Fun with Flickr

1. Cupcakes from Amy Sedaris' recipe, 2. The Cup Of LOVE.., 3. Bridge HDR, 4. Sunny Side Up, 5. Shelf of Happy, 6. I Heart Dr.Pepper, 7. An Italian old Mansion, 8. Chocolate gateau, 9. The Zipper Quilt, on display, 10. Of Earth And Sea And The Oceans Free, 11. blessing of nature, 12. requilted


This is a game on flickr - lots of fun and I would love to see what you might come up with. Camille turned me on to it - Thanks!

New Listing

So I finally got around to making another bag to put in my shop! It has been on my brain since I made the original, but other items have seemed more important. I have one more cut and ready to sew just need a few hours - it is from the posh collection. So more to come, but for now the kids are calling!
Click the picture to go to my shop for more pics and details.
Have a great weekend!
Amy

Finished Quilt

So yesterday I sat off and on when possible to finish the binding by hand on Emmalie's quilt. By late afternoon I had finished - my hands were numb at that point so it was a good thing! It went straight to the wash, for the puckery finishing touch. I took it up to Em as she was trying to go to sleep - she looked at me with huge smiles, "I love my quilt - thank you mommy." She melts my heart everytime =) We had a photo shoot with the quilt this morning -
A few of my favorite details . . .
One happy little girl!

Did I tell you. . .

Owen is walking?! Last week he had his 11 month milestone and it seemed to be the day he decided to walk. He has been practicing for at least 3 months - one, two steps here and there, occasionally a third. Then it turned into five and six steps at a time - until finally this last week he has been walking across rooms!
My girls all walked by their first birthday but Owen has been a bit early in the movement department in relation to them. Either he really wants to chase them or he just has a bit more coordination and muscle. He's just too much fun. Of course he is happiest when I am sitting in one spot so that he can play with me watching on. So here's a few pictures of my sweet boy.
One of his puree's all over his face - reaching to me, of course.
Getting going . . .
Almost there - and about to land in my lap! He has teeth under those lips . . .

I am about 1/3 of the way around Emmalie's Quilt - pictures are coming I promise.

What a Weekend

We have been in party mode around here. First, my birthday was a great day, family, fun and shopping! The three greats. I went to the outlets and got all stocked up for summer. I had been thinking back to last summer and remembered that I spent it indoors, in sweats with a newborn. So the summer duds were very timely =) Second school is out - hooray! Ella is already looking forward to 3rd grade with a couple of best friends. We am so happy that she loves school, it makes getting her out the door much easier. So now to fill up the days with all 4 at home, and work around the nap schedule! It all will work, we just need a few more art supplies, and another table to sew at. hmmm

I was able to get quilting done in the midst of plans and people around here - Emmalie's quilt just needs the finishing touches and it will be ready to move to it's new home. Em is so excited, every time she sees me working on it, she comes up with big hugs and snuggles, asking when it will be ready for her. So for now I will get to it and come back tomorrow!
Amy

Happy Birthday to Meeeeee!

Thats how my girls say it - I thought I would give it a shot!

Yes it is my birthday - I am 31 years young and happy to be in this place in my life. I have 4 beautiful children, (that's all too) a loving husband and I am content with life =) My kids are loving and obedient - most of the time, it helps when I pay attention to them - ha ha!
Today I am looking forward to some relaxation, yesterday we did a lot of the food prep for dinner tonight with friends and family, and just need to clean the floors. I also get to do a little clothes shopping, by myself! I have been working on losing my baby weight over the past few months and it is summer! I haven't lost weight as fast as I was hoping, with all the emotional stuff going on around here but every little bit counts! See this post if you want to understand the emotional stuff. anyway leaving the house alone for more than a trip to the grocery store is a big deal with Owen still young and very attached.
I hope that you are having a great day!
Blessings -
Amy

More Quilting

Hi again! I have been busy around here - I have been considering adding quilting to my quilt ever since I saw this post. Not being comfortable with my free-motion stippling yet but wanting to put the lines on something - I decided to just go for it. I am so happy that I did! It is not perfect. I don't think I will ever do it again, but as someone learning and not afraid to go outside the box - I am so happy with it! Just trying it has given me more confidence - I would probably encourage someone to do it if their quilt needs more texture. I love the way it feels under my hand! My quilt on the machine

Finished product
Details
Maybe you should try something new too!

Monday, Monday

Usually I feel a little whiny after a long Monday - not today! The sun was warm and bright and it was the last Monday of the school year. Just writing it makes me smile, no more Monday alarm clock, no more pestering Ella to get ready before school, we just have to make it through 3.5 more days! That is totally doable.

