Late But not Forgotten

I promised Michele a while back that I would make a black and red star block for a quilt she will be making in honor of her nephew Danny. It will be raffled off very soon now. But I fell down on the job. With everything we've had going on, it got pushed to the back burner. I would think of it but didn't find the time to get it done. Well, no more! It is done and will be on it's way tomorrow!

Sorry so late Michele but it's on its way!

Oh, Sunburn...Thou Art a Devil to Me!

Yeah, I sat too long in the sun yesterday. Let me tell you how long too long is for me. I have VERY pale skin so I was under the umbrella the ENTIRE time without sunblock on (I know, what was I thinking)....except for about 5 minutes where my neighbor buddy and I sat beside the pool with our feet in the water to cool off. That's all it took. 5 minutes. And my shoulders look like lobster skin. Sigh... oh, to have my daughter's skin (not that I would stay out in the sun; I know what it can do). Hubby says she's like his grandfather was; she walks by an open window and turns brown. Not me. Burn, peel, freckle and back to white. That's me. Inspires me to write....

Ode to a Sun Goddess

Skin of tan, smooth and brown

This is the skin I've never found

Shielded, hiding, always shunned

By a large foreboding sun

To lie beneath it's heated rays

To soak beneath it's fire ablaze

Not I, for freckles dare to rise

To sunbathe, it is ill advised.

Days of summer slowly pass

Trapped inside am I, alas

A vacay at the beach, not me

An indoor pool for this mommy!

Hope you enjoyed! Oh, I also got some recent mail goodies to post about. Got my Pilot Frixion pens I won from Quiltingranny, and I finally used my gift certificate to Pink Chalk Fabrics I won from Rachel. What did I get? Well, I picked up some more Good Fortune to go with what I have (I have a layer cake) and a pack of 12 inch colored zippers! 

I love that green. How predictable am I? Plus I have another order coming in later this week from Wondrous Woven Fabrics. Unfortunately they are going out of business, so check them out soon before they are gone.

WIP...Where I forgot it Was Wednesday...Again!

Wednesday? Seriously? I totally forgot again until I pulled up my blogger and saw Linz's post said WIP. This is getting to be a habit! But, in my defense, it's been a crazy week with hubby being off Monday for Memorial Day and yesterday for his grandfather's funeral. I sort of lost track of time.

So, without further adieu, the progress for the week as it stands right now! But first, if you are looking for a Pay It Forward to join, check here for mine.

I had one child graduate kindergarten and one graduate 4th grade! Woohoo!
I finished my granny square baby quilt!

I am also finishing up another quilt top but I can't decide which way I like it better. I had to take pictures because it was a bit busier than I expected so it was hard for me to see the patterns it made.

In this version I tried to link up some of the colors but not all, giving the impression that there were some "roads" and some "dead ends."

This version is where the fabrics are set up to create diamonds. I think if I do it this way I will try to set up some colors to actually meet and make X's like you see the blue almost do in the lower left hand portion. The pink almost does it right next to it.

Oh, and I got some mailbox goodies yesterday. Hollie from Undercover Crafter sent me some Kona scraps I won from her. I was shocked at how many there were!

Linking up to Lee!

And speaking of Lee...ahem...

Yo Yo Yo! Watch out cuz Lee's gettin' all gangsta in yo' bidness with some FQ to the machine! Lee "The Feed Dog" Henrich and the Fat Quarter Gang are gonna rock yo world with some hands on stitchin'. Say what? Check it all out at dis' place here. That's just how they roll, see?

A Memorial

I will post my Pay it Forward blog post tomorrow if you are interested. For today, I thought it much more appropriate and important to remember a soldier.

This is my husband's grandfather. He was a second lieutenant in the US Army Air Corps who trained other soldiers to fly the B-25 Mitchell, a bomber plane, during WWII.  He was later transferred to "Fly the Hump" in Douglas C-54's from British India over the Himalayas into Burma and China.

He passed away a few days ago at the age of 92 at the assisted living facility where he resided. We will be having a graveside service and get together for the family tomorrow to celebrate his life. Take a moment today to remember those who have served this country as well as those who have given their lives for it.

