SoCal

This past weekend me and my guy went down to Biola. We had been very much looking forward to attending a conference there, and we were NOT disappointed. It was amazing.

But, we were not looking forward to Los Angeles! We are not city people. And Los Angeles is all city. (And just so you know, saying "Los Angeles" is so out of fashion. It is Southern California, and more specifically it is SoCal. We know these things, me and my guy, because we are totally hip. Or "hipster" as my daughter's guy likes to say. Ok, not really.)

Anyway.... SoCal has its good and its bad.

Good would be the weather and the gardens. BEAUTIFUL year around. These Azaleas were blooming on the Biola campus.




Bad would be the smog. We really hate that smog.
But seriously, it seems like the smog is gone. We forget about this because we go down there so seldom. But it is true. The SoCal-ers are doing something differently than they were in the 80's because the air is decent. Nice actually.
So, smog is off the list.

Another good would be.... the weather and the gardens.
Like this fabulous old tree, also on the Biola campus.
So much character in the trunk of that tree.


And these pretty Poppies with bumble bees wiggling around in them.


Bad would be the traffic.
But seriously, it seems like the traffic is lots better. We forget about this because we go down there so seldom. But it is true. The SoCal-ers are doing something differently than they were in the 80's... NOT!!!

That traffic is brutal. B-R-U-T-A-L. It took a full hour to drive 6 miles on Friday! And, I don't believe I have ever heard my guy use the word "ridiculous" so many times in one weekend. Ever.

But, there is that weather thing....

Oops!

Me vs. Butcher Knife.

Ouchies!! I think I lost.
But on the upside- most of my thumb is still under there!!

We Have a Winner!

And it is #10, Richardson who had this to say:

Those are absolutely the bomb, as my kids would say. I love Spring and the just right warmth that comes with it. Thanks for sharing. Hugs, Vicki R.

Hugs to you too Vicki, and I hope you enjoy your pattern.

Free Daffodils!!

It's Giveaway Time!

March is almost over, so we better get to the POM giveaway before it is too late!
This month's pattern is "Daffodils".

Just leave a comment to be entered in the drawing to win a free pattern.
Winner will be drawn on Monday.
Good Luck!

And a big thanks to all of you who already ordered patterns and kits and ready-made cushions.
I hope you LOVED them!!

Justin and Zoey

I have the cutest little nephew. His name is Justin and he will be 4 next week.

He was here at the house yesterday with his mama and his big brother, and would you believe that he found his birthday present!!
Never mind that I had set it in the corner to be wrapped and forgot about it.
Never mind that it was in "plain simple sight", as my little girls used to say.
Never mind that it was the only toy in the house!!
He found it and was having a lovely time playing with it before I even realized that he had it!!
It was just so darn cute.

Another cute thing about that boy is the nickname he has given me.
He knows that my guy is Uncle Armando. But, Armando is a hard name for little guy to say. So Justin calls him Unca Mondo. And I am Unca Nay. Because Aunt is too confusing. And Rana (say Renee) is a little bit hard too. So Unca Nay it is.

The reason that I bring all of this up is that today, March 22, I became Unca Nay again!!
This is Zoey (say Zoe), Justin's new little sister, who "took forever to come out". Isn't she a little doll?!

Now, fortunately, Justin will have something new on his birthday to help off-set that used present he's gonna be getting!!

28 Turkeys

Just a few more weeks and this big flock will be replaced by smaller flocks that are full of babies.
Yep, they are just as adorable as anything else "baby"! I'll try to get a picture for you.




We've also had big flocks of doves that have been passing through. I took this photo a couple of weeks ago, and I have to say that I am glad that they are mostly gone now. You just can't imagine the mess they make!!

A Studio Tour

I recently remodeled my studio and I thought I would share it with you today!

Changing up my creative space had been on my mind a lot. I wanted to move from a practical, mostly uninspiring space to a practical, very inspiring space! But I didn't have a clear vision for it or even an idea of how to get started until I saw this (on Pinterest, of course!!):

Aren't those cubbies completely wonderful?!!

When I saw those, my thoughts began to come together about my own space and what I wanted.
I made a list of the musts:
1~ ALL supplies in one room, out and available to use, not just stored in bins and drawers
2~ Cubbies!!
3~ Three Workstations (so I could sew with my girls or my girlfriends!!)
4~ My huge design wall had to stay
5~ Little vignettes of inspiration and plenty of CUTE!!

So here is what evolved:

My design wall stayed.

Next to the design wall, a little ladder-style rack to hold quilts.
My guy made this for me about a year ago, and I love it, so it stayed.
(The little chair is usually piled full of quilts waiting to be quilted, but I cleared it out for you!!)

