A Notions Giveaway

Well, finally got back to destashing and what do I find - a small box under some fabric.  I put away what I wanted and decided to give away the rest.  Would you like to get these in the mail?

There is a finger guard for hand quilting.  I have one already and find it very useful.  Then there is a small vial of Roxanne's #12 betweens with a cute shell for a stopper.  I use others like these for applique.  And then there's a cute pin cushion made from an acron, some rick-rack and a small piece of cloth stuffed with batting. Lastly there is a package of bookplates with the prickly pear block as part of the design - they are self adhesive and of the same design - a BBD Creations from Vero Beach, FL.  I wonder where I got those, but I've decided not to use bookplates any more.

Giveaway closes next Sunday - I'll annouce the winner Monday.  To win, just become a follower and leave me a message.

Good Luck!

Design Wall Monday 8/30

Whew, tomorrow will be a non-stop day so I am posting early.  Here are 12 blocks that I received from my daughter's mother-in-law, Gail.  I posted about one of the blocks I messed up earlier.  You can see it in the photo:

They'll have sashing between them. The one that took the longest was the pineapple block in the second row. And here are my two favorites so far:

My mom has done all the embroidery for me and I love it!

  I could make two quilts  - one out of each of these blocks.  They're 8 1/2" blocks.  I would make the vase and flowers that size, but I can see the other one in a larger size.  Can't you?

A Train Trip

My friends Sheila, Sandy, Torre(from left to right) and I took a train trip on the Metrolink to San Juan Capistrano. It's a coastal town near Oceanside and a delightful getaway on what proved to be a "hot" (107) day in Riverside. We took the 10am train and arrived just in time for lunch. Then after the delicious meal at Sarducci's - they're at the train depot - we set off for the Mission San Juan Capistrano (you know the one where the swallows come back every March 19th?). It was just a couple of blocks away from the station. This is the seventh mission of 21 missions along the Camino Real built in the 1700s.

Here on the left is what you see when you enter - the outer courtyard. On right is what remains of then the largest church west of the Mississippi - there was a huge earthquake in 1812 which brought down the Jewel of the Missions. Parts have since been restored from 1982 -present. There was a lot to see as the last time I was there much was cordoned off, so it was a treat to return and see so much of the mission now. We spent almost two hours touring it and visiting the exhibits. There was a fun one for me called Zorro Unmasked - one of my favorite characters. They had excerpts from the Douglas Fairbanks, Tyrone Powers, Guy Williams, and Antonio Banderas films, costumes, and lots of ephemera - Great! Another exhibit were of plein aire paintings of California.

There were some lovely fountains with waterlilies and Koi and others without.

Beautiful gardens amid the working stations at the mission.

 

We saw the St Francis Chapel, the cemetery, the gift shop, the barracks, the kitchens, the library, the winery, the curing vats, a native plant garden, an Indian home and lots more.  What was great was they had an audio tour for visitors, free, with the price of admission.  I was happy to pay for the low admission as  proceeds go toward the maintenance and upkeep of the mission. We then visited the Basilica next door and tourerd the quaint shops in town before heading home.  A great day! I plan to go back soon and take my Mom.