Quilt Show pictures - Part One

A couple weeks ago I went to the Jacksonville Quilt Show (http://www.quiltfestjax.com) and had a lot of fun. Here are some of my favorite quilts on display:

This is a pattern by McKenna Ryan called "Glacier". You can't tell from the picture but the quilter used beads throughout the quilt:

This one is called "Convex Illusions". I absolutely love illusion pictures so I really love this one:

This one is called "Coxcomb" and is a Judy Niemeyer pattern. I can totally appreciate the work that went into this; I'm just not I have the patience or attention span to do one myself lol:

This quilt is called "Spiral Strips" from the book "Jelly Roll Quilts" by Pam and Nicky Lintott. This one is on my "do to" list:

This one won an award!  This is a Civil War Bride Quilt, which is an interpretation of "The Bird of Paradise" quilt top at the American Folk Art Museum in New York. The original is thought to be an unfinished wedding or marriage quilt. Fabulous!!!

Another award winner and probably one of the cutest and most original ones at the show!  This one is called "Crime Scene Investigation" and has cute little sayings throughout the fence. The quilting on this one is out of this world!!  I just can't say enough about this quilt:

I absolutely am crazy about tropical colors and if I could have, this quilt would have gone home with me!!  The name of this quilt is "Tropical Delight" and this is a Quilt in a Day quilt by Eleanor Burns from "Day & Night":

This quilt is called "Cactus Rose" and is a. Judy Niemeyer pattern. I love the colors and the overall crisp design:

This one is called Caribbean Sky" and is a Judy Niemeyer pattern. It looks way to hard for me but I can absolutely appreciate the amount of work that went into it. Another one I'd bring home if I could :-) :

Another ribbon winner!  This one is called "Summer Solstice" and is a paper pieced pattern by Judy Niemeyer (boy her patterns are popular lol). I love the masculine feel to this one:

Another winner!  This one is called "Glacier Star" and is, yes, another paper piecing quilt pattern by Judy Niemeyer.   Again outside of my ability but a gorgeous quilt nonetheless:

Ok so I'm noticing a trend with the Judy Niemeyer patterns; I swear I didn't notice that until I started posting the pics lol. I was just taking pictures of the ones I liked. 

Anyway I have a ton more quilt pictures to share but unfortunately it's time to get to work :-( 

So....what are your favorite ones so far?  Reply in the comments and share your thoughts :-)

Enjoy your day!

Vanessa

Crazy times in Florida

Boy, its been a crazy past few days!!!  Quilt show this Thursday then Friday/Saturday a BBQ competition, followed by lots of sleep and craziness when I went back to work!!  Where do I even start???

Thursday was the Jacksonville Quilt Show and it was pretty fun.  I was there about 5 hours, looking at quilts and of course, all the products for sale.  I will post pictures of some of my favorite quilts and talk more about the quilt show in the next few posts.

Friday and Saturday was the BBQ cookoff finale - we felt we had our best cook yet.  We ended up coming in 4th overall, and was barely 2 points from 3rd place.  Not bad at all!!!  We are taking a break from BBQ for awhile; besides we are getting a new smoker made so even if we wanted to cook we can't right now. 

So we will be going "pro" and will start entering pro competitions, probably after the holidays.  More to come on that.....

Work.....ah, work.  The ultimate in crazy......either I'm swamped or have nothing going on.  I have just started the "I'm Swamped" cycle which will last for the forseeable future.  Oh well, at least I have a job, for which I am thankful :)

Hope you're week has been good so far!
Vanessa

Migraine Monday

Oh yeah gotta love migraines :(

I've had them most of my entire adult life.  As with most migraine sufferers, caffeine can play a big part in getting them and its really an allergic reaction.  So I'm allergic to caffeine.  Which includes tea (I drink decaf), coffee (don't drink it really unless its decaf, iced and is mostly skim milk with some sugar), most soft drinks (Coke, Pepsi, etc. which I don't drink anymore) and of course, chocolate.  *Gasp* Yes you read that correctly - chocolate.  I rarely eat it anymore since it gives me an instant migraine, but if i get a craving that I can't control I have to take one of my migraine pills first.  Otherwise I'll be down for a good day, which is never good.

