New Year Resolution- Craft More, Blog More!!

Well, I guess so far my new year resolution has not been met in the blogging aspect, but it has been going ok for the crafting- I have finished a small cross stitch so far- December calendar hanging from Rainbow Gallery- now just January left and I will have the whole year. I haven't finished it off due to my sewing machine being out of commission, but will do that once I get the January one stitched. I think it is pretty and I like the snow!

Now I am just going to catch up with some projects that I finished at the end of last year- first I had made some scarves for Christmas for the dogs. I put their initials on them and below is a picture of Scout and Penny in their scarves. My sister made some for her dogs too and the dogs all looked so cute on Christmas morning!

For Christmas I made my in-laws a K-State quilt. I pieced the middle pieces together and then did applique in the shape of a power cat- Kansas State's mascot. I was pretty proud of how it turned out because it was my first attempt at applique. I just took it to get quilted a couple weeks ago (decided not to hand quilt this one!) and I can't wait to see the finished project.

My last (and favorite!) Christmas present I made was for my niece Marley. I made her two Binky Baby Bunny from a pattern from mmmcrafts.I really love her patterns- they are so cute and easy to make. I made a little boy bunny and a little girl bunny. I made little "binkies" for them out of coordinated fabric. Marley loves them and has been playing with them a lot.

Well, this year should be a great one for crafting- I have some goals-
1. Finish a quilt out of some squares that my Grandmother had cut out.
2. Finish my Under The Friendship Tree cross stitch
3. Multiple more that I cannot think of now :)

Doing my Super Happy Dance!!!

Today I finished my first quilt ever. I started working on it mid-July of 2009 and just finished it today. I machine pieced it all from apattern that I made up. I hand quilted about 345 individual squares and hand stitched the binding on it. I love it so much and can't wait to use it on the bed. And I am so glad that it is done!!

This is a close up of the quilting with the backing and binding in the lower left corner.

This is me holding the quilt- don't I look excited :)

Hopefully now that this big project is done I will have time to work on some other projects- here is a review of my August goals (Yes I know September is almost over :) ).


1. Finish quilting the border of the quilt.- yes (well not in August, but its done now)
2. Start on Lizzie Kate- Dogs leave paw prints on your heart.- nope
3. Start on 4th Classic Care Bear for baby quilt. - yes- I have started on Bedtime Bear- looking pretty cute so far.

Goals for October-

1. Finish Bedtime Bear
2. Start on Lizzie Kate- Dogs leave paw prints on your heart

I am linking up here:

Has it really been a month?

Well, one of my goals was to post more this month, but that apparently didn't happen- oh well, that is just how life goes... But I did finish a project! My first cross stitch project I have worked on since February! This is Forever Friends Bear, I finished it for a round robin that was started several years ago and never finished by one of the participants. Sadly she still has my snowman I started and I haven't been able to get in touch with her. But I hope Robin enjoys the bear and it brings her joy :)

I did finish the outside squares on my quilt... but then had a minor setback. Apparently when I basted together the back and front of the quilt the backing didn't go all the way to the edge on one corner. I had to trim an inch off of each side- but that made all my quilting on the outside squares look funny- so now I am in the process of tearing out the old quilting and re-hand quilting it. But, still pretty close to being done, and I got all of my binding stitched, pressed and ready to go.
This is a pic of my little sweetheart Penny, playing at the beach :) She is such a silly dog!

Recap of my July goals:

1. Finish quilting the border of the quilt.- Yes and No, did finish it :), but having to redo it :(
2.Work on a round robin cross stitch project- Forever Friends Bear- Yes, done and sent out!
3.Start on Lizzie Kate- Dogs leave paw prints on your heart.- Nope

August goals:

1. Finish quilting the border of the quilt.
2. Start on Lizzie Kate- Dogs leave paw prints on your heart.
3. Start on 4th Classic Care Bear for baby quilt.

I'm back to the crafting

Well, I haven't had a post in a while. But, that just means that I was doing good with my training. I finished my triathlon on June 27th. I met my goals for my time and I had a lot of fun with it! Two of my sisters also did the triathlon and my mom came to cheer us on. I did get to quilt a lot on the way there and made a lot of progress.


And now that I am done with training I am going to focus more on my crafting!! I have already done good and finished the middle section of my quilt. Tonight my plan is to get the outside border of the quilting stenciled in and get ready to finish up the quilting.
These are my goals for the rest of the July:
1. Finish quilting the border of the quilt.
2.Work on a round robin cross stitch project- Forever Friends Bear.
3.Start on Lizzie Kate- Dogs leave paw prints on your heart.

