This was a baby gift for a quilting friend.  

It was inspired  by this post by Sandra Saunders.

It was probably my second or third attempt at machine quilting it myself.  I finally learned how to install my walking foot that I got last year for Christmas and marked the lines with a water soluble marker.  It was fun to zip along ~ so smooth and no tucks!

My squares were cut at 6 1/2".

My sashing was cut at 2 1/2".

My outer border was cut at 4".

I'm glad I found the white with grey dot background fabric.

I later found out that my friend doesn't like solid white backgrounds!?!  That's kind of my "go-to" filler fabric so I'm glad I decided to mix things up this time!

A simple little homemade gift.

Perfect for snuggling with :)

New E-Book Winner

I really hate to have to do this but I have to pick a new winner for Jill's E-book of Home Sweet Quilt.  I didn't hear back from the first winner and had no way to get in contact with her.  There was no email attached to her blogger profile. I'm so sorry, Winner #1.

However, I am happy for the new winner - 

Patti who said, "I really need this book so thank you so much for the chance to win it!"  

Congratulations Patti!  Home Sweet Quilt is on it's way.  

I know you'll enjoy it.  It's a great book.

 

I hope you'll all go check out your blogger profile settings and make sure you have an email connected to your account.  It's necessary for situations like these or if you ever leave a question or comment and want a response!  You don't even have to have a blog to have your email connected to your account. 

You can also become a follower to make sure you never miss out on blog updates and announcements.

Have a wonderful, fabulous, quilty kind of day!

~ Amber

CURRENTLY

SAW THIS ON PINTEREST THIS MORNING.  THOUGHT IT WAS A CUTE WAY TO DOCUMENT LIFE.  HERE GOES...

I AM LISTENING:

TO MY HUSBAND TELLING ME I HAVE A PACKAGE.  (FIRST CHRISTMAS SHOPPING PACKAGE OF THE SEASON HAS ARRIVED.  TRYING TO MEET MY ANNUAL GOAL OF BEING DONE BY DECEMBER 1ST.)

I AM EATING:

LEFT-OVERS -

(HOMEMADE LASAGNA AND 
HOMEMADE FRENCH BREAD).

I AM DRINKING:

ICE WATER. 

OH, THE COLD, CRUNCHY GOODNESS.
I AM ADDICTED.

I AM WEARING:

CABLE KNIT SWEATER FROM SISTER.

RUST SCARF FROM HUSBAND.

NAVY JEGGINGS.

BORN BOOTS (I HEART THEM.  THEY'RE SO COMFORTABLE.  I COULD WEAR THEM ALL DAY - AND SOMETIMES DO!)

I AM FEELING:

A LITTLE ANXIOUS.

THE WEATHER TODAY IS:

COOL AND GRAY.  FALL COLORS ARE EVERYWHERE.

LEAVES CRUNCH UNDERFOOT. 

I AM WANTING:

THIS DESK FROM WORLD MARKET:

NEEDING:

NOTHING.

THINKING:
CLEAN OR QUILT?  THESE TWO PROJECTS ARE CALLING MY NAME...
 

(AND MAKING A BIG MESS ON SEWING ROOM FLOOR).

 

ENJOYING:

MY KIDS.  PINTEREST.  MY LITTLE TOWN.

RUNNING OUTSIDE THIS MORNING WITH FRIENDS (MAY BE OUR LAST CHANCE BEFORE BAD WEATHER HITS).  A FEW MOMENTS TO MYSELF.  TALKING WITH MY SISTER.  THIS DAY.  MY HUSBAND.  


What are you up to currently???

 
p.s.  check out this post for result of Jill Finley's Home Sweet Quilt E-book giveaway.

Home Sweet Quilt E-Book Winner

Thank you all for entering Jill's e-book giveaway.  It sounds like a lot of you are looking for ways to up your applique skills and I know Jill is just the one to inspire you! 

 

The lucky winner of Home Sweet Quilt is:

crspy16 who said...

I'd love to win a copy of this book and learn a new way of doing applique! Thanks for the chance to win!

Crspy16 ~ please send me your email address so Jill can send you her e-book version of Home Sweet Quilt. You can reach me at adctd2qultng@gmail.com.  If I don't hear back from you within 48 hours I'll pick a new winner :)

For those of you who didn't win ~ don't cry.  You can get your copy of Home Sweet Quilt at Martingale or stop by Jill's blog for more information: http://jillilystudio.blogspot.com/

Happy quilting!

~ Amber

A Blook Tour

Just over a month ago I was browsing around on Pinterest and spied this darling quilt.  I immediately fell in love with the striking, yet playful colors and the original flowers that are so delicately appliqued throughout.  I didn't know who made it or who designed it but I knew I loved it!  It was immediately pinned to my "Quilt Love" board.

About a week or two later, my friend (and quilt designer extraordinaire) Jill Finley stopped by the quilt shop I work at to tell us about her new book, Home Sweet Quilt.  I couldn't believe my eyes when that very quilt I spied on Pinterest a couple of weeks prior was gracing the cover of her new book!

