Sewing for Sanity

CRAZY FOR PEZZY!

2012-02-22T15:34:00.000-06:00

I was the lucky winner of a $40 gift certificate to Fresh Squeezed Fabrics. I couldn't resist using it towards this lovely 1/2 yard stack of Pezzy by American Jane for Moda. A big thanks to Randi for the fabulous customer service and to Kristie @ OCD for hosting the Drunkard's Path QAL (where I won the the fabric for finishing this quilt top).

Oh, the boys just got of the bus, gotta run!

Smiles~Beth

BOARD & BATTEN IN THE KITCHEN

2012-02-15T10:44:00.001-06:00

I have ~~needed~~ wanted to change our home decor for a while now. It took a couple years of ~~bitching~~ begging but I finally got the hubs on board...yay!! The first step was painting (you can see part of the process here). Next, with help from one of our more-than-wonderful neighbors, the board & batten went up.

I didn't do a step by step post because there are already so many great how-to's out on the web. You can check out a couple I found helpful here & here.

BEFORE
(I had already started to rip down the wallpaper before I realized I forgot to take a pic)

PROGRESS

AFTER

I am SO happy with the way it turned out! And it will look even better when we get rid of that curio, paint the buffet and replace the kitchen table & chairs (ordered last week!!). I am still deciding on a color for the buffet. My original thought was to paint it black but I am tempted to go bolder with a pop of color, maybe orange. Any suggestions?

Tomorrow, our very handy neighbor is coming over again to help the hubs put trim around the living room window, change out the front door trim to match and start the process of replacing our baseboards.

I will be sure to post pics soon.

Linking up with:

Hope your Wednesday is treating you well!

Smiles~Beth

SPARKLE PUNCH QUILT & A CHALLENGE~COMPLETE

2012-02-13T09:53:00.000-06:00

You may have figured out by now that I love challenges, especially sewing challenges. You see, I am a bit of a procrastinater (the kind that waits until the day of a baby shower to finish up binding on the gift and then puts it in the wash 1 hour before the shower and then her washing machine gets stuck on the spin cycle with 7 minutes left and then she is an hour late to the shower...yep, that's me!). So, when Amy of Amy's Creative Side (LOVE HER!!!) posted another One Thing, One Week challenge I was all over it. Of course, it always helps when you have a project that needs to be completed anyway.

Thanks to my middle monster, Sam, for holding this up for me in the cold wind!

This little baby quilt was lovingly made for my cousin's precious bun~in~the~oven, Alexandra. I knew when I saw this quilt I wanted to make one like it. When Elizabeth of Oh, Fransson! announced she was hosting a QAL (quilt~a~long) using her pattern for the quilt I jumped at the opportunity.

Back in November I asked my cousin to bring the curtains for her darling baby's nursery to Thanksgiving dinner (I am typically not this organized, seriously!). I compared the colors to my Robert Kaufman Kona Solids color swatch board and matched the solids up with some prints I had in my stash. I think it matches the curtains pretty perfectly!

This picture shows truer colors than the ones taken outside

For the back I cut different width strips of the Kona Cottons...grass green, tangerine, dark violet, papaya, bright pink, jade green, peach & snow (some purchased at Fabric.com & some at Hobby Lobby).

You are probably thinking that the quilting is a little crazy. Well, it is. I did it on purpose though. I haven't dove into the world of FMQ (free motion quilting) so that wasn't an option for me. The random straight lines reminded me of falling stars so I went with it ;) For the binding, I used this super cute black fabric with itty bitty white polka~dots. I just fell in love with it (seriously, it makes me giddy!).

Oh, I almost forgot! I tried my hand at a little hand embroidery, or maybe it is hand stitching, I am not really sure. Either way, it didn't turn out horribly and I think it added that little something special every quilt needs. I kept telling myself that all of the mistakes gave it more character ;)

Add caption

I want to thank Amy for keeping my behind in gear on this project and Elizabeth for providing the inspiration.

Linking up to:

Hope everyone is having a wonderful day!!

Smiles~Beth

MY BABY IS 6 TODAY!!

2012-02-13T08:58:00.002-06:00

Today we are celebrating my littlest monster's birthday. He is 6! I honestly can't believe it. It seems like yesterday we were blessed with our 3rd son. Whom I thought for sure was a girl until 2 weeks before he was born. It was about then I started having dreams that I gave birth to another boy but insisted on wrapping him in a pink blanket and telling everyone he was a girl (don't worry, I didn't really do that. They were just dreams!). I think my subconscious was trying to prepare me ;). Of course, nothing could have truly prepared me for this little guy.

He was the perfect addition and was (and still is!) what made our family complete.

Some of the things I love about him are:

Those freckles!!!

That smile

His laugh (I wish I could bottle it up!)

His love for his brothers (he absolutely adores them despite the all of the tattling lately)

The 110% effort he puts towards everything he tries

His independence (even though it breaks my heart a little to see how fast he is growing up)

His passion for baseball (I just love to watch him play!)

That he doesn't know how little he is for his age and NEVER lets it him hold him back

He never leaves for school without giving me a great big hug & kiss :)

His stories (he never seems to run out of things to say!)

HaPPy BirTHdAy to my Little Star!

I love you lots!!!

We get to hang out all day together due to a snow day...YAY!

A VALENTINE'S SHIRT {FOR ME}

2012-02-08T12:53:00.000-06:00

As soon as I saw this adorable little dress over @ Make It Love It I knew I wanted to make a ruffily heart too. I figured I wouldn't be able to convince any of my boys to wear it so I made one for myself ;) The only difference is that I put mine on a shirt rather than making a dress (just happened to have a plain tee laying around...bonus!).

Add caption

Those gathered ruffles make me happy. Can't wait to wear it to the school parties on Valentine's Day!

There are 3 other cute ideas (including tutorials) for Valentine's shirts over at Make It Love It and one is perfect for the little man in your life. If you have a minute I recommend you take a peek.

Linking up to these great parties:

Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Smiles~Beth

PAINTING {KITCHEN & LIVING ROOM REDO}

2012-02-03T08:56:00.000-06:00

It's been a very busy week around here! Sadly, I haven't gotten any sewing done since Sunday. But here are a few pics to show you what has been keeping me so busy.

Who knew 3 little boys could put this many dents in our wall!

How did I get this job!

The boards and wall in between will be painted white.
A HUGE thanks to the hubby & our wonderful neighbor for getting this done

I have been tearing down wallpaper, spackling, sanding, wiping walls and painting all week. There is still lots to do but I have high hopes of getting all of the painting finished by tomorrow night (and hopefully the house put back together too!). Wish me luck!

Hope your weekend is relaxing!
Smiles~Beth

100th DAY OF SCHOOL

2012-01-27T09:44:00.000-06:00

Today is the 100th day of school for my boys. To help celebrate I made my littlest monster a simple little shirt, using my Silhouette (of course!).

I used white heat tranfer vinyl and the font is called Applause. If you haven't ever used heat transfer vinyl before I highly recommend it. I was able to whip this up this morning in less than 10 minutes!

Happy Friday!
Smiles~Beth

CHRYSALIS QUILT BACK~FINISHED!

2012-01-25T13:56:00.000-06:00

Remember this quilt? Well, I added a couple borders and finally got the back pieced together. I absolutely LOVE how the quilt top turned out.

The back, on the other hand, isn't exactly how I invisioned it.

I am just OK with the finished result but I decided the front makes up for it ;). Besides, I will be sending the whole thing off to Natalia of Piece N' Quilt to be custom quilted and I have NO doubt she will bring life to the back. (Seriously, have you seen her work? Besides running a great blog, she has also been featured in magazines and did all of the quilting in the Modern Basics book by Amy Ellis of Amy's Creative Side. How cool is that?!). Needless to say, I am super excited to have Natalia working on my quilt!

Hope everyone's week is going fabulously!

Linking up to these wonderful blogs

Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Smiles~Beth

A FINISHED QUILT FOR MY SUNSHINE

2012-01-24T14:22:00.000-06:00

I was almost too embarrassed to post about this quilt but the feeling of getting it crossed off of my to~do list after it had been there for 3 1/2 years made me not care how long it took me to finish it! I am so excited that it's FINALLY done and will soon be in the arms of my middle monster...yay!

Backing fabric is solid black Robert Kaufman flannel

I bought the fabric at Hancock Fabrics 3 1/2 years ago in West Des Moines, Iowa. I was there for the week visiting my bestie and she had just taught me how to sew. I was super excited to start a quilt and couldn't pass up those adorable little pirates. I started off strong but when I ran out of the red sashing & couldn't find it ANYWHERE I put it away and forgot about it. After some prompting from my bestie I went on a mission to find something that would work. Can you believe I had to go back to Iowa to find it?! It's not a perfect match but it's close enough that most people won't notice (can you tell?). I wish I could remember the name of the quilt store I got it from, they were so friendly and helpful there.

I was a little nervous that my son wouldn't like the fabric anymore since he is a big 9 years old now but when I asked him recently about it he simply said "I still love it Mom, please finish it soon!". This baby is going in the wash and should be ready for him when he gets home from school today :)

What's the longest time you have had something on your WIP list?

Smiles~Beth

$30 FOR $50 OF SILHOUETTE PRODUCTS!

2012-01-19T18:42:00.002-06:00

Just wanted to pop in and share this great deal for Silhouette products from Plum District. You can purchase a $30 voucher for $50 worth of Silhouette products (excluding the new Cameo & gift cards)...whoo hoo!! If you are a new member of Plum District you will get a $5 credit...bonus! Also, if you enter promotion code FABULOUS you will receive a 10% discount. To get yours, click here. Be sure to come back here after registering with Plum District and use this link. Happy shopping!

