A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - Z for Zzzzz's

My room!

Sleeping well with the Galveston Gulf breezes in my favorite place to spend the night -
The Tremont House.  I love this historical boutique style hotel with the striped wallpaper, blue and white bathrooms and oh, so comfortable brass bed!

2300 Ships Mechanic Row - 409-763-0300

Thursday Tea Time - Very Vanilla

This week - The Steeping Room Madagascar Vanilla

Cost: $8 for 2 ounces
Caffeine:  Yes
Type of tea:   Black
Steeping time:  3 minutes
Mix ins:   A little bit of sugar, and milk
Fragrance:   Like Adams Best Vanilla Extract (another fine State of Texas product)
Ingredients:  Organic black tea, organic vanilla bean, natural vanilla flavor

Opinion:   If you could get vanilla extract in a tea form, this would be it.  It has to be the strongest vanilla tea I have ever tried.  And loved!  After the first brew, I will save the teabag and use it to combine with another flavored tea.  Recycling the yummy.

Rating:  5

Every Day In May 29 - Faucet

The slightly rusty water faucet in the kitchen garden...

Watercolor Wednesday Waiting - Out to the Jury ... The Jury is Back!

I submitted this painting to the Galveston Art League Spring Juried Show on Monday.  My first juried show entry!

Dewberry Blossom
Watercolor
5" x 7"

I "painted" it with a glob of this in a water container.

Richeson Casein - "Ivory Black"

Masking off a 5" x 7" area and using a photo I had taken of a dewberry flower from last year along Oyster Creek as inspiration -- I cut out the shapes of the petals with artists' tape to keep the white and contrast.  Then with a large flat brush, I wetted the paper with the Ivory Black casein wash.

I used a carving tool to scratch out the design of the leaves while the paper was still wet.  Where I applied pressure on the paper, it darkened.  Cool!  I wanted the leaves to stand out more, so I let it dry and then dipped my watercolor brush into the paint wash container and painted around the outside leaves, and added a bit of shading to the petals.  Then for just a bit of color, I brushed some Naples Yellow in the center of the flower and dotted some of the Ivory Black Casein straight from the tube for added value.

Wish me luck!

UPDATE 4-30-15 -  It was accepted!! : D

Rubus trivialis
A beautiful bloom and a tasty berry!
(And a watercolor inspiration)

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - Y for Yoga

A haven indeed!

I love owner Kathleen's Yin Yoga classes so much I will drive 55 miles in morning rush hour traffic to get to the Island for them.   But many other forms (vinyasa, yin & yang, gentle, slow flow, restorative, basics, Nidra, prenatal and more) of yoga are offered at The Yoga Haven - including Laughter Yoga!   Bonus is is located on the same block as the Oasis Juice Bar and Hooked on Acupuncture, and just up the street from Maceo Spice.

2507 Market Street - (409) 770-9995

Location, location, location!  Right?
(I must admit sometimes my mantra is "cannoli, cannoli, cannoli")

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - X Marks the Spot!

Jean Lafitte or Jean Laffite slept here
at 1417 Harborside

Pirate Jean Lafitte (or Laffite) built his home, Maison Rouge (Red House) as part of his fort in 1817 until 1821 or 1826, depending upon the reference source.  It was actually painted red.   Some say his treasure is buried in or around Galveston Island and Galveston Bay.

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - W is for Watch

As in watch repair!   Gregory's Watch Repair

Gregory's Watch Repair

It's a family-run business in its second generation by his son, George. From taking a link out, changing a battery, to antique and modern clock restoration and repair, this is the place to go.  Call for directions, it is easy to drive right past.

1806 Avenue L - (409) 763-2707

Fig Green

New Pantone color consideration - "Fig Green"  

Sunlight backlight

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - V is for Victorian Houses

Victorian homes in Galveston today

Beautiful Victorian homes abound on the Island.  And great timing -- held on the the first two weekends in May is the 41st Annual Historical Homes Tour so you can see inside and out these historical residences.

