Oliver Wins His First Giveaway!

It's true!...... Well, kind of......

 

Debby had a generous fabric giveaway on February 22nd, Washington's birthday, featuring some great George Washington fabric.  We were just asked to leave a comment telling her what we would make with the fabric, etc.  Well, Oliver's birthday is also February 22nd and because of this, his middle name is Washington.  I told Debby this, and we were picked to get a piece of this GW fabric.  I'm planning to make a small wall hanging with GW in the center and add some kind of border.  We'll see.

 

 

 

I have to give Oliver the credit for this giveaway since it was his birthday that made him a winner!  Thanks Ollie, and of course, thanks to Debby!

More BOMs were finished today.  I love the fabrics in this first block ... they are so warm, happy, and spring-like!

 

 

 

   Same block.... different fabric.

 

  Another block.....

Different fabric.

And here's a generous giveaway that I won last week from Carol at Just Let Me Quilt!  I won a gift certificate from Quilt Taffy and this is what I bought..... a yard of Ghastlie Christmas fabric and a charm pack.  I was a happy camper to have won this.  If you haven't ordered from Quilt Taffy before, give them a visit.  I ordered this fabric on Friday and it arrived on Monday.  Can't get much faster than that!  Many  heartfelt thanks to Carol and Quilt Taffy!

 

 

Well, back to the BOM sewing.  I still have 5 blocks to make in order to be ready for the next ones that will arrive in early March..... better plug in the iron and get sewing..... 

 

I was the lucky winner of these great fat quarters from Melissa at Happy Quilting and Fort Worth Fabrics!  Aren't they super!  Thanks so very much for your generosity!

 

 

Not much to post as I work on Christmas projects.  I'm not even making that many things but it's just taking me forever to get moving on them.  I'll be able to show photos after Christmas and they have reached their homes.

Hope you have a creative day!

Wicked Blog Hop Winner

It's time to pick a winner of my Wicked Blog Hop giveaway!  My trusty assistant Oliver was a bit too tired to pick the winner ....too many Halloween tricks last night, I suppose...... so I had to go to Random.org to make the pick. 

 

 

 

So.....ta da......here's the winner of the giveaway.... Michele T, who said:

Michele T has left a new comment on your post "Wicked Blog Hop":

Love your table runner!!! Oliver looks great in costume... I can remember trying to dress my cat in doll clothes when I was little... She never liked it... I guess cats these days have evolved!! Lol

Michele--I've sent you an email requesting your snail mail address.  Once I get this, I'll get your goodies off in the mail.

Thanks to everyone that visited my blog and left such sweet comments!  It's always such a joy to hear from other bloggers and visitors and know that they have enjoyed whatever was posted. 

Hope you all had a safe and Happy Halloween!

Wicked Blog Hop

 

 

 

Welcome to my haunted house! 

Please enter if you dare!

 

Don't you just love Halloween and all of the wacky characters that surface on October 31st?!  I'm such a fan of rats, bats, cats, spiders and other creatures that go bump in the night.

 

I wasn't sure what I was going to make until I saw a magazine that had pictured a cake decorated with a Ouija board design on the top.  Perfect theme for the Wicked blog hop!  I searched for some free Ouija board clip art and printed it on fabric.  I knew that it was going to be a runner and started with the Ouija board fabric and built my runner around the three boards, designing as I went along.

 

Here's the finished runner.  It's pretty big.... 55" x 17" and covers the full length of my table with a little hangover on each end.  I had to stand on a lawn chair to get the full width in the shot.

 

 

 

My table is ready for visitors.  The candles are lit and the goblins are welcome!

 

 

 

 

And with the lights off, it's even kind of cozy.....

 

 

 

Here's a close up of the Ouija board fabric.  This is the same Ouija board that you can still buy in the game departments today and it's the one I had growing up.... I loved using them at sleep overs, even though we didn't believe that the cursor was moving by any other method than our own giggly guidance.

 

 

 

 

 

I used the  Magic binding technique again on this runner.  I cannot tell you how much I love this technique and how quickly I can finish binding a quilt or project. I love the look of the flanged edge and the fact that there is NO hand sewing.  Here's the top side of the finished runner.....

 

 

 

 

Here's the backside of the runner showing the extra line of stitching that this binding technique makes.  I have no objection to having that extra line next to the binding. 

 

 

 

I also like to decorate Sewphie for different holidays.  I use cling on's that are removable and don't leave a mark or residue. 

 

You know I had to put a picture of Oliver in this post somewhere.  ;)  Here he is modeling his new costume..... a hamburger.  He's not thrilled because it isn't a scary costume.... I mean, who's afraid of a hamburger!? 