A Tip for All You Bag Ladies Out There

Before I started quilting I made bags. Because of the costs involved in the hardware associated with bag making, I started looking for alternative ways of finding these jewels....NO, I didn't steal them! I just started taking purses apart!  Most of us have some sort of thrift store or Goodwill in our area. I would hit my local shop and buy purses from the markdown bin with loads of hardware in them. I have also done some demo on my own purses that are worn out.
Well, something new struck me the other day after the kids came home from the last day of school: backpacks! Yup, how many times have I thrown them away because they were so worn out and awful looking, but didn't take them time to check the hardware? This is what I took so far from my kids' book bags this year.

A zipper at least 12 inches long that can be cut down, 4 swivel clips and D rings, 3 slides and a slide release buckle. There are also 2 slides in black from my son's backpack. I haven't tackled his zippers yet. I will say this about recycling hardware: make sure it's worth your time to remove. If there are scratches and dings on it, if you wouldn't won't it in a piece you made, then don't remove it. All of my pieces were in great shape (especially in comparison to the bags!) so I took them all. With zippers, you can usually tell within the first couple of snips with the seam ripper whether or not it will be too dirty to worry with. Plastic holds up to a lot but zippers do get dirty. If it is only mildly dirty, zippers can also be hand washed. If you think re-using the zipper is not your thing, that's fine. But remember that only the center of the zipper is even visible in most crafts anyway so no one is going to know that needles have been through it before. And, yes my zipper's ends need to be trimmed but ends are hidden in most crafts anyway. You will just need to remember to sew the ends together on both ends so the zipper pull will not come off either end while your'e working with it.

It is also important to figure out how involved it will be to remove the hardware. My son's backpack has two zippers I'm still contemplating removing. One would be really great because it's long, but it's also really complicated getting it out.

What other hardware have I removed? O rings and magnetic snaps. Depending on where you get them, magnetic snaps can be very costly. When I purchase them, I usually hit Joann's because they have a brand where I can get 4 for the same price you would normally buy 1 for in other stores. I have not attempted it yet but you may also be able to remove purse feet (though these are more likely to be tarnished and damaged because of the wear and tear) and metal purse frames found on snap change purses.

Happy hardware hunting!

Memorial Day Decor

So Memorial Day is right around the corner and you don't have anything to put up in honor of the occasion? Here are a few pins from some of my Pinterest boards.

Subway Art/Printable pictures


More Subway Art


Still more Subway Art!


Flag quilt


Another flag quilt


and another flag quilt

Pay It Forward...Finally!

***UPDATE***
This Pay it Forward is full. Looking for one? Check here:
Live, Love Create  This one is full.

The Best Laid Plans

I was so excited when I finally got in a Pay It Forward. I lucked out big time and got in one from Clover & Violet; yea me! Jennie always makes the cutest things!  So what is a Pay It Forward you may ask? Well, it has been making its way through the bloggy world and makes its recipients very happy. Basically you agree to post about it, accept three recipients, and send them a handcrafted goody by you within the next year.

Wanna play? I'm asking three of you to sign up here and now. Need some rules? Make sure you understand what you're signing up for before saying you will participate. Read below...

 1. I will create a crafty gift for each of the first three people who comment to this post. This is a surprise, and will arrive to you anytime within the next 365 days.

2. In signing up for Pay it Forward, you are committing yourself to the project...someone pays it forward to you, so you pay it forward to others! Just post this, or something similar so others can get involved. Basically you will create your own post where you create gifts for 3 people as well.

3. You need to have an active blog of your own...{or some way to post up your PIF info like a flickr, pinterest, or Facebook account. Basically you'll need a place to announce your own PIF and to post some pics of the process.}

4. After commenting on this post, post something similar on your blog...so you can spread the pay it forward love. I will email you asking for your mailing address {and the online address where you are posting} so I can get your crafty treat in the mail. Please make sure your email address is visible on your profile or leave it in the comment.