11 things and some Liebster Awards...

So I have been tagged in this game going around to promote small blogs, build your sense of community, and share a little about yourself. The lovely Lia at Lia's Handmade has nominated me for this round and round whirl known as the Liebster Awards - notated by this button:

Rules of this blogoshpere expander are as follows:

EITHER OF THESE MUST APPLY

1. Your blog needs to be less than 6 months old

2. Your blog must have less than 200 followers

WHAT YOU MUST DO

1. List 11 random things about yourself

2. Answer the 11 questions asked by the person who nominated you

3. Choose 11 blogs to pass the award onto and notify them

4. Ask them 11 questions which they will promote the cycle with

On with it then... 11 random things about myself

- I am developing a gray patch of hair similar to Mr Sheffield's and I am enjoying it

- I buy myself a payday every pay day and so does my dad - we take pictures of ourselves eating them and send them to one another

- I started surfing by the age of 1: I stood on the nose of my dad's long board

- I love giant fluffy dogs - I mean GIANT AND FLUFFY

- Probably one of my favorite music genres is Yacht Rock

- One of my favorite snacks is using cottage cheese as a dip with cool ranch doritos - AMAZING

- My best friend and I have been best friends for 22 years

- I name the fetuses (feti?) of my friends and normally continue to call their child that name post-womb

- I've been known to scuba illegally - AKA uncertified

- The first country I traveled to outside the US was Norway. And no I am not Norwegian.

- I trim my finger nails so short people think I bite them. It is just an old habit from water polo days.

What Lia asked me:

1. What is your favourite colour and why?

Well I don't think I have a favorite color anymore. Maybe dark gray now? Because it is all I wear.

2. The weirdest food you've ever eaten?

It might be the doritos and cottage cheese I mentioned - as far as combo. I could be a more adventurous eater.

3. Most desired holiday destination?

That is a tough one - I would love to go everywhere! But I think I am jonesing for South America right now - a little wine and steak in Argentina, so hiking in Patagonia, check out some penguins...

4. Your biggest wish for the future?

To be healthy for a long time.

5. What is the colour of your car?

Which one? Muahahahaha - one is red and the other is blue.

6. If you could change one thing about yourself, what would it be?

I would actively compliment people more. IE - say it out loud.

7. How many sewing machines do you own?

TWO! A $100 singer from Joann and my grandma's hand me down ancient Viking.

8. What is the first item you ever made (sewn) and do you still have it?

I honestly can't remember the first ever, but in recent years, it would be Marla's wedding quilt. She has it now :-)

9. Where in your home do you sew, do you have your own craft room?

I sew all over the apartment because I don't have a craft room.

10. Do you have a  favourite quilt fabric designer? And if so, who?

Aha - good question Lia!!! No I do not; I am still learning which designers I tend to stray towards.

11. What would you rather receive for your birthday, a nice meal at a restaurant, or an afternoon shopping at a fabric store?

Probably the restaurant. I am a closet foodie and beverage snob!

Okay now on to who I am nominating!I don't think I can hit 11; but then maybe after all of this I will have more friends! That is the goal right?

1. Marla at Sew Hungry

2. Alison at Little Bunny Quilts

3. Sarah at Stitching and Bacon

4. Mina at Kinda Quilty

5. Nikita at Monkey and I

6. Erin at The Lazy Quilter

7. Farah at Handmade by Farah Lin

8. Diya at The Hobby Harbor

9. Yzo of Chez Roo

10. Jess at The Crafty Roach

11. Anne and Gillian at Play Crafts - I am tagging these two because they are hilarious and I need to know more about them even though they may not apply to the rules...

These are the questions I have for you!

1. Do you have a book you reread over and over? If so, which one?

2. In an alternate universe where you are endowed super powers, but only one, which would yours be?

3. If only allowed one meal for the rest of your life, what would it be?

4. What is your favorite part about blogging?

5. Where would be your ideal place to live?

6. What is your favorite season of the year and why?

7. When you laugh out loud, do you have a weird snort or chortle or nuance that you do? What is it?

8. Your favorite type of crafting?

9. Do you workout? What is your favorite type of cardio if you do?

10. Have you ever dialed Jenny at 867-5309? SPOILER: I have!

11. What is your attention span when it comes to how-to craft videos or tutorials for a new technique on the web?

Let's see what weird things we can find out about each other!

Hope I didn't bore you all! And if anyone reading this post has some good addendums or answers to my questions please leave me a comment! I love a great story or one liner or anything to make me smile :-)

cheers! - k

Birthday giveaway!

Sharin fabs because that is the fab thing to do and my birthday is fab! Way too much fab in that sentence, no? Anyway - leave me a comment telling me a story about your craziest night of debauchery and the hangover which ensued for a chance to win! Mr Randomizer pics the winner in 3 days time at the stroke of midnight! i.e. Friday Feb1 1st 11:59:59 PM

Here they are - an assortment of blues/greens for stash building - all 1/2 yards excpet that crazy aloha print on the end - he is a quarter - WAMP WAMP. Sorry for the bad photo - but trust me the fabs are still FAB

ciao bellas!

kim

ps - no story of debauchery (or even attempt) is failure to win fabrics - understood? I need details people!

