Friday, December 26, 2008

Mail Call!


Wow! Another good day at The Mercados, WOO-HOO! Look what came in the mail today...drumroll, please....
Yep, it's my stocking from the swap! This one was made for me by Amy. It's make of homespun strips and is soooo soft and yummy.
It came with goodies tucked inside and I just love it! Thanks so much Amy. Oh, I just saw her pic of it on her blog, but trust me, it's as pictured here, it's like a caramel/honey mustard color. So perfectly prim!
And, while I'm on a roll here with the stockings I thought I'd post a pic of Carol's stocking too. This is the one she made for me last year.
The colors are a little off but hey, I'm thinking I'll just make "mastering the camera" one of my New Year's resolutions, LOL!

Stocking, done!

I finally finished the darling stocking for Carol, is this a sweet treat or what?If my fingers weren't numb I would even make one for myself, LOL! And check out the little button I put on the side ... it's actually the same color as the fabric (the large picture is true in colors, I don't know what the heck the story is with this small one, but you get the idea~ right?)
I quilted the front and the back before I secured the wool applique piece and it has a nice weight to it, I used a binding strip to cover the seams on the inside and then again for the top border. I just love it! And now to mail it
off to its new home, I'm so sad to see it go...I want one too! =(

Sunday, December 21, 2008

Still Stitching...

Well, I was kinda-sorta-hoping that I would have this ready to mail out tomorrow but I must confess, now I'm not so sure. I think the pearle cotton is slowing me down and
is literally a pain in my hand. Geez, you'd think I would have figured out the right needle to use by now but I think I have tried all the embroidery needles I have on hand and cannot find one that is just the right size for this thread. It's big, bulky and so freakin' beautiful that I just keep trudging along no matter what. I sure hope she likes my stocking and appreciates my efforts because this is going way beyond what was required! Isn't it coming along nicely? I have to get back to work now but I wanted to share my progress...
Hope everyone is toasty today; we are snowed in! Yikes!=)

Saturday, December 20, 2008

Never Fast Enough

I like to think of myself as slow and steady. I may not finish ahead of the masses but I do, in my own, time get the job done. Last night at GP's insistence, I brought up the Xmas tree. I was going to set it up today (Saturday) but I caught him in the basement looking frazzled because he did not see the tree (as if I had the tree set up in the basement...kids, they think the tree is actually a tree when it gets to your home. Little do they know it's a puzzle that needs to be assembled, fluffed and lit!). Well, I got him upstairs and told him I would find it and bring it up. Needless to say, once he saw the little box he was baffled, and I had to open it and show him that yes, in fact, it was our LR (Living Room) tree. Well, it was like a can of worms...first "show me the tree", then "we have to fix it" (he thought it was broken. and then a big sigh once it was up...even if it was all tied up and bundled, it was up....).
Ok, so my job is now done, or so I think (mind you the tree is not scheduled for Friday, it is on my Sat schedule because I do this all alone...hence GP's bafflement at the tree in a box). Anyway, I go back to my Xmas Stocking (I am in a swap and I am making the stocking that ships out on Monday...it's a work of heart and stitched by hand, more on that tomorrow) which was on my Fri PM schedule...
GP then comes to the family room and wants to know how Santa is going to find him. I tell him that he will find us because the tree will go by the window and Santa uses the tree lights as his gps system. He goes from house to house but he only visits the houses with the tree lights by the windows because those houses are Christian. He does not visit the houses that celebrate Hanuka.
And GP says "Santa uses the tree as a nightlight too"... so I add, "that too, you wouldn't want Santa to fall down and break all the toys!" So off he goes, again. I am in the family room getting a big fat blister on my finger from pulling the pearle cotton with a needle that was way too small.
A little while later he comes back, again...now he wants to know "where are GP's tree lights" (not our tree lights, now the tree is his, LOL!- he still speaks in third person but I was told he might never speak at all so I rarely correct him, I'm just happy he talks!) , I tell him I have them downstairs. He starts doing the frazzled "flapping" so I go get the lights and put them on the table next to the tree and tell him, "Mom will put them on the tree tomorrow, don't worry, he will find you"... and back to trying to finish the darn stocking...
Well, that was it, he left me alone and I made some headway on my stocking. Then when I came back to tell him it was time to get ready for bed, I found the tree was all wrapped and had the lights wrapped around it (Like in the cartoons when they wrap the characters in rope. just around and around) . Anyway, he tells me "it's all done, but needs ornaments..." OMG, I was speechless, he's such a good boy. >Sigh<
So I sat on the floor and started opening the branches and fluffing up the tree while he was taking a shower. I had to first unwrap the lights; I put them on the floor next to the tree to restring them today when I finished fluffing up the tree. Then I went to put on my own PJ's and
when I came back, this is what I saw!
Look closely and you will see he draped the lights on the tree on the side that faces the window!
I just smiled and gave him a hug with a big "thank you" for being so "helpful".
Guess I just wasn't fast enough, gotta love that kid!

