A little crazy?? I think Not!

As I mention in my last post, I have decided to take part in a quilt challenge. ( albeit, against my better judgement)
What is a quilt challenge you ask?  Well it is when a bunch of quilters get together and challenge each other to make a quilt by a certain time. 
I have never done a challenge before, and I was eager to return to quilting and rejuvinate some of my quilting techniques.  (Despite the fact that I am terribly busy stocking my shelves for the holiday season and the upcoming craft shows and house parties...  why not add one more thing to my plate... right?)
Here is a picture of the model quilt.  It is a "Snowball" pattern, and can be done as a two tone (as seen here with the reds and creams) or it can be done with multi-colors.  I would like to do a two-tone, but I cannot decide which color to do. I am thinking of either red, blue, or green with the creams and whites.  Any suggestions??

The other aspect of this challenge is a fabric swap.   We were asked to look through our stash to find creams and light colors to swap with other quilters involved in the challenge.  I didn't have quite enough in my stash, so I purchased some and cut it up to send out to 7 other quilters all around the country.  It will be fun to see what fabric I get back in the mail from those same quilters.  Here is my fabric all ready to be packaged and mailed off to the happy recipients.

A day of inspiration

I have a couple of friends that I love to sew with, and every once in a while we get together for a day of sewing.  Our day usually includes sharing our most recent projects, discussing new ideas, and testing out new techniques.  Chris and Heather (Mother and Daughter) are both amazing quilters and full of wonderful ideas and techniques.  On our latest sewing day we got to play with a ne product called Texture Magic.  It sure was like Magic, and it inspired lots of ideas of how we could incorporate this exciting product into our work.  We also brainstormed a new idea for a fabulous Purse-icke bag... so stay tuned for more info. on that.  I was also convinced to sign up for a quilt challenge. (Like I need another project)  But this particular quilt challenge really intruigued me, and I think it will be fun to participate.  So, again, stay tuned for more updates on that adventure.

Texture Magic in action:

 

Fabric Fabric Fabric!!

I ordered a whole bunch of fabric last week, in desperate attempt to restock my shelves after I sold half my inventory at the first Purse-Icke Party a couple of weeks ago.  All of the wonderful fabric arrived in the mail today! It was like Christmas morning opening the packages of wonderful, beautiful fabric...  So much fabric, so little time...  So if you call and I don't answer, you will know why...

Favorite Color??

I am curious to know what your favorite colors are?  What colors are you most drawn to this season when you are out shopping for clothes or accesories? It can be one color, or a color combination.  I would love to know!
My all time favorite color is green!!  And lately I really love brown.

I LOVE clean floors!

 I love my floors to be clean... who doesn't?  It just makes the whole house feel cleaner.  One of my biggest pet peeves is stains on the carpet, and a dirty kitchen floor.  I have to just get over the stains on the carpet in our house because are carpet is SO light in color is shows everything. No matter how often we shampoo the carpets, they just get dirty again very soon.
We also have light colored tile in our entry way and kitchen.  I let the tile go for longer than I would like because I just detest cleaning it.  We have this large mop (you know the kind with the big hairy ropes that you dip into the bucket and wring out...).  It is such a pain to mop, and then I have to go back over the floor with a towel just to sop up all the remaining water.  Sometimes I will let it go so long that my husband will get tired of it and clean it himself. 
For quite a while now I have been wanting to get a steam cleaner for my tile floors.  A friend introduced me to the Shark steam cleaner, and I have been dreaming about it ever since. I love the idea of cleaning without any chemicals, and the ease of using steam!
Just last week my husband was helping a friend work on her house, and she told him about a steam cleaner that she loved.  So as a thank-you blessing to my husband, this friend sent him home with a brand new Wagner Steam Cleaner 960!!  This thing is fabulous!  It not only steams the floors, it has a grout cleaner, an uphostry cleaner, and it even removes wall-paper (not that I have any of that to worry about).  I tested it out this morning... and Ta-Da!!... a clean floor in less time, with less mess... and the best part... (besides the fact that it was free to us) is No Chemicals!!!   Yeah for clean, chemical free floors!! So whether you use a Shark, or a Wagner, I highly suggest going with the steam!!!

A tradition from generation to generation

As a young girl, my mother and her best friend began a tradition of canning applesauce in the Fall when the local apples were in season. They would let their respective daughters help them run the apples through the food mill. We would watch in amazement as the applesauce came out the other side.  Now, years later the daughters are carrying on the same tradition.  I have known Rachelle since we were about six, and now that we live in the same town again, we decided to carry on the Fall applesauce making tradition.
This year, our second year of applesauce making, we decided to add marinara sauce to the canning repertoire.  As the rain poured down outside we donned our aprons and began peeling, coring, chopping, boiling, and milling.  Canning can sometimes be a trial-by-error process, as we experienced with the marinara sauce.  We quickly learned that the food mill would not work for the tomato's, as the red juice leaked out and ran down the side of the cupboards, puddling nicely in the drawers and on the floor.  Then we remembered the sieve. Aha! A much better method!  The applesauce making process went much smoother than the marinara sauce, but the final results for both were fantastic!

First Purse-icke Party a huge Sucess!!

I had my first "Purse-Icke Party" last Monday night hosted by my good friend Amy.  I was completely blown away by the number in attendance and their interest in my products.  The party was a blast, and I sold many more items then I ever expected!  I even booked a few more parties!  If you live within driving distance and would be interested in hosting a party, please let me know!