Visions of Sugar Plums

Never in a million years did I think I would ever have or even want a white Christmas tree....  I go for the homespun kind of tree...  Green tree, lots of fabric ornaments, mostly homemade......nothing too flashy.  

But when I saw that white Christmas tree and THEN saw it had fiber optic lights.... well, I just had to have it.  I thought it would look  awesome in my craft/sewing room. And boy does it ever.  (Especially with the pink and purple ornaments I got for it.... yes I said pink and purple - and yes, never in a million years would I have thought.....)

My youngest took the picture above..... I just LOVE IT.

When I was a kid, I can remember often hearing the adults in my family talking about getting older.  What always stood out was when I heard someone say that when we age - we often revert back to our childhoods.

I never understood what they meant.....  

Until now.  

Time.....

As we all jump into what is probably the busiest time of the year.... I am taking a few moments to look back on 2012.  I realize this is something one does at the end of December - but I seem to be a bit different.... start new things at the most unusual times in my life and learn A LOT from them.... 

This blog was started about a year ago.  It was something I had been thinking about it for a long time.  I must confess that originally this blog had dreams of being the next Ree Drummond or Ambitious Kitchen or Lucy at Attic 24.... (Yes, I like to dream big!)  So with no experience - jumped right in and starting writing.  I love it and have love learning all about layouts, pictures, blog buttons, etc., but most of all about this great big community of women who love to craft, sew, cook, bake, quilt and then write about it.     

So this year has been full of new starts and learning new things, small ups and downs.  

My oldest was married at the beginning of the year....  Boy was a lot learned from that experience.  The biggest lesson I learned was that I was very comfortable at being "mommie," but when it came to being just "mom" ... well, let's just say I had NO CLUE... still have no idea what happened.  Her whole life, I could give her all the advice in the world about navigating her childhood, kiss a bruise with all the courage in the world, and answer just about any question with confidence.  But not one word of wisdom crossed my lips when she was standing before me - so beautiful in her wedding dress - still my daughter but only moments away from being her husband's wife.  

I was able to whip up flower arrangements, make invitations and put together food like no other....  But........

I need some more time to figure this one out.  Hopefully before my youngest daughter gets engaged! 

Time.....  whether it is determining the "right time" or needing more...  is essential.  

I've always wanted to quilt.  I even remember cutting up old shirts, when I was in junior high school, into little - I mean little - squares and hand sewing them into rows with the goal of piecing them into a quilt top.  That never came to be but my desire never dulled.  After I was married and my oldest was in junior high - I bought a book on hand piecing and set out to piece a quilt top using Jacob's ladder blocks.  I got much further - cut all the triangles and squares, but only pieced about four blocks and then life got in the way.  Those cut pieces are long gone.  

So from raising kids to blogging to weddings to changing roles as a parent..... to quilting.  

Timing has been a part of this story........ and a little nudge from a friend....  We wanted to learn to quilt.  She found a quilt store, we signed up and we are now working on our fourth quilts!  And I LOVE piecing quilts.  

What has been learned......

Mistakes are a good tool, a quilt is never finished until it has a label and maybe waiting until the time is right - success is easier to achieve.  

So while the mystery of my "lack of a witty or heartfelt mother to daughter on wedding day speech" is still lingering.....

I will learn from my mistakes, put the mystery label on it and just wait to learn from this when.....

the time is right.       

Let the Holidays Begin

This is by far one of the best times of the year.     

It all starts when I can bake that first loaf of pumpkin bread.... the spices that linger in the air.....  mmmmmm..... when that first bit of clove, then nutmeg and ginger........ and mmmmmmm... then finally cinnamon hits my nose - dare I say it - visions of sugarplums start dancing in my head.....  

Okay - so it is not sugarplums..... but I do start thinking about the Christmas ornaments I want to make, and whether I should make a new wreath for the front door, and where will I put the Christmas tree - or should I just get another one for the den.... oh my.... all of these thoughts start taking over every minute of my day!  Then the gifts I want to give start whirling like crazy in my mind.....  what would the oldest want or need, what about the son in law....  It whirls so much I get a little dizzy - which if you knew me - is not hard to do.  

