The Creed

I was given the travel mug below as a late Christmas gift.  With life being busy it was awhile before I stopped and read the words printed on the side of it.

Shout out to Dutch Bros. Coffee I love this place.  It doesn't matter which city I am in each location of Dutch Bros. Coffee delivers the same high quality customer service and great coffee.  And, no they did not pay me to say that.

The 'Creed' as Dutch Bros refers to it is what is on the side of my travel mug and it reads as follows....

To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind.

To talk health, happiness & prosperity to every person you meet.

To make all your friends feel there is something in them.

To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true.

To think only the best.  

Work only for the best.  

And expect only the best.

To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own.

To forget the mistakes of the past & press on to the greater achievements of the future.

To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give every living creature you meet a smile.

To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you have no time to criticize others.

To be too large for worry.

To be too noble for anger.

To be too strong for fear 
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.

I have kept this creed in mind for the past 7 days as our family has dealt with a great loss.  Several people have said that God doesn't give you more than you can handle and I am a believer of that.  As the past week unfolded I wasn't sure where the strength was going to come from but it did.  I made it through the long days and I was able to help where needed and support my family just as they have supported me in the past. 

I don't have a mantra that I say everyday but I have been reading the side of my travel mug daily and every time the creed has struck a cord with me.  It reminds me to be the best me that I can be and to live the best life that I can live. 

Life is short and we never know how long we have.  Hug your friends and family a little tighter.  Let those that you love know that they are loved.  Look for inspiration in every thing.  Even something as simple as a travel mug.

Hugs

Where I Sew

I sew in a corner in the basement of my mom's house.  After my dad passed away I started staying with my mom and then I sold my house and so for now I live with her.  My sewing area in my old house was the basement family room which gave me a lot of space to spread out.  At my mom's I have a tight compact area but it still gets the job done.

Like I said this is my mom's house.  There is wallpaper on every wall in the house except for a handful.  My mom had wallpaper put up so she didn't have to paint because she doesn't like to paint.  To each their own.  I can live with it.  It just makes for an interesting background in pictures.  As shown below.

So here is my corner.  I brought the main tables from my house and set them up here.  The drafting table I use for cutting and I love it because its higher up and my back doesn't get as tired when I am cutting.  Then I have two 6 foot tables that complete the U shape.  Like I said its tight but it works.

In the far corner of my cutting table I have a couple pin cushions.  One that I use and one that a friend made for me that is too pretty to use but I smile every time I look at it.  The stitches on it are amazing.  

I also keep my cutting tools, small rulers, lint roller and note pads in a basket with tin cups.  I use the striped mini round bin for tiny scraps and such.  I got it from Thirty-One and I love it.  Its portable and it saves me from cleaning up because when I attempt to put tiny scraps into the trash can on the floor they never end up in the trash can.  I am always cleaning up the mess and usually hitting my head on the cutting table.  This little bin has eliminated that.  So yeah!!!

Just a different view point.  I keep my sewing notions, a small cutting mat and usually a small pressing mat to my left.  On the right side of my sewing machine is another cutting mat that just hangs out there.  It travels to quilt retreats with me.  I use the space mainly for projects and fabric sorting/selection.  Under the table is a tote full of scraps sorted by color and another storage container of larger scraps.

I kinda have a thing for owls and these work great to hold a few sewing notions and such.  The one with the Clover clips on it is a chalk board but I am tempted to cover it with a magnet and have it hold pins.  Good idea or no?

My wall decorations in my sewing area.  A mini quilt that I made using Jaybird's Mini Hex N More ruler and one of her patterns.  The 'Simplify' sign I picked up at a quilt retreat last fall and the other sign was a gift from a friend.  I love the quote on it.  Its a great reminder.  

Its not much but it adds a little of me to my sewing area and makes it a little easier to tolerate the wallpaper.  LOL

You might wonder where my 'stash' is.  I store my fabric in a couple bedroom closets.  I am one of those that believes fabric should be kept out of direct light so it doesn't fade or deteriorate.  I have seen this happen and its sad.  I would love to have my fabric out where I could see it.  Sort of display it like I see many people do but I don't use fabric quickly enough for that.  My fabric is treated like really good wine.  It has to age and it has to be the 'right' project for me to cut into it.  Therefore its kept in a dark spot until the time is right.  Just like wine.