 

 

I put him on the table to explore the new runner and the little cemetery.  Not being used to having an extra 4" of girth, he quickly annihilated the cemetery, knocking most of it over as he made his way through the skulls and goodies, sniffing and checking things out.  I think he liked this because he was now kind of scary as a GODZILLA Hamburger, destroying order and causing mayhem!

 

 

Still with me?...... Here's another giveaway for you.  I picked up  a few Halloween items at Target ...two can cozy's and some coasters..... and also have three pieces of fabric.... the fabric that I used in my table runner.  The pieces are a little bigger than FQ's.  Just leave a comment and you will be entered for a random draw on November 1st.

I hope you have enjoyed your visit and will return soon.  Now it's time for you to visit the other wicked blogs and see what they have conjured  up for you! Here's the gruesome lineup for today;

Grandmama's Stories

Gracie Oliver Arts (you are here...BOO!)

Quilts by Christa

Michelle's Romantic Tangle

Ravelly’s

Pink's Sweet Treats

How Art You?

Georgia-Girl Quilter

I Piece 2-Mary

Words & Stitches

            The Distracted Domestic

 

And where would my manners be if I didn't extend my thank you to Madame Samm, head blogger organizer extraordinaire, and Wendy, our wicked hostess for this hop!   Thank you both for the time and effort that goes into making a successful blog hop!! May your lives be overflowing with treats!

 

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

 

Just wanted to show off the great batik fabric rolls that I won in the Twist to the 60's Blog Hop from Debby.  She cut these from her own collection and I'm telling you that each one is just beautiful!  Thank you so much, Debby...they're gorgeous!

 

 

And I have an update on the Mennonite Hunger Relief Quilt Auction.  It was held on September 28 and this was my donation.  I've already blogged about it, but if you are a new visitor, it's just 16" x 16" and has 200 pieces in the top.  I called it "200 Pieces".....OK....not very original.  I don't know if the title had any influence on the bidding, but it brought $200!  I hope that $200 will bless a lot of people with nutritious food!

 

Winner of Stitch Me Up givaway!

WINNER!

GwenMarch 20, 2013 at 7:27 AM What lovely memories of your mom! And your little mini turned out lovely too!

Gwen has won my little Stitch Me Up blog hop giveaway!  I've sent an email for your address, Gwen, and will send out your package ASAP!

Thanks to everyone who entered and left such nice comments!  It was such a joy to read each and every one of them!

Oh boy..... Look what the postman brought yesterday!  It's the fabric that I won in the Nancy Drew blog hop last week.  Carol had a mystery giveaway and after my name was drawn, I got to see what I won...... this fun Domestic Diva fabric manufactured by Riley Blake designs!  There's a charm pack and three other cuts of fabric.  The vintage look is just too cute!

 

 

 

 

Many  heartfelf thanks to Carol for having such a generous giveaway..... and to Jane, who offered the fabrics in her Etsy shop for Carol to shop and choose from. 

 

Bloggers are some of the most lovely and generous people around and I hope you will get involved in Blogland so that you can get to know some of these wonderful ladies (and men)! 

Stitch Me Up Blog Hop

 

 

 

 

 

Time for the Stitch Me Up blog hop! 

 

For this fun hop, we were generously given several embroidery patterns and were asked to use one (or more) of them in our project.  Our project could be whatever we wanted as long as we included one of the patterns.

 

I chose a pattern designed by our own Madame Samm, as it spoke to my heart as soon as I laid eyes on it.  Somehow, without knowing, she had captured the essence of my Mom and her evening, after dinner coffee routine.  I'm calling this little hanging, "6 PM Coffee." 

 

The 6 AM coffee time was a much different scene..... Mom would be disheveled and groggy until that first cup of coffee entered her system.  It was always a rushed time of day .... getting my Dad off to work and me and my Brother off to school.  The evening coffee was a different story, a different atmosphere.  She and my Dad would sit and relax after dinner, discussing the day's happenings.  Mom would be "put together" by this time, hair fixed, make up on, and dressed properly. She was usually still wearing a half apron that was worn while fixing dinner. 

 

This little hanging is yet another mini quilt for my table stand.  I really love to change these out, depending on my mood and the season or occasion.  The fabrics that I used were gifts from Christmas and I thought they had a vintage look about them, perfect for the mood and era I was trying to recreate.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

And here's a picture of my Mom in the kitchen....my inspiration for this blog hop.  The embroidery pattern even shows the counter on the same side as our own kitchen.  The back of the picture says "May 1963."  You can see the coffee pot on the stove, always ready.  There was also a large percolator that was brought out for company, holidays and special occasions.  Wouldn't my Mom love the new coffee makers and the K-cup machines..... it's made making coffee so convenient, quick, and easy.  My Mom passed away when I was only 19 and there will always be a hole in my heart from her absence.  I am, however, bursting with fond memories of my Mom and this little quilt is dedicated with love in her honor.  