Every year I have said that I will get the Christmas gift shopping and making done by Thanksgiving and this year was no different.  The problem is I have never ever in my whole life been 100% ready for Christmas.  One year, I was putting the fringe on a shawl Christmas Eve morning - about an hour before I was going to see the gift receiver!  Another year, I was still crocheting an afghan for my mom during the ride (my oldest daughter was driving) from my dad's house which is thirty minutes from my mom's.  I actually finished it as we were pulling into her driveway and I wrapped it in the trunk of the car right before we went into the house......  Am I a slave to procrastination -  maybe just a bit - however, I do tend to bite off more than I can chew when it comes to the gifts I want to make.

And then there is the fact that I am not a Black Friday kinda girl.  Actually I am not a big fan of shopping at all.  Oh, I have friends and family that LOVE to shop - both of my daughters are avid fans of shopping.... but that is not one of the gifts they inherited from me.... never really enjoyed it.... 

Sooooooo like most people, I put off what I do not enjoy.........  

BUT... this year, I am almost done with the shopping part.  And can I just tell you that I am so happy.  I would actually like to do "happy hands" right now - but I am typing and my youngest would cringe.   

I have a lot of other activities on my Holiday list this year and that may have motivated me to get my rear end in gear and get the dreaded shopping over with.  And I discovered the benefits of online shopping last year.

So my pin boards are full of fun, creative and very Christmasy projects I want to play with this year.  I have already made some of them and really really happy with the pretty little items that are coming out of my craft/sewing room.   

So it is time to keep pulling out soft fabric from my stash, colorful buttons from my jar, threads, beads, yarn and....... 

oh my......  

I still need to put the tree up, decorate the house...... and absolutely get back in the craft/sewing room to .............

create..........

LOVE.    

No Longer a Mystery

The quilt is done, has been revealed at class, photographed, and ready to be hung up for awhile in the shop.  It is no longer a mystery..... even though I have named it Ït's a Mystery to Me"- third ever quilt top.  

I so enjoyed this quilt.  When I was taking the T-shirt quilt class last Monday, my instructor (who I absolutely and totally adore) encouraged me to try my hand at a pieced border....  Pattern by the same designer of the mystery quilt - Debbie Caffrey.  The pieced border is from her series "Becoming a Confident Quilter - Delectably Simple Mountains."  So I bought some more fabric and finished it up last night.  While there are a few mistakes - I am still pleased and happy with the final quilt top.....   so I guess it would be nice if I put a picture up!  

Here is a bit of a close up picture of the block..... (only an inner border)

 Debbie Caffrey is an awesome designer and really helps a beginning quilter feel confident to pick a harder block to attempt.  What makes her technique so fantastic is that when you take a mystery class - you have no idea what the block will look like until you have completed (in this case) twenty-four of them!  No time to second guess whether you can do the block or not.....
  
Here is the finished quilt with the pieced border....  (photography courtesy of my youngest!)

Yes, I was quite surprised when it was done!  And if you are wondering - I chose not to sash... 

I just finished reading Jennifer Chiaverini's last book in the Elm Creek Quilter series "The Giving Quilt."  While I am sad to be all caught up in the series - I absolutely loved this book.  It really captured how I feel about my goal in becoming a quilter.... while I want to make sure that every single one of my family has a beautiful quilt on their bed..... I also want to help make sure that all kids have a beautiful, warm quilt or blanket they can call their very own.  I have been a part of a group at my church that crochets and knits afghans for a women's shelter for several years.... I have heard stories about children from the shelter leaving with one of our afghans....... so this is just an extension to that.  So I was super happy when Jennifer's facebook page should up on my newsfeed today with a link where I could download a free copy of the quilt pattern for The Giving Quilt.  And yes, I did download it!  I took it with me to the quilt shop tonight (when we had our reveal).

So guess what is on my cutting mat tonight..... and yes it is already washed and ready to be ironed and then cut!  

That beautiful focus fabric.... the green, purple, cream and blue print..... it was a find from the Shop Hop.....  I am ready to begin a new quilt top....  

Luckily I will be taking a machine quilting class in December.... finally!   

To Sash or Not To Sash

Yes, I am one of the blessed ones.... 

The hardest decision I was faced with this week was whether to sash or not to the sash the "Mystery to Me" quilt.  

I did not have to worry about hurricanes, family in the way of danger or whether we have enough food or water for this week.

Yes, I am one of the blessed ones..... 