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Mail Call!

Have you ever been so gitty you just can't seem to stop smiling? Well, it's kind of fun and makes people wonder what you've been up to. Hee-hee.
Today I was feeling super psyched as I ran out to mail the last orders before the snow storm that is headed our way. Seems like just yesterday we had the power outage that made me run to the wood pile at dawn in my PJ's...man, was it cold. Nobody told me the heater needed electricity; it's oil for goodness sake! Someone forgot to mention the pilot was electric, duh. No electricity, no oil heat. Live and learn ladies... you need electricity to run the boiler, LOL! So anyway, the thought of another night without heat made me get myself in gear and prepare for a day of hibernation. I am NOT going out tomorrow, no way- no how. Well, I might have to go dig out the Murano, JIC we have an emergency and the phone is dead and I can't dial 911. Did you know I am the only woman left in 2008 that does not own a cell phone? I don't, really. Now I wish I did, if only not to worry about digging out the car....if I had a cell phone, I could just dial 911 and have them come and pick me up, LOL! That's bad, isn't it?
Anyway, the reason I was so psyched in the midst of all the chaos is that when I opened the door there were TWO packages for me, woo-hoo! And I hadn't bought anything so I knew they were care packages. How cool is that?
One was from Melissa: A treasure trove of Christmas goodies for us ...even GP got in on the goods... although he did say "Oh no, we must send this back, it's CREST!", he was quickly persuaded with the note that said it was for his "collection" so he decided he was "just going to try it" tomorrow. I couldn't believe it, he's going to try a new toothpaste? Woo-Hoo! Must be the matching power tool (oops, I mean the battery operated toothbrush, LOL!) that came with it. Thanks Melissa, you've done the impossible...get him to try a new brand of Toothpaste! Woo-Hoo!
After his loot was safely put away in the bathroom, GP came back to help me with MY goodies. He is totally into decorating (we'll be putting up the tree tomorrow and he is really psyched!)
First he decided to put the friends ornie on the board,see it right above the Snow buddies? I thought that was a great spot... I've taught him well, LOL!
Then he put the candle in the kitchen "where it belongs" ( I do actually have only one place for this size candle and it is a staple in our home because it is the only size that fits in the candle holder I purchased when we bought the house, almost 12 years ago...hence, GP knows that that is where these candles "belong". He's good, LOL! We needed a new one, I'm thinking Melissa is psychic... the new candle is right at home now. Then GP jumped ship and left me to find a place for the wonderful ball ornament (I think this was due to the fact that the tree isn't up so he is thinking something I can't write here...remember the story about the little boy who had no ears and needed glasses? well, I can't write it because it's not PC but that's what GP was thinking about, I'm sure... "se lo ira a enganchar en el **** porque no tiene Orejas" LOL! Inside joke for the sisters...
sorry, I just couldn't resist.
Needless to say, I did have a place for the beautiful ornament: In a basket with some of my other treasures. Note how it blends right in, next to my cute Starbucks reindeer, isn't he cute too? Oh, the chocolates were part of my loot...gotta love it!

A Santa mug made the trip too but the camera was confiscated before I got to that one so I'll leave you with a work of art that I will treasure forever, it was at the bottom of the box just waiting to be unfolded...Oh, I so love it. And I already have it on display. Look at this:
I'm so happy with this totally unexpected box of wonder...thanks so much Melissa, I love it all!

