Giveaway Winner!

Okay, so I totally forgot about the first giveaway ending! sorry!

True Random Number

          Generator

Min: 

Max: 

Result:16

Powered by RANDOM.ORG

The #16 winner is none other than the blog stalker.....

**nicke...Feb 3, 2012 04:47 PM

i totally follow you!

ReplyDelete

Supercute Bag Giveaway!

I have a special treat today--it's my first tutorial and I'd like to celebrate together! Please check it out at
Sew We Quilt; I appreciate your support ♥ 

I'm trying out this rafflecopter widget to see how it works so please sign up to win this LOVELY bag!!

The Mexican Goods & A Roll-up Bag

B asked what I brought home from Mexico this year--how the heck did I forget to show you this?

This hand-cut and designed metal cross is interesting because it has a series of pictures on it with assorted meanings, decorated blinged-out with glitter. You can guess most of the meanings--a heart for "love and miss me", devil for "be good," the mermaid for "don't let the siren confuse you." (see? totally obvious!) These same images are ones that are commonly found on a Mexican Loteria (bingo) card.

Feel free to click on the photos for a closer view

Then, this year's addition to the Dias de los Muertos animal collection. You can see my finger in the second picture--that is the size of the skull. This is a male dog, as indicated by his mustachioed snout--isn't that hilarious? So manly! Is anyone else hearing the Austin Powers theme song right now?

And lastly, a roll-up bag that I made for my friend Samm using a Tammy Tadd pattern (now out of print):

Open, it is 15 X 15 X 4

Rolled up is about 7 X 3, just right for a quick trip to the market.

Please stop back on Wednesday--I'll have a tutorial up on Sew We Quilt and a giveaway for the item here!

New Year, New Look, & A Giveaway!

Hello my fine friends!

If you are viewing this in reader, please jump over to the blog--I really want you to see the new me!

Jennie of Clover & Violet  has started a new blog, one that will be chronicling her love of photography and burgeoning business venture in graphic design called click. snap. swoosh. laugh. She offered to makeover my blog and I said "Gee, I'm not sure" HA! Just kidding! I jumped at the chance! 

I usually sign with ♥Duff because I believe that love (to love and be loved in return) is the single greatest joy in life. So I said I wanted a heart and Jennie took over from there! What do you think? Isn't Jennie amazing? Her talent totally knocks my socks off! 

I'm thoroughly excited! A new year! A new look! No Hands! And, I just passed the 100-post mark, so I want to celebrate this fabtacularness with a...

Giveaway!

You have your choice of 2 items:

1.  This lovely flea market bag (already constructed):

or

2. A peek-a-boo bag (that's a vinyl window so you see the tissue holder inside the bag). We can figure out which fabrics you like and work it from there!

here's a sample:

Chances to Enter:

1. Leave a comment. Anything will do. The more dramatic and mouthy, the more I'll enjoy reading it.

2. Tell Jennie specifically what you like about the new blog look (what was the first thing to catch your eye?); with a new business feedback is good! Link to click. snap. swoosh. laugh and leave a comment! leave a comment here telling me you did that/will do that.

3. If you are a follower, say so. I appreciate the way you listen to my ramblings ☺

Giveaway ends at midnight CST next Friday 2/10. 

I will email the winner and he/she can state which prize is worthy of owning. 

No-reply bloggers should leave contact info in comment.

Void where prohibited or inebriated.

If you caught that last one, put yourself in for another chance.

Resolved to Sew 2012

Very Berry Handmade has set forth a challenge question: What are bloggers resolving to sew this year?

I’ve been giving this some thought, and here’s what I know:

B of Sweet Limes and I made a pact. She said that she is going to start jumping: “Each and every opportunity that is presented to me I am going to jump on it.  Not just that though, I plan on making opportunities for myself.”

I said I wanted to come along and so we’ve agreed that this year is going to be one heck of a ride and we’ll be like two friends, riding bikes, yelling back and forth about all the wondrous creativity in our lives.