I sit here at my dining room table with a cup of coffee looking out the back doors and watch my husband trimming a tree. I am blessed with a husband who takes pride in his work, whether it is mopping a floor (and yes he also does laundry!), singing at church or trimming a tree.  

Yes, I am one of the blessed ones... 

Our son has a good job, received a good evaluation and is getting ready move out of a house he shares with roommates into his own apartment.  Our oldest daughter is married to a loving husband, has a rewarding (yet stressful) job, has good health and is thinking about adding to our family.  Our youngest daughter is moving toward her own independence as she works on her college courses and embarks on a new job as a teacher's aid.  This is not to say that it has not been a hard road to get to these places in their lives.... and it is safe to say that they will no doubt run into boulders, mountains and valleys as they continue on their journeys.... but for now.....  

Yes, I am one of the blessed ones....

Hmmmmm.......to sash or not to sash...... 

It's A Sampler

Had nice morning light to snap a couple pictures of the Second Ever Quilt Top - It's A Sampler.... 

Here are some pictures of creation of some Nine Patch Blocks... and Nine Patch Variations.

The colors are so bright and cheery......  I really learned a lot about matching seams.  

Here is the design wall.... (Some of the blocks did not make it into the final quilt top)  I had fun with all the different blocks for this sampler - Friendship Star, Flying Geese, Nine Patch, Pinwheel and the beloved Log Cabin...... Here is a close-up... Oh Yes. I love the focus fabric. I used it for cornerstones in the purple sashing.

Here is the Second Ever Quilt Top - It's A Sampler......

I am so happy with this quilt top because I learned so many techniques.... Almost a little sad to be done with the top, except I have started a Mystery Quilt Class.  Pure trust because I have no idea what the Third Ever Quilt Top - It's A Mystery will look like except for this.....

I do love rusts, yellows and fall leaves.... The first instruction was to cut, cut, cut and cut fabric..... Now I am working on the second set of instructions - sewing strips and cutting, sewing and cutting....  

Yesterday, I went on a Shop Hop.  So MUCH FUN!  I bought more fabric... Oh my....  I understand all the talk I heard when I started this journey about a new addiction.  So Funny.

Next Saturday is more Shop Hop, so I must go and sew, cut, sew and cut on the Mystery Quilt.  

Where Has The Time Gone........

Oh I know... right into my craft room.  Since my last, every excited, post about my First Ever Quilt Top... I have been playing in the craft room.  I must confess that the craft room is morphing (slowly) into a sewing room.  Yes, that is right.... I think all of the beading, crocheting, card making and all other crafting I have done up to this point (and that is over 30 years) has led me to this.... quilting.  I LOVE FABRIC.  I love cutting perfectly lovely pieces of fabric into strips, squares and triangles... only to sew them back together again into beautiful blocks.  Did you notice that I left the word "perfectly" out of that last little bit?  It was intentional as I am just a beginner and have a LONG LONG LONG way to go to even remotely use any form of the word "perfect" in the same phrase or sentence as "quilting," "piecing," "sewing".....  However that is not a problem.... because to get anywhere near "perfect" one must practice and that means..................................sewing room time!  

I have made another quilt top since the First Ever Quilt Top... I signed up for Quilt 102 and we made a sampler quilt.... There are 35 blocks which consist of Rail Fence, Nine Patch and Nine Patch Variation, Pinwheel, Friendship Star and my all-time favorite - Log Cabin.  (Yes, there is a post in the works on the Log Cabin block).  I have pictures of this fun Sampler while it was in the works - but not one of the complete top yet... I will post later.  

Also took a binding class and signed up for a Mystery Quilt.... oooo this one is fun so far... I get my second sent of clues/instructions tonight.  Our instructor (Ellen) for the binding class, really encouraged us to make a small project and then bind it within a week of the class.... so I made a little table topper - but I am hand quilting it (poorly I might add) so I am afraid that it may be a little more than a week before I get it bound!   

So I am not ignoring my blog - just so busy learning, cutting, sewing, making lots of mistakes and having a blast. 

And I completely forgot...... I won a blog giveaway!!!!  Oh my gosh..... I won the most beautiful book from Lovey at Fabric Memories. You must go and see how wonderful this book is.  I want to use her techniques in a quilt at some point so it was just so awesome to win and receive her book!  Thanks Lovey!!!!  

