Lately In My Sewing Room....

I've been playing with and falling in love with Scrumptious. Super fun project coming soon. (My picture doesn't do it justice.)

Scrumptious will be available in September/October. (That is actually a layer cake, it's just rolled up.)


I've been finishing this darling baby quilt.

This may be my favorite binding fabric ever. (And favorite baby quilt I've made.)  I may have bought this print in just about all the colors available for the specific purpose of binding quilts. (Print is Jump from Happy-Go-Lucky.)

I've been listening to Christmas music and working with these Christmas fabrics. I know...it's July...forgive me. (When you are working on a Christmas project how can you NOT listen to some Christmas tunes?)

Tutorial on the way....


I've been destashing my stash. Everything is up and listed! Yay! (Except for my Vintage Modern jelly roll...can't decide whether or not to part with it!)

Oh and making way too many treats. We've had lots of reasons to make treats lately. I may or may not have invented some of those reasons just to have treats.

So that is what's happening over here. Plus all the usual summer fun. Swimming, bbqs, fireworks, trying to avoid going outside in the 117 degree weather ... What about you?

Thanks for reading,
LeAnne

Valentine's Day

I love Valentine's Day. Not because of the flowers or cards, but because of the pink, red, and hearts...

Here are some photos from our day:

{Valentine decor} ...not much...I was slow on the decor this year. (OCD note: The perfectionist in me is screaming inside because of the extra space between all and you. The whole phrase wouldn't fit on one board so I made it work with two. I centered 'is all' on the first board not taking into account the extra space it would create.) Not a big deal...but just sayin'. ;)

 {Valentine Sugar Cookies} The frosting was 'hot' pink. And I mean hot pink....like 80's hot pink. I went a little overboard with the coloring gel...forgot how concentrated that stuff is.

{Valentine making supplies} My sweet mom gave our girls a Valentine Kit as their Valentine treat this year. It was a bag stuffed to the brim with dollies, fun paper, stickers, hearts, sequences, jewels, and all things that Grandmas seem to have in spades.  My favorite was the little book full of Valentine ideas. We will be doing some next year. We spent the morning eating pink M&Ms and making Valentines. Fun was had by all.

{The end result} Some one-of-a-kind Valentines and yummy treats to share with neighborhood friends!

Hope your 'heart' day has been a good one!

ps - Happy Birthday AZ, you are 100 today! Thanks for being a great place to live. (And coming from a girl from the East coast...that's saying a lot.) If you could ease off the heat this year just a tad we'd all love it. Last summer was a killer...

Thanks for Reading,

LeAnne

Has It Really Been Three Weeks?

Yikes! That was an unplanned blog break. But my, was it refreshing. I wish I was reporting back with oodles of projects, a couple new tutorials, patterns, or something to that affect. Sorry, my friends...no dice. Even more unplanned was the fact that I only touched my machine once in the last three weeks. Ya. Life definitely has been in the trump position, so all I can say is I've been caught up in life as we all know it to be.

But I do have a few fun things to share that I need some input on:

1. I've inherited something that I've been longing to have.

 

I have loved this little accessory of my mom's since I was a kid. It was always in our kitchen and it held all those common household items; rubberbands, twisty-ties, paper clips...you get the idea.  I am ready to breathe some new life into it. I am thinking a a good sanding and a new paint color, but not sure which color. Any suggestions?  At first I was thinking new knobs, but now I am loving the current ones.

2. Another inheritance from my mom.

This beautiful handmade infant dress.  I of course want to keep this; and the three other I inherited. However, I don't want to stick them in a drawer or trunk. The only thought that has come to me is to display them in a shadow box. (Keeping the shadow box out of direct sunlight of course.) Any other suggestions?

So there. A very lackluster post for being MIA from the blogosphere for the past three week. Have I missed anything? I fully intend on being more productive in my shop and blog in the coming weeks. Lots of ideas popped into my head over the last three weeks...we shall see which ones actually come to be.

Thanks for reading, and hanging around... :)

LeAnne

Thrifting

I am always astonished at the amazing things people find thrifting. My attempts at thrifting usually result in no purchases and just staring at piles of tossed away knickknacks that I only can see as dust collectors and clutter on my shelves. I know thrifiting involves vision and a degree of patience.

I have always been a tad impatient so maybe that is my problem.

Since my attempts have been in vain, I have been looking around Etsy for inspiration. I am doing this in the hopes that when I see a pile of what seems to be nothing but junk, I will just dive in with the hope of finding something truly amazing.  I realize that all of these items have been painted/cleaned after the fact and did not look like this when they were found.

