A Random Holiday

Happy Valentines Day!  It's not a big deal at our house, and Chris is coaching a basketball game tonight so that's where we'll all be, but it's never a bad thing to celebrate love is it?

I'm feeling like a random post today.  Got too much swimming around in my brain I guess.  So I'm gonna unload some on y'all.  :)

• I finished another star.  It's not may favorite.  In fact, it may be my least favorite.  It was so much better on EQ5 than before I spent a half-hour on it.  BUT, they can't all be favorites and I've only got 2 left.

• I am going to go with the 20 stars on the front.  Chris liked it better, Oren liked it better and a few of y'all did too.  And, it saves me from having so much border to wrestle with getting straight.  Win.

• I am participating in Le Challenge this month.  I took a few months off because of schedule restraints and a bad memory, but was happy to remember in time to play this month.  Lucy and Nat challenged us with "Rising Sun."  I'll post about it tomorrow.  This is a fun, non-competitive challenge for anyone who wants to participate.  You can use any medium, it doesn't have to be sewn.  I actually did a digital print this time.  :)

• Dana posted about pretzel bites the other day and I just read it today.  So I made them today.  Chocolate is over-rated, right?  said me never.  BUT we've had sweets all week so I decided pretzel bites would be a nice snack.  And they are GOOD!!  Definitely try them.  They're easy, just a little time-intensive.  I wish I had a warm cheese sauce to eat with them.  hmm....

via Old Red Barn co. 
Dana's picture is so much better than my phone version and I really want y'all to go make these

• Emma learned yesterday that her class was going to do a valentine exchange after all.  She goes to an enrichment class in the morning and so wasn't sure what, if anything, her class was going to do.  So I ran to the grocery store last night to pick up some Rolos.  We made these fun valentines that were free from How Does She?  I ended up having to use small goodie bags (like reallysmall) so I shrunk the graphic down in my photo-editing software to 3 x 2 inches.  They were cute!

It obviously didn't have the watermark, but you have to give them your email address to get the file and I didn't want to give their stuff away for free...

• I made this soup the other night.  It's a clean recipe, meaning all the ingredients are not processed I think...or something like that.  Anyway, it was really good.  Like Emma doesn't like tomatoes and she ate 3 bowls and really wanted a 4th.  Like it was cold in her thermos by the time she got to lunch the next day and she ate it anyway.  It's a keeper around here.  It has coconut milk in it instead of cream and I was worried it would taste coconutty, but not at all.  I did add some spice since my family likes that.  Really good.

via River North Paleo Girl

• I never got my Valentines decorations out this year with me being hurt.  I'm feeling mostly good now, but just moving a lot slower and I get tired more easily.  It's very frustrating to this independent, impatient girl.  But I did find some very cute decorations I wish I'd made and put out.  Check out this pillow and this embroidery pattern.

• Chris' basketball team is playing in the semi-regionals tonight at home.  If they win, we'll head to Lakeland, FL next week for the Final 4.  He started helping with the team partway through the season this year when the head coach (a good friend) had some family issues and so that's how he ended up coaching two sports at the same time.  He's also a middle school softball coach.  Yes, he sleeps good every night when he finally gets home.  

• I grew up a coach's daughter and Chris has coached something since we met, so it's a life I'm used to and enjoy, but always thank your kids' coaches (little league and up) because they really sacrifice a lot of their personal time and sometimes spend more time with your kid than their own.

• We're about to head up there now to eat with the team and then root them on.  I've got company coming in to town tomorrow and Em's got a birthday party tomorrow afternoon to attend.  I'm hoping to sew some this weekend but we'll see.

