nittany round up...

{note: 1 more day - today - to enter into the drawing to win a copy of Seaside Home! Just leave a comment on this post.}

So, I think March 14th officially means that 2011 is over :) I finished these blocks some time ago, but wanted to share the last few months of the Nittany Block Swap. I really enjoy block swaps, but because of time [coupled with the fact that I didn't find a new swap that seemed interesting AND was looking for a new member] I am not currently participating in a monthly swap.

September: Kelly was going for more of a modern look. It was fun to have boundaries but still be allowed some artistic control. I am sure this will look amazing when she finishes with it!


October: Tammy wanted a Moda Bake Shoppe pattern. The fabrics are GREAT; I really like the secondary pattern that forms when you put these blocks together.


November: Shari is into upcycling men's shirts right now. I am a huge Kaffe Fasset fan, so the finished look is right up my ally. Some of them are still a slight bit wonky despite my best pressing and cutting efforts. Cannot wait to see all those shapes come to life in a finished quilt!

I have to get back into the project that the ladies helped me with!! The center is pieced, it just needs some borders and a few blocks for said border and it will be complete!

ruffled feathers [tote tutorial]...

**note: there is still time to enter in the giveaway for new Seaside Home book! Comment on this post! I will announce a winner on the 15th :)

I was thinking the other day that sometimes it is loads of fun to ruffle someone else's feathers, but very rarely fun to have your own feathers ruffled. [I think alot of kids have figured this out] I am a fan of ruffles - and apparently I am not the only one - they are showing up everywhere! Not wanting to disappoint a trend, I made up this little tote.

Sweet and simple, I put together a little tutorial - here is a link to the pdf.
Hope your day is going well - here the sky is blue, my windows are open, and I can hear birds singing! Goodbye grey skies! [at least for the moment!]

exciting news + a giveaway!

I am pretty darn pleased to announce that my little crabby pillow has made its way into a book!! The soon to be released book Seaside Home will contain one of my very own original patterns. I can't hardly believe it :D

Did you see my crabby cover girl in the upper left hand corner? Here is a bigger picture I took in case you missed it.

There are so many wonderful sea-inspired projects - don't you love that little beach house?! To roll out the red fabric for the book, I would love to giveaway a copy of the book. Just leave me a comment on this post to enter. There is also a blog tour in the planning stages. More details to follow; I will draw a winner on March 14.