Friday, October 26, 2012

Back from the dead!

Boy have I been sick!
Dead sick!
Snow is officially on the ground here.
I seem to get really sick every time the seasons change.
So weird.

Anywhoodle, 
I finished my Scrap Vomit!!!!!!
This is a huge celebration for me because I lost momentum for a bit.
I may or may not have been avoiding my sewing room because of it.


The ironing, oh the ironing!
I truly don't know how Katy has made 4 of these already!



But I managed to power through
and I'm so happy I did!
This quilt means so much to me!
I love every single little 1.5" square that's in it.
Each piece has meaning or memory to it.


I'll be sending her out for proper quilting.
I wouldn't dare mess this one up myself.

I will treasure this quilt for all of my days!
Go herehere and here for more posts on this quilt.

Monday, October 15, 2012

A boy and his balloon...

Remember this guy?


He finally got his fancy photo shoot.
Katie does such amazing work!


Isn't he the cutest thing ever?



For this prop I made the wrap around the balloon and the quilt that he's laying on. 
It was really fun to work on!  
Katie always has the best ideas.

Aside from that, I did not attend the Sewing Summit this year
but I did pop in to see a few friends.



First, I grabbed Amber from the hotel and we went to 
lunch at the Blue Lemon and wandered around
This girl is funny! She basically knew her way around downtown better than I did!
I'm so happy that we got to play.


Then I had the pure pleasure of hanging out with Diane and Cindy 
who I met last year at the Summit.


I love these two ladies so much!
And I've gotten to know them both much better in the last year.
Visiting with them made me so sad that I wasn't going this year.

Now it's back to life as usual.
I am finishing up my Scrap Vomit Quilt Top today.
YAY!!!!!
I decided it wasn't big enough so I added extra rows.

And I'm cruising on my Whole 30!
I have made it through 2 weekends without any slipping.
It's been tough for sure.  
Especially when I smell the cookies baking on Sunday.
But I'm feeling so incredible that's it's worth the sacrifice!

Thursday, October 4, 2012

Commitment and Accountability

Let me just start by saying that this is 
completely off the subject!
Back story: several months ago I posted a bit of a meltdown 
about my food allergies and eye hemorrhage and other such nonsense.
If you dare, go here to read more.

To make a long story short, I have become obsessed with food.
I can't really eat anything that is prepared by anyone else but me because 
my allergies are complicated, to say the least.

I have always loved to cook but now this regime is really quite easy for me.
I won't lie, in the beginning I might have grieved a little bit.
But life goes on.

After several months of being allergen free my blood work 
still wasn't coming back ideal.
At this point, my Dr. told me I really needed 
to cut Gluten out of my diet.  
But wait, Gluten is in everything!

So I said to myself, "Okay fine!  If I'm going to go Gluten Free 
then I am just going to go Paleo!"
So I grabbed a copy of this book and got started...


Practical Paleo by Diane Sanfilippo

First of all, I'm not writing this post to sell you on this book.  
But I will tell you that it's hands down amazing!  
And it has really changed the path I'm on.

For the last 8 weeks I have been eating in this style and 
have seen some changes that I was dying for.

My blood work is coming back so great!  
My eye doctor was beyond pleased that the swelling in my eye has all but subsided.
Apparently, I'm in "remission" so he says
 whatever you're doing, keep doing it!

Other nifty little places I've seen change are as follows:

*I lost a lb. a day for the first week or so.  Now I'm at my ideal weight.
*I have more energy than I have ever had before, ever!
I used to feel if I sat down in the middle of the day I would slip into a coma!
*I sleep like a baby all the way through the night
*I am never bloated or gassy (TMI, this was a real problem before)
*My mood is stable and all symptoms of PMS have subsided

Okay, so that wasn't really a long story made short.
But it was the best I could do.

Here's where the commitment and accountability come in....


I'm taking the Whole 30 challenge!
I am not doing this to lose weight, although sooooo many people 
have experienced remarkable weight loss 
through this 30 Day Challenge.
It is my goal to clean up my immune system so I can 
start trying to bring back some of the healthier foods 
that I'm allergic to, like Olive Oil, Red Grapes and Apples.

