Breathe!

Wow, it's been awhile since I've had time to post. I spent the last few weeks getting ready for the craft show and trying to get as much done as possible. Last weekend was the show and I had a great time with my sisters. I didn't sell as much as I had hoped for, but I did make my table fee back as well as a few extra dollars. I also got a few special orders that will bring in a few more dollars.


Here's a picture of our table:

So this weekend I decided to take it easy. I did work on some of the special orders, but I'm really itching to start a new project for ME. I know I should be working on Christmas presents, but I feel like I've spent so much time working on this craft fair, I haven't had a chance to be creative for me.

Next Friday J and I will begin decorating for Christmas. Last year was not a Merry Christmas because my Mom passed away on Dec. 21st. I honestly don't even remember much of last Christmas. This year, in honor of my Mom, we are doing Christmas up right! My Mom loved Christmas and her house was always full of Christmasy stuff. My motto this year is "Go Big or Go Home" when it comes to Christmas. I will share pics of some of my decorations after we are done.

Until then....

always,

K

Fall & Winter Projects

Not a lot to say today, I'm kind of bummed that my vacation is over and I have to go back to work tomorrow, so I'll make this short and sweet!

I've been in the mood to craft for Halloween and Christmas this week, as you will see from my latest creations!

First up is not something I made this week or even this year. I made this Halloween plaque a few years ago but it's probably my favorite Halloween decoration:

Next is a Halloween flour sack towel I made:

I also made a cute little stuffed pumpkin:

Even thought this isn't specifically a Halloween decoration, it is fall-ish. I love this memory board I made by recovering an old corkboard with some pretty owl corduroy fabric:

While hanging out with my sister, I came up with the idea to make some fabric candy. These are time consuming, but so fun and so cute once done. I plan to fill up a huge candy jar I have with little fabric candies. If I get motivated, I may make different colored candies for different holidays, but don't count on it:

The second picture shows the candy displayed in a small candy dish I picked up at a thrift store for a dollar:

Lastly I made two Christmas decorations. Both snowman, both not as cute as they were in my head, but they will still hang on my tree this year:

Overall, I didn't get as much accomplished project-wise as I had hoped while I was on vacation, but I'm glad I got some little things done!

Have a great week!

always,

K

My Staycation

This week is the first real vacation I've had in two years. I've had time off here and there, but it always seemed to end up where I was committed to do one thing or another that made it not very vacation-y.

This year I was committed to making my vacation a real vacation. We had plans to go to the beach for part of the week and I made plans to spend at least one day with my sister. Then we checked the forcast. Rainy and cold at the beach. Why would we pay to stay at the beach in the rain? Well, we decided not to. We decided to have a stay-cation and stay at home and relax and do some things around here.

Jeff and I went out to dinner for the first time in forever on Monday. I forgot how much I love to go to dinner with my honey. We had a great time and great food and even ordered dessert, which we never do. The food coma afterwards was totally worth it!

On Tuesday, I convinced Jean to take the day off of work and we spent the day in Lancaster, PA. Can I just say WOW! Jean has been trying to get me to go to Lancaster for months now. It's only an hour and a half away...and we took the back roads so it was a gorgeous drive through farmlands.

We had two goals for Lancaster: Fabric and Doughnuts. If you think those two things don't go together, you don't know me at all...

Honestly, I think I spent every bit of money I would have spent on our vacation at the beach on fabric. Seriously. I bought almost 50 pieces of fabric. 50. I outdid myself. But the prices and selection were phenomenal. Did I mention we only went to 5 stores? There were at least 5 more we wanted to go to, but they close down the stores at 5pm there and we ran out of time.

Here are some pics of fabric I got:

These are my favorites:

I also bought lots of notions...and doughnuts. Did I mention the doughnuts? There is a grocery store there called Shady Maple Farm Market that is awesome. If I lived close to there and that was my grocery store, I'd spend $300 a week on groceries. (Right now, we go to the grocery store once a month and spend a max of $200).

Anyway, this place is HUGE. Think Sam's Club with only food. I got tired (and lost) just going from one end to the other. They have these doughnuts that are so good (and so cheap!) that I had to buy a dozen. I was going to freeze the extras as a weekend treat in the coming weeks. Jeff is not a sweets person...my total opposite in every way, this boy. I brought the doughnuts home and told him of my plan to freeze them. He wanted to try one after I raved about them. He ate 3. THAT in itself tells you how good these doughnuts are.

