I Feel Like a Winner!!!

Lucky me!!!

     I received this lovely little quilt about three weeks ago from a fellow blogger, Pat West. This generous lady randomly gives away her creations to those who follow her blog. And this time I was the lucky one!! She had emailed me to ask what were some of my favorites and then she sent this to me! If you link to her blog you will see what else she is up to...I was also lucky enough to receive a few of her snowflakes!!  I am sure they will be a beautiful accent to a future art quilt of mine!!
     Also in the past week, I have received the center block for me to add a border to from the Cotton Robin Challenge which I am doing.  I wish I could show the block because it is really neat, but the project is a secret to the original maker until they get their finished quilt back!
      And after a very rough week of hospital stays with my husband (who is now home and doing great!) I had a stellar day Sunday!!  My husband took the upward turn that got him dismissed........As I was leaving the hospital parking garage, the attendant at the toll booth waved me through, telling me that the guy in front of me had paid my fee (a Random Act of Kindness!).....and when I got home, I had an email from Floribunda Quilts that I am the winner of her book giveaway!!!  She is the person who is monitoring the Cotton Robin Challenge.

Challenge #55- Moebius Trip

Challenge #55- Moebius Trip, a photo by arts1plus on Flickr.

I didn't get this posted last week because I have been rather busy with some health issues with my husband...but we are on the road to recovery now so I am back in action.

This challenge by the Diva is Moebius Trip in honor of the Moebius Awareness Day which was January 24, I think. One of the Diva's adorable boys has Moebius Syndrome so I wanted to help her with the awareness.  This link will take you to her blog when she explains about the syndrome and how it affects her little guy...very touching!

Zentangle challenge #54-Purple Haze

Zentangle Challenge # 54-Purple Haze (and my haiku)
"The color Purple
Stands for creativity,
Royalty, magic!"
      The Diva is back...I somehow missed #53, but for Challenge # 54, the topic is using the color Purple. This is one of my favorite colors so I would like to share the color meaning with everyone by clicking on the link.

     I am still working on this Picture thing with Flickr so bare with me.  I haven't figured out how put more than one picture at a time on my blog but I'll keep plugging along!

Sketchbook Challenge Jan.2012

Sketchbook Challenge "Doodle" January, 2012

The Sketchbook Challenge "Doodle" was certainly right up my alley!!  Doodling is what I do a lot of!!

I had started this in a new sketchbook I bought myself for Christmas...I was in a doctor's office waiting for my husband to get through with some testing...and it just grew from there.  Looking forward to the next month's challenge.  Another Zentange challenge is in the works.  The Diva who challenges us, took a few weeks off but came back on line this week with a challenge..."Purple Haze"...I have it finished and will post it tomorrow.

     Today was my guild's monthly meeting... We had a huge crowd...the weather is really nice now...was 81 today!  Hard to believe it is January....this is really warm even for Texas!  Anyway, Susan Cleveland was our speaker...very entertaining and talented.  She is from Minnesota so we loved her accent and she said she loved ours!  Check out her website .....she has lots of really beautiful quilts to show us and many interesting techniques to share.  Those who took her workshop yesterday said it was one of the best they have ever had!  Sorry I missed it.

     I can't remember if I have mentioned that I got a Kindle Fire for Christmas....I LOVE it!!  I am becoming kind of APPS crazy!  Fortunately for my pocketbook, there are a lot of free ones out there.  Having the Kindle for reading is pretty nice too, but I like it every bit as much for the access to the Internet.

Protest SOPA

     I have been looking into this bill before Congress and offer this  link to anyone reading this for information on who is for and who is against the bill - S. 98:The Protect IP Act (PIPA).  I have mixed feelings, of course, because I don't want the entertainment world to get ripped off, but I don't want censoring to become a problem with internet use.  From what I have read, this bill could create censorship problems for all.  I am traditionally a fence sitter on most political issues but I decided to take a stand on this topic.

 And I was going to post my Sketchbook Challenge pic that I had posted to the Challenge Flickr group, but remembered that in protest today, I am blacking out some of my Flickr pictures!  So later on that!


