A Photo or Two, I just have to share

LOVE.

There are more to share, but this is a moment I will never forget.

Part of the photos are finished and the album can be viewed (for now) by clicking on the photos.

Happiness

The wedding was beautiful

and

she is so happy.

But, her mother is exhausted.

I'll be back with more details sooon.

Less Than a Week...

I'll return soon.

Friday Finish - Blocks and Bows

There hasn't been a lot of sewing time this week, but I do have a little to share.

I finished the blocks for the September queen of my modern quilting bee.

I love it when the fabric comes already cut and all I have to do is sew it together.

Thanks, Max.

The  pattern for the blocks is from this tutorial at SewHappyGeek.

Call me a worker bee.

If you've been following along, you know that we have a wedding coming up.

Family will be arriving 3 weeks from today for my daughter's wedding.

Busy bee 
 is an understatement at this point, but we are still having fun.

I finished a million 20 bows for candelabras and pews.

Burlap ribbon is quite a bit heavier than any ribbon I've worked with, but with a million a few tries, they are finished.

I used a couple of You tube videos as inspiration:

I started with this one

but 

this one was my favorite.

Stay tuned, there is a lot going on here in the sticks...

My day in the 

is Monday and I will reveal my 

rush hour.

Carol is the cheerleader for the hop and she has the full schedule

at her blog, Just Let Me Quilt.

Want to know more about this wonderful world of blog hops?

Check out Madame Samm's guest post at Studio e.

Studio e is having a giveaway...HERE.

Have a productive and beautiful weekend,

Around the World Blog Tour

Welcome to my stop on the Around the World Blog Hop.

(I almost missed my deadline)

Kris over at Sew Sunshine invited me to participate and I am excited to join all of these incredibly talented bloggers in this tour around the world.  Kris and I share a love of challenge quilt projects and she has inspired me so many times.

As part of this tour, I am supposed to answer 4 questions, so here it goes....

Number 1 - What am I working on?

I'm crazy for blog hops and challenges.

The See You in September blog hop starts Wednesday, September 3rd

 and

 I have been so busy getting ready for my day on September 8th.  

The full schedule for the hop is here.

So, I would love to show you the rest of this, but it has to wait until the hop.

I've been enjoying a little summer stitching on the porch, but I can't show you this one either...

sorry.

Most of my time crafting and sewing lately has been wedding related.

My daughter is soon to be married and here she is working on the little sign the ring bearer will be carrying for the wedding.  (I guess they don't carry a pillow with rings anymore..lol)

We have been having a lot of crafting sessions together to add little personal touches to the wedding.

She is my only daughter and I want to enjoy every moment of this time in our lives.

Number 2- How does my work differ from others of it's genre.

Does it?  I do like to think out of the box, but mostly I just want to do something new or different.

This is my can-can dancers quilt.  It's a little out of the box.

The vampire, Mystat

I mostly like to make my own patterns and share the things I learn along the way.

I'm into modern, traditional, whimsical quilting.

How's that?

Number 3- Why do I write/create what I do?

Because I love to do things with my hands.  

I love to experiment.

Quilting and sewing are my outlets.

I'm a hair stylist by trade and it is a very creative career, but I am limited in creativity to give my clients what they want.  

Quilting lets me be creative in my own way

.Like most quilters I know, I'm always ready to start on that next quilty idea that pops into my head.

(It just won't quit)

This is the quilt, Down the Dyeing Path, made after I learned about dyeing fabric.

I write about my experiences and to share what I've learned. 

Isn't that why we are here?  

To inspire each other and help each other grow?

Number 4- How does my writing/creating process work?

Sometimes it doesn't.  I just keep trying. 

 Sometimes an idea hits me in the middle of the craziest things - work, driving, running, sleeping, eating, watching tv... 

You get the idea.  lol

 Usually my ideas are inspired by things around me. 

 I thinks that's pretty normal, right?

My best comes out when I create from my heart. 

I use a lot of scrap paper to jot down ideas.

Sometimes a quilt comes from paper and pencil like 

Let your Passion Shine

or

Sometimes I use EQ7 to design a quilt

like

I Do

There you have it.  You know a little bit more about me.  

My friend Jen over at Glinda Quilts is posting today on this blog tour.  

She will blow you away with her mad quilting skills and she always has me in stitches with her loving humor.  She is taking over the world with her sweet pants bags.

Jen loves the Wizard of Oz and Wicked and we instantly became friends when she found out I was from Kansas.  She puts up with my ignorance of the UK and has taught me so much about the giving spirit.

Next week you won't want to miss Vickie over at More Stars in Comanche

and 

Cherry over at Cherry Quilts.

