Kater is a Star!

One of my favorite people is starting kindergarten this week!
 

I didn't make her anything when she was a tiny baby

and I was obsessed with her so,

since I'm still obsessed with her and love her so much...

She is an AMAZING little girl.. a STAR really...

(it was a bit windy on picture day)

I wore my pink fringe moccasins to match the quilt for the special delivery!

 

 This is SO Kate, she loves Pink... and Camo... and zebra....

all things hip and girly!

  

I had always wanted to try these stars and they were so fun!

I mad a cute little pillow case and tied the quilt up in it.

Presentation is everything right?

 



Happy Queen's Diamond Jubilee!

My awesome friend Katie served a mission in England and her birthday is the 4th of July so,

she is all about the red white & blue! 

She has a USA room and it's so cute! 

So for the Jubilee... I made her this little pillow! 

I made the corded binding and it turned out way cute!

 

Wait, now I want one! 

Emily's Wedding

Dum Dum Da Duuummmmm....

 

Oh my bestie Emily got married! 

Emily was my 1st friend and BEST in AZ and we lived together for 5 years. 

She is like the sister I never had :)

 

About a year ago she moved to Florida and met a perfect southern gentleman!

Mr. Cook (insert hearts and birds singing here)

 

She asked me to be in her wedding and come to FL!

Of course how much fun it was!!! 

 

 We had a fabulous Bachelorette day! 

manis/pedis, lunch, shopping

buying eyelashes and treats for Em's honeymoon cruise!

  

 

 

We had a super fun wedding rehersal & dinner the night before.

Emily had a little surprise in store for us...

after the bride and groom left the aisle at the end,

'black & yellow' started playing and the wedding party had to DANCE our way back down the aisle to the outside!  ha ha ha 

Em asked me to do her hair and make up

We had lots of fun getting gussied up!

 

 (look how excited Mr. Cook is!)

 

Emily's cousin Abby and I had so much fun, Abby is truly an amazing woman! 

I am so blessed to have all these girls in my life! 

  

 

When her Dad walked in to get her he had to catch his breath :)

She was SO beautiful!

We had such a fun day and Emily looked so beautimous!!  (of course!)

 

Side note:  of course I had to be tan, hello - FL wedding..

So I got spray tanned and when I got to FL...

well... it was a little orange!   

 

 Ha!

Luckily it wore off :)

 



Ziggy Zaggy

The Zig Zag Quilt is Doooonnnneee!!! 

I looooove this one!

Love the oranges!

it's so Springy and delicious!

Love the wild prints

Love the quilting!

Love the bright border Kathy talked me into :)

This quilt is SO easy to make!

(And of COURSE Dixie has to sit on EVERY quilt, EVERY thing I'm making) 

puppy love <3

I washed this one to get more dimension.  It's good!

Baby Brielle!

Light Switches?  

I expanded this pattern to make it crib size.

Patty had found sheets and drapes in these colors but no quilt... 

So, we had to matchy!  

It matches Perfect!

Oh Dixie, you loved on this quilt b/c you knew Brielle has 2 Yorkie Brothers, huh?!

So Patty said she liked the Vintage look, aged pinks and tans.  

It's not what I expected from her but... 

I really like how it came together!  

I found some Civil War prints at Quilters Oasis and bought 20 prints! 

This is one of my fav blocks, the tan w/ little buds.  

The quilting is daisies in white which turned out super cute and girly!!

(thanks Mom, she got it quilted in ONE week, unheard of!)

Olivia said they look like Light Switches, which is funny cause they really kinda do!  

Jagged Hearts

I love hearts and Valentines - Said it before - Say it again!  

<3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  

<3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  

<3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  <3  

So I made this schweeet heart quilt.  

The pattern is by Buggy Barn

I think each block has 18 pieces!!  

Paper piecing, my 2nd to date but FUN!  

I used scrap fabric from lovey pillowcases I've made over the year.  

The quilting is AWESOME!  

and, the back is pretty cool!  

(and huge!)

Pillow Talk

I've been on a pillow kick!  They're fairly easy, (except the heart one, ha) and it's a fun way to display fab fabrics!  Here's my #2... 

My Mom made me a cute skirt out of this and, all my friends went wild!  The Bird Skirt as it's affectionately called!  So, she made one for Cara.... and then Glenda... (who could quite possibly be seen wearing theirs together!)  ha.  

But I loved the crowned BIRD so much... that I had to make a pillow out of the scraps!  

It was supposed to go on my bed, but I love it so much it's on the couch! 

Special Delivery!

My friend Bryn brought me TREATS to my work today!

Today I am a mess, achey, pukey (etc), migraine, neck ache.  OY!

But she brought me my fav - a Starbucks Chai, a homemade

RED VELVET cupcake and CANDY! (I'm a candy fiend!)

SO thoughtful!

She said, 'you are the only one I know who LOVES Valentines Day, it's your favorite holiday'.  Ha!

It has been, love... red... pink... hearts... <3

Very thoughtful!

I looked at my LOVE post from last year, I love hearts!

I also attempted the chubby heart pillow by Noodlehead. 

(I like to call it chubby cause it's a deliciously plump heart!)

I had a bit of a hard time, since I didn't download the pattern template and tried to WING it on a curve for the 1st time!  ha.  Well, it's chubby! 

I've also been stalking my neighbor's porch - 

I snapped this shot, she busted me!!  Ah! 

ha ha ha, she came out and we met and I assured her I wasn't creepy!  

But - How dreamy is this porch?!

Anywho - Why not love Valentines!  I think I make a good case :)

Holy Schmoly Mackinole!

