Black Friday Shopping Fun.

Fun afternoon with Mikayla and Jackie - as I joined up with them for the tail end of their Black Friday shopfest!! No luck for me at Williams Sonoma looking for a mark-down on that GLASS TURKEY TUREEN I have wanted since last year (actually last year they were red and smaller versions I think? Either way they went on sale a few days before Thanksgiving. All gone. wahhh.) But Target had a few items I could not resist in the DOLLAR BINS....yes, I realize I don't NEED any more wrapping paper. But it was A DOLLAR. ONE DOLLAR. $1. One. Dollar.

On to Pottery Barn....how much do I want to do my WHOLE HOUSE done up for the holidays in their Swedish House theme? Red and olive and a mossy green. Yum. Can't see spending $29 on one pillow covering ('cause you need a bunch of them to do it right!), although I did consider spending $6.50 each on napkins to sew my own...but I passed. My sis and Mikayla did make a purchase and managed to get me an extra SHOPPING BAG - which is making me happy just looking at! I think I will use it to hold all my holiday wrapping stash when I have to clear a space off the table for oh--say eating breakfast?

Seriously, though....how yummy is this bedroom?

Or this one? (except without that scary pair of crows lurking ready to peck your eyes out in your sleep. What the?)

Grateful.

Happy BLACK FRIDAY to all. A few shares from the Thanksgiving Holiday---we had the best few days....on Wednesday: NYC for Young Frankenstein and a fab lunch at Ruby Foo's:

And a perfect Thanksgiving day cooking together - (I got to play Gordon Ramsey, Lynne was the pastry chef, Rob the sous chef, Eth and Landon were busboys and prep staff, and Lar was the wine steward, maitre d, and bird carver. Hee hee) Seriously---we made a great team....and had a great time doing it. TOO MUCH FOOD as always---(*Note for next year: buy a smaller turkey or invite more people!)

Day Off #2.

LOVING the week off from work! Getting some cards made, some holiday projects going.... and in an hour heading to WEGGIES (Wegman's for the uninformed) to pick up THE! TURKEY! - 20+ pounder, fresh, premium grade (not sure what that means, but I have to have it. OH YEAH---more BREAST MEAT. It's all good, man.)

Have you seen CATHY Z's docudrama bits? She cracks me up. (Her voice is exactly what I expected, too...which is weird...because I never get that right when I "hear" someone who I only know in blogland...you know?)

Ali E is crankin' out the holiday projects. Very cool ornaments today -- I started some GLITTER ones again yesterday.....photos to follow....

Did everyone weep at the BACHELOR last night? Puleezeeeeee.....Last season was the DORKTOR (drip drip drip) and now I think old Bradley has forced me to rename the show "The Bastard" - WHAT THE? I hear the bloggers are saying he has an OLD GIRLFRIEND in the wings -- OR that tonight on the AFTER THE FINAL ROSE show (vomitfest) he will actually ASK ONE OF THE final two to marry him. WHA? Again...I swear I will never watch another of these humilationathons (right.) Just please, please don't tell me Mary and Byron split up. I really can't take it.

And the photo? My sis- and bro-in-law's new kitchen in their new house - they just moved in this month and we are cooking Thanksgiving dinner in THIS KITCHEN together. Gorgeous.

Holiday Blessings to all my peeps!! xo

Voila!

Good Sunday Morning! I present to you THE! QUILT! (sorry for the dim photos...it is another gray dreary day here!)

I am so dang proud of this thing! Start to finish in under three weekends. Love that!

IT'S DONE!!

WHOOPIE! THE! QUILT! is finished!! The answer to the binding question is the MACHINE stitching part went quickly (once I read and re-read three different sets of directions as to HOW to do it. The Purl Bee had the best directions - they used actual photographs....and Heather Bailey's helped, too. Her set was perfect for printing and keeping handy.) The part I didn't realize was that after you stitch the binding onto the quilt...you still had to fold it over and HANDSTITCH it over the raw edges....(that took me about 4 and a half hours---or an episode of Moonlight, one of Numbers, tonight's Saturday Night Live and Friday's Y&R. Thank God for DVR!) And now Rob is snoozing on the sofa beneath his new comfy cozy coochie!! Happy Happy Happy!

Pictures of the finished product tomorrow (too dark to get pics and it's way past my bedtime!)

Lyndee--did you find the LOFT fabric yet? Your's is next! xo

VACATION TIME!! YIPPIIIEEE!

Lucky me! Another WEEK OFF from work starts today....so much to do (how can it be a week since that last post!) OK...let's catch up!

