little gi

quilting envy...

confession time...

i've got MAJOR quilting envy.  huge, major quilting envy.  & this month has been torture since it is quilting month & sew mama sew + lots of amazing quilters around the web have been posting fantastic tutorials, tips & inspiration.  my tumbl'r has been on fire!!

& i can't wait for fatquarterly to start up.  looks so fun!  really looking forward to finally taking the plunge & staring my first quilt soon! 

but in the meantime, i've been quilting lots w/ patterned paper.  yesterday i made this little journal to hold all my quilting dreams & ideas & color combinations & inspirations ripped from magazines i've been collecting.  i used all the beautiful patterned paper from my april kenner road kits.  i LOVE that purple!!

& i chose to try out one of those wonky, freestyle log cabin patterns that i absolutely love.  i really like how it turned out & i'm looking forward to filling this little journal up with lots of quilting gorgeousness.

happy friday everyone!!

xoxo

gi

peeking in here....

we are knee deep in cleats & water bottles & "go *insert child's name here* go!!!!" around here these days. 

i'll admit absolutely LOVING it though.  well, not the getting everyone ready & out the door, rushing around town to practice part.  but the watching from the sidelines, chit chatting w/ neighbors & cheering on thing....i LOVE that part.  it's my calling i think...lol.

on the crafting front, this month's kenner road kits have definitely pulled me out of my scrapbooking slump.  the patterned papers & embellishments in this month's kits are soooooo up my alley it has been so enjoyable (& easy) to create with these kits.

wish i could find a duvet cover just like that yellow patterned paper above.  i LOVE it.  actually i'll take a set of pillows w/ all the patterns in my "us" layout too.  yellow duvet cover & euro shams w/ crisp white sheets (maybe w/ a pretty crocheted cotton border) & all those colorful pillows piled in front pottery barn style.  yeah...that would be so awesome.

annnnnnnnd i'm back to the fabric obsession....lol

hope you have a happy thursday!!

xoxo

gi

hello week "off"...

 

 

(above are some of my March kenner road layouts)

school is out for spring break this week so it is going to be "slower" mornings, not as much running around & hanging out together.  looking forward to it :)

i am really hoping to put a dent in that new fabric i got last week & make a few more stuffies this week, maybe even start my first quilt! 

also, i purchased a couple of patterns from bit of whimsy and can't wait to make the little fox & kitten.  sooo cute & her patterns are very easy to follow. 

i am also looking to getting back to crocheting some granny squares.  crocheting is the perfect thing for those movie nights.  it is so enjoyable to sit & stitch while watching something on the telly.  &  after looking at a ton of beautiful granny square blankets over the past few months, i've got a better idea of what color scheme i want for my own.  so it is time to purchase some new yarn :)  can't wait!!

looks like it is going to be a crafty week!

hope you have a great start to your week too!

xoxo

gi

oooh today is a GOOD day for sure...

one of the reasons is because the postman dropped off the most gorgeous fabric i had ordered from sew mama sew.

i've been trying (evidently fruitlessly...lol) to not purchase any NEW fabric until i use up what i already have.  well, that all went out the window when i saw the fat quarter pack combination chosen by rashida coleman-hale.  i've long admired her wonderful pattern & color combinations, they are all so fun but at the same time sophisticated.  just so cool.  anyway, i had to jump at the chance of getting a fabric pack chosen by her.  i just had to :)

can't wait to start working on some new little stuffies, and some tote bags & maybe purse, and sweet little girl tops, and...and...and....

i've got so many fabulous tutorials in my tumbl'r, i'll be busy from now until kingdom come...lol

& thanks so much for your messages the other day in response to my little pity party.  life keeps trying to teach me a lesson i guess i'm slow to learn.  i've been thinking about it for quite a while actually, even did one of my layouts this month for kenner road about it.

i'm terrible at focusing (hmmm...you probably figured that...lol!).  but anyway, a focuser i am not.  but it is something i've got to get better at.  just have to.  but the thing is, my focus needs to be firmly on what is most important:  my Faith, my family and Love.   that passage:  "love is patient, love is kind" needs to be my mantra.  guess someone thinks i need more practice.  so i'll try again :)

i believe if i can keep my focus on those 3 things, the rest will fall, ever so beautifully, in place. :)

& the fact that i'm confronted with all of this right before Palm Sunday isn't lost on me either.

It's, not, where you are, It's where you're going,
Where are you going?
And it's, not, about the things you've done, it's what you're doing, now,
What are you doing, now?

(ali in the jungle lyrics by the hours)

(call me crazy, but i can just hear Christ singing those lyrics right to me.  it is what next week is all about, isn't it.)

so it is indeed a good day & happy Thursday to you too :)

xoxo

gi

oh....hey!

hey there!  it's been a while.  & no, i'm not snowed in anymore, thank goodness!!!

we actually had a gorgeous full week last week when each & every day had beautiful sun & warm temps.  it was amazing.  SUCH a wonderful break from all the weather that has been march here in the northeast. 

i've been in such a weird mood lately.  think it has to do a lot with the fact that mike's hours got changed & now he doesn't get home until much later so he misses dinner every single night.   he's always worked long hours & his commute is a doozy, so he wasn't home for dinner every night, but he was home, maybe, 2 nights a week.  but i guess those 2 nights were more important than i thought.   everything is off kilter now & i'm kind of all blaaaahhhhhh. 

