Giveaway Results...

I let my boys help me choose the winner for the $25 Fat Quarter Shop Giveaway. 

I put numbers 0-9 in a hat and let Ethan pull the first number, which was 2.  So that meant the winner would be a comment that was 2 digits.  (Sorry numbers 1-9 & 100+!)

Caleb went next and chose 2 as well.  So that meant the winner's first digit would be a 2.  (Sorry numbers 10-29 & 30-99)

Jack got to choose the final number.  I'll give you one guess what he chose.  I promise I put all the numbers in this hat!  He chose 2 which meant the number's final digit was 2.


So, the winner was #22 (Rhonda @ Quilter in the Gap). 

Quilter in the Gap said...

I tweeted about your giveaway @gaprhonda

Thank you everyone for playing.  I will be having another giveaway in August so don't go too far!!!

~Val

Pretty {little} Pouch Swap Received.

Lucky mail day!!!!  Look what was in my mailbox when I got home today...

Susan of So Sue sent me a lovely package of goodies for the Pretty {little} Pouch Swap.  She made me adorable zipper pouch (with a pink zipper!!!), the cutest little mini scissors that fit into a strawberry container (w/ a magnet on the back), and for my boys, cute paper and origami boats made from waterproof paper.  Who even knew such a thing existed?

The pouch was made with MoMo's Just Wing It, which I adore.  She also hand stitched little accents across the pouch. 

I just love my gifts.  Now I need to figure out what to stuff in the pouch that I am sending to my partner.  Thank you so much, Sue!

I'm counting down until I can announce the winner of the Giveaway...just a few more hours!!!  There's still time to enter if you haven't already. 

See you tomorrow.

~Val

{{{Fat Quarter Shop $25 Gift Certificate Giveaway!!!}}}

This Giveaway is Now Closed!

Today is a very exciting day for me!  My second "recipe" is featured over at the Moda Bake Shop.  Spinning off my first MBS recipe seen here, I created a tutorial on how to make two oversized pillows out of one Moda jelly roll.  Please head over there to check it out and leave a little comment.  I'll be forever grateful!

In honor of my big day, I wanted to share with you a giveaway.  The Fat Quarter Shop has generously donated a $25 gift certificate to their shop.  If you have never been to the FQ Shop, you need to go check it out.  They have a wide variety of fabric bundles, jelly rolls, charm packs, layer cakes, patterns, fabric by the yard, and lots more.

I think it is fun to give you many chances to win, so here we go...

1.  Become a follower of my blog (if you like what you see here).

2.  Tell me an embarrasing moment that happened to you recently.  (I can't wait to read these!)

3.  Blog or tweet about the giveaway.  (Make sure to leave your blog/twitter address so we can find new blogs to follow)

4.  Become a fan of The Fat Quarter Shop on Facebook, or Twitter. 

5.  Subscribe to The Fat Quarter Shop's blog.

Make sure you leave a comment for each thing you do.  This giveaway will run until Thursday, July 28th at midnight EST.  My kids will help me choose the winner by the same method that we did in my last giveaway.  Thanks so much for participating!!!

~Val

I heart the 80's swap.

In April, I blogged about joining the I. heart. the. 80's swap.  Well, like usual, I am coming down to the deadline (August 1st) without a single thing to mail off to my partner.  I started doing some thinking today.  One thing she loved about the 80's was the movie Goonies.  I am also a Goonies lover!  I thought this would be a good start to my project.  (For those of you not familiar with one of the greatest movies ever made, above is a list of the characters that make up The Goonies.)

I'm not exactly sure what I am going to do with this...make it into a bag?...frame it in an embroidery hoop?..who knows, but your suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

I can always count on my Frogs (friends from my blog).  Cheesy, I know, but I didn't think Bliends sounded as good.

Thanks for your help!!!

~Val

Personalized Embroidery Hoop Baby Gift

Ever since I saw this picture, I knew I wanted to make a personalized embroidery hoop baby gift.  My neighbor just so happened to have a new niece born a few weeks ago so I thought I'd try this out for her. 

I've really been trying consciensly to take a concept that I've seen and instead of copying it, changing it to make it my own.  I think I was able to accomplish this today.  Since I am obsessed with birdies as you can see by my entire board on pinterest devoted to them, I thought they would add a nice touch to this little gift.

I used a washable glue stick to attach the birds and then sewed them on with invisible thread.  (It hides the imperfections!)

I added some decorative, um balls?, and some matching ribbon to the outside edge of the hoop that I found in my basement using my favorite super glue, E6000. 

I think I will be making many more of these in the future. 

Hey, I wanted to give you all a heads up.  I am going to be having a Giveaway here on Saturday.  Please stop back by!


I'm linking up over at HouseofHepworths today.  Lots of amazing stuff over there!!!

~Val

Bottled Rainbow *Moss Block*

Woo Hoo!!!!  I finally finished my 16th and final Bottled Rainbows quilt block!  I had to make my scrap pieces a little bigger on this block because I was seriously strugglin' with Moss colored scraps.

As always, I have to highlight some Dick & Jane prints.  They are just so cute!

I am about 1/2 way done with sewing all the white sashing strips on the blocks and then it is time to sew the quilt top together! 

Good thing we don't use our dining room table that often.  Man-oh-man do I need a design wall!

~Val

I'm linking up over at Skip to My Lou's Made By You Monday & Fabric Tuesday @ QuiltStory.

The Tooth Fairy Is Coming!

UPDATE:  I offered to make these for my friends on Facebook and after a surprising amount of interest, I decided to sell these tooth fairy pillows in my etsy shop. 

Tomorrow, Ethan is going to lose his very first tooth.  Unfortuntely, it won't be the old fashioned way.  He has to have it pulled.  He is so excited to finally lose a tooth that he doesn't care how it comes out!