THE! QUILT! is almost done! After a few false starts with the fabric selection...last weekend I went back to Lancaster and bought the backing - it is a yummy celery green and cream damask - the binding is cream with blue and green little tree-like designs (all from the MODA Shangri-La fabric line). I am doing the quilting part on the machine (just straight lines this time...following the rows -- very simple.) But I did hand embroider the flower patch at the bottom --Rob is anxious for his "coochie" to be done! He has class til 3 today---hoping to have it DONE by the time he gets home (how long can it take to bind it on the machine? I have no idea.) Luckily--I am NOT submitting this to a QUILTING contest---adhering steadfastly to the "straight is stressful" philosphy and enjoying just getting it all together. I think a "crazy quilt" is my speed!! OH! and did you see the MARTHA STEWART show on the 15th?! Anna Maria Horner is my new favorite fabric designer (I had purchased a few pieces of her CHOCOLATE LOLLIPOP fabric a few weeks ago to make some aprons....and just discovered her website and blog. LOVE LOVE LOVE her fabrics. BOHEMIAN and CHOCOLATE LOLLIPOP are her two line--uh, hello? Need I say more? C'est MOI!) She is quite the artist..and the woman has five children---how does she get all this DONE?

OH! Another big treat! SHIMELLE's "Journal Your Christmas" is starting again soon...and if you paid last year---you are in FOREVER! How cool is THAT? I pulled out my journal from last Christmas and I am so excited to do another one this year.....but first I must get through THANKSGIVING! : )

Obsessed.

I am SUPPOSED to be re-re-re-organizing my "studio" (remember...I stopped calling it a "Craft Room" because the hubby was misHEARING that as the "Crap Room")....but no. There are pin cushions to make!! (If I owe you one...they are coming along!) Guess who this went went off to yesterday??

THE! QUILT! Step Two

YEAH! The top is complete!! The batting is purchased and now I just need to make yet another trip to get the backing fabric (bought some tonight but it just isn't right. Should have waited til I can get the green that I really want. Oh dear. The dreaded PILE of fabric is GROWING! I am turning into my grandmother! ) Seriously, though-- I can't WAIT to have it all together.

THE! QUILT! Step One

First step is complete! So far, so good. Just had to stitch together 27 strips.....next is to applique the circles to the 5-inch squares - 18 of those (also planning to use the precut "charms pack" from Moda for those...this should be called "Quilting for Dummies" -- it really is too easy! Or maybe "Quilting for the Lazies" because who wants to measure and CUT all this fabric? I don't have the patience for THAT!)

edit: ooohh....didja see that big gaping seam? fixed it and reposted the photographic proof! : )

Apron Accompaniments!

Ok girls....I am trying my hand at another style of pincushion....wonder whose apron this one matches? xo

*Quilt status update. I have unraveled the Jellyroll and sorted the order of the strips (that took FOREVER to chose! There are 40 DIFFERENT fabrics!) First step is to sew 27 lengths side by side. I have a panel of 10 sewn up...wooohooo!

Check another one off my list!

OK....making the most of my mini-vacay here...getting things checked off the MASTER TO DO LIST (as opposed to all the sub-lists that are all over the house reminding me how far behind I am in life in general!).....

I broke my latest rule of "holding" my magazines for as long as possible before cracking them open. (Hate how early they come...I am not ready for Christmas yet--so don't torment me with all the goodies I will want/need/have to have until after Halloween at least!). So. I start paging through the latest Creating Keepsakes (Dec issue)...and right from the start there are TONS of things I want to lift....and so I did (I AM on vacation. I can do what I want!) Totally scraplifted one of the layouts in the "Mail Call" section. And then I bit the bullet and actually POSTED IT ON TWO PEAS! Another thing checked off my list (to POST SOMETHING SOMEWHERE!)....hoping this gets me motivated to scrap (other than minibooks!) and post more.

And now that I have that out of my system, I can get back to my QUILT (also known as my "latest obsession" according to my DH! Oh they have no idea the burden of being a creative genius, am I right, ladies?)

New Quilting Lingo "Jellyrolls"*

*New to me, that is. So I have today and tomorrow off, giving me a luxurious 4! day! weekend! LOVE THAT! And today I was off again in search of Heather Bailey fabric (no luck) and learning more about the quilt shops in the area. I ventured to LANCASTER, PA - land of the quilting, no? Found a lovely shop manned by a nice gentleman who knew his fabrics....when I went to pay -- at the register was his 12yr old son. Friendly and efficient young man-but seriously, aren't there laws about this? OK...I digress..... back to the fabrics.

So MODA has this new clever packaging of their fabric....long strips (40 in a pack) 2 1/2 inches by 45 inches ...and I bought a pattern that had my-name-written-all-over-it because the pieces are not EVEN and the rows are not perfectly straight. YUM! (Of course, I was not able to get the BLOSSOM fabric like in the photo on the pattern...but instead bought "Shangri-La"- which was appealing to me as well. Will give it a go and let you know how it comes out.

Halloween Boys

Introducing: My nephew ETHAN as Little Bunny FooFoo. He and his friends went Trick or Treating as bunnies...with one carrot thrown in. Cute, Eth.

...and my nephew MAX as a red M&M! : )

How can you not love Halloween?? (My SIL and Hubby claim not to! Something had to have gone terribly awry in that household! hee hee)