I Signed Up for Another Year

Marc did a fantastic job on cleaning the house for our walk through inspection today by our property management company. They extended our lease for another year through September 2014. The rent stayed the same - which is great and we were told we had the best looking lawn in the whole neighborhood - not easy considering the builder just threw grass seed out in a field and didn't level anything or fill in any holes. I knew that the owner of the house also owned the house that we share a driveway with but he also owns a house off a 118th on the other side near the entrance. I wonder what it would be like to buy three brand new houses in a housing development as an investment?

Tomorrow night it is back to quilting! I am going to start sewing rows of blocks together on my Boxed In quilt.

Back Ups

I spent today backing up photos, patterns etc. I always keep my hard drive backed up but due to surgeries, moving and so on I hadn't done any since last September 12th. I also print out contact sheets for all my photos and file them by year. It comes in very handy when scrapbooking. I use them to print out the pictures I need and then for reference while scrapbooking.

A Bouquet of Flowers

A couple of weeks ago while sorting through the last of the things in the scrapbooking room I found some fabric roses that I learned how to make years ago when I worked at the City of Longview. They make a great gift for a quilter since they consist of a fat quarter that the quilter can add to their stash.

You take a fat quarter and fold it so it is about 5 inches wide and then you start at one end folding it around and around making petals as you go. You fasten it with a fancy corsage pin (JoAnn's.) It doesn't take long to get the hang of it. I was originally taught to make stems out of cardboard which you then covered with green florist tape. You lay them out in a long box and then give a quilter the bouquet of fat quarters. Dresses them up quite a bit! These were my samples so I decided to make them more permanent and bought stems at JoAnn's and put three stems at a time together covering them with florist tape. I also purchased leaves which I then attached with a second layer of florist tape on the stem after first attaching the rose on top. I have bad kitties who like to eat real flowers, leaves, and stems so this is a perfect answer. I think if I give someone fat quarters again I will do it with stems and leaves because I really like how they turned out.

Done with Die Cuts ~ AND DONE with room!

Last night I finished up inventorying the last of the scrapbook supplies. Everything is now organized and put away.

 The Embossing Folders

Die Cuts

I started this project with a purchase of the ScrapRack and pages at the Creating Keepsakes Convention in Bellevue on November 12, 2011. I attended with my Cousin Cheryl and my sister Lisa. Cheryl and I were killing time in the vendor area while Lisa shopped elsewhere and we stopped to look at the ScrapRack and to talk to Tiffany. Cheryl was telling me to go ahead and buy it and I am so glad I listened to her! By the end of January I had over half of the rainbow done. Almost 21 months to finish is a long time for me but I had a few bumps in the road - in February 2012 I started getting my condo ready to sell and I had to box up ALL of my scrapbooking supplies. In June I had joint replacement done for my right thumb and then I moved in mid October 2012. I starting unpacking basic household items and then had my right knee replaced on November 5, 2012. I did my best to get most of the scrapbooking stuff put away by the time I had my left knee replaced on April 29, 2013. I have spent the last few months doing what I can a little bit at a time since I can only stand for short periods and I have to keep my feet up when sitting. (This is mainly due to being stupid in PT and hopping on my new knee by accident on June 4th - messed them both up.) 

I now can get some page kits ready to scrap - I have all the supplies for that already and my pictures and memorabilia are sorted. I just need to figure out which pictures I am using and pull things together! It is going to be time for the Cousins to get together again to scrap - as soon as I can drive more than 10 miles at a time.

Punches are Done!

102 Punches are located in various containers and divided amongst 4 Ikea containers.  They are sorted by brand and numbered.

Two of the containers are in the desk bookcase and two are to the left of the desk. Each container has color coded labels hanging from them so I can find the punches from my inventory list below.

Now I just have die cuts left and I don't have as many of those.

Scrapbooking Instructions

It took awhile but I got all the instructions etc put away. I also updated the Stamp Techniques and the Stamp Inventory. I have now started on my punches. I have too many, but my sister may have more!

The punches are going to take some time. A lot of time. I am not going to met my goal which was to have this done by the end of July. Die Cuts are last!

PS

Well, last night I did find where JA's wife Henrietta was buried. Clayton Village Cemetery, Jefferson County, New York.. 25 years, 9 months and 5 days old at her death. Inscription is Sister of John H Graves so Alexander did not buy her headstone.

Have You Seen This Man?

His name is A. J. or J. Alexander Beaubier. He was born in New York state in 1821 - parents unknown. In 1845 he married Henrietta Graves (daughter of William Tubbs Graves) also born in New York on 6 April 1830. In 1846 they had a daughter Effa (Effie) and in 1848 a son William. In 1850 he was a farmer in Clayton, Jefferson County, New York. On 11 January 1856 Henrietta died. Effie most probably was working as a servant at age 14 in 1860 while living in Orleans, Jefferson County, New York. J. A. may have had an older brother William who was born in Canada and lived in Orleans, Jefferson County during the 1850's to 1880's.

