Pretty beaded watch giveaway

There is a really pretty beaded watch giveaway at Jellybelly*jellybrain’s blog.  Check it out and while your at it, look at the rest of her blog.  One of my favs.  There is a link in my giveaway links or click here http://wwwjellybelly-jellybrain.blogspot.com/2009/02/blog-giveaway-as-long-as-you-dont-like.html

 

My Latest Project-Before

Possibilities

A blank canvas so to speak

Filled with treasure waiting to speak

 

A denim top and a room full of treasures that are speaking to me- Check back to see what they say!

 

I decided to post a few teaser pictures of a fashion redo I am working on.  This is truly my passion and now that I have my studio somewhat set up, I just had to answer the voices.  One of the things that I love about this type of project is when it starts to take on a life of its own.  I feel like I am just the helper and the project creates itself.  I have been so inspired by several artists I have seen in Altered Couture magazine.  Rather than be content to look at what others are doing, I decided to give it a try.  Check back in a few days to see the completed work. 

With any luck, a few more art supplies and a bit of warmer weather, I hope to make this a habit.  I can’t wait to experiment with hand dying, fabric paints and transfering print art to fabrics.     

always,
a

 

Cool Purse Giveaway

A new friend has an awesome purse giveaway. You have just got to see her Etsy store http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=6779084 and check out her really kute & kool purses. They aren’t just kool but they are cool. She makes them with thermo batting so your lunch stays cold. What a clever gal!  Then go to her blog and enter to win one yourself but if you win, you gotta share with me, hee hee!   Here is the link to her giveaway   http://bagsnrags.blogspot.com/2009/02/grand-opening-purse-give-away.html

 

Spring 2008 Table Runner

This is my second start to finish quilt project.  I had a really fun time making it and was able to use some of my fabrics from my dear friends.  I am still thinking of whether I want to quilt a design in the diamond shapes, but I am happy with the stitch in the ditch that I did.  I have decided that I want to make a table runner for each season and I am looking for a 4th of July pattern next. 

Spring 2008 table runner

back of Spring 2008 table runner

Close up of Spring 2008 tablerunner

 

Confessions of a ?

I don’t even know what to call myself. I am so weird.

After I got all the beautiful fabrics that I received during my fabric shower from the staging area of my work bench and layed them on my cutting table,  I took pictures of them for my blog. You can see them in yesterday’s post.  I had been putting them all together as they came in so that I could have a photo of them all. I grouped them in some sort of color order, took an overall picture and then a series of close ups of the groupings. I published the pictures and then went off to bed because I started this brainstorm idea late in the evening.

This morning is when the trouble started, I needed to get some sewing done and I didn’t want to move my fabrics. I still want to look at them all lined up so pretty and remember how fun it was getting package after package. I honestly cannot express how thrilling it was to open that mail box or have “her” come to the door ; you know when the mail lady comes to the door it is gonna be good!   But . . .    How can I put them away?  Those little strips that came all packed so neatly in a zippy bag of their own had to be separated! I felt like a bad mom shipping my kids off to the ends of the earth to live alone!  They came together, they needed to stay together.  But they didn’t quite go together in an aesthetically pleasing way when you lined them all up,  in little piles they seem to belong!  So I snuggled them into a little drawer where they will be joined by other strip brothers and sisters as I sort through my stash. That, I could live with.  As far as the cuts of fabrics, I plan to raid Joann’s cardboard pile and get some more bolts and put them together on my shelf as a group. That way I can see them together as they should be, they are a visual representation of my dear, sweet friends. My mind may not be able to remember what I heard someone tell me or that I have an appointment in a day or two, but I can remember each fabric and who sent it. I have a somewhat photographic memory that captures things in snipets and hangs on to them that way. I think that is why it is hard for me to separate the fabrics. To think of them going toward separate projects is almost painful.

