Sugar Skulls

I got a chance to play with some more pattern testing again this week.  When Carol, over at FunThreads, put out the call, I could hardly wait to hit that reply button. Having never stitched anything like this before, I knew I was going to be in for some fun.

Here is "Sugar Skulls".  It's Carol's fun design for a "Day of the Dead" celebration quilt.

This is the time of year that you can find glow in the dark fabrics, and that is just what a used for my skulls and bones. It's a real party once the lights go down.  :-)

Carol is offering this fun little pattern on her blog. Hop on over there and check it out.

 http://funthreads.blogspot.com/2014/08/new-day-of-dead-pattern.html

If your not familiar with Day of the Dead...

Day of the Dead (Spanish: Día de Muertos) is a Mexican holiday observed throughout Mexico and around the world in other cultures. The holiday focuses on gatherings of family and friends to pray for and remember friends and family members who have died. It is particularly celebrated in Mexico where the day is a bank holiday. The celebration takes place on October 31, November 1 and November 2, in connection with the triduum of Hallowtide: All Hallows' Eve, Hallowmas, and All Souls' Day.^[1][2] Traditions connected with the holiday include building private altars called ofrendas, honoring the deceased using sugar skulls, marigolds, and the favorite foods and beverages of the departed, and visiting graves with these as gifts. They also leave possessions of the deceased.

Scholars trace the origins of the modern Mexican holiday to indigenous observances dating back hundreds of years and to an Aztec festival dedicated to the goddess Mictecacihuatl. The holiday has spread throughout the world. In Brazil Dia de Finados is a public holiday that many Brazilians celebrate by visiting cemeteries and churches. In Spain there are festivals and parades and, at the end of the day, people gather at cemeteries and pray for their dead loved ones. Similar observances occur elsewhere in Europe, and similarly themed celebrations appear in many Asian and African cultures.

Kaleidoscope Kreator

               Have you played with Kaleidoscope Kreator??? 
                          http://www.kalcollections.com/

You load your favorite photo into it and design your own kaleidoscope.

This bright and cheery photo, made up the quiltie below.

You have so much flexibility with this program. It allows you to move the window around and see how your photo changes as you include and exclude different parts of the photograph.  You will spend hours just playing with photos, trust me!

I went with paper piecing the outer borders. No pattern, I just scrawled out something myself.

The little buttons I've had for oh so long, finally found a home.

This was again another of those 2008 finishes.

Oh the trips down memory lane!

:-)

Speaking of memories...

I took a quick little get-a-way trip this week.

I haven't been to Disney in years.

Long before "Cars" was even a thought.

The park was just a riot. I haven't laughed that hard, in a long time.

But better yet...

Are these treats just not divine looking?

For the record, I did not have any of them.

Wish I could have said the same for the Beignets they had at the "Du Monde" place.

LOL!!    

And it's never a real vacation until someones mother, ends up with yet another crazy hat on her head!

This better not end up in a photo quilt somewhere!

;-)

New Blog hops about to happen...are you a no reply blogger?

It's just a few short weeks till blog hops start to happen over at "Sew We Quilt"
What does that mean?? It means that if you are a no-reply blogger, we can't respond to your comments.
I don't know about you, but that's never good for me.

I've got some fun give-a-ways coming up, and if I can't respond, then you can't win!  :-(

Now is the time to check things out and make sure your not one of "those" people!  :-)

Bonnie Hunter over at Quiltville has put up and incredible post on how to check and fix things if needed.
It's especially great if you have a Google+ account. I have bounced back and forth from +, no +  and have finally found a way to enjoy it all!


http://quiltville.blogspot.com/2014/08/are-you-no-reply-blogger.html

In the process for me, things did not come up exactly as Bonnie showed us, but I was able to navigate things myself and get my email associated with my Google + account.

Thanks Bonnie.

Now do yourselves a favor and make sure your ready for our new blog hop season.

;-)

April Sue...Stormy Weather

 It's not April as we all know, but if this Sue doesn't take you right back to those days of cool weather and rain...

:-)

I've been so privileged to pattern test for Kathie over at Prairie Cottage Corner. Each and every Sue has been just delightful to bring to life, but there is something about Ms April, that puts a smile from ear to ear on my face.

 Complete with raindrops fall on her head!

And don't you love her little dog and his raincoat?

 This little one was just so much fun to quilt!

I do think that the greatest thing about pattern testing these adorable little girls, is that Kathie has such an incredible eye for color. She has pushed me out of my comfort zone and allowed me to see things that were... off my radar, so to speak.  I am loving each and every minute of it!

These little banners are about 32" square. A quick and easy little project, that gives you a great canvas to play to your hearts content.

You can see more of  "April Sue", and all the others over at Prairie Cottage Corner

                    

Happy Birthday to me!