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - U is for UTMB

"Old Red"
Ashbel Smith Building
Watercolor by Pam Heidt

The University of Texas Medical Branch was established in 1891, the first medical school in Texas and continues to be at the forefront of of educational, research and clinical excellence with schools of Medicine, Nursing, Health Professions and Biomedical Sciences.

Designed by renowned architect Nicholas Clayton and completed in 1890, the Ashbel Smith Building of red brick, red Texas granite and sandstone was the first classroom facility for the medical school.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and is a registered Texas historic landmark.

Palm Beach State of Crazy Mind

I'm surprised they didn't grab this!
Probably because it looked more like a garden hedge instead of palm tree!
Seriously Target? You had 15 exclusive print designs...

Monday morning, this was all that was left of the heralded Lilly Pulitzer for Target collection.  Excuse me, #LillyForTarget
By Tuesday, the sign was taken down.
The hashtag still lives on to taunt.

The mug set caught my eye, albeit a bit pricey at $30, still could have been cool.  And being able to display on the counter next to the Keurig?  Bonus!  Move over bag of Trader Joe's Classic Potato Chips (*which might I add are the yummiest chips ever?!)

*If I had the Nosie Posey scarf
I could have
sang its praises better

Early imprinting

Or the head/hat/purse/totebag/hand-holding-singing scarf.  I do so love my scarves.

The $35 set of four plates?  Honestly, I have enough mismatched plates as it is.  Lilly and I are very on-trend!  On second thought, $35 spent at Costco for yet another dinnerware box of 4 place settings of two sizes of dishes, bowls and 4 not-quite-as-Lilly-colorful mugs included would probably be a fiscally sounder purchase.  Runners-up for consideration might be a lipstick or a nail polish for the "Funsies Under $10 category, Alex."

The print designs are pretty and colorful, but not all dead-giveaway Lilly-ish.   So I'm not crying myself to sleep over the missed spending opportunity.

I certainly would not have been dragging the hammock set through the parking lot!  But obviously,  people did.  (Thank you to those thinking they would not have put that past me)

Target should know by now their special designer collections will be popular and in high demand, and should plan ahead to have enough merchandise stocked and available, instead of fueling the frenzy of crazy.

Sigh.  Was it silky, too?  Please don't tell me.

What could taste better on these plates?!

Nice design kudos!

Pulitzer Prized Pink?

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - T is for 1927 Terminal

Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruise lines depart weekly from Galveston.  Depending upon the season, you will also see the famous Disney mouse ears on a ship, along with Norwegian Cruise Lines and Princess Cruises.

Thursday Tea Time - Pays to check out the Target Easter aisles

This week - Celestial Seasonings Chocolate Caramel Herbal Tea and Red Velvet Rooibos Tea

Cost:  $4.99 at Target, $2.49 on clearance if you can find it.  $6.99
Number of tea bags: 20
Caffeine:  No
Type of tea:   Herbal / Rooibos
Steeping time:  5 minutes
Mix ins:  Cream or Natural Bliss.
Fragrance:   Like salted caramel!  And cream cheese frosted red velvet cake!
Ingredients:  Chocolate Caramel - Roasted Carob, Roasted Chicory, Natural Chocolate and Caramel Flavors with other Natural Flavors, Milk Thistle, Cinnamon and Sea Salt.

Red Velvet - Rooibos and Natural Red Velvet Flavor with Other Natural Flavors.

Opinion:   At first I was attracted by the tin/box (of course!) -- which is a great size and measures 6" x 2 3/4" x 3 3/4" -- and hadn't much hope for the flavor, but I was surprised.  It wasn't too sweet and had a nice balance.  I didn't really taste the chocolate as much as I did the caramel.   However, I can practically smell and taste the cream cheese frosting of a red velvet cake.  They really nailed it!.
Both make for a great after-dinner tea.  And yes, I did find these on the aisle end cap in Target's Easter section!    But good news!  You can still buy both online - click here  And as of yesterday, I saw the Chocolate Caramel on the grocery clearance shelves for $2.49.
Rating:  3.75 (Chocolate Caramel and 4.25 (Red Velvet)

Garden Update - What time is it?!

