bar harbor stars for america...

today as we celebrate the

dedication and sacrifices of

those who so proudly...

.

protect our freedom

i'd like to share

this awesome discovery i

found one evening while blogging

it was creatively stitched by

crystal of

frivolous necessity

which she puts as the return address

on the envelope

which i had delivered to my

husband's office

imagine his disappointment

smile honey

when i unfolded this

red, white and blue quilt beauty

featuring bar harbor by minick and simpson

the minute i saw it

i knew it would be a great display for our annual

stampin' for america

event which will likely move to the store

next year

love this etsy concept

i also appreciate

that crystal is a pet free, smoke free artist

it's the only reason

i purchased from her truthfully

now that i've seen her work

it's an even better incentive to keep

watching her blog

gotta be quick though

her last feature was gone before

i could click on over to her store

happy memorial day everyone

looking for some trim...

in red, white or blue

it looks like sarah

has been here too

.

for the longest time

sarah liked to twirl ribbons

in the world of down syndrome and autism

professionals refer to it as stimming

i saw it as my daughter

playing with my stash

there is a drawer in the sewing room

full of elastic, trims and ribbon

it is a twisted mess

as you can see

i purposely leave it in disarray

as a reminder of each time

sarah would sneak down

thinking no one was looking

to take another ribbon

to satisfy this need within her

she eventually grew out of that habit

still each time i open

this drawer

i see her sweet little face
with a big cheezy grin

being caught

when i walked in

a honeybun for the keyboard...

i'm in

sample making

frenzy

.

and the evidence

is everywhere

endless possibility...

how lucky am i

to have spread before me

a private viewing...

.

of it's a hoot

by momo for moda

the colors

the designs

circles, dots and stripes

even chirping birds

with

matching twill

i see

endless possibility

a flower for a shower...

somewhere...

there is a rule book

that states...

.

crate & barrel

boxes must not be

wrapped

yet somehow the creative soul in me

sees the black and white

screaming for some

color

as soon as i saw today's invitation

i had a vision

using stampin'ups! exclusive

bigz xl die flower folds

in cameo coral, pumpkin pie and ruby red

adorned with centers in summer sun

with leaves and stems in

garden green

so cute

i could not stop at just one

so i made a trio for

the bride-to-be

inside

bright and sunny yellow trimmed

dinnerware

from her registry

i wonder if she realizes they match

her shining personality

i have another treat for her from c&b

it will be coming a bit later

best wishes to beth and aaron

my passion for purple...

i wish i could explain

what it is about this color

that brings such happiness

.

to my heart

two big boxes arrived today

majestic batiks by moda

beautiful colors

oranges, greens, blues, yellows

yet

my eyes immediately

gravitated toward

the only purple in the collection

love, love, love it

later in the day

i took sarah to see the new arrivals

mostly to comfort her

after another painful blood draw

in that left arm

i didn't think about the

shirt and hoodie she had changed into after work

until we arrived

and i pulled out the

pretty purple one

to show her

it seemed to have a comforting effect

on my daughter too

petal perfection

'tis my faith that every flower

enjoys the air it breaths

-william wordsworth

.

mother's day 2010

parental support...

...the real question isn't whether or not you love your kids...

... but how well you are able to demonstrate your love and caring, so that your children really feel loved. -stephanie marston

i've discovered

it doesn't matter how old one is

parental support

is much appreciated and desired

even needed

in it's absence

one can feel abandoned

and there is no greater loneliness
in the world

imagine my thrill

when i saw my mother and father

walking toward me

at the business expo

coming to support our newest venture

stephanie marston is a work-life balance coach

she has published many good books

my favorite, if not now, when

another quote i try to live by

unconditional love is loving your kids for who they are,

not for what they do

i pray nightly that i be given the strength to

parent all my children in this fashion

to demonstrate my love for them

through my actions

to acknowledge my shortcomings

and say i'm sorry

when i am wrong

and most importantly

to always be a support and not a burden

new color rings...

the stampin'up!

2010 color renovation

is significant

.

i've touched on it before

the night before the expo

i had a brainstorm

to make up a few color rings
of the new top 40
i make them 2 by 3

the size of my business card

i label each one by color name

then slip them on a ring

you can get 10 completed rings

per sheet of paper

easy peasy

last minute thought

first item discussed at the expo

by a very grateful stamper

with a little help...

