I GOT IN!

There. No one can accuse me of burying the lead on this item! I’ll stop shouting now…

Back in January I was thinking about goals for the year. I’ve had the Sidney Fine Art Show in my sights for some time. And I know that the goal ‘Get into the Fine Art Show’ isn’t a realistic one – who knows who the jurors will be or what their criteria will be. I did set myself the goal of  having  a strong piece to enter into the show. Not just the most recently completed piece, not the one that was just good enough. And I was pleased that I accomplished that goal. I have another piece that is good, but not big enough. And a third one that has problems and has since been disassembled for further consideration.

But actually being accepted? Woohoo – whipped cream with a cherry on top time, folks.

I don’t know what the boundaries are around showing work in advance of the show, so I think I’ll wait on posting a picture. However, this is part of on ongoing series, so I’ll show you the first one I did and entered into the Victoria Quilters’ Guild show last year.

Yeah, complete with my toes at the bottom!

p.s. granite counter top arrived today – its gorgeous!

Progress and waiting.

Week 10 of the project begins tomorrow. This past week there was quite a bit of activity – measuring for glass and granite, installation of the cabinet, electrical work and painting. The bathtub is still in the dining room, but the plumbers are coming tomorrow, we’re told, so perhaps that will change.

Excuse the cupboard door in the shower – fresh coat of paint is drying. . . The tiles need to be sealed, and the tub is to be installed along with the tap set and the shower fixtures.

The granite guys are working on the counter top, then the backsplash can go on. The mirror and its frame are in the bedroom, waiting their turn. We went into Victoria on Friday and looked at light fixtures – that is an outstanding task. And somewhere along the way there is a toilet to be installed.

We’re having a run of beautiful Fall weather – sunny and bright with that clear golden light that comes in the Autumn. I made pear-ginger jam from pears from Kristin’s tree and there are enough pears left over for a batch of pear ginger scones. I’m still working on the best scones ever – fortunately I have a willing guinea pig here at the house who will cheerfully polish off all experiments!

Behold – the bionic finger!

Oh, wait. That’s not right….

Ummmm – behold armor for quilters! That’s better. I’ve been working away on my entry for the Sidney Fine Art Show. Many hours of stitching, as the quilt continued to say more, more, more – you can see some of the result in the background. I finally acquired an underthimble to try and spare my poor hamburger like index finger. I wasn’t sure that it a) would stick and b) I’d be able to sense the needle coming through the fabric. Wrong on both counts. In fact the adhesive really really hangs in there – I’m not sure I’ll have any fingerprints left after all this… And I could tell that the needle was through, so all was well.

I got my entry completed – even early, for me. No last minute panic, late nights and last minute dash to beat the clock for the adjudication process. Not that I didn’t put in a lot of hours this week. Perhaps by the end of the week I’ll hear if it was accepted.

There’s been a bit of hurry up and wait with the bathroom project – Alberto ran out of one tile, and when the next batch arrived it didn’t match. That set things back a bit, but the proper tile arrived this past week and Michelle came along to finish the job. Rumour has it that the new cabinet will be delivered tomorrow.

After some decidedly Fall like temperatures and rain this past week Summer (sweet Summer) has made a return visit this weekend. And my Fall crocuses are up!

Colchicum Giant – in the spring the leaves come up – large and strappy. They die back and then one day in the Fall there are these big crocus like flowers standing by themselves in the garden. They naturalize very well and left to their own devices make big drifts of purple. They’re actually a form of lily, not a true crocus. Some years the rains come and beat them down, but this year I’m able to enjoy them in the sunshine.

It is also the time of year for spiders. I’ll just pass over the big wolf spiders that wander through the house, at their peril. Yesterday morning I looked out the kitchen window and had quite a start:

Yep, right in front of the screen this huge spider has spun a huge web. There are spiders and webs everywhere outside – walking in the yard is a rather sticky experience. As long as they stay outside we sort of get along….