Brush-tastic!

So I was doing a little shopping at Target - one of my favorite stores. And I was alone.. which makes for some relaxing time to browse the isles for clearance items.. deals... you know, those things you can't live without.

Well, I took a stroll down the cleaning product isle.

I was hoping..

maybe..

I'd find a new cleaning product that would make cleaning so much fun... That I would want to do it so often that my house would be spotless everyday!

Well, that didn't happen. *sigh*

BUT - I did find something that I was super excited about.

Now.. this may look lame to some of you. But trust me.. it's my new best friend.

Quite a few years ago I read an article about fires that start in the clothes dryer and how common they actually are (fires.. not dryers). Well, the article was enough to scare me and I've been a regular cleaner of my dryer vent ever since. But without the proper tool - I've had to use my imagination using baby bottle brushes etc. BUT NOT ANYMORE!!

Now I know.. you might be saying "Um Heidi.. they have been making special tools to clean the dryer vent for years now"... and yes, I know that's true. But are they only $3.99?? No? Well this was!

This is the right tool for the right price! I get excited over the little things.

First I tackled my dryer..

That's just after one initial swipe! And I just cleaned my dryer a few months ago.

YUCK!

Then I decided to tackle under the oven..

Giant dog hair dust bunnies.

Then under the fridge. Don't judge me.. or I'm coming over to your house with my giant brush!

This is not a paid advertisement.. The company that makes this brush, "Evercare" has no idea who I am.. not yet anyway.

And the Winners are....

The lucky winners selected using Random.org are

For the book and charm pack...
#156 Linda H. from Flourishing Palms. Linda worked on some out of my league free motion quilting. Maybe someday I will be able to free motion like you Linda!

And for the "Happy" Charm pack...
#153 Kerry from A Little Stitching. Kerry worked on piecing some borders that have a huge WOW factor. Alot of work is going into them and it shows!!

Congrats Ladies! Send me an email with your info and I will get these in the mail to you!!

May FNSI Results

Another successful FNSI has come and gone!

My night didn't start out well - I'll admit. I had a little clear plastic bag that was filled with some "notions" (ric rac etc) that I had planned to work with. I had come home on Thursday - plopped it on the kitchen counter and then dumped some mail on top of it. WELL - I think my husband tossed it in the trash. Of course - he has no recollection of this. But really - it's the only explanation cuz Lord know the kids don't clean - it's just him (once a month or so) and me. So, after about 30 minutes of searching every possible spot.. I gave up. $6 worth of goodies.. gone! But I picked myself up.. and moved on to project #2.

I had plans to get this section of my quilt top completely together.. but I only got about half way there.

I have the rows together - but my sashing with the mini pinwheels needs some tweeking before I sew it all together. I'm planning to work on that tonight.

I still plan to add another couple borders to the quilt. The first will be all white... then I'm doing a HST (half square triangle) border.. then another white.

So I starting marking all my HST's.

I'm not using the Missouri Quilt Co. easy tutorial I told you are about recently - because I am working with a charm pack and didn't want my HST's to be that small. But to speed up the process, I will be doing some chain piecing. Do you chain piece? I love chain piecing!

I'm hoping to have them all sewn and ready for laying out before the weekend is over. It's been rainy.. so my chances for success are good if it stays like this.

ALSO - I've decided to draw 2 lucky winners this month. So make sure you get your pictures posted today!

The first lucky winner will get this...

and winner # 2 will get this...

The book is from me and Bobbi - and the charm packs are from Barb and Mary of Me & My Sister Designs.

Did you make progress last night? Or did you get derailed?.. it happens to the best of us sometimes!

It's almost here!!!

The Friday Night Sew-In is just around the corner!! I'm very anxious and I know many of you are too.

I haven't been sewing much at all! The weather has been nice and I've been working with the husband to get our garden prepped and ready for planting.

Also - you may have noticed that I've been more absent than usual. Well, my laptop that I've had issues with.. finally died. And even though we have two PC's in the house.. the laptop was the only computer with internet access. BUT - I'm still alive... and so are the kids. But it really makes you realize how much we rely on the internet for everything!

For the FNSI, I will be working on a quilt top that I have layed out and just need to put it together finally! And when that's done I think I will be doing some block piecing that needs my attention. Nothing exciting.. but all necessary!!

And without all of you in the FNSI.. I'd probably be putting it off another day. Thank you for planning to spend your Friday night with me and Bobbi (aka Crafty Vegas Mom).

We'll see you tomorrow night!!!

Scraps and Resources

You may not know this about me.. but I love the public library! It was one of the first places we visited after moving here.

