Black Holiday Decorations?

Some decorative Parisian Christmas chocolates. First the advent calendar:

Then some chocolate ornaments, a chocolate santa, and my favorite: chocolate letters.

I've noticed a disturbing trend here, lots of black christmas tree ornaments and decorations. Yuck. I guess that's trendy and chic, but I definitely don't care for it one bit.

These black trees look diseased to me.

I've seen black ornaments for sale in the expensive stores.

Give me happy colors!!!

Speaking of happy beautiful Christmas items, check out these cards by Moonboots. They are gorgeous. ComicBookLady was lucky enough to meet the artist and see the cards in person. Jen, check out this card in particular, there's a hedgehog in the sack of goodies.

So yesterday was the long-feared trip to the vet. Or should I say, trips to the vet plural. You know, it actually went as well as it possibly could. I distracted the cats in the kitchen by opening up a can of wet food while my husband started closing off doors to the rest of the house. Howler caught on that Something Bad was happening, but not fast enough.

Luckily Howler has learned that we stop chasing him around if he goes in his cage - it's his safe place. So he ran right in, but continued to blubber and wail - that's how he got his name in the first place. Howler howls.

We had a wonderful english-speaking vet - she was great. The one bit of badness? Turns out little Pokey has a heart murmer. Ack. We'll take her in for an ultrasound once we get back to america.

After the not-as-traumatic-as-it-could-have-been-but-still-stressful morning, my husband and I went to the Murphy's House pub for lunch. Yummy. And then we watched While You Were Sleeping. As I've said so many times, love love love that movie. It's the movie equivalent of comfort food for me.

More Noel

Some more Noel decorating here in Paris.

A poster advertising Beaujolais Nouveau:

St Trinite in the reflection:

I love the lettering for this Christmas candy:

Tomorrow is the day we drag the kitties to the vet for their rabies shots. Both my husband and I are really dreading this. The vet speaks english so I know that part of it won't be a problem, it's the rounding up into carriers and transportation that is worrying.

We'll have to take the kitties in two batches since we don't have a car. We'll take the big boys in their cages in a taxi and then hope to walk over later carrying the little girls. Just hope it's not really cold or wet tomorrow. Cross your fingers for us.

Hope Quilt

I finished my Hope quilt for the Alzheimer's Art Quilt Initiative. A bit later than I'd have liked, but at least I stopped my procrastination long enough to get it finished.

Yesterday I sewed the binding on Rumspringa too, even though I haven't finished quilting it yet. Figured I might as well since I was in the mood and All the outer bits were already quilted. This way the batting won't keep oozing out either - this is the quilt I that I didn't have quite enough batting and had to tuck in a bit extra around the edges.

Rain, rain, horrible rain. sigh.


I finished the first disc of Wonderfalls. I'd never caught the show before (I was out of the country when it was broadcast in 2004) but since it was by Bryan Fuller, the creater of Dead Like Me and my beloved but now unfortunately cancelled Pushing Daisies, it was worth a try. I'm enjoying it although the lead character is annoying me and Lee Pace isn't in it nearly enough.

Noël en Grand

The Galeries Lafayette in Paris is a gorgeous old building. It has a magnificent dome and a multistory area in the middle which is currently filled with an enormous Christmas tree.

The balconies overlooking the middle make me think of the opera.

I love how this looks in photographs – magical because you can’t see the wires. Very celestial.

This is my favorite “ornament” but I love the details of the stained glass too.

The outside of the building. They do an elaborate light show at night.

So outside in the world it’s Christmasy but I haven’t even begun to decorate here in the apartment – it’s still Halloween. I just don’t want to tackle all the clutter that needs to be moved. sigh.

We have started our Christmas movies though. My beloved Bell, Book, and Candle with Kim Novak and Jimmy Stewart and Desk Set with Katherine Hepburn and Spencer Tracey. Both wonderful romantic comedies – amazing how the old Hollywood appreciated that you could fall in love at any age, instead of only in your perky perfect 20’s…

Also watched the first Wallace and Gromit adventure: A Grand Day Out. Definitely my favorite. I appreciate the roughness and coziness of it all. And I love the little coin-operated contraption on the moon – expressive little machine.

I am so jealous of you with BBC One: there’s a new W&G feature called A Matter of Loaf and Death. I hope they don’t wait too long before showing it in the states.

I am making great progress with quilting Rumspringa – that’s the one thing I seem able to focus on lately. Been watching Buffy (Mayor definitely their best villain ever and while Hush is an amazing episode, you just can’t quilt to it) alternating with Angel (The first season is not as bad as I remember it. And now Wesley is on – woohoo)

Ya’all take care and I’m having fun reading all your comments on the last post.

Fabric Square Shop

Have I ever told you how much I love fabric? My husband jokes that I must throw it on the bed and roll around in it naked when he’s not home. Now that’s just silly – I have to be able to see it and touch it, rub it between my fingers..

Pokey with some great postcard fabric that Threadlines KathieB sent me.

I am trying trying, trying to break out of only using certain color palettes. I look at Bonnie’s lively scrap quilts where she uses every pattern and color, no matter how ugly or uninteresting. I want to try it, just haven’t yet. But I have started a new scrap bin that I am putting EVERYTHING into.

That fabric up above? I love it. Old me wouldn’t have used it because its got beiges in it, not pure white. Silly I know. So I’ve at least got some of this cut up and put in the Everything bin waiting for when I’m ready.

Y,a’all may have noticed a new item in my sidebar: it’s an advert for The Fabric Square Shop. You know that old quilters’ joke: Will Work for Fabric. Turns out it’s true.

I’m actually really excited about this. In exchange for the ad, Laura at the FSS is going to mail me a squishie full of fabric every month. Woohoo!  I’ll add some of the fabric to my own stash but the rest I’ll make up into packages for those of you who make quilts for those in need.

Like I said, I love fabric. Love it, love it, love it. In many ways I love playing with it – trying out different combinations and just plain old touching it – more than actually sewing it up into quilts. It will be so much fun to play with with a larger selection. Mix up the fabric lines and come up with packages for Project Linus, or Heartstrings, or Quilts of Valor or repros for an older person undergoing chemo.

That won’t all happen at once. First I’ve got to get back to the states.  I’ve been worried that I won’t have enough fabric, except for what I’ve managed to stuff into the suitcases (and hey, I gotta have a few items of clothing). Which I know is irrational – I have enough fabric.

Anyway to announce this new venture, Laura is holding a giveaway of $25 worth of merchandise. You can enter even if you live outside the U.S. which I think is very generous of her.

Here are the rules:

Go visit The Fabric Square Shop website, ebay, and etsy shops and check out all the fabric. There is a wide variety including reproductions, popular designers and brights. Laura tells me there’s actually more merchandise at the ebay site than there is in the shop shop.

Leave a comment on this post saying which items you’d like to have. For ebay that only works if it has a Buy Now price – I don’t think you get to have it for the 1 cent bid.

Do make sure you leave some contact info in your comment or at the very least a very distinctive name – because just drawing the name “anonymous” isn’t going to work very well. If you have problems leaving a comment you can email me.

The drawing will be held in one week.

This fabric is for you, no matter how you choose to use it – doesn’t have to be for charity quilts.

Oh, and you may recognize the quilt in the advert – yes, that’s my Margarita Quilt.  Now go look at all that fabric and don’t drool on your keyboards.