My brother is a wonderful guy. He is charming, funny and quite persuasive. He has a few catchphrases that he uses to get his idea across without you realising he's doing it, unless of course you know them (luckily I know them LOL)
He always says: "Here's a question for you..."
The answer is always pre-determind unless you fall for it...
He also always says: "I'm just thinking aloud here..."
Then follows another pre-determined idea. Living so far away I miss those catchphrases and I love the way he uses them to help me find a solution to something.
Not that I need a solution, but having a blog allows me 'think aloud' and to remember special times.
So I'm just thinking aloud here and I'm thinking of 'another' project for my to-do list!...:
Many years ago (pre-kids), my Mom and I used to go on mini-breaks together. One year we went to Istanbul. Wow! What a beautiful place. We had a fantastic time and because I had worked for a gorgeous antique carpet and textile magazine that had connected me with many people in that city, our holiday was even more special. One amazing treat was being taken around the non-touristy parts of The Grand Bazaar. There we ate in local eateries and got taken to secret rooms off the beaten track to be shown textiles. I worked on the sales side of the magazine so don't profess to know my stuff, however one thing many of the dealers repeatedly said was: "buy what you like, not because you think it's an antique!" I bought a small textile that I use as a bedside table topper.
I love it! It has a velvet centre and cotton patchwork border with what look like some Ikat pieces.
The backing is a Russian cotton (I believe)
and I just love the primitive stitching, the 'quilting' and the colours.
One day I plan to re-create it (without the velvet), but in the meantime I enjoy it and the memories it holds.
