HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Happy Thanksgiving ... God bless you and yours!

SUNDAY...

It's Sunday after my birthday on Friday, November 20th.  Hmmmmm, now what to do today to extend this celebration on to another day?  After all, it's only once that I will celebrate age 54.  Sometime during the week, there was a commercial with James Patterson (author) holding his new Alex Cross novel up and saying that if we don't buy this book, he will have to kill off Alex Cross. Well, we can't have that!  While out at the movies on Saturday, care to guess what book I purchased...lol.... Yep, that's it.  I started reading it early Sunday and read all during the commercials of my favorite football game...Eagles vs. Bears!  FLY EAGLES FLY!  VICTORY!!!  HEY!   You just cannot put down his books once started and it wasn't too long after the game ended that so did the book I, Alex Cross.  I loved it, it was past faced, intense and the mystery was as intricately interwoven as Patterson's previous tales!  Hurry up, write the next... and for goodness sakes, don't kill ALEX CROSS!!!!

BIRTHDAY!

Its my 54th Birthday today!  First I must give props to my very kewl kids...you didn't let on that your little surprise was waiting for me in the car....You too, hubby!   Thank you all so very much!

Now......'just finished tearing into those pressies from my yahoo group friends!  You guys are really good to me...there are beautiful handmade cards along with wonderful fats!  Ooooo, the fats....more fabric!  Just have to stop and thank you Sharon NZ for the shopping trip!  One of my thoughtful friends has sent me a coupon to go fabric shopping...gotta LOVE that and if you know me (FABRICHOLIC), you know I LOVE FABRIC SHOPPING!  grin!    Thank you ladies for the wonderful fabric pressies; it really is fun to open them up on ones birthday! 

Sarah...special thanks to you for taking care of us during what has to be a very difficult time for you.  Although, I didn't know your mother long, she was always very sweet to me!  I love her beautiful handwork...I so enjoy the beautiful card she made and the thoughtful words  you added! BEAUTIFUL!  I will treasure it always...your choices of fabric and card colors are impeccable!  Your mother is very proud of you! ((((((((((Sarah))))))))))

Thank you Karen...what a cute card! ; B2....your hometown is a gorgeous setting!; Anita....I love daisies!....; Wilma...thanks for the big long-distance hugz!....; Marilyn...the labs are gorgeous!...    Thanks also to Sharon2...see them right up front!...; Vickie....30s fats for victorian dolls!....; Marge...some special purple!     THANX with all my heart XOXXO!  to you ladies!   You have made my day!   Now to sew!   

GIVEAWAY!

Do you enjoy applique?   How about a chance to win some fabric?   Leka at Lekaquilts  is having a giveaway.  Click the title or the button on the sidebar and go have a look! 

5-DAY CHALLENGE

Sherry Goshon is one of my favorite artist and I peek at her blog daily to see what she is up to.  Today she is starting a 5 day challenge on her blog.  She turned me onto this wonderful yahoo group FabricArtTraders, which I joined and then jumped right into the challenge hosted by Leilani!
Wow!  Fast-paced and scarey but with such artistic results!  Just look....

DAY 1     Altered fabric .....    You can treat it, dye it, applique it..   This  fabric  was  treated with  
                                                pebeo soile purple and blue paint and then sundried.   When it was almost 
                                                dry, using a dry brush and the blue paint, I made some swirls.   I really like it!

DAY 2     Layer your cloth onto a piece of batting, felt, or similar and machine stitch all over with a 

                contrasting or a complimentary thread.  (optional step * layer some organza onto the fabric

                first and using a burning tool, melt away the spaces of organza between the stitches)

               

                I used some sparkle organza and a sparkle net before using a multi-colored quilting thread

                to machine embroidery a free motion design.

DUE TO CAMERA ERROR - PICTURE IS LOST/DAMAGED......

DAY 3     Cut the quilted piece into 6 sections... (OIY VEY) yikes!  cut it!  are you sure?   Yes...then sew

                 the sections together onto a foundtion making yet another shape...here it is...wish I could have

                 been more original, but in my panicked state, a fan is all I could think to do!

The edges of my project were uneven, so I used a special foot on my machine and wrapped the raw edges

with some wonderful threads.

DAY 4     Embellish your piece using threads, etc...   Must be careful here, might have to cut it again; NO

                 Leilani assures us that we will not do anymore major cutting!  phewwww.....