And then there was Box#2!
This one is from Sandy:



Yeah, that's all there is to say about this box...the darn thing came gift wrapped! I like my presents to come unwrapped in the nice Amazon box. How can I explain knowing what's in the box if comes wrapped? Open it before Xmas? Me? Snoop? I think I'll put this one back in the car and hope the snow keeps me from sleepwalking, LOL!I gave it a shake but it doesn't make any noise...maybe it's dead and needs CPR! Should I open it?
I called Sandy and told her it was here (mostly I called because I couldn't believe she had them gift wrap it...I thought she liked me, she's my sister!) but after two tries the magic words were not forthcoming ("Did you like it?") so I gave up...now it sits there on the table staring at me...I don't know if I can stand it. LOL! I'll keep you posted. =)

Tuesday, November 18, 2008

Cupcake Swap, Now in Progress!

I'm alive! Yes, it seems like I was MIA, and I was , but I was not dead. And for that, I am grateful! LOL! I'm getting ready for my trip to TX (two weeks of family bonding, watch out girls, here I come!) and now that almost all the details are ironed out, I just have to wrap things up at the Pumpkin Patch! It's really the first time I've left my pumpkins, so I am a little nervous that my customers might ditch me and forget to come back after my return. But I guess I'll have to take that chance, eh? Oh, the stress of it all.
On a lighter note, I'm also finishing up other pending items I had to clear off my list before I made a run for the border. Here are some Cupcake blocks that I made for the Baltimore Bunnies group I belong to. They are tiny, 5.5" sq. The wall hanging, Party Cakes is only 30"x34.5" ...you can see it here. These are my Primmed Up blocks (no lights, brights or whites for me, thank you very much!) Aren't they cute?

Sunday, November 9, 2008

Weekend Wonder, Done!

My Newsletter subscribers wont have a problem identifying this little quilt. It's this week's Weekend Wonder! I did it! I completed my quilt yesterday and it is sooo cute! I wanted to make it a year round quilt so I switched up the letters . I can't wait to show you! But this one is for the star lovin' Birthday Girl... Sandy!
I'm mailing it tomorrow and as soon as I hear it has arrived, I'll post a nice big pic. Maybe next weekend I'll make one for me!

Tuesday, November 4, 2008

Voting...Done!


We did it!
GP and I went out and voted for the next president of the USA! Woo-Hoo!
See how I got a little sticker too? =)
Hope you all went and did your duty...

Vote, Today!

I'm too old to let others decide what's best for me therefore, I VOTE!
Have you voted today? If not, get out there and do it.
Tomorrow will be too late, don't procrastinate; Vote, TODAY!

I won, I won, I WON!

If you are ever in need of some serious reading material, then this is the place to go so you don't waste your time reading junk!

If she says it's a dud... you can bet your sweet bum it is. Sometimes I just go through the blog looking for anything rated b or better and run with it. I just know that if she says it's good, I'll enjoy reading it. Anyway, when I read that she had reviewed a new book and given it an A, I was psyched to have something to add to my "must read" list.

Ok, so I read the review "score" before I read the review, I'm like that... why bother with the duds?
Well, in any event. It turn out that she liked this book so much she
decided to buy a copy to share and had a little giveaway; and I WON! Woo-HOO!Can you think of anything better than a good book for a snowy Winter's Day? I'm psyched!
Thanks Sandy for the great drawing and for all the great books you
review for us crafters who need something good to listen to while we make our treasures!
Click on the image of the book to read her review, I'm sure anyone looking for a good read will appreciate it =)

A Belated Winner!


Ok, so I had a serious setback and am way behind in everything... can you say "Unexpected three WEEK visit by MOM?" Hello!
But fear not, she left this morning and I am catching up; one thing at a time. My Halloweenie Giveaway will be a Fall giveaway now and I will surely follow through with my promise to make it a fun surprise.
Now for the winner...drumroll please....
Random.org chose#17,Timestamp: 2008-11-04 06:24:30 UTC
and that would be:everythingquilts
who said... I would like to be enter in the give away. I"ll post a link to the give away. I haven't ever won anything in my life but you never know. I am currently in 2 other giveaways also. They are on my blog if you are interested in them.
Remember that I had extra entries for those that posted on their blogs so she is not the 17th comment but she is the winner according to the post#...JIC anyone needed an explanation. =)

Thursday, October 16, 2008

Ugly Mug Award for me!

