I would like to do a post, but we switched from a PC to a Mac and I want to shoot myself in the face. I am so bloody frustrated! I thought Macs were supposed to be "intuitive'?? My instincts are telling me to kick it.
I can't figure out how to add photos. First up, when I upload photos from my camera into iPhoto they are a jumbled, disorganized mess, not listed alphabetically or by timeline....WTF? Also, my previously nicely organized photos were all mixed up as well when we transferred them over. Second, when I finally find them, I can't figure out how to compress them. Third, I tried to upload them instead via Flickr to deal with the compression issue, but half of the photos I sent to Flickr never showed up, but iPhoto says they are already there so they won't do it again. Then, I can't get Blogger to let me upload the Flick photos.
Am moments away from a toddler style tantrum. And I paid money for this??
I am going to pour myself some wine and get the heck out of this computer room before I break something. My Juki sewing machine finally arrived a couple weeks ago so I am going to try and figure that out....hope it is less frustrating than this.
Grrr.....
Sunday, May 27, 2012
Friday, May 18, 2012
Blogger's Quilt Festival
It's that time of year again when we quilters get together and admire each other's latest and greatest creations over at the Blogger's Quilt Festival at Amy's Creative Side. Do hop on over and see what goodies are in store for us this spring!
I will keep this post brief as I know you all have many quilts to visit! My contribution to the fun is my quilt made from the Drunkard's Path Quilt Along that I co-hosted last fall along with Kate from Needle and Spatula.
I used a layer cake of Ruby by Bonnie and Camille, along with my Accuquilt Go! Baby cutter to piece the top. Then, after all of those crazy curves, I decided to treat myself to some long-arm quilting by Jenny. I left my baby in her very capable hands and gave her free reign with quilting design. I could not be happier with the result! It is truly stunning, and has transformed the quilt from something good into something spectacular that I will cherish. My other quilts look like poor cousins in comparison. I could get used to this!
The back is a large floral from Bonnie and Camille's Bliss line. Finished quilt is a a nice lap size at 53" by 66". While this quilt is different in style in many ways than my others, it is very "me", and I am happy to say this one is not a gift, I will be keeping it. My new favourite!
Enjoy the festival! Thanks for stopping by!
Wednesday, May 9, 2012
walking
Well, we are back from our SCAD fundraiser walk in Naperville, IL. What an amazing experience. Not even sure how to articulate it.
We went down in support of our friend, Michele, who survived a SCAD heart attack last fall. It was her first chance to meet other survivors or this uncommon disease. I am sure you can imagine it was an emotional weekend, but an important one for her healing, I think.
I was so inspired by the strength and spirit of these amazing women. Survivors, indeed. I hope to make this an annual event! Such a scary, random disease, and a very worthy cause.
We had fun meeting survivors and supporters from all over the U.S., and we were the proud Canadian representatives! We brought a flag and our own wacky charm to the event ("red wine is good for the heart, you know!").
Thank you so much to all of you who donated to the fundraiser! And on top of those who donated from afar, a very special blogging friend, who happens to live in Naperville, went the extra mile (well, 3 miles, actually) and came with her husband and 3 children to participate in the walk with us! Do you all know Svetlana from S.O.T.A.K. Handmade? If not yet, you should, she is an amazing quilter (so much better than me. Seriously.), and also an incredible person. Thank you so much, Svetlana, for coming to the walk, for your conversation along the way and for even inviting us Crazy Canucks to your home! You are wonderful :) It was a pleasure to meet you.
Speaking of walks, I also picked up a little fabric while away....including Aneela's A Walk in the Woods!
And finally got my hands on some Flea Market Fancy! I hoard Denyse Schmidt fabric like a maniac, one day I will actually make a quilt with it all.
And I also picked up something special....remember my drunkard's path quilt top from the quilt along last fall? Well, I treated myself to some long arm quilting by Jenny, and she blew me away with her amazing skills. Here is a sneak peak! Hope to get my act together and slam on some binding over the next week. This one is mine, all mine!
Have a great day!
We went down in support of our friend, Michele, who survived a SCAD heart attack last fall. It was her first chance to meet other survivors or this uncommon disease. I am sure you can imagine it was an emotional weekend, but an important one for her healing, I think.
I was so inspired by the strength and spirit of these amazing women. Survivors, indeed. I hope to make this an annual event! Such a scary, random disease, and a very worthy cause.
We had fun meeting survivors and supporters from all over the U.S., and we were the proud Canadian representatives! We brought a flag and our own wacky charm to the event ("red wine is good for the heart, you know!").