Yesterday I purchased dirt. My raised bed for vegetables was looking a little low, and it is warm enough at night now to support veggies - yeah! So I dumped the couple of bags I bought and mixed the compost all over and I felt like a kid playing in the mud pies we made on occasion growing up. (Washington, on the Olympic Peninsula is very rainy.) I probably wasn't nearly as dirty, but I don't do dirt like that very well anymore. So that was enough for one day and we decided to plant seeds today. This Monday went much quicker than typical, thankfully there were a few minutes for the girls and I to get out there this evening. My bed is 16x4' - not huge but enough to get a good bounty. I have found in the past few years that we don't eat everything or have a chance for some stuff to ripen so I just grow a lettuce mix, and carrots. Plus they can handle the cold if it happens to freeze again (it will freeze again).

The girlies were so excited to help out. I made rows for them to drop seeds into and I'm hoping for the best - we could have some really uneven rows. Ella does great - she planted all the carrots, Emmalie and Sophia just kept asking for more seeds. Thinning will be required in areas, but it is all part of the fun!

My other project for today was practicing free-motion quilting. I have tried a bit off and on without much confidence but made huge strides today. I meant to take pictures - it is fun looking - but it is dark now. I will try to tomorrow =)

Sweet dreams or Happy Tuesday -
Amy

One more for today =)

I have been so bloggy today! I have gotten other stuff done around the house, I promise, but just wanted to share a post I ran across today and thought was worthy of passing along. Have a great night and check out this link.

On Leaving Comments

Amy

Tag

Earlier this week I was tagged by my friend Jennifer. A round of 'like to get to know you better.' So here goes!

The Rules:

~The rules of the game get posted at the beginning.

~Each player answers the questions about themselves.

~At the end of the post, the player tags other people and posts their name, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they've been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

What was I doing 10 years ago?
In 1998, I was a Junior in college. I met my husband that year and was extremely busy studying and working. Vanguard University was my home for 4 years, while I poured over books and made great friends.

Five Snacks I enjoy:

In a perfect, non weight-gaining world. . .
~Chocolate Chip Cookies
~Chips and Salsa
~Nuts
~Cheez-its
~Chocolate

In the real world. . .
~Chips and Salsa
~Nuts
~Dried fruit
~Golden Delicious Apples - I grew up in Washington
~Chocolate - just can't get by without it=)

Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
~Pay off our school loans
~Help friends pay off school loans - we made pacts in college!
~Give to worthy causes
~Save for our future education bills
~Enjoy life with my family

Five jobs that I have had:
1. Retail Shop
2. Customer Service Rep for BofA
3. Sold Children's Shoes at Nordstrom
4. Financial Aid Officer
5. Mommy & Wife

Three of my habits:
1. Checking my email - too often!
2. Lotion - constantly applying to my hands
3. Taking pictures - I love having a digital camera, I can photograph everything and delete what I don't want.
Confession - I put my nicer habits here. =)

Five places I have lived:
1. Lynden, Washington
2. Tillamook, Oregon
3. Poulsbo, Washington
4. Costa Mesa, California
5. Heber City, Utah
Sadly, Utah is the furthest east I have ever been in the US. I lived in Ecuador for a month after high school - but that doesn't really count, does it? I have a few other stamps in my now expired passport too.

Five People I Want to Get to Know Better:

A nice way of saying "you are IT!"

1. Jaimie
2. Corrina
3. Amy
4. Tipper
5. Kathy

Complete Quilt Top!

Hi there! Just a quick post to show you the completed top. I loved putting this together - it was so fast and simple. It measures 52x78" - not quite twin, but I am happy with it! My plan now is purchase backing fabric and batting - then get to quilting. Until then I think I will be practicing new forms of quilting - I am ready to move past the straight line quilting I have done thus far.
Hope you are having a great weekend -
Blessings - Amy

Early Ambitions

Well it is before noon (mountain time) and I feel so accomplished already!
What a great feeling =) I've been able to complete and iron all but two of my blocks for Emmalie's quilt. I stayed up a bit later last night and got some good sewing time in - deep breath - I love those evening hours, sewing in the dark - ALL BY MYSELF. Mind you, I love sewing with Ella, we have almost finished our place mat project (pictures soon). Olivia and her mom were over last night and we worked on the binding. Now I just need to get Ella to sit down and finish it.
So for the rest of my day today I need to -
- trim my blocks (read not a perfectionist)
- sew my last two - I had a bit of a uh-oh with the centers on those two
- lots of laundry! I have seriously slacked in this department this week =)
- take pictures to show it all to you - it is such a bright and crisp looking quilt top!
More later!
Amy

Birthday Girl

Happy Birthday Ella! I am so proud of my Ella girl. She is a great big sister, a super student, a good friend, and a big helper to me.

