LIVING IN CHAOS

It's been a while since my last post.

Long story, short...baseball season has officially begun here.  Add that to updating the kitchen, adding some trim in the living room, getting new furniture and switching some kiddos rooms around and I am just plain wore out.

Our house is a complete disaster while trying to get everything in order.  Which is taking longer than expected due to not being able to pick the perfect orange for my buffet, the rug I ordered suddenly becoming unavailable and the bookshelves being an inch too wide...UGH!!!  Nothing seems to be in it's proper place and it's starting to drive me crazy. 

I have a sewing to do list a mile long and haven't managed to get anything done.  I am hoping to get a dent in a quilt I am working on this weekend in between soccer games, baseball games and practices.  It has to be done by next weekend so wish me luck!

On a happy note, I couldn't be happier with the new furniture & I got my DP quilt back from Natalia (over @ Piece N' Quilt) and I am in LOVE with it!  Her quilting is absolutely amazing!!!  Can't wait to get the binding on!  I will post about it soon, along with lots of pics, but for now here is a sneak peek.

(picture courtesy of  Natalia)

Hope your weekend is amazing!

Smiles~Beth

MORE PAINTING

I have the entire week off and the boys are in school so I have decided to do more painting.  It's so much easier when they aren't home, "don't touch that, it's wet!".  I am sure you can imagine ;) 

Last month I painted the walls in the entry, living room, kitchen and hallway.  We also added some board & batten to the kitchen & trimmed out a window and our front door (you can see of that progress here).  We have some new furniture coming this week (arriving 2 weeks early...whoohoo!) so it was time to pick up the brush again.  This time I am painting furniture...a bench, a trash can and a buffet.  And just to add to the fun I decided that this would be a great time to move my oldest monster back upstairs so now the "game room" needs new paint as well.  Apparently, I don't want to relax during my time off, HA!

Today I am sharing a before and after of the bench.  It sits at the top of  out stairs by the kitchenn and gets used alot (mostly as a catch all for crap stuff I haven't put away yet from the store). I have had it for years and it's pretty beat up but I think it just adds character.

Before

After 3 coats of paint

I used the same color we used in the kitchen.  For some reason it looks lighter on the bench but I still love how it turned out.  Now it just needs some cute pillows (adding to list).

I am off to run some errands and then paint some more. 

Smiles~Beth

I HEART GRANNY SQUARES

There has been quite a buzz in blogland over granny squares.  I couldn't help but check it out.  Krista at My Bugs & Dana from Old Red Barn Company have teamed up with Jolene at Blue Elephant Stitches and are hosting the highly anticipated Granny Squares QAL.

I have to admit that I was a little turned off by the amount of 2.5" squares that are involved.  I decided to just make 1 block before I commited myself to the QAL.  Well, after 1 I was hooked.  I just adore the Granny Sqare blocks and can't wait to get more finished.  Of course, it always helps when you are cutting into a fabric you love ;)

You see how the middle square is smaller?  Yeah, that's a cutting oops.  I figure I can just turn it into a mugrug ;)

I am using a Flora jelly roll along with a few prints in my stash and Kona Cotton in White.  I just love the colors, especially the orange!

Have you joined in on all of the Granny square fun?  If not, you should check out the flickr group where there is a ton of inspiration.  It may just convince you to make some yourself ;)

Hope everyone has a lovely day!
Smiles~Beth

 

ANOTHER PERFECT ZIP POUCH {CHALLENGE}

Whew, I finally finished my project for another of Amy's One Thing, One Week challenges.  Last month I was the lucky winner of the challenge & Amy so graciously sent me this adorable fabric bundle along with a Lapel Stick (love that stuff for zippers!!!).

Photo courtesy of Amy @ Amy's Creative Side

When I saw Amy had posted another challenge I knew right away what to make, a perfect zip pouch (you can see the first one I made & find details for the pattern here).  And I already had the perfect fabric, thanks to Amy.  This green and pink fabric makes for a unique bag.  Although it is the same fabric, it looks like it's different on each side. 

I have the perfect person in mind to give this cute little pouch to and I have no doubt she will appreciate the label I added ;)

You can purchase some of these labels here

Thanks to Amy for helping keep up on my goals!

Linking up to these fabulous blogs:

Finish it Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Smiles~Beth

DR SEUSS QUILT TOP & BACK

I started this wonky (block tutorial here) quilt top a couple of weeks ago when my best friend, Terra, came in town for a sewing weekend (have you ever had a sewing weekend with a friend?  Up til 4 a.m. & lots of giggles, it was a blast! You can read more about the here). 

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I am so happy to have it finished and super excited about the way it turned out, all of those Seuss characters make me smile. 

One of my favorite prints.

I couldn't help but to get started on the back right away and I am just as excited about it as I am about the front!

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I don't usually buy panels but I am so glad I did this time.

Now I just need to get it quilted and binded so it can be loved by all my boys :)

I am linking this fun quilt up to these fabulous blogs:

Finish It Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Hope your weekend is wonderful!

Smiles~Beth

LOTS OF SEWING GOING ON

 My best girlfriend, Terra, came in town last weekend and we put our sewing machines to work.  It's always so much fun to have time set aside to spend sewing with a friend.

We have both had some Celebrate Seuss fabric by Robert Kaufman for a while and decided it was time cut it up.  Perfect timing since the famous author's birthday is today.

 Terra's nephew is turning 2 in just a couple of weeks so she worked on a Dr. Seuss quilt top for him and one for her family (you're never too old for Dr. Seuss!!).  To make things go by quickly she decided to use the same pattern for both quilt tops (smart thinking!!). 

Quilt top made with One Block Two Block Pattern

Quilt Back...lovin' those dots!!

Terra also managed to make a few more gifts & get most of another Seuss quilt top put together (not pictured). 

Super cute triangle crayon roll

Reversible cape: side 1

Reversible cape: side 2

Sweet tie shirt

I wasn't quite as productive (she was on a mission!!) but I managed to get most of the blocks put together for my Seuss quilt. 

 I had to stop working on it because I didn't have all of my fabric yet.  I am happy to say that it came a couple days later and now all the blocks are ready to be cut into 'wonky' blocks (you can find my tutorial for wonky blocks here).  There are 45 blocks. After trimming them to wonky blocks they will measure 11"square. 

 I was also able to start preparing fabric for the Granny Squares QAL (quilt~a~long).  I decided not to go scrappy and am using a Flora jelly roll I already had. It made the cutting process go by so quickly (you gotta love that!).  I will post pics soon.

I had a fabulous time sewing, bitching chatting and laughing with Terra. Hopefully it won't be another year before we can do it again (you can read about our last sewing session here).

Smiles~Beth