Merry Christmahanukwanzaaka!

Have yourself a merry little Christmahanukwanzaaka everyone! :) Cheers until 2012!

Flikr Swaps - a 2011 Roundup

Wow - that about sums up my reaction to this lovely swap package from Thailand for the Saavy Seasons Swap. I got seriously spoiled by my partner as you can see below:

Even just this awesome fox pillow cover would have been enough to make me the happiest kid ever but then she added in that awesome clutch, cute little matroshka doll and toast ornaments, and some pretty fabric - wow, wow, wow! Thank you partner for the lovely gifts!!

This brings my super swapping year to a close. In about 8 months I participated in 4 swaps and definitely stressed myself out a bit but in the end it was totally worth it :) Here is a little recap of my 2011 swaps - sent and received:

2011 Flikr Swaps Sent:
Saavy Seasons Swap
Pretty Little Pouch Swap
Pillow Talk Swap
For the Love of Solids Swap

2011 Flikr Swaps Received:
For the Love of Solids Swap
Pillow Talk Swap
Saavy Seasons Swap
Pretty Little Pouch Swap

It has been really fun trying new things, being inspired by the mosaics and items people make in each swap, getting to know my partners through blog and flikr stalking, and especially wonderful being spoiled by awesome partners in each and every swap. Thank you so much everyone for making my 2011 Flikr Swapping time a great one, looking forward to 2012! Hope I can pace myself a little better this new year haha ;-)

A few favorites from 2011....

I have been sewing and quilting for 18 months now. The second half of 2010 was devoted to quilts and pillows, made a lot of cute things for friends and family. 2011 was super busy making 4 charity quilts and participating in lots of swaps and bees. I feel like I have learned so much tho! Here are a few of my favorite things from this year:

Drunkards path, dresden, applique, swoon block, sprocket pillows, pouches and purses, crazy block, flying geese, AND a king sized quilt... yep, I sure tried and learned a lot this year!

Last year around this time I posted some crafty goals for 2011 - Let's see how I did:

(YES)

• Learn to applique

(Yes/No - took a class, need to practice more!)

• Learn to free motion quilt (the type that doesn't look like I puked stitches on the project)

(No)

• Try paper piecing hexagons - even if just for a small project

(Yes/No - a few, need to do more)

• Work on my "monster/creature" line of stuffies

(No but I did 4 charity quilts, a baby quilt, and a king sized quilt so I think I am good)

• Finish 1 quilt each month

(Maybe not every month, but I think I did ok here)

• Craft and document one non-quilting project each month to keep my love of crafts as diverse as it has always been

 So... what will my goals for 2012 be??... we shall see!

I want a Hippopotamus for Christmas...

This song has been stuck in my head for days on end... ahhhhhh! Want to know why? Because I DID get a Hippopotamus for Christmast haha!

Be careful... he is one cranky Hippo! Meet my new puppet pal - "Slim"

Freaky right? Best Christmas present opening ever haha.
Here is a less scary picture:



My good friend knows how much I love puppets, espec. because she was subjected to the "Tiffany can give life to any puppet imaginable" show one day while we were out shopping - embarassing to say the least but I just can't hold it in lol. Soooo in honor of my insanity, she got me this cute little fella for Christmas - yay! I always wanted a Hippo for Christmas and now I have one :)

If you were looking for something crafty on this blog, I won't disappoint you today with just picture of Slim and I ;-)

Do you own the book Scandinavian Stitches? If not, I HIGHLY recommend it - it is one of my favorite craft books by far! I have not made time to work on the projects from this book but after seeing cute little houses popping up all over bloggyland, I decided to give one a try for a friend from church:



It's not perfect but I think it is a pretty good first try. These little things are so easy to make and addicting... I have a feeling I will have a whole village once I get back from vacation, hehe.

I have tons of Christmas projects to finish up but unfortunately I have a bad headcold and all I want to do is sleep. Between that lameness and cleaning and packing for Germany, I have a feeling no more crafting will be happening until I return. O well... tis the season for sneezing and sniffling and I know my family and friends will still love me even if their gifts are a little late.

Wishing you all a very very Merry Christmahanukwanzaaka and a Happy New Year!

