Jar Wednesday

Hurrah...look what i rcvd in the mail today! I will be able to make a couple of quilts with these! Of course, some of the women were a little funny about which bugs to include in the bug jars, so i will have to go out and get some others to jazz it up a bit! :) They didnt want anything too creepy crawly! But the bug jar quilt will be for Jordyn and i know she wont mind!(heck...she eats deer poo if given the chance:)

I was a little embarrassed that the swap hostess had to add an additional 17 cents to the postage my postal clerk had calculated and put on....doh! I even asked him to include an extra stamp just to be sure, and he gave me that "dont tell me how to do my job look"...so there ya go...it came up short, and now i want to send more $ to the hostess! She was totally sweet about it and told me not to bother, but still...i hate doing that to her.

Anyways, ive been cleaning the craft room all day....boohoo! This is my free day, when jordyn is at her grandparents, and i spend it cleaning...i gotta get my priorities straight! :) I want to be able to scrapbook at my desk and leave it out when im not working on it...but since the desk is covered with fabric, bins, and magazines, i had some work to do! Looks good now though!

While i was perusing the craft room i realized i never took a photo of all of the bday blocks i rcvd in the bday swap on about.com. Included with them are the Christmas star blocks, from a swap in December. The specs were the same, so i knew they would play nicely together, and besides, more blocks means a larger quilt! I still need to make about 8 more blocks, and i want to add some red sashing i think...but since this quilt is for me it will be the last one in the pile to be completed :) Any suggestions for setting the blocks would be appreciated!
Cheers~
lisajo

Scrappin' Sunday

One of my resolutions this year was to create more!
On that list...
work on my website (which is rather sad right now)
teach myself Corel Painter
Post some art on istock photo
quilt
scrap
etc....
Looks like im gonna be busy! :)

Anyways, i had a chance to do some scrapping this Sunday, something i havent done in ages! I completed 3 pages...doesnt sound like much, but im pleased :)
i decided to share one of the pages, a shot of Jordyn and her daddy, Valentines 2007...she sure has changed a lot in just a year! Anyways, it didnt photograph well, but you get the idea. I just love Justin in that red zoot suit!
Meanwhile, i rcvd my Portrait Magic tutorial from Susi Lawson and ive been enjoying that...only checked out a few of the examples, but learned a lot of new techniques already and look forward to applying them.
As for quilting, i have a stack of goodies im working on...however, i have to rotate them so i dont get bored :) Its tough to find time to do these things with a little one...i dont know how most of you do it, but im gonna do what i can...there's gotta be enough time in the day for everything...isnt there :) Its just that i feel as if im totally ignoring Jordyn when i work on anything else...and she makes me feel guilty.
Maybe im just a pushover :)
Well, better get back to it!
Happy Monday~
lisajo

Bronco February

Another block in the bday swap completed! (only 3 more months left). Miss February wanted each of us to do our NFL football team, any way we chose, in a 12 inch block. So here it is...the Denver Broncos! Its supposed to look like their football field, though i didnt add numbers or goal posts...but i think i works. I was struggling with block ideas because the Bronco logo was not fitting any patterns...so i just made up my own. Since its a football quilt, i think a football field is appropriate :)
Hope she likes it!
Cheers!
lisajo

Rock Star!

Every year one of our neighbors throws a big Valentine party in their garage.(Theyre mechanics with their own business...so its a rather large garage). Most folks have cabin fever about now, so this party is a big hit with the locals, and most everyone turns up to get out and have fun! Its a potluck, and let me tell you...youve never seen sooooo much food! In fact, this year, there was soooo much food, that i couldnt even find a place to set down the bag of chips i brought :) Lots of desserts, casseroles, big game meats, and about 12 yummie filled crockpots. Its very family oriented, so jordyn really enjoys herself...lots of other kids to run around with. And lets not forget the Pinata! She was big enough to participate this year, but in fact, was the smallest, so she got to go first! She tapped it many times with the stick...i dont think she realized she was supposed to "beat" it :) But the crowd cheered, and she loved it. Once the candy spilled out, she thought anything on the ground was up for grabs, and stuck just about anything in her mouth....doh!
They even have a band (which just happens to include justin, and jordyn's grandma and grandpa), so that also added to the fun :)
Jordyn boogied all over the dance floor!.

