NEW ARRIVAL - Lost & Found Love

I'm SUPER excited to share with you the newest arrival in my Etsy Shop.

When I saw this Lost & Found Love quilt featured on the Riley Blake homepage, I knew I HAD to have this line!  It is BRAND new and beautiful, I couldn't wait for Valentine's day to share with you so I listed in my shop today!

The pattern for the 45x54 quilt, starts with a Fat Quarter bundle of all prints in the line - which can be found here in my Etsy Store :)  Lost and Found Love Fat Quarter Bundle

 I also have the main red print in my store, the main print in black, pink hearts, and the  2.5" Rolie Polie. 

To make things even better, the pattern is FREE on Riley Blake's website! Doesn't get much better than that!!

 http://www.rileyblakedesigns.com/media/uploads/Free_Quilting_Projects/2014/LostandFoundLoveFreeQuilt.pdf

Hope you love it too!  Get it? Love? Yeah sometimes I try to be funny LOL.  And if you're not quite ready for Valentine's Day, I also still have cute Christmas Fabric in my store as well - so check it out!

Awkward Corner Makeover

Does every house have that one place that's just a bit awkward & they don't know what to do with it?  In our house its the corner.  Its between the kitchen and dining room, on the other side of our fridge.

I knew it had potential but I just never knew what to do with it.  That is until I found this at Target!  I hoped it fit and loaded it up in my Honda and brought this baby home!

I thought the glass doors gave the perfect opportunity to display all of my cookbooks, while keeping them dust free.  I made a table runner for the top & my mom got me these antique cake platters for my birthday, the perfect place to display them - aren't they fabulous?!

And finally I came across two pictures at Shopko.  Since one was damaged I was able to negotiate with the manager and get them both 50% off!  Little did they know, this "damage" was going to be perfect to fit over the ugly phone jack in the middle of my wall!  Put it all together, and taaa-daa!  Awkward no more!

September Reading Recap

When I Found You by Catherine Ryan Hyde (5 Stars)



I really enjoy a book that isn't the typical story & "When I Found You" was one of those books.  Well-written, unexpected, and touching - this was the perfect book to read while lounging under a blanket watching the leaves fall with a cup of tea.

The story begins with Nathan McCann.  The author immediately makes the reader feel for Nathan who seems to be lonely and in a loveless marriage.  In a moment that changed his life, duck hunting one morning Nathan and his dog find a tiny baby left in the woods wrapped in a sweater.  Nathan bonds with this child in the short time it takes to bring him to the police and decides he wants to adopt the boy.  However, this is where the story starts to depart from the expected.  The baby is given to its grandmother to raise, yet through the years Nathan always carries a soft spot for him.  A story of heartbreak, trauma, and unconditional love despite all odds made me truly enjoy this book.  On a scale of 1 - 5, I give it 5 stars.

August Reading Recap

We Were Liars by E. Lockhart  (4 stars)

Whimsical and mysterious, We Were Liars grabs you by the hand and pulls you right in.  Teenager Cadence Sinclair is the oldest grandchild of the prestigious Sinclair family which comes from old East-Coast money.  The Sinclair family summers on the private Beachwood Island, Cadence spending her time with her cousins Johnny, Mirren, and family friend Gat - the 4 of them referred to as The Liars.  However, after a mysterious accident when she was 15, Cady is now trying to figure out what exactly happened.  Amnesia, heartbreak, and a family of secrets, this is the type of book you cannot put down.

Trip to the North Shore & July Reading Recap

This year for our Wedding Anniversary we went up to the North Shore of Lake Superior.  It was beautiful weather and we had an amazing time!  One of our favorite parts of the trip was seeing the giant ships coming into to Duluth and Twin Harbors.

In Duluth we headed to Canal Park to see if there were any ships coming in.  We timed it just about perfect.  There were tons of cars & people around and we noticed that the lift bridge was up.  The Roger Blough was coming into to port!

We learned from Duluth Shipping News she was built in 1972 and is 858 feet long.  Does anyone else think its interesting that most ships are named after men, but referred to as ladies?? Anyway, out on the pier we were sooo close to her coming in and going under the lift bridge. Great start to our trip!

As we worked our way north, our next stop was Split Rock Lighthouse.  I had gone here with my family when I was young, so it was a really good experience to share with my husband as well.  We had another beautiful/sunny day.

Easy to see where the lighthouse gets its name!

While there, we got to tour the lighthouse as well as the grounds and the light-keeper's homes.  There is also a museum and gift shop where we learned about the multiple shipwrecks in November 1905 which lead to its construction.  And after seeing the huge freighters up close in person, its hard to fathom them running into the rocky shoreline and sinking.  Which leads me to my July Reading Recap...

Steel on the Bottom by Frederick Stonehouse (5/5)

I picked up this book to learn more about Great Lakes Shipwrecks and with eight different stories it was a good choice!  It feels kind of morbid to be excited about a shipwreck book, but I found each of the stories fascinating.  Have you seen the quotes on Pinterest about having a "book hangover" and needing time before reading the next book?  That's how I felt about Steel on the Bottom.  Only it was after each chapter.  After reading about each wreck, the people involved, how everything went down, and coast guard conclusions on how they could have been prevented, I needed time to digest.  I wanted to give each story my full attention, so it took me a couple weeks to finish the book.  When I only had one more chapter to read, I kept putting it off. I didn't want the book to end.  I think I have found a new genre of books for me, this book had me thoroughly immersed . If you ever get a chance to see these great ships in person, you've gotta do it.  Even if you don't think you'd be interested, just do it.  Their size and how they maneuver is remarkable.  And even if you don't see them in person, I recommend the book whole-hardheartedly.  You won't be disappointed!

Pets on Quilts 2014 - Dog Themed Quilt

My Carter loves to help his mama sew.  And if you've spent time around my blog you've seen proof of that!

He's helped me pick out fabric to make curtains for our garage: 

Tested out the layout of a Christmas quilt:

And finally has a quilt of his very own!  

This is my submission of a Dog-Themed Quilt project for the 2014 Pets on Quilts show at Lily Pad Quilting.  This quilt is simple squares of dog bone print and a bunch of different types of dogs in blue and brown print.  I just stitched them together randomly to make a small quilt for Carter.  And....it looks like he approves!  

Does this still qualify since its technically a Quilt on a Pet?! :) 

Check out all of the cute submissions and then after the submissions close - come back to vote for your favorites!  

Pets on Quilts 2014 - Mr. Carter Santa's Little Helper

As everyone knows I absolutely adore my little Carter dog!  He is my little buddy and definitely a mama's boy!  And when I'm quilting or sewing, he knows that mama needs his help as well!

So the Pets on Quilt Pet Show going on at Lily Pad Quilting is right up my alley!

This entry is for the Dog/Puppy on Quilt category.  I snapped this pic on my phone when I was working on my Christmas quilt for my mom last year.  I had put all of the blocks on the floor downstairs and when I turned around this little guy was giving me this look.  Can't be mad at this little face!

Do you have a cute pic of your pet on a quilt?  Come join the fun & click on the button below!