It is just so frustrating trying to find anything out about this branch and I have corresponded with several people with the same problem. One of them had this photo at least. This is all we know. I was looking through documents last night and my cousin Chris called and asked what his name was because she was at the Family History Library and wanted to look for him. He is driving us all nuts.

His daughter Effie is the mother of my Great Grandfather Jefferson Thomas Graves who was her oldest child. We didn't even know how to spell her name until I found this information - all we knew was that she was French.

The Scrapbooking Room is Done!

Marc vacuumed today for me - and finally agrees that my scrapbooking room looks good!

 This is what the floor looks like

It was almost completely covered.

 As you walk in

- to the right.

Now that my tools are put away, the room is done. I only have the die cuts and punches to inventory and then the rest of the instructions to put away.

I am done with Embellishments and Bling!

Thursday night I finished putting the last of my embellishments into pages and Spinders - and then I put the Spinders into crates in the closet.

 The Left Side

 The Right Side

There are 3 rows of crates stacked 4 high.

 The ScrapRack sits on the lateral file with some 

additional Spinders with borders, frames, hardware, labels, tags and supplies to make tags.

The Expedit table is full of tools and miscellaneous that I need to put away so I can set up my second ScrapRack and expansion base on it. I still have my punches and die cuts to inventory and put away and various instructions to finish putting in a binder.  I can then start getting pictures, memorabilia and paper put together for layouts. I do see another expansion base in my future. I went to a bridal shower today with my sister and daughter. Afterwards I showed my daughter my room and everything I have organized and informed her that it was "her inheritance' - she figures that she will just scrap at my house since I already have everything.

Work In Progress/To Do Sewing

WIP Sewing

Date Started	Project	Finished
6/2013	Room Divider Blocks to match quilt designed in 8/2000
6/2013	Bench cushions to match quilt designed in 8/2000
8/2013	Bed Skirt for Boxed In Quilt	10-30-2013

8/2013

Bed Skirt for Shop Hop 2000 Quilt

10-30-2013

10/2013

Bench Cushions to match Boxed In Quilt

11-18-2013

10/2012, 6/2013

Hem Curtains for Marc's Closet

To Do Sewing – Hopefully these will appear soon on the WIP

Table Runner for PWC Auction Bed Skirt for Carpenter’s Delight Quilt

Room Divider Blocks to match Shop Hop 2000 Quilt

Room Divider Blocks to match Boxed In Quilt

Room Divider Blocks to match Carpenter’s Delight Quilt

Bench Cushions to match Carpenter’s Delight Quilt

Pillow Shams for Carpenter’s Delight Quilt

Quilt Top is Laid Out...

... with much help from my lovely assistants. I wanted to leave it overnight on the floor and check it again the next night for consistency but Stan was trying to sit on every square and Puddy Tat just wanted to roll over the whole thing, so I thought it was safer to get it pinned to sew and pick it up row by row. Since it was over 80 degrees in the house it took awhile. I had such a headache that I was done for the evening.

I am still not sure that I have enough blocks so I will need to get the blocks sewn into rows and then the first four rows sewn together and then lay them out on my bed.

The Boxed In Blocks are Done!

At least I think they are done and that I have enough - or I may have too many. It was too hot last night when I tried to lay them out on my bed - and I had too much kitty boy help. I did start laying them out on the table downstairs but tonight I am moving them to the dining room/living room floor.

Here are the 18 half blocks and 4 quarter blocks

I also managed to get Fishing to Nature and Pets to Work spinders put away in the Scrapbook room. I just have Family spinders left to put away and a few odd spinders that are going on the ScrapRack.

Half Blocks

I started sewing together the centers of the half blocks and then had to cut more. I think Puddy Tat missed me this weekend while I was gone. Stan Lee is as usual supervising.

16 Blocks

I had done the four center blocks for the final sixteen white blocks a few days before the 4th of July. I spent the last four days over in Sequim just relaxing and sewing. I got the inside white borders on and 16 -  2 1/2 inch squares on around that, and the two sides of the final white border. Today on the way back home I pinned on the final two sides of the white border and just finished sewing and pressing them. Now I have just 18 half squares and 4 quarter squares with white borders to do. It looks like I will have to open up the third Enchanted Garden jelly roll to finish the top. I really want to get this one done and to my quilter. I have also been working on the cushions to match my quilt that is now on my bed. I think I will finish the Carpenter's Delight quilt next.

Before I left town I had gotten the last of the scrapbooking organizing supplies so now I can finish putting that stuff away. I should be able to get it done by the end of this month as planned.