Two signs and a win!

I love signs. One of my friends once said that she doesn't have to think when she's in my house because I have favorite sayings all around that direct and inspire. The one above is one of my favorite sayings and it is a new sign for my wall. This one and the next one were made by As Unique As U  Aren't they great! I got mine through a Very Jane offer and just love them. You send a quote or words to them and they arrange them for you. They also have some great ideas on their site.

Now, to find an empty spot for them! That will be the fun part.

Not only did I get these two signs in the mail today but when I was reading a few blogs I found out that I was a winner on the scrap giveaway at The Warp and the Weft. Kaari Meng was giving away scraps of some of their wonderful paper and all I have to do is create something beautiful when I get it. Is that fun or what! If you haven't visited her blog or her website French General, go and check it out. Such pretty things.

Check this out!

What a nice surprise! Last week I got an email from David at Craft Corners. He said they would like to add my blog to their best of the web list. And it appeared today.   Craft Corners showcases many different blogs and lots of great craft ideas. I was presented in their list today so please go and check it out at http://craftcorners.com/best-of-the-web-no-8/

Now for my favorite holiday that is coming up. St. Patrick's Day! Over the weekend I took down all that was Valentine's Day and put up all the Lucky St. Patrick's Day decorations.

Red is gone and now green is king!

This tree stays up all year.

The best thing is I can enjoy this now as our weather turns more and more to spring and  then very soon, add the Easter/Spring decorations. It almost feels like I should do that right now. Crazy weather continues. This week we are going to the 60's!

Happy President's Day!

Yes, I had dinner with George Washington tonight. There is a restaurant not far away that has Colonial meals every Monday night in the winter and there are special guests at each one. Tonight was George and Martha and their cook. We spoke to the cook and George but Martha was too busy to come to our table. Interesting, huh? The food is somewhat colonial and I must say the marketing department that thought of this was pretty smart. Everything else in the area was closed but the restaurant was packed. We couldn't get a reservation until 7:30.

I did a little bit of sewing today. I put together the backing for a quilt I need to finish. I think most of you agree that this is the least exciting part of quiltmaking. I put it off until I hit the wall and have to finish it. I gave this quilt to someone last May and I'm determined to finish before this coming May.

Nothing special about this fabric (although it is kind of pretty)  except that it was probably cheaper to buy than anything we buy now. I have noticed several people writing about the increased cost of cotton fabric. Now,  I did hear something interesting the other day. A friend told me about going to a quilt shop here in PA and they didn't charge tax since the fabric could be made into clothes. Has anyone else had that experience? I tried to google it to get the information but no luck. How about other states? Do you pay tax on your fabric purchases? 

Winners notified

It isn't spring yet, but this weekend it sure felt like it. I bought these daffodils at the store the other day and they just opened up this weekend. I love daffodils. The ones outside are coming up but not blooming just yet. The little angel is a spring angel too. I guess I have to give up on more snow and get ready to welcome spring.

I heard from all my giveaway winners and luckily, they all are getting their first choice. I love when it works that way. I have to wait until Tuesday but can get their prizes in the mail right away!

And now I can sew. That is at the top of the list for tomorrow. Fingers crossed. 

I have three winners!

My 300th post giveaway just ended. As you can see from the picture, I chose the winners the old-fashioned way. I cut up all the comments, put them in a basket and picked three winners. I have to figure out how to number comments!

I do wish I could give a prize to each and every one of you but... I appreciate all of you and hope you stop by again.

And now for the results. I have notified each winner and I'm waiting for their addresses and choices. The winners were

PattiFeb 15, 2012 06:20 AM

I am a follower. Thanks for the chance.

HeartsdesireFeb 16, 2012 10:45 AM

I'm in the Pacific Northwest (Vancouver Island) and there is no snow here. Only on the mountains. And it better stay that way as there are lots of snowdrops blooming and even a few cherry blossoms peaking through. So wouldn't want them covered up with snow. It's time for spring!

Mom CFeb 17, 2012 01:32 PM

We've actually had snow every day this week. But crazy snow. One night we got about 6 inches. Then it snowed all day but didn't stick. We had a fast storm one evening but 3 hours later the roads and sidewalks were melted. Some days its just lazy snow, just floating down, very pretty. We generally get wind to blow our storm in and out but no wind this week. It's just been the crazyiest storm. Love all the choices. Thanks.

I hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday weekend. My plans call for some sewing along the way.

A little chuckle

If you are looking for the giveaway, go here!

I was hoping to actually sew by now but other things have gotten in the way. I have spent a lot of time up at the Gift Shop at the Pearl Buck House in Perkasie, PA. I think I've mentioned that I volunteer there and we are getting in lots of new merchandise for spring. It is very interesting to see what goes into keeping a shop stocked with great merchandise. If you live in the area, be sure to come and visit to see what we have. Tours of the house will resume on March 6th.

