Vacation Collections

I have been collecting these bumber stickers for the places that we have visited as a family.

I see them everywhere and I am always curious about them.

I see this one around Orlando a lot.

Probably because so many of us vacation at New Smyrna.

I started collecting them last winter when we visited Sugar Mountian, NC. 

I made the husband travel to the top of nearby Beech Mountain just to get one of these stickers.

(I tried to find an image online but  I couldn't find one.  My Sugar Mountain sticker has "SGR" and my Beech Mountain sticker has "SB" on it.  I was too lazy to take a picture and upload it this evening).

These are some of the others I have collected this past year.

Just wondering if anyone else has an interesting collection from their family vacations?

Bliss Beach Bag

I got these cutie little Moda Candy Bars from the Fat Quarter Shop.

These are the milk chocolate version, there is also a dark chocolate version.

I think I just may love Moda Fabrics sooooo much because they put so much effort into their packaging, and they call all of their precuts sweet little names.

Anywho...

I have really been waiting for this little one

Bliss by Bonnie & Camille.

I have made 2 other quilts from their previous lines and now their third fabric line is out.

So yesterday I found this tutorial over at Moda Bake Shop. 

It is made with a jelly roll but since these little candy bars are similar (just not nearly as much fabric) I thought I could improvise.

Here is my first ever little tote bag. 

This stinker was a little more than I bargained for but I am glad I stuck with it.

I think my favorite part is the polka dot handles

(not from the Bliss line but from my fabric stash)

This will be coming along with us on our beach vacation to Sarasota

(which cannot come soon enough).

I used some Moda Bella Solid jelly roll strips to fill in the spaces,

but those little candy bars actually go a long way.

The handles

I took a close up of the front panel, The Husband bought this stuff called texture magic.  Yes he went to a quilt/fabric store and shopped for mother's day for me.  Awwww, sweet husband.

But you put this stuff between the fabric and use a steam iron and it creates this texture.

I just need to do this once the bag is complete, NOT before. 

It shrinks the fabric which made it hard to construct the bag. 

Pretty cool though.

I am lovin' it!

I am posting this over at Creations by Kara

Go check out the Look what I made Linky party.

Macro Photo Fun

I have been having some fun with Photoshop Elements this weekend. 

I discovered this awesome wonderful blog

CoffeeShop

that offers some amazing actions for Photoshop Elements - for free!

The blog is run by Rita, a stay at home mom of 2 boys who are three and five.

Hmmmmmmmmmm, sounds like someone I know!

I borrowed a macro lens from my Dad today and took these shots. 

Thanks Dad!

This is straight out of the camera with the macro lens (I use a Nikon D60).

I really love this one

but I REALLY, REALLY love this one.

A Great Cause

Please go visit

The Craft Rookie! 

She is making awesome handmade cards to support her good friends Stewart & Ciera.

They are currently trying to raise $10,000 so they can get some medical help at the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for Stewart's heart problems.

You can read more about Stewart and Ciera here.

These are just a few of the adorable cards that The Craft Rookie is making to benefit Stewart & Ciera.

You can see more of her cards here.  They are just $3.00! 

She is also offering advertising spots or "sponsors" on her blog and all proceeds go to Stewart & Ciera.

She has more info here if you are interested in advertising on her site.

I hope you raise lots of money for them Dani!

Have a wonderful weekend.

I Spy a Quilt

An I Spy quilt for my sister's kiddos - my niece and 2 nephews. 

I recently joined not one but two I spy swaps.

I now have a little less than 400 - yep 400 I spy squares.

My next quilt will be for my boys and I am sure I will have tons of squares left over.

The first swap was with Care at Obsessively Stitching, I was in the Cuatro Group. 

She must have loads of these fabric squares.

I used her tutorial here to make this quilt.  First time using a dissappearing nine patch but it worked great.

The second swap was with Tristen at Once Upon Our Family.

Thank you to both for organizing these swaps!

A pieced back with polka dots and some ballerina squares for my niece.

And quilted with a meandering stitch.

Just have to fine the time to get it over to them.  I hope the kiddos enjoy it!

Love, Auntie Kiki

Lil One in Training

My Little One wants to be a fireman when he grows up. 

What little boy doesn't want to be a fireman?

But my little boy also wants to be a monster truck driver -

driver of the Backdraft Monster Truck - you know on his days off. 

I wonder if he will be a fireman one day.

In the meantime he has been training hard this summer for his job when he is a grownup.

Boots from last Halloween, when he was a fireman.

I think he enjoys fighting fires.

This boy has some expressions, especially the eyebrows!

Soaking wet fireman boots and a soaking wet and very happy boy . 

Summer Fun Quilt - A Scrappy Lil Thing

My day started out finishing this sweet and scrappy little quilt. 

I love, love, love how it turned out.

It measures 40 x 30 and is 12 squares total.

And I used ALL of the squares, even the blue one I was unsure about. 

I liked it more as a whole than by itself.

So it was included.

This is my favorite block, I made it last night, the red, blue and green combo pops nicely.

Love the binding fabric!

But I really like how the backing turned out. 

I was worried about this one at first but I am lovin' it!

It looks like little window panes.

The stitching is a zig zag stitch around blocks on the front of the quilt,

all different sizes and shapes.

I am thinking of opening my own etsy shop. 

I have bought many times on etsy, never sold.  

This might be my first item to sell.

Decisions, decisions...

Quilt As You Go - Making Progress

I have been making blocks for a new quilt. 

I saw this post at Red Pepper Quilts a couple weeks back and loved this idea. 

Penny at sewtakeahike completed a quilt using this technique - check it out here.

Pretty impressive!

This is my progress so far. 

Not sure how big it will be, these blocks take a bit of time to stitch.

I am using up lots of scrappies here.

I have completed 10 blocks (each are 11 inches square). 

Some I love, some are just so-so and one I hate and will probably toss.

Some are color blocked and some are just random pieces of fabric thrown together.

I am loving using the selvages in the blocks, I think I save each one.

I think this blue one is my favorite block so far.

I just got that black and red polka dot fabric yesterday with Katie P.

She took me to this crazy fabric sale and we both loaded up.

 

I really like this red one too.

Just so-so.

This is the one I am probably going to toss.  Yuck, I just don't like it.

Anyone else ever used this technique?

I am really not sure about how the back will turn out. 

Should be interesting!

PS - wish the photos were prettier but it has been raining and cloudy here in the sunshine state for the past 3 days.