I hope you enjoyed seeing my little sewing area.  Where do you sew?  Do you have a room or a corner like me or maybe the dining room table?  I would love to know.

Happy Sewing

Hello 2015

Where in the world did 2014 go?  I feel like I have asked that question for the past couple of years now.  Might be a sign to take and breath and slow down.

some blocks from my Tula Pink City Sampler quilt

A lot of my time the first part of 2014 was spent getting caught up at work and working on estates and learning way too much about the crap that goes along with all of that.  I also focused on getting my legs back underneath myself. Finding my new place in this new chapter of my life.  A word of advice with regards to estates people. Get your crap together, tell the people that need to know about your crap after your gone and put a willing and knowledgeable person in-charge of your crap when your gone.  Life will be hard enough when your gone you don't need to make it any harder.  Seriously it's not fun when the one you have questions for is no longer here or the one in-charge has no idea what to do.  

quilting on my Swoon quilt not done by me

however I am in love with this quilt

It wasn't until the last half of 2014 that I did get back into sewing on a regular basis. That is probably why I only had 8 blog posts last year.  Pathetic. I know.  I do have some finishes that I want to go back and blog about. I need to get pictures and such but that is going on my 'to blog about' list. 

a commission quilt I did 

2014 was a roller-coaster of a ride with some great times scattered in with the challenges.  I got to attend 3 quilt retreats, visit the city of New Orleans to catch a couple of Dave shows, a trip with a friend to Bend to see Dave and hit the quilt shops and I also saw Philip Phillips with my brother and SIL in Boise.  Looking back I have some pretty great memories that make me smile.  I will take the good with the not so good.

Last year I picked the word 'possible' for my word of the year. Last year was a challenging year for me but I did things and worked through things that in all honesty I thought were impossible. With those challenges I learned and I became stronger so I am grateful for that. 

I have a word for 2015 and that is ACTION. Not much can be accomplished without action. So I am looking forward to this year getting things done through taking action. Not sitting watching the world pass me by but instead making things happen by TAKING ACTION.

a coffee bean sack and belt

a Christmas gift made using 

2015 is going to be another year of changes for me but those changes will be (should be) by my own choice. I am looking forward to see where my changes take me and what actions I need to take to make those changes happen. I hope to continue to sew and create things and I also hope to blog more frequently.  Maybe I can beat my 8 times from 2014.  Fingers crossed.

snip snip

Miss Kate rag quilt

 I hope that 2015 is whatever you want it to be.  I hope it brings you happiness and joy along with great success.

Happy Sewing

2014 Quilty Goals

in hopes of getting some quilt related things accomplished in 2014 i decided to make a list.  one of my favorite things to do.  list making.  doesn't always mean that everything on the list will get done......  but at least i have a list.  i once heard the saying 'if you track it - it will improve' i hope that applies to quilting.  i put my list in my journal.  i thought that would be the best place for it considering the likelihood that i will be looking at in on a fairly regular basis.

not a very good pic because i wrote with a metallic pen and then re-wrote over it in purple.  not the prettiest but its a list and in the end that is what matters.

first up on the list is

the Single Girl quilt.  i have had this pattern for a year +.  i have my fabrics selected and the background fabric as well.  templates are all cut and ready to go.  next step is to cut all the pieces out and start sewing.  this isn't a quick quilt at all.  it will take time to cut and piece it all together.  as you can see i have chosen my favorite color for this quilt because this one will stay with me.  i figure if i am going to put this much effort into a quilt it should go to someone who will appreciate it.  lol.

my next quilty goal for 2014 is

too finish my Quilter's Journey quilt from Leann's House.  with one exception (i think) this is my oldest WIP i have.  i started it about 8 years ago.  it was a block of the month from The Buggy Barn.  they sent a pattern and fabric each month with the idea being i would complete a block a month.  i apparently thought i had super powers back then as i was to piece the block and get all of the embroidery finished before the next block showed up.  lol.  i now happily refer to this as the block of the year quilt.  there are 9 blocks total and i am currently in the middle of finishing block #7 pictured above.  if i can get blocks 8 & 9 done this year then i can finish the top and get it quilted and bound in 2014.  which means it took me 9 years to get it done.  fingers crossed that i accomplish this goal.