Anyway, I did want to share a little chuckle with you that I found on Facebook. It makes me smile whenever I see it.

Doesn't it make you think about all those lawn/garden gnomes, etc. What are they thinking?

300th post and a giveaway!

Wow, I really can't believe that I have reached my 300th post. Where does that time go now, really? As promised I do have a giveaway, long overdue I might add but have to share this with you first.

This is just one more indication of our strange winter. We had snow yesterday which made the trees look oh, so beautiful in the morning. The center island was covered with snow but my front yard had nothing. By the afternoon the snow was off the trees and then it snowed again. This time the street and ground were covered but not the trees. Who knows what might come next!

And now for the giveaway, there will be three prizes. As in the past, I'll notify the three winners and each one can list their choices in order. First response will get their first choice. (In the past, each person got their first choice. Love when that happens.) So, here they are.

Two charm packs. Old Primrose Inn and Simple Abundance. 

Two sweet rolls. One Patisserie and one Objects of Desire.  The pair comes with a pattern for a sweet treat bag.  

A 26-strip jelly roll. I bought this at a quilt shop and they cut the strips.  Bright and cheery, great for a summer project.

Now for the entries. There will be two ways to enter.
One is to make a comment on this post. You might even tell me if you still have snow in your neck of the woods. 
Second chance is to become a follower or tell me if you already are. I love my followers! Wouldn't it be great if I could reach 300 followers this week. I can dream, can't I?
I'll keep this open all week and will choose the winners on Saturday, February 18 at 9:00 pm Eastern time. 
Good luck and happy sewing this week.

We meet again...

The Good Enough Quilters met again tonight and this was the night we all brought our bug jars to share. They looked so good together and we loved the little extra touches that people added. And to think I was just happy to finish mine!

We couldn't wait to try them out on the "wood" fabric. We are still waiting for three more blocks but this was a start. We are considering two different layouts. Wood between each block or...

...sitting on a shelf. You can see the great minds gathered around to examine the evidence. Any thoughts on the way to go?

This was made by Deb in CT. We'll add hers to our layout when it arrives. Love the fabric, Deb.

Show and tell was not a disappointment tonight. Fran shared the baby quilt she made. Don't you love the bright, happy colors in this quilt?

 I don't think I got close enough for you to see the alphabet letters on the back of the quilt.

Lynn shared the mug rugs that she made. Her surprise was putting mouse pads inside the rugs. They are serving multiple purposes.

Lynn made this quilt as a charity quilt. Don't you love the blues and tans she used?

Fran and Cindy are modeling two of the aprons that Lynn made. Each year her sisters and some friends come in from California for a quilting weekend, which includes some fabric shopping too. They all bring gifts for each other and Lynn is making personalized aprons for each of them.

 And this is Laura's Block of the Month quilt. She is the first one to finish hers. She made it king-size and had it quilted by someone else. We had to go on the steps to hold it up for the picture. So gorgeous.

The final share of the night was Peggy's. She is making this quilt for her niece's graduation. Can you tell that her niece loves cats! I realized that I first posted this one on its side but almost didn't switch since the cats go in all directions. Another cheerful quilt.

This was my 299th post so I know that I really want to do a giveaway for post 300. So keep checking back and there will be a giveaway in the next post. Hmmmmm. Wonder what it will be?

Getting my feet wet!

I have a finish and it feels really good. If I had known how easy this bug jar was, I sure would have done it sooner. But I feel really good that it is finished two days ahead of time. The Good Enough Quilters will be meeting on Tuesday night and everyone is bringing their bug jars with them. It is going to be sashed with brown bark-like material to resemble shelves.

I was able to sew since I finally took back my sewing room. I had wrapping paper and ribbons from Christmas that needed to be put away. Now all is cleared out and nothing can stop me now. Hope to be back with more later this week.

I think the Quilting Angel on the ledge really helped!

Have a good week of sewing.

Inspiration

In an attempt to move on to spring I am changing my header. The angel was one of the last snow things in my house and she has now been put away. I know that spring is not here yet, even though it feels like it is here already, but I'm just making the change to that season right now.

This quilting angel has taken up her post at the top of the steps. I see her every time I go down the steps so I'm hoping to be inspired to get back to some sewing. She is also the perfect paperweight to hold down papers that need to go downstairs. Today I hope to straighten up the sewing room so I can sew serenely. Those little elves just haven't stopped in to do it for me!

I had to share my new little accessory. Don't you just love the little vaselet on my computer? They are a new item in the gift shop and I had to buy one. It is surely a hyacinth for my soul. Right now it has an artificial flower but when I get some real flowers I can put one of those in. It will serve as a regular vase.

I'm off to straighten and do a few other chores around the house. Work first, play (sew) later!