Sidenote

While I was photo-shooting my heart cakes, I realized how pretty this pile of fabric was and that I need to build something amazing out of it. Such as a kite. Or a seat cover.

True Love

Listen.
Valentine's Day is amazing for 2 reasons:

The first one is February 15th.
Candy is discounted.

<3

The second chocolate covered pile of amazing is every day proceeding...
Heart Cakes.


You don't even know how much I love these things.
Once upon a Catholic childhood, I gave up chocolate for Lent.
Then suddenly Lent fell
during Valentine's Day.

It was torture.
I renounced my religion.
I let God down.
I hid these in the freezer and ate them alone at night.

I did not bond with the Lord.
I ate heart cakes.


I have no regrets.
I went to confession, so I'm set anyway.

Man, I love heart cakes.
I'm eating one* right now.







*ten

Charcoal&Pages

I started doodling.

Sometimes I just really need my hands to keep as busy as my mind. I tore a few pages out of a book that I'm sure no one would ever care to read, and then played with charcoal for the first time since about September 2007.

I had an art teacher in college who made me never want to create ever again.

So I thought about my very sweet high school art teacher. And I pulled a few reminiscent doodles out of my hands before heading off to her calling hours. Rest in peace Mrs. Crawly, here are some doodles. :)

This is an eyebrow. It's hard to tell.

"Gesture Drawing"


"Hail Mary, full of grace, The Lord is with Thee. Blessed art Thou among women and Blessed is the fruit of Thy womb, Jesus. Holy, Mary, Mother of God, pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death."
Amen.



I love Catholic prayers

For the same reasons that I love my messy desk.

Caitlin's Quilt

This is the most difficult quilt I've ever made.
And I'm STILL not satisfied.
But I made it for Caitlin's birthday and my dead line was more than up. :)

This picture was the inspiration.
How lucky is it that this girl puts pictures of her closet on facebook?
I tried to match colors for colors to capture the closet on the quilt.
It proved to be much more difficult than I thought.

^^This was the most fun square, and definitely the most defining.^^

^^This was the most difficult square. Admittedly, I gave up on it.
The bottom was supposed to be sticking out--like it is in real life!^^

The back says "Summer '10" It is so hard to hand write with thread but I love to do it.

And I love the look.

Ok. So I got to meet Jonathan's entire family. Which is always terrifying.
But nothing wins a family over like cookies in a cute little apple box.

I emptied the box of its apples and lined it with some paper grocery bags.
But I couldn't get the paper bag to stop flapping up and around and every uglywhere.
Since glue is rarely reliable
I tacked it down.

But silver didn't match so I had to paint my thumbtacks red.


This project requires a full counter top.

Pumpkin Cookies are the BEST in the fall.
The frosting is equal parts
Powered Sugar
Brown Sugar
Butter

I filled the box with cookies and apples and headed out to camp.
And! As it turns out his family loves cookies. Thank God.
Because I like them.

Most fun quilt ever!

This is actually the first quilt I have ever started, around 13 years old. I gave it up pretty quick.

Circles are hard!

But I finished it when I was 20. So...7 year quilt. It probably won't last that long being that it was crafted carelessly. I was so focused on playing with it when I was done working on it that I didn't design it for play-traffic.

But it's cute and a classic. Now I just need to make a board!

:)

First Quilt Ever Finished!

Mania and motivation conceived the first quilt I've ever made. Suddenly, once upon a lunch break wandering JoAnn Fabrics, I realized I wanted to. I grabbed some material and went back to work, where my mind receded from selling blinds and formulated The Snowman.

Every square was stenciled by a scrap piece of cardboard.
Every inch is sewn by hand except for the inside of the border on one side.

I wasn't on a pilgrimage to sew a quilt by hand, I just hated my sewing machine.

Immensely.

I started this quilt in October and finished in December just in time for my mom's birthday.
*Literally, in the nick of time--the last stitches went in as she was blowing out candles.*

She loved it!
And I loved making it, which led immediately to work on the next. (The Peace Sign one)