A pretty little Surprise!

Don't you just love surprises! Want to see something so precious and so pretty?

Recently I received a surprise in the mail from my new friend Pat ( birdnestontheground ) Pat had made a promise to herself to make something special once a month and send it to someone who had left a comment on her blog. Lucky me... I just received this gorgeous pincushion - and it's blue!! Thank you so much Pat - I love it and will cherish it always.

Crazy Quilt Mini Mermaid Block

Before:

I'm so excited! I finally finished my mini mermaid block and am happy to say "I love her" I had so much fun beading her up and embellishing the ocean theme. She measure 8.5 x 11 and if I can figure out a way to quilt/bind her I will use this as my first page in my monthly art journal project. I am naming this page "I wish I was a Mermaid"

After:

In the top right hand corner is a small piece of silk fabric (in purples) that I cut from a piece of silk that I had dyed about 10 years ago using resist. The piece measured about 24x24 and had been sitting in a box for years... might as well put it to use! Also in the right hand corner is a beaded fish that my dear friend Ely made for me. She knows how much I love the ocean and thought this fish would be great in one of my "ocean" themed CQ projects. Ely... it is the perfect touch! Along with some of my dyed laces, I added seashells, a beads. My friend Carolyn made me some awesome polymer clay shells - the starfish hidden amongst the seaweed.

My First Mini Quilt & Crazy Patch Postcards

Now that I'm back home from CA it seems the creative mojo has been full speed ahead. I just completed about 8 Crazy Patch postcards to use as Birthday cards as well as for a swap I'm in with ART4Mail. I wish I could have added more CQing to the postcards but with all the restrictions the post office seems to be enforcing ,I didn't want to get hammered paying mega bucks to send out a small PC. Used to be I could send one out for only .51 cents - lately they have been costing over a $1.00 each!

A friend of mine ordered one of my recycled cat food can pincushions. Julie wanted pinks & mauve so I created this one especially for her. Hmmm can you see a pattern here? I think I'm starting to really like working with the "pink" family LOL!

Also, I just completed my very first Mini Quilt for the HGTV Mini Swap. This quilt was made for Bluesnail. I really enjoyed making it as I got to use a fabric manipulation technique that I learned in a Quilting Class I took last year. Not only was this my very first mini quilt (which I see lots more in my future) but it was the first time I actually ever machine quilted anything and also the first time I ever made a Quilt Label. Bluesnail, I hope you like it as much as I enjoyed making it.

Babies & CQ Embellished Laces

Two weeks!? Where did it go? Seems like I just posted about my Naked Mermaid blocks and now I find that that post was two weeks ago! Guess you could say I've been really busy. Just got back home from a trip to CA to visit with my son Jason and DIL Evy. I don't normally write about personal things but I have to tell you just a little bit about this trip.

Not only did I get to feel my grand babies doing a little dance and kicking up a storm, I had the privilege of going to my DIL Evy's ultra sound appointment and got to see them. Little buggers were being shy so I didn't get to see their adorable faces this time but did on a previous CD. Have to admit little DeAngelo looks like his daddy and Evita looks like mommy. Only a couple more months and this world will be blessed with two new precious babies.

I've also been extremely busy planning the 3rd Annual COF Retreat for the ladies on the HGTV board. This time around we have 70 ladies flying in from all over the US.... it is going to be one wild time in Manchester, NH come April 24th! I have a feeling that the Highlander Inn will never be the same once we decend on it! The committee met at my house yesterday and had a very productive meeting. Things are right on schedule and if everything goes as planned, we will all have one fantastic time.

As for projects... well the only thing that I've actually completed in the past couple of weeks has been some embellished lace motifs that I just sent in for a swap that I am in. I've seen pictures of some of the items that the other participants have made to swap and am so excited about the surprises I'll be receiving back - what a great way to share in lots of different CQ creations..... I can't wait to receive my goodies back so that I can incorporate them into a block.