I joined a mug rug swap recently and finished them today. I mentioned that I had joined this swap in an earlier post, but didn't give any details since the swap was closed. Oh, there were 330 swappers from 25 countries.....that's one HUGE swap!

The swap instructions were to make two 6" x 10" mug rugs for a secret swap. In a secret swap, I send these to ???? and I will receive two mug rugs from someone other than ????.

I made two coordinating mug rugs to match ????'s kitchen colors.

Here's a shot with a mug in place. These are large enough for a mug of coffee or tea, joined by a cookie or snack. They are washable, of course.

Another "action" shot. I used Insul-Bright for the batting, so these would also work well as trivets.

I enclosed a little goodie in the package too, a Simplicity mug cozy pattern. I bought a pattern for myself too, thinking these would be great for storing small items.

And finally, I made a third one for myself (or maybe it will become a gift). It ended up being a tiny bit smaller than 6" x 10 ", so I decided not to send it along. I paper pieced this one, as the tree blocks are only 4" square.

These were fun, quick projects that didn't overwhelm me to meet the deadline. I'm planning on making several more for myself and for gifts. They are a great way to use up your fabric stash.

OK, now on to real life, where I am nursing a leaking roof in my den. My gutters are so full of ice and snow that as they melt, the water seeps under the shingles. It has been cold enough over the past 3 days, that the dripping has stopped, but we are expecting very warm temperatures over the next several days. I have the furniture covered with tarps and pray that there will be minimal damage. Thankfully, there is a ceiling fan in the middle of the room and that is where the water is dripping from. If it weren't for this place to release the water, I'm sure my ceiling would have collapsed! Hopefully, a few more days of monitoring the water will end this latest winter saga!

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!!!

I received notice yesterday that my most recent Kiva loan has been repaid in full. There is a link on my sidebar to Kiva's web site, where you too, can loan money to a deserving individual or group to help them better themselves, their families, and their communities.

Tonight, I helped fund a loan for a woman from Kenya that needed extra help to buy carrots and potatoes to sell at market.

This is my sixth loan and it has only cost me $25 for all six loans because you re-loan the same money, over and over, after the loan is repaid. The system is wonderful and I highly recommend it.

Click on the link and see if there is someone that you would like to help!

I just finished another batch of little log cabins. 27 in this batch, the same as the others, for a total of 81-4" blocks. I still don't have a specific design, although I have several ideas circulating in my brain. Right now, I'm a little tired of making log cabins and could stop at this point and make a small table cover. We'll see.......

Meanwhile, I've joined another swap which I will tell you about when I post my finished projects. Don't worry, the swap is closed, so I'm not deliberately leaving you out. Now that the Christmas holidays are over, I felt like I could commit to a small swap, one that wouldn't take too much time. I've got my design and my fabrics picked out from my stash, so it's time to begin!

I needed a little shopping therapy yesterday and took advantage of the coupons that I had received a few months ago for entering a challenge at a local quilt shop. I had been hanging on to the coupons, keeping them as something to look forward to on a dreary day. I picked up the jelly roll at half price and the yardage of batik fabric was free. The charm packs came from an online store, at 40% off, so they were a great buy. It was fun to shop, knowing that the bill would be minimal. Yippee!

And now, for the

BLUE LIGHT SPECIAL!

Can you guess what this is??..... Give up?.....


Last night, I was having trouble sleeping so I went out to the kitchen for a glass of milk. The blue light from my coffee maker is bright enough that I don't turn on a light when I go on a midnight raid. With my head tipped back as I finished the last sip of milk, I saw the blue glow from the coffee maker through the bottom of the empty glass. I wondered if I could capture this glow with my camera in the darkness. It worked!

This view is the exact same picture with a flash. Still in complete darkness, but with the added flash. Interesting, huh? You just never know where and when you'll find good subject matter. Keep your eyes open for photo ops!

And if the last free Block of the Month series didn't appeal to you.....here's another! Be sure to read the story behind the squirrel (under "general instructions"). Enjoy!

Here's a link to a new (free!) Block of the Month series. It combines a super simple block with some hand embroidery for darling results! It just started.....so click on the Birdie and jump in!

My name is Jeanie and I am a fabriholic. And I have the most wonderful enabling friends that help to keep this obsession strong and ongoing. (You know who you are!)

Here's my latest project material, all possible because of the above enablers! This will be my first batik quilt. I've always loved the fabrics and have even done my own batiking back in the 60's and 70's. Still, beyond a small project and even some clothing, I simply haven't attacked a full sized quilt using all batik fabrics.

The jelly roll fabrics will be made into a pinwheel type pattern.....the beige will be the background of those pinwheels, as well as the first border...... the next bold fabric will be the bigger border.......the next milder fabric will be the binding....and the last fabric will be my backing.




It was hard to choose the fabrics because the variety is so extensive. I just love the bright colors and the unique shading of each one. Hopefully, it will turn out the way it looks in my mind's eye.

Here's another shot of some new fabrics....again from one of my enablers. Don't know what this will be used for, but I love the bright kitty fabrics. More goodies for my never ending stash!

Hope that you all have a safe New Year's Eve. May God bless you with a new year full of delightful surprises and friends that warm your heart!

HAVE A HAPPY, HEALTHY,

BLESSED 2011!

