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!

A Wonky Weekend

This past week was not a good one. What started out as a migraine last weekend triggered my Vertigo which resulted in me spending most of the week in bed with blankets over the windows to block out the light.

My first bout of Vertigo was back in March and since then I have dealt with migraines and ongoing dizziness to varying degrees. My doctor is concerned and now I need to go see a specialist. Lovely.

I hate missing work...hate it. I have a severe case of Catholic guilt which comes into play when I am late for work, nevermind missing 4 days! Ugh!

I have been forcing myself back to normalcy because I know I have to go back to work tomorrow like it or not, so I spent a little time in my studio this weekend. Unfortunately, everything I attempted came out quite wonky. I think it's because I couldn't concentrate for long periods of time.

I'll share a few things, but, you have been forwarned about the wonkiness.

I made this little ornament from one of the Art to Heart books I love. It's the Spring book. It looked super cute in the book...not so cute here. I'm trying to pretend I was going for Shabby Chic.

Next I attempted to piece a Stacking Coin Quilt. Clearly this will need some seams ripped and resewn, but I do like that I finally used the red, white and blue charm pack that I've had for 6 months now!

Lastly, I finished the owl embroidery pillow I've been working on for awhile. He isn't wonky, thank goodness, but that's because he was mostly done before I got sick.

Cuteness, huh? I am very happy with how it turned out.

Hopefully I will feel better with each passing day and be able to work on some painting projects I had to put off this weekend. Including these:

New/old colanders to paint. Yay! If you know me at all by now, you know I love colanders. I couldn't turn down these 2 colanders at a yard sale last week for .50 each. I think one needs to be orange and one purple. Not my usual colors, but I already have pink, blue and teal ones...time to get more creative with my colors!

If you have a minute, please wing some positive thoughts my way that I will overcome this Vertigo and get back to the business of living life!

always,

K

Down in the Boom Boom Room

My dog, Blair, and I spent the majority of the long weekend in my studio. Not because she was feeling particularly creative (although I was!) but because she is terrified of fireworks. (And thunder. And birds. And cameras.) I try not to laugh at her and hurt her feelings, but this dog will run up to a pit bull or rottweiler and bark, but is afraid of fireworks. (And yes, I consider her feelings because I am one of "those" pet owners. The ones without children so we turn our pets into our "kids". Laugh if you like, I have come to embrace it.)

We considered giving her a sedative this year for 4th of July, but decided against it for two reasons. Firstly because she is allergic to a lot of medications and it would be just our luck that she would have a reaction and we would pay $300 for an emergency vet visit just so they could give her a shot of benedryl. Secondly, there is no such thing as fireworks on the 4th of July around here. In my neighborhood, fireworks start around June 15th and and end around September. Seriously. And I think it would probably be considered animal cruelty to sedate my dog for 2 1/2 months. Plus there is the added worry of her becoming addicted to the sedative. I mean, I can't turn down her sad little face when she is begging for an extra treat or move her surprisingly heavy little body when she is taking up half of my bed, do you think I could turn down her begging for one more pill? I'm an enabler, I tell ya! I'm just kidding....mostly.

Anyway, that is why we spent the weekend in the studio in the basement, which we call the Boom Boom Room. When there are "boom boom's" outside, Blair runs to the door. And pants. And drools. And thank goodness my studio is down there to keep me busy because we have a "No Animals in the Studio Unattended" rule.

I made a deal with her that we could stay down there all day if she let me take her picture. Well, since she is also photo-phobic, she let me take her picture but it looks like I just got done kicking her or something. She's all submissive and her ears are pinned back. I swear I didn't kick her, but I did say "SIT" in a stern voice. Now she's probably scared of the word sit too. *SIGH*

So here she is, looking completely cowed, but I swear she's usually a ball of fire. In fact, ask my oldest nephew, I think he still has a scar on his lip from when she bit him. To my sister, I still say he didn't need to go to the ER for that!

Anyway...I started the weekend by doing a little bit of reorganizing in my studio. I am still nowhere near organized, but I now have 2 new shelves hung. The first one is what I call a "favorite things" shelf. It contains things that make me happy: things I made and things that inspire me.

The second shelf is more of a cabinet really. I've had it for about 2 years but never hung it up. I got it at a yard sale for $5. Well worth the money. This one hangs right over my sewing machine. In this picture I have a WIP hanging from it. Mostly because I need to get motivated to finish it, but also because I like the colors. This shelf also has a picture of my Mom & Dad on their wedding day in 1953. Love that pic. Hard to believe they only knew each other a few months before getting married and ended up having 5 kids and stayed married for over 50 years.

