Cindy Brick is On The Air

Thrifty Mom in Boise and I did a trade recently -- a vintage Sunbonnet embroidery pattern (hers) for a book (mine): Quilts of the Golden West.

Not only did she get it -- she wrote a post about it! 

Thrifty Mom's blog is one of the first things I read every morning. She has many great, workable ideas for stretching your money -- and she gives firsthand examples to show how to accomplish it, even as a single mom with two growing teenagers. That's not the main reason I visit her blog, though -- she has such a sense of joy and enthusiasm about even the smallest pleasures in life. (She also reminds me early on that I'd better be preparing for Christmas, too...thanks for the heads-up, TM.)

I'm honored that she enjoys my work.

If you're curious about them, as well as my other books, you can find out more via Amazon -- or write me at cindyjbrick@gmail.com.  The Brickworks website has been down for refurbishing, but hopefully should be back and chugging away soon.

Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Supermoon is Here

The biggest, brightest moon since 1948 is supposed to be happening tonight (Monday the 14th). Depending on when you're reading this...you might want to go out and check.
     Not much happening on the home front, thank God. After all the fuss of the election (including working it -- opening ballots and counting, over and over again), I'm grateful to be able to futz around here. Some appraisals must be finished up, and I plan to sew a weighted blanket for a friend. 
     The chicken coop needs to be shoveled out, too.  Oh goody.

They did it, but I don't know how!  The Denver Broncos beat the New Orleans Saints at practically the last minute of the game, thanks to this blocked field goal and two-point conversion:

Now there's grousing that the player went out of bounds...but take a look yourself. Naaah. Besides, the ref was right there and would have noticed. (The Brick disagrees with me on this one, Broncos fan that he is.)

A University of New Hampshire librarian wills $4 MILLION to his school. How? He didn't like to spend money, his executor says.

A photo gallery of the celebs who, now Donald Trump will be president, Are Outta Here.  Bye, Al Sharpton, Barbra Streisand and Rosie O'Donnell, among others.  Don't let the door close on your collective behinds.  (Thanks for the heads-up, TMZ)
    Most are saying they're headed up north to Canada. Maybe they'd better read this first.
     Lady Gaga's ticked, too.  Poor baby.
     Could it possibly be that these people's viewpoints aren't nearly as important as they think they are?  I, for one, would sprint to the polls if Stephen King said he was going to 'shut down' if Clinton lost. (Oops, he did.) 
     How many of these little dears will quietly change their minds?

Winners and losers in the 2016 election -- and they're not talking about Clinton and Trump.

A bigfoot birthday party.  No, I am not making this up.  (From Coastal Mom Creations)  While you're there, take a look at her:




Simple wedding cupcakes. Easy to make, too!  Yes, she did that chocolate lettering herself.

Robert Vaughn died.  An elegant, subtle actor who stayed married to his wife since their union in 1974. Wow.

Two bald eagles, stuck in a storm drain. How often do you see that?

27 costume blunders in famous movies.  Nylon lycra shorts worn by Gladiator during a lion fight??

Carrot cake jam (from Hundred Dollars A Month). If that got your interest, you'll want to also try her:




Apple Pie Jam. I've made this myself, and it's wonderful. Good for tarts, as well as toast.

"I've made millions selling fake bad 'Billy Bob' teeth." (Perfect fake teeth too.) One in a series of unusual millionaires profiled by Mel.

My Frugal Life: The Way of the Miser.  The title is misleading. Don't let it stop you from reading this interesting post. (From Thrifty Fun)

"Ways I saved money last week."  (From Simple Is Good for You -- a blogger I've started reading fairly regularly)

A look back at how life changes and you adapt, year by year.  You don't always realize it, though, until you reread entries from the past.  (From Our New Life in the Country)

Going round in circles.  (From Life After Money)

Have a great week.  No campaign ads... whoo hoo!

For All You English Majors Out There...

Happy Veteran's Day!

These people gave their time, energy and even their lives for us. 

Let's honor them today.

If you're a veteran, there are goodies to benefit from, including free meals --
       take a look at the list, plus links to other lists, here.
             More here, too.

An Inspirational Visit to Almeria

     Oh, the places you can pick up ideas for future projects.

Like this one:

El Museo Arquelogico in Almeria, Spain, featured in a recent post from Rae Crothers' blog, A Life by Design.

Some of the mosaics featured in the"Museum of Archeology" look strangely familiar:

'Rob Peter to Pay Paul,' anyone?

Or a plain square pattern, arranged on point. Simple -- and effective.


I was also intrigued by the woven effect on one of the museum's installations:




Couldn't this be done with ribbons over a basic pieced patchwork pattern...maybe the squares design mentioned above?

There's a thought.


Be sure to read the entire post -- you'll find more attentioneers, including this wall:

Wouldn't that make a great border -- or allover pattern? I even like the 'disappearing' effect at the base.


(Many thanks to A Life By Design; permission given to use these photos.)

Another inspiration-jogger from Espana, this one courtesy of Morguefile

Welcome, President Trump and Vice President Pence

We have a new President...but it was a very close race. 

Hillary Clinton made a concession phone call after 1:41 a.m. Eastern Standard Time...ironically, within a very few minutes of when her campaign advisor took the stage at her campaign headquarters, said they weren't going to make any kind of decision...and urged everybody to go home. (Which they did.)

Guess she changed her mind. 

He also said "Hillary is here with us." But she wasn't.

(This is interesting -- an election predictor that was right on the money. But few people believed it could be true. After all, the polls and the experts were saying something different.)

Donald Trump gave his victory speech at 1:45 a.m., and it was a gracious one, toward the country and toward Mrs. Clinton. Subdued too, for him -- and definitely not as scripted, toward the end:

The song that plays after he ends speeches, including this one, is interesting:

Mrs. Clinton gave her concession speech this morning -- acknowledging Trump's victory, but quickly moving on to thank everyone else, including the Obamas, for their work on "our" behalf. (Yes, she was gracious, too.) She also urged the country to work together and move forward.  (For us textile nuts out there, I was fascinated by the suit she was wearing: dark charcoal gray, the color of mourning -- and purple, the traditional color of leadership and power. Trump's outfit was more ambiguous, hinting of the red/white/blue, but also the businessman: red tie, white shirt, black suit.)

Here's hoping this is a new focus on dignity and diplomacy.

     And a fresh step forward.



God bless America.  

Now for some sleep. I worked at election headquarters until 10 p.m last night....and left a bunch of people there, still doing their jobs, making sure everything stayed aboveboard. 

Update on the Update -- Jamie Wallen

I've been telling you about Jamie's difficult situation --

his trailer was stolen during Houston's International Quilt Festival.

One of my appraiser buddies, who taught during IQF, provided more info:

Yes, the trailer has been found. 

It was empty.  All of Jamie's quilts, his customers' quilts (which he was delivering), his merchandise, class materials...

Gone.

Someone has been arrested, connected to the theft...but that's all she knew at present.
     Another person added that some of the stolen quilts were recovered...but Jamie's equipment and booth setup were damaged. The police are hoping that they'll find more. 

Since Market and Festival are both over, that doesn't help Jamie much. At least he is working with the insurance company to replace the missing goods.  (Estimated value:  $125,000. Ouch.)

Keep him in your thoughts -- and your eyes open. Maybe we can help him find his stuff.