Botanic Gardens Trip

What a great Memorial Day weekend! We went to the Denver Botanic Gardens for a long, relaxing walk through the gardens. (Plus, the little guy had energy to burn! He loved the Koi fish ponds and winding trails.) We went early this morning to avoid the rain that was predicted for most of the mountains and foothills.

All of the beautiful flowers gave me some great ideas for my own garden.

Plus, I'm now in the mood to pull out some of my favorite floral fabrics and start sewing! Maybe I'll create something with my Moda Simplicity stash or my Moda Paris Flea Market stash....decisions, decisions!

I really am a 'Material Girl'....I have the fabric to prove it! :o)

Happy Mother's Day!

Have a wonderful Mother's Day weekend!





If I had a single flower for every time I think about you, I could walk forever in my garden.
- Attributed to Claudia Ghandi

Still Calling All Quilters!

Jenni is still in need of some assistance in making twin-sized quilts for the Mexican orphanage.

If you can help with sewing a quilt top for this special project, please contact Jenni at jennia@peoplepc.com as soon as possible. The fabric and thread for this special project will be provided to sewing volunteers. This project won't cost you anything...just your time and energy to sew together a simple quilt top is needed. (See more details regarding this philanthropy project in an earlier post.)

After the philanthropy project is finished, as a thank-you, I will randomly draw one name from Jenni's list of contributors for a special fabric *treat*!

Thank you sew much for considering donating your time and energy to making a comforting, warm quilt for a child in need. A few hours of your time and sewing talent will mean so much to a small child.

Melly & Me

I'm feeling a bit creative today with the impending snow in our Colorado forecast. I love crafting, sewing, and quilting when the weather outside is less than ideal. I love the idea of my sewing machine humming along while my little Rudy-dog is curled up in a soft circle near me and my little guy is busy coloring away in his sketch pad at the kitchen table. Next, fill the house with some relaxing music by Josh Groban and the smell of freshly baked brownies and we are SET! (Now, if the laundry fairy could make a visit and possibly Paula Deen to make a delicious dinner for this evening, we would really be set! A girl can dream!)

This website and design team inspires me with their creativity...

http://mellyandme.typepad.com/melly_me/

These animals are just too cute for words! These little animals have so much personality they speak for themselves!

Find Melly & Me patterns at http://www.fatquartershop.com/!

Happy Easter!

Hello friends!

I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter weekend!

Calling All Quilters!

I am leading a Quilt Ministry at my local church. We are making 30 quilts for an orphange in Mexico. Dr Greg Woods and Commerce Communinity Church in West Des Moines are partnering in this endeavor.

We have the majority of the funds to purchase quality fabrics and supplies. We are missing the hands to sew the quilt tops!!!

Do you have a heart for God? Are you mission minded? Are you led to help keep a child warm?

We are sewing a very simple pattern consisting of 6 1/2 in blocks into a twin size top. If you would be willing to sew a twin size quilt top for our ministry, you can contact me at the following jennia@peoplepc.com.

The fabric and thread will be provided ... I need your hands and your heart!!

If you'd like to verify the validity of this ministry feel free to call C ommerce Community Church in West Des Moines, Iowa at 515-225-6651.

Thank you an advance for your hands and your prayers!

Sweet Time

"Time is free, but it's priceless. You can't own it, but you can use it. You can't keep it, but you can spend it. Once you've lost it, you can never get it back."

~Harvey MacKay

Oh, sweet time. To have endless time with the ones I love, to make the most of every minute I've been given, and to recapture the best moments of my life, and let them stand still in time... that is what I wish for. (And, of course, uninterrupted time to lovingly create items for the ones I love....)

Aviary

Another fabric crush... I love Moda's Aviary fabric collection by 3 Sisters!

Moda's Aviary is inspired by vintage prints and field study engravings from a time when the world outside was shared through drawings rather than photographs. Full of detail and texture in a supple palette of pinks, greens, aquas, and cream, this refreshing collection is elegant and sophisticated. Classic florals and masterfully crafted paisleys make this a collection that exemplifies beauty.

I can't help but fall in *love* with the soft colors and the egg drawings. Wouldn't a bundle of this beautiful fabric usher in Spring so nicely?

Fun New Website!

Eric Carle, the children's book author, has opened a museum in MA called The Eric Carle Museum of Picture Book Art. I just found this website and am blown away at all of the incredibly fun stuff!

http://www.picturebookart.org/Shop

As you may know, I *love* all things that are Eric Carle-related! Books, fabric, toys, stationary, you name it, I love it!

The dishes and flatware are adorable, as are the Brown Bear, Brown Bear square stoneware banks. The Brown Bear, Brown Bear ceramic ornaments are simply sweet. The posters are really cool and colorful. They would be perfect to decorate the walls of a little one's bedroom.

1st Day of Spring Planting

March 21 is Dad's birthday. He would have been 77 years old on Saturday. Dad was so proud to have been born on the first full day of Spring. In honor of his birthday, my son and I planted some seeds. Planting seeds in his honor seemed like a great way to celebrate his life and to remember him. We went to the garden center after preschool and looked at all of the available seeds. My son decided that rainbow-colored flowers were best, and we picked up a seed packet of Wildflower Butterfly Mix. It's a lovely assortment of Cosmos, Chinese Forget-Me-Nots (How appropriate!), Marigolds, Zinnias, Blanket Flower, Sweet William, Shasta Daisies, Gloriosa Daisies, and Foxglove.

In about 7-14 days we should have some signs of growth in our mini-greenhouse. I'm excited to see what happens!

GROW!