The Good, the Bad, and the Beautiful

Note: If you have a minute today, pop on over to the Love Nest Quilt Contest and vote for your favorite bed sized quilt. There are some stunners! I have entered Big G's hockey quilt ;)

The Good:



My friend Suzy (you know, the one with the twins?) gave me this awesome tote for my bday. I love how it has OCD on it, but that it refers to my other OCD problem.......

The Bad:


Our roof is leaking. Again. We have had it fixed 3 times. Looks like we are going to have to rip off this beautiful cedar ceiling and the fun that brings to fix the problem. Ugh.....


The Beautiful:


Back in October, I won a giveaway from Craftiness is Not Optional from The Modern Marigold and opted for a gorgeous rainbow dress for my daughter. Well, Amanda basically found out she had to move 5 minutes later, and got really busy so it took a bit of time for her to get it to me. So she sent me a BONUS present...you know, for being slow with my FREE stuff???? Seriously! How sweet is she? She sent me a beautiful DIY vintage linen bunting set. I love it!!! Finally whipped it up. What a perfect way to brighten up a long winter! Aren't those vintage fabrics yummy?

And here is where it will live, in my craft room above where I sew. I'm not even going to pretend to clean it up for you...fabric piles, clutter- this is how I roll ;)

Want one, too? She has a couple listed in her shop here and here. Thanks again, Amanda!

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Congratulations, Kelli!

Some of you may know my Australian friend Kelli from Kelli's Pieces. Kelli was one of the very first "blogging friends" I made when I started blogging back in the spring. We hit it off right away...not only do we both love quilting, but also knitting, reading and vampires....can't be too many of us out there, can there? She throws out plenty of "mates" to match my "ehs", and we both have what can only be described as a bit of a twisted sense of humor :-) If we ever get to meet up in person, I am sure we could find some good trouble together in no time!

Anyways, Kelli is getting hitched, ummmm, pretty much right this very minute (!!!), so I got in cahoots with Amy to arrange to send her a wee surprise to celebrate. Here are her goodies:

First, a card of congratulations....I used to dabble in the scrapbooking/ card making thing as well, though not much lately! I was sure to add a little note to the back....
Second, a little embroidery hoop to mark the big day.
I made hearts out of some of my favorite scraps, including a sweet little snippet of Heather Ross from my ice cream Munki Munki of a cute couple in love. I hand stitched them to some linen and added some mismatched buttons. Then I ink-stamped the name and date in wonky, mismatched letters to add to the casual/scrappy feel. Just a cute little memento!

Was sure to give her an extra "eh" on the back.
And a package to a quilting friend would not be complete without some fabric love. It is a testament to how much I love Kelli that I sent along some pieces of my Munki Munki and some squares of some cute Japanese prints! I think she will like them...since she keeps telling me she is going to come over here to steal them and all. This will save her the criminal charge.
Anyways, Kelli, hope you have a wonderful wedding day, and that you and Paul enjoy many happy days to come. Congratulations!

Cottage curtains from vintage tablecloth

When we had our family vacation in Brainerd last month, we hung out at a resort and did almost no shopping. Unusual for me- I am not a big shopper, but am known for doing some damage at Target when I get to the US! When we crossed the border and said our total shopping totalled under $100, the border guard looked at me funny.....What did I buy? Well, there was the life sized Edward that you met modelling my scarf here (" A what???" he asked), a book of Paul Bunyan tales from 1938, and a vintage tablecloth. I had my eye out for one for awhile, after being inspired by this picture in a thrifty decorating magazine:(I am pleased to report my tablecloth only cost $18, not $24 as quoted in the article. Score!)

So, I took my scissors to it, and transformed it into kitchen curtains for the cottage as follows:

A little bit of color and vintage feel to liven up my tiny kitchen, and I love it. Simple, but lovely, I think!

My heart

This is my heart, walking outside my chest...Isn't he sweet? Doesn't that toothless smile get ya? Done Kindergarten...where has the time gone? Love you, Big G!

Another thing I *heart*- the Eclipse movie. Saw it opening night....I am in my happy place. Impermeable. Just happy. *Sigh* ;-)

Happy Canada Day, fellow Canucks! It's a good life, eh?

