My French General UFO

I’m slowly starting to organize my sewing room.  I had forgotten what it was like to sew in a clean room!  It’s awesome… I have been finding all kinds of projects I have started and not finished.  Some of them I don’t love so much anymore and some of them should never have been put away and forgotten because they are so pretty/great/lovely.  This is one of those projects that got started and then left behind.  I’m sure it was because I had just bought the newest, greatest, latest fabric that I had to have and sew with immediately (and I have an attention span  of a gnat).  Anyway, I recently bought this awesome Italian Bistro type picture for my dining room and it inspired me to pull out my French General Rouenneries UFO.  It would look great hanging over my fireplace mantel in the Family Room.  I can’t wait to finish it and show it to you.  Should be soon….

(I really need to stop procrastinating and quilt my tops I have finished.)

Stormy

Block of the Month

Aren’t Block of the Month projects fun?  I’ve participated in 2 or 3 of them over the years.  I think they work particularly well for me since I have somewhat of a short attention span.  You are always doing something new.  This last Block of the Month project I have been working on is really two projects I have combined into one.  It’s been going on for almost two years!  (Although, I have just recently caught up on the last year or so of blocks.  Oops.)  Anyway, I can’t wait to get the last two months of blocks and finish it up.  It is made with the Riley Blake fabric “Ivy Trellis”.

I know the blocks are very busy, but I’m going to use a solid for the sashing and I think it will turn out super cute (fingers crossed).  Now, I just have to find the perfect aqua solid……

Stormy

I’m truly spoiled

What a great day!  Today is my 16th anniversary.  I knew my husband had gone out shopping for something.  I truly was expecting something small but thoughtful.  Like a book and maybe a quilt magazine.  Boy was I wrong!

My amazing hubby woke before 5AM this morning to make me this…..

Let me tell you exactly what this is….  First, I really like cute dishes.  So much that I couldn’t decide on any kind of formal dishes because there are too many cute designs to choose from.  Therefore,  I am slowly collecting one place setting of each set that I fall in love with. ( My husband started this by buying me a place setting to serve me Mother’s Day breakfast on.)  Eventually, I will have 12ish place settings of completely different adorable dishes.  My husband, who very much hates shopping, went to three different stores across town to find all the pieces you see here.  (He’s so awesome.)  I love ‘em. (The dishes and my hubby.)

Now, what you see on the dishes are:

On the butterfly plate there are beignet’s with a chocolate crepe with lemon curd wrapped inside and powdered sugar on top.  On the square plate he made spinach and sausage quiche! and fresh fruit in little chocolate torte cups.  There is also a little pressed cookie type thingy.  In the white mug is steamed milk with double chocolate hot cocoa mix.  And, last but not least, orange juice in an adorable retro glass.  I liked them so much, we had to go shopping for a few more….

After getting my kid monkey’s off to school, he surprised me with this…

What a great idea!  A log holder to hold my quilts! 

Then, after sending off my toddler monkey to play at her cousins house, we went shopping and out to lunch.  Along with my retro glasses, I found this great “sewing room mug”.  Don’t you think it matches Camille Roskelley’s new “Ruby” fabric?  I might have to make a quilt to match….

Didn’t I say I was spoiled?

Stormy

Yummy!

I finally finally got my herbs planted!  (Yes, the ones I bought over a month ago.)  But, I’m super excited.  They look so cute and smell so yummy.  I can’t wait for them to grow a little more so I can start cooking with them.  I’m also a tad excited about my tomato plants.  We’ve already eaten about 6 or 8 cherry tomatoes.  I LOVE garden tomatoes.  Every time I go outside to water them, I start singing that country song, “Homegrown Tomatoes”.  You know how it goes:

“Only two things that money can't buy
That's true love & homegrown tomatoes.”

Too true.

Stormy

Rendezvous

While looking around my newly decorated living room, I decided my dining room needed a little pick me up too. A table topper would help a bit in changing the style of the room.  (It’s a bit too formal.)  So, I went on a little shopping trip (through my stash) and found this great fabric line I had bought years ago called “Rendezvous”.  Perfect!  (Since we had not seen each other in awhile.)  It had all the colors I needed to match the room.  Wahoo! I wanted something fairly simple, so I decided on a charm square quilt with three borders.  I liked it so much (and still had LOTS of fabric left over) I made a matching quilt.  Now, the quilt is done and looks fabulous. (If I do say so myself.) But, the topper still isn’t quilted, which is okay cuz I don’t want you to see it until the entire dining room is finished.  Which it’s not…  The topper is exactly the same.  Just smaller. And square.

Let me introduce you to my new (well reacquainted) friend… Rendezvous

We’re best friends.

I tried a new quilting pattern on it.  It has a bunch of loops and flowers.  I also used a dark brown thread so the quilting would stand out a bit.  It’s super cute where I quilted the good flowers, but a not quite so cute where I quilted the messier flowers. I've been forgiven for those spots though.  That’s what friends are for.

Stormy

Happy Mother’s Day

I hope you have a fantabulous Mother’s Day and feel appreciated and loved  for all the things you wonderful mothers do.

Stormy

Journal Covers

For awhile last year everywhere you looked there was a new pattern for journal covers.  It was such a cute idea everybody wanted to come up with their own version.  I made a few of these covers during the time of journal madness and really liked them.  They made especially cute teacher presents.  So, for teacher appreciation week (or for whomever you happen to appreciate) consider whipping up a cover or two.  They are easy peasy home made gifts.  The pattern can be found at allpeoplequilt.com.

Stormy

Sidetracked

Spring fever has really hit this year.  I’m starting to get tomatoes in my garden, the geraniums on the front porch are getting big and my first irises are blossoming in the back yard.  This time every year I want to redecorate my entire house in a springy, cottagey look.  I decided to settle on my living room.  But with one hitch.  I couldn’t spend any money.  Hmmmm.  Time to start using my imagination big time.  All day Saturday I spent moving things in and out of the room, covering pillows with old upholstery fabric and changing out picture frames and lamps.  Here are my results:

Now on to the dining room. I’ll let you know how it turns out….

Stormy