my 3rd quilty goal for 2014 is a big one.

i want to quilt my current stack of quilt tops that need quilting and stay current with quilting tops that i finish in 2014.  some of you may be saying 'good luck' - i am even saying that to myself.  however, i am going to try.  its a goal not a must do.  at the bottom of that pile is my oldest WIP - a quilt that i have been working on since......  the beginning of time and it just needs to be quilted and bound.  it was a block of the month from Thimbleberries.  funny how my tastes have changed.  i still like the quilt but i think it will be a gift for my brother - not that brother but the other one so don't worry Angie if you are reading this.

going from the bottom to the top of the pile after the Thimbleberries quilt is my Toes in the Sand quilt made with Tula Pink's Prince Charming fabric line.  next is my Swoon quilt made with Tula Pink's Parisville fabric line.  then there is a drunkards path quilt, a bee block quilt and last but not least my own pattern quilt made using the Bliss fabric line.  

so 6 tops in total that need to get quilted. in addition to whatever tops i put together in 2014.  if i am being honest here this is the one goal that might not get accomplished.  i hope to get these 6 done but i don't know if i will be able to stay current on 2014 quilts.  time will tell.

the next goal on my list is to use as much fabric from my stash as possible this year.  i didn't take any pictures of my stash because its all in plastic drawers behind closet doors.  i moved it from my house and got it organized into its new home here at my mom's just before Christmas.  i prefer to keep my fabric stored out of the light as i have seen fabric fade from light exposure.  to each their own but mine is kept in hiding with hopes of it shrinking in 2014.

my next goal is a quilt i want to make out of

Reunion from Sweetwater.  i want to make a granny square quilt.  i have had this layer cake for awhile and i have some Kona navy that will be my setting color.  this quilt has been on my list for awhile and i think that 2014 is the year for it.

i would also like to make a dresden plate quilt using

this lovely fabric from V & Co.  again i have had this on my list and think that it will be a fabulous quilt using the dots and ombre fabric for the dresden plates.  besides its green and green makes me happy so why wouldn't i want to make this quilt in 2014?

the last item on my 2014 quilty goals list is to finish this

my Cargo Duffle bag.  its a pattern from Noodlehead that i cut out the fabric for in November.  don't laugh i know its ridiculous.  one would think that i would just have continued on and sewed it up.  but i didn't so its added to the 2014 list.

that is all that i put on my list for 2014.  i know its ambitious to some and to others it might be a piece of cake but for me (like Goldilocks) its just right.  i know that other projects will jump in.  two already have.  i thought i had quilting ADD but i am beginning to realize that i do not just have to sew on one project at a time but that i can have several going and that its ok if my sewing area looks like a bomb went off in it.

do you have any quilty goals for this year?

i would love to hear what they are.

happy sewing

Word Of The Year

having a word of the year is something that i have decided to do this year.  my life has been chaos and constantly changing for the past 18 months and things have finally slowed down a bit for me.  i like the idea of having a word of the year for 2014.  i just wasn't sure what word it would be until this morning when i was reading somewhere and saw this -

impossible

a light bulb went off and i knew that my word for 2014 would be.

possible

my mind started spinning thinking about 2014 and all of the possibilities it holds for me.  thinking that anything is possible if i believe.  

the definition of 'possible' according to Merrian-Webster is a :  being within the limits of ability, capacity, or realization b :  being what may be conceived, be done, or occur according to nature, custom, or manners.

this year is want to push myself to make things that i want to happen in my life possible.  i don't want to be guided by fear or failure or what others think.  i want to be driven by courage and by the idea that anything is 'possible'.  i just need to believe in myself and push myself past the point of doubt to the point of possibility.

last year i was given this journal.  i hadn't written in it until this morning.  i plan on holding myself accountable using this journal to keep my goals in focus and to help make 2014 the best year it can be for me.

now every time i open my journal i will be reminded that...

 all things are possible  

up next i am going to make a list of some quilty goals that i want to accomplish in 2014.  those goals will be the next entry in my journal which i will happily share with you all.  maybe i can figure out how to make a list on the side of my blog so i can also be held accountable by all of you.

do you set sewing related goals for yourself?  if so, what are they?  i would love to hear what they are.

happy sewing

Resolutions & Words

i have given this some thought.

do i want to do resolutions this year or do i want to have a word for this year?

me being me thought... why not do both?

so, i am.

