A Quilter with a Green Thumb - My Christmas Cactus is Blooming!

I was given this Christmas Cactus last fall (2010) from a friend.  

She was bringing her plants in for the winter and had several cuttings from her Christmas Cactus and shared it with me.  She said it probably wouldn't bloom for awhile as it was just repotted. 

She also mentioned that it was probably too much light up in the window and it would not have enough dark hours.  I liked it up there and it looked pretty as a green plant. I watered and cared for it for a year as a pretty little green plant.  I enjoyed it even if wasn't going to bloom.  That was OK with me!

The first week of December, I noticed that there were little pink buds on the tips of the plant.  Cool!  It was going to bloom!

This was the first bloom.  
It was cool ...but I didn't remember what the blossoms looked like. I thought that was the bloom, but later that day it opened up more!

 

 There are more buds.  More blooms to come. It may be in full bloom by Christmas!

I am not sure if I have a green thumb.  I think it is the weekly watering and the south window.
  
My Christmas Cactus makes me smile. 
May you enjoy all the blooms in your life...
Marcia


Linked with:
A Southern Daydreamer: Outdoor Wednesday - Dec. 14, 2011
Tootsie Time: Fertilizer Friday - Dec. 16, 2011
Lisa's Chaos: Macro Monday - Dec. 19, 2011
Savvy Southern Style: WOW Us Wednesday - Dec. 21, 2011

A Quilter with a Green Thumb - Maybe... Maybe Not ?

I bought two Amaryllis kits right before Christmas, thinking they might bloom sometime between Christmas and New Year's when my Mom was visiting.  My Mom love flowers and I thought it would be cool to have Red Amaryllis blooming in my living room.

I took them out of the box and followed the directions.  This is the way they looked when I started them.  One was already sprouting out.

Cool ... maybe I will have blooms by New Years! Or at least one bloom!

This is the way they looked on December 29th.  One was growing and one wasn't.

Well, at least one of them is going to bloom. It will look really cool next to my other plants.

Well... New Year's came and went and still no blooms.

On the 8th of January it started to open.

This is how it looked on the 10th of January. I took pictures during the day as I watched it change.

Then the next day!

And the next day!

These were taken on January13th. 

And this is the one that is not growing...It looks perfectly fine but nothing is happening.

The Red Amaryllis does look very nice with my green plants on the table by the window.

Up close of the bloom.  This could be a beautiful red texture fabric to use in a quilt.

That's one nice bloom!  It really could inspire a very pretty thread painted quilt!
I think it was worth taking a picture or two or three everyday.  Hope you enjoyed the view.   
We are suppose to get 7 inches of heavy snow today.  It started snowing early this morning.  I think I will just stay inside and enjoy the flowers! It's a good day to sew in the dining room and enjoy the view of the snow on the evergreens.  Yes, I have to quilt too, but I also need a few Minutes for Me of sewing on the green donation quilt. 
Have a wonderful day!
Marcia


Linked with:
My Christmas Cactus is Blooming Post - Dec. 15, 2011
African Violets in Full Bloom - Dec. 6, 2011
Tootsie Time: Fertilizer Friday - Jan. 20, 2012
A Southern Daydreamer: Outdoor Wednesday-Jan. 18, 2012
Lisa's Chaos: Macro Monday - Jan. 23, 2012 

Hodgepodge Patchwork Tuesday --- Our Anniversary, an Aloe Plant, a Denim Coaster, and One Lovely Violet!

September 19th 1992 --- Our Wedding Day!

And here we are 19 years later - September 2011. I cropped us out of our family picture and I can't make it larger or it gets blurry! I think we look pretty good!  Maybe, because we are happy! We celebrated our anniversary tonight by going out for Taco Tuesday.  So many changes in 19 years, but I would have to say all in all, they are good changes...


I love taking photos of quilts, plants, and people. When I view them later, I see the changes... 

In June, I took some photos of my large denim coaster with my aloe plant for my second blog --- a blog devoted to a collection of photos of all my sewing and quilting projects from the past 40 years.  The denim coaster was a fun little quilt to make!

Today, September 20th, I took more photos... I was amazed to see how much the aloe plant had grown and taken over the whole coffee table.  WOW!
Also at the end of June a friend shared this beautiful violet plant with me.  There were no blooms in June!  Look at them now!

I do not think of myself as having a green thumb, but I must be doing something right! 

 I love the green of the aloe against the denim blues...

By taking pictures of things over the years, I see the changes... changes in my quilting, in my plants, and in the people in my life... 


Some changes in life are good... Enjoy the good ones!

