footloose and friday night

Yesterday was one of those days at work where you cant concentrate at all.....it was solely because i couldn't wait to get home and sew.  Its hard for me during the week to do any projects.  my brain normally wont let me.  But i must admit lately my brain has not been on my work at all....and i think my job is noticing.  LOL

I came home with a giddy up in my hitch all ready to make a mess and get down to business.  So picture this...my night started off with a good laugh.

i get the family settled.....

i trot (seriously) into my sewing room.....

i turn on my radio.....(chicky kind of music ya know)

set up the ironing board.....

pull out my fabrics......

start to dance across the room because i am SOOO excited.....

as i do a quick swivel to the music from the movie footloose....i STOP in my tracks because the hubby is standing in my doorway watching me.   HILARIOUS!!!

Later in the night, he even came and sat on my floor because he wanted to "hang out with me".  (he got booted off the PS3 by a kid) but hey, it made me feel good that he seemed to care about what i was making.

so what did i make you ask?

well, i cant show you!!!  like i said HERE, I am making some baby gifts for my friend Jamie at modified mix.  I dont want to spoil her surprise.  but ill give you a peak in a few. 

First i did finish the binding on the mugrug for your giveaway tomorrow.  I went to hobby lobby today and found this C U T E mug to go with it.  Im in a spring mood....so its cupcakes in springy colors.  I still have another surprise for the giveaway.  Make sure you check back tomorrow for the winner and what i am giving.



Here is a peak at something im making for Jamie and Baby M. 

thats all ya get, but trust me....i sewed last night and had fun doing it :)



Last year, i thought i was starting to lose my umfph for FNSI.  but its definitely back.  thanks to all of you and your encouraging words.  It seems Heidi and I have inspired quite a lot of you.....all over the world.  we THANK YOU all for your continual praise on our hosting this fun event once a month. 

see you tomorrow......tonight im going to surf your postings of what you all accomplished last night.

Its a FNSI fabric discount....woohoo!!!

Heidi and I have been doing the FNSI for awhile now, and have reached out to some folks to give you all a great deal on fabrics.  i know you are all like me and have empty bins just waiting to be filled with fabric.  ***insert evil laugh here***

In honor of the Friday Night Sew-In, we are so happy to announce that Canton Village Quilt Works has decided to offer all of you 10% of your entire order for one week - starting tomorrow 1/21 thru 1/28.

Yes - you read that right.. 10% off your ENTIRE order. Starting Friday 1/21 - just use the promotion code FNSI10 in the Canton Village Online Store

So now is the time to start planning a project for the February Friday Night Sew-in with some new fabric from Canton Village!! 

are you all geared up for tomorrow night? i started sewing tonight.....maybe i should just call in sick tomorrow and keep it rolling :)

Jamies Giveaway....and baby M

you have to check out a good friend of mines blog....she is doing a giveaway.  JAMIE  at modified mix.
she also just had an adorable baby boy.  he is so precious!   CONGRATS JAMIE on the baby and also its her 1 year blogiversary!

im making her a goodie box of baby gifts and hope to get those out soon.  ive been patiently waiting for my mailman this week so i can finish one of her projects on friday night.  of course there was a holiday thrown into the mix.......how many of those holidays do postmen get?  dont they know we are waiting on fabric?  dont they know we have a friday night sew-in coming???  jeez.

so hop on over to see Jamies sweet little baby M and what fun charm pack she has for her giveaway.

Friday Night Sew-In signups

be sure and hop on over to HEIDIs blog to sign up for this fridays FNSI. 

I will be in charge of the giveaway this month.  i already have a few items but found something really fun tonight.  it just might have to be my project for friday night.

we are having some springlike weather here in vegas the past few days.  today was like 73 degrees.  its so hard to think that people i know and love are freezing right now and burried under feet and feet of snow.
but im not complaining......im sitting here at 830 at night with a window open right next to me. 

so whats new out there on the project lists?  i try surfing flickr but im not a pro at that program.  is that how you all learn about fun new projects?  (like mugrugs etc)  i do spend a lot of nights during the week surfing because after working my full time job, im too brainless to sew and create. 

last weekend i went to my LQS and tried finding something new and fun and came up empty handed.  wait...i take that back.  i did add some fabric to my never ending stash.  HEEHEE

do your LQS have fun projects and kits for small things or just mainly quilts?  i wish they would offer more kits already made up.  when i first learned how to sew and started with bags, Heidi and i found a quiltshop in flagstaff that had made their own bag pattern and sold kits.  i guess that being my first experience spoiled me....because im always looking for some project like that.  a sweet baggie of already cut fabs and a pattern.  someone should start a small project shop with kits for mugrugs, pincushions, tea towels, aprons etc.  those quick projects we all love.

see you friday.

domestic diva

i am in love with riley blake.....

he wants to make me a domestic diva!

i bought some of this fabric line today.  an apron is in my future.



girls weekend bag

 a couple years ago, HEIDI and i had a girls weekend with some friends in vegas.  i made us each one of these bags and we filled them with goodies. 

