Friday, September 9, 2016

Away and More....

Another week has just zipped past.  The year marches forward.

My dear friend, Ida, is hosting the second annual Pincushion Parade and it is time to link up.  I won't bore you with the slew of pincushions from years past as you can see them HERE, but I will show you my new pincushions from this year.  I LOVE these little bird pincushions and they are so practical.  Filled with crushed walnut shells they are the perfect pincushion to take along on trips.  They are a free downloadable pattern from Deonn at Quiltscapes.  Thanks, Deonn.


Now....you might ask why I have several birds.  Well...I am hosting what I hope will be our first annual Beachside Quilting Retreat this weekend and I made them for the gals who will be attending.  More on that later, but I have to say that I have never attended a quilting retreat so this is a big adventure to not only attend, but to also host.

This year I also added a turtle to my collection and he holds all of my flat pins.  This is a pattern from Sue at Supermom No Cape.



Be sure to check out the Perfectly Pincushion Parade and show off your pincushions.  There are great prizes to be won.



Dear hubby celebrated one of those milestone birthdays this week so we had a big family celebration.  One of our granddaughters celebrated her 17th birthday along with him.



 For his birthday we took a road trip - driving out through Death Valley and into Red Rock Canyon near Las Vegas.  We stayed in Red Rock for the night before driving back home.  I loved the view from our room of the swimming pool - a sun shaped pool with ray "pools" extending from it.  It is such a great place to stay in Vegas - away from the strip.


 An update on the baby cockatiels....Day 30 and they are now finding the food bowl and becoming very independent of the parents.  It won't be long before they are completely on their own. They now have lots of feathers and are exercising their wings.





 So....as I said, this is going to be a weekend of sewing for me.  I am looking forward to the fun of a retreat, sewing with friends AND to finishing some projects  Bags are packed and I hope I have it planned out well enough.



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26 comments:

  1. SueSeptember 9, 2016 at 6:44 PM

    I win, I win! I am first to post a comment!!!! Gee, remember when we had the pincushion blog hop with Madame Samm? Boy, were there a lot of pincushions. I love your turtle...he is absolutely adorable.

    Glad the birds are starting to look like birds! Can't wait to see them when they are fully feathered.

    How hot was the drive through Death Valley? When we drove to my son's wedding in Bishop, it was April and still hot!

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  2. Siouxzq64@gmail.comSeptember 9, 2016 at 6:53 PM

    Awe happy Birthday. Your trip looks like a fun time, have a great retreat.

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  3. HilachasSeptember 9, 2016 at 11:05 PM

    The retreat sounds like so much fun. Enjoy! Love those bird pincushions. Thanks for sharing the pattern.

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  4. Quilting BabciaSeptember 10, 2016 at 4:31 AM

    Have fun at your retreat. Your bird pincushions are darling, and the turtle has amazing character. Thanks for sharing the bird pattern.

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  5. Marjorie's Busy CornerSeptember 10, 2016 at 4:43 AM

    Love the pincushions....especially the turtle. Enjoy your sewing weekend

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  6. LorisSeptember 10, 2016 at 6:15 AM

    Your bird pincushions are really cute! Have a wonderful retreat :-)

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  7. SuperMomNoCapeSeptember 10, 2016 at 6:42 AM

    Those bird pincushions are soooo cute. And it was such fun to see your version of my Hexie Turtle pattern again! Glad to see it's being put to good use!

    I can look at your cockatiels and enjoy your adventures from afar. When I was growing up, Dad had a whole wall of cages in the living room for his cocktiels and I have to admit that I came to hate them. They were so noisy and when you walked by the cages they would fly up and dust and feathers would be everywhere. Cleaning those cages was one of my chores so that may have contributed to my dislike of them. But it's fun to see photos of someone else's... lol.

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  8. MariaSeptember 10, 2016 at 6:47 AM

    Your wee bird pincushions are lovely gifts for the retreat ladies...cute turtle too...
    Fabulous birthday trip...nice to have shared hubbys special day with your GD.
    Have the best time at your retreat....

