QUILTS 4 QUADS DELIVERED

My friend and creative cohort Lisa and I delivered the quilts.  We were able to catch 3 out of the 4 little ones and their mom actually awake.  That's pretty good odds, huh?  Just wanted to share their reactions with you:


I'm just drooling over this!

These are so my colors!

 

Amazed doesn't even describe how I feel.

 I have been so busy this week that I wondered where all the Halloween candy went to, then realized I ate it!  I have so much to tell you and hopefully that will happen next week.  In the meantime, have a frightfully delightful Halloween weekend.

GIVE ME A BREAK: TAKE TWO

Quite by accident I discovered yesterday that only half of the original post I worked on was actually published.  I started growling.  My dog cocked his head, raised his ears and totally agreed with my growl that there was something seriously wrong in Blogland.  My guess is that a refresh didn't refresh, but can't say anymore about it without additional growling.  Instead, I will try to reconstruct. GGRRRR.

*NOTE:  As I was getting ready to post this redo I noticed my post was not being saved.  I kept clicking SAVE NOW and it wouldn't save.   Oh, many more growls later and I was able to copy and paste and start a new post.  I bet that's what happened yesterday, huh? 

 I left off with the lovely CRAFT HOPE book/blog and Manda McGrory's contribution to the book.  Her patchwork pillow was especially appealing to me since you know of my personal fondness of contemporary patchwork.  This book is a keeper and a jumping off point for others wanting to use their creativity to help others. 


Manda McGrory's Patchwork Pillow in Craft Hope

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Have you seen Delish magazine yet?  No?  Well then, you are definitely in for a treat.  Delish is a new, free online publication for women.  The quality and quantity are top-notch.  Just sayin.  And, ah-hem, I am honored to be featured in an article in their Fall edition called Woman of the Cloth (giggle snort).  Now I will admit that I am hyper-critical of myself.  I cringe when I read what I said and how I said it in print for all eternity.  So as you read this I just ask for you to extend more grace than I extend to myself.  I want to blame it on a coffee overdose, but truth is, anyone who knows me would never fall for that that.  For goodness sake, I said I liked Anna Maria Horner's artsy fartsy side.  WHAT?  PA-LEASE.  Anyway, the talented Tamara Komuniecki / Editor-in-Chief did a such a great job and you are welcome to gently critique my ramblings starting on page 40.  Check out the whole magazine..you are going to love it.

GIVE ME A BREAK

CONFESSION: I watch Dr Oz.  Not because I'm a germaphobe or hypocondriac.  But at my age I am just a bit curious about what the heck happened to my body.  Why, in the blink of an eye did my body head south while my mind ended up in LaLa land?  I want answers people!  So while other stay-at-home business owners might listen to music while they work, my days highlights are The Ellen Show and Dr Oz.  So one day Dr Oz says that I just have to have these Crispbread thingies.  I NEVER fall for that malarchy. 

Well almost never.  I ordered, not 1 pkg. but half a case of these babies all the way from Norway.  A few days later I receive a box via UPS.  I think, "Glory to God, I can finally lose weight, become regular and look like a Norwegian hottie in no time".  Why I bet I could become the spokeswoman for this miracle wafer.  I rip open the box, tear into one of the 15 packages containing 10 crackers/wafers/crispbread/manna from heaven; whatever. 

If you have ever wondered what compressed tree bark tastes like, well have I got a deal for you.  Now, they are only 12 calories per slice.  So for the first few days I was carrying a cracker around with my morning coffee, but after a few days I noticed uneaten crackers still sitting around.  Do the math, I've got a 150 of these thingies that I couldn't pay anyone to eat.  I'm a waste not, want not kinda gal.  I bought them.  I'll eat them.  Solution: I slathered them with cream cheese and low sugar orange marmalade and couldn't stop eating those suckers.  Oh, what's that you say?  Something about calories?  Sorry, I can't hear you.....I'm in the bathroom...

Okay, I'm back now.  Along with my other issues I also can't sleep.  I've had this problem my whole life.  I've tried everything.  Well, except maybe regular exercise, but whatever.  So now I just don't let it bother me much.  One night recently I decided to catch up on some blog reading.  I landed on TreeFall Design.  One of my favorite reads by a lovely redheaded Brit, Manda McGrory, who uses words like whilst and mum and makes handmade goodness with a focus on repurposing.  I came across her CRAFT HOPE book giveaway (scroll down to August 24 to see Manda's great review, and she contributed a project for the book).  The next morning I was still thinking about that book.  I don't normally enter blog contests and giveaways, since I didn't think I should.  But I did.  And I won.  Don't hate me. 

So after devouring too many crispbreads, I took a break on my back porch to enjoy this treat.  Jade Sims has gathered some wonderful designers and 32 projects that can be made and donated to specific charities.  Such inspiration.  I was drawn to this book because we belong to an awesome church that is actively involved in loving and empowering the marginalized, both locally and globally.  Crafting for a cause is especially interesting to me. 

