My Etsy Shop...

...is now OPEN!!!

Finally, I have a listing in my Etsy shop. It's only been "open" since, oh, I think April of this year...and completely empty!

But, as promised, I now have a listing for the pattern of the Calavera Owl Embroidery I did for my friend Heather for Christmas.

Please check out my shop here. I hope to have another new embroidery pattern listed soon (hopefully within the next 3-4 days). I also plan on having some other items for purchase sometime in January. I'll keep you all updated here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Calavera Owl!

I am SO happy that I finally get to post about the calavera owl embroidery I made for my BFF Heather for Christmas!!! 

Heather loves owls. We both also like calavera (Day of the Dead skulls/sugar skulls). They are just so pretty to me--can't explain it.

So I decided to combine the two for Heather's Christmas gift! I hope that one day next week I can get the pattern together to put up on my Etsy site...when I do, I'll be sure to post the info here...

The finished product--framed in the embroidery hoop. There is a great tutorial from Polka and Bloom here. (I won't show you the back of mine--I didn't quite have the knack of it...nor did I use the hoop as a template for the backing...so it's not so pretty as it should be *grin*  But the tutorial is indeed awesome).

I used a split stitch to outline the owl, in red. There are some lazy daisy stitches, french knots, and of course old faithful--the back-stitch.

Close up of  le eye ball *grin* 

And a close up of le belly flower.

 

I really, really, really did want to keep this one for myself...so I guess one day I'll have to make one for my wall. Until then, I supposed I shall just have to admire the pictures I took of it.

 

Stay tuned for info on my Etsy shop. (I've yet to post anything for sale, and I've had it for, oh, about 8 months now?!?)

Thanks for stopping by!

Sunset on the Water

So, I haven't posted anything since finishing the koi quilt. And yes, I know that's been two full months. I haven't worked on anything either, except a couple of Christmas gifts. One I can't show you yet because it's for my BFF who reads my blog (thank goodness somebody does!). The other is for my Secret Santa person at work. 

At work each year, we do Secret Santa. We have this questionnaire that we all fill out, and it includes some of the following questions: 

• What I most want for Christmas this year...
• My favorite color is...
• I collect...
• I can never have enough...

I always like to make at least one thing that involves one of the person's answers to the questionnaire. Like last year, I drew Kristen's name. She collects antique buttons, and her favorite color is red. So I knitted her a red cowl scarf that closed with antique mother-of-pearl buttons. You get the idea...(sadly I do not have a picture of it).

This year, I drew John's name. Blue is his favorite color. I thought about a scarf or something like that, but that seemed a little too personal. So I decided I'd embroider something. What, I had no idea.

Then, a tiny idea...

It started out just as some abstract blue thing.But as it turns out, I'm not so great at the abstract thing...it just doesn't translate from the picture in my head, through my hands, and onto whatever medium I'm using at the time. So I decided to make it into a sunset on the water.

I just kind of made it up as I went along...

And when I finished the sunset, I thought it still needed something. So I decided to add a few wispy clouds...

So, whaddya think??

I'm going to frame it. Hopefully John will enjoy it. He hasn't been with us very long, so maybe it can be added to his office somewhere to fill in some of the blank space on the walls *grin*

(If you are one of my coworkers reading this, you must keep this secret!) *wink*

Thanks for stopping by!!

Happy Thanksgiving!

The results are in...

Well, I didn't get a ribbon for my quilt. But, that's ok. I did get my judging sheet today when I picked up my quilt. I got a "very good" score on my quilting technique!!  (hand-quilting) I was so excited to see this--there is only one level above "very good"!!

Here are a couple of pics of my quilt hanging in the show...

E and R with my quilt :)

My mother and I took my nieces, E and R, to the show on Saturday. They did ok for the most part. Just a little bit of boredom about halfway through (it's a pretty big show)--but then I let them take some pictures, and they were ok after that. 

There were some really good quilts, and I'd love to show them to you here, but I didn't take any pictures! Plus, I'd hate for someone to publish a picture of my work without my permission, so I won't even post the ones E and R took...Later on, there will be some posted on the Pine Belt Quilters website (here) of the winners.

Thanks for stopping by!

My "Breakfast" In Bed

Sometimes it's nice to have breakfast in bed--even if I have to get up and fix it for myself. Today was not one of those times.