What are you up to on this holiday?  What are you doing this weekend?  We're supposed to start warming up I think, so maybe I'll go for a walk and see how that goes as well.  :)

Vintage Style

Hi everyone!  I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  :)  We did!  We celebrated Thanksgiving in our usual, casual style beginning the day with a Turkey Trot.  It was just 8 of us running up and down my road, but a fun 5K and a great way to start the day.  Emma was determined to win (she's a little competitive, don't know where she gets it...) and blew us all away with a time of 34 minutes.  Chris didn't run because he didn't want to was smoking turkeys for lunch so he kept time for us and he didn't believe Em when she came back alone saying she was done.  Homegirl put it on us.

About halfway through I could see Oren was starting to tire out, so I let Em go ahead and did the rest with him.  He had said he didn't want to do the race at all, and when I told him he could walk it with Grammy but he would be doing it he left before the rest of us and got a big headstart!  Come to find out, he was afraid not only his sister would beat him, but everyone would, so after some encouragement from me and some running, some walking and a few stops, he and I finished hand-in-hand and with big smiles and a 2nd place finish!

The rest of the family came in soon after.  It was my Mom's goal to finish a 5K by her birthday (next week!) and she and Dad did great.  My brother is so busy with school he hadn't run in a month and my sister ran some, went back and walked with Mom and Dad some and then waited on her husband who went the extra mile (literally) and ran 5 miles instead of 3.

Seriously--check out Oren's face in both pics he's in--hilarious!!!!

Afterward, we had a big lunch, some napping and some talking and a great day all around.

Since then, we've packed up all the vibrant fall colors around the house and begun to prepare for Christmas! Our trees are up (yep, we get 2 trees each year) and most of the decorations are out.  The kids and I have made some little trees for our Christmas forest and I'm planning more projects.  I try to do something small with them each day to make it special for them.

Ok--now that we're all caught up, I really wanted to tell you about a book I checked out from the library last week.  My small-town library is tiny and not the most current...  So I was surprised to find Vintage Cakes on the New Releases Nonfiction shelf last week.  I'd read a review by Amy Karol not long ago and she raved about the recipes in this book.  So, of course I snatched it up and honestly, I don't want to take it back.  I will definitely get a copy of this to keep.

via Amazon

Written by Julie Richardson, this book is a collection of all sorts of vintage cakes given a modern twist.  There are easy weeknight style cakes, icebox cakes, a section on cupcakes, layer cakes, flips and rolls, etc...

For Thanksgiving, I decided to make the Maple Pecan Chiffon Cake with Brown Butter Icing.  And it was delicious.  I will say it wasn't near as beautiful as Julie's cake, because I have to admit that my icing was less than spectacular looking.  My brown butter began to burn before getting too brown and the icing separated to look like a bechemel sauce or gravy gone wrong before I frosted the cake.  BUT after some time in the fridge, it hardened back and up and was DELICIOUS!!

For this vintage cake picture I broke out one of my vintage saucers from my Great Grandma.  She left a specific one for each grandkid--this one has mums on it since my birthday is in November.  

So, I encourage you to check this book out--maybe put it on your Christmas list.  It's going on mine!

Linked up with Debbie for the last time this month!

And the winner is...

So, last week when I planned the giveaway ending, I totally forgot that Monday (today) was our celebrated Veterans Day and the kids wouldn't be at school.  So, instead of drawing a winner when I got home from dropping them off, I drew a winner with my coffee and breakfast instead.  :)

And the winner of the $25 gift certificate to Westwood Acres is




.....Marci from Marci Girl Designs!  Congratulations and thanks so very much to each and every one of you who took the time to wish me happy birthday.  Y'all really know how to make a girl feel special!

I also want to send a special thanks to all of the brave men and women who have served or are serving in our armed forces.  The fact that you volunteer your service to our country to keep us safe and free is so amazing and we don't say thank you enough.  Whether you served in peace times or war, whether you were/are stationed at home or overseas--THANK YOU!

graphic found here

And to the families of veterans, a big thank you as well!  Sharing your loved one with us while they serve is a huge sacrifice that I cannot even begin to imagine.  Thank you for all that you do to support and love your veteran as well.  :)

We are headed to the nearby Veterans Day parade in a few minutes.  Take the time today to thank a soldier for their service.

