Friday, May 17, 2013
New Blog Hop Alert!
Say It With Flowers Blog Hop Schedule
+
TWO EXTRA DAYS!
May 27th
May 28th
May 29th
May 30th
May 31st
June 3rd
June 4th
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Winner Of The Bird Hop Is...
FIESTA!
CONGRATULATIONS!
She'll be getting an email from me letting
her know she won. Thanks everyone for playing along!
It's For The Bird's-May 15th!
It's time to fly away and enjoy some projects
that are FOR THE BIRDS!
A big THANK YOU to these two ladies:
Mary's the mama bird for this hop...she's kept
us all from falling out of the nest and on track.
Madame Samm's got some great giveaways going on
over at Sew We Quilt, so don't miss going over there
everyday to check out her top choices and giveaways.
Wednesday, May 15th
Check out all the bird projects on Madame Samm's Pinterest Page
Thanks for stopping by to visit!
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Happy Mother's Day!
I'm the lucky mom of three daughters and one son.
Over the years, my family expanded to include two son-in-laws,
four grandsons, and a couple others mixed in the bunch.
I love them all!
Yesterday my son-in-law gave me a great Mother's Day gift
by graduating from college with a degree in education.
All the graduates could decorate the top of their caps...
this is what his looked like:
His cap says it all.
My daughter and my sweet Monkey Boys are so
important to him and he's a wonderful husband and father.
It's just as sweet being a mom as it is to be a mother-in-law.
Happy Mother's Day to all of you!
Friday, May 10, 2013
Rolling With My Quilt-As-I-Sew
Geta at Geta's Quilting Studio is having a linky party
called Quilter's Favorites. Check it out!
called Quilter's Favorites. Check it out!
She's got lots of links to other bloggers with their hints, ideas,
tutorials, and all sorts of fun ways to make sewing easier for us.
Go add YOUR link so I can learn something from YOU!
Go add YOUR link so I can learn something from YOU!
One of my favorite quilts to make when I'm in a bit of a pinch for time is
the Quilt-As-I-Sew method...it is so EASY!
The best part of making it is that I get to use my favorite quilting tools:
spray adhesive and my wooden seam roller.
the Quilt-As-I-Sew method...it is so EASY!
The best part of making it is that I get to use my favorite quilting tools:
spray adhesive and my wooden seam roller.
This is one I made quite a few years ago as a baby gift.
It has so many possibilities!
On some of the quilts that I've made using this method, I've added a ruffle in the
middle, an applique in a corner, fatter strips, thinner strips, and even different
sizes of strips to add variety. Really, I love making this quilt.
It takes a jelly roll, batting, and a fabric for the back. See that on the left...I love
that little seam roller--it's well used at my sewing table! The spray adhesive
is in the pic, too, and I use it whenever I'm quilting my own projects.
There are lots of tutorials out there for this method, but this is how I do it:
Cut a piece of batting and fabric to the size you want for the quilt,
but make sure it isn't larger than the length of your jelly roll/fabric strips.
Use the spray adhesive to attach batting to the wrong side of the backing fabric,
making sure it is nice and smooth with no extra folds in places they shouldn't be.
If you don't like spray adhesive, tack the fabric to the batting, but
this post is about what I like to use (it's all about ME, ME, ME)
and I like the spray adhesive to keep my fabric in place while I sew.
Take two strips, right sides together, and lay them evenly centered
across the batting. Sew a 1/4" seam lengthwise from edge to edge on one side
(see the picture above, right top corner for a visual of this.)
Press the seam open with a seam roller (or an iron...but, once again,
this is about ME, and I like using my seam roller for this project.)
Continue adding strips to both sides of the center strips (pressing them open as
you go) until you reach the sides of the quilt or run out of fabric strips.
Trim the fabric/batting/strips evenly around to square up the quilt.
Add a batting and you have a quilt. Just like that!
Thanks, Geta, for letting me share my favorite tools and quilt method!
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
It's Me And The Birds Today
It's my day!
Mary's the mama bird for this hop...she's kept
us all from falling out of the nest and on track.
Madame Samm's got some great giveaways going on
over at Sew We Quilt, so don't miss going there
everyday to check out her top choices and giveaways.
During the Wicked blog hop last October, Kris at
Kris Loves Fabric made a really cool quilt with black birds on it.
I loved it and rushed right out to find the fabric she used
for the background. It took a little searching, but I managed
to find it and have been holding it my stash for just the right project.
(That "other lady" went looking for the fabric, too,
but I'm sure I found it first...not that I'm competitive.)
This was the right project....
The lines on the fabric were perfect for machine quilting and
I added some hand quilted stitches for some additional barbed wire.
The fabric on the back has feathers...loved it, too!
The fabric on the back has feathers...loved it, too!
Poor little mouse!
I have a giveaway, too!
I found these cute little measuring spoons at a store in Utah
and HAD to have them because they had birds on them.
