Blogversary

Hi everyone, as I posted below my "   Blogversary "  coming up in July. I have decided to celebrate during the whole month of July. I will add something each week to the package until Friday July 30th on this post only, then I will draw a name for the prize. The items below is what I will be adding for this week. Each week I will add something to the pile. It may be stash enhancement or something else since not everyone who reads my blog is a stitcher/quilter. This way there is something for everyone.

 So far we have:
 1)A wonderful book on Stump work (I looked through the pages of this book and it is really nice if you do stump work) 
2)A great pattern book for a Baltimore Album styled quilt            
3)8 fat quarters of floral blooms                                                     4)Glass beads (red in celebration of the 4th of July)
5)Fat quarter of rose fabric from Donna Dewberry collection
6)Black lace and black lace collar
7)Bag of gathered and flat lace in assorted colors
8)3 oriental fabric fat quarters
9)lace from a wedding gown
10)white angel wings
11)2 rose lace motifs
12)green brocade fabric piece
13)multicolored brocade fabric fat quarter
14)blue butterflies
Now all you have to do is leave a comment on this post and that's it. If you want to tell people about it that's fine, but it is not required. Thank you to all my regular readers for stopping by and leaving comments on my blog. I really do appreciate you. Remember that you can leave a comment on this post only until July 30th and I will post the winner on Saturday July 31st.

Happy Stitching,

Wendy

Saturday Update

I just noticed on my sidebar that my blogversary is in 19 days! Yeah for me. I will be posting about a giveaway on tomorrow some come by and check it out.

I finally feel like my muse is back after being so sick. I have been working on a few swaps and of course my RR's that I am in. I was just in a swap over at Swap For All  Seasons here:                              and the swap was entitled Something Old, Something New, Something Blue and Something Borrowed adding a vintage photo of a wedding couple. My swap partner was Michelle and this is what she sent to me

This is what I sent to Michelle:  This is how I wrapped and mailed them out to her. I wrapped them all in lace which she can use in her projects in the future.

The Wedding Couple

Something Blue:I made this cute little treasure box for her:

 Something Borrowed: These earrings are borrowed and cannot be returned to the owner. Which was a lot of fun borrowing something that you know you are not going to return. They are clip as they are a little heavy for pierced so I hope Michelle likes them.

Something New: I fell in love with this paper weight so thought it would make a great something new.

S

Something Old: This is a vintage cut glass toothpick holder.

  Next is Arlene's RR block for the Hearts RR that I was in. This is the last block for me to work on. There was not much for me to do when it arrived  as all the seams had been worked and there was two patches left and an open section next to the heart with the couple inside that I added the peach roses to. Her block is so pretty and is now on its way home to her. Hope you like your finished block Arlene.
Block before my work:

Block after my work is added:

I

 I have other blocks I have that I am working on and will post pics of them sometime next week.

Remember to come back by tomorrow for the details of my blogversary giveaway.

Happy Stitching,
Wendy

New "GO" Cutter Giveaway!

Amy over at  http://www.amyscreativeside.com/  is giving away a "GO" Cutter by AccuQuilt. Go on over and check it out and sign up to win. I would love to win one of these as I have wanted one for ages.

Memorial Day

Happy Memorial Day to everyone! I especially want to thank all those who have served in any capacity in the military to defend our great country. Thank you for putting your lives on the line for me and my family to live in freedom.Thank you for all that you sacrifice on a daily basis for our Freedom. I come from a long line of those who have served in the military and I thank each of them for their service to our country.Thank you to those descendants who fought in the Revolutionary War which brought about our Freedom that we love so much. A big thank you to my dad who served in the Korean war. Thank you for being an honorable man in the service of your country. Thank you to my Uncles who also served in the Korean war. Thank you to my cousins who served in Vietnam for all the sacrifices that you made. While we eat barbecue and all the fixings lets take a moment to reflect on what live would be like without the Freedoms we enjoy, but come at a heavy price. Thank you and God Bless America and our Troops!