Smiles~Beth

A PERFECT ZIP BAG

2012-01-18T07:00:00.000-06:00

A good friend of mine celebrated her birthday yesterday. I wanted to get her a little something but wasn't sure what to get her. She seems to have everything a girl could ask for... great nails, the most stylish clothes & the most amazing shoes (seriously, she has quite the collection!!). I thought about getting her a gift card but it just didn't seem personable enough. Instead I made her a Perfect Zip Bag, pattern by Elizabeth Hartman of Oh Fransson!

I made Style C in the large size

Pretty darn cute if I do say so myself ;) I used fabrics from my stash for the patchwork. There are too many different fabric lines to list but if you want to know the name of one of them feel free to ask in the comments and I will reply back. The main fabric is Kona Cotton in Medium Grey.

Lining is Cheery Circles from the All Star 2 collection by Riley Blake.

A couple of weeks ago I saw these 'THIS TOOK FOREVER' woven tags over at OCD~Obsessive Crafting Disorder and couldn't resist ordering some for myself. They crack me up and simply let the recipient know just how much you love them ;) You can purchase your own here.

Linking up to these fabulous blogs

Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Smiles~Beth

ONE THING, ONE WEEK CHALLENGE

2012-01-16T13:34:00.000-06:00

Last week Amy over @ Amy's Creative Side challenged her readers to pick 1 thing and get it finished. I love when she hosts these little challenges because she makes it simple and without stress.

I chose to try to get 2 quilt backings pieced together. Yep, 2. I am a rule breaker ;) The first is for my youngest little guy, Adam.

You can see the quilt top & read more about this quilt and the fabrics used here.

The original design for the back didn't include the thin strips at the top & the bottom but once I got it all pieced together I realized I was off about 3 inches, ugh! This was the easiest way I could think of to add the length needed and not make it look like a mistake. Quilting is so forgiving :)

The second quilt back is for a quilt I am working on for myself.

You can read more about this quilt, see the quilt top & learn about the DP QAL I joined to make it here.

As you can see I didn't get this one finished. Can you believe I ran out of the solid fabric, seriously?! My local quilt stores don't carry Bella Soilds so I ordered some on Etsy and will hopefully be able to finish it up this week.

Even though I didn't get my goal completed I am still happy with my progress. A big thanks to Amy for pushing me to get some of WIP's done! You can check other finishes from Amy's readers here.

Hope you are all enjoying your Monday. It is an unusally beautiful & sunny 65 degrees here. What a perfect day to be out of school!

Smiles~Beth

ALL STAR QUILT FOR MY LITTLE STAR {IN PROGRESS...STILL!}

2012-01-13T14:35:00.003-06:00

I have been working on a quilt for my littlest monster for about 2 years now (you can see my slow progress here & here). I have decided that it is time to get all of my WIP's done ASAP. Usually I put anything without a deadline on it at the bottom of my long to~do list but not this year (well, at least that's the plan). It's time I get some quilts made/finished that are meant to live in our house.

I didn't get Adam's quilt finished quite yet but I was able to get the last border sewn onto the front and piece the back together...whoo hoo! Now all I need to do is get a label on it and send it off to the quilter's (it's a twin size quilt & I am not ready to tackle one that size on my sewing machine). Adam's birthday in in a month, I am hoping to have it all ready for his bed by then.

Zigzag pattern is a free tutorial by Crazy Mom Quilts

All of the fabrics used are from Riley Blake's original All Star line (which is no longer in print) except for the orange stars on the back, that is from the Fox Trails line by Doohikey Designs for Riley Blake.

Amanda Jean over @ Crazy Mom Quilts has been hosting Finish it up Friday's on her fabulous blog & Amy from Amy's Creative Side has given her readers a chance to participate in one of her One, One Week Challenges (I love Amy's challenges!). I will be linking up with both of them along with Amylouwho's Sew & Tell Friday fun.

Happy Friday!
Smiles~Beth

THE INTREPID THREAD

2012-01-11T15:28:00.000-06:00

I order a lot of my quilt fabric online. Recently I made a purchase from The Intrepid Thread on Etsy. I don't usually post about my online purchases (mostly so the hubs doesn't find out about all of them...ha!) but this was the perfect transaction. Julie was on top of everything. She sent me a message almost immediately after I made my purchase to let me know she received my order and would be mailing it out the next day. It arrived 2 days later and was packaged very nicely. It's so good to know that if there is yucky weather and my package gets wet that my fabric will be protected. I am just loving this Half Moon Modern bundle!

Picture courtesy of The Intrepid Thread

She also added these cute little squares of fabric.

The one on the right will be a perfect addition to the I SPY quilt I plan to make this year (well, at least it's on my 2012 list!). Thanks, Julie! I hope you will check out The Intrepid Thread next time you are in need of fabric. With close to 900 listings (including a sale section) you are sure to find something you ~~want~~ need.

In case you're wondering, I was not compensated in any way to write this post. I just wanted to share my pleasant buying experience with you. Happy shopping!

Smiles~Beth

Edited: I forgot to add this photo of how perfectly Julie cut this zig zag fabric (which makes for no waste when I go to use it...yay!)

SUNKISSED {A FINISHED QUILT}

2012-01-06T08:07:00.000-06:00

Almost a year ago I jumped right into the Bloggers' block~a~palooza quilt along hosted by Quilt Dad. I stayed on track, for the most part, but when it came to the back of quilt I went blank. I had a ton of fabric left over but none of the pieces were big enough for the back. I didn't really want to buy more either. I also wanted to incorporate something very special into the quilt but didn't quite know how. The quilt was supposed to be a gift for my Grandma Dee's birthday in August but that came and went. I was determined to get it finished by Christmas and I am happy to say that I did (who cares that it came fresh out of the dryer on Christmas Eve morning, it still counts!).

Fabric is Sunkissed by Sweetwater for Moda along with some Bella Solids

You can view close ups of each block and find links to the patterns here, here, here, here & here.

I decided to piece the back with mostly solids I had in my stash and added some windmill blocks. I just love windmills and I think this fabric line suits them perfectly.

You can see a close up view of the windmill blocks here .

I wanted to add something very special to this quilt so I rummaged through a bag of old hankies my Grandma had given me a while back. They were mostly her mother's. I was a little worried about cutting them up but I am glad I did. Now they can be seen and appreciated.

Please pay no attention to my very wonky quilting lines, I was a little rushed!

I am happy to say that my Grandma loved it! And it felt so good to finally be able to give it to her.

Linking up with

Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Smiles~Beth

DIY CANVAS PRINTS

2012-01-05T07:02:00.000-06:00

Some of you know that I watch 2 little boys a few days a week. They are 2 very sweet little guys. I starting watching them when they were only 10 weeks old. We consider them family, along with their Mom & Dad, and are very blessed to have all of them in our lives. Luke & Cole's parents always treat me so well around the holidays and this year I wanted to give them something very special in return. It took me a while to come up with something but once I saw this tutorial on Pinterest by The Sassy Pepper I knew it would be perfect. Actually, I am so happy with how they turned out that I am going to make some for myself.

I used my Silhouette, some vinyl & black acrylic paint to make the "a few of our favorite things" canvas. I want to note that although she recommends using matte mod podge I used a gloss. It was what I had on hand. When I make more I will definately take her advice and use the matte. Don't get me wrong, they turned out beautifully, they are just a little shiny and in certain lights show imperfections.

A big thanks to The Sassy Pepper for this easy and fabulous tutorial!

Smiles~Beth

AN OZ TOTE BAG

2012-01-04T08:05:00.000-06:00

My mother-in-law is going to Hawaii in February. I know, what a lucky lady. For Christmas, she asked that I make her a special bag to take along on the trip. Originally she wanted me to use a Hawaiian print but I couldn't find any I liked. Plus, I thought it might make her look too 'tourist-y'. Luckily I have quite a bit of stash (ok, so I might be a fabric hoarder) and was easily able to locate (what I think is) the perfect print, Oz Poppy Field in black by Sanae for Moda.

3 pockets great for water bottles, keys, etc. 1 pen pocket
Lining is Robert Kaufman Kona cotton in grey & Oz Flower Basket in red

Zippered pocket
Pocket lining fabric is It's A Hoot Eggs by Momo for Moda

I was happy to make this special bag for a very special lady. Looking forward to seeing pics of it in Hawaii too!

Linking up with

Smiles~Beth

LOTS OF JAMMIES (CHRISTMAS GIFTS)

2012-01-03T09:02:00.000-06:00

Every year since I started sewing I have made the boys Christmas jammies/pj's. They are always made of snuggle flannel. This year I discovered some fabulously soft flannel at JoAnns called Plaiditudes. It washes up wonderfully without balling and somehow gets even softer after each wash (so soft that I even bought some for myself!!). And they just happened to have a perfect plaid for Christmas jammies...yay! In addition to those I had a few special requests by my nephews for their own pair. Some even asked for matching shirts :)

You can't see them but those Christmas jammies looked great paired with these plan tees (can't believe I didn't get the jammies in the pic...geez!)

For Logan
I made the soccer ball with Silhouette soccer_C00212_20387 & Silhouette fabric paint

For Zach
I used Silhouette skull_C01416_17986 & Silhouette fabric ink

The jammies were all a hit. I have another pair on my list for one of my nephews who has a birthday coming up in early February (he had requested a monster shirt for Christmas but immediately knew he wanted some jammies for his birthday after seeing his brother Zach's set). It always amazing that these boys look forward to their handmade Aunt Beth gifts. It makes my heart happy :)

Happy Tuesday!
Smiles~Beth

EPIC MONSTERS ROBOTS & MORE {FOR CHRISTMAS}

2012-01-02T13:24:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone is having fun so far in 2012!

