Pile of quilts bound…check!

I had five quilts waiting to be bound.  I had even actually sewn the binding on, just needed to fold it over and sew it down.  Seriously, why do I put things off like this?  I got them all done today!

So this is one of my favorite ones to finish this weekend.  Of course Milo has to help me out by sitting on the newly laundered quilt.  Anyone else out there have to wash a quilt after finishing it??

I mean seriously I toss them straight into the washer when they are done.

I am loving these colors…the fabric is from Connecting Threads a few years ago and the leaf print is the same in lots of colors. 

I’m using up scraps so the back is strips of leftover fabrics that I had “stashed”. 

I even used scraps of the fabric for binding it too!  Don’t you just love it when you pick off all the pieces of thread and fuzz off before the picture and then post a pic with a giant fuzz ball or piece of string?  Let’s just pretend that string is not in this picture, OK?

I might be linking to these great parties!

Life and other stuff…

I have had an interesting last few months.  Work is going places I never imagined, my son had left the nest and now he’s back after a few months. Family issues have me stressed out to the max…adjustments right and left…

I started posting the “I’m thankful today for” posts on Facebook, but I have fallen behind.  I noticed this year it is hard for me to think of things. I feel sorta shallow, hollow, empty.  So I have abandoned those postings but am still trying to think along those lines.  To give myself a reason every day to be thankful for being who I am, where I am. 

Because the truth is, I am blessed.  My son is healthy and well, he is trying to find his way in the world and I have all confidence that he will. I am healthy, I am happy, I am smart, I know how to make my way in the world.

I have had several recent hours long discussions with my son, usually late at night, about what life is all about.  What it means to be an adult.  I didn’t initiate these conversations, he did.  He’s learning that maybe he doesn’t know everything, including what he wants to be when he “grows up”, but that he doesn’t have to decide right now.  That it is better to do your best at whatever it is that you are doing rather than do everything you (and the rest of the world) think you should do. 

I told him that I didn’t imagine my life this way when I was his age, but I wouldn’t change anything about it, because that means he wouldn’t be in my life. I think he saved my life in many ways and I can’t imagine life without him. 

I have learned that letting go is alright, painful, but alright. That things may never be the same, but they will be ok.  Life wouldn’t be very interesting if it didn’t change.

Nothing is the same as it looks on the outside…

There’s no place like home and…

home is where your family is…and you get to pick your family to an extent. 

I can’t wait until my next trip to the ocean in April. 

Better Pictures and a New Sponsor

I was contacted by YesComUSA.com about doing a sponsored post.  I could choose anything on their site and I chose something to make my blog a bit better!

I almost exclusively take my photos outside on a sunny day, sometimes that is virtually impossible so I end up waiting for daylight or sunny skies. That slows down my blogging and posting.

So when I was contacted by YesComUSA I jumped on the chance to get a nice photo booth/cube with accessories.  I got four background colors, a pop up tent with a carrying bag, two lights (even with three bulbs) on tripods, two camera tripods (one small traditional and one a bendy one).

It all fit nicely in a storage bag and was easy to set up and put away.

I started taking pics of any thing I could get my hands on…started with the pup Milo.

I love how the light is soft.

He didn’t mind too much as long as the treats kept coming!

The cube is very light weight and easy to use.

I haven’t used the colored backgrounds yet, but have big plans for Christmas pictures!

Look how tiny the camera tripod is…very handy to have.  I think I will be using this photo kit a lot!

I photographed this dark yarn and even though the color is pretty dark, the wrapped yarn showed up very well. 

The 32" Pop Up Daylight Soft Light Photo Studio Tent Kit was provided to me for review.  The opinions are my own.

Two seam pillow cover

I received some canvas fabric from Wholeport that is really vivid colors.

I covered a 20 inch pillow so I cut a pieces 21 inches x 59 inches (the width of this particular fabric).  This fabric is sooo easy because it can be cut with scissors on the squares for an accurate size.

I love this bright and cheery fabric with the blues and pinks.

I laid my pillow form on top just to confirm the size.

Don’t cut the selvages…I use them for the pillow back for the opening to put the pillow inside.  Fold over and press the selvage about 1/2 inch or even an inch.  Use iron on fusible tape to hold the selvage down.

Just make sure that it is ironed down all the way.

Now fold the pillow cover right sides together so that the folded edges are not showing. 

Adjust it until the measurement is 20 inches wide.  There is no seam to shorten this side, so make sure it measures accurately. 

Now pin the two cut edges together.

Make sure that the folded over edge is laying flat.

Seam down the cut edges, using a 1/2 inch seam.

I use Fray Check to keep the edges from unraveling.  This fabric is a looser weave. The Fray Check dries perfectly clear without showing at all.

Now turn right side out and iron the seams out.  Then slip your pillow in and enjoy!

This style takes very little time and you can make several for one form to change up for different seasons or moods! 

I might be linking to some of these great parties!

Easy Button Earrings

My sponsor Wholeport sent me these fabulous pearl like buttons.  I didn’t have a specific use for them yet…when I started thinking about making some earrings out of them.

There were two sizes of them I received, each from different orders (with Wholeport I get monthly orders of craft supplies that I choose and then I add a tutorial showing how I used their product to their website). 

I used jump rings to add a small and a large button to one ring and then put that ring of buttons on another jump ring with a button on either side.  I thought it wasn’t quite enough…So I added a few more buttons.

This is how I did it…

Loving them!

I will be linking to these great parties!