Forgetful me!

Have you ever misplaced or simply forgotten to do something? Well that's where I am right now. I've been so busy with so many things that I simply forgot to start updating my blog. Talk about having a blonde moment that lasts for months on end! I'm back and will do better at updating and adding in pictures.

Eclectically Mine

Come see what I'm up to at Eclectically Mine.

I have been busy...

Just so you know, I've not been sitting around twiddling my thumbs while I wait for this craft room of mine to get finished. I've been keeping active physically and craft wise too! I have to laugh at myself though, I have a hard time making myself go there and then I have a hard time making myself go home- go figure!

I've been quilting up a storm! I've got 16 quilt tops done and waiting to be stitched on the long arm machine. I'm in the process of making Christmas gifts for the majority of the family this year. The choice to make gifts was an easy one for me; I wanted to give something a little more personal that lets each recipient know that they are indeed special to me.

 

Waiting...

I know that it's been months since I last wrote here on my blog. I'm still waiting on my new craft room to be finished. It's being built by my husband which makes it a labor of love. It's hard to get everything done when you've only got a few hours a week to devote to the project. It's painted now, and the next step is installing the flooring. Same goes for the half bathroom just around the corner from my craft room. For the two rooms I chose my 2 most favorite colors- pink and green. Originally I thought that I'd do pink for the craft room and green for the bathroom but then I flipped them. The theme in my craft room is "Spring Garden" and the theme for the bathroom is "All Things Girly" and I say bring on the bling!

Finding your path to productive creativity

When I'm inspired to create something it just flows through me like an electric current. From the start to the finish it's like I'm obsessed, no joke! The whole project can take on a life of it's own and my family will be left to starve and go naked because I can do nothing but work on my project until it's completed. Lucky for my family that I'm not obsessed with my current quilting project. I think that it's because of 3 things;

1.  I've made a quilt with this pattern before, so no new challenge.
2. It's a Christmas Themed Quilt, so I feel in no rush to complete it.
3. And I've been sick off and on through this project and I feel as if that has knocked me off of my game. 

But the last couple of days has got me feeling inspired to work on it again. Not to mention the fact that I've got some NEW quilt ideas bouncing around in my noggin. Today, as I'm having my morning coffee, I'm suddenly intrigued by the design of my quilted table runner. The more I look at it, the more I wonder if I could adapt it to make a quilt top. Well it's time for me to brush off my math skills and get to work. Usually I put my two math maniacs to work on such a project (I like to have my family feel loved and needed) but today I think that I can tackle this on my own. Actually there are 2 different table runners that I want to adapt into quilt tops, yes I'm feeling rather ambitious today. I've got the PERFECT fabric for one of these ideas! Funny thing is, when I saw this "perfect fabric" I knew that it would be awesome to work with and the colors are so bold and striking that I HAD to have some of it! Good thing I bought 2½ yards of it!

I know that I had said that I want to take classes, any kind of classes, well I think that I found what I want to do... it's to take classes at my local quilt shop. No it's not a "quilting" class per say but a class on learning how to use the large quilting machine and to become certified to use it. How cool is that? These machines are very expensive and becoming certified to use one can save me hundreds of dollars on having my quilts "professionally" quilted by someone else and that can incorporate into thousands versus buying the machine.

Alright I've got to dust off my calculater and get out a pencil, note book and my tape measure, I've got to get some design work going on!

Goals for the New Year

1. To post more often.
2. To take MORE pictures.
3. To teach others how to quilt (I've currently got 2 students)
4. To take classes- of any kind.
5. To ride my bicycle MORE. I joined a seasonal cycling group last year (yes I really did). I had a blast too! 
6. To be fit- I mean really fit! I go to the gym but I need to step it up and be more religous about it and my work outs.
7. To be more open to trying new things- especially in the athletic department.
8. To hand make at least 50% of the gifts we give this Christmas 2013
9. To write more hand written letters to friends and family members.
10. To do more design work.

Creativity for the New Year

Believe it or not, I've been very active in the creativity department (it's just that I've not been posting). I feel bad about not doing any paper crafting- then again ALL of my paper crafting stuff is still packed away in cardboard boxes since something that feel like for forever. All I can be creative with these days is either fabric or food. Since I made a fabulous Chocolate Mousse Cake for New Years Eve (I still need to get over to the food blog and post about that) I've just finished another quilt top and today I finished up a quick and easy project- a tote bag! I'm using my daughter as my model. The bag is made from two 1 yard piece of fabric cut to 35 inches square. The pattern can be found in the 2012 winter edition of Quilts and More magazine. The fabric used here was chosen by my daughter and if I do say so myself it's very Laura Ashely looking (living in Great British has been a good influence on her tastes). I love the liner fabric as well- very charming indeed!

A new Year and a New Scrapbook Nook

As it's now 2013 and my scrapbook nook is still under construction. It's a slow process but then again it's being built by my loving husband and by his own two hands. The 2 pictures you see above are the "closets" in my new much larger Crafting Emporium. All of my crafty goodness will be done in this room. The cabinetry is still to be selected (I'm going with white). My floors are going to be hand-scraped Bamboo and it's a dark brown. The bathroom is waiting for the flooring to go in before we call back the plumber and the electrician in install the remaining items (light fixtures, toilet and sink).

quote of the day

Joy is not in things; it is in us.

-Richard Wagner

Have you ever...

Just looked at yourself wearing an outfit and said...AS IF and then laughed yourself silly? I did that with my newest Cycling Kit. The bike pants are like capri pants only much more form fitting and the jacket, well it's kind of (insert eye roll here) tight. Not much is left to the imagination to this outfit! Then again this stuff is suppose to be form fitting. Heck I feel as if I'm wearing a wetsuit. The only good part of this is that I'm not the only one wearing this sort of thing (thank the Lord for that). The disturbing part is when you see this kind of thing on men, oh bless my soul if I don't want to blush sometimes!

quote of the day

I write down everything I want to remember. That way, instead of spending a lot of time trying to remember what it is I wrote down, I spend the time looking for the paper I wrote it down on.

Beryl Pfizer

My" To Do" list

We all have them, you know- the never ending "to do" list here's mine...

1. Do the actual quilting on those pieced table runners. Currently I need to quilt 10 table runners-ugh!
2. quilt those darn lap quilts! I'm up to what 5? Sheesh!
3. Clean up that guest room! I've got quilting stuff spread out all over the place in there!
4. Laundry...need I say more?
5. Clean upstairs bathrooms (it never ends)
6. Finish putting pictures on digital picture frame and send it to my mom.
7. list stuff for sale on E-bay (I gave up on Craigslist)
8. Haul Hibiscus Tree upstairs
9. Sand large square coffee table, paint and seal it!
10.  Hang up quilted Flag wall hanging
11. Hang up quilted nature scene wall hanging in family room
12. Hang up framed map in eat in kitchen area.
13. Wash my bicycle ( I enjoy riding through puddles and it shows)
14. Dust and mop upstairs hallway
15. Figure out this weeks dinner menu
16. Put paper on back of Hannah's book shelf
17. Rearrange guest bedroom
18. Make list of items to be donated
19. Take donations to Hudson
20. Go Grocery shopping (does this ever really end?)
21. Write to my sister and to my mother

Now for me to get on with getting this stuff OFF of my "to-do" list.

quote of the day

The more you find out about the world, 

the more opportunities there are

 to laugh at it.

-Bill Nye