One World-One Heart Giveaway

Time got away from me and I missed the beginning of the One World-One Heart giveaway. If you haven't heard of it before, click on the logo below to learn more. This will also take you to a list of other blogs that are participating in the giveaway.




I finally decided on this postcard for my giveaway. It is one of my favorites.
If you'd like to enter please leave a comment on this post and only this post. You don't have to have a blog to enter but please leave me your e-mail so I can get a hold of you if you are the lucky winner. Leave your comment by midnight Eastern Standard Time on February 11th to be entered in the giveaway. I will draw a winner on February 12th.


Thanks for taking the time to visit my blog. I hope you enjoy it.

New Book

Yesterday I recieved Gloria Hansen's book, "Digital Essentials". I've started reading it and love it. It's written in an easy way for the normal, non-techie person to understand. Having a book that is directed toward quilters is great. It answers questions that a quilter might have about printing onto fabric, putting photos up on the web, submitting images to a quilt show and lots, lots more. This will definately be one of the most used books in my digital library! If you are interested in it, go to Gloria's web site at the link above to learn more about it.

The Fiber Divas get together this afternoon. I'm really looking forward to it! We will try to figure out our schedule for this year and plan our challenge. The sky is nice and clear so we won't have to worry about cancelling again because of snow!

Thinking of Warmer Things

Like alot of other people, we are in the middle of another snowstorm, although it seems to have stopped for now. Luckily, I didn't have to go into work today so am keeping nice in comfy in the house.

Here is the piece I've been working on. I found a bag of "stuff" tucked away upstairs. Must have been put there when I was in the hospital. I found some things I have been looking for and I also found the blue background piece that I used here. I used up some more scraps from my scrap bag for the flowers. The blue piece is postcard size and the backing is 1 1/2 inches bigger on each size.

Time to go start dinner. Hope everyone is staying warm!

Play Time

I have 3 words for you today. It is COLD!!!!!!! I just can't get warm today. I'm really glad I didn't have to go into work at 5:30 this morning. It was -18 when I got up at 7:00. Don't want to know what it was at 5:30.

I did manage to get some play time in on Wednesday. I played around with felting some more. Used the hand felter to felt different items to the background. I experimented with yarn, recycled wool, roving and cheesecloth. Some of the recycled wool didn't felt so great. The edges started to look like they were fraying. One thing I want to try out is to compare recycled wool sweaters and recycled wool fabric (like from a skirt or jacket) and see how they each felt with the handfelter. I'm having fun with this - just playing around, not worrying about making a finished piece. Although at some point it would be nice to have something nice to display. I did play around with a wet felted piece but have lost it in the mess of my sewing area. Will show it when I find it.

This is a postcard that I made Wednesday. Just played around with pieces from my scrap basket and didn't worry about making a great piece. Just wanted to create something, anything to get myself going again. I have another small piece I started that I need to finish. It sort of reminds me of trees or fence posts. I wanted to play around with working more abstract. Didn't have trees or fenceposts in my mind when I made it. I was just playing with shapes.

I remember now, why I don't use variagated threas on my postcard edges - I don't like it! I think it distracts from the rest of the postcard.

Better get moving, I have to eat lunch and get ready for work. Working 12-4 today.

A Fiber Diva Christmas Party

Haven't had a chance to post lately. Friday the Fiber Divas had our Christmas party. We had a great time. Carmen still had her tree up and the house was still decorated. The food was delicious. On my way over I realized that I had forgotten my camera. We chatted alot and shared new projects and ideas and exchanged presents. It is so much fun getting presents from like minded friends who know what you like. Fabric, thread, yarn and other fibers, tea, homemade blueberry chutney, beads. You would think that everyone coordinated their presents, everything goes together!

Anita gave us all wool squares which I have been playing with.

I started work on Monday. Only 4 hours but I was really dragging by the time I got home! I'll only be working part time for a while until I get my strength back.

I've been having trouble starting a new project. There are so many things I want to do that I just don't know where to start. Tomorrow I have the day off and will set aside some time to myself while everyone is gone and make myself start something - anything. It doesn't matter what I make just as long as I make something.

Birds of Change Exchange and too Many Projects

I've signed up for Birds of Change Exchange over at Creative Kismet Blog. It sounds really fun. Click on the above link to learn more about it. I've been trying to get the button up on my blog and it just won't appear. Since I've managed to get other buttons to appear, I'm assuming it has something to do with Blogger. I'll try again tomorrow and see what happens.

Lately, I've been thinking about what I want to do creatively. There are so many things that sound fun and that I want to try that I don't know what to do and get nothing done. I love quilting and anything fiber related. But I'd also like to do some mixed media things, some easy jewelry things, more explorations with felting(wet, needle and recycled) and I have the new Photoshop Elements program to play with. So, what to do. Do I just do whatever hits me ? Or do I make a descision to focus on one thing at a time to get proficient at something?

Today was supossed to be the Fiber Divas Christmas party but guess what happened today! If you guessed snow, you got it! We have now rescheduled the party for Friday. Looks like the weather will be ok. Hope we don't get any suprises!!

School was cancelled today. At least that means that Alex didn't miss another day. He's feeling better but still has a bad cough. Don't know if he will be going tomorrow or not.

It's finally happening, I'm going back to work. It's been 9 months. I've been having much more energy and feeling much more like my old self so I decided it was time to go back part time. I'm not sure I really want to go back. I really enjoy being a full-time mom, cooking, crafting, etc. but we could really use my income. Now it will be back to juggling everyones schedule and having to fit my projects in between everything else. I am grateful though that my job is still there to go back to - especially with the economy the way it is.

Playing with my New Toy

Happy New Year!!!

I meant to post before this but have been having too much fun playing with the kids and my new "toy", Photoshop Elements 7. I've been wanting this program for a long time and finally used some Christmas money to get it. There's a lot to learn with this program but it will be worth it. Learning this program is one of my goals for 2009.

Here is a photo I took a couple of years ago, that I played around with.

Love the new color. It might not be realistic but hey I like the brighter more vibrant look.
Then I applied some filters and got these next two looks. A quilt or fabric like these would be really neat.


Kara goes back to school tomorrow but Alex will be home another couple of days. He spent the second half of Christmas vacation sick. Poor kid!!! Went from a fever and chills to a bad cough. He is getting better but still not his best. He went to bed before 8 tonight (on his own). This from a kid who will try and get away with staying up as late as he can.

The Fiber Divas are getting together this Wednesday for our Christmas party! Our date before Christmas was snowed out. Hopefully Wednesday will be good weather! I haven't looked at a forecast in a while. I'm really looking forward to this, we haven't gotten together as a group for a long time - can't remember when.

It's almost midnight now, so I'd better get to bed. Lately, I've been finding that late at night when everyone else is in bed is a good time for me to get some things done. That will change when I go back to work! I really enjoy having quiet time by myself.