This August I am trying this. I thought it would be a fun way to fill the creative well. You can find out more at:
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July 2014
07/31/2014
07/27/2014
August Break
Hello everyone! I am taking a hint from some other bloggers I know and doing the August Break. The idea here is to take a break from blogging and post only pictures. I will be spending my time getting ready for a couple of big projects, including this sweet table runner you see here. This will be my Quilting LIVE class. You can read more about that here:
www.sewingexpo.com/QuiltingLIVE.aspx
See you in September!
07/25/2014
True Inspiration...let's help him out!
Let's help Ben make it to the cover of Runner's World magazine. Here is the link to vote:
you can vote EVERY DAY (hint hint wink wink)
07/24/2014
Free Motion Quilting SWOON!
I have been a fan of Patsy Thompson's machine quilting for a long time and just today I found out she has a new Craftsy class. Needless to say, I signed up right away. I hope you'll join me!
Here is the link:
07/23/2014
Goodbye to my good buddy...paint away!
Last Friday was my buddy Karen's last day at the magazine. She is off to paint full time now and I wish her the very best. As a parting gift she gave us all cards and "tattoos" that she picked out herself. I'm trying to make mine last as long as possible.
Her card was made from a picture of one of her paintings....I LOVE her paintings!
You can read about Karen's work on her blog:
karengillistaylor.wordpress.com
And visit her Etsy shop here:
07/21/2014
Design Wall Monday
Here is my basket quilt all ready for quilting!Look for this in an upcoming issue of McCall's Quilting!
Be sure to visit Judy's blog for more Monday inspiration.
07/18/2014
07/16/2014
Showing Up...another lesson I learned on my fitness journey
I am always a little nervous when I share these posts about fitness. I don’t know if it’s because I still am having a hard time believing that I have lost 47 pounds or if it’s just such a vulnerable topic for most women. Maybe it’s just that if I share this before/after picture you will see that I haven’t actually figured out how to finish tiling the bathroom (the before part of this picture is from January 2014...21 pounds ago, I didn’t take any pictures of myself 47 pounds ago!). Anyway, here goes...
One really big lesson I have learned is that it is important to “show up” for myself. I am one of those people who will move mountains to be on time for meetings, appointments, classes etc. I am the type of person who gets teased for being early to things. But when it came to doing important things for myself, like exercising, I was not so diligent. All that changed 6 months ago when I started working with Mike, my personal trainer. I have 2 appointments with him per week and I pretty much can’t blow this off because he comes to my house. And, I can’t really do a half-assed job of working out because I am the only one there.It’s been wonderful and I can’t recommend it enough for people who want to get in shape. But the thing that really got me thinking was, why can’t I do that for just me? Why can’t I make an appointment with myself to workout? So I took a good look at all my excuses, you know the ones...no time, gotta cook dinner, talk to the kids, walk the dog, stay late at work to finish the latest project... and realized that those things could wait while I took care of myself. It turns out that I can workout and still do many of the things I did before. The ones I couldn’t get to, well they weren’t that important. As things stand now, I do 5 workouts a week, 2 with Mike and 3 on my own. It has become such a habit for me that when I miss one I am really out of sorts. The best part is, when I am consistent with working out, I’m calmer, more focused, and I seem to have more time.
Now, instead of wasting time on the computer,I spend a lot of time in my basement looking like this. I had to convert these to black and white because my face is all red!
But the rewards are really great. Just today I went to buy new running shoes and the salesperson asked me which race I was training for. I no longer look like a total poser when I shop at running stores! And when Luke Haynes shows up to tape videos at work, well, I can challenge him to a plank (thanks to Kim Niedzwiecki of GoGoKim) and not totally fall on my face! By the way, he won this one...
07/14/2014
Design Wall Monday...sew quotable!
Here is a shot of my design wall/table this Monday. I am working on a small quilt/quote project! I have a huge list of quotes that I LOVE and I am trying to do some small projects with them. I'm calling these Sew Quotables....haha!
In case you can't read it here is the quote in none quilt form:
Be sure to check out Judy's blog for more Monday inspiration!
