Rattus rattus

We had a 'little' visitor. I think this is a black, Rattus rattus, rather than a brown, Rattus norvegicus - the tail is long. It was dead when I spotted it on the back yard, so I don't know exactly where it came from. euuchh

BQL Bag Challenge - June finished

Flying in June - this was the bag title - It wasn't till it was photographed that I saw my geese are flying South - too late now. This is quite a 'small' bag - the first time I've done geese with this method - by Pauline Adams.

Incoming mail

A2M G48 Cards from Kris, this one is chenille and has been through the washer, it's a very soft card, with no obvious stiffener, lovely in your hand. Judy's is fused applique that is then FME over the design.

This is another AWM wholecloth card from Charlie

3 Yo-yos

I don't like Yo-yos, much like flying geese, they do nothing for me, but in the spirit of the flying geese bag (and the 3d bowties) I thought I'd do something different..... these are for the Artsnthemail June challenge, I have entered just one. They are entirely fused save the couched chenille edging.

Wordless Wednesday

Incoming mail

These two came today, from 2 seperate swaps on different yahoogroups - but they go together so well, Cynthia's PAW 'Cake' and Janet's June Bride.

ALQS work in progress

Pieces cut and blocks being made......

ALQS fabric pulled

Some of these go back wayyy when - I got the 2 florals for a wedding quilt I made in 2000, or so - I'm not a green and blue type of gal......

Kapalıçarşı

It's a long time since my last visit to the Grand Bazaar, years in fact. Some how it doesn't change too much. We stopped and had a snack in the old Divan Cafe - this roof is a re-do, not too sure about it in a historical building context but it looks fantastic like a giant thumb print.


As for shopping with 2 littles, DH and my mom - not much - just 2 more lengths of oya and a visit to Deli Kizin Yeri.

Picnic on the beach

When Nana said she was visiting the littles were asked if they wanted to do anything special with her - the list was short, but at the top of it was a picnic on the beach. So armed with Philadelphia sandwiches, cherries and chocolate (menu divised by 2 nearly 4 year olds) We headed off to the beach at 4pm for our picnic on the beach. The sun was still hot, we saw folks we knew and of course lots of splashing was done. People find it hard to imagine a great beach just outside the city limits.

Green Postcards

Work in progress - now for some french knots, beads and sequins....

Wordless Wednesday

Incoming mail

Fabricards - Victoria K - give me a hand, I'm posting my twin cards to this trade - need to finish them first....

Acanthus Mollis

The Acanthuses in the garden all originated from a very unhappy plant in my Glasgow garden, 4 or so years ago. It didn't fare too well in the original, shady, spot and I moved them to very full sun - the top picture, there are 2 good sized clumps there now, throwing up the purple-grey spikes willingly. They are such beauties this year too. When they were moved some root must have got left behind as there is a new patch of Acanthuses in the original spot. They are happy now and have thrown up a couple of spikes. They are not as large as the sunny spot ones, it will be interesting to see if the colour is different. I do keep finding small Acanthuses growing elsewhere, I assume it's all self set as I kept the flower spikes on the plants all winter.

'Red is a difficult colour to wear'

Fathers day - the littles chose ties for Babanin gunu - there were no mugs to be found (so we thought) T1 ummed and ahhed - Baba nearly got a pink one - she plumped for a lilacy one...... T2 was decisive - since there were no yellow ties - then it would be red.

Being 3 nearly 4 they needed several reminders not to open the gifts - I told them to go, get them and give them to Baba this morning. T1 dutifully brought up New baby's gift - whilst T2 opened gift wrapping and brought both of the ties to Baba in his hand - you can't have everything perfect.

I pointed out that DH could change the ties if they weren't to his taste and I got the title response

Ironically after plumping for ties since we couldn't find the standard gift - mug(s) to take to the office, we found a 2 pack of very cute cat mugs, like previous years I'm sure they'll be chipped and or in mug heaven before next fathers day.

A delicious lunch of grilled levrek by the Bosporus with Dede (DH's father) and family followed without incident and in the restaurant toilets I spotted these fabulous taps.

Incoming mail

Santa Cruz light house from Michele H for A2M G43 - these dolphins/whales are under the thin layer of blue organza - great technique ,the other dolphins are the first of the wholecloth cards to arrive from Corina in Holland. Cool as T2 is seriously into dolphins at the moment. Both got stamped in by the local sorting office though it shows on both cards slightly.

