It's Official...

I'm an awful blogger!  Yes, I haven't posted anything since September!  Life has been busy and this time of year is the busiest time of all.  I haven't even really started my Christmas shopping for all three of my kids which makes me feel crazy and pressured to get it done.  Maybe they won't notice if there aren't any presents under the tree...I think not! 

Anywho, I added some new quilts to the shop (FINALLY)!  Here they are for you to check out:

The Early Bird Baby Girl Rag Quilt ~

The Hooty Hoot Baby Boy Rag Quilt

Olie Pup at the Dog Park Baby Rag Quilt ~

and

The Bloom and Grow Baby Girl Rag Quilt ~

Well, I hope that all of you are having a WONDERFUL Holiday Season and you are all much further along in your shopping than me!

~ Mary Carole

A Feeling of Complete Bliss...

Okay, really the title is a little misleading but there have been some blissful things going on these past couple of weeks. 

First off, we started the homeschool year with a new curriculum and style that we (both my daughter and myself) could not be happier with!!  This year we decided to put aside the "books" and go with a more modern (and way more organized) approach.  The Switched-On Schoolhouse (SOS) program does all of the schoolwork on the computer as well as the grading and scheduling for the day.  Let me tell ya, that makes it easier for ALL of us.  I was a little skeptical of the program beforehand but after using it this for the past few weeks...I am LOVING it and my daughter does, too!  Even more awesome is that she is really retaining everything she is learning more than before because there are side videos, games and spelling bees throughout the lesson which also make it so much more fun for her!  Yes, I know I've gone a little overboard on the subject of homeschooling here but really, I am just so thrilled with it...

Another reason for my Blissfullness would have to be my newest rag quilt and cordinating rag quilt loveys in the new Bliss fabric collection by Bonnie and Camille.  I am so loving this line of fabric and will definitely be creating some items for my living room with it.  It's so fantastic.  Really, everything this mother and daughter designing team do makes me smile but the Bliss collection makes me giggle grin...it's that good!

And with that being said, let me intoduce you to my newest rag quilt and rag quilts loveys:

The Blissful Dreams Baby Rag Quilt ~

The Blissful Moments Baby Rag Quilt Lovey ~

The Blissful Days Baby Rag Quilt Lovey 

The Blissful Joy Baby Rag Quilt Lovey ~

And yes, you can find all of these in my store!

I'm pretty sure this fabric line was made just for me but I'm willing to share it with you...hehehe!  Really though, I couldn't begin to imagine a better collection of fabrics than Bliss.  Obviously, it is my most favorite fabric line EVER!  Keep up the great work Bonnie and Camille!!

Mmmm...(-: SMILE :-)

Hope y'all have a very BLESSED (and Bliss filled) Week!

~ Mary Carole

Just Call Me Slacker ~

Yes, I am feeling like the biggest blog slacker ever!  There is so much that has happened since I last posted anything that I don't even know where to begin so I will just go with it and we'll all see what I have to say.  So here it goes to winging it~

First off, our summer vacation:

We spent almost 5 weeks visiting family and friends in Northern Nevada and California.  Yes, that's a LONG time but there were lots of people to see and I couldn't think of a better way to not have to deal with the Vegas summer heat than to just go away from this hot desert.  And, this year was record setting heat here at home.  My poor fellow Vegas people. 

For any of you who have little ones or for those of you who remember all too well vacationing with your little ones...you know it's not alway a "vacation" to go somewhere else for that long with young children who rely on the comforts of home and don't quite get why we are not home for that long.  I felt like I needed a vacation from our vacation when I got home and it really made me realize how much I love my home even if it's so far from all of my extended family and in a town I don't really like.  Our house really is our home!

I also realized that I really missed creating things and was craving my sewing machine by the end of our trip.  I guess that's why I've been a little busy bee sewing away some new rag quilts and cutting lots of fabric for even more quilts!  Which leads to...

What I've Been Creating:

I have two new rag quilts in my store! 

First, I created a stroller/carry around size rag quilt I've named A Little Whimsy made with the Whimsy fabric collection by Fig Tree and Co. 

