the cozy apartment

isn't she lovely....

Well, it's finally happened!  For a long time I resisted the switch to a complete digital format in photos.  However, so much happens after a photo is taken that affects it's quality!  Basically, I can't find anyone I trust to print film anymore.  After over a year of waiting for the price to come down, my new Canon has finally arrived!  We're getting acquainted and I've been impressed with the image quality so far.  It's not the biggest, baddest camera on the market, but it's just what I need. These shots are straight-out-of-the-box-in-my-family-room type shots.  I think I might be in love....

 

 

Yep, everyone had a portrait taken.  Even those who weren't interested. 

A room of her own

It's coming along, slowly!  This is the one corner that's completed (for now, till I change my mind and re-do the whole thing).  The daybed is from Pottery Barn, so is the cubby above the desk.  It's PERFECT for all the little doo dads I've acquired over the years.  The desk is a find from an antique store in town and I LOVE it!  It's the perfect size to prevent piles of papers,etc. 

Unabashedly feminine, this room!  Walking in here is like how Mary in A Secret Garden must have felt when she would shut the door behind her and be in her own world.  Above the bed I think I'm going to hang a large canvas covered with some rare Amy Butler fabric from her Forest line by Kokka. 

 

I've been hording those fabrics for ages, finally I can unleash them on our house!  Muhahaha!  (image from Amy Butler's site, 2006-ish) Generally, I do love AB's fabrics.  However, she really hasn't hit a home run for me since this line.  Belle and Nigella were nice, hated Daisy Chain, August Fields wasn't anything to write home about, either.  Mid Mod 1 and 2 were very pretty and the fabric was VERY soft and good for apparel.  Some of the Love fabrics are really pretty and remind me of Forest, in a way.  Let's be honest, though, I own some of each line (other than Daisy Chain.  eh.)! 

The botanical imagery always gets me.  She does such a great job with that.  If I could be surrounded by gardens, I would!  Waaait a minute, I  AM!  Yesterday I was explaining to Mr. Cozy Apartment that we really have 5 gardens that I'm tending to.  The front porch (all sun, all the time), the window box outside the dining room (evening sun), the back deck (part full sun, part full shade), the back yard (eh, you name it, it's got it!) and all of my our interior plants.  Went out to Joy Creek Nursery today and came home with several beauties!  EEE!  I LOVE plants!  I love this house.  A place to sew, a place to plant and a place to day dream!

Back in the saddle again....

Sing it with me, people!  Back where a friend is a friend....what the heck does that mean? 

In any case, I'm back!  I've missed blogging and am just getting my sh*t together enough to re-engage!  Woo hoo, it's been a LONG dry spell in these here parts!  Hm...seem to have a Western theme today.  I HAVE been doing crafty things, mostly sewing and decorating the new place! 

Made a little quilty something for a soon-to-be-new-arrival with some Moda Wonderland fabric from The Stash.  The front is a basic patchwork and the back has a slightly modern feel with lots of white space.  Woah.  Where did THAT description come from?!  Yes, folks, I've actually been READING my quilting books instead of gazing at them lovingly on the shelf! 

Front:

Back:

I just LOVE that tree!  This fabric has so many fun things going on with little hidden animals all over and the random sewing reference with irons, scissors, etc.  I've had the fabric for AGES and I'm glad to finally get to use it!  Now that I have a dedicated sewing/creating space, it's much easier for me to get to projects I've been wanting to complete...ok, well, start. 

One of those projects has been an upcoming blog change.  In the next few weeks, I'll be working on an off shoot of this blog.  The Cozy Apartment was such a fun spot, but things have changed over here and the off shoot will reflect that change.  This house is so wonderful, it's really changed my point of view.  Having The Cozy Apartment really helped me cope with apartment living, everything well thought out for tiny spaces, etc.  This house seems HUGE in comparison!  Well, it is huge, it more than doubled our living space!  It will be fun to share that space and those projects with you, but seems unfair to The Cozy Apartment to go over them here!  So, the 'new' blog will be Cozy Notions and will have it's debut soon.  Till then I'll keep up with this space and won't let another month go by without a post!

Oh bloggy goodness, I've missed you!

Postcards of the last 2 months:

Dear Readers,

Here's what we've been up to! 

