Siggies are in da house!!!!

Well, this week these arrived in my mailbox!...

I was so excited to open the parcel! These are the result of the wonderful siggy swap organized by Connie over at Cootie Bug 2 . There are about 60 blocks in there from bloggers all over the world and I am sooooo excited to get them into a wonderful quilt! hopefully it won't be too long! Just wanted to say a great big thank you to Connie- I am sure this was a lot of work but in the end I am sure it is going to be well worth it! Thanks for letting me be a part of it Connie!

I know I was going to post more about market too! I am a little behind on blogging this summer. So I will try to be back soon and I will share some more pics- also hoping to reveal the finished product from this post very soon!
Hope you are all enjoying your summer so far!
Cara
P.S. Looking for a great giveaway? Head over to my friend Jennifer's blog and enter her awesome giveaway!!!

...drum roll please....

Hello all! I know that some of you are waiting patiently to see who the lucky winner of my blogoversary giveaway is so I will get right to it! I am finally able to say a great big congratulations to: Vintage Sandy!

Vintage Sandy said...
Cara,Happy blogversary!! I'm from NE Ohio and I've only had my blog since Feb. a friend told me about all the wonderful blogs so here I am... love yours and hope to win your giveaway will post you on mine.
March 31, 2009 10:21 PM

Congratulations Sandy! If you send me your mailing information, I will pop your wonderful prize in the mail as soon as I get it! To everyone else- Thank you so much for all your wonderful comments and for entering my giveaway- you truly made my first blogoversary a special one! I have enjoyed reading your comments and for those who have a blog I enjoyed checking them out! Hope to hear from you all again soon and maybe some of you may start your own blog too! If ya do please let me know and I will pop over and visit!

Again I will leave you with some pics of one of my favorite quilts and the spectacular detail from the Quilter Heritage Celebration. This quilt is a Baltimore album quilt - which is something I really would like to do someday. The detail in the applique is just stunning and I love how she personalized her blocks too. I must say that this show gets better every year I attend!

Well, hope you enjoyed the pics- I will be back later to blog more about the show and hopefully to reveal the quilt from the sneak peak last week!
Until then Happy Quilting!
Cara

Wonderful Blogland!

WoW! I must say that I am so overwhelmed by all the bloggy love! It has been so wonderful to see how everyone has started blogging! Thank you all so much for your responses! I just wanted to let you all know I had not forgotten you- I just have several more comments and entries to go through so I will be back soon to give the winner of the drawing!

So while I go through them all I thought I would leave you with a bit of a taste of the Quilter's Heritage Celebration in Lancaster PA. I will tell you all about it when I come back to announce the winners!
See you soon!
Cara

Blogoversary and a giveaway!

Wow! Hard to believe that it has been a year since I started blogging! What a year it has been! I have loved every minute of it! I have met some wonderful people and realized how small the world can be thanks to technology. I have learned a lot, been inspired a ton and most of all had my heart warmed by the generosity of bloggy quilters! In a thanks and celebration of my blogoversary, I have decided to have my first giveaway! So here it goes..... Leave me a comment and I will have a drawing for this wonderful pattern and fat quarter bundle!



The fat quarter bundle is from Urban Chicks latest line "Sweet" by Moda and the pattern is from Fig Tree Quilt's quarterly publication Fresh Vintage- which if you have not checked out- do! It is awesome!

And to make it fun, in your comment please tell me where you are from and how you got started blogging! I will start:

Hi my name is Cara and I am from Maryland- a small town just north of Baltimore. I got started blogging after reading an article in McCall's Quilting by Holly Holderman. I started surfing the quilt blogs and decided I wanted to be part of the fun!

So, please leave me a comment by Sunday and I will draw that next day! Oh and if you post a link to this giveaway on your blog let me know and I will give you 2 extra entries!
Have fun and I look forward to reading your comments!
Thanks for a great year! (*just in the nick of time!)
Cara

Moda Fabricmatcher- are you a member?

Wow! I cannot believe this has been such a busy couple of months! I have been working on some last minute projects and getting them finished up so hopefully I can do a big post about the past couple of months! Today though I wanted to use my break from the Nook to tell you about the coolest new tool over at the Moda website. They have this program called Fabricmatcher that you can go in and design one of their quilts using a huge Moda library of fabrics! I have had fun using it and will continue to do so. Check out a couple of my faves from my projects:
http://moda.fabricmatcher.com/Stash/tabid/84/page/3/Default.aspx
http://moda.fabricmatcher.com/Stash/tabid/84/page/3/Default.aspx
Once you sign up you can save all of these! Check out some of the other stashes while you are there!
Now the best part...each month they have a giveaway based on your submitted quilt designs! So the whole thing is a win win...you can pick a pattern and audition fabrics before going to the quilt shop-WIN....you can check out the newest fabrics to come out-WIN and best of all you could win one of their giveaways- definitely WIN! I highly recommend popping over to the site and trying it out!
Well, off to get the little ones into their beds! More posts about some projects very soon!
Cara

Stitcher's Angel received her gift!

Well, I got a lovely comment/email from Cici letting me know that she received her parcel in Sweden safe and sound! If you remember , in my last post, I gave a sneak peak of what I was making....here are the finished products....

I used a tutorial over here for this awesome collapsible bucket that is made out of canvas. I did not want to use canvas so instead I lined it with Timtex. The pin cushion is from my Quilts and More mag and is by Heather Bailey. I pieced the top piece of fabric though for a matchy look. And last but not least the Stitching folder is from this pattern by Renee Plains. Instead of the wool I used an angel applique from Nancy Halvorsen's book Angels Among Us and added my own stitchery touches. Most of the fabric is Moda and some is from my long stashed away Robyn Pandolph fabs (from when she was with Moda). All in all I had a great time both finding these gifts and then making them. So.....

