Light the World

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Friday Fantastic

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Wordless Wednesday

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Highs, Lows and Aurora Borealis

I think I'm going to have to crochet a new color Northern Lights Snowflake! I bet we get northern lights here in Colorado at least one more time this year! Meanwhile, I sure had fun making blocks for my 2024 digital temperature quilts after actually seeing and successfully photographing northern lights dark and early Monday morning!

The Aurora app on my phone notified me twice very late Sunday night/extremely early Monday morning (and again Monday afternoon, during full daylight) that we had reached K7, which meant low latitude northern lights!!!

The first time, Lizard was still pacing the floor, unable to sleep. I asked if he'd like to go east with me so we could get away from the light polution of the Denver metro north of us, the same direction we'd have to look to see the northern lights. Anxiety is a huge part of Parkinson's, and he was too nervous about going out in the dark, so we went to a nearby hill and crossed our fingers. I could see the northern lights movement with my naked eye, but we didn't get great shots. The cell phone, which actually does a good job with northern lights because it sees more of the light spectrum than we can, just doesn't have a powerful enough zoom. The point and shoot doesn't see everything we see, and even enhanced via Photoshop, it's difficult to see the full color scale we saw with our eyes and thoroughly enjoyed watching for a few minutes.

The second time the notification alarm went off, I woke, but Lizard didn't. I didn't feel like I could leave him home alone long enough to drive and shoot, and there was no way I was going to wake him from a good slumber. So I stepped out onto our front porch with my phone, and my eyes about popped out of my head!!! I could see pink and green, and pretty high in the sky to boot! I was in heaven!

I moved down to the driveway and shot about four frames, uploaded the best one to my community group on Facebook, then went back to bed. The next morning, I downloaded the point and shoot, then tried enhancing both the cell phone and 35mm photos with Photoshop and AI. I created a collage illustrating of the difference between the two cameras and the two different northern lights occurences in my neck of the plains meet foothills. I'm still overjoyed I finally got to see northern lights in person!!! I'll never turn down an opportunity to see them live in person further north (or south, as in Antarctica), but I feel so blessed I got to see them this time around!

I think I dreamed the rest of the night (or, I guess, very early morning) about how I could interpret this celestial event in my digital quilts.

I dug out the old snowflakes made back in... oh, my gosh! 14 years ago!!! Photographed them on the appropriate colors, and I digitally quilted the newest blocks.

Sometimes it feels a bit like pressure to have to keep going with all this year's digital temperature quilts. But after another day of something special, man, I can't wait to see these printed on fabric at the end of the year! The blue is going to make the most awesome dress, I think!

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Somewhere Over the Rainbow

It had been so long since we'd had rain. It had been so long since we'd seen a rainbow.

Boy, did it ever lighten my heart!

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Wordless Wednesday

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He is Risen

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Naughty

Yuppers, I did it again. I cannot be trusted when amaryllis bulbs go on sale after Christmas. I MUST rescue!

No regrets! Two of the four new babies should be new colors I've never had before. Two should replace bulbs that are no longer flowering.

I also received a brand new amaryllis bulb at Christmas, and the first of its eight blossoms opened on Valentine's Day.

Another brand new color for me! I have never seen one so velvety deep maroon! Isn't it spectacular?!?

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Ta da!

The ugliest digital quilt I've ever created is done! Boy, it felt good to be done with this one. I stuck with it the entire year and finished it even though I didn't like it. The layout isn't so bad, but I really dislike the color scheme. So I will be altering my stash of fabric charm squares; I will NOT make this quilt with real fabric using this color scheme. So, so thankful I did a mockup rather than ruin my beloved leftover charm squares!!!

I'm trying a different digital layout with the same color scheme to see if that will make a difference. I'm also trying a new digital color scheme because I like the way my 2023 crochet temperature project turned out. But I think I've already learned I cannot make a daily fabric temperature quilt until I retire. I've got plenty of breathing room before I dig into the charm squares. And I'll probably be adding more to the stash as I get started sewing and quilting again... Yes. It WILL happen!

Speaking of my 2023 crochet temperature project... also done!!! Yay! Yay! Yay! It's my most favorite crocheted project ever. While I was using the pinks for hot weather, I began to not like the project or the color I'd chosen for the hot temperatures. Once I got back into cool temperatures, the pinks really began to grow on me. One of my dear friends, Mrs. Micawber, commented it looks like the Northern Lights, and that really turned my attitude around. I love this work of art so very much now!

This is just the most beautiful thing! I guess it will be a wrap; but as long as I don't do anything to it, I can change my mind at any time and use it for a different purpose. I'm certain it will be quite versatile. It probably get used in lots of photography!

And my digital snowflake temperature quilt... Ta da!!! I DO want to piece, appliqué and quilt a fabric version of this some day (with real crocheted snowflakes). I love my digital snowflake temperature quilt more than words can say. This might be one of the first things I begin quilting again when I finally get to crank up the sewing machine again. I've printed 11 of the 12 segments via Spoonflower, and I don't need the last segment to get started. I will need it to finish. But I can play to my heart's content until then. Boy, do I ever have some ideas for the fat quarter remnants!

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