May 30, 2012

WIP Wednesday . . .

My goal is to get this sweet quilt cut out today . . .


It will be donated to Siblings Together.  Check out the Flickr group to see all the quilts so far.


May 28, 2012

Winners and some Sweet Starlet progress . . .

First off, here's the winners of the two SewMamaSew giveaways:

The winner of the 241 Tote:

And the winner of the BasicGrey patterns and Hello Luscious fabric:

Congrats to Pippa and Dwylie!  I'll send you off some emails today.

And here's my progress report on my BasicGrey Sweet Starlet quilt.   My star points are pieced, they just need to be pressed and then I can start assembling it and insetting my large triangles.  I'm loving it so far!



May 21, 2012

SMS Giveaway #2 - Handmade 241 Tote


Welcome to my second giveaway for the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!  The 241 Tote is one of my favourite bag patterns, and this one is made in some Spring/Summer fabrics for one of you!  It has a zippered exterior pocket, magnetic snap closure, two inside slip pockets, and is made with a mixture of designer fabrics.


Want to win this 241 tote for yourself?  I love online shopping, and thought I'd ask you all a question about it: what kind of purchases have you had success with buying online or is there a particular store you would recommend?

For a second entry, become a fan of my Facebook page or follow me on Twitter.  Just leave a second comment telling me which one you did.


Winner will be picked by random.org on May 25 after 5pm PST.  Will ship international.  Good luck!

SMS Giveaway #1 - BasicGrey patterns and Hello Luscious fabric



I have two giveaways today for the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day!  First up, I have four brand new quilt patterns that were sent to me by BasicGrey (Sunday Basket Brunch, Happy Church Dash, Hello Zig Zag and Promenade).


I also some fat quarters of Hello Luscious by BasicGrey to go with the patterns - just to help you get started with making one of these beautiful quilts.  


So, do you want a chance to win these patterns and fabric?  Just leave a comment telling me which of the new BasicGrey quilt patterns is your favourite!  BasicGrey also released one more pattern - Sweet Starlet.  I'm in the midst of making one in a king size and I'll be posting here about my progress, so check back if you want to see it!

For a second chance, follow my blog and leave a second comment.

Winner will be picked by random.org on May 25 after 5pm PST.  Will ship international.  Good luck!

May 19, 2012

Spring cleaning and Potty Training . . .

These are two tasks that have consumed a lot of my time lately.  This also means that I've been pulling out the cleaning products a bit more lately, and one product that I was sent to review by Lysol is their new Fabric Mist.  It eliminates tough odours, and kills 99.9% of bacteria on fabrics.

So it seems that the snow is gone for good, so I have been packing up all the Winter clothes, boots, and jackets and turning over all the clothes in the closets to Spring and Summer clothes.  Giving a quick spray in the kids boots before packing them away is going to make my task a little nicer next Fall.


My little guy is also in the midst of potty-training.  We've had many accidents on the carpet - which means that the spray has come in super handy.  So we've switched from underwear to pull-ups and now he's regressing a bit.  Did I mention that I hate potty-training?  I've always thought that the person that invents a potty-training day-camp where they potty train my kid in under a week - would become a millionaire.  I just don't seem to possess the skills.

We've also just survived another change of seasons, which brought a stomach flu for all the kids and myself with it.  My kids are good about making it to the bathroom, and are generally 'easier' when they're sick - they hang out on the couch and nap a lot.  But I like to spray all their mattresses and carpets afterwards to eliminate bacteria and help stop the germs from spreading to the next family member.


I'm not trying to complain, this is all just part of being a Mom and taking care of a household.  And I'm very happy that we live in a generation with washers, dryers, dishwashers, vacuum cleaners, and cleaning products to help make my job easier!


Disclosure: I am part of the Lysol Healthy Families Ambassador Program by Mom Central. I received compensation as part of my affiliation with this group. The opinions on this blog are my own.


May 18, 2012

Bloggers Quilt Festival . . .

