Motherhood doesn't come with a manual... and a little #TBT

Where has the time gone?

No only does it not come with a manual, if it did, the darn thing would be soooo thick you couldn't carry it around!

There are so many "if thens..." that there is NO one answer to life's twists and turns.

Recently, in her sophomore year of college, my youngest daughter came to a place, one of those BIG forks in the road.  The confusion of what was right for her, a fear of the unknown, the pressure of being someone she didn't want to be came roaring up around her threatening to swallow her up.

Our advice to her was: relax.

One of the things I'd said to her time and time again, was that decisions in life are like the fingers on your hand.  You can chose to go in all those different directions.  Once you get to the finger tip, guess what?  There's another hand and another set of directions.

As we speak, she just sent in her last paper to the school she's been attending and is packing her car for a trip 7 hours across 5 states to visit her sister in Pennsylvania.  By herself.  For the first time.  Hmmm....wondering who's more nervous?  Me, I guess.  That being said, guess we've done a good job, because she's ready to go!

What sort of advice have you received from your mom or grandmother?  What have you given to your children?

Blue Mountain Cards got in touch with me and asked if I would like to participate in the "Best Parenting Advice Mom Ever Gave" and to share pearls of wisdom on their Facebook Page.  If you do, you might win a year of Blue Mountain Cards!

I'd love to hear your thoughts - you can post them here, too!

Hugs to you all... and send ME relaxing thoughts today!
Carrie

And the winner of the Tonga Treats is....

...aren't you so excited?!?!?! 

Drum roll please...

How cool!  Let's all clap for her and find out what she's going to do with them! 

In just a wee bit you'll see my Jelly Roll Race quilt... more excitement ensues!

Carrie

12 Hours Left! Giveaway ends at MIDNIGHT!! Tonga Batiks 4 U!

Okay... with my excitement about changing up my Facebook page I ALMOST forgot about the giveaway!  OMG!  How is that possible?

At midnight tonight, the contest for a set of Pink Lemonade Tonga Batik 4" squares ENDS!  Monday morning that gorgeous pack is heading out to a new home!  "Adopt-a-Fabric" so to speak.  Will it be you?  ONLY if you take a moment and enter.  Here they are ... one last time:

If you've never tried a Rafflecopter contest before, here's what you need to do:

• If you use Twitter, you can tweet about it and leave the tweet address AND/OR follow me on Twitter @QuiltingKitlady
• If you use Pinterest, do the same
• A Facebook follower? Like us your in
• Just leave us a cute 'lil ol comment below and yippee!

NOW THE KEY IS .... to click on the +1/+2 that you see in the Rafflecopter box - THAT is what enters you into the system!  If you have ANY trouble, message me, let me know what you did and I will ADD YOU in!

Thanks and have a super-duper day!
Carrie
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Come one, come all! Just a few days left to win GORGEOUS Tonga fabric!! Woot woot!

I am DYING to see who wins these and what incredibly cool project they have in mind to make with them! Perhaps its YOU!  Maybe you have NO IDEA what you'll do, but oh my, they are stunning and they'll make something just sooo lovely!  Don't you think?

But like any prize, you've got to enter to win.

Maybe you haven't ever tried using Rafflecopter?  It's pretty darn easy, if I say so myself.

If you look at the box, there are options - do as many or as few as you'd like.  Each one has directions - follow them and you're in!

ONCE YOU DO WHAT IT SAYS ----> CLICK ON THE +1/+2 TO ACTUALLY ENTER!! 

THEN IT ENTERS YOU!!

• Do you use Twitter?  Tweet about the contest OR follow me on Twitter.  (@QuiltingKitlady)
• Are you a Pinterest junkie like me?  Share the giveaway on Pinterest.
• Do you use Facebook?  Just be a follower!  "Like" the Whitt's Kits Fabrics & Crafts and BAM!  You can enter!
• Just say "Hi" on the blog!  Leave a comment and you are in!

You can do any or all of the above.  Odds are pretty good for winning right now... just sayin'... One lucky follower gets this wonderful set of FUN fabrics!  Oh yah... love it - you've got nothing to lose! :)

Come on... try it!  :)
Cheers,
Carrie

 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Flannel, flannel, who likes flannel? I DO!

My last "sharing" of the fun fabrics I found last week

consists of some warm, soft, lovely flannel fabrics.   These are found in the bowels of where I do my fabric buying - a section I end up having to turn the lights on for since almost NO one goes down there!  It's quiet and I am surrounded by bolts of fabric whispering out to me: "Carrie, come see me...come touch and fall in love with my colors and feel..." I KNOW you've heard fabric talk to you, right?  Am I right? Whatever it is that you enjoy...

