Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Just in the Nick of time

Not much sewing went on around here this evening after work,but I did manage to get my Bee blocks for Sew Bee Blissful knocked out this evening.


We were asked to make two QST Pinwheel blocks using this tutorial by Jenna over at SewHappyGeek they were part of her QAL at the beginning of the year.


For the first block I used the dark blue in the center,and try as I might those points just would not line up :(


The second block with the brown with tiny blue flowers in the center.  The points are a little better in this block,but still not as nice as I would like them to be.  Oh well it is my best,so I am okay with it.


My Firecracker grass,I think it is so cool!  It sure is an eye-catcher!  Have you entered my Christmas in July Follower Giveaway?  You have until Sunday evening to enter :0)

cpace,you left me a comment,thank you so much for becoming a follower :)  The only problem is that you are a ~ No Reply Blogger ~ which means if you win I can not contact you to let you know!!!  Please leave me a comment with your email in it,that way if you win I can let you know :)

Monday, July 30, 2012

Christmas in July/Follower Give away

Are you my Follower???  Recently when I wasn't paying attention this lil blog hit a milestone!  The 100 follower milestone to be exact :)  (as of today it is 104)

When starting this blog almost two years ago,my goal was to connect with other people with the same or similar  interests as myself.  Since I live in a small town and none of my friends have an interest in crafting or sewing,I was hoping to make a few friends who share those interests.

So,Thank You from the bottom of my heart for clicking that little Follow Button to begin with,but mostly for continuing to follow/read my posts,and leaving me all those lovely comments :@)))

You Girls/Guys Rock!!!


A little Christmas anyone???  There will be two winners for this giveaway,because I can't leave out my international peeps!

What will be in each package....
42 ~ charms of assorted Christmas prints,some quilt shop quality,some not (approximately 4 ea. print)
4 ~ FQ'S (fat quarters) each a different Christmas print (same as above,some QSQ,some not)
2 ~ Patterns (sorry no preference allowed,you get whichever 2 I toss in your package)


Rules... Who needs rules???  That being said,You Must Be A Follower to Win!!!  (it only makes sense that you would need to be a follower.....

Comments... I would love for you to leave me some constructive criticism  Pretty Please :)

What do you like/dislike about my blog?
What would you like to see more/less of?
Things like the above topics,or something else I have not mentioned (of which I am sure there is a lot)

This giveaway will run through Sunday Night the 5th of Aug,I will post the winners on Monday evening the 6th.

Good Luck everyone :)  I Love you Guys/Gals!

Sunday, July 29, 2012

Citrus Bag take 2

Saturday afternoon I finally sat down to work on some more totes.  Even though it was baking hot in my sewing room!  Where did all that rain in the afternoons run off to?


Here is the fruit of my endeavors,it is amazing to me how different this one looks from the first Citrus Bag!  As you can see I moved the pieced strip up to the middle of the bag,on the first one it was very near the bottom.  The straps/handles on this bag have three different colored prints also used in the body of the bag.  While the first one had only two different colors on the straps/handles.


The lighter colored strips of fabric above and below the center pieced strip bring out the lighter shades,where as on the first bag the colors were a lot more vibrant.


For the lining on this bag/tote I decided to go with a center stripe of color while leaving the rest of the body grey.  You can see that I didn't plan out the pockets very well.  So I just cut a couple of pieces of cardboard and slipped them into each pocket.  Now the bag stands up quite nicely,not that it didn't before,but now it doesn't slump at all.  Where the first one does ever so slightly.

The third and last Citrus Bag is in pieces at the moment,hoping to finish it up sometime this coming week.


The other evening I was out running around with the camera taking more photos of my sunflowers and the garden.  This is such a cool shot,I just couldn't pass it up :)


The first sunflower to bloom in the patch out front!


Check out what I spied in the garden!  In a couple of days the first tomato will be ready to pick!!  Have a great week :)

Linking up with  Karen over at Sew Many Ways 

                                     

Friday, July 27, 2012

And the Winner is......

Commenter # 5 (Bree)  Who said....I really like the bag on the cover of that magazine as well, you made a good choice!




Congratulations to you Bree! :)  Thanks to everyone who left me a comment/entered to win,follow the box and maybe next time it will be your turn :0)


Sorry this is up so late,but the second I sat down to type up the post Mr. P. insisted we go to the store so he could buy a goodie.  On the other hand,he is the one who picked the winner.


Send me your snail mail info Bree,or leave me a comment that I can reply to and get your info that way.  Maybe I can get it out tomorrow,if not then it will be Monday.