I wanted to make him something to put under his pillow where he could store his tooth and make the "exchange" with the Tooth Fairy.  I also knew I wanted to incorporate a zipper into the little pouch because I thought it resembled teeth.

I wrote a little note to put inside the "tooth pouch" from the Tooth Fairy.  It says, "Dear Ethan, I hear that I will be making a visit to your house soon.  Put this under your pillow and I will trade you a tooth for a surprise.  Love, The Tooth Fairy."



I am going to have the dentist give this to pillow to Ethan after he is finished up in the chair.  I'm going to ask her to tell him that the Tooth Fairy stopped by and asked her to give this pillow to him.  Hopefully, she won't mind telling him a little white lie. 

Ethan requested that we read "Throw Your Tooth on the Roof" tomorrow.  It is the cutest book ever!  It teaches kids about all the different traditions from all over the world of what children do with their teeth when they lose them.  The thought never crossed my mind that kids did anything other than put their teeth under their pillow for the Tooth Fairy.  Boy, was I living under a rock!  

Now I want to know what your tradition is.  Do you give money in exchange for a tooth?  If so, what is the going rate these days?  Do you keep the old baby teeth?  (I'm thinking I probably won't.)  I thought it would be fun to either put a $2 bill inside the pouch or maybe a gold coin (something unusual).

I look forward to hearing your traditions!

~Val

I'm linking up over at Quilt Story's Fabric Tuesday.  Lots of cool links there to check out today!

Bust My Stash Photo Challenge

Hey everyone...
Have you stared at your fabric stash and wished that you had the time and energy to cut up your fabric for future projects?  AccuQuilt has the answer!  Click HERE to participate, or go to AccuQuilt’s Facebook page and click “Like”.  Then go to the ‘Bust My Stash’ tab under their profile picture and upload a picture of your fabric stash.  Submit your photo by Friday, July 22nd and you’ll be eligible to win a GO! Mix & Match 12” Starter Set.  The photo with the most votes by July 31st wins!  Photos will be voted on by viewers and fans of the AccuQuilt Facebook page using the following criteria: relevance, creativity, and originality.  Share with your friends during the voting period to increase your odds of winning!
Good Luck!

~Val

The Road Less Traveled

A college friend of mine commissioned me to make a quilt for her favorite babysitter that is going off to my Alma Mater, Miami (of Ohio).  She wanted it to be primarily pieced in blue & yellow, with a Vera Bradley feel to it.  I sent her a link to my favorites on Flickr to help get her creative juices flowing.  She chose this quilt by Juliann for me to use as inspiration.

I first made my quilt sandwich spray basting the bottom, batting, and top all together.  I basted the heck out of it!  I then layed all the strips out in the design I wanted along the top of the quilt.  I sewed all the strips together and then used a washable glue stick (like you would a ticker tape quilt) and attached the three long strips onto the quilt.

I sewed the strips straight onto the top of the quilt sandwich leaving about 1/4" on each side.  I then quilted it using a circle pattern.  I drew the pattern straight onto the top of the quilt using the Pilot Frixion pen that I talk about here.  I sewed straight over the lines I had drawn and then ironed them away when I was done quilting.  I LOVE that pen!!!

This is the first quilt that I have ever machine sewn the binding onto.  OMG!  I may just never hand sew a binding on again.  Seriously, I think this just saved about 3-4 hours of my life!  Plus, since this is going to a college girl, she will need it to be a durable, right?  

I typed this label on my parent's olive green typewriter.  I then pressed it using dry heat on my iron to set the ink. 

She wanted the entire back to be Henna Garden.  No problem here!  This is definitely one of my favorite fab lines, ever!

Here we are, all wrapped up with love.  I really hope they all like the final product!!!!

Now, what should I name it???? 

I asked my blogger friends to help me name this quilt.  Marcia of RuntoMomma hit the nail on the head.  She said, "I think that the two lines on the right look quite similar.. the same thing that everyone else is doing.. but the "road" on the left.. or the "path" on the left.. that is your own.  Do your own thing.  Here is a link to the Robert Frost poem "The Road Less Traveled"  http://www.amandashome.com/road.html  To me it means.. be an individual, and don't be afraid to do your own thing."

I think this is a perfect poem to send with this quilt to a young girl heading off for her first time into the world of College.  I hope she chooses the road less traveled!

Thanks so much everyone for your creative naming ideas.  I will definitely use your assistance in the future!!!

~Val

I'm linking up over at Skip To My Lou!  Head on over there for more great crafty inspiration!

Pretty {little} Pouch Swap. Round 2.

I am so excited to be a part of the Pretty {little} Pouch Swap.  This is a blind swap on Flickr where you are matched up with a secret partner and you create a little pouch for them (12" or smaller).  Everyone who joins is asked to make an inspirational mosaic to help guide your partner on your taste in style, shape, & color. 

There are still a few more spots left, so if you'd like to be a part of this group, head on over here. 

Here is my mosaic.  Aren't these just amazing???

1. Zipper pouch with orchids and butterflies 

2. Change Purse from OCD

3. Pretty Little Pouch Finished!

4. Sidelock Patchwork Pouches

5. Rainbow Zip Pouch

6. Wristlet Bluebird

7. Linen Patchwork Pouches

8. Patchwork Pouch

9. Pouch Received

10 .Darling Pouch

11. Pretty {Little} Pouch

12  I love my {pretty} little pouch and all of its goodies!!!

13. Wonky Bird Mini

14. Mug Rug for RELISH AUSTRALIA

15. Rainbow Disc Pillow 

16. Strings Quilt Back

It's the July 4th!! 

Happy Birthday to my Country and my big brother, Ryan!!! 

 (Ethan can't keep his hands off his Uncle RyRy!)

~Val