I'll be back this afternoon (or tomorrow morning) with some cool stuff to show you...  :)

Happy Easter!

Happy Easter Everyone!  We spent the day worshipping our Risen Savior, chowing down on a delicious dinner, playing, reading, resting and swimming.  My kind of day...  Hope yours was wonderful too!

A Sweet Valentine Gift

Happy Valentines Everyone!  I mentioned yesterday that Valentines Day isn't too big of a deal around here.  Honestly, other than for the kids' it's just another day.  I didn't even go to the kids' parties at school today.  Both were strictly-speaking kids-only (meaning their teachers wanted it to be a low-key affair), although volunteers don't usually have quite as strict standards...and I usually volunteer on Tuesday in Oren's class, but if other parents weren't coming, I didn't feel right about being there.  PLUS I have a TON of things to do here at the house, so I sent lots of goodies and heart-felt store-bought valentines and stayed home.  ;)

Yes, these are the pics from last year.  Imagine it looking exactly the same except in white heart-shaped bowls instead...

 BUT, that doesn't mean that we didn't get their teachers something a little special.  Last year I made the most delicious flavored popcorn around this date, and I haven't made it since, so I remedied that by making a double batch yesterday.  I then packaged up a bag for each of the kids' teachers along with a bag for some friends that came to play yesterday afternoon and a bag for a friend whose birthday is today.  That left about a bag's worth for us, but after everyone had had a bite or two, I may or may not have scarfed it all down myself and then regretted it later...

It's both delicious and deliciously easy to make, so give it a shot.  You'll be glad you did!

Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn
  Based on MACCO's recipe from allrecipes.com  My changes and additions are in pink.


Ingredients
1 cup unpopped popcorn

• 1/3 cup butter
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ( I added a handful of pecan halves and maybe 1/2 to 3/4 cup of semi-sweet chocolate chips.  Sorry, I didn't measure.  I also doubled the butter/cinnamon sugar ingredients for more oomph this time.  That's up to you!)
• 
  
• Directions

1. Preheat an oven to 250 degrees F (120 degrees C). Pop the popcorn using an air popper according to manufacturer's directions. Place into a large mixing bowl, and set aside.  I popped my corn on the stove top in a pan and I also added the pecan halves to the bowl of popcorn when done.
2. Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir in the sugar, cinnamon, salt, and vanilla, and cook until thick and bubbly. (Last year I misread the recipe and poured it all in the pan together and melted it down. This year I did it right...I don't think it made two bits of difference.)  Pour over the popcorn, and stir until the popcorn is evenly coated. Spread the popcorn into a large roasting pan.  (I actually spread it onto 2 parchment paper-lined cookie sheets.)
3. Bake in the preheated oven 10 minutes, then turn the heat off, and allow the popcorn to stay in the oven 20 minutes longer. Remove from oven, and cool completely before serving.
4. When it had cooled some, I melted a BIG handful of chocolate chips in the microwave and then drizzled it over the popcorn on the cookie sheets.  When the chocolate had cooled and hardened, I poured the mixture into cellophane bags and tied them up with cute LOVE ribbon!

P.S.  I'm linking up with Debbie today.  She hosts a linky party every Tuesday specifically about food!  Well, it is like one of my most favorite things in the whole world..how has it taken me so long to get a food post up on Tuesdays??  Head over and see what else is cooking over there.

Happy New Year!!

As 2012 begins, I wish each and everyone of you the best of luck, love and happy sewing.  May this year be filled with smiles, hugs, full stashes, lots of finishes, color combinations that make you smile, and challenges that make you better in life as well as quilting/sewing/knitting, etc.

These are Emma's favorite colors.  My girls has a deep love for purple...the color I stash the least!  ;)

 We spent last night ringing in the new year with good friends, a warm fire and plenty of oysters, chilli, and cheesecake!

