I couldn't help myself

This weekend I found myself over in the neighboring town that has our closest Joann's - Nora and I had gone over for a bowling birthday party and after it was over she was begging to go to Joann's!! ;) She loves to get little ceramic refrigerator magnets to paint... and she was out *gasp! LOL :P

So take a look at the goodies that I picked out for Paul Thomas' I-Spy quilt. It's hard to see from this photo but the green above the construction fabric on the bottom has robots on it. I love to hear Paul Thomas pretend to be a robot and talk in his robot voice!!! ;) And that fabric to the right of it is of oranges - and HE LOVES "norn-ges"!

After making Nora's a couple years back I have lots of left overs but was informed by Nora that we "do NOT have enough BOY ONES Momma!" So after I cut these I should have around 50-60 of the 100... I'm sure by the time I get them made I'll be ready to do some more shopping for his quilt.

It also helps that my HGTV friend Jessica is also working on collecting for I-Spy quilts for her two boys and she and I plan on trading fabrics with each other ;)

Love from Texas!

I-Spy my little eye.... I see something you don't see... and it's ____

Yesterday I mentioned that two of the boxes that I mailed off were full of fleece to give to Dixieldy..... take a look at what is on the way to South Carolina...

As I was typing this up I got to thinking and it's been TWO YEARS since I bought this during our Hancock's Going out of business sale just before I had the twins... and in 2 years I never even got this fabric unfolded and out of the store's bags!

So needless to say I'm more than happy to donate it to a good cause. I had great intentions to use it for making up more "I-Spy" bags and sell them myself at craft fairs as a fundraiser for out MOPS group - at $10 or even $15 each we could sell several and make a good profit.

After all, for anyone who sees one - to go and buy one of everything to put inside one of their own they'd end up spending MUCH more money to do so... so we thought $10 would be a great price...

All weekend and yesterday I did look high and low and could NOT find Nora's "I-Spy" bag I made for her 2 couple years ago. I know that thing was in the den about a month ago amongst all the toys... and surly it's not left the house?? ... but I could not find it...

so I called my friend Heidi and asked to borrow hers to take photos of so Dixieldy can get a better look at what it is I'm talkin about :) So Dix, this post is for you! ;) I think your kids may even have fun helping you make these up :)

Here are some photos of my friend Heidi's "I-Spy Bag" that I borrowed to take photos of.
A few bags we sewed together during our project we turned inside out so that the seams would be inside - but sewing along the outside turned out cute too - and b/c fleece don't frey there is nothing to worry about :) and it's faster!

Above, it is hard to tell from the photos exactly everything in side.... although I do see a plastic Christmas light bulb, and a dice...

but the main reason for showing these photos are for my HGTV friend Dixieldy. :) to get an idea on how they're made.. so she can whip up some of her own to sell in her craft booth soon!

The bag finished at 8" square. Print on front and solid color back..

See how cute Heidi's bag is with the square window turned on point? She thought this kept things hidden a little better too b/c the items can fall down in the corners...

She choose solid colors for the back so items could be seen easier against a solid background thru the window... a print would be too busy for kids to see the items......and speaking of the back -here is a look.
As she set aside objects to go in the bag she wrote out a list of everything and then typed up on an index card each item..... and included it as part of the toy. Here is a closeup of the index card on the back. It's sewn all the way around on all 4 sides.. so it doesn't come out. Great for kids who can read or learning to read... they can go down the list looking for each item until they get to the end. ;) (((longer quiet time))) ;)

On about the 9th item you will read " Safety pin with beads"

I would NOT recommend including a safety pin in your I-Spy bag unless you super glue it shut... b/c the bag is still very flexible and kids could work it open if they tried.. and then you'd have a sharp end tossing around inside the bag that could either cause a hole or poke someone accidentally.

oh lookie there is a big wiggly eye ball :) those are fun looking aren't they?

and you'll notice inside Heidi's bag she used very small white almost clear beads as her filler. MUCH better than using bean bag Styrofoam filler which I learned the hard way the static of it sticks to the window :( TOO Much...

I used rice in my bag - but I think then you'd have to worry with what if the bag got wet? yuck.. so far that hasn't happened to mine... although b/c it is SO lost who knows? maybe it did get wet and David threw it away??? I'm telling you Dix, I searched and searched for that bag... and turned the den upside down and sideways! LOL

ooough lookie... a cute little lizard! and a school bus... I think that big orange circle is a huge button...?
and the photo below shows a foot print and a sea shell...

