the day I bought, it seemed like a fortune to spend on a stand mixer, but I knew it was one of the best if not the best mixers you could buy.  And mine has stood the test of time, it looks and runs like it did the first day I brought it home.  One thing you’ll notice about me is I will go without rather than buy an inferior product that will just end up in the landfill.

So back to breakfast.  As I was tiptoeing around this morning I picked some pieces to put on the table.  Pink depression glass, transferware, old silver and a linen tablecloth and napkins.  Very pastel and pretty, so what if I’m the only girl in this house!

maple syrup in pink glass

milk and sugar

blue jay glass, part of a set I found at Goodwill, love the colors!

pancakes, hot off the griddle

Pancake recipe

I double this recipe to serve all 5 of us.  I’ve made a few changes (buttermilk instead of milk and butter instead of shortening) and these are yummy!

1.5 cups all-purpose organic flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon organic sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2 organic (organic eggs are far superior to regular, mass-produced eggs)

1.25 cups organic buttermilk

3 tablespoons organic butter, melted

Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl.  Add eggs (slightly beaten), buttermilk and melted butter and mix with a large whisk until smooth.  I let this batter “stand” for a few minutes while I heat up a cast iron griddle, you’ll notice the batter lighten up with bubbles.  Melt some butter on your griddle and cook your pancakes on medium heat.  Make sure you see the edges of your pancakes start to bubble before your flip.  I like to make pancakes on the smallish side, around 4″ across.  This recipe makes about 10-12 pancakes and as I said I double it.

I serve with organic maple syrup, there is nothing like the taste of true maple syrup! We all sat down together and enjoyed a very hearty start to 2013.

My sons are off to see family and I’ll start to put away all the Christmas decoration.  Enjoy your New Years Day!

Jayne

I’m sharing this at French Country Cottage

Funky Junk Interiors

Creative Jewish Mom

Annemarie’s Haakblog

The Shabby Creek Cottage

Too Much Time On My Hands

testing, testing…

Tags

antique pottery, Bodum French press, coffee, kitchen, MAC, pottery, Simplex kettle

So after weighing the pro’s and con’s of getting my old computer fixed (it was damaged further during shipping, eesh) or just getting a new one I got a new one. It’s a Mac and I love it! I had a PC before and my husband and sons use PC’s but you know what? I’m just not a PC person, I had a MAC a few years ago, used it to run a business and it was fabulous so I’m back, MAC!

I hope that everyone enjoyed the holiday and are looking forward to 2013. I have a list as long as my arm of projects I want to finish and topics to tackle over the next year. Top of my list is my house and getting drapes hung, pictures arranged and hung and much more.
I walked around one morning a few weeks ago and took some photos and uploaded them today to try out MAC’s photo editing program. Here they are…

my kitchen counter

neutral pottery

my faithful kettle

my French press wearing it’s cozy….makes the most delicious coffee!

Cheers!
Jayne

I’m sharing this at Funky Junk Interiors

Happy holidays

Merry Christmas and happy holidays to all! I wish you all a very peaceful holiday. I’m so looking forward to the New Year and hope to have a working computer by then ;)
Here is a picture that I found out there in the ether, there is something so magical about nature in Winter.

heartbreak

An unimaginable tragedy has happened here in Connecticut. I can’t wrap my mind around this and how the parents and families of all the victims must feel. Just heartbreaking…

clothespins as ornaments!

Tags

Christmas, clothespin, glitter, handmade, holiday, ornaments, star ornaments

Stephanie at Under the Table Dreaming has this wonderful tutorial to make clothes pin ornaments, another quick and easy project.  Click here for her fabulous tutorial.

I saw these on Stephanie’s blog and had to make them and I’ve made a ton!  And naturally I coated one side with glue and then poured on the glitter!!!

I have some hanging on the tree and others adorning a couple of gifts, there are beautiful and will last year after year.

star ornament

without glitter, just as pretty

Till next time!

Jayne