Happy Thanksgiving!

I'm still learning to make cards

I have been spending a lot of time on the computer looking at some of the cards that are being made. 

So many of them are way beyond my abilities! 

I'm starting to think that next year I may get myself a 

Cricket Expressions machine but for now I'm just going to plug along with what I have. 

I needed a birthday card for someone near and dear and I heard she loves all the bird designs that are so popular now. 

I must admit that I love the bird designs also! :) 

I bought a bird on a branch lamp for my new dresser and today I bought a straw owl. 

He's so cute!!

I found a card I liked in a gallery and was trying to figure out how I could emulate the artists design and style. 

So I dug out a few supplies that I had and set to work. 

I had the bird stamp and went from there. 

I didn't want the rest of the stamped images I used to stand out too much so I used one of the distress stamp pads I have, by Tim Holtz.

 I don't remember what color offhand. 

Then I had to use the edger punch and messed up the first one I punched out.

 Talk about complicated figuring out how to get the punched scroll edge just the right distance from the edge of the music! LOL! 

Finally I got it the way I wanted it. 

Then I had to find paper to use for the background with the flowers I had, which is not too many. Choices were limited but I was quite happy with this ugly peach color flower. 

It goes great with the color on the music page and the card stock background I chose from my stash. Now it is no longer ugly.

 I did rip out the center bead that they used and added one of the many buttons I got from my mom. 

Thanks, mom! :)

 I happened to have a small amount of the yarn/string which was a perfect fit for this card!

 After I put the card together I decided that it needed one more element, the brads in the upper corner. 

So I had to carefully pry up the edge and measure out where I wanted to put the brads.

 Finally, done! 

And I love it.

 In fact, I love it so much I'm going to try to make one for me and put it in a frame! 

But the funny thing is that it really doesn't look like the card I was using as inspiration!

 It has a bird, music and a flower but that is about it.

 So I guess this is my own. 

:) 

Candy bowl

I bought myself a present!

I've been saving a long time for a new dresser and I finally decided on the one I like.

I searched everywhere for a style and color I liked. 

I just love the color, chestnut. I even love the name.

The glowing thing in the center of the dresser is a reflection from the lamplight on

the mirror tray. The reflection looks like something ghostly is hovering over the dresser! :) 

I do want to eventually get a new TV, one that doesn't take up so much room, but for now 

that is something I can do without.

Anyway, this dresser is just what I've been waiting for and I even got it on sale! Yeah!!!

.....

I'm still working on making a few cards. This is one of my newest.

And this is the inside of the card.

Tomorrow I'm off to buy new curtains and maybe start a search for a new bedspread.

I'm pretty picky so it may take me a while to decide on a style and color that I can live with.

:)

Card for a soon to be born boy

Still playing with the paper.........

I got side tracked!

I decided to make a few Halloween cards and POOF! a mess appeared on my desk. 

You would think that with stuff covering two desks, an ironing board and part of the floor that I would have more to show for it.

I have made three cards. Three! 

With all the supplies I've bought down through the years, they probably cost me $1,000 each! :)

What can I say...

I guess it takes me awhile to finish things.

After finishing the last quilt I started to clean up my sewing room and found this in a basket.
This poor quilt had been moved from spot to spot for years waiting for someone :) to put a binding on it. So I took pity on it and decided to finally do it.
 The problem was deciding what fabric to use to blend with all the different fabrics in the quilt.
I had been looking for something to grab me at the stores every once in a while down through the years. Sometimes I'd bring a fabric home to use but when I put it by the quilt it didn't seem right for some reason.

 Or I would accidentally use it in another project.

Well, I finally just dug through the fabrics I had and found this cream and blue print. This is a fabric I used in some of the first quilts I ever made in the 80's. I bet I can find this print in all my scrap quilts I've ever made!

I'm sure it will feel real good to finally finish this up!
:)

Finished the Make Life quilt!

I finished quilting the Make Life quilt and got the binding on last night.

Today I washed it to give it the nice crinklyness

 ( a new word I invented!) :)

I'm not real sure I love this design, I love the fabric and I like the quilting I did on the sides but I'm not sure this will be a design I'll do again. Though I do have enough fabric from the charm squares ready to make another one, this one in more blues and browns. I have to make it since I already have the fabric, I don't want to waste the money. I'm a little afraid the backing will show through to the front.

I took this photo in my basement, at night so forgive the shadows. In this pic you can see the quilting I did. I used the shape of the flowers from the backing and just added squiggly lines between them. When I was finished I added more squiggly lines to fill the space. I like the effect, gives it a "girly" look.

I love the fabric with the words on it, I tried to get some more of the print with the words in multi colors but haven't been able to find it. I guess I have to be more on the ball for next time.

Haven't decided what I'm going to make next. I have to finish one of the pink quilts but have several projects I want to make for 

ME! 

:)