After a while, she decided she wanted to be part of the band, so she grabbed the moracas and started jamming with the band....but that wasnt enough...she then decided she wanted to play keyboard. So with the help of Jon on keyboard, and following daddys lead on guitar, Jordyn joined in on the music and played like a rock star!

It was a fabulous evening, and just what the canyon folks needed to cleanse themselves of the winter blues!
cheers~
lisajo

Black Bear Applique

Here is the latest block for Justin's grandmothers 90th birthday quilt. The sky fabric was given to everyone to incorporate into the block, with the colors leaning towards blues and tans. Its supposed to be our cabin (she originally bought it back in the 50's, and its called the black bear, hence the bear :) It still needs to be signed, with Black Bear Cabin written in the white space above the door, and our names will be written in the windows. I had a little trouble with the block...its paper-pieced, but it was marked as the wrong size, so i had to add an inch to two of the sides to make it the right size for the quilt. I planned to add the bear, so it helped with the space on the side...but i must not have printed the pattern totally to square, because the roof is a little short too :( The bear is my first attempt at applique. Could i have picked a more difficult shape to start with :) I tried thee handworks backbasting tutorial as a bit of a guide, and i learned a lot as i went...in fact, you can probably tell how i improved as i went.(Note the one lame foot) I really enjoyed the hand sewing, so i hope to try more applique in the future.
Ive made some squares for other family members, see here
and here. I have one more block to do for this quilt and then i get to start laying it out to decide what goes where....so stay tuned....im gonna need some opinions :)
thanks for stopping by :)
lisajo

Be Mine!

7 Things About Me

I was tagged by Loulee...she shared seven fun things about herself, so now i will do the same :)
THE RULES:
1. Once you are tagged, link back to the person who tagged you.
2. Post THE RULES on your blog.
3. Post 7 weird or random facts about yourself on your blog.
4. Tag 7 people and link to them.
5. Comment on their blog to let them know they have been tagged.

The Facts.

1. I play in a medieval recreation group, the SCA, so i love to dress up in costumes and go camping in period pavilions, jamming to fabulous music all night long.

2. I can touch my nose with my tongue :)

3. I once saved a friends life with honey....dont ask! Any of you EMT's out there might be familiar with the honeybear technique :)

4. I once rode on the Good Year Blimp

5. My husband and i met at a Halloween Party

6. Ive sold several paintings...however, i havent painted in quite some time...something i hope to remedy this year! sooo many hobbies...sooo little time!:)

7. My dream job would be a background artist for Pixar/Disney! As long as i didnt have to leave my beautiful 90 year old cabin in the mountains!

OK, thats the easy bit done, now I have to find 7 people to tag.
Im not going to tag 7 folks(too lazy to include all their names and links), but it would sure be fun if folks decided to participate on their own. Its a fun way to learn about your friends in blogland! Its also fun coming up with seven random facts about yourself! :)
cheers~

A Kitchen With A View...

Once again, while visiting some of my favorite blog sites, i stumbled upon the latest meme..."what is the view from your kitchen". Lyndas site, Lulu's Bay has a list of links on the side of her webpage so you can see the many folks that participated. They are from all over the world, so the pictures are fun to peruse! I notice there werent too many snowscapes, so im happy to include mine! Its nice to know im not the only one still staring at a colorless world, however some of the other locations looked like they were taken in summer...and had me longing for warmer days! Thanks for the fun Lynda, and ive added your link to my favorites too. I will have fun reading about your adventures in Cairo.
cheers~
lisajo
p.s. i have two huge picture windows in my kitchen, so ive added both views :)

Flashback Friday - The 70's

Okay, so i received this email today, and it had me laughing soooo hard i had to pass it on!
If you were a little girl in the 70's......
You had that Fisher Price Doctor's Kit with a stethoscope that actually worked.

You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it.

You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels.

You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute (admit it!)

You had nightmares after watching Fantasy Island.

You had either a 'bowl cut' or 'pixie', not to mention the 'Dorothy Hamill'.
People sometimes thought you were a boy.

You had rubber boots for rainy days and Moon boots for snowy days.
YEAH! You owned a 'Slip-n-Slide', on which you injured yourself on a sprinkler head more than once.

