2012 has not started out the way I planned. It was too early to even have a plan. We were enjoying my sons’ last day of the Christmas break last Tuesday and it was bitterly cold outside. We built a fire in our fireplace and we enjoyed a low-burning fire all day. I went into [...]
Posts under ‘Home’
Guess Who Decorated This Year’s Gingerbread House?
Guess who decorated the gingerbread house this year? I usually decorate with my sons, but they’re growing older and not as enthralled about doing crafts with mom as they used to be. So that meant I got to be really compulsive with my colors! Normally I’m totally hands off and let them play and put [...]
Thanks and a Winner
I’m overwhelmed by all the wonderful comments and votes of confidence ya’ll gave me over on Facebook for Tory Johnson’s Spark and Hustle conference. I’m thrilled to say I won! I’m now on the speaker’s lineup and I’ll be presenting at the conference July 20-23, 2011. I’ve not ever attended Tory’s conference in the past, [...]
Winter Wonderland
Six inches of snow fell late Sunday evening, and it has since turned to ice. Our boys have been out of school all week, and won’t go back until Tuesday due to MLK Jr. holiday.
It was fun the first day, sledding, throwing snowballs, and hiking mountain trails in the snow.
The second day it was still [...]
Blessings Tree Table Runner
Creative Quilters, I’d like to introduce you to Blessings Tree, the November edition of our year-long color-of-the-month enhanced e-pattern series:
Every Thanksgiving I long for a way to permanently record our blessings. As often as I teach my children the lesson of gratitude and try to practice it myself, the daily carpool, school, work, [...]
Catching Up
Aaaaahhhhh. It’s so good to be back. It has been so long since I’ve been able to be here and chat with all of you. Life has a funny way of sneaking up on you and saying “Ha! You thought you had a plan? Here’s where you’re going now . . . “ I know [...]
A Big Debut
I am thrilled I can finally announce my big news: this beauty is mine. Arbor Lane, JoAnn’s 2010 QuiltBlock of the Month quilt design, is mine. My goal for this quilt was for it not to look like a Block of the Month. I wanted to develop a design that had never been done before. [...]
Studio Tour
We”re doing a virtual studio tour over at the Color-of-the-Month forum, sharing photos of our creative quilting studios, and I thought I would share mine with you. My own studio is the bonus room over my garage, and I share it with my husband, who has his office here too. He often jokes that I [...]
Summer Sewing Camp
I’m getting my girl time on Friday mornings in my studio, when five young ladies arrive to cut, stitch, and play their way to adorable, funky projects. Here Olivia and Abby show off their handbags made from a shower curtain, caribiners, and bungee cording. Who would have thought all those unlikely players could be so [...]
How Much Does Beauty Cost?
I guess that’s an unanswerable question, isn’t it? How can you put a price on what each of us deems beautiful?
Since we’re quilters, our stash is a beautiful thing, one we would loathe to put a price on. Those quilts are works of love going to cherished family members, people in need, and our own [...]
My Emotional Week at Paducah
I spent the last two months getting ready for being a vendor at Paducah. I’d heard wonderful things about the town and its residents from other quilting vendors, so I was excited to learn I’d gotten a premium booth with Susan Edwards at Wildhair Studios, just one block from the National Quilt Museum.
Richard, a friend [...]
Too Beautiful to Be Inside
Please excuse my absence from my blog this week. It’s just too gorgeous and warm to be inside. Look for the April Color-of-the-Month slideshow and pattern next week. Until then — get outside! What are you waiting for?
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Bliss
Sweet and pure elation over catching this rainbow trout on Saturday. We ventured out on the first warm and sun-filled day and spent the afternoon on the boat. It was true bliss: sun warming our faces after weeks of snow and clouds, his catching not one, but two rainbow trout and pleading with his dad [...]
Snow Deja Vu
Haven’t we been here before? Twice in one winter is almost unheard of in this part of the country, even if we are in the mountains. We just don’t see that much snow, not that anyone around here is complaining. More opportunities for snowball fights, sledding, building snow men, and making a fort in the [...]
A Green Valentine’s Day
My favorite school party is on Friday: the annual Valentine’s Day party in my son’s elementary school class. Why is it my favorite? It’s the one time the children focus on really giving something to others in their class. Everybody gets a Valentine’s Day card, and they each decorate a box to hold their treasures.
In [...]
All Dressed Up . . . .
The cupcakes were baked, decorated, and ready to be nibbled on in a ladylike manner. My studio was sparkling, ready for the Mom & Me Quilter’s Tea guests to take a tour. Their parents won the experience at a silent auction for my son’s school. Books autographed, check. Camera, check. All done a day before.
My [...]
Quilting Unit Study for Homeschoolers in E-book Form
I’m proud to announce my Quilting Unit Study for Homeschool Families is now available as an e-book on Smashwords. No matter what e-reader you use, the file format you need is there. Kindle, Stanza, Palm, PC, Mac, Sony, or even for online reading. They’ve got it all.
The cutie on the cover? My little guy, about [...]
All Dressed Up and a Transformation
I couldn’t wait to dress up Winter Bird on my table, with my Christmas china, candles, and flowers. My kids love having dinner by candlelight and think it’s quite a special occasion when I bring them out.
As I was arranging, adding, and editing the table setting, something started to happen. Can you begin to see [...]
My Kindle’s Here! My Kindle’s Here!
I’m like a kid at Christmas – my Kindle’s here! After putting off buying one for too long, I’ve finally succumbed to Kindle love. I’m an avid reader, and I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the Kindle once Amazon lowered the price. Now it’s here and guess who downloaded the first books? My [...]
Winners and a Call for Blocks
First, the winners:
Thank you to everyone who visited yesterday during Day 3 of the Quiltmaker 100 Blocks Blog Tour. I was so moved by your comments I selected not just one winner but two! Congratulations to:
Diane Muska
Maeve315
Send me your mailing addresses to maria@colormastery.com and your issue and Old Glory will be on their way to [...]
Behind the Scenes
After I shot this video at Dragonfly Quilt Shop in Watkinsville, GA, I gave a lecture to the Cotton Patch Quilt Guild in Athens, and drove home for a late-night arrival. The same day, my elder son attended a workshop at the local Apple store on how to use iMovie.
I’ve been the computer expert in [...]
Beautiful Mondays
Most people dread Mondays. After all, they mean back to work, away from home and family. And rainy Mondays are the worst – as it’s doing here in Georgia today (the photo is from Amicalola Falls on a sunnier day).
I’m deciding on a different outlook. Mondays present a great day of opportunity. Monday is a [...]
Side Trip
We spent last weekend with family attending my father-in-law George’s funeral. My boys were dreading the long drive home, so I scheduled a side trip to break up the drive and work in a little history as well. I guess once you’ve been a homeschooling mom, you’re always looking for those teachable moments.
We decided to [...]
Thank You George
My father-in-law, George Jr., passed away early Wednesday morning in his sleep. He had suffered a stroke and poor health for several years, and loved his family but couldn’t enjoy them the way he wanted to. While our family grieves over our loss, we’re happy for him, as he has flown away to heaven, blessed [...]
Julie & Julia: Bon Appetit!
This weekend after my younger son’s eye exam (not ready for glasses yet, but soon) we had dinner at Provino’s, a delicious family Italian restaurant. I had the Spinach Tortellini, David enjoyed the Shrimp and Scallop Fettucine, and the boys both got something equally rich and delightful. It was the perfect meal to precede our [...]
