20 thousand things

been awhile.....

2011-08-11T10:20:00.002-04:00

I've been sewing, drawing, and just generally creating, however, we have no internet at home. :( I'm still working out a way to make my blogging happen, but for now, here's something pretty to inspire you for the day.

Source: wildnatureimages.com via melancia on Pinterest

Source: tumblr.com via Daniel on Pinterest

Sunday afternoon...

2011-07-17T16:06:00.004-04:00

After making a trip down to The Yarn Lounge for some new organically grown Blue Sky cotton yarn, my fiancee and I are spending the afternoon with Mr. Harry James Potter and his adventures in fifth and sixth year. Plus I'm going to spend some more time on my new embroidery sample!

I made.....

2011-07-13T17:05:00.004-04:00

Details - Marti Michell Block of the Month - Set L Medallion. Fabric is Red Rose Farm for P & B Textiles. Custom quilted by Michelle Eno of Country Quilter.

Finished.

2011-07-11T14:10:00.003-04:00

I finally finished a few things! Don't be deceived, however, I was was just using it as a technique to procrastinate on the Apple Cores quilt.
First is this table runner. It's the Goose in the Pond pattern from Piecing the Piece 'O Cake Way by Becky Goldsmith & Linda Jenkins. The original quilt is much bigger.... 57" x 73", which is closer to a lap size. I'm teaching this as a class, so we wanted it to be a slightly more manageable project. That being said, this is still a pretty big table runner.

Next up is just a fun little zippered pouch from Terri Atkinson's Cash & Carry pattern. I just taught this as a class at Quilting Adventures, and needed a demo piece. I adapted the pattern slightly to give it 5 strips instead of three, and it's made from the fabric that is the inspiration for our wedding colors!

I'm mostly caught up on samples for the shop. I REALLY need to finish a Storm at Sea and the Apple Cores by Friday morning, but I'm fully aware that it isn't going to happen, and have made peace with it. I've also got a Seashore Sundress by Oliver + S to make, but we decided to not do it as a class, so it's not quite as urgent. I've also almost finished my bowties quilt from the pattern Fit to be Tied by Karie Patch Designs. Again, I'm teaching this one as a class, but didn't buy enough for borders, so it only has three borders right now.

Since I'm almost done with all that stuff (no, I really am!) I've been daydreaming about what's next. The Russian Rubix quilt by Prairie Grass Patterns has made it to the top of the list!

Fireworks!

2011-07-08T08:42:00.000-04:00

We were almost asleep Monday night (okay, I was wide awake, my fiancée was asleep, which equals almost asleep), when we heard an extra loud bang. After stumbling around for a minute, I realized that some of our genius neighbors were setting off fireworks in the parking lot behind our apartment. We sat there and watched for awhile, and I got some awesome pictures. I turned the flash off, which meant that I ended up with really long exposures.

This one was taken earlier in the night - we can see the fireworks from the local baseball stadium from our kitchen window:

Right after taking this picture, lightning forked across the sky. It was incredible!

That's all for now!

Review of Mollie Makes

2011-07-05T08:24:00.004-04:00

On to the promised review - Mollie Makes. I picked this up at the local Barnes & Noble a few weeks ago. We'd lost power at home and needed a quick outing, so of course, where else would you go but the book store? The magazine is published by Future Publishing. They also do Britain's Cross Stitcher, another favorite (side note - the cool thing about Britain's Cross Stitcher is that they do contemporary cross stitch patterns in fun, bright colors).

Some of the things I loved -
Mollie Makes is full of wonderful photographs! Even the articles I didn't particularly care for had beautiful photography. In my opinion, wonderful photography is what often makes a magazine fun to look through. The magazine is also full of inspiration. The editors took some time and looked through blogs, websites, and pinterest to find the best of the best for inspiration. There are also a few how-to articles. One of them is pictured above - the eggs. The crocheted apple cozies on the front cover are also in there as a how-to article. Even better, all of the pattern pieces are in the back of the magazine, to scale. I love that I don't have to find a copy machine to resize any pieces. That can be one of my biggest pet peeves in the sewing world. That being said, I haven't actually made anything yet, so I'm not sure how good the directions are (although they looked good on the first read-through).

Some of the things I didn't love -
While full of inspiration, Mollie Makes was a little low on the how-tos and articles. There are a lot of interviews with artists in here, and it is so awesome to see how other people work, but there are not so many articles on techniques, or... photography, or... anything else. Even just one article on a new technique that could be adapted for multiple uses. Or some tips on photography. In their defense, I will say there is an article on places to visit (in Spain! Someday...) and an article about beautiful summer parties, with beautiful summer photographs to go along with it. I also have a little bit of trouble with the way it is laid out. It's almost as though someone looked into my random brain and said "this is a good layout!" There seems to be no clear train of thought here. Which I guess isn't necessarily a requirement for a magazine, I just found it to be slightly random in this magazine.

The upshot of all this? I liked it. With an $11.99 price tag, it was a little bit of an investment, but I wasn't disappointed. I will probably re-read it again today, to see if there was anything I missed, and I will definitely pick up the next one. However, I won't subscribe to it yet.

Time to go sew...

Something pretty....

2011-07-01T19:30:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I know I said that I would do a review of Mollie Makes, but, well, it ain't gonna happen tonight. We had a wonderful dinner, largely (wonderful) organic produce from Ellwood Thompson's, but I just wasn't in the mood to write after that. So here's a little bit of progress on the apple cores quilt. It's supposed to be about lap size when it's done. Those apple cores are about 6-7" long.

Maybe you can catch a review tomorrow... :D

Walk with me....

2011-06-29T17:55:00.008-04:00

I walk to work a few days a week, and pass some amazing inspiration on the way. Here is my walk this morning.

Look closely at the brickwork at the top of this house. If you're a quilter, you'll recognize the two different quilt patterns!

Yes, this house doesn't have a back, they're doing construction. But look at the cool door, too!

If you're familiar with the Willow Lawn shopping center, then you should recognize the following shot. They're working on the mall...

Check back soon for a review of some new magazines I picked up!

Working on....

2011-06-28T10:58:00.006-04:00

(photo edited with photoshop express)

....an Apple Core quilt for this club inspired by this beautiful picnic quilt found on postcards and pretties.....

:(

2010-05-21T20:31:00.007-04:00

So, I'm not at Market this year. This is the first one I've missed in three years, and I guess I didn't realize how much I'd actually MISS it. I so desperately want to be there. Mom called me earlier today and said "there's someone who wants to talk to you." After a couple minutes, Anna Maria Horner came on the phone and asked why I wasn't there! (God, I sound like a groupie) I'm glad people remember me. Ironically enough, one of her new patterns came in an order later in the day. I've been lusting after it since last Market, so I bought it right away. Not that I have time to sew it. We also got this new book, which I borrowed for the night (the threadwork one, not Seams to Me).

(If you want to see updates from Market, check out our shop blog HERE)

Here are my newly re-arranged fabric shelves. Don't be deceived, this isn't all of it! There are more reds and multis in the laundry room, waiting to be washed, and 5 or 6 bins of fabric that I would consider project-specific. Oh, and the couple of yards upstairs waiting to be washed. Oh, and then there's three shelves of minkee, flannel, felt, and knits. I have a problem. I've uttered those words oh, so often recently. But look how pretty it looks on the shelves!

Lastly, some embroidery. I'm working on this as a shop/class sample. It's done on a "produce sack" which we sell at the shop. It also uses one of the new Stitcher's Revolution embroidery transfers.

Check out the cute fabric it's sitting on! I'm so in love with it right now. It's called from Aldo to Zippy by P&B Textiles (the color is a little off, I tried adjusting it).

the world is waiting....

2010-05-03T11:20:00.002-04:00

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random

2010-02-05T16:16:00.001-05:00

It's snowing. We're tired of it.

My new headband with Alabama Stitch techniques.

Cool new fabric in the shop(Timber by Jessica Levitt from Windham). Must buy some. But, for what?