So... I ran my hands over the thick bolts of flannel.  Some I will take the whole thing, others I will ask them to split for me as I'm not sure you all will like them as much as I do.  I pick them up, set some aside, set others on the table to take.  The bolts smile, if bolts can smile, knowing they are going to a new home - rather like puppies at the pound!

Why do I like flannels?  They are soft and warm, at least quilt shop quality fabric ones are, even before washing.  I live in New Hampshire.  It's cold here.  Very cold and of late, snowy... don't get me started.  The first person in July that complains gets smacked!!  Back to the flannel.  It's soft.  Quilt shop quality flannels like RJR, are like wrapping in a cloud.  I particularly like making rag quilts with them - little ones and big ones enjoy them, as well.  I use a layer of flannel between the inside and outside as the lining....soft.  Oh so soft.

How about the colors?  This one was amazing to me: I love the print on black - really "pops."  It's an RJR, Sutton Hill, it's called.  It POPPED right off the shelf into my pile!  :)

This one caught my eye as a bit patriotic.  The design is large - larger than most I usually like.  I can see it as perhaps a quilt backing or a throw?

This next one fits the outdoorsie look my hubby likes.  I think it's another that would make a nice quilt back on something for him, or perhaps create a project with the blocks?

This last one I got to use on a quilt for my grandson's, if it doesn't sell: It's Thomas the Train!! Like so many 3 and 4-year-olds, they have trains and love Thomas!  It was awfully cute.

So that's ends my fabric tale for now.  You've seen what grabbed me and I grabbed to share with you. Heehee... Gosh but I love what I do.

Now don't forget, you can win a set of Tonga Batiks, those gorgeous Pink Lemonade colors.... just enter using the Rafflecopter below.  Good luck!  I am working on a post in the next few days to figure out just what one might do with such gorgeous small pieces as these! 

Thanks and have a great day,
Carrie

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What to make with the Giveaway 4" squares?

I thought it might be fun to explore exactly HOW one might use the 40, 4" squares I'm giving away next Sunday night, sooooo.... I went into Etsy and created a "treasury" of project ideas!

Are you familiar with Etsy?  It's a crafter's dream: a site loaded with both materials and ideas.  This post is about some of the ideas you can find there!

Anyone can create a treasury - you come up with a concept, hunt for items to fill it, post their links and Etsy does the rest.  I did a screen shot (oh yes, I'm all over that now!) of what I came up with.

Here it is!!

What do you think?  Some lovely goodies?

Okay... so now YOU need to enter to win this:

Really!!  All you have to do is leave a comment and click the "Leave a comment" on the Rafflecopter below.  Next Sunday night they will pick a winner and YOU might be playing with these to create a project like the one in the Treasury!!


a Rafflecopter giveaway

Have a wonderful rest of the weekend,
Carrie 

True Story: The power of one small, single action

This morning I logged into my Etsy shop to see how things were looking.  Any good news I needed to be aware of?  And there it was: at the "Activity" button - someone had "liked" something I had listed.  Oh goodie...what was it?  Sweet, one of the Timeless Treasures Tonga Treat packages I shared with you all the other day.  Very cool.

I clicked on the little link and was transported to a lovely little quilt shop called Studio Juju Textile Art.  What made this super special was that some of her quilts were created using small pieces of fabric - EXACTLY what I was looking for this morning as I pondered what to share with you in how to utilize the Giveaway package I have for you this week!  The pattern she used is called Fractured Four Patch Pattern by Jennifer Sisco.  I'm currently trying to track that down for you.

Anywho... In my journey to find out more, I went to the Facebook page she had listed and poked around.  I happened to notice she had a link to her Etsy store that was very polished looking.  I thought I'd like to see how she set it up and viola!  It was a lovely app showing what she had available.  Gee whiz!  How cool was that?

As one often does in such situations, I saw a link saying "would you like this for your FB page?"  Well, duh, of course!  Especially since it was FREE!  (Keep in mind that in most situations like that, there is embedded advertising... so be it - if you can get a quick look at my Etsy shop then I'm in!)  There were a few easy steps to follow, a couple things to agree to and there it was!  My Etsy shop RIGHT on my Facebook page!

AND, I learned how to take a screenshot!!!  What a great morning!

All of this because a stranger took a moment to "like" one of my shop items!  Never underestimate the power of a small gesture.  

Quilty hugs today,
Carrie

What to make...what to make... MORE fabric fun!