I had wanted to get pics posted of these before Christmas but just getting them done was a big enough accomplishment for me...ha!

For Connor

For Brandon

For Kyle~made with my Silhouette and Silhouette fabric ink

For Luke

For Patrick (he specifically asked for a robot shirt)
Made with Silhouette orange_robot_C00080_31857
& heat transfer vinyl

For Gage
made with my Silhouette & Silhouette fabric paint

For Logan

For Cole

For Owen

For the hubs :)
Made with my Silhouette & Silhouette fabric ink

I will be posting more Christmas gifts this week!

Smiles~Beth

A NEW YEAR!

2012-01-01T21:59:00.000-06:00

Well, another year has flown by! I honestly can't believe it. 2011 brought our family many blessing and some fabulous memories. Of course, there were the occasional bumps in the road but they only made us stronger (or just caused me a few more gray hairs...ha!!).

This is usually when I would set a few resolutions for myself. This year is no exception but I prefer to call them goals instead. I will continue a few from last year like eating healthier and being more active (I got a little off track over this long Christmas break!). I will also try to get more quilts done. I have several WIP's that are going straight to the top of my list!

I hope your New Year is off to a fabulous start!

We brought in our New Year celebrating another Christmas and then playing Catch Phrase with my in-laws and our nieces and nephews. It was perfect!

Do you have any new goals for 2012?

Smiles~Beth

GIFTS FOR TEACHERS (MUGRUGS)

2011-12-27T22:58:00.003-06:00

It's no secret how much I appreciate the teachers in my boys' lives (you can can read about more gift ideas here). Since this is the season of giving I wanted to make them a little something to show that appreciation. I decided on mugrugs, I think they are so stinking cute (and useful too!). I had fun choosing fabrics for each teacher. I tried to use some of their favorite colors.

Fabrics used are Chrysalis, Kona Stone & Kona Artichoke

Fabrics used are Make Life by Sweetwater and Kona Artichoke

Fabrics used are Denyse Schmidts line for JoAnns & Sunkissed by Sweetwater

Fabrics used are Hullabaloo and Kona Cardinal

Fabrics are from random lines in my stash. Binding is Kona Cardinal

Fabrics used are Half Moon & Kona Cardinal
I used Amy from Diary of a Quilter's quick Table Runner Tutorial to put this one together. I loved how simple and fast it was. I will definately be using this method again soon! I also used Amanda Jean's "one way to machine~bind a quilt" tutorial for all of the bindings. Thanks Amy & Amanda Jean!

I rolled these little mug rugs up and added them to an adorable basket I got from thirty~one, along with a favorite drink, a favorite snack & a 'keep it warm/cold' cup (it was super cute all put together, wish I had taken a pic...oops!).

Did you spoil your child's teacher this Christmas? If so, please share in a comment. I am always looking for new ways to show our appreciation for all of the time they give our boys.

Smiles~Beth

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!

2011-12-25T21:32:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas to those of you that celebrate! And to those that don't, Happy Sunday!!

In preparation for this holiday season I have been very busy at my sewing machine. I am excited to share some of the gifts I made for loved ones (posts to come this week!). For now I would like say thank you for coming by and wish all of you a very memorable and funfilled Christmas!

Smiles~Beth

WINNER! SEW MAMA SEW GIVEAWAY DAY

2011-12-17T09:00:00.000-06:00

Thanks to everyone for entering my giveaway and especially to all of my new followers! I hope you enjoy it here at Sewing for Sanity. Feel to browse around, ask question or make suggestions on what you may want to read more of.

I enjoyed reading about your favorite Holiday traditions. Some were classics like decorating cookies and some were new to me like having a Christmas angel visit the house on Christmas Eve and leave coins under the tablecloth for the kids to grab after dinner (isn't that cute?!).

Ok, let's get to the fun part... the winner of the Sew Mama Sew! giveaway is...

The numbers generated by this widget come from RANDOM.ORG's true random number generator.

#231 is Heather who said "I love doing an Advent Calendar for the month of December with my girls!". Congratulations to Heather! Please look for an e-mail from me in your inbox. Hope everyone has a fabulous Saturday!

Smiles~Beth

SEW MAMA SEW GIVEAWAY DAY! {CLOSED}

2011-12-12T07:00:00.000-06:00

Welcome to all of you visiting from Sew, Mama, Sew! It's so nice of you to come by :) Hope you are enjoying all of the great blogs out there participating in Giveaway Day. Feel free to browse around.

Ok, enough chit chat, I know you are excited to see what I have for you. Here is what is up for grabs...

Two Mistletoe Manor charmpacks (each charmpack includes 40 5"x 5" precut squares) by 3 Sisters for Moda. This is a beautiful line and would a perfect addition to any stash.

If you want a chance to win these little pretties all you have to do is leave me a comment telling me what your favorite Holiday tradition is. It doesn't have to be from Christmas, any Holiday tradition will do (comments that don't include a favorite tradition will not be eligible to win). I will ship internationally so everyone is welcome. You have until December 16th, 4:00 central standard time to enter the giveway and don't forget to check out the master list to be entered in hundreds more giveaways!

Winner will be announced by December 18th. Be sure to include your e-mail address if you do not have your e-mail on your profile. Otherwise I will not be able to contact you if you win and that would be sad.

You may earn an additional entry by becoming a follower of this blog. Be sure to leave me a separate comment letting me know you did so. Already a follower, leave me a comment reminding me (if you commented that you are a follower and aren't one then I will have to pick another winner).
GOOD LUCK!

Smiles
~Beth

SUNKISSED QUILT {IN PROGRESS}

2011-12-08T20:37:00.001-06:00

With Christmas only 16 days away (are you kidding me?!) I am beginning to worry a little bit about getting all of my "made" gifts complete. First on my long list is to finish my Blogger's Block~a~Palooza QAL quilt. I started it in January of this year with the intention of giving it to my Grandma for her birthday (which was in August!). It is now going to be her Christmas gift. I pieced the back together earlier this week and finished up the very simple quilting yesterday. I will hopefully get the binding sewn on the front today so I can begin handstitching the back during any down time this weekend.

Front

Back

I will post more pics once it's finished.

Hope you have a fabulous Friday!
Smiles~Beth

DRUNKARD'S PATH QUILT~A~LONG {FINISHED TOP}

2011-11-28T09:59:00.001-06:00

Whew! What a busy week! It was so nice to be able to spend our Thanksgiving with all of our family but after 3 celebrations I was exhausted ;) A little relaxation and some quality time with my sewing machine was just what I needed yesterday. I was able to get my DP quilt top done (and on time!)...whoo hoo!!!

I want to give Kristie from OCD and Kate from Needle and Spatula a BIG thanks for hosting the DP Quilt~a~long. They challenged me to step out of my sewing comfort zone with all of those curved seams and I am so happy I did. This is the first quilt I have made for myself and I absolutely love how it turned out! So much that I am going to send it out to be quilted. It deserves better than my not~so~straight quilting ;) I also have thoughts of another DP quilt with this layout in black and white.

You can see more great DP quilt finishes here.

You can also find more inspiration for all kinds of sewing projects at the blogs below. Just click on the picture or link.

Linking up to:

Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Hope your day is splendid!

Smiles~Beth

HAPPY THANKSGIVING

2011-11-24T20:45:00.001-06:00

It's a very busy time around here but I wanted to pop in and say hello and wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving. If you aren't from the states then I wish you a very happy day.

Today I am most thankful for my family. I feel so blessed to be able to spend this Holiday with so many people I love. Of course, these little monsters make me feel blessed everyday!

I hope that no matter where you are today that it was spent with those you love most and filled with wonderful memories.

Smiles~Beth

MINI QUILT {OR MUG RUG} FOR 'Qq' DAY

2011-11-18T10:04:00.003-06:00

My littlest monster is in Kindergarten. This week his class was learning about the letter 'Qq'. Adam was eager to tell his class that 'quilt' begins with the letter 'Q' and that his Mommy makes them. I was then asked by his teacher if I had any quilts to share with the class. You would think that the obvious answer would be yes but surprisingly I don't have 1 (not 1!) finished quilt that lives in our house. Shameful, I know. I have made plenty (you can see some of them here) but I have given them all away. My poor children!!

Anyway, I knew I couldn't make a quilt in just a few days (of course, I probably could have finished one of the 7 quilts that I have in progress. oh well) so I decided to make a mini quilt (or mug rug but mug rug doesn't go with 'Q' day).

Finished size 10"x 7.5"

Print fabric is OZ by Sanae for Moda and the solid is Kona Cotton in Bone

I based it off this tutorial by Amanda Jean from Crazy Mom Quilts but cut my strips 1.5" (I also used this fabulous tutorial to make Adam's quilt, which STILL isn't finished! I am such a slacker). Perfect size for little hands to pass around. And for fun, I sent one of my quilt tops in so the kiddos could see what all of those seams look like on the back. It will be interesting to hear what all the kids thought of them.

If you have an extra minute I recommend you check out all of the inspiration over at the blogs below.

Linking up to:

Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Hope you have a happy Friday!

Smiles~Beth

WINTER DINO HAT {FOR MY LITTLE GUY}

2011-11-15T07:03:00.000-06:00

It's starting to feel a little more like Fall around here. With the colder weather coming I thought it was time to make my little guy a new warm hat.

The bottom scale isn't really all crumpled...guess I should have fixed that, oops!

