Tag Archives: spring

Daffodils, Magnolias, and…

This is daffodil season here in northern Illinois. They are blooming prolifically alongside the roadways and in gardens. Last week, on the way home from picking up my daughter, I took a little detour to see if this roadside garden of daffodils was blooming. It was! Isn’t it gorgeous! I snapped a few pictures to show you this glorious garden of daffodils.

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I thought there was only one variety blooming here (basic yellow), but on closer inspection saw tiny daffodils and cream/yellow varieties as well.

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This was my very own little clump of daffodils ten days ago. Ugh, snow! Luckily, the snow didn’t kill my daffodils; they are fine and still blooming.

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We are starting our second week of springlike weather. So happy, happy, happy! It is finally spring and oh, so wonderful outside. These are my daffodils today.

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Truthfully, I think they liked getting snowed upon. They are still doing great ten days later.

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The magnolia bushes didn’t like the cold snap much, but luckily they were just starting to bloom, so we didn’t lose many blossoms.

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And, here is a photo from about a month ago that has nothing to do with daffodils or magnolias, sorry, but I wanted to share it anyway. When I was with my mom in January she gave me this puzzle. She saw it at the store and thought of me as it depicted many of my favorite things. Even though I am busy making things for our dolls, I finally had to put it together. It is the last (material) gift she gave me. Thank you, Mom!

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I hope you all are having a great start to this new week. I know some of you had snow over the weekend, sorry about that. I hope it melts in a flash, so spring can come back… and stay!

Bye for now!

Miscellaneous Ramblings

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Both yesterday and today we’ve had the most perfect springlike weather here in northern Illinois. It was so glorious today that our happy little crocuses woke up from their long winter’s nap.

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As I was sewing yesterday (Millie is getting a new dress) I kept glancing up at Gracie. Hmmm, wonder what she’d look like in another wig… I decided to try Talyssa’s “messy braids” wig on her. I have no idea the name or maker of this wig. The braids stay braided very nicely though— I like it a lot.

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Does anyone know who makes this type of wig? The fibers aren’t as silky as those on a Monique wig.

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I am getting tired of the few mohair colors of yarn that I have, and wanted to see if a finished sweater would dye up nicely. Because the fibers are so long and fuzzy, I don’t even want to try dyeing the yarn; I fear a tangled mess. I wanted very light colors, so mixed up super light dye. The sweaters came out darker than I expected and a slightly different shade than what the dye bath looked to be. The sweater ended up being very pretty pastel shades though. I dyed the real thing today and took photos of the process to show you soon.

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My husband bought me a bunch of yellow tulips this weekend. Sugar took one look at the bouquet and had to check them out. She said that they were so pretty and they matched her dress perfectly. Whoa, hang on tight, Sugar!

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She made it! What a little monkey!

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Thanks for stopping by! Bye for now!

“Rosy Soft Spring” for the Little Darlings and My Lilacs

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This new ensemble that I just completed for the Little Darlings was meant to go with this lace shrug that I started last week. Here it is in progess.

And here it is finished. I love it so much. Lace knitting takes a lot of concentration, but the stitches are so pretty. I couldn’t wait to get a dress made to show off this brand new shrug.

Are you wondering why Gina isn’t wearing the shrug with her new dress???

I picked out a simple fabric and spent time embroidering a motif on the bodice and skirt, but when put together I found that the pure white shrug did not go with this fabric that has an off white ground.

Back to the drawing board or knitting needles. *Sigh*.

I reworked my cardigan pattern to make it into a wide open bolero style sweater so that the embroidered bodice would still be front and center and Gina’s shoulders would stay cozy.

Gina always looks pretty in pink.

So, now I will have to find something else to go with the white lace shrug. I have something in mind. I hope it works out this time.

Our second variety of lilacs are finally in bloom. They can be seen from our family room window. These blossoms are very pale lilac in color and the sprays are quite miniature.

However, their scent is not miniature! They perfumed my sewing room all week long. Aren’t they pretty? I finally discovered the way to make cut lilacs last for days in a vase. Here’s what worked for me: shave off the bark that will be in water. (I used a steak knife on these thin stems.) I put very hot tap water in the vase and as soon as the bark was removed I put the stem in the water. I don’t know how many years I have been trying to get lilacs to stay fresh in a vase. I think I tried everything from hammering the stems to recutting the stems under running water, nothing worked except this…finally.