Do You Like The Look of Victorian

There is a fabulous giveaway over here:  http://lynn-teacupstitches.blogspot.com/ Lynn has the prettiest blog with all kinds of wonderful items. Go check her out.

Great Giveaway!

There is a great giveaway over at http://mountainhomequilts.blogspot.com/ go on over and leave a comment to enter. Some really great fabrics.

Finally A Post

Whew this month is halfway gone and I did not realize that it had been so long since I last posted anything. Sorry about that to any of my regular readers. I have been sick you could say without realizing it and I will give the reason at the end of this post. 

I found out that Frostie and Brian are expecting again. I went with her to her first sonogram and it was just wonderful. Please keep her and the baby in your prayers that all will go well this time and that mother and baby are both healthy.!

 Now for the fun crafty part of the post. I don't have a lot to show since I have been under the weather. I have been working on my RR blocks and I do have those to post about. Although not all have pics. Here is the pic of Diane's heart from the Heart's 3 RR this is the before pic:

Next is the block after my work is finished. I hope that Diane likes what I have done. I did the burgundy heart with silk petal flower in the center with beads going around the heart. Next I added a pink trim for the seam. On the left side of the block I added the lavender silk roses, a beaded and sequined seam treatment and an vintage earring with small heart dangles. I would have added more but there is one other person to work on the block and I needed to leave her some room to work also.

Next, I am in a group called Fibre Fever and we swap fabric book pages each month and at the end of the year you have enough pages to make a fabric book. Each book page measures 6"  x 6"   and they are so cute. Here is my first page by Lise, this is just wonderful. My chosen theme is Victorian , the person making the page can make any type of page having to do with the Victorian theme that I chose. Look at the gorgeous little shoes that she made! Are they not wonderful. I love them Lise they are gorgeous! Thank you for such a lovely page for my book.

My first page was to Maureen and I will post it here when it arrives to her. I mailed out during the time of the volcano and her post master said some mail had been sent by ship, so we are waiting for it to arrive. They said it could take up to 2months! Anyhow, her theme was Oriental and it was fun to work on. Will post a pic later. Our second pages were sent out on the 15th and I am awaiting mine. Mine for my swap partner this time was Landscapes, one of my favorites to do for postcards. This was just a tad bigger but fun. I will post a pic of it when my partner receives it. I have cut out my fabric for my blocks for month one for In The Pink BOM by Esther and they are ready to sew. Hopefully I can get some done over the next week and start on the second set of blocks. My being sick has put me behind in my regular sewing. I have plenty ready and waiting to sew. I have three sets of napkins to finish and some pin cushions. All these to do before the end of the month. This has been a long post but I needed to let everyone know what was going on. Now to explain why I have not posted in so long, so here goes.
I was having recurring headaches that I could not get rid of so I finally went to the Dr.  My blood pressure was out of control and when I say out of control I mean really high! It was 220/117 heart attack level. I was immediately put on meds to lower my bp. Came down some but the Dr. changed it out again last week and it is lowering better. Had lots of blood work that came back fine. The meds have taken some getting used to as they made me very tired and sluggish at first. I could not even drive due to being dizzy and faint feeling. Some days I did not want to even get out of bed. But now I am better and my bp is much better, but still needs to come down some. I had thought all the stress from the accident and then my daughter having Payton stillborn was the cause of my headaches. Now I am glad I went to get something for them and found out I had hbp before something really bad happened. Now I am on the mend. I have been working on RR blocks and such but not much else because of this. But I am better now and I will be back in the sewing room to do fun things.

Happy Stitching,

Wendy
 

What I Have Been Up To

Well the title of this should be something else I guess since I have not been doing a whole lot. I have been having some health issues so not much sewing, quilting going on. I did finally receive my Tussie Mussie swap box on today. Here is the one I sent my partner and here is what she sent to me:

And this is what was inside........a cute little pin cushion made like a teacup and some nail polish with accessories.

Thank you Ruth for the lovely items that you sent. The basket is very pretty and looks vintage-ish from the Victorian era. The next thing is this lovely swan planter that I found while out thrifting with my brothers girlfriend.