   

15 Minute Challenge Report!

Last week I was able to get in sewing at least for 15 minutes almost every day:

• Finished Color Challenge Block
• Finished background for Misty Fuse
• Finished and mailed off my Round Robin quilt
• Working on my Misty Fuse quilt.
• Cleaned out my scrap bins....gave away/threw away and kept to use
• Started on my Rainbow Scrap Challenge Block for January

Final Block for Color Palette Challenge

Color Challenge Block 24" x 24"

After trying a few pattens, I settled on this block from a design by Bonnie K. Browning-"Color My World". There are many ways to move the blocks around to create different patterns and this is my final decision on which to use.
     I still cannot download from my photos on my computer, but did discover that I can down load pictures off of my Flicker account.  It is a little more time consuming but at least I can show some things this way!!
     We attended our granddaughter's High School Swimmeet this morning...she, of course, did wonderfully!!!  And we got to see the grandson while he was practicing at the same pool...such talented young people!!!  All the kids....not just my grands!  A real pleasure to see them in action.
     I am working on a fusible landscape using Misty Fuse.  I am thinking of entering it in the Misty Fuse contest.  I had picked up a little flyer about the contest at their table at the Houston International Quilt Show last November.  Of course the deadline is tomorrow so I may not quite get it finished in time....Queen of the Last Minute Projects, that's Me!!!!

Finally, A Little Winter....and Rain!!!!

Fabric for the Color Challenge-January 2012

      I am working on a pattern by Bonnie K Browning "Color My World" for my Color Palette Challenge.  

     Today was the first meeting of the Trinity Valley Quilters' Guild board of which, as librarian, I am a member...new officers, new budget, lots of new ideas!!  Way to start the new year!

     Tomorrow, back to sewing....I have a couple of challenges just about ready to post!!  If I can get my pictures to work on my blog, that is!!!  I still need help with that!!

      One of my fellow guild members, Donna Keating, has two months on the about.com calendar for 2012.  All the quilts are very nice, and Donna should be complemented for having hers chosen....and TWO at that!!

     The weather finally took a wintery turn today...and with rain!!!  Much needed so I won't complain too much!

   

Help!!!

This is what is happening when I try to download pictures from my IPhoto on my computer.  I have asked "blogger" for help but didn't get any thing from them.  Can anyone tell me what I need to do to get photos downloaded?????  I used to be able to get them on my blog easily and I can still get them on other documents, etc. 

And One More Challenge!

     If you look to my sidebar, you will see a Challenge...15 Minute Challenge...button.  I think this is a good idea...gives me focus and credibility to what I have accomplished in a week...I noticed that, although it says "15 minutes of sewing", those participating did much more than just sew.  I plan to use the Challenge as a means of a weekly summary...on all art work that I do...from the preparing to the finished project!

     This week I have:

• finished and mailed my Cotton Robin (internet round robin) block
• picked out my fabric for the Color Palette Challenge...and the block I plan to do with the fabrics chosen
• downloaded a software program with which I can keep track of my quilts, projects, etc....a virtual record called Quilt Album.  I got the information from Vicki's website and if you order it by January 12, you can get a code from her January 4 blog for $10.00 off the cost
• added pictures from trips to my Kindle Fire (a Christmas gift I just LOVE)
• made a small scrap quilt from the fabric left over from my round robin

Some of these were more than one day, but all in all I did do something everyday!!!  Probably more than 15 minutes!!!

   And...I had the nicest email from Pat of 501 Quilt Blocks who has chosen me to be a recipient of a gift from her!!!  How exciting is that?  Check out her blog to see how this came to be!

New Addictions

     I think I am addicted to Internet Challenges!!  I have discovered so many very cool ones that I think would be fun to do...actually I am challenging myself...there is no competition involved. A couple of them have "prizes" for posting, but the prizes albeit some pretty nice ones, are selected at random...so not a competition.

BOM #4-December

     The BOM challenge is a challenge in which a new pattern by a different quilter is given out each month.  The quilters are using fabric by Kaffe Fassett which is really lovely, but I have this Moda fabric I had won a couple of years ago I am using...have done 4 so far.

