Sea Side Summer Blog Hop with Island Batik

Oh those lazy days of summer!  

Only made better if you can spend them at the shore....

Well that's not happening here, in Colorado anyway.
 We are land locked and have some nice lakes...
It's just not the same.

But, that doesn't mean that I can't dream!

I took that dream, right over to
 "Java House Quilts"
  (its linked for you)
and found

"Symphony in the Sea".

These Island Batik

 

fabrics, just makes this quilt 

"POP"

The dolphin is a full 3 feet long.

So many fun places, to quilt in...

and yes, that's me in my mermaid bikini up there!

(tee hee)

I do have a passion for Orca's, 

almost as much as I do Moose!

Sting Rays and Starfish...

Octopus...

 How could anyone be "crabby" looking at these.

Oh, those colors in the Sea!

There is just something about these luscious fabrics...

 ...that "truly" make the ocean come alive.

You can see more of them right
HERE

Now about my favorite summer snack..

It's not a thing of beauty,

(not that any of my cooking ever is)

:-o

but it's so delicious!

These are Peanut Butter Rice Krispy treats.

It's no secret,

just a twist on this recipe 

HERE

Once the marshmallows are melted, I remove from heat and add in

a big glop (for lack of a better term) of peanut butter.

I'm guessing it's close to 1/2 a cup. 

Stir until the peanut butter is melted then add the 

Rice Krispies.

Just before putting them in the pan,  I mix in a big handful

of chocolate chips.

These are great portable snacks, that were a favorite

when my kids were growing up.

They do come with a warning. 

You "will"  get chocolate fingers and face.

So be prepared to either have wet wipes on hand or 

jump into the water to clean up!

;-)

OK, some kids never grow up and enjoy them to this day.

LOL!

I've also played around with cinnamon and raisins in my treats,

but the ole Peanut Butter Choco Chip is the best!

Hope you've enjoyed my little romp thru the ocean...
Now I've got a little give away...
Have you dreamed of a little Island Batik,
 arriving on your doorstep?
Just peruse their catalogue
HERE
and leave me a comment,
 telling me just what your favorite new line is.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

I will be picking one winner on Friday Sept 2, the last day of our hop!

BUT WAIT!!!

There's another giveaway from Island Batik

a Rafflecopter giveaway

You don't want to miss out on this one!
;-)

Please visit my fellow ambassadors to see what's

 happening in their summer, as well as finding their tasty treats...

and check out all the fabulous new 

Island Batik fabric lines.

Monday Aug 15 - Rain Forest

Kissed Quilts

Tuesday Aug 16 - Red Tide

Free Motion by the River

Mary Mack Made Mine

Wednesday Aug 17 - Sand Dune

Perfect Spots

KnitBug 2

Thursday Aug 18 - Seashore

Pamela Quilts

Maria Michael Designs

Tamarinis

Kissed Quilts

Friday Aug 19 - Surf Squirt

Quilting Affection

Archipelago Quilting

Monday Aug 22 - Tradewinds

Arkangel Creations

Bejeweled Quilts

Tuesday Aug 23 - Equinox

Kauffman Designs

Adele Mogavero

Wednesday Aug 24 - Sea Canyon

Lemon Tree Snippets

Bea Quilter

Thursday Aug 25 - Sea Foam

Stone Cottage Quilts

Sew Supportive

Friday Aug 26 - Spoolin' Around

Sallys Quilting Corner

Toolontilkkupaja

Monday Aug 29 - Tide Pools

Inchworm Fabrics

MooseStashQuilting

Tuesday Aug 30 - Wind and Sea

For Quilts Sake

Patchwork Breeze

Wednesday Aug 31 - Spring Zing

Desert Bloom Quilting

Adventurous Applique and Quilting

Thursday Sep 1 - Splash

Kissed Quilts

The Patchwork Pearl

BeaQuilter

Friday Sept 2 - Landscapes

For Quilts Sake

A big shout out to my fellow Ambassadors and Island Batik!

Collectively the best anyone could hope to work with!

Now, I headed out to enjoy my little bit o summer...

...at the closest thing I have to an ocean around here!

LOL!!!

Anyone up for a dip???

Keep on Stitchin'

Bello!

Panel prints can be fun...

Especially when they are for someone special.

This special person was my son's girlfriend.

So, how do I manage to make a child size panel,

into an adult quilt????

A few flying geese and mission accomplished!

:-)

I love using "Minke"on the back. It's so soft and comfy.

I think she liked it. This photo went on Facebook as soon as she got home.

Happy Birthday!

We love you.

:-)

Keep on Stitchin'

Row by Row Madness

Oh for heavens sake...

this just has to stop.

LOL!!

3 day trips and a 2-day road trip in the past week...

Whew.

This is my haul, just from the road trip!

I must say, road trippin' is fun and a great way to see the state.

I'm one who goes else where for vacation, so I tend to forget

whats in my own back yard.

I've lived here over 50 years and never gone over Red Mountain Pass

Spectacular views 

And lots of mining history

All from days gone by.

We went thru Canon City, Salida, Alamosa, Monte Vista, Durango,

Montrose, Delta, Grand Junction, and Glenwood Springs, just for rows!

It was an added bonus to get to have lunch with some of our favorite Alaska munchkins, in Montrose!

They are a mighty long way from home!

