BQF - Purple Gems

I think I finished by the skin of my teeth here, but I did finally finish this great quilt just in time for the Bloggers Quilt Festival!! Yea!!

I have named this one Purple Gems. This is the first time that I have made a whole quilt with only two fabrics, and also the first that I have made with black as the background!

I really love how dramatic it is!



The story behind this quilt is special to me. For the last 2 years, I have been a leader in the Young Women's group at our church. I work with girls ages 12 - 18. The girls I work with are wonderful!! They work on a program full of goals and projects, and have all 6 years to complete it. The quilt today is for one of my girls who recently finished the entire program in just 2 years! I don't think I need to explain how awesome that is! It is a lot of work, and I am so proud of her!

Quilt Stats:
Name: Purples Gems
Pattern: Happy Quilting Quilt a long, by Melissa Corry
Size: 51 x 68
Fabrics: Solid black, Riley Blake "Trick and Treat" in purple
Quilting: FMQ, stipple

Princess Buttercup

Okay, now for mine. I must apologize in advance. Apparently, when I'm the one that needs to be in the pictures, it becomes very difficult to get good pictures. lol!

Anyway, I wanted to be Princess Buttercup for Halloween, but I already had a gown cut out (for another purpose that didn't end up happening) and that had been sitting in a bin for about 2 years. So, I just redesigned the sleeves and made it a Buttercup-ish dress. I really like how it came out!

Pink! I love the shimmery overlay. I added the gold trim to make it kind of royal looking.

The sleeves are my favorite! I designed them myself and love how they came out! They are really heavy, though! :)

My 7 year old took this picture. It's the best we got... hahaha.

Our crazy bunch! Happy Halloween everyone!! :)

Thor

This project was a really fun headache for me! Yes, I did the shirt twice. I made the cape three times. I tried to find a store bought Thor costume. (There weren't any!) But, I am very pleased with the final result, so here it is - Thor, god of thunder.

Yes, the helmet and hammer are store bought.

I made the little "glove" things just as little slip on sleeves. Seemed easiest.

The shirt is all fabric (the darker grey is taffeta, the shiny is vinyl!) and I attached it with super mega Heat n Bond. It's more art than sewing, and it's the first time I've done anything like it. I copied the design from a little Thor action figure! lol! I would have liked a full metal breastplate, but my blacksmith skills are lacking ;) (I did consider sculpting it out of Styrofoam, but my sculpting skills are lacking too...)

The cape is taffeta. If I had to do it over for a 4th time, I would have used satin. The taffeta is just a bit heavy.


The curve in the shoulder was a very important detail for me, and proved to be the hardest thing to figure out. I tried several things to hold the curve and had several failures. Finally, after scouring the notions section (and discovering a whole bunch of awesome things I had never known about before!) I found belting. Yes, the stuff you would use to make your own belt!! It was stiff and just the right width. I hot glued three layers together and glued it into my cape. Perfect. I had to attach the cape with staples, but we don't need to dwell on that! ;)

So, as I had several firsts on this costumes as well, I am linking to Melissa's TNT again! For Heat n Bond and Belting fun! :)

WIP Wednesday!!

The "I've lost my mind" edition!! lol!

Okay here's what's going on in my sewing room...

The Princess finally laid out another block!


Notice the high heel? hahaha!

I was all Halloween costume-d out this weekend, so instead, I put together a quick quilt top, using only two fabrics, and a modified version on Melissa's Happy Quilting quilt-a-long quilt.


It looks so cool! I'll be finishing it pretty soon, so stay tuned.

So - on to the "lost it" portion of the post.

Last Thursday, the kids went to a Halloween party. Remember the Thor costume?

Well... it didn't work. The cape came off and little man managed to cover the shirt in frosting. That is the excuse I am going to use as to why I re-did the entire thing. (The real reason is that we watched the movie over the weekend, and all I could think of was how lame my costume was.)