Sam's Skills

I need to introduce you to my other very special BFF, Samantha. She is a Crafty Goddess in my eyes, she has such a keen eye for detail and is always coming up with the most beautiful stuff! She is good at EVERYTHING- sewing, jewelry, stamping, graphics- and even has an online store for her printed paper products, which are so decadent! Plus, she is always there to cheer me on in my crafting adventures. Unfortunately, she lives half way across the country, but, thanks to her wonderful mom, who we affectionately refer to as the "gift mule" for toting our latest crafty gifts back and forth all year, we still manage to exchange many-o-crafts, followed by phone calls squealing over all the assembly details...ahh, I miss you, Sam!

Sam actually gets credit for sparking my interest in sewing, when she made this doll as a birthday gift for Last But Not Least:

I was amazed, and adored the fabrics. Sam got me started- with the all-important shopping side. "Go to etsy, that's e-t-s-y, look up Amy Butler, Michael Miller, Heather Ross, Moda...and call me back." The rest is history!

Anyhoo, this week, Sam's Amazing Mom dropped off yet another package for me and the kids (Squeal!). Here is (some of) what she sent-

Mommy calling cards- sooo cute, and in a hand made fabric snap packet to die for!

An Edward bookmark (bless her), that she hand stamped on silver herself, packaged in a faux leather case:Head bands, clips and decorative bobby pins for the girls, and a fabric Matryoshka doll holder to organize them made of twill tape.Plus adorable handmade monogram sacs to wrap them all in!

Heaven!

Thanks, Samantha, for being such a generous friend, for "getting" me, for always inspiring me...and for the helpful tips for how to hide the latest fabric purchase from the hubby. You make me a better crafter!

Roadtrip byproduct

Did I mention that our otherwise wonderful holiday involved a SEVEN HOUR drive each way? When I wasn't busy dislocating my shoulder from passing back a constant stream of treats and juice boxes to entertain the little monkeys in the backseat, I used my time to do some of the hand crafts I seldom have the chance to do (when am I ever sitting for an extended period of time?). One of the projects I completed, just in time for summer, is a warm, fluffy, knitted scarf.

Doesn't Edward look manly? I told my husband that a life sized vampire was a very practical purchase, and here he is, being put to good use!

This is my first adventure in knitting since 1993, when I knit my hubby the longest, widest scarf in history, for our 6 month dating anniversary. This one is earmarked for The Middle Child, who of course selected the lovely pink yarn. I got hooked by Denese, who "enabled" my OCD by lending me her "Complete Idiot's Guide to Knitting and Crocheting" book ("Keep it as long as you want"- I already am eyeing up a cable knit pattern). I do feel a certain responsibility to knitting, as my grandmother was the one to teach me the basics when I was a preteen, and while I don't recall a single product of her knitting skills, I want to carry on the tradition. I think of her each time I pick up the needles :-)

Memory Lane

They say you can't go back. Well, this weekend, I did, and it was wonderful!

For the first 18 summers of my life, my family packed up the pop-up trailer and headed south to Minnesota, specifically the Brainerd area, for a couple weeks of jumping off docks, hanging out with the cousins, racing go-carts and visiting Paul Bunyan. It has been equally long since my last visit. In celebration of my mom's 60th birthday, my sister and I thought it was high time to head back down Memory Lane! We visited all of our favorite places, just upgraded the accommodations from the pop-up, to this:

Not too shabby, eh? No need to repeat ALL of that ancient history, after all. We did try to convince my parents that, to get the full nostalgic experience, they should drive my 3 bratty kids the 7 hours back (they didn't bite on that one), but other than that, and the housing upgrade, we were pretty true to history. A trip to meet Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox (with the classic kids-in-jail shot that Kathy, Dave and I had taken every year): Time playing by the beach: A visit to the old stomping grounds, Sullivan's Campground on North Long Lake (check out Kath and me in our new super-stylish sweatshirts!): And of course, we indulged in our favorite pizza- 2 nights!

It was a fantastic weekend, and a sentimental journey, all in one. You really can go back! And I am so glad we did, that I had the opportunity to share an important piece of my childhood with my own kids. Happy birthday, Mom!

p.s. Have I ever mentioned that OCD also stands for "obsessive Cullen disorder?" Yes, I am a shameless Twilight fan. And look who I happened to find wandering about the Northwoods!!