i heart valentines (and chocolate too!)

A little craft I saw online for this valentine's day. My 3 year old and I had fun making these for her class. And eating some m&m's along the way.

To make: buy matches at your local grocery store and empty them for a later time. Fill each with candy of your choice. We used m&m's but convo hearts would work good I bet.
Cut a piece of paper about 4"x2" to fit around your box and secure on the back with tape. I used 2 different paper strips ones so I could put a name on it. Another cute idea would be to tie ribbon around them but Kate did not want this, I lost that creative battle! Close the box and voila: instant cuteness.

Happy Valentine's Day! Remember those you love in your life!

2 quilts done for 2 happy boys

Last summer I went on my amazing sewing getaway with my dear friend Lillian. Where I made the tops of 2 quilts for my boys. I am happy to say that today they are finally done and on their beds keeping them warm at night. The funny thing about these quilts is that it was supposed to be just one for my oldest Aidan, but when I walked in the door from my trip that summer my younger son quickly asked me: " what did you make for me?" I instantly pulled out the 2 quilt pieces and said "this one is yours!". I didn't have the heart to tell him that I had only made his brother one this trip. So I made the back of Aidan's quilt into the front of Gray's and now had lots more work to finish them both!

And then came a move, my back troubles and back surgery and recovery and those quilts sat and sat and sat in a box for the past 6 months or so. I decided to send them off to The Back Porch Quilters after I have heard Dana over at Old Red Barn Co. speak so highly of Rhonda's work.

I sent them off at the end of December and happily received them last week all done and so beautiful!! Her work is flawless and at .01 per square inch it is affordable too. It was so worth it to have these quilts done for me this time with all we have had going on. I needed to feel like something was getting done. Since I still can't sit at my machine for too long, the thought of quilting these big quilts was impossible! Grayson's is a double and Aidan's is a generous twin.

It feels good to see your hard work complete. I had a nice time by the fire over the snowy weekend sewing the bindings on too. It was relaxing and so warm under those quilts all weekend. Perfect!

::over the weekend::

There was lots of this...

And even a bunch of this too...(more on that tomorrow!) Hope your weekend was warm and cozy with the ones you love.

lovely fabrics and a giveaway too!

(Playground Palette)

Recently I bought a little bit of Anna Maria Horner's new line called Little Folks. It is made out of voile which is just so lovely and light weight. Kind of like the lawn cotton from Liberty of London. When you are lying around healing from back surgery, it can be very dangerous not to buy a ton of fabric while surfing the web! There is not much else to do! But I was good and just got 3 fat quarters thinking I would make a scarf. Has not happened yet, but it will!

I ordered from Harts Fabric and was very pleased with their prices, customer service and fast shipping. Today they are having a giveaway on their blog for a free yard from the Little Folks line! So go check it out here and sign up to win!

As for me, I am s.l.o.w.l.y healing from surgery and getting better each day. I am dying to be able to sew again and have stashed a million new project ideas in my head! The body knows what it is doing but sometimes the mind gets impatient waiting! See you soon. Hope you have a great day!

:corners of my home:

I created 2 pillows last month to sell at our holiday craft shows. I was pretty happy that they did not sell because they work just perfectly on my new couch! To make these pillows, I sewed a large panel of different widths of some of my favorite greens that were cut in strips. I also included some solids from the Amy Butler collection. Her solids are really nice and come in a beautiful variety of colors. I then took my large piece of sewn strips and made a sandwich with some natural cotton batting and solid cotton for the backing. I stipple quilted the whole thing. Then, I cut this into two squares: one measures 20"x20" and the other is 16"x16". I thought I would like to add a bit of applique to one and chose this bird template, found here. Easy enough to cut out and stitch on. Finished them both by sewing the backs for the pillow and voila!

I enjoy using quilting in small projects like this that still keep a simple, modern design. I am lately becoming green obsessed and these pillow add that touch of color that our sofa needed!

:welcome 2010:

Hello and happy new year to you! I am dusting off my blog after quite a few busy and tossed up weeks around here. The holidays behind us and a new year is here. I hope that you all had a great one.
As I am facing a surgery next week for back problems I have been having over the past few months, I have resolved to get my health issues solved, my life back on track and enjoy what this coming year has to offer me and my family.
My creative life has been on a pause button and will be until I am feeling better. Here is a glimpse of some of my favorite projects from 2009. Lots of new ideas to come this year too. I look forward to highlighting other creative people out there that inspire me to try more and experiment with possibilities! The web has so many amazing artists, bloggers, etsy sellers and more to offer!
So here's to a new year of discovery, good health and lots of creativity! Thanks for visiting. I wish you the best!

handmade holidays show

Here is a sneak peek of some of the fun things Olliekate will be selling at our 2nd annual craft show. Along with many other talented women and crafters we will be hosting a handmade holidays show for our friends and community. I am really excited and looking forward to the start of the holiday season. Lots to do, lots to do! (can you see all the packing boxes in the background? We are moving right before the show!)
The monster hat is made by my olliekate partner Rebecca. This one is Kate's but you can get one for your little monster at the show and the key fobs were whipped up by me so you may never lose your keys again!