I followed this great tutorial by Christine at From an Igloo, thanks Christine! It has been in my favorites and then moved to one of my Pinterest boards for awhile now. I love that it easily covers his ears and the back of his neck so I don't have to worry about him being warm enough at recess. It went together so quickly that I may just make him another one but maybe a monster version...we love monsters around here!

(The only thing I did differently to the hat was to add a tacking stitch in the top of the hat to help keep both layers together while taking it off his head.)

In case your wondering, my little guy LOVES it!

He is such a goofball!

Happy Tuesday!

Smiles~Beth

Linking up to:

Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

NO SEW T~SHIRT TO NECKLACE ReFASHION {TUTORIAL}

2011-11-11T11:44:00.001-06:00

I have this outfit pinned on Pinterest. I love that it is simple enough for me to actually try to pull off. I already have jeans in my closet, a pluthera of white tanks (for layering) and I even have a simlar color lightweight sweater. All I really needed was some leopard shoes and a red scarf. The shoes were not a problem (every girl could use another pair of shoes!). Although the flats pictured are cute, I like some height on my shoes (I am only 5'4"). I found these cute pumps at DSW (I had a gift card so I only paid $15 for them...bonus!).

LOVE!!!

Now, the scarf (or snood) was harder for me. The one pictured is $25. I guess that's reasonable but I couldn't justify spending the $ on it. Besides that, my big thick hair doesn't usually mix well with scarves. They are OK when worn with a coat but not so much for an all day accessory (they make my hair poof out even more than usual...not a good thing!).

Then it hit me! About a month ago I saw a fellow football Mom cutting up a t~shirt before a game. Yep, right there on the bleachers...you got love that, ha! I just had to inquire... she was making a fabric necklace out of a t~shirt...what?!

Pretty darn cute for a men's tee, huh?!

Wanna make your own?

Here is what you need:

1. T~shirt (old or new, prewashed) I bought a new mens XL shirt from Target for $7. It was the perfect color for me (dark red) and it didn't have seems down the sides of the shirt, that is not necessary but I like the cleaner look. You could easily get a tee for less at a thrift store or raid your husband's/boyfriend's closet ;)

2. Rotary cutter or scissors

3. Quilting ruler & cutting mat (only if using a rotary cutter)

Ok, now cut the hem off the bottom of your tee (you don't need it for this project). Then smooth your tee out and cut 1/2"~1" strips (I cut 1" strips for mine) until you reach the arms of the shirt.

You should have a pile like this (I got 13 strips out of my shirt).

Separate the strips so they look like this

One nice big circle of fabric :)

Pick them up 4~5 at a time and stretch them out (this will cause them to roll up). It's always nice to have a helper ;)

I wanted my strips to stay together so I snatched them all up and wrapped a smaller strip around them, like this...

Tie tails in a knot to keep in place

Snip the tails and tuck under

You could stop here and wear it long.

Or you could do what I did and double it to make a shorter, fuller necklace. To do that, cross your strips...

Then pull it over your head to get this look.

I don't wear my hair up much so I had to test it out with my hair down too.

Not too bad!

I have to say that I am loving this new accessory. For only $7 and about 20 minutes of my time to make, it RoCkS!

Let me know if you have any questions.

Linking up to:

Smiles~Beth

DRUNKARD'S PATH QAL {PROGRESS}

2011-11-08T21:45:00.000-06:00

I did it! I finished sewing ALL 325 blocks together for the Drunkard's Path quilt~a~long! And, on time! Happy dance!!

I have to admit that not all of my blocks look this pretty. Although they are all sewn together I still have piles of blocks that look like this...

Ironed and ready to be squared up

and this...

Sewn, ready to be ironed & squared up

The hard part is over for me. Sewing all of the curved seems definately took me WAY out of my sewing comfort zone. After conquering so many blocks I might even dare to call myself a pro at it (well, maybe not yet but definately closer!). I am looking forward to getting all of these small blocks sewn into larger blocks and then into a quilt top. Now that there are only straight seems left to sew it should go by rather quickly, whew!

It's not too late to join in over at OCD {Obsessive Crafting Disorder} or Needle and Spatula. Come on, it will be fun!

Smiles~Beth

FABRIC LOVE {ECHO BY LOTTA JANSDOTTER)

2011-11-06T22:25:00.004-06:00

Have you seen the new fabric by Lotta Jansdotter?

I fell in love with it when I saw this post over at Film in the Fridge and then again when Anna of Noodlehead made a few of her Go Anywhere Bags with it (oh how I love that bag!). Ever since I have been patiently waiting for ECHO to arrive in online stores. I was so happy to hear that it was available early at Hawthorne Threads and I immediately ordered some for myself.

Left to right: Stepping Stones in Yellow, Spring Buds in Grey, Small Spring Buds in Grey, Spring Buds in Espresso, Small Spring Buds in Espresso, Scattered Pods in Agave, Small Spring Buds in Mustard, Spring Buds in Mustard

Spring Buds in Mustard is my favorite!!

I think Standing Stones in Yellow will make a fabulous throw pillow.

The colors are beautiful and the fabric is soft, I can't wait to make something using them. I might even use the Spring Buds in Mustard to make myself a skirt. I think it would look great with some boots!

I do want to note that the Spring Buds in Grey seems to be a little darker (with a hint of purple) than the other grey prints (I wonder if anyone has this issue?). Still beautiful though!

Are there any new fabrics you are excited about?

Smiles~Beth

FALL WREATH TUTORIAL

2011-11-03T23:12:00.000-05:00

While perusing Pinterest one evening (oh my goodness, I could spend hours ~~wasting time~~ finding inspiration on there!) I came across this Fall wreath. I knew right away that I wanted to make one of my own. So I did!

Want one for yourself?

Here is what you need:

~Spanish Moss, large bag you will have extra

~Styrofoam wreath or you could try this cheaper version

~Burlap, 1/3 yard finished strip 55"x 5", you will have to piece it together

~Fake pumpkins or whatever you want to add to your wreath :)

~Glue gun

~Glue sticks for glue gun

~Spray glue I used Elemer's Craft Bond & Aleene's Crystal Clear Tacky Spray

~Brown paper sacks or something else to protect your surface while using spray glue

Sewing machine & thread optional

Be warned that this project is messy!

First, open up that bag of Spanish Moss, loosen it up (it's all compressed together, you will want to break it up so it is easier to apply to your wreath) and then spray a small section of your wreath with spray glue. Grab your loosened up Spanish Moss and press it down on top of your wreath.

Using spray glue, add the Spanish Moss in small sections all the way around the wreath until the top is covered. Then add the Spanish Moss to the sides of the wreath, inside and out (you could do this when you do the top).

It should look like this when you are done...

Front view

Back view

I did the back of my wreath next but you don't have to
(noone will see it once it is hanging).

Now grab those cute little pumpkins (or other Fall decor) and figure out where you want them placed on your Spanish Moss covered wreath.

When you are happy with your placement grab your glue gun and put some glue on the necessary spots.

Your wreath should look similar to this...

Now is the time to add more Spanish Moss to any bare spots you may have.

See where you can see the styrofoam...add more Spanish Moss if you can see foam on your wreath.

You are almost done!
Cut the width (selvedge to selvedge) of your burlap into 5" strips.

I sewed 2~5" strips together which was too long for me
(if you don't have a sewing machine or don't feel like sewing you could use your glue gun to keep the 2 pieces together) I folded my long strip in half lengthwise,
at the seam, and cut (folded at the seam) to 27.5" inches.
This gave me 1 strip measuring 5"x 55" with the seam in the center.

Grab your wreath and put your burlap strip through the
center (with seam at the under part of the top of the wreath, that way you can't see it).

Make a bow at the top, hang, and now you have your own
Fall wreath...yay you!!!

Hope you enjoy your new Fall Wreath as much as I do mine!
Please feel free to ask any questions you may have.

Linking up to :

Made by you Monday @ Skip to my Lou
Smiles~Beth

HALLOWEEN PICS

2011-11-01T07:30:00.000-05:00

Hope you all had a fabulous time out and about on Halloween. Here are a few of my favorite pics from the night...enjoy.

Happy Tuesday! Can you believe it's already November?!

Smiles~Beth

DRUNKARD'S PATH QUILT~A~LONG

2011-10-31T07:33:00.001-05:00

I have no business joining a quilt~a~long since I have 7 other quilts that aren't finished, including 2 from other QAL's (you can read previous posts on those here and here). When I saw this quilt top, made with Drunkard Path blocks, by Kate over at Needle and Spatula I fell in love with the layout. I was so excited when Kate and Kristie from OCD~Obsessive Crafting Disorder announced that they were going to host a Drunkard's Path QAL. I just couldn't keep myself from joining in! I am so happy I did!

I decided to use some fabric I had in my stash cuz let's face it, I have way too much fabric just sitting around. Plus, I really love this fabric and it seemed perfect for this QAL.

Chrysalis by Sanae for Moda and Moda Bella Solid in Stone

I also got to put my AccuQuilt GO! fabric cutter to good use.

650 pieces of fabric goodness!

I am new to sewing curves together so I got right to it to see how difficult it would be for this straight line quilting girl. I used Kristie's modifed method and surprisingly it went pretty well. I am not a pro by any means but I just might be after sewing 309 more of these babies together...ha!

The wonderful thing about these squares if that there are lots of different layout options. Here are just a few (you can see complete quilt tops here and here).

It's been so much fun playing around with these squares and seeing all of the possibilities but Kate's version is still my favorite. I will definately be going with this layout.

I am so excited to get this quilt finished, especially since it's the first one I am keeping for myself! And when I am done I may just make another one using this layout with black & white fabric (it reminds me of ninja blades, I think it would be a hit at my house with 3 boys!)