Yesterday I shared with you some of the lovely batiks I picked up on my journey to the wholesaler on Tuesday.  Today, let's take a peek at some of the others I found.  There are links attached to the pieces of the posts, if you want visit either of the stores to poke around.  I will be straight with you... start in on Etsy and be ready to get LOST!  Lol...



This first one is by Marcus Brothers Northern Territory line.  We live in the woods.  By that I mean rural.  Okay...you've seen the pictures -- OUT THERE!!  We see the wildlife pictures A LOT... even the big ones, though not as often as the deer and such, but we've had moose and bear IN THE YARD!  I thought this might be either a fun quilt backing or part of a wall hanging... perhaps Christmas gifts?  Ideas?

I LOVE Mary Engelbreit's fabrics!  When I saw this one on the stacks it went RIGHT to my pile!  It's fun and has all sorts of her mottos on it.  I think it would make a fun bag/tote.When I was cruising around Etsy, and did a search for "Mary Engelbreit" (it's how I decide whether or not to list something) I saw some of the most adorable creations.  That's what I meant by getting lost.  We are finding ALL sorts of wedding ideas for DD #1.

I am always on the lookout for ribbon/survivor fabric.  This one, by Timeless Treasures called "Ribbon" was perfect.  Can you see the bits of glitter on the edges?  Every fall my field hockey team plays one of our home games as a "Pink" game.  We do posters, sell goodies and dress in pink.  This past year we took the money we raised and gave it to a teacher in the high school doing the Breast Cancer Walk.  It was a win-win: the money went to cancer research and the teacher got closer to her fundraising goal.  We plan on doing it that way again.



I thought perhaps I could make something and we could raffle it off there - any ideas?  What do you think people might go for?

Okay, this one? It was purely for fun!  My mom loves frogs.  No, wait she's fanatical about frogs.  Actually, you might call it over the top.  She has all sorts ALL over her house.  I bough this to make her something, not sure what, but I KNOW she'll love it. (DON'T tell her, anyone!!)  It's called Hopping Around.  I kind of like how they go from one window pane to the next.  Rather crazy and fun!

I like to keep some quilt labels in stock.  RJR has  been making them for years.  Guess they aren't now, but this one is close.  It's a set of labels good for quilting, scrapbooking, cardmaking, you name it!  It's by Stephanie Wright for RJR called Adventures.  I bet I could even do some bookmarks... I see some Modpodging in the future...

So those were some of the bolts I picked up. 

Did you see in yesterday's how you can win some Tonga Treats?  The Rafflecopter Entry Form is down below!



You KNOW you want those Pink Lemonade cuties!!  Right?  Have you ever entered one before?  It's SUPER easy!  For this one, all you have to do to enter is ONE of these (more entries = more chances, of course)

• Like my Facebook page
• Tweet about the contest (if you are a social media guru)
• AND if you are into that, follow me on Twitter
• Not a Tweeter?  Pin the contest on Pinterest (hey, talk about getting LOST!!!)
• Or, the easiest one: just leave a comment below about what you might do with the fabrics

See?  No big hoops!  I'm all for that.

Have a great day,
Carrie

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Time to start playing! Batiks, baby, and a Giveaway!

So, if you follow my Facebook page, Whitt's Kits Fabrics & Crafts, you've seen over the past few days, that I made a BIG buying trip on Tuesday.  I found scraps (about 36 pounds of them) that will make their way into jelly rolls, sets and remnants for my customers and a dozen bolts of GORGEOUS fabrics!  I focused on batiks and flannels.  Batiks because I LOVE them and flannels because people asked me to see what I could find.

Here are some of the batiks:

This one is a Hoffman - purple IS my favorite color...

This one is by Bella Batiks

This is another Hoffman that literally JUMPED off the shelf into my arms...sort of...okay...maybe not..

Aren't they stunning!

I will share some of the other fabrics tomorrow... but here's something new to me: sets from Hoffman and Timeless Treasures!  All pre-cut and ready to play with!

This one has 12 FQ's PLUS a pattern to make a quilt!  OMG... how lovely!

These are Bali "Tiles" with handpainted designs - what??? They are 12" x 44" and you can fussy cut them...oh boy...

These "Tonga Mini Treats" by Timeless Treasures are so flipping cute I had to get a bunch!  They have fun names, like "Blueberry Pie" (that's the bottom one) and are made up of 40 - 5"x5" squares of incredibly cool fabric!

So, my question is, what do you guys think?  Are they absolutely stunning or WHAT??  I think it's time to start playing, and by that I mean, I want to share!!!!