From this our motto for the year was born: “No Hands!” Not only are we going to be fearless, but we’re also going to let go once in a while and let the wind carry us.

Here’s my translation into sewing terms:

a.     Force myself to make a design of my own. Maybe just a block. This terrifies me.

b.     Use the fabric I have before I become a finalist on the “Hoarder” TV show. I’ll start with a baby quilt to keep the tears at a minimum.

c.      Try a fiber-arts project. More terror.

d.     Make more charitable items. It lifts my soul so I’m going to sew more and give more away this year.

e.     Write a tutorial. (This is in the works!)

      The biggest challenge?

f.      Embrace the aberrations and Just. Keep. Sewing.

Now git Ye Wee Hiney o'er to Very Berry Handmade and enter the contest by telling e'eryone what ye sewing resolutions be!  Oh, you're supposed to say what you'd like if you won so I'll say it's a toss up between the Erin McMorris and Amy Butler fatties. Both yummy.

2012, I'm going to eat you!

Dear 2012,

So far you’re not being very kind, especially yesterday, but that’s okay because I’m learning resiliency. I asked a lot of 2011 and here’s what worked:

1.      Lose weight: 30 pounds, baby! Oh yeah!

2.      Opera singing lessons: I was proficient in 3 octaves within 3 months. My teenage son told me one day that I sound good. Yeah, that’s a serious compliment!

3.      Find balance: yoga, school, home, work. It’s not perfect but certainly supportive and encouraging intermingling going on there.

4.      Continue being lucky: I won so many awesome quilting things it’s bizarre.

This year’s resolutions are:

1.      Lose about 15 more pounds and gain strength. Weight training here I come.

2.      Go on a date.

3.      Finish quilting projects that have been sitting around. One per month would be nice.

4.      Simplify: Throw/give things away, unsubscribe from emails, etc.

5.      Diet: Eat tasty, nutritional, protein-rich meals at home.

6.      Travel somewhere interesting.

7.      Continue being lucky.

Seeing as this is a quilting blog, I’m going to start with #3. Quilter in the Gap is hosting a FAL (Finish-a-Long) for those of us who need a freaking audience or kick in the arse inspiration. And there’s even prizes for the partygoers who get their shitake mushrooms together and finish something.

Item #1: Across the Sea QAL. I love this quilt so far, but it’s been in this condition since September. It needs a back, quilting, and binding.

Item #2: Hollyhocks and Lemondrops quilt. This was started, oh, 2008 maybe. Needs petals, backing, quilting, binding. All those flowers cut by hand. Which is why I’m not giving up on it, even though I’m not quite so in love anymore…

And it looks like this is my 100^th post so I’ll need to give something away here pretty quick (oh, that counts as resolution #4, right?)

What the?

So, all of a sudden it's Christmas? My mother was right--don't blink. I've been busy getting ready for Christmas while working my tootsies off at school. I'm happy to report that I've finished my Christmas sewing, and I'm a doctoral candidate. finally! and finally!

I made peek-a-boo bags for everyone on my Christmas list. These pouches are highly addictive and after some pattern finagling, pretty darn quick! They measure about 9 X 10 flat, with a vinyl window. I made tissue holders with the leftover fabrics--that's what you see inside the bags here.

I also made a few stockings using a fabulous free pattern from fabricworm; I will throw in a pic of my favorite one--bras and pink polka dots.

One for Mom and the other for her sister, my Aunt Bunnie (being sisters, I had to make them exactly alike, don't you think?)

One for my Aunt Maureen and the other for my boss Sonya--both dog lovers (click on the pic, this print is too cute!)

One for my sister Jen and the other for me!

a matching stocking for Jen--she's going to get a kick out of this!!

HaPpY HoLiDaYs!

May the coming year be full of happiness, laughter, prosperity, balance, and plenty of Chinese takeout!

UPDATE: I will be doing a tutorial for a bag similar to this over at Madame Samm's http://www.sewwequilt.com/ on February 8th!