Loving all the May flowers

Well- I started this post a couple days ago and am just getting ready to post it :) Spring just gets soo busy.

April Goals-

1.Quilt 30 squares- Not sure- I have quilted some but am too busy right now to count where I am at- will count next month :)

2. Trey's Birthday Present-finished - I love it and hope he does to. It is a memory game made of fabric that has pictures of all of his family members on it.

This was a fairly easy project- printed photos on fabric printer sheets- cut them to specific size - then sewed a layer of batting and fabric on the back. This is the bag I made to hold the memory squares.

A sampling of the photos and other fabric squares in the game


The birthday boy opening his present

3. Quilted pillow for couch- peicing is completed on one of the pillows and I still need to hand quilt it. Love the way the peicing turned out. I haven't taken a pic yet- hopefully soon.

4. Triathlon training-Yup- less than 2 months to the triathlon so I have kicked it into higher gear- this may have a negative effect on my crafting but I will definitely stitch more once the triathlon is over. This weekend I ran 6 miles on Saturday, biked 45 minutes yesterday and swam 21 minutes yesterday. I am exhausted.

Goals for May coming this weekend!!! I may have to cut back on goals so I don't feel so disappointed :)

Ahh- it has almost been a month since I have last posted- too much going on lately I geuss. I have been able to keep up on browsing other blogs, just haven't had time to post!

The biggest news is that we have a new addition to the family this weekend- Penny! She is a 7 week old vizsla and she is just precious. Scout was a little jealous at first but now she is getting used to her- cuddling on the couch with each other right now.

This is Scout and her playing in the back yard this afternoon.

Review my goals-
1.Quilt 30 squares- Did better than that- progress going good! 146/320 - 45% done!! I got 53 squares done this month

2. Finish Hunting Companions- this is my husband's goal for me, as the piece is for him.- Didn't finish this one- but I did get quite a bit done. Here is a pic of my progress- you can almost tell it is going to be a dog!
3. Keep training for triathlon- not a craft goal but has to be done :)- Been doing pretty well with this, I did get sick during the last week of March and training was put on hold but now I am back in the swing of things!
And to wish everyone happy spring I will post a picture of the beautiful flowers that Bret planted for me several years ago.

April Goals-
1. 30 quilt squares
2.Trey's birthday present
3.Quilted pillow for couch
4.Triathlon training

Wow it is March- in like a lamb so far!

Review of last month's goals:
Goals for February-
1. Quilt 20 squares on the quilt.- Did better than that!! Got about 61 squares done this month- at this rate I may be done well before December! Total complete-93 out of 320 blocks - 29% done!!
2. Work on Hunting Companions- umm no, didn't get to this yet- boo
3. Finish December pattern from Erica Michael's- Nope

I did work on my Vegetable Wreath as I updated mid-month.

Stitching has been going slow- but here are my goals for March:

1.Quilt 30 squares
2. Finish Hunting Companions- this is my husband's goal for me, as the piece is for him.
3. Keep training for triathlon- not a craft goal but has to be done :)

Happy Stitching and I hope to have more updates to post this month!!

Finished the potholder!!

I did end up finishing the potholder this weekend. I like it a lot and it is hanging in my kitchen. It was a quick and easy stitch once I got the right floss :). I also did a little stitching on the quilt tonight. It has been a long day though- we went pheasant hunting this morning and walked a long way!

I didn't specifically make any goals for January, just year long goals, so I will just update on what I got done this month.
1.Finished Marley's birthday outfit
2.Finished potholder
3. Got caught up through Christmas on scrapbooking.
4. Worked on quilting- so my goal for 50 squares a month may be a little too ambitious. I did 17 this month and now squares are 10% done! 32 out of/320 squares completed.

Goals for February-
1. Quilt 20 squares on the quilt.
2. Work on Hunting Companions
3. Finish December pattern from Erica Michael's

Hope everyones February is full of stitching and finishes!

Time to take the Christmas Tree Down.

Christmas was great this year.. I got to give some hand made gifts and I hope that they are enjoyed. I made Molly Monkey for my niece Marley and she loved it. I also made initial plaques for my sister, my parents and my in-laws.
Marley, her doll and my sister on Christmas morning.

Scout got to go quail hunting this Christmas and she did very good at helping to find the birds!


December Goals-
1. Christmas presents (several home made things and buying some)-Yup!
2. Birth Announcement (finish and frame)-Almost finished- Kinsley was born on 12-28 and I finished the details of her birthdate and weight yesterday. I need to get some other things to frame it, so this may not happen until the weekend.
3. Also worked on Vegetable Wreath- made some progress but not enough to post a new pic.