We went to Chris' aunt and uncle's house for a very traditional Southern New Year's Day meal for lunch.  Black-eyed peas, greens, and cornbread.  It's to bring you good luck and fortune in the new year.  We'll see...  I've been pretty blessed so far in life, so I'd say it's working for me.  ;)

I'm still cementing my goals and will be back to discuss them with you.  I can't wait to hear yours too.  Let's make this a year where we get to know each other better, support each other more fully, and get a LOT accomplished!

Hope your year is starting off with a bang!  Thanks for stopping by.  :)

Alive

Hey everyone!  I just wanted to pop in to say I am alive and well!  ;)  I had posts planned for over the Christmas break while I was visiting family (with absolutely no internet and no cell service, really), but we ended up leaving a day early on a whim and I didn't get them posted.  And since I've been home my internet and blogger have been in a go-round with the internet winning.  I finally had to go to the old blogger interface and refresh a bunch of times to get this far!

I have so many ideas and things I want to share with you and will hopefully be back tomorrow, but before I head to bed for the night, I wanted to share our Holiday picture for the year.  We had cards printed here locally (Walmart) because I was running too late to order them from etsy.  Oh well, at least I got a family picture and cards out, right?

Look at my precious girl's toothless smile!  I was so glad to catch it.  What a precious memory.  I took this with the timer on my camera...we took about 50 and used the 2nd one.  :)  Oh well!

I hope each and everyone of you had a very Merry Christmas (or appropriate holiday here...).  We did.  Quiet and calm, like I like it.

I'll be back soon so we can all get caught up.  I've been putting in some serious time with my Google Reader to try and catch up on blog reading...seriously, some were dated back to November.  Man!

Guest Post for Jenny

This is the post I did for Jenny over at her Sew Crafty Christmas Event.  If you clicked over yesterday, this is just a repeat of that.  I just wanted to share it here for everyone who didn't and so I have it in my archives.  Happy Monday everyone!

When Jenny asked me to be a part of her Sew Crafty Christmas event I thought I'd show y'all a craft I do with my children every year at Christmas.  It's easy and there are about a million different tutorials for versions of this on the web.  But, I'm going to show you this most basic version and you can take it from there.  My kids are 5 and 7 and we've been doing this together for a few years.  Emma, my 7-year-old can pretty much do it on her own now, but Oren, my 5-year-old still needed guidance. So it is definitely a craft you and your kids can grow into and make a tradition.

We're going to make some fabric-covered Christmas trees!

 

You'll need styrofoam cones (of any size, we like to mix it up), fabric cut into small squares and rectangles (I just hack away...bigger shapes fill the tree faster, little ones give you more control), decoupage glue (we use Mod-Podge mixed with some water) and a paint brush.  I'd also recommend some newspaper so you don't glue the trees to your table, but that's up to you.  ;)
And here we go:

1.  Lay out all of your supplies and start gluing.  I usually put a little glue on the tree, stick the piece of fabric down and then dab a little glue right over the fabric.  Then you can just overlap pieces until the tree is covered!

This little tree is in progress.  See how you just glue down the pieces on top of each other?   That way you make sure to cover everywhere.

2.  Now for that pesky top...there are two ways to conquer this.  You can start here so that the folded-over edges will be covered, but it can be tricky for little fingers to keep the edges smooth, or you can end with the top piece.  I've done both.  For these trees, I glued down the top for them.  The key is to make snips along the fabric that overhangs the top flat area.  Then these snipped pieces can be folded over and arranged to lay flatter.

Here I started with the top and glued it down well before going down the sides.

3.  What I love about this craft is that it doesn't require perfection.  This is a craft you are making with your kids and (from a distance at least!) they'll look just as good if they're perfectly flat or a little bumpy.  Now, if you're a perfectionist, you can certainly make these yourself and they'll look great.  In our little "forest" there are some I've made with the kids and some I've made alone.  I choose to let the happy memories of time spent together haze out all of those bumpy-edged trees from years past.  :)

4.  But fabric is not your only medium to work with.  We've also made yarn-covered trees

and tissue-paper trees.

