Seriously Kimberly, the holidays are over!

I know, I know, the holidays are over and I need to get back to this blogging business. It is safe to say I took a small quilting / blogging hiatus; and it felt GREAT! I completely overloaded and overwhelmed myself this holiday season! Like usual, my crafting list was far larger than necessary and completely took over every ounce of free time I had. I spent many a night up until 3:00 am just trying to finish one of the many projects occupying my work space. I finished 4 bags (like those shown below), two purses (a lot like this one), a pillow (first talked about here), 10 potholders (with this fabric), and a Puppy (quilt) for Mr. Matthew.

(Liam is getting big! The little man celebrated 6 months on December 22nd!)

I managed to get some sort of photo before everything was shipped off, but it was always rushed and the lighting wasn't the best. I will try and post about each of these projects a little over the next week or two. In addition, this lucky girl won the giveaway on Lauren's blog (mentioned here) and received a new sewing machine from Santa (aka my Dad and Stepmother). I now need to get it out of the box and make sure it actually works and wasn't damaged in shipping. Come on Kimberly, get your butt in gear.

(This is officially Liam's favorite Christmas gift from Santa, a singing rocking horse! Although his Johnny Jump Up comes in a close second!)

Speaking of butts, I'm hoping to be shrinking mine this year! ;) I know, I know, not a weight loss New Year's Resolution... I'm sorry to tell you, but that's exactly what I'm talking about. This year I feel as though I'm not completely setting myself up for failure. My mother and I are tackling it together, we're taking it day by day, and I just posted about it on my blog so there's no turning back now!!! I will keep you updated as the mood strikes.

Now back to quilting!

This first bag is one I made one of my very good friend's daughter, Leah! I made her this quilt for her Mommy's baby shower way back when before she was born and now this little darling has gone and turned ONE on us (December 8th)! I used this tutorial for the bags and it was so simple, I ended up making four of them for the Christmas season.

Here is the little Peanut... she is getting so big!!! I love you Leah!

So as noted, pretty in pink:

Isn't it just adorable? I love this honeycomb pattern!

And this next bag I made for one of my Aunt's Granddaughters for Christmas. There is nothing more fun than pink fabric!

If you're looking for a fun easy pattern that takes just minutes to make, I would highly recommend this one! The pattern is flawless and the finished product, adorable!

Thank you for visiting everyone, I hope your holidays were fabulous and fun too!

Celebration of Life

Today we lost someone very special at work. Someone funny, and cheery, and wise. Someone who was very special to a lot of very special people. Death is never easy, sometimes overwhelming, always inevitable and often unexpected. Shirley was one of the rocks that held our foundation together.

She came in every morning at the same time, said her hello's, set to work and if you were lucky gave you some tidbits on her adorable cat Callie (and boy did she love that cat)!

She told me stories of her youth (she apparently had a knack for undermining her mother), and always joked with me about my curly hair (which like her, I despise). She said in her old age her tight curls had all but disappeared as she joked, "And I don't miss them one bit!"

So as I sit here on lunch, mulling over the empty office beside me, I am again reminded of just how special every moment is, how incredibly sacred my seconds with those I love should be, and how truly blessed I am.

Always take the time to tell those you love, that you love them, reach out every chance you get and be thankful... I know I am!

Big Boy Chair

Matthew graduated from the highchair long ago, but as is tradition in our family, he has been sitting in an elevated chair ever since with a computer chair mat underneath his seat to collect the bits and pieces that don't make it into his mouth. This happens to be Pepe's (my cat) favorite spot to lick up a light snack after mealtime.

Since Matthew is now in Kindergarten and is getting a little too big for his special chair, it only seemed right that he move on to bigger and better things. The problem however, is that he still doesn't have the best aim when it comes to food, and like many five year-olds still uses whatever is handy as his napkin.

So per request, (I cannot stress enough how much I love these) I was asked to make a special cover for Matthew's new chair, to perhaps mask some of the mess that is likely to accompany him in his big chair journey.

Using a towel that we purchased at Walmart, I crafted a cover that matched the decor of the room. I used a total of 4 seams so that it just slips over the top and bottom of the chair and provides the perfect drop cloth during those times when life gets a little messy.

The more we looked at the cover, the more we debated covering all of the chairs, beige really is a hard color to keep clean and this was such an easy project!

This also happens to be Pepe's new favorite chair to lay in during the day, must be something about the dark color and her white fur; she wants to make sure you can tell where she's been!