living up to a legacy

Poster for Bob (grampa) at his retirement. Shouldn't we all have our own 'Appreciation Days'?

Grampa So my grandpa was a pretty cool guy. (Okay, so he shares a name with a once MIA veteran, but don't get them confused!) He held a patent for development of the color TV. Something most of us use EVERYDAY. I remember his 'tinker room' where he had electronics and circuit boards from floor to ceiling, and, any time he would fix something at a neigbors - TV, stove, car, lawn mowing, etc (he was very handy), he would do it for absolutely nothing, and with a warm heart. But, sometimes neighbors would repay him with whatever they could give. (I believe this is how we procured a great Italian Family Recipe for meatballs). He was also a pilot. Not only a pilot, a search and rescue pilot for the county he lived in. And he owned a little Cessna. He also gave the best raspberries ever. I would laugh for ages. So I wonder, how could someone accomplish so much (related to me) and I feel like I’ve barely started my life. Gosh, I better get moving! Regardless of the present, it's nice to look back on the past, and appreciate that this great man was able to influence my life. To my grandfather - I love and miss you, and I wish, so very much, that we could have spent more time together.

crackberry confusion

The hubs and I keep picking up each others BB's because they have the same (boring and drab) black cases. Here is my fix.


I threw this together fairly quickly, and there are certainly changes I would make. Oh well, just gives me a reason to make another one!

monkeying around

Babies everywhere! I swear, I've know at least one couple a week that's had a baby. Our cousin, Liz is one of those. She's due in early July and I made this for her little man when he arrives.



Hope he likes it! I downloaded a clip art image for the monkey and cut and appliqued it with fleece. The back is a nice, cozy fuzzy material (I'm sure it has a more appropriate name...). Great way to welcome little Max to the world!

Shattered in Memories

Ugh, so I've had a rough start to the week. After a great birthday weekend, we arrived home exhausted, and unfortunately, while we were unloading and unpacking from our weekend getaway, I managed to break a large piece of glass we were storing for a friend. It was everywhere. Luckily it was safety glass, so it was fairly easy to clean up, and I managed to turn my clumsy moment into an art project. Check it out!


I've wanted to try this with tempered glass since I saw a piece break years ago. I just mod podged the photo and stuck it on the glass. I used contact paper on the other side of the glass for safety reasons. It's a bit frosty but I think it worked. Now I've just got to find myself a frame and cut some of the glass so the project fits in the frame! Yay!

Letters, Blocks, and Gifts

Ever since I saw this Scrabble fabric by Quilting Treasures, I've been dying to make a game quilt. And, it just so happens that my sister-in-law and brother love playing Scrabble. (Could there be a better reason to get started on this project for an early Christmas gift?!). So, I bought the tile fabric, the red and orange circle fabric and the striped fabric from the Scrabble collection and I've started on their gift. Here's what I've got so far!



I picked some scrap fabric for the backing of the letters, sewed them together and turned them inside out. It is definitely time consuming to sew all of these letters!




I still have to 'quilt' all the letters to close the open seam, and I'll have to piece the board together as well. I'm still working on how I'll print the triple and double letter/word score info on the board, but I have some ideas stirring around. I'm also working on some ways to hold the letters that are used during play (the game has the wooden stand for letters) and possibly a way to keep score.

Isn't this just too exciting for words? (Sorry, couldn't resist the pun).

Now, what other fun games can I add to this quilt...?

Kate is Great

If you don’t know who Kate Spain is…well, let me introduce her. I’m quite smitten.





Okay, so I know it's June...but don't these make you want to hang your stockings and decorate your tree?! Above is Kate's '12 Days of Christmas' line. A peak at her new Christmas line, 'Flurry' is below. How perfect for the season are these. I am in love! Hurry up, winter!!

Welcome to Whoville

I have been falling more and more in love with the idea of a Dr. Seuss theme for...well, for just about everything. From this fabric set to this first birthday party (I have been itching to make some green eggs and ham, by the way) I just can't get enough of Seuss-mania. And to boot, look what I found online.



How amazingly awesome is this. From Ladybug's Cottage.


And these...oh my. I can hardly contain myself! From Red Pepper Quilts flickr set.

Oh, obsession, what would I do without you.