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Monday, September 29, 2014

Rush Hour Blog Hop

Oh yes she did!   She found a blog that could really challenge my mind.  Thanks to that incredible Madame Samm, and of course our favorite hostess with the mostess... "charming" Carol. And Studio E, that goes without saying!   We couldn't have done it without you. The support you have shown our blogging community is second to none!


First off...my Cell Phone Wallet from Cut Loose Press.


Nice pocket on the back for my phone.


Lots of room on the inside too.


This is the original one I made.
After using it for awhile, I found that the credit card slots were too shallow, and they kept falling out.  NOT a good thing! There is enough credit card problems going around these days.
Also it didn't have enough stabilizer or interfacing in it. That caused the pockets to stretch and things got "sloppy" for lack of a better word. It was very hard to put my cards into the slots, as the fabric wanted to roll.
So I decided to make the entire wallet 1/2" wider. Oh the difference that half inch made. I also made each of the card slots 1/2"deeper, which has kept the falling out issue under control now.
Then I backed each and every piece with Deco-Bond. It added a lot of layers to things, but I took my time, stitching thru it, so it was not a problem, and it was just what it needed.

I like to hang my keys on a Caribbean-er on the strap, so I made it 1/2" wider. It just feels like it's a little more sturdy.
Lastly, as cute as that little strap and buckle thingy is, once I'd taken the time to feed it thru those rings to open and close it a few times, it became very annoying.
Gone...Velcro is my hero.
;-)
Such a great little wallet. I keep it in my purse and take it out when I don't want to carry a big purse around. Everything I need is right there.

This is the perfect tool for those blasted "Rush" hours, but I got to thinking...
It's all about the moose around here!
SO

  "Rush Hour" in the Moosestash was born.




Yep, you see it right! A traffic light right in the middle of the wilderness.


Causing a backup, clear back to the trail head!
:-)


It's an amazing thing, what the mind sees when those creative juices start to flow!
(or just darn scary in my case)
LOL!

Creative juices I said, not wine.
Really!
;-)
Never in a million years did I expect the hardest part of this project to be the photo shoot.
It's been a very long time since I took black and white photos, and let me just tell you, it was not easy.
You sure can see a big difference the backgrounds and light makes. 




I sure hope you've enjoyed the little trip thru the traffic jam!!
Seeing your "Rush Hour" projects has been so much fun for me.

Give-a-way you say?
What would be better than giving away that brand spankin new cell phone wallet in those fabulous "Rush Hour" fabrics. You know the one above with the big red button on it!
:-)
Just leave me a comment telling me why you think it should be yours!
Today is the last day of the hop. I will be picking my winner tomorrow morning, so don't delay.

        Be sure you drop in for a visit to the rest of my fellow bloggers today.

Tuesday, September 30







                                                     



Saturday, September 27, 2014

Colors

I'd get so much more stitching done, if I would just stay home from time to time!   LOL!!


But the colors are at their peak this weekend, and tomorrow a storm is predicted to come thru and put a quick end to them all, so a road trip was in order.

What did I learn from this little excursion...be careful who you ask to go along. My youngest loves nothing more than horsing around.

His idea of taking photos was to open the sun roof and shoot as we drive.
He tells me it's a great photo and all we need to do is crop out the car!


And he got the "look"
I couldn't help it...it comes naturally to me!

But seriously though, it was breath taking




We drove the Peak to Peak Highway between
Central City and Estes Park.

 
The Elk in Estes Park put on quite the show.

Kind of made me want to break into a rousing song of 
Splish, splash I was takin a bath...
You know just to yank young sons chain! 
:-)

If there hadn't been so many people around...


I just might have!
 :-)
I must say, there is nothing better than a great fall day, to put me in the mood to break out all those luscious Autumn fabrics and start stitching.


 






Tuesday, September 23, 2014

Big finish

You saw it here during the "Around the World" blog hop, and I know you thought I would never get to it.  LOL!!!


Remember this one?
Heart Flowers.
It's from Carol Seeley over at Fun Thread Designs.

 All quilted up.


I went to my hand dyes for this quilt.
Each and every block a contrast, even if only a little.


I had these big colorful buttons and I just couldn't help but use them.
Yo-yo's made a perfect background for them.


Thanks Carol for such a fun pattern. It looks great hanging in my sewing room!

You can see more of Carols patterns


There's a freebie or two, you won't want to miss while your there.
And check out those adorable Monster Madness designs.
Perfect for the upcoming season!


 

Saturday, September 20, 2014

Mountain States

Been on a vacation that you want to remember? Nothing's better than a trip across the country thru quilts. That is just what this book has to offer.


Notice I have spiral bound my book? I love doing this to books that I am tracing patterns out of.  It allows the pages to lay flat. Any office supply should have what's needed to do it, and it's only a few dollars.


Being the Northwoods kind of girl that I am
I chose this one for my first quilt from this book.

There are so many fun ones though, that more are sure to come!

It's like a road trip with your quilts, from the comfort of your armchair! What more can you ask for?
Hey honey, bring we a glass of wine!
;-)
tee hee!

Thursday, September 18, 2014

Ever seen a Glacier? (photo heavy)





As you know, I just got home from Alaska. It is a magical place for me. We just don't see things like this around here. 



This is Exit Glacier.
You can hike up to it.


It's kind of amazing to see these holes and crevices throughout.
With the tons of ice moving down the mountain, it seems to defy logic to me.

It's cold and windy, but beautiful
 It's a receding glacier. In fact it's receded quite a bit.


But leaves way for new growth.


Then we went to see the "Big Boys" on a 26 Glacier cruise out of Whittier.


It was pouring rain and COLD, but that didn't keep us indoors!


 There were photos to be taken and animals to see.


The colors just amaze me.


 This last one used to go right to the water, but now that it doesn't it's referred to as a hanging glacier.
All the rock at the bottom has been pushed down the mountain as the glacier moves, creating new land.
The chunks of ice that float in the ocean by these glaciers are pure. Our crew fished one out and broke it up to serve in our drinks! There is so much oxygen in it, that it fizzes when it melts. You can hear it as you go thru them on the boat too. Reminds me of Rice Krispies in milk! :-)
There is one thing I can tell you for sure. Photos absolutely do not do it justice. The magnitude of these things are just something you can't capture on film. As a friend once put it, it was like being in a National Geographic Show. It was just to incredible to describe. She hit the nail on the head. It's overwhelmingly beautiful and makes you feel very small. The power that it has when it calves is like nothing I've ever experienced. Truly a wonder of nature!



Every good cruise deserves crazy photos!



A special treat on the way back was this incredible waterfall.
It has never had so much water in it before, but the rains this year, have created this spectacular sight. I can't even begin to tell you just how much water was coming down.

We got to enjoy some of the fall colors on our drive back.


Oh, I love this time of year up there.


Hiking is a big threat too. There is so much rain forest! It's delightful to walk on. Nice and cushy under your feet


 I am not much of a hiker at home. Too many snakes. (At least in my mind)
My favorite part of Alaska is the fact that there are NO snakes!
Yippee!


But you don't want to tangle with this guy. Its the stem of the plant in the photo above.
At least I can see this plant, and there are so surprises!
:-)



Don't you love these views from my friends deck.
I love the sights and the smell of the forrest!
It's official...I'm ready to go back!