Special Blessings!

I can't believe how many of you stopped by to wish me a Happy Birthday. That was such a nice blessing. Thank you all. Remember I mentioned more snow for us? Here are a few photos. You can see the snow which came down for a while.

My family blessed me also. My oldest son and DIL who live out of town sent a card and called. I will get to see them on his birthday which is in March. My second son came over and brought the flowers to me. A very nice surprise. My daughter got the movie Julie and Julia for me. Because the snow melted my husband was able to take me out to eat at an Italian restaurant named Carrabas. Sunday I will get to take him out to eat because it is his birthday. We are the same age.

I was also blessed by winning a giveaway that Rae Ann was having on her blog called Cutie Pinwheel. What a fun name for a blog. Her blog is a lot of fun to read and right now she has some great photos from a retreat she attended. Take a look at this heart tin that was part of the giveaway. It is full of stuff. The little one had some yummy chocolate.
Can you believe all these fabulous things that were stuffed into that heart tin. If you go to this post you can see each thing in detail. Even though I had seen everything on Rae Ann's post it still was fun going through that tin to see everything is person. Wow, Rae Ann a very nice and generous giveaway. Thank you so very, very much.
There were lots more of those foiled wrapped chocolate hearts but I ate a few and gave some to my daughter. I will share with my husband too. Those hearts wouldn't have gotten eaten so fast but I was waiting for my batteries of my camera to charge. I have not had that happen before. So while I was waiting on them I replied to all the comments from my birthday. I really like to reply to all the comments before I put another post up so I don't get behind answering them from the last post. So I guess that was a good thing I had to wait on the batteries.

I did get to my applique bee so the next post I will have some show and tell.

Thanks again for all the birthday wishes. You really made it special.

Blessings to you all.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

Reflect on your present blessings of which every man has many, not on your past misfortunes, on which all men have some. Charles Dickens

Another Year Older!

Yes, that is me. Another year older and wiser I hope. It is my birthday today and I have turned 53. I know some women don't like to tell their age but we all get older so why be afraid of telling. I thought I would show you what some special people sent me for this special day in my life.

My mom sent me this wall hanging she made using some preprinted fabric that speaks of daughters. She thinks she got the fabric when she went to the Houston Quilt Show. Check out the border fabric. It has little fairies on it. Thanks mom.

Stephanie over at Loft Creations sent me this sweet package.
Inside this lovely kitchen towel...
was a baggie filled with these buckles and these very cute blue buttons and a wooden Bingo game marker... (sorry blogger flipped it)
and these wooden spools. She knows how I buy them up every time I see them at antique stores.
She also made me one of her crochet dish rags that match my kitchen. Check out the sweet bluebird stamp. A friend of Stephanie's makes homemade soap which she also sent. The soap smells like almonds. Thank you so much for the very thoughtful gifts, Stephanie. You make me feel very special.
Mary of Quilt Hollow send this very special card that speaks of fabric and patchwork. Very sweet! Thanks for remembering my birthday, Mary.

As I sit here writing this post I am sitting at my table by the sliding glass door watching big snowflakes falling from the gray skies. It is not supposed to accumulate and I hope it doesn't because my applique bee is supposed to meet tomorrow.

If it is your birthday today I hope it is a good one for you too.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

Old age is always 15 years older than I am. Bernard Baruch

I was just piddling around doing some random things in my sewing room and trying to catch up on some blog reading. Not much to show today. I cut out some of the centers for my string quilt. I am going to work on getting some blocks done today.

I traced another of Dorothy's Sweet Nostalgia blocks. I will try to get it colored today too.
I had found nine plain white napkins really cheap at an antique store with the intention of doing some embroidery on them. I was waiting for the perfect design. When I saw the hearts thatStina has designed I knew that was what I wanted to put on the napkins. Only two done but maybe I will have them done by next Valentine's Day. I wanted to sew some rick rack all around the outside edges but it just was not working. Any other ideas of what I could do to the outside edge to dress them up?
Off to my sewing room. Oh, I almost forgot to share a blog with you. Rose Marie shares a technique that is a remedy for those wavy borders of a quilt. Go here and here. Pretty neat technique.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

A day patched with quilting seldom unravels.

Oh! Cherries!

Thank you everyone that took the time to give me advice and tips for doing the binding on my quilt. It seems that I am not the only one that has problems sometimes. Kim D. sent a link for an awesome You tube 3 part video. Sharon Schamber shows how she does the binding on her award winning quilts using glue. Hmmm! you say. Check it out.

Diane also send a link that shows binding being sewn on with a zig zag stitch.

Thanks Kim D. and Diane for sending those to me.

Oh, it feels so good to do some applique without much pain. I am still doing therapy for my elbow and it is definitely getting better. Yippeeee!!! I am working slowly and only doing applique for about an hour a day so that I can get this elbow healed. Look at my new cherries block. I really like this one. You can get this pattern at Linen Closet Quilts. If you look at her pattern you will notice that I left out some of the cherries. I thought it was just a little too busy for me. The next block is pineapples. I have the fabric traced and prepped ready to go.

Remember I told you that I was working on a birthday present for my future DIL. Here is a little book keeper. The pattern is made to hold the new Kindle ( a wireless reading device) but you could use it for anything. As you can see I added some cherries using the above pattern. Look Stephanie, my first string project for the challenge! Wait until you see what I am doing with the scraps. If you like this little book keeper you can get it from the Moda Bake Shop. The original pattern has a applique flower on it instead of cherries.
I had some fabric left over from the sewing caddy I made for my future DIL so I thought I would decorate some kitchen towels to give to her for her birthday also.
I just had to show you this new bird I saw in my Hemlock tree. No, I am just kidding! It is a possum. I just happened to look out in my backyard and saw it walking across the yard and watch it climb the tree. My dog was out side so I think that is why it climbed the tree. The possum had no worries because my dog is 13 years old and is almost blind and deaf. My dog did get a whiff of the possum but she didn't know where it went. We have ugly possums in North America but that pink nose is awful cute. Our friends in Australia have cute possums. I remember seeing pictures on Jenny's blog.
Have a great weekend. This will be our first weekend in a while without snow. I am looking forward to the sunshine and 50 degree temperatures.