 

Ten Mile Beach Port Douglas Australia 

Resolutions

at the beginning of last year i made some resolutions.  i have decided that this year some of those resolutions will be carried forward into the new year.

 

1. to rise above the little things.

2. continue to live in the present. the past is just that. the past. the future is unknown so why spend time worrying about the unknown. it will be what it is.

3. spend my energy on the things that i can control

4. live for myself. make choices for myself rather then based on someone else's needs. i am not being selfish here. i just don't want to live how certain people think i should live just to please them.

 

with all of the changes that the past few months have brought me i have decided to stick with these guidelines for 2013.  to do my best to remind myself of these when things get tough or when i am challenged by something.

Words

around blogland i have read several posts where people have picked a word for the year.  i have thought about what word i would pick.  one single word that would help guide me as i take on the new year one day at a time.  several have crossed my mind and i have weeded through them.  i am not able to settle on just one single word, so i am going with two words.

 

change & authentic

 

i know that over the next several months there will be a multitude of changes in my life.  a lot of them are unknown at this time but i know that i need to be open to change.  willing to let things unfold and be able to face the upcoming changes with my best self that i can be.  which leads me to my second word.  authentic.  remaining true to who i am is at the core of it.  keeping the four resolutions listed above in mind will help me to stay authentic to myself and to others.

 

so there you have it.  no HUGE sewing "to do" list for me this year.  i think that my life "to do" list will end up writing itself as each day passes.

 

one small side note:  in my world (inside my head) i am still in 2012.  i want to start the new year off right with a fresh outlook and the feeling of newness.  however, there is an unresolved issue from 2012 that is still hanging around.  sort of like gum that you can't get off the bottom of your shoe.  i hope that it will be wrapped up in February.  so 2012 will have 14 months in it and 2013 will only have 10.  i plan on having a New Years Eve party on February 28th to ring in the New Year and i will be at quilt camp on that date - what a great place to be to celebrate the end of an extremely hard year and the beginning of a new one.  surrounded by friends and fellow quilters.

 

happy sewing

 



A Memory Keeper

awhile back i was in search of a container to keep some items and memory's in.  it couldn't be just any old container because they are not just any old items and memory's.  they are things that have a special meaning to me and i wanted them treated as such when i stored them.

so off i went in search of the perfect container.  i found lots of options out there.  the majority of them being the plastic type.  clear plastic or colored.  those wouldn't work.  way too generic for me and my stuff.  so then i remembered seeing the pretty storage boxes at a local craft store.  so, i went there.  they did have the pretty storage boxes in various sizes.  the problem.  they only had two patterns.  a victorian themed one and a floral themed one.  neither of them spoke to me and told me to take them home.

what was i to do?

i pondered the idea for some time before it hit me.  if i can't find what i want at a store then why the heck can't i make it.  winner.  winner. 

that is exactly what i did.  i made my own special container to keep my special mementos in.

i found a box that would work and some fabric from my stash that i love but didn't have a plan for.  i only had 1 yard of it so i had to make it work.

then i got some Mod Podge and a brush.

i also picked up some polyurethane to protect it and give it a nice finish.

add all of those things together and i ended up with this.

my very own, one of a kind storage container.

for my special items and memories.

i added a ribbon to help with keeping the box closed.  i made it long enough so that i didn't have to re-thread it through the slots each time i got into the box.  you can see in the pic above that i had to piece some of the fabric on the inside of the box.  i am ok with that.  to me it gives it some character.

