creative books

 This week in our In Tandem Art discussion Sarah and I discussed books that have given us creative inspiration. Here is a fairly comprehensive list of the books we talked about. Links to sellers are for your convenience only, I don't receive a thing from any of the sellers....

my stack of creative inspiration

General creativity:

Find Your Artistic Voice by Lisa Congdon

    (a personal favorite of mine and a topic I'll be deep diving into in the coming months)

The Little Spark by Carrie Bloomston

A Stash of One's Own a compilation of knitting short stories that apply to all kinds of general creativity

Head Heart and Hands by Deborah Boschert, a workbook for developing your creative voice

An Artist's Journey through Wonderland by Katie Fowler (recommended by Sarah. I'm anxious to get my hands on this one)

Anything by Austin Kleon (Steal Like an Artist, Keep Going, Show your Work)

Improv Quilting:

Noteworthy by Crimson Tate, my go to improv alphabet guide

Madly Modern Quilts by Carole Lyles Shaw

Inspiring Improv by Nicholas Ball

Modern Quilt Magic by Victoria Finley Wolfe

Improv Patchwork by Maria Shell

The Improv Handbook by Sherri Lynn Wood

Design Essentials by Lorraine Torrence

Create your own Freeform Quilts by Rayna Gillan

Free motion and walking foot quilting:

Step-by-step Texture Quilting by Christina Cameli

365 Free Motion Quilting Designs by Leah Day

Walk and Walk 2 by Jacquie Gering

I hope you find something inspirational in this list. I know I have! What other books do you turn to for inspiration in your creativity? 

January reads

In addition to quilting and weaving,  one of my favorite things to do is read. I read a wide range of books, from nonfiction to fiction. I thought I'd share some of my favorite books with you here from time to time. This month I've already read two great reads, both nonfiction.

My first finish of 2020 is The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates.

I picked this one up from the library on a whim. I'll be honest, I didn't know quite what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised. In this book Melinda, wife of Bill Gates, tells her story working with the philanthropy foundation she created with her husband. Much of the work they do encompasses the rights of women around the world. She tells detailed stories of women she has met, mostly in Africa, and how they have been able to impact families through women's health, education and services. Maybe because of my own recent travels to Africa, I was able to understand clearly the challenges these women face. This is a five star read in my opinion. It left me thinking and wanting to learn more.

My second finish of the year was a Christmas gift from my hubby ( umm yes, it was indeed on my Amazon list which I provide him a copy of every year. Please tell me I am not alone). It is Find Your Artistic Voice, by Lisa Congdon. I have been a big fan of Lisa for a long time. If you want to follow her on instagram, you can do that here.

Lisa is an artist/illustrator with a very distinct style or voice. In her latest book she helps other creatives find their own voice. I found this to be very inspiring. Again, I was left thinking and exploring which is always a good thing! I recommend this one to ALL of my creative friends. Again, five stars!

Are you on Goodreads? I track all of my reading there. You can follow me here.

I'd Rather be Reading

In several of my quilty groups lately I have tossed out the question.... "if you're not quilting, what are you likely to be doing instead?" My answer? Reading! I'm a lifelong lover of books and reading. Some of my earliest memories involve loading up on books at the library.... first picture books with my Mom, later early readers and then chapter books. When Mom would chase us outside to play, I would usually sneak a book with me and curl up under a tree (or in the tree!) to read.

Recently, I had the pleasure of reading Anne Bogel's soon to be released second book, "I'd Rather be Reading". Some of you might know Anne from her blog, Modern Mrs Darcy, or her podcast What should I read next? Lately, Anne is one of the sole reason's my TBR (to be read) list is longer than it's ever been.

While I'd Rather be Reading could be a read-in-a-day book, I chose to savor it over several days. I will admit, the book sent me down several rabbit holes. One afternoon, I found myself curled up on the couch happily watching the movie You've Got Mail! Anne had talked about the movie in her book and I hadn't seen it in probably 15 years or more. What a delight! Now I can't wait to visit the bookstore in New York City that inspired the movie. Books of Wonder just happens to be a few blocks from where I'll be staying on the upper west side of Manhattan next month. Serendipity I say! I half expect to run into Meg Ryan while I'm there...

This awesome book, which releases on Tuesday, is the perfect holiday gift for all of your reading friends. Anne's delightful storytelling made me want to read other books even more (I reached my 2018 reading goal in August. Not a coincidence). Also, there are amazing preorder bonuses if you order it before the release date. You can check those out at IdRatherBeReading.com. Look at all of these goodies!

You should know that I did receive an advanced copy of I'd Rather be Reading for free. However, if you know me at all, you also know that all of the opinions in this post are my very own, from my heart.

improv play

Since one of my goals for 2018 is to explore improv quilting more, I pulled out one of my awesome Christmas gifts from hubby and set to work!

I love Victoria Findley Wolfe's Modern Quilt Magic book. So many fun things to try. I started with these little scrappy improv squares. I pulled out my low volume scraps and whipped up four of these tiny squares. Each one is only 1 1/2" square! So little and so addictive.