The main sewing table, which I L-O-V-E..
This is also unchanged from my original space.
My guy re-vamped this old kitchen counter/cabinet thing that we picked up for free. It, of course, did not look this nice when we got it (and believe me, my guy did NOT want to "got it" at all, but I managed to sweet talk him into it.) A little paint, some new hardware, a brand new top and... Viola!! The perfect sewing table.

This is the second sewing station. It fits perfectly into this little nook. It has also been here from the beginning, but the shelves were loaded down with books and magazines and other "stuff" so it just looked like a cluttered and cramped little workspace.

Now the shelves are filled with things I love: the sea, glassware, buttons, and pumpkins.
There is also one beautiful print by my favorite photographer: Laura Dienzo of Deinzo Designs Photography.

Next to that are the cubbies!! I just L-O-V-E these.
My guy built them for me for Christmas.
They are as deep and wide as the closet, and they hold a ton of stuff.
The top is another opportunity to display a beloved little vignette: birds and nests.

The cutting table is next.
Would you believe that my guy made this for me??!!
It was my birthday present about 12 or 15 years ago and he had made it to fit in our kitchen.
The top is actually a chopping block, and the drawers were designed to hold specific kitchen-type things (like my Costco-sized spice containers). It worked great in that kitchen, but it has never fit in any other kitchen we have had since then. So, it became my cutting table.

The side drawers are filled with scraps, which I sort by color, just to make things a little easier to find when I need them. The vintage pink lamp was a yard sale find (steal actually, at only $5). Both of the bird prints also came from yard sales.

Lastly, there is a third workstation. This one is the handwork area.
The chair was another "free" roadside find. (You may or may not know this but, it is very hard to say no to free turquoise leather!!)
The stool is also a yard sale find. It has been fitted with a new quilt-cover.
And the hamper to the left of the chair... you guessed it, yard sale! You cannot really tell from this shot, but it is a beautiful 1950's clothes hamper in perfect condition. I mostly use it for a trash bin. But when someone is doing handwork, the lid goes down and it becomes the perfect little side table for tea and thread and scissors and whatever else a girl may need.

Here is what the whole room looks like:

Well, that's it. I hope you enjoyed it!!

Spring

Little Harbingers of Spring

Hope you are enjoying the change of seasons too!!

Block 7: Pumpkin, leaves and tendrils

Hello again to all of you BOM-ers!!

It's time to applique that pumpkin, the super star of the whole show, into place.


Tips for Month 7:
~Template F is part of the Month 1 download.
~Remember that the tendril was already cut (during month 1 as well). If you have lost it, just follow the directions in month 1 to cut another.
~Be sure to cut out the background that is underneath the pumpkin. (It will make for better quilting.)

I guess that's it, except that you can link over to the pattern right here.
I do hope you are enjoying this BOM!
Happy stitching.

What's on the Design Wall

This is what I have been working on today.

It's gonna be a diaper bag.
A diaper bag handmade for Baby Zoe from her Auntie Rana.
She is due any day now and I can hardly wait to get my hands on her!

Inspired by... and a bargain!

Pinterest, again!
I saw this little organizing tip on there a while back: store your cupcake wrappers in a pasta container.... So Smart! And Cute!

I just found the pasta holder at the Goodwill for 99 cents, so it was time to get organized!

Did you notice all those spooky eyeball cupcake wrappers near the top??
Wonder why I might have all of those?
My guy!!
He was going to town one day (like 3 or 4 YEARS ago) and asked me if I needed anything from the store. I asked for cupcake wrappers. "Cute" ones. And he bought me these. A dozen packages of them!! Because I had said that if he found any really cute ones to get me a half dozen, or so, packs. Well, he only remembered the "dozen" part and these weren't actually "cute" but they were on the shelf and for sale..... so he bought them!
Needless to say, we have been eating eyeball-lined cupcakes and muffins for a long time...


And now for my great big bargain of the week...
A giant box STUFFED full of beautiful black wool.

For 5 whole dollars!!
Can you believe it??!!
The Gold Coast Quilt Guild had their annual trash to treasures fundraising auction yesterday and this is what I bought. Lucky lucky me!!

POM: Daffodils

March is here and it's time for a new pincushion!

Introducing: Daffodils!

Just a little bit of spring beauty for your sewing room!

They stand just over 1" tall and have a petal base of about 4" wide.

These little guys are super easy to make.
(Substitute wool for the petal fabric, and they get even easier!!)
And, of course, they showcase a little button.

Let me know what you think!

And if you are here for the first time (and maybe we met at the Manteca Quilt and Doll Show over the weekend).... WELCOME!!