Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to all of my lovely friends! My Hubby got me the perfect gift this year! A gift certificate to the local fabric shop! What an amazing man, that he knows me so well. I bought him king crab legs that he can cook and eat at his leisure. :)

This Friday is the end of the "Chair"ity auction at the art center. I thought I'd share a finished pic of my chair. The silent auction is going fantastic and we will be raising a lot of money for the Smithsonian exhibit we have coming in soon!

I thought I'd also share a photo of the chair my Aunt and a cousin made for the auction. They are both HUGE Heinz ketchup fans so naturally they wanted to make a chair that looked like a giant bottle of ketchup!

Here is a group shot of the chairs arranged in the gallery for the showing. I'm so excited to collect the final bids and see how much money we raised! A huge thank you to all the local artists that participated!

WIP Sunday: What A Sweet Day!

My little sister requested that I help her make her Valentine's box for school this year! Mom, Sis, and I sat down this morning and whipped up a giant cupcake! I made the base box from cardboard and masking tape, with a stuffed top, pleated paper wrapper, felt sprinkles, and a cherry on top!
I couldn't resist making that cherry! There is a slot on the other side in the wrapper for the cards to be put in and the top lifts off to get them out. Sis is super pleased and can't wait to take it to school to show her friends!
I do have some other projects in the works, but the main one is a super secret mega surprise for one of my crafty pals, so no pictures until it is done and at it's new home!
Hope everyone had a super sweet Sunday!

Dark Mark Sparks Panic!

Oooooo, scary! A dark mark onsie!  I found a temporary tattoo template online and used it to draw my own version. I then embroidered it on green Kona in 1 and 2 strands. I used the zig zag on my machine to sew it to a black onsie.

What better baby gift for a Harry Potter fan Mom who just so happens to be having a baby a couple weeks after me? 

I couldn't resist! If this little one turns out to be a girl it will get a matching green and black striped skirt to rock with this onsie! ;)

Why I Love My Crafty Friends!

I have the best friends ever! I love all my friends, be they just across town or across the country, or even in another country! They lift me up when I need a little smile. They say kind things when sometimes I can't find anything kind to say to myself. They remind me that even if I don't always remember someone out there cares. They also brighten my day with little packages in the mail on occasion! ;)

Pam (Kitty Kill) sent me 2 adorable onsies for Hamster in addition to the coolest alphabet x-stitch sampler ever! I'm having the sampler custom framed to hang in Hamster's room and will share it when it is complete, but until then you can check it out on Pam's blog, Faster KittyKill. I snapped a shot of the onsies.
Two little super cute mice and that cow just cracks me up! I can't wait to get pics of them being modeled!
Speaking of super cute things for my little Hamster to wear, my friend Heidi (Digital Misfit) has been a busy gal too! She has taken a liking to making one of a kind dresses for my little one! I'm so excited to get them and I will be so proud for Hamster to rock hand made! You can check them out on Heidi's Flickr photo stream. This one will be Hamster's coming home outfit!

I hear there are several more outfits in the works with tons of super cute fabrics and in all sizes so she won't outgrow having handmade!

So be you a friend near or far, remember that I appreciate you! A short message on Facebook, a comment on my blog, a friendly hello on flickr, a phone call for coffee, or an amazing little gift, each and every little bit of contact I have with my dear friends means the world. Thanks for being fantastic!

WIP Sunday: Busy Little Mama

I'm feeling good and getting lots done! This morning I sewed on the inner boarder to the Grinch quilt! One more boarder and that top is ready to be quilted! Feels like a long time in the making! It keeps getting put aside for other projects! I also did research and found out it is perfectly safe for me to paint with the no VOC odorless paint and I got part of the library painted! We have to finish the library to move the computer out to make the nursery! I'm getting 2 more finished rooms in the house because of Hamster! I'll be sharing pics of the library when it is done as I've been waiting for it to be done for 6 years! I've got some great little crafty projects in mind to provide the finishing touches on the library.
Yesterday I worked on week 2 and 3 of the life book class on Ning.
Week 2 assignment was to make a "dream board" of things you wished for the new year. I have pretty much only 1 thing on my wish list for this year and that happens to be Hamster!
Next I watched video one of our lesson with Bonnie Rose Brian and ended up drawing a whimsy Valentine for the lovely Pam (Kitty Kill). It just turned out looking so much like her I couldn't resist! I'll have to brave the line at the post office this week to send it out! I matted it so she can frame it with her choice of frame when it arrives.


























As you can see I was super productive this weekend and dang it felt good! Hope everyone enjoyed the weekend!

Hamster's Heirloom Quilt

Hamster's very first quilt is done! After grumbling about math and finally getting things to work out without a pattern I finished! The embroidered blocks were done by my Grandma probably around the time I was born and safely tucked away in a drawer until a couple months ago. Grandma passed them down to me and I set to work. A lovely team effort and something made by Hamster's Great Grandma and Mom for her to snuggle with.

I wanted to share a close up of one of the blocks. My fantastic long arm quilter did this custom for me! She echoed each embroidered design and then filled in with swirls which keep going in the sashing between blocks. 

Here is a close up of the wonderful swirly quilting in each pinwheel. Those pinwheels were fun to make!

It is backed in a super soft yellow flannel!

I'm so happy it is done and can't wait to snuggle a little Hamster in it!

WIP Sunday: Hamster's Quilt!

I shared some embroidered blocks a while back that my Grandma made probably around the time I was born. Since then they sat in her drawer until she found out she was having a great grand baby! She turned the blocks over to me and I turned them into something Hamster can treasure forever!
The top is all done and ready to go to the quilter! It turned out square, but fairly large so I think it will make a perfect snuggle blankie. I'm going to have her quilt it with her long arm hand machine so she can only quilt around the embroidery as opposed to her computerized machine that would quilt it all over. I will take it to her tomorrow to let her work her magic!

Today is going to be work on the Grinch quilt! It is close to being a completed top now! Only 7 more blocks to applique and then putting it all together and a boarder! I might try to get it ready to go to the quilter by tomorrow too. I'm also itching to make another baby dress, but the quilt must get done! Hope everyone has a productive and happy Sunday!