So what was I thinking....about love....not enough room for the "e"...  a japanese cherry blossom tree ...a

favorite; about creativity AND that it was 1 am and my hand is swollen and hurting.... This is the best that I am able to do, but my will to finish pushes me to complete the day's work....

DAY 5     Make your project into a VESSEL, add something to make it stiff and add a backing.   Fold

                the piece and shape it into a vessel.   Add any additonal embellishments.

 

Okay, now my thoughts are, great this odd shaped thingy needs a bottom.  I used timtex to give it the shape of a vessel and to make the bottom.  After folding it, ribbons were added to tie it closed.  Some additonal ribbon embroidered flowers were added along with a silver-tone wire butterfly and some very important words.  Destiny....for the path I follow;    Serenity .... for gracefully changing those things that I can and acceptance of that which I cannot change;    Be Yourself ... to remind me to do just that...be ME!   Lov ... sharing God's love for me with others;  Create...  ways to make our world better; more beautiful; more caring......

Thank you Sherry for introducing me to the group....thanks to Leilani for this very unusual, but creative trip!

SURPRISE! THANK YOU KAREN!!!

The lovely Karen Mallory sent me these lovely Christmas ornaments!  Aren't they gorgeous!  Check out her blog - click the title!   Thanks soooo much Karen!  I love you and them!

DAY AT COLLEGE

I will miss traveling up the road to visit darling oldest daughter at college!  We visited her this weekend and I thought to share some of the pics I took!

Such beauty!

NEW FABRIC SHOP!

Blog hopping is one of my favorite pastimes! (by-product of computer) grin...

There is a great new online fabric store!  You simply must stop by and take a  a look at Lindsay's and Charlies's new store,  HAWTHORNE THREADS!  They have beautiful fabrics and great prices!!!    Please click on the title OR click on the Hawthorne Threads button on the sidebar of the blog!  Happy shopping!

ODD SWAP ARRIVED!!!!

Remember that feet photo on Halloween?  Well, they belong to Pumpkin, an odd swap doll who has reached her destination and is with her new Momma in CA.  Karen likes her!!! WHOOHOOOOO!  I can now post a picture of her.

Here she is standing showing off her dress!  The dress fabric is Arabella by Pat Sloan...

Here is Pumpkin taking a picture with Monkey (made by Karen)!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

It doesn't seem that so long ago, but time just does fly along.  One day she was making her stand with a mother goose and now ...  well, now she is a beautiful young woman  ...  twenty-one today!  Happy birthday baby!  I am sooooo proud of you! 

ODD SWAP ARRIVAL!

C-R-A-F-T yahoo group has a couple Christmas swaps going on.  Unfortunately, I'm unable to participate in the really neat one where we make a giftie for each letter of the word CHRISTMAS!  so I'm doing an odd swap with Karen Mallory http://karensdollsandstuff.blogspot.com/.  I picked up my package this morning and this little guy was inside!  SURPRISED!!!!  Yes, I sure am...and darned if I can figure what is odd about a monkey (big wide grin on my face) in the cutest Christmas outfit and waving a candy cane!  Wouldn't that just be so much fun, Christmas morning to be greeted with a barrel of monkeys?  LOL!  Well, the children are growing older and soon they won't wake me up (after just closing my eyes...lol) waving toys and yelling with excitement... I'm going to miss those days!  But, they aren't gone yet!  I am looking forward to CHRISTMAS!  THANK YOU KAREN! What a wonderful SURPRISE!  lol!   He is sooooooooooo darned cute! Thank you for all the other gifties and my squishie!!!! I feel blessed!   

Isn't he adorable and cute!  love that outfit!

Here he is ... sitting in the middle of my loot! thanks Karen!

BAGSTOBRAGABOUT SWAP BAG ARRIVAL!

Finally, I'm able to post the arrival of my swap partner's bag...Terri, thank you very much and I hope you continue to recover!  Thanks for the little goodies that came along with my bag.  I love the pinkeep and tape measure!

CROSS COUNTRY CHRISTMAS BLOG HOP!

Alright, I know, we haven't celebrated Thanksgiving yet!  LOL!  We will, but while we are waiting and just to get you in the mood, there is blog hopping to be done.   There are group of 12 artist/quilters you're gonna want to visit starting November 9 - Gudrun will kick-off the blog hop from her blog.  Please click on the title and hop over to her blog and read all about the twelve designers and prizes! Happy Hopping!