How do you do, new hairdo ;-)

After a second trip to the salon to have them fix what they did yesterday, and really frustrating the girl today, I have a super cute haircut! 

There is no way I will be able to get it to look this good tomorrow for work but I will enjoy it tonight while I can haha.

WIP Update & Exciting News!!!

The news I've been waiting to share... and then forgot to share last week haha - my Accuquilt Go! Baby cutter FINALLY arrived in the mail!! YAYYYYYYY!!!!!

These are just stock pictures from Accquilt because I was too excited to take time for pictures haha :) It did not come with the pink tote but I believe that will my Christmas present from my mom - yay!

I won this cutter from Megan's blog and it came with my choice of 3 cutting dies and a surprise of 3 cutting mats as well which I was not expecting! I hear that the cutting mats wear out quickly so I am happy to have the extras.

Here are the 3 dies I received:

I was really excited to give the Drunkard's Path a try so that is what I tested out first - here is the resulting block which I LOVE:

If you have ever tried scissor or rotary cutting small curves, you would appreciate the ease of cutting these pieces with the Go! Baby. Unfortunately the machine won't sew it for me tho haha, that was a bit of a learning experience but I think it turned out well and I would definitely make more in the future. Not sure what I will do with this one... maybe make 3 more coordinating ones for a pillow top, we shall see!

I have not had any time to play with it other than this one block so I am really looking forward to some quality Go! cutting time once we get back from vacation on New Year's Day. Will keep you posted on how the cutter holds up but for right now I am overjoyed with it and soooooooooo happy that I won it from the lovely Megan!

Another quick WIP share for you - my Saavy Season's Swap item is complete and on its way to its new home:



I think the pillow and matching hot pads turned out nicely - wish I could keep them for myself! My partner said she liked red/aqua/white and zig zags so I figured this would be great for her. I hope she likes it... we shall see by this weekend or Monday at the latest I suppose! Can't wait to see what I will receive in this swap. I requested a pillow and there are some AWESOME ones out there and many more things still being made so we shall see. The deadline was originally set for tomorrow but they extended it to next Wednesday so I am hoping I will still receive mine before vacation.

Happy Holiday Sewing everyone!

4 x 5 Bee on Flikr

Hope everyone in the USA had a good Thanksgiving! Minimal family drama, good food, and good Black Friday shopping deals... can't complain here!

The postman was nice to me yesterday too - I received this block for my flikr 4 x 5 Bee and it is AWESOME! It came all the way from Australia from one of my great group mates.

Isn't it great?? I am obsessed with that Mendocino line from Heather Ross and am so excited to now have a block for my quilt featuring this lovely fabric. It goes well with my 2 mermaid pillows I posted a few weeks ago.

I was able to spend a little time sewing today and got these 2 blocks completed for my 4 x 5 Bee group. I wish I had been smart and only signed up for 1 bee this quarter but alas... these are only 2 out of 11 that need completed by Jan. 15. With me being gone for 11 days in Germany for Christmas/New Years I need to get crackin'!

I really like this flying geese pattern - it showcases pretty fabrics well and works great with my Flikr Bees since most people choose 3 colors and a neutral background color. It is pretty easy to put together but looks fancy, which is always a plus. Hopefully I will have more time this week to make a few more... stay tuned!

Oooo... and just a fun little piece of information to share with you: Accuquilt FINALLY mailed out my Go! Baby cutter! Yea, the one I won at the end of September... it has been awhile. The girl who did the giveaway has been awesome tho and finally got through to them and it is on its way to my house right now ahhhhhhhhhh!!!! Hopefully by Wednesday it will be here and I can't wait to play with it and tell you all about it!

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WIP Wednesday - FINALLY!

Wow, I am so behind with blogging! I have just been so busy lately but at least this time I have lots of fun things to show you so get ready for a long ramble and some not so great photos:

WIP Wednesday Review:

#1: Saavy Seasons Swap

I can't remember if I already admitted this to you, my  bloggy followers, but I signed up for another swap haha. I know I know, I am an idiot. I wish I would not have because I am running out of time on other projects that are more important but o well... at least I am almost done!

