47,916 inches...

...in the last

few minutes

of the final hour...

.

of 2010

i collapsed

in a good way

surrounded

by bolts and bolts

of fabric

never in my wildest

imagination

would i have predicted

that would happen

i have been blessed

beyond measure

this year

in so many ways

yet how do we

measure success

in 1,331 yards

47, 916 inches

sold in one week

i think not

it is in the faces

of the people we have met

it is in the hands of the

the quilters we have greeted

it is in the hearts of the

friends we have made

such an amazing year it has been

thank you to everyone

who has been apart of our journey

see you next year

sweet confections..

so cute

are these little

bags finished

.

they look so sweet

sweet like candy

good enough to eat
almost

zippy strippy by

atkinson designs

now onto finishing

the next...

hallmark says it best...

a half century...

happy birthday

to my

amazing hubby...

.

a man who deserves

so much more

than he receives

yet rarely complains

a man who dedicated

his life to a daughter

others might wish to ignore

a man who makes time to

cheer his

children on from

the sidelines

both stages and stadiums

a man who has built

an enterprise worthy

of passing onto

the next generation

a man who supports

my interests

and need for creativity

a man who puts

the needs

of his wife and children

before his own

a man who is willing

to reach out to friends

in need

a man

who is not afraid

to stand up for what

he believes in

happy birthday honey

i love you more

than ever before

snuggles...

i'm sure

loving

this snuggle

.

baby pink

for this project

so soft and

cuddly...

zippy strippy...

i am digging

this clever technique...

.

using fusible fleece

and lots of little

strippys...

a passion for paisley...

i'm often asked

to pick a

favorite fabric...

.

i would never

be able to choose

just one

yet all the best

would likely be

a paisley

i just love them

the randomness

the swirls

the overlapping

and touching colors

the dots

this one from blush

by basicgrey

would be high on my list

i guess that's why it is the backing

on the lastest quilt

fini...

there is

something

magical...

.

... therapeutic actually

when the

needle comes up

for the last time

through the binding

a project

complete

done

fini

finished

accomplished

ahh...success

my new briefcase...

as i was

gathering

what i needed...

.

to bring home for the weekend

i realized this is my new briefcase

i've traded the leather coach

for a

35th anniversary moda market tote

i've replaced mountains of paper

with piles of fabric

i've traded highlighters

for

rick rack

i've traded legislative reviews

for

patterns

i've traded ap wire newsfeeds
for

creative blogs

i've traded power suits

for

paisley tunics

i've traded

system crashes

for

jammed sewing machines

i've traded industry conferences

for

international quilt market

i've traded

complaining co-workers

for

happy customers

how very, very lucky

and grateful

i am

loving shock...

today it was

snowing

and blowing...

.

and downright frigid

the first for us

in cleveland

this year

i did not get out of the store

until well after six

and then i had to run

to the post office and

the grocery store

my body hurt and

my head was aching

it was almost 7:30 when i opened

the garage door

i had to do a double take

blink my eyes

three or four times

standing before me was

my oldest son

on a clear garage floor

he was even directing me to pull in

on the clean floor

i couldn't do it

not without taking a picture first

it has been three

long, cold, snowy years

ever since we had to move

the contents of the entire house

out here

after discovering

the great water fiasco of '07

the day the family room

became a swimming pool

it will seem so strange

to be able to get right into

my car in the morning

no scrapping ice off the

car windows

no need to preheat for ten minutes

such a treat

i'm in shock really

love that son of mine

thanks tj

in a manger...

so sweet

this

baby is...

. laying in a manger...

hand stitching...

it has been

a long time

for me...

.

hand stitched applique

the look is so clean

so fresh

so appropriate for this

newest project...

creating memories...

i have

photos

that are...

.

tj and sarah ~ 1993

priceless to me

some remind me

of a certain

day or event

a holiday

and then there are

the extra special ones

that remind me of

something i've created too

with my hands

and the god given talent

that i'm so grateful for

i can't imagine life without

creativity

happy thanksgiving everyone

sweet cravings...

oh i love

having

a really good...

.

... reason

to make all things delicious
like my favorite

hobble cobble

there is a new little

addition this

year

do you see it...

dating myself...

oh silly me

what was

i thinking...

.

i walked thru the doors of

three big box stores

in search of a boom box

a simple cd player

with speakers

they thought i was joking

just download your cd's

put them into a computer

the first guy said

and then what

i asked

upload them on your mp3 player

oh seriously

i'm going to spend all that time

to just listen to a

few christmas cd's

in the next store

they thought i was

...well...

old

like ancient history

in a time warp

out of touch

at last i found this one

it will also play my ipod

which i do own

although it's a hand me down

from my oldest son

the very first model

i just don't want to

take the time to put a bunch

of holiday music on it

hmm...

maybe i am dating myself

but then i have to ask

if it involves six

different steps

twice the amount of time

and three pieces of equipment

is that progress

all backed up...

it's been lurking

in the back

of my mind...