 

 

 

 

I have to thank Madame Samm for organizing this blog hop and for providing the pattern that I used, and thanks to Jane, for being our wonderful hostess and cheerleader for this blog.  It takes a village to successfully put on one of these blog hops!

 

Here are the other blogs that are going to show you

their wonderful embroidery creations today. 

Please stop by each one to be awed and inspired!
And if you are still with me, and I hope you are, there's a little giveaway after the list of participating bloggers.  It's open to all (as long as you are not a no reply blogger)..... Just leave a comment.  Thanks!

 

WEDNESDAY March 20th

Karen@That Other Blog

Susan @That Other Blog

Sowing Stitches

Life in the Scrapatch

Pig Tales and Quilts

Meadowbrook

Marla's Crafts

Gracie Oliver Arts (that's me!)

Humble Quilter

Cherry Blossom Quilting Studio

New Girl News

Sunshine Quilting

Patchouli Moon Studio

Lovin' Life at the End of the Dirt Road

Selina Quilts 

I've got a couple packages of iron on embroidery patterns to offer as a giveaway.  One is cooking themed, one is sewing themed.  Just leave a comment to be included and a way to contact you.  I'll leave the giveaway open until the blog hop is finished (midnight March 29th) and will randomly choose the winner on March 30th.  Good luck!

 

  

Thanks for visiting today!  Please come back soon!

Thanks so much to Pat for sending this cute FQ to me.  I had left a comment on her blog, Life in the Scrapatch, and my number was drawn for her giveaway.

 

 

Please take the time to visit your favorite blogs and leave comments so that the bloggers know who is lurking out there in blogland.  And you never know, you might be lucky enough to win a great giveaway!

 

Thanks, Pat!

(Photo courtesy of Madame Samm )

 

Although I don't have the goodies pictured above yet, they are on their way to my grubby little hands.  Thanks to Madame Samm's giveaway and Pellon's sponsorship, I will have all of these Pellon products shipped to my home very soon.  Thanks so much!

 

First up, a new blog hop starts tomorrow......WICKED!!  Click on the haunted house to get the full schedule and links to the bloggers.  Although Halloween is my favorite holiday and I adore the fabrics and theme, I'm not participating because I'm just "overbooked" right now.  But be sure that I'll be visiting each and every blog during this hop.  It will be wonderful to see all of the Wicked creations!

 

 

 

Next is October's Fat Quarter Shop Mystery BOM.  I finished it up last night and love the pattern and the fabric, as usual.  I'll try and make my second block out of the extra fabric soon. 

 

 

 

 

 

And lastly, here's a great reason, in addition to all of the inspiration you will receive, to visit all of these blog hops.  Many offer very generous giveaways.  I won this wonderful fabric panel during the Fall Leafs Me Happy blog hop.  Linda from Buzzing & Bumbling sent this to me after I visited her blog and simply left a comment..... a random draw grabbed my name.  I just love this panel!  Thanks, Linda!

 

 

 

 

See you all tomorrow on the first day of the Wicked blog hop!

Leafs Me Happy Winner!

Due to the overwhelming amount of comments (over 130) and my tired, old laptop whose memory closely resembles my own, I had to handle the giveaway drawing the old fashioned way........ writing all the names on strips of paper and placing them in the bottom of a bowl.

 

 

 

 

And the winner is........Susan, who said "Your blocks are so lovely!  Thanks for sharing them.  I really like the pumpkins and the single pumpkin.  I look forward to seeing more of your creativity".  I'll be sending off an email to get your full name and address and will then get your goodies in the mail.  Thank you so much for visiting my blog and congratulations!

 

And to everyone that took the time to visit my blog during the Leafs Me Happy blog hop and leave such nice comments..... Thank you!  I enjoyed reading each and every comment.  I'm sorry that many of you, toward the end of my laptop's memory, did not hear from me.

I'll be participating in the UR Priceless blog hop in November and I hope you will all come back and check out my coin purses and all of the other participants, as well.  It's going to be a HUGE hop with lots of bloggers participating.  I'll post more about it soon with a link to the full schedule.  

Thanks again and Happy Fall!

Just a quick post to tell you that my comments section is going nuts.  I'm not able to see my replies on recent posts, but the comment counter is showing an increase after each reply.   I don't know if you are seeing my reply or not....sorry, but please know that I am receiving, reading, and replying to each and every comment.

Don't worry, though, I have everyone's contact info for the drawing.  So whether or not you hear from me, I have your information and you will be included in the giveaway.

I may go through and delete my own replies to see if that clears up the problem.  Geeze..... comment overload, I guess, on my poor little lap top.

Happy Leafs me Happy Hopping!

