Tidying Up and a Morsel or Two

Last week I had made some Tuffets, a Schnibbles pattern by Miss Rosie's Quilt Co. They were so cute... and now I have given them all away. I love these Schnibbles patterns... I admit it! I'm a Schnibbles fan! I saw a Schnibbles on another blog today...

note to self: get that pattern!

Here is my second installment of the Save the Date postcards for these two! Classic! The third one is the best... coming later this week. It just dawned on me though. WEDDING...
where is my check list: New Pillows for the living room, new photo frames, blow up mattresses for guests... oh my gosh! There is a list of things I will need to do by t-h-a-t date!
I am starting to get my little UFO's under control for the Charming Girls' Quilt Club. This is my oldest sons quilt I am working on. It's not big enough... I will be adding one more row to the side and bottom and adding the borders too. The blocks are 20" sq. so with one the additions it should measure 92" square when it's done.

This is another CGQC project that missed the deadline last month. I don't really like it. Ya' know how you can just get mad at a quilt? I'm there. The border did me in. Lots more time and energy I think than it was worth. Oh well.

I do love this picture though. It makes me happy to see the pink flowers being pulled in a cart.

Well, I've got to go... something is making me hungry! Maybe it was all of that Schnibbles talk.
Oh, wait... I looked it up and it seems that there is a lot of Schnibbles talk. Doesn't Schnibble mean a scrap or a small morsel? (can a morsel be a small hint also?)
Check out these blogs for there Schnibbles appetites!

Nicole at a Sister's Choice or another entry at Sister's Choice, or Cara's Quilts, then there is Darlene at Quilting Daze and Kate from Australia, Kates-in-stitches, Wendy from Snippets of a Quilter and also Quilt or Stitch? How About Both?

Meet the Group! and News to Share

Before I talk about my weekend I just had to share with you Todd and Jill's "save the date" postcards. I just love it. There are actually 3 photos... different poses. I will share the other ones during the week. The gears are starting to turn... the pre-wedding planning is starting to take shape! (they took the photo at Jill's grandmother's ranch, so 50's ish)*

We had such a great weekend. Friday evening at the lake was very enjoyable with an extra added bonus of fireworks over the lake after the music finished. I wish you all could have been there... it was so fun! Lots of Oooh's and Awe's.
Saturday morning we headed down to have breakfast with my dad and his wife and my half brothers and these two little cutie pies...

This is Taylor and she's 3. This is actually the first time I have gotten to see her! And in the picture below is her brother Austin who is 5. I just fell in love with the two of them. I had actually never gotten to meet Taylor before.
She was born right around the time the hubs got so sick.
Poor Austin was just getting over a cold and cough but he held up pretty well. Austin is a bit Autistic but is going to a special school that seems to help him a lot.
I'm going to be making a couple of kid size quilts in the near future I see. I think I will add my photo on the label... no, not to scare the little darlings but so they know who gave it to them and maybe they will connect... that I am Auntie Crafty. (The name my brothers gave me).
Now you know when a little kid says that what it sounds like... uh hu... so we'll see how that goes.
The following photos are from Sunday when my quilter friends and I got together at Rhonda's house to celebrate "summer birthdays". We had the pincushion exchange... I just love mine<3!>

Now, I have some really fun and important news to share with you! I am just busting at the seams to tell you... but, I can't tell you today! I know that is mean but you will want to find out and if I can post about it tomorrow I will! I can only give you a hint...

it is just as fun and special as the news that Sherri at A Quilting Life has to share with you!

Inspriation, Relaxation & Fun with Friends

I wanted to share with you a blog that really inspires me. It's Crazy Mom Quilts. You probably already visit her but she is somewhat new to me. Her quilts are beautiful and not really the "style" that I normally do. But I would love to branch out a little and give it a try.

Nicole, Sister's Choice Quilts, had mentioned in a post this week how quilters stay in a little niche and often don't want to try new things. Even if you aren't ready to do applique, for instance, right now... maybe in the future you would enjoy it. Or the same with fabric choices. If you don't use batiks, or 30's or scrappy... or whatever... maybe down the road you will. I think that quilting allows you to grow and change and to learn. That's what makes it so fun! Don't you think? This year I am doing embroidery... it's embarrassing actually. I'm awful at it... but I'll keep trying:) Anyway...

I have a lot of plans for the weekend. First of all, when I get off of work today I will be heading to the lake. Every Friday evening during the summer the Pines resort at Bass Lake has a Jazz band playing outdoors. We will be crashing the party by boat. We will be joining Jill's parents on their boat (ours has not been out this year... yet). It should be a fun evening and we will avoid any crowds by just dropping anchor nearby and listening to the music.

The scary thing is that I do not have any form of tan for these legs of mine. I would show you a picture... but it would just be cruel. Needless to say, I had a hard time deciding what I was going to wear today, knowing that we were going to be out on the water.

(photo courtesy of the Pines Resort) This is actually where I hold my retreat at.

Tomorrow morning we will be going to visit my dad. We will be celebrating his birthday. Number 78! It's also my step dad's birthday (#69), but I won't be going to visit him... too far. Can you keep a secret? I get my dad and step dad the same card for birthdays and fathers day.

Is that bad?

I just don't want to play favorites or I could just be lazy. See my confessions for Friday's are starting to come out:)

Then on Sunday I will be getting together with my quilting group... another confession time: we call ourselves the "Material Girls". I think you saw photos of them back in June:) This time we are having a lunch/summer b-day party and will be exchanging pincushions. Woohoo... you know I love pincushions. Hmmm, maybe it was my idea?

Okay now I do have a scary picture to show you... and it won't be my legs either. I was outside last night with my dog and she started her "pointer" thing.

I went to see what she was looking at...

and here it is:

This thing was hugs... I mean HUGE! OMG! doesn't it make you cringe? Sorry, but I couldn't resist running in the house to get my camera so that I could show you this tarantula. Eeww!
I hope I don't give you the hebbie jebbies!

Nothing- but A Lot To Do

Although I think the hubs wouldn't agree... I don't think that I have that much to do right now. Of course I mean... quilting things.

But I am busy getting things organized for the Fig Tree Club that I will be hosting for the Cottage Quilts quilt shop in Fresno. I got a call today that the Mill House Inn fabric line is starting to arrive! This is a picture of the first project we will be doing. It's really a sweet quilt and I'm excited to get started on it for a store sample! I don't have any sewing elf projects to do for Fall Market, so doing the FT Club will make me happy!

I have a 3 part class starting on the 22nd of August, also at Cottage Quilts, (and they are having a big sale on-line right now) of this wonderful holiday quilt. It's called Christmas Heart Light and the pattern was done by Suzie Robbins a few years ago. It has some jewels I added to it... which is not normally "me" but it makes the quilt more festive I think. I have taught the class a couple of times before and I always suggest to be creative with the pattern. Can you just see stars or cookie cutter shapes instead of the hearts?
I am also gearing up the plans for my retreat at Bass Lake. It won't be until October but I have to get the weekend itinerary and the pattern/supply lists ready to mail out to the attendees. I also have to finish my samples for the quilt & prep the other project I will be instructing. Plus plan the meals and coordinate it with the banquet department of the resort.
But that's not all!...
I have a little surprise in the works and will be sharing that with you soon;o)