Well, I have been really pleased with how much having this blog has helped me keep working on crafts and stitching projects that I really wanted to get done. I have also enjoyed reading others blogs and have found lots of motivation from them. My blogiversary is coming up in February- maybe I will have to do something special for that.

Goals for 2010-
1.Finish the quilt by July- I have 320 squares on the quilt, about 15 are quilted (5% done). My goal is to finish at least 50 squares each month. This will take some effort, but I really want to finish this project.
2. Do a triathlon in June- Already training, just have to keep going :)
3. Start Marley's Rag Quilt
4. Continue to work on current WIP's- no specific goals for finishing them.

Christmas time is almost here, time for love and time for cheer!

November Goals-
1. Post more updates on my blog- Kind of, more than last month, less than some months.
2. Finish December Calendar hanging-Nope, haven't even started.
3. Finish Birth Announcement (except birthdate) and find frame- Nope, I have made good progress and found a cute frame.
4. Make a Christmas ornament- Nope

December Goals-
1. Christmas presents (several home made things and buying some)
2. Birth Announcement (finish and frame)
And with that I am going to go work on the birth announcement.
Have a lovely December 1st!

Happy November

Time to review the goals and how I did on them.

October Goals-
1. Finish October cross stitch (this weekend)- I did finish it (not that weekend!) And I also finished November, so I was ahead for a little while :)
2. Baste quilt and start hand stitching- Yes- About 6 hours of basting and several hours of stitching later I still have a LONG way to go, but it isn't urgent
3. Work on Birth Announcement- Yes I worked on this quite a bit, I would geuss I am a little less than 1/3 done- It is turning out very cute though.Here we are on Halloween- This is me and two of my co-workers. I am the Hello Kitty on the right. I didn't get a chance to take pictures of my deer costume completed, but if my friend sends them to me I may post them here. Happy Halloween to everyone!

November Goals-
1. Post more updates on my blog
2. Finish December Calendar hanging
3. Finish Birth Announcement (except birthdate) and find frame
4. Make a Christmas ornament

October Goals

September Goals-
1. Work on Birth announcement. - Yup- Progress so far.
2. Work on Scrapbooking.- Yup, got caught up to the beginning of this year- still got a little to go :)
3. Start a Christmas ornament. - Nope
4. Not a set goal, but I finished piecing the quilt!

October Goals-
1. Finish October cross stitch (this weekend)
2. Baste quilt and start hand stitching
3. Work on Birth Announcement

Review of August Goals

Well, I haven't posted much this month, but here goes the goal review.

August Goals-
1. Get quilt all pieced together and ready to be quilted.- Didn't get even close- I had to put this away because we had company and didn't want this all over the table. Hopeful to catch up on this in a couple months :).
2. Get caught up on scrapbooking.- Not entirely, but I have been working on it this weekend and have gotten closer to being caught up.
3. Work on Vegetable Wreath cross stitch- Nope
4. Get baby birth announcement picked out and purchased.- Got it in the mail a couple weeks ago. I have been working on this and have made some good progress.

September Goals-
1. Work on Birth announcement.
2. Work on Scrapbooking.
3. Start a Christmas ornament.

This month is an exciting one. Fall starts, Scout's birthday and Bret's birthday.
For Scout's birthday I found a puppy cake recipe that I will make for her. I am super excited about this.

Happy Stitching!!

Back from Vacay, So reviewing my goals a little late!

We just got back from Florida yesterday. We left on August 1st so I didn't really have time to review my goals, but vacation was awesome. We went to butterfly world, went on an Everglades tour, went to the beach several times, went parasailing and went snorkeling! All super fun and I also got a lot of stitching finished on the plane rides!

Today when we got back though, Scout was mad at us. She wouldn't pay any attention to us and kept pouting and whining. After a little while I think she forgave us for leaving her and started cuddling and playing.

Anyways, here goes my stitching update!!

Goals for July-
1. Work on quilt- get all pieces cut and 1/2 of quilt pieced together- Kind of Finished. I had this goal completed until we decided to make the quilt bigger (queen size)- I have most of the pieces cut out and all of the fabric purchased. At least 1/2 of the main part is pieced together.
2. Work on pepper embroidery on towels- Finished. I got the second one done on the plane.
3. August Calendar ornament- Stitched, and I stitched September too.4. Not a goal, but I did work a little on my vegetable wreath.

August Goals-
1. Get quilt all pieced together and ready to be quilted.
2. Get caught up on scrapbooking.
3. Work on Vegetable Wreath cross stitch
4. Get baby birth announcement picked out and purchased.

