GRACIE OLIVER ARTS

Saturday, March 16, 2013

SADLY, the Nancy Drew blog hop has ended......... HAPPILY, the Stitch Me Up blog hop is starting on Wednesday! Here's the line up of the hop participants. My day is Wednesday, the 20th. I've got to get hopping because my project isn't finished yet......Yikes! Please come back and visit me on Wednesday and then continue visiting everyone through the 29th. You'll be HAPPY that you stopped to see everyone's creations because you will be overwhelmed with inspiration!

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

THURSDAY March 21st

Janice@ That Other Blog

Angela@ That Other Blog

piece peace

Stitchin’ By The Lake

The Distracted Domestic

Sheila's Quilt World

UK City Crafter

FRIDAY March 22nd

Keri@That Other Blog

Heather@That Other Blog

MONDAY MARCH 25th

Beverly @That Other Blog

Betty@That Other Blog

Stitches to Sprinkles

Stitch Duchess' Crazy and Sane Quilting World

Bejeweled Quilts by Barb

Little Pieces of My Life

Creating My Comforts

TUESDAY MARCH 26th

Isabel @That Other Blog

Jeanette @That Other Blog

Just Let Me Quilt

MacDonald’s Patch

Pots Pans Pins and Prayers

GrandMama's Stories

Stitch, Stitch, Stitch

Needled d

Tomorrow's Treasures Today

Hanging On By A Thread

Fresh Cut Quilts

WEDNESDAY MARCH 27TH

Judy @That Other Blog

lauraluvsloons and Quilting too

Sew Sharyn

Sewingly Along

Anita's quilts en handwerken

Quilt Doodle Doodles

Val's Simple Passions

Luv2Sew

Busy As Can Be

Paws for Stitching

Quilting & Other Craft Therapy

pieceful life

Live Love Labs

Felt pa Asly

Scrapbook-ChickADoodle

THURSDAY MARCH 28th

Kristin @That Other Blog

Robin @That Other Blog

Jane's Fabric and Quilts

Dexterdays The WorldThrough Our Window

Sew Nicely

thistle creek cottage

My Art, My So Called Life

Just Sew Sue

Co mne bavi...

life, quilts and a cat too

TeaTimeCreations

Read, quit, cook, pray

Cate's Linens

Shade Tree Quilting

Ladybug Dreams

FRIDAY MARCH 29th

Sharon @That Other Blog

Patricia @That Other Blog

Blessings From Our Nest

Liberty Threads

Caribou Crossing Chronicles of Quilts, the Weather and other Fun Stuff

Quilting, sewing Granny

Creatin' in the Sticks

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Get A Clue Blog Hop

Get a Clue! Get a clue and have fun with it!

Thanks go out to Carol, the host of this great Nancy Drew hop, and to Madame Samm, the Queen of Blog Hops!

Didn't we all just love the Nancy Drew mystery series? As usual, I wasn't going to join another blog hop quite so soon.... but who could resist the new Moda fabric line featuring our heroine, Nancy Drew!? Well, not me.

I enjoyed reading the Nancy Drew mysteries as a child, along with the Hardy Boys mysteries. Having an older brother meant there were Hardy Boys books readily available and a gal loves a mystery with a happy ending, whether the guys or the girl solves the mystery.

To refresh my memory of Nancy Drew, I picked up one of the ND books at the Goodwill store for $.25.... a great bargain. I also downloaded (uploaded?) a couple for my ereader from the library. It was such fun to read them again. I had forgotten how how different the language was..... how courteous and polite it was.... how formal it was..... and that Nancy Drew was very often seen in white gloves! Just another era that has sadly slipped away.

So here's my little hanging. As you can see, I didn't have a clue as to what to make. A question mark just kept coming to my mind and I decided to just use that as my focal point.

You can't see the quilting very well, but I just went around each book, making them stand out a bit, just like a real stack of books.

I have to apologize for making such a simple little project. After seeing the AMAZING projects done by the other bloggers, mine is quite humble. Time got away from me and I had to settle on one project. I have an untouched layer cake of Nancy Drew fabric that will become a quilt someday. I really love the entire fabric line and want to use all of the designs in one quilt.

Here's the line up of the bloggers joining me today on this hop. Give each one of them a visit and get even more clues! Thanks for hopping with me today!

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Gracie Oliver Arts (Me)

Life In Every Breath

Made By Me In Red

Agnes At That Other Blog

Words and Stitches

Rose Creations

Retired to Quilt

Leslie Tucker Jenison

Feathered Nest Studio

Sunday, March 10, 2013

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!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

It's time for the Nancy Drew Blog Hop! It starts tomorrow, March 6th, and runs through March 15th. The schedule is below...... my day is March 13th. (Please come back!)

Like all of the blog hops, this one will be full of inspiration for everyone and I can't wait to see the creations! Our only requirement was to use some fabric from the Moda "Get A Clue from Nancy Drew" fabric line. "Some" meaning that at least part of your project includes this fabric..... you can add other fabrics too, as long as "some" Get A Clue fabric was used.

For those of you that are not participating, there are giveaways for you too. If you comment on all of the blogs, you will be eligible for some wonderful giveaways, as well as individual giveaways on some of the participating blogs.

So have fun hopping, getting inspired, and maybe even winning a special gift!

