Two more down...

On to two more Bottled Rainbow blocks :) The pink and basil green blocks- these ones are really fun!

Along with having a purse freak, well, um, make that 2 purse freaks, in my house, I also have one that LOVES shoes. The fancier and sparklier the shoe, the better! Oh yes! So the pink block, which is also a girl's favorite color, had to be adorned with the SHOE :). I didn't want to go sparkly, but fancy was great, so the shoe (a pump heel, of course) got a purtty little bow on top. I like it and love all the pink-ness in the block- it makes me smile!

Then the basil green block really makes me smile- another favorite- funny how it just happens that way... The boys in my house love cars of all kinds- beginning with Hot Wheels. So a race car had to be in the mix- it popped up in this block! I love how the camo turned out to be so perfect to highlight the car. It makes me giggle everytime I walk by it! And fondly think of wonderful memories!

Only 6 blocks left- gotta get back to sewing- appliquing two more today :)!! Yipee!

Pacific and Dark Purple Blocks

More blocks done- gotta catch up the posts about them :). This time I would up with another block that has color pops- so sad that I didn't have enough of the Pacific color fabric. Guess that's a really good excuse for me to get some more blue- hehe! So on to the blocks--

The blue has a book hidden in it- it's a narrow, horizontal book. My kiddos still can't see it very well, but it was how the fabric worked best, so that's what it is! I like the color pops, even though the saturated blocks are fun. Now I have one to match my green- HA! I adore the castle peeps that is the cover of the book in this block- I had a dear friend send me some scraps, and I about passed out when I saw Castle Peeps in the box! WOW- it's my favorite print on the block!

Then the dark purple block has a flower in it- daisies are my favorite so it mimics them. I didn't have enough scraps of this color either, but I think it turned out well nonetheless :). It is so fun to watch the pile of done blocks accumulate and see the beautiful colors all together! Love it! They make me smile- I am itching to get them all done and pieced :) Then I have to figure out how to do the back- have some crazy fun ideas!!

The Ultimate Compliment

I am from the South- as in the Southern US. It is in my bones, in my heart. No matter where I am or how long I am there, I will always, ALWAYS, be a Southerner. There is something different, something special, something me, about the South. The people have serious "Southern Hospitality" and that gets to be part of you. They are also very polite and use the words "mam" and "sir" with yes, no, and everything else too :). You can walk in a grocery store and have an hour conversation with someone you have never met before. When you drive down the street, people wave. People feel connected and family is HUGE! Not that there are lots of kids in a family, necessarily, but that you are part of an extended family who cares about you and is involved in your life. Word travels fast in the South- due to that family connection :). There are lots of trees and green, which is a very wonderful thing. And life is good.

I live in the West, with my family now. I married a Western boy and we got stuck here- work and all. Life is good in the West too- just different. People are different, but they are still good. It became a quest for me to find a neighborhood where people wave as you drive by, and after almost 13 years, I found it! So we're not moving :). I love the West, the mountains, the things you can do to be a part of nature. And family is here too. Thank goodness! As wonderful a place as it is, and that I know I am suppposed to be here, I am still a Southerner.

*******************

In church last week, we sat by a lady who had just moved to the area. We began talking with her and found out she was from Georgia- close to home :). Ah, Good memories... Anyway, when we got home, my husband said, with every bit of respect, "You could tell she was from the South; she looked like a Southern lady." I am so grateful I am part of that category. I thanked him for knowing that there was a difference, because that is what I am, a Southern lady. Plain and simple, through and through.

Red and School Bus Orange/Yellow Blocks

Ok, first off, why in the world is this Kona color called "School Bus"?? Huh?? It's orange people- and NOT the color of a school bus! Too funny- it makes me giggle every time I see it! I call it by it's offical name when I look at it- yes, I talk to my fabric, don't all "normal" people do that?! ha! So, on to the blocks, off with the tangent :)...

This Bottled Rainbows quilt is too fun! I love looking at all the beautiful blocks. They make me smile to see how many people can make so many different styles using the same idea. Sometimes I think I'm weird because mine are so different, but as I stated previously, I think outside the box and like to give things some flair. So here's my flair- a picture in every block :) And that's how I like them, so weird or not, it's me and what will mean a lot to me years down the road, when the kiddos are all grown and with their own families :).

The rich red block was easy- My littlest is obsessed with purses, so there had to be a purse somewhere, and red spoke to me! I love how this one worked out, with so many little fussy cut animals, and forest things. Another favorite!