I was peacefully slumbering, dreaming of a two-story Wal-Mart (NO--this is not truly a dream of mine as I despise having to go to Wal-Mart. Two stories would just make it more of a nightmare). Jude, my lovely, sweet, boy-cat had been outside since about 5:50 a.m. It was now about 7:15. The only reason I know this is because of what happened when Jude came back inside.

If you'll recall my post from the other day (here), he left me a present in the living/dining room. Well, I guess he was in a giving mood again this morning.

I awoke when Jude jumped up on the bed and began pawing at my legs. Normally this means he just wants to snuggle up, but he just wouldn't stop and lay down. So I sat up to see what was wrong with him. And that's when I got my breakfast in bed.

In his mouth, Jude had some small animal. UP. ON. MY. BED. "Thank you, but Jude, you have got to stop bringing animals inside!" I said to him. So what does he do? He drops said animal onto my bed. It was then that I see it's a small bird--because it started flapping it's wings vigorously all around my bed. Luckily, it was still too stunned to fly! 

Jude promptly picks the poor thing up and gives it to me again. I manage to get hold of it and see that it's a hummingbird. Loosely wrapping my hand around it, I went to the den to get a better look. I can feel this little bird's heart beating a million miles a minute!!  I'm not sure if he'll make it, but I pet him on the head and talk to him some, mostly apologizing for my cat's prowess at catching small flying things (usually bugs). 

After a few minutes, I take little birdie outside, trying to decide if I want to put him down anywhere--a bush, tree, etc. I have no shoes on and can't get off the porch, so I go back inside to get some shoes. That's when he decides to come back to life and starts flapping his wings. Forget the shoes--I go out the carport door and open my hand, and little birdie flies off. Straight toward Jude who has apparently jumped the fence from the backyard and is in the neighbor's front yard.

So about 20 seconds later, Jude brings me my breakfast. Again. Poor little bird!! I pick him up (he's not flopping around this time) not knowing if he'll make it this time. But after several more minutes (and a couple of pictures) he flies off--this time from the back porch (Jude's still under the carport out front) and into a tree in the neighbor's back yard. Let's hope he's not too internally damaged. And that he won't fly into Jude's path again!

This was taken about a minute and a half before he perked up and flew off.

I love my sweet Jude, but I'll be very grateful if he never brings me breakfast in bed again!

Thanks for stopping by!

Hey, Jude. Don't Make It Bad

So my good boy Jude is quite the character. The other day he brought me a present. Inside the house. And beheaded and disemboweled it. In my dining room. Feathers EV.RY.WHERE. (and yes, I meant to leave the other E out). But I still love him.

So tonight he decided he'd climb into the Target cold bag. I couldn't resist the photo op.

luckily there were no claws involved...

you can't see me!

darn! she found me.

After I took that last pic, he crawled back in and wiggled around until there were no chinks in his "curtain." Then he proceeded to flop around some until he finally got comfortable (I suppose) and was still for a while.  Isn't he so pretty?!?

Now for non-cat business.

T-minus ONE WEEK until my first "I've-entered-a-quilt" quilt show!!  I'm so excited!! Monday at lunch I'll deliver my quilt, and Wednesday after work I'm going back to help hang the quilts for the show. A sneak peek of all the beautiful quilts *woohoo*!!  Can't wait!

Hopefully I'll have some more projects to show on here before long. I've got two quilts needing to be quilted--they're SUPPOSED to be Christmas gifts for my nieces. SHHHH!! Don't tell!

Thanks for stopping by!

Evolution of a Koi (Quilt)

It all began in February of this year--just an idea in my brain--Koi No. 1. It seems like it has taken forever, and that is probably because I have not worked on it continually since I cut the first piece of fabric. I'm a bit of a procrastinator! But the day has finally come that work on the koi quilt is complete! I just finished up stitching on the hanging sleeve, and I am SO HAPPY!! 

So I thought I'd do a photo montage of how it all came together for posterity (haha!). Without further ado, I give you the Evolution of a Koi (Quilt)...

colors chosen

body cut out

koi pinned on--ready to start the applique'

tail and fins

appliquéd

here, fishy, fishy--all

appliquéd on!

 

lily pad #1, check!

all applique' complete

little fishy eyes

scales begun

and scales done!

koi down...lilypads to go

lily pad done

quilt top completed!!

quilting progressing

yay! quilting finished!

binding complete--the front

binding complete--the back

Koi No. 1--hanging and ready to go!

Hope you enjoyed seeing my quilt from beginning to end. Thanks for stopping by!