Redecorating Dilemmas... With iPhone Solutions!

Okay, so I really want to redo the curtains in my kitchen. I made them when we first moved into the house and they have served it well. However, it is time they retired. I have been slowly acquiring a set of multi-colored Fiesta Ware and I am so inspired by all the colors. Kohls had them on sale 4/$99.99 and this past weekend they had an extra 20% off coupon so I have now moved up to having 10 place settings.

All the colors just make me so crazy and I love it! The colors I'm thinking of using for the kitchen come from a 1/2 yard bundle of Verona by Riley Blake  I purchased a while back.

I'm not totally positive that's what I'm going to use but I really love it for kitchen colors. The two fabrics on the far left were not part of the bundle, but were purchased recently when the LQS went out of business. I liked that it pulled a bit more red into the bundle, and I'm pretty sure I bought about 2 yards of the red on the far left. I was trying to figure out what color to repaint the walls if I decided to do this when I came across a really cool app. It's called the Benjamin Moore Color Capture app and it's free for the iPhone and android.

It works a lot like Palette Builder over at Play Crafts. Open the app, take a picture with the phone, and then it will pull up a palette of Benjamin Moore paint colors that match! I have figured out that the colors it pulls up vary slightly when the picture is taken in different lighting, but it's at least a jumping off point. You could use it to pull up colors, then go to the store to make sure the paint chips match up correctly. Don't like Benjamin Moore? Just go pick up the paint chips and take them to another store to match up.

Here's how it looks. I figure it's a starting point. I know I have Spring Rain pulled up but I will probably be going with the Driftwood color on the far left or the Harbor Gray on the right. How cool is that?

A Gift for Family

Remember this recent quilt finish? And this recent trip to Washington for a family wedding? Well, they were actually a combined event. I actually made that quilt for my brother in law and my now sister in law. Here is a pic of them opening their gift.

I'm glad they were happy with it. I purchased the supplies and made it; then my mother in law had it quilted. So it was a combo gift from us. 

I am still working on getting my Skill Builder quilt quilted. It will probably end up with one of the nieces who has not yet received a quilt. I hope to work on yet another UFO to give to the other niece on hubby's side of the family. Then that side will be done. Well, except for my nephew. Do nephew's usually want quilts? He is currently big into theater like me; I need to figure out a way to incorporate something theater '-ish' into a quilt. Hmmmm....

I Can See! I Can See!

Yup! I got my glasses yesterday and I can see a bit better than before. Now, I've never worn glasses and it takes some getting used to. I'm not crazy about watching tv with them on yet. Some of the movements make me a little queasy, but I'm getting there.

I haven't figured out how to keep the glare off for pictures yet. Plus, I should have taken some America's Next Top Model photography advice and not put my hand so far forward in the picture. It looks huge!! But, otherwise, they work. I whipped up a quickie eyeglass case yesterday afternoon. I lined it with selvages.

I'm quilting my Skill Builder Sampler right now so I will soon have some more to show for my time!!!

Some Progress...

I got a bit done on my Halloween Chinese Lantern quilt. The embroidered hooks are done at the top, the spider webs are done at the bottom and the spider has even been added. I'm currently working on stitching down the appliqued balls atop the 'tassel' webs.

I just attached the spider and embroidered the legs. Now, two questions...

Are the hooks and spider webs thick enough? And do I need to enlarge the spider webs on the first, third, and last columns since there's more white underneath, or do I leave it as is? I have to admit, I love how this is coming together! It's going to be so stinkin' cute when I get it all done. I'm working on ideas for the back right now as well.

Here Came the Bride...and There Goes the Mrs!!

We made a family trip to Seattle this weekend for my brother-in-law's wedding. They live near the Port Townsend area which is where we stayed. SOOO beautiful there!
It was a beautiful place to see and we enjoyed getting to visit. I'm still recovering a bit from the jet lag. It was my 7 year old son's first plane trip and on the way he got to see a strange phenomena;

Sky Shark!!! This was so funny because all the other clouds were either flat or just a little fluffy.
I loved all the bridges. We had to cross a couple of floating bridges and this cool one as well.

We spent some time in Port Townsend while we were there; it was such a quaint seaside town. They were having a wooden boat festival while we were there.

Such gorgeous architecture!

So peaceful and beautiful...

They had the wedding in her grandmother's backyard. How absolutely breathtaking is this for a setting?

And a harpist for the music. Wow. It was truly beautiful and I am so very excited to have a wonderful new sister in law. And she quilts! How cool is that?
I'm finally getting over the jet lag so I'm going to get back to work tomorrow but I wanted to post  a bit about our trip!

Wicked Webbing...

Well, the Halloween top is put together and I have appliqued the balls for the tassels. The hooks and the actual tassels will be hand embroidered on, but I had a thought. The shape of the tassels made me think, "Why not make them spider webs?" So, I did!

I'm even adding a spider to this one. That's why there's one 'thread' going downward. I love it! Here's how the actual top came together.

That's my daughter's lovely feet at the bottom. Very helpful!! I am so excited about this quilt!!!