while digging through boxes in my organization obsession, i ran across it and thought it deserved a post.  its kind of got the valentine flair.....with a kick.

see the "lips" fabric around the edges? LOVE IT.   its a BIG bag---i think before putting together measurements were 18x20.

check out these fabrics....... zebra, cheetah, lips, hearts.   I might be going on a trip soon....i think ill use this bag.  its too fun to be hiding in my closet.

update on bookcase:  nothing to report yet---but your ideas and tips were FABULOUS!!!
                                 im doing a little shop hopping this weekend.....so stay tuned.

bookcase snafu

ever done this?  its a bookshelf for my craft room. 

yep, the backing is suppose to be BLACK!   but its backwards!!!!  26 nails later, it wont come off without ripping.  it was an onsale and cheap reasonable bookshelf......but now what do i do?

my son helped me....and i left the room for a few....when i came back i even questioned him if this was correct, but he had it flipped over.  always always trust a mothers gut instinct right? 

ok, here are my ideas----but feel FREE to pipe in at any time.

1.  paint the cardboard backing
2.  cover backing with fabric  (but will it shift all the time with me moving stuff like books/mags around)
3.  cover backing with linen or canvas  (see #2)
4.  cover backing with some fun stick on wallpaper type stuff
5.  toss and start over (not an option, but i just had to admit i thought about it)

well?

sewing and organizing

over a year ago, i made some baby items for my bosses soon to be grandson. she has since left my work, but emailed me and said she has another grandson on the way and wanted me to make some baby things for her daughter! what a compliment! i made the above burp cloth using THIS tutorial. i used flannel that matches her baby decor. I just cant get over how simple they are to make and i love the softness of the chenille and the flannel together.

i feel so bad, my old boss went to joanns and bought all the stuff i would need, not knowing how to work sales and coupons. i told her next time, pick me up and we will go together. she had some sticker shock and now realizes how expensive sewing can be.

isn't this caddy FUN? i found it on sale last weekend at michaels and had to have it for my desk. I'm always looking for my scissors, my seam ripper, my pencils...etc. now its all in one spot. its also heavy duty canvas. my DH came in later and i had to proudly show off my purchase. he says "wow, its just like a tool box". whatEVER. (but i think he is right)

one of my resolutions was to get organized. well, the bottom of my stairs always looks like this....stuff to take UP. on the advice of my aunt who lives here, i bought a basket. it is a GENIUS idea. thanks aunt pat for the tip!

my little helper is giving the thumbs up as he walks by and didn't even grab his stuff---typical.

Bubble Bread

Bubble Bread recipe:

this bread can take awhile, so plan it on a lazy day at home.

1 loaf of frozen bread.
let the bread thaw....but not rise.

when thawed, cut into chunks.

1/4 cup butter (or more)---melted
1/2tsp garlic powder, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp parsley--- mix into melted butter.

roll your thawed bread chunks in the butter mixture. place in a well greased loaf pan.
cover with a towel and let rise.

bake 350 for about 30mn or until golden brown.

i made the bread to go with this..... (recipe on older post) CHICKEN WILD RICE SOUP


.....cuz it was a comfort food kind of day.

linked to:

S.E.W block tutorial

Do you all want to make one of these??? I did a tutorial to show you how :)

List of supplies needed: (i got everything at michaels)
4 pack of 8x8 scrap booking frames
3 sheets of scrapbook paper
wood letters (they are about 5 inches)
paint for letters and a paint sponge (or a can of spray paint)
gorilla super glue


Lets get started. First, cut your scrapbook paper down to 8x8. Or you can also buy 8x8 sheets.

this is what the frames looked like before i tore into them. remove the pretty picture of some random model you don't even know. :)

put your scrapbook paper inside, making sure to align your design with how it will hang.

i forgot to take a decent picture of how the letters looked before painting.....but here is a back shot of my letter S so you can see how big they are.

i used this little container of paint. the color is "lush foliage". Think how cute hot pink would be? oh my.....the possibilities are endless.

now i will tell you.....after putting 3 coats on these letters, i thought to myself "yeah, that would've been MUCH easier to just spray paint these puppies". but hey, some extra elbow grease went into them. I'm just not very patient waiting for paint to dry.

tip: paint a coat on the letters first, then go work on frames. it passes the time. LOL

paper plates are my favorite things to use for painting. no messy newspaper and the letters didn't even stick to the plate.

ok....so after they are dry, i sanded the edges to look a little distressed. I used some sturdy gorilla superglue and glued them right onto the glass. see my little ruler to the right, it worked perfect to make sure they were centered. i measured them before gluing, because that stuff dries quickly. I love the 3D effect of the block coming out of the frame.

again, make sure you have the frame in the correct position before gluing......you would hate to glue them upside down. although the S would work either way. LOL

glue all 3 and you are done! easy peasy.

VIOLA!!! a pretty simple design for your craft room wall.

just think of all the possibilities!!! you could do this in a child's room with their name, in a kitchen with coffee paper/fabric and letters and teh words JAVA..... the list goes on and on and on.

have a great week and start of our New Year--2011.