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Christmas Owls Winner

Congratulations to Kat over at Kat's Nature.  

She is the lucky winner of the Christmas Owls!  

Thank you to everyone who participated.  

I really appreciate each of you.

Christmas Nativity Purse

Here is my latest purse that I made!  It was a custom order purse 

for my friend, Lisa.  

She chose the fabric that she wanted.  I then helped her

 choose a coordinating fabric.  

She really liked the message that the nativity scene gave out.

I added a divider in it.  I've never made one with a divider until now.  

After trial and error I figured it out.  

And it has 6 pockets inside.  There's room for everything!

If you look close, you can see my little tag sewn onto a pocket.

Orange Dreamsicle Baby Quilt

Doesn't this quilt make you think of orange dreamsicles?  As I was waiting for my fabric order to come in, I dug in my fabric stash and found that I had some orange fabric and some other scraps of coordinating fabrics.  I had seen similar pictures of quilts made this same way.  So I laid it all out and decided to use my new 6 1/2" cutting square.  This picture below is my pile of squares all ready to be pieced together.

Originally I had planned to make this and try to sell it.  But the white fabric just wasn't quality fabric.  I had a hard time keeping this quilt in line.  Sad to say, but there are too many boo boos in this little cutie.  I'm happy that it turned out this cute!

BIG Bathroom Remodel Reveal

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Bathroom Sneak Peek

Hello!  I just wanted to give you a sneak peek into our Guest Bathroom remodel.  My husband has done all of the work, except a little bit of plumbing, and my stepson, Timmy, wired the jacuzzi tub for us.  Thanks Timmy!  Below is a picture of my husband in the tub!  Ha ha!  Working of course....that's the old tub he's sitting in.  He had already done some of the demolition before this picture was taken.

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Christmas Owls Giveaway!

GIVEAWAY CLOSED 

CLICK "READ MORE" BELOW TO SEE HOW TO ENTER

Bookshelf Makeover

Recently I had inspiration to do a makeover on this bookshelf.  

My inspiration came from lil pink pocket. 

 I've had this shelf for at least 20 years.  My father-in-law made it.  He's no longer with us.  He passed away a long time ago.  

There are quite a few flaws on it, but I have always just over looked them.  See the crack going up the back?  It has some unfinished doors that attached on the bottom half. (not pictured) The doors weren't solid doors.  They had cut outs.  Anyways, I've never liked them.  

So off they go!

After

Before

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Burp Cloths

I love to make my new grandson, Ethan, burp cloths!  I found this beautiful fabric at Joann's while I was on vacation last month.  I was excited to get home and make something!  I made a set and mailed them to Ethan right away!  He uses them all the time, which makes Mimi happy!  :-)

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Fall Handbag

This is one of my recent bags that I made.  It is large enough to carry as a purse or as a diaper bag!

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What's Up!

I just purchased some new fabric from the 

Michael Miller collection.

Aqua Red Collection

I love it!!!  I can see a baby quilt, burp cloths, and who knows what else!  I ordered most of it from fabric.com.  I had to order one of them from etsy.com because the other place was out of it.  It must of been very popular!  I just wanted to share the excitement with you.

Blog Hop!

The point or reason for a Blog Hop is to help EACH other in growing our blogs and building more traffic.  I probably go overboard, but I click on everyone that participates.  Last night I clicked on 20 links, joined their blogs, followed some on their facebook and pinterest. Please don't link and run! 
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Quilted Wall Hanging

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Your Health Matters

Ok, so this is not a post about sewing or crafting something cute.  This is about taking an interest or a stand on your own health issues.  I'm writing this post to hopefully open your eyes or someone you know that may need to analyze their own health issues and/or prescription medicines.

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Scraps to Coasters

Let me show you what I decided to make out of some scraps from the diaper bag that I made a couple of posts ago.

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Fall Leaf Arrangement Tutorial

This Fall Leaf Arrangement Tutorial just maybe what you need to get you geared up for cooler weather!

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Sewing Tip: Elastic

Hey Everyone!  Since I was working on a project today that required elastic, I thought I would share an easier way to work with it.

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New Diaper Bag Design

Last night I decided to work on a new Diaper Bag Design.  I've got all the fabric cut, interfacing cut and ironed on.  Does anyone else have trouble getting interfacing to adhere?  Maybe it's me...it seems to take me forever to iron it on.  I also have the exterior of the bag sewn together.  The inside pockets are going to be a little tricky (for me anyway).  The top part of the pocket will have elastic to make it easier to hold items in place.  I don't have a lot of experience working with elastic.  So wish me luck.