It was official, I was another year older a few weeks back   :-(

That's never very exciting anymore. After a certain age, you don't have all that much to look forward to getting older for. I'm not getting my drivers license, not getting that "Sweet 16" kiss. Not even having that wild and wacky "Over the Hill" birthday party, cause I'm way too far over that hill!  But my cousin who always remembers my birthday sent me a gift certificate and I did get to run wild at Nancy's Notions!  Hey, now that I think about it, that's all the reason to turn another year older!  :-)

 

I've been looking at die cutting machines. With the ability to cut fabrics, my mind went into overdrive. I love McKenna Ryan designs, but all the tracing and cutting takes hours and hours.

The ability to scan the patterns and cut them with this machine...well lets just say, is nothing short of incredible.

 I just started playing with my new toy.

I know it's not fabric

But there is something about these silly little boxes that's just so much fun.

Like any other new toy, you have to learn the program. I opened up design for these boxes, and yikes, everything was mushed together...I had no idea where to start. Thank goodness I found a Yahoo group for Silhouette users. Just 1 post to them, and I had so many wonderful offers of help. One lovely gal gave me her phone number to call, so she could walk me thru things. Now there is no better support than that.  And shame on me...if I had taken a few minutes to find a You Tube video!  There are about a zillion out there. Quite the library for us newbies!

I've been quilting away, on things I can't share just yet...when I'm not shopping for cool scrapbook papers for my new toy!  Watch out quilt shops, you got a little competition for my $$$$'s now!

LOL!!

Thanks Judy, for the wonderful B-day gift!

Oriental Stack and Whack

A trip down memory lane!

The year was 2006

My best friend is Japanese. We have been friends since we were 11

While I hate math, for many reasons... it's been 50 years now!

:-)

Yikes how time flies!

 I found these beautiful batik panels at a quilt show, and had to have them.

I wasn't sure what they would be made into for her, but something would surely strike me...

Fast forward a couple of years, and the stack n whack urge hit and I was off and running.

I had just learned to play with McTavishing, and my long arm was new.

But I think it came out pretty well.

She was delighted and I was thrilled to feel like I had a foot in the longarm quilting world.

To Laura, the best gal pal in the world!

:-)

Out Houses???

If you've read my blog for long, you all know that I am drawn to the darned-est things.
But outhouses you say...
 

Kind of crazy I know, but I had to do it.

It's from this book...

Hopes and Seams

PO Box 881

Homer Alaska 99603

hopesandseams@acsalaska.net

Heck, I even turned it into a postcard. 

Now, how many can say they received a postcard of an outhouse before?

  :-)

This quilt hangs in my bathroom, and I have to tell you, recently hubby came out and advised me that I had used the wrong fabric in the summer scene. It looked too much like a winter sky.  Gheez, it's hung there for years! It must have been a dull day sitting on the ...

well, you know!

LOL!

Have a great day!

Do you really "see" what you look at every day?

I was sitting out on the deck as the sprinkler was watering the yard, and it occurred to me. I never really see what I look at every day.  It's the same ole yard that I have to mow, water and weed. Blah, blah, blah, blah...

But suddenly it hit me. Do I really ever take the time to truly see it? NO!  So I grabbed my camera.

 

Yep that's the boring ole sprinkler

 

But look how the water droplets dance on the grass

 

I really never noticed that before.

 

The birds sure had their eye on the water.

 This tree was full of them, til I pointed my camera their way!  

(Of course)

Hibiscus are in full bloom.

This one, the flowers are a full 6 1/2" across 

and about to be joined my many more blooms!

Then, I was marveling at how my ornamental fruitless tree, 

some how did not get the message.

 

Crabapple's. Hubby was telling me all about how I can make Apple Cider out of them. 

I told him it sounded fascinating. 

He should let me know how it goes, once he does it.

I think that's the end of that subject!

:-)

Then

This monster size snake came crawling out from the tree, and this one here screamed like a little girl and took off running as fast as my feet could take me.

Ah, there are no photos of that for obvious reasons!

Ok, the snake was about 1/4"-1/2" in diameter and about 18" long!

That's a monster, right?

It could have been a 12' boa constrictor or python they way I screamed.

In fact, I was sharing this story with my friend Kathie over at Prairie Cottage Corner.

and this is what her response was to me...

Snakes probably get an inflated idea of who they really are by the reactions we give them. You made that snake’s day. He probably went right out and ate the biggest grasshopper he could find. If he could have given his best friend a high five, he would have done it.

 LOL!!

Your so right Kathie.

What I learned from all this is, if I had kept my crazy butt in the sewing room, none of this would have happened!   Seeing your surroundings isn't all it's cracked up to be some days!

;-)

They're baaaaaack...

Oh yes they are!

Look what I found while quilt shop hopping this past weekend.

 

Don't you just love those Ghastlies?

Now we can have them for Christmas too.

My mind is spinning as to what to do with these 2 must haves.

Any ideas?

:-)