So... re-do! I am pleased with how it came out! Here's a sneak peek: (which, I'm not trying to be tricky here, I just haven't taken any good pictures yet!)


I will be getting pictures in all it's glory tomorrow, and will post pictures right after that! :)

Finally - as a last bit of crazy, I decided to use leftovers to make the kids Trick-or-Treat bags that matched their costumes.


Mom of the Year, right?

So now I just have my costume to do and a day and a half to do it! Wish me luck! :) This is how it looks right now...


lol.

Be sure to check out all of the awesome WIPs at Freshly Pieced!

E-Mealz Winner!!

We have a winner!!!!! And the prize goes to...

#11 is - A.J. Dub!!! Congratulations!! I have sent you and email! Yea!!

And don't forget, for those who didn't win, but want to give this a try, just visit E-Mealz and in the promo code, enter "savemoney" and receive $2 off!

Rapunzel...

I finally managed to get the Princess into her costume and get some pictures! I am so so SO excited about how this dress turned out! It is probably my very best dress to date! :) So, with no further adu, I give you my 2011 Halloween masterpiece (haha) Rapunzel...



I LOVE IT!



She loves it...



Here's a close up of the front. I am pleased with the grommets and everything! I was a little worried about those! :)



The back. This is probably the best zipper I have done!



The braid. I kind of think the big flower is way too big, but she loves it and won't let me change it!



The wig took almost a whole pound of yarn. I have never done anything like this at all, and it was mildly intimidating! But I am really pleased with how it came out!



As it was the first time I have made a wig/head piece, I have decided to link this up with Melissa's TNT link up - because it's important to celebrate when we Try New Things!!





I am so happy to have made this beautiful dress. I really do love making dresses, even if they are a t.o.n. of work! It worth it to see this beautiful smile!



Coming soon: Thor. hahaha! Now, on to the Halloween parties! :)

Mealtime Makeover + a GIVEAWAY!!

A few weeks ago I stumbled upon something that has changed my life for the better! Today, I am going to share the joy!! :)

Background: I really don't like to cook. Wait, that's not totally true. I don't mind cooking, I just really really hate having to come up with ideas for meals every single day. Ugh. So, I usually don't. And we usually end up eating out or having something ridiculous like cereal or scrambled eggs for dinner.

Enter: Mealtime Makeover (or E-mealz).


I happened to be listening to a radio program that I had never listen to before and haven't listen to since. But in the few minutes that it was on, I heard and ad for this website, and decided to check it out.

Here's how it works: for $15 per quarter (that every 3 months. So, about $1.25 per week), you get a weekly meal plan with a complete shopping list. Additionally, you can select the store you shop at, and they will plan the meals around the weekly specials at that store. You can pick from several plans including 7 day meals for family, 5 day meals for 2, Vegetarian, Gluten-free, Portion controlled, etc.

I have been subscribed for about 3 weeks now, and let me tell you my thoughts.

I love it. I LOVE IT!

So far, there have not been any repeat meals, (although there are several I am really looking forward to again!) and all of them have been very, very good. Not only that, but pretty simple to make. The instructions are easy to follow, and the meals are pretty well balanced. There is always a fruit and/or vegetable involved. Most importantly - my kids will eat the food. And as the mother of the two pickiest eaters on the planet (and the pickiest eating Mom on the planet) I can tell you, that is saying something.

I haven't found a single downside. ;)

As soon as I knew how happy I was to have found this I started planning to share it on here, because if I magically found a way to feed my family and have extra sewing time, then who am I to keep that to myself?!? :) Then I had a great idea. I emailed the site owners and asked if they would be willing to put something in as a giveaway... and they AGREED!!!

Here's what's up for grabs: a free, 2 week subscription to E-Mealz!!! YEA!!! Here's how to enter: (3 possible entries...)

1. My followers get a freebie! So, if you are a follower, leave me a comment saying so! (if you aren't a follwer, you can become one and comment!)