It's not too late to join the QAL. Come on, give it a try!

Smiles~Beth

GIFTS FOR THE BIRTHDAY BOY

2011-10-28T11:56:00.002-05:00

One of my little guys turned 9 this week (yeah, I know, not so little anymore). After seeing the monster shirt I made his cousin he requested his own. I don't typically put the same monster on their shirts but it's what Sam wanted so that is what his Mama made him (honestly, I think he wanted the same monster because his brother designed it). The only changes made were the colors (I do my best do use their favorites).

I also made him a wallet. He has been asking for one for a while now. This seemed like the perfect time to get my rear in gear and make one for him. I followed this great tutorial by Noodlehead.

Perfect for all the moolah and gift cards he received :)

(sheesh...I wish I was 9 again!!)

I am curious, do your kiddos request handmade gifts from you?

Smiles~Beth

Linking up to:

Finish it Up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts
Lolly Jane Boutique

BLOGGERS' QUILT FESTIVAL::FALL 2011

2011-10-28T07:08:00.005-05:00

It's that time again! The Bloggers' Quilt Festival:: Fall 2011 is in full swing over at Amy's Creative Side. If you don't know what the BQF is you really should go over and check it out. I am officially warning you though, be prepared to be there a while. With so many beautiful and inspirational quilts to look at you may want to grab a snack and a favorite drink first ;)

For those of you that are visiting from the BQF, WELCOME! This time around I am featuring the quilt I made for my Grandma Carol. It's not newly finished but I am just getting around to giving it to her.

Fabric is Spa by Rosemarie Lavin for Windham Fabrics and Robert Kaufman's Kona Cotton in Bone

Sorry for the dark photo...the picture above this one shows truer colors

I chose fabrics that would coordinate with her new furniture...who knew she was so modern?! She requested something soft and warm for the back so I used a brown solid flannel by Robert Kaufman and I kept the quilting to a minimum so it would stay nice and cozy for her.

I will be giving it to her this weekend...finally! It was supposed to be a present for her birthday but that was in February (horrible, I know!). Hope it will be worth her wait!

A big thanks to Amy for hosting the Bloggers' Quilt Festival. I don't know how she found the time to organize this for us so soon after the Sewing Summit. She is such an inspiration to me (seriously, have you seen her book?).

Thanks for stopping by. Please feel free to leave a comment. I would love to here from you! Hope you visit again soon.

Smiles~Beth

MONSTER SHIRT {YEP, ANOTHER ONE!}

2011-10-26T07:31:00.001-05:00

One of my nephews celebrated his 9th birthday recently. When asked what he wanted he replied "Another monster shirt!!!". It makes my heart smile to know the boys still enjoy something handmade by their Aunt Beth.

I have to admit though, it's getting harder to come up with new monsters now that they are getting older. Thankfully, I had some help from my oldest monster, Nathan. He designed the monster and I brought it to life.

I am happy to say that it was a hit!! A big thanks to Nathan for helping me out! I think he may be the new official monster designer ;)

You can see some of the other monster shirts I have made here, here, here, here, & here.

Hope your Wednesday is good to you!

Smiles~Beth

HALLOWEEN FRAMES

2011-10-25T07:05:00.010-05:00

I added a couple of Halloween frames to our decor this year.

Both frames are inexpensive wood frames purchased from Hobby Lobby. For the BOO! frame I simply painted the wood frame with acrylic paint by Folk Art (color: vivd orange, also bought at Hobby Lobby). Once dry, I hot glued different sizes of googly eyes to the frame. I then cut a piece of scrapbook paper the size of my picture opening and added BOO! to the center (I used vinyl that I cut using my Silhouette). Easy peasy!

For the spider frame I simply used Mod Podge to adhere 1 large (12x12) piece of scrapbook paper to the front & sides of the frame. I then cut another piece of scrapbook paper the size of my picture opening. Again, I use my Silhouette to cut out the simple spider shape out of vinyl (don't have vinyl, just use scrapbook paper. it will be just as cute). I added a couple googly eyes and viola, 2 simple Halloween frames complete.

I will definately be making some Christmas frames soon using the Mod Podge method. Maybe I will take pictures along the way and share the process ;)

Have you added new Halloweenish decor to your home?

Smiles~Beth

9 YEARS OLD {WHAT?!}

2011-10-24T10:06:00.000-05:00

Wishing a very HaPPy BiRthDaY to my Sunshine!
(aka: middle monster or Sam)

Some things I love about you
~your ears (even though you think they are big, which they are not)
~your smile, those dimples are hard to resist
~the way you love your brothers
~you never give up at ANYTHING
~your sense of humor (even if it gets you in trouble ~~alot~~ sometimes)
~your honesty
~your love for Rally
~you will try new foods (you like most of them)
~the way you look up to your Dad
~your hugs...they are the best!!! (thanks for giving them to me everyday!)

Love you lots, Sammy! I am so proud to be your Mom!

POCKET CLUTCH WINNER!

2011-10-22T20:49:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone that entered to win the Pocket Clutch!!!

The winner is (imaginery drum roll)...

Kelly!!

Kelly said...I'm now a follower!!

So happy to have you as a new follower! Please send me your info and I will get the clutch mailed out to you.

Hope you are having a great weekend everyone!

Smiles~Beth

HYDRANGA WREATH

2011-10-21T20:48:00.004-05:00

~~Looking for my~~ ~~Pocket Clutch~~ ~~giveaway? Click here to enter but hurry because it closes at midnight, cst.~~

I saw this tutorial by Vanessa at V & Co a couple of months ago and fell in love. I immediately ran out and bought all of the supplies. Well, they sat in a bag for 2 months until the other day. And, look, now I have my very own hydranga wreath!!

I just LOVE it!!! Wishing I had taken the time to make it months ago. Especially since it game together so quickly. Thanks, Vanessa!!!

This one turned out so well that I decided to make a Fall wreath inspired by one I saw on Pinterest. I ran out of spray glue so it'll have to wait a few more days but here is a sneak peek.

Hope everyone has a great weekend!!! Smiles~Beth

Linking up to

Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

SOMETHING SWEET

2011-10-18T17:03:00.001-05:00

Looking for my Pocket Clutch giveaway? Scroll down or click here.

The middle monster went to a pumpkin patch with a friend last Friday. In the midst of all the fun he was having he thought of his momma and picked me the prettiest flowers I have seen in a long time...such a sweet boy! (Don't worry, he was given the OK to pick them).

Thanks for making me smile, Sammy!

Smiles to all

~Beth

1 YEAR BLOGIVERSARY & A GIVEAWAY!

2011-10-17T00:51:00.000-05:00

I realized about a week ago that my 1 year blogiversary came and went (it was officially 9-29-10). To celebrate and to thank all of you for taking time to read my simple little blog, I am having a giveaway! I wanted to do it last week but was busy finishing the T~Shirt quilt (it raised a decent amount of $...yay!!). Ok, so now onto the giveaway!

This cute little Pocket Clutch is about 7"w X 4"h, fully lined with a front pocket and magnetic closure. It is perfect to carry alone when you don't need more than your phone, a debit card/cash and some lipstick or to keep important items organized in your purse. I hope you all love it as much as I do! If you would like to make your own you can purchase the pattern from Keyka Lou Patterns.

To enter, simply leave a comment on this post (be sure to include your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win!). For a 2nd chance, become a follower and leave me a separate comment telling me so. Already a follower, great! You can leave a separate comment reminding me for your 2nd chance to win (don't forget to include your e-mail address so I can contact you if you win!). Giveaway closes on Friday @ midnight cst. Winner will be chosen via random.org and announced over the weekend.

Good luck!

Smiles~Beth

GWE T~SHIRT QUILT {FINISHED!!}

2011-10-14T14:54:00.003-05:00

Wow, I can't believe it's already been a week since my last post! Between the kiddos school/sports activities, being sick and trying to catch up on laundry, I have been working hard trying to finish the t~shirt quilt for the boys' school auction tonight (first posted about here). A small label completed the quilt just a couple of hours ago...talk about stitching down to the wire! It is now all washed up and ready for it's new home. I hope it raises some good $ for the school. Let the bidding begin!

It's not really crooked...darn wind!

Straight line quilting only done on the sashing. Love the way it turned out but it made the t~shirt squares a little poofy. I will have to be sure to prewash EVERYTHING before making my next one!

The back...I absloutely LOVE that giant gingham print (purchased here)

Binding love

Looks like we need to fix the fence before my little helper gets loose ;)

If you are looking for some creative inspiration you should check out Finish it up Friday @ Crazy Mom Quilts

Tatertots & Jello
Amy Lou Who's Sew & Tell Fridays
Made by you Mondays @ Skip to my Lou

Hope you have a spectacular weekend!

Smiles~Beth

LET'S GO WILDCATS {A T~SHIRT QUILT~IN PROGRESS)

2011-10-07T10:44:00.000-05:00

Every year the boys' elementary school holds a school carnival for the kids and an auction for the adults. Students donate items for their themed class basket (this year we have Clifford, Christmas Fun & a Tailgating basket to donate items for), local businesses donate items from their shops, dinners, Chiefs tickets, gift certificates & much more. It's a fun night for everyone and a great way to raise $ for the school.

Last year someone mentioned that it would be cool to have a quilt made out of old GWE t~shirts. I agreed. So, with some help collecting past years spirit wear (one as old as 1992!!!) I am making a t~shirt quilt to be donated and auctioned off. I hope everyone likes it!!

