Maranda's Pinwheels

Maranda's Quilt

I adored the 3 Sister's Line "Martinique."  I bought up tons of it  at the end of the bolt sale.  I had been wanting to make Maranda a  pinwheel quilt with it ever since.  I decided last night at 6:30 after having been at Luke's baseball tourney all day that I would start it! I now have 16 of the 30 I am going to make done.

 I started with two charm packs and cut them at a 2 inch at top and 3 inch at bottom angle.

 I lay the pieces into the pinwheel pattern.

With my trusty Sonic tea in the back ground, I started sewing it together.

I am not much of a "pinner" but really believe in ironing.

 Viola!  I pretty little pinwheel.

 I love my little stack of pinwheels:)

 I am anxious to crank some more of these babies out today!

Quilt Camp

Can Cuffs

I decided I needed something to put my scissors, pencils, etc to stand up in while I am at quilt camp this week.  I used a large can and some scrap fabric.  

I noticed a stamp I had of a mason jar and decided that I would stamp, embroider and sew.  :)  I used a large can and some scrap fabric.  

I wasn't really sure what I was going for at first.  Nothing was measured or pinned.  (Just eyeballed!)  I like to use a lot of creative expression while I work! ;)  

I made these for a few of the gals I know that will be at camp.  Now I need to come up with a little something for the other ladies that will be there.  I don't want to look like a jerk if I give gifts to a few of the girls.  I am thinking maybe some lavender sashes or something.  I have 4 days to figure it out! lol!

Spring Break

Applique

I definitely need more practice!  Over spring break on St. Patrick's Day Leslie and I took an applique class.  We had to get to know our machines a little more.  

Fuzzy pic of me with my sample piece. 

Turning the perfect corner and doing a swing stitch was not as pretty and easy I had hoped. Leslie and I are going to be at quilt camp this next week and are going to start our "Tiny Town" quilt that is all applique.  

Leslie looking cute in her green working on her sample.

This pic sums up the end of our spring break!  The kids had a great spring break.  They got to spend a good part of the week playing and staying nights at their nana's and papa's and then going to friends houses.  This is a picture of the return trip home from going to visit great grandma in her assisted living home.

Big Fringie Hobo

Fringed Hobo

I bought this fabric a couple of months ago and it has been screaming at me "make me!!!"  

So,  I finally dug out my Amy Butler pattern and made the larger version of this bag.  I love it and can't wait to use it.  This is really a pretty easy bag to put together.  It's  always fun when you use fringe!!!

My Crazy fun Birthday!!

My 37th Birthday

 Leslie and I started the day with my interview on Fox 25 talking about my heart attack, GO Red, and risk factors for a heart attack.  I did this a couple of years ago too.  It was fun getting to be on the set with Angie again.  She is our MC at all of our Go Red luncheons.  She is moving to another station out of the city so we will miss her greatly. (Yes our eyes are glowing and I don't know how to fix it.  I just gave us black eyes when I tried!! lol!)

 Me on the set and doing the interview.

 I bought myself a ukulele for my birthday!  Why I don't know!  Leslie, Misti and I were running around the city and stopped at a music store to buy some flash cards for our kiddos who are in piano lessons.  I saw the ukulele and decided to buy it!!  I have been trying to learn to play and I am really bad!

 A few of my girlfriends and my sister Stef threw together a little luncheon at my favorite restaurant  Cheevers!  We will use any excuse to go to Cheevers!

Thank you girls for making my day so special!  I love you all!

My Sweet Valentine's

My Sweet Valentine's

I like to document our Valentine's Day at our house.  We all (probably not Ryan but the rest of us) LOVE Valentine's.  It is the time of year that I make spaghetti and meatballs and set the table in red and white.  I decorated a little this year.  I did not have all the grandmas and grandads over this year because we had just gotten back home from our ski trip the day before.   I was a little whipped out!  In this picture we were having our ice cream sundae's:)

 This is my beautiful bouquet of flowers that Ryan always gets me along with a sweet Valentine's card.  I love getting and giving Valentine's cards with Ryan because it is the time of year we write a love letter to each other.  I keep all of these in a special drawer and sometimes go back and read over them.  Anyone who knows me knows how crazy in love I am and have always been with my sweet hubby.  (I am sure he appreciates me sharing all of this!! lol)

Ryan got Maranda another huge stuffed animal this year!  She loves these and they take up her full sized bed each night.  She has three of them in there now! lol!

The best part was Luke helping clean up dinner and not whining and throwing a fit ;)  Love that boy!

Bag making

I am on a Bag Making Frenzy!

Lately, I have been busting out some Amy Butler bags and my new favorite a Bari J. bag!  My friend Jackie (click on Jackie and it should take you right to her purse) made a bag back in January that I loved.  I thought it was so cute and went on with my life.  Then a couple of weeks ago Leslie and I were at the Super Bowl sale at one of our favorite fabric stores in the city and I started looking at books.  I found Bari J's and realized that it was the same book Jackie got inspired to make her super cute purse. 

 I loved being able to use things I had in my stash of fabric for this bag instead of feeling guilty every time I look at it yet never use it!  lol! The flower on top and the blue bird are made out of wool.

 I embroidered my blog name onto it.  Holly wrote it on there for me because I couldn't write it as pretty. Unfortunately,  I did not give it the justice that Holly had put into her gorgeous hand writing.  I go to her ever time I need something to look eloquently written!

 As usual my work looks very "handled", but I love that it looks so homemade nonetheless:)

 The process Bari uses is just layering fabrics and free motion appliqueing it on.  What I love so much about this bag is that I got to make it really unique to me and use as much creativity as I wanted.  I even enjoyed adding a few bugle beads.

 I also made another birdie sling for myself.  This one is out of some of the new Parisville fabric that I am now in love with.

 This is also an Amy Butler bag.  It is her market tote and it is huge.  I am going to save it for our Disney cruise.  I bet I can cram a lot of my kids junk in this for our days on the beach (which really sounds like fun to most people but a lot of work to me!!! lol!)