This swan is large and I am trying to find a 24"   bottle brush sisal tree to put in the back. I am hoping to find one soon so I can embellish it with vintage jewelry and all things sparkly. Last but not least I have pulled my fabric for Esther's new BOM  "   In The Pink"

Hopefully I can get the first set of blocks cut out soon and start on this wonderful quilt. I am progressing on the blue quilt but am keeping it a secret so my mom does not see it before it is ready. I will post pics of the progress soon. 

Happy Stitching,

Wendy

I WON!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Imagine my surprise when Cathy contacted me to tell me that I had won her giveaway! I am so doing the happy dance and this was such a pick me up. Below is what I won and it arrived today. Thank you Cathy for being so generous.

All this lovely thread. I took the pic off of Cathy's blog as I could not find my camera. Anyhow, these threads will be put to good use in future crazy quilt projects.

Happy Stitching,

Wendy

New BOM from Esther/ In The Pink

I wanted to mention that Esther from here:  http://estheraliu.blogspot.com/  has launched her new BOM for 2010. This is a bed size quilt and is gorgeous. Esther has used pinks for hers but you could use any color theme to suit your own taste. This is going to work up really easy as well. You should go on over and check it out, the blocks will be up for one month on the 15th of each month. After the 15th you will be able to purchase the previous months block. Since this is block one you will be good to go. Also she has a full pic of the quilt and it will leave you drooling over it as it is so pretty.......

Happy Stitching,
Wendy

Some Swap Goodies

Here are some items I have made for some swaps that I have been in and have not posted about. These are what I have sent to my partners. The first one is a Tussie Mussie swap and this is the one I made for my partner which was Ruth. Also included in the box was three fat quarters for her.

This photo does not do the colors justice. The green is a wonderful lime green and the purple is irredescent. I also used some vintage crochet for the top. The next swap was for the Spring FQ swap over on Dutch Colors. We were to make a little something and send our partners two fat quarters. When I came across this little shoe I just had to have it to make a pin cushion for my swap partner. When I bought it most of the beads were gone from it. This was actually a flower pick. But I just knew it would be a cute pincushion. So I rebeaded it and used some blue velvet I have for my crazy quilting. I think it turned out really well. I sent four fat quarters, some note cards and a kitchen towel set. Oh, I also decorated the box I sent it in to look Spring like. It is a photo holder box so Zuzana can use it to keep photo's in as well. Hope she likes it.

I liked the little shoe so much I went back and purchased a green one for myself. I still have to rebead it and make the pincushion part. I will show pics of it when I finish it. This one was so easy to make and I think it is cute. I am finally getting back to normal after all the sinus crud going on. Also, I won the threads on Cathys blog! I will post a pic of them when they arrive until then.........

Happy Stitching,

Wendy

Giveaway Time!

Hi Cathy over at Crazy By Design is having a giveaway for her 200th post. Go check her blog out as she has great talent and loves to crazy quilt. She is giving away three prizes so you have three chances to win a fabulous stash enhancement. While there take a browse through her blog and you will be inspired. You can find her here: http://cathyscrazybydesign.blogspot.com/

Not posting much as I have been a little bit under the weather. Will be back in a couple of days.

Happy Stitching,
Wendy

Fantastic Giveaway at IHAN

This is an awesome giveaway by IHAN as they celebrate their year anniversary

You can go here: IHAN blog and Store to browse and register for all the great giveaways!


Blog Link:: http/www.ihaveanotion.blogspot.com/

Website Link : http://ihavea-notion.com/store/

What I have been up to

Well I have been busy for sure with making lots of small items this month. And of course working on my crazy blocks as well. First are some postcards that I have made. Lots of them too. The first set is a set of 29 and they are called "Monets Countryside" I had this fabric for a long time and never really knew what to do with it. So I decided as it was so pretty and could stand on its own I made some postcards for some swaps I am in. And I still have about two yards of fabric left so I will be making more of these in the future for family I think. The bottom pic shows the different scenes.