i love how it turned out.  i love that its totally me.  but most of all i love that my special things now have a place to call home.

so, when you can't find something that you are looking for stop and ask yourself 'can i make that?'  nine out of ten times there is a chance you can.

happy sewing

I am......

i am still alive.......

i have been busy with life.  it some how seems to get in the way of my sewing.  ugh.  stupid health issues.  none the less i have been back to quilting.  i made this deal with myself that i can't start a new project until all of my tops are quilted.  what was i thinking?  i don't think i was thinking at all.............  the good news is that i finished quilting another one today.

here are the 6 that i have done so far.

the question now is do i quilt more or do i start putting the binding on these?  also, if i have the fabric, the pattern and the project stated in my head (months ago before this deal i made with myself) does that count as starting a new project?  wondering minds (mine) want to know.  i am itching to start putting these Swoon blocks together.......

note to self - don't loan out your camera to your brother who goes on a trip to Mexico and doesn't give your camera back for a month....  no matter how many times you ask for it back.

WIP.........

WIP.......  work in process

this week that is me and my life.  i am a work in process.  always.

sadly today i said goodbye to a lifelong friend.  someone who had one of the biggest hearts i know of.

someone who i spent half of my life with on a regular basis.  its not until people like that are gone do you realize the impact they had on you and your life. 

this week i pause to remember her.  pray for her son.  send good thoughts to her family.

and remember that 'life is short but sweet for certain'

so hug a little longer, laugh a little harder and love a little deeper.

you will be glad you did.



Resolutions......

new years resolutions

Wikipedia defines this as a commitment that a person makes to one or more lasting personal goals, projects, or the reforming of a habit. this goal must be reached by the Next New Year. keep in mind that this is a goal, not a wish and should be something that you as a person could strive for.

do you make new years resolutions?

i usually do.  in the past they have always been along the lines of learning something new, challenging myself, or just plain nonsense.  i really haven't given much thought to them this year until last night and then again today after a conversation with Someone.  i think that what i have decided upon falls within Wikipedia's definition of a new years resolution.  not that it really matters because in reality the resolutions are mine and mine alone.

so....  i give you my list

1.  sell my house

2.  continue blogging

3.  spend more time with these monsters

4.  see DMB more then i did in 2011

5.  (maybe) travel some

all of these are actual things that i can physically do.

now for the things that are more mental and emotional.

1.  to rise above the little things

2.  continue to live in the present.  the past is just that.  the past.  the future is unknown so why spend time worrying about the unknown.  it will be what it is.

3.  spend my energy on the things that i can control

4.  live for myself.  make choices for myself rather then based on someone else's needs.  i am not being selfish here.  i just don't want to live how certain people think i should live just to please them.

2011 seemed to blow by me with lots of changes and challenges.  some not the greatest while others were mind blowingly awesome.  i want to take the positive from 2011 on into 2012.  i want to go after what i want and see where i land.  so i know that 2012 will also bring lots of changes as well as some challenges - however as the saying goes 'if you always do what you have always done then you will always get what you have always got.'  i am tired of what i have always got and i want something different and i am the only one who can make that happen.

above all i want to make 2012 the best year yet.

2011 In Review

Slow Down Therapy

this came across my desk yesterday at work & i thought i would share it.  we all are living at such a fast pace that its nice to pause.  to take time.  to go a little slower every now & then.