Anyway, didn't mean to give you a migraine lesson.  Sometimes you get them from stress or just because.  Last night around 2 am, I woke up to a "just because" migraine.  Right behind my left eye, no less.  And if you've never had one, consider yourself lucky.  Pardon my french, but they are a bitch.  I've been hurting all day and sometimes even my prescription isn't enough to take care of it.  At that point, all I can do is lay in a quiet, dark room and try to sleep it off. 

Luckily today my pills took most of the edge off.  My neck and shoulders are stiff (a lovely side effect) but I'm feeling a little better at least.

Otherwise I entered a fabric giveaway a couple weeks ago and won!  Look at my goodie:

 

 

I've never used hexagons before so I'm going to scour the web for a pattern.  I received this from the A Stitch in Dye blog - so thank you very much!  I've never won fabric before this this was pretty cool! 

 

I'm surprised that it even made it to me - check out the packaging it came in:

 



If I'm feeling better later, I may work on the wrap for the food boxes for our BBQ turn in boxes (aka Casserole Carrier).  Here's the fabric I'm using (appropriate don't ya think?):

I'll post pictures when I'm done.

How was your Monday??
Vanessa

Sewing Sunday

Ah yes the woman is on a mission.  A sewing mission, that is.....

I spent the day working on sewing up items for my craft shows in November.  If I wasn't sewing, I was cutting up fabric. Aren't you amazed at how nice and neat I am?  I amaze even myself sometimes ;-)

I cut up at least 4 packages of Wrap-N-Zap batting and had a bunch of leftovers, so as any good quilter knows, I decided to just zig-zag the leftover pieces together so I can have bigger pieces to cut out.  Thrifty, no?

 

 

I was able to get quite a bit done, actually.  I have quite a few things on my list that I want to make before November, so I'm actually starting to feel like I'm getting somewhere.  I also had some of my inventory that I left in Minnesota sent to me; I received it on Saturday so that'll definitely be helpful. 

 

Besides my sewing bonanza today, I also managed to make my Beef Stroganoff for dinner (sorry I was already digging in when I realized I forgot to take a picture first (oops):

 

 

 

This is a really easy crockpot recipe, perfect comfort food.  I normally make a double batch and have it again the next day.  Here's the recipe:

 

BEEF STROGANOFF



1 pound stew meat

1 can cream of mushroom soup (or golden mushroom soup)

1/2 chopped onion (optional)

1 package fresh mushrooms (I use the bigger size container but I love mushrooms)

1/4 cup red wine (cooking or otherwise)

2 Tablespoons of Worcestershire

1/4 cup of water

1/2 block cream cheese

Pepper to taste

Cooked egg noodles

 

Mix everything except the cream cheese and pepper into a crockpot; cook on low for 4-5 hours or high 2-3 hours.  When the meat falls apart, its done. 

 

Chunk up the cream cheese and stir into stroganoff just before serving, allowing to melt completely.  Add pepper as desired.  Pour over cooked egg noodles.

 

If you make this recipe, let me know what you think!

Vanessa :)

 

 



Time's A-Wastin'

Yes time *is* a-wasting!! 

I'm confirmed for one craft show on November 15th and am applying for a 2-day show for the following weekend.  Nice huh?  Another one that I applied to I never heard back from; I was going to contact them until I realized it was for next weekend (October 4th) and there is NO WAY I'll be ready in time.  So I'm gonna skip that one and look for a different one.

So I've started working on my items and I already feel like I'm way behind.  On top of that, I need to make 3 casserole carriers before next weekend.  I started on one and thought, oh I can just freehand quilt it instead of doing straight lines.  Well my optimism got the best of me, and let's just say I've been ripping out stitches for the past two days :(  I won't even bother to embarass myself with a picture of it; yes its that bad.  Oh well live and learn.  But I promised to post pics of the finished product when I'm done!

Also in the mix of the craft show craziness, we are also practicing for the Grand Finale BBQ Cookoff next weekend (September 26th-27th).  Here is a picture of a whole brisket fresh out of the smoker:

 

And here it is all sliced and ready for dinner LOL And yes, someone has already noticed the lack of vegetables on my plate.  In my defense I was planning on having fresh cut fruit for dessert, but ended up crashing not too long after eating dinner.  Smoking BBQ all day in the hot sun is hard work, folks.  LOL  Mmmm look at that smoke ring!

