Owl Mini Quilt

I started this little mini quilt while I was at the Sewing Summit. I love birds & have done quite a few illustrations of owls so I thought it would be fun to make a fabric illustration of sorts & this is what I came up with. It was inspired by the class I took from the talented Miss McPork Chop. She is amazingly talented & it was so much fun to meet her & listen to her creative process. Amanda's class was very informative too. I left it looking at sewing in a whole new way. With 4 kids and a busy day to day schedule, making mini quilts just made sense to me. It is far easier for me to put together a smaller  project than a large one. I don't know why I felt that only bigger quilts were acceptable as finished projects. Since then I have totally changed the way I look at quilting in general. Basically anything that's smallish & quilted can be considered a mini quilt. How wonderful is that!?! I feel it really makes quilting more accessible to anyone. Even if you don't feel you could do quilting on a large scale, starting with a mini may just tickle your fancy & open up the door for bigger & more complex quilting projects later down the road.  Take a look at my Pinterest board for some serious quilting inspiration.

Since I'm new at this whole quilting thing I find myself making a ton of mistakes. With each mistake I learn so much. Take the mistake in the above photo. I didn't baste before I started quilting. Now I know why basting is so important. Silly me, I thought I could quilt without it! Like I knew better than all ya'll seasoned quilters......Ha! Now I know better.

I didn't want to scrap it so I cam up with a plan. I decided to cut out the puckered part of the owl & then add a square to cover the now bare part that I cut away.

Even though you can still see my boo boo I feel it looks a whole lot better than before.

It even gives the back of this quilt a little bit of a modern feel. I love how the pink looks against the grey fabric. I used Dana's tutorial for the binding. Her tutorial is a perfect reminder to look at (I've bookmarked it by the way) since I have only bound one other thing. Hopefully I'll get to the point where I'm making so many quilts I can bind with my eyes closed ;)

There were several fabrics I used while making this. The darling green flower, pink flower & hopscotch fabric are all from the talented Sarah Jane's new fabric line Kid's at Play. The solid fabrics are from the Kona sample pack we received in our goody bags while at the Sewing Summit. I used my Babylock's decorative stitches to attach the solid fabrics together & I love the result. The plaids & gingham's are from an older Moda line but I honestly don't remember the name I've had them for so long. I'm really glad I finally had a project to use them on. 

I love my new Babylock that I purchased while at the Summit. It runs smoother than butter & she & I are becoming fast friends. I find it super easy to use & super quiet. Dean & I can actually watch movies now while I sew. Couldn't do that when using my other machine. If you are in the market for a new machine I highly recommend considering a Babylock.

Here she is totally finished!

I had so much fun making this little mini, & I can't wait to get started on another "tiny" project very soon. I'd love to hear your thoughts on this project. I'm in the process of making a pattern & I'm wondering if it's something anyone would be interested in. Thanks for stopping by & I hope you are having a happy holiday!

It's Not Easy Being Green

Is there anything cuter than a boy & his frog?

I didn't think so ;)

Family Wedding

Well folks it only took me 6 months to edit all the photos from this totally AWESOME wedding! I should be hiding my head in shame. If it weren't for the fact that the lovely bride was none other than my beautiful cousin Brooke, I very well could have been run out of town! lol. All joking aside it was a deplorable thing for me to do. They were my wedding gift to her & I hope she will enjoy them for years to come. Maybe, just maybe if I'm lucky she'll let me take pictures of her little family as it grows (no hints here, just sayin ;) I love you Brookie! Thanks so much for letting me be a part of your special day. This was one of the happiest weddings I've been to. Everything was beautiful & perfect right down to the homemade treats. I'm so happy for you & Colby!

My Life Lost & Found

Storm blowing into Reno tonight

One must lose one's life in order to find it.

-Anne Morrow Lindbergh

The winds have been blowing like crazy today. I'm so grateful to have a very cozy home to live in. I've had a lot on my mind. My life has kinda been like a storm lately. So much going on around me. And I can't help feeling like a little part of me has died. That parts of my life have been lost. They have blown away. The sadness & emptiness that fills my heart at times has been so overwhelming. How funny that life can go along fine for so many years & then WHAM! It hits you full force in the face. I'm grateful for my husband & sweet little ones that keep me so grounded. Because of all this craziness so many things have had to take a back seat. My art, sewing, photography, creativity & fitness goals are just a few. I've been mostly focusing on the important things like trying to be a better wife & a good mother to my children. When the storms of life threaten to blow you away that's when you hold tight to the things that matter most. Although my art & creative goals are so important to me my little family is even more important. Like every storm, things are finally settling down & my hope is that life can resume some sort of normalcy around here.

I've thought a lot about all the things I've been missing while this other stuff has been going on. I miss my photography & I miss my sketching. I miss sitting down & sewing on a regular basis. Everything is just taking so much longer. I feel so far from you creativity! I want you back in my life! I've even gotten away from what this blog started out to be in the first place. Artfulife. A place where I can share my creative life & the things that matter most to me. My family, art, sewing & all the other things that make this life so sweet sometimes it hurts. 

I realize my creativity isn't the only thing that has suffered. Parts of my confidence have always been missing. It's so easy for me to sell myself short. To self doubt. That I'm not good enough for the dreams I've written for myself. Since when did I give the okay for so much negativity to invade my body & mind? How could I let it in & then allow it free room & board? Shame on me! My creative self is in revolt. Throw it out! It's shouting that right now! This may seem silly to read but I'm shaking as I type this. Too long I've let my dreams sit in dusty corners of my mind. Too long I've let my voice of self doubt dictate how I've lived my life. Too long I've allowed myself to believe that I don't deserve true happiness like everyone else. I now know it's okay to listen to my heart! It's time to make a change! If not now.......when? 

I love the quote above. I've lost so much lately. I have felt so much pain in my heart, yet with that pain has come so much healing. So many things that have haunted me for so long are no longer welcome in my life. Do you hear me? You can't stay here anymore! Today is the day I take what I've learned over the last few months & move forward in a more positive manner. Today is the day I start letting my heart heal. Today is the day I give myself the go ahead to believe in myself again. Today I'm giving myself permission to create. To have a voice! TO BE HAPPY! Today is the day I found my life! I'll be damned if it doesn't feel good!

I Looked Out the Window......

Every once in a while I catch little glimpses of the kids that make my heart melt. 

Even though they fight from time to time, they are the fiercest of friends. 

We are soaking up the last few days of warmth & sunshine. It's getting a little colder every day. I love fall & winter months the most. There is something so magical about snugly blankets, warm sweaters, snow, twinkly lights, & the anticipation of Christmas. My girls are so excited to decorate the tree tomorrow night. Tonight we picked the perfect Christmas tree. Zoe found it & we all voted to bring it home. Omri kept patting it. This will be the last year we have a Christmas tree that has ornaments missing from the bottom half of the tree. Kinda makes me sad. Not sad enough to do anything about it though ;) I'm looking forward to bringing all of our Christmas books out of storage & decorating the house. I might even make a wreath if I can get those quilts done this weekend. Hard to believe it's already December. It will be our first Christmas here at home & I'm looking forward to starting a new holiday tradition of some sort. What are some of your holiday traditions?