Would love to stay and chat,but have to go make Mr. P. his goodie before he has a conniption fit!;)

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Hip 2 B Square

Is Thursday over already?  This week has just zipped right by!  Have you entered the Traveling Stash Giveaway yet?  If not,you have until tomorrow evening,so if you want a chance to win some yummy fabric leave me a comment ;)


If Mr. Random/LadyLuck is with you this could be heading to your mailbox!!!


"The Beast"(my car) has been in dire need of a trash bag,so this week I whipped one up.  Nothing fancy,but it does feature my favorite color :)


Holiday Flourish by Peggy Toole for Robert Kaufman,these are the two fabrics I picked for the Christmas in July 5" Charm Swap !


All squared up,now all I need to do is collate them slip them in an envelope and ship them off :)


Speaking of Christmas in July,remember this block? (from last October)


Here it is with two of my other favorite Christmas blocks also from last year.  This last week I Modge Pogded them onto canvas boards.  This winter they are going to adorn my sewing walls :)


A parting shot of one of my lilies :)  Happy Friday a couple hours early ;)

Monday, July 23, 2012

Stash Giveaway (Traveling that is)!!!

It has been so busy around here that I completely spaced off telling you about winning one of the Traveling Stash boxes!!!!  How is that even possible?


So today this was in the box patiently waiting for me!  Although I would have loved nothing better than  to open it a second after walking through the door,it had to wait until after dinner.

Would you like to win this little gem for yourself?  Yes?  Okay,here are the Rules......


  1. Be an active blogger. Post about receiving and the giveaway on your blog in a timely manner.
  2. There is a note in the box that logs where the box has been. Please add your info and place the note back in the box.
  3. There is a list of Rules and Guidelines in the box. Please read and follow these and return the list to the box.
  4. You may take anything you like from the box. Just replace every item with comparable quilt shop quality items equal to the amount taken.
  5. Ship the box to the next person in a reasonable amount of time.
  6. Due to the amount of postage shipping is only within the USA. 

Here is a peek inside the box after it had been opened up!  It was packed full.

The books pattern and notions included in the box.

   A few scraps of vinyl.


Most of the fabric,but not all of it.


The rest of the fabric that was in the box.

This pile of goodies is what I am taking from the box!  Check out those tiny little zippers,they are just way to cute to resist :)  Love the bag on the cover of the magazine,it is going on my list.  There were two packages of tiny little button kits,so one is staying with me.

Items taken from box,12 pieces of fabric,three zippers,one tiny covered buttons package,and one magazine.


Items replacing what I took from the box.
One magazine,three zippers,one package of magnetic closures,12 cuts of fabric.

Interested in winning this Traveling Stash Box????  Of course you are :)    Leave me a comment below for a chance to win!  

Winner will be chosen sometime Friday evening July 27th!!!  Good Luck Everyone :0)

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Citrus Bag ~ & ~ other stuff

Today started out sunny and hot and ended up grey and comfortable!  I am okay with that especially since the hot left for parts unknown.  This afternoon there was finally time to sit down and do some sewing :)



Here is my new Citrus Bag!  It is designed to be a "carry all" kind of bag/tote,but it will mostly be used as a shopping bag.  The name comes from the bright citrus colors in the fabrics used to make it.  The fabric that makes up the top portion of the bag has been in my stash for a few years.



I re-discovered it recently while straightening up the stash,and pulled it out.  It went onto the corner of my sewing table where it sat until inspiration nudged me in the bag/tote direction :)  Do you ever "re-discover fabric" in your stash?  There are two pockets inside that go up about 3/4 of the way towards the top of the bag.  They are made from the main fabric used on the outside of the bag.


You can see how grey it is in this photo.  The dimensions of the bag are 13 inches tall/high by 12 inches end to end by 5 3/4 inches across the bottom/side to side.  Quite roomy for holding grocery's or whatever you are purchasing.


This is my latest set of solar lights.  I found the glasses at the same thrift store as the owl jar,and just loved them!  The thing that makes them so cool/unique is the fact that they are all staggered in height.


A close up of one,of the three.  I was calling them wine/champagne glasses,but Mr. P says that they are Cordial glasses.

This shot will give you an idea of just how tall these are,remember the bag is 13 inches tall/high.  This set is available in my shop.


My inspector of all things crafty,Midas,was not to pleased about having to inspect from the window ;)


He decided to go pout in the garden,I am sure that he is pouting since he looked everywhere but at me while I had the camera!