 

 

And here's the ribs.  We cooked them a little too long so they started pulling off the bones.  We've noticed a definite decrease in size in ribs so we are going to need to plan accordingly.  But they turned out very good so I'm not gonna complain.

Sounds like we are going to practice again this weekend.  I'm thinking that after the Grand Finale we are going to take a little break from BBQ-ing.  I least I sure hope we do, because I think I need a break from BBQ in general.  Which is funny because I really do love BBQ but like anything else, too much of a good thing and all that.....

So tonight will be ripping out more stitches (yay) and just keep plugging away at my craft show inventory.

Hope you're having a great week!
Vanessa

September 11th

Where were you 13 years ago on this day?

I was in Minnesota packing, ready to take a long drive to Pensacola, Florida where my then sister-in-law was going to get married.  I made arrangements with my best friend to watch the kids for the week while we were gone, so I was set there.  I had the TV on Good Morning America, luggage was on the bed as I was in the process of packing our clothes when they broke the news that a plane had struck the North Tower of the World Trade Center.  There wasn't much news immediately, but then they started showing video of the tower when suddenly, we saw another plane hitting the South Tower as it was happening.

I remember calling out to my ex, and he came in the room as we both watched the horror unfold; reports of a plane hitting the Pentagon, of a plane crashing in Pennsylvania and of course the two towers collapsing.

It was horrible and we watched for hours, trying to decide if we should still go or stay home.  After a flurry of calls we decided to go ahead and make the drive.  We were still packing when the kids got home; my son was terrified and insisted on coming with us.  My daughter - the youngest but the calmer of the two - chose to stay with my best friend. 

We made it safe and sound to the wedding and back to Minnesota without incident, but it was still scary as we didn't know what was going to happen or if another attack was going to occur.

So on this day, I'd like to say a brief prayer to the 2,977 victims of the 9/11 attacks, their families and loved ones.  You will not be forgotten. May God Bless America.

Working hard.....or hardly working?

Craft show update - I was accepted at one of the craft shows I applied to!!!!  Well, they cashed my check so I assume I'm in LOL  The name of the church hosting the craft show is called Grace Church of Avondale - here's a picture of it:

I have absolutely NO idea how busy it will be, how successful their past shows were, etc. so I'm just winging it here.  I guess I'll find out on November 15th LOL  To be honest I wasn't even sure where it was located; after I saw they cashed my check I went and Googled it.  One would think I would have done that *before* I sent in a check, but I'm not that bright, I guess ;-)

So with that being said, over the weekend I cut out a bunch of fabric for some of the items I will be selling at the shows.  I decided to do a little bit of a variety so I will have not only sewing/quilting items but also a few handpainted items as well.  I may even have some of my personalized ornaments shipped down from Minnesota so I can sell those too (although I'm honest enough to admin I'm sick to death of them).

In addition, a friend of mine asked me to make her a casserole carrier.  In pink.  That was all I was given as far as direction, "My favorite color is pink".  I'm not a fan of pink and I swear it took forever for me to find fabric.  In pink.  Did I mention its pink????  Ugh.....however that being said, I actually like what I picked so hopefully she does to!!  ::::still shaking my head over the pink lol::::  Anyway....I'll post pictures of it here when I'm done.

The weekend was fun - went to see "Guardians of the Galaxy" on Sunday; I highly recommend it if you enjoy action/adventure/comedy movies (which I do).  The first 5-10 minutes are a bit of a downer, but after that its excitement all the way to the end.  Chris Pratt (star of the movie) is from Virginia, Minnesota and isn't bad to look at.  Not that I was, mind you, I'm just sayin'......

So tonight I will be doing a bunch more of this:

 

 

How was your day today?

Vanessa

Happy September.....

Its about that time of year again........craft show season!! 

I started doing craft shows back in 2002 when I was laid off from my job that summer, and was worried I wouldn't have any money for Christmas gifts for my kids.  At the time I was teaching decorative painting so I thought I'd give a couple of craft shows a try, paint up some stuff and just see what happens.