You owned 'Klick-Klacks' and smacked yourself in the face more than once !

Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession.

You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers.

You begged Santa for the electronic game, Simon.

You had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those pink and purple satiny shredded outfits, or the sunshine family

You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze. The swing set tipped over at least once.
You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color. (Oh yeah!)
You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (the ones with hard sole & the buckle). You also had a pair of salt-water sandals.

You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on the
Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in at least one school picture;
and you despised Nellie Oleson!

PONG! ('video tennis' ) was the most remarkable futuristic game you've ever heard of !

Your hairstyle was described as having 'wings' or 'feathers' and you kept it 'pretty'
with the comb you kept in your back pocket.
When you walked, the 'wings' flapped up and down, looked like you were gonna 'take off'

You carried a Muppets lunch box to school and it was metal, not plastic.
With the thermos inside some were glass inside and broke the first time you dropped them.

You and your girlfriends would fight over which of the Dukes of Hazzard was your boyfriend.

YOU had Star Wars action figures, too!

It was a big event in your household each year when the 'Wizard of Oz' would come on TV.
Your mom would break out the popcorn and sleeping bags!

You often asked your Magic-8 ball the question: 'Who will I marry.
Shaun Cassidy, Leif Garrett, or David Cassidy?'

You completely wore out your Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Fame soundtrack record album.

You made Shrinky-Dinks and put iron-on kittens on your t-shirts!

You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker.

You had subscriptions to Dynamite and Tiger Beat.


You learned everything you needed to know about girl issues from Judy Blume books.
(Are you there God, It's me, Margaret.)

You thought Olivia Newton John's song 'Physical' was about aerobics. (?? its not??)

You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer.

You drowned yourself in Love's Baby Soft - which was the first 'real' perfume you ever owned.

You glopped your lips in Strawberry Roll-on lip-gloss till it almost dripped off.


and here is one i added.....

Your dad had a moustache and was almost as cool as Burt Reynolds



i cant believe its been 5 years ago today....miss you dad!

One of those days!

Ever have one of those days? I had big plans...some quilting, some tutorials in Corel Painter on my Wacom, possibly some scrapbooking, work on my website, 30 minutes on the treadmill...and yet none of these goals were achieved. :(
Jordyn usually goes to grandma and grandpas house on Wednesdays...and thats my time for crafts and projects, etc...however, justin left for work today with the carseat so all plans went by the wayside. His commute is just over an hour, so there was no turning back....doh!
And just what did i accomplish today...im not really sure! Laundry...Vacuuming...Dishes...and not much of anything else.
And im not the only one that was off...Jordyn seemed to be a bit of a handful too. Its as if she knew her big day was canceled, so she wreaked havoc on my world as a payback.
I dragged out some fabric, and that ended up on the floor...i pulled out the cutting table, which then became a fort and platform for performances...i got out the laptop, only to be climbed upon...and i even tried to organize my craftroom, only to have her sneak off with the rotary cutter! I think someone is bored...another bout of cabin fever perhaps!
Needless to say, i am physically and mentally exhausted after doing nothing! Justin arrived just in the nick of time!
While he put wild woman to bed, i sat down with my laptop, drank a few beers, and went shopping...on-line that is! I just ordered this new tutorial DVD from Susi Lawson, and i am very excited! An early Valentines gift to myself :) (from Jordyn :) heheheh
Not a bad ending to the day! :)

Cheers~
lisajo


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Border Suggestions?!?

Heres what i worked on this weekend. I participated in two Batik Jacobs Ladder swaps last year and these are the lovely blocks i rcvd. It doesnt line up perfectly in spots, but i think thats what gives it some charm. Besides, once its all quilted and finished, i doubt anyone would hardly notice :) Anyways, now that ive finally sewed them together, im considering borders. I was thinking of a skinny cream border surrounded by a wide colorful batik border. I dont have enough of any one batik to do the same color all around, but i was thinking of piecing some lengths together of different colors to put all the way around(to continue the scrappy look)...or i could order more batik fabric (oh darn :) and have one color all the way around. What are your thoughts blogland? Do any of you have a preference or any other unique ideas i might consider for this colorful quilt? I would love to hear from you!
Thanks~
lisajo