Blogger resizing my pictures is annoying me.

vierzehn

2009-12-14T20:12:00.001-05:00

dreizehn

2009-12-13T22:12:00.002-05:00

zwölf

2009-12-12T21:41:00.002-05:00

elf

2009-12-11T21:06:00.002-05:00

diez

2009-12-10T19:37:00.002-05:00

nueve

2009-12-09T09:00:00.001-05:00

And Happy Birthday to my niece, Alyssa, who turns FOUR today! Here are is one the most recent pictures I have of her from June:

ocho

2009-12-08T09:00:00.002-05:00

siete

2009-12-07T09:00:00.001-05:00

seis

2009-12-06T10:13:00.000-05:00

cinq

2009-12-05T20:01:00.002-05:00

This was the view out my window this morning:

Yes. Rain. Cold. Dreary. Icky. The writing on the window is Shakespeare's Sonnet 116.

Here was the view later this afternoon, after it finally started snowing! Sorry that it's hard to see the snow, but it's there...

quatre

2009-12-04T21:49:00.002-05:00

trois

2009-12-03T10:05:00.000-05:00

deux

2009-12-02T21:59:00.000-05:00

Advent Calendars

2009-12-01T08:47:00.000-05:00

My fiance and I were discussing advent calendars over Thanksgiving break, and the conclusion is, we both enjoy them. I offered to let them borrow one, but then forgot to take it to Charlottesville! So the conclusion is (without any religious designs, believe me), that I will ATTEMPT to post a different door from each of two different advent calendars for every day of advent. I enjoy the artwork, and I'm not quite sure why my fiance likes them, but here's a chance to not only see two cool ones that I've had hanging around ever since I can remember, but to join in if you don't have one.

Yes, it's art. No, it's not my art. I'm working on one or two holiday gifts, but they can't be posted here. I have completed somethings but just haven't posted anything yet. I'm hoping this will motivate me to keep up with blogging. So bear with me a little bit longer, and enjoy the pictures!

I said yes....

2009-09-10T18:50:00.002-04:00

For those of you who don't know, I'm engaged! School's in full swing, so not much more going on, but we are in the planning stages of a wedding, hopefully with all sorts of handmade stuff!

"you can't help who you love..."

2009-06-17T12:26:00.008-04:00

Life has been more than crazy. This has been a shit week. My sweetheart and I went to Maymont last week, so here are the best of the pictures we took. I got lots of awesome hand made birthday presents that I still need to post pictures of, but it's just not gonna happen yet. Working on lots of projects, hopefully pictures of those soon, too.....

Here's some Shakespeare for you to brood on:

Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
O no; it is an ever-fixed mark,
That looks on tempests, and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wandering bark,
Whose worth's unknown, although his height be taken.
Love's not Time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Lover alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error, and upon me prov'd,
I never write, nor no man ever lov'd.

Amy rules! :D

2009-03-17T20:44:00.008-04:00

First up, I want to show off this awesome quilt Amy made me for my birthday!! She brought it to sit and stitch tonight, but I told her it was to early to give to me. She proceeded to ignore me and gave it to me anyways! I'm glad she did, because it's really awesome. It's made from the Chubby Chicks pattern using some of the new Jay McCarroll fabrics. She has been posting little pieces of it on her blog for the last couple of weeks, and every time I saw a little corner of it I was hoping it was for me. :D

Next up is some stuff that I actually made. I made another one of my skirts. This one doesn't have any pockets because I didn't want to mar the beauty of the fabric by putting pockets on it. I haven't worn it yet, but maybe I'll wear it to work Thursday night (and get someone to take better pictures of it).

Early last week I felt the urge to alter a t-shirt. So I grabbed one that I'd bought at the thrift store for that exact purpose and started hacking away! It's actually inside out, as it had Goofy on the front originally (I bought it for the color). So, I made a v-neck in the back, split it down the front and tied them on the sides and brought in the side seams. I then discovered that I really don't take good pictures of myself. You can sort of get the idea -

Next up is this super awesome bag!!!!! I've been wanting to make this bag since I went to Quilt Market last fall and grabbed the New Handmade book. I finally conned my mom into letting me make a sample this week. I used fabrics from the Wonderland line by MoMo for Moda. The main fabric that I used for the outside of the bag is a twill. We have three of the prints in twill and 17 in quilting weight. The deal is that I have to sell X number of books before I can get it back and use it, so if anyone is feeling sorry for me, go to Quilting Adventures and buy a copy of the New Handmade. It's a really awesome book. Not only does it have this cute bag, but it's also got some really awesome quick and easy projects. There are a couple of other bags, potholders, laptop sleeves, notebook covers, and a scarf. I adapted the pattern slightly - I used fusible fleece instead of stabilizer (I ended up ripping it out of the seams cuz it was too bulky), I sewed the handle into the bag as opposed to the outside, and I didn't put a closure in. Oh, and I added more pockets to the inside. I love pockets.

Virginia weather is notoriously stupid. Last Wednesday it hit 80, the next day the high was 30 and it snowed. Not only has it made me sick, it really screws with our flowers. I love springtime, so I was quick to jump out with my camera last week and try and grab some pictures before everything froze to death.

I love this statue. My mom has had it ever since I can remember, and there's just something about it. A charm that is there, but yet unexplainable.....

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world."
-Mahatma Gandhi

I've got sunshine on a cloudy day.....

2009-03-02T19:40:00.008-05:00

Update from my last post: I finished another skirt using the same pattern, except it has two, non-embroidered pockets. That are two different colors. I also bought fabric to make three more skirts from the same pattern. Birdcages by Michael Miller Fabrics, Smart Bugs from Jay McCarroll for FreeSpirit with Ants for a pocket, and a batik that I think was made by Timeless Treasures, but I can't find it on their website. I'm also getting ready to start working on my dress for Kristal's wedding. I'm doing this dress (I think) in the hand-dyed looking batiks in this color. It's going to be a slight (and I mean slight) gradation between four blues right in that category. However, first I'm going to make a mock up. I was going to use muslin, but then mom pointed out that I could get sale fabric and hope that it turns out cute; because it's gonna cost me the same as doing muslin anyways. Well, that very same day, 18 various pieces of Freshcut came in the shop. We'd gotten a special price on them, which we're passing on to our customers. So, since that's only going to be a little bit more expensive than muslin (with my great discount), I'm doing the mock up out of Freshcut.

I don't know how many people read this blog. And I don't know how many of you know that I play the guitar. I'm not seriously good, and I don't play very often, but I've been getting back into it recently. I love my acoustic guitar. It was a gift from someone who bought it at Guitar Works here in Richmond. It's wood, but with a blue finish, so you can see both the grain and this gorgeous color. Here is my beautiful guitar....

You can't even truly appreciate the color in that picture.

So yesterday, mom and I (along with Selina) made our annual trek down to the Hampton quilt show. We've gone every year for probably about 15 years (including the year that she had bronchitis/pneumonia and I had some weird virus which made it so I couldn't eat, drink, or speak). Selina had never been to a quilt show before, so it was pretty awesome bringing her along. She hasn't been into the whole quilting thing for very long, however, she has already figured out how to cost me money (and add to her stash!). When we first walked into the Hampton Convention Center, there were these weird/cool sculpture things, so I thought I'd post a picture.

Here's the loot picture:

On the left is a pre-printed sashiko sampler thing from Maeda Importing. I got this one, and I couldn't find Selina's to take a picture of, and I couldn't find it on their website. I finally found it now - I would describe it as three flowers diagonally down the middle with water-y things in the background. The three batiks in the front with stars on them along with the circular patchwork thingy (there's a template set for it in there too) all came from Sew What/Batiks Etc. Mom and I have known the owner Carol for awhile, and it's always fun to catch up with her. Selina and I both have a thing for stars, so she happened to spot all three of those fabrics for ME to buy (and now thinks I'm gonna share them with her ;-D). The black/white/red was just a great novelty print, so I got two fat quarters. The little pins were from Quilted in Clay. We're looking into maybe carrying some of their jewelry in the shop.

Show and tell! This was a shop sample I made from the new Jay McCarroll fabric out of one of the Valori Wells sewing cards. It only took me 15 mins or so and a little bit of fabric. I did the small size - a fat quarter would give you enough fabric for four of these! They would make cute gifts for your quilting buddies.