I stayed up late last night soaking in some great ideas that I have been finding through Pinterest.  I'm loving it!  I couldn't quit looking at things last night.  Pinterest is a virtual pinboard.  Collect the things you love.



 If you sign up, let me know so I can "Follow" you.  It kind of sounds like I will be stalking you.  Ha!  I will just be able to look at what you pinned easier.

Sew Much Ado: Accuquilt GO! Baby Cutter Giveaway!

Sew Much Ado: Accuquilt GO! Baby Cutter Giveaway!

Medicine Cabinet Makeover

I was recently inspired to do some organizing in my medicine cabinet.  I'm almost ashamed to show you my BEFORE shot.  What a mess!  Although we did know where most things were.  I'm not sure how.  

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Little Hoots

I had so much fun making these little hoots!  They can be used as Christmas ornaments or gift tags!

Sew Busy

Hey Ya'll!  This past week has been a whirlwind.  I've been trying to get some things made so I could open my Etsy.com store.  I finally have a few things in there.  Take a look.  Over on the right side of this blog are some links you can also click.  Feel free to click "share" or "like" and post them to your Facebook if you want to help me show them off.  There's a gazillion sellers on etsy and I think it is easy to get shuffled way back to page 1,000,000.  I'm being dramatic, but you get the picture. 
















Pictured above is a piece of furniture that my good friend, BJ, gave me for my sewing room. Dennis and I covered the top with batting and cloth so that I could use it for an ironing table.  And look at all that storage that I will be able to store fabric in.  It's fabulous!  It's a great addition to my sewing room.  Thanks BJ!!


Tonight I was busy making Ethan some burp cloths.  I will have to mail them to him since it will be a while before I get to see him.  I hate that!  


Ethan is so sweet.  One of my good friends (Jane) asked me while I was on vacation, "Don't you wish you could bottle his smell and bring it back".  Omgness YES!!!  So how is it that you can instantly fall in love with someone that you just met?  Let alone a baby?  He can't even love me back yet.  But can he?  I think so...it was love at first sight.  The Bible is full of great verses about the topic of love.  God's love for us is a perfect example.  

1 John 4:7  Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves have been born of God and knows God.

Ethan has filled my heart with joy unspeakable!  Thank you God for this precious gift. 

Sewing Like Mad

Hey Everybody!  I've been sewing like a mad woman today...and loving every minute of it.  I've been working on the cutest owl Christmas ornaments.  I will have 2 sets completed by tomorrow.  I will be putting them on Etsy.com.  Heather thinks they look good enough to be in the ornament section at Hobby Lobby!  Wow!  That's a great compliment.  They are time consuming little guys, but they are so cute and fun to make.  I can't wait for you to see them.  I know...the anticipation is killing you right?!?  I've got to find a Christmas tree to hang them on so that I can take some pictures of them.  I don't want to drag down our 6' tree from the attic.  Hopefully I will be able to find a little tree somewhere.  Target only had Halloween stuff out.  I will look at Walmart later.  I know, this is a lot of trouble for some ornaments, right!  If I'm going to sell them, presentation means a lot!  I'm going to call it a day ya'll.  Thanks for reading!

Jelly Roll Giveaway

Check out this giveaway:  http://www.quiltinglodgeblog.com/2011/09/our-first-give-way.html#comments

Christmas Tree Ornament Tutorial

Welcome to my very first tutorial.  This is step-by-step instructions on how to make a Christmas Tree Ornament.

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Trail of Tears

Hey Everybody!  If you noticed my Blog Title "Trail of Tears", no it doesn't have anything to do with the indians, but my own trail of tears after leaving my precious daughter and her family.  I knew separation from my new grandson was going to be hard when I would cry on day 2 thinking about when I had to leave him to go back home.  Me and Dennis have both had our moments since being back home.  Heather promises to send photos and videos.  Of course we can't wait to see all of them again.  We don't know when that will be yet. 


Ok, enough of that sad talk.  Yesterday was spent sleeping in, unpacking, buying groceries, and of course buying fabric.  :)  In preparation for my very first tutorial I needed to buy some Christmas fabric and other items before I could get started.  What am I going to make - you ask??  Christmas tree ornaments.  They are super cute and I can't wait to show you how to do it yourself.  I started last night.  I should finish sometime today.  I will include photos and step-by-step directions for you.  Talk to you all later! 