The School Bus orange/yellow, whichever it is :), was fun too. I have a different little who loves rainbows. The quilt is right up his alley, as far as colors go, but I knew I had to throw a rainbow in for good measure, so here it is :). It was crazy cutting all these curved pieces, but oh so worth it! I love it too!

Now I have 6 done, and only 10 to go- faster, faster, faster! I wish my machine would sew double time! :) Dreaming...

Spray Paint is NOT my friend

Some people swear by spray paint. I have used it a handful of times- once or twice it has worked for me, but more often than not, this is what happens.

I got this cute little bookshelf for the littlest's room. It was red- I thought it would look so cute with light pink polka dots on it. So I snagged some spray paint- cause it's supposed to be so easy, ya know?! hehe! I made a stencil so the circles would be the same, and waited for a nice day. Well, the spray, after 4 or 5 coats still didn't look right, it was oversprayed in parts, and just didn't "do" it for me. So I got the brillian idea to spray the whole inside to see if that looked better. I got three-fourths of the way through the inside and the paint ran out! HA! For real?! Go figure- now spray paint is not cheap, and I obviously do NOT know how to use it correctly. If I did, it would have turned out lovely, right?!

So I decided to go the old stnadby route and just paint the darn thing with a can! WOO-HOO! Now this I can do :)! So I grabbed some ballet pink and some red for dots and off I went, paint brush in hand! It turned out much better this time, and I am happy. And I can now stand for other people to see it too ;) hehe!

I think with small things, spray paint works for me, but with bigger stuff, uh, N-O! :) I am so much more a can person!

Dark Blue and Tangerine Blocks...

I have been working like a mad woman to get these Bottled Rainbow blocks done- I really push for 2 a day because I know life will get in the way :). Sor far, I'm doing pretty ok, though. Here's the latest two...

The dark royal blue color- we are big mountain and skiing fans at our house, so it was destined to have some mountain ranges on it :) There are two ranges- it makes me smile to just look at them. I won't even ride a ski lift- too scared of heights :) but those that live in my house would stay at the resort 24 hours a day! Love it! So the mountains are perfect!

Another thing we are crazy about around here is biking- I even have a pink beach comber bike that I love to ride :) It is great to be together and be outside! And feel the wind in your helmet :) So the tangerine had to have a bike in it! Ta-da!

It's fun to figure out how to make a design and how to work around it. I really like how the blocks are turning out and think it will give it more of a "our family" feel. That's a good thing- just like sunshine, rainbows remind me of the joy during the rain :) LOVE!

And so begins another Vintage Love...

I thought I had my vintage love when I started collecting Pyrex several months ago. Then I kept seeing these marvelous vintage sheet quilts popping up all over Pinterest and blogland, and man, if I didn't fall again :)! I love the reuse, or do without saying, so finding and using vintage sheets is a wonderful idea to me. I have been looking when I go thrifting recently, and found these two- my first vintage sheets- yesterday!

I actually squealed over the pink and green strawberry sheet (then looked around to make sure no one heard me ;) )- it is just gorgeous in real life! I may wind up putting some fat quarters in my shop (http://lightningbugz.etsy.com/ ) when I find some really pretty ones :). I also found this flowery aqua, lime, and yellow sheet. The design doesn't fill the sheet as much as I'd want usually, but the colors and print was too pretty to pass up!
This quilt:

is the main reason I caved! The lovely ladies over at Quilt Taffy (http://www.quilttaffy.blogspot.com/) are amazing and this vintage beauty, with some hot pink Henna Garden running through it, put me over the edge a few days ago. That was all it took to convince me that vintage sheets are now a definite MUST :)!

And the hunt is such fun :)---

Cutting through Butter!

One of the things that really urks me is my rotary cutter. The blade seems to be plenty sharp, but for some reason, no matter how hard I press down, the silly thing will not cut well. Even if I go over the fabric two or three times, I still wind up cutting parts with my scissors that just didn't get cut through all the way. URGH!! So my lovely mother- you should meet this lady, she is a saint!, I want to be like her when I grow up- gave me a NEW GINGHER rotary cutter for Mother's Day! Oh my heaven-ness :)! I adore my gingher scissors and have been debating about a new rotary cutter, but they just cost so much I have been holding off. So this was the best present that I could have gotten!