Okay, okay, I'll move on from the doughnuts now, I promise.

Since I haven't posted in awhile, I wanted to share some little things I've been working on. Nothing spectacular, but bits and pieces of stuff:

First is a cute, girly applique bib. Love this Robert Kaufman fabric.


Next is a new piece I started for a Christmas wallhanging using freezer paper applique.

Then some of my baby pin cushions displayed in a thrifted cabinet. Love this cabinet I got for $2.

This is a sample bookmark I made for our upcoming craft show. I thought these would be a quick sew...not so much. I'm using chipboard inside to keep them stiff and it's a pain to sew around once it's inserted.
And lastly, this is a prototype for some Christmas ornaments I'm making for the show. Jean says I need to make the yo-yo smaller or the heart bigger. I didn't think so until I saw this picture. You're right, Jean!

So that's it for now. I'm heading to Jean's house on Friday to play with some of my new material so hopefully I will have more to share on Saturday or Sunday.

always,
K

Wait for it....

Big update coming tomorrow or Thursday at the latest. Just spent the day in Lancaster, PA with my sister and bought a TON of fabric. Lots of ideas and projects swirling around in my head...now to DO them!

always,
K

Short on Time

I ran out of time to do my post today, but I did want to give a shout out to my sister for creating her first Quilted Cupcake pattern. It's up for sale in her Etsy shop for only $3.50.

I got a test copy of it and played with it a bit and this is what I came up with:

I will post more pics of what I was up to this weekend later in the week.

always,

K

Craft Show Prep

My sister's and I are going to be vendors at an upcoming craft show. I spent the weekend preparing for it, which is amazing if you know me, because the craft show is in November and I'm usually a last minute kinda girl.

First, I did some painting of thrifted things. I'm not sure if we will use some or all of these, but we plan on have a bright, fun table and filling things such as my colanders with our goodies.

I spent the majority of my time working on mini pincushions for the show that I love. (I even made a picture of them my new header for the blog!)

I also worked on a few more of my fabric apples, but only completed one. I sewed a bunch and have them in a small container so that I can turn, stuff and finish them while watching TV during the week. I've altered the pattern a little bit so it looks more apple-like to me.

I also worked on a new pattern for potholders. This is my first attempt and I kind of like how it turned out. To make it a little different, I quilted it in concentric squares instead of straight lines.

My sister's and I also recently joined our local quilting guild and attended our first meeting last Monday. They had a class on applique and I was blown away! Up til now I have only done raw edged applique finished with a blanket stitch. This class taught us the freezer paper method and I instantly fell in love with the technique. My practice pieces are a bit rough around the edges (no pun intended) but I'm getting better. I started a new piece today and hope to post it next time if I get it done.

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend!

always,

K

Remember Those Who Lost Their Lives

I wrote this poem right after 9/11 and thought I would share it with everyone on the 8th anniversary of a tragic day in America:


Tonight I lit a candle, for the souls of those that died
I left the candle burning bright, to celebrate their lives.
We lost some treasured loved ones, their faces near and dear
We never had to know them to miss their presence here.

Tonight I lit a candle, for the souls of those we lost
To let them know we love them, are sorry they paid the cost.
We won’t forget your bravery, in the face of trying times
We vow to hold your memory close engraved upon our minds.

Tonight I lit a candle, for the souls of those we mourn
For it took your needless passing, for unity to form
Our nation vows its vengeance; your deaths were not in vain
Our flag still flies, our bells ring loud, freedom will still reign.

Tonight I lit a candle, for the souls for whom we pray,
Remembering your sacrifice with each and every day.
God Bless your souls and those of all the ones you left behind
And I pray that one day all will rest in any peace that they can find.

Tonight please light a candle, and add your prayers to mine
Let our silent blessings shout beyond the boundaries of this time.
Do not forget in months to come of how we feel today
Let September 11, 2001 become an Unsung Heroes day.

KAH 9-14-2001 (In memory of the many victims of the terrorist attack on the United States 9-11-2001)

May God Bless America

always,
K

Weekend Goodies

I spent the long weekend working on small projects for an upcoming craft fair that my sisters and I are considering participating in.

I worked on several new bibs using some vintage materials and one courderoy bib that I just love!

