Sweet Home Chicago (part deux)

Sweet Home Chicago

We spent the day downtown yesterday 

and while there, snapped a few photos to share.

Add a little Blues Brothers music {Mr. Fabulous has YET to see it, BTW}

and voila, a virtual visit.

Sculpture Park

While in St. Louis, we visited

Laumeier Sculpture Park so the kids could run around 

before the long drive back home. 

I was lucky enough to catch up with an old friend and 

her family while the kids were busy. 

Miss you already, T.

Heather

Roses, Roses Everywhere!

Here's what I've been up to...

I also made peachy pink corsages & white boutonnieres per the bride's request. 

Hopefully, I'll snag some better pics and share at another time. 

CONGRATULATIONS to Marisa & Mark!! 

Thank you for trusting us to create your flowers 

and for including us in your lovely ceremony.

All my best,

Heather

Which Came First?

Some new Judie Rothermel fabric to add to the stash. 

Chicks, eggs & cute chickens...what could be better?

There is some little chick fabric on pastels I'm on the hunt for. 

Haven't seen it anywhere. 

If you happen to have some 

Authentic Prints by F+Z for SSI C1920's-1940's 

I'd GLADLY swap for some.

Thank you & Happy Sewing, 

Heather

Sure Signs of EARLY Spring

 

Those are buds!?! Yes, daffodil buds close the warm brick and flowers blooming as they come up in the smaller photo on the left...first I've seen this early in the 15+ years I've lived in this state. Southern Spring, here we come!!

Just when you think it's IMPOSSIBLE to see tulip tips in February in Chicagoland....Taken 2/29/2012. I'm speechless.

Have a wonderful, warm weekend.

Heather

I've Never Seen the Berry Patch Like This

It's so hard to believe that the strawberry patch is as green as it is. 

This photo was taken 2/29. That's right.February and our strawberry patch is green....the only brown in it this year 

is from the leaves trapped by the plants since fall. 

Best believe the munchkins are counting down until we have 'real crepes' again, filled with freshly picked berries. That's a family fave!

We'll have more garden greenery for you shortly.

Heather

Purple Skirts All Around

I whipped up a couple of matching skirts for 

munchkin & me. 

Purple is after all, THE it 

elementary school color...

plus it's 'twirly'.

 It doesn't get much better than that.

Mom can do no wrong 

{today}.

Enjoy your weekend,

Heather

Speaking of RSVP...

How many blocks look familiar?

Here's a hint or two & links

(plus some free patterns):

Redrafts, piecing & applique fun

Bonnie's blocks

RSVP QUILT SHOW

Save the date.

The 31st Annual Quilt Show is set for Friday & Saturday

October 26th & 27th.

To be held at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church,

500 East 7th Street, 

Auburn, IN 46706.

For additional information,

please contact RSVP

(Retired Senior Volunteer Program)

at rsvp@locl.net or by calling

260-925-0917.

Happy Quilting,

Heather

Sometimes Things Don't Go as Planned

I hit a roadblock on the RSVP car embroidery project and have been...well, avoiding it as of late.

Sometimes things just don't seem to go the way you'd like & you just have to start over. snip. snip. snip.

When we were kids & needed a second chance,

we "called a Do Over". No shame in our game.

Do over it is! 

The floss this time around was a lesser quality and rough feeling. I may have to get some assistance with this one. 

Happy Embroidery, 

Heather

mmmm Cheesecake! {and it's Gluten Free!!}

Valentine's Day Quick Craft Tutorial

Crafty mommy whipped up some all felt barrettes about a week ago

but I was disappointed in the stretching & 

loose threads that happened relatively quickly. 

After all, we may be on the girlie side among the guys at the RF house---

 but we still play hard.

Fabric Bits

Maybe it's the wish for spring or preparations for St. Patrick's day 

that has me thinking of Judie Rothermel prints....it all started 

with a blogger friend's plea for help finding the green one 

(you knew I had some bit of it somewhere, right?). 

Sadly, it's only a teensy tiny piece but seeing it has certainly helped me...

I had to dig through the Dear Jane fabrics to find it 

and found myself feeling a little nostalgic 

for the project of a lifetime along the way. 

I guess we just needed some time apart.

Happy Quilting,

Heather

Baby Quilt two

Another quick finish. 

Gotta love Eric Carle prints!

piece.

Heather

Baby Quilt

Here's what I love most about stash....

pull out a bin, cut a few strips 

& voila instant baby quilt.

piece.

Heather

Winter Bird Treats

Finally, a bit of snow arrived

& the kiddos couldn't have been happier about it. 

Our birds could use a little sweet boost while we

wait for official spring, so we found a cold weather 

crafty bird feeder to make with the munchkins here.

Since we're in a suburb of the "windy city", I decided to make 

ours a bit more stable (and cuter, too!) by using ribbon & four holes.

Looping double length pieces of ribbon placed from the outside of the fruit, 

they gently rock on the windiest of days.

We chose not to place them in the backyard

since we wanted to add raisins for our feathered friends

 and we have a precious dog. 

*If you have a dog, please eliminate raisins

in your feeders or hang them away from your pets' space.

Raisins (grapes) are toxic to doggies.*

Happy Crafting

{and bird watching}

Heather

a new look

Most of the updates are now in place.

I hope you find the site user friendly {and prettier}.

You'll find archived posts to your right

and some new gadgets, too.

There's a grab the button at the top of the right column

for bloggers' pages. If you'd prefer different settings,

please let me know and I'll do my best to whip one up.

If you happen to grab the button at any time, please be sure

to drop me a note, email or comment.....

thoughtful comments are ALWAYS appreciated.

Enjoy!

Heather

Surprise Fun Mail!

What could be better than fun mail? SURPISE FUN MAIL! Special thanks to the extremely talented Nanette of Freda's Hive for the lovely tea towel. Nanette utilized Spoonflower fabric for this gift, then bound the edges with a coordinated bud print. I'm hanging it up as my calendar in the sewing room before it makes it's way into the kitchen. Thanks so much Nanette! Be sure to stop by her blog for some serious eye candy & inspiration.

Heather

Embroidery & 30s Finds

Thanks to Fab Mama who sent some stitching guide treasures!I've been going through some of the 30s reproductions and looking through Vintage Notions this past week for a nice whip up. Happy Sewing, Heather

baby quilts

I'm playing in fabric! 

I've been rummaging though my stash to see if I could find a nice set 

of material for a baby quilt or two...

if I keep it up I might have a few piles to choose from. 

You know, it occurred to me

that if you haven't met me in real life {and maybe even if you have!},

you probably think I rarely finish ANY quilts....

most of the baby & toddler quilts I've made have been 

for charity or gifts & 

I didn't even consider taking photos. 

So going forward, I'll be sure to snap a shot and share.

I'm really looking forward to some quality time in the studio

{though we're still moving things around to make room for my Lil Miss}.

I never thought I'd actually look forward to sharing the sewing room!

Happy Quilting,

Heather

Try Try Again

The third time's the charm on the French Macarons.

This batch went so smoothly...

less cocoa than the first batch

but yummy and chocolatey &

 perfect.

 {yeah, you'll rarely find me saying that about anything}

When I first saw the feet forming,

I clapped my hands like a giddy school girl

and jumped around the kitchen.

Can't wait to share this batch and make another 

few dozen just for fun.

Whatever challenge awaits you,

keep at it.
It's worth trying a few times to get it right.

Best Wishes,

Heather