My First Ever Quilt Top

So excited!  I finally found a few minutes to be able to upload the pictures..... of my first ever, in my entire life,  quilt

My inner border is not straight - but I am not sad..... I actually learned that placement of your sewing machine can alter the outcome of any sewing project - so I have tweaked the craft/sewing room again and moved the sewing machine....  

This week - I learned how to sandwich my quilt and got a great back fabric for my first ever, in my entire life, quilt.....  

I got some more of the brown fabric and once I learn to actually quilt all three layers, I am going to bind it in brown.  

To quilt - I may have to invest in a new sewing machine.  I love the one I have now - but I cannot get a walking foot or a free motion foot for it.  Unfortunately, this quilt is just too large and I live in a very warm climate, to hand quilt.  It would just take too long :( 

Tomorrow is a super busy day.  I get to spend some time with my Prayer Shawl ladies and I have my first class in Quilt 102!!!  Yes, that is right - I am going to start another quilt top tomorrow.... I am so EXCITED!  This is going to be a sampler quilt, so I will learn several new block patterns which even include piecing with triangles..... (no curves yet).  So I already purchased my fabric for the new quilt top.  I have to admit that I originally thought that I really did not want to make another large quilt (My first ever, in my entire life, quilt is almost twin size!)  I wanted to spend a little more time on the new techniques.  But the fabric bug bit and bit hard..... so I got enough to make another twin size... you know, just in case.....  

I LOVE my focus fabric.... so much so that I got about 1/2 yard more than I need for the quilt..... I wanted extra - for a pillow or cover or pillow case or something absolutely fun.  

See that awesome green fabric on the bottom - that is the LOVE fabric... isn't it so pretty?  I just might have to use pink for my inner border and binding... I do not think I could do the whole back in pink though.  

Well, I need to go and relax a little before my long day tomorrow.....  I said I had tweaked the craft/sewing room a bit.....  Look at this awesome chair that I have wanted for awhile and was able to get it this week..... and the owners gave me the chair because I loved it so much.  The ottoman is a birthday present from my youngest.....  What a great relaxing spot..... Michael and Susie have given their approval.  

Finally...... but not yet.....

Oh life has been busy.....  and I am not so oblivious (well, okay - I have been known to be a bit clueless - but not about this) to believe that I am the only one in this whole wide world that is busy...... and I know that my busyness is a bit different than others!  

Okay that being said, I have been busy with my very first ever in my entire life ever...... drum roll please....... QUILT TOP!   Yay!  I finally did it.  You can ask any one of my kids and they will tell you that all they have ever heard me whine talk about is learning to quilt and make quilts.....  Okay - that is a mistake - my kids heard rules, love, rules, encouragement, rules, my mistakes, love, rules..... all the stuff that they needed to hear and learn while I had the honor of being their mom..... but when I talked about myself.....they heard all about the quilts.  

So it is pretty awesome that I finally was able to follow through with something they heard me say I wanted to learn. (Oh no - they are all grown and I have another life lesson for them!)  

Now...... I have taken pictures of this first time ever quilt top and I promise to post them.....  so that is why this is the "Finally..... but not yet....." post.  I have to download the pictures and I need a little bit of time and I do not have it today..... yes, busyness again.  

You see, since I was spending A LOT of time on the first time ever quilt top (and a trip to San Diego in the mix) - I let other things go...... like laundry, bathroom cleaning, vacuuming, grocery shopping, dusting, window washing.... you get the picture.... some of the yuckiness of life.....  and I also let my card sending, letter writing and blog posting get away from me.... these are the much better things in life.....  

So between the bathroom scrub down and the folding of the laundry (oh yeah, and washing the fabric for the quilt backing and binding!!!!!) I wanted to write a blog post....  

I have made so many new friends from the July Blog Party hosted by the lovely Karen Valentine..... so I wanted to touch base with you all and hopefully tomorrow I will find a little time to upload pictures... and if something of the yuckiness of life does not get done.... then......... 

Oh well. 

Blog Party Hangover......

Whew....  I am still not done mingling at Karen's Blog Party - she sure knows how to throw a doosie!  I have met so many awesome ladies and seen some gorgeous studios/craft/sewing rooms!  If you want to check them out - just hit the banner over there on the right side of my blog.... Karen loves to be the best hostess!  


