and the winners are.........

Mama Urchin

Amy Jo

Thanks, all, for commenting and playing along.
(I wish all of you could have won...)
Amy Jo, I think your prize will be hand delivered. ;)

my 100th post

It's give away time!
Those of you who know me are probably surprised that it took me this long to get to 100 posts. (A combination of always having something to say and a little obsessive compulsiveness.)

You: post a comment.
I: will draw a name. (on Sunday around noon)
The winner: will receive something handmade by me.
(It will be your choice-one of four things.)

Thanks to all of you who stop by.
And thanks a bunch to those of you who comment.
I appreciate it so much.

I was going to end this post with photos of cards that I made while stamping with my dear Amy Jo yesterday, but I can't seem to find my camera. (I think my husband took it with him today.) Thanks for the fun day yesterday Amy, I needed it so much.

more denyse schmidt inspiration

I am still working on projects from this book.
{In fact, that may be all you see in the next several days. Consider yourself forewarned.}

Some fabric cards.


And a few new vinyl zipper pouches.

{I love the tape measure tabs!!!}

I think my vinyl sewing has come to an end, at least for the time being. I have used up all my thrifted zippers that match the brown and turquoise color scheme. And I am trying really, really hard to use what I have, since we may possibly have an impending relocation. It's not easy! {The possiblilty of relocating or using what I have. ;)}

My husband has a job interview tomorrow in Wisconsin. In one of our hundred or more conversations about moving, my husband had asked me "do you really want a license plate that says America's Dairyland?" Because that's really the important stuff to consider...

have you seen this book?

It is fantastic!

I checked it out of my local library, and it is bad news for my to-do list.
But, I found out that it is fun and fairly easy to sew with vinyl.

Who knew???

by the way, my husband thinks I've crossed over to the scary side of the crafting world. :)

This bag took me less than an hour to make. I ended up making two right away. (The total cost less than $5 for both...hurray for 40 cent vinyl remnants and 50% off sales and coupons, right Amy???)

The hardest parts were:
getting the top seam even (you really can't pin vinyl)

and

cutting into the tape measure, even though that was my intention when buying it.

And out of the scraps, I made a little zipper pouch.

(more of these to come....there are still lots of vinyl scraps to use up!)

There are 30 projects in the book. So far, I have made 3 of the projects. (one quilt, and these bags above.) And I hope to make 15 additional projects. Yes, the book is really that good.

What are some of your favorite craft books? I'd really love to hear your suggestions!

do you need thread?

if you do...I would recommend ordering from connecting threads. they have great prices, even when you add on the shipping costs. I have ordered from them a few times now, and the quality of the thread (as far as my experience goes) is great. Each spool is 1200 yards. Oh, yeah, that's a good thing. And it fits on your machine like a normal spool of thread.

shown is the essential neutral set and the essential country set. I hated the label of the "country" set, but the colors are great. (the last thing I need in my house is country...images of blue geese come to mind....are you cringing yet?)

loads of goodness

Things are finally getting back to a routine...lots of organizing and putting things away going on around here. I have some fabulous new items that traveled home with me.

A little pillowcase dress for my sweet little girl.



Thanks for swapping with me, Linda. I love it. (I would have little A model it, but she's still waking up from her nap...) You are an excellent seamstress! I am so impressed with your ability to sew, as always.

Roxanne was super generous to my family, with gifts all around.
I love my new orange bag. She is one talented purse-making gal. They are even better in person than in the photographs.



A little purse for A. (her first purse!)



And a matching wee bunny.



And my little artists are working on filling up their fantastic notebooks.



Some of P's artwork, age 4.



a mountain with clouds and V birds....(p's description)



spiderman hanging from a tree...getting the bad batman.



and an alien. (I love kid artwork!!!)

Now, some of Z's drawings....age 6.



Easter eggs (with little sister's hand, of course)



fresh frout (fruit) in Michigan.