A cute journal cover for someone who loves glitter (there's glitter on the mushrooms and on the green fabric). It only took me a couple hours Saturday night. The front panel is hand embroidered.

The inside cover has a little pocket, which I embroidered the heart onto.

Ah..... the most important news of the day! SNOW! Estimates show that we got 10 to 11 inches. Which looks about right, however, I haven't gone outside yet. :) It started snowing on our way home from Hampton last night, and between the east end of Richmond and our house it went from rain to 2 inches of snow... on the roads. The local paper says it's the worst storm in seven years and the worst March storm since 1980. Here's a couple of pictures from my window around sunset today:

The roads were sort of plowed, but nothing melted, and there was ice under the snow. As I write this I can hear people driving down the street and the crunching of the ice under their tires. Not pretty. However, it did get me out of school for tomorrow!!! Snow has always given me something special lately, more than just getting me out of school. I'm learning to love it, which is weird.

I'm brainstorming on a quilt that would be in what I would call slate blue and gold/hazel. Let's just say I'm really intruiged by those colors right now. Something along the lines of this, and this or this(but maybe a little darker and not quite so lime). In theory, I'm also hoping to start on Kristal and John's wedding quilt sometime in the near future...... (But I won't post pictures even if I do. Sorry!)

Wow, I'm wordy tonight. Here are my parting words:

I need to laugh, and when the sun is out
I've got something I can laugh about

Happy!

2009-02-07T15:35:00.002-05:00

So, I bought this fabric last night after one of my co-workers and I started bouncing ideas off of each other. It is a cute reproduction, and I felt the need for a simple skirt. Then we looked at each other and just both kind of exclaimed "pockets!" Here is my new skirt, complete with a pocket! And embroidery.

Here you can get a better look at the fabric and embroidery:

It's an adaption of one of the patterns from the Sassy Skirts book by Carol Taylor Oates. I took the simple elastic waste skirt and shortened it. Here's a slightly better picture of the fabric - it's a bit washed out in my photo.

I ran some errands today, and just happened to end up at Michael's. And, they just happened to have conversation hearts. And I couldn't resist the picture. There's so many pink ones because that is the only flavor I won't eat, and I'd already eaten a third of them, so that's what was left. :)

I hope everyone enjoys this beautiful weather! Something about this warmth makes me incredibly happy......

love notes

2009-01-30T23:00:00.003-05:00

So, I started another project. This is what happens when I get upset. :) I cut out all of the pieces and sewed them together when I woke up disgustingly early this morning. It's from the Bareroots pattern Love Notes.

Obviously, I haven't done much embroidery yet, but I'm having fun. I've already marked the embroidery lines, but you can't see them.

my sword and shield

2009-01-23T23:50:00.002-05:00

Tomorrow I am driving to Charlottesville after work for a long needed day of vegging on the couch with my sister. The last week and a half have gone from relatively bad to......well, ickier. I have done some sewing, however, not on anything that I've started on here. I made some birthday presents for the aforementioned sister, and I have pictures, but they are on the camera at work. I've got all the stuff together to start on some Artist Trading Cards for Sunday, but I don't think they're gonna get done. Oh well. C'est la vie.
Until I get my act together and actually post pictures of stuff, enjoy the picture above of our legs. :) I know that some people might not get it, but somehow that picture just screams friendship to me.

more stuff!!!!

2009-01-07T11:39:00.004-05:00

So, I haven't done anymore work on the quilt, but I've been working on a lot of other fun stuff. I've been at work a lot for the last few days, so all I've done is work on small projects. Here's a picture of the newest shop sample I've been working on. It's from one of the Valori Wells Sewing Cards called Project Bags. They are so quick and easy (and cheap! Each sewing card costs $3, I think) - I will definitely be making one for a birthday present this week. For the small and medium size bags, she calls for 3/8 of a yard of two fabrics. I discovered that I could get two different small size bags from 3/8 of a yard, so I decided to make two of the small one out of the blue and brown fabric, which is from House by Annette Tatum for Free Spirit Fabric. The brown one with the elephants is the large size which takes 1/2 yard of each fabric, and is Ellie Fun by Karen Neuberger for Quilting Treasures.

Here's a closeup of the blue and brown bags. They don't have the drawstings yet because I didn't buy enough. I'm using twill tape. On the elephant one I ran a line of green stitches down the middle of it, which adds a little pop.

This is some little embroidery that I started the other night. I left the ruler in the picture to give you an idea of the size. Obviously it's not done, but I wanted to show you what else I've been working on. I've suddenly gotten the urge to do small embroideries of cute characters - I've already got another one that's all marked.

'

Alright, I've got to run these bags to work and then drive to Dulles to pick up Kristal and John. Their plane is already 70 minutes late! Which means that I get to drive through Washington at rush hour - Woo Hoo!!!!

PS - The car is fixed, and it didn't cost me to amazingly much; and the car accident thing is being dealt with in the best way I could come up with.

"you've also made a fool out of me"

2009-01-03T21:08:00.005-05:00

Okay....so my life has effectively become a living hell. Lots of bull crap involving my boyfriend. I know that the next couple of months will be really hard and right now I'm just trying to live day to day. It's especially hard as my two best friends are gone - to UVA and England. On top of that I got in my first accident the other day (just a fender bender) and the following popped up on the way home from lunch yesterday:

On the other hand, I suddenly have a lot of time to do whatever I want. I have all this time off of work, so I decided to work on a quilt for myself. I've had the fabric for a little while, and I had already designed the pattern, so all I had to do was cut! The fabric is all from Pop Garden and Bijoux by Heather Bailey. It makes me so happy! It reminds me of springtime.

I made a few miscalculations, but at least they were over estimates, so I was able to just trim things down. Here is the progress on the sewing so far (it will not look like this when put together):

When I'm upset, I usually get this deep urge to clean. So, I suddenly have part of my room back. I had started working on this a little while ago, but now I have on whole corner of my room organized. It helps me feel better about my life, even if it is a corner that I hardly use. (I didn't realize how beat up the floors are - the house is 120 years old) I also get this weird urge to watch movies, especially kids' movies. Which means that in the last 36 hours I have watched Mulan, half of Singing in the Rain, half of Princess Diaries, Honey, Charlie's Angels, and Who Framed Roger Rabbit? (In case you actually wanted to know) I guess that isn't to many kids' movies, but all the other movies in the stack are, in fact, kids' movies.

I found this cool lamp packed away in a box the other day, and I hadn't ever had the chance to hang it, so I decided to hang it over the stairwell to my room. I rigged up an elaborate electrical contraption which boils down to it being on a timer, so it's only on from 5:30 PM to about midnight or so.

Don't you just love the half of the hex sign you can see on the left? Hex signs always make me so happy and they are a huge inspiration for me. Here is what Zook's Family Crafts says about that particular hex sign:
"This more simple design is quite typical of older geometric designs. A large, six petal rosette forms the design's center. The rosette is one of the basic "good luck" symbols of the Pennsylvania Dutch. Red hearts are prominently placed between the rosette's blue, red and gold petals. The rosette ensures luck and success in love. The hearts, carefully placed in a closed circle, provide endless enchantment and happiness. A decorative, scalloped border completes the design. A life filled with love and romance is offered to all."
I have another one hanging directly across from it at the other end of the room....

So, on to another totally different subject.....
I made quite a few holiday gifts this year, and had every intention of taking pictures of them to show off on my blog. However, that didn't quite happen. I think I'm gonna go back and demand to be allowed to take pictures of all gifted items. Here are some pictures of the gifts I gave Kristal.

The embroidery on this bag was inspired by the fabric that is the main part of the tote bag. She had asked for something with little birds on it....so, TA DA!

Since she is in England right now, I decided that she needed a fun, warm scarf to take with her. More birds of course! With the heart in honor of her recent engagement. The back is a flannel that is actually part of one of the Olivia the Pig collections.

With the leftovers from the project I made this quick and easy card. You just take a piece of card stock and fold it in half to make the card shape. Then you unfold it and sew pieces of fabric on the front. I didn't pin or glue them down, just held them in place while sewing. I went up and down each piece first and then came back across the whole thing with the big zig-zags. It was inspired by some cards that one of our customers had made.