Here is the pillow cover I made my partner because everyone thought it was a cuter pillow than square table runner:



And here is the start of the matching potholders because she wanted something for the kitchen originally - just need to finish the binding this weekend and I will be DONE:



#2: I have been playing with applique lately and here is what I have created so far:

2 Winter Hoop Ornaments - although I still have no idea how to finish them off in the back - so if you know please share! (Sorry for the blurry pictures... will replace them with better ones when I have time)

Blue Bear for Lukas - might embroider our names on them

Orange bear for me - she just did not want to wear pink :)

#3: Continuing on my applique fun - I made a "Christmas Bat" pillow for my mom - here is the start of that:





Long story on the "Christmas Bat" concept... mom will appreciate it tho for sure :)

#4: And last but not least, I finally made a Dresden!



This was supposed to be folded in half and used as a kindle case for my mom but it was not quite wide enough. Not sure if I can fix it/add to it at this point but we shall see

#5: O yea, and I am ALMOST done with a baby blanket for my sister-in-law who had a baby towards the end of October. Hoping to get that finished this weekend and mailed out soon thereafter - will show pictures once that goes in the mail

We are heading to Germany for Christmas so I have 1 week less to complete Christmas presents than originally anticipated so I am super duper behind schedule. Hoping to get some things done in the next few weeks but don't expect a lot of pictures or updates because I have a feeling sneaky people will be browsing my blog to get a peek :) Will post lots of pics before we leave for Christmas vacation tho!

Until the next time - Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Good luck on your Winter/Holiday crafty projects and remember to enjoy the season!!


See what everyone else is making at

Mendocino lovin' :)

I really hit the swap jackpot this month. There was an awesome pillow in the pillow talk swap that I wanted SO BAD and I REALLY thought it could be for me from the colors and the pattern. By the time she had mailed it tho I had convinced myself that it was not for me and decided to make myself a consolation pillow out of the only Heather Ross Mendocino scrap piece that I had - which happened to be the same she used for her pillow center. I made my borders the same as hers because I really liked the entire effect she came up with for her pillow..

Well lo and behold, that awesome pillow DID show up at my house! So now I will have 2 coordinating Mendocino pillows on my couch, yay! Meghan did an awesome job with this hexi pillow and I love all the fabrics she chose for me. Definitely the perfect pillow for me and my favorite from this swap - and boy were there a lot of awesome ones in this round!

Close-up of the center - love this print! And as you can see around it she even included some of the sea horse prints from this line and at the very bottom is also the school of fish print from this line that I totally love. *sigh* Definitely made my day yesterday to find it sitting on my doorstep :)

Here is my unfinished pillow top sitting next to her awesome pillow - just need to get some orange for the back so they both keep the same border/backing to coordinate so lovely on my couch. Mine is a wonky/crazy log cabin block - I def. like her hexagon log cabin better than mine but I will be happy to have both on my couch for a long long time.

PLPSwap JACKPOT!

O.my.goodness... I'm seriously so giddy still 2 hours after opening this awesome package!

So, I get home and there is this mysterious box waiting for me. I've been stalking my Pillow Talk Swap like CRAZY and have it narrowed down to 2 pillows that I think COULD be for me - so I really thought it was one of those that I know shipped Monday.

... I rip the box open and what do I find? A jar of jalapeno jelly and a card. Intrigued and seeing a lot of box stuffing and no pillow cover, I read the card and realize it is from my Pretty Little Pouch Swap partner! She explained the interesting jelly appetizer with a good recipe for using it and I then excitedly pulled out the box stuffing and found this.... be still my heart!

Are you seeing the amazing stitching, super cute little fussy cuts, and that sweet clasp top? 

Yea, I know, it is A.MA.ZING!

It is seriously like somehow she climed into my head, pulled out lots of little bits of things I've liked on flikr but never had the guts to make, and put it all together in this one awesome pouch. Swooning... totally :)

THEN, I opened up the little cutie to check out the lining (which I love by the way!) and saw that cute pile of extras inside! Some SWEET fox fabric from Monaluna that I've actually had my eye on for months, and some really pretty embroidery brights. 