Vickie has been a huge inspiration for me and you will want to check out her beautiful quilting and life at the ranch.

Cherry and I met through a blog hop and she always has great quilting and fun experiences on her blog.

They will be on the World Tour September 8th.

I'm sad to see summer come to the "unofficial end." 

 I'll see you soon for See You in September,

    

Something Old, Something Blue, and More Recipes from You

The excitement is building for the upcoming wedding.

As the mother of the bride

there are lots of things to do
but I am working through all the lists.

Trista (my daughter) wanted their names and the date of the wedding inside the dress
stitched in blue.
Such a clever way to do "something blue."

Wedding date and names stitched in blue inside the dress.

I was a little nervous about stitching inside her dress,

but just look.

She can lift the outer layers of the dress

and it is stitched on the outside of the lining.

Something BLUE, check.

We shopped for garters and I have to admit it was a bit weird for me to be looking for one for my daughter.

Why, I don't know.

She's still my little girl.

She wanted something simple and we just didn't find it.

Why were we going to buy one when we could make one?

Vintage lace and a broach from my grandmother's jewelry...

perfect.

Something Old, check.

Next on my list is the recipe book I want to give my daughter

A Virtual Bridal Shower

I've been so blessed to have friends from all over the world sending me recipes for

a beautiful book

THANK YOU!!!

Trista loves to work magic in the kitchen and loves to try new recipes.

There is still room for more recipes.

If you would like to help me

email me for my snail mail address.

gochefs@hotmail.com

I love the look of hand written recipes, but if you would rather email a recipe

I would love that, too.

I'm planning a surprise for at least one lucky participant.

It will be a random drawing after the wedding.

Thank you, again, for making my mail box (and me) so happy!!!!

Trista is going to love it.

Now I'm off to do Week 6 day 1 of the Couch to 5K training program.

Momma needs to be in her best wedding shape...lol

Wedding Chucks

With the wedding only three months away, my daughter and I are putting the details together.

She has hired a wedding planner to worry about most of the preparation,

but

we are a crafty family and want to add our own personal touches.

You can plan on seeing wedding projects here for the next few months.

First up:  Wedding Chucks

Trista, my daughter (the bride) will be wearing high heels for the wedding ceremony

(She is jazzing them up, too, but that is another post to come)

but when the reception dance starts

she wants to have comfortable shoes to run around in and greet her guests.

Her shoe of choice:   Converse Chuck Taylor tennis shoes

 She came over this weekend and we played around with wedding stuff.  

She decided to model my old headpiece from my wedding.

It is definitely not her style...wink.

She worked on the heels and I reworked her chucks to make them more bridal.

This is what they looked like before...

I used lace from her little dress as I did before in the quilted flag.

Sneak peek of fair results

The lace overlay was glued to the outside of the shoe with fabric glue.

I sewed pre gathered lace around the opening of the shoe and rows of the lace to the tongue.

She wanted to leave the label exposed.
I was going to cover the red stripe with pearls, but she likes it the way it is, so it stays.

I poked organza ribbon through the eyes of the shoe for laces.

The bride will dance the night away in comfort and her style.

We are having such a wonderful time getting ready for the big event.
There are lots of memories being made.
As it should be.

Have a great week,

One for me, one for you - Win Win

And the winner is.....

 

me.

 

At least I felt like one when I opened my mail box and found

 

 

RECIPES!

My friend Vickie over at More Stars in Comanche 

sent me two mouth watering recipes!

THANK YOU, VICKIE!!!

 

You see, my daughter is getting married in October and I want to make her a recipe book with recipes.

 

My first thought was,

"How much fun would it be to have my friends from all over the world help me?"

Not only recipes, but advice for a new bride could be fun, too.

A Virtual Bridal Shower

 with tips and recipes.

 

If you feel like sending me a recipe card, I would love that. Just comment and I will give you my address.

 

I will have a few prizes and more information about the book soon.

 

 

The winner of my Sew Mama Sew Giveaway is

AMBER!!

 

I had so much fun reading about all the games people play on rainy days.

 

Thank you!

 

Amber said...

I normally read on rainy days, but if I had to pick a game, probably hide and go seek.

May 13, 2014 at 11:47 AM

 

 

Amber will receive

two fat quarters of Tim Holtz Eclectic Elements fabric

Game Pieces.

 

Thanks to all my followers, new and faithful, for making this giveaway an extra fun one.

 

A new hop starts soon and I am ready to show you a picnic

 

 

Here's to a new week!

 



A Little Wedding Help? Just asking...



Wedding plans are  really starting to come together. 

 

I need help with a couple of things and I know my blogging friends can help.

 

In case you don't know, my daughter is going to be married in October.

