Beach Days

We're having a blast - getting some sun and I'm playing with Instagram on my phone - fun pics to come!

Happy Birthday

Today Mike is 40 years old....SO OLD!  Happy Birthday to the best dad and husband out there.  Couldn't ask for a better guy - or a better location to spend your big day.

Love you - Happy 40th!

Pure Bliss

After a really crazy, long week at work - a really long LONG flight - we landed in heaven.

I get homesick for Hawaii.  I dream about ocean sunsets, the sand in between my toes and the sound of the waves crashing against the shore.  I am a beach person at the core of my soul.  No matter where I am - cold or warm - if the beach is nearby I have to get my toes buried in the sand - and my feet wet in the water.  Its just who I am. 

Yesterday we spent the morning walking the beach.  We saw the new Disney hotel that just opened, ate some breakfast, and watched Sam wave wildly at Mickey who was also visiting the Disney Hotel.  It was so much fun to see him get so excited.  He stood - leaned over a chair starring at Mickey or trying to run into everyone's picture with Mickey all morning long. 

All through breakfast Jake asked if he could go to the beach, "I need to get my toes wet" he said over and over again.  Made me smile to know my little guy feels the same way I do about Hawaii.  As we landed the night before he had been asleep, it was late, he woke up and said to me, "Mom we're here, I'm so excited to be in Hawaii."  Over the last 36 hours he has repeated that numerous times and told me how much he loves Hawaii.

We walked til we were sore yesterday, filled up the car at Costco, bought a few beach toys, napped, hit the pool and then the beach. 

I felt the sand on my toes, the waves move me through the water, a little sun on my face.  Watched Jake swim like a fish, watched others comment on how good a swimmer he is.  He played in the ocean for the first time, chased after fish, created science projects of how the water moved his toys.  Laughed as Sam screamed nervously as the sand moved from underneath him, was curious of the ocean and how it all worked, buried toys in the sand, and chased after birds. 

Unplugged from the world - no laptops, phones, or ipads.

Today we'll actually take the camera with us.

A day with my little family, in the sun, at the beach, making new memories....pure bliss.

Fall Pinwheel Nine Patch

Changing gears from stars to pinwheels - I've completed a few projects this last weekend.  This one being my favorite so far.

I love plaids and wovens - and pinwheels - adding the white I was little worried - I would have normally gone with a tannish color - but I am love the white.  I think it makes the pinwheels pop - and then scrappy binding stands out so much more around the white!

Pirate Quilts

I saw this fabric Skulls by Emily Taylor for Riley Blake Designs and fell in love.  I actually bought it in multiple color ways because I couldn't pick my favorite.  Jake too has fallen head over heels in love.  Asks me daily if I've gotten all the pirate quilts done yet.  I've decided to make one for him and one for Sam.  This one will be sold on my Etsy store and I think I like the blue and red and black and red colors for Jake and Sam.

This was a fun diversion from all the fall and star mania that has been going on in my sewing room the last few weeks.  I used minky to back it in which makes this quilt so soft and perfect to wrap those little ones in.

This line of fabric has turned my head just like the All Star fabric did a few years ago.  Where I feel the need to buy bolts and bolts of it.  So far I have resisted the temptation - after I get the other two quilts completed, I might have to give in and buy some more.  Isn't this fabric perfect fabric to give for little boy gifts!  So tempting to buy more!

Swoon - Fall Style

I'm loving the Swoon pattern by Thimbleblossom.  I've started a quilt  a few weeks back using Hometown by Sweetwater and I'm loving it.  The past 2 weeks though, I've taken a break to give tribute to all things fall - and clear out a bind or two of fall fabrics I've had laying around.

I ran across these fabrics at the quilt store and couldn't resist.  I loved the brown with the little flowers on it - the green baby gingham - the pop of orange.  I had to make my own little version of Swoon for fall.

I LOVE how it turned out.  This block has endless possibilities.  Baby quilts, table toppers, how cute would four blocks be for a wall hanging?  Before I get carried away I'll work on another Hometown Swoon block.  Love this pattern!

Fall Star Mania

On Sunday Mike wanted to watch football all day -- literally ALL DAY -- so we spent a good amount of time downstairs and I quilted and quilted.  I got 5 or so table runners quilted!  A few bound - and lots to share this week.

I'm on a fall kick with fabrics - and a star kick with patterns.  This is a Country Threads pattern called Glory Star which is a pattern for  a baby quilt.  I didn't add as many orders to this one to make it a table topper.  My favorite part is the scrappy binding.

I have to say working with woven type fabrics is harder than I remembered.  They sure stretch and pull a lot!  But I think this turned out cute - so cute I made another one and added a little border on it.  Just need to bind it.

Every weekend I say - this is my last weekend of fall runners - yet ideas just keep coming.  I have a cute pinwheel one on my quilting machine right now.  Hope to get that one done tonight!  I'll be using the scrappy binding again.

Two of my favorite things - stars and fall - couldn't be more fun to sew!