OMG! I received an Ugly Mug Award from T over at Fiber Babble.
It's a wonderful award, it honors "any blogger who crafts, sews, quilts - you know, makes stuff - no matter how crappy (or how good). A way to say - I like your blog, like your stuff, and I'm pretty sure you have a good sense of humor." and was created by Megan at The Bitchy Stitcher.
Now I will pass it along to three creative bloggers that keep me wishing I could skip more of my "to do" and add more to my "I did it!" list!
1.Raedene from Threads on the Floor
This blog is eye candy for the soul. If you dream it, she can make it, LOL! Yep...that good!
2.Kim from Creating by The Lake
She quilts, she crafts and she even scrapbook's...need I say more?
I always check in here. In my next life I am going to one of her scrapbooking classes to make some cool paper "stuff"!
3.Karen from Cotton Spice
One of my favorite creative spirits. This woman's day has about 36 hours. No kidding. She does it all. Quilting crafting...running an online magazine, y'know...everything! She keeps me from getting tired or worse, lazy...I'm always trying to keep up. You'll all love this one too.
That's it for now folks. Thanks again to T for my super cool award and for inviting me to share some great places where real women show their stuff! =)

A Halloween Give Away!

With only 15 days to go, I'm having a Halloween Giveaway! Woo-Hoo!The thing is, you just gotta trust me on this one. No pics, no tricks... It'll be a Halloweenie Surprise! If you've ever taken part of my giveaways you know, I don't do Junk! I bought some great stuff for my Autumn Swap buddy and I had enough for TWO baskets and, you guessed it, one lucky blogger is getting the second one.. Leave a comment and post about it on your blog if you want in! You get an extra entry for your post too! When my swap buddy lets me know she has received her goodies I will post the pic of the winner's loot! Drawing will be Next THURSDAY!
NON BLOGGERS: You must leave an email or send me an email with your email address in case you win...
Ahem, Carrie, that means you too, hahaha!
Update: No more entries accepted!

Taking Time to Smell the Flowers

This morning when I looked in the mirror I realized I was having a bad hair day. Not your average,"I must do something about my hair" day, but a REAL bad hair day! OK, so what happened was that I went to one of those "drive by" haircut places, yep, the ones that you pull in, get a haircut, hand them a $20 and leave. No, they don't massage your head, offer manicures, pedicures or lattes. You get a smile, a haircut and a wave in 20 minutes or less. =) Yep, that's my style. My $75 haircut days are way behind me. Now if they can laugh when GP says "No more conversation. You need to use the buzzer now." I am happy and get my haircut while he gives his teenage stylist directions. Do they hire anyone over the age of 20? I don't think so,LOL!
Anyway, when I looked in the mirror this morning I had a Cindy Lauper cut...you know the one ...the one from "Girls just wanna have fun!". The one where one side has hair and one is practically shaved off. Yep, that was me! LOL! I have to tell you, a few years ago I would have had a cow, a stroke...gone on a killing spree... but I tell you, I just couldn't stop laughing...OMG! It was freakin' hilarious. Now how the heck had I not noticed this "little" problem with my hair? Well, easy...I didn't look! GP was done with his haircut and I was just making sure he didn't exit the place so while I was sitting staring at the mirror, I was looking at GP who was standing right behind me at the checkout counter. When she asked me if it was
good, I just said "thank you" and went to collect my son. Came home, and that was that... so this morning I look at my hair and thought it was pillow head, and just proceeded to shower and towel dry. "Yep, looks good" I thought, and then after it was dry, I just happened to catch a glimpse of myself and said, "OMG, it wasn't the pillow. I'm having a bad hair day! " ROFLOL! Anyway, no pictures of the bad hair. I had it fixed. the girl that did GP yesterday was there and fixed it for me. She had a good laugh too.
Well, after I had my hair "done" I went to my favorite florist "Shaw's" For you out of town people, that's my local Supermarket! and bought myself some flowers. Nope, no groceries...just flowers! Aren't they gorgeous?! I deserved them. I just realized I have done a little more growing up and, let me tell you, it feels good not to sweat the small stuff! Hope you have a good day and can laugh at yourself too. Enjoy!
PS. You can hear Girls Just Wanna Have Fun on my Playlist. Hope it makes you smile. =)

Monday, October 6, 2008

Pumpkin Patch Block Swap 2007!