With Passion,

Carrie P

A dog wags its tail with it's heart! Martin Buxbaum

Show and Tell!

I don't have much to show and tell but here is my block number eight. Just need to add buttons later.
Even though Valentine's Day is over I wanted to show you this table runner I put on my table for this month. I found it at an antique store a while back. The little pot holder/postcard was sent to me last year from Nanette.
Now before you go see the show and tell from my applique group I need some advice. I just got a quilt back from a long arm quilter and I am ready to put the binding on. I want to enter this quilt in the quilt show our guild is having in April. I want the binding to be great. Here is my problem. Sometimes my binding is fabulous, sometimes the edges are wavy. I do my binding the same every time so I need some advice on how to keep the edges from being wavy. What do I do wrong?
Check out these white yo yos and the crochet trim. Isn't it fabulous! It belongs to our fabulous facilitator, Kathleen. It was given to her and what a treasure. Each yo yo is about 1/2-3/4 inch across.
Old and new yo yos!



Same block but made by two different ladies. It is fun to see what fabrics they choose.



With Passion,

Carrie P.

Sunshine is delicious, rain is refreshing, wind braces us up, snow is exhilarating; there is really no such thing as bad weather, only different kinds of good weather. John Ruskin

V is for Valentine Winner!

Happy Cottage Quilter is the winner of my giveaway! Congratulations to you. Happy Cottage Quilter would really like some red roses for Valentine's Day. After reading all your comments it looks like the majority of you would love to receive flowers. Some of you might even go into shock if you were given flowers. I wish I could send you all a dozen of your favorite flowers but since I can't I will just wish you all the Sweetest Valentine's Day ever.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

Love the one you are with.

Valentine Giveaway!

Nope, this is not the giveaway but this is a giveaway I won over at Squash House Quilts. Candace had a "Dreaming of Summer" giveaway and I was one of three winners.
For some reason the picture flipped which I can't figure out why it happens but anyway look what I won. I have been thinking about getting some of these Morgan lap hoops but I don't have to think about it any more because I won several sizes. Look at all the extra goodies Candace sent too. Some very yummy chocolate from her area. Thank you so very much Candace. You have blessed my socks off. This is going to make doing my punch needle so much easier and less strain on my arm. Check out Cathi's post here and you can see the hoop in use. Cathi has taken up punch needle too.
Valentine's Day is coming up this weekend so let's have a giveaway!
Here is what you could win: a lavender sachet I made using some of my vintage buttons, a wooden spool with some vintage rick rack, a vintage hankie, ribbon with hearts on it, a pattern for a table runner or mantle scarf and of course, chocolate.

Just leave a comment by February 11 telling me whether you would rather receive chocolate or flowers for Valentine's Day, if you had to pick one. I will have my daughter draw a name on February 12.

I have also received some awards. One was from Allie. It is the Lemonade Stand Award for showing attitude and gratitude. I am honored Allie that you chose me as one of the recipients. Thank you Allie.
Kim D. gave me this award. Thank you Kim for giving me this award. You make me blush because I am not sure what I have done to deserve either one of these awards.
With this award you are supposed to tell seven interesting things about yourself. I can not thinks of seven things but I will tell you one. It might be interesting and it might not be. I'll let you be the judge.

When I was dating my husband I lived in Florida at that time. As you know my husband is a surfer and he used to skate board too. At that time we lived in Panama City which is in the panhandle of Florida. One day we are at the beach and says to me, "let's jump off the 15 ft. high fishing pier."

I was scared to death but I did it. First and last time!

Thanks again to Allie and Kim D. for the awards. All my regular readers you deserve them too. So feel free to add it to your blog. You all are the best.

Now let me see those comments about chocolate or flowers!

With Passion,

Carrie P.

Love is like swallowing hot chocolate before it has cooled off. It takes you by surprise at first, but keeps you warm for a long time.

More Strings

Winter is here for a while in North Carolina. More snow and rain on top what we got a week ago. So I have been staying home a lot. I decided to take some of the turquoise and yellow strips from the Oh Cherry Oh Honey Bun and make a little something for my future DIL for her birthday next month. These are her favorite colors.
This is as far as I have gotten. I did some decorative stitches along some of the rows. Hopefully I can get it done this coming week. I did finish the prize for the String Challenge but you have to wait to see it.
A lot of you have asked about my elbow and I appreciate you thinking of me. I went to the doctor again this past Thursday and got another shot. I will be going to physical therapy so that I can learn how to keep this from happening again. I am taking Aleve and using a prescription anti-inflammatory cream on the elbow. I am really tired of the pain and everything I was doing hurts but now I am looking forward to it getting better. I want to do hand work pain free.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

Life is like riding a bicycle. To keep your balance you have to keep moving. Albert Einstein

Honey Bun

I unrolled my first Honey Bun. This is "Oh Cherry Oh" by Moda. I have had this Honey Bun for a while. I told Stephanie I would donate a prize for the No Strings Attached Challenge but I wasn't sure what I going to donate. I wanted to do something with the "string" theme. Now I know what I will make and you will have to wait until June to see what it is.

With Passion,

Carrie P.

Happiness always looks small while you hold it in your hands, but let it go, and you learn at once how big and precious it is. Maxim Gorky