Enjoy your day!
Marcia

Most Viewed and My Favorite Posts From 2011

A Blue Quilt for Christmas was the all time most viewed popular post for 2011.  I took a pair of blue plaid shorts and several denim shirts and "up cycled" them into a quilt.

I shared all the steps on making this quilt from shorts to finished quilt.  I also shared a tutorial at Sew We Quilt on Nov. 11th on how to construct this simple free form block that I named the Denim Block. Click here for the Scrappy Quilt Challenge that uses the Denim Block.  Join in the fun!

Imaginary Blooms was the second most viewed post this past year.  My friend designed the quilt pattern for the big panel flower blocks. I made my quilt using dyed fabrics and decided I was going to create my own flowers for the blocks.

I chose to offset the flowers on the quilt instead of placing them in each block.  I loved making the blooms!

  

The third most viewed post was my First Bloom Quilt that was inspired by my First Morning Glory Bloom of the summer!

Next, was the Table Topper Quilt and Hot Pads that I created using a beaded denim shirt.  I called it my Vacation Project, because we vacationed for a full week at our camper on the Mississippi River.  

We have been camping at the same campground for 20 years, this summer.  We enjoy our weekends at our camper, but this was so nice to take a whole week and relax.  I sew and my husband fishes. 

This is the denim beaded shirt I upcycled into the quilt.

I was so pleased with the finished quilted table topper and hot pads.

I used the table topper as part of my November Tablescape.

I had fun taking photos of my herbs and vegetables from my container garden. 

Last year, was the first year of May for Me Celebration - It was a month long celebration of learning how to take a few minutes for you.  You can be a happier person, if you play a few minutes a day!  This year, I am teaming up with Tonya from Hillbillly Handiworks, Sharon from Vrooman's Quilts, and Snoodles from Lily Pad Quilting.  It will be a month long celebration of fun!  More information about the 2nd annual May for Me Celebration in February 2012.

One of my favorite quilt projects from 2011 was my Tiny Treasures Quilt. I created this quilt for an Off Season Challenge for Project Quilting. I overall free style quilted my name in a wavy pattern through out the whole quilt. 

After I got a new camera for my birthday in November, I enjoyed taking macro shots of flowers too!  Thus, started the posts called:  A Quilter with a Green Thumb. Of course, photos of my blooms and flowers have inspired my quilting.

On Oct. 3rd, I posted photos of my gardening and thread painting projects and how it inspires me to thread paint with my quilting machine. Quilting the Colors and Textures of My Garden.

Almost every Monday, I post about Getting Up Close with My Quilting. These posts started in April from a request to see the stitching on customer's quilts up close. I share photos of my free style quilting designs.  I create the patterns while manually moving my quilting machine to stitch unique designs. No computers, no panto graphs, and no templates - all are free motion designs. You can click on the buttons in the sidebar of this blog to see several different free style designs. 

Most recently, I have started the Minutes for Me Linky Parties where everyone can share their craft. What makes you happy?  Take a few minutes for you - to play everyday and share it at the party!  I would like to invite you to share.
Another favorite quilt project was my Think Outside the Block Quilt.  If you have ever had a quilt that you started and then got it out to finish it and then the blocks didn't match up --- I have a solution. You can Think Outside the Block!

My Wordless Wednesday posts have featured my dog, Gabby and my Mom's dog, Toby with my quilts. I titled this post Toby Loves Gabby.

The photos with the dogs really started last January when I was taking photos of my quilts for Project Quilting and Gabby wanted to be in every photo.

Then she would check to see what was in the bag.

My post about my Floating Lilies included a few shots of the dogs. When I got out the camera, there they were poising for me!

This fall, they helped test the warmth of my Blue Denim Christmas Quilt with the washable wool batting. I am so lucky to have these two to help me out!

As this year ends and we start a new one... Especially if you are a quilter, may your days be filled with the warmth of quilts... knowing the comfort and love you bring to others through your quilting.
I have much to be thankful for, as we have had a year of health struggles with my Mom.  We are blessed to have her with us, as we end this year and celebrate a new beginning to a happier and healthier year in 2012.

Happy New Year!
Marcia
Note: I included all the links in Color under each photo so you can see that post.  Feel free to go back and click on each one to see more photos and read about that quilt. 
Linked with:
Confessions of a Fabric Addict: Time to Show Your Best - Dec. 30, 2011
Sew Many Ways: Sew Darn Crafty Party - Jan. 1, 2012
Marcia's Crafty Sewing & Quilting: Minutes for Me - Dec. 28, 2011
Sew Happy Geek: Manic Monday Linky Party - Jan. 2, 2012