The Parentals were back in town for 10 days!
and WOWZERS - can they produce!
I go to work and they cross things off my list all day long!
Dreamy to have 2 delightful assistants!  ha ha!
But Seriously...

Let's just list what I can think of in say, a minute and a half...
Dad installed a drip system for plants on the patio and sprinklers for my baby Dissie grass.
Mom swept up dog hair like EVERY DAY!
Hung my V-day quilt + some other stuff.
Put screens in my mini windows so I can sleep in...
Cleaned the kitchen and did mad dishes after every meal.
Cooked dinners!
Made me make my bed every day for a soothing dreamy room.
Organized the garage and hung that HUGE frame to get it out of the way.
Cleaned the bathroom for my new roomie.
Helped me finish my Valentine's banner.
Got my oil changed... finally after 5 interviews w/ different oil changing joints.
Literally 5 trips to Home Depot x 2+ hours ea.
Chatted up the cute ol' lady at In-N-Out and got her life story.
Made it possible for me to go get my blood drawn.
Took Dixie out morning and night and for walks!
Mom - organized my closet!
Moved furniture around.
Helped me decorate the craft room some.
Put away straggling Christmas paraphanalia.
Stayed home to meet gal to buy my treadmill.
Washed my car.
Went to Abby's baptism w/ me.
Went Hiking!
Cook out at Auntie's.
Called on my internet... ugh.
Called on my cable upgrade...
Watched ALL the caucuses and debates and Stossel and Gretchen and Geraldo...
Watched the actual football part of the Superbowl (wow!)

WOW!  Seriously.  SO fun having them here, LOVE them SO so so SO much!
Thanks Mom & Dad!
xoxo

CK & Dixie  (woof!)

I got a habit...

Sewing

Quilting

Crafting

It's my love, all I think about, what I wish I was doing all day long! 

But alas, a girls gotta bring home the bacon!  (eew bacon yuk)

I read like... 10 quilting blogs.  I love them!  

I'm a Ginger Monkey is my absolute FAV!

I talk about 'her' all the time, like we're actually friends.

I want to have something... productive, fun, entrepreneureal.  (sp?)

I think I want to do a quilting blog... 

But there's lots of other crafty things I do... 

So, what should I call my blog???  help!  This is a cry for HELP!  

Text me, email me, call me w/ ideas!

Thanks! 

This is my latest invention for Patty's new babe BRIELLE!

Yes, Dixie gave it her stamp of approval for Stewie to sniff out!

Diet/Vegetarian/Gluten Free

This weekend I had the opportunity to try Gluten free Brownies - 

(hack)

Ick, seriously like... chalky blah - spit it out! 

My 2 GF's Carrie & Cara are into Smoothies!  

Veggies - grapes, broccoli (eew), KALE, basically anything!

Here's proof I drank a smoothie and, it was pretty good!! 

Thanks Cara!  yumm!

The girls didn't drink theirs... but when offered to come over for dinner and ice cream w/ Grandma & Grandpa M & M (which they've affectionately named my parents), 

They SUCKED those hour old/warmish smoothies down!  

Ice Cream goes a long way :)

IM BACK - to BLONDE baby!

OH What a difference Blonde makes!!! 

I feel like a NEW woman!  

Happy, once again!  

I swear, I will never go another color again!  

Last summer I was loving my blonde herrr... but thought, hmmm...

Here's the process... 

Early November I wanted honey... 

It looks more red!

5 weeks later it was too soon to spend the $ so... 

Christmas:

This is 12 weeks of not getting it done!

That's a long time yo!  Faded, it's ok :)  I was living with it, not too depressing.  

Kinda brassy,

New blonde and bangs... She-BAM!  I love me!  :) :) :)

I REALLY couldn't walk the next day.

Hike From Hell-o

(I didn't name it that, GB did)

6 hours

San Tan Mountains 1/14/2012

It wasn't horrible... 

I just LITERALLY couldn't walk the next day!

and didn't get out of bed till 11 am.  And hobbled around ALL day.

And had scratches from BUSHWACKING! 

But, it was fun.  (no exclamation mark) 

And - Worth It!

It was SO beautiful!! (yes, even in the desert)

But - Been there, done that.  Don't need to do it again :)

GB spent hours GPS'ing this hike - bless her heart.  

She is a mountain goat! 

Mel is a die hard! 

I, didn't wear pants and then coming down my knees hurt so bad - I cried.  

What a dork!

It wasn't the Cave Trail or Peraulta, it was the other side.

We swung out into the green wilderness.  

It was neat because it was different and we were seriously scaling boulders!  

Bouldering! 

(not over the shoulder bouldering tho)

I'm Grateful for Glenda - and for her being a Leader and for putting up w/ my pain!

i mean my pain in her behind!  :)

New Years in VEGAS!

I've heard Vegas is worth experiencing once in a lifetime... 

It was!

SO packed!  But fun energy! 

Mel and I went on a whim and well... GOOD TIMES! 

We stayed at the HIP, RUMOR Boutique Hotel

(you should totally stay there!)

One of Mel's work assoc hooked us up w/ a suite!

This was seriously our room!

It was so fun to get dressed up!  

Of course there were fireworks - MY FAVORITE, all down the strip!

We met up w/ the 'track suit gang' and Danced ALL Night at this Irish Pub -  My Fav, with a live Irish (type) Band!  Ah, SUCH a Great Fun Night!

Happy New Year!!!  

May ALL Your Dreams Come True in 2012!!!


(I will not mention the incident in which we missed an exit driving home and it took 1.5 hours longer, 45 miles but thru Prescott... where I may or may not have gotten a photo ticket - while on my phone.  Oy Vey!)