QUILTS 4 QUADS COMPLETE

I must say that your comments about my mini quilts have been so heartwarming.  I love that you loved them and that you took the time to tell me so.  Between the comments here, on Twitter and the emails I'm pretty sure I have inspired a few of you.  Just talking about this makes me want to drop what I'm doing and run to the studio.  I already have my next idea and my stacks of scraps are poised and waiting. 

I wanted to take better photos of those Quilts4Quads before we sent them off to their rightful owners.  We had a beautiful weekend here..a perfect Fall day to take some pictures outdoors.  It was a bit difficult to not have the sun dapple onto the quilts, but a little dance here, a little rearranging there and here ya go. 



Closup



Almost 2 years ago I started making several of these squares out of my Flights of Fancy.  I blogged about them here and here and accumulated quite a few.  While it was a fun exercise, they just ended up in the Uncertain Future pile waiting for their assignment.  When the Quilts4Quads idea popped in my head, so did all those squares.  So I made piles of scraps; only one pile lacked pinks for the lone boy in the bunch.  Those squares suddenly had a bright future. 



Carole took the aquas and greens and created her first patchwork quilt.



Lisa whipped up hers using some oranges, pinks and aquas. Sweet.





I put together the last two in pinks/greens and pinks/aquas

We got the help of a couple other talented women that quilted and bound all four in record time.  Lois and Linda, you are angels!

I'm so pleased with the results.  For a bunch of busy ladies with hectic schedules I frankly think it's a miracle that we could pull this off.  Completed projects are so rewarding, aren't they?

WASTE NOT PUZZLE ART QUILTS

 I've debated on whether to share these with you quite yet, as I realize I show you way too many not-quite-finished-yet projects.  However, I'm just a little too happy to keep these to myself.  I had piles of scraps and I am the Queen of Waste Not Want Not.  I save way too much.  Confession: It's only been in the last few years that I quit washing and reusing aluminum foil.  I won't go into much more for fear of a possible intervention.  Anyway, back to the scraps.  I love them and finally stopped my spinning universe to prove to myself (and those who think I'm too thrifty) that scraps do have a valuable place in our lives.  I challenged myself to use only my own fabrics.  In digging through my 3 scrap bins I actually found some tiny strike-off rejects.  They were always too small to use...until now.  This was just like putting puzzles together.  They are only 12x12.  At first I was thinking of adding some embroidery and stretching them on stretcher bars.  Then I thought of turning them into mini art quilts.  Not sure yet.  What do you think?  Here's a closer look.

Adding the nixed strike-offs was personally rewarding for me.  Can you guess which ones were nixed?  Hopefully, I have inspired someone to dig into your waste basket or scrap bin and piece your own puzzle art quilt this weekend. 

WORTH MILLIONS

I apologize for being missing in action lately.  I think I have a good excuse.

My husband travels extensively with his job, and in addition to his regular travels he is filling an interim position in the San Diego area until they find someone permanantly.  Oh, and they asked him if he would be willing to interview for this position?  That's like HUGE.  We thought we'd be here a very long time.  Proof?  We painted the entry hall kelly green last winter, remember?  We love it here, love being close to Jennifer, the grandkids, our friends and church.  But the fact that this might allow Tim to not have a plane strapped to his back, and honestly...we're talking San Diego, he agreed.   So I went out there with Tim to research the different areas of town and check out the real estate market.  I got on my computer every day studying, making lists and when Tim got back from work we'd hop in the car and drive around the different parts of town until way after dark.  We spent   the weekends doing the same and visited numerous open houses.  So what did I learn?  I discovered my home is worth millions!  There...not here.  The most expensive homes in the US are in California and the least expensive are in the Midwest. Oh, remember that little cottage I photographed in May and affectionately named the Keebler Cottage?  Well, it's for sale!  $2.3 mil for 1900 sf.  Yup.  Okay, it is among the most incredible homes in the 6th most expensive town in the whole US.  But that puts the whole home search in perspective, doesn't it?

 

We don't even know whether Tim will be offered the job or if he will accept the offer.  However, because I don't want to necessarily find myself living in a cardboard box I am determined to have enough info under my belt just in case.   

  

I was welcomed back home to a box of my fabric strike-offs!  Well, not all of them, sigh.  But what I do have is pretty exciting.  I so want to see it all laid out together so I've been holding out for a few days in hopes the rest will arrive.  

Another pleasant surprise is that the Quilts for Quads are complete!  And before the kiddos are actually walking, right?  No, no, just kidding.  Seriously, they should  be able to roll around and gurgle and coo on these for some time.  I spent the last day walking around here trying to figure out how to photograph each one.  So I finally gave up and here ya go for now.  The next major project, I'm hoping, is to gather us gals together to celebrate our accomplishment, those babies, get a group pic and maybe, just maybe, get a peek at those miracles in person.  
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Oh, and have you seen this child's kitchen?  Talk about custom cabinets!
Besides the fact that I love the fabric, I was fascinated that this was made from scratch.  Go over to visit Kirsten Wright at the The Crafting Chicks.  She tells you how to make one of your very own.  I'm thinking I need to hold on to these instructions in case  that cardboard box becomes a reality.