Perfect for this hop, aren't they!
I'll throw in a Stonehenge fat quarter, too.
SILLY LITTLE RULES TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY:
- Leave a short and sweet comment.
- This one is important! Make sure I can contact you if you're a no-reply blogger. *If you don't get a reply from me, you're a no-reply blogger or something else is screwed-up.
- I'll mail it anywhere...yes, even to the other side of the world.
- Giveaway ends at 6 p.m. PST on May 15th. Entries after 6 p.m. PST on May 15th will not be included in the giveaway.
Look who else is hopping today!
http://roseprairiequilts.blogspot.com
http://marlarockscrafts.blogspot.com
http://marlarockscrafts.blogspot.com
Check out all the bird projects on Madame Samm's Pinterest Page
Thanks for stopping by to visit!
An Okay Day Made Even Better
It's not a big deal and I wasn't even going to mention it, but today was
my birthday. I had to work so it wasn't much of a day of celebrating.
BUT that changed when I came home to 60, yes 60,
of these notes from my family spread out ALL over my house.
My youngest daughter asked each of my kids and their families (and my
husband) to write five memories or things they liked about me.
(Each note had the writer's name on it--I just smeared it out on this one.)
(My son didn't like sauce on noodles when he was growing up so I always
had a separate dish of just noodles set aside for him.)
I laughed and cried as I walked around the house reading each one.
Some were so sweet, some were just hysterical.
There were lots of those inside jokes families always have.
#18. You're an amazing cook, even when you forget the tuna!
(I once forgot to put tuna in a tuna casserole...none of my
kids have let me live that one down! I admit it was pretty funny.)
#8. Thanks for helping me move out...and then back in again...multiple times.
(My home has a revolving door on it when it comes to my kids.)
#56. I loved it when we made tooth fairy pillows.
(This Monkey Boy just lost his first tooth so he got to use his pillow.)
#43. You would be my phone-a-friend if I needed help with
a question on a game show. You know a lot!
(I have her so, so fooled about that.)
#57. I like it when you buy us stuff. Like Slurpees!
(I'm a good grandma when it comes to buying things for my Monkey Boys.)
I can't put them all here, but just know they were all so special!
This was an amazing gift and such a great idea!
These little notes and the slice of cheesecake I brought home
after dinner at Cheesecake Factory made it a very nice BIG birthday.
I loved it!
Reliable Iron Giveaway!
There's an amazing giveaway going on for these irons...
check it out at sewwequilt.com!
Friday, May 3, 2013
Just Write It Down...My Smash Book!
I had a coupon and there I was, walking around the craft store...
....so I bought one...I HAD to, you know.
....so I bought one...I HAD to, you know.
Writing in a journal is something I've done for years. I have plain brown notebooks
and binders, plus quite a few years worth of journal writing on my computer.
I think I inherited this journal-writing thing from my gr-grandmother,
grandmother, and mother who wrote in journals, too. I love looking back
at some of the things they wrote...it's very interesting stuff!
These books are from my private blog that I started back in 2008.
There's 10 of them so far (I used Blog2Print to publish them.)
I'm way behind on that blog for some reason...MAYBE sewing and
blog hopping have gotten in the way? LOL!
Do you journal?
and binders, plus quite a few years worth of journal writing on my computer.
I think I inherited this journal-writing thing from my gr-grandmother,
grandmother, and mother who wrote in journals, too. I love looking back
at some of the things they wrote...it's very interesting stuff!
These books are from my private blog that I started back in 2008.
There's 10 of them so far (I used Blog2Print to publish them.)
blog hopping have gotten in the way? LOL!
Do you journal?
P. S.
Have you seen all the blog hops Madame Samm has planned?
WOW!
Here's the list from her blog:
HO HO HO, it's Christmas ( july)
Take 7 hexies, call me in the morning ( july)
Kitchin Stichin ( aug) ( all kitchen related)
Pin it HERE (aug) ( pin cushions galore)
Its the Peanuts Gang ( sept)
Colour me Batiks (sept)
It's in the ROUND ( oct)
Wicked ( oct)
Pecking ORDER ( nov)
Let's turn back time....( nov)
December we are still baking on that one...
shhhhh
I definitely need more plastic containers and
SMASH books to keep up with all of these hops!
Love it!
SMASH books to keep up with all of these hops!
Love it!
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Quilty Smash Book? Organized?
Maybe I'm just too buried in fabric and blog hops to know what
a Smash Book is, but I saw one over at Ooh La La...I Love 2 Organize
that she made to plan a wedding...now I think I need one.
Not for a wedding, but for my quilt/blog hop ideas, etc.
Have any of you made a Smash Book?
Would this work for quilty ideas?
My sister is SOOOOO organized! Linda has buckets to put all her stuff in
for future projects she'll be using on her blog at Food Storage Moms.