Soon four became eight...

and before I knew it there were sixteen.

I had a great time making these. Now they have been set aside for a future project. If you're looking for a fun book to push your limits, I highly recommend this one.

The New Hexagon

My sweet friend Chantal has been leading a sew-along at Stitched With Love the last few months. The ladies are all making the hexagon blocks in Katja Marek's awesome book, The New Hexagon...

 Last week I got news that Chantal is moving away (boo...) and I was asked to step in and lead the sew-along beginning in April. Yes! I was thrilled and honored to be asked. I got my hands on the book and some fabric (thanks Joy!) and started working on blocks right away. I have some catching up to do!

I chose the Sun Prints line by Alison Glass for my fabric. Three blocks are done so far....

 I love how each block uses different shapes to make up a three inch hexagon. Here's block one, made up of hexies and diamonds....

Block two from triangles...

and block three, a hex, kites and triangles. This one was tricky!

Block four is ready to stitch today. These are so much fun! If you're local to the shop, I hope you'll consider joining us in this fun stitch-along!

Snacking with a mug swap

After I swore off internet swaps for a bit (who was I kidding???) I signed up for the Instagram #snackingwithamug swap. I just couldn't resist! The challenge was to make your partner a mug rug and send it with a mug & a book in the genre of their choice. Now that my partner, Linda, has received her package I can share it with you....

I had fun putting together goodies for Linda, including coffee & chocolate & the only Sci-fi book I have ever read and enjoyed, The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. I am not a Sci-fi person like Linda is, but this book had a huge impact on me, so when I saw that it was her requested genre I knew that was the book I wanted to send.

A little detail about the mug rug I made her. Following the lead of Mollie, over at Wild Olive, I tucked tiny pompoms under the edge of the binding. Such a sweet little detail! I will do that again sometime for sure.

A hexie flower and gingham bias binding completed the mug rug.

 Then, because I'm so in love with Svetlana's Lola pouch, I had to make another. This time I added Linda's name, foundation paper pieced using the Quilt Talk book, shrinking the letters to 55%.

I had so much fun putting this together & Linda seems to enjoy it. I don't expect to get my package for a few more weeks. I mailed Linda's off early because of our trip. Can't wait to find out who my sending partner is!

placemats

A couple of weeks ago, my son and his girlfriend sent me this picture of their new dishes and asked if I would make them some placemats. Well when your kiddo asks you to make something, you jump right on it! Right?

I had been hanging onto the Quilt Talk book for a while, wanting to try some of the foundation paper pieced letters, and the placemats in the book were just what I wanted to do! I made this sample with scraps of grunge I had in my stash (Pool and Peacock are the colors)....

And I was pretty proud of myself! Lucky for me, Stitched With Love (the shop I work at) carries the full line of grunge (LOVE!) so I headed over there for supplies. Soon I had this done....

The center piece is from Art Gallery's Utopia line. 

Before long I had four done.....

Off I go to the post office today to mail them off to Phoenix. Hope they enjoy them!

Sew Mama Sew Giveaway day!

Woohoo! Today's the day! It's Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day! As always, I'm jumping on the giveaway train. After you're done here, you'll want to jump on over to the Sew Mama Sew blog & see what else is up for grabs. I certainly plan to! I haven't won anything the last two go arounds, so maybe this time I'll get lucky. There's always a ton of fun goodies to be had.

 This year, I'm so excited to be able to offer you up a copy of the new Craft it Now book by F&W Publishing. As you can read here, I'm so honored to be included as a contributor to this fun book. (page 32 to be precise!) If you want, I'll even sign the book for the winner. Not that my signature is worth a dime! HA! in fact, if you'd rather I not mess the book up with my autograph, I'll be happy to oblige.

There will be some extra handmade crafty goodies added to the package you win! But how do I win this awesome prize, you ask? A great question! Just leave me a comment below telling me who first instilled the love of crafting in you.... make sure I have your email! If you are a no reply commenter and you don't leave me your email address I'll have to draw another name. That would be so sad! I'll draw a winner at the end of the day this Friday, May 16.  If you are a follower of my blog (old or new!) leave a second comment for a second chance to win. I'll be happy to ship worldwide.

So what are you waiting for? Comment away!
Comments are now closed. Giveaway has ended. thanks for stopping by!

an exciting weekend! Prom and very happy mail

 I promised you some prom pictures, well here you go! Here's my beautiful baby girl with her daddy before she left for the dance on Saturday night....

 And here she is with all of her best buddies. Such an awesome group of kids. They had a wonderful time!

I also received some very happy mail on Saturday that I had been waiting for! I've been keeping a secret from you! I am honored to be a contributor in this new book by F&W publishing....

 So many fun crafty projects by so many different contributors. Here's a peek at my page, featuring my decorative sewing pins that I love to make....

