What Are Quilters Blogging About Today?

We have extra funds for the Safelight project, so I put some to use this week to make Valentine gifts for the current residents of the shelter. They had 20 adults, so I made 22 gifts just in case they needed more by the time I could deliver them. I found some fun things to include.

These little felt fortune cookies had wonderful fortunes inside. The sentiments were perfect for this project, so encouraging.

I wanted to include a card inside, so I got out my inspirational stamps and looked them over for just the right thing to say. For ...

Every year, during our Appalachian Mountain MINIs Christmas party, we have a silent auction to raise money for charity and have some fun. This year, I decided to make some Christmas cards in addition to a quilted item. I found these clip art images online, and printed off several pages of them. I colored them in before cutting them apart.

Then, I dug out some cardstock in colors to coordinate, and began layering elements. I began with mounting each image on cardstock to be a frame. Then I put elements together on larger folded cardstock to create the card.

Every ...

Stamping is such fun, and a nice creative break from sewing. I like both endeavors, and mixing it up keeps my creativity flowing. Fall is the best time for stamping, making cards and Halloween treats, working with gorgeous papers and fun images.

I like using ribbons on paper for an extra bit of texture. I’ll start with gluing it to the backside, then fold it over the front. I only do about an inch on each end on the backside of the paper strip. Turned to the front, the ribbon and paper piece is glued to the cardstock on ...

Just yesterday I discovered a few videos in my Jane Dunnewold class that I had never watched, so of course I ignored a few chores to watch them. I learned about making prints with a ballpoint pen, rubbing a laser photocopy with CitraSolv to make a fabric transfer, and treating heavy paper with hair conditioner to impart a soft crinkled texture.

I had little luck with the ballpoint pen technique to emboss paper, though I hope to try it again now that my gel plate is cleaner. Mark Yeates has videos that show how he uses it. His results are ...

My Sweet Babboo managed to get the pole for the bird feeder straightened, but we didn’t want to put the feeder back on it yet. Still, he wanted the birds to have some food available, so he rigged up a feeder to hang high off the ground from a tree limb. The birds found that quickly, and this titmouse grabbed a seed to eat while sitting on a limb. They like to hold a seed between their toes and peck at it.

Jasper came by for a sandwich, and was happy with the service at this bistro. He grabbed ...

It was a rainy day on Friday, and I needed to do a bit of baking for My Sweet Babboo. I had some fresh blueberries, and decided to use up a pound cake mix I’d purchased for the Mountain State Fair competition last year but didn’t use. Ridiculously easy, I just mixed the 16-ounce pound cake mix, with a pint of fresh blueberries and the zest of a lemon. Baked in a bundt pan, it came out tender and tasty.

While the oven was hot, I mixed up a batter for Lemon Poppy Seed bread. I had talked ...

 I had a super productive weekend.

I actually made some cards. First time since probably summer this happened. It was so nice to get back to it again.

Good morning. Let’s start off the day with a nice photo of the pear tree in bloom. I went out when the sun came out earlier in the week to get a better shot of the lovely white flowers with the mountain background. It is something to help your mood this morning as we all deal with the time change. Ugh, I hate this switching to daylight saving time.

I really like this one, and it may be an entry in next year’s state fair photography contest.

I’ve been clearing out a lot of my tablescaping stuff ...

Dawn over the mountain to the east this past week brought beautiful color with the clouds reflecting the sunrise glow. The quiet of the early morning is a nice time to enjoy a hot cup of coffee, just breathe, and plan the day.

Looking south, it is lovely to see the dark architecture of the bare tree limbs against the sky. Winter does have its own beauty.

The view into the valley continued the golden glow. The rain moved in shortly after and stuck around for two days.

Rainy days are perfect for a bit of stamping, getting my cards ...