Needless to say, I was thrilled when Jill sent me an email asking if I would like to be a part of her Blog/Book Tour or "Blook Tour" as Jill likes to call it :)

Home Sweet Quilt is filled with 12 darling projects and great instructions! One of the things that I am most excited about is the fact that Jill includes a detailed description of how to applique - the Jillily Way!

I don't know if I ever told you but it was Jill who got me excited about applique.  I had tried it several times throughout the years but I always felt a little overwhelmed since there are about a gazillion different methods out there!  That changed a few years ago when Jill came to the quilt shop one day to do a demo of her method.  She made it look so easy and I was sold! I've been using her method ever since.  Her book is as good as her demo with several pages dedicated to teaching her applique method.  Lots of photos are included too!

So lucky for you, you get the opportunity to win an e-copy of

Home Sweet Quilt!  Just leave a comment below and I'll pick a winner Sunday night. And if you can't wait or want to get your hands on a hard copy you can purchase Home Sweet Quilt through Martingale.

Until then, be sure to check out the other participants in Jill's Blook Tour where you can see some of the other great projects from Jill's book as well as earn more chances to win great prizes!

     

Sat, Oct 13:                 Aurifil Threads                        http://auribuzz.wordpress.com/

Sun, Oct. 14:             Linda Lum DeBono                   lindalumdebono.blogspot.com/

Mon, Oct 15:              Madame Samm                       www.sewwequilt.com

Tues, Oct 16:              PamKittyMorning                    pamkittymorning.blogspot.com

Wed, Oct 17:              Amy Ellis                                 amyscreativeside.com/blog/

Thur, Oct 18:             Stitch This (Martingale)              http://blog.shopmartingale.com/

Fri, Oct 19:                Chitter Chatter Designs             creativityamongstchaos.blogspot.com

Gigi's Thimble                           alittlebitbiased.blogspot.com

Sat Oct 20:                 Jacquelynne Steves                   thenoblewife.blogspot.com

Sun Oct 21:                Henry Glass Fabrics                 henryglassfabrics.blogspot.com

Thanks for stopping by and happy quilting!
~ Amber

   

** THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED**

Pinterest.

 I thought I was past that addicted stage.

You know, where you go from wasting an hour or more a day on it 

to just 5 or 10 or 15 minutes.

 

But I'm kind of loving it these days.

Especially 'cause I can do it on the iPad while I watch things like

the Presidential debates with my hubby  

(makes it not so boring)

or one of our many shows like Chopped, Shark Tank or the Bachelor. 

 

Feels like I'm killing two birds with one stone, ya know?

(Hmmm... What if the two birds are wasting time and wasting time?  Does that really count?)

 

Anyways,

What about you?

Do you go in spurts with it?

 Do you use, make or do any of the things you see on there?

I don't know about you but I have really good intentions of having my whole house organized just as fabulously as it looks on my "Ultra Organized" board.  And, I'm pretty sure one of these days I'm going to make all of the recipes I have on my "Sweet Treats", "Yum", "Good Morning" and "Drink Me" boards.  And at the same time, I'll be as strong and tough as I am on my "Be Fit" board and my home will be as beautiful as "My Dream Home" board.

 

 ~ YEAH RIGHT ~

 

I guess it's easy to get overwhelmed with all of the loveliness on there.

You have to be able to brush off all of the perfection that you see.

 

But it's kinda fun trying.

A little inspiration, motivation and eye candy never hurt.

 

Unless...

You eat half a pan of these:

Which I'm pretty sure I did over the course of a couple days.

(These revel bars are super easy.  The recipe makes a ton.  They freeze well.  And they're really yummy.)

 

[Confessions of Cookbook Queen Blog]

You may also feel a little regret when you tell yourself you're just going to have one bite of one of these Mummy Twinkie Pops (I mean, after all, you have to try the fruits of your labor and besides you don't even really like Twinkies) but you end up eating the whole thing anyways cause it was actually quite tasty. 

(I took them to our family Halloween party last Monday.  They were so cute.  I just couldn't resist.  It cost about a dollar a pop to make them and I got all the supplies at Wal-Mart.)

Another thing I made 

(that I spied on Pinterest and didn't feel bad about) 

were these burp cloths:

 [Designer Baby Burp Cloths - link]

They were fun to make and it's nice to (for once) feel "on the ball" ~ 

It's nice to have a stash of homemade baby gifts that I can go to on a moments notice (as if 9 months notice wasn't enough).

I'm just saying that Pinterest is fun and there are lot of good ideas on there.  And you can have fun trying some of them.

But you just have to be careful.

That you don't feel like you have to do all of them.

Just do one or two or three.  

Once in a while.

Now, it is two-fifteen in the afternoon.  

So I need to go get my bra on and my makeup done and my hair flat-ironed because I just wasted a lot of time talking about a really good time waster.

So.  Good-bye :)