2. Anyone and everyone - leave me a comment! Any comment! :)

3. Spread the love on Facebook, Twitter, your blog, where ever, and leave me a comment telling me!!

Easy peasy!!

ALSO - E-Mealz has also generously given me a promo code for you all to use to get $2 off your first subscription!!! When you sign up, type "savemoney" in the promo code and get those $2 off!! A huge thank you to E-Mealz for that!!

***Giveaway is now closed!***

WIP Wednesday - Halloween edition

I am still up to my eyeballs in Halloween costumes!! I thought I had a great time table all laid out... but then the kids got invited to a Halloween party which bumped things up by a week. That's cool. Then, I got the great news that my sister and her family are coming to visit, which put the deadline at... tomorrow. Eeeek! I have to have my sewing room clean before they come. Otherwise, there will be nowhere for them to sleep! :)

SO - I have had a marathon sewing fest the last few days. I had forgotten just how labor intensive dress making is. And there's nothing quite like saying, "Honey, go get me a hammer so I can do the next step on your dress!" (lol!) BUT - I had also forgotten just how much I love it! I finished the Princess's Rapunzel dress today (whew!) and will give you a little teaser:


I am going to force the child to go for a photo shoot tomorrow and I'll get some real pictures up soon! But first, I have to finish the this:


Yeah. Turns out, if you want to do Rapunzel hair, it takes a pound of yarn. Who knew?

By comparison, the little man's Thor costume felt almost like cheating. It came together in less than an hour. Here's a preview:


My princess dress (hiding behind Thor there...) is currently on hold, but I am pleased to say the sleeves are going to work! More on that later...

So, that is my Halloween costume summary! Better pictures to come!

ALSO - on THURSDAY (October 20) I will be posting a review of an awesome website complete with a GIVEAWAY!! I promise you - you don't want to miss it, so mark your calendars!! :)

Linking up to Freshly Pieced! Be sure to check out all of the awesome WIPs!!

Diamond Chain Christmas Quilt

A finish!! Yea!! So here is the completed Diamond Chain Quilt, a wonderful quilt-a-long hosted my Melinda, of Tilda's Twisted Life!


I really like this pattern! Is interesting, but simple. It was really fun to make!

Clearly, I had a small issue with the quilting in one area. Don't look too close. Or look close, but don't laugh! And yes, I am way to lazy to pick that out... ;)


I quilted with green and red thread, which is the first time I have used multicolored thread. I really like it! It adds some interest to the large areas of white!

Thanks again to Melinda for hosting this quilt a long! It was fun!!

I am linking up to TGIFF over at Quilt Matters! Be sure to check out all of those great finishes!!

WIP Wedenesday!!

Wednesday, Wednesday... how you constantly creep up on me! :)

This week, I managed to have a finish (YEA!!) and a few starts:

I finished my Diamond Chain Christmas Quilt!


More on this later!

I started my Halloween Princess Dress:


And am about to start The Princess's... Princess Dress. (lol!)


That's... pretty much all! Not a lot of projects, but a ton of work to do!! :)

Be sure to check out all of the WIPs at Freshly Pieced!

Birthday

So... today is my 32nd birthday! Yea! I plan on spending the whole day sewing. Because that's what birthdays are for, right?! lol!



To celebrate, I am going to share with you my very favorite birthday cake recipe. You can thank me later... ;)

Best Ever Chocolate Fudge Layer Cake

1 pkg (18.25 once) Chocolate Cake Mix
1 pkg (4 serving size) JELL-O Chocolate flavor (or vanilla) Instant pudding & pie filling
4 eggs
1 cup Sour Cream
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease 2 (9 inch) round cake pans. Beat cake mix, dry pudding mix, eggs, sour cream, oil, and water in a large bowl with electric mixer on low speed just until moistened, scraping side of bowl frequently. Beat on medium speed 2 min or until well blended.

2. Bake 30 - 35 min, or until toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 min on wire rack. Loosen cakes from side of pans with spatula or knife. Invert cakes onto rack; gently remove pans. Cool completely on wire racks.