That got me motivated to make a crib size rag quilt that I've been dreaming of for a while but just never seemed to have the time to put together until we got back.  The Bright and Playful Baby Rag Quilt is made with one of my favorite lines by Amy Butler and I love how it came out.  Of course, trying to get a good picture of it proved to be more difficult due to the crazy wind this afternoon.  I added a picture just so you could view a little of what I experienced today while photographing it.  I have way more pictures of the quilt tossing back and forth in the wind than I do of it just looking pretty! :-)

The Bright and Playful Baby Rag Quilt

A Close Up

A Crazy Windy Mess

and of course...

A Little Whimsy Baby Rag Quilt

So, while I've been a slacker blogger...I have been busy! ;-)

Not to mention we are starting up the new year of homeschooling!!  Oh, I already feel my brain feeling very heavy.  I think I need to go lie down now...

I hope you all have a very BLESSED Week!

~ MC

HUGE Giveaway Thanks to Alamodefabric! Check it out!!

Okay, this one may be the mega motherload of giveaways!  Check out Heather's giveaway at her blog...AWESOME!

A La Mode Fabric

Here's A Link To An AWESOME Fabric Giveaway...check it out!!

Check out this amazing fabric giveaway with lots of hard to find goodness going on!! 

Happy Blogiversary to the Lucy and Norman Blog!!

Lucy and Norman Blogiversary Giveaway

We Got A Winner...

Well, I just have to say thank you to all of you who entered my Fun Little Giveaway!  I know it's something little but these sewing pins really do put a smile on my face every time I look at them.  For those of you who asked where I purchased them, I found a few stores on Etsy that sold them but only one that sold all 5 sets.  You can find the listing HERE!

And the winner of the assembled set of each pin in each design and color is....

 entry #62 ~ Rachel Locke!! 

Congratulations, Rachel!  Please send me the address you would like me to mail them to.

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On another note, I will be M.I.A. for the next month.  It's summertime and I really need to spend some quality time with my kiddos and husband.  Much like last year I am going to take a break from crafting as much and really limiting my computer time so that I can have some quality time with my family.  I'll be back the end of August! 

I hope that you are all having a FANTASTIC Summer! :-)

A Fun Little Giveaway!!

Do you ever see something that is so cute that you just have to have but you can't decide which design or color you like best so after much thought and consideration, (like a whole 2 minutes worth) you just buy them all?  Normally I don't have the luxury of saying "I'll take 'em all!" but when that item doesn't cost "an arm and a leg", it does make it a little easier.  I found these sewing pins that seem to only be sold in the UK and I couldn't choose my favorite so I bought one set of each.  Hey, if they're going to take a ride across The Pond, you might as well get all of them, right? (Yes, that was one of the many excuses I made for buying them all!) 

 Aren't they lovely?

Being that 30 pins come in a set and I don't think I will ever need 150 sewing pins at one time, I thought this would be a great little Giveaway for my blogger friends.  Plus, I wanted to give each of you the chance to have the set that would have made it much easier for me...one of each design in each color.  In other words, you can't find this set assembled in stores...clever, eh? 

This one could be yours! :-)

I know it's something little but after my ordeal of trying to decide, I thought I'd make it much easier for one of you to just have 'em all! 

You have up to 3 ways you can enter (make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry)~

1. Leave a comment telling me which design and color of the sewing pins is your favorite of the collection.

2. Follow my blog.

3. Blog or Twitter about the giveaway.

The winner will be picked by random selection via Random.org on Wednesday, July 14th @ 9pm PST!

Good Luck! :-)

Back to my Crafting Roots...

So, some of you may know that I didn't know I had a crafting bone in my body until I moved far away from all of my family and friends and become a "Stay at Home Mom".  After the first year of my new job title I realized that I needed something more and almost over night I became completely obsessed with creating thing.  One of the first things that really grabbed my attention (maybe because I had just had a baby at the time) was creating diaper cakes.  Diaper cakes are diapers arranged to look like a layered cake and decorated with ribbon.  I soon started selling them and for a while it became my part time job that took more time than a full time job.  With 3 of my own stores as well as selling wholesale I lost that desire I initially had for creating them. 

But, the other day a dear friend of mine contacted me interested in getting one for her friend's baby shower.  There something about making things for your friends that gets you excited to create.  So here is the Square "It's a Boy" Diaper Cake...

These aren't the best pictures but I had to add them to my blog for the memories of the experience.  The charms in the center of each bow say "It's a Boy".  Cute, huh!

Anywho Laurie, I hope that you and your friend like it!

And to all my blogger friends, I will be adding a little giveaway later tonight or early tomorrow!  Just a little something to let you all know I appreciate you! :-)

~ MC 

 

Drum Roll Please...And the Winner IS...