So with that I painted up anything that didn't move, while trying to do gifty things that people may buy.  If you've ever done a craft show then you know how hard it is to predict what will sell and what won't!

My first show rolled around and my best friend Denise came with me to help.  Table was all set up, both of us were anxious.....then *nothing* for 2 hours.  I found out later that people were walking in and walking through all the booths in a certain path, and of course we were at the end of that path!!  However, about 2 hours in, and after freaking out that I wasn't going to sell a thing, we started selling things like there was no tomorrow!  We were swamped until about an hour before the end of the show, and even then we still had people stopping by chatting and buying until the end of the show.  It was an experience I'll never forget and my kids ended up with a very nice Christmas LOL

From that point forward I've always done craft shows; some were awesome and some not so great.  I've changed inventory several times so I wouldn't get bored (painting, funny wood signs, knitted scarves, personalized ornaments....you get the idea) and my display has changed just as many times.  Its been a learning experience, but I've met some great people and have made some decent money which was always used for Christmas presents. 

I didn't do any shows in 2013 because I had moved across the country, but this year I'm dipping my toes back into the craft show arena and see where it goes!  I'm sure it will be like completely starting over, since what sold in Minnesota may not sell here in Florida, but I will find out soon enough!!  I've signed up for one show, am waiting to hear on a second one (its juried so I had to send in pics and wait to find out if I'm "accepted"), and am eyeing a third one.  So we'll see.....

In any event, craft show projects are getting started this weekend so stay tuned!!

 

 

 

Have a great weekend!

Vanessa :)

Back Home - What a Week!

Wow - this past week has been a lot of fun - busy and a blur all at the same time!

So to catch up - as you know I was on vacation at Disney World.  After Space Mountain we spent the rest of the day/evening enjoying Disney.  Here are some more pictures for your viewing pleasure:

Under the Sea ride

Big Thunder Mountain:

Cinderella Castle:

Parade:

 

Epcot at night

 

So the day after Disney it was my birthday!  Woo hoo!  Unfortunately it rained pretty hard off and on all day, so didn't do a whole lot.  Ran some errands, tried to pick up the smoker (wasn't ready yet), puttered around some more then went to Clarks Fish Camp for dinner.  I went there last year and had a lot of fun - its a seafood place on the river but the entire inside is decorated with stuffed animals.  No, not the cute Care Bear type.  I'm talking Lions, Tigers, and Bears.....OH MY!  LOL Check out the link if you're curious.  Nothing like eating dinner and having tons of eyes staring at you HAHAHA

 

Had a couple more days off from work, so as always went running errands, picked up the smoker (it was in the shop because a warming box was being added to it), and just tried to get geared up to go back to work. Yay. 

 

Otherwise, we have another BBQ competition this coming weekend - Chicken, Ribs and Pork Butt.  Its gonna be hot and rainy all weekend so not looking forward to that part but it will be fun to see all the familiar faces at the contest again, and catch up with them since we didn't have a competition in June.

Next up - the Jacksonville Quilt Show is coming in September!  WOO HOO!!  I plan on saving my pennies so that I can snag all sorts of great deals!  I went last year for the first time and although I missed not having my friends Amy and Kathy there, I still had fun.  This years theme is "Its Not All Black and White" - sound interesting!!!  There will definitely be a TON of pictures when I go, trust me :)

Finally.....I found another pattern that I have put on my "To Do" list - its a Debbie Mumm project called "By The Sea Wallhanging".  Go check it out - isn't it adorable???

How has your week been?
Vanessa

Orlando vacation

So Orlando has been pretty fun so far!  Saturday we sat through a *very* long 3 hour presentation about buying a timeshare (I didn't) but the free gift was a $150 Amex gift card!!  Afterwards we went to a few shops (no I didn't buy anything) then went to Buffalo Wild  Wings for dinner. It took almost an hour to get served but it was nice to just relax. 

This morning I got a surprise - we are going to Disney!  And we got the park hopper so we can visit all the parks. Woo hoo!!

I took that picture last night as we were driving back to the resort (we are staying in a 2 bedroom deluxe suite at Bonnet Creek)

Here's a couple pictures from so far from today:

Right now we are standing in line for Space Mountain. It's about a 45 minute wait so I had a few minutes to post an update. 

