Black Friday / Cyber Monday Sale at BtaylorQuilts

Visit BtaylorQuilts this week for 10% off in the shop. Sale ends Monday night (11/26) at midnight! Use CYBER10 in the coupon code box during checkout. (cannot be applied to previous purchases, custom orders, or layaway payments...thank you)

Lots of great gift ideas including lap quilts, table runners, pot holders, coasters, fabric jewelry catcher bowls, ipad sleeves and more.

Fall / Winter

(Photo by Jeff Derose 11/18/12)

I am reminded that it is not winter yet ... but still autumn in New England.

Slippers by HandmadeByAde on Etsy!!

This has been a long time coming, mostly because I'm a master at procrastination, and it turns out that I'm really bad at photographing slippers.

Last year I won the most fantastic pair of felted slippers ever!  Adrienne from HandmadeByAde had generously hosted a giveaway from her facebook page and I was the winner!  Lucky for me, and now I've been wearing these beauties every waking moment as it's getting colder here in the Northeast. 

I cannot recommend these slippers enough, especially if you tend to have cold toes all the time like me. My feet are so toasty and the slippers fit my feet perfectly.  Need the perfect Christmas gift?  This is it!  

Tell Adrienne I sent you, maybe this'll make up for my delayed gushing about them.

(I did NOT take these photos.  I lifted them from Adrienne's Etsy shop, where you will find many more options for amazing slippers for the whole family)

October 6-7, 2012 - Berkshire Botanical Garden's 78th Annual Harvest Festival

Btaylor Quilts will be at the Berkshire Botanical Garden's 78th Annual Harvest Festival the weekend of October 6 & 7.  Looks like a fun weekend, come out and see the Garden, listen to some great old timey music, and do some shopping with local crafters and eating and drinking with local restaurants and breweries!  See you there!

Etsy Christmas in July sale ~at btaylorquilts this week

It's rare, so check it out! I'm having a Christmas in July sale through next Wednesday, the 27th of July. 10% off everything in the shop. Prices are already marked.

Quabbin

We got to go fishing with Jeff's Dad today. It was super nice early in the morning and so great to take a break from toiling away in the sweatshop. We caught some very small fish, but I did catch the biggest one! I've been to the Quabbin many times in my life but had never gotten to go out on a boat and see it. It is spectacular.

Sweet Home Easthampton. Rent my house!

RENTED!!  Yay!!

Check out my house :)  It is available to rent as of today.   Here are the details:

Available immediately. Small, two bedroom, one bath, single family home with detached two car garage, one mile from center of Easthampton, located in a quiet neighborhood. Large fenced in yard. $1550/mnth. First/last/security. 12 month lease renewable.  (The IKEA kitchen table with stools is also available to stay in the house for your use. The top has been sanded and oiled so it looks brand new!!)

Ideal location for 5 College or Williston Northampton, or Cooley Dickinson, Baystate Medical Center. 4.3 miles to Smith College, 1.5 miles to Williston Northampton.
6 miles to Cooley Dickinson Hospital

Includes:

lawn care
trash/recycle services
snow removal
large kitchen
dishwasher/garbage disposal/refrigerator
front loader washer/dryer
New high efficiency gas furnace (cheap cheap heat!!)
newly insulated
newly refinished hardwood floors
Quiet, side street neighborhood
Large, fenced in yard

Does NOT include utilities.
And please NO Smoking in house

Small to medium, well trained dog might be considered. Cats allowed.
On a corner lot....very quiet

The porch....great three season room with a big view of the farm across the street (not seen in this photo)


The Living Room with view to the large kitchen....lots of storage space in there!


Upstairs bedroom...low ceilings, but cozy and warm in the winters


The other bedroom upstairs...I used to use this as a reading room and then a guest bedroom...


Newly finished wood floors!


Bathroom with new IKEA sink, new floor and paint, lots of storage here too.


Large IKEA medicine cabinet with huge mirrors!  Good morning!!


Important:



The garage.  It's huge, clean, and the left hand side has an automatic door opener.  Weeeee!


View from down the street.  All that fence is yours!!


Back of the house.  The dish is gone now!  Looks so much better

Bees. 19 days

Say hello to our new little friends.




The bee compound.  We have many bears in the area, so it is necessary to build enclosures that are surrounded by electric fencing.  We were actually visited by a bear last night, who climbed a small stand of birch trees to claim his prize of a small basket of suet.  We really wish we had seen the bear up in the birch trees...he broke many branches, and there are scratch marks all over the trees.  Luckily, our fencing has kept them at bay so far.



Preparing the smoker.



We have two hives.  This is the activity after nineteen days.  We "installed" the bees on April 7, and they are already filling up four or five of the frames in our ten frame supers.



Everything is looking good so far.  We did not spot the queen during this inspection, but she is obviously busy producing many eggs.  We could see the larva in some cells.  Most of the cells have been capped off already.  The newly "hatching" bees will chew their way out of each cell.  They take about three weeks to become adults.




Bees working on brood cells (above).  They seem so docile and calm.  We've learned that we must always use the smoker when we interact with the bees.  The first time there was an accidental stinging because everyone got so upset.  It's also important to wear the proper protection, especially over your face, so that you can remain calm and relaxed while working with the bees.  They are truly amazing and kind of scary too.







Above.  I'm watching you!





Bees in 2nd hive.  Scenting.




I was hoping that our bird bath, which is about 75 yards away from the hives, would become a watering station for the bees.  We have a brook which is close by, but I hoped they wouldn't have to work so hard to find water.  And sure enough.....today  (see below)




Pretty soon....two



Frida became very interested.  Suddenly her whiskers appeared in the frame as I was watching the bees through the camera.

 

One bee flies away ........



and then.......