Amy's Creative Side


It's that time again!  Amy's Creative Side is hosting a Bloggers Quilt Festival - one stop to be inspired by a huge assortment of beautiful quilts!  This time I'm submitting a quilt I made for one of my sister's a few months ago.


This quilt uses the New Wave pattern by Oh, Fransson! and the fabric is from the Cloud9 Across the Pond collection with a solid white organic fabric for the sashing.  The backing is an extra-wide solid blue flannel.



I straight-line quilted, and used my foot as a guide on either side of the ditch.  I love this method - more forgiving than in-the-ditch, and the quilting makes a fun design on the back of the quilt.  I forgot to take the finished measurements but it is a very generous lap-size, almost a twin.



Thanks for stopping by!  Have fun checking out the rest of the submissions!

May 16, 2012

Walmart's Mom of the Year Award . . .

Walmart Canada is hosting a Mom of the Year contest.  You are invited to submit nominations!  Eight finalists will be selected and treated to an award celebration weekend. The woman selected as Mom of the Year will receive $10,000 for personal use and $100,000 to their cause or charity of choice.  The remaining seven finalists will each receive $10,000 for personal use and $10,000 to their cause or charity of choice.  Can you imagine the impact you can have on your favourite charity with these generous prizes!?

Since I'm part of this campaign, my Mom and sisters are not eligible to be nominated, so I want to share their stories with you today.

First off, my wonderful and generous Mom.
Growing up, my Mom always worked in the home.  She ran a very successful catering business from our kitchen - double oven, two big freezers in the garage, and lots of work space.  All my siblings and I worked with her at one point.  She never forced us, we always worked willingly, and she always paid us minimum wage or better.  We loved having jobs and some spending money, and my Mom was always a fair and easy boss to work for.  Through her catering business, my Mom was able to help out the family financially, and when my Dad had to change careers we went through a time where we heavily relied on the catering to help out our family.  I also have many memories of my Mom coming on fieldtrips, being a part of the Ladies Aid group for our school, taking us on outings and shopping, and going on lots of family holidays.  She was a Mom that was always there and always involved.  Today my Mom works full-time assisting my Dad in the travel business that my parents purchased when my Dad switched careers 14 years ago.  She is also a proud grandmother of 13, and makes sure to give her time and attention to them all.


My oldest sister is a busy Mom of three little blessings.  She has also held a career for the past several years and helped largely to support her family while her husband has gone back to college.  On top of that, she has also been very active in the BC Down Syndrome Society (a worthy charity that I would love to see one of the finalists supporting).  The biggest reason for her involvement, is because her son was born with Trisomy 21.  And through a lot of research my sister has strived to give him every opportunity - from the right specialists, to learning sign language, to getting some much needed surgery, to getting him diagnosed with celiac and being diligent about his diet change, to helping the TA's at school understand what he is capable of learning and pushing them to teach it, and to every other challenge that has come up in-between.  Her son is thriving because of all the sacrifices and energy that she has put into advocating for his needs.

My second oldest sister is a busy Mom of two little blessings.  She has a successful full-time career in the law system.  I've had the privilege of helping her with childcare for several years, and getting to know my nieces.  Her oldest daughter is now in the school system, and her youngest is a busy toddler.  My sister and her husband do a great job of managing their careers, household, and daughters.

My little sister is a busy Mom of three little blessings.  She runs a successful photography business from home, is involved in her church and children's schools, sports for her boys, and has a great social network of friends and fellow photographers.  She's also one of my best friends - someone that I can call up for a last-minute drop-in coffee, a babysitter when I have an appointment, and just someone that I can confide in and bounce ideas off of.

I feel so blessed to have so many great woman in my life, and I know that you probably have a couple woman worthy of a nomination in your life too!  Nominations are being accepted until July 8, 2012 and can be submitted through www.momoftheyear.ca.  They can come from daughters, sons, family members, friends, colleagues, or community members.