My pictures are uploaded backwards.....in the wrong order, that is.

This is the baby quilt that was in an earlier post. It is all finished and I put it in the mail today. I had hoped for a sunny day to get some good pictures, but that didn't happen. We did have some sunny days, but I wasn't around at the right time to get the quilt spread out for shots.

This is the back side, an all over animal print that matches the animals on the front.



This is the front side of the quilt in the large animal area. The quilting pattern in this area is kind of a wavy grass blades pattern.



Here's one of the gold corners with a loopy quilting pattern. (Sorry about the blue thread.....these close up shots are not very forgiving!)

The stripes along the sides each have a different quilting pattern. I thought that it looked really cute to use a different pattern in each section.

Here's a corner shot with a little mix of everything.



And lastly, an overall shot of the whole quilt. As usual, I couldn't get far enough away to get the whole quilt in the picture, plus, it was a gloomy day.

I'm happy to announce that Patti's grand niece was born on December 19th and everything went well for Mama and Baby Molly. I hope Molly will have many snugly naps under her new quilt!

Peace I leave with you, My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.

John 14:27

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL!

Here's another picture-loaded post. I took several pictures of this quilt because none of them were turning out very well. This quilt was a Christmas gift for Patti and I bound it and mailed it on the same day, which happened to be a cloudy day, and my only day to take pictures due to the time crunch. Oh well.....

Here's an overall shot, nice and dark. You can't see the much of the quilting, but it was done by Lisa Olinger, a long arm quilter, and she did a fabulous job. Later on, there are a few shots that actually show the detail of her quilting.

Finally, here's a picture that shows some of the quilting in better detail. It was a "simple" meander of wondering roses. There's nothing simple about it, if you ask me, as my quilting skills are just not this precise.

More of the meandering rose quilting.

This is the backside flipped over. I didn't have enough fabric left over from the front to even piece the backing. I found this neutral thistle pattern and thought it matched the colored thistle print on the front pretty well. Plus, it gives you the option to turn it over and use this side too for a totally different look.

This quilt was a labor of love and I enjoyed piecing it throughout the year, all along thinking it would be a great quilt to make and give to Patti. I hope she gets many years of enjoyment out of it and will think of me when she wraps herself up in it!

Today, I have another quilt that needs to be bound and mailed out but I'll try and get some pictures taken on a sunny day before heading to the mailbox.

Hope your day is a good one and that you are getting all of your Christmas projects completed too!

Ahhh.....Winter...... my favorite season......

....chestnuts roasting on an open fire....

But wait....... I don't have any chestnuts to roast....... and I don't have a roaring fire in the fireplace........ and I don't even have a fireplace..... but I do have this;

A $2 DVD that crackles and plays accompanying Christmas music! It may not be quite the same, but I can almost feel the warmth!

Merry Christmas! Make the best of what you have

and you will be blessed!

Warning! Picture heavy and may cause drooling!

Patti and I went to the Festival of Gingerbread and here are just a few of the creations. (I wish I had smell-0-vision on this blog to add to the drool factor!) Enjoy!

My Sister-in-law, Patti, is awaiting the birth of her second grand niece, sometime in December. While she was visiting for Thanksgiving, we worked on a quilt for the baby-to-be. It was a super simple pattern with a big center focal panel. Sorry about the picture....I couldn't get far enough away to show it squarely. It needs to be quilted next, then I'll post the finished quilt.



Here's a close up of some of the critters on the fabric. Aren't they cute?!

I hope that you all had a Happy Thanksgiving. I had a nice Thanksgiving with a visit from my Sister-in-law, Patti, and for that, I am very thankful.

Along with the blessings of Thanksgiving, was Kevin's funeral and deep sadness. I have to tell you that Kevin was given the send off that he deserved, that of a true American hero! The procession from the funeral home to the cemetery was fairly long, maybe 30 to 40 minutes, and every few hundred yards or so, was a display of some kind of tribute to Kevin. The day was very cold and windy...... a blustery, although sunny, day. The streets were lined with police, firemen, firetrucks, Veterans, Patriot Guards, and patriotic citizens that just wanted to show their support of a fallen soldier. I've never seen so many American flags! They were even hanging from huge cranes in a couple of spots. The people along the road stood at attention in respectful salutes or with hands over their hearts, all holding American flags. Even more than the funeral itself, this public display of patriotism, love, and support was heart wrenching and inspiring. These people did not even know Kevin, they just wanted to thank him for his dedication and sacrifice for his (their) country.

And, publicly, I would like to thank them for standing out in the freezing weather to send a fallen hero home to his final resting place in the style he deserved.....to his eternal home with God. Thank you!

Rest in peace, Kevin. You will be missed, but never forgotten!

I had no idea that my last post, "Freedom Isn't Free", would directly come into my life this week. Kevin is at peace with his Heavenly Father, safe and sound, but his loved ones must follow Kevin's example and be brave and strong as the journey of grief begins. God Bless you, Kevin, and thank you for your sacrifice to make the world a better place! You will be missed!

Where can you buy a quilted purse for concealed weapons?.......why at the Houston International Quilt Festival, of course! I just had to laugh when I saw this on a blog. Texans......gotta love em'!

A little inspiration to jump start your creative muse.

(1620 individuals each made a frame!)