After hanging the shelves I was ready to sew. I started out by making a tissue cover for purse tissues. I have always wanted to make one, but they seemed hard to me. I couldn't wrap my head around how to do it. After searching online, I found a tutorial and set to work. After 10 minutes I was done...and embarrassed. These things are easy! Why was I so afraid to make one? I wanted to make about 50 more. But I only have one purse. So I stuck with this one.

I used fabric from my Mom's stash. I used to "save" her fabric. I was afraid to use it because I felt like I was losing a part of Mom. Then I came to the realization that she would want me to use the fabric. I imagine her smiling down from Heaven, happy that I am using her fabric. And as a bonus I get to carry a little piece of her with me daily. Now I feel silly for not using the fabric more before. Plus, I guess I should mention that my Mom had a ton of fabric. I'll bet that I could NEVER use it all....EVER.

I will be making more of these. I kind of feel sorry for all of my friends. You can bet they will all have tissue holders for their purses sometime soon.

Next I worked on finishing a pin cushion that I've been working on for over a month. It wasn't a difficult project. I just had to find a button big enough to put on the top and bottom to shape it. It was way too puffy without one. I had to rein it in a bit. I don't even drink marguarita's but I think this looks way cute in the marguarita glass.

Another fear of mine in the sewing world has been making a purse or tote. I just didn't have the confidence to try one. My sister makes them all of the time. I had to try. My sister had posted a cute one she made on her blog from Spool Sewing so I decided to try it.

I won't say this was easy like the tissue cover, but it was easier than I thought it would be. I especially like the cool way they did the straps. I made mine out of inexpensive fabric, using more fabric from Mom's stash for the lining, as a test case. I made some mistakes, but it still turned out okay. (Note to self: always remember after basting something by machine to change the stitch length back to normal size)

I will definately be making more of these totes with some minor changes to the pattern that work for me.

After completing these sewing projects, I was in the mood to do some embroidery. So I pulled out my dozens of Aunt Martha's patterns and set to work finding one I wanted to do. I found one that was Summery and quick so I set out to do that. It went pretty quickly and I finished it before bed last night. I decided it needed a little fabric to make it pop so I added a stripe at the bottom. I'm really pleased at how it turned out. It now hangs from the shelf I hung over the sewing machine.

Today I dedicated to a new quilting project. I wanted to make a patriotic wallhanging. True to my nature, I thought of this the day after 4th of July. So next year, I will be ready! One of the blogs I just discovered, Quilt Dad, has a really cool looking 1/4 Log Cabin quilt on it and I wanted to do my wall hanging based on that. I worked on the piecing on and off all day (I kept taking breaks to fold fabric, I swear I'm obsessed with perfectly folded fabric!) and finished the four blocks I was working on. Then, when I layed them out they didn't look like I thought they would. I moved them around a couple of ways to see if I liked them better. I'm not sure which I like. So this is where YOU come in. Which way do you like best?

This is the traditional layout and best shows the 1/4 Log Cabin blocks. But anyone who knows me knows how linear I am and this is not linear to me.

This is more pleasing to my eye, but you can't really see the log cabiney detail of it and I could have made the same pattern with strips...know what I mean?

And this last layout looks more like a big old cross to me. So any suggestions or help would be appreciated!

Overall it was a very relaxing weekend for me and I think both Blair and I faced some of our fears. Okay, so Blair didn't overcome her fears, but I certainly made leaps and bounds in attempting my tissue holder and a tote bag with no fear!

I hope everyone had an awesome 4th and I promise to try to go back to updating at least weekly!

always,

K

To Be Continued...

Just a quick note to let everyone know I will be updating tomorrow. I've been crafting all weekend and have several things to share!

Happy 4th of July to all!

always,

K

Weekend Wrap-up

I want to start by showing off the project that Jean and I worked on this weekend. Although we didn't get together, we both separately made aprons for the quarterly challenge over at All People Quilt. Tomorrow is the deadline and since we both love aprons, entering the challenge was a no-brainer. Let me just say, I am not a contest person. I don't like to compete. I really don't like havng my work judged. I'm a novice quilter/sewer and still learning the ropes. But Jean and I wanted to do this together, so I thought what the hay?

Here are our entries:

This one is mine. Jean dubbed it "Read All About It" based on the old joke: What's Black and White and Read all over? A Newspaper!

This one is Jean's. Hers is called "Cherry Bomb".

Both are made with Robert Kauman fabrics. If you'd like to see these and other entries in the contest, here is the link. Feel free to vote for our entry, we'd love to win some goodies!

I also hit some yard sales yesterday. I think I spent a total of $15 and got some really great stuff!

This blue shelf was at the first yard sale I went to and was only $3. I have absolutely no clue what I will do with it, but I love the color and the aged appearance. The white one was at the last place I stopped and was $2. I think I'm going to put the white one in my bedroom and fill it with some knick knacks.

