Beautiful Wallpaper Calendar!!

I found a beautiful calendar for my desktop from another quilter's blog: Cabin Quilter, Diane Tombal. Love it! Here is a picture of the calendar!!

I'm sure I'll have no problem remembering to download the new one each month!

Edited to add:
To set as your wallpaper, click on the thumbnail to make open in a window and then on the larger image right click and hit "Set as Desktop Background" and for me I chose the "center" option.

While visiting the Cabin Quilter's Blog I had fun going thru the archives of past desktop calendars that she has shared in the past -all 24 of them! CLICK HERE to take a look at them. They are all so pretty! ;)

Love from Texas!

Cookin with two helpers does not get the job done twice as fast.... trust me!

Found these two cutie cooks while looking back over old photos - This was taken last September when they both wanted to help cook... It's all good until they start trying to push the other out of the chair they're standing in. :P

Love from Texas!

Mini Peak

This year when Holee's Mini Quilt Swap for the fall rolled around I jumped right on board!! Only difference this time was I would be assigned a swap partner. ;) Although the due date is in the Fall (October) there are no restrictions = Any colors or designs... however, we could ask our swap partner 2 questions about their preferences if they liked holiday themes or if there was a certain color they rather not have.

My partner sewlove2quilt let me know that she la,la,loves 1930's fabrics! ;) So this weekend I'm happy to report that I just finished binding on the VERY SMALLEST Thing I have ever made in my life!

"Smallest Thing Ever"..........as in....
5.5" X 7" is what the whole thing finishes at measuring binding to binding.

and before the 2 borders the quilt top finishes at only 2 1/8 X 4.25"

it does look rather cute in all it's smallness but I'm really not pleased with my less than perfect blocks. Did I mention that there are 40 blocks each only 0.5" big!!!

I've already started making up a second mini that won't be so mini, so that I can hopefully hand quilt that one. and then decide which to keep and which to swap.


I can't show the actual quilt until after the swapping, but here is a little peek at the colors and things. Thanks to dumpr.net for the fun transformation of my peek pic.



Dumpr - Photo Fun

Ha-Ha yes there is some cutting mat right there in the center of the photo. ;) I purposefully didn't crop the photo so that perhaps that would throw off my partner :P I thought about sharing a photo of the back side b/c all the seams ironed open completely cover the blocks! I'm really impressed that I made something so small.

Of course I wasn't too thrilled with dear husband's reply when I showed him... and asked - What do you think? He took a quick look and replied "Nice potholder." *men*

Love from Texas!

Wow! Quilter Jen included a Cuppa Joe in with her package!

Well I've never been given a gift card to Starbucks before! But thanks to Quilter Jen, now I have :) Isn't that so very nice!!!? ;) And so are her 15 scrap-oh-lishious sets of blocks!

I guess it sorta qualifies as my first "Christmas card" of the year too! LOL speaking of Christmas, it is only 3 months away for all of you but only 2 months for us as we exchange with family each year when we are home for Thanksgiving. And I'm happy to report I have everyone in KY bought for except my Daddy.... still thinking on that one. ;)

See that cute purple fabric with the skelleton bones!! I'm gonna be sure and snatch that one up for me to keep for sure. He is sooo cute that it almost makes me forget about all the childhood memories of my classmates calling me BONY BONNIE. almost. Sure wish I was deserving of that nick name now. :/

Please know that as a hostess I do not expect hostess gifts. Really, I don't. I do accept them though :) It's always a nice surprise.

I've been in swaps off yahoo groups that required everyone to pitch in to give the organizer a gift certificate from her choice online quilt shop which for her equaled over $100 of shopping. LUCKY her! To me, I think that if the swapper wants to gift or not it is up to them individually. To me I get sucha thrill over all the mail in my mailbox and getting to have first pickings that, that makes it all worth it to host ;)

I only post the photos here on my blog of the gifts that I receive as it is my way to thank my swappers..... I'm getting pretty slack in the one on one email communication these days. Sorry.

Love from Texas!

History Lesson

Do you know what happened 160 years ago this Fall... back in 1850?

California became a state.

The people had no electricity.

The state had no money.

Almost everyone spoke Spanish.

There were gunfights in the streets.

So basically, nothing has changed......

except the women had real boobs and the men didn't hold hands!