I also completed a few new pincushions:

I am determined to make at least a small quilt before this year is over. I keep starting and abandoning quilts in progress. This weekend I picked up some fabrics that will hopefully inspire me to begin (and finish!) a quilt.

I'm hoping these fabrics will go well together. I'm really really really bad at matching fabrics and patterns! Let me know if you think this will work together!

Until next week...

always,

K

Sisters Weekend

Since I cleaned up my studio I now have enough room to craft with friends. This weekend, my bestest friend came to play! My sister and I spent over 12 hours in my studio playing and laughing and being crafty.

When Jean and I get together we always try to challenge each other to do something different. I haven't mentioned it for awhile, so I will remind everyone that Jean has a wonderful podcast on Itunes called "Quilted Cupcake". She shares her quilting and crafting ideas and techniques and, as a bonus, she gives me shoutouts a lot! You can visit her blog at quiltedcupcake.blogspot.com for more info on her podcast and to view her show notes.

Jean's latest podcast was all about quilting for a cause. She mentioned several great ways to share a love of quilting with those in need. One of the causes was to benefit the Alzheimer's Association called Priority: Alzheimer's Quilts. The basic idea is to create a quilt that is 9x12 or smaller...small enough to fit into a priority mailer from the USPS. Each month, quilts are auctioned off to raise money for Alzheimer's research.

Of course this is a charity that is near and dear to our hearts since our Mom, Lucy, had Alzheimer's.

Jean and I spent a good part of the day working on our Priority quilts. I kept mine simple and bright, but Jean whipped up a little masterpiece so quickly it left my head spinning.

I believe this has a lot to do with our personalities. I am a planner. I plan to make plans. I make lists and follow them strictly. Jean flies by the seat of her pants and is all the more creative for it! I spent forever trying to come up with an idea and by the time I finally settled on simple circles, Jean had already pieced the top of hers.

This one is mine. I call it "Gumballs":

This is Jean's, I think she decided to call it "Lucy's House":

I must say that these pictures do not do these little quilts justice. I am so happy with how both turned out and hope that they will both raise lots of money for Alzheimer's research.

If you'd like more information on the Priority project, go here. Also, Jean and I are walking in the yearly Alzheimer's walk this year and have set a page for donations. Please donate if you are able. We need to do all we can to end this terrible disease! Visit my donation page here.

That's it for today. I had planned on posting a few other things but I think I will save them for next time!

always,

K

Under Construction

So my life has been a bit crazy lately and, to be honest, I haven't gotten much accomplished in my studio. I decided it needed reorganizing before I could get my mojo back.

I headed down there yesterday at 8am and did not emerge until 4pm. Sadly, I didn't finish everything I wanted to, but I did make some great headway.

I have debated about showing the before and after pics because....well...it was bad. Really bad. But in order to show the progress, I must show the before pics. So here goes (No judgements please!)

This is my main work area before. For some reason I thought it was a good idea to shove myself into the smallest corner of the room. Obviously, this wasn't working because I was bogged down by "stuff" piling up all around me:

I decided to put the two work tables end to end instead of perpendicular which gave me tons more space:

I still have plans to add table skirts to the two work tables that will hide the storage below among other things.

But moving the two tables allowed me to move my fabric to the bookcase I've been wanting to put it on. I was able to put all of my half yard plus fabrics on the bookcase and the quarters on a smaller shelf:

My previous shelf was full, so I stopped folding fabric. Now that I have more space, I can start folding again and I'm sure these two shelves will be full soon!

Here is a pic of the reorganized corner. (The stack of boxes will be moved, they are donation items for the local thrift store!)
So that's where I am now. I still have a ton of stuff to do, but it's progress, right?

Now, I can't leave without a little bit of crafty goodness, so I will share two quick projects I

completed.

The first is a bag that I made. In my mind it was much cuter and sturdier, and although I'll probably never use it as a purse, I still love the brightness of it:

The other project is my attempt to get a head start on my Christmas projects. I love this little snowman. He was fun and easy to make and I plan to make a whole family of little snowmen!

That's it for now. I hope to get more accomplished in my studio next weekend so that I can show pictures of the whole studio and hopefully get my mojo back!

always,

K

I'm Still Here!

Just a quick note to let everyone know I'm still here and will be back this weekend with a post!

always,

K

Is Summer Over Yet?