Thanks so much Roxanne...and Linda. I love my new stuff.

i'm home...and overwhelmed

oh, it is good to be home. and for a stay-at-home mom (who spends A LOT of time in said home) it's good to have a renewed appreciation for it.

the trip to mn was great. we spent lots of time with family and friends.
traveling (with kids) is a lot of hard work, but well worth it.
I did a lot of shopping. got some great deals. bought lots of fabric. {I love mill end outlet!}
met up with blog friends and stayed with my sister. had a blast.
got to give judy her quilt.






[here are a few projects that I finished up right before leaving.]

now, on to the overwhelmed part.

my husband went to FL on a job interview a few days before our trip to mn. {i don't want to move to FL}
while on our trip to mn, he found out about another job opening in hudson, wi...much closer to home. {i think i want to move to wi...although I do LOVE living in MI...I would miss it.}
(he wasn't even looking for another job, I might add, they are looking for him. which is great.)
but still, the possibilities are turning our world upside down. we are constantly talking about our options. looking for properties on the web. dreaming. planning. yikes.
it seems that relocation may be in our near future....but then again, you never know. whew. wouldn't you be a little overwhelmed? it is exciting, and I am so proud of my husband. he works hard, does a great job, and he is a great provider for our family. he is making a name for himself in his industry. I am so happy to be at his side, where ever we may end up.

last minute preparations

The last blocks made for



Linda's block swap.



[I will hand deliver them next week!]

we leave for our trip to MN tomorrow.

to visit family.

and friends.

today is packing day.

[I have piles everywhere.]

I wanted to make handmade gifts for everyone I was going to see.

[it didn't happen.]

I will be taking a blog break for at least a week.

I will miss you all.

[does anyone else miss their sewing machine when they go on vacation* or is it just me?]



I made a pile of tissue holders, too. aren't they so fun?

*my idea of vacation is NOT riding in the car for 12 hours with 3 kids. (ages 6, 4, almost 1.)

I finished the quilt!!!

Now, as a disclaimer, I will tell you that I did less quilting than originally planned.

But it's done.

I am ecstatic!

[I am amazed, again, at how much binding completes and changes the look of the quilt]

For those of you who don't know, this is my friend's mom's quilt that has been a work in progress for more than 40 years...possibly 60 or more? The top was pieced and the borders were pieced (all by hand) and I assembled the top into one piece. It is all hand quilted. I am pleased to have this WIP off my list...and I am looking forward to giving it back to Judy, complete.

before and after

I picked up this chair several years ago at Savers for a couple of bucks. It moved with us to Michigan 2.5 years ago. Nothing had been done with the chair, and my husband had threatened to use it for our campfire one time last summer. So, I figured that I better do something with it before it was too late.

It's amazing what some white paint and a little patchwork seat cover will do for an old chair.

Here is where I usually sit and blog.
This chair will get lots of use. :)
(sorry for the poor photos. it's been rainy and cloudy here.)

quilt blocks

Here are my first 5 of 15 quilt blocks that I made for Linda's quilt block swap. I needed a bit of an instant gratification project to work on to save my sanity, as I am still working on this. It felt like a bit of a test....other quilters are going to see the backs of my blocks. I'm a little nervous about that. Most days I have a hard time sewing a straight and consistent 1/4 inch seam. Why do you think I love improvisational piecing so much? Now, just 10 more blocks to go.

A note about the buttons...my husband asked if I had mentioned that he bought most of them for me. He bought some on eBay a few times and then he picked up several here and there on clearance a few years back. Isn't that sweet? I then hinted that it may be time for some more. ;) They sure do come in handy for those $5 coats.

I *heart* goodwill

I picked up this wool coat today for $5.00. It fits perfectly. I need to sew a button on, (it didn't come with an extra), but I am not too worried.
I should be able to find something......

suitable....

somewhere.....

in my button....

collection.

I also got some new jeans there for the same price.
This is why I love Goodwill today. Wouldn't you?