Well . . . . Old Habits die hard!

The habit of letting sooo much time go by between posts!  Life has been quite hectic here. Grandbaby number 8; the second granddaughter, was born on February 3rd - just over two weeks late!!!  I had been on the road the week before so the stress level was a bit high thinking daughter Hannah would be having her baby while I was gone!
Before baby Layla was born, we lost two members of our church. The first had just celebrated her 90th birthday and was such a joy and inspiration to myself and others.  You might have thought she was all of 75; she was that spry! She was healthy until she went home to be with the Lord! What a blessing that was.  The second member of our church went "running through the gates of heaven" after being here with her family for 4 years and never being able to walk or talk.  So sad to see her family go through the loss but what joy they have in knowing Macy is now perfect and in the presence of the Lord!
Things with my job are gearing up for getting busy! BUT, in the middle of all that, my husband and I are planning a short get-away in April.  Then I will be meeting up with my sister in Pittsburg, PA in May for the Spring Quilt Market.  Not sure how much sewing I will be getting done but I remain hopeful  :)
Until next time!

And . . . We have a WINNER!!!

The week got away from me and I should have done this drawing yesterday. BUT, well, I did get it done.  You will laugh at how UN tech savvy I am!
I printed off all the comments, cut them up, put them in a bowl, had my daughter "stir them up" and then she picked a winner!

And the winner is:    Sew.Darn.Quilt

I have sent you an email asking for your name and address.  Congratulations! You will receive the pattern and fabric pictured above.

Thank you so much everyone, for coming by to visit during the hop! It was lots of fun for me and I hope to join another one soon!

Wake up to Kona - It's My Turn!! PLUS a Give-Away

PLUS TWO MORE DAYS!!     JANUARY 20 & 21

Have you been "Blog Hopping"?  I have and it always amazes me how talented others are and how I have this growing love for Kona solids! Be sure to visit everyone on this hop to get your fill of "eye candy"!

My initial draw to this blog hop was because of the BIG COFFEE CUP!!! And the idea of Kona Coffee (OK, so I have an addiction to coffee - is there a 12 step program somewhere???)  :)


Before going any further though, I want to extend my sincerest thanks to Madame Samm from Sew We Quilt, for spear-heading this wonderful blog hop!  And MANY MANY Thanks to Carol from Just Let Me Quilt, for being our tireless cheerleader!
Madame Samm works behind the scenes to procure sponsors. This time we have to thank:

Amanda Murphy, author of Color Essentials

Robert Kaufman fabrics - The company that brings us Kona Cottons

Aurifil Thread (they help us keep it together)

 

 

Now back to the business at hand . . .  Creating a project out of Kona Solids.

 

After I joined, my mind started to go a bit crazy.  I had just received the latest copy of McCalls Quilting magazine (January/February 2014)  and on the cover was a gorgeous Lone Star block.  I thought, oooh! That would look great as a sunrise star, then how about a sunset star?  BUT - it was Christmastime after all, and who would possibly have time?  Surely not me.  SO, on to another idea.  I went to my local quilt shop to see what Kona solids they had (not a very big variety).  So I thought - how about mug rugs with applique'd snowflakes?  Nah, not colorful enough.

Why not do a project on my list and change it a little?  GREAT!!

I have a grand daughter who was born just 2 months ago and my daughter-in-law chose Butterflies as her theme.  (After 6 grandsons, I now have a granddaughter!)

 

I saw a quilt like this when I did an internet search and decided to do one.  Here it is:

 

 

I used a Charm Pack of Kona Pastels, Kona Unbleached White on the front and back, and Kona Light blue for the binding.   It is raw edge applique and will look cute when it gets washed (I hope).   Oh, then I made this for the back:

 

 

 

I apologize for the photography.  I did not get it completed until after the sun went down.  Then, I have a new little camera I was trying out.  Hopefully next time I will PLAN and be better prepared!

 

 

Now HOP on over and visit these other talented ladies today:

 

January 13

Creatin’ In The Sticks

Meadowbrook

Cathy’s Chatter   (that's me)

Selina Quilts

Sew Fresh Quilts

The Sassy Quilter

 

 

 

NOW  . . .    drum roll please  . . . .   The Give Away:

 

I will send this pattern and 1/2 yard cuts of the two blues shown to one person drawn at the end of the blog hop.  All you need to do is leave me a comment.  For another chance, leave an additional comment telling me you are a follower (new or old, doesn't matter).  Two extra days have been added to this blog hop (January 20th and 21st).  I will choose a winner on the 22nd.  Please be sure you are not a "no reply" blogger or I will have to choose someone else.