The new neighborhood is lovely,

The view from my craft/sewing room is great,

 

the kitties have been settling in

 

and we've done some Christmas decorating.

 

Now we're settling down for a long winter's nap...

Wishing you and yours a cozy, nap-filled holiday! 

shhhhh....

This streetlamp web has been here for a month or so.  It's held up well despite the unpredictable Oregon weather.  Today was overcast, cold and dank.  Tonight much the same, but with a dense fog.  Fog here never seems to arrive from the distance or roll over the hills like you've seen in movies.  It's suddenly *there* in a breath, everywhere and brings with it a damp hush. 

But in the streetlight, by this web, you can see the fog rushing by, swirling like the cloud it is, swirling even if we don't notice it. 

Happy 4th!

*bright* and sunny today!  great tomato weather!  grow, grow, grow!

our little patch of patriotism!  what's more all american than growing your own tomatos?

yay, spring!

Phew!  I was worried it was never going to get here.  Now I feel like stretching up to the sun, just to soak it all in!  It was lovely here for a few days, in the 70's (and sometimes 80's!) and so very sunny!  My plants are thrilled. 

While the plants do their thing out there, I'm pondering a quilt in here.  People like to joke that I never make anything, just keep buying fabric.  Um....that's partially true.  I do keep buying fabric, but I really do make things!!!  No, really!  In any case, I couldn't decide on which fabrics from the ridiculously yummy MoMo Wonderland line I wanted, so I bought a Charm Pack (brilliant marketing on Moda's part!  I hate cutting up fabric, they've done it for me!).  Now I'm trying to figure out what to do with it!  Bought some of the Snip Snip in Chai as a neutral (there are NO SOLIDS that match these colors!).  Here are my options:

1.

2.

3.

4. (stacked coins)

5.

6.

As you can see, I love me some repetitive line imagery.  There are so many choices, I'm having a tough time deciding.  #6 gives me the least amount of cutting, #1 was my original plan, but now I don't know, #2 is appealing, but how busy can a quilt be before making you insane?!  {side note:  I almost titled this post, 'MoMo Fabric, MoMo Problems'.  Yeah.  Really.} 

So, what's the consensus out there?  I know people actually read this blog (stunning!  thank you!!!), I see the numbers!  All you quilters out there, any tips?  Anyone?  help!........

of course, I did have some help with the fun part of arranging/rearranging:

Frustrated Fluffy:

It's exhausting being a cat, apparently.

are we there yet?

(ranunculus)

Is it spring yet?  The weather  has been tellingly volatile, with rain and sun and hail and sun and rain and wind and sun... but last night it was 33 degrees here!  33!  I supposed I should embrace this cool weather because when it's 108 degrees again, I'll be longing for it!  Actually, I'll be camped out at the (air conditioned!) library with my laptop and wearing a skirt.  A cool skirt.  A floaty skirt.  And cute sandals, a lightweight t-shirt and my hair back.  Sigh....wait a minute...I don't HAVE a cool, floaty skirt!  Or cute sandals!  Good thing it's not spring yet!  Time to prepare.  I'm thinking a skirt like this: 

(thanks gap.com)

There's a tutorial here and I also have this pattern which could be altered to suit my needs.  I'd really like to actually make the skirt this time instead of buying the pattern and letting it languish in storage...  what do you think?  Linen?  Too wrinkly?  Cotton?  Do you get quilting cotton for this??  Muslin?  hm... 

spring IS coming, no, really, it is!

It's that time of year, right before spring, when one starts getting twitchy about the season changing.  Stores start putting out garden supplies and large floral prints appear on clothing.  It's 36 degrees out side and despite the chill, since it's *sunny*, I throw open the windows to air this apartment out!  I'm done, people.  Done with winter.  D-O-N-E.  Ten ways to know that Spring IS coming:

10.  I bought this purse.  I had to have some color, for pete's sake. 

9.  Fluffy has started shedding.
8.  I have the distinct feeling that I want to throw everything I own out and start over.
7.  I started buying pink things.  See below. (goodwill find)

6.  Baby showers.

5.  Yum.
4.  Asparagus kind of sounds good right now.
3.  Baby Alpacas  AK! 
2.  There are actual buds on the trees!
and
1.  The fashion world wants us to start dressing like jaunty sailors again. 

today

an orange

a nap

and a mug of tea.