This means no more reaching for a handful of chocolate chips 
after every meal, 
or eating a chocolate chip cookie (or two or three) 
on Cookie Day (Sundays) 
or indulging on Sushi on the weekends 
(the white rice is killing me)
for 30 Days!

Now that I've sad it out loud there is no going back.
If you've read this far I thank you.

This post is already a novel so I won't go into the details of the Whole 30 Challenge.
But you can check it out here, here and here

How's that for totally random!?!

Tuesday, September 25, 2012

Slow and Steady

....wins the race.
Is that how the story goes?


I have been working on this quilt for what seems like forever.
Last week, I took a lovely break off to make something much more simple.
Only three more blocks and I can put it all together!


I have been using this technique.
I highly doubt it's any faster
but it's pretty dang accurate!
Although, I'm not sure that a Scrap Vomit quilt even requires accuracy.
Isn't that the point?  Perfectly imperfect?
Anyway, she'll be done soon.


In other news, this big beautiful boy was born
He looks so cute all snuggled up on his quilt.
Really and truly, nothing makes me happier than to see quilts 
(that I've put love and time into) get used and abused!

Friday, September 21, 2012

Where's my purse???

I've had fun whipping up this super simple 
patchwork quilt for my bestie! 
This quilt is actually part of a prop for her newborn baby's photos.
Come Monday he'll have arrived.
Hopefully he's ready for his photo shoot!
I've sewn several things for her studio.  
if you're curious, This one was my favorite! 


This project was a much needed break from my current WIP!
This type of quilting is just pure instant gratification!


I can't remember the last time I hand sewed my binding.
I'm a huge fan of machine stitching binding on quilts that will go through the wash a ton
(which is pretty much the only kind of quilt I make)


This prop is going to be so much fun!
The quilt is only a small part of it.
I'll show you more later.

In other randomness, 
I can never find my purse!
Ever!
I make my kids late for things all of the time because 
I'm running around looking for my purse all over the house.
It's gotten pretty ridiculous and comical actually.
My kids don't think it's funny.


In this months HGTV Magazine I spotted 
this XXL Binder Clip that doubles as a purse hook.
I might have ordered one....or three!
Best $5 I ever spent.
I just thought I'd share.  
I'd feel a lot better if I wasn't 
the only crazy person who can never find her purse!
If you're as forgetful as me go here to get one for yourself.

Now, if only my office looked that cool......

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Noteworthy

Hey everyone!
I swear to you, I AM sewing!
I have been working like mad on my Scrap Vomit quilt.
I am hoping to post pictures very soon.

I thought it was VERY worth mentioning that Natalie over at Craftin' Mechanic is giving away
1,000 2.5" squares!!!
That is almost enough to make an entire SV Quilt of your own.
Sheesh!  I wish she had posted that giveaway before
I spent hours upon hours cutting.
It's crazy!  Hop over there right this second.

Today I am taking a welcome break from teeny tiny  squares
to whip up a super simple patchwork quilt for a dear friend of mine.


Fabric play is too much fun!
Lately I have spinning in circles over all of the fun
fabric combos that I'm dying to work with!
I need more hours in the day.

Tuesday, September 11, 2012

A Good one!

Even though this getting older thing isn't my favorite
I still had a great birthday!
My hubs treated me to this fun bedding....


Gee, how did he know that I've wanted new bedding?
Probably because I curse my current bedding every time we make the bed!
I'm thinking it will coordinate nicely with my Bella...


Oh I'm so excited!
I can't stand it!

and I might have bought myself a present...


I bought this KitchenAid Food Processor just so I could 


They are to die for!

My Mother in Law's birthday is the day after mine.
She is the most lovely woman.
She has been a wonderful blessing in my life.


Since she's tricky to shop for
I sewed up one of these fun Jane Market Bag's.
They call her the "Broccoli Lady" at her local grocery store.
So I filled it up with all kinds of fun produce and a loaf of artisan bread.

The leaves are starting to change colors here.
The nights are cooling off and I think I'll be 
wearing a sweatshirt to tonights football game.
I'm so excited for fall!