And really, the sky is the limit here.  I've seen these trees made with ruffled fabric, scrunched up balls of tissue paper, sequins, etc.  You could use newspaper or sheet music for a vintage look.  You could use pins with jeweled heads or beads to be ornaments on your trees.  I mean, what I'm showing you is just the first step...where you go from here can be all you!

Thanks again to Jenny for letting me come over and hang out today!  I wish each of you the very Merriest Christmas and a happy heart this holiday season.  Now get to gluing you up some Christmas trees and start your own Christmas forest filled with memories of time spent together!!

Giveaway Day!!

Yay!  Giveaway Day is here again!  And I'm so excited to be a part of it again.  If you don't know, the web site Sew Mama Sew, which was one of the very first sewing/quilting blogs I found on the internet (and a big reason I began blogging) hosts a semi-annual giveaway day where bloggers worldwide can link up and give something away.  You can choose whatever you want to give away and set up all the rules around it.  It's awesome!  I've won a few things in the past, but I think it's even more fun to pick something to give away and see who'd like to get it.

 So...as in the past, I thought long and hard about what to give away and finally inspiration struck close to home.  Recently, my back has been hurting a lot to the point I felt like I was walking around like a little old lady (I'm 32, nowhere near old, right...right????).  I am a runner, albeit a self-made one and a slow one to boot, but I wondered if all of my running had hurt my back.  I saw the doctor and he recommended physical therapy for it.  I laughed to myself that an otherwise healthy "athlete" would need to go to physical therapy, but at the same time, I was excited to go and learn any tips, tricks and advice to both heal my back and improve my running.  And one of the tips they gave me...get a good heating pad.

And to get to the point, I decided to whip myself up a Rice Warmer Bag and one for one of you!  I've made a few of these as gifts and they're always well received.  I actually use a tutorial from SMS, so it's really full-circle that I use this great tutorial from their site as my giveaway prize.

This is the bag from the tutorial

These little bags are awesome and really helpful for those nagging aches and pains or for cold feet on a winter's night.  I made my bag in shades of blues and brown and used an mix of German Chamomile and Sweet Orange Essential Oils to give my bag an uplifting and soothing smell, but the winner of this giveaway will get to choose their colors and essential oil from my stash to make it completely perfect and personalized.

And what about those booboos or the aches that come right after a run or a long day on your feet?  I'm throwing in a square rice bag that you can throw in the freezer and use cool instead.  It's the same concept, but that way you'll have one for heating and one for cooling off.  I usually scent this one with peppermint for additional cooling, but again, the winner and I can discuss the details...  And I'll throw in a couple of other relaxing goodies which may or may not include chocolate and bath goodies...  Because honestly, who doesn't want to be pampered?

"BooBoo Bag" or Cold Therapy Bag from tutorial

And this is mine!!

What do you have to do to be entered to win this great wellness package that will be delivered to your door?  Just leave me a comment answering this question:  What is your favorite way to de-stress?  I mean, after all, this giveaway is all about relaxation, so share your best secret for doing so with us.   I like easy giveaways 'round here, so no hoop-jumping, just comment and then you're free to enter all of those other great giveaways too!

The giveaway will be open until Friday, December 16 at 8 p.m. EST and after that I'll randomly choose a winner and contact you via email.  Please make sure you aren't a no-reply blogger so I'll have an email to contact you with.  If you're not sure or you want to play it safe, make sure to include your email address in your comment.  If I can't contact the winner, I will announce it here and wait for a few days to hear back before choosing a new winner.

