21 January, 2012

Trapunto Anyone?



Trapunto is a form of quilting. 
I came upon this at a local thrift shop today.
It's in excellent condition.
A nice example of Trapunto.


That's an old piece of wood it was stapled to.
I'm guessing it may have been framed once upon a time.
It would have looked great in my dining room, before it was my Dining Room...

Really bad picture!
The details of the back-



Even the fish got stuffed!
You can really see how the stuffing makes the deer have depth.


Here's what it all looks like now.



These deer are hoping to find their "forever" home.
Right now they're spending some time in Etsy Shop.

ann marie


 

08 January, 2012

Quilt Craziness!!


Remember these?
I put them in my Etsy Shop because I really liked them.
So did a lot of other people!!
So, I had to make about 270 of them between the 1st of November and Christmas.
Back in October, before my road trip with Taylor to Boston, I found this on Pinterest.


I loved that it was a chevron, but I really loved that they used prints instead of solids.
I decided I would make 3 small (app 60"x60") quilts for my grand daughters.
I bought the fabric and started putting them together before the road trip.
I wanted the grandbabies quilts to have vintagy looking fabrics.
This is what they look like.






To add to my craziness, I had decided to make three more quilts.
One for each of my daughters.
I found my inspiration quilt on Steve's blog,


This is what they ended up with on Christmas morning...


Andrea wanted Gold & White.


Marquis wanted Red & White and Taylor wanted Navy & White.
I only had time to make the tops.  Well, most of the tops.
I still have to add about 5 rows to each quilt.
I hope to get them finished in the next few weeks.
Hopefully before next Christmas!
Let's keep our fingers crossed...

ann marie




31 December, 2011

Happy New Year 2012



Christmas has come and gone like a freight train!
All the grand daughters were here!
So were their parents.
And their aunt.
And their Memere and Pepere.
7 adults and 3 children in our cozy home.
And 4 dogs.
And lots of toys that made me feel like I was in Vegas!
I may have been a little over stimulated!










Cousins!






Good food was enjoyed!



Babies were enjoyed!




Gifts were enjoyed!


The boxes were enjoyed even more than the gifts in some cases!



Even the dogs got some lovin!
A wonderful time that went by too quickly.
It's just Marc and I this evening.
Shrimp Cocktail, Steaks on the grill (it's 77 degrees here right now),
Baked Potatoes, Corn on the Cob and a Spinach salad (spinach is from my garden).
Wish they were all still here...
My wish for them and for you is for a happy, healthy, prosperous and exciting 2012.
Be Safe!

ann marie



20 December, 2011

They'll Be Home For Christmas!!



Just a quick Hi! and Merry Christmas to you!
I've been CRAZY busy with my Etsy Shop!!
That's slowing down now and I'm getting the old homestead ready for Christmas.
All 3 of our girls will be here.
All 3 of our granddaughters will be here.
It's going to be amazing!
Here are some shots of what I've done around here.




The reindeer are ready to go.





I did a little sprucing up inside too.


This room will see lots of use in the next week.
Lots of food, drink and cards!



The kitchen smells so good with this wreath.



My mom got this child's sleigh from her good friend and neighbor years ago.
It was his as a child.
My folks had it packed up professionally and sent to me here in Texas.
I swear they could have dropped it from an airplane and it would have been fine.
It took forever to uncrate it.
When we moved to this much smaller house, the only place I could keep it was on top of the wall unit in our family room.



So, the trees are trimmed.



And we're waiting patiently...



Merry Christmas everyone.
I wish you peace and joy in the coming year.
And lots of DIY projects too!

ann marie



 

20 November, 2011

Christmas Stockings-Yay!

Life's been busy...such an understatement!
On the 5th of November, Taylor and I had a girl's road trip-
to Boston.
She's moved there to find a job.
It was a beautiful trip.
However, I kept getting these emails on my phone.
Confirmation of an Etsy transaction.
I got lots of them!


First batch-16 Christmas Stockings.
Today I finished 6 shower curtains and a floor length gathered/cord table cloth.
I'm a fast sewer-as in sewing.


So...as of right now, I only have 104 more stockings, a couple of pairs of panels and some dog beds...as of right now.
Oh, and throw in the Christmas music that's already on the radio 24/7.
I'm a fast sewer.
However, my studio is a casualty of being this busy.


The good thing is I know where everything is...kind of.

I'm very flattered and excited that so many people like and appreciate the things that I make.
It's like Christmas for me, ok-I'm a fabricaholic, when the weekly fabric order arrives.
20-30 yds of different fabric makes my heart go pitter-patter.
I guess I should get back to work, after all, I have my own personal projects that need finishing before Christmas.
It's a good thing I'm a fast sewer!

ann marie



02 November, 2011

November Garden


Evergreen Wisteria


Lantana


Rose on Trellis


Mini Rosebush from the grocery store.
You know, the ones that are about 8" tall.
 It's about 2 1/2' tall now and blooms all summer until we get a freeze.


Shrimp Plants





Lavender

They're all blooming better than they have all summer.

ann marie