     The Color Palette Challenge is a new one whereby a palette is chosen each month and Vicki offers a class each Friday using the palette.  Here is the palette for January:

     And I think I am going to participate in the Free Motion Quilting Challenge as it is a learning experience too, and the Sketchbook Challenge for 2012, and the Rainbow Scrap Challenge 2012....also continuing with the Diva's Zentangle challenge.  None of these are too time consuming and yet should keep me challenged to grow in my creative endeavors!!!!

Day Two

     Today I made my block for the  Internet Round Robin I have signed up for.  I need to get it mailed off tomorrow to be "official".  Then in a few weeks, I will get someone else's block...add a border....then send it off to someone else for another border...I will receive another one...etc. until I get mine back!  We are not to post pictures of what we are working on it its entirety so it will be a surprise.
      The Diva is taking a few weeks off from the Zentangle challenges so I have improvised my own challenge!   I am doing the Alphabet with the zentangle designs inside each letter with patterns starting with that letter.
     This year I have decided to join a class called "One Little Word". It is sponsored by a website Ali has established for many creative classes and ideas.  I didn't realize that the main focus on the site is scrapbooking which I am not into in a big way, but I do like journaling and that seems to be a secondary emphasis...and I love words so the title of this workshop is what caught my eye.
      My word for the year is NATURE!  I don't know for sure what we are going to do with one word all year..."lessons"/ideas will be forth coming.  But until that happens, I am going out on a limb on my own and begin:
  Definition:  (a noun)
  Origin: Middle English, from Middle French, from Latin-natura                                                                   from natus, past participle of nasci-to be born
 First use:  14th Century
                       1. The inherent character or basic constitution of a person or thing .
                       2. a. A creative and controlling force in the universe.
                           b. An inner force or the sum of such forces in an individual.
                       3. a kind or class usually distinguished by fundamental or essential      
                           characteristics.
                       4. The physical constitution or drives of an organism.
                       5. A spontaneous attitude (as of generosity)
                       6. The external world in its entirety.
                       7. a. Humankind's original natural condition.
                           b. A simplified mode of life resembling this condition.
                       8. The genetically controlled qualities of an organism.
                       9. Natural scenery.

Nature...at its best!!!

Day One

    We had a wonderful New Year's Eve with almost all our family....our McKinney daughter had plans with friends, but the other daughter, grands, inlaws, etc came out to our house for a casual dinner and fun and games.   They had all just gotten back from a cruise in the Carribean...celebrating the 50th anniversary of the in laws so we got to see their beautiful and funny pictures!!  They all had a great time....we stayed home and took care of their dog...(see Christmas blog!)

   Today..a quiet day...a day to contemplate the coming year...goals to set..accomplishments to be made...new things to  attempt...here are a few goals I am going to strive for:

• Dye fabric this spring (I have had the materials to do so for about three years!)
• Do silk painting (again, have the needed materials...just the ol' 'roundtoit!)
• Finish about five UFO's
• Continue with the Round Robin Challenge
• Keep doing the Internet BOM
• Make the Scotties for all the Dodds'-side children
• Make the quilt for our bed
• Make the quilt with my mom's embroidered birds
• Get items ready for the Senior Fall Fair

      And I am sure there are more...but that looks like a doable list...IF I get busy!!!!!

     And today, I worked on the block to send off to the Round Robin...I really like my pattern and fabric that I have chosen.  Then I measured what the final size will be and discovered it will be about three inches too big!!!  The center block to send out is to be no more than 9" and mine measures a little over 12"!!!  I still have the same fabric and another idea that I think will work well...so tomorrow...back to the drawing board!!  And I can always use the first block for something!

Happy New Year!!!

     My first blog of the new year....family just left...did  a partial cleanup/ will finish tomorrow!!!  It is 1:03 AM...I am finishing my glass of sparkly and am heading to  bed.  Later today...after I get up.....I will write more of my goals and aspirations for the new year!!