New Backpacks in my Etsy Shop

good afternoon to you...

please check my blog sidebar.

i've added new BACKPACKS to my Etsy shop.

Holiday "Therapy"

i have to admit...this time of year and especially this week alone has been hectic and crazy busy.

every day my "to do" list is long...

i decided the other day...in order to cope with this busy-ness i needed to sit down and therapy sew.

i was completely inspired by this new book by Rayna Gillman that came out...I LOVE THIS BOOK AND THE TECHNIQUES IT DESCRIBES...did it help for you to understand how much i love it by putting that in all caps ;)

the author describes how to 'therapy' sew all your lonely little scraps together to form blocks that are completely random, and not perfect...

i know for some this is a bizarre concept because for many years we have all spent a tremedous amount of hours perfecting our 1/4" and absolute perfect points.

here is what my 'therapy' looked like...



i had so much fun...i was able to use up a bunch of little scraps of fabric.  i don't know where i'll go from here.  maybe just make more squares and sew them into a quilt.  but for now these random little squares make me happy and now i can get back to all the things i have to get done before Christmas.

aahhh....doughnuts!

i have had so much fun today (when i actually should be sewing)...
making doughnuts for my family. 

actually...i was experimenting the recipe so i could make these for Christmas.

i found the recipe for doughnuts in this cute little magazine that i love.

i made the dough...i'm a tornado in the kitchen...
can you tell from the flour all over the mixer? hee, hee

here are the little beauties taking a bath...

here they are done...so pretty! and better yet, they are delicious!

happy weekend!

Last Minute Gifts

this is how i do things...

10 days before Christmas decide to make two large, lap size quilts for gifts...i know i'm crazy, but when i get the idea there's no stopping me.

so starting yesterday I got all the fabric cut out and i've been sewing ever since.

one quilt top done!

the black sashing is FLANNEL...so cozy

the squares are CORDUROY...most of the fabric is yardage i had, but some of it is corduroy pants that i got at the Goodwill and cut them up.

the quilt pattern comes from this book



the pattern is this one



needless to say...i will be in my sewing room until Christmas ;)

A Very Merry Christmas to you!

...christmas picture to send out to family and friends...checked off 'to do list'...yay!  Ordered the photos off of costco.com last night and they are ready for pic-up today...

Merry Christmas!

...for unto you a Savior has been born, he is Christ the Lord.  Luke 2:11

Appliqué Club at the Forest

I LOVE my Appliqué Club at Greenbaum's Quilted Forest...my student's are the best.  Not only do they do a fantastic job at their appliqués every month they also bring the BEST snacks to munch on too.  Enjoy a few of this month's beauties...

 This is a pattern by the Piece O Cake ladies...

made by Joan

This is "Bunnies Prefer Chocolate" Block of the Month by Bunny Hill Designs.

made by Nirvana

 

 Pattern unknown

maker: anonymous

Good Times

Last night at Greenbaum's Quilted Forest in Salem, Oregon we had 'good times'. Here is Donna, Beth, and me working the "Red Card" event.  We had food, fabric, and fun! 

Stop in and say 'hello' or visit our online store.

Pretty Little Ring Pin Cushions

I have to confess that taking pictures for my blog is not easy for me...I have no patience really is what it comes down too.  Basically, I want a fabulous picture, but I have no patience to go thru the process of taking the picture, photoshopping the picture, etc...

So...until I get better at the process, here is what I have for you today...two pictures that don't have the same color value to them (I'm sorry).  Like I said I'm just not good at this part.  I'm really good at creating things, just not good (yet) of getting the product into a good photo.

Anyhoo...here's what I've been working on.

I gathered some wool balls, adjustable ring bases, and beads.

 Here is my finished product...Pretty Little Ring Pin Cushions.

I used E6000 glue to adhere the wool ball to the ring base, then hand sewed seed beads to the ball using thread.

I love wearing one when I sew...sew handy (hee, hee). 

Painted Studio and New Name

I'm really quite thrilled to share with you the new name of my studio...Apt5Studio! 

Here's the scoop...

I've been dreaming and thinking about what to call my studio for quite some time and as a result I was coming up with nothing.  Then...one day when I was sitting on the beach at the Oregon Coast...I looked down at a magazine that my husband had brought along and noticed that the address on the front was addressed to Apt 5...I found this quite amusing seeing as our real address does not have Apt 5 in it whatsoever.  My husband said he had tried to correct the problem several times and the magazine company still couldn't get it right.  In fact, another one of our magazines started coming with the same address.  It was quite humorous. 

So...a light bulb went on and I thought "it must be fate, I will use it".

Remember a few weeks ago I said I was painting my studio...well, I'm done.  I'm not going to lie...it was tough...you will see from the pictures I had a TON of stuff to move before I could paint, but I did it.  I'll admit...my studio is messy and full of stuff...but, I love it.  It will never be perfect and uncluttered and that's okay with me.  It's my happy place.

Here's my studio before:
Ugly wood paneling...

Do you see my kitty...she blends in with all my stuff :)

 Here's the after shot...so much brighter with pretty cream paint on the walls.

Other side of room

Oh, don't worry...this isn't ALL the fabric I own...there's more tucked away in a closet.

Oh, and see those white boxes stacked up?  Those might have fabric in them too ;)