Giveaway Details:  Winner will receive one Rice Warmer Bag (finished size approximately 6 x 13 inches) in your choice of colors and essential oil scent from my stash, one Rice Cold Therapy Bag (finished size approximately 6 x 8 inches) in your choice of colors and scent as well, and a few other goodies of my choice to help you fully relax.  Just leave a comment here with your favorite way to de-stress and make sure I have a way to contact you!

Have fun with the giveaways this week!!  Click here to check out all of the different categories!  Mine is under Gifts for the Home.

WIP Wednesday

Hey y'all!  I'm back with some sewing progress!  Now that Homecoming and Chris' birthday are over, I've got a little time to sew.  I've got a bunch of new projects in the works this week so that's been fun to finish up a few older things to start on the new.


Completed Projects:
--Last week I finished up my Fall Pops quilt.  That takes one from my UFO list and moves it to completed!  

Works in Progress:

--Summer Sampler Quilt--I'm in the home stretch on this guy.  I've got 1/2 of an Evening Star to finish up (turns out, I'd only made one!) and then two Kansas Dust Storm blocks till I've got all of the blocks done.  So, not exactly home stretch considering I've then got to sash them all, sew them together, make the backing, quilt it and then bind it, but whatever...  ;)  But, nearing up on finishing the blocks feels like a big success!

--Like I mentioned above, I've got some new projects this week.  For my Scrapbuster Swap, we're making wonky stars for Christmas.  

Block and tutorial found here

I signed up for 10 in the scrappy star category, but decided I'd really like to have 10 scrappy stars and 10 solid stars, so I'm working on making both...only problem:  they've got to be mailed by Nov. 10!!  AAAAHHH!! So I'm spending the day cutting and thinking and hope to spend tomorrow sewing and pressing!  This is a great low-commitment swap group, so if you're ever looking to join something new, check it out!

Sorry about this picture quality...it looked fine till it uploaded on blogger and I don't have it in me tonight to redo it.

--I've been thinking a lot lately of joining up in a quilting bee.  I love do. Good Stitches and thought it would be fun to do something similar but where I got to keep the blocks.  This month, I signed up with the Nubees Block Swap Group.  And I'm so excited!!  In this group, you're grouped up with 5 other people and you tell the group what you'd like as far as color goes.  Then each hive member makes 5 of the same block, just swapping the colors used for whatever each person requested.  Does that make sense?  I've got my mosaic of blocks I like done and ready to post.  I don't really have anything specific in mind with this project, so I just randomly chose the first 10 quilt blocks I liked on my flickr and pinterest boards.  I requested bright colors and the 3 I chose were red, yellow and blue, but said I didn't really care if others were added.  I can't wait to see what my hive-members request so I can start planning what I want to make.

--Speaking of do. Good Stitches.  Shannon gave us this block for the month in colors of aqua, turquoise, bright orange and grays.  I've got my fabrics set out and am ready to sew...next week or the week after!  ;)

tutorial found here

 --Mittens--I've taken another knitting break.  I'll never make it the year of the knit if I don't keep working, but I've got project fatigue on the mittens and am ready to do something else.  Isn't that always the way it is with me? ;)

Poor, lonely Unfinished Projects that have been cast aside:

--"Sent with Love" postage stamp quilt.  My swap blocks are back and I'm just finishing up a few things before this one comes back!

--Mosaic Swap quilt.  Actually, I think this one needs one more row sewn on before I can quilt it.  But I haven't touched it in like 4 months, so I'm not sure on that one.  ;)

--My Sewing Room Sampler.  I will finish it, but right now, it's taking a back seat to my other projects.  


  I've got some time tomorrow blocked off to sew before Chris and I spend the weekend at the beach to celebrate our birthdays!!  Hopefully I can get A LOT done, because I've got deadlines starting to hang over my head and that is not how I roll!    

   And as always, go check out Lee and all of the lovely quilters that link up! 