Last Fall I hosted a Pumpkin Block Swap. We were 42 ladies. We each made a set of 36-42 identical pumpkins (we had three styles to choose from and the color of the pumpkin, along with the size, depended on the placement your pumpkin had on the quilt pattern.The pattern is by Anne Sutton and is called The Frost is On the Pumpkin. This pic if of Bab William's finished quilt; the handsome guy is her helper, and husband, Douglas! Wish my blocks looked like that....mine look like a little stack in a ziplock! I love hers though; way to go Babs!

25 Days Till Halloween!

I received the most inspiring email this morning from Tracy over at Fiber Babble. She told me that she had seen this project and thought of me. Well, I followed her link and OMG! Check this out! Is this the coolest thing ever?
Crafty Chris (as I shall now refer to her) over at Just Another Girl has the coolest little boxes, and she shares the instructions in a tutorial so we can all make our own; Woo-HOO! You KNOW I'm heading to AC Moore to buy some Halloweenie papers and make me some of those cool boxes! Thanks so much Tracy for leading the way: I am lovin' these!

Thursday, October 2, 2008

We have a Winner!

I had a giveaway this week for the ladies on my Yahoo Group. The prize was a Last Leaves Quilt Kit and all they had to do was post a pic of what they were working on and tell us a little bit about it. Well, GP chose a winner tonight and he was very excited to document it. He even took a movie of me cutting the strips to put into the bowl. He is most certainly a thorough historian, not wanting to miss any part of the process. He was telling me I needed to "shuffle the papers" before I put the strips in the bowl; then he told me, when I asked him to pick a paper, "Wait! First I close the eyes tight!" and so he did and Whala! We have a Winner!
Oh, It would be nice to see what the kit looks like, eh? DUH... never mind me, just a little brain dead tonight, LOL! This is a pic of my finished quilt. Are you lovin' those little birds or what? They are handmade polymer clay buttons from Just Another Button Company. They are sweet as candy. =)

Monday, September 22, 2008

NH World Quilt Show

I went to the NH World Quilt show this past Saturday with Joana and of all the hundreds of quilts we saw this was my absolute favorite. Isn't it gorgeous?
I did a little shopping for weird fabrics; I bought some Kaffe (I know, I know, It's Joanna...she's got this thing for Kaffe and it's contagious!) . Pics tomorrow, no pics at night...the camera is weird (or is it that the photographer is to blame? HMMM)
I found some great pattern designers to join Pumpkin Patch Primitive's Pattern Index... and a new wool distributor. Well, you just can't beat that for one day's "work"... LOL!
On Sunday I worked on my Weekend Wonder project,
Bunch of Pumpkins but I haven't taken a pic of it; stay posted...it is sooo cute!
Hope everyone had as much fun as I did this weekend...more pics coming soon! B=)

Wednesday, September 17, 2008

A Blogging Award for MOI?

Well, look at me! Julie gave me a blogging award! Woo-Hoo! How exciting is that? I now must pass the torch onto five of my favorite blogs:
Applique Today
Joanna loves to craft and has three great munchkins that keep her busy. She's even started sharing some of her culinary talents. How's that for multi-tasking?
The Pigeon Loft
Charlie is a bit "cooky" but I know with absolute certainty that it's from hanging out with Mr. Pigeon.; Oh my gosh, I love this blog... LOL! BTW, there is a waiting list for Mr. Pigeon's sibblings...and I'm on it!
Country Folk Keepsakes
When I grow up I want to make dolls like Kim's. Her primitive dolls are nothing short of little treasures.Once I saw this pic on her website I just had to keep coming back for more...is this attention to detail or what?

Weekend Wonder, Done!