PS - The title to this post is actually a quote from a movie. Can anyone name the movie?

Another substitute to actual pictures

2008-12-04T21:08:00.002-05:00

Yet another meme (I've always hated that word). This time I took it from my friend Ardent Peace. You're supposed to bold all the things you've done. I'm warning you in advance that I probably won't have done that much.

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo's David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book - I haven't published, but I've been in a published book a few times
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Read an entire book in one day

Okay, it's now certifiable that I am boring.

One word

2008-11-21T22:31:00.002-05:00

So, I've been sewing up a storm, but they're all x-mas presents! I've made one for K, one for P, one for A, one that's halfway done for S, one halfway done for B, and ideas and or fabric for M, C, R, C, mom, my grandparents, another one for K, and some others. I don't think I've gotten pictures of many of them, but that's okay cuz I can't post them yet anyways!

So I stole this from my friend: green is the new blue. My friend SewAmy also did it too. The deal is that you can only use one word in your answer.

Where is your mobile phone? here
Where is your significant other? couch
Your hair colour? brown
Your mother? asleep?
Your father? dunno
Your favourite thing? spring (at least right now)
Your dream last night? edgy
Your dream goal? designer
The room you're in? FREEZING
Your hobby? art
Your fear? lots
Where do you want to be in 6 years? fabric
Where were you last night? home
What you're not? quiet
One of your wish-list items? shoes
Where you grew up? here
The last thing you did? talk
What are you wearing? pjs!
Your TV? downstairs
Your pets? annoying
Your computer? new!!!!!!!
Your mood? COLD
Missing someone? Selina
Your car? cold
Something you're not wearing? earrings
Favourite shop? mine
Your summer? WARM!
Love someone? lots :)
Your favourite colour? green
When is the last time you laughed? earlier
When is the last time you cried? yesterday

Tada! Bet you're just so thrilled now. :D

Ahhhh!!!!!!!!

2008-11-02T20:53:00.004-05:00

Brendan (and his parentals) bought me a computer!!!! It's an awesome laptop. Here's a picture:

It's got a 17 inch screen. It's also got a number pad which makes me uber happy! I've never seen a laptop like that. They got it with a lot of memory so that it can run my game, and it's also got enough stuff that it is capable of running Illustrator or Photoshop, which I will need if I want to design. It's just like the one in the picture, except where there is silver around the keyboard, mine is all black.

It was supposed to be a Christmas present, but they decided to give it to me early!!!!!!!!!!!

YAY!

Houston Market

2008-10-25T09:11:00.005-04:00

Long time no see!! I thought I would do a quick post to show off some of the cool stuff that I bought at Market for myself along with other assorted things.
Yesterday I got to meet Jay McCarroll!!!! It was so freaking awesome! I also got a chance to chat with Melissa Averinos (we just got her first line, Sugar Snap, at the shop) again - she's so sweet! I also saw a presentation about designing your own fabric which gave me a lot of ideas. The woman who did it is the head of the graphic division (or whatever you call it) for one of the big fabric companies - she was very helpful. After all that stuff, I went to the Fabric 2.0 party which was hosted by Michael Miller Fabrics and J. Caroline Creative and some other great companies (which I can't remember :( ). I had so much fun! I also got a lot of opportunities to talk with people about this industry. I had a few wonderful conversations with Jane Sassaman, who is just the nicest person ever. Jay McCarroll was there, so I got an actual semi-introduction, so I didn't look like just a total groupie. I also talked with a bunch of great people who have their own businesses that are different from ours. Bari J. who does gorgeous handbags, Mary from Flourishes, Jonah of Maluhia Designs, and Myrinda of Fabric Hound. THEN, mom and I went to sample spree, which is always crazy!!! So here are some assorted pictures for the day:

Jay McCarroll and I.

Pictures of Jay's new fabric lines.

My friend Debi from Michael Miller Fabrics and Jane Sassaman.

Sunset from the top of the Hilton, where the party was.

My loot from Sample Spree!!! The leaves one is two one yard cuts of home dec weight that I loved!! The three little panels are batiked in Kenya; they are small, but intricate. The little bundle is soft small pink-y florals from Quilt Gate. The dots were a leftover sales card that Quilt Gate gave me when I bought the bundle. I'm so proud of myself for not going crazy this year - HOWEVER, when I look at this pile, so much of it is not my usual stuff, it's so weird.

If you want to see more of what I did, or here some of the tale in actual order, you can check out the really long blog post on the shop website. It has lots of pictures!!

Happy Birthday Max!

2008-09-12T10:53:00.004-04:00

This is the most recent picture I have of my brother. It's me, our niece Alyssa, and Max. It was taken last summer in July. Today he turns 18. It's so incredible, because I still remember the night he was born. Hopefully, he will be allowed to call me today. I find it amazing that the only person he will get to talk to at all today will be me, his mean sister. :D He gets out of jail on November 1st, and we all have the hope that he will never have to go back and that something has really changed this time.

Ah well, on to something I've actually made.....

This is the class sample for my hand embroidery class that I'm teaching in October. I'm using 6 stitches - split, satin, back, stem, chain, and french knots. Obviously, I'm not quite done, but I'm running around with tons of school work. I've got variegated floss in her hair and for the pearl in her hand. It's the Sublime Stitching Mermaid Pattern. It's gonna be part of a pillow with the Mermaid fabric from the Mendocino line by Heather Ross for Free Spirit.

Isn't he the cutest? I didn't actually make him - I picked him up at the Mid-Atlantic Quilt Festival last year. He's about 1 1/2" - 2" tall and I think made from silk. I want to make a copy of him though! I saw him in a booth with all sorts of imported stuff from Japan - Kristal and I had a ball in that booth! I think this is the place:
http://maedaimporting.com/

Alrighty, I have to go to work. :(

it's the end of the world as we know it

2008-08-31T09:19:00.008-04:00

I'm in the mood to make all my titles song lyrics. We'll see how long that lasts.
I've actually made some stuff, mostly just working on a class sample. However, no pictures. These last couple of weeks have been crazy/awful. My sister left for UVA, my great aunt died, I started school with an English teacher who thinks that hers is the only class I have(meanwhile I'm taking college math, a foreign language, AND history), I'm having crazy dreams about people including the end of the world, and yesterday Evan left for school, leaving my boyfriend in shambles. We all miss somebody. Enough depressing thoughts, I whipped out some coolo pictures from Philadelphia when we went a couple of weeks ago.

The Gallery train station in Philadelphia. The whole thing looks like this, it's so cool. My Uncle actually helped to do the lighting in here.

Independence hall. We didn't actually go in, but I've been there before. It's one of those cool historical places.

Queen Anne's Lace. It grows wildly across the street from my grandmother's house. It reminds me of good times.

Some weirdo flower growing in her garden - I love the different patterns it creates.

Phlox in my other grandmother's garden. I thought it was so gorgeous!

My grandfather's upside-down tomato plant. He absolutely loves this planter my cousin got for him a couple of years ago.

Sign for Obama in the Obama south Philadelphia headquarters. I don't know if anyone else saw his speech the other night - it was pretty awesome. Maybe not one of his best, but still wonderful.

"You must be the change you wish to see in the world." -Mahatma Gandhi.

Even if you don't vote my way please make sure and VOTE.

Time for me to go do yoga and get ready for work.........

I love you, is that okay?

2008-08-19T21:38:00.004-04:00

Art, or not.....

Baby boy!

2008-08-15T22:14:00.004-04:00

Here's some pictures of my nephew, who has me totally enthralled...

Alyssa was helping to take this picture:

Here he is with his Grammy and his quilt:

Grampa, Alyssa, and Adam!

I've been tagged! (for the first time ever!)

2008-08-05T22:34:00.002-04:00

Okay, here's the deal. Amy tagged me - http://sewamy.blogspot.com/

1. Link back to the person who tagged you
2. Mention the rules on your blog
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours
4. Tag 6 following bloggers by linking them
5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.

