Mail Call - first minis for Round 4 arrived

More Minis have arried today... are you ready for something other than green?? How about.... purple and gold!? ;)

Aren't these purples and golds so bright and pretty.. and look at my helper too... I couldn't resist snapping a few of her today as she sat with me at the kitchen table... her eyes were glowing! I tried to get a closeup but she wouldn't LET me :/

Love from Texas!

Cuffs & Collars

I forgot to mention in my previous post... about the "Cuffs & Collars" Thank you project for Bonnie...

Cuffs and Collars was just a catchy phrase and a sugggested start to have quiltville fans collect to mail to Bonnie the last week of November as a Thank You for her Great BOOK! :) of course any part of your shirts will be accepted and appreciated....

I'm sending in all cuffs and collars along with 1 sleeve of each of my shirts to Bonnie. I know she's Mad for Plaid so this should be a good start to satisfy her cravings to have more and more!

I know it was talked about on the quiltvillechat yahoo group - but I have no idea how many others are participating. Guess we'll find out after Bonnie starts reporting boxes showing up. ;)

Love from Texas!

A Clean Table..

Now that my dining room table is cleared off and all the minis mailed yesterday... it leaves me with a clean slate. I do have 2-3 projects to work on before Christmas but today I wasn't ready to pull it all out.

I just wanted something fast and fun... something to do in about an hour while the babies napped before going to pick up Nora from preschool... ta-da! Here are 9 shirts cut up and folded.. and another 3 cut up but not folded and shown in the photo..

and how about this for a book holder-uper? ;) Of course make sure the iron is OFF!

and since Bonnie Hunter of Quiltville's book Scraps & Shirttails is about Quilting "Green" - look at my greens.... ;) This morning they enjoyed watching Sesame Street in the den. Olivia is the one with big sister Nora's shoes on her hands ;) Paul Thomas closest to the TV - always ready to turn it off and make sister mad :P

I do have plans for these cut up shirts - Even involves a SWAPPING Plans -but no plans to begin until 2009... after my FQ Bingo...and after the Potluck/makeup mini swap.

But for today, it was fun to spend some time cutting them up. I don't know why it took me so long to discover that using the rotary cutter goes so much faster than scissors! :P

Love from Texas!

Mail Call - More Strings have arrived

Wow, I haven't even started yet on this string swap (not due until Feb 2009) and here's another package that showed up in my mailbox over the weekend.

These blocks were made for me by Royalboomer.

Aren't they lovely? :)


Love from Texas!

Round 3: Mini Greens are on their way home

anyone here???? yall are so quiet...or have you all given up on me? I hope not! I do have good news!!! All packages for our Round 3 mini 9-patch swap shipped out today! I loaded up all the kids and drove 30 minutes one way to another town's PO (((there's no way I'm gonna park my double stroller on a wooden out door ramp and wait for my turn at the window in a travel trailer that our PO is working out of)))

Anyway, Those of you that had requested a Delivery Confirmation # - I sent you all a PM with those numbers. and I came out about even with the money that you sent. It cost me $36 and those of you who didn't do the SASE and sent money instead... sent in about $34 and change.. not bad ea? I'm happy! and actually this is the preferred way for me now... those packages go so much faster...so if anyone who hasn't tried it - next mailing you can just write me a check for the same amount that it costs to ship to me or send cash, some send cash.. either is fine.


aaaahhh... and tomorrow I am gonna spread out all my minis and take a photo of them. So far fo the year, this round we had the smallest group of swappers - only had 23 swappers. (and at the beginning I had to cut off isgnups at 40 and took waiting list)

But for me, it was my personal largest - I had 8 finished sets by the time the last package arrived.. if not I would have only had 5... but i kept on keeping on as I have with all the other colors in my free time for the POTLUCK swap for 2009.