Thank you so much to all of you who donated to the fundraiser! And on top of those who donated from afar, a very special blogging friend, who happens to live in Naperville, went the extra mile (well, 3 miles, actually) and came with her husband and 3 children to participate in the walk with us! Do you all know Svetlana from S.O.T.A.K. Handmade? If not yet, you should, she is an amazing quilter (so much better than me. Seriously.), and also an incredible person. Thank you so much, Svetlana, for coming to the walk, for your conversation along the way and for even inviting us Crazy Canucks to your home! You are wonderful :) It was a pleasure to meet you.
Speaking of walks, I also picked up a little fabric while away....including Aneela's A Walk in the Woods!
And finally got my hands on some Flea Market Fancy! I hoard Denyse Schmidt fabric like a maniac, one day I will actually make a quilt with it all.
And I also picked up something special....remember my drunkard's path quilt top from the quilt along last fall? Well, I treated myself to some long arm quilting by Jenny, and she blew me away with her amazing skills. Here is a sneak peak! Hope to get my act together and slam on some binding over the next week. This one is mine, all mine!
Have a great day!
Monday, May 7, 2012
That 70's Quilt
Do you have this song in your head? I have, for days! (love that show)
I know I say this every time, but this is my new favorite quilt. And I love the name....what is more fitting for a quilt made of vintage sheets? It will also have the perfect recipient. Sherri is, like me, a child of the 70s, and in university she decorated her apartment with a bright orange couch and shag carpeting (before it was cool). This quilt should fit right in!
Like Michele, Sherri is another of my long time friends. I am lucky to have quite a few in my life....I guess I am kinda like Herpes, once you have me I am hard to get rid of! We met in the 80s when we both tried out for and made a AA ringette team. What is ringette, you ask? An ice sport just for girls (that we rocked at!), which was basically the alternative to hockey before woman's hockey became the rage. Popular up here in Canada as well as northern Europe and the northern US. You know us Canucks and our ice sports!
Anyhoo, I played ringette for 20 years, many of those with Sherri. Then we went on to survive our undergraduate university degree together...many a late nights cramming or in the lab! And lots of good old university fun as well. Essentially, most of those moments when I was doing something I shouldn't, it was with Sherri ;) Oh, the stories we won't tell! She was a bridesmaid at my wedding, and we have been through many highs and lows together. She is like a sister to me.
A couple years ago, Sherri made the bold and brave decision to return to school and live out her dream to become a veterinarian. After some hard work upgrading some of her undergraduate courses, she was accepted and has just finished her second of four years in her degree. It hasn't been easy to go back to school at this stage, but she is sticking it out and I couldn't be prouder of her. As there are only a couple vet schools in Canada, she had to relocate far from friends and family to attend. So, it is back to the student life of borrowed mismatched furniture and late nights cramming! I thought a quilt was a perfect gift for her to have in her new place.
Some quilt details: made from some vintage sheet charms bought from Amy, along with my own finds, and backed with the perfect vintage sheet :)
I love the shade of green for sashing and the super cute orange binding, a fabric from the Dream On line by Urban Chiks.
I love the quilting. I did something new and outside my comfort zone, quilting free motion flowers on each square, using Elizabeth's tutorial. There was a learning curve, but I had fun. What is more suitable than some loopy flowers on a 70's quilt?
Then I used some cheery yellow thread to do some straight line quilting along the sashing. If you can call it straight. I accept that I am perfectly imperfect! But Sherri won't care. I originally was going to use variegated thread but didn't like it for straight line so I ripped it out. But I left a small segment of this....for no other reason than I felt like it. Something wonky! I'm weird like that.
After about a billion quilted flowers I started to feel cheeky and decided to add some "hidden messages" in the quilt. Some details from our past that will make her smile...her ringette jersey number, our nick names, and there maaaaay or may not be something about smoking weed, I will never tell. But certainly not about inhaling!!
Quilt stats:
finished size: approximately 50 " by 60"
fabrics: vintage sheets, green sashing (Heritage collection "green grass" at Fabricland),
binding: hand sewn, Dream On "Old School" by Urban Chiks
quilting: by me, flowers, words, and straight line.
And one more picture of That 70's Quilt...on a shag carpet, of course ;)
I know I say this every time, but this is my new favorite quilt. And I love the name....what is more fitting for a quilt made of vintage sheets? It will also have the perfect recipient. Sherri is, like me, a child of the 70s, and in university she decorated her apartment with a bright orange couch and shag carpeting (before it was cool). This quilt should fit right in!