1. I really love online quiz-y things, but man this one is boring.

2. I'm a procrastinator.

3. I hate messes, but I'm a huge slob.

4. I know a zillion stupid factoids about everything known to man. (my boyfriend came up with that one, and it's true)

5. I hate calling people, but I love answering the phone!

6. I'm gullible.

I'm tagging:
http://joycehartley.blogspot.com/
http://dawnstitches.blogspot.com/
http://debrichardson.com/blog/
http://www.deirdreabbotts.com/wordpress
http://vickiwelsh.typepad.com/field_trips_in_fiber/
http://greenisthenewblue.blogspot.com/

That list took me forever to compile. In other news, I've been out of town in Philadelphia. I will be posting pictures of all the cool things soon. ALSO, I have a new nephew. If I ever get pictures, I will post some. Is name is Adam Jacoby, and he was 6lbs 13oz, 20in long. Yay! Apparently his big sister loves him to death.... She will soon learn better.

ATCs and stuff

2008-07-20T15:24:00.006-04:00

I made some really cute ATCs for the swap we have at work. I took a FQ of the apple print from Farmer's Market by Sandi Henderson. They are all hand embroidered and made at the last minute of course. Here's some pictures:

The second one is the most true to color.
I've also been working on a quilt to hang in the shop. I designed the pattern so we could kit it up. It's made from Drawing Room by Anna Maria Horner. Here's half of it.

Baby blankets!

2008-07-04T15:08:00.003-04:00

These actually turned out pretty well. They're cute, and easy. I'm hoping that some day soon we can post a tutorial on the shop website. Until then, it's pretty similar to the one on Purl Patchwork's blog.

Okay, so I just realized how awful the picture is. Oh well. They're about 28" square. There's actually two there, they both have a brown and pink Minkee fabric on the back, and two different Michael Miller prints on the front.

Yeah, yeah

2008-07-01T21:29:00.002-04:00

I'm working on the updating thing. I need to take pictures of the cute baby blankets I made the other day. For now, here are two quiz-y things:

You Are a Chocolate Shake

You are a total hedonist. You are drawn to pleasure.

You are an expressive, over the top person. You're naturally dramatic.

You're the type of person who always chooses quality over quantity.

Life's too short to not have optimal experiences. You're proud of being picky.

What Flavor Shake Are You?

Brendan says that is totally me. Yeah, well. Off to play World of Warcraft.

Do you notice anything different?

2008-06-21T08:52:00.000-04:00

Look at my new awesome redesign!!! Yay! I love it. Now if I can just figure out how to turn those corners black.....hmmmm.

I saw this on Kristal's blog, and couldn't resist!!! While you're at it, check out all the other cool gadgets from the website that does the mosaic maker.

1. Phoebe Gardner & Francis G. Clowe, 2. I ate 6, 3. Hermitage High too far / 高過庵, 4. double and supernumerary rainbows, 5. Daniel Craig's looking at me, and I don't think he's happy, 6. Positano, 7. Oia - Santorini, 8. vanilla bake shop cupcakes, 9. one.dress.finished, 10. Best things in life are free, 11. Ci sei dentro, 12. Sunset dancer

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd's mosaic maker).

1. What is your first name? Phoebe. All I got were strippers and animals, so I cheated and used the first letter of my last name. At least I got some gravestones!
2. What is your favorite food? Mexican. You should search for this. The first page is amazing!
3. What high school did you go to? Hermitage High School. For 5 months. Then I was home schooled. That's what I found for "Hermitage High." Nothing to do with the school. :)
4. What is your favorite color? Green!!!!!!!!! Nothing to do with green, but I saw and it made me think of my sister. We saw a rainbow just like that a couple of weeks ago, but one of the rainbows went from horizon to horizon.
5. Who is your celebrity crush? Daniel Craig. At least right now.
6. Favorite drink? Water.
7. Dream vacation? Santorini, Greece.
8. Favorite dessert? Mom's chocolate cake.
9. What you want to be when you grow up? Fabric designer. Honest to god, that was the first picture.
10. What do you love most in life? Life itself.
11. One Word to describe you: Loud
12. Your flickr name: dncergrl. I searched for dancer girl.

Flickr, schedule, Alyssa

2008-06-20T09:46:00.004-04:00

So, I'm still trying to scramble to get things done for the Anniversary Celebration next Saturday. That also means that I really haven't finished anything. I've continued to work on my Spaceboy, but he's still not done. At least he has eyes and is stuffed! I obviously need to go buy myself a camera, because otherwise I'm never going to have pictures to upload. Urgh.
I decided to be good and start uploading things to my Flickr account. Of course, they are just pictures of my niece, Alyssa, so nothing uber exciting yet. We got to see her, and my sister and sister-in-law last weekend for Father's day. We went out on the boat, and I got REALLY SUNBURNED. I had fun though. I got to drive the boat, with Alyssa's help of course.

Me and Alyssa
Originally uploaded by dncergrl222

Right now I'm supposed to be writing the schedule for work, however, I got distracted by the awesome work of Tommy Kane. Oh, and I'm back to lusting after the Trash Ties from Heather Bailey.

HA!

2008-06-13T11:19:00.004-04:00

Your Ice Cream Personality:

You are an incredibly modest person. You don't feel comfortable bragging about yourself... or even receiving complements.

You are incredibly cautious. You rather miss out on something than make a mistake. No one would ever call you wild... but they would call you responsible.

You are a somewhat open minded person, but deep down you're fairly conservative. You don't like trying new things very much. And if you do find something new you like, you stick with it.

You tend to have a one track mind. You prefer not to multitask.

You are a serious and contemplative person. You definitely do your own thing in life.

The Ice Cream Personality Test

I told you so Brendan!

In other news, I've actually been sewing. I'm working on tons of shop samples. When I'm not working my but off at work. So, I'm to lazy to go get the picture of my mom's computer of the cute sashiko bag I did, so you can see it here:
http://www.quiltingadventures.com/qablog/?p=565

That's all!

yay! actual pictures!

2008-06-02T21:22:00.003-04:00

So, I took pictures of something! Mostly just works in progress, but it's something! So here's a stack of the fabric that I'm cutting up to make a quilt with. It's the Drawing Room fabric I think I mentioned in the last post:

'

Here's a picture of the sketch for the quilt:

Here's the other WIP:

It's from the Robotboy pattern from WeeWonderfuls. It's a shop sample for work. He's turning out very cute! My friend Amy is working on the big footed bunny for a shop sample too.... you can see hers here.
We got some new thread in today - Razzle from Wonderfil threads. It's a heavyweight rayon thread. So I decided to make a sample using this sashiko pattern from Alder Spring Designs. It will probably end up being a shop sample too, as we've ordered a bunch of her patterns. It's turning out really well so far. I'm using a bright blue thread on lime green fairy frost, not quite your usual sashiko colors, but will be totally me.

well....

2008-05-25T17:30:00.002-04:00

Okay, so I started this post on Sunday, and still haven't gotten any pictures.......so, I'm going to just write, and hope to have pictures soon.

I was gonna take a picture of the cool new apron I'm working on for work, but I forgot. So, I have nothing to show off, which is really disappointing because I've been sewing a lot recently. The apron is from this book: http://www.sewthankful.com/RetroApronsPatternBook.html It's the one out of the Halloween fabric, but mine is in batiks with no ric-rac. I'm also getting ready to make a skirt out of the new Anna Maria Horner fabric, drawing room. I just started work on a shop sample - Spaceboy from the Wee Wonderfuls pattern. I've also grabbed the pattern I Do by Cherry House Quilts to do as a sample (and a gift!). And I'm also designing my own pattern to make into a shop sample as well.
Some eye candy -
Cute stuffed animals!
These cute Luma guys from Mario in crochet!
Revoluzzza's cute everything!

Okay, so I'm going to wow you with some quiz result or another, I just have to find one after passing the "How well do you know the bible?" and the "what flavor of mountain dew are you?" (is there really more than one?) quizes.

Okay, so who is Dr Doom? I liked Mystique........

Your results:
You are Dr. Doom

Dr. Doom		65%
The Joker		61%
Lex Luthor		55%
Green Goblin		55%
Apocalypse		51%
Riddler		51%
Mr. Freeze		50%
Magneto		50%
Dark Phoenix		44%
Two-Face		39%
Catwoman		38%
Mystique		35%
Juggernaut		35%
Poison Ivy		34%
Venom		33%
Kingpin		27%

Blessed with smarts and power but burdened by vanity.