Below is a photo of my 8 sets on the right, and the Hostess Gift Leftovers that my swappers gave to me this round - a total of 50 extra! :)
......and speaking of Potluck - I know everyone is busy with holidays... so there is no point to make them due in Jan.. that'd be nuts. Plus in Jan I'm gonna be starting sign ups and emailing for the FQBingo... plus in Jan I'll have a dining room table full of Round 4 - swapping them out and returning them...

so to give everyone a break and chance to take a breath or two... how about we have a due date for the potluck the end of MARCH 2009? everyone will have time to get out all of their swapped blocks, look thru, decide if they want more, make more, and send in I know that will help me out a lot.

I still have blues and browns that need the 3rd row sewn onto... b/c I didn't get round to finishing all the sets I had started...and of coarse anyone i welcome for the potluck just let me know if you plan to swap in the March '09 potluck/make up swap... it helps to have an idea on how many to expect. thanks. ;)

Oh how I can't wait for you all to see your greenie goodies!!! oh, and i sent something i have never sent in the mail before...you'll have to wait to see what it is...(each of you got another gifty from me.. I hope you like it)


Thanks again to all of my swappers! You all are the Best! :) :) :) I soooo appreciate your understanding and being so patient with me. It's been a crazy unpredictable Round this time... but in the end all was good! I'm so glad that our two missing packages FINALLY showed up over a month after Hurricane Ike! ;)

Love from Texas!

look what super blogger Dana is up to

Dana over at Old Red Barn Co. is at it again... she is having a QUILT give-away.. not just one but three!!! Can you believe it? THREE!??!?!?

Check it out - click on the pic in my side bar =>

...again, if I were to get lucky and win one - I'd give it away to help raise funds for rebuilding from damages from IKE for the people in Bridge City.

Love from Texas!

another swap for 2009

I love swaps... and for a couple years have been very good and have even "not looked" at many thread topics that looked fun. or waited until after the deadline to sign up - then peaked in to see photos :D

Well, on the HGTV message boards... there have been a few swaps for string blocks - and now the swappers even Choose their string preferences, which is cool... they call it CYOS (Choose You Own Center String Swap)

My friend crazy'boutquilts is hosting the next round for Feb 2009. I think this is about the 3rd or 4th CYOS now... everyone makes 4 blocks in the swappers choice colors and mails to them anytime between now and Feb 2009.

I haven't had time to start -unless you call buying muslin and washing it starting.... however some swappers are already on the ball and have made blocks for me!!! I've already received two envelopes.

I choose 1930's around a WHITE center string with a request of 1 red background string in each block :) Aren't they beautiful?!

oooough this is gonna be so fun! but don't expect to see any progress from me until the Green Mini's are swapped and out of here.

Love from Texas!

Poor Olivia...my sick baby

Poor little Olivia - today is just not her day. :( We were at McDonald's to eat lunch and just before saying the blessing she "VommmMERed" :(

I'll spare everyone the details but Nora had a holy cow b/c about a **teaspoon** amount got on her dress... Nora is the one that made a scene in the restaurant. *sigh* 4 year olds! :c(

Love from Texas!

I'm ritch, I'm ritch! :)

Yep, that is what I feel like shouting... like a kid with a coffee can full on nickels! only mine are fabric nickels!!! ;P and I'm rich!

When I first fond the HGTV quilter's board I immediately got sucked in to the world of swapping... well it took me about a year to realize I just really couldn't "AFFORD" to swap anymore... so then I started hosting and only participating in my own swaps.

That saved lots of shipping - ;) well... recently I saw a swap for nickel charms.. and the color theme was "stash" so I said, "I've been good for a few years... yeah, I'm gonna sign up!"

and I did - I sent in 10 sets of 10 and am SOOOOooo glad I did! These are all so great! A variety of everything - CW, and even a few 30's in there. And if you are counting... YES, there are MORE than 100 there. :) The hostess, sent me a few more b/c she knows I love plaids and stripes... and she's one of my swappers in my mini swap...

I think I may be peaking in at her nickels swaps again in 2009 ;) I just can't help it! Maybe you wanna swap too and get rich! :c)

Love from Texas!