Sunday, January 25, 2009

GIVEAWAY!!!

I have decided to participate in this blogging event. You'll find the link in my sidebar.


Leave a comment on this post telling me about your favorite Valentine's Day memory. Leave a way for me to find you to let you know if you've won! I will use a random numbers generator to choose the lucky winner.


If you win, You will get this mini quilt!

**UPDATE**
I want to make sure that everyone who enters my drawing understands this is a MINI QUILT...it is just 14"x14"!! Still a treasure to behold. ;)



Thursday, January 22, 2009

Origami Crane


...a little gift from my sweetie celebrating my success with a photography endeavor. When it arrived, I shot a photo of it to share with him across the miles. He added a little message and sent it back. :) I think it's kinda pretty.

ALMOST finished!

I was so eager to try the nearly complete postage stamp quilt top on my bed. This piece is a lot of fun to look at. As I laid it out, it was fun to hear my daughter get excited about remebering past projects when she'd seen the tiny pieces of fabric long ago.

I am quite pleased with this project so far.

Tuesday, January 20, 2009

Postage Stamp Quilt Update

Well, I have to say: This has been a much bigger project than I thought it would be before I started. I knew I wanted a postage stamp quilt....and I knew that I wanted lots of different fabrics for that perfectly scrappy look I love....there are 76 different fabrics used...so far. It took me two days of cutting with my rotary cutter and straight edge.

I decided on how big I needed my quilt. Then did the math to figure out how many squares I needed. I came up with 1,444 squares. I went ahead and cut 1500 to make sure that if I needed to, I could change them out. And with the squares leftover, I plan to make a toss pillow to co-ordinate. As I cut out the fabrics, I diligently marked them on this sheet of paper. I was soooo happy to finally reach ZERO! The stacks of fabrics reminded me of poker chips!

I laid out all the stacks of different fabrics and started sewing them together in random fashion in groups of two. Then put them into a basket. Once all the squares were paired, I put them into 38 stacks of nineteen groups of twos. WOW! My neck and back were really starting to feel tense by this point.

38 stacks of nineteen two's......and a whole lotta coffee!

There's my Q-Man....hiding behind the strips that hung in the window. Do you see him?

I really kinda liked this shot. It shows all the fun, bright, cheerful colors. I think I'll really be happy with this quilt!

Saturday, January 17, 2009

Quick and Easy



Quick and easy are words I usually like to have describe food that I need to prepare. These yummy cranberry scones were definitely quick and easy. Just add water, mix and bake!

Friday, January 16, 2009

Sometimes...

...on really important matters, we consult the Magic 8 Ball.


Four Eyes!


are better than two!
KaitieBug got her glasses this week! They look SUPER on her!

Thursday, January 15, 2009

Tag! You're IT!


My minivan is getting old and tired. It's giving me fits. I took it into the shop today. I checked in at the front desk. I looked around and saw one chair near the door. It was a nicer front office for an auto mechanic shop, but I worried how long I'd have to sit and wait while the guys ran the scan on my sickly set of wheels. Jim offered, "Ma'am? There's a really nice waiting room upstairs if you'd like to go on up." I told him Thank you and began to climb the stairs.
When we reached the top of the stairs, I was quite surprised! The spacious room was decorated in a cowboy theme, complete with white leather sofa, arm chair and ottoman. There was a small child's sized table with two chairs, two stick horses and a corner shelf stocked full of fun toys and videos for the kiddos. "WOW," I thought to myself: "This IS a nice waiting room!" I found the refreshments table! There was a water cooler/heater and a basket of coffees, creamers, sugars and swizzle sticks. I said out loud, "COFFEE??!?! Twist my arm and make it hurt!" Then helped myself to a hot, instant cuppa!
Quincy played contentedly with a stick horse that made galloping sounds with the squeeze of one ear and whinnied with the squeeze of his other ear.
Happy to have the place all to ourselves, I decided to send my friend, Shelly, a coffee tag! I pulled out my cell phone and got right to work with being creative!
What is coffee tag you ask? Well, it's a picture texting game Shelly and I have played for quite a while with one another. We use our cell phones to take pictures of our coffee cups daily. It lets the other know we're thinking of them. Not to mention, it's a fun way to start the morning and help to get the creative juices flowing. When I got home today, I made a few minor edits to mine and decided I liked enough I wanted to share it here.
Not bad for a camera phone, eh?

