Cat-agenic

 Sometimes cats are just extremely photogenic

and then sometimes they would rather lick themselves.

So when Smoke is in the cooperative mood,

I start snapping pictures!

If I'm on the sofa, (in this case crocheting) he likes to sleep next to me.

Look at that big paw!

 

Bye for now!

Business Trip to Japan Part 2

While my husband was in Japan, they had to make a trip north

on the high speed rail,  Shinkansen.  He was very impressed, 

saying it was such a smooth and quiet ride.

He said that you were not supposed to talk on your phone

while on the train, and that there isn't a lot of conversation between riders.

 

 One of the stops was Fukashima.

There are rice fields wherever there is a piece of undeveloped land.

 

 Some interesting things about his trip:

• My husband is definitely taller than most Japanese, so he was ducking a lot, especially in older buildings. 
• Most of what they ate was fish and rice, and he got to try some pretty interesting things such as squid. 
• The Japanese have something called a squat toilet, though they had regular toilets too. 
• Every place he went was very clean, he even saw a bus driver cleaning the wheels of his bus.

Above is the flight of his return trip home. 

He was really impressed with Japan and would love to go back.

He would really like to see more of Tokyo next time.

Hope you enjoyed the pix.

Bye for now!

Business Trip to Japan Part 1

When my husband recently got a new job, 

we were so excited that he got to travel to Japan!

It was mostly work of course, but he did get to do 

some sight seeing. They were in a suburb of Tokyo

for most of the time. While there they visited Shiba Park 

and the Zojo-ji temple.

And right next door is the Tokyo Tower.  

It looks a bit like the Eiffel Tower.

They went to the top and got some great pix, what a view!

 

Here is my hubby, enjoying the view!

 

These little guys are the mascots of Tokyo Tower,

called Noppon. I guess they are brothers, they look like 

drops of rain to me!

 

Next time I'll show pix of his high speed train ride to northern Japan.

Bye for now!

Wearing the Dress I Made

 Finally I started sewing again, 

and after some false starts I came up with this lovely 

new summer dress. I uses one of my vintage sheets 

and a vintage pattern, that you can see below.

Dress: made by me

Cardi: Target

Pin, green and white beads and purse: vintage

Rings: retail

( I had to take these pix inside as it was raining at the time.)

This is the patten I used, I've been dying to try this 

ever since I got it. Originally I started making it using a 

red and white gingham, but I got half way through 

and realized it was a bit too sheer for a dress. 

I think I will still finish that version but make it into a top instead.

As you can see, I kind of mixed and matched from the versions 

on the pattern. I used the dress version #2, but made it the tunic 

length since I'm so short. I also left off the collar. 

I love the pockets on this, they form the loops for the belt!

 The green and white bead bracelet is actually a necklace I

wound around my wrist a bunch of times.

By the way, 

thank you so much for all the lovely comments

on my past posts! I love hearing from you and

I so appreciate your interest. 

Linking to Turning Heads Tuesday
and Top of the World
Bye for now!

Rainbow Flowers

  

Remember those colorful flowers I was crocheting

for a wreath? Well, here is the finished wreath!

It turned out quite beautifully I think, like a 

rainbow of blooms. And I added the butterflies too!

Of course, I couldn't stop making them, so I decided 

that I needed some for a bouquet too.

 

They ended up in a bucket that I keep in my birdcage. 

I found that vintage birdcage a long time ago,

and recently painted it to brighten it up.

I think I have a butterfly theme going here too!

 

I love the colors of summer flowers,

and these will never die.

Bye for now!

To Tokyo and Back

My hubby just got a new job,

and right away he had to take a trip to Japan!

He was there for a week and just got back.

It was really a great experience for him!

He did take some pix, which I will try to get on the blog

very soon. He also brought some great souvenirs for me and 

dear daughter, such as these yummy candies.

My daughter liked it all. I liked the chocolate, but 

the raspberry Kit Kat had a strange taste that I didn't care for.

 

He also got us these cute little toys.

Aren't they neat!

Also, today dear daughter went to stay with her grandparents 

in South Dakota for part of the summer.

I know she will have fun, but I miss her already!

Bye for now!

Yellow and Blue

Yellow and blue are definitely my favorite color combo,

it shows up in my decor, in my art and in my clothes.

It reminds me of the sun in the blue sky,

and it never fails to make me feel good.

 

 Sometimes blue can have a bad connotation, 

like having the blues. But it also can seem calm

and serene. My mom was fond of blue and green, 

and she used blue a lot in her decor. 

We even had blue shag carpet when I was a kid.

I don't think I would ever have blue carpet,

but I did grow up with an appreciation for blue!

And I remember yellow being a popular color in the 60s

for fashion. Pretty yellow dresses; sometimes in gingham

and sometimes in a floaty chiffon. But always so pretty!

I dream of painting my walls in my house white to show off the colors.

But I'm also tempted by blue and yellow, 

maybe someday!

Bye for now!

Girls Day Out

My girl just finished her classes,

so it was time to celebrate!

And since my hubby is out of town we decided to 

have a girls day out. And I got to wear my new top that I just made.

It works great with this skirt I made last summer. 

Blouse, skirt and belt: made by me

Purse, necklace and pin: vintage

 Here is the vintage pattern I used to make my top.

I used view #2, but I didn't add the elastic on the sleeves.

 

 My girl went for a boho look.

I took her out to lunch, for some shopping,

and later a walk in the neighborhood.

We had such a blast!

Linking to Turning Heads Tuesday

Bye for now!

Cats and Birds

Smoke really likes to hang with me, when I'm on the loveseat,

no matter what I'm doing. Even if I'm on the computer. 

Just looking for some love!

Sometimes I have to tease him a little, like putting my glasses

on his nose to see how he looks. Pretty cute I think!

 

When he's not napping we watch the birds,

like this lovely morning dove couple.

Or the young hawk that came to have his lunch in our back yard.

We sure have had a lot of wildlife in our back yard lately,

which Smoke and I just love!

Bye for now!