Disclosure: I’m part of the Walmart program by Mom Central. I received compensation as a thank you for my participation. The opinions on this blog are my own. Mom of the Year Award: NO PURCHASE NECESSARY Internet access and valid email account required. Nominations open May 10, 2012 to July 8, 2012 for legal residents of Canada over the age of majority.  Entrants cannot nominate themselves. One (1) grand prize available to be won consisting of $10,000 cash, a $100,000 donation by Wal-mart Canada Corp. to charity/cause and a trip to Toronto (ARV $22,000). Seven (7) runner-up prizes available to be won consisting of $10,000 cash, a $10,000 donation to charity/cause and a trip to Toronto (ARV $22,000).  Charity/cause subject to verification and final approval by Wal-mart Canada Corp., at its sole discretion. Odds of winning depend on how the judging panel evaluates each entry according to the criteria. For Official Contest Rules and to nominate an entrant, visit [www.momoftheyear.ca].

May 15, 2012

"a rainbow skirt in all the pretty colours . . ."



This was a request I received from a little girl that we've been taking care of for the past week.  I went through my solid scraps, cut each tier twice the size of the last one, did some gathering and serging, added some elastic . . . and the little fashion designer had her skirt all made.  And she LOVES it!  And I love quick and rewarding projects like this.  And when I checked my blog reader today, I realized there's a SKIRT WEEK going on over at CrafterHours.  I have another skirt in mind for myself next :)


Linking up to Fabric Tuesday.

May 12, 2012

and the winner of Sewing Modkid Style is . . .


Congrats to Margaret!  You're going to love creating with knits from this beautiful book!  And for everyone else, I just noticed that it's on sale at Amazon.ca and Amazon.com for a steal - just in time for ordering yourself one for Mother's Day!

May 09, 2012

WIP Wednesday . . .


I've been MIA on this blog because I'm working on a big school fundraiser for my daughter's school right now.  I'm having a lot of fun, but it's keeping me busy and also out of the craft room.  When I have squeezed in an hour here and there, I've been working on quilting my oldest daughters double bed quilt.  This thing is a monster, and I'm doing an all-over stipple.  I'm loving the texture that the quilting is giving to this quilt and we're looking forward to it being done soon.


I'll try pop back in on Friday to announce 
the winner of the giveaway
you still have a couple days left to enter!

May 02, 2012

GIVEAWAY: Sewing Modkid Style

Today is my turn on the Virtual Book Tour for Sewing Modkid Style, a brand new and inspiring book written by Patty Young and published by Wiley Publishing.  This beautiful book is hard cover and spiral-bound and a must-have for sewing with knits.  It includes lots of tips and detailed instructions, 20 projects for girls 2T-10 with full-size pattern sheets, how-to diagrams, and LOTS of gorgeous full-colour photos!



Want to win a copy?  Just leave a comment - maybe you can tell me if you've sewn with knits before or are wanting to learn?  Or maybe you can direct me to some online shops with a good selection of knits and what your favourites are to work with?  Or maybe you don't sew but want to win this book for a sewer in your life?  Any comment will do, just one per person.  Winner will be picked by random.org on May 11th.





Also, you'll want to visit these other great blogs on the tour ... 

Sewing MODKID Style Blog Tour

Monday, April 2nd, 2012: Wiley Craft Blog
Wed., April 4th, 2012: A Sewing Journal
Friday, April 6th, 2012: Pink Chalk Studio
Monday, April 9th, 2012: Melanie Dramatic
Wed., April 11th, 2012: Stop Staring and Start Sewing
Friday, April 13th, 2012: Generation Q
Monday, April 16th, 2012: Lil Blue Boo
Wed., April 18th, 2012: True Up
Friday, April 20th, 2012: Paige Hill
Monday, April 23rd, 2012: Boutique CafĂ©
Wed., April 25th, 2012: The Long Thread
Friday, April 27th, 2012: Sew Pretty Dresses
Monday, April 30th, 2012: Prudent Baby
Wed., May 2nd, 2012: Our Busy Little Bunch
Friday, May 4th, 2012: Fat Quarterly
Monday, May 7th, 2012: Making It Fun
Wed., May 9th, 2012: MODKID blog


Please take a minute to visit MODKID designs: