I intended all along to stop this blog when Ruby Claire came home. Which,as my first post states,should have happened this month-22 months,an elephant's gestation period.

This blog was intended for Ruby to look back on,to see what I did while I waited. And the reason I went public with it,is because it motivated me to get a lot done,because I knew people were watching me to see what I would do next! Though,I never expected to meet so many wonderful like-minded people and learn so much(like taking detailed pictures of everyday objects).

I am in the habit now of writing a journal entry about once a week,but more personal thoughts,written with a pen on paper,for Ruby alone to read one day.

A very popular blogger,who recently ended her blog,referenced another blogger's goodbye of comparing a blog to an unfinished painting. Well,in my case that is quite appropriate!

I am not ending this blog because of a lack of activity to write about. Actually,I have made many things lately and have done so many things that would make lovely posts. I actually don't have the desire to share what I am doing anymore in a public space.

I was wearing a t-shirt recently that I had hand dyed and hand embroidered,and was actually hoping that no one would ask if I had made it. It felt good to just be in the process of making it,that was all that mattered to me.

My etsy shop will open sometime in the next few weeks. My shop will also be called Waiting For Ruby.

You can be sure I will be painting and creating as I am waiting,and waiting.

Thank you to all who have commented and e-mailed me over these past months,they always made my day to read!

This delightful fabric is Munki Munki's (Heather Ross) Little Red fabric. I was trembling with excitement almost two years ago,when it was finally listed on ebay, and I was able to get my hands on almost three yards with a buy it now(at a very reasonable price!). I have had my heart set on making a quilt with it for Ruby's crib area of our room(she will be accustomed to sleeping in a room with other children,we want to transition her slowly into her own room). Though I have many ideas swirling in my head,I am not quite sure what sort of design I want to do,or what,if any, coordinating fabrics I would use. All I know is that it is perfect-it has Little Red written all over it and it has a yellow brick road(maybe that's not what it is,but to me it is!)!!! I love Heather Ross's sense of humor,too, over the wolf it says "Mr. Wolf,now a vegetarian".

And I can ponder all of these things quite a while,I am afraid,because the process keeps lengthening.

So I will think about it some more,maybe while wearing my Converse Little Red sneakers,designed by Camilla Engman,thinking of my Little Red.

I told myself that I wouldn't post about anymore painted "patches" on my wall until one half of the wall was finished-but with everything I have on my plate right now,the wall is all I can do creatively, or I will never finish it! This one is a painting of a wallpaper,that I don't know the make of,that I saw on a design blog(just a tiny snippet so I had to copy and paste and make a whole square to reference from to paint it!)

And this "patch" is so appropriate for this post because it reminds me of a city garden.

My husband and I now rent two garden plots at a community garden nearby. They were dense with thick weeds so we have been quite busy there! We have been so busy,the only fun we have had lately is seeing Wicked in NYC this past weekend.But all the work is so worth it,and the plots have so much potential,there was already an apple tree,and gooseberry and blackberry bushes on the plots. We planted vegetables and strawberries.

Eating local is so important because it is one of the things that has the most impact on one's Earth footprint. Click the link to find your own footprint on this Earth.

We also now have a tumbler-composter and countertop composter so we will have compost for our plants,and we will be able to cut down our garbage even more! We often don't have to put our barrel out for collection because we throw out so little,now who knows how seldom it will be out there!

I have brass ones sometimes, I cut into fabrics that I have no business cutting into! Liberties,for sure, and this time-Oilily's Kimono. But I think the most beautiful fabrics can be the most forgiving when you have no idea what you are doing, because they are so pretty,the projects look nice just for that reason.

I was so looking forward to sewing my first article of clothing,but I can't find the fabric that I want anywhere. It has to be gray seersucker or something similar,I have my heart set on it!

Our dining chairs appealed to me because I think they look like hobbit chairs. I don't know why,probably because they are small. Well,the hobbit chairs got new cushions,and they are not what I think a hobbit would go for at all! I think a hobbit would prefer something a bit more traditional and neutral.

But there are no hobbits living here! Just a couple of crazy kids.

I used linen for the bottom. For the ties I used 2 different colors for a streamer-like look using raspberry and pale blue ribbons.

I took some advice from a favorite blog and ignored the housework today. I just pretended that those cat-hair tumbleweeds weren't there and sewed happily. Okay,not happily(I have a cold and didn't have my usual patience)but I did manage to complete them(I need to make 2 more when I receive more of this fabric in the mail),and when I was done,then I was happy!

Another splendid design listed on ebay by my uber-talented friend,Geeta! Geeta was inspired by her and her daughter's love of The Sound Of Music for this design. Growing up,my whole family(minus my Dad) would watch The Sound Of Music at Easter time(this was before VCR's and DVD players-or before we had one anyway,and that's when it aired on television each year!).I love the sweet colors of pale lavender and blue.

I have been inspired by French blogs a lot more than English blogs lately. I can only read portions of the writing accompanying the pictures,but the pictures are eye-candy and inspiration enough. I took French up until college level but that was years ago,and you know how it goes "if you don't use it..." I haven't added my new favorite French blogs to my sidebar because there are just too many that I have added to my favorites list, and I can't choose just a few!

I especially love all of the Liberty fabrics they tend to incorporate into their projects. I have found many great prints for my patchwork wall.

Such as this painted "patch" on my wall,found here, it is a fabric by Kenzo that I wasn't able to find a clearer picture of,I left the scale-textured print out of my painting,though,because I think it looks busy enough as it is,I wanted the birds to stand out. I love the birds so much,they look like a cross between penguins and bluebirds!

My hand-painted "patch"of Kenzo Bird Fabric ::

The French blogs also love to use purple and grays,a beautiful combination! We have beautiful old, but in perfect condition, gray tile in our upstairs bathroom. I used touches of eggplant in there and I love it. I planned on painting Liberty's Mirabelle in the pink color-way,and I might use that color for another patch,but I fell in love with the violet color-way that I saw on a French blog. I didn't even know that Mirabelle came in that color-way!

Here is my hand-painted "patch" of Liberty Mirabelle ::

I am obsessed with a fabric that I saw here,that I really wanted to buy to make pillows for our living room,but after many attempts to communicate with the site owner,I have been unable to order it. I guess I will have to settle for it being a patch on my wall! I am SO disappointed,and if anyone knows if there is another place that it can be purchased,please let me know,I can't stop thinking about this fabric!

I have been so busy with many things,including starting a new part-time job,that the only crafting that I have been doing is painting my wall-but that is enough! I am anxious to sew my shirt pattern ,that I purchased months ago, in gray with Liberty trim! I think I will take a break from my wall to sew it soon.