Since I needed a break (and I had tons of homework from quilting class) I spent some much needed therapy time in the craft room.  I had to move some things around - partly due to some inspiration I received from visiting all the creative spaces - and mainly because I needed a design wall for my quilt layout.  

Also needed to get some of the items I had on a table - up and away - so taking a cue from many of the other crafters and artists - I went and got an over the door shoe holder and put it on the door into the room.  Pretty awesome!  Now I have a nice free open place to cut fabric.  


Now for the design wall - I had to move my bulletin board (which I now knowshould be referred to as an inspiration board) over above my ribbons... Now I have a nice place to tack up some old batting.  

You now have a little bit of a sneak peek of my first ever quilt - This was one of the layouts I was toying with at the time.... I love these rust colored fabrics..... so rich and beautiful.  

Here is another peek at some of the other fabrics and the main focus fabric.  The middle fabric - the golden yellow with the white stars..... I fell in love with that fabric the first time I saw at the quilt store....  I knew I had to have it....  So, when I picked the focus fabric and we were instructed to pick three colors out of that fabric and then..... pick a light, medium and dark of each of those colors.....of course I saw gold in that fabric. :) 

This is the layout I've decided to use......  I wonder how hard it will be to put it together!!!  hmmmm... the design layout might change.  I stayed away from the obvious blue in the focus fabric.....  I just hope it works out!  Last week our homework was to cut all the fabric (except the pretty focus ones) into 2 1/2 strips.....  this week our homework was to come up with a way you want your strips (by color) together and then sew the colors together - after that cut them into 6 1/2 squares....  I finally finished up last night.  I was bummed because I was all done!  


So, I decided to make myself a sewing machine cover....  Earlier in the week I had googled sewing machine covers and found this great blog and loved the look of Audrie's scrappy patchwork cover.  I adapted her pattern and came up with an easier one for me - because I am a NOVICE sewer!  

I have to admit that I was pretty happy with the results..... 


Now I do not have to worry about dust getting into my machine when I sadly am away from her.  I have had this sewing machine for many years.  My parents gave it to me and it sat in my closet for a long time.  I was scared of her and until recently realized I was not using her correctly.  I believe we are now very happy with our relationship and I thank my folks so much!  


Next week, I am going to San Diego with a friend, her two granddaughters and my youngest (who is 20!).  I have never been to San Diego.....  yes, I know!  The best part is that next week, while we are there, I will be celebrating my 48th birthday!  I have not been to a beach since I was 5 or 6 years old!  My grandparents lived in Florida and we would drive down from Virginia to visit them..... that was the last time!  So, I am super excited to be sending time on the beach again!  I received some great gifts from friends far away and they are just awesome!  In my post about the quilting class - where I mentioned my friend who moved and decided to take a watercolor class - look at what she sent me!!!!  

Isn't that awesome!  It fits just perfect with my (dwindling) buttons..... so I hung her beauty right on the wall in behind my sewing machine - so I can see it all the time!  Isn't that just the perfect place for it.... my little sewing corner of the room.  

Do you see the little tin plate on my sewing table?  I found it recently packed away and had to put it to good use.  I got it from my grandmother.... I believe it may be an old advertising gift.... just do not know from where... Here is a close up - I just love it.....  "We are all here"  


As I think all of us tend to do, I have been a little reflective on this last year.  There have been lots of changes - all mostly really great......  Our family has grown with the marriage of my oldest daughter to a great young man.....my youngest daughter getting closer to to going away to college....  my husband and I are re-discovering our dreams from our youth.  I am pretty happy with all the changes....  


I cannot wait to see what changes this year will bring... which dreams will be achieved and what new dreams will develop!  

Its A Party..... Where Bloggers Create 2012

Another milestone for me as a blogger..... Its my first ever Blog Party!  Very, very exciting.  

I have been in a flurry all month, working on projects, completing projects, starting a class..... The funny thing is that I waited until the very last minute to take pictures of my craft room and they did not come out well... but you get the gist.  (The truth is that the room was a mess...... I had stuff everywhere - but that is what I wanted the room for - a place to go and just leave the tools of the trade out and not have to worry about putting it all away!) 

I just love my yellow doors!  The rest of my house is very muted.....so I just went crazy with color in my craft room.  

My Singer.....  We are becoming fast friends. I love all of my colorful threads and buttons.  

