Oh, hello 2025!

Isn`t it curious, how the time flies? I stumbled by chance upon my own long forgotten blog and felt really ashamed, lol.

The years that passed by I embraced Facebook like so many others, and then changed way to Instagram, cause it is way easier to post from the phone, when I go somewhere and want to share my thoughts.

I changed, too. I have more free time now, as me and my husband are retired. I loved my teaching job but it became increasingly tiresome and the amount of paperwork was more and more challenging. 

I can do what I want now. The boys are at their own homes and families. They visit often, but, you know how it is. 

I had quite a few books edited and written, too. A young adult novel, illustrated by my eldest son, who is a gifted self taught illustrator. The second volume is on the way. My own poetry book came out , 25 years after the first one. I don`t write easily. And I translated and edited some 10 volumes in the recent years.

I do have some goals for 2025, though.

Things on my to do list are endless. A few of the most important ones are - 

1. continue gardening

2. continue writing

3. becoming fluent in Korean (or, at least understand more of the spoken language)

4. trying my hands in brush painting Chinese characters, which I find beautiful and intriguing

5. continue posting on Instagram mainly for my new friends from all over the world

6. sewing, as I fell so hard for patchwork

So, have a great 2025, all of you!

Happy Ox Year!

 

High hopes for 2017

Well, I think it is time to set some goals for the current year. No promises, though, because there is always the time and the surprise factor that can intervene... And beeing a maths teacher doesn't help, either, to accomplish my wish and sew something every day. 

But!

As a constant reader of some really nice ladies on the net, I tumbled on Lisa Bongean's Primitive Gatherings Triangle Sew Along block challenge and I did like them soooo very much, I had to experiment with. And also, her The magic of Christmas block challenge was all too nice! I read about it for the first time at http://sisterschoice.typepad.com/sisters_choice_quilts/ which is a quilting blog I enjoy reading from its very beginnings. 

So, I just wanted to show my first block. I made it yesterday and I think it is quite an achievement, because that was the day I used for the first time my new Bernina, a Bernina Bernette 12. I know I will have much to learn and I expect there will be some fun stitching hours spent with it.

The block I made is somehow peculiar, I measured for each piece of material 15 cm-s. But it came out quite nicely. The material I used is cotton, and I purchased one and a half meters of it some years ago in a small town. It is not labelled, but the feeling is nice, crispy and lets itself sewn quite well.

Well? I plan to do another one, in dark green with mini roses.

...my newest materials...

...and some assorted batics...

 The materials above are a Christmas gift from Caitlyn. They are a nice selection of aqua, cotton, with sea critters. I have big plans for these. But it'll have to wait until summer.

Have a nice day!

beth

Yearly calendar for 2017

Hi,

Caitlyn was so kind and drew the four seasons to be included in my hubby's yearly calendar, which you can download from his blogpage, at http://jibouan.blogspot.ro/2016/12/semne-de-carte-si-calendare-pe-anul-2017.html .

I made one, too, because I want to show you those little gems of drawings.

Aren't they sweet? Thanks, Caitlyn!

Have a nice day!

Beth

Still winter

Hi,

quite a winter here, in Jibou.

It looks like this:

The kids were able to take some walks in the snow. And Caitlyn too was able to see what a Romanian winter looks like.

Yet, I remember all quite well that there was summer once...

In the Botanical garden, the lotus was flowering...

And the japanese pagoda's door  opened to the bamboo...

But you know what? We had such a rainy, sad day today, february 2nd. They say here, if the bear comes out and sees its shadow, it goes back and sleeps six more weeks. Well, I can tell you, it didn't see its shadow today. Not at all. 

Maybe spring will come soon?

The fire rooster of 2017

Hi,

they say this year's Rooster might be quite something!

It's the fire one, so it may bring some rebirth from ashes, along its respect for traditions.

Let's just hope there will be no phoenix-like rebirth for the nasty stuff, too.

So, high hopes for you, Rooster!

May everyone find what they wish for this year...

More totes

Hi, there,

it seems to me that the year jumpstarted just now.

I'd like to show you some totes I made the last couple of weeks.

 These are two eco-bags for two sisters. They are made of linen.

 I do wish spring to come!

 This is a small cards/and/cash carrier I made for Kaytlin.

 You can zip the inside too and keep there the cards, or the change.

 ...detail on the ladybug ornament...

After that, I offered Kaytlin to make her a drawing pad carrier, as she studies the fine arts. When she told me how big actually the drawing board is, I said "what"? 23 inch per 26 inch is something to carry indeed!

So I began to brainstorm and came up with this:

 ...place inside to carry the big papers and whatnots...

 ...a detachable pencil-carrier...

 ...detail...

 ...it looks like this if she wants to have it separately...

 ...the two of them, attached to the inside. The bag itself is more like a beach-quilt, you can detach the inside parts and sit on it if you go somewhere and whant to paint or sketch something.  It has four pairs of ribbons attached on the sides, that transform the thing into an actual big bag.

...on the outside, it has this strap, which lets the bag to be carried on one shoulder, but one strap can be attached to the upfront, so that it can be carried also in one hand. Kaytlin sent me a photo to show that the drawing board actually fits.

...and I see she proudly sports her own eco-bag, too.

That's  all for today, take care,

bet