It's a good day.

You know, I can usually say I've had a good day even when something crazy happens, like yesterday when my kiddo REFUSED to be strapped into his carseat....kicking, screaming, pinching....making all the old bittys at the quilt shop comment on the fussiness of my kid....it was still a good day (cause I went Clementine's instead and purchased more awesome Pop Garden).

However, today is a GOOOOOD day. It's the 5th anniversary of the day I married my buddy, Jeremy. He's a good sport and a really good husband and father. I love him bunches. And, he's taking me to the Cheesecake Factory tonight....but you'd rather hear about fabric, right?

(ignore that weird black spot on my forhead...it's on the scan)

It's also a good day because I went to the mailbox and saw so many goodies had arrived! I recently swapped a sewing machine drawing with my new blogger/quilter friend, Kerri of Lovely Little Handmades. (She also has the cutest cutest things for wee ones in her etsy shop MayaElise Boutique!)

In return, she made the sweetest red and aqua mini quilt for my sewing room! It's the cutest quilt I own now! Look at this sweetness....


She loves Pop Garden too, so I sent her some of the red and aqua daisy. I think she wins the award for sweetest new friend though, because look what she slipped into my parcel...I'm not going to lie...I peed a little. :)

There's out of print fabrics out the wazoo...Johnny and Buck... Heather Ross Dogs, Gnomes, Mushrooms, Goldfish, Volkswagon Vans, polkadots, stripes...Little Red Riding Hood!!!....hedgies...birds!!!!!! OH MY! Thank you, Miss Kerri for being so precious to share such a bounty with me! It will be used lovingly!

Take a minute to check out Kerri's blog and shop! She is super talented and has great taste. If you have some baby showers to attend soon, she's your gal. She has made the most beautiful custom items.

And, finally...thanks to one of my dear friends, Cherie, a.k.a. The Queen of Free...it's been suggested that I add something new and super cute to Pocketful of Pinwheels...here's a sneak peek! That Cherie is always up to great ideas...! Visit her blog for splendid ideas on how to get something for nothing and save on your everyday shopping ;)
I'm off to finish daily chores and spend time with my little guy before his sitter comes for the evening :)

MAY GIVEAWAY DAY!

I apologize...I should have shared this sooner! I've been spending the morning and afternoon entering giveaways on blogs all over the world....well, entering between playing with Titus and cleaning.... Head over to Sew Mama, Sew! to see a looooong list of blogs participating in giveaways today.

I missed the boat on this one...didn't get my blog entered in time...I'll give away something again soon :)

Have fun!

Flowers for you

Just a quick post to share some flowers with you...I hear it is supposed to rain here today, so enjoy some beautiful Indiana Peonies from my garden! Peonies usually mean the Indianapolis 500, and warmer weather, so I was excited to see them bloom this weekend.



There were plenty blooms to fill two vases, so one for you, and one for a friend :)





And, I listed "Little Red" today in the shop....go check her out :) Also blogged about here.

A little trip and some new fabric

I'm baaaaack! Okay, you might not have noticed I was gone, but we took a little get-away for Memorial Weekend and went to Blowing Rock, NC. What a beautiful little mountain town! It was great to meet up with some of our closest friends for a little R&R.

Little "T" had his first encounter with a live choo-choo....and we all discovered that they are frighteningly LOUD.

I was able to scout out a quilt shop in Boone, NC that carries some of my favorites and also some fabrics I hadn't seen before...

Have you seen the new Arcadia line by Moda? I was first drawn to it when I saw Barbara's quilts she made as new baby gifts for a friend. BEAUTIFUL.

I was a little giddy when I found my favorite red and white polkadots from Amy Butler...they've of course been discontinued and are getting harder to find. I also discovered one of my favorite prints by Kaffe Fasset, Aboriginal Dot, comes in red and aqua! CUTE!

I also ordered a few prints online that I can't find here. Anna Maria Horner's Good Folks Filigree in Chocolate...yummy...and Sweet by Moda, LOVE it.

Unfortunately, My sewing area has become ridiculous. Looks like I'll be cleaning the house this week and doing the "unpacking from a fun trip ritual". Stay tuned for more items in the shop!

Little Red Riding Hood

Lately, I'm loving all things "Little Red Riding Hood". I was looking at some of my favorite fabric online last night and decided to draw what she "looks like in my head"...

Here are some of my other favorite things featuring "Little Red"...

Japanese Fat Quarter from the Hey Day Shop

Vintage book from Librarie

Pendant from Bright Color Art

the Picadilly Lily Mini Quilt

I sold my first two items on etsy yesterday, and today, sent them off to their new homes! I'm so excited to get this little shop up and running. There is a new mini quilt listed today and I love the color combination...

This little sweety is called "Picadilly Lily". I had just enough natural linen left to use for the backing, but had to piece it, just to make sure I didn't "cut it too close" (funny pun!) It gave me a chance to use some "girly colors" that I just don't get to play with often, being the momma of a BOY.

