A WHOLE YEAR!!!

Where in the world did that year go!? 

Its been the year of the front yard renovation ...

Camping, camping, and more camping ...

Cape Disappointment April 2019

IT WAS WINDY!!

Hipcamp at Rainier, OR

Shrimp "boil" over the coals is fabulous!

 Cresap Bay camping with the kids

Beautiful lake Merwin

Us girls! :)

Our last outing of the season was in early October. Yes, it was the wettest trip we've had so far, but we finally figured out how to stay warm and dry while enjoying the outdoors! Here we are at Grayland Beach State Park ...

 COZY!!

 We did get a couple dry spells with beautiful blue skies ....

 Pepper is toasty warm while we enjoyed s'mores :)

One last romp on the beach before heading home ..... 

And spending quality time with family ...

It's been an awesome 12 months and excited to see what the future holds! I promise my next post will be much sooner! Much love to all!

Godspeed

Well, I chickened out, LOL!

It's been just over three weeks since I posted, so time for a quilting update. First, as I stated I chickened out on using all my fat quarters of various colors. Once I got the first block completed, I loved how everything was coming together and just had to make a fabric store run! So, here is my progression to date:

Week one, which also includes my original and newly selected fabric choices:

Week two, we added onto our center medallion:

Week three, we made our first set of blocks that will be incorporated into the quilt:

Week four is our second set of blocks. Notice I was able to include my original center to this block, which I will say excited the heck outta me since I love that fabric!

Week five, I just received the instructions for the third set of blocks which I'll get to this week. This is my first "mystery quilt" and has been so much fun watching evolve!

Better get back to my sewing machine! Until next time ...

Godspeed 

Mystery Quilt Challenge

As if I don't have enough things on my plate, I just added participating in a Mystery Quilt Challenge! For the next nine weeks, we'll receive instructions on a new block to assemble. Since I'm hoarding these cute fat quarters, I decided that I need to use them up and making mine a variety of color combinations with those. I'm kind of nervous, but excited to see how it all transpires!

Here are three of my combinations so far:

For me, cutting these was the most tedious part .... not a fan of cutting:

Three hours later and here is my final block! 

Those "flying geese" were a bit of a challenge, but I conquered! 

Now I wait till this friday for the second set of instructions! Until then, I need to get those table runners finished and posted to sell. Wish me luck!

Godspeed

Feeling a bit crafty!

It's the first day of Fall and what better way to welcome the new season than making something that will surely come in handy! With the dip in the temperatures, soup and stew season has arrived and I've been wanting to make these little bowl 'pot holders' since I saw them last month. 😀

I'll walk you thru the steps and it'll take you about 20 minutes, if that. Let's get started!

You'll need:
two 10"x10" 100% cotton fabrics
two 10"x10" 100% cotton batting
100% cotton thread

Place batting on the wrong side of each 10"x10"square and mark with an X as shown and stitch:

Fold each piece in half, pin, and on the fold make two darts ... 1" wide 2 1/2" long:

Stitch darts and trim as shown:

Refold the other side and do the same:

Now you have two finished pieces, one for the front & one for the back:

Pin fabric sides together, matching seams and adjusting as needed. Stitch approx. 1/4" seams all around the edge, leaving about 2" to allow for turning:

Clip seams and corners to alleviate the bulkiness & turn.

Pin opening and topstitch approximately a 1/4" along the outer edge, closing up the opening you used for turning.

There you have it! My soup bowl is 6" across and it fits perfectly! It protects your hands from the hotness of the bowl while carrying, PLUS because you used 100% cotton in your supplies, it can go in the microwave to warm your food and just lift with the little 'wings' to take it out!

ENJOY!!

Godspeed

The Maiden Voyage!

We hit the road with Miss Elouise on April 2nd, the beginning of Spring Break. We ventured north to Astoria then onto our destination for the week, Cape Disappointment on the Pacific Coast. It was a bit chilly, the weather was unpredictable, but it is the Pacific NW after all and just somethings we've come to expect!

Of course we had to stop and grab a bite at our favorite seafood spot on the way thru! YUM!!

This was Pepper's first visit to the coast and decided her dip in the ocean wasn't exactly the warmest, but that didn't stop her from venturing into it a few times. And from the looks of that photo, she loves Miss Elouise as much as we do!

Nicole came up to visit on our second day. We just spent the day relaxing on the beach, sitting by the campfire, and playing board games after dark. Lucy and Pepper had a blast running along the shoreline and investigating everything they could find! What is it with dogs and smelly things?! YUCK!!

Of course all good things must end, we have to venture back home, and by the looks of things, Pepper had a great time! She slept the whole way home!

Our Maiden Voyage with Miss Elouise was a success and we intend to spend many outings in her and see what the outdoors in the Pacific NW has to offer! Until next time .....

Godspeed