Celebrate October

I can't believe this month is more than half over already.  I'm not ready for Halloween yet!  I mean, sure the house is mostly decorated and the kids' costumes have been ordered and arrived (yes, ordered...see here), and  we've already been invited to one Halloween party before the big day, but I just feel like I'm stuck in the middle of a river (we'll call it the river of life) and the current is so strong that I'm being pulled along at a pace that's a little too fast for me.  I want to slow down and casually paddle along, taking breaks to take pictures, enjoy the scenery and stop my kiddos from growing up so fast.  But, apparently I don't get to control the current's pace, so I'm stopping in today to say a quick hi and send some fall/Halloween inpsiration your way!

On a side note before the beautiful pictures start flowing...Gayle still has not contacted me as the winner of the Connecting Threads gift certificate, so I'm giving one more shoutout before I pick a new winner.  Gayle Himmelwright, if you're reading this, email me right away to collect your prize!  Otherwise, I'll draw a new winner on Wednesday afternoon.

Without further ado, here's some color, project, and recipe inspiration...go and create!!

"Fading Tones" via 

So cute!!  Found here

So pretty!  Find it here

                                  Source: afarmgirlsdabbles.com via Kelli on Pinterest

Much cuter than your average sweatshirt, right??  via

I have plenty more inspiration to share but...I'd rather go and create myself instead of waiting on my slow internet tonight...  I'm off to knit a few rows on mitten #2 before turning in for the night.  Tomorrow is kindergarten volunteer day for me...

Thanks for stopping in!

Fall Inspiration

  Yay for September!  Fall is near.  Of course, here in FL, fall is often a small window when we crazy heat-lovers get to imagine what it must be like to live in the rest of the country with chilly temps at night, less-than-steaming temps during the day and a very brief view at fall colors on our few trees that shed leaves.  Short as it may be, we love it around here!

  Fall means FOOTBALL!!  It means bonfires, long-sleeved tee-shirts, oysters roasted on said fire, get-togethers with friends, fall carnivals, Halloween, Thanksgiving and yummy treats and smells involving apples, pumpkin and lots of cinnamon!

  It also means a shift in creative endeavors for me.  I sew less clothing and more quilts.  I get out my knitting needles and (this year) my embroidery basket.  I think more about my home and keeping it cozy.

  Rachel over at Stitched in Color set up a new Celebrate Color event all about fall colors and the projects that go along with them.  Guest bloggers and those that link up will be talking about their favorite fall projects, showing off projects they've made recently and enjoying other's beautiful works as well.  There will be inspirational posts, tutorials, contests and even prizes!

  Although I'm by nature a bright and lovely kind of girl when it comes to colors, meaning I gravitate toward sunny aquas, yellows, pinks and oranges, fall is my favorite season and I love the rich colors associated with it.  Besides, no one says fall has to be dark--just rich.  Look at all of the colors of thread Rachel included in her button above.  Pops of bright color add a lot to a darker palette.

  To get me (and y'all) in the mood for fall, I'll be posting some inpsirational pieces that I've found throughout the next few months.  They include patterns (mostly free!!), fabrics and colors.  There are inspirational pieces from store sites and even a recipe or two...  Fall is a wonderful time of year.  Hope you enjoy!!

via design-seeds.com

Sketchbook Cardigan (Free Pattern!!) via Lion Brand Yarns

Fallen Colors via flickr

                                                              Source: flickr.com via Allie on Pinterest

via design-seeds.com

Courtesy of Sarah Jane Studios via Sew Mama Sew

  Next month I'll be sharing some Halloween ideas both in fabrics and projects that I love, but I thought I'd start out slow...enjoy the beginning of fall.  The (hopefully sooner than later) cooler air, the Friday Night Lights and Saturday tailgates and the transition into a cozier time of year.  While I love summer and all it's lazy days, the start of school and activities means fun times together as a family and with friends, and that is hard to beat!

  Make sure to head over to Rachel's to check out everyone else's version of fall in colors and projects!!