Next are my shaker cards that I made for the swap. They turned out good and I really enjoyed making them. A little hard to work with the netting but was worth the effort. Once you get the cards made you put a piece of netting over it and leave one end open , then you add your little goodies and sew shut. Thats it and its all done. I may do a tutorial on how to do the shaker cards.I will definitely be making more shakers in the future.

Next is the Easter non-relg. cards that I made. These were a lot of fun also. I have had this fabric a while also and thought it was fun and would be fun as post cards. I mean everyone loves Charlie Brown and his friends.

Next we have the Easter relg. cards that I made.

Next is my "Love" cards that I sent out. Not Valentines but just cards on Love. Mine said " Love comes in many shapes, forms and fashions. Love great and small always finds us." I think they turned out well.

I also made some napkins for an Easter swap that I was in. They turned out really cute. Using the same Charlie Brown fabric as I did for the postcards.

I am only showing one set here but, I have made a total of five sets. The others are for Easter gifts and are waiting for their owners to recieve them on Sunday at our family get together.  This is will be a great time together as a family as Mike is so much better and is beginning to walk on his own some without the use of a walker. He is making great strides in his recovery and the Dr.s are so pleased and somewhat surprised. We all know that God is still in control of all things even his recovery.

Next up is some pics of my recent finds. Anyonw who knows me knows that I collect milkglass ware and hobnail. Not the fake ( you do have to be careful of just white glass pretending to be milkware) but I came across a really great find a couple of weeks ago and am just now posting about it. I found a set of  scone plates with the cups in mint condition. The set has eight of each plates and the cups. A creamer, sugar bowl and small tray. And a candy dish minus the lid. I liked it so bought it without the lid, at $1.00 I was not going to complain. The other items I paid an outrageously small amount for, so am happy all around. I would like to find a teapot now to go with these. I do know they made them as my mom has a really good friend who is in her late 80's and she has one. So I will continue my search for one and hope to find one sometime in the future. Anyhow, here are my great finds.

Are they not just lovely! I sure do love them and just love adding to my collection. The small tray is just like a larger one that I have that I picked up when I went shopping with my moms friend when she was here back last summer. Slowly but steadily my collection is growing. I recieved a lovely candle stick for Valentines in a swap that I was in and now I am looking for more of those. Anyhow, that is what I have been up to. Hope everyone has a Happy and Blessed Easter as we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord and Savior.

Blessings,

Wendy

Progress on Peacock Block

Yes two posts in one day. I thought the post below was important to do. Now for the crafty fun that this blog is about.

First is my Peacock Splendar block that I am working on. When completed this block will be framed. I love this block and the colors I chose to use. So far all I have added has been the lace and trim. I used some oya lace that I had been saving for something special that Rengin, you can find her here http://renginscolors.blogspot.com/  , made. We did a private swap and this is part of what she sent me. So beautiful, if you like oya lace and flowers you need to visit her blog and then go to her etsy store where she has all kinds of gorgeous oya's for sale. I also have some oya flowers that I will be adding to the block in future days. I like how it is coming along. I used the last of the vintage bead trim that I had on the fan blocks. I think it looks really nice and flashy which is what I am going for since peacocks are flashy in and of themselves.

Next up is the next block in the Heart 3 RR that I am in over at CQI. This block belongs to Diane and she will be framing this block when finished. First pic is of the whole block after my work. There are still two people who will work on Dianes block before it goes home. As it looks now Diane will not have to do any work unless she decides to change something on the block.

The neutral colors of the block was way out of my comfort zone, but I think I did pretty well and I am happy with the results. It seems I am really being stretched in the rr's this time with color being the main element of non-comfort zone. I am open to trying new and growing in that area. Will I ever go pastel or neutral, no way, I love deep jewel tones and brites way too much for that!lol.  At the same time I can appreciate the learning curve of the more for me sedate color families. I'm just a bold kinda gal!lol

Happy Stitching,
Wendy