 

Good Luck!



 

 

 

 

 



Wake up to Kona Blog Hop

The hop started today!  Be sure to follow the bloggers in this hop each day! There is some spectacular talent out there!
My day is next Monday, the 13th - be sure to check back!

Ahhhh, My Friend

It is still 2013 here in Phoenix as I write this post.  The New Year has come already to the East Coast.                                  Happy New Year Family and Friends!!

Every year, my friend Kim and I swap Birthday gifts.  I think opening her gift to me is the highlight of my Birthday each year!! (My birthday is December 27th)
Well, this year she sent me 3 lovely charm packs (Fig Tree & Co.), some white yardage, and a pack of English paper piecing papers (The 6-Pointed Diamond).  You know, all I need is another addiction!
Being the thoughtful person she is, Kim told me it was for me to have hand work to keep me busy on the plane when I travel and for those lonely nights in my hotel room.  (I have a job that requires quite a bit of travel.)  Well, I had to take it out, touch it, feel it, research it . . .

                                                Oh My!!!! This is turning out to be quite fun!

So Dearest Kim, Thank you very much!  I will be sure to post photos of the finished project (at this point I have no idea what it will be!)

Don't forget to return during the Kona Blog Hop!

Happy Sewing. . .

The Best Christmas Ever . . .

I am sure I am not alone when I say the last couple of weeks have been a bit crazy!  Those projects for Christmas gifts that need to be done "just right", the extra things that come up - like wonderful out of town guests you want to cook for, shopping for the perfect gift for loved ones, making sure those who live out of town get their boxes on time . . .
Here at the Rayes house, we had a little extra excitement.  My youngest son, Joel, was coming home from Afghanistan!!!!  We knew he would be stateside by Christmas and thought we would surprise him with a trip to El Paso (Ft. Bliss) to spend Christmas Day with him. Then, I received notice from the Family Readiness Group there would be a homecoming ceremony in Phoenix the day before Christmas!!  That meant the soldiers would all be here! 

Joel - Child #8, son #5 -

This photo is a couple of years old.  Lots of pictures were taken at the homecoming but gosh darn - I can't seem to find any!  Will post some later if my kids share with me  :)

Just having Joel back made for the perfect Christmas!  He has had to put up with hugs and kisses at random times.  I think he is OK with that though!  I haven't heard him complain!  Joel's wish for Christmas was to be able to see and spend time with his family.  I think this was his best so far too!

Scrubsations

This post is to let you all know of a great product I recently came across.
Here's the scoop:

The Compliance Team I work with had a team meeting the first week of December.  One of our fun activities was to have a "White Elephant" gift exchange.  There were 23 of us and I drew number 22.  How fun to get to see all the gifts opened and then have the opportunity to choose what I wanted!!!

Being the coffee snob (Starbucks Fan) that I am, everyone thought for sure I was going to go for the gift that was all coffee related.

 Ahhh, not so! 

When one of my teammates opened a gift that was homemade, I quickly decided THAT was going to be my choice!  Each gift could only be stolen three times so I was crossing my fingers behind my back, just hoping it would not be stolen to prevent ME from being the ultimate thief!

Alas, my turn came and the gift was available.   So, WHAT was the gift?   Homemade Sugar Scrubs!
My friend Beth and her daughter made these yummy sugar scrubs that are TOTALLY edible (but that is not what they are made for), and smell like heaven!! I guess you could say they were heaven scent.

I ordered some and here is a sample of what I got:

The scents available (so far) are:  Ginger Lemongrass, Lavender, Vanilla Brown Sugar, Spiced Coffee, Peppermint Sugar, and Mechanics (a sandalwood scent). 
She made me a special one - Spiced Coffee (YUM).  I will let you know what I think  *wink*
These are available in plastic or glass containers.  Beth was very clever to use the plastic! She was thinking ahead to hazards of oil, bathtubs, glass . . .

You can order from her too!  Here is her information: 

                                             Beth Ringwald, Scrubsations, 720-252-2514

Let's help Beth and her daughter with their new endeavor AND benefit from their talents!!!