There are tons of things around the house you can save up and use that you wouldn't have to go out and buy - like bread ties, clothes pins, school eraser, an old keys you don't know what they go to??? one of those per bag would be fun! Of course buying a pack of Lego's would go far.. or a jig saw puzzle and only put one piece per bag... I'd also buy a package of the fat rubber bands... and gosh there are so many ideas to come up with - I'm sure Taylor will have a lot of fun with this :)

Let me know if you have any questions... I wish I had thought of something like this when I was a kid - what fun it would have been to make these up with my mom and then sell and get all the money!!! whoot wooot! :)

Instead about the most creative business opportunity I ever came up with was parking cars for $3/car in my dad's cow pasture when the Fruit of the Loom had their family day picnic across the road where I grew up... I did make enough money that summer to pay my way to 4H camp so I was 100% happy :)

Well gotta run for now.... good luck Dixieldy!

Love from Texas!

2008 Oh Happy Quilt!

OK, I know it is a new year and I am already behind on posting - uham, that was my goal to post 2 times a week.... but the twins' breathing treatments day and night have kept me strapped down a bit more than I like lately :( Let just say Tuesday's and Thursdays I look like death warmed over when I finally make it to drop Nora off at Preschool around 9:30am!....... but 'nuf about that ;)

Anyway, tonight while surfing, I was reading over on Mary J's blog about charity quilts and she linked to this post over at Annie's Quilting Adventures about her Happy Quilt and immediately upon seeing the photo of her Happy Quilt I had an "Aaaaa HA!" moment. :c)

You see, in the summer of 2005, one night I sat down at the computer to search for "I-Spy" Fabric swaps thinking this would make the perfect crib quilt for my then soon to be 1 year old daughter.... that night I found the HGTV quilter's message board. Until then I had not ever searched the Internet for anything quilting related... well within only a week I was involved in a swap and that was the beginning of a wonderful swapping adventure! :) and as they often say, "the rest is history" ;) That was the official "kick-start" of my quilting hobby!

Nora is soon to be 4 years old in June and I still have all my swapped fabric charms in zip lock baggies. :( I have been feeling so guilty for not making her, her very own special quilt but now I have a solution! I will make the Happy Quilt pattern for her!

Honestly, just getting started felt so overwhelming... starting with choosing a design. I bought Ami Simms' book but they all appear so busy and i don't have a lot of extra time to keep it all straight, I don't have a design wall.... and with a 3 year old who is now old enough to want to "help" and 7 month old twins...

But the Happy Quilt looks so bright and fun with just simply framing each block with a colorful frame. I will get the blocks I have collected out and start framing them here and there when I have time... let Nora choose what colors to frame each one and had them to me... oh and maybe she will remember the experience of getting to help make her quilt :) .....some of my favorite memories of my mother are of us in the basement with her piecing quilts and me "helping" :c)

Then when we get lots of them done, one day sit down and lay them all out and sew together! PERFECT!!! I may actually get this done by her birthday in June! Guess now I should shoot for a generous "lap size" that will grow with her or perhaps a twin size for one day when she graduates out of her toddler bed.

I am so happy to finally have a plan that I feel I can accomplish!!! I am getting out my charms tonight! Happy in Texas ;) ~Bonnie

OH - I thought I would add this in to share with you. Two nights ago Nora woke up in the middle of the night 4:34am to be exact screaming crying! She was having a bad dream so I quickly ran to her room to comfort her.

"It's OK, Mommy's here... it was just a dream... Your OK..."

she is still sobbing and I can't understand her...

I ask her some questions... did you see a wolf? (generally her dreams are of a wolf)

everything I ask, the answer is "no"...

...so puzzled I ask, were you scared? "no"

what was wrong then?

I was very DISAPPOINTED! and balls again...

tell me why you were disappointed... what were you dreaming about?

"Me and you were in a store and I wanted the THREE QUILTS, the brown one, and the white one, and the other white one, and you wouldn't buy them for us to take home and I was havin a fit because I was so DISAPPOINTED!"

A fit?! a screaming fit?! You woke me up for a fit? for something that wasn't real? Not b/c you were scared or terrified, but b/c you didn't get your way??? I haven't had a continuous 4 hours of sleep in almost over a year (7 months of Paul Thomas not sleeping thru the night, and many months before that having to get up to go pee 3 times in the night....of which the last 3 months before they were born I had to use a walker at night!) URGH! Guess I should be thankful that I just had to deal with it at home in the wee hours of the morning rather than in real life in a public store! LOL :P

But it's OK b/c I LOVE you and I will come a running again when you cry out in the night again. Why? Because I am your mother and that is what we do! I love you ALL the time!!! :)