Overwhelmed with the perfection of this package, def. had no idea when I saw this on Flikr that it could possibly be for me... YAYYYYYYYYYYYYYY :)

And to make things even better today - my partner received her package today and seems to be pretty excited about it too so I'm very happy about that! I was a little nervous after getting this sweet pouch and hoping she wouldn't be disappointed. 

1 swap down - 1 to go. My other partner needs to go to the post office and pick up her package - hope she likes her pillow cover and can't wait to see which one I will receive! Everyone has to mail by next Tuesday... the countdown is on :) 

Happy sewing and swapping everyone!

WIP Wednesday - Swap updates!

I may be posting this on Thursday morning but it was def. a very productive WIP Wednesday for me!

My swap items are now completed - happy dancing right here!

1. Pillow Talk Swap - Loulouthi in the sky with diamonds is her name ;-)



She is packaged up with a nice little bundle of scraps and will be on her way to her new home this evening!

2. Pretty (little) Pouch Swap



Front



Back - Kokka Linen

 Ok so let's talk about this pouch for a second... I love it, I think it turned out super cute, but my o my that space to the left of the car BUGS ME! I wanted to do a little puff of smoke but it just turned out bad bad bad :( What do you think... should I try again or just leave it be?

Applique and stitching are not my best skills, very elementary at best, so I'm hoping my partner appreciates the attempt and likes the pouch as much as I do... but that space.... o that space is going to haunt me!

Fortunately I still have 2 weeks until it needs to be mailed to think about what extras to add in and what, if anything, I'm going to do with that space.

3. My 4 x 5 Flikr Bee blocks have all arrived! Here are what my fabulous partners sent me:



I signed up for Quarter 4 in the 4 x 5 Bee as well as the 3 x 6 Bee - meaning that from Nov. 1st - Jan. 15th I will need to make 11 blocks.... but it also means I will receive 11 and have 16 total for an awesome quilt! :) Busy busy bee but since I am almost done with my all my other swaps I think I can handle it. 4 - 12.5 x 12.5 blocks a month is not so bad, even with a bit of Christmas sewing thrown in.

Hope everyone is having a productive week - sewing or otherwise! Enjoy the lovely Fall weather!!

Halloween Fun with Mom & A Swap Update

I had an awesome play-day with my mom making Halloween crafts yesterday. It is our favorite holiday and fall is our favorite time of year so we definitely had to get some seasonal crafting in before it was too late! We also like to exchange little holiday gifts, here are this year's:

This is the pillow I made for her - she has 6 cats so I always call her the crazy cat lady, which makes the pillow that much more fitting ;-)

Front - Ghastlies Witch and Alexander Henry Hocus Pocus cats

Close up of crazy cat border

Back - Alexander Henry Hocus Pocus

 Here are the super cute treat bags she gave me for myself and my husband - never too old for Halloween candy from your mommy! :) Pretty sure my husband only ate candy for breakfast this morning haha.

Green is my favorite color and I LOVE that little spider saying "eek!" - she knows me so well :) That little Ty ghostie is to die for adorable, he is definitely coming to work with me on monday to decorate my desk.

She planned some really awesome crafts for us this year. We decided to save a few for Thanksgiving crafting while my dad and my husband sleep on the couch after lunch but here is what we've made so far:

A super cute button decorated pupmkin to go with my ghostie on my desk at work:

And adorable little plush pumpkins to decorate with at home:

I think this may be my favorite but shhhh, don't tell the others!

I brought home fabric to make more of these cuties, hopefully I will have time to make other sizes but these 3 will def. be put to good use decorating our dining room hutch.

Craft time with mom is the best - she is so creative and knows basically everything there is to know about making anything, or can figure it out pretty easily from a picture if we can't find instructions. We always have a great time when we get together and play. Looking forward to Thanksgiving crafts and of COURSE there will be Christmas ones to share with you later on too!  :)

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And just because I don't want to write a 3rd blog posting for today - here is an update on my last 2 swaps for the year:

Front of my Pretty Little Pouch Swap pouch:

Front of my Pillow Talk Swap pillow:

I should be able to finish both this week and get them mailed out but I have until the 1st week of November so I am doing well with time.

Happy Crafting everyone!

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