At 8 years old I can hardly believe where the time is gone! I have learned so much about being a mom with Ella, and so much about myself. I have learned that the main purpose of our children is to grow and learn in the process. So even though I don't always do everything right, my ability to learn on the go, and God's strength, helps me through this season of life. I love you Ella! May God continue to bless you in the coming years.
Yes that is a bb gun in her hands! She enjoys the great outdoors with her daddy over the summer - last year they backpacked for 5 days to summit the highest peak in Utah!


Nummy Rainbow Cake - an Ellis family tradition!

If only I had nothing else to do . . .

I would sew all day long. =) I have been busy with my family and Ella's Birthday (tomorrow) but I did manage to decide what to do with that set of fat quarters I bought on Friday. I have 12 coordinating prints that I am adding lots of white to, in order to make a twin size quilt for Emmalie. Amandajean has posted a few pictures of a quilt from Happy Hour - I didn't buy the book but have figured it out - more or less. I like math, so it just takes a little time and a calculator, if possible. =)
I have been cutting and here is the two blocks I made yesterday - in just a few minutes. Hopefully I will have a quilt in the next week! Emmalie is very excited.
More on this later -
Amy

Home Machine Quilting Show

At the last minute I discovered that there was (still is today) a Quilting Show down in Salt Lake, about 45 minutes and 2 mountain passes away. I packed up Owen and asked Ella if she wanted to join us as she has been learning to quilt on a place mat that we almost have finished. She jumped at the chance and so we took off.
I have been to gem faire but never a quilting show - there was so much to take in! We started by looking at the quilts that had been entered in the competition - so beautiful! I didn't get to take pictures of every quilt (there had to be at least 200) but I think I got around 50 photographed, they were favored by Ella or myself. Here's one of my favorites with Amy Butler fabrics - but if you click here I have put them all in my flickr account and you can check out all the beauties.
The HMQS is for the home quilter and is open to the public - with the whole quilt industry getting ready for the Quilt Market, I have been feeling a bit left out. But not anymore! We had a great first go at this Quilting Show and will have to watch for it next year. If I am able to go without kiddos then I can take in some classes and get so much more out of the whole deal! I did manage to purchase a set of fat quarters in Jane Street and started making plans for a quilt for Emmalie - I will show you pictures as I go =)
Happy Mother's Day to all you Mom's!
Amy

Mama's Got a New Bag!

I can't believe it has been a week since I told you about my bag experiment! It has been a bit busy around here with warm weather, (we hit 73!!!) being outside with the kiddos. Love the sunshine! Today we had our first official Thunder Storm - a good 25 minutes of grumblings. When we first moved here nearly 6 years ago - I was so frightened by these storms. I am happy to say that I was cheering for the rumble today - it is so amazing to think of how these storms are orchestrated. Wow!

On to my bag! I have determined that this will stay with me and not go in the etsy shop as my iron left a stain - you probably won't be able to see it but I wouldn't want to sell it. . .it is kind of casual but made with raw silk so not at the same time. Little pin tucks adorn each side and the yo - yo adds a bit of color. It is a little slouchy which is fun but has a good bottom so it shouldn't spill out. My idea is to make more yo yo's and interchange them depending on what I want it to look like. I put a buttonhole in the back of the yo-yo and put the button on before I finished the bag. So the pink doesn't always have to be.


So what do you think? I would like to think that they would sell in my shop - but there's no guarantee there!

Look at what I got!

I forgot to tell you on Tuesday I responded to a offer for free fabric - and emailed in time to get in on the action! I never win anything - the last few months I have commented all over blogland, to no avail. But Valori Wells designer for Free Spirit was giving Olive Rose fat quarters to the first 18 people to email her. Just when I was needing a fix too! They came today - I am so excited. Of course my girls want to know what they are for, I have to figure that out still. I will keep you posted if I come up with anything. Thank you Valori!

I also got a haircut today! I was a bit overdue, pretty sure I last had it cut before Christmas. I need a more regular cut to keep up with my thick mane or it just gets blah - like this.
I found a picture at Bath and Body Works and recaptured it on my phone to take to Crystal, my ex-neighbor who is a stylist in town. She kind of laughed but was happy to go along with me.
I have had so many bobs the last few years this cut feels really fresh and great. I haven't had real bangs since first grade either!

For our family May marks the beginning of Birthday Season, now through the first week of August there is a birthday every two or three weeks. I will have to see what I can come up with for gifts - at least for the ladies =)

Happy Saturday!