Now its off to cut some Christmas fabric up into 112 5"Charms for a swap!!!


A parting shot of the glass coffee/espresso solar lights that light the stairs at night.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

A little Garden update

Since this week has been mostly spent outside,I decided to show you a few photos of how the garden is progressing.



when this picture was taken only one of the little flowers was blooming,this evening the whole row of them was a bloom :)



The small patch of sunflowers in the garden are blooming pretty good now.  They always make me smile :)



The peas,peppers,tarragon,and the cucumbers are still a little small.  However since it is warming back up,it won't be long before they take off.



We had a salad for dinner,with all the goodies from the garden,yum :)  After dinner we harvested 4 gallon size bags of lettuce.  One row of it is hiding behind the Swiss Chard,we also picked 4 bags of it too.  Some of it is going to work with me,some with Mr. P.  The last bag of each will be staying in the fridge.  I picked 4 sandwich size bags of cinnamon basil to share also :)



Will you look at those tomatoes?!  We had to trim them up a bit,so the nutrients would not all be going to the limbs instead of the tomatoes themselves!  The Radishes are looking good also.



The squash are already producing nicely,this last weekend I baked 4 loves of Zucchini Bread :)



On the crafting front,this is my latest solar light!  I picked up this little owl jar the last time we were out thrifting.  Hopefully there will be time to sew,and finish up the grocery bag that is in progress,in the next couple of evenings.  Have you been enjoying all the fruits/veggies of summer ;)

Happy sewing,crafting,gardening!

Sunday, July 15, 2012

A "B" weekend

All the rain we have been getting lately has made baking this summer a breeze.so far!  What with the rain cooling things off,I have not even thought twice about cranking up the oven :)



This bread has fast become my favorite/go to recipe :)  You can find the original over @ Janet's blog Simply So Good   This loaf was whipped up Friday evening and proofed  overnight.  First thing yesterday morning it went in the oven.  Thirty minutes later this is what it looked like!  The flavors used in this bread were a Light Havarti cheese,and Lemon Basil.  The basil of course came straight from the garden :)



Another day,another loaf of bread!  Lately Mr. P. has been going around saying "everything is Better with Bacon"  So this loaf was especially for him,the flavors?  You guessed it,Bacon bits,sharp Cheddar,and green onion.  Now while I do not agree that everything is Better with bacon,this bread sure is Good ;)  Tired of me posting about bread?  Hope not because it has only just begun,as the possibilities could be endless ;)



On to sewing news,these are my July blocks for Stash Bee although happy with how these turned out they were both an inch short on one side :(  They were supposed to be 11 x 12 inches,mine turned out 11 x 11.  However KristyLou  said she would take them as they are!



Also finished up the other 3 boxy bags,and they are now listed in my etsy shop :)  In the background you can see the peas!  You might be wondering what is so exciting about peas??  Well,considering that the deer got into the garden and mowed them  a couple weeks ago,they are doing quite well :)

We have now extended the fence by about 3 feet with netting all the way around the garden,so far there have not been any more intruders in the garden!



This morning while the sun was still out I also snapped some photos of the sunflowers in the garden area.  Check out the bee on this one :)  Hope you all had as great a weekend,enjoy your week!

Liebster Award

While reading one of the blogs I follow, Hearth and Whimsy ,the other day I was both pleasantly surprised as well as and Honored to see that she had Awarded me the....



Liebster Award!!!  Thank You so much Terrie :)

If you have never been over for a visit you are missing out on some great ideas/inspiration!  For example just the other day she posted about this Rustic Potting bench Terri does not just do one thing,she is a crafter of many different interests.  For example check out what she did with the lid to a tin!  She also has a great etsy shop !  So click  on over there and  check out her blog,you won't be disappointed :)

Liebster means "dearest" in German and this award is a great way of encouraging new bloggers with less than 200 followers. And what a fun way to do just that! I know I'm feeling pretty encouraged right now. ☺

According to the rules, once you receive this award you must follow 3 simple rules:

1. Link back to the giver
2. Post the award on your blog
3. Pass the award on to 5 other bloggers with less than 200 followers.

These are the 5 blogs that I am nominating:


1. Karen @ Hazel Dell Quilts
2. Miranda @ The Craft Bot
3. Kelli @ Seriously..I think it needs stitches
4. Leslie @ Sage Endeavors
5. Mary Ann @ Rocknquilts

Take a minute to check out these great blogs  leave a few comments and spread some bloggy love around! :)