Like Michele, Sherri is another of my long time friends. I am lucky to have quite a few in my life....I guess I am kinda like Herpes, once you have me I am hard to get rid of! We met in the 80s when we both tried out for and made a AA ringette team. What is ringette, you ask? An ice sport just for girls (that we rocked at!), which was basically the alternative to hockey before woman's hockey became the rage. Popular up here in Canada as well as northern Europe and the northern US. You know us Canucks and our ice sports!
Anyhoo, I played ringette for 20 years, many of those with Sherri. Then we went on to survive our undergraduate university degree together...many a late nights cramming or in the lab! And lots of good old university fun as well. Essentially, most of those moments when I was doing something I shouldn't, it was with Sherri ;) Oh, the stories we won't tell! She was a bridesmaid at my wedding, and we have been through many highs and lows together. She is like a sister to me.
A couple years ago, Sherri made the bold and brave decision to return to school and live out her dream to become a veterinarian. After some hard work upgrading some of her undergraduate courses, she was accepted and has just finished her second of four years in her degree. It hasn't been easy to go back to school at this stage, but she is sticking it out and I couldn't be prouder of her. As there are only a couple vet schools in Canada, she had to relocate far from friends and family to attend. So, it is back to the student life of borrowed mismatched furniture and late nights cramming! I thought a quilt was a perfect gift for her to have in her new place.
Some quilt details: made from some vintage sheet charms bought from Amy, along with my own finds, and backed with the perfect vintage sheet :)
I love the shade of green for sashing and the super cute orange binding, a fabric from the Dream On line by Urban Chiks.
I love the quilting. I did something new and outside my comfort zone, quilting free motion flowers on each square, using Elizabeth's tutorial. There was a learning curve, but I had fun. What is more suitable than some loopy flowers on a 70's quilt?
Then I used some cheery yellow thread to do some straight line quilting along the sashing. If you can call it straight. I accept that I am perfectly imperfect! But Sherri won't care. I originally was going to use variegated thread but didn't like it for straight line so I ripped it out. But I left a small segment of this....for no other reason than I felt like it. Something wonky! I'm weird like that.
After about a billion quilted flowers I started to feel cheeky and decided to add some "hidden messages" in the quilt. Some details from our past that will make her smile...her ringette jersey number, our nick names, and there maaaaay or may not be something about smoking weed, I will never tell. But certainly not about inhaling!!
Quilt stats:
finished size: approximately 50 " by 60"
fabrics: vintage sheets, green sashing (Heritage collection "green grass" at Fabricland),
binding: hand sewn, Dream On "Old School" by Urban Chiks
quilting: by me, flowers, words, and straight line.
And one more picture of That 70's Quilt...on a shag carpet, of course ;)
Thursday, May 3, 2012
up, up and away
(image via Pinterest)
I am off to the Chicago area for the weekend for the SCAD research fundraiser walk with/for my friend Michele. Thank you SO MUCH to everyone who has made a donation, I am soooo close to my $1000 fundraising goal and feeling so very warm and tingly inside to have such wonderfully supportive friends and family. You guys rock! I am looking forward to a great weekend! AND- I did some "pre-shopping" online, which I have shipped to my American hotel room- yippee for free shipping and no border fees! I bet you can guess what I may have bought ;)
I am even looking forward to JUST SITTING on the plane. Bringing my knitting and some books to dig into. I caved and bought 50 Shades of Grey after hearing all the hype. Have you read it? What did you think??
Also have picked up another couple fun books lately. "All Wound Up", by Stephanie Pearl-McPhee (the yarn harlot) is a collection of essays/short stories, most involving yarn and knitting. I loved the first one about time for knitting/craft. She talks about how people will comment to her, you know, in that tone, " I wish I had time to knit." Like they are not given the same 24 hours in a day like the rest of us. It is a pet peeve of mine when people say that, implying that I must lead a life of leisure to be able to fit in crafting, when really I spend all day running my butt off (correction- sadly, cannot outrun the butt) but still PLAN the time to craft, because it is important to me. Not every day, but when I can. And I manage because I am organized, hardly watch any t.v. and I sleep less then I should, not by some magic. So there. Rant done. ;)
I also picked up "Let's Pretend This Never Happened" by Jenny Lawson, the Blogess. I still chuckle when I think about the chicken story, so I am sure the book will be a riot.
Why stop there? Since I had free shipping I went ahead and also bought the Crafty Chloe book, wonderfully illustrated by Heather Ross. Chloe is pretty much exactly The Middle Child. A very cute read.