Enjoy!! Don't you just love birthdays?!

Look! I sewed something!

Okay, this has been an interesting week. Marathon recovery made me incredibly lazy (and snacky. I have had more junk food this week than anyone should ever eat!!) and I also had to do some traveling for my grandpa's funeral :( So, not a whole lot of sewing going on...

But, today, I did finally get something sewn!

Behold! Skill Builder Sampler Block #13!!! String Block. I love this method! It's fun!


I sewed through the tip of my finger while doing this. I mean the very tip, so no bleeding, just a horrifying moment and a little soreness! lol!

But! I have gotten all of the necessary fabric for both mine and the Princess' Halloween costumes! (Your welcome Joann's. Fabric needs to be cheaper...) and so, some epic sewing days are ahead of me!! Yea!!!

St. George Marathon 2011

Saturday I ran my third (and final) St. George Marathon!! Woot!

Last year's marathon was super hot. Like 95 degrees at the finishline. FYI - the ideal running temp - 55 degrees. So yeah, way too hot. I spent all year praying that the weather wouldn't be like last year's. Well... it wasn't. It was worse! hahaha!

When I was walking to the bus at 4 am, I heard someone say that it was 80 degrees. Right then. I pulled up the weather on my phone. Guess what. They were right. !!!!!!!!!!!!

When we got up to Central, Ut, where the starting line is, I stepped off the bus and my heart sank. It wasn't cold. In fact it was down right pleasant. The announcer guy at the starting line announced that it was the warmest starting temperature that we've ever had. Which is exactly what he said last year.

At that point, I had a little heart to heart with myself. Okay, so it was going to be hot again. So what. As this is my last, I was determined to enjoy it no matter what. And as a benefit, I had actually done some specific heat training, so the heat shouldn't bother me as much as it did last year. And the fact that I dropped a frying pan on my foot the night before wasn't going to bother me either! (yes, this is true. It was weird, and I felt it the whole time, but it wasn't really a problem!) I had brought a camera with me this time and that brought a bit of fun as well! :)

Here's us loading the bus (at 4am)


Start Line!


Anyway, the race. It was fun. Ever wonder what it looks like being in the middle of the pack of a marathon? It looks like this:


I ran a stellar first half, but - as expected - I slowed when things started heating up. There were thick clouds in the western sky, and even though I was cheering them eastward all morning, the sun seemed pretty determined to burn them off whenever they got too close. So, the clouds didn't really help. They just made it more humid. lol!

But the heat really didn't bother me too much. The thing that was really bringing me down were sudden and frequent cramps in my calves, that started at about mile 14. I had to stop virtually every mile to stretch out my calves. I have never had this happen before! It was awful! But, I kept on keeping on. It was interesting. The usual spot for my legs to start getting sore didn't bother me at all. The entire run. But my calves? Nightmare!


Here's me at mile 20. Good times. (You know, every time I took a self portrait, some other runner offered to take a picture. How nice...)

Considering all factors, I decided that I would be happy with just beating last year's time. I didn't know if my calves would allow such a thing, but that was what I was hoping for! The single most liberating moment came at mile 24, when I realized that I could literally walk the last two miles and still beat last year's time. I came in 6 minutes under!! Even with added adversity and extra heat, I managed to improve. That was awesome!! I managed to run across the finish line, waving to my sweet family, and see a good friend who was volunteering, who greeted me with a big hug! It was a great ending to the race! (ps - I made a video as I crossed the finish line. But it is so bumpy that I can't really post it...)


This is Chelsea. She's awesome. And, my neighbor, came with her kids and cheered me on at the finish line too! It was so so sweet! Then, on to pictures with the family!

Me and the sweet hubby!

Me and the kiddos!

Me and my sister!

And me and my mom!

And so, thus ends my marathon running career. On a hot but happy note. Although, next year's race isn't until October 7th. I'll bet that one will be cooler...