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...