Thursday, July 30, 2009

Sweetness in Stripes

When I saw this Anna Maria Horner fabric from her "Chocolate Lollipop" line. I had to make a dress for Brooke, my niece.


http://www.annamariahorner.com/productfabric.html

When I found this Sandi Henderson dress pattern called "Claire" it was sealed. This is the one I had to make.


http://www.sandihendersondesign.com/

The fabric and the pattern were a joy to work with. At first I thought the pattern was a bit expensive,(aren't they all?) but after I read through it I realized this may be the easiest pattern format ever! The photos are great and the instructions are simple. Beautiful.


I added a quick little bag just for fun.




Here she is modeling it. Such a beauty. I have heard from her mother that she has taken it off only to sleep then the dress goes right back on. I think I'll have to make some more!!



Giveaways Galore!

I am just lovin' these giveaways. Here is a fantastic one $50.00 gift certificate for Fat Quarter Shop. Yipee!!!

Rachel at P.S. I Quilt is offering this one, here is the link

http://rachel-griffith.blogspot.com/2009/07/how-about-giveaway.html Rachels blog is full of fun ideas. Check her out and enter the giveaway. Good Luck

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Romantic Reception

The wedding reception took place after the ceremony at the Helvetia Winery. http://www.helvetiawinery.com
This again was a first for me. A reception at a winery that is. I have to say it couldn't have been nicer.The setting was lovely rolling hills, grape vines, and shimmering shade trees. The weather was perfect...warm and sunny. The wine was fantastic and the the food scrumptious. The music was entertaining and the company inviting, a fine group of people. Basically I had a wonderful time.











Tuesday, July 28, 2009

A Blissful Bride

I had the honor and great pleasure of attending my lovely cousin Janee's wedding on July 11th in Portland, Oregon. She married a wonderful man named Will in the Shakespeare Garden in the Rose Garden in Washington Park. It was one of the most beautiful weddings I have seen. I had never been to Portland before and I am still struck by the lushness. The roses are amazing, huge and the smell is heavenly, the perfect place.

So very pretty
these little sweeties are Will's talented daughters Kira and Liana
flower girl feet
These Lovely Ladies are the mother of the bride and the step-mother of the groom,don't they look elated?
The proud groom, Will
The classically gorgeous Rebecca, aka Best Maid of Honor EVER!
Petal Power
Isn't she Lovely?
The Vows were so touching
a gift for Liana

a gift for Kira
Joy!
Party's ON!!!
Happily Ever After







Sunday, July 26, 2009

Farm Chicks Giveaway

The Farm Chicks recently went to New York City and they brought back some great stuff to giveaway. If you comment on their blog they will enter you in the drawing. Write about your favorite place in NYC, if you have never been there then write about where you'd like to go.
http://www.thefarmchicks.typepad.com/farmchicks/2009/07/since-we-couldnt-take-you-with-us.html

I would love to visit Central Park that would be my #1.
How about you?

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Giveaway Fun

Kim over at Bitty Bits and Pieces is having a fabulous giveaway, so much fun. Her blog is full of bright happy ideas. Here is a link

http://bittybitsandpieces.blogspot.com/2009/07/charmed-gift-bag-giveaway.html

Good Luck

Friday, July 24, 2009

I feel Lucky!

Last night I received a fantastic, fun filled box of fabric for free!
You see, I won a giveaway from Heather Bailey, one of my very favorite designers. I currently have one of her prints on my living room lampshades and sofa pillow. Check out her super creative and very colorful blog
http://heatherbailey.typepad.com/heather_bailey/2009/07/wormnamedsnowflake.html

it also came with the most adorable little strawberry pincushion.






and a sweet little note, Thank you so very much Heather and Crew, I can't wait to get sewing. Your Cheery Blog inspires me every time.

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Fine young men and women

One of my favorite blogs, The Farm Chicks, put up a post the other day that meant so much to me I just had to share. I actually have many reasons to share them with you, they are creative masterminds and they are just so sweet. I adore their style. click on this link
http://thefarmchicks.typepad.com/farmchicks/2009/07/thank-you.html read and I guarantee your heart will swell.I have heard of this sort of thing happening but I have yet to witness it. Just lovely and at the same time so heartbreaking. You will understand my photo choice once you have read it. Don't you think these soldiers look like babies? So young it just makes me so sad and at the same time so proud. Bless you all
PS- that is a pie pan on that Marines head. A bit of a food fight broke out after the pie eating contest.

Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Wild and Wonderful


This is a quilt top I put together in one afternoon, it was so easy. I have been wanting a picnic quilt to use for outings. Now I just have to make a quilt sandwich and sew it all together. Actually I think it might need a border around it but what fabric do I use? A hard decision for sure.

Monday, July 20, 2009

Plunking Cavern?

On our way to Portland we stopped at a spot called the Moaning Cavern. The brochure we had, described a 45 minute "walking tour"through the cavern that moans! I had imagined the moaning would be very creepy. The cavern was discovered thousands of years ago probably by the first poor sucker that fell in. Miners were able to use ropes and such to get down in there and back out again, they used candles for light as they repelled down. The candles sat in little metal cups which were hooked to their belts. To keep from lighting themselves on fire while climbing down a rope, they didn't light the candles until they reached the bottom! TOTAL DARKNESS.
We used this rusty spiral staircase that was built down there in 1922. Yikes! I was so scared. The only other way down is by repelling down a rope, No thanks, not for me. It turned out to be a very long descent down the stairs and then a 30 minute "talking tour". The tour guide was very informative although I was a bit annoyed when she told us that the cave no longer moans now that they built a gift shop over the entrance. What? She said "its more like a plunking now, but I bet you wouldn't have come down here if it was called Plunking cave!" Oh boy! we were deceived many times on this trip, don't they realize you just end up leaving disappointed? She explained that before the gift shop muffled the sound, water would drip into the cave and fall down into these seven small holes that had been formed in a blobby stalagmite. The dripping noise would echo around and around the cavern creating a moaning noise by the time it came out of the top. They try to recreate the noise by pumping water into the cave as the summers are too dry now, then the tour guides use a plastic tube to syphon the water out of the holes. When a drip comes down and lands in one of those holes, if you are all very quiet, you will hear a plunk! Wow! I thought it sounded like one hit to a bongo drum. A quiet hit. She told us that when the miners started exploring the cave they found a 14 foot pile of remains, many of them human. They have a display case with all kinds of stuff they found whiskey bottles, tools, a twelve year old girls skull. You see this cavern starts out as a small hole amidst some rocks in the ground. If you made the mistake of stepping into it you fell about 165 feet to your death, there is no way out! Until recently they had the oldest human remain in North America, 13,000 years old. No animals live in this cave, there is no food or light. The cavern is big enough to fit the Statue of Liberty inside.The owners have installed big lights so we were able to see much better than my pictures show.
The scariest part besides the shaky spiral staircase was when she turned out the lights and showed us no light, then candle light, then flashlight, I really didn't enjoy that part. I couldn't stop thinking about that movie "The Descent". We actually enjoyed ourselves and I would highly recommend it to anyone who likes, well... caves.

Saturday, July 18, 2009

Columbia Cemetery


I have a strange love for graveyards. I can't explain it I have always felt this way.They don't scare me, although I wouldn't want to spend the night in one! I mean the people have all moved on right? The atmosphere in a cemetery is always peaceful and still even when there are "living" tourists rambling around the tombs. I am lucky to have a husband who enjoys visiting graveyards as well and as a result we often end up with more photos of graves than anything else. I have been trying to focus on the ones that really speak to me in some way. On our recent trip to Portland Oregon we stopped at Columbia State Park, a fascinating place with a fantastic cemetery.

I am sure that when they dug this grave it seemed like a beautiful spot, right between those two trees but they have grown a lot since 1883 and now the roots are lifting the grave up.
There are elaborate iron fences
and humble little white crosses
I have decided over the years that I don't like plastic flowers at grave sites. It takes away some of the tombstones historical dignity. Nothin' looks worse than faded plastic flowers on a grave.
The view from one side of the cemetery is the back of the school. The older students went to class upstairs and the younger ones downstairs.I was amazed at the height of those steps, they were so steep, and people were shorter back then! I wonder what it was like to have a graveyard right behind your classroom?

Friday, July 17, 2009

Road Blossoms

from Mammoth California to Portland Oregon I found gorgeous flowers.








Mini Test Quilt

I pieced together a large quilt top awhile back and I planned on hand quilting it. I have since discovered I am a machine quilter, at least for now and I wanted to test my skills at stiching in the ditch. So I made a mini version of the quilt and went to town! I had so much fun and I adore the speedy results. I think this will become a pillow but it WOULD make a sweet baby doll quilt.