One table.... and then there were two!

  

My colorful shelves - holds lots of papers, stamps, glitter, paint, embellishments..... lots and lots of joy is what my shelves hold.  Do you see the fun little S above?

Buttons! 

Karen - I agree - I do love the sound of buttons going into a glass jar - but even more I LOVE them coming out of the jar onto my table!  Because that means it is time to create something....  

My original idea was to just to keep it clear.... just on the glass - but when I saw it up against my yellow doors - I thought... ooooo maybe some color is better.  So.....  I put a piece of green paper behind the glass - viola.... I loved it!    This just might be part of my new blog button that I am hopeful to get done this weekend.  

Decided that the garden needed a little loving - so I got all my flat marbles out and some of my larger mosaic marbles that I had put modge-podged pictures on.....  then got an old yucky stepping stone and went to work...

Isn't the little fishy cute with his really big smile?  He now has a new home in my garden....     

My daughter had come up with a great name for our garden.  So, of course, that meant we had to make a sign!  Got these wood pieces at Michaels - a little paint, stickers and glossy sealer and the garden has a fun new sign.....  Isn't that name great?  I hope the garden lives up to its new name......  (sorry the picture is so bad - not very good light that day!) 

Tomorrow is when I get together with my Prayer Shawl ladies.... we have made these several years ago - but they are making a come back.... by popular demand from one lovely lady from our church - who gives them out like candy!  In fact, she has put in a special request for a couple red, white & blue ones for some friends of hers that are going to the Olympics!  Who would have thought that our little mini Prayer Shawls would go over to England!  So I made some little tags for the mini shawls.... 

So easy!  

So now, I just need to make a couple in red, white and blue!  

Well, it is time for me to close up the craft room..... I want to go and be a part of other parties, get a little inspiration and share a little crafty love!  

Thanks Karen for helping me reach a new milestone in my blogging life.... you are awesome!   

Being Brave...... with a little help from my friends.....

It has been awhile since I posted.....  But actually it has been for a good reason.  I joined my first ever blog party (July 13-14) so I have been frantically creating in my craft room so I would have some pieces to show.  I also have been working on cheering up my home too.  So it has been for a good reason.  


As long as I can remember I have wanted to quilt... to be a quilter......


I have dabbled a bit, read A LOT of books, articles and blogs on this subject... but never ever took the plunge.  I have cut a million little squares and triangles to make a Jacob's ladder quilt, only to make two blocks because I realized I was using a fabric that was not easy to quilt with.  I made a couple of crazy log cabin blocks, but have not finished it.  


So, I started..... I just never followed through.  


I have a wonderful friend who moved out of state.  (I miss her dearly).  She  wanted to explore the medium of watercolor.  She had mentioned it a couple times when she still lived here.  So after she got settled in her new home, she found a class, joined and is now preparing for a show!  How awesome is that!!!!  She set an example for me..... if you want to learn something - go for it.  You never know what will happen if you do not try.  


Now, let me get this straight.... I am not so delusional to think that I will be as truly artistic and fabulous as my friend is with watercolors, in the quilting world.... but it is sure nice to dream....  


At church a couple of weeks ago, another friend, out of the blue, mentioned she wanted to learn to quilt.  My ears perked up and I told her that I had the same wish.  So we talked and thought it would be fun to take a class.  Tick one thing off our bucket list.  My job was to find a store in our area and see about classes.  Since I did not write it down or put a notation in my phone..... I promptly and completely forgot about it.  Yep.... it was gone!  Life has a way of getting me all jumbled up sometimes.  


So it was to my complete surprise and utter joy when I got a text from my friend telling me SHE found a store.  And it was ten minutes away from our homes and offer classes year round!  So we set up a time to go and visit the store for that Saturday.  We originally wanted to take a hand piecing class.  

Quilter's Bee.....oh that store is great.  There are bolts of colorful fabric everywhere, fat quarters and quilts - gorgeous quilts - all over the walls AND it shares a wall with a sub sandwich shop so it smells like fresh baked bread..... yes... fabric, quilts and fresh baked bread.  What more can this girl ask for.  


My friend and I promptly signed up for Quilting 101!  That's right - no arguing, no hemming and hawing... just whipped out the credit card and signed right up!  We will make a beautiful small quilt in five 3 hour classes.  I cannot even begin to tell you how excited I am.  The best part is that they let us have another class "BeeCome a Sewer" for free. My friend dubbed it "Bobbin 101."  It is a class designed to help you become familiar with your sewing machine.....  