Here is what I have so far. I am adding 2" white sashing and a border all around it. It will make the quilt just the right size and make each square pop. (I am using Robert Kaufman Kona Cotton).

Well, I am off to get this quilt top finished, quilted and bound. The auction is in just 1 week!!!

Smiles

~Beth

FOR SALE!

2011-10-05T18:06:00.000-05:00

My apologies in advance for shamelessly trying to sell you something. That's typically not my style. Good news is, I will be having a giveaway very soon to celebrate my 1st blogiversary!

My sewing bestie and I got a wild hair up our arses and decided to make 50+ shirts and 15+ halloween bags to be sold at a local consignment shop. Ya know, one of the ones that set up shop for just the weekend. Well, let me just say, it didn't go well. Not because our stuff isn't uber adorable (well, cuz, it is...wink, wink) and not because the sale wasn't super awesome. It just wasn't the right venue for us (taking note). So, we have lots of cute stuff for sale.

Yikes, look how bad our grass looks!!

Flower appliqued onesies/tees~ 1 each, 6-12 months, 2t
~2 each, 12-18 months, 18-24 months, 3t, 4t

Flower close up...love those ruffily edges!!

Pumpkin onesies~ 2 each, 3-6 month, 6-12 month
Pumpkin tees~2 each, 12-18 month, 18-24 month, 3t, 4t
1 each, 2t

Pumpkin onesie close up...love that curly ribbon and little button!

Pumpkin tee close up.

Monster tees...my little guys favorite!!
1 each~Blue monster 12-18
2 each~Blue Monster 18-24, Red Monster 2t, 3t, 4t

Little man tie shirts...these will go fabulously with jeans!!
1 each~ 18-24 months (tee)
2 each~ 3-6 months, 6-12 months (onesies), 2t, 3t, 4t (tees)
3 each~ 12-18 months (tees)

Lots of trick~or~treat bags!
There are 2 Buzz Lightyear bags, 2 Mickey Mouse bags, 1 multi-dot bag, 1 "eyes" bag, 4 skeleton bag with different colored linings (2 orange, 1 red, 1 pink), 1 "boo!" bag, 1 pumpkin & stars bag, 2 children dressed up in costumes bages, 3 purple skulls bags. All approximately 12"x 12"

If you would like to purchase any of these items, have any questions or would like to see a more detailed photo, please e~mail me at bt.besties@yahoo.com.

Smiles~Beth

A PICTURE POST {WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING THIS WEEK}

2011-09-23T22:16:00.005-05:00

All finished!!! Originally posted about here

10 complete! Originally posted about here

Gathered Thank You card (for Jamie!)

Monster #2 sporting his favorite word on a shirt I made him using my Silhouette

Couldn't leave Monster #1 out ;)

Inspiration found here

Don't worry, it's really a positive message :)
Made 2 (1 for me and 1 for a friend)

A stack of cut fabric waiting to be sewn into trick-or-treat bags

2 more of these but on white shirts. Originally posted about here.

What have you been up to this week?

Linking up to

Smiles~Beth

SIMPLE {SILHOUETTE FOOTBALL SHIRT}

2011-09-16T07:12:00.004-05:00

I am still working on those flower applique' and monster shirts. I don't know about you but I get a little bored when I am making several of the same thing (in this case, about a dozen of each). I needed a quick & simple project to make me feel like I accomplished something. So, I took a small break and turned this plain old brown tee...

Yeah, I know it's backwards. I forgot to take a 'before' picture...oops!

Into this ~~cute~~ cool football shirt for my littlest monster, Adam.

football_stitch_border_C00372_19547
6/08/2010

You probably won't be surprised when I tell you that I used my silhouette (along with some white flocked heat transfer vinyl) to create this simple football shirt. It took me less than 10 minutes to make, from picking the design to ironing it on...now that's fast! But you don't need a silhouette to make your own. You could easily cut out the design yourself using an exacto knife (found at most craft stores). Now it's back to sewing!

Happy Friday!

Linking up to~

Smiles~Beth

SOME PROGRESS

2011-09-15T07:32:00.000-05:00

Well, after my last post, I got busy and was able to turn those cute little monsters into adorable shirts (I will share them soon).

I also put my scissors and iron to good use and got these 4~layer flowers ready to be appliqued on this lovely stack of white onesies and long sleeved shirts.

I still have lots to do (I am making a list that I will share with you soon!) but it feels good to get some stuff done (or at least closer to being done).

Today I am hoping to turn this pile of washcloths and towels into more monster shirts.

What are you working on?

Smiles
~Beth

OVERWHELMED

2011-09-12T11:07:00.000-05:00

Lately there seems to be LOTS to do around here. Trying to keep up with the boys' school & sports schedules, ~~dreaded~~ everyday housework and sewing projects, I am overwhelmed. Do you ever feel that way?

I am hoping that making some lists and getting a little more organized (along with spending less time reading my favorite blogs and browsing Pinterest!!!) I will be able to start knocking some things off my lists and feel a little less stressed about it all.

I am off to sew these little guys on t-shirts.

Hope you have a happy Monday!
Smiles
~Beth

PRETTY IN YELLOW

2011-09-07T17:40:00.004-05:00

I was asked by a friend (and great photographer!!) to make a ruffled romper for use during photo shoots. You know, the ones you see all over blogland and etsy. I followed this tutorial by Melissa over at Sew Like My Mom and used some adorable fabric I ordered from rufflefabric.com. Since the fabric is already perfectly ruffled it came together rather simply. I couldn't resist making a flower head band to match!Personally, I don't think little Miss "A" could have been any cuter in it!

Photo courtesy of April from A Yost Photography

Thanks to April for the great photo and to little Miss "A" for modeling it so well!

Linking up to~

Smiles
~Beth

P is for PATRICK

2011-08-29T10:42:00.001-05:00

One of my nephews turned 5 a couple of weeks ago. He requested that I make him a "P" shirt. So, I did :)

Made with his 2 favorite colors :)

I also made him a monster bag so he can put all of his "treasures" in it when he goes on walks. It's just the right size for rocks, worms or whatever else he may find.

The bottom is made of window screen so dirt can fall out or little critters can breathe :)

And, this little peek~a~boo bag.

All of the handmade gifts were a hit! I love being able to make my nephews gifts. Especially knowing how much they enjoy them.

You may remember the first peek~a~boo bag I made for a neighbor (you can see pics here). This one is much smaller, about 7"x 9", with the vinyl window about 3"x 4". Great size for his Gogos. I was short on time so I used ribbon from my stash for the casing and some cording for the tie. If you would like to make your own you can find the tutorial by Make It Perfect here.

Hope you have a marvelous Monday!

Smiles,

Beth

Linking to

PAYING IT FORWARD

2011-08-25T07:00:00.000-05:00

Way back on June 29 I was the lucky (and very surprised!) winner of a Silhouette SD, courtesy of Mckmama (thank you!). I was so excited that I won something (since I am typically not so fortunate). After a few minutes of "oh my goodness, I can't believe I won a Silhouette!!!", I thought to myself "calm down, although it's very exciting, you already have one!". Shortly after that I felt guilt "Why did I even leave a comment. There are so many people that wanted one and now you have TWO!".

So, instead of keeping it to myself, selling it on ebay or giving it away on my own blog, I (with the help of my bestie, Terra) decided that I should donate it to my boys' art teacher, Mrs. G.

We wrapped it up...

Added a couple of goodies...

And then delivered it to her (after school started back again...boy was that a long wait!).

She was so excited and appreciative. It felt so good to "pay it forward". I have no doubt that Mrs. G will put it to good use. Actually, I am headed up the school at the end of the day to give her a lesson on how to use it :)

I want to thank Mckmama again for allowing me to donate this fabulous gift.

I hope everyone is having a fabulous day!

Smiles
~Beth

TAKE ME OUT TO THE BALLGAME

2011-08-21T20:54:00.000-05:00

I hope everyone has been enjoying their weekend! We have spent the majority of ours at Kauffman Stadium, watching the Kansas City Royals play ball. Unfortunately they lost both games we saw to the Boston Red Box. Good thing is that it didn't keep us from having a great time!

Friday night we had great lower level seats and enjoyed spectacular fireworks after the game.

Those red & green blurry dots are the fireworks. There was an emergency light behind us so I couldn't get a good pic.

We had upper deck seats today but our view was still good.

There was just enough wind to make the 91 degree day more tolerable.

Before the game we were able to take the boys into the production trailer. Ya know, one of these big plain trailers in the parking lot (I always wondered what was in them).

Getting ready for the pre-game show. Look at all of those little monitors!

More gadgets!!

The boys were lucky enough to wear a headset and listen to part of the pre-game show. Sam got to push a lever (not exactly sure what it did though!). He has now decided that he would like to be a sports producer when he grows up (after he retires from Major League Baseball, of course ;). Thanks to Sam Abramson for showing the boys how the magic comes to life!

It was a great weekend and I hope it extends into our week! Adjusting to back-to-school has gone pretty well for us but it has definately made the boys a little more cranky than usual.

Here's to a great week!

Smiles
~Beth

NEW FABRIC

2011-08-20T09:46:00.000-05:00

I received a package in the mail the other day. A yummy fat quarter bundle of Tango Dazzle by Melissa Averinos, courtesy of Cathy from CDC Quiltinggal. Thank you!!

CDC Quiltinggal is a great blog. If you get a minute you should stop over and tell Cathy hello.