"Slow Down Therapy" ~ Author Unknown

1. Slow down; you’re not responsible for doing it all yourself—at least not right now.
2. Remember a happy, peaceful time in your past. Rest there. Each moment has richness that takes a lifetime to savor.
3. Set your own pace. When someone is pushing you, it's OK to tell them they're pushing.
4. Take nothing for granted: watch water flow, the corn grow, the leaves blow, and your neighbor mow.
5. Taste your food.
6. Notice the sun and the moon as they rise and set. They are remarkable for their steady pattern of movement, not their speed.
7. When you talk with someone, don't think about what you'll say next. Take time to listen and your thoughts will spring up naturally.
8. Create a place in your home...at your work...in your heart...where you can go for quiet and recollection. You deserve it.
9. Allow yourself time to rest. Rest isn't a luxury; it's a necessity.
10. Listen to the wind blow. It carries a message of yesterday and tomorrow-and now. NOW counts.
11. It’s ok to rest on your laurels sometimes. They bring comfort whatever their size, age, or condition.
12. Talk slower. Talk less. Don't talk. Communication isn't measured by words.
13. Give yourself permission to be late sometimes. Life is for living, not scheduling.
14. Listen to the song of a bird; the complete song. Music and nature are gifts, but only if you are willing to receive them.
15. Take time just to think. Action is good and necessary, but it's fruitful only if we muse, ponder, and mull.
16. Make time for play at the things you like to do. Whatever your age, your inner child needs re-creation.
17. Learn to stand back and let others take their turn as leaders. There will always be new opportunities for you to step out in front again.
18. Take time to read. Thoughtful reading is enriching reading.
19. Take a day off--alone. You can learn from hermits without becoming one.
20. Pet a furry friend. You will give and get the gift of now.
21. Work with your hands. It frees the mind.
22. Take time to wonder. Without wonder, life is merely existence.
23. Sit in the dark. It will teach you to see and hear, taste and smell.
24. Once in a while, turn down the lights, the volume, the throttle, and the invitations. Less really can be more.
25. Take a walk-but don't go anywhere. If you walk just to get somewhere, you sacrifice the walking.
26. Count your friends. If you have one, you are lucky. If you have more, you are blessed. Bless them in return.
27. Count your blessings - one at a time and slowly.
28. Let go. Nothing is usually the hardest thing to do - but often it is the best.

enjoy your day!

fyi

i know that today is Wednesday however my body is stuck either on Monday or Tuesday. today totally felt like a Monday so that is what i am going with. i had the best intention of getting my WIP Wednesday post up but my afternoon/evening took on a whole new direction.

my regular job got in the way. BIG TIME. i got home from work after running errands on the way home & then got the call. the call that pushed all of my wrong buttons & had me speaking in a very loud voice into my phone as i headed back to my car to go back to work. did you know anger is a very powerful emotion. i rediscovered that just this evening. i know i should do a better job at reacting to things because i can control how i react. but at this point i really don't care. i am mad & upset by what happened. so upset that i am having ice cream for dinner.

we are meeting at 7:30 tomorrow morning to solve this issue. the other party involved had better see things through my eyes or tomorrow will be worse then today. my plan is to do my WIP Wednesday post tomorrow evening. if for some reason that doesn't happen you know that things got ugly & that i am either recovering in the hospital or sitting in a jail cell.

Happy Mail

i know that we all love getting 'happy mail' you know the mail that comes in larger envelopes that sometimes is squishy. last week was a great 'happy mail' week for me. it seemed like almost everyday there was something waiting for me in my mail box.

i don't remember the order that it all came in but here is what i got.

these lovely fat quarters arrived from the Fat Quarter Shop. no i didn't order anything from there but my H2H partner Larissa did. Larissa lives in Australia so it was more cost effective for her to order fabric in the US and have it sent right to me.

i won this lovely slipper pattern from Mauby's along with 2 half yard cuts of fabric of my choice from Above All Fabrics.

then this lovely DS fabric showed up from Sarah over at Confessions of a Fabric Addict. i won one of her giveaways from the H2H Challenge. i wanted some of this DS fabric but just hadn't made the trip to JoAnn's yet to get any. thanks Sarah for saving me the trip.

another wonderful little package showed up last week & in it was this great little jewelry pouch from Talin’s Corner. it was part of Pay It Forward 2011 so stay tuned for my part of Paying It Forward.

then in yesterday’s mail came this AMAZING prize that i won from Candi over at Raccoon Creek Quilts. Candi is part of the PMQG & they had Cherri there as a guest speaker at a meeting. i have had my eye on this book for sometime & i am so happy that I won it.

its even signed & everything. i know that i will be making several of the projects out of this book. i also go a charm pack of bright colored solids & my mind is spinning with ideas for that.

so that’s my ‘happy mail’ for the past week or so. i spent a lot of time in the sewing cave this past weekend so come back tomorrow to see what i got done.