So without further adieu let me indulge you in some amazing finds.

I am kicking myself that I just didn't snag these amazing sconces.  I bet she is an amazing thrifter and got both sconces for a lot less. (But I should have told myself $22 is nothing for these beauties.)

Swoon! Can I just say for the bajillionith time how much I am loving aqua right now?

Still kicking myself.

Then there is this frame/mirror.

 Not in love with it nearly like the aqua sconces, but a close second.

Then, don't even get me started on all the amazing frames/mirrors people find! I have been on the prowl for months trying to find an awesome frame to spray paint and give new life.

credit here

loving the red

credit here

Yes. I am a little green with envy today.

credit here

Love this one

credit here

Sigh. Maybe one day I will find the ultimate thriting find. Until then I will just look at other people's finds as inspiration. Some people out there really have the vision of taking something old and making it new and truly beautiful.

To all those amazing thrifters out there...you rock.

Star Struck

How many of you have seen a famous person? I have only seen a handful and depending on who, I  think it is pretty cool or just 'meh'.

Well the other day I saw a famous person, at least in the sewing/amazing fabric world, and thought it was beyond cool. I was at Hobby Lobby buying binder rings and I glanced over to the next register and who do I see...Heather Bailey! Yep. (See even Heather Bailey shops at Hobby Lobby.)

I am beyond certain she saw me do a double take. Then I began to feel super self-conscious. Why? Because I was running around with the Marlo Bloom handbag that I made, which is her design. (However, I didn't use her fabric, the fabric below is Morning Glory from Amy Butler.)

I hope it made her smile, because I know I would if I saw someone running around town with one of my Owl Totes. Although one of my friends told me she saw someone at a show with one of my owl totes...that made me really smile....but I digress.  I wish I could have thought of something clever to say. 'Hi' would have been a good place to start. But sigh, I was beyond star struck.

So. Needless to say that little event made my very ordinary life seem a little more special that day.

Oh FYI, the Marlo Bloom pattern is beyond awesome and makes a great gift. Just a warning when you make it and use it, be prepared to be stopped ALL the time asking where you bought it. Then you get to say 'I made it' and most people won't believe you. ;)

New Owl Totes...

My owl tote stock needed a breath of bright, colorful fabrics.  The beloved Gracie is back, but she had a little bit of a mishap with my scissors.  Hearing 'snip' when you weren't planning on it is never good. (Don't ask me how it happened.) Of course the little mishap occured after she was all put together, so I am offering her at a discount. She is still a darling tote and completely perfect in every other way.

I still have a tutorial in the works for you all. It is coming. Promise.

ps...I also have too many ideas in my head right now. I wish I could multi-task up the wazoo so I could actually make them all.

pps....Oh...if you are up late and craving a quick chocolate chip cookie, go here to get a great recipe. And while you are at it drool over Camille's amazing quilting abilities. I love her quilts. I want to make this quilt exactly as it is pictured. EDIT: Or someone can just make one for me. :)

K...off to maybe make one of those ideas a reality. Just maybe.

Need A Laugh??

Here are some commercials that I am loving right now....

I love the Sienna commercials. I stop whatever I am doing to watch this one.



Then there is the wonderful Flo.


Tacos for lunch anyone?

Then one day I actually went to the Sienna Youtube channel and found this glorious one. I've seen it on a couple of blogs lately...



Anyways. Just incase you needed some laughter today. Happy Thursday! :)

I'll Be Back...

Sorry for the lack of posts. I am taking a blog/shop break to be with family and to get some new goodies ready for the blog and shop. I am planning on having lots of goodies listed by the first week of June, including oodles of the Colors Fabric Book Lettering Kits. (Sorry for the delay of getting them out. Life happens.)

Why the picture of Sandi Henderson's Farmer's Market? I dunno. I wanted to add a picture and I STILL find this fabric absolutely delicious.

And I am intrigued by her new book. Looks AMAZING. Plus, it uses your scraps. I have loads of those.

These are just some of the projects:

And what is that I see? A pincushion!!!! I think it will be worth checking out! Library here I come. :)

The Newest Version of Emma

Like many I am a fan of Jane Austen. I am always ready to watch a new film version of any of her books. Most of the time I hate the newest film version the first time I watch it because I am such a fan of another version. (Except in the case of the new Pride & Prejudice with Keira Knightely.) Then after watching it a second time, I can give my honest opinion and decide if the new version is my new favorite.