Smiles
~Beth

A GOAL, NOT MET {SOMETIMES THINGS DON'T GO AS PLANNED}

2011-08-19T09:43:00.001-05:00

Last week I set a goal for myself (you can read more about it here). Well, I didn't reach my goal, but it's OK. Sometimes projects take on a life of their own (or everyday life just gets in the way, kiddos get sick, etc). After getting Adam's quilt top pieced together I couldn't stop thinking that it should be bigger and it just seemed too narrow once I trimmed off the edges of the zigzags (it's about 49"x 75" now).

Zigzag tutorial by Crazy Mom Quilts, found here

I decided that it would be perfect for Adam's bed so I am now going to add 2 borders all around it. After auditioning several different fabrics I am going with an orange coordinate from the same Riley Blake All Star line and more of the blue circles (already used in the quilt). I'll keep you posted on how it turns out.

Happy friday everyone!

Smiles

~Beth

A GIFT FOR TEACHER

2011-08-17T10:30:00.001-05:00

The boys started school today (post here). We wanted to start the year off right with a little gift for their teachers. I saw this idea on Pinterest and loved it right away!

Who knew a simple vase, some pencils (48 to be exact), vinyl, cello wrap and a little ribbon could be so cute!

Unfortunately, the middle monster (Sam) broke his teacher's gift while waiting for the bus. (Yeah, I couldn't believe it either). So, I am off to the $ store to get another vase and get it up to the school before the end of the day.

Linking up to:

Smiles
~Beth

1st DAY OF SCHOOL

2011-08-17T09:57:00.001-05:00

HaPpY 1st DaY oF ScHooL!!!

It's that time of year again! ALL of the boys started school today. Yep, even ~~my baby~~ Adam! I can't believe he is in Kindergarten (sniff, sniff). I also can't believe that Nathan is in 6th grade! (When did get old enough to have a 6th grader!)

Sam (3rd grade), Adam (K), Nathan (6th grade)

My favorite pic of the day!

Although I am enjoying a quiet house right now I have to admit that I miss them already. I even shed a few tears when thinking about what a big brave boy Adam was this morning (insert a very proud Mama!!). It's also Nathan's last year at his Elementary School (he has gone there since Kindergarten). It's going to be a school year full of firsts and lasts for us. (Uh oh, I feel more tears coming on).

Whether your children already began their school year or they will in the upcoming weeks or they are homeschooled, we wish you a wonderful first day!!!

Smiles
~Beth

MAKING SCHOOL SUPPLIES A LITTLE MORE FUN

2011-08-16T13:18:00.000-05:00

With the boys starting school (tomorrow!!) I have been busy making sure they have all of their school supplies. A few of the basics were a little too blah so we dressed them up a bit.

We couldn't find any cool boy pencil pouches so I picked up a couple of these at Wal~Mart for .79 cents (what a deal!!).

I added some vinyl cutouts (I used my Silhouette but you could use an exacto knife to create something similar) and voila, we ended up with these 'boy approved' pencil pouches...pretty cool!

We had so much fun making those that we decided to dress these up their art boxes too! We started with this...

And with the help of some fabric, ribbon and LOTS of hot glue we ended up these...

Perfect for all of their art supplies!

We actually got this idea from my creative neighbor, Jamie. Thanks, Jamie!!!

Do you have any fun ideas for dressing up school supplies? I would love to hear about them!

Smiles
~Beth

WINDMILL QUILT BLOCKS

2011-08-12T10:07:00.000-05:00

A quick post to show a little progress on my Grandma Dee's quilt. I don't have a large enough piece of fabric to do the back in one print so I am piecing it together. I really love the windmill blocks on the quilt top so I decided to make a few more (well, 5) to incorporate into the back. I hope it turns out like I envision it!

Hope you have a fantastic Friday!!

Smiles
~Beth

SETTING A GOAL

2011-08-08T10:55:00.000-05:00

I have been working on my littlest monster's {aka: Adam} quilt for over a year now. It seems that I easily push quilts aside so I can make other things, like birthday presents and teacher appreciation gifts. Well, it's time to get his quilt done! And now I have the perfect motivation. Riley Blake is having a contest {you can read all of the details here}. It ends on August 17th so I am setting a personal goal to finish it by then {I had better get busy!}.

Do you have anything that needs to get finished? I challenge you to set a personal goal for yourself. It doesn't have to be crafty, it can be anything. Maybe you have been wanting to clean out a closet or simply hang up some pictures. I would love to hear about it and at the end of the month we can share what we accomplished.

Smiles

~Beth

FUN IN INDY

2011-08-07T23:11:00.000-05:00

Warning: Picture heavy post {and there is nothing crafty}

Our visit to Indy was short but alot of fun. The drive was long, about 8.5 hours (including stops) and there wasn't much to see along the way. Really, it was just alot of this...

We were able to make up for it though with lots of this...

I don't know why they act so surprised that they got wet...they stood under it for several minutes.

Cool guys

Even Connor got wet!

I miss spending quality time with this little guy...just look at those cheeks!

I am not sure if he looks cute or mean in this one...I'll just go with cute ;)

Backyard football...the Dodd's against the Bregitzer's

S'mores...yummy!!!!

We also went to the Indianapolis Children's Museum (did you know it's free between 4~8 on the 1st Thursday of every month?) but I forgot my camera...ugh! I am sure my wonderful sister will send me pics of the ones I snapped with her camera though (no rush, sis).

We already miss everyone and look forward to seeing them when they visit in October!

We got home late Friday night. I was going to try to sew over the weekend but I didn't get time between football practice, a birthday party and 3 baseball tryouts. We also squeezed some quality family time in there since we all missed Jason (the hubs/Daddy) while we were gone.

Hope everyone had a fun weekend!

Smiles

~Beth

SUNKISSED QUILT TOP

2011-08-03T15:01:00.003-05:00

We are still in Indy (having a blast!). Will be back on Friday.

With my Grandma Dee's birthday coming up in just a couple short weeks I have been busy turning all of my blocks from the Bloggers' Block~a~palooza into this this quilt top. (I don't want her to have to wait 6 months to get her birthday quilt like my Grandma Carol has had to for her quilt!).

Thanks again to my gracious neighbor, Jamie, for letting me use her shady spot.
Oh, and to my biggest monster, Nathan, for using his strong muscles to hold this up for me :)

Fabric is Sunkissed by Sweetwater for Moda. You can view close ups of the individual blocks here, here, here and here.

Now I just need to piece the back and decide on a binding. So far I am thinking about one of these fabrics for the binding.

I really love those tiny stripes but those dainty little flowers make me smile. I would love to know what you think :)

Smiles
~Beth

AQUA & BROWN QUILT~IT'S FINISHED {FINALLY}

2011-08-01T20:19:00.001-05:00

It feels so good to have FINALLY finished my Grandmother's birthday quilt! Remember when I first blogged about it here and here.

A big thanks to my neighbor, Jamie, for letting us use her shade for this pic!

I ended up quilting it myself with simple straight lines (using a 1/4" seam on each side of the printed squares). I went with brown thread because cream stood out WAY too much on the back. It turned out better than I originally thought. I love it when that happens!

Most of the fabric is from the Spa line by Rosemarie Lavin for Windham Fabrics. The solid is Kona cotton by Robert Kaufman in bone. The back is brown flannel by Robert Kaufman. I like the way the back really shows off the simple quilting (I am not such a big fan of how much it shows lint though!).

I used Spa Bamboo in Aqua for the binding.

It took me almost 6 months (awful, I know!) to get it finished. And, bless my Grandma's sweet little heart, she hasn't even asked me where it is. Of course, she may have forgotten about it by now! I should really make her a matching pillow to reward her for her outstanding patience. I promise it won't take me 6 months to make!

I am headed to Indy tomorrow morning to visit my sister and her family. The hubs has to work so I am driving the 8 hours on my own with the boys (I just might be crazy by the time we get there!). It's been over a decade since it's been this long (just over 3 weeks) without seeing my big sis. I know, that doesn't seem very long but we only lived about a mile away from eachother before they moved. The boys miss their cousins terribly as well. They are used to seeing eachother at least once a week. Needless to say, we are all very excited to see them!

I am getting a post ready for when we are gone. I was able to get the quilt top completed for my other Grandma...yay! It's made up of these blocks.

Hope everyone had a marvelous Monday!

Smiles
~Beth

PINTEREST {I am totally addicted!}

2011-07-27T09:18:00.001-05:00

Have you heard of Pinterest yet? If you have then I am sure you can relate to my addiction with it. If you haven't, I suggest you visit. Pinterest (by their definition) 'is a place to catalog the things you love'. For me, it's a visual place for all of my 'favorites' with links attached (no matter if they are quilts, books, recipes or simply something that made me smile, it's all in one convenient place). I can also repin other's favorites and I can follow others' boards. Other people can do the same with my favs. It's so much fun! CAUTION: be warned that it may take you away from some of your everyday responsibilities (who really likes doing laundry & cleaning toilets anyway!!).

Now, head over to Pinterest and request an invitation (it usually takes about a week) and start pinning (well, if you want to). You can follow my boards here.

Happy pinning!

Smiles
~Beth

BLOGGERS' BLOCK~A~PALOOZA::LAST 4 BLOCKS

2011-07-25T22:51:00.000-05:00

It's been 4 months since the Bloggers' Block~a~palooza wrapped up but I have just finally finished the last 4 blocks. I really need to get better at finishing my works in progress before starting new ones. I digress, here my blocks...

Block #13 was desinged by Tia Curtis from Camp Follower Bags & Quilts.

Block #14 was designed by Ryan Walsh over at I'm Just a Guy Who Quilts.

Block #15 was designed by Kerri Horsley at lovely little handmades.

Block #16 is my one of my favorites. I love those little pinwheels! I think that if I had a daughter I would make her an entire quilt out of them for her bed. This block was designed by Vanessa Christenson from V and Co..

