Sweet dreams, little one

Our home is wonderfully tucked into an acreage of birches which fills our view from every window. We are blessed to share the space with many, many birds (we’ve named a resident partridge ‘Danny’) as well as an assortment of critters including turtles, otters, beaver, rabbits and fox. I’m delighted to catch a glimpse of any and all but most recently have been captivated by the sight of fox.

When I came across this adorable Foundation pattern for Sleepy Fox from Andrea Tsang Jackson of 3rd Story Workshop, I purchased the pattern and set about a plan to incorporate it into something special. Andrea explains the story behind the pattern and the quilt in which she made it. She also shared how she made improv birch trees. With all that information and the birch out my window for more inspiration, I ‘grew’ some of my own.

Sleepy Fox and Birches Quilt 37″ x 43″

For the quilters out there, I decided to appliqué the trees on the background rather than piecing them in. My version of the fox pattern includes black and white pieces of Minky in the ears, black vinyl for the nose and white Berber stabilized with fusible interfacing in the tail. I reworked the tail section of the pattern to remove a seam so that a single piece of Berber filled the space.

Sleep tight

April 2017 – ice out

Typically ice leaves the lake in front of our place some time between late April and early May. We eagerly await this change.

The calendar is available in 2 screen sizes here.

I {heart} hearts

branches covered in frozen bubbles shaped in a heart

This fall just as the lake was beginning to freeze over, a couple of branches collected frozen bubbles and formed a heart!

Last spring, I almost stepped on to this frosty heart just outside the door to our garage.

heart of frost

And I noticed this heart in a birch tree late last summer.

heart in a birch tree

To me these are little messages of love from my Heavenly Father.

Happy Valentine’s Day.

 

the popular vote

Wasn’t the  John Scott/NHL All Star story inspiring and entertaining?

That emotionally satisfying event combined with the heartfelt comments from so many of you regarding the absence of desktop calendars (and the need to have something on my own desktop), motivated me to whip up a desktop calendar for February.

For simplicity sake this is an image I have used before and I did not set a specific screen resolutions. If you find the size doesn’t work well for you, please let me know. I will gladly make adjustments if they are requested.

Your input is important and very much appreciated.

The Creek

Agimak Creek is my ‘go to’ place when I need a pretty shot. The birches that line the trail along the flowing water never fail to look good. It is one of my favourite places and thankfully, only a short walk away from my home.

Happy March.

2015-03_1440x900

For alternate screen resolutions, go here or select the month from the Free Calendar drop-down menu.

 

Not your typical blue sky

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A late day combination of rain, snow, sun and cloud make for unusual hues of blue. The yellow of fall birch is enhanced by low sun on the moist leaves.