When I Was Almost Ready to Give Up...

I ordered some hardware for an upcoming project from a shop on Etsy. Unfortunately the only shops that sold needed hardware were overseas. I found a good deal from a shop in China and was able to buy 2 WITH shipping and handling for less than I would have paid at the suggested in states shop. I paid back on April 27. I received a confirmation from the shop that the "parcel" had been "dispatched" 5/3. I was finally able to track it online on 5/7 when it read, "Acceptance." Since then I have waited...and waited...and waited. Finally about 5/13 it read something new: "Origin Post is Preparing Shipment". They put that one on there three times! I was just getting ready to throw in the towel and order some from a states shop when I checked a few minutes ago. The new line reads "Processed through USPS facility".... in Flushing, NY!!! It has finally made it to the good ole' US of A! It was processed at 9:14 this morning so hopefully I should be seeing it in my mailbox in the next couple of days...and we will pray that it is good quality and I won't have to worry about replacing them after this nail biter! You see, these are needed for some projects I am presenting in a blog hop that is coming up fast and furious in the next couple of weeks. Thankfully, I got really motivated and did the sewing part already. Now all I'll have to do is add the hardware and I will be ready, Freddy!

I am sewing! No pics yet but I will have some soon!

In other news I spent the weekend totally jelly (as my 11 year old daughter would say) of all the people who got to go to Portland for Quilt Market. I am very thankful for all the wonderful pics everyone posted on Instagram. Did you get a look at that gorgeous Tula Pink butterfly quilt? To have a quilty brain that works like that, I'm telling you!

My hubby and I also attended a cookout at the house of my hubby's boss this weekend. What a lovely home! This was the view from their upper deck/porch area in the back.

So pretty. They even have a koi pond. Check out the view once the night sky hit.

How gorgeous? Very. My biggest issue was that I couldn't figure out how to take pictures of their kitchen without looking totally obnoxious. Again: jelly. My kitchen needs some serious help.

Good Fortune Smiles Down!

I'm so excited! I finally chose a quilt for my Good Fortune layer cake,...but it's a secret so I will only be showing bits and pieces from it.  It's always hard to make that first cut into your fabric, isn't it? Here's my pile of chain piecing so far.

I also am ex-treme-ly excited because I got a little notice in my email the other day of the new Sew 4 Home project which is a really cool tech pouch for Father's Day. I always struggle with gifts for the hubby and this will be pretty cool

Did you notice over at Ellison Lane? She is running a Paper Piecing Summer Sampler with new patterns every Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Very cute paper pieced summer items like a popsicle and lemonade so far! Put them together with whatever she has for future patterns and you'd have a really cute summer picnic quilt!
I also spent some time finally finishing up my Skill Builder Sampler from a while back. I sashed it in bleached white but I may still add another border cause it's not very big.

This quilt doesn't really even have a home yet. I'm debating finishing it up for one of the nieces or giving it to the kids' principal because she is retiring this year. Still thinking.
I'm also playing with creating a paper piecing pattern for toe shoes. I had used a picture from online and it worked pretty well. However, my friend next door has a daughter who is on pointe now and she took this fab picture of her feet.

How cool is that? I'm playing with a pattern for this one but it may be a bit too complicated for little old me.
I also received both of my SMS giveaway items and I love them both. I am going to have a good time trying out the thread!

Give a Little, Get a Little

I want to give a shout out to all the wonderful people in bloggy world who entered my SMS giveaway. I was absolutely floored at the 401 entrants for my little dragonfly fabric and floral print. I got it in the mail today, and since the winner chose not to receive the dishcloths (she has a drawer full right now!) I chose another winner for those. I decided to just go with my favorite comment about the dishcloths which ended up being Bree who said:

 Bree said...

I'm still itching to try the weekender bag, but it terrifies me. And I'd LOVE dish cloths! My grandmother makes them but I'm the black sheep of the family, so I have to nab the ones she sends my mom - she won't make me any, lol.

May 6, 2013 at 4:43 AM

 

I told her that I wanted to make sure she got some since she's the black sheep of the family!

After sending off these prizes this morning, I was thrilled to find out when I came home that, after entering at least 250 giveaways, I won one as well! The lovely Corrie over at QuiltTaffy let me know that I won her giveaway so I will not only be sending some fabric out, but I will be receiving some as well. I really love what I won because I was toying around with making a compassion quilt for my BIL who was diagnosed with cancer, but I really wanted it to be reflective of him. The fabric bundle I won has this cute print of glasses (which he wears) and one with cassette tapes (and we are of that generation!). I am toying around with ideas for how to put it together.