I got my first chance to use it yesterday and I just stood there in amazement after taking that first cut. I was speechless! I was giddy! I was just dumbfounded that for over a year I have been using my terrible, cheap, frustrating, time consuming cutter, and that after one single cut, I knew I was a new woman :) hehe! Not even one single thread needed a cut and it looked perfect. It seriously felt like a knife going through room temperature butter! Seriously, something so simple could have fixed all my stress and mutterings under my breath for the past how long?? ;) I really just stood there a moment, letting it soak in, and then just sighed and smiled a wonderful smile. I walked over, picked up my old cutter, and it found a lovely new home in the circular file :)! Such a delicious moment! I am never going back- yay for Gingher! And more yay for my mama!! I luv ya!! And now I love cutting fabric too ;)

Yellow and Green Bottled Rainbows :)

I have had all 16 of my Bottled Rainbow colors ready to go for quite a while. I have just been unsure of how I wanted to piece the ticker tape fabrics in the middles- the middles turned out bigger than I thought they would ;). So I have been thinking and thinking about this...

I am an "outside the box" person- way outside, usually ;). And this time I wanted to have a twist on it too, but just didn't know what that was. So it took a little time. All of a sudden, last week, it hit me :)!! I knew what I was going to do. I would ticker tape a "picture" into each color rectangle- things that mean a lot to me and my family. It would make it tricker, I knew, but I also knew that once it was done, it would be well worth it!

So I started with the corn yellow because I knew I wanted a sunshine in it. Oh man, did it prove WAY more tedious than I thought it would be! Wow-sers! I have never fussy cut so much before- but oh, how I love that glue stick man! Wonderful Rachel (http://www.stitchedincolor.blogspot.com/) was the first person I ever heard of using a glue stick before to keep your tiny crazy cut pieces in place, and let me tell you, it is sheer genius! I am hooked- good thing for Costco and bulk packages of glue sticks- I've already gone through 2 of them :) hehe! So I glued and then zig-zaged to my heart's content, and this is how it turned out (see the suinshine?!)---

I ADORE this block- I think it will wind up being my favorite- but I do have 15 more to make, so time will tell...

Then on to the grass green block. That one I decided to put a music note in, an eighth note, to be exact- cause they are my favorite to draw :). Good rationale, huh?! The fabrics I used seemed to have more pops os color once I got them in the positions I wanted. It didn't look that "busy" when I was setting it all out. But that's ok- I am a color person, and after all, it's a Rainbow quilt! I'm thinking I may try doing a few blocks with more color pops here and there to make it look intentional ;) I love the colors of green and how calming it is to me. Here it is once it's all tickered and squared up---

So today was a productive day- 2 of the Bottled Rainbow sections down, and a lot of other "life" things off my never-ending to do list too :) I should sleep well tonight. How was your day??

Oh Snap!

I have been so blessed to be able to sign up to attend the Sewing Summit later this fall, and am so beyond tickled to be there and learn and see all the amazing things from the world of color, fabric, and sewing! But dang it all, if another amazing conference didn't pop up right after I forked over the bucks for the first (which was a huge sacrifice)! Somehow, someway, I really gotta get to the Snap! conference this Spring! It is a creative blogging and social media conference, in a nutshell. I want to learn about blogging, growing my creative ideas, and running an at-home business successfully!! This would be the perfect place to do that- I am already drooling over being able to just MEET Jessica and Mique, not to mention all the other amazing people that will be there.

Now here's the deal- they are generously giving away a free ticket to the conference, so I have to have a reason to want one. I don't just WANT one, I N-E-E-D one!!!! Yes, need! And let me tell you why...

I have tried blogging several different times in my creative spheres. I can do just fine in my private family blog and have no difficulty there. But when I get in front of people I don't "know" I get all clamy and worried about what I should do and say, and I just want to be me. I am a very private person by nature, but super friendly at the same time, so this is a fine line when the interenet can be a little crazy at times. I'd love to know how to feel more comfortable being me, and yet still be able to not feel that I am expounding too much on my private life :). I know experience is part of this, but after blogging for years, I feel I need a "real life" teaching experience. :) I am a visual learner, so reading a lot doesn't seem to help me. If you can show me something once, I've got it down forever!! So that's why I NEED to be there come April!

If you haven't heard about the conference yet, here's the place where you can get all the info you need and can drool away :) - just stay far away from your keyboard while drooling :) It's http://www.snaptheconference.com/ . There you have it- why I need to be there, and now I know you wanna be there too :)

Wonder Wandz on the way...

I haven't put anything into the shop lately, and it's gotten kinda lonely over there. So I decided yesterday to do something about that! I finished up the "Teachers give us wings" quilt- I'll post about that as soon as I can get outside to get a photo- too much rain and SNOW (yes, ridiculously enough, yes) here to have a good shot. So I set out to making the wands and getting the ribbons cut by last night. Got them all ready- now to assemble, and there will be Wonder Wandz in the shop :). I love watching kiddos play with these- it's so fun the things they come up with and how they run, jump, and leap- as if they are magical super-heroes or princesses! It is one of those things that make me smile :). I have some very fun color combos this time around too- come on over and check them all out! The shop link is: http://www.lightningbugz.etsy.com/ - May your day be filled with Wonder :)!