Another giveaway....... another win!  I was actually doubly lucky on this one, as the person that won this pin cushion did not claim it and I won the second time it was offered.  I guess it was meant to be mine!

This is one pin cushion, showing the front and back side.  I won this from Carol, who makes the most wonderful, bright, quirky kinds of quilts and other items.  Check out her blog to see some of her creative works.

The pin cushion is machine and hand embellished to make it pop.  Lots of french knots surround the flower.  It also has a tiny, piped edge to finish it off so neatly.  Carol stuffed it with walnut shells, which makes it feel very substantial and is supposed to be good for your needles.  (However, I think I'm going to have a hard time sticking it with pins...... it's just so cute!)

Thank you, Carol, for this wonderful little work of art!  I love it and my pins will too!

It's been awhile since I've won any give-a-way goodies and today's mail contained a jackpot!

I entered a give-a-way on Amy Bradley Designs web site (specifically on her blog) and look what I won.  A T-shirt, a quilter notepad, quilters note cards, and a Quilt Diva Pin!  Amy Bradley is one of my favorite designers.......I feel like the things she designs are things that are running around in my brain but I'm not talented enough to express them and get them out of my head.  Check out her web site for her fabrics, patterns, and goodies.  She has the best sense of humor and her designs reflect her quirkiness!

Thank you so much for a wonderful array of fun quilting goodies!  I love them all!

It's been ages since I've done any craft posting.  Sorry about that.  Life has just been getting in the way and my time for creating has been slim to none. 

So today, I have a little show and tell.  I was lucky enough to win a give-a-way in October during a blog hop that featured the"Ghastlie" fabric line by Alexander Henry. 

Here's a picture of my prize when it arrived.....all dressed up and ready to be opened!

Here is my wonderful gift.  An apron made from Ghastlie fabric, sent to me from Katherine.  I had entered on her blog and was the lucky winner.  This picture does not do it justice.  It's just beautifully made....her construction is perfect......and she really made the Ghastlie fabric stand out.  I told her it was too pretty to use for messy cooking, but would be perfect to wear while handing out candy to the little gremlins in the neighborhood.  Thank you soooooooo much, Katherine!

  

Now, here's the bad part.  I'm in love with this fabric collection.  All of the projects that were highlighted in the Ghastlie blog hop were so creative.  I just had to have some of this fabric too!  I don't have specific plans, so for now, I'm just fondling the fabric and thinking of all of the great things that I could make using this quirky fabric. 

Thank you again, Katherine!

Click on this link to see an amazing line up of Ghastlie creations!

Mail call!  Look what I won!  Calamity Jane's had a random give-a-way and I was one of the lucky winners!  I won this great fat quarter selection, plus the two patterns in the picture below. 

Thank you so much, Bonnie!  I love them all!



Yesterday started off pretty sadly with frozen main water lines in my neighborhood after the bitter cold day. We are so spoiled and expect to go to the faucet for a drink or to wash dishes and when nothing happens, it's no fun at all. After several hours of this, the postman knocked on my door with a package. In a heartbeat, my day improved dramatically!

It was an early Valentine's Day for me. I was fortunate to have won a drawing earlier in the week for a wonderful felted mouse created by Robin Andreae. Her blog is listed on my sidebar, "Needle Felted Art", and her creations are spectacular. There were 209 entered to win this latest creation, and my name was drawn!

Presentation is everything, right? I'm not showing pictures of it all, but the box contained a photo Certificate of Authenticity, and the the whole box was tied up with ribbon and roses in pink bubble wrap. Under the bubble wrap was this Valentine box.



Inside was "Lucky and His Cheese". I think I'm the lucky one! Lucky is a pretty large mouse and quite handsome. He was also very cooperative as we began our photo shoot. I took lots of pictures and he stood tall for all of them.



I thought that he must have been pretty tired from his cross country trip, but look what I found in the cabinet a few hours later! I can see that I'm going to have to keep a tight watch on him. I guess he wanted to sample the almonds and sunflower seeds, along with his cheese. Who can blame him after being cooped up for days in his little Valentine box?!



As a thank you to Robin for her generous give-a-way, I'm sending her a lampwork bracelet that I made. I attached the paw and heart charm, as she is an avid animal lover. I haven't done any torch work in awhile, as my garage studio is cold and snowed in, but I had already made these beads and they needed a worthy home. I hope she likes it!

Oh, and my water was restored after about 20 hours. The street is a dirty mess, the ice is thick from the water spills, the snow is piled high.....but.....I have water!

Now, I have to face another round with the shovel. More and more snow keeps falling and I simply can't keep up with it. I have always loved the snow, but I'm just so weary after so much. OK, it's pretty and bright, but does it have to be so deep? Enough, already!!!