Right after that I found out on FB that I also won the giveaway at the Amateur Quilter (sponsored by Above and Beyond Creative Sewing). I believe this is for 10 spools of Robison Anton Embroidery thread. Woohoo!

I was really excited about this one because I only just started using better thread and I've been so happy wiht the results. It will be nice to have some on hand so I don't have to go purchasing a lot anytime soon.

I am working diligently on some projects I can't show you, though I am stuck at the moment. I am waiting on an Etsy purchase from China. I may not do that again. It seems to be taking forever. I paid for it back on 4/27. I finally heard that it was shipped on 5/3, but it didn't show up at the China PO until 5/7. Now it's the 13th and the tracking details have said the same thing since the 7th: accepted at the China PO. That's it. I'm a bit frustrated and I'm not sure what to do. I chose this Etsy shop because it was significantly cheaper but still good quality. Sigh...hopefully it will arrive soon.

To All the Mamas!

Her children arise and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praises her. Proverbs 31:28

To all my wonderful bloggy friends out there who are mothers, here's hopes that you have a peaceful and fabulous Mother's Day!

And the Dragonflies Go To...

I hate to point this out but my first draw was a no-reply blogger. Guys, really, check to make sure you are not a no-reply blogger! There is a reason no one replies to the comments you make! We don't have a way to get in touch with you!

Anyway, I am headed out to another baseball game (after the ballgame last night) so here is our winner!
Congratulations to:

Can you believe that? I still can't. That is totally weird. Anyway, number 1 is Michele who said:

 Michele said...

How often does #1 win? I hope this time! I have a pattern and fabric for the Just Right bag and I'm hoping to finally get to make it after all this year's teacher quilts are done. Thanks for the chance to win.

May 6, 2013 at 3:32 AM

 

Congratulations and thanks to everyone for playing!

Getting a Little Go-Go in My Mojo...

The first year I started quilting I ended up setting a goal for myself of a quilt a month...and I did it. Then the second year I slowed down a bit but kept doing lots of projects; then it started to taper off. My mojo took a kicking...and it didn't keep on ticking! I had a very difficult time getting motivated to do anything else. I had family members ask for specific quilts (which I have still not made) but I couldn't get myself to make them. I knew I was going to have to find that desire again, and it was only going to happen making things I WANTED to make. So I had to take a bit of a break and ease through things. Well, undoubtedly my mojo has started kicking back in because not only am I on a roll with some future blog hop plans, but I figured out a plan for a Neptune honeybun I won a while back, and I have about three plans for a Kate Spain layer cake I picked up (again, a while back) as well. Just got to make up my mind!

I've been playing with laminate, which I haven't done before. And I'm excited that I am actually using  another of my previous prizes, a 100 Blocks magazine, to make the block for the Neptune fabric!

Don't forget to check out my SMS Giveaway here.  That goes until tomorrow at 5:00 p.m. PST (which is 8:00 p.m. here in EST). You guys have absolutely blown me out of the water with the number of entrants for my little giveaway. I have been amazed. The largest number of entrants I ever had in a giveaway was far surpassed the first day!!!

Oh Happy Day!...(with a minor glitch)

You can find my SMS giveaway here. I apologize again for not being able to keep up with the number of responses. I tried but there just ended up being too many at a time. Plus I'm still trying to enter a few contests myself.  I've been absolutely gobsmacked (to borrow a term from over the pond!) at the number of people who have entered my giveaway. I think highest number of entrants I've had for a giveaway was at the last SMS giveaway. I had 190 over the span of a week. This time I'm at 300 already and it's only Wednesday morning! I'm freaking out!

Now another happy day moment: okay, so you know you have reached a new age in life when you get excited about things like appliances. Like a new washer and dryer. Hubby and I finally went shopping this past weekend and purchased a new washer and dryer. They were delivered yesterday, HOWEVER, the washer could not be hooked up yet because undoubtedly we have the OLD type of shut off valves where there is one switch for both the cold and hot water. When he turned on the water, it began to leak at the valve. He said we needed to update it to two shut-offs, one for each temperature, because the newer machines create too much pressure. Not sure how that's supposed to make a difference but they say that it does. Hubby had to fix it which ended up being a little more complicated than we hoped because it leaked inside the wall. Yikes! All is fixed now though and I am the proud mama of two new appliances. I am also almost finished with one project (just waiting on one piece that I had to order). Pictures of that will have to wait though. It's a surprise (shhhh!). Hope your day is glitch-free!