And I can usually be found sitting on the floor in the "crafts/hobbies" isle looking at old quilting books. I love paging through them and getting inspired by pictures of old quilts. It's a great resource for me.

My library keeps a jar at the front desk. In this jar they keep bookmarks that they have found in returned books. These bookmarks are "free" to anyone who wants them.

Now.. I can honestly say that up until this point, I had never taken one. I never felt the need to grab one of these free bookmarks. Until the other day..  I spotted one in the jar that I couldn't help but snatch it up before someone else did.

You probably can't read it.. but it says "Quilters 2002" and below that is the name "Margaret". I love this new bookmark.. and I feel bad that Margaret forgot it in a book. Probably a quilting book I'm sure. But I want Margaret to know that I love it.. and will take great care of it.

And if Margaret is reading this.. let me just say "Finders keepers.. Losers weepers"!! Ok.. not really - I'd give it back if I actually knew who she was.. and if she could catch me. 

Anyway - this little bookmark inspired me to make a few fabric bookmarks. 

The only small ric rac I had on hand was pink - so my fabric choices were limited. But I dug through my scrap bin and came up with these two little jewels.

They were super quick to make - and would make nice gifts. If you are interested - my fabric was 2 1/2 inches wide and 9 inches long. Great little scrap buster project too!

Friday Night Sew-In for May 20th

The signup for the May 20th Friday Night Sew-In is finally here!

Keep in mind - it's not this coming Friday.. it's May 20th!! I know how anxious everyone is and don't want to confuse anyone.

Bobbi and I are excited about the prize this month. We are giving away the new book by Barb and Mary of Me and My Sister Designs called "3 Times the Charm". The book is from us.. but Barb and Mary have added 2 charm packs for the winner as well. YAY!!

If you are new and need the details on how the Friday Night Sew-In works.. click HERE for details.

Otherwise.. commit to some "ME" time and get your name on the list.

HAPPY Mother's Day!

moth·er [muhth-er] –noun

1. a female parent.

2. ( often initial capital letter ) one's female parent.

3. a mother-in-law, stepmother, or adoptive mother.

We all know that the word "Mother" means so much more than that! 

I'm lucky enough to still get handmade Mother's Day gifts that my kids bring home from school. I seriously don't want these years to end. And I must say - my boys' teachers really knocked it out of the park this year!

This is what I got from my oldest... they planted the flowers in class. Pansy's were my wedding flower. They are edible so we had them all over our cake too! So pretty. 

My youngest gave me this super clever bird feeder! How cute is this, wooden spoons and a 2 liter bottle. Love it! 

and also this windchime. 

I hope you are enjoying your day as much as I am... rain and all!  

Eeeerrrrr... STOP the Car!!

So I was on a little trip to one of my local quilt stores to pick something up for the FNSI Giveaway this month and I decided to take a different route.

Now I'm still pretty new to this town - I've only lived here about 10 mths now. So I like to mix it up sometimes and explore. Well - wouldn't you know it.. I spotted "Great Harvest Bread Company"!!!

I'm a sucker for bread - wait.. let me clarify that.. I'm a sucker for GOOD bread. When I walked into the store and stood there with my eyes closed.. breathing in all the fresh baked bread smell - I felt my entire body melt. I wanted to just pick up a loaf right off the shelf and take a big BITE!! I think I actually heard the staff say "Uhoh.. freak-a-doodle-do.." and then I'm pretty sure they did Rock Paper Scissors and the loser got to help me.

I got a simple loaf of Honey Whole Wheat.. and then I indulged and got a round of Cinnamon Chip.. yes I said Cinnamon Chip!

Look at that!!

Oh baby.. when toasted.. LOOK OUT!! The girl behind the counter recommended I make french toast with the Cinnamon Chip. I laughed and said "Yeah.. I'm pretty sure this loaf will be gone before the Sun comes up tomorrow morning." And it was.

Ok.. enough about my bread. Now let me tell you what I got for the FNSI.

Have you seen it yet? It's the new book from Barb and Mary of Me and My Sister Designs. When I told them I was going to giveaway the book for the May Friday Night Sew In - they offered to send some charm packs to go with it. BUT I'll keep those a surprise for now.

I will be posting the signup for the May 20th FNSI on Monday. So don't forget to come back and get your name on the list. You have to participate to get your name in the hat for this great book and the charm packs!

Now go eat some bread!

Potluck in style...

Check out this Casserole Keeper..

With a spoon sleeve.

Here it is open..

and closed and ready to cart off to one of the many summer time potlucks in my future!

I love how it turned out. Now to try and make one that fits my 9inch pie pan.