Finish It Friday - Pillow Cover

I needed a quick and easy project to work on while watching tv in the evenings with the kids. This was pretty fun to make but I would like to use different colors for the rows next time to make it more interesting. The inspiration and tutorial for this project came from the Nest.

Zendala Dare #5

This week's template from The Bright Owl and TangleHarmony:

And my finished page:

I found this one a little dizzying at times. When I reached this point with the white space in the middle, I decided it was quite enough. I think I'm reaching that point in learning a new craft when you start to get frustrated with yourself because you're approaching the hard part. The part where I have to actually buckle down and practice to get better. I need to learn to get better at shading. It's my current nemesis. Usually, I just ignore it. I know when I decide to take the time to practice, I'll be pleased with the results.

I also received my first zen in the mail this week. Awfully fitting that it came from Rick and Maria, the inventors of the art form. I won a previous week's giveaway at the Zentangle Blog.

It's kind of amazing. The lines are so gentle and soft. It honestly looks kind of unreal. I'm excited to have it as I continue to learn how to improve my own drawings.

Zendala Dare #4

This week's template from The Bright Owl:

And my finished project:

Again, click on it to see it larger.

And, here's Sarah's version.

Also, please go and enter this giveaway. I'm sure my aunty would love to win but really, y'all are gonna let her win by default? Come on. Really. Go enter and tell your friends.

My lake called my name today

Audrey (the Quilt) - Finish It Friday

I've decided I'm going to start naming my quilts after people in my family. So this one is named after my grandma, Audrey (Dad's mom).

I started this quilt when I took the "How to Quilt From Start to Finish Class" at my local quilt shop. The only thing I'd been avoiding was the binding. I decided to queue up a Law & Order marathon on Netflix to "watch" and got that thing done!

Remember to enter the giveaway I posted yesterday for a copy of Seaside Home from Stash Books.

Pebble Stack Wallhanging and a Giveaway

So, last week I showed you my finished pebble wall quilt because seriously, who can wait to show a finish, right?

But - this week there's more! The pattern comes from the book called Seaside Home. And this week, someone reading this post will get a copy of their very own from Stash Books and C&T Publishing. (Overseas winners will receive an electronic copy.)

While I was working at Erica's, it was pretty much an occupational hazard that I got to see everything new as it came in. That was part of my job, after all. So when I saw this book it went on the "Jen must have it" list. Because my husband and mother-in-law are awesome I received it as a Christmas gift.

The designer of the Pebble Stack Wallhanging, Deborah O'Hare, is a fabric painter and the fabrics in her quilt in the book certainly show it. The sand and the water, and of course the sky, look almost real in her version. I had high intentions of painting some fabric for this project but time and wisdom (?) got the best of me so I decided to use some batiks. I found Hoffman Fabrics Bali Snaps in Breakers and Caramel which I thought looked perfect. I even decided to use them for some of the pebbles.

Practicing the layout for the background

Also, the designer was able to make her binding match the colors of the different sections. While I thought this was fantastic, I pretty much knew from the beginning this wasn't going to work for me and my current skill set. Maybe next time.

There are about a thousand things I could have done better on this quilt but I love, love, love it all the same. I had originally thought I would quilt it rather sparsely, but in the end I followed some of the coloring on the fabrics with the quilting and it all just led to quilting the crap out of it. It turns out, that's becoming my style, I think.

Now, some of you may know how much I love the lake and would really love to have a seaside home. Maybe some day I will but it most likely won't be for a while so making all of the projects in this book may not be all that practical. But, in the mean time I'm going to choose a couple to work on anyway.

So here's what I think I'll do. In order to enter the giveaway for the book (thanks again to Allison and Stash Books!), you need to leave a comment with your choice of which of the following three projects I should try first. Whichever gets the most votes will be the first one I try.

1. Embroidered Wall Art designed by Jasonda Desmond

2. Porthole Baby Quilt designed by Latifah Saafir

3. Beach Pillow designed by Heidi Troyer

Just leave a comment with your favorite choice, the order of your comment will determine your number, and I'll use a random number generator to choose the winner. Entries will be accepted until next Wednesday, May 8th, 2013, at 12 noon, EST. I'll announce the winner by Thursday, May 9th at noon and your book will be on it's way from C&T Publishing (remember, overseas winners will receive an e-book). I have not received compensation for this review, I really just simply love this book!

Good luck, and tell all your friends!

Clean the freezer day

Some of you know how when you're working 40 hours a week there are other things that don't get done, right? For the last year-ish while I've been working full time there are many, many things around my house that have not been getting accomplished. In the two and a half weeks since I've been home again, I've been a veritable whirlwind of activity.

Today, I cleaned out the freezer. Not the extra one in the garage, though that needs a good defrost and clean as well. I cleaned out the freezer in the kitchen. I've been waiting until it was almost empty to get a chance to clean it out. Today was the day! And it wasn't even on today's to-do list.

Also, this is how our kitchen looked before we moved in. I know you're jealous of that brown carpeting on the floor. And that really awesome wallpaper on that back wall.

The first thing I'll say is that sometimes, wallpaper can hide a multitude of sins. When we removed that wallpaper and painted that wall, it was no easy task.

And - look at what my fantastic husband, Jon, did while I was out of town in February. He refinished the floor in the kitchen! It is fantastic. It's amazing how much brighter the room is now that the floor is done. 

With such nice improvements and now a clean freezer you would think I would just love cooking in there, eh? Unfortunately, cooking is not one of my loves. Maybe I'll pretend it's crafting while I cook dinner tonight!