& now reading me whine about it is just annoying me even more.  ha!  geez louise i'm high maintenance today!  lol!!!

i think the other thing that is kind of got me in a tither is the fact i just want to do everything.  stitch, crochet, knit (have to relearn how to do it & maybe graduate past the loooooooonnnnng scarf), sew....i want to do all these lovely crafting hobbies.  i want to do it all but i can't focus for 35 seconds to start a one.  all the "want to do's" get overwhelming.  especially when i'm needed elsewhere for my "have to do's".  kwim?

*sigh*

think i need to "count my blessings".  that always straightens me out & rights my ship.  i AM incredibly blessed with so much.  my glass is sooooo very more than half full of this i am well aware.  :)

see?  better mood already :)

 

happy tuesday to you :)

xoxo

gi

kenner road february...

the new february kenner road kits are available! they are really terrific too. i really love the ribbons in this month's kits, especially the yellow one, so pretty.  i also went a bit wild w/ my heart punch this month too, being valentine's day & all :) 

& you'll notice i was really inspired by some projects & art from wonderful crafters & artists around the web that i've popped in my tumblr lately like this one & this one too.  if you are over on my tumblr, just click onto the photo & it will bring you right to the original source of the image.  really awesome way to organize all the fantastic inspiration & tutorials i find all over the web & make sure the original source of that inspiration gets due credit :). 

 

oh & there is a really fabulous brown & creme ribbon in there too.  see?  told you the ribbons were awesome this month :)

 

 

& a little mini of some hilarious photos of kate w/ the jenni bowlin journaling cards.  i really like making these little books, they pop in my tote bag so easily & the kids like paging through them too. 

& you'll notice my new banner above :)  having a bit of fun with the new kenner road digi releases available at 2peas.  to be honest, i'm surprising myself @ enjoying the digi thing a bit.  i swore i'd never even be able to figure it out & now i've created another banner for the ol' blog.  those flashcard letters can be printed out too.  how awesome would a little mini w/ those be!!! 

hope you have a happy tuesday!!

xoxo

gi

skylark sneaks

kenner road's february kits are set to reveal this weekend.  here are some sneak peeks:

really enjoyed creating with the gorgeous sunny colors in these kits...lots of sunny yellows. 

hope you are having a happy friday!

xoxo

gi

hello monday :)

we are still on a huge high from last night's big game.  GO JETS!!!!!!!

whew!!!  what a nail biter!  i think i watched most of the game holding my breath & then jumping around & screaming like a maniac.  ahhh......so fun :)  

now in non-football news kenner road revealed new kits at the end of last week.  these kits are so gorgeous, i especially loved the vintage price tag cards in the add on red velvet.   

i love the gingham patterned paper too.  gingham is my weakness...i love ginghams

and some simple ones b/c i just had to use that music paper and seam binding.  just had to...

and then a bookmark because for some reason i don't have one...wha???  w/ all the paper i've got lying around i don't have a bookmark???   and i had to use another one of those mini keys.  they are just so cool...

and my favorite project this month is this little "daily" book.  since seeing emily falconbridge's thankful journal a few years ago, i've always wanted to do something similar.  a little place (pretty, of course:) where i could just pop in something i was thankful for each day.  this little guy now sits on my bedside table & i am really enjoying reflecting each night about something that i'm grateful for.  with the destruction & loss & incredible hardships happening in haiti, this exercise has become even more meaningful.

 

 

the inside is just ledger papers i had in my stash cut to size & then glued back to back.  they are blank except for those sass stickers (i used that entire sassafrass sticker sheet on the inside pages.  just cut & stuck them randomly throughout the interior.  i was kinda proud of myself because that is something i never do!  use up something...i tend to be stingy w/ cute things like that & they hang around forever.)  each week i just pop on the date up top & then jot down something for each day.  easy peasy & so rewarding.

so happy monday!!!  & GO JETS!!!!

xoxoxo

gi

madeline...

 january's kenner road kits are scheduled to reveal on Thursday night. 

& after questioning my ability to paper craft again after my fabric filled December, i'm having so much fun creating with these kits.  there is LOTS of color (which i love :),& gingham (i'm a BIG fan of the gingham) & lots of little bits & bobs that i'm having real fun adding in.  & layering, i'm a bit into the layers this time around.  could be all the layering we are doing each day to ward off the super cold january weather we've been having??...lol 

so anyway, here are some sneaks of what i've been creating so far :) 

 

see?  fabulous color & pattern right?  love it.

be sure to check out the kenner road site for more sneaks from the rest of the team that will be going up today.  yay!!!

happy tuesday!!!

xoxo

gi

some december kenner road

last night was the december reveal for kenner road's gorgeous new kits.  here is what i've completed so far.  i'll be showing the canvas mini book that i'm working on on the kr blog on the 21st & i've got a few other things in the works for christmas package decoration.  this kit's gorgeous neutral colors are so fun & easy to work with!   

the little mini book will be tucked away as a gift.  really like those little jenni bowlin 12 month journaling cards.  just the perfect thing for mini books. 

 

 

 

hope you all are having a blessed Christmas season so far!!  back to the workshop :)

xoxo

gi