Rock on Sister Suey

After my heartfelt tribute, I had to add a few pictures from the wedding reception. My baby sister Carol Sue was the life of the party. I have received countless comments - and countless chuckles - regarding her performance in the 'dance off' contest the DJs used to break the ice. Break it she did . . . Was it 'air guitar' she was assigned? I think so. My other sister Linda (in black & white) was also in the competition. She was asked do a River Dance, and she did a lovely one.

Little cousin Isabella was also a contestant with the Chicken Dance.

But Carol won hands down - can you imagine that?!

I will leave this quick post with a few other images from the reception.

Lots of Cricut! I was so grateful to have it. After altering 5 dresses and making 2, the paper crafts were a fun release for me. I just love that Cricut!

The Most Magical Day

Please dear Lord, tell me what I have done to deserve your bestowing such a beautiful and gentle angel into my life?

The answer of course is nothing. It is the goodness of those around me which has found his favor and he has rewarded us all with this blessed soul I may now call my daughter (in the truest sense of the word).

Oh my. This has been a week of soaring emotions, precious moments and joy beyond explanation. It was indeed a magical day and one that couldn't have been possible without the help and support of so many. I have truly been left speechless with countless acts of kindness. Such was the case on Friday night. An open invitation was extended for help to set up the reception hall and let me just say the response was overwhelming! My dear sisters (including my precious sister/cousin and my dear sisters-in-law) and my priceless best friend, as well as nieces, cousins, and special family friends showed up in unimagined numbers. It was an amazing sight, one that brought to mind a colony of worker ants as the hall was transformed into the scene that Ashley had envisioned. I cannot thank you all enough. It is humbling to have such kindness poured out for oneself and this is just one of the many precious memories I will carry forever.

As is this one. I can scarely believe this is the tiny baby boy whom I carried, nurtured and cared for. Who picked me clover flowers and dandelions. Who crept into my room at night to sleep on the floor beside my bed. And who called me Mommy. I don't think he can possibly know how proud I am of him. Nor how happy he has made me.

I love you my baby, my son. And my dear and darling daughter. xoxo Mom

Ashley's b&w closeup is courtesy of Moltobella Photography. You can see their blog and a sneak-peek of more wedding photos here.

My, oh my. Where does the time go?! I have such good intentions but it seems I just can't keep up. I didn't realize it had been so long since I'd posted on the blog. Yikes! The wedding is eight weeks away (and counting down) and I'm pedalling as fast as I can. Tomorrow is the bridal shower so I thought I should catch up here. Since there will be more after the shower . . .

Here are a couple of display samples I hadn't gotten around to showing yet. If you are familiar with Sew Beautiful magazine, this dress is from one of their feature articles. (Wait a minute, that sounded funny, not this dress, ours is a re-creation.)

If you know me, you know I am not a fan of purple. But the lime green ribbon and red button in the trim really set this off.

The fabric is from a collection called Calypso. You might recognize it's the same fabric collection (different colorway) as the turquoise Bellanca bag.

Speaking of bags, this one is called the Abigail bag. I like the gathering and the tiny ruffle, such nice touches.

The back has an exposed zipper pocket. Nice. Functional. Everybody likes that. :)

And how about a Cricut-enhanced project to close? This was made for the company of a friend of mine.

I was amused at how tattered their old mail bag was. Certainly not befitting his sophistication or that of the two lovely girls who work for him.
His land development company is called Compass West. (I was trying to be clever with words/images.) He and his dad have several entities working out of the same office, thus the "York Enterprises" kind of incorporates everything.

So that's all for today. Much more to come. Shower, wedding, and a benefit for my cousin Lisa tucked in between. And then, as if there weren't enough going on there's the possibility we may have a pretty signifcant change coming along in our lives. Nothing for certain and I can't even talk about it as we haven't shared it with all our family yet. But it weighs on the mind . . . and no, we're not moving to Kentucky - chuckle,chuckle.

Wishing you a special and blessed day!

Cupcakes, anyone?

Who doesn't love cupcakes?! And now that they are all the rage, they're popping up everywhere. Maybe it's an appeal to the kid in all of us, just a fistful of simple pleasure when the world around us these days is so chaotic.
Wouldn't you love to be five again so you could wear this outfit?

Here's a close-up of the cupcake. The orange icing and the white whipped cream dollop got their dimension with Texture Magic. It's a new product the store wanted to showcase. I'm telling you, it is fun!
Here's a bag from Lila Tueller's pattern line. It's the Bellanca bag. It looks cute here but the picture doesn't do it justice. There's a layer of batting (Warm & Natural) that gives it body and a comfy, quilty feel. Lots of grommets and hardware catch your eye too. I think this one looks a little boho. And I think it would make a cute diaper bag too . . . don't you?

This one I just finished today. Isn't the fabric precious? It's from Henry Glass.

And the bow! What a perfect touch. Since these are all displays, I can't take credit for picking out any of these lovely fabrics or patterns.



Maybe these will brighten your day just a tad and remind you, as they do me, that spring is on the way. Hooray!

It Feels Like Spring in My Sewing Room

Over the last several weeks, I've been head-over-heels sewing spring samples for the fabric stores -- and hoarding photos! ~LOL~

But before I get to that, a couple of things I've meant to get to and hadn't yet . . .