How is your weekend going?

Vanessa

Throwback Thursday!

So for today's Throwback Thursday, here is a picture of my very first quilt ever:

 

I had SO much fun with my friend Kathy shopping for these fabrics; we went to Mill End (sadly, they've since closed the store) and had an absolute ball!!  Looking at it now, I can see that I had absolutely NO idea what I was doing as far as colors, placement, etc. (its a bit busy for my taste)  But hey, for a first time quilt its really not all that bad.  Not really.  I guess.  LOL  Best part of the class was my instructor, and now great friend, Amy, made the class so much fun!!  I still have the pattern and one day I plan on remaking it with a more pleasing (to me) color palette.  Maybe more solids and fewer prints next time.  Or batiks.....you know I'm crazy about batiks :-)

Speaking of batiks - look at this cute free pattern I found online at All People Quilt:

Its called "Splashes of Color"; just click on the name to bring you to the free pattern.  This one is definitely going on my "to do" list!!!  It would also be cute with some sort of fussy cut print for the center square and solids (or polka dots even) on the outside.

I'll be heading down to Orlando tomorrow for a nice long weekend of fun and relaxation.  I think we may hit a theme park or two, but there will definitely be some shopping involved!!  Pictures will taken and an full recap of the trip will be forthcoming!

What are your plans this weekend?  And what do you think of the Splashes of Color quilt?

Vanessa :)

Happy Belated 4th of July :)

Hi again - I meant to post last week *before* the Fourth of July, but time got away from me (what else is new right?)

Spent the 4th at some friends house and took this video; now keep in mind that I'm used to Minnesota, where you cannot have shooting fireworks.  These were being shot off in the neighborhood and were spectacular.  These folks spent some serious money, let me tell ya!

Did a couple new recipes for the 4th as well; Banana Pudding and a hot Bean Dip. 

The Banana Pudding is actually a Paula Dean recipe and all I can say is "OHMYGOD".  It is thick, it is rich and it was a huge hit.  Here's the one I made:

The recipe calls for bananas, but if you (or one of your guests) doesn't like bananas, this recipe can easily be altered.  Skip the fruit and change the cookies/pudding flavor.  How about Oreo's and chocolate pudding?  Or Ladyfingers and butterscotch pudding?  I'm sure you see where I'm going with this :)

The other recipe I made was a baked Bean Dip - I absolutely love it.  I had planned on taking a picture as soon as I brought it over, but it was immediately attacked so here's what it looked like about 5-10 minutes after I brought it out:

 

 

 

This is a good Southern recipe, with black eyed peas and artichokes. Let me know if you'd like the recipe and I'd be happy to send it to you :)

 

We played softball over the weekend - well, let me know get real here:  we took turns hitting balls while the rest of us chased them LOL  Even so, after 1 1/2 hours in the hot sun you get a good workout!  I'm sore head to toe, but its a good sore.  I even hit a few balls; everyone took turns hitting 12 balls.  I only missed three....not bad for not swinging a bat since 8th grade.  One even managed to roll into the outfield so I'm pretty happy about that!!!!  It was a good showing for someone who was playing with people who have played baseball/softball practically all their lives.  I got lots of good tips on swinging the bat (apparently I swing like a girl - go figure LOL) but we had a great time overall.

 

Still no sewing - yeah, I know I'm a slacker!  Haven't painted anything lately either - I don't know where the time goes every day.

 

And a quick shoutout to Kathy Luehrs - again wishing her a Happy Birthday on the 5th!!!

 

How was your fourth of July?  Feel free to post in the comments section :)

Vanessa

All is quiet on the homefront.....

It's been pretty quiet the past couple of days - which is a nice change since I'm always going, going, going!  Had a nasty migraine starting on Sunday and am just finally starting to feel normal again (well, as normal as I'm ever going to get hahaha)

I've been looking around for a new project to start and during my browsing around I found this pattern:  Dog Daze & Feline Frenzy by Fons and Porter.  Click on the link to see it - it is adorable and is definitely going on my every growing 'to do' list!!