For the past two weeks on Masterpiece they have been showing the newest version of Emma. (The screenplay is done by the same person who did the latest Jane Eyre.) I hated it for about the first 20 minutes. However, after watching Romola Garai play Emma I can say that I LOVE this version. (I loved Romola Garai in Amazing Grace.) I think the character interpretation overall is better than any previous version. I love Mr Knightely and he does a great job of putting Emma in her place. Plus Dumbledore plays Mr. Woodhouse!

You can enter to win Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Persuasion here. I love all three of these versions. If you missed it on PBS, you can watch it online.

Major Craving

Calling all Gilbert/Mesa, AZ, Vegas, and Utah Valley readers. If any of you are near a Cafe Rio and can do me a favor, could you please go and eat a Pork Salad for me? I am no where NEAR one and am craving a salad like crazy.

I even have a free meal card. Sigh.

And ask the guy for extra guac. Pretty please...

Yes. I have the recipes...

Made Me Laugh

Just watch it.



Did you laugh?

On A Search....Can You Help?!?!

I love chocolate chip cookies. LOVE them....who doesn't. However, since I got married my ability to make a DECENT chocolate chip cookie has gone comepletely down the drain.

My last attempt resulted in basically a "pan" of cookies that all ran together because my dough spread so much during baking. (And may I add, this was not the first time this happened.) Does anyone have any "tips" out there for making a great batch of cookies? Or better yet a great recipe that never fails them?

I wanted to make some last night but I just lacked the courage because I didn't want another failed batch.

So....share your tips or recipies...please. :)

What Should I Do Next?

I have hit you could say sort of a blogging 'rut'. (Except, I do have some of my own personal projects that I've been working on to share...so look for that!) So to help remedy that there is a little poll in the side bar to get y'alls opinion. So click those votes away!

So some of the things I have been thinking to do are...

1. A Tutorial. What kind would you guys like? I didn't get around to a Valentine's one, but what are you itching to make?

2. Just More Posts. This one would require more time and creative thought from me. Which I am happy to do!

3. Giveaway. Ya. Nuf said.

4. Sew Along. We could pick a project to do 'together' when everyone is done we can share pictures on flickr! These are fun because you see all different styles and ideas emerge.

So I wish I was more creative about blogging, but again enters said 'rut'.

Well happy Thursday. Tomorrow is Friday, homemade pizza night!

Life is wonderful and there are so many reasons to celebrate!!!

Five Things I Am Excited About...

(This is what mine will look like....except just add 2 feet of snow, blustery winds creating drifts, and people who look like eskimos...then you will have my future Hobby Lobby to a 'T'.)

1. Hobby Lobby. It is coming!!! In a previous post, I mentioned my new found love for Hobby Lobby. Today I was checking online in hopes of finding when my local store would be opening. Drum roll please...it is coming March 9th! I am soooo excited. Anyone want to come to the Grand Opening with me? I am serious. :)

2. Hearts! Hearts! Hearts! I am almost up to 100 hearts in my Etsy shop! I just hit 25 sales so I am pretty proud of all that happening in less than six months. To celebrate almost being to 100 hearts I made a cute heart apron yesterday. No picture yet, but it way cute.

3. Personal Projects! I have been so busy with projects for the shop that my shelf of projects has been pretty neglected. These are the things "in process" that I hope to have done soon.

Apron - mine is black and white

Sewing Machine Cover & Sewing Machine Mat - Totally inspired by this cover & I adore Candace's shop. I am thinking red polka dots for mine. :) I haveplans for this mat-with-pockets-that-will-hold-all-those-pesky-threads....not sure what to call it. But it is coming together in my head.

Table Runners & loving this new blog

Purse - Ohhh I am in love. The pattern is coming!

4. Giveaways! February is going to be a fun month! I am planning some giveaways to celebrate six months of my shop being open. (And also celebrating 100 hearts and 25 sales!!!) Stay tuned.


5. Life in general. I truly am so blessed. Everyday I am reminded of how wonderful life is and the amazing blessings that I have in my life. I love my family, life, and all that I am able to experience.


Yay! I hope everyone is having a marevleous day. I am except for the 5" of addtional snow that fell last night and this morning. I think that brings the grand total to 22"ish of snow on the ground. Joy!


See ya!

A Brand New Year

Hey everyone! I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a great start to their New Year. :) Ours was fantastic!

