Black, white & pink

Good news for all us postal junkies - looks like the strikes may be called off as the issues may be resolved - there is definitely progress, so I'm hoping it will be sorted. Hate to miss my daily fix! Got two things today - a postcard from Mary for the J is for... swap - she did jewellery - which doesn't show well on this photo, but she's beaded a necklace, bracelet, earrings and ring - very clever idea. Jewellery was one of the ideas I considered (though what I had in mind was nothing like this) but in the end, the jellyfish won out. Also in the post, a squishie from Barbara, who has recently started her own blog, and sent me this pack of 1" charms as a thank you for answering lots of blog-related questions. Wasn't that sweet? Of course, now I have to do something with them, or I will feel guilty! Wonder if I've got a postcard swap upcoming that they would work for - hmm, maybe I can use some as confetti if I cut them up a bit smaller...






And here's what I did today - or rather, what I did after I made two blocks I really hated for the birthday block swap - was going to do a third in a totally different pattern, but was tired of it by then, so decided to do something different, and this was next on the list. These are for a swap "black and white and one other colour" - I picked pink, as you no doubt guessed. These are courthouse steps blocks in black and white (with pink centres) with free motion flowers quilted on top in pink variegated thread. I'm doing a lot of free motion quilting on small things, for practice. And I'm getting better - which just goes to show that what they say about practice is definitely true... Not that I'll ever be perfect, mind you.


Thought I'd show this, too. I decided I need to file and organise some postcards today - I did have them more or less in boxes by themed swap, but it was too silly that way - one or two cards only in some sections, so I have filed them much more loosely - did one file box (I have these metal boxes I got at Ikea - about 6.5 inches wide, 5 inches high, about a shelf depth deep) with seasonal ones - winter/christmas, autumn, spring& flowers, summer - then the other two with just themes, but broad ones like "blue" or "stripes" or "hearts/valentine's day" - they all seem to fall into some sort of category except one or two. Anyway, decided to fill my display with autumnal colours & themes - started with the ones for actual autumnal swaps, branced out (so to speak) to trees, leaves and then just browns, greens & oranges. Looks very autumnal, don't you think? I'll keep it that way for a while, probably until I change them for the winter/Christmas ones.