I started this quilt~a~long with the intention of giving the quilt to my Grandma Dee for her birthday in August. Now you know why I am finally finishing it. Let's hope I get it to her on time rather than making her wait 5 months like my other Grandma has been for her birthday quilt...yikes, that's a long time to wait!! I promise, I really do have good intentions. Good news is that I only have to handstitch the binding to the back :)

A BIG thanks to John from Quilt Dad for organizing this fun and fabulous quilt~a~long and also to all of the wonderful bloggers that took their time to create such beautiful blocks for us! You can see the rest of my blocks here, here, and here.

I would love to know how many projects you have in progress right now (it might me feel better about having so many of my own unfinished!).

Smiles
~Beth

GATHERED CLUTCH WINNER!!

2011-07-23T10:15:00.000-05:00

Thanks to everyone that entered to win a gathered clutch! The winner is...

 The numbers generated by this widget come from RANDOM.ORG's true random number generator. 
Sandi P is lucky #2. Sandi, you should have an e-mail from me in your inbox.

Hope everyone enjoys their Saturday!

Smiles
~Beth

ALL THINGS MONSTER

2011-07-21T22:54:00.002-05:00

Looking for the Gathered Clutch {100th post giveaway}?

Click here.

My sister and her family moved last Sunday. And not just across town but 8 hours away! (I am not going to talk about it now because I am still too sad). I wanted to give each of her boys a little something special from Auntie Beth before they left. Having all nephews, I figured I couldn't go wrong with monsters.

My oldest nephew loved this monster shirt I made him a while back but he has outgrown it. He thoughtfully handed it down to his cousin but I thought it would be fun to upcycle the shirt into a pillow and give it back to him.

Another of my nephews enjoys collecting all things dirty. Ya know...rocks, sticks, worms, etc. I made him this ~~purse~~ bag to put them into. It is mostly made of oilcloth (purchased at Fabric.com). I used some window screen scraps for the bottom so some of the dirt can fall through. The zipper serves as a mouth so the monster can eat all of the new found treasures ;-)

(I saw this idea somewhere out there in bloglansd but cannot seem to find it online anymore. If you know who originally came up with this great idea please leave their name or blog in a comment so I can give them proper credit...thanks!).

Lastly, I made this monster shirt for another nephew. It's the first of it's kind (most of my monster shirts look like the one I turned into a pillow). My nephew knew this and so it made him feel pretty darn special (and he is!!). It was much easier to make since there was no sewing involved (I used heat transfer vinyl). I will definately be making more soon.

The baby didn't get anything handmade but I did give him a special Aden + Anais blanket. It's made of muslin and is perfect for a baby in this hot weather!!

Do you have any fun monster ideas?

Smiles
~Beth

GATHERED CLUTCH {100th POST GIVEAWAY!!}

2011-07-18T23:00:00.000-05:00

It's been almost 2 weeks since I mentioned that I would have a giveaway in celebration of my 100th post. Sorry it took me so long, I surely didn't expect for life to get so busy. Without further ado, I have a cute little gathered clutch {made by me}to give to one of my wonderful readers. 1 winner may choose which clutch they prefer.

Each clutch has 2 slip pockets for credit cards and a divider

I love these clutches...so much that I almost didn't want to give one away ;-). I will be making many more of them! I followed a great tutorial over at Noodlehead. If you haven't visited before you are in for a treat. Anna just started Sewing With Knit Mondays and she has a great racerback tank tutorial posted today. Tanks are a must right now with all of this 100+ weather we are having here.

SMALL DETAILS~To enter the giveaway all you have to do is leave me a comment on this post. Be sure to leave me your e-mail address with your comment so I can contact you if you win! You may get a 2nd chance by becoming a follower (if you are already a follower simply leave me a comment letting me know). Giveaway is open to everyone :)

Giveaway will end on Friday, July 22 @ midnight (cst). I will pick a winner via random generator and announce who the lucky reader is on Saturday. Good luck!!

Smiles
~Beth

BABY GIFT SET {BLANKET, HAT & BURP RAGS}

2011-07-14T22:46:00.000-05:00

While in Iowa a couple of weekends ago we left a gift for baby Maggie. Unfortunately we didn't get to meet her this time but we will be sure to make time during our next visit. Hope she liked it!

Fabric is interlock knit by Michael Miller~Ta Dot. Purchased at Fabric.com
Trim & name done in black ribbed knit. Purchased at Joann's

I found tutorials for the blanket and the hat on Make It Love It.

I forgot to snap a photo of the burp rags but here are the fabrics I used.

You can see the ruffily edges on some of the ones I made before here. I based the burp rags off of the ones by Homemade by Jill. You can find her tutorial here. I was lazy and just cut them in a rectangle shape, approximately 10"x 18".

Hope everyone is staying cool! We are continuing to have 100+ weather here!!

Smiles
~Beth

OOPS...I FORGOT!

2011-07-12T11:11:00.001-05:00

Last week I promised a giveaway to celebrate my 100th post and well, I forgot! My apologies to those of you that checked in to see what goodies were up for grabs. Life just got a little busy and it slipped my mind. Sooooo, I will be having one soon. Now I just have to figure out what to make for you!

I couldn't post without a picture so here is Adam with his flowers. We have been watering and loving them since they were tiny little seeds (even though we had NO idea what the seeds were!). He is so proud that there are finally some flowers blooming.

Hope you have a splendid Tuesday!! It's 100+ degrees here so we will be inside!!

Smiles
~Beth

A GIFT FOR TEACHER & A FABRIC CARD

2011-07-08T21:31:00.001-05:00

I know it's summer time but I honestly just got this end~of~school gift sent off to the boys' teachers (such a slacker!). Thought I would share it now so you can get your cameras ready for when school starts next month. I don't know about you but summer seems to be going by way to fast around here!

During the school year I took pictures at school holiday parties and field trips. I also snatched a photo of each student. At the end of the school year I asked each student to tell me what their favorite part of being in that teacher's class was. Each child has their own page. I added a couple of pages in the middle of random pics and at the end I included a poem about Teachers. The front cover of the book is a class picture I had taken during the year and the back cover is a picture I took of my son with his teacher on the first day of school (ya know, so she doesn't forget who the book is from).

I sent this simple fabric card along with the photo book and mailed it off.

You can easily make your own with some card stock (I used blank cards I picked up at Michael's) and a piece of scrap fabric. Just cut your scrap fabric to the same size as the front of your card (mine is approximately 3" x 5") and then attach it to your card with a glue stick. (Optional~I used a 1/4" seam and sewed a straight line around the card). Super easy, cute and personal. Let me know if you have any questions.

Hope you have a super fun Friday!

Smiles
~Beth

4TH OF JULY SHIRTS & A PAIR OF SHORTS {SILHOUETTE}

2011-07-05T13:24:00.002-05:00

.
I know, it's a little late to be posting these but I still wanted to share.

The red words are subtle but I am still happy with the way it turn out.

Complete with a flat front and side pockets. Adam was proud to tell people his Mom made these just for him:)

I picked up the shirts at Old Navy for $4 each and used my Silhouette along with some heat transfer vinyl to make these fun 4th of July shirts. For the shorts I used some patchwork fabric from Joann's. I followed a great tutorial from Make It Love It (thanks Ashley!). The pockets were much easier to put it than I thought they would be...whew!

We had fun with our simple, low key celebration at home. We couldn't handle much more after our busy weekend and drive back from Iowa (thanks to the Husar's for your fabulous hospitality!).

Hope that those of you in the States had a fun & safe 4th of July!

Hey, I just realized that I have posted my 100th post...WOW! I think that calls for a giveaway. I will post one soon so be sure to visit again this week!

Smiles
~Beth

AMERICAN FLAG ART {A 4th OF JULY KIDS CRAFT}

2011-07-01T20:29:00.002-05:00

I saw this adorable red, white & blue craft idea over at Creative Kristi. My boys are getting older and sometimes roll their eyes when I ask them to assist in crafts but I couldn't pass this one up.

Fortunately there weren't any huffs, puffs or rolled eyes during the making of this American Flag

I even got the boys to pose with their OOAK artwork.

Perfect for a mantle or on our front porch.

Sorry for the bad photo...the sun was setting so the shadows are awful
and I really should have cleaned our storm door...yikes!!

I absolutely LOVE how it turned out (paint splatter and all!).

FYI~I used a 16x20 canvas so I could get it out and admire those feet and hands every year. Plus, I needed it to be big enough to accomodate those big feet! My boys are 11, 8 & 5 in case you are trying to figure out how big of a canvas you will need for your little ones fingers and toes. I have no doubt you could fit quite a few more prints on there if you have younger children. I also used acrylic paint from a local craft store. It dried quickly and washed off easily.

Are you working on any red, white & blue projects this weekend?

I am linking up at Tatertots and Jello. Go check out all of the other great inspiration!
Smiles
~Beth

QUILT~A~LONG with PS I QUILT

2011-06-28T16:57:00.000-05:00

I joined a quilt~a~long over at ps i quilt (isn't Rachel great!). You should join in on the fun. Here is the fabric I am using.

Countdown to Christmas Layer cake purchased at Burgundy Buttons
Also using a layer cake of Moda Bella Solids in Snow

I know, it's only June. I thought I would follow Rachel's lead though and make a Christmas quilt. Really, who has time to make a Christmas quilt during the Holidays anyway? I am a little behind but I do have all of my small sqaures stitched to my solid layer cakes.

Hoping to them cut up and sewn back together over the next couple of days. I am excited to get this one finished!

Hope you have a marvelous Monday!
Smiles
~Beth