But . . . I am also so excited about being able to participate in the upcoming mystery that I am willing to try to break free. In fact, as the first step, I have re-thought my plan .  the strips will go into the drawer and then I will let Sylas play in it so that they all get mixed up into a jumble.  I will put the fabrics on bolts and put them randomly on a shelf. Just as I had that thought, there was this voice in my head and I think it honestly screamed!  After having a little negotiation, it has been decided that I will put them on bolts and have another family member place them on the shelf when I am not in the room. That way, when I walk back in the picture will be new!

Cutting these fabrics is another whole issue I will have to work through! Geez, you try to help a gal out and look what happens!

I said I was weird.

 

Secret Sister Valentine Heart Basket

Front of my Secret Sister Valentine Heart Basket

Back of my Secret Sister Valentine Heart Basket

I finally was able to sew now that my machine is fixed.  Here is the Secret Sister Valentine Heart Basket I made yesterday.  I filled it with a few goodies from my sewing stash and will add a bit of candy and pop it in the mail.  I don’t think it will be there in time for Valentines even with priority mail  but I pray it gets to her soon.  I hope my SS enjoys it as much as I enjoyed making it.  I have variations and possibilities swimming in my head so you will have to check back to see if they escape and end up as actual finished projects.

 

It’s Raining Fabric

 

  

Fabric Shower

I was blessed by a surprise fabric shower from my super quilt group.  I cannot believe the generosity of these women and John!  Besides fabric, I also received a rotary cutter, a square ruler,retractable tape measure  and several books.  I am so excited and will be using the first of my stash to create a spring theme table runner, a mystery quilt from our group and also a BOM from Bunny Hill.    Thank you so much to all my good friends, you mean so much to me and I cannot thank you enough. 

 

 

I’m flapping but haven’t left the ground yet!

Flap Flap Flap Monday- I have just joined some of the most amazing women on the net; Fly Lady, Fly Crew and Fly Babies.  Whoo Hoo!  I am inspired and hope to be able to really join their ranks and soar.  I have gotten a 3 ring binder, printed off  my Control Journal pages, started to fill it out and I shined my sink.  I had hoped to join this week’s Zone and work up to really decluttering with the Spring Fling ,after all they just started and I don’t want to get behind, need to stay up with the crowd Flap, Flap a bit harder, but then  Zap! killer headache on the horizon, going to crash, must  finish this tomorrow. ahhhhhh.

Flutter Flutter Flutter Tuesday -Since I woke up with a really horrible headache and movement caused excrusiating pain, I decided to look over the website and found that I have already made  a crucial error.  I can’t help it.  I have to read a book from cover to cover or not at all and I cannot possible do only 1 step at a time.  But I failed to fully read about the Flylady way to do something.  I spent yesterday, as I said printing off and organizing my control journal and trying to fill it all out.  Then realized I was supposed to do that in baby steps along with the baby step cleaning/decluttering.  Ugh! 

As I said, I am flapping but haven’t left the ground.   However, while I was reading the wealth of info on the website and the hundred  (just kidding) really worthwhile emails with one eye opened so as not to let too much light into my splitting brain, because you know I can’t just lay here in bed and do nothing, I came across some true encouragement.  It said, “You are not behind! I don’t want you to try to catch up; I just want you to jump in where we are. O.K.? One BabyStep at a time, PEACE is mine in 2009 !    Letting out a sigh, closing the one eye, and dropping my poor flapping arms to my sides, I thought,  “You mean I can start where I am, even though I made a mistake and just step one step at a time?  There is hope for me.”  These ladies get me and they got my number!

The nerd in me loves the schedules, charts, organizing skills and the simplicity of the plan well planned but what the free-spirit in me loves is that there is no pressure to be perfect, just to wear shoes!  What I do is enough.  It is a blessing and it will get accomplished one baby step at a time!  I can do anything for 15 minutes, including taking a nap when my head began to really hurt.  It takes about 15 minutes for the Advil to kick in anyway.  Then I was able to put away that load of folded laundry, start the wet load to drying, put the fresh, bread machine baked bread in the plastic bag and get dinner out of the freezer and ready for the oven on time tonight.   Yes, I would have loved to have baked three loaves of bread minus the hole from the bread machine, but I only have one bread pan and a huge headache, so according to my old ways, we wouldn’t have had any bread. The Flybaby me realizes the family doesn’t care.  They scarf it up hole or no hole!  It is hot and really, really, good.  I would have loved to have all the laundry done and the old me would have put it off until I felt better and could get it all done in one day, but the Flybaby settled for one load of clean, dry, folded and  put away laundry.  A load a day, they say at Flylady.net.  