...from my friends

i must give credit

where it's due

.

to seven

very talented ladies

in the we bee stamping team

lead by linda bauwin

their creativity was showcased

in my display

at the business expo

you can read more about it here and here

although the purpose was to

announce the opening of our new quilt store

i never like to pass up an

opportunity to also feature the

products of stampin'up

so i pulled from my swap samples and

birthday club cards

those which matched our color palette

kudos and many thanks to

leigh amburgey, carolyn close, mary ann dietz,

megan hillyer, mary jo marshall, shana gaff

and denise young

meet owlivia...

this adorable little owlet

is the creative invention

of sandy gervais...

.

the minute

i saw her posted

on the moda bake shop

i just knew

she was to be a part of our display

but time was running out

not to fear

the instructions were easy to follow

so my own little owlivia

was birthed this morning at

approximately 4:15 a.m.

weighing in at about 2.5 pounds

she's filled with lentils

not what the pattern called for

but the only

suitable thing i could find

in the cupboard

at that hour of the night

i don't think she'll give a hoot

as she is standing tall

princess of the roost

i was thinking of making more than one

then i would have a parliament

just discovered that is what you call

a group of owls

do not try this at night...

i have found...

there are some tasks

that must wait...

.

until the rise of the sun

such as

cross pollination

which had my eyes

well...

...crossed

as i was trying to line up the many

diagonal cuts and

intersecting points

it's a stunner though

now complete
a perfect backdrop

for the jellen's house of fabric

business expo display

happy mother's day

there was a mother/daughter

look alike contest

in the newspaper today

.

i would not have thought to enter

as i don't think we look alike

until i went digging for a photo

guess i was wrong

this picture

circa 1978

i can tell by the glasses

and the hairdos

it was my senior year of high school

and i was sewing

alot

for both my mom and me

both our tops in this photo

i stitched up

you might ask why i was sewing for my mom

easy

she didn't sew

at all

most people are shocked when i say that

how ever did i learn then

by her support

for years she drove me to the fabric stores

in canton, ohio

so-fro fabrics at 30th street plaza

and schoolhouse quilts on hills and dales

were my two favorites

she would come in as a chaperone when

i was just starting out

at eight and nine

then as i got older she would stay in the car

or walk down to the stationary store

looking back

i find that especially amazing

i think it's probably easier

to support your daughter's love of fabric

when you already have a stash in the house

regardless

i truly would not be where i am today

without her support

thank you mom

i love you

happy mother's day

a thread of truth

rarely...

in my fifty years

of reading...

.

has a novel

spoken so directly to my heart

given me such

renewed enthusiasm for a project

that at times seems

risky at best

and never have i read a book of fiction

so beautifully portray a character

with down syndrome

thank you

marie bostwick

part of a rainbow...

a box arrived today

in the warm sunshine

from quilt home

.

inside were lots of

half yard cuts of

moda marbles

i thought about the dear soul

who would be stuck doing all the cutting

when i placed the order

might they grumble about the task

instead i received a lovely

handwritten note

from mary

thank you for shopping quilt home

i hope you enjoy your darling fabrics

i felt like i was cutting part of a rainbow

all the colors are wonderful

have a splendid time sewing

that made my day

thank you mary

it was a pleasure doing business with you

summer mini swap...

i love the...

mini catalogs

from stampin'up!

.

they are full of fresh new

products and ideas

the 2010 summer mini

is just that

i shared the card

i created for our swap

today i share the cards i received

so many great ones

i can never pick a best

there are some stand outs

like the one that is actually standing

look on the top left corner

it is a 3-d invitation

for a summer gathering

very cleverly created by

shana gaff

happy grad,,,

the 2010 Stampin'Up!

summer mini catalog

is out...

.

i love to participate in
new catalog swaps
i create 25 of the same
and in return acquire
25 different cards designed by
25 incredibly talented women in our
we bee stamping line lead by linda bauwin
my featured stamp is called
happy grad
i could not resist the urge
to select a scarlet and gray color theme
in honor of my soon to be
2010 OSU grad

the message to stamp is outstanding...

happy graduation

make a difference

live the dream

relish the adventure

conquer the unknown

make your mark

stand strong