i have to say...

the christmas pile is a growin'!

The Christmas present pile, that is!

I whipped together a set of grocery sacks quite quickly. 

Have I mentioned that I love the technique used for the bottom of these bags (yes, I have!).

The bag opens up quite nicely and holds tons of goodies. I do double sew each seam for strength. No one wants grocery spilled out on the floor from loose seams!

The pattern I used is from Keykalou's shop.  For the fabric I used a Kokka Alice in Wonderland Print, an Innocent Crush print, and a Drawing Room print.

Who are these for? Not tellin'!

I will try to post as many gifts as I can here on my blog unless the receipient is a reader.

Don't want to give away any secrets, you know!

links worth sharing

***Check out My Spare Time's simple purse pattern.  Perfect for Christmas presents, i'd say!

***Bloom's raw-edged quilt is described by her as "quite possibly the quickest quilt you will ever make!"  Works for me!

***Whimsy Couture's tutorial for simple reversible headbands is sure to see some action around here.  Aubry has been growing her hair out and it's in her face quite frequently.  These will be perfect!

***Gardenhouse's tutorial for fabric pumpkins is just in time for fall decorating.

***Sew Take a Hike has another wonderful tutorial for making a scrappy block for a pillow.  or a quilt.  or whatever suits your fancy.

The bag shown above was made by my daughter Emily using the Breakfast at Tiffany's collection.  The how-to is in this wonderful little book.

Have a great day!

i'm casting on!

OK, so I have attempted knitting before and it was a bust.  I managed to make a few scarves and hats, but my venture into knitting socks was the big downfall.  Getting my heartrate up to aerobic levels during a knitting session isn't good. 

It's supposed to be relaxing!

Our local knitting store is going out of business and their entire inventory is 50% off.  This basket of goodness was quite reasonable and it's calling my name.

Last night I spent some time at knittinghelp.com and refreshed my memory as to casting on and purling.  I felt a bit like Bob Wiley, strapped to the front of the boat yelling, "I'm sailing!"  Except I was sitting on the couch yelling, "I'm casting on!"

It's really the little things that lift our spirits, isn't it?

you can have too much help...

Aubry has this dream of raking up piles and piles of leaves so that she can jump in them.  Basically, the trees at our house will be big enough for her to do it just about the time she is ready to move out.

For now we go with what we have and just call it good:

It started nicely with all of us raking the leaves into a big (well, small) pile.

Until someone came along and knocked me down for my rake:

Now, let me say this about Seamus the Wonderdog.  He would NEVER knock Aubry over. He would also never disobey her.  He doesn't even jump on her.  But apparently, I am fair game.

Lucky for him, he is a cutie and I love him.

So he "helped" and wouldn't let me have the rake back without a fight.

We managed to bring together a pile that is a bit bigger than last year, and since there are still leaves hanging on the tree we left the pile as is so we could add to it as they fall.

Aubry did manage to have some fun:

I just love fall, don't you?

shop notes: tailor made by cosmo cricket

It's here! 

Cosmo Cricket's latest line, Tailor Made is in the shop.  The tones in this collection are just perfect.  And those prints.

They are tailor-made for your next crafty project.  (sorry, it's corny, but I just couldn't help myself!)

Have a wonderful weekend!

and the winners are......

Thank you to everyone who commented on the giveaway post!

The winners are:

For the Uptown Girl Kit:

Ginger @ Summers Designs

For the set of soaps:

Stephanie @ Dream, Create, Inspire

We will contact both of you over the weekend to find out what you would like.  :)

Randi and Emily  :)

oops! i forgot about this month's giveaway!

So, we are gonna do it now!

Each month I have a "kit of the month" in my shop and I usually give one away.  This month is the Uptown Girl Jacket Kit.  My daughter Emily made one and you can see it here in the post where I failed to give one away.  :)

If you would like to win one now, just leave me a comment here in this post and be sure to leave your email address in that comment so I can contact the winner.  Here are a couple of other ways to get extra entries:

***post about this giveaway on your own blog or facebook or twitter

***follow me on facebook or twitter.

Add one extra comment for each thing you do.  :)

Also, my daughter Emily wants to toss in some soap from her little shop for the giveaway.  You can win 3 bars of your choice.  There are so many yummy scents to choose from!

I will announce the winners on Friday.

Oh, you might also be interested to know that all Moda fabrics are 10% off in my shop until Sunday.  There is no need for a coupon code and the sale price should come out correctly at checkout on one yard cuts, but you can convo me for a custom listing that includes Moda bundles, pre-cuts, or different yardage cuts (pre-cuts and bundles do not show the sale price yet, but they will in your custom listing). 

Thanks for playing along and have a wonderful day!

my practice quilt

Occasionally, when I am in the middle of piecing together a quilt, I stop and ponder the logic of taking fabric, cutting it up into small pieces, and then sewing it back together.  Seems like a silly endevour sometimes.

It only takes time enough to finish the quilt top before I realize that so much loveliness can only be accomplished by cutting it up, and bringing the pieces back together in a beautiful way.

This quilt is one of those "practice" quilts that I will have to refrain from telling people not to look at too closely.  The straight-line stitching isn't anywhere near perfect.  Some parts of it are pretty bad, but now that the quilt is completely done, I hardly notice it at all.

All I can see is a comfy, snuggly, lovely quilt.

I am already pondering my next one!

This post is part of Amy's Sew and Tell and the Blogger's Quilt Festival.

a crafty construction site

My daughter Emily and I went to Denver and Boulder this weekend to go to the Roller Derby (so. much. fun.) and wander downtown. 

While we walked, we came across the most wonderful construction site.

A full city block of fencing covered with crocheted flowers and leaves.  So fun!

Emily and I both thought it was a simply perfect way to dress things up.  This project was done by the Ladies Fancywork Society of Denver.

Isn't it great how little bit of craftiness can brighten things up?

 

shop feature: madison reece designs

Madison Reece Designs is a wonderful jewelry shop specializing in silver clay pieces.

Melissa, the shop's owner, has this to say, "I have grown up around crafting, my Mother was always making or sewing something. I have always had an interest in paper, fabric, various crafts and photography. I enjoy making this jewelry so much, everyday is different, and my creative process is unlimited. What could be better than that?"

I just love these earrings:

You can see all of Melissa's goods here in her shop, Madison Reece Designs.