Green Postcards

I had a lovely pair of linen long shorts - and have grown out of them - well I've shrunk out of them..... so they will become 'Green' for my Rainbow 2 swap with AITM, and green in the recycled sense - I got 4 panels that will yield 5 cards each - though I may play with the scraps after too..... I have a vision of some kind of 'under the microscope' type image, lots of FME and seed beads. I chopped some of the cotton liner from the pocket which was a similar shade and added some other green fabrics down the centre - I tacked these down with glue stick - they are now dry and waiting to be worked on, as well as the 'whole cloth' and this month's BQL bag - and school finished for the summer today and we have a visitor next week - when will we see these finished......

Hydrangeas

Hydrangea aspera

Hydrangea Macrophylla Lace-cap



Ortanga

The bottom 3 pictures are from the row of Ortanca that run the length of the house, we see them daily and after a few years of not flowering prior to us moving here they got told in a stern voice that if they didn't flower then they would be OUT, that summer they didn't flower, I pruned them 'English' style - knee height, 5 or 7 , one year old sticks that have at least 2 double buds on - I told them again - last chance or OUT - they listened and flowered huge luscious pompoms that started pink or white or blue then faded into a mush of purpleness, I assume the soil is in pockets of acid and alkali, who knows, but they are stunning once they get going. This long line of Turkish Ortanca is what I look at while eating breakfast, lunch and dinner, playing with the littles and from the back garden.

The other pictures are Hydrangeas elsewhere in the garden, I'm not sure if the Hydrangea aspera is truly that - it's a lanky sensitive plant, it's 3rd summer in the garden last summer we got a couple of dried out flowers, I have higher hopes this year or else it may get 'the talk'.

I would like to know why the lace-cap is green, perhaps I should Google it, this plant is in a pot.... and has got greener as time has passed. It started off white. I do like Hydrangeas, I remember the (2?) monster Hydrangeas at my first childhood home vividly.

Wordless Wednesday

BQL Bag Challenge - June

Work in progress - the BQL challenge bag this month has flying geese - not something I would ever choose to do, but that's the joy of a challenge and what a method - they go together so easily - am looking forward to the finished bag.

Incoming mail

These arrived Saturday - a bumper mail day

Both A2M G43, from Beth P and Karen P

Margarete Kathy G again A2M G43

AITM 200 Challenge, from Dianne P. My card went to Doreen, (on the Right) the idea behind this was to use 200 things I choose 200 beads on commercial wool felt, Diane has a whole heap of stuff trapped under a piece of net - which isn't too evident in the picture, I've received a shaker card in the past and this reminds me of that. Maybe I'll set a shaker card challenge on AITM one day soon.

Cherry Cherry

Perhaps inspired by Neil Diamond (my mom's fault) or more likely the kilos of the sweet fruit we are getting through at the moment. The 'Kiraz' card is on it's way to Janet in the UK, it's a late May mingle card, the rest are awaiting a home...... These were made with Neocolour II crayons on plain sheeting, that was then FME'ed, and edged with some grey Rowan wool. I've tried various methods with these crayons and drawing the picture in regular ballpoint pen then working on it seems to work well for me.

Jasmine

The garden is full of the heady smell of Jasmine - we have LOTS of jasmine in the garden - one long wall, a pergola and a shorter wall - all near the house and back deck - the drifting perfume is beautiful - we get 3 or so flowering cycles a year, the leaves are evergreen - it's a great plant. The unopened flowers are so delicate.

Another little quilt swap

Kate invited me to join this group - I thought about it - then decided I wanted in. Last year I made this spotty quilt that went out to Kathy S in Illinois - hand applique, hand quilted, using shirting and with a wool bat - really great to work though it was a 'difficult' project as there were lots of other things happening at the time to deal with.

To Istanbul came the pink confection for T1 - she adores pink and big black cats - this time I've asked for a 'boy's quilt', no teasers yet on the ALQS blog, as for my quilt out - I'm thinking of trying a 'disaperaring 9 patch', applique is great for me to carry around and work while with the littles, but I really want to try this out - and given the size of the finished quilt I should only need to make 15 or so blocks that are 5.5 inches square - will figure out the maths when I make a trial block or two -