I used just a little bit of some vintage pink fabric with a tiny, fuzzy yellow pindot. The mix of fabrics really gives it a vintage "feel". I quilted it using the same design as the Mini Pop Garden quilt. I think I'll be ready to go back to free-motion soon, I've had a nice little break.

Mini Pop Garden

Another sweet little mini quilt to add to the shop! I've started to list items at Pocketfulofpinwheels.etsy.com, so check often to see what's new :)

Quilted in a converging plaid pattern, I love how this quilt turned out. I also learned how to use my new walking foot...absolutely no puckers on this one! woo hoo! It's backed in natural linen and sashed in a "warm white" color. I love quilts with white sashing, don't you??

P.S....I think it's good to take a day of rest, so I'm starting to schedule Sunday posts during the week...I love how you can write a post and schedule it for later :) Hope you all have a restful weekend too :)

xo, Ariel

Mother's Day Gift

Here's what my hubby selected for my mother's day gift...(well, I helped a little). What a sweet little heirloom made by Vana at Le Papier Studio. She drew each silhouette from photos we sent of the T-man. I love it :)

Blush & Butterscotch MiniQuilt

Here is the completed mini quilt I worked on this week. I have yet to decide if I want to list this in the shop, or set it aside as my Spring Doll Quilt Swap piece.

I used mostly Heather Ross "Lightning Bugs", as well as "West Hill" and some "Mendocino". There is one square of Denyse Schmidt, just to keep from being too matchy-matchy. I like to mix things up a bit...I'm such a wild woman. It's bound in Amy Butler's "Seeds in Duck Egg".

Free-motion gave me such a run for my money on the Pop Garden Quilt, that I decided to quilt this one using converging lines. It's completely random, but I enjoyed letting my artist brain work for a bit on this one. It puckered on me in a few places, but it adds to the soft quilted feel.

I'm giving it the name, "Blush and Butterscotch" because the colors are sooooo yummy. Up close, you'll see the softest blush pink, cotton candy blue, and buttery yellow. I selected soft linen for the backing and it really brings out the quilting. A whopping 17" square, this quilt was a simple and satisfying project.

Busily Preparing

Okay, I've never been great at keeping a secret if it's something fun and exciting. Every Christmas, my husband receives his presents in November because I just can't wait to let him see what I found for him this year.

I've been busily preparing ideas and getting ready to open a brand new etsy shop called, Pocketful of Pinwheels. The logo is set, thanks to my awesome graphic designer friend, Mandy Freshour. Here is what she created for me:

Don't get too excited just yet ;) The shop is still empty as I prepare my first batch of items to list. You're welcome to visit the shop and see the logo! :)



I plan to be ready for business next week. You'll find "heirlooms for the modern family"... pieces to decorate your nursery or home...and yes, the sewing machine drawings will be there too! Thank you all for your sweet sweet comments about the swap piece.


In the meantime, here is a glimpse of something I've been working on this week...

Somethin's Cookin'

There's something cookin' in my head that is almost ready to share...I don't have all the details together yet, but when I do, y'all will be the first to know!

In the meantime, I was featured on One Crafty Place in the list of readers' favorite tutorials! Go HERE to see the posting of some awesome tutorials, including a link to my simple burp cloths.

Enjoy your weekend, and HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY to all the ladies out there...even if you're not a mom. If you know a man or are married, chances are you've had to "act like a mom" at some point ;)

xoxo,

Ariel

Craft Hope

I don't think it's any coincidence that I stumbled on this site today. If you love to sew and love to make things for kiddos, please visit Craft Hope. They are collecting handmade softie dolls for an orphanage in Nicaragua and there are many doll patterns to choose from. Thank you to One Crafty Place for posting about this wonderful group. You'll also find a link to Craft Hope's site in my sidebar.

You'll find this doll pattern on Martha Stewart's site, curteousy of etsian, Emily Martin. This is one of the many free patterns you could use to make a special doll for a little girl or boy. They ask that you create dolls with brown hair and eyes, like the sweet children they will go to. They are also in need of boy dolls, so pull out your creativity!

Swap Received!

It rained all day yesterday, and I didn't feel very motivated to run to the end of the driveway to retrieve the mail. But, imagine my delight when I opened it up and saw a large envelope waiting for me, covered in postage stamps from Malaysia! I recently participated in a Spring Swap at the 6 o'clock Stitch. The guidelines were to create an 8x10" piece, using any art media, and including the colors red & yellow. My swap partner, Nishi, is an awesome scrapbooker and sent the cutest scrapbook page for T's room. It's titled, "Just Plane Cute". I love it! Thanks, Ni!

I thought for a long time about what I should send her and since we both share the love of sewing, I sketched an antique sewing machine and added a quilt block. Here's what I came up with:

And finally, I'm always blogging about myself, so I thought I'd share the "real brains" behind this "circus"....my hubby! I took these pics last night as he worked on a new desk for our office. Show this man a Pottery Barn catalog, and he's on it! We're celebrating 5 years of marriage at the end of this month and I can't think of anyone else I'd rather be having fun with :)