And guess what? Sew Mama Sew giveaway day is coming up on May 12! Perfect timing... I have a copy of this awesome book that I will give away to one of my blog readers with some added goodies! I just love giveaway day, don't you?

this and that

Yay! my wall of minis is beginning to come together! I put my three Thimbleblossoms minis up the other day and I must say, I love the way they all play together....

 As you can see, I have lots of room to add to this wall.... also, my fabric is all unpacked but looking rather messy. sigh.

 Has anyone else been contemplating making a Marcelle Medallion quilt from the Liberty Love book? Or am I the only one that crazy? Do a search for them on Pinterest, you will be amazed! I have to be honest, it's the center block that intimidates me the most. I decided to give the block a trial run, using some fabrics from my stash....

It's not perfect but it's not horrible, right? This was, most definitely the most difficult quilt block I have ever attempted. I will try it again. Perhaps in solids? Stay tuned....

Color Me Chronic

As a senior project, Ally decided to collect coloring books for the kids at Children's Medical Center in Dallas. She called her project "Color Me Chronic" and put the word out around Christmastime that she was accepting donations of coloring books. Today she delivered her books to the hospital....

 There were seven big boxes to be loaded into carts provided by Child Life...

 They were heavy!

 The grand total? 715 coloring books! I'm so proud of my sweet Ally. I know those kids will love coloring for a long time to come. If you were a part of Ally's venture, thank you so much! It means a lot to her.

Crafty Tuesday February style

Six of us gathered for Crafty Tuesday yesterday. First up was a bit of show & tell.....

 Trae finished her scrappy trip along topper & I do love it. Especially how she strategically used ivory strips in each block. Fabulous!

 Grace is making this pretty quilt as a gift.

 Next up, birthday celebration! Happy Birthday to me (I'm not shy!). This pretty package arrived last week from Maria in Australia. Check out the fabulous text print fabric she wrapped it in! That's a gift in itself.....

Inside was this beautiful table runner which I just love! (see how happy I am?)

Also a fat quarter of darling sewing machine fabric, a pretty scissors fob and two adorable barnyard buttons! I'm a spoiled girl! Thanks Maria

 And all of these wonderful goodies from my crafty Tuesday buddies......

 Gluten free cookies, a fun water jun, tons of pretty fabric, a book, some notions, Tiger Tape, a project bag.... OH MY! The best gift of all is their wonderful friendships. I'm so blessed to have awesome friends.

We enjoyed some crafting time & all went out for a Birthday lunch of pizza and salads. After they all left, I cleared off the dining room table and put my pretty runner in the place of honor.

Life is good.

roadtrip

Yesterday, I went with my pals, Joellen and Marie, to a quilt show in Jefferson, TX. The drive was about 3 hours from Dallas, but it went by fast with these two. Lots of laughing and storytelling. We forgot to get a picture of the three of us until we were almost home and it was very dark, but here are Joellen and I taking a selfie at lunchtime...

 The quilt show was wonderful! There were so many beautiful quilts to look at and the few vendors that were there were all very good. I bought more than I probably should have. They also had the Hoffman Challenge quilts there to view. So beautiful! Here's a sampling of what we saw...

Marie had a booksigning and a talk to give. Have you read Marie's books? You really must! You can see them all on her website but I will say, her most recent novel, Between Heaven & Texas is my favorite. Marie's characters make you want to crawl inside the book and be their friend. And I'm not just saying that because Marie is MY friend! I can't wait for her new book to come out each spring (is it spring yet???)

While Marie was busy, Joellen and I had some time to wander into nearby shops and spend even more money. Jefferson is a quaint town with sweet antique stores, gift shops and even a general store. It was a lovely day which ended with Joellen and I watching a meteor shoot through the sky as we neared home. You just can't beat a good roadtrip now & then!

Gluten Free Expo

Yesterday Hubby and I attended the Gluten & Allergen Free Expo in Plano, TX. Yes, I know, that's 2 Expo weekends in a row for me! When it rains it pours. Anyways, I hardly took any pictures at the Expo, I was so busy stuffing my face with delicious samples from the vendors. No need for lunch after that! And, we came home with two giant bags filled with samples and coupons and info....

What a deal! Found some new foods to try, got coupons for some current favorites. The one pic I did take at the Expo was of Kyra Bussanich with her new cookbook. Maybe you saw her on Cupcake Wars last year? She won with her gluten free cupcakes! She was very sweet and we enjoyed talking to her.

Hope you've been doing something fun this weekend too!

a new journal

I've always loved to journal. And, I love to doodle. Most of my journals, all of my life, were a combination of writing and doodling. So when I started seeing these "Walls" journals on the web, I knew I wanted to have one. 

Many people have done Walls pages that are truly works of art. This caused me to be very intimidated. Putting that first mark in a new journal has always been intimidating to me anyways! But I didn't want this one to sit empty so I jumped right in. I probably should have taken a picture of the blank page before I started (hindsight!)

I think this page is done. Or maybe not. 

Do you journal?