Fig time!

April 18, 2015

April 20, 2015

They are getting bigger each day!

(and yes, I have even more shades of purple nail polish, ready to make their debut)

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - S is for ShyKatz

Chocolate cake with vanilla, brown sugar and walnut frosting! Great and yummy combo!
ShyKatz Galveston Texas

From their $10 Blue Plate Specials (I live for their King Ranch Chicken and Fish Tacos) to their dessert table, to breakfast served all day (the pancakes! the french toast!  even the biscuit!)...you need to stop by ShyKatz located at the corner Avenue L and 16th Street.    I try to go there at least once a week, after yoga class at Yoga Haven, an acupuncture treatment Hooked on Acupuncture...I blissfully contemplate how great life feels and is and tastes stopping by here.

1528 Avenue L, Galveston, TX 77550 - (409) 770-0500

Happy Earth Day!

A serendipitous coinky-dink that these watercolors are from the Qor Earth color palette - Naples Yellow, Sap Green and Indigo. . .?

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - R is for Sun Rise

Lucky and unphotoshopped snapshot!

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - Q is for Quigg Cottage

I know, Q is usually one of the harder letters/words.  But how perfect is this --

Quigg Cottage!  The Quigg-Baulard Cottage, built in 1867, is located right next to the Moody Mansion - 2628 Broadway

The Quigg-Baulard Cottage has been nominated to the National Register of Historic Places as an excellent example of a traditional mid-19th century coastal residence which was modified in the late 19th century to reflect the then-popular Queen Anne style. In addition to possessing architectural features characteristic of both periods (1867-1887), it also has design features which are unique to this coastal environment.

Come out and sketch

I was so excited to meet up with the Urban Sketchers Texas Group at Hermann Park last month.

Alas, the springtime weather also met with allergies and I had to miss.

However, I am so going to this place (Hermann Park's Japanese Garden) as soon as the rain stops here,  hopefully later this week to catch some of that purple wisteria in bloom and sit and sketch a spell under the gazebo.

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - P is for Palm Trees

How to Clean Your Viking Husqvarna 1100 Sewing Machine

This was originally my comment to a post I had about threading your Viking Husqvarna 1100 sewing machine.  Because of all the recent visits to my blog about this wonderful machine, I thought I would make this easier to find.  Thanks for visiting and happy sewing! ~ Peggy

----
Did you just find/receive/pull out of the closet a Viking Husqvarna 1100 sewing machine?!
Hooray for you!

First of all --

I would recommend taking it to a Husqvarna Viking dealer for a thorough cleaning and tune up. It will be money well spent.

Once that is done, all you will need to do is very minor housekeeping to keep you and your machine happy.

If you find your bobbin empty indicator/beeper is not working, you may need to clean the lint from the bobbin shuttle area. That is really the only part of the machine that I clean. Or we should clean. Honestly, I have only had it professionally cleaned and tuned-up by my dealer twice maybe since I purchased it. This machine is a champ!

However, I do have some advice for cleaning the bobbin/feeddog area.

First, a magnetic screwdriver will help. Do I follow this and have one, no. It would make this all easier, however. : D

That being aside, follow along with me here!

1) disconnect the power cords, both from the machine and the outlet.

2) drop the feeddogs and wiggle the stitch plate up and back to remove.

3) look inside and exclaim your favorite four-letter word. All that lint! Bits of thread! This is what is blocking the light from above going through the stitch plate opening to the bobbin sensor.

4) I use a couple/several Q-tips to grab the lint I can see.

At this point, this is what you should try to do after each sewing project. Or even every time you change your needle. This may be enough to get your bobbin indicator working again.

However, depending how often you use your machine, you need to be able to reach a bit further to grab the other bits of fuzz.

5) Tip your machine back. I lean it against something soft so it is secure.

6) Remove the bobbin case

7) See any lint? Take a moment to Q-tip that away.

8) Take a picture of how everything looks.

9) Now remove the screws. Keep the left one left and the right one right.