Click here to take the Supervillain Personality Quiz

{nothing}

2008-05-18T11:15:00.001-04:00

So, I've been working my butt of at Quilt Market in Portland. Every chance I have to sit down is either spent shifting through paperwork or blogging on our store blog. However, I have 45 more mins before the show opens for the last day, so here we go. If you want to see what I've really been up to, go to my work blog (scroll down a little):
http://quiltingadventures.com/qablog/
Otherwise, here is a meme, which I think is a stupid word. I got it from DebR.

Five things on my to do list today:
1. Do a notions/book order from Brewer
2. Pack the box of fabric to ship home
3. Pack all my stuff
4. Make plans for New York
5. Work my butt of at market

Five snacks I enjoy:
1. Chocolate
2. Jalapeno chips
3. Smoothies-from Tropical Smoothie Cafe
4. Poppyseed Onion Bagels (especially when someone else makes them)
5. Granola Bars

Three of my bad habits:
1. Cursing
2. Biting my nails
3. Procrastinating

Five places I have lived:
1. Richmond, VA
2. Right outside Richmond, VA
3. An hour from Richmond, VA
4. More Richmond
5. And even more Richmond

Five jobs I’ve had:
1. Babysitter
2. Chiropractic Assistant
3. Stock girl for my mom's business, Quilting Adventures
4. Assistant Manager and Assistant Buyer for my mom's business, QA
5.Right hand man in my mom's business

Okay, so that turned out boring. I'm off to work now.

I'm working on it.....

2008-05-11T09:21:00.003-04:00

Okay, so I suddenly decided I needed to change all the HTML in the title bar, and after working for an hour early in the morning decided I really didn't need to. So, it's staying like that until I can figure out the spacing issues. Sorry!
So I haven't been particularly crafty this week, I got to see my boyfriend though! And work a lot. Last night we got to celebrate his parent's 28th wedding anniversary. Yay! Today they leave for a week in Las Vegas, which is actually to celebrate my boyfriend and his twin brother's 21st birthday.
I'm going to see if I have any crafty type pictures to post, because otherwise there is no point to this post.....
Yay! I found something. This was my final project from my drawing class last semester. It's a self portrait.

Also, HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY!

My mom with my niece when she was just a few days old.

I'm back!

2008-05-01T22:39:00.006-04:00

Okay, so it's really been awhile. Life has been totally crazy. But I was inspired to post, so here we go!
Lately my poor purse has been showing a little wear and tear, so I decided to make a new one. I used the bag pattern from the book Simple Sewing by Lotta Jansdotter. I had to adapt it a little bit, as I wanted to use quilting weight cotton, not home dec weight. I love the sideways pocket on the front, which is perfect for my sketchbooks, and it's even got a spot for my water bottle!

This weekend I'm going with my dad to the art teachers retreat in the middle of nowhere, VA. In other words, Middlesex county(no offense intended to anyone, I'm just used to people). I'm hoping to come back with a two new pairs of capris, two new skirts, a finished present for my sister, a skirt for my niece, and some work done on Kristal's housewarming gift. I know that probably won't all happen, but its worth hoping for. Over the next little while I'm going to try and update some of my links list. I've recently discovered google reader, which makes reading 85 blogs easier. So, I will pick a select few for your viewing pleasure.
I just finished the semester, so hopefully I will have more time to work on art and such, although I'm not sure that will happen.
To hold you over until next time, here is a picture of the quilt that some friends and I recently completed for another friend with cancer:

New Book!!!!

2007-03-28T16:01:00.000-04:00

One of our very sweet customers, Holly, brought in some little stuffed animals to show mom. Mom told Holly how much I would love them, and so Holly went home and picked out one of her books on the subject and gave it to me!!!!! It's one of those Japanese craft books. There are some words in English on the cover and they say: Felt Mascots & Knick-Knacks. The directions are all in Japanese, but the diagrams make it easy. Here's a picture of it I found online:
I've decided that the reward I will give myself for finishing high school is to buy the supplies for these and make myself one. Aren't they cute???

HAHA!

2007-03-16T17:06:00.000-04:00

I now have an etsy shop! I don't have anything listed in it(of course), but for future reference, that's where you might eventually be able to buy my stuff!

http://www.livethelifeofriley.etsy.com

The Way You Look Tonight

2007-03-12T20:52:00.000-04:00

Ah well......
I don't actually have any art to post at the moment. I need to make some ATCs. I miss trading. I've just got to figure out a system to make them fast. Not that they wouldn't be nice or anything, t just need a time effective system.
I'm sitting here while Brendan and Evan play Halo. They're supposed to be having team practice. They're only missing one team mate. So, I'm torturing them by listening to every old artist that I can think of. Currently it's Judy Garland. I've already gone throught Fred Astaire and Gene Kelly. I really want to listen to some of the music from An American in Paris. Alas, it's one of the few things you can't find on myspace.

finished quilt top!

2007-03-11T16:15:00.000-04:00

Yay! I actually finished something! This is a shop sample based on a pattern from the book Fat Quarter something or another. I'll have to get back to you on that one. It's from the "Playing in Spotzville" line by Jan Mullen for Marcus Brothers. I actually finished it awhile ago, but have been out of it for the last week. My friend Blake died last Thursday evening, and Friday morning they put my brother in juvy for 4-6(months).

beading!

2007-02-20T20:22:00.000-05:00

I got some beading done the other day. I'm working on this fabric box thing. The pattern is designed by my friend/employee Susan. I'll take a picture of it when its done, but for now, here's a picture of the beading on the lid.

Finally back

2007-02-13T21:38:00.000-05:00

This is going to be short, but I finally finished something, and I've got a picture. This was inspired by a movie that I was watching last week as I was sitting on the couch recovering from having my wisdom teeth out. He's made with solids. And all hand sewn. The face is done with pigma pens. The hair is two pieces of the purple fused together. I'm going to try and post more often too.

Random

2006-11-10T12:59:00.000-05:00

LOL............
http://chalkboard.girlsunite.ca/showflat.php/Cat/0/Number/30698/Main/30439
Look at that^

I stole a bunch of stuff from Corky...

What American accent do you have? Your Result: Philadelphia Your accent is as Philadelphian as a cheesesteak! If you're not from Philadelphia, then you're from someplace near there like south Jersey, Baltimore, or Wilmington. if you've ever journeyed to some far off place where people don't know that Philly has an accent, someone may have thought you talked a little weird even though they didn't have a clue what accent it was they heard.
The Midland
The Northeast
The South
Boston
The Inland North
North Central
The West
What American accent do you have? Take More Quizzes

Someone knocks on your door at 2am, who do you want it to be?

Brendan.

Your boss tells you he/she will give you a $20 raise if you'll do your job naked. Do you stay and take the raise?

No, that would be weird.

Put yourself in a nutshell.

I like walnuts. (the shells)

Ever see a ghost?

Nope.

Happy with your body?

Yeah, actually. I would like to be in better shape, but I look pretty decent.

A reason to move to Iceland.

It's supposedly really clean, and they have good healthcare.

A place you've lived that you miss.

I've lived here my whole life, and would miss this house, but I don't think I'd miss this city.

A job you'd never do, no matter how much you were paid.

Anything with meat or trash or cubes.

A band/group you thought was cool when you were 13.

The Beatles. (they still are)

You have a nightmare, who's the first person you think to call?

Brendan.

Wanna have kids before you're 30?

Not particularly.

A memory from high school.

It sucked.

Ever had a crush on a friend's parent?

Nope.

Do you look more like your mom or dad?

Everybody says my dad.

Something you've always wanted to learn to do.

Bookbinding(I know a teensy bit) or playing the guitar really well.

How you'd like your life to be in 10 years.

I'd like to be married. With a college degree and a nice job. And not live here.

Something you learned this year.

I just learned yesterday that Treebeard (the Ent) has seven toes. For some reason I find that fascinating.

What do you want for your birthday?

I dunno. Christmas is first.

Name 4 things you did yesterday.

