Celebrations and " Just Because."..

Summer time flowers need to include Lilies- Stargazer lilies( the ones with the pink centers) are among my favorites..They were also the wedding flowers of the dear couple in my last post, who will soon celebrate their wedding anniversary.. Anniversaries and birthdays should be celebrated.... More about that later...

In early June, my spouse and his friend,John, travelled way up north to Yellowknife area(15 hours drive)_ to see the Transit of Venus. Here they are, having a celebratory drink after successfully viewing some of the 4 contact points, where Venus seemed to cross the face of the sun. (By the way, there are some significant sun spots to be seen these days and solar flares that can be viewed, through welder's glass.)

Bruce brought back this lovely memento for me. It is a piece of the Canadian Shield with a silver bead representing Venus crossing the sun's face.I love it's beautiful gray green color.I do not mind that they took some artistic license with the Transit angle. In today's post, a pair of earrings to match the beautiful pendant, arrived at our door. Bruce knew how much I loved the pendant and thought I should have the earrings" just because."..

Alberta continues to enjoy some very hot weather, though, we had a bit of respite today from the heat,as we had some serious rain yesterday. I am not very productive in this hot weather, but did manage to get a new quilt cut out. It is a Moda Bakeshop free pattern. You can see the spiral like blocks in the picture. I am not sure how it is going to work out because the cream is quite stark in the two blocks I have made. The pattern is called "Etchings Quilt by Andrea Harris".

I have managed to make a few pendants and continue to knit the frilly scarves.I gave away a few of them last week, when I met with some long time friends for dinner. It was fun to see which pendants and scarves my friends liked best. These are a few of the leftovers. It was my turn to do something fun just because....

This is my forlorn looking Babylock quilting machine- I have another quilt to quilt, but right now, it is too hot upstairs in the gables of the house( even with the fans on) to consider quilting.

I did finish up the Sunset quilt- You can find the pattern here Sunset was originally done on a light background so the contrast is quite different. I made the binding for this second one,quite late one evening, when I could face the heat of the iron. I just need to add a label to this quilt. You can see a bit of the backing in the photo.

My dear friend, Valerie who celebrated a special birthday last Thursday, gave me this gift" just because"... She said it is a Happy Summer present - She knows how much that I love tea pots and this set is very funky looking-It is made by a potter named Eva Gordon. I do love it- it is a treasure just like my dear friend.

July is a month of celebrations for our family and friends. We have a few friends that have birthdays this month. As well, two of nieces and nephews, our good friends Valerie and Alister, and, my parents, all celebrate their Wedding anniversaries. Today is our nephew and niece, Jamie and Sarah's, 7th wedding anniversary. This Tilted log cabin was their wedding quilt... It is a log cabin (1 1/2 inch strips) framed by some wonky tilted strips. It gives the effect of spinning logs. I loved the way this quilt turned out. The happy couple are enjoying some time travelling down south together. Happy Anniversary Sarah and Jamie- may you enjoy many more happy years together.

This summer holiday began with our schnoodle dog, Dusty, needing some serious attention from the vet. She was clearly uncomfortable, and Bruce took her in to be checked out. Some serious money changed hands to get a golf ball sized bladder stone removed from this little 20 pound dog. She is now nearly recovered - She can no longer eat dog treats, and must eat special dog food so that we can lessen the chances of her getting another one. Her night time snack now is pea pods, bits of apple or carrot- Even old dogs have diet restrictions LOL.. We were astounded at how large the stone was, and wondered how long she must have had it- poor thing... Dusty also has an appointment with the groomer this week, so that she can have her summer s hairdo. She must be desperately hot these days and will be glad to be have her curls shorn...

Did you check out the blog hop on Jane's site. It was a fun hop and I know that there will soon be a Christmas one going on. One of the best things about the blog hops is that they can introduce you to some great little projects and new to you blogs...
This is the beginning of week 3 of summer vacation- I best get going on my projects if I want to get some more quilts finished..I am enjoying the time spent with friends and family - I hope that you are too... Happy Quilting and Creating.... Until Next time... Warmest regards, Anna