And I have to say that I can't WAIT for Heather's newest book to come out in October, Heather Ross Prints. How cool does that look?? It is basically a book with a DVD that has a bunch of her famous prints, and you can print it yourself onto paper, fabric, etc!!! Crazy awesome.
Anyways, off to go pack! See you all next week. And I am excited to say that I FINALLY will have a finished quilt to share with you :)
Sunday, April 29, 2012
pantry makeover
There are basically 2 things I never want to publicly share:
1. how much I weigh, and
2. the disorganized state of my pantry.
What can I say? I am far from a neat freak. But even a laid back person has their limits. And although I had a million other things to do this past week, I decided I had HAD ENOUGH of my disorganized pantry and it was time to do some organizing.
Now I must start by saying, our pantry is HUGE. When we bought and renovated our home 4 years ago, it was actually a large laundry room. We moved a wall over to make the kitchen bigger, and converted the space into a walk-in pantry. Sure, we installed some built-in shelves. The thing is...being so big, we would dump all of our crap in there. "Lots of room!" But, we never had a system of where things would BELONG. Things went in and never found their way out again. In the last months, I would cram something on a shelf and then run for my life, fearing it would all topple down on top of me!
So, I started looking up pantry organization on Pinterest, and found a great blog post about a pantry makeover using bins from Dollarama, the most awesome dollar store we have in Canada. Because, bins and baskets are EXPENSIVE, and with the size of our pantry I knew I would need a ton. So, off I went to Dollarama, and then to Staples to get me some Martha Stewart home office labels. And here is the result!
Let's ease you in. First off: my little tea cabinet. This is where I start my day, making myself a cup of tea. Should be relaxing, right?
I did something similar for the coffee maker/toaster area (didn't do a before pic, but trust me, it was nasty):
Next up: the pantry. Don't judge me.
Ahhhhh.
Each of the bins you see were only $1.50 or $2 a piece, and the glass jars with the stainless steel lids ranged from $1-$2, depending on size. The Martha Stewart labels were $3 for 18, and I got two of her magazine holders for my recipe magazines, for $10 each. I bought a couple large blue bins for paper towels and other bulky items for $7 each at Walmart. And I reused a few baskets and containers from around the house. I think the grand total came in at about $140. Very reasonable.
Now, it is not magazine-worthy. We LIVE there, after all. I have an old ugly crockpot that still makes a mean chili and other bulky things that are not white and wonderful and that are in bulky boxes that I need to keep. But, much improved! And I feel a million times better every time I walk into that room (and why is that about a hundred times per day?? Maybe linked to my I-don't-want-to-share-my-weight issue??? LOL!).
Now I am on a roll, people! I vow that I will slowly conquer the rest of the closets and crannies. My husband wonders what the heck came over me, and my kids, honestly, are a bit scared of their mama. But no matter. I am on a mission!
What have you been organizing lately?
1. how much I weigh, and
2. the disorganized state of my pantry.
What can I say? I am far from a neat freak. But even a laid back person has their limits. And although I had a million other things to do this past week, I decided I had HAD ENOUGH of my disorganized pantry and it was time to do some organizing.
Now I must start by saying, our pantry is HUGE. When we bought and renovated our home 4 years ago, it was actually a large laundry room. We moved a wall over to make the kitchen bigger, and converted the space into a walk-in pantry. Sure, we installed some built-in shelves. The thing is...being so big, we would dump all of our crap in there. "Lots of room!" But, we never had a system of where things would BELONG. Things went in and never found their way out again. In the last months, I would cram something on a shelf and then run for my life, fearing it would all topple down on top of me!
So, I started looking up pantry organization on Pinterest, and found a great blog post about a pantry makeover using bins from Dollarama, the most awesome dollar store we have in Canada. Because, bins and baskets are EXPENSIVE, and with the size of our pantry I knew I would need a ton. So, off I went to Dollarama, and then to Staples to get me some Martha Stewart home office labels. And here is the result!
Let's ease you in. First off: my little tea cabinet. This is where I start my day, making myself a cup of tea. Should be relaxing, right?
I did something similar for the coffee maker/toaster area (didn't do a before pic, but trust me, it was nasty):
Next up: the pantry. Don't judge me.
Ahhhhh.
Each of the bins you see were only $1.50 or $2 a piece, and the glass jars with the stainless steel lids ranged from $1-$2, depending on size. The Martha Stewart labels were $3 for 18, and I got two of her magazine holders for my recipe magazines, for $10 each. I bought a couple large blue bins for paper towels and other bulky items for $7 each at Walmart. And I reused a few baskets and containers from around the house. I think the grand total came in at about $140. Very reasonable.