1. Worked
2. Sewed
3. Watched Gilmore Girls
4. Watched A Cinderella Story

Last item you bought yourself?

Lunch today. At Christopher's.

What did you have for breakfast?

I didn't have breakfast.

Name a celeb you crush on.

????

Name the last 3 songs you heard.

In order of most recent to the latest:
1. City of Blinding Lights by U2
2. Right Where You Want Me by Jesse McCartney
3. Let the Rain Fall Down by Hilary Duff

How many hours of sleep do you get each night?

Depends.

What do you wish you were doing right now?

Cuddling with Brendan.

Who's the first person in your phone book on your cell?

The Chiropractor's office. (they're in alphabetical order)

Last time you witnessed a fight?

Physical fight? No clue. Verbal? Last Saturday.

Name 3 places you'd like to travel to.

1. Europe
2. Arizona/New Mexico
3. Mountains. Somewhere. Or maybe Alaska.

Do you know how to ice skate?

Nope.

Name something you like that's out of the ordinary.

I dunno.

Is bigger really better?

Books(like hardback, not length) - no. Cars - no. Chocolate - yes. Car engine - yes. Planes - yes. House - yes. Bridge - yes. Name - maybe. Chair - yes. This is actually a very complicated question.

What do you think of Brad Pitt?

He's semi-hott in certain movies.

What color are your toenails.

My two big toes have a teensy bit of black left on them from this summer.

Do you own anything with a skull on it?

Yes - fabric.

Traveled to Europe?

No.

Last movie you watched?

A Cinderella Story

Where were you when you had your first kiss?

The back seat of a car.

Last board game you played?

Ummmm.............Civilization.

Leather or lace?

A little of both.

Ever had a black eye?

Yes.

Have you ever worn fishnet stockings?

Nope.

i have taken control of the camera

2006-09-04T13:53:00.000-04:00

Well, I technically needed it for a photography class I'm taking for school, but I finally got the camera from my mom. I think I'm going to eventually just buy my own. I took some cool pictures while Brendan was here this weekend. Here are the best ones(in my opinion) that I took.

Wild flower on the walk.........

Fountain at the edge of the woods.......

The sky was beautiful that day! It was right after the hurricane came through.

Looking up at the sky through the trees...

Now, back to work. :-D

projects(no pictures, sorry)

2006-08-06T21:00:00.000-04:00

I counted yesterday. 8 projects. I've got a Baltimore Album, two star quilts(six pointed stars, hand pieced using diamonds), two landscapes, a village quilt, my monkey quilt and a halloween quilt that I'm working on. I've also got two dolls in my head, and still want to start another star quilt and the applique North Pole quilt. I think I'm going to do the two dolls next, I'm really excited about them. I also bought fabric yesterday to make a new purse. I need one that can hold all of my assorted books, notebooks, pens, and waterbottles. I'm thinking something along the lines of a messenger bag. I bought blue, green, and yellow solids for it. I think I'm going to embroider a few monkees on it. Hopefully we should be getting the new Felicity Miller fabric collection in soon, and I can't wait to work with it. It's a very cute line of kid's fabrics. We're also expecting Nature's Palette by Avlyn, which I think would be great for clothes. And other stuff, I'm not sure what though. I've also been looking forward to Belle by Amy Butler and Fleurish by Valori Wells. I think it would be cool to make a skirt out of some of either collection. Maybe one of the bohemian-ish skirts by Cindy Taylor Oates. There are so many things I want to do. I also have to figure out what I'm doing about college. I think I'm going to apply to more schools, but probably still go to VCU. I'm not sure what to major in, though. I'm not sure whether I want to go in January or next fall. I have to decide pretty soon. I also have to get my driver's license and finish high school. I just want to sew. I wish I was more productive.
Argh...............

[[pleased to meet you, hope you guessed my name............]]

2006-07-09T10:19:00.000-04:00

Well, I'm almost done my monkey quilt. I did it using Funky Monkey by Moda and the Contra Dance Pattern. I've still got to put on the two borders. It's going to be so cute! And I'll finally have a quilt I made for myself!!
I'm also about to start a North Pole Quilt. I'm not sure what I'm going to do with it when I'm done, but I think it will be cute.
I also need to make Grammy a birthday present before I next see her(her birthday was in the beginning of May).
I'm also in the process of starting a Big Bang Quilt. It's going to be a gift for someone. I'm going to do it in blues, purples, greens and black. I'm going to hand piece and hand quilt it, so I fully expect it to take a couple of years(which is fine). I haven't sewn with diamonds before, so I'm going to do a text project(probably wall hanging size) out of Christmas prints.
I'm in the beginning stages(my first block) of a traditional style Baltimore Album quilt. If you know me well, you'll be thinking WTF? It's going to be a wedding gift. I've narrowed it down to two people I'd like to give it to, and hopefully they'll marry each other, so then I won't have to decide who gets it.
All of my jewelry supplies is packed unfortunately, but I just got some beads in the mail yesterday that I can't wait to use! I bought them at Fetopia! So I'm going to have to start opening boxes soon, or risk going crazy.
I've started this art project - I'm doing a small doodle, poem, drawing or something every day in this little book I got on sale at Barnes & Noble. So far I'm doing pretty well!

I"m starting to prepare myself for Brendan, Evan and Selina leaving. They all leave the same day. It sucks. I'm totally not ready for this.

[[[And I miss you when you're not around
I'm getting ready to leave the ground

Oh you look so beautiful tonight...]]]

don't stop me now.....

2006-06-24T20:23:00.000-04:00

[[[I'm a shooting star leaping through the sky
Like a tiger defying the laws of gravity
I'm a racing car passing by like Lady Godiva
I'm gonna go go go there's no stopping me
I'm burning through the sky yeah
Two hundred degrees that's why they call me Mr. Fahrenheit
I'm travelling at the speed of light
I wanna make a supersonic man out of you]]]

That song always makes me vaguely sad. They played it in Love Actually during a funeral scene, so I think that's why. It always reminds me of how fragile life is. But I really do love it.........

I went to Barne's and Noble and bought the newest issue of Somerset Studio. I'm reading it very slowly, savoring it. I also bought a small guide to flowers that cost me 4 bucks. I'm going to use that for an art project. Unfortunately they didn't have a copy of my friend Margaret's new book Duchess of Aquitaine.

I also found this really cool website: fetopia. They make these really cute beads that are shapped like fetuses, sorta, but with their own little personalities. They're made out of clay. They're so cute!!!!!!

We got Karen Eckmeier to come teach 3 classes at the shop. Before they were announced to the general public, they were already full. Now we're considering adding more dates on. I'm in her happy villages workshop! It's the one that was on the cover of the most recent Quilting Arts magazine.

According to the World Health Organization, there are approzimately 100 million acts of sexual intercourse everyday. Interesting, eh?

So now I'm sitting here listening to music (currently Coconut by Harry Nilsson) and listening to it thunder on and off.............

????

2006-06-20T14:17:00.000-04:00

are my expectations of people rediculously high? i mean, i know that i set my standards high, but are they rediculous. especially at work. i figure, if i can work an eight or ten hour day, do $1000 dollars in business, and still get everything on the list done, why can't everyone else? is it because i don't want my mom to have to do it? is it because i really don't like people (nothing personal to anyone) and will sit back at the desk and do everything?!?!?!? do i have more energy than everyone else. or is it not rediculous to expect that when someone works a 4 hour shift, and i work 8 hours or more, that they can keep up with me for those four hours? this isn't directed at anyone. i love all of my co-workers, but do i expect rediculous feats from them???

[[[[Hey
You're crazy b****]]]]

ahhhh, well

2006-06-13T22:02:00.000-04:00

That New Year's resolution didn't go to well. I think this is going to be my everything blog now. There's not to much art getting done right now. We are trying to move, so most of my wire, beads, fabric, etc are packed(so I'm just buying more). Tonight I had a quilt guild meeting, so I came with one of these to play with. I just doodled a little sun on the front so far.
Today I went shopping! I got this really cool hand cuff bracelet. I bought it to use for artwork, but unfortunately I actually liked it for myself. I also bought a happy bunny t-shirt. It says "I hate everything" on it. It was so me and on sale, so I thought it would be cool.
Yesterday was graduation!!!! Selina graduated with honors. She was in the Beta club, the Math Honors Society(?), and graduated International Baccalaureate with honors. Pretty smart eh? She's going to UVA next year, thank heaven, because I don't know what I'd do with her farther away then that. Christine graduated with honors, and International Baccalaureate. She was in the Beta Club, Math Honors Society, and the Spanish Honors Society. Oh yeah, and she was in Model UN. I hope I got that right. She's going to Princeton!

