Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Leap Day Giveaway Blog Hop!



.....except in leap year, which comes once in four....then it has one day more!!

Yes, it is leap year...and it is Leap Day!! And it is time for the Leap Day Giveaway Blog Hop!!


So...what have I got for you.... I want to give away one of these handy thread catchers...

I love using mine. It sits beside my machine, or when I am hand stitching it sits on the arm of my couch. I love it! Hope you do too.

So here is the scoop:
  • this draw is open  until midnight (Central Standard Time)  tomorrow- Feb 29- Leap Day . 
  • leave a comment here telling me what you are "Leaping" to get done on this extra day of the year!
  • leave a second comment if you are a follower, and you will have a second entry.
  • PLEASE be sure your contact information is included if you are a no- reply blogger. If I cannot reach you, I will draw a different name.
  • be sure to go check out all the other great giveaways at Such a Sew and Sew!
  • have fun and good luck!

Monday, February 27, 2012

Leap Day Giveaway Blog Hop!

Leap year only comes once in four...so lets have some fun with it !!


I had so much fun with the last blog hop, I thought I would join in again.
Here is the scoop:

Elizabeth over at Such a Sew and Sew is hosting a linky party giveaway on Leap Day, February 29, 2012. Here's how it will work:

• Choose something to give away on Leap Day. Keep it simple. You can make something, give away a bit of your stash, offer a service, buy your favorite gadget to give away or offer something completely non-crafty. Your blog, you choose.

• To participate in the blog hop, your giveaway must start and end on Leap Day. You can open it at 10:00 am and close it at 10:00 pm, or go midnight to midnight, or anything in between. Your blog, your rules.

• Post your giveaway and then link up with Elizabeth. Please include the Leap Day Giveaway button somewhere in your post. The linky will open at noon MST on February 28th and close at 10:00 am MST on March 1st, to allow for people in different time zones to participate.

• If you want to include the linky on your giveaway post so that others can link up from your blog, the code is available on the Sew & Sew blog. If you choose to add the linky to your post, you MUST include the above rules so that it is fair play for all. 



You can check out Such a Sew and Sew or  Vroomans Quilts  for details.....

and don't forget to come back on Leap Day to see what you can win!!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

THANK YOU

I have to say a big THANK YOU to both Mrs Pickles and Marjorie....they have nominated me for blog awards.  I am totally honored, thank you so much for thinking of my blog!

The first was the Versatile Blogger Award, from Mrs Pickles!

Mrs Pickles from Mrs Pickles Garden has a great blog...you should check it out. Not only great quilting and sewing but lots of gardening and cooking tips as well.


Here are the rules for the Versatile Blogger Award:.

1.       Add the award to your blog.
.         Thank the blogger who gave it to you.
3.       Mention seven random things about yourself. (see below)
4.       List the rules.
5.       Award to 15 bloggers.
6.       Inform each of those 15 by leaving a comment on their blog.


And the second was the Liebster Award from Marjorie at Marjorie's Busy Corner. And I think the name of her blog says it all. She is busy with all kinds of interesting things! Wow!



Liebster Rules:
1. Post about your win on your blog 
2. Link back to the blogger who presented you with the award
3. Copy and paste the award to your blog 
4. Present the Liebster Award to 5 blogs that have less than 200 followers that you think deserve to be recognized
5. Let them know by leaving a comment on their blog


Having said that, I now have to admit that I am terrible at these kind of things! And yes, I always broke the chain  letters too!
I also find it hard to pick out 5 or even 15 blogs for recognition. I think that every one is a personal story and a credit to those that take the time to share their lives, their family and their quilting with the rest of us.

Sooooo....I am awarding these honours on every blog that I follow, and all those who follow me as well. I love this community of friendship and support, and want to thank and congratulate each and every one of you!
I have learned so much, and find not only friendly advice and inspiration, but also fun recipes, travel tips and a wealth of knowledge here! Thank you !!


Friday, February 24, 2012

Tropical beauty

I love Maui! I know....who doesn't , right??
It is almost perfect weather everyday....ok, there is no snow for you snow lovers, but I can live without that!! LOL

I love all the flowers here...

and such pretty colors!
And being a born and bred prairie girl...I am fascinated by the ocean!  Of course I took a thousand pictures of the waves rolling in...the waves splashing on the rocks..and the sun reflecting off the water...and more!

The place we stay has a "Luau" every week. They charge $70 a person...or....what we did was sit out on our balcony on the second floor with a glass of wine and watched the show for free !!
We also spent a couple of days over at Honolulu, and visited Pearl Harbour and the Polynesian Cultural Centre. Lots of interesting things to see and do. But also lots of time just swimming, snorkelling and  reading a book by the pool too !!

And every night they light the torches around the pool, and blow the conch shell before sunset..

And the sunsets are beautiful...

Yup....I could live like this :)



Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Work in Progress Wednesday???

OK, I have to confess....about the only thing I have been working on in the past few weeks is my tan....and my golf game!

We have been on vacation in Maui. It is so beautiful and relaxing there. I am in a totally different state of mind I think.

The tan is looking OK, can't say the golf game has actually improved any though!

It is actually my 5 year wedding anniversary!! We were  married on the beach in Maui, at sunset, 5 years ago,  with all our kids there with us.

Very special memories! This trip, we are vacationing alone, and just relaxing!

I am sure everyone else is being creative and productive though...so I am going to check out the Needle and Thread Network...

and Lee's Work in Progress Wednesday...





Monday, February 6, 2012

easiest dinner I ever made

I don't usually post recopies, but I found a one on the internet and tried it and really, this was the EASIEST meal I have ever made!!

Salsa Chicken
4 chicken breasts
1 cup salsa (or more...I like salsa)
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

yup....that all folks!

Put the chicken in a oven proof pan, pour the salsa on top.
Bake for approx 40 min @ 350 degrees (or until chicken is cooked through)
top with cheese and bake a few minutes longer until cheese is melted.

I doubled this recipe, and used "Southwestern" salsa. You can make it spicy by using hot salsa.
It turned out great, even all the family loved it!

Friday, February 3, 2012

baby blanket blooper

I saw a tutorial on how to make a self-binding baby blanket. Looked good!
I like to have a few quick and easy gifts for baby gifts.

It starts off with two squares of fabric...one 44" and a coordinating fabric at 34"


My coordinating fabric was this flannelette, and aren't these little turtles just the cutest???

With right sides together, you find the centre of each side and match the two fabrics at these centre marks...

Then you sew the sides together leaving a 1/4 " at each end of the seam...

Also be sure to leave an opening on one side to turn the blanket later..

With the sides sewn, you will have little dog eared corners like this...

So far so good!!  Then you are supposed to miter the corners, by folding the dogear over and sewing it at 90 degrees...then trimming it off...   but BE SURE you have the correct 90 degree line!!


Then this is me unstitching the whole thing, because it didn't work!!  And now the corners are cut out, so I can't fix it!

I am sure it is my fault, not the tutorials ...and someday I will sit down with my geometry set and figure this out!  But for now I just trimmed it down and sewed it  right sides together and then turned it and did 2 rows of topstitching...

I am sure the baby, and probably the baby's mom, won't know there was supposed to be a different binding on this one!


Wednesday, February 1, 2012

great little gift bag

This is a great little gift bag...and so easy to make!

it is from This tutorial at In Color Order.
I found the tutorial very clear and well explained...very easy to follow, and great pictures.

I am tucking in a few little surprises for our grand daughter... she is turning 3. :)

But I might just be making more of these. I can think of lots of good uses for them!