Now, it is not magazine-worthy. We LIVE there, after all. I have an old ugly crockpot that still makes a mean chili and other bulky things that are not white and wonderful and that are in bulky boxes that I need to keep. But, much improved! And I feel a million times better every time I walk into that room (and why is that about a hundred times per day?? Maybe linked to my I-don't-want-to-share-my-weight issue??? LOL!).
Now I am on a roll, people! I vow that I will slowly conquer the rest of the closets and crannies. My husband wonders what the heck came over me, and my kids, honestly, are a bit scared of their mama. But no matter. I am on a mission!
What have you been organizing lately?
Thursday, April 26, 2012
My favorite little cowgirl
I can't believe my baby is FIVE. Gulp.
Emotional motherhood moments aside, Last But Not Least had a wonderful birthday. Started off the festivity with a party of friends and family out at Bird's Hill Park Ranch.
Despite threats of cold and rain (my mind went STRAIGHT to kids jumping in puddles of water and manure...shudder), the Weather Gods were on our side and delivered some beautiful sunshine and pleasant temperatures.
I had lots of fun putting together the details for this party. As the kids arrived, LBNL had them sign a stuffed horse as her little "guest book." She was cute as a button waiting on the edge of her seat for each friend to arrive.
Next, they were each given a cowboy/girl hat and a bandana- yeehaw! Then it was time to make some horse-themed crafts.
Of course it isn't a party without food, cupcakes in particular. I cranked out about 100 of these last weekend to divide between the party and class. Just call me Betty Crocker ;)
Next it was time for our little cowpokes to do some pony riding! The kids loved taking turns on the Shetland ponies, in between visiting the animal farm area with geese, hens, roosters, sheep, and a 1 week old pony and its mother!
I love a theme party and am a sucker for coordinated invitations, crafts, tableware and loot bags. The great thing about this party is that it came together stress free. It looked impressive but really, it was easy. First off, I ordered a pdf for my invitations, loot bag tags, cupcake toppers and thank you cards on etsy here. Loved them! Next, I got my plates, napkins, cowboy hats and all the loot bag goodies at Oriental Trading Company. Do you know them? They have tons of inexpensive items in pretty much every theme! So, basically, just had to do some printing and open a box, and we were ready to party! (I have no affiliation with either of these places, I just like their stuff).
On LBNL's ACTUAL birthday, we cut school and work and had a special mother-daughter date. It was fantastic! I took her to have her cute little toes and fingers painted. She loved it!
After a bite of lunch, we finished the day off with some clothes shopping (she did a full-strut fashion show for all the employees at Gap), and of course, more cupcakes!
Happy birthday, LBNL. You will always be my baby :)
Emotional motherhood moments aside, Last But Not Least had a wonderful birthday. Started off the festivity with a party of friends and family out at Bird's Hill Park Ranch.
Despite threats of cold and rain (my mind went STRAIGHT to kids jumping in puddles of water and manure...shudder), the Weather Gods were on our side and delivered some beautiful sunshine and pleasant temperatures.
I had lots of fun putting together the details for this party. As the kids arrived, LBNL had them sign a stuffed horse as her little "guest book." She was cute as a button waiting on the edge of her seat for each friend to arrive.
Next, they were each given a cowboy/girl hat and a bandana- yeehaw! Then it was time to make some horse-themed crafts.
Of course it isn't a party without food, cupcakes in particular. I cranked out about 100 of these last weekend to divide between the party and class. Just call me Betty Crocker ;)
Next it was time for our little cowpokes to do some pony riding! The kids loved taking turns on the Shetland ponies, in between visiting the animal farm area with geese, hens, roosters, sheep, and a 1 week old pony and its mother!
I love a theme party and am a sucker for coordinated invitations, crafts, tableware and loot bags. The great thing about this party is that it came together stress free. It looked impressive but really, it was easy. First off, I ordered a pdf for my invitations, loot bag tags, cupcake toppers and thank you cards on etsy here. Loved them! Next, I got my plates, napkins, cowboy hats and all the loot bag goodies at Oriental Trading Company. Do you know them? They have tons of inexpensive items in pretty much every theme! So, basically, just had to do some printing and open a box, and we were ready to party! (I have no affiliation with either of these places, I just like their stuff).
On LBNL's ACTUAL birthday, we cut school and work and had a special mother-daughter date. It was fantastic! I took her to have her cute little toes and fingers painted. She loved it!
After a bite of lunch, we finished the day off with some clothes shopping (she did a full-strut fashion show for all the employees at Gap), and of course, more cupcakes!
Happy birthday, LBNL. You will always be my baby :)
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