Review of Goals, and July, July, Ju-lyyyyyy

It is the last day of June, so I am going to review my goals from this month.

June Goals-
1. Finish Mirabilia Angel (hopefully this week).- Done! Pictures are posted on older posts.
2. July Ornament- Stitch and finish off.- Done! Pictures are posted on older posts
3.Work on Under the Friendship Tree.- Worked on it. I made good progress and I finished the girl on the left. It is turning out really cute!

4. If I get to it- Hunting Companions.- Worked on it. I only got a small amount done though, I plan to work on this over the weekend when I need a "portable" craft.

5. The main thing I started this month is a quilt. I am very excited about it. I started this on Sunday and I have been working on it every day. It is going to be a 60" X 60" lap quilt. It has 8 different fabrics which are shown below. I love all of the fabrics and am excited to see them all together. My progress so far is- Made the pattern, bought and washed fabric, and cut all of the pieces for two of the colors.


My pattern is shown below. I made it up by seeing one I liked on etsy.com and making my own pattern. I hope it turns out well.
This is my first quilt, so if anyone has any tips or advice just let me know! I am sure I will be posting progress as I go.


Goals for July-
1. Work on quilt- get all pieces cut and 1/2 of quilt pieced together
2. Work on pepper embroidery on towels
3. August Calendar ornament

On another note, we have started harvesting from our garden. We have gotten a couple batches of green beans and we have tons of tomatoes that are getting close- We are planning to can this year so I am getting pretty excited.

It is June already!

Reviewing my May goals-

Goals for May:
1. Finish July Erica Michaels cross stitch. Did not happen, but this is next on my priority list as soon as the Angel is done!
2. Work on Mirabilia Angel (maybe finish it) So very close! Only a few more colors and beading left. The Kreinik thread is in the mail.Here is the progress. I am so excited about how it is looking!

3. Work on Mirabilia Under the Friendship Tree Nope!
4. Work on Honeymoon Scrapbook (not stitching, but a project I need to finish!) Finished! I put the picture on the front about a week ago!


June Goals-
1. Finish Mirabilia Angel (hopefully this week).
2. July Ornament- Stitch and finish off.
3.Work on Under the Friendship Tree.
4. If I get to it- Hunting Companions.

Sooo tired. It is time for bed!

Review of Goals, And May Goals

Wow! I cannot beleive that it is May already. Time is flying by and I have been busy!
Heres a review of last months goals and how I did.

Goals for April stitching
1. Finish stitching and finishing off May and July for calendar.- Got May done and finished off. It is hanging in my office right now. I like it a lot and was glad that I found a little button that looked like Scout!! The fabric it is on is on the back of the little pillow.
2. Work on Vegetable Wreath- Made some good progress. I posted this mid-month.
3. Get English Pointer pattern- Started on Hunting companions and plan to make the middle yellow lab into Scout. I have worked on this a small amount, but will probably put it on hold for awhile.
4. Work on Mirabilia angel (possibly finish it ??)- Nope, but maybe this month!

Goals for May:
1. Finish July Erica Michaels cross stitch.
2. Work on Mirabilia Angel (maybe finish it)
3. Work on Mirabilia Under the Friendship Tree
4. Work on Honeymoon Scrapbook (not stitching, but a project I need to finish!)

Happy Stitching!

Beginning of April

Since it is the first day of a new month I thought I would review how I did on my goals for the last month and make some new goals for April.

Goals for March stitching-
Get April and May month stitched. - Finished April, but not May
Finish off Feb, March, April and May stitches. - All but May
Finish perpetual calendar.- Finished!! (well, the base and numbers, and is hanging in my cubicle)
Work on Under the Friendship Tree by Mirabilia. -Worked on it!
-Also been working on my Vegetable Wreath

So I feel I did well on goals for last month.

Goals for April stitching
1. Finish stitching and finishing off May and July for calendar.
2. Work on Vegetable Wreath
3. Get English Pointer pattern put together (putting together a couple patterns to make a piece for my husband)
4. Work on Mirabilia angel (possibly finish it ??)

On another note, this week has been hard. I have not been feeling well, my sinuses are killing me and work has been long (d/t not feeling well). Also a lot of my friends have been getting laid off and it just makes me worry. Makes me worry for them, for me, for my family members, for my husband and just makes me nervous in general.

I did hang up my calendar at work and my co-workers like it a lot. Well, off to finish dinner.

Yay yay yay. I passed my RD exam, so I have more time to work on my crafts!

Goals for March stitching-
Get April and May month stitched.
Finish off Feb, March, April and May stitches.
Finish perpetual calendar.
Work on Under the Friendship Tree by Mirabilia.