I loved that idea and since SHE did it, of course
I HAD to try it for all those blog hops I keep signing up for.
I bought six of these containers and some removable stickers so that
when a blog hop is announced (you know the ones...over there at Sew We Quilt)
I label a container with the blog hop name so it's ready for me to throw
stuff into as the thoughts and ideas pop up. I even have one labeled "Peanuts"
with fabric in it just waiting for that fun hop Jane will be hosting in the future.
Sadly, this "Say It With Flowers" bucket is empty.
I really need to get busy because I've heard some people
have their projects finished already...wow!
I wonder what "that other lady" is up to with her flowers?
She's so competitive (which I'm not, of course) and has
probably made several flower-amazing projects. I have to get sewing!
Blog hops that are coming soon:
Birds, birds, and more birds for this one. I've started
my project (whew!) and just need to quilt and bind it.
I get to host Say It With Flowers which actually has a couple
extra days added because so many people wanted in
I begged whined asked for a little more time.
It is TOTALLY FULL with no more openings...
how fun is this going to be!
Madame Samm will be hosting this one for the Tammy Bag...so cute!
I have a bucket for it, too, but all it has in it is the purse frame.
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Pom Pom Winner!
CHARLOTTE!
I've sent her an email letting her know she won
these four fat quarters from Quilted Works.
Thanks to all of you for your sweet comments about
my pom pom creations...it was such a fun hop!
Sunday, April 28, 2013
Pom Poms Are Shaking + A Giveaway!
Thearica at Pigtales and Quilts is the pom pom queen on this hop
and Madame Samm at Sew We Quilt is helping to shake things up a lot.
Aren't they just the best cheerleaders!
I started playing with these little mini charms a few months ago, but then set them aside
for other little projects that were keeping me, uh....hopping.
for other little projects that were keeping me, uh....hopping.
Once the Shake Your Pom Poms hop came up, I pulled it from beneath the stacks of stuff
and decided to make it an Easter (or Spring) quilt with a pom pom tailed bunny.
The bunny and insects are from the Bunnies & More book by Darcy Ashton.
I appliqued the bunny on the bottom of the quilt and hand embroidered the little insects plus
some details on the bunny. For some weird reason, no matter how beautifully ironed this quilt
was when I brought it outside to take photos, it wrinkled up like a wadded up tissue.
I was elbow deep in pom poms when my back took a dive which made it a little harder to
complete this next project the way I envisioned it in my head. It's a sturdy little
diaper changing mat for Monkey Baby to use with a pom pom pillow to
catch his attention while laying on it.
Really...it looked different and was much more elaborate in my head
while laying there staring at the ceiling fan (that Leslie has me thinking should
while laying there staring at the ceiling fan (that Leslie has me thinking should
be covered in some pretty fancy fabric instead of just plain wood.)
I layered the mat with rug stuff and batting--it's a little stiff and perfect for throwing on the floor.
I layered the mat with rug stuff and batting--it's a little stiff and perfect for throwing on the floor.
I was lucky to get a decent photo of this, because Bella and Bruster
thought the mat was really meant for them and refused to back away from the pom poms.
It's perfect for Monkey Baby to lay on and entertain us all with his cuteness.
I have a BIG birthday coming up pretty soon and Madame Samm got wind of it (she's
pretty clever, you know) and sent me this Barbie as an early birthday gift.
She's no ordinary Barbie...she has a
"C" (for Carol, of course)
on her jacket and she's seems to be quite the Coca Cola fan, which
is so perfect because we collect Coca Cola stuff and she fits right in!
Plus...SHE'S GORGEOUS!
The only negative thing about her was her pom pom was pretty wimpy so that HAD
to be fixed by making her TWO new red and white pom poms (that coincidentally
were my school colors from high school) that look so much better with that
sweater, skirt, jacket, saddle shoes, and megaphone.
I just LOVE her!
Oh, and by the way...
I was visiting Quilted Works (love that store!) on Saturday
and as usual their wonderful staff (Lori this time) helped me pick out some amazing
fat quarters to share with you for my giveaway. Want to know the best part?
They offered to GIVE me the fat quarters to give to one of YOU...is that cool or what!
P.S. My little Trickster by Robert Shields isn't included...he's mine, all mine!
SILLY LITTLE RULES TO ENTER MY GIVEAWAY:
- Leave a short and sweet comment.
- This one is important! Make sure I can contact you if you're a no-reply blogger. Typing out your email address like this helps avoid spammers: iblog at aol dot com. If I can't contact you, you can't win. *If you don't get a reply from me, you're a no-reply blogger or something else is screwed-up.
- I'll mail it anywhere...yes, even to the other side of the world.
- Giveaway ends at 6 p.m. PST on April 30th. Entries after 6 p.m. PST on April 30th will not be included in the giveaway.
Look who else is shaking and showing off their pom poms today:
April 29
Madame Samm has all the blog hops on
Thanks for stopping by to visit!
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