Sunday Showcase #2 (cool stuff from the web and beyond)

First, I have a good friend who sends Valentine's cards each year instead of Christmas cards. Love that idea. It gives me something fun to look forward to as she is super creative, always sending the freshest piece of stationary available and a summary of her family's life. Good stuff. She also has been known to send Valentine's gifts as well. I know, it is something! This year my girls received these:

Personalized Plates: fontaine maury . They are totally the cutest and so unique.
and the rest of the list goes like this:
Digital Kit: Photogenic from O Scraps. I LOVE this. Great style, great camera icons, quotes, just a perfect all around kit.
Address and Name stamps: Letter Girl on Etsy. Wonderful, whimsical designs. Rubber stamps and self inking stamps.
Camera Necklace: Cinnamon Sticks on Etsy. This is similar to my great necklace by Lisa Leonard that has my girls' names on it. I adore this style and coupled with the vintage camera, it could not be more perfect. Check out the whole shop here. (Are you detecting a camera theme from me?)
Free fonts: Fonts for Peas. If you like Handwriting fonts, this is the place for you. Check often b/c they add new fonts all the time. And if you want a font of your own writing, they can do that too!

Enjoy the remainder of your weekend. I woke up and looked out the front window and instantly recognized that something was different. Was it the sun shining? Not really. The wind was no longer blowing? Nope. It was green (sorta) grass visible everywhere! We had been buried under snow for over two weeks so this change of scenery is welcome. And with temps in the 40's, maybe my kids will play outside! Pin It

project 365: my way

(click to view larger)

Google (using google as a verb here) Project 365. Go ahead, do it. There are tons of people out there doing tons of different things. Many are vowing to take 1 picture a day. I know I cannot commit to that. But, inspired by this effort and way of documenting life, I devised my plan for the year. At the very least, I will have a photo book with 24 pages: 2 for each month. Perhaps some months will require more. January did not. Below are a list of my basic supplies, I plan to stick with these, and not much else for the whole project. I hope it gets easier, and faster as time goes on, although I am pretty happy with this one.

Template: By Katie Pertiet at Designer Digitals (turned, twisted, tweaked)
Digital Kits: Everyday Celebrations and Git R Done by Audrey Neal at We are Storytellers
Numbers: By Andrea Victoria at Designer Digitals (these are from way back in 2007)
Font: Pea Missy at Fonts for Peas

Tune in tomorrow because I already have some good finds ready for my Sunday Showcase.

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back to scrapbooking

I would not go so far as to say I am doing some soul searching but I do have this sense that I have gotten way off course lately. I am so loving quilting and becoming a better sew-er. I feel so good about looking at things, breaking it down, and then figuring out how to do it for myself. That is all good. But...my love has always been scrapbooking. My passion: taking pictures. (Hey, having the means to photograph quilts is a good thing too!). So the past week has found me really yearning to get back to documenting my family's life. Just in this past week, I probably could fill one scrapbook recording the moments in my girls' lives. So the above, super quick layout, is doing just that. And I am going to make time, use the free time I do get every so often, to filling in the big gaps from recent months.
I have always kept separate books for each girl and I really hope to always fill those with special tidbits, unique just to them. I also have had a very general family album, where I house everything else. Layouts of holidays with lots of family, the girls together, the occasional layout of me with my own friends etc. Rolling about in my brain is the idea to somehow simplify that part. Maybe for this year, 2009, I will choose one kit, a few templates and a few extras and just go with it. Similar to the concept of my "a week in the life" book. I think this gives me the best chance at capturing our day to day existence, from the mundane (which someday will be priceless, I think) to the really momentous. The creative part of me will still get to use all of my ever-growing stash on the girl's individual layouts but the yearly book will be more cohesive. I will keep you posted on how this goes. I am anxious to get to work.
As for this little goody above, it is mostly from a pre-made template at Weeds and Wildflowers. Felt alpha: Krystal Hartley. Date was a freebie from Simply Sweet Designs. That's it! Remember, click the picture to view it larger :)

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can you guess what I have on the brain?!

1. Urban2C.JPG, 2. Dishtowel Table Runner, 3. Christmas Table Runner, 4. Raspberry Sundae Table Runner, 5. Thanksgiving Table Appliqued Quilted Runner + Fringed Napkins, 6. Mid-Century Inspired Wall Hanging/Table Runner Art Quilt, 7. Table Runner, 8. Zipper Week is here!, 9. AB Quilt, 10. s i x patchwork pincushions., 11. birthday coin quilt, 12. More Summer houses, 13. dream - art quilts, 14. House Tape Measure, 15. Pencil Roll - Inside, 16. PEAR trivet

Not only have I saved all these on Flickr during my house arrest (bad weather-sick kid-bad weather) but I just figured out how to do the mosaic too.

So, Shelby is going to get better now...her ear drum ruptured last night so we woke to a big mess but also some relief. Cross your fingers that the antibiotic takes hold and she can start living life outside of our house once again.

We are back to SNOW too. It has been coming down like crazy all afternoon. I am kind of over it. This Mom needs to get out too!

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funky mini quilt & Sunday Showcase #1

front

a successful mitred corner!

back, with parallel quilting lines

I decided (really, I am copying other people) to name these little buggers (assuming there will be more) so this one is: 201 february lane. Get it? Today is 02.01. I thought that could potentially make for some cute names and also document things as I go, provide a little timeline.

I machine appliqued in black, and I used a little iron on backing to stick them down first. I found a roll of something I already had, it had no name on it or directions but it worked in a pinch. Ideally, adhering the whole shape would work better. My sewing of circles and curves leaves a lot to be desired at this point too. Oh well, I am only on day 10 of my quilting career so I have to take the bad with the good!

In honor of a new month, a new day, melting ice...I am going to start something I will call the Sunday Showcase. Just some sharing of things I have found lately that you might enjoy too:

Super inspiring quilter

A good read: The Friday Night Knitting Club and Knit 2: Honestly, I am enjoying these but after coming off of the Twilight Series, which is SO well written, they are just OK. And NO, I am not going to try knitting next. I just gloss right over those references in the storyline.

A new, cool, scrapbooking collaboration: House of 3. I like the blogwear stuff, and the price sure seems right!

One of my all time favorite finds on etsy: plushism. I have not gotten one yet, but I have never found a cuter case for my point and shoot either.

Shelby is only slightly better today but I am going to Olivia's basketball game regardless. I think it might do her some good to get out as well, plus it is 42 degrees. And there is NO DOUBT that I need to get out of this house...

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