Happy 1st Day of Fall Y'all!

Oh and before you go - here is a Fall Crossword puzzle I found for you :) click and print!

Love from Texas!

Do you wannaquilt2? ;)

I just love the name of this next swapper from the HGTV board. Wannaquilt2's package arrived also on Wednesday. She had all of her sets so nicely organized in the gallon ziplock using large plastic paperclips to keep them from shifting around. ;)

and take a look at that Quick Quilts "Quick and Scrappy Quilts" book that she was able to fit inside her envelope too!!! Awesome! I love looking thru books and scrappy makes this one a new treasure. Take a look at a few I spotted inside! ;)

Ooough.... thank you so much Brooxie! You just gave me some new "reading material" for the carpool line next week. :)


Love from Texas!

9/22/10 Texana's package has arrived!

This package didn't have far to travel as it's from texana, who also lives here in Texas. Last time she sent me a lanyard from Stitchin Heaven and b/c she has sucha great memory about Nora liking it so much, she this time wrapped up plastic beaded necklaces for each of my 3 kids! Isn't that so sweet.

See them there wrapped up in red with each of their names on them. I'll wait until Nora is home from school and let them all open up together.... maybe tonight after supper is over ;)

and she also wrapped up her blocks in wax paper like I had done last time when returning the swap blocks. I am only sharing a peak with you of them b/c I didn't want to spoil their freshness. LOL ;)

But I think you will be able to get a good peak and all the pretty fabrics inside each package from my closeups. ;)

and here is the last of the 3 freshly wrapped packages. :) Aren't they all so nice! Thanks again Texana for the necklaces for the kidos.

Oh and OOPSIE! I nearly forgot to share a photo of what she included for ME! Not only a handful of leftover blocks (that I always love) but also she sent a baggie of I-Spy novelty fabrics to add to my g-r-o-w-i-n-g collection that I have for my twins I-Spy quilt projects! THANK YOU SOOOOOO Much! ;) You are too generous Texana!

Love from Texas!

using Black/White photo options

A few months ago in the July swap for scrappy 4 patch blocks, one of my participants shared a great tip! Using your computer to change a color photo to Black & White only.

On our HGTV discussion thread - She shared a photo of her fabric choices all laid out to see if she needed to swap out any before sewing lights and darks into strip pairs.

Too bad that one of my newer swappers missed that tip this summer.... b/c this set blocks will be going back home to her this time. They are still USABLE - there are several patterns by Bonnie Hunter where she calls for a 4 patch with only one dark used. ;)

Thankfully she was VERY understanding when I emailed her the two above photos and explained. ;) what she did next surprised me... she promptly made up another set and mailed to me so that she will still have a total of 20 swappable sets :) Thanks so much! They're Purrrrr-fect! :)

Love from Texas!

9/20/10 Mail Call

Today's mailbox had a large rectangular box in it. Inside were blocks from quilterpat6226 and also a little baggie with some goodies for me. :) Take a look - the first photo is what she packed on top for me. :) THANKS Pat!

I just love leftover blocks!!! They help my quilts grow faster than anything! :D and that panel of kid prints I think I can fussy cut around to use an ice cream, a turtle and a butterfly and more! ;) You are sooo thoughtful!

So I bet you are like me...anxious to see WHAT's inside the box.... hummm let's see. There were lots of ziplock baggies....

each one neatly labeled. :)

Just take a look at all of them un-bagged! :) Aren't they great!? Someone once asked me if I thought showing so many closeups of the swap packages as they arrive was "SPOILING IT" for the swappers.... I certainly hope I'm not. I'd say that I'm just making them hungry for more-MORE-MMMMOOORRREE!~ ;)

After all - if I don't show you as many closeups as I can along the way, even those of you who are my "Super Swappers" sending in 20 sets of 10... will not even get to see them all! It always fascinates me when I stop to think of how many "new to me" fabrics I've meet up close and personal as they come across my dining room table... thru swaps and also my annual FQ Bingo each year. You'd think after 5 years, every package I'd open I would find fabrics I've seen a dozen times before... but nope! Nearly all of them are new to me. AWESOME isn't it!? :D

Thanks again Quilterpat6226 for the extra leftover blocks! :) It makes me happy to know that I'll for sure get to keep some from you!

Love from Texas!