...I am glad that they arrived to you safely! I also must say thanks to my accomplice, Stina, who was gracious enough to answer some questions for me so that I could make sure I was choosing things that Cici would like! Of course I would like to extend a BIG thanks to Helen for hosting this really cool swap!

Also, I found a great giveaway the other day...if you have not been to Camille's blog lately, hop on over there quickly and enter to win-get this- a quilt made by Camille!!! Isn't she just awesome to do this?! There is not much time left for this though so get and move on! There are also some great ways to get extra entries if you want to increase your chances! Thanks Camille- you are the coolest!

Well, I am off to see if I can get some of my Etsy stocked up and of course to do some work on my numerous WIPS! I will hopefully have something to show soon and maybe a sneak peak of the pattern I am working on!

Cara

P.S. A while back our guild had a sew in day for ConKerr Cancer and I have learned recently that Cindy Kerr, the founder of this awesome charity, has been chosen as one of 10 women to receive the 2008 Women Of Worth award. This is a wonderful charity and this is our chance to help out once again. Please go to http://www.womenofworth.com/ and vote for Cindy and if she is selected, ConKerr Cancer will receive $25 000! Hurry on over and vote as it ends November 24th! You can also help by making these pillow cases and donating them. Thanks for supporting this cause.

More Quilting time and giveaways...

Unfortunately they are not my giveaways, but they are just too cool not to mention. There are 3 cool giveaway's happening out in blog land and here they are:

Go to Janelle Wind's blog and leave a comment about a cherished childhood item that you have and check out the completion of her Bluebird BOM quilt (gorgeous!) and you can win a copy of the pattern!!

Then hop on over to Anna Maria Horner's blog and leave a comment on her ne fabric line-- Garden Party (totally fab!) and which one is your favorite (not an easy choice I may add) and she will be drawing for some fabric.

Last but not least, if you need a new summery bag pop in to Red Geranium Cottage as she is giving away some handbags she has made (very cute!).

Whew! That is a lot of very generous people! I just love giveaways- don't you?

On the quilting front, I have been working on finishing a couple of projects...one is my Home Sweet Home quilt ( see WIP list for the link) and trying to finish my Star Struck strip quilt. I have also made a pact with Stefanie over at The Quilt Buddy to help both of us clear up our unfinished projects and our baskets of planned semi-fabric-bought-for-but-not-started projects. We have plenty to work on so hopefully we can show some restraint for a little bit and get these things to at least flimsy status! More on this later as we are compiling our lists of the 'To Do's'.

Well, I am off to get back at it! More later and happy giveaway hopping!
T.T.F.N.

Giveaway, and a Meme.

Today's post is not about any of my quilt works but instead a little fun! First off I would like to mention a couple of really awesome giveaways! I tell you these are wonderful!

First head on over to Camille's blog Simplify to enter to win a wonderful set of her first fabric line (designed by her and her mum for MODA -lucky girl!) You need to leave a comment by Monday!

The next cool giveaway is over on Lynette Anderson's blog and you can leave a comment to win a set of her newest redwork patterns, called "A Trio Of Greetings" -beautiful work! It also ends Monday but in Aussie time so hurry on over!

Thanks to both of you for your generous giveaways! We blogger's are lucky quilters!

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next bit of fun is a 5 Things Meme that one of my newest blog gal pals, Dawn at Sew-ritzy-titzy tagged me with. So to honor her tag....

5 Things Meme~~~~
The Rules:

Each player answers the questions about themselves. At the end of the post, the player then tags 5-6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know they’ve been tagged and asking them to read your blog. Let the person who tagged you know when you’ve posted your answer.

1. What I was doing 10 years ago:

Hmmm, I believe I had been an RN for a year and could not find a job at home (Canada) so I accepted a Registered Nurse position in England to work at the Royal Berkshire Hospital in Reading for a year. I believe I was on my way that month (absolutely amazing experience BTW!).

2. What 5 things are on on my to-do list for today (not in any particular order):

Hem the curtains, wash the floors, work on DJ blocks, finish the last of the binding on Organized Chaos and 'quiltify' it, swim with the kids.

3. Snacks I enjoy:

CHOCOLATE! of course and also cheddar Cheerios mix, scones or other pastries, veggies with dip and so on.... LOL!

4. Things I would do if I was a billionaire:

This one is a hard one... but I probably would start some sort of children's charity/foundation and open a quilt shop, set our parents up for life, travel and ....well I could go on and on! Fun! If only...

5. Places I have lived:

WOW! I have moved a lot! My dad was a banker and therefore we moved every few years as a child then I moved on my own. Then when I married my husband (who is a Marine pilot) we moved more! But I will try to remember all!... Ontario, Canada (Clinton, Elmira, Dunnville, Simcoe, Brantford, Belle River, Windsor, Barrie and back to Windsor), Reading England, North Carolina (Greenville, then Havelock), Virginia, Mississippi and now Maryland.

So there you have it...a little about me! Thanks to Dawn for tagging me....I am definitely going to tag Stefanie (the Quilt Buddy) and Stina (Kvitstina) if they would like to play ( participation is strictly optionl especially if this is not your thing or you have been recently tagged!), otherwise I am not sure who else to tag so anyone who would like to play consider yourself tagged by me and let me know when you post! Also please stop by and check out Dawn, Stefanie, Mar and Stina's blogs-I tell ya these are some very talented and creative ladies!

Well, I am off to complete my 'to do ' list for the day and get some quilting done! So until next time...
Have a little fun!
T.T.F.N.