Sewing for a Special Guy

I am a new grandmother!!  What a great feeling.

It has been a busy fall and winter but I did start early to make a quilt for the new little guy.  Here is a sneak peak. 

Pin basted front side

My daughter picked most of the fabrics and the squares design.  I added the borders because she wanted his name embroidered on the front.  Will have to show that picture on a later post.



Pin basted back

The back design came about because the star fabric wasn't wide enough on its own and I didn't want to just sew two pieces together (could never have lined up the stars).  When I started quilting, I learned some lessons I will share later.

This was the first time I had ordered so many fabrics online for a project.  I got most of the ocean themed ones on Etsy and was quite pleased with quality and service.  It allowed my daughter and I to choose them together.  The rest I sourced locally. 

Even though the quilt was not quite finished, it was included in some photos with the new guy.  He is only 2 days old here and just home from the hospital.



New guy with his quilt

I made the receiving blanket with the London buses (under his head) also.  They lived in London for 2 years and are decorating his nursery with a travel theme.

Thanks for indulging a new grandmother!
And hope you are creating something new,
Carol
 

Back at It

Yes, I have been absent from the blogging world for a while.  No, nothing bad has happened.  Yes, some good things have happened. 

After my last blog post on October 18, (yes October!!!), my son got married in Phoenix, AZ so we took a week long cross country trip.  It was a great time with a beautiful wedding.



The happy couple at rehearsal dinner

And we took a day to drive to Sedona - gorgeous!!


Sedona

Soon after our return, my daughter gave birth to my new grandson, Camden, on November 10 near Washington, D.C.  I was lucky to be there for his birth and then stayed a couple of weeks to help the new parents.


Brand new family

Then came the usual holiday busy-ness with a trip back to see the baby on Thanksgiving.  (Can't get enough of that little guy.)  He is in the same bassinette (new skirt) that both I and his mother slept in as babies.

My usual trip to Indiana for the week of Christmas followed.  Of course, in the midst of all this, we are involved in a major addition to our house (see post: New Construction Pays Off ).

But I am now back and getting ready for a blog hop this weekend with Vicki Boster at 2 Bags Full.  Please check it out on January 25 to see and visit over 400 blogs. 

 

It is so much fun to see what is going on in other people's lives - their hobbies and interests.  And many are giving away prizes.  Hope you will join in the fun.

 

Keep creating,

Carol

Photo Assistant Inspects New Jewelry

While I was outside taking pictures of jewelry to post on Etsy, my assistant joined me to see if I needed any help.  She closely inspected the items as I positioned them for their photo shoot.  Only when I assured her that all was well did she relax.  Since she so rarely holds still for her own photo, I took this quick pic.

This is my assistant, Xena, in her relax mode.

It is interesting how she loves to follow me around outside until I am ready to take her inside.  Then she finds a hiding spot where she sits very still and watches me call her and call her and ..........call her.  I have found a treat she can't resist and can trick her out of her hiding spot when I jiggle the bag of them..  

I thought you might like to see some of the beads and jewelry we photographed.  

I like to photograph my beads and jewelry outside when the weather permits.  I am usually able to get truer colors with better lighting that way.  We have had so many cloudy and rainy days that it has been difficult to do that. 

Wood seems to provide a good background but I have been experimenting with stone, aluminum foil and other surfaces.  I find that with certain glass colors the background can change the color tones.  They may appear brighter or darker depending on the color of the surface that surrounds them, despite the type of lighting.

Another problem I have with photographing glass is the reflections.  No one needs to see the photographer reflected in the beads.  Some days I need an invisibility cloak for me and everything around me to get a shot without these reflections. 

You can check out these beads and jewelry and more on Etsy.  Thanks for looking.  

Let's create!
Carol

Holding on to Summer

I love, love summer!!  And I hate to see it go.  I hold on to it as long as possible. 

I savor the last cherry tomatoes picked right off the vine, rinsed off and eaten right away.  Oh so good!

My geranium still has a few blooms that are trying to hang on despite all the rain. 

I even planted a few little mums that hopefully will come back next year after supplying some color now.
So who else is a summer lover that has a hard time letting it go?

Keep creating,
Carol

New Construction Pays Off

Sometimes when your husband decides he needs to add a garage on to the house, you can also reap some benefit.  That is how I have come to be getting a new bead studio. 

It is not all fun as this is what the back of my house looks like right now.  Backyard is just one big pile of dirt and rock.  And yes, tons of rock were damaged in the making of this hole.

Today was the first day of actually putting something back.  The cement truck arrived and the footers were poured. 

This corner is where my bead studio will live complete with windows and outside access. 

 

Can't wait to see how it turns out.  Stay tuned for progress. 

 

Keep creating,

Carol