Thank you to ALL of you who entered my first Giveaway!  It was even more awesome than I had imagined and I so enjoyed all of your comments about what you would make with the charm packs and your favorite Out of Print fabrics. 

I have 2 of my own charm packs in this print and I think I am going to use them to make my very first "real" quilt.  I'm leaning towards a coin quilt.  Wish me luck...I'm a little nervous! :-)

As for my very favorite OOP fabric, it is the Aqua Seahorses by Heather Ross.  But really, there are SO many OOP prints that I absolutely L.O.V.E.!  And many I could only wish to get my hands on.

Alright, alright...let get to the winner of this Giveaway already! ;-) 

AND the 2 Nest charm packs go to...entry #36 Deserae!

Deserae commented:

"My favorite out of print fabric is Full Moon Forrest! :)"

CONGRATULATIONS, Deserae!  :-)

Again, thank you everyone for entering.  AND...keep a close eye on the blog, I have a really fun little Giveaway coming up that I am really excited about!! 

Have a WONDERFUL Day!

~ MC

FABRIC GIVEAWAY!!! 2 Tula Pink NEST Charm Packs...Woohoo!

GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED!
 Will announce winner soon!!! 


Hello Everyone!  I've wanted to do a Fabric Giveaway for such a LONG time so I am more than excited to bring you this one!!! 

I am giving away TWO charm packs in the out of print Nest fabric line by Tula Pink!!!  

You have up to 5 ways you can enter (make sure to leave a separate comment for each entry)~

1. Leave a comment saying what you would create with these charm packs.

2. Leave another comment telling me what your most favorite out of print fabric is.

3. Follow my blog

4. Facebook or Twitter about it with a link back to the Giveaway

5. Blog about it with a link back to the Giveaway 

The winner will be picked by random selection via Random.org on Monday, June 28th @ 9pm PST!

Good Luck and have a SUPER Day

~ MC

Dog Days of Summer... ;-)

I definitely haven't accomplished much sewing these past few days. For good reason...we have a new family member. I would like to introduce Wrigley Dolce, our 7 week old shih tzu, llaso apso, pomeranian, poodle, chihuahua MUTT! Isn't he super cute? Other than the 5 a.m. yapping this morning, he really is a good little guy. He already follows me around wherever I go and sits at my feet if I'm washing the dishes, eating, sitting at the computer or just standing randomly trying to figure out what I was just about to do. He LOVES to floppily chance the kiddos around and they are so enjoying playing with him, as well!

And yes, my husband is a Cubs fan (Wrigley Field...get it?) I personally am a Rangers fan (hello, I am from Dallas) but that doesn't mean we will be getting another dog just to name him Ranger. We are done having kids AND pets. Our family is officially complete! Woohoo!

Here's a few photos but they don't serve him justice...he's WAY cuter in person!

Ahh...Wrigley!

Have a SUPER Week!

Sponsored Giveaway at Jaybird Quilts featuring The Quilt Shoppe

Check out Jaybird Quilts Giveaway featuring The Quilt Shoppe!  You can find the giveaway here ! 

A Little Summeriness For Ya...

Okay, I doubt that "summeriness" is a real word but it is to me...so there!  I couldn't think of a better word to describe my newest rag quilt with all it's brightness and juiciness going on.  I am going to add the suffix -ness to all of my words from this point so bear with my...silliness! :-)  Alright, I'll stop but seriously, I LOVE this quilt.  It makes me smile... 

Introducing the Sweet Summer Orchard Baby Rag Quilt:

So, now that I am done with my goofiness (yep, had to add that one in), I hope that you are all having a FANTASTIC Memorial Day Weekend!

I Am M.I.A. No Longer

So I find that when I am in the middle of trying to get something done quickly everything around me slows me down!  I started this custom order well over a month ago thinking that I would have it finished within 2 weeks but it seems that every time I make a prediction for how long something will take to be completed...it takes twice as long.  I feel like a construction worker! :-)  Within the amount of time it has taken me to finish this quilt I have celebrated 2 of my 3 children's birthdays.  Two very special birthdays I might add.  My oldest just turned the BIG 13 and my youngest just turned the Terrible Two...and he has proven his new title very well.  Boys are definitely different than girls and he is ALL boy. 

