Booooo....oooo

Happy Halloween from two of the cutest ghosts around
(my niece and nephew)!

Autumn Decor

Do you decorate for autumn?
It is my favorite time of year to decorate. Actually, it is my favorite time of the year period. I just love it!

Here's a peek at how I decorated this year:

How did you decorate your home?

Street Fair

Last Sunday a few of us headed over to the coast to attend Cayucos' fall antique mall and street fair. This was our first time going, and we are definitely going to be going again. And again and again!

Here is what I came home with:

All so fabulous!
I have been wanting to make the switch to forever canning lids, so when I saw a box of glass tops I was all over it. My guy got in on the bargaining and we went home with 103 all of them!
Theresa and I also found some great old clocks. We both went home with 3 beauties.
And Becca and I bought FABULOUS pocket watch  pendants. Here is a close up of mine.

Looks a little steampunk-ish, doesn't it?
I think I might be falling over the edge into this steampunk thing. A little bit. Don't worry, I won't go crazy and start embellishing all my quilts with gears and lens and keys and mechanized insects. Nor will I be adopting a new persona or wearing sunglasses that look like goggles.
But I will be wearing this pendant. And enjoying the art side of the steampunk movement.

Inspired by....

My daughter spotted this idea on Pinterest and sent it my way!

Super cute huh?! And for someone who L-O-V-E-S both canning and pumpkins....well, it is just perfect.

The idea comes from Kristin at Simply Klassic Home and you can view the tutorial here.

Happy Fall.

Too Many Peppers

We have had an absolutely endless Indian Summer here on the central coast. And when I say endless, I mean endless! We are looking at the end of October and we still have temperatures reaching 80 degrees.

All that heat and sunshine has kept the garden growing like gang busters. I have been ignoring my peppers since I picked right after we got home from vacation because we had so many then, that  I was totally swamped. Here's a little flashback in case you forgot:

There were a couple hundred peppers in that one picking. And now, here we are again:

Oh boy! Peppers galore.
Does anybody have any ideas? I have already roasted, pickled and poppered to my limit.
Or better yet, does anybody want some? Please??!!

It's a Hoot

Did you get your Fall 2012 issue of Simple Quilts?

Well, there just happens to be a little pincushion pattern in there you might like.
From yours truly.

Too cute, huh??!!

Happy Stitching.

Mini Design Boards

These little design boards are so fabulous!

I don't know about you, but I have a bad habit of mixing up pieces when I move them from my design wall or my cutting table over to my sewing machine. Even when I think that I have everything all in order, things can still turn out jumbled. So annoying!

But these little boards have pretty much eliminated my problem.

How do they work, you ask?

Well, when you are cutting out your quilt block (at your cutting table on the opposite side of the sewing room as your machine) you simply lay the block out on the board as you go. You spend all the time you want fussing and arranging colors and values and whatever else you might fuss about. Then, when you have it just so, you simply pick up the entire thing and walk over to your machine and sew it. No re-ordering or re-arranging or trying to remember anything. Just simple, accurate piecing.

I love these boards!

If you want to make one (or two or ten) for yourself (and all of your friends), check out a bee in my bonnet's tutorial here.

Psst...Christmas is just around the corner.

Finally Finished

This year I said that I was going to have this quilt finished in time for Christmas.

I said the same thing last year. And the year before that.

And to be perfectly honest, I think that this quilt has been in the works for 10 (that's right ten) years.

But now it is finally done. And, I am glad to say that I still love it!

The Great State of Texas

I pulled this out of my scrap basket and I thought I would share it with you.

Pretty good for a total ka-winkie-dink!

Lula Wins!!

I am finally going to post a few of the WINNING photos from our sock monkey bingo game.

Lula won, of course. By a lot.

And here are a few highlights.

And now, I am off to help Lula spend her prize money. TTFN

The Show Down

Sock Monkey Bingo 2012 is finally coming to an end tonight.

We played from Memorial Day to Labor Day, but we haven't been able to get together to determine a winner. Out of town, back to school, working late, sick, and the list goes on and on.

But tonight, tonight is the night. Finally, Lula will be crowned Sock Monkey Bingo Queen. Oh yes. She will be gracious. She will "pshaw" and "ah shucks". And she will look at all the other photos with great interest and joy. But then, when that $25 pot comes sliding her way, well then she is gonna crow a little bit. And maybe show off a few photos tomorrow on the blog. Maybe.

In the meantime here is a look at her most favorite picture of all. BEAUTIFUL! (BTW, that beautiful bride...loser. And the new hubby...goin' down. I'm just sayin'.)