Trip is Winding Down

Today me, Heather, & Ethan went fabric shopping at a fabric chain store that is no longer open in my town.  I found a lot of cute stuff, but couldn't afford to buy all of it.  I did find a little bit to take back home with me.  I ♥ love♥ to shop for fabric.  I plan to make some burpee sets with it.  I want to get some smaller projects made so I can get my etsy store open.  :) 

My CA vacation is winding down fast!  Vacaville is a nice town.  There is lots of shopping...even factory outlets.  The streets are nicely planned with lots of greenery and bike paths.  You can really tell there is a lot of pride in how well kept the town is.  Vacaville, California is located in northern Solano County, midway between San Francisco and Sacramento. The City of Vacaville, has a beautiful setting bordered by rolling hillsides, fruit orchards and fertile farmland. With an elevation ranging from 90 to 300 feet, Vacaville enjoys warm summers and mild winters, with an average summer high of 94º and an average winter low of 36º. Annual rainfall averages 17.39 inches.

Thank you for reading my blog. Come back often to see what's going on. I won't always be telling you about my vacation. Soon I will be showing you some tutorials on some fun projects.

    

Sightseeing in Sacramento, Ca

Yesterday we visited Sacramento, Ca for the first time. We chose the capitol as our destination.

When we arrived, our first decision was deciding where to park at. We found a parking garage that costs $5 to park in. Then we walked a few blocks to get to the capitol. When we got there we were unsure of what entrance to use. Some people that just came out of the building were approaching us, so I asked them where we should enter and they gladly told us what entrance to use. As we entered, I was surprised to find a full security team there. I don't know why I was surprised, but I was. I already knew there was a heightened alert due to the 9-11 anniversary fast approaching. We made it through security and we were on our way. We decided to do a self tour since we had the baby with us and didn't want to interrupt a guided tour if Ethan decided to get upset during it. We toured the first floor and found some interesting things to look at. We ventured up to the second floor. As we exited the elevator we saw several people in business suits standing around chit chatting and scurrying about. We quickly felt out of place because we were wearing shorts and flip-flops and pushing a baby stroller. You know...the typical tourist. We grabbed the next elevator up. So we went to the third floor and sat in on a legislative session. It was interesting to be in there and to be able to witness lawmakers in action. All in all we had a good visit. There's just one thing we noticed that they have "room for improvement". I thought there should have been a "baby friendly" bathroom. We couldn't find a baby changing area or even a place for nursing mothers. The man at the information desk tried to help us but he wasn't sure where one was either.

The "Thinker"

Dennis & Diane sitting in the capitol garden

Every morning I spend some time with Ethan. I talk to him, hug him, kiss him, and just watch him. Oh, I almost forgot to tell you. He gave me quite a show yesterday while changing his diaper. It was a poopy one by the way. I had already proceeded in taking the dirty diaper off and was using a wipey to clean him up when I noticed he wasn't through pottying yet, you know...#2. Then he spit up a little bit. In my mind I had already thought "ok, all that is missing now is some peepee". Yep, you guessed it, he started peeing and I cupped my hand over it to deflect it going all over the place. I just started to laugh! He remained quite calm through the whole thing, even kind of happy.

2 Week Check-Up!

Today has been a great day! We started today out by having breakfast at a neat little diner in Vacaville called Black Bear Diner. Later that day we took Ethan for his 2 week check-up at the Air Force hospital in Fairfield. The doctor seemed impressed with Ethan's alertness and his strength.

I really enjoyed being able to go the appointment too. I feel like I'm going to miss so many things in the beginning of this little guy's life. So the few things that I'm getting to do now really mean so much to me. I better change the subject before I get all teary eyed. I also got to witness Ethan taking his bath this evening. He seemed to really enjoy it. From what I hear, he usually fusses a little bit. I got to cuddle with him afterward. :-)

I love this little guy so much! My heart ♥ is so full and blessed!

Happy Labor Day!

Happy Labor Day everyone! I'm enjoying my vacation so far. I've spent many hours already cuddling Ethan.