Anywho, I am thrilled to announce that I have FINALLY completed this lovely rag quilt for one fantastic lady who I have had the privilege of working with.  I definitely have a special connection with the quilt after all the fabric issues that we endeavored putting the look of this quilt together.  For example, I had found the Dorothy fabric collection that is out of print at an online store and was super shocked and excited that they had all the material I needed in one store only to find out three days later (when I thought it would be arriving in the mail at any time) that they didn't have ANY of the fabrics and had never taken them off their site...UGH.  So then we thought we had found some fabrics to accompany some the fabric I already had only to see that when it arrived...it didn't match with the other fabircs...UGH again!  Finally I found just the right blend of colors and am so thrilled with the outcome.  Here's some pictures to show you the final product...YAY!

Now I am off to work on some new stuff...like the final quilt to add to my Dog Park collection! 

~ MC

Quilter Blogs

For all of you who can't get enough blogs about quilts, quilting and the people who create them, check out Quilter Blogs for lots and lots blogs devoted to quilts! :-)  You can also add your own quilt blog!  Yippee!

Little Miss Goldie...

So, you've met "Big Blue" (as in the rag quilt):

Now let me introduce you to his sister, Little Miss Goldie:

You can find both Big Blue and Little Miss Goldie in my store!

I've got one more that matches these two rag quilts that I will be posting soon.  Here's a hint...it's titled "Ollie Pup at the Dog Park".  So, can you guess what the next color scheme is going to be?  For those of you who know this line of fabric by Heather Ross, I'm sure you can guess what the color combo is.  :-) 

Alrighty as always, I hope you all have a SUPER Day!

Super Cute Find ~ Note Card Set by Two Happy Stampers

Alrighty, so I just saw this card set and thought I would share them with the world because they're just so darn cute!  They are handmade by Two Happy Stampers, a mother/daughter team who have some seriously awesome stuff in their store.  Check 'em out when you get a chance...

Cute, huh?

Have a SUPER Day!

Coffee Anyone?

So this morning I am having a conversation with my husband...(in other words, I'm talking his ear off), when I go to pour myself some coffee and get my son some milk.  This is the outcome:

l

l

l

V

Yes people, that is coffee AND creamer in a sippy cup!  This is what happens when I am overly tired.  I wish I had a picture of my face when I realized what I had done.  The best part...when I looked down and saw this I was completely confused and wondering who in the world switched cups on me.  Notice I even put the plug in the sippy lid!  Maybe I should go back to bed!  ;-)

I hope all of you are more awake than I am! 

 Have a SUPER Day!

~ Mary Carole 

Have Another...

I have another Heather Ross rag quilt to show that is...

Here is the "Big Blue at the Dog Park" Baby Rag Quilt that I am just so much in love with!  It is simple with a total of 3 fabrics which is rare for me.  I usually tend to go with way more patterns but there's something about Heather Ross' designs that screams to me "Keep it Simple"!  Especially anything from her Lightning Bugs and Other Mysteries fabric collection.  

I wanted to create something more boyish this time around.  Maybe it's because my own little guy is about to turn 2 tomorrow and I've realized that I don't make much stuff for boys in my store.  Or maybe it's the fact that I also have the orange version and the gold with hot pink version of this fabric pattern that I'm about to make rag quilts out of as well and thought it would be really cool to have color options for the same style quilt.  I'll post both of those rag quilts soon...I know you can hardly stand waiting but you must! ;-)  All I know it that I am really digging these doggies!  What kid doesn't love dogs, right? 

Ohh...and I also just added this to my store!  A little rag quilt lovey with Tina Givens' "Cloe's Closet" fabric.  Love those colors!

So there ya go... ;-)

Have a SUPER Day!

Don't mind me...

I am the WORST blogger out there!  Because I am the worst blogger I totally forgot to add this rag quilt to my blog back when I created it...and even when I put it in my store...and even when I sold it.  But because this blog also serves as my virtual scrapbook for my different crafts I am adding it now so don't mind me, I'm just updating for future days when I want to look back at my different creations.  I am now imagining myself at 80 years old reading this blog...and I must admit, I am one cute little old lady in my imagination! ;-)

Anywho, the rag quilt was made with the Verna collection by Kate Spain and I ooooh so love that collection.  It's even more beautiful in person!

So here ya go...The Beach Resort Baby Rag  Quilt:

Alrighty, there ya go!  Have a SUPER Day!