Odds and ends, this and that...

Didn't seem like I had much time to do needle work over the holidays, but I'm getting back in the swing of things now. I've been contemplating my 50th (gasp, choke, sigh) birthday, which is coming up later this year, and decided I should begin "celebrating" immediately. My plan is to make a golden crazy quilt and have it done for the fair in mid July this year. Here's the first block.

This (left) is a close-up of the center patch, done in silk ribbon embroidery, and another practice piece I did.

On Crazy Quilters International, a new RR is starting up with a theme of hearts. Gerry K, a lovely lady I met at the retreat in September, is doing her block with a Queen of Hearts theme, and made herself and several other people Queen of Hearts playing card silkies to use on their blocks. That got me to remembering my Queen of Clubs self portrait that I did in a college drawing class. Today I pulled it out of the closet, and sadly, it has not faired well over the years. There is a long tear down the left side, and smaller ones all around. But the saddest thing about it is that my hair style, aside from being much shorter, has not changed a lot in the 30 years since I drew this.

And lastly, a final photo of our Christmas tree, complete with a very talented and acrobatic cardinal bird on the top bough. He always starts out sitting upright, but as the season goes on, and the tree dries out a little, he begins to droop. Still, it was a beautiful tree and I sort of hated to take it down....