Our plane trip was quite a humbling experience. As we ascended into the air, I recited the "sinner's prayer", because I was so very nervous and if we were going to crash I was going to be ready to see Jesus! :-) Other than a little bit of turbulence, the flight went well. Our seats were located right on the wing. It's probably one of the loudest seats to have since the engines are right there too. As I looked out of the window at the clouds, I was so humbled by God's creation and how helpless I felt. I'm so used to being in control over so many things in my life and to have no control all of a sudden really sends a shock wave through you. The scenery was Ah-Mazing! I even saw some snow capped mountains. The plane itself was pretty hi-techy! There was plenty to do while we were in flight. I have changed the title of my blog. When I first created it, I wasn't sure what to call it. I asked Heather what she thought and she came up with "Patterns of Life". I like it! It covers a multitude of subjects without having to call it by one name. I can't wait to get started on my next projects. Too bad I couldn't have packed my sewing machine! ha ha! Who am I kidding, I've been so busy holding Ethan that I haven't even had my laptop open until just a couple of hours ago. Thanks again for reading my blog and I will keep you posted! ♥ Diane

See Ya Later Old Friend

This is a picture of my pool. We closed it today before we leave to go on vacation. There isn't much time left this summer for swimming anyway. It was like saying goodbye to an old friend. More like "see you later"! That pool is why I wanted to buy this house! Oh well! Life goes on... Speaking of life going on. I also gave Chewy, our chihuahua, a bath today so that he will be clean for his first plane ride. I haven't flown in years. To be honest...I'm a little nervous about the whole thing. It's better than the alternative of driving for 2 days. We did that 2 years ago.

This is a picture of Chewy. He is 12 years old and we have had him since he was a pup. He is spoiled rotten I might add. He's a good boy though. In preparation for packing for vacation today, I came across some of my old purses that I made years ago. They are still cute! Ha Ha! I'm going to miss sewing while on vacation. But I'm sure my new grandson, Ethan, is going to keep me pretty busy! We will do some sight-seeing around San Francisco and Sacramento. We would like to see some of those big Sequoia's. And maybe Old Faithful. We might check out a museum in Sacramento. There will be plenty of things to choose from. Of course they all have to be "newborn friendly". I will still be blogging while on vacation, you are sure to hear about our adventures and see pictures.

This is my grandson, Ethan. Isn't he beautiful! He has a full head of dark hair under that little cap. I can't wait to see him tomorrow!

Recent Projects

Some of my recent projects

View more presentations from dianelovessewing.

New Blogger Here

Let me introduce myself.  My name is Diane.  I'm a new grandmother (prefer to be called Mimi), mother, wife, church secretary, crafter, designer of purses.  After "following" other bloggers, I decided to start one of my own too.  I'm not totally sure if I'm cut out for this.  So here we go anyway!

Recently I bought a new sewing machine.  I'm not sure if I'm allowed to say what brand, so I won't mention it today.  It not only sews, it embroiders too.  Getting a new machine has opened up a whole new world of sewing for me.  Sure, I've sewn for many years off and on.  More off than on.  I used to design and sew my own purses many years ago.  My very first purse was made out of a place mat.  Yes, the kind you eat off of!  Even though it was so simple, I was thrilled to see that I had made a purse.  I was off and running.  My friends loved them!  They were asking for specific colors and themes.  I was all too excited to tackle every request.  I started a fabric collection during this time also.  I shopped at the local fabric stores and I would seek out fabric shops when I went on vacation.  To this day, I love to shop for fabric!  I really can't remember what caused me to stop making purses back then.

Since I received news that I was going to be a Mimi, my world has been turned upside down with excitement and renewed hope.  Excitement in a new life to be a part of and love.  And renewed hope that love is everything!

Ok, back to sewing talk....so I signed-up for a quilting class.  I was really excited about this class.  First, I would get to learn a new craft.  Second, I would get to hang out with some old friends and make some new friends.  Off to class I would go lugging my old sewing machine right a long. My machine was a little embarrassing, but hey...it worked.  I also began making burp cloths & bibs as gifts for baby showers and my new grandson.  I started doing this with my old sewing machine.  It started giving me fits.  So then I decided I just had to have a new machine.  After much research and shopping locally and online, I found the "perfect" machine!  I am so happy with my purchase.  It's like I went from driving a Pinto to driving a Cadillac.

I started posting pictures online on a social network and was getting a lot of attention and comments of my recent creations.  A friend that used to buy my purses a long time ago asked  me if I still made purses.  I told her "no, that I haven't made any in quite some time. What do you have in mind?"  Well, that's all it took to get my mind to rolling!  I've been sewing like a mad woman ever since.

I hope you have enjoyed my very first blog!  I will write some more later about my experiences and just stuff!
I hope to hear from you and hear some of your experiences with sewing, grandchildren, cooking, crafting, or just whatever!