Well, if you are on my Quilt Shoppe's Mailing list you recognize this cutie. It is this weekend's Weekend Wonder, Buttermilk Basin's Autumn Bag, done! I send out weekly project suggestions and make up kits for projects that can be completed in a weekend. This week's project was this awesome woolly bag.
It measures 8"x 18", a full inch less on both sides than the pattern but I thought the pattern was too long and too wide for "my spot", so sue me! I lined it with the same homespun fabric I used for the back to cover up my stitches (not that anyone would see them inside the bag, but I had the time so why not?) I started and finished her in a day, between chores and she was on display by Monday. Proving once again, that this bag is indeed a Weekend Wonder! TADA!
I always feel so accomplished whenever I finish something, no matter how small or how simple. And I really needed to feel like I accomplished something this weekend, so while I was making up the kits for my customers I made one for myself. I just love the way it turned out. I even painted the rusty wire so it wouldn't get the rust on my wool, fancy- eh? LOL! Now I have to go to AC Moore to get some fake Bittersweet to fill it. The natura Bitterweet I collected last year was everywhere. The berries kept falling off as they were drying...what a mess! I think I should have sprayed them or something....but anyway, this year it's plastic or bust! I'm shameless, what can I say!?Hope your weekend was wonderful too!

Monday, September 8, 2008

Homeschool has it's priviledges!

OK so I left GP doing his work and when I came back this is what I saw: "Pepper" had somehow managed to get onto the ottoman, push the board table out to the side, and
butt the ottoman right up to GP's chair...HMMM. Now that is one smart dog, eh?
Now I must stop wondering why it takes GP so long to finish his work...could it be all the redecorating that goes on while I am bringing up the laundry? Could be!
Just had to share ...

Saturday, September 6, 2008

There's More...

I wanted to show you why, oh why, I just had to buy those magazines....
First, ME's Home Companion had this:
OMG! It's a home filled chuck full of Halloween decorations that made my heart skip a beat. I wanted to see if I could find out where this place is locate so I can move in! And in the worst case scenario where they didn't share the house location, at least I could put myself there in my dreams...ahhh...one can dream, it's free!
Then, I came across that awesome Halloween magazine by BH&G; well, look what that one had:

Aren't these great? We can cut them out from construction paper during Homeschool and GP can scatter them all around the house, (cutting with scissors is good to help develop fine motor skills which in turn helps him control pencils and pens when writing!), how cool is that? Woo-Hoo!
OK so now for Fons & Porter...well this one is such a cute quilt, and so true to my skill level , LOL! that I said "oh, I have to make that!" so I brought it home...there are many great quilts in this one but this is really the only one I am likely to make in this lifetime...hahaha...
OK more mag projects in another post...I have to get back to work now...
Are you heading to Barnes and Noble? LMK if you find a magazine I didn't buy, LOL!

Homeschool, Now in Progress!

Yep, it's that time again and Homeschool is now officially underway!
With a new school year come new books and after seeing GP struggle with the new curriculum I thought it was time for a more "student friendly" dictionary. The regular dictionaries have small print and much text and to an autistic child that can become overwhelming (he had to look up so many new words this week his little hands did more flapping than writing! Oh, he does this little flapping and hand-scrunching "thing" when he gets stressed out, and Boy! was he stressed out!). Well, we can't have any stress around here...homeschool is for learning not for stressing...so off we went to our favorite non fabric store; oh, I meant MY favorite non fabric store, it's GP's favorite non electronics store, LOL!
Well, I found one awesome dictionary, two thesaurus' and two misc.
"must have" grammar books...BUT, that's not all I found, hello!
Look what I found!
Well, as if that didn't break the bank (why, oh why, are these Australian magazines SOOOO expensive?)....I came across these!
which brings my sept reading list to something close to this:

Tuesday, September 2, 2008

Is it National Witch Month?

I'm thinking that this month is all about the Flying Divas in my place. I made this wonderful new addition this weekend. all wools and flannels on a flat cotton background. A primmed up version of the Mt.Redoubt Designs pattern, which is made up in Batiks (a little too "fancy" for my little Pumpkin Patch!) . Now when I started off on this project I didn't know it was this big, 23.5"x26" (don't laugh at me, this is way bigger than my cutting mat!) so I had to trim it to fit my mat...well, does someone know how I was supposed to make sure it was square if it didn't fit on my mat's grid? Hello! A-nyway, I have it all finished and now because it so big (stop laughing at me!) I don't know how I'm going to quilt it so it doesn't get all distorted. I might just have to hang it like this...with the little basting pins and all. It's already fused to the backing, the pins are just for reinforcement, LOL! Can I just send it to Sandy and she can "fix it"???? I might have to bribe the woman but who knows... I might get lucky if I grovel, LOL! Wish me luck!