:-)

We hit the peak of peach season, 

so we took a little diversion to Palisade!

Oh my gosh, they are delicious.

Nothing beats a road trip like breaking down just feet from the summit of  Wolf Creek Pass. Add in two people that know nothing about cars!

Yikes. Thank goodness we had a lot of bottled water.

Seems like the radiator ran dry. 

Have no idea how, but once it cooled off, we were able to fill it

and get into the next town for antifreeze/coolant.

We were very fortunate to find a wonderful honest Firestone repair 

shop in Durango, that did a pressure test on the cooling system and gave us the OK to drive back to Denver.

We had no further problems and they didn't try to sell us anything.

Best less than $28 we ever spent!

 Thanks Firestone, you brought our stress

 level down to nothing! 

Take a look at this row from Salida.

Is that gorgeous?

I can hardly wait to get started on it.

Yep, a good time was had by all!

Now back to work

:-(

Alaska Row by Row 2016

                                       Tah-da-da-dah!!!!

It's done!  It's really finished.

I can actually say that I've completed a row by row and not just

driven (or flown) thousands of miles to collect patterns!

So far I've been a wonderful collector, but it was time for me

to put, some of this pile of patterns into action.

LOL!!

Tell me I'm not the only one with this problem. 

Please, pretty please!!

It might have come in handy a year ago, 

when this crazy addiction started!

As for this quilt...I couldn't get started on it soon enough.

Alaska is my favorite home away from home, and I know I'm biased...

but I do believe they have the best rows of all,  this year.

Topping it off with most of the shops using fabulous batiks in their kits.

Everything played so well together.

I'm not a kit collector, but there was something about these that 

made me grab em all, while I was up there.

This row is just stunning!

I couldn't figure out, just what this was until saw it finished.

What a gorgeous Eagles nest.

If you haven't been following...

Here's the rundown of rows and shops.

Top to bottom

Kenai Fabrics - Kenai 

Bearly Threaded Quilting - Cooper Landing

Seams Like Home - Anchorage

The Quilted Raven - Anchorage

Bearly Threaded Quilting too - Soldotna

Rushin' Tailor's Quilt Alaska - Skagway

The Quilted Raven - Anchorage

(last years row)

Ulmers Drug and Hardware - Homer

Left side 

Quilt Zone - Anchorage

Right side

Kenai Fabrics - Kenai

I rounded out my quilt by adding corners 

with the Eskimo girls from the Quilted Ravens row.

I've long admired Barbara Lavallee's Eskimo art.

With this quilt done, it was time to start focusing on

my Colorado rows.

Last week I took 2 day trips with the Flying Quilters girls, 

collecting...

This kit gets the award for the best packaging yet.

Not sure if it was the bird house basket or the 

license plate (that speaks to us Flying Quilters)

:-)

that we fell in love with first.

But their row is just too cute for words!

This week it's on the road again...

Yes, I'm certifiable!

What can I say?????

:-)

Oh, and while I'm thinking of being on the road...

don't forget 

The travels continue and from the comfort of your own home.

A month's worth of bloggers are sharing their rows with you.

It's all free, and you don't have to leave the house to collect them!

I can tell you, I've started on some of the rows, and they are

just out of this world!

;-)

Keep on Stitchin'

 

A Really Big Sale

Did you get this in your inbox this morning?

This is a sale, too good not to share.

Hancocks of Paducah is having a fantastic sale on

Island Batik.

10" Stacks for $24.99

2 1/2" Strip Packs for $24.99

5" packs for $7.99

12 Fat Quarters for $19.99

That's a savings of $8.00 on the 5" packs

and 

$17.00-20.00 on all the rest

Whew, with prices like this you can't go wrong.

I'm headed over to do my shopping 

HERE

See you!

:-)

Keep on Stitchin'

Missing in Action You Say?

Yes, I've been missing for a bit now.

It's been crazy busy here.

I was working "Shop Hop". 

Now if this doesn't scare the bejeebers out of people, 

I don't know what will????

:-)

Needless to say, a silly time was had by all!

Gotta love our uniforms don't you?

They kit-ed up an entire bolt of aprons, and only had a couple left with it was all over. I am guessing that means they were a BIG hit!

LOL!!

It was fun being a French Maid at the shop, but I certainly don't want to be anyones maid now that I'm home.

tee hee!!!!!!

Then this week, I've been on a row by row mission.

Took a couple of day trips with friends, collecting...

Next week I'm doing a 2 day road trip to the other side of the state.

We are almost at the end here, so I've got to get my rear in gear!

But I do have this row from Alaska to share.

These guys were from last year, at the Quilted Raven in Anchorage.

I just had to have them.

Heck, salmon swim upstream to spawn.

That's like "Home Sweet Home" to them!

:-)

There are 2 more rows...

What the heck, I forgot to take photos of them.

Oh my, what can I say.

I'm almost done stitching down the binding

and can share the quilt with you.

It's just been too crazy here to get it done.

 I can't wait to share what's happening starting next week.

Our big "Island Batik" Summer Blog Hop.

You won't want to miss this one!

All my fellow Ambassadors are playing along.

Lots of fun projects with the new lines of fabrics

and food food food. All our favorite summer recipes and 

prizes a plenty!

The fun starts Monday.

Keep on Stitchin'

:-)