.

it just makes sense

but then so do many things

that never get done

until i read two blogs

who had horrid things happen

like sweetwater

and

en who's laptop

went swimming

in wine

oh that could have so been me

just last weekend

and then the new virus

coming through sites like yahoo

that was enough

i ceased work on my computer

until last night

when my sweet honey

hooked me up with

an external hard drive

my new best friend

i'm all backed up

and it's always working

any time something new

hits my keyboard

it goes directly to

that external hard drive

so now i ask

how safe are you

please get yourself sometype

of backup

just for peace of mind

fraternal twins...

don't they look

so cute

side by side...

.

if you are new

to this blog

you might first read this

it will help clarify

why i'm finally so

excited to have

this newest addition

they are both at the store now

and the funny thing is

i had a customer

offer to buy one

on saturday

sorry no can do i replied

when i told her it

has taken me nearly nine

months to secure the newest

she understood

glad to know i'm not the only one

thinking this model

is one of the last great pfaffs

now i'm trying

to make friends

with ms. 4.0 at home

it's not going well

i think we need a night

alone

we delight in the beauty...

of the butterfly,

but

rarely admit

.

the changes

it has gone through

to achieve that beauty

maya angelo

for so many years the butterfly

has been the symbol

of my sweet sarah's life

purple especially

as it is my favorite color

i had a blessed and touching

experience in the store this week

a sweet loving woman

arrived

wearing this pin

i told her how much i liked it

we went about talking

she shared she too had a child

born with down syndrome
some years before the

arrival of our sarah

he spent only a short time on this earth

before he earned his angel wings

as i offered a comforting word or two

she reached up and

unclasped the pin

presenting it to me

two moms

meeting for the first time

yet sharing a bond

deeply rooted

in love and support

thank you from the depths of my heart

i salute you...

the brave

the mighty

the wounded

.

all who have served to protect

our freedom

without your sacrifices

we would not be the nation

we are today
today i join efforts

to stitch in your honor

as a small way of saying

thank you

here she is...

i can only say this...

.

there is no shortage

of buyers and their cash

when it comes to

the pfaff 1473
i've been faithfully bidding

for months and months

and kept loosing

then finally

luck was on my side and

i won!!!

she runs beautifully

and will soon be ready

for use in the store

almost full term...

just today

i realized

this baby...

.

would be considered

full term

if i was in the birthing way

it was march 4

when the idea was

first conceived

i've been nurturing

and massaging

reading and studying

nesting

and even

craving

ever since...

it's packed well...

i admit

i

was nervous...

.

not sure what to expect

i was taking a chance

as i sliced open the box top

it appeared to be well packed

hopefully a good sign...

it has arrived...

winning...

isn't

everything...

.

but when the box arrives

it sure feels good...

i won, i won...

a halloween ditty...

the scraps

sometimes

make the...

.

the best little discovery

sarah and i

whipped this up today

using just the scraps

from our tiny treat bags

made for our

first ever charity event

at the store

sometimes the

leftovers

make the greatest meal

i love her first attempt

at free motion quilting

looks a lot like

the jumbo

rick rack

the eensy weensy...

spider

crawling

around my...

.

table topper

love that striped spider fabric

from sanae

adds

just the slightest touch

of

halloween

to the six point holiday hexagon

cleverly designed by terry atkinson

in the

itsy bitsy size

pots and pans...

what does this

have to do with

creativity you ask

.

nothing

absolutely nothing

i just wanted to

document the extraordinary find

i headed out last night

after getting my daughters

erratic breathing under control

to get some hooks for a towel rod

and i came upon this

box on clearance

the best part

dishwasher safe

after twenty four plus years

the wedding gifts

are starting to fall apart

as on the floor

when the handle breaks off

in mid flight

to the sink

full of boiling water

not good

interesting

i'd never let a sewing machine

go that long

without an update

priorities

switching gears...

i have been having so much fun...

.

... with fabric and the store

i have not had much time

for stampin'

i was so behind in the

birthday club

i belong to

sorry gals

i needed to do a quick

catch up

in the interest of time

i chose one of my favorite designs

utilizing new colors

i love the 2011 in colors

poppy parade

peach parfait

and pear pizzazz

sounds like a lucious drink

it's always a relaxing night

when i can create with paper and ink

a haunted purple...

...mansion

for some reason

it's feeling...

.

like deja vu

have i before seen

a haunted purple mansion

must only be

in my dreams

and my

funky festive

charmed living topper

pattern courtesy of

the talents behind

ruby blue studio

fabric

by sanae for moda

kristen's light...

is shinning

bright

upon us all...