THE SCHEDULE

Wednesday, March 6, 2013

Michelle’s Romantic Tangle

Life in the Scrapatch

Debby Kratovil Quilts

Selina Quilts

Meadowbrook

Hilltop House Creative Works

My Sister Made Me Do It

Whims and Fancies

Pieced Brain

Just Let Me Quilt

Thursday, March 7, 2013

Simple Sew

Sewing By Moonlight

Beaquilter

Pat Sloan’s Place

A Stitch In Time

Judith Handmade Treasures

Gingersnaps Fabrics and Quilts

Judy At That Other Blog

Fabric-ating

Melinda Quilts Etc

Friday, March 8, 2013

That’s Sew Julie

Scrapbook-ChickADoodle

Lily Patch Quilts

Cherry’s Prairie Primitives

The Thimble Room

The Treehouse

The German Mom

Stitch, Stitch, Stitch.
Quiltin’ Jenny

Monday, March 11, 2013

Dancing thru-threads

Traveling Quilter

Wish Upon A Star

Jane’s Quilting

More Stars in Comanche

Moose Stash Quilting

Quilt Doodle Designs

Cate’s Linens

Sew Incredibly Crazy

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

Marjorie’s Busy Corner

Kris Loves Fabric

The Slow Quilter

Accio Fabric!

Sew Many Yarns

Lixie Makes It

Betty at That Other Blog

Marcy M. at That Other Blog

Pigtales and Quilts

Wednesday, March 13, 2013

Gracie Oliver Arts

Life In Every Breath

Made By Me In Red

Agnes At That Other Blog

Words and Stitches

Rose Creations

Retired to Quilt

Leslie Tucker Jenison

Feathered Nest Studio

Thursday, March 14, 2013

Rose Prairie Quilts and Farm

Quilt ‘n Queen

Our Busy Little Bunch

Just Quilt It

Hilachas

Loves to Quilt

Sew. Darn. Quilt.

From This To That

LynMarie At That Other Blog

Friday, March 15, 2013

Little Mushroom Cap

Why-Knot-Kwilt

Daisy Days

Julia P. at That Other Blog

The Day Before This Day

Sew Far

Rainbows. Bunnies. Cupcakes.

Les passions de Cliodana

Sew We Quilt

Sunday, March 3, 2013

Just wanted to give you a heads up that the 2013 Designer Mystery Block of the Month program offered by The Fat Quarter Shop will be starting soon.

I'm a HUGE fan of this BOM series and I've blogged about it before. The block design is the "mystery" part of this BOM series. They tell you the fabric used in the series, so you will know if you will want to join in....no mystery there. The 2013 fabrics will be Avalon by Fig Tree for Moda.

The price is reasonable....$11.99 per month, which includes shipping....this is in the US. You receive the block pattern of the month along with the fabric required to make the block. And this is the best part.....they include extra fabric and I have always been able to make two blocks out of every kit. Now that's a bargain! (Don't you hate BOM's where you have to buy more fabric if you make an error in cutting..... and maybe just a tiny error.... where they have included only the minimum amount of fabric required to make the block.... grrrrr.....)

So.... click on the Fat Quarter Shop link.... go to the clubs and programs..... and sign up for this BOM. While you're there, I'm sure you'll find other BOM's that will interest you.

Now I need to get some 2012 BOM's finished. I think I'm three months behind right now!

Friday, February 22, 2013

HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLIVER!

Today is Oliver's 17th birthday.....or at least his "approximate" birthday. I adopted Oliver from the ASPCA 16 years ago and the vet estimated his age at 1 year at that time. Since his assumed birthday is February 22, also George Washington's birthday, Oliver's middle name is Washington...... Oliver Washington.

I had no intention of adopting a cat. I stopped at the pet shop to pick up dog food for my Labrador, Arielle (she passed away a few years after I adopted Oliver) where the ASPCA had set up an adoption area in the store for the day. Long story short, I fell in love, filled out the application and Oliver came home with me the next day.

He and Gracie have enriched my life in so many ways. All of you pet lovers understand that a pet in your life can be one of your greatest comforts. Gracie passed last July causing great grief for Oliver (and me) but he now seems to be doing well on his own.

I don't know how much longer I will have Oliver. He has two life threatening health issues that are somewhat under control as of this writing. I hope to have a few more years with him, but this is an unknown, making this birthday very special. The quality of his life is still very good but it could change in a heartbeat and I keep very close tabs on his health and behaviors.

So, today, I celebrate Oliver's loving personality, his unconditional love, and his tender charm. I thank God for creating animals that would become faithful, loving companions through life's ups and downs, giving everything of themselves, asking nothing in return.

Happy Birthday, my sweet Oliver!

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

It's All About Me Blog Hop

Welcome to Gracie Oliver Arts!

Here we are, the first day of the It's All About Me blog hop! We were generously provided a free pattern by Amy Bradley (one of my absolute favorite designers) to get our projects off to a great start. Thanks, Amy!

I also want to thank Marlene and Madame Samm for all of the organization that goes behind keeping us all on track and on time. These wonderful blog hops don't just happen..... they are orchestrated and planned from the get-go.

So here's my interpretation of me. I didn't change the pattern much at all. I gave myself a short hair cut, which actually does resemble me when I wake up in the morning (I call it my exotic chicken look!) .... dark brown hair with streaks of gray....... and added my favorite little fellow, Oliver.... and my Faith necklace.