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

Wednesday, January 14, 2009

I got go out for a little bit and do just a tiny bit of shopping. I stopped at the quilting shop in Castle Rock. I wasn't even in the store very long. I knew I wanted fat quarters. I found the colors I liked and picked out patterns. Two of them are.....PAISLEYS! I don't know what it is about those swoopy tear drop shapes! I just love them. Not sure why I was more drawn blues and greens today. I think they will look lovely in the postage stamp quilt I'm working on now.

As you can see in this photo, I DO have a plan...well sortof. I really love the look of piece-y, scrappy quilts and that is what is intended for this work. There will be lots of different colors and lots of different prints. Each of the squares will be added in a very random pattern. I'll probably just throw all of the squares into a basket and as I'm sewing them together, I'll just grab and sew and whatever comes out, will be sewn into the quilt. I am really eager to start sewing, but I still have more than 750 squares that I have to cut out.

....I'm getting there!


Tuesday, January 13, 2009

Today's Grateful Five



The cold outside and the cozy inside
my camera seriously feels like it is part of my right hand
got to talk w/Shel twice yesterday and my mom. yay for girlfriends and moms!
the purple scarf is almost finished
After a self-declared snow day yesterday, the kids made it to school today...on time

These Two




It's kind of funny to watch these two interact. It's almost as if the cat is a human sibling. Quincy loves to love on his "little sister." He also loves to tease her. When she has had enough teasing the fight is on and then he howls. "Mommmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyyyyy! Will you please come get Moses? She is 'tacking me!" When I arrive on the scene, she usually has him backed into a corner, her ears are flat on her head, she crouches just a little as if she is about to pounce on him and her tail is swishing left to right in a most ferocious manner.
It usually just takes a quick cuddle and a slight change of scenery to tame the furry beast. And then it's back to lovey-dovey.

Monday, January 12, 2009

Gratitude

My little snow-covered world.....so beautiful this morning
shelter from the wind
food in our bellies
knitting
colored pencils

What's Going on 'Round Here?



Frost in my yard on Saturday morning....

Given enough coffee, I could rule the world!


A Breaking the Mold candle from my mom for Christmas a couple of years ago...
it smells really good




Sunday, January 11, 2009

Friday, January 9, 2009

What's on YOUR nightstand?


A Peek at a WIP

...it will be a scarf.....I love this color! It's is so regal!

Guess How Much I Love You


Q: Hey, Mommy? Do you know that I just love you?
Me: I do!
Q: Do you know how much I love you?
Me: How much?
Q: A lot!
Me: Do you know how much I love you?
Q: Yeah!
Me: More than Swedish Fish! Do you know how much I love Swedish Fish?
Q: A lot-a lot!
I LOVE THIS KID! .......and he knows it!

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

Random-ness

So, the kids have returned to school. Today was a red day for the high schoolers. I am perplexed at how the kids keep it all straight. When I was in high school, we had the same classes every day...there was no block schedule...no red day/white day insanity to add to the stress of teenage life. The kids have started all new classes with the start of a brand new, fresh semester. I find it so hard to believe they are already half the way through this year. In just a few months, Ryan will be a SENIOR! Oh, DEAR!

Wow! That was a crazy realization. I think they were anxious about returning and starting back, but I think in all they were pretty glad to get back, too, and having some semblance of normal...or...routine.

The house was calm and peaceful this morning after 8 and it was wonderful.

I have a stack of fat quarters that is just calling out to me...dying to BE SOMETHING. I did resolve to make a few more quilts this year. So...I just might be ready to start cutting out the squares to start on the postage stamp quilt I've dreamed of making. The postage stamp quilt I've dreamed of is very piece-y and random with lots of different fabrics and colors. And I know I want to be able to use it on my bed which is a Queen size. The only thing I haven't decided yet is if I want to do a solid white or natural muslin color between each of the color blocks or just use straight colors. Maybe once I start actually cutting out the squares, I will have a better idea of what I want to do. For now, I know I need 1600 2.5 inch squares of fabric. Obviously, the more different types of fabric, the better the variety in the quilt top....gosh....it will take a few more fat quarters!! I'm really loving the light blue of a robin's eggshell. I think I'd like to use that in the borders and perhaps even the backing....ahhhh what fun it is to plan a quilt like this. I can't wait to be able to snuggle under it!