.

i've been trying to write this post

all evening

between the joy

between the tears

between trying to understand

how a mom goes on

without her girl

i had my family

at the dinner table tonight

all five of them

and we talked

about the power

of reaching out

to help others

how it will make your life

so much more enjoyable

and how the blessings

will come back

tenfold

the feelings in my heart tonight

are bittersweet

i know my friend polly

has a broken heart

yet such a kind and thoughtful one

to be reaching out to help others

in her own time of need

i am so grateful i

have been able to be involved

in a tiny way

simply by sharing fabric

for a project

in memory of kristen

so her light will always shine

which witch...

over the years

i have come to

really enjoy...

.

halloween

the orange and black

a little green

and then all of a sudden

purple

came onto the scene

and now for sure

it is one of my

favorite holidays

love this fabric

collection

by sanae for moda

haunted mansion

although

there is nothing

haunted

about

crazy old ladies

and the cute

cute, cute, cute

pattern

which witch

minky and me...

in my last post

i declared

my love...

.

for minky

i know there were a few

of you

wondering

if i had lost

my mind

and i'll confess for a short time

i did

i was just so thrilled

with the feel

it's heavenly to work with

especially

when your manikin

is a three ring binder

that's right

the spine

the curves

the just right fit

perfection

what am i doing you wonder

well

just another part of our divine

connections i tell ya

last may

at the chamber of commerce

business to business exhibit

i met brea

and she developed this wonder product

called the story of me

a few months later

she asked me if my workers

at the store

might be able to help

stitch the fabric covers for her

absolutely

and so sarah and i have been

sewing up a storm

please go to brea's website

perfect memory creations

you may just want to order

a book or two

especially knowing

the hands now involved

my newest love...

the first time

ever

i saw your

.

...fluff

i was nervous

not sure how you would

treat the machine

it was magical

i needn't have worried

you responded with the ease

of melted butter

sliding thru my fingertips

with the gentle help of idt

you responded so evenly

you enveloped the mannequin

like

paint on a canvas

wrapping delicately

yet tightly

around the spine

taking the corners

with gentle ease

oh minky

how i love thee...

ribbons and bows...

nothing

brings a smile

to my face

.

like pictures of my girl

twenty years ago today

wearing

hand me down overalls

from her brother

now adorned

with embellishments

of ribbons and bows

sixty seconds...

that's

how long

it lasted

.

for just sixty

short

seconds

it was 10 10 10 10 10

i wonder how many

mommas said

hello little one

how many families said

their final goodbyes

how many lovers

kissed for the first time

i wonder how many life decisions

were made that will

bear that moment in time

how many

memories were captured

for eternity

the good and

the not so good

as i remember those sixty short seconds

i hope to remind myself

that life

can be changed

life can be altered

in that tiny amount of time

nearly failed...

geometry again

after

all these years...

.

thanks to polly & laurie

otherwise known as

minick & simpson

i loved

halloween night

the minute i saw it

orange, black and a spooky green

yet it was the purple

that got me of course

i thought i would give a try to

treats not tricks

a festive apron they designed

until i looked closer

seriously

84 triangles

times two

there were a few times i wished

to rename the pattern

putting tricks before treats

so i bribed myself with some

chocolate

and kept at it

paying closer attention to the angles

until mission accomplished

so many comments lately

i decided to make up some kits

available in the store

while supplies last

you may even spot me wearing it

out and about

this weekend

it just tastes better...

...there are days

and

then there are days...

.

and i

seem to have had a lot

of the later lately

ups and downs

highs and lows

emotional beyond measure

i'm afraid i have not been

weathering the storm

as well as i used to

maybe it's my age

lack of sleep

worry

over two businesses

three kids

a husband

just life in general

i think

it's a whip cream kind of day

with a sprinkle

of nutmeg

and cinnamon too

in the starbucks mug

'cuz

it just tastes better that way

i lied...

...a little

yesterday

i mentioned...

.

i was heading

to my southern playland

that might have lead

you to believe

i was heading somewhere

warm

and sunny

like closer to the equator

when really

i was heading down

into my creative corner

aka...

the basement
it has been so neglected lately

the store has consumed

all my time

that great cutting counter

is now covered

by junk mail

and probably bills

but i wouldn't know it

as i have been throwing

everything

down there

and ignoring it

not anymore

stay tuned...

my emotional sundae...

October 02, 2010

Capricorn (12/22-1/19)

Anxiety may be the topping on your current emotional sundae, but you can refuse to partake in this dish even when it's served to you on a platter. Postpone any definitive decisions for a few days, or you could make some rash decisions that you'll live to regret. Instead, ground yourself with yoga, meditation or physical activity of some kind. Not only will it take the edge off your anxiety, it'll give you more energy to deal with this situation.