I think I am in the minority when I say, I hate summer. I can't stand being hot, the sun triggers my vertigo and migraines, I hate bugs, I hate to sweat. That about sums it up. The only thing I really like about summer is the yard sales.

Now fall...I LOVE fall. I love the smells, the weather and especially the colors. This weekend, while an awesome store brewed outside, I locked myself in my studio with Big Brother on my laptop and worked on some fall projects.

This was the weather outside, aren't those clouds fierce-looking?

Anyway, my favorite project of the weekend was a linen towel. I found the pattern at one of my favorite sites for free patterns Fat Cat Patterns. I decided to use fall colors and just love how it turned out. I also used a stitch I have never used before to applique the chicken and I like it more than the blanket stitch I usually use.

Here's a closeup of the rooster that hopefully shows the stitching better:

I also made another Grocery Tote like the one I made a couple of weeks ago from the pattern at Spool, this time in some new fall fabric I found. I added two pockets on the inside, one for my iPhone and another for my ID/credit cards. I didn't love the fabric as much as I thought I would when it was finished, but this one went together much easier and I made fewer mistakes! I planned to use it as a purse, but I think I will continue to search for fabric I like better.

The only other sewing project I completed this weekend was another free one from Spool. I made a quick and easy Sewing Machine cover. As usual, this first one was a test, and I will remake this at a later date with sturdier fabric. The cotton is just too limp for my liking, although this will do the job of keeping dust off of the machine just fine in the mean time!

So that's it for sewing this weekend. I did decide that I need to teach myself to crochet since my sister has been makin all of these cool dishcloths and I do need something to keep my hands busy while I watch TV at night. I already knit, but Jean says crocheting is much quicker.

I picked up a few books at the library and sat down to try my hand. This is not my first attempt to learn to crochet, by the way. My past attempts led to a lot of cussing and a lot of frogging of the projects.

This is as far as I got with my first attempt of a coaster. Not too bad so far, but the hook still feels awkward in my hand. I'm use to holding knitting needles I guess.

I'll have plenty of time to practice next weekend, because J and I are spending the weekend on the Eastern Shore at my Aunt's house. Love to visit my aunt and my sister and brother-in-law, who live on the same property, but with no internet access and no sewing machine, I'll spend my time crocheting, knitting and maybe doing some embroidery.

I hope to spend at least a few hours Saturday morning checking out some antique stores in the area though.

Hope everyone has an awesome, craft-filled week!

always,

K

Pillow Talk

I'm finally feeling better and was able to get back to spending my Saturday mornings at Yard Sales & Thrift Shops. Jean and I planned to hit a few yard sales in the morning and be home by noon. As usual, things quickly went awry. The first community yard sale we went to was pretty much a bust, although we did pick up a few things. Then we happened upon a pretty good community yard sale we didn't know about. We were done by 10am so we decided to hit a couple of thrift shops. Five hours later we made it home...LOL!

We both got some really good deals including some new vintage sheets and tons of books to read. (We both love to read!)

By the time we got home, I was so tired from all of the time in the hot sun and all of the running around, I took a nap and never did get around to crafting.

This morning, I relocated my laptop to my studio so I could watch my Big Brother Live Feeds while I worked on some projects. I actually did not get too much done, but I am on a pillow kick, so I completed two pillows.

The first is the apple blossom pillow I started several weeks ago. This picture makes the red look really bright and overpowering, but the colors actually complement each other much better then they apear.

The second pillow is made out of a vintage sheet and an Ikea sheet I had in my stash. I had picked up a bag of small pillow forms at a yard sale for a dollar and used them to make this pillow. It was very quick and easy. Instant gratification...my favorite!

I was also able to (finally!) paint another colander. This one was kind of beat up when I got it, but I loved the floral design. How cute does it look painted teal? I think this one has become my favorite!

Before:

After:

That's really it for this weekend. I craft much less during the Big Brother season since I'm so addicted to watching. I'll try to do more next week!

always,

K

P.S. My cat wanted to say hello to blogland. He gets mad when I get the camera out and don't take a picture of him. (Polar opposite of the dog!) So meet Sasser, he is my 17 year old barn cat. Poor boy used to be 22 lbs and has shrunk to about 15 lbs in his old age. He's slowed down so much in the last 2 years, but he is still a big love bug!