Margaret at the Quilter's Bee is a dream teacher (super patient!)   We had our class in BeeComing a Sewer on Monday night. I was pretty confident that I was threading my sewing machine correctly - but was definitely struggling with my bobbin.  Apparently I was probably only putting my bobbin in my machine correctly only about 50% of the time.  So, we learned a few tricks - like do not have your stitches so small - they are hard to rip out if needed.  So we now have a healthy partnership with our sewing machines - no more fear.  The best part was watching my friend who was super scared of her machine and struggled with it for 30 years, become confident!  It was awesome to see her light up when she was able to thread her machine without Margaret prompting her.  Pretty amazing.  


My homework is to purchase a 1/4 foot for my machine because it will make sewing the pieces together much easier.  So I was researching on the internet.... the lovely "lets google it!"  Well, in my research I came across another blogger who has the same sewing machine as I do.  I replied to one of her posts about machine feet and she sent me a note and offered to mail me a 1/4 inch foot if she had one.  How generous and wonderful is that!  I tell you - I love all my new blogger friends!  


So I feel brave, maybe still a little nervous......  but with a little help from my old friends.......and now with new ones.... I will get a little bit braver.  

Bliss Part II

How does this lucky girl get two really blissful weekends in a row.......?  I will not question.  I will just enjoy. 

A co-worker opened a wine bar and I wanted to do something fun for the grand opening.  I decided to try my hand at a mixed media art piece.  I have been DREAMING about creating something like this for a long time but needed a gentle push.  I had painted a couple of desert backgrounds last year and the wine bar is in the desert, I thought maybe one of those backgrounds would work.  So with my handy scissors I attacked some of my magazines and was able to find some really awesome wine bottles, pieces of fruit and some great quotes. 

   
















Once those were decoupaged onto the canvas and added a coat of really watered down brown paint - which I immediately wiped off with a cloth...... the fun began.....  embellishments, embellishments, embellishments.

I honestly thought that it looked kinda funky - but really was not convinced it was "gift worthy."  My husband's and daughter's reactions were encouraging and I thought - what the heck.... I will go for it.  

Further affirmation came the next day when my daughter was taking one of her clients to a hair salon..... (This hair salon is awesome... I will post pictures at a later time) she saw a mixed media piece that was similar to mine!  It even had the rivet embellishments on it.  She said it was not as good as mine (which I am not sure if that was bias or not - I refuse to ask).  I felt better about giving mine away.  Funny thing is I cannot give the receiver of this piece's reaction as she has not seen it yet.  She did not come into work so it never made it to the grand opening. 


Saturday, my youngest was at an all day babysitting job.  After my morning appointment, my Saturday turned into a "work at home day"...... You know.... the kind of day where there are lots of little household chores to do.  My husband (who is a musician) had a gig on Saturday afternoon/night.  I was all alone for dinner - so I made one of my favorite dishes..... I am the only one in the house who loves Brussels Sprouts... I know, what is wrong with my family.....  So I made myself a big old pan of them.....  I saute them in olive oil and just a touch of leftover bacon drippings..... mmmmmmm.....  Add a bit of Kosher salt, pepper, fresh garlic and chopped onion..... 

I cooked a couple of flour tortillas..... 

These are delicious and so easy.... If you have never given them a try...... you must!  Just cook them in a pan over med heat until they are slightly browned.  Makes all the difference in the world.  

Yes, this was a delicious dinner!  After cleaning up the dishes..... and having the place to my self.... it was time to relax and read.  
















(I have been reading Joanne Fluke's series of Hannah Swenson...  Cookie baker by day and murder sleuth by evening.... very light and fun!)




Sunday was grout day!  I got the blue pot done over the course of last week and now can get my hands dirty......  

Because of the messy nature of this part of the process...  I usually save some pieces to be grouted all at once....   

                     














 messy.......                    

I love the black grout.  It does turn light as it dries though.....  Those pictures will be next time!  They need at least 24 hours to dry and then the cleaning begins. 

Here is one that I went ahead and washed off a bit to give you an idea......

 

Yes, I am a lucky girl....  another blissful time in the craft room....

Time to crochet....