Pretty Lovely

I have been drooling over Allora Handmade for quite some time now- Miss Jessica makes the most amazing pretties :) Here's her link so you can see for yourself: http://allorahandmade.com/ . But I have been itching to try it out on some prints I have to match the 127 square dress :). I love how her flowers are shaped, but since I was doing my own thing, I wanted them to be different. So I cut strips, got out my handy dandy glue gun, and went to gluing! I like odd numbers, that's something strange about me :), so there had to be an odd number of flowers on my necklace! I wound up with 3 big and 4 smaller. The larger ones measure about 2" across and the smaller a little over 1" across. I chose the gray fabrics from the Sunkissed line by Moda, and I just LOVE how it turned out! I am super thrilled that I made it from scraps and it was only $3 for the chain and clasp. I went with a brushed nickel color for the chain, and I love the width of it. The clasp is cool because I can hook it at different lenghts- very versatile :). So my little project was a success, now to make more colors :) Woo-Hoo!

127 Squares

About a week ago, I set about cutting like crazy- not for a quilt this time, but for a little girl's dress. I have made a few pieces of childrens' clothing, but recently saw this pattern (http://www.etsy.com/listing/62785240/tiered-patchwork-twirler-epattern-for) and know a little girl who loves to twirl! So off to cutting I went. The pattern is wonderful! I decided to try it on 9 prints from the Sunkissed, by Sweetwater fabrics. After 127 squares, I placed, sewed, gathered with elastic - will use clear elastic next time [tried to be consevative and use what I had on hand- it was too thick and I went through 5 needles :)- then went to Joanns and the lady I asked about thickness didn't even think it was possible to gather with elastic- oh dear!- I kindly told her it was and I only wanted to know about thickness, turns out it is much thinner, so I got 2 packs ;) ], and sewed and gathered row after row. Adding the top was the funnest part, and then trimming a bunch of threads finished it off! YAY! I just love how it turned out. Even though the elastic was too thick, I like how it gave it a more full look, without any underskirting :). I'm anxious to do a rainbow layer one next! So cute, and so love the girliness of it! I adored dresses like this when I was little, and still do ;)! Have a sunny day!

Any good girlie dress patterns you love?? Do tell!..

Wonderings...

Wow- this weekend zoomed by and it seems I haven't even had a second to breathe. But it's been good- I wouldn't trade my craziness for anything :)! In the midst of all the craziness, I have been thinking- a lot. Now, yes, that is dangerous, I know, but what is a girl to do? It is inevitable, but unfortunately, I am still in a quandry- HA!

Here's the dilema---I love making and crafting everthing I do, just simply love it all. From dolls to stuffed animals, to quilts, to clothes to jewelry... and the list goes on. Well, as much as I enjoy creating in these outlets, I just feel like I am missing my "niche". Do you ever feel that way??? Am I alone in this? Hmmmm... I don't know, but it gnaws at me, and I have had it lately. :) I have been racking my brain, trying to force my "niche" to come forward, but with all the prodding and coaxing I can afford, still no lightning bolts :). Ah, how true it is...

I know that niches just "come to you" or evolve over time, at least, that's what I've been told from pretty reliable sources. So, much to my chagrin, I guess I just have to be patient. Darn, it always comes back to that :). I think it must be trying to teach me something! I can say that I am getting better with each experience. It is just so tricky to feel such urgency and feel like it's right "there" (wherever that is), but not be able to lay my finger on it. Ah, well. I will do what I do, and keep searching, and maybe, one day, (I am sure, when I least expect it) my "niche" will jump up in my face. I will probably find that it is something I have been doing all along, just viewed in a different light. And I want to push myself and learn more while I am being "patient".

So that is what has kept me contemplating these past few days- deep, huh :)!?! I'd love to hear any enlightenment that you would share with me. Since being patient for a long time is not the most fun thing- hehe! :)

Pinterest...

I am soooo in love with looking at Pinterest! It is so neat to "see" what I like and what is "me" :). Such a wonderful place to get inspiration and learn. If you haven't been over, you must go see for yourself. But be warned- you may spend way more time than you plan ;) Here's my boards, if you'd like to see what's "me"! http://pinterest.com/lightningbugz/ Enjoy your time browsing...