I got the kindest anonymous comment a couple of weeks ago about how my entries have improved as the blog has developed. Wow, you don't know how I appreciated that as I thought I'd become boring as of late! I do appreciate every comment much more than you know.

There was a comment/question with the last post asking about the bags and whether I cut the fabric with the Cricut. The answer is no. Not yet anyway and there's a reason for it. The projects I make that I will also teach must be techniques that can be duplicated in class and can't be restricted to specialty equipment like the Cricut. I can however use it to trace the designs as that could be duplicated in another way. So what I did was to apply paper-backed fusible web to my fabric, adhere it to the mat fabric side down, create a mirror image utilizing the 'FLIP' button (so text will read correctly), then trace onto the paper side of the webbing using the Cricut markers. I then cut the images manually and used traditional applique finishes. I haven't experimented yet with cutting fabric in the Cricut but it's on my list of things to do. And if I can master it, yeah I might consider a tutorial. ;)

I also haven't mentioned on the blog yet that I was offered and accepted a part-time job. It's expected to be just a couple days a week and it's my intent to keep up with the blog and everything else that I'm doing at the present time. Time will tell, so wish me well!

So, now -- on to the projects.

This tote is a class sample. Zip closure and six exterior pockets plus more inside (3 patch pockets and 1 hidden zip pocket). The fabrics are from Lila Tueller's Soiree collection.

I love, love, LOVE this piece! The 'create' image was traced by Cricut from the Home Decor cartridge. The bird was drawn free-hand (inspired by the bird on HD but I needed mine to be shaped more short & wide), and the flower layers were created by cutting a large circle pattern (Plantin Schoolbook), folding the pattern in half, in half again and half again (eighths), then cutting to a petal shape. Stem and leaves drawn free-hand. The pieced border was done with foundation piecing technique. As you may be able to tell, this piece is unfinished, it will probably become a wall-hanging when I get it back -- but I'm not sure yet.

This is a display sample -- for Valentines Day. I must say when I opened the box and saw these fabrics I was hesitant. Certainly nothing I would have chosen (the look is a bit too traditional for me) but this is a lesson in keeping an open mind -- it came out darling.

Here's a close-up of the heart-shaped yo-yos. Both the ivory and the pink dot fabrics have a metallic sheen in the design that adds shimmer and interest.

By the way -- if you sew, you like yo-yos, and haven't tried the yo-yo makers -- you should do it! They are so much fun.

And lastly, don't these 'Sassy Bags' make you think cheery thoughts of spring and summer? They are also display samples.

OK! I still have more photos but I don't want to overload you for one day. I still have another purse (the Abigail bag), a child's halter dress (from Sew Beautiful) and remember the ruffled NieNie skirt? I have the other one in bright colors with a cupcake top -- OMGoodness, it's my favorite! Stay tuned . . .

A Little Bit of Everything . . .

This has been a busy and eventful week. I have way too much to share for one post! So I will pick a few favorites and save some more for later.

My very favorite moment this week happened when Prince Russell (our shih tzu) alerted me early Wednesday morning that I should take a look into his kingdom (our back yard). When I did I saw a doe out towards the wood line but then . . .


Oh my goodness, I caught a glimpse of these two guys playfully locking antlers.

They carried on like this for several minutes, sparring, backing off, then going at it again. It was long enough for me to get my camera and click a few shots.

Of course, Russy couldn't resist barking and telling them they were intruding on his domain.

I love this photo where this big guy turned to look directly at Russ. It's amazing to me what they can hear and from how far away.

I'll share just one more -- I think this is a majestic shot of both of them. A few moments later they trailed off after the does that had already mosied on off in the woods.









Whew! What could top that? Certainly not humble sewing projects. But here are a couple of Christmas presents that I can show now that they've been gifted . . .

this is for my brand new nephew to tote his toys when he goes to visit.

A simple drawstring duffel. I used the Cricut to trace the TOYS text and the stars.

And I loved how these little totes came out. They were for nieces. Of course, there are names on the back of the other two as well. The Cricut and some freezer paper helped me personlize with their names. I do love that bug!

And lastly, I will close with a glimpse of some of the most precious, adorable puppies you ever saw. They were born two weeks ago at 2nd Chance Animal Rescue where my husband and I volunteer.

(BTW, that's a black puppy in the back of the heap!)

Both the puppies (8 in all!) and their sweet adorable mama will be looking for good homes. Please join me in prayers that the new year will bring forever homes for them all.

'Twas the Night Before Christmas . . .

and I'm glued to the tree.

Wondering what Santa brought just for me.

Could it be fat quarters or a pattern or lace?

Or even quilt kit? (with a grin on my face)

And that's when I heard him -- "Hi Santa" I said.

"You know, good little girls should be in their bed."

"I know I should Santa and now I've been caught,

but I was just so excited to see what you've brought."

"Well let's take a look in this room where you work."

He took a quick peek, then turned with a jerk.

I heard him exclaim as he put it in gear,

"You've got way too much stuff, I'll see you next year!"

I found this cute little poem posted by Natalia on her delightful blog called Piece N Quilt. I know not everyone sews (gasp!) but if you do, you should check her out. She has charming projects with LOTS of tutorials.

I have lots of "Santa stuff" to work on today. While remembering of course the real reason for our celebration -- Happy Birthday Jesus! Blessings to you and may your Christmas be magical.