Early present for me!

When my dad asked me what I wanted for my birthday I had to think a little. But as always I went to my beloved Amazon wishlist, scrolled through, and then this happened -

Me: I would like a certain book and a certain movie please!
Dad: Great! text me the name of the book and the movie and I will go get them and put them in the mail to you.
Me: hmmm OK. They might be hard to find in a store that you would go into.
Dad: Just text me!
Me: OK!

...5 minutes pass after I text him... I get a call...

Dad: What the hell is a neighbor tortellini movie? And can I buy this quilting book at Target?
Me: I have a proposition for you: send me some money and I will just get them on Amazon and they will arrive safely at my door :-)
Dad: sounds perfect. Why do you let me think I can do these things?
Me: Because I love you and you're a dork.

SO! Without further ado - look what is now in my possession!

Oh yeah! Some studio Ghibli action and some FMQ skill enhancement! I know you are all extremely jealous. Now if I can just finish this stupid committee meeting so I can work on my Nubee's quilt and use some of Angela's advice :-)

Happy Thursday everybody!

-kim

ps: Totoro is tortellini in my dad's eyes...

Blocks... oh blocks!

If you are in the US today - I hope you got today off of work! I am here but clearly procrastinating. Made myself a new blog header... learning this CSS/coding business is difficult.

Anyhow, I wanted to post some pictures of my new blocks - remember this list? Worked a little to make a few more blocks. First up did some more paper piecing and made a Rocky Road to Kansas block (pattern from the wonderful Faith at Fresh Lemons). I am not sure I love paper piecing and this block turned out like a candy corn kind of. First I took 4 strips of assorted fabrics and sewed them together then cut out rectangles to use as the first piece for the paper piecing. I decided to just use some Kona coal for the background to make the fabrics in the star pop more.

Then I decided to make a scrappy granny square using this tutorial. I didn't realize that the block would finish at smaller than 10X10 inches. So I improvised with some crazy fabrics I had from a gray swap I did a while back. It is kind of a psychedelic block and I don't know if I love it, but it is going in the Nubee's quilt! What do you think? I think I need to work on color value placement...

I still have a churn dash block to make; and am getting excited about it after I saw these beautiful ones made by Marika of Live, Laugh, Love...Sew. Then I also still want to make a mod mosaic block. Wish me luck in my blocking!

I am trying to decide if I love the look of a quilt with lots of different blocks; like Nubee's quilts and samplers. I think they have to be done right, and mine won't be - but I will still love him :-) Below are some samplers I love that are done beautifully.

1. My Quilt Sampler - Front, 2. Patchwork, 3. Summer Sampler Series, 4. do.Good. Stitches: Starry Night

Happy Monday everyone!
kim

It's been a while...

So let's jump right in to this week's topic of ponderificness! How would you spell that word if it were a word? Anyhow - here is what I ask you:

What price will you pay for a good pair of boots? And what are your 3 major criteria?

This has been on my mind as of late because I feel that I can never find boots I like for a decent price. Growing up in Southern California - I wore flip flops and Uggs all through winter. Now I am an adult and live/travel in places that require fashionable yet functional footwear. I bought a new pair of boots a couple months ago because last year's boots were dead. The new boots SUCK. Water seeping all up in my toes - wet socks for hours, cold feet for days, can't get warm. So next time I buy boots I want a good pair but not super high dollar. I need some boot advice people!

And here you go and your welcome! Because I know the title of this post stuck this song in your head:

Happy Friday people! Go take on the world!

k

A giveaway you say?

Hey bloggy peeps! My wonderful friend Marla of Sew Hungry - quilter extraordinaire - is hosting a giveaway for her 100th post! She has been blogging since August and is so prolific with her quilting - it just blows me away. Go check it out and enter here. The giveaway consists of a bundle of 8 fat quarters:

Mod beads, hop dot, blossom, all Westminster fabrics

She is shipping everywhere but outer space - so head on over and enter and see what sewing hungrily is all about!

Happy Thursday!

kim

Apparently I am slow...

I decided I needed to make a few more blocks for my Nubees quilt as this was where it was as of last week:

So I decided I was going to make a churn dash block (because I never had), a granny square block (because I never had), a Rocky Road to Kansas block (because it is stripey and never had), a mod mosaic block by Elizabeth Hartman (because I never had), and a Nell's Star block (because it looked 3-D and I never had). You see the theme here? I figured I could practice new techniques as I make more blocks for the quilt. Last night I decided to whip up the Nell's star block. And boy did I not whip up. It took me 2.5 hours to make one paper pieced 12.5 inch block. Holy crap. MO even said "so this is a very slow process for you huh?" Anyhow I made it through with a few minor mistakes and only had to rip two seams out:

first piece

from far away it looks real good ;-)

So - I think my WIP posts will be about this Nubee's quilt for a while or until it is done. Posting about ALL THE WIPs makes my head hurt after a time - i.e. the Hustle list - that was a lot to write about every Wednesday!

Heading over to link up to Lee's and see what every one else has going on! Happy WIPing to you all and may you make progress faster than I do!

cheers

k