Well, my 15 minute break is almost over according to the timer, headache is reving up so, if you think you might want to Fly too, I have provided the link for you.  Of course, I have, I am that kinda gal.  But now, I need to go and flap a few more times, take a few Advil and maybe tomorrow I will feel a bit of space between me and the floor. 

a

 

Had to explain!

My kids gave me such a razzing over my first post that I thought I better explain.  They said I sounded really conceited.  Yikes! Of course,  all was said with tongue in cheek, but they said it isn’t always apparent in emails.  So, no, I do not think that I am more special than other people and I don’t think I am an expert in a lot of things.   There ,now that we have that settled, I will continue to make fun of life, not take myself too seriously and have a lot of fun pulling people’s leg.  I will also post serious thoughts and hopefully some really cool tutorials.  I have a few ideas rolling around in my head.  Next post will be of my UFO Challenge.  Anyone want to join?  I am planning a UFO a week until they are done. 

There, I hope you kids are satisfied, LOL.

 

My Little Buddy

My little buddy Jonah

What a face, huh!

This is my beautiful, 6 month old Maltese puppy, Jonah.  He is such a joy and a godsend to me.  Let me explain.   For me, animals are more than just pets or companions.  They are a need so deep within me.  When I had to give up my goats, rabbits and chickens, it left a huge hole in my heart.  Try as I might, I could not fill that hole with any other pleasure.  I am sure that it has a lot to do with the comfort and escape I found on my grandfather’s farm in Dexter, Oregon as a young girl.  But that is another post, maybe someday.   When all the animals were gone, we were left with only two dogs.  Unfortunately, we ended up having to put down my favorite little buddy, Jayden.  The loss of yet another precious friend closed off a part of my heart that I didn’t think I would risk opening again, yet I could not help myself.   My husband does not have the same “need” for an animal companion and was perfectly content with the one dog and said we would not be replacing Jayden.  Infact, he was happy to not have the extra responsibilty especially with us traveling a bit more.  Now, our other dog, Cosmo is a nice, old guy but that is part of the problem.  He is getting rather old and pretty much sleeps most of the time.  I haven’t really ever formed a bond with him.  I am not really sure why, and so I missed Jayden very much.  I tried to be patient, but I just could not find peace.  I prayed and asked God to help heal my heart and if He was willing, to change my husband’s mind.  I asked for the right words to express my need for a puppy.  I did a bit of research and found what I thought would make a perfect choice and would be a dog that my husband would not have a problem with.  We needed a dog that would not shed much, would be small enough for traveling in an RV, would not be barky and could be easily trained.  After a lot of looking, I discovered the Maltese breed.  Then to my disappointment, I also discovered what these dogs usually cost.  I knew they were out of my league and again prayed for a special circumstance that would allow me to have one for my own.  Soon, I happened to find a breeder who was near by and did indeed have a special circumstance and was willing to bless me with my pick of two males in my price range.  Now, all that was left was to find the words to ask my husband.  When I called and began to assure him that I wanted to express my heart to him and not be manipulative, he immediately asked, ” Is this about a puppy?”  I hesitantly said , “yes” and then he said, “go ahead and get him.”  Not able to believe what I was hearing, I asked if he was sure and that I wasn’t trying to “get my way”.  But he told me he had thought about it and decided that the timing would be okay.  Well, I could hardly wait.  I went to pick him up and knew instantly that he was the one.  He is the smartest little guy, has taken to clicker training so fast and is a real delight.   He is my constant shadow and curls up at my feet while I am in my sewing studio or sits next to me on the couch.   So far, he is doing really well with basic obedience and can dance.  I am sure you will be seeing a lot of posts about him and his antics.  

If you would like more info about the Maltese breed, check out my links to the American Maltese Assocation or the AKC.