I paid .50 for this little owl, but he was a bit too shiny for me, so he quickly became teal in color:



I know he looks blue, but, again, the lighting in my studio makes for horrible picture colors.

I paid a dollar for this wire heart basket, which I'd love to fill with flowers, but since I kill all flowers and plants rather quickly, I will have to find a different use for this.

This black wire basket was probably my favorite find. This is a horrible picture of it because you can't really see the details, but it's really cool and once I fill it with a whole set of apples, I will take a better picture. I considered painting it, but I think I'm going to leave it black.

Speaking of apples, I made a few more like the one I made last weekend. I really love making these!

This is my favorite one. I love the fabric and it matches perfectly with the new blue shelf!

This is another one made out of a vintage sheet.

And this is just a better picture of the original one I made last week.

I think I mentioned that these are huge. More like a grapefruit size than any apple I've ever seen! After making these, I played with the pattern a bit and was able to downsize it to real apple size.

This was a test apple using the smaller pattern and it turned out fine. I have a wrought iron apple stand that I want to fill with fabric apples in coordinating colors and this is the perfect size.

After finishing the apron today and making the apples, I worked a little more on folding and organizing my fabric stash. I really don't like this wire shelf and I have a shelf I want to use for my fabric, but it won't fit into the space I have (yet) so I am using this one for now.

Sadly, I am quickly running out of space on this shelf and this is maybe a quarter of my fabric stash. I'm going to need to do a major reorganization of my studio soon!

So that's it for now! Please remember to check out my entry into the quarterly challenge and vote for my and Jean's aprons. The link above should take you straight to our entry!

always,

K

Sneak Peek

I had a great day of yard sales and sewing today. I started to take pictures of my finds to post, but the batteries died in my camera. I didn't feel like looking for new batteries, so I will post pictures tomorrow.

I did have enough juice to take a few pics of a work in progress before the camera died, so here is a sneak peek of what I'm working on.

It will be finished tomorrow (I'm on a deadline!) so I will post pictures of the completed project tomorrow.

Can you guess what it is?

More tomorrow!

always,

K

Another Crafty Weekend

I had such a wonderful weekend! After a crazy busy week at work, I needed some down time to be creative, and I got my wish.

Saturday, I got together with two of my sisters and niece, Stephanie, to catch up and do some crafting. Since Steph just had a baby we spent the first hour or so getting to know my great-nephew. Let me tell you, little Jimmy is such a sweetie! He is so tiny and adorable, I fell in love with him right away! I wish I could share some new pictures, but I grabbed my camera bag as I raced out of the house to meet him, but forgot to check if my camera was actually in the bag. *sigh*

Once we got down to crafting, my sisters and I decided to work on a nine patch wallhanging using bits and pieces of my mother's fabric. My Mom loved calicos and blues and purples and florals. So this is what we came up with. We all have 4 similar blocks to create something with. I decided to just join all of mine together with no border.

I still have to add the backing and edging and quilt it, but just looking at this jumble of florals brings back so many memories of my Mom. (Even moreso since, as I type this, I am looking out my bedroom window and seeing the window of my Mom's previous quilting room next door. In my mind's eye, I can see her standing at her cutting table cutting hexagon after hexagon for one of her many Grandma's Garden quilts.)

After we worked on this for a few hours, we decided to make a trip to a local quilt shop, The Bear's Paw. We got there just before closing and didn't have a whole lot of time to pick out fabric, but I did pick up two new books. Both are by Art to Heart (I love all of their patterns).

I really need to find more of their books, I only have 3 and I need more. The best thing about these books, for me at least, is that the patterns are doable. Other books intimidate me. These inspire me.

I've already completed one project from the Cider Mill Road book and have another work in progress from the same book.

This fabric apple is one of the projects. I made it out of a vintage sheet. I've tried other patterns for apples and they never turn out correctly. I love how this one turned out! I used a piece of a stick I found in my yard for the stem and cut the leaf out of felt. I can't wait to make more of these...very easy and almost instant gratification!

This apple blossom is my WIP. I think it's going to be pillow. But it may become a wall hanging. We'll see. I'm probably going to hand applique it so that I can add detail. The backgroung fabric looks washed out in this picture (horrible lighting) but it's actually closer to the color of the teal buttons. The same with the petals, they look kind of pinkish here, but that is actually white on white fabric from my Mom's stash.

So all in all, a pretty productive weekend for me! Last weekend I accomplished nothing crafty and I felt so sad Sunday night! I did hit a few thrift stores and flea markets last weekend and wanted to share my favorite score. I got this adorable little cupcake teapot for 50 cents! Can you believe it? I love it so much!

So on that note, I'm done for now. I have a head full of plans for next weekend already!

always,

K