Another yahoo horoscope so spot on it's frightening. I'm off grounding myself in my southern playland. See you next week.

charmed living topper...

a few weeks ago

i had the pleasure...

.

... of driving

out to madison ohio

to visit cottonpickers

while looking about

in the charming store

i discovered an adorable

table topper

a customer informed me

it was a pattern designed

by the store owner's daughter

sure enough

beth told me all about

rebecca and her patterns

ruby blue quilting studio

this weekend

i stitched my own version

of charmed living topper

complete with a few mistakes

i really should read the directions

still i love how it looks

with saltbox harvest

by deb strain for moda

just the perfect size

and colors for my favorite

time of the year

joy, joy, joy...

today my heart

fluttered

with happiness...

.

( photo from Kathy Davis website)

i had a visit with dj

my connection to

free spirit fabrics
for our shop

she unrolled several samples

nice but just not me

and then she

brought my heart to a flutter

there before me

was fabric

designed

by kathy davis

i know of her

from the greeting card world

she paints

what i see when i close my eyes

simply joyful

i am excited beyond words

ribbon hair falls...

sometimes

i accidentally

stumble...

.

upon amazing creations

in my quest

for all things purple

like tonight

gothic lolita

ribbon hair falls
the etsy description says

they are seen

everywhere

from weddings

to roller derbys

which reminds me

that my friend marcia

and i

were going to go see the

burning river roller girls

now we must

big boxes = burnt dinner

oh happy day

two boxes

were waiting...

.

for me when i walked

into the kitchen

last night

i quickly carried them

into my creative room
ran upstairs to

start dinner

then went back to open my boxes

big mistake

i immediately

became so engrossed

in the new

fun stuff

i forgot about dinner...

...until i hear

my youngest son scream

the hash browns

are on fire

yikes

i'm surprised the smoke detector

didn't sound

i quickly put the pan outside

in the grill

to cool off

best go to plan b

next time

the family is going to hide

my boxes

until after dinner

i'm feeling a new synergy...

i received

the latest issue

of sew beautiful...

.

... today

as always

it's better than

eating chocolate

for a short while at least

i first leaf through the pages

and then return to

relish in each

magnificent creation

my quick look through

of issue 132, 2010

revealed a synergy

i haven't seen in quite a while

and i have been reading

sewing magazines for

a long...

...long time

just how far back does my

personal stash go...

early 1991

for threads, and sew news

sew beautiful

and a collection of various quilt

magazines

back to this synergy

a new excitement it seems

is it just me

or do the lines seem to be

crossing

the parallels extracted

i'm seeing fashions in the quilters editions

and quilts in...

sew beautiful

i'm feeling so happy

energized and thrilled

no longer are exclusions being

drawn

it seems

rather a synergy

an interaction of forces

which creates the end result

to be greater than it's parts

new ink...

with all the

hustle and bustle

of the new store...

.

i have been neglecting

my stampin' up!

stash

in an earlier post

i shared the much talked about

color renovation

a complete shake up

of the color palette

i love when new colors

are introduced

gives new life to my creativity

i had yet to order in

any new colors

so today i got busy

organizing

to see just what i needed

i can't wait for the box to arrive

i think i will first pair

marina mist

and early espresso

might even throw in

some cherry cobbler

just for fun

new meaning to old photos...

my daughter and i

have been posting

old photos...

.

on her blog

a look back

twenty years ago today

i think it helps

young families

who have a child with down syndrome

see where we've been

often in the same place they are today

and then see a glimpse into the

possibilities of where they

might be

in twenty years

sarah has taught us so much

she has accomplished

great things

yet even i am sometimes

surprised by what a photo shares

until just recently

i would have only seen the baby

her adorable smile

her cute overalls

embellished by a mom

who sleeps little

worried about her daughter's breathing

today

i see in that photo

a quilt

that i made

for my parents

a machine pieced log cabin

stitched in the ditch

and tied with yarn

a new technique i learned

after a class at a local quilt store

that i fondly remember

today that same daughter

now a young adult

and i

are putting together a class list

in our own quilt store

coincidence

not likely

rather another chapter in the

grand master plan

one that has been laid out

perfectly

from the beginning

blessed by backing...

it was late

very late

in the evening

.

i just finished piecing

the border around the acorn

it was becoming a cute wall hanging

for the upcoming fall season

a rich combination of colors

reminding me of my

favorite season in ohio

but where was the backing

i did not seem to have

enough yardage to

complete the project

i hate being in that situation

in the middle of the night

then i remembered

i do have keys

to a store

with fabric

how lucky i thought

and how very truly blessed

it still hasn't totally

sunk in

i now own bolts

not just a stash

with cuts and pieces