10) Now remove the shuttle assembly, aha! More lint! Q-tip that away.

11) Just like the Q-tip package and your Momma says, do not blindingly jab the Q-tip around...or squirt pressurized air. That can only push it further away and end up costing you mental and fiscal anguish later.

12) Reassemble the shuttle, re-screw the screws. I suggest evenly/alternating screwing them back in -- left, right, left, right. Now if you find the screws don't sit all the way back in, loosen and start again. But perhaps jiggling the assembly a little so the screw sits straight and true into the hole. Do not over tighten. Refer back to your photo to see how far they sat in.

13) Put a little drop of oil on the bobbin pin and replace the bobbin case.

14) Right up your machine.

15) Replace your stitch plate

16) Re-engage your feeddogs.

17) Power up and sew on!

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Click here to see my additional blog posts about the Viking Husqvarna 1100 sewing machine.

Threading your Viking Husqvarna 1100 sewing machine

How to wind your Viking Husqvarna 1100 sewing machine bobbin

Sew Mama Sew Viking Sewing Machine Meme

P.S. -- Do you have another sewing machine, too?  Click here for the link to take you to the Sew Mama Sew list for more sewing machine reviews!

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - O is for Oasis

Oasis Juice Bar and Market

409 25th Street -  (409) 762-8446

In addition to vegetarian and organic food and beverages, this is where you can also get the Art of Tea - hot, iced or buy the canister!  Plus, if you go to The Yoga Haven around the corner, you can use your Conscious Cash here, too.

New Summer 2015 Vera Bradley Downloads

The new Vera Bradley Summer 2015 colors are here!

Marrakesh

Pixie Blooms

Palm Fronds

Click here for the link to download these wallpapers for your computer, iPad, iPhone and mobile phone devices!

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - N is for Nighttime

Galveston at night is pretty. . .

Tremont House lights up the night

This was taken at the Rooftop Bar at the Tremont House
Four floors up gives a great view of Galveston at night

Thursday Tea Time - I Heart Harney & Sons Tea!

This week - Harney & Sons Valentine's Blend

Cost:  $4.04 (Half off, plus 10% BN Membership card discount)
Number of tea bags: 20
Caffeine:  Yes
Type of tea:   Black
Ingredients:  Black tea, rose petals, natural and artificial vanilla and chocolate flavors.
Steeping time:  4 minutes
Mix ins:  A little bit of Natural Bliss
Fragrance:   Chocolate! With a slight vanilla and rose scent
Opinion:  At first I was kicking myself because I had only grabbed one tin, but as I was writing this review, I noticed IT IS STILL AVAILABLE online at their website loose in the 4 ounce size for $7.  This is super good!  It has a very pleasant chocolate flavor and aftertaste.  The rose petals just make it even better and sweeter and the vanilla flavor finishes it beautifully.
Rating: 5+ (grab if you find any more in the clearance section at Barnes & Noble)

A to Z Blogging Challenge, Galveston Edition - M is for Maceo Spice

Maceo Spice and Import Company

2706 Market Street - (409) 763-3331

If you love to cook and eat, this is the place for you!

and M for Muffaletta!

Just a few of my favorite things at Maceo Spice!
"Gravy" (sauce), mini cannoli and Italian Blend spice

Just down the street from The Yoga Haven... I must confess during yoga shavasana I am thinking of that muffaletta and cannoli.  

Om Yum!

Watercolor Wednesday - Texture Part 1

Sea salt sprinkled on while paint was still wet made this cool effect!

Playing around with texture in class this week.  I used Golden Fiber Paste.   It kind of took the watercolor paint a little, but I found it looked prettier left white - like a meringue cookie!

This also comes in a jar

Overall, an interesting effect.  Did I run right out and get my own?  No.  I probably will eventually or keep in mind for future projects.*  I'm not sure how quickly this would dry out waiting for me to remember I bought it.   But it was still fun to realize there is more to watercolor than just painting on paper.   I think it is more useful for abstracts, snow, adding dimension to roofs, etc.   

*Yeah, I can so see me getting this later for Christmas paintings and cards...