I Love Christmas in July!

All who know me know that I do not appreciate hot, humid summers! Therefore, I have always enjoyed playing Christmas music in the summer in an effort to feel cool. This week, along with the Hallmark Channel, I have been celebrating Christmas in July with my collection of holiday movies.

While the DVD or VHS (yes, I still have TWO players and lots of tapes!) was running in the background, I was able to make my cards for Operation Write Home, work on the July UFO for my quilt challenge, do alterations on a friend's bridesmaid dress, and make birthday and sympathy cards to keep on hand.

So far I have enjoyed White Christmas, A Season for Miracles, Elf, and Radio City Christmas Spectacular. I have no problems continuing this marathon into next week so I can watch/listen to more!

Cards with a purpose

I am really enjoying the challenges from Operation Write Home each week as it gives me a starting point to make a few cards. This week there was a clean and simple challenge as well as a sketch challenge.

I made a few more for the sketch challenge.

A new month and a new quilting UFO number - this one will be a quilt from start to finish? with a pattern I bought last year in Alaska. I am hoping to at least make the top, and then maybe it will be quilted as part of my 2014 UFO challenge!!

Walking with Misty

Misty, our 12 1/2 year old Yellow Lab has been slowing down in recent months. Today we took a stroll before the heat got brutal and I took the camera along. Here are some of the things we saw:

The blue hydrangea is in our neighbor's yard. Our hydrangeas only produce pink and purple flowers.



Another neighbor has this sitting by the mailbox.
If you look closely you can see the moon in sky in the picture on the right.

June UFO is done!

I finished my UFO for June today! It is tied, but that helps keep it more light and fluffy for a play quilt or comforter. I don't think it will go to the original person it was started for - too much time has passed.

 But now I have to go back and work on May's challenge before July arrives. I have already finished 5 of the 6 months, plus two extra photo wall hangings. Not bad since I did none last year!!

I will link this to the challenge  on 52 Quilts in 52 Weeks

Operation Write Home

Last week I decided to try my hand at making cards for the Operation Write Home organization. They supply hand made greeting cards to our military personnel so they can send personal notes to loved ones back home. I made cards for them at a women's retreat I attended, but this was the first time to try on my own. My sample of five cards has been sent and now I hope to hear that my style is acceptable. These are just a few that I sent to them.

June UFO

Time is certainly going more quickly for me now. My May quilt project is still in progress, but I did not want to be two months behind already. I made this quilt top back in 2004, but then life intervened and it never was completed. I am going to tie it now and it is sitting on the quilt frame from my mother-in-law. I am hoping to get it finished this week, and then back to the May quilt!

Even though I did not get the May UFO done, I did make a bonus quilt - another photo album quilt that I gave to friends who are both retiring this summer. We spent the day in Annapolis, MD, helping them celebrate his retirement.

Photography time

I had the chance to take a few photographs recently that were serendipitous - I just happened to be at the right place with my camera! I was really struck by the colors in the first picture, although I don't think I was able to capture the color completely. I think I need to make a card or quilt using blue, green, beige and a little orange for accent.