Thank you!
Copyright 2007-2015
« May 2014 | Main | July 2014 »
This week in my shop all bundles are on sale at 15% off through Sunday! There are tons to choose from, and they are perfect for collecting colors for your stash, and they make perfect quilt starters. Also, if you feel a little timid about picking fabrics for a project, bundles are a perfect place to start.
Click here to see everything that's in stock!
Have a lovely day!
|
|
I love Post-it notes, and I use them all the time.
My latest use for them is to help me practice for my upcoming Karate black belt test in October. I have each kata written out on one note, and once I practice it each day I move it over to the other side of the fridge. It seems to be working for me better than a check off list. The lop-sided bunch of post it notes won't let me forget that I have more to do each day.
And I need that!
I really should have tested for my black belt a few years ago, but life has a funny way of detouring things. My two boys and their dad tested for their belts back then, but I quit Karate classes to take a break.
A really long break.
A couple of years ago I went back. My life was kind of falling apart at the time, and I went back mostly to get out of the house and find something of my own to do. I needed that because big changes were ahead for me, and I really didn't realize that right at that time.
What I found in going back was not what I expected to find. I expected to get some exercise and to relearn what I had forgotten. What I actually found was a whole bunch of encouragement, and people who would prove to be a rock to me when I would need it the most.
Little bits of encouragement meant for the whole class, were taken very seriously by me each week, and quite often, they were bits of hope that I held onto until I could get back to my next class. Things like developing a "black belt attitude about life", or that "a black belt is just a white belt that never quit", were actually quite life changing for me, since I always held more of an attitude of failure towards myself: "why try because I probably can't do it anyway".
I also ran regularly with my Sensei/friend, and those runs were like big gulps of water to a person who was parched and dry, ready to quit. She was so sweet to always remind me to hang in there---YOU CAN DO THIS, RANDI. WITH GOD'S HELP, YOU CAN DO THIS!
Much in my life has changed since then. I am now a single girl. After many years of marriage, things ended officially and my life was my very own. It might sound kind of exciting, but to say that it was terrifying is an understatement. I had never in my life lived on my own before, managing my own home and finances. Someone had always, in a sense, taken care of me.
I am a single girl, a single mom, and a single business owner. And pretty soon I am sure I am going to be a single Sensei with a black belt.
And that is so exciting.
Because for me, it's about so much more than Karate. It's about me being able to live my life all on my own. With God's help, I have made it this far and I intend to make it much farther. I intend to live all of my life with a black belt attitude: I CAN AND I WILL!.
So anyway, back to my Post-its. They are my visual reminder that I need to work for this. Just like everything else I have gained in the last several years, I have to work my butt off. The work is hard and I pretty much hate how it feels. I am sore constantly lately from running 4 miles a day and working out. I go to bed earlier because I am tired more often. But I will say that I am really happy that I am starting to see new muscles.
It's about time!
So, I might update here a little more often since I am getting so close and I am thinking about it so often. I seems silly not to share with you all this exciting part of my life.
The funny thing? I am questioning whether or not to even post this, because what if I fail in October? What if you all know that I didn't do well enough in my test?
Well, if I fail I will try again, because after all, a black belt is just a white belt that never quit.
And this girl doesn't quit anymore!
|
|
Indelible is here and it beautiful!
I am in love with the text-y chevrons and the birch trees. We have lots of those trees here Colorado and I love them, especially when they are without leaves. Such pretty, graphic bark!
You can click here to find yardage and bundles.
Have a lovely day!
|
|
Welcome to SHOW AND TELL TUESDAY!
I am making good progress on my Churn Dash blocks. But I can't say that I love them. For some reason, they are just not "clicking" with me. And I not sure it's gonna get better when it comes to quilting time.
We will see, because I feel like I need to follow this one through.
Hopefully I will be showing you some machine quilting progress soon!
If you are participating in Show and Tell Tuesday, here are a few simple guidelines:
1. Post about your sewing-related project on your blog, or other sharing site. Then link up here by adding the post's URL (not the URL to your main site) to the link list below. Also, please link back to this Show and Tell Tuesday post in your own post.
2. Feel free to browse and comment on the links added below. It's a fun way to get to know people and find inspiration for your next project!
3. Add the sidebar graphic to your own site, if you want to. The code is found in this post.
If you have something to Show and Tell this week, be sure to link up below.
Happy sewing!
|
|
This weekend looks to be a good one!
I do plan on making some progress in this quilt. My machine broke right in the middle of a quilting spree the other day, so I will resort to my little ol' stand-by. She has always done me good, so I hope for good things.
There are also river adventures and fun with friends in the plans this weekend. A lot of time outdoors will be happening, for sure!
What about you? Any weekend plans in the works?
|
|
Hello, Friends! It's SHOW AND TELL TUESDAY!
***See guidelines at the bottom of this post.
I finally found my inspiration for my Churn Dash Quilt!
This one has been on my mind for a long time now. Well, the layout has, but the color scheme has not. I decided to go with neutrals for the background of the blocks, and brighter colors for the Churn Dashes.
I am pretty sure I like it, but now that it's cut out I like it less. But that is my typical thing with a quilt: get the inspiration, be excited, cut out, be less excited, sew, get even less excited, finish it up and love it!
My hope is that it happens this time too.
As you can see, I am not a perfectionist quilter. Are you?
If you are participating in Show and Tell Tuesday, here are a few simple guidelines:
1. Post about your sewing-related project on your blog, or other sharing site. Then link up here by adding the post's URL (not the URL to your main site) to the link list below. Also, please link back to this Show and Tell Tuesday post in your own post.
2. Feel free to browse and comment on the links added below. It's a fun way to get to know people and find inspiration for your next project!
3. Add the sidebar graphic to your own site, if you want to. The code is found in this post.
If you have something to Show and Tell this week, be sure to link up below.
Happy sewing!
|
|
This week in my shop all Moda yardage is 25% off! You can choose from April Showers, 23, Color Me Happy and more!
Click here to see what's in stock.
Have a great Monday!
|
|
Upcoming: Churn Dash!
I was eyeing the brown linen on the bottom of the neutral stack and it was kind of speaking to me.
Does that ever happen to you? Fabric speaking to you? Calling you into deeper relationship?
Well, mine does occasionally.
My plan, at this point, is too go neutral on the background fabrics, with two prints for each churn dash. Most churn dash quilts are too "color loaded" for me eye, so I think the neutrals might help that. Or it might tone it down too much. Who knows? There is only one way to find out.
Off to the cutting table...
|
|
Ok, I admit that it's a bit of a mess, but I did expect to find some inspiration here.
I am at a point where I have no projects going. None! And I can't figure out what to do next.
Standing in front of my fabric stash did nothing at all for me. And that's not what I expected.
A Churn Dash Quilt has been on my brain for quite a while, but I don't know where I want to go with it. I know I want it to be more modern than traditional, but that's about all I have right now.
What about you? Is your inspiration high or low?
Maybe I just need to go outside in the sunshine!
|
|