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  9. JanetSeptember 10, 2016 at 9:22 AM

    I love the bird pincushions and the turtle. Both so cute. Maybe I will have to make little birdies for the next retreat I host. I can`t imagine raising birds. One of my friends had a grey parrot and it drove me crazy. I would go to visit her and the bird would get jealous and spend the whole time I was there sitting on her shoulder and pecking at her ear or her face, while she tried to get it to leave her alone. She finally realized she wasn`t giving the bird enough attention, what with being away at work a lot, and she found someone else to take him.

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  10. KimMSeptember 10, 2016 at 2:39 PM

    What utterly sweet pincushions! Love them. I'm sure the retreat will be a huge success. Enjoy!!
    xxx

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  11. sunnySeptember 10, 2016 at 3:17 PM

    Adorable pin cushions! We went to Red Rock Canyon about this time last year. Very beautiful.

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  12. Denise :)September 10, 2016 at 4:21 PM

    Your pin cushions are just darling!! And happy birthday to your hubby!! :)

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  13. Lara B.September 10, 2016 at 7:29 PM

    Mary, for just a split second there, I thought those little pincushions were your baby cockatiels, LOL. They are very cute and your friends will just love them. I hope you have a wonderful time hosting the retreat!
    Happy birthday to hubby and granddaughter!

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  14. Anne / Springleaf StudiosSeptember 10, 2016 at 8:08 PM

    Love the cute little bird pin cushions. Hope you're having fun at your retreat.

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  15. LA PaylorSeptember 10, 2016 at 8:37 PM

    so that's what they look like when babies...
    I just think that turtle is so cute. Now I must do one.
    LeeAnna at not afraid of color

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  16. RaewynSeptember 10, 2016 at 10:47 PM

    I hope you're having a great weekend sewing (and hosting!)! And belated birthday wishes to Hubby and your grand daughter - it sounds like you had a good time celebrating. I love those bird pincushions and the turtle - thank you for the links :-)

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  17. My Sister Made Me Do It....September 11, 2016 at 5:12 AM

    Tried to leave a comment with my phone yesterday but no luck......what I wanted to comment is that your posts are going to the birds!! Lol....those sweet bluebirds are adorable, as are your real baby birdies. Thanks for linking us with the pattern.....and, of course, thanks for spreading the word about our parade!

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  18. OPQuiltSeptember 11, 2016 at 7:46 AM

    I love my little pinchusion and am having a great time at the retreat--especially our walks on the beach and getting locked out of the house! I am so glad we were able to put this together and to order our lives so we could make time to sew sew sew. Thanks for all your fun blog posts and for your hospitality--you are a treasure!

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  19. Gosia @ Quilts My WaySeptember 11, 2016 at 11:00 AM

    The turtle pincushion is my fav. Looks wonderful :)
    Your birds grow so quickly, Mary. They almost look like an adult.
    My best,
    Gosia.

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  20. quiltmaniaSeptember 13, 2016 at 7:57 AM

    Love your birds, both the pin cushions and the live ones. I'm off to check out the pattern.

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  21. legato1958September 13, 2016 at 8:30 AM

    What cute little animals you have created! They are adorable and so fun!
    Susie

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  22. Soma @ inkTorrents.comSeptember 13, 2016 at 9:56 AM

    Happy Birthdays to both of them. That road trip sounds wonderful. The turtle pincushion is adorable! I was wondering why you have several birds. The girls will love them!! Have a wonderful time at the retreat.

    -Soma

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  23. CreateologySeptember 14, 2016 at 2:25 PM

    Your bird pincushions for Retreat guests are very thoughtful and super cute. I am certain you have thought of everything and the Retreat will be a huge success. We have stayed at the Red Rock Resort and it is fabulous. Your little Cockatiels are really getting along nicely. Enjoy your Retreat Dear.

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  24. Christine MSeptember 17, 2016 at 11:20 PM

    Your little birds are just gorgeous.

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  25. PamelaSeptember 18, 2016 at 3:40 AM

    What cute little bird pincushions!

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  26. Abby and StephanieSeptember 18, 2016 at 7:45 AM

    Happy Belated Birthdays to the birthday boy and girl. How fun for the mister to celebrate with a grandchild. Love the adorable birdie pincushions. I thought they were in honor of your in house real live baby birds. :o) Oh a quilt retreat...that is #1 on my Bucket List followed by seeing the Northern Lights and Whale Watching. I'm a simple girl...

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