Now that we are already in mid-June I'm already starting to think ahead for Christmas.  After not making any for two years I'm thinking I may make some microwave bowl holders for my aunt, sister-in-law and a few others (as well as myself cuz I don't even have any for me!!)  I already know my friend Amy is screaming "Noooooooo" - we made these a couple of years ago for craft shows and I swear that we made 600+ between the two of us LOL    And my friend Kathy made several as well and were a big hit so she knows what I'm talking about - ha!!  But seriously, as long as you aren't killing yourself making a billion at once, they are a lot of fun and are pretty quick.  Once I get fabric picked out and all that, I'll post a tutorial (and pics)!!

Any other idea for Christmas presents?  If so leave a comment.....cuz I'm drawing a blank for some reason!

It also seems I'm running low on my microwave heating/ice pack bags so will need to make some more.  I think I've only sold maybe 10 or so, but then again I haven't really tried that hard either LOL  I did have someone ask for a Pittsburgh Steelers one so I'll just go ahead and make some more since I have a bunch of fabric for them already.  I'll make sure and take pics and post them when I'm done.

Otherwise......the only other news I have is that I've been working out:

 

 

Which totally sums it up, my opinion ;-)  Actually though, my work has a fitness center and they only charge $10/month for employees to use.  I figured "why not" - and my body has been screaming at me ever since.  Literately screaming lol  I'm trying to go 3 times a week and when I do, I use the elliptical maching for 20 minutes.  I started last Monday and after my workout on Tuesday my right calf had enough; it was cramping and really tight.  Didn't work out on Wednesday and was eating bananas like they were going out of style (for the potassium).  Between that, using my microwave bag and massaging it, I felt well enough to go back on Thursday.  Already went once this week and have 2 more times to go.  I'm trying to ease back into it since its been awhile since I've been exercising, but I can already tell you I feel a lot better.  Not that I'm going to be fanatical about it or anything....

 

Anyway - hope you're having a wonderful week!!

Vanessa

It was a hit!

So the monkey bread was made and was a hit!!!  Here's how it turned out:

I used a Wilton fluted cake pan and followed the directions I posted in my previous post.   I did end up using pecans instead of walnuts, and skipped the raisins completely (can you say "yuck"????). 

Even with all the sugar and butter, it actually wasn't I-need-to-run-around-the-house-because-I'm-hyped-up-on-sugar sweet, but it was a sweet.  Does that even make sense???  Well it does to me LOL

Helpful hints:

• Make sure you grease the pan well (so it doesn't stick to the pan)
• You can adjust the butter/brown sugar ratio if you like (I think its perfect the way it is)
• Make sure you let the pan sit for at least 10 minutes before you put it on the plate
• This is REALLY good with coffee (this is heresay as I don't drink coffee lol)

Let me know if you make this recipe!!!
Vanessa :)

Father's Days A-Coming!

Father's Day is on Sunday the 15th and I'm going to make Monkey Bread since I'm going to a bunch and need to bring something:

Looks yummy doesn't it?  I've had it before and MAN-O-MAN is it really good!!  Sweet, gooey, sweet......did I mention its VERY sweet???  LOL

Anyway if you're interested, here's the recipe:

***************************************************************************

MONKEY BREAD

1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cans (16.3 oz each) Pillsbury Grands! Homestyle refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1/2 cups walnuts (or nuts of your choice), optional
1/2 cups raisins (optional)
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup melted butter or margarine 


Cooking Instructions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease 12-cup fluted tube pan with shortening or cooking spray. In large storage plastic food bag, mix granulated sugar and cinnamon.

Separate dough into 16 biscuits; cut each into quarters. Shake in bag to coat. Arrange in pan, adding walnuts and raisins among the biscuit pieces

 

In small bowl, mix brown sugar and butter; pour over biscuit pieces.  Bake 28 to 32 minutes or until golden brown and no longer doughy in center. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Turn upside down onto serving plate; pull apart to serve. Serve warm.             

***************************************************************************

 I won't be using raisins (because I don't like them) but otherwise I'm not changing the recipe.

 

I'm not sure *why* its called Monkey Bread - I looked it up on Google (because if its not on Google then it doesn't exist LOL) and there are all sorts of theories, but no one agreed on the origins of the name.  Ok I'll go with that.

 

So.....what are you doing on Father's Day?   

 

Vanessa