 

 

This quilt block was created for an outdoor flag for the wedding and was part of the Flags on a Stick blog hop back in April.  It is entered in the:

 

AccuQuilt Win the Dream Quilt Block Design Contest

AccuQuilt - Win the Dream Quilt Block Contest

I want I Do to Win the Dream! Vote for I Do and you can win too. Prizes are being given away daily, valued up to $700 per day just for voting!



 

 

My daughter, Trista, with her husband-to-be, Kyle, and their dog, Chief.

 

Over the Easter holiday we went wedding dress shopping and were lucky to have my mom and my son join us for the day. 

 

Me, Trista, Dress Shop Lady, and Randy

Here is a picture of the lady at the dress shop showing Trista the particulars.  My mom took the pictures and, dumb me, I never grabbed the camera to take a shot of Trista with her Grandma.  I won't make that mistake twice....wink.

 

 

Trista really wanted her grandmother and brother there to help choose a dress, but we all agreed on THE one.  It was a "no brainer" when she walked out glowing...

 

Trista and her brother, Randy

The dress will be revealed after the wedding, but I'm so moved when I see the pictures of the shopping day that I can't imagine what THE WEDDING DAY will be like.

 

So here is where I ask for help. 

 

I want to make a recipe book for my daughter (she loves to cook) and thought,

 

"How much fun would it be to have my friends from all over the world help me?"

 

I'm still trying to come up with particulars, but for those who wouldn't mind contributing a recipe by snail mail in their own hand writing I would be so happy to include it in the book.

 

I also thought about doing a linky party and maybe coming up with prizes for contributors and then I would print the posts to include in the recipe book (with permission, of course).

 

Not only recipes, but advice for a new bride could be fun, too.

 

A Virtual Bridal Shower

 

ANY IDEAS?

 

Leave me a comment. 

I think June (the traditional wedding month) would be the month for the linky party.   I've never done a linky party and think this is the perfect occasion for one.

 

If you feel like sending me a recipe card, I would love that.  Just comment and I will give you my address.

 

 

This recipe book is something she will use and cherish, so thank you for your help!

 

 

 



Home and Heart - Flags on a Stick Blog Hop

 

 

With the arrival of spring, it's time to get outside and make our outdoor space ready for

warm entertaining.
 

(The calendar says spring is here.... )

The weather thinks otherwise.

 

 

Madame Samm at Sew We Quilt created a blog hop called "Flags on a Stick" where everyone is to design their very own garden flag.

 I signed up to make a flag
and
hubby jumped on board to make a couple of garden flag poles for me.
:^)

 

A great big thank you to Thearica over at Pig Tales and Quilts for organizing the blogs participating in this hop.

She has done a great job!

Home



Welcome to Duck Creek



 I made this flag to welcome guests to our home.

It represents our home with the cowboys (Dodge City)

and

the ducks (Duck Creek surrounds our home).

 

 

The background fabric is a piece I snow dyed that looks just like a Dodge City sunrise.
Black Kona fabric for the silhouettes.
I wrote the word welcome in chalk at the bottom and then covered the chalk lines with jute twine.
The twine was couched with zig zag in a matching thread.
I put a little fabric glue on the ends of the twine to keep it from fraying.

 

The cowboy sihloutte is my husband's pattern
that he cuts from metal.
There were some very narrow cuts for fabric, but I love the result.
I will have this pattern available soon.

Heart


My daughter is going to be married in October this year.
As the mother of the bride, I'm very happy for her.
I'm also a little sad.
(Is that normal?)
I suppose it is kind of like "empty nest syndrom" in a different kind of way.

 

 

I used this dress as part of the fabric for my next garden flag.

Don't worry, the dress had a few stains and wouldn't have been useable in any other way.

I'm not usually a saver of things, but I have a few special things from when my kids were little.

This is a surprise for her.

 

Wedding garden quilt.   "I Do"

 

We can wave this flag to greet guests at her wedding.

 

 

Then later, it will make a sweet wall hanging for her home.

 

 

 The bride's dress is fabric from my daughter's little dress. 
I used the lining and the lace overlay.
The wedding colors are to be purple and lime green.
Hubby, once again, made the flag holder
and I designed the pattern for the flag.

That is my home and heart.

Be sure and check out the other waving flags of the day.
There will be some beauties with this bunch, I assure you.

April 1st

Sew Incredibly Crazy

Quilt Doodle Designs

Buzzing and Bumbling

Why Knot Kwilt?

Creatin' in the Sticks ME!

Meadowbrook

 

Thank you to the sponsors of the hop,

Flags on a Stick

and

Flag OUTLET

And
thank YOU for visiting
Creatin' in the Sticks.