What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

Recently, my blogger friend Jeanie at Marmalade Gypsy and I were chatting on email and she made a comment in frustration that I thought was a brilliant idea. Christmas was so busy and was going by so fast. We both were lamenting that there was no time for cards when she said “I swear, next year I am going to make New Year’s cards and just take the pressure off me!” As the holiday approached at breakneck speed, I kept thinking about her comment. Why not do that this year? So, here we are, the week after Christmas, I ...

I like making cards for friends and family and Autumn is the best time to send some cheer. It is no secret that my favorite holiday is Thanksgiving with the parade, a special breakfast, calling friends and family for cheerful wishes, the aroma of baking turkey and dressing, and a full day of football along with the anticipation of the holiday season beginning. Naturally, I have been sending Thanksgiving cards for years. It is fun to send a few just to say happy fall too. I begin with pulling out my tub of Autumn related stamps, some fall color papers ...

This week sure has had its ups and downs. The euphoria of the new recommendations for vaccinated people being able to resume normal activities inside and outside was long awaited, and wonderful. So we feel free to meet our vaccinated friends, and have a meal inside a restaurant. But the flip side is that there was not a single gas station in our small town that had any gas for several days. So, this week has been only very essential trips, combining grocery pickups with pickleball practice. Add to that the three bridges over the freeway between our home and ...

Well, I cannot decide if it was bad news day or good news day yesterday. My dental appointment that I have dreaded for days was postponed due to snow. We didn’t get any snow at our place, but apparently the area where my dentist lives did. So, all that anxiety will now be postponed to next week, and then 10 days after that. Ugh. Good news, I got to eat the chocolate pudding I made as a reward for myself. What the hey, it wouldn’t last to next week anyway. Then, our power went out yesterday, and the ...

I’ve had so much fun stamping our Christmas cards this year. I got on a roll for a couple of days, and cranked out card after card. I have a lot of holiday theme stamps from several companies, but most of the cards this year were done with Impression Obsession stamps adding stickers and ribbons, elements from other cards, pretty papers and fun glittered chips.

This technique uses the embosser two ways. First, inking the folder gives you an impressed image with color.

Just use the ink pad in your hand, and lightly brush the folder’s raised side ...

Stamping cards for Thanksgiving is an annual thing for me. My family would think that Thanksgiving hadn’t come if they didn’t get a card. I think I started a trend many years ago, as some have been sending them to me for a while now too. Of course, I love the process of making them, so I got out some stamps, papers and inks to play. The set I am using is discontinued, but the individual sentiments are still available on Impression Obsession.

This year, I wanted to recycle some elements from cards I have received.

I cut ...

We are members of two MINI clubs, and the Upstate MINIs of South Carolina is doing a fundraiser this weekend. The beneficiary is the Greenville County Animal Care, a no-kill shelter. You know I am always up for helping animals, so when the call went out for items to donate, I got busy. I combed through some of the quilts, and selected this Stars on Autumn Lane quilt for donation. If you liked this quilt from a previous Autumn Jubilee, you can bid on it!

Then I went to the stamping bench and had a field day with dog and ...

Now more than ever, it is so important to find ways to bring happiness into our own lives and those of others.  Sending and receiving happy mail is one way to feel connected, even when we are apart.  Keeping up with friends both online and in real life is essential now.  Stamping is a fun activity for me, but you know, any happy mail is a joy to receive.  Add in a Summer Flowers challenge at the Impression Obsession blog, and I’m in.

For these cards, I used this wonderful set called Butterflies and Blooms, now on sale at ...

Last month, I decided to send out a few Happy Mail cards and packages to friends and family for the Easter holiday.  Then a few days ago, happy mail arrived for me!  What a fun and welcome surprise.   My friend, Val, found a quilt kit she thought I might like, complete with all the fabrics needed in just the colors I enjoy.  The huge paper pattern shows placement of the appliques, which will be raw edge fusible.

A closer look, the pattern is on the left, pretty flowers and a birdhouse with two birds.  It looks like a fun project ...

Strong storms roared through our area on Sunday night, with driving rain, thunder and lightening.   The winds were howling up the coves on both sides of our home for some time, and the noise was frightening.  The next day brought the damage to light.  We were counting our blessings that we only lost two trees, and neither of them hit the house.  One branch broke off and lodged itself high in an adjacent tree.  This branch will just have to come down on its own as it is about 50 ft off the ground.

The forest behind the house has ...

In this age of internet everything, and the current situation making us even more dependent on it, what could be a nice surprise?  Happy mail delivered to your door!  Happy mail can obviously be a homemade card, but there are lots of other ideas as well that I’d like to share today.  Anything sent by mail can qualify as Happy Mail.  Perhaps a quilt pattern sent to a friend, or an article from a magazine.  My mother in law used to send me articles from her magazines as she subscribed to different ones than I did.  A pretty garden ...