Okay. I made an amazing discover when I was visiting family. A blessed little place called Hobby Lobby. If you have never been to one. You are missing out. Seriuosly. Thank goodness that one is coming reasonably close to me in the next few months.

I also was able to update some of my photos for the shop. My sweet little niece was kind enough to "model" my owl tote. And you may think, wow...that is a perfectly posed picture. Think that. However, we had talked about doing it all day and she was so excited. Then once we got outside to actually take pictures...she got all shy. So she wouldn't look at the camera. However I think the picture turned out way cute.

Then my nephew saw the fun and had to join in.

Valentine's Day is coming. Fun times. Here is a little tote I whipped up on Saturday.

I also made this banner. Can't decide if I love it. What do you think?

Pirate stuff is coming! I promise. Look for it in the next two to three weeks. :)

Itty Bitty Results

So. First - it is Saturday AM so I am late in posting the results...sorry.

Second. I thought more peoples from AA read this...I guess not! ;) So since there were only two entries and I see both of you on a regular basis AND I adore both Megan and Abby....you are both getting one!!! Wahooo!!!! Lucky you huh?!?!

I am almost done with the directions and will have the kits to you hopefully by Wednesday.

Oh. And I got a big box in the mail this week. :) It was like Christmas. (A few of these fabrics are also from a previous box, but together they looked oh so pretty.) I heart my fabric co-op.

There is some Michael Miller, Timeless Treasures, and of course my favorite lots of Moda. Sigh.

A Little Friday Fun For You!!!

With Halloween a week away, many of us will be deciding what to pass out to Trick or Treaters. This hilarious article was on yahoo the other day and I couldn't help but post it here.

The 10 Most Disappointing Treats for Trick-or-Treaters

by Ed Levine

On Halloween night, some houses struggle with the idea of candy. There are good houses, and there are bad houses. The best trick-or-treaters know to avoid the latter. At the food site Serious Eats, we all love Halloween, but wish certain homes would just stop handing out the classically bad "treats." They weren't good last year, the year before that, or now. Our own Erin Zimmer put together this list of our top 10 Halloween treats that nobody wants...

Toothbrushes

Dentists and orthodontists should not be allowed to celebrate Halloween if they're going to get all tooth doctory on us. Do not bring your work home with you, folks! We all have a personal responsibility to brush, and maybe some of us will forget, but your complimentary bristles on a stick (instead of a Snickers) will not help us remember. It will make us despise you and your

trade.

Raisins

Little boxes of stuck-together shriveled globs are not what little kids schlep around the neighborhood for all night. When they say trick-or-treat, they want candy that will rot their teeth, not wrinkled grapes. (Using an empty box as a kazoo-like instrument, though, is kinda fun.)

Candy Corn

The most polarizing candy of all. The fruitcake of Halloween; it just never goes away. If you love them, fine. But don't subject the rest of us haters to the sickeningly sweet triangle that tastes like neither candy nor corn.

Smarties and Necco Wafers

These chalky candies are supposedly "fruit-flavored," but no fruit I know tastes like dust -- and makes everything eaten after taste like dust, too.

Dum Dum Lollipops

Usually, foods on a stick are yummy (corn dogs, ice pops), but Dum Dums just can't be included on that list. Not even if they were breaded and deep-fried and served at a fair.

Apples

Long before "poisoned candy" scares, evil people were handing out apples instead of candy on Halloween. This disappointing "treat" is the main reason to avoid unwrapped food while trick-or-treating.

Tootsie Rolls

It looks like chocolate and sort of smells like chocolate, but the mini brown tubes are not real chocolate. They taste like watered-down chocolate, and have a chewy texture that will strip the fillings right off your molars.

Miscellaneous, Wrapped Hard Candies

Halloween is supposed to be a holiday for young people, not senior citizens who suck on hard candies all day. Something about the strawberry-shaped strawberries, gold-wrapped butterscotch, and peppermint feels past the expiration date. (These usually get set aside for Granny.)

Laffy Taffy

I do not laffy when I get these. I sobby. I get depressedy. Because it gets all stucky to my teethy and doesn't even taste that goody.

Anything Fun-Sized

Who started calling it this? Since when is one bite fun?! Give us the rich houses with the sprawling driveways and full-sized candy bars any day. Portion control doesn't need to start this young. (My opion: Fun sized are fine, they get enough to equal a whole lot of full-sized candy bars...but that is just me.)

End of Original Article by Ed Levine

So go buy some wickedly good candy for those little ghosts and goblins coming your way.

Happy Friday Everyone!!!