Here's a picture of (l-r): Evan(Selina's boyfriend), Sarah(Selina's cousin), Selina, and me!

And Selina, Me, and Christine!

Once I get the pictures of Selina, Sarah and I in the convertable, I will post those too.

Unfortunately I'm having serious issues lately. I'm mad at everybody. There was one person tonight that I really wanted to kill. That and someone who was in class on Sunday that made me cry. Urgh............I hate people.

Back

2006-02-15T18:25:00.000-05:00

One of my New Year's resolutions was to try and update this thing more. The real resolution was to keep doing it, once I started up again. Well, that's what I'm trying to do. Unfortunately I don't have any pictures here of all my latest work, but hopefully it will be up soon. First, I've got to draw a crowd. Sorry, but I've already seen my artwork, so I want someone else too.
For now, here's a picture of the cute niece:

Alyssa and Daddy(my brother Ricky)

Off to babysit.....

Faces and stuff.......

2005-09-07T18:20:00.000-04:00

Here is some of my most recent work. By recent, I mean within the last week or so:

This necklace is made out of a puzzle piece (with branches on it) wrapped in copper wire with a few red seed beads. It's on an organza ribbon.

These earrings are done in a similar style, except with silver wire and blue beads. The puzzle pieces have white tulips on them.

Here are some faces I made out of Sculpey. I used a mould with Green Pearlescent, Blue Pearlescent and Pearl Sculpey. They don't take pictures well. There are 17 of them.

Last but not least, my new mixed media art. It's really weird. It's made with gesso, a page from a magazine, a page of music, a paper bag, a tag, watercolor, copper wire, red beads, an envelope, and tape transfer. Oh, and thread. The sheet music is sewn to the paper bag with wire. The picture is gessoed and sewn to the background with red thread. The tag is painted with watercolors with the title written on it, and attached with wire. There is a little pocket made that the envelope can fit in. The envelope is white with a flower tape transfer stuck on the front. Inside is a coin "for the boatsman."
The title is "The Diary of her Suicide."

Check out our quilts for Katrina charity project, and stop buy and help out if you can: http://quiltingadventures.com/qablog/?p=29
I've got some more pictures that will probably go up in a day or two, so stay tuned.

Prom Dress

2005-08-24T22:09:00.000-04:00

My uncle told me this weekend how absolutely upset he was that I hadn't put up pictures of my prom dress yet with details. So here it goes. I will also probably be updating my writing blog sometime soon.

My necklace was done with a fairy charm, some silver wire, and red beads and swarovski crystals:

Here's some detailed pictures of the beading and the skirt:

Ta da!!!!

I'm getting there

2005-06-13T23:10:00.000-04:00

I'm getting there. I have some ATC's and some knitting to put up. I've been very busy with shop stuff. Lots of cool fabric.
www.quiltingadventures.com
www.quiltingadventures.com/qablog

:-(

2005-05-18T14:39:00.000-04:00

My boyfriend broke my parent's digital camera(which later electrocuted me) so there aren't any pictures today. The beading on the dress only about 2/3 of the way done. It's taking forever to do, because I get really bored and stop. It now fits though, and has an actual waste to it. I tried it on today and realized I really need a necklace, and I have nothing to make it out of. Here is the tux that Brendan is wearing. I still have to get a boutenniere, which I know is spelled wrong. I saw this cool gesso technique on someone's blog today, so I'm going to try it out. Here's the person's blog. I also ordered a copy of the catalogue that they used for the page from here: http://www.anthropologie.com
It's one of those days were I'm being PMS-edly obsessed with chocolate, ice cream, loud music, and mood swings.

I stole this quiz from my mom:

You are a mixed green salad.

You took this quiz by mistake. You don't drink
coffee. You don't even know what it smells
like. You should not be allowed in coffee's
presence, for you would profane its mysteries.
You believe in UFOs and everything that you
hear on TV. You are shifty-eyed and
untrustworthy, and you are plagued by strange
dreams. You want to be on a reality TV show.

What kind of coffee are you?
brought to you by Quizilla

Prom Dress and Kansas City

2005-05-12T13:33:00.000-04:00

I've started the beading on my prom dress. I've got one week to finish. Here's a picture of what I've done so far:

I'm using size eleven sead beads.

Heres a picture of most of the top to give you an idea of how little I truly have done:

Here's the whole dress and me wearing it:

We are going to be doing a few more things to it. We are taking the straps off. It still needs a waistband and needs to be hemmed. It's got that funky gap-under-the-arms thing from the boning, so we are going to Penny's house tonight to fix that. I have also gotten a haircut since that picture was taken. There is really more yellow at the top of the skirt than this picture shows.
It's made with hand dyed silk organza and black silk dupioni.

Here's one of the pictures of the sunset that I took in Kansas City from our hotel room window:

Digital Collage

2005-05-05T18:08:00.000-04:00

This is my first digital collage. I'm going to try and use it for my xanga background. I will upload pictures of my newest projects soon.

I haven't forgotten....

2005-04-24T11:57:00.000-04:00

But I've been busy. Disney World for six days. I came back, got sick, surprised my sister and now I'm leaving for Quilt Market on Wednesday. I haven't done anything artsy. I will update later......

Quilt blocks, scarves and doodahs

2005-04-11T15:52:00.002-04:00

I'm currently working on some nine patches for quilts for a friend's three sons. They're going through a family crisis, and my friend thought it would be nice if the boys could have quilts. So, the yahoo group I am on is making blocks to make each little boy a quilt. I've only got one done so far, but I'll post the other two later.
This one is Garradyn's. He's five:

I also just finished a scarf:

I don't know what I'm going to do with it. Maybe I'll sell it. Its about 3 inches wide, and 54 inches long(it's folded in half here).

We also ordered some Doodahs from Studio Pashnada. They have some really cool stuff, besides the doodahs, so everyone should check it out. They are really nice people, and ship things very fast. Their prices are great.
Here's a slightly bad picture of them:

I think I might use them on clothes or purses, or maybe even some jewelry. They aren't all mine, some of them are mom's.

*edit@11:30 4/12/05*
This one is Gowan's. He's six:

*edit@5:35 4/12/05*
This one is for Collin. He's 9(almost 10):

*edit@1:32 4/13/05*
This one is for my friend. We are going to be making a throw/lap quilt for her:

Leaves, Jewelry, and Weaving

2005-04-06T10:15:00.000-04:00

Here's a small quilt that I'm working on:

It's made with a hand-dyed charm square I bought from my mom, some hand dyed cheese cloth, some angelina fibers and some hand dyed trim. It's hard to get a good picture, because the angelina reflects everything.
I also finished some earrings and a bracelet a while ago, and I have no clue what to do with them. The bracelet is for me, I know that. They aren't perfect, but they look okay. They are made with glass beads, silver wire and silver plated hooks. All the wire swirls and such, I did by hand with plyers(no jig).

I just took this off the loom. The Warp threads were messed up. Whoever set up the thing did a horrible job. The tension was totally messed up. This was my first piece on my mini-loom that mom's friend Vicki gave me. Its about two inches wide. I did every bit except for the white and red stripes in the far upper right corner. There are close-ups farther down.

I got a scathingly brilliant idea last night around midnight for a poetry altered book sorta thing. I've just gotta figure it all out. I need to start drawing my ideas out, or at least writing them down.....Enjoy!!!!

Welcome

2005-04-04T12:05:00.000-04:00

So this is my art blog. I decided I need one. I currently have 4 other ones, so I can truely say that I am addicted. I really should be doing work, but ah well, too bad. Here's some ATCs I've just made for the Who Inspires You ATC swap:

Lillian Hellman

Gene Kelly

John Lennon

Stephen Hawking