I have one set, called Pink Lemonade that I was able to get a pair of.  Tell me how you might use a set and YOU might win!!  There is a Rafflecopter Giveaway at the bottom of this post.  Let's put our fabric thinking caps on and get creative!

HERE it is!!  Whoooo hoooo!!  WIN ME!! 

WIN ME!!!

Can't wait to see your ideas!
Quilty hugs!
Carrie
 a Rafflecopter giveaway

Sew Mama Sew HUGE Craft & Supplies Giveaway!!

What an exciting week this will be!  I'm participating in this years Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day that's actually a WEEK!  Holy Cow, Batman!  I am soooo excited!

There are 4 categories of prizes:

• Handmade for the Home (quilts, hot pads, pillows, etc.)
• Handmade Bags
• Handmade Baby + Kid Items
• Sewing + Craft Supplies (fabric, patterns, buttons, trims, yarn, etc.)
• Handmade Accessories (hats, scarves, belts, adult clothes, etc.)

I am offering 4 different pillowcase kits for you to make!  Here they are:

 

These are perfect for yourself or for gifts - maybe getting a jump on the holidays?  One is baseball, the next violets, the bottom left purple, teal and blue floral and the last on, crafty blocks!  Instructions for making these via the "sausage method" (as shown in my blog post HERE) will be included!  

To enter for a chance to win MY prize, all you need to do is comment below with what color the sheets are on your bed!  Click on the RAFFLECOPTER tool to let me know you left a comment and you are in!  How easy peasy is that?

Here's where it gets even better!  Under the Rafflecopter tool, you'll see a link to Sew Mama Sew.  Click on it and you'll head over to where you can enter OODLES of other drawings!  It's going on till Friday!  WOW!  I can tell you where I will be when I'm not writing blog posts or working... yup, trying to win awesomely cool stuff from other bloggers!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

NOTE:
The giveaway will close on May 10th at 5pm.  Rafflecopter will choose a winner.  Please make sure that you have an email address in your profile or that you leave one in your comment, otherwise there is no way to contact you and since this contest is so HUGE, you'll forget you were here!   ALSO: Please be sure you are NOT a No-Reply blogger (have you ever commented to people and never heard back?) There is a great tutorial here.  Special thanks to Kitchen Table Quilting for posting the link!

There is no "following" requirement to this blog for the Giveaway, but we'd LOVE to have you come back by!  You'll find crafty ideas all week long.  Just click on the BlogLovin icon below to join us (or any of the other methods on the left) OR any of our social media over on the right!


Want to visit LOTS of great blogs with a chance to win cool, crafty things?  HEAD HERE to Sew Mama Sew!!

Would you like an extra chance to win another prize?  I am giving away a sweet apron I made for THIS blog over on my foodie blog HERE.  Head over and take a peek!!

Good luck to those of you who enter for my prize and to those of you who are heading out to try for others!  I CAN'T WAIT!!

Have a crafty day,
Carrie

Congratulations to our latest winner!

Congratulations to our latest giveaway winner, Linda B!  Rafflecopter chose your name so I'll be wrapping up the goodies and they'll be headed your way!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
I want to thank everyone who joined us that time - it was lots of fun deciding what different things to add to the package and your feedback as to what you were interested in was VERY helpful!  I will be using ALL of your ideas as I plan giveaways in the future.  (Notice the "s" - yup... there will be more!)

As a "thank you" to you all, here's a link to a poster I made JUST FOR YOU!  Click on the link to head over to Pic Monkey and save it for yourself to make your own poster, sign, background, you name it!

Just click HERE to download it to your computer.

If you just choose to borrow it (fellow bloggers) please take a moment to link back to this page. Thanks!  

Once again, thanks so much for following the blog - it's oodles of fun to share with you.
Quilty hugs,
Carrie

Crafter's Giveaway - #7: Pillowcase Kit

Good afternoon, friends!
The final item is ready and it's really quite lovely.  I decided to make the last goodie a pillowcase kit.  These are super easy and, least I say it: incredibly addictive!  Once you make one you'll be looking for 3/4 yard pieces and accents, I swear  promise!

Here is the kit I have put together for you:

It is 3/4 yard of pink cotton fabric for the body, a wide green piece for the accent color and a strip of pink and green for the trim.

In April of 2011, I did a blog post on how to make these - they are a GREAT gift project as well as a wonderful way to introduce the non-sewer to the world of fabric and sewing! 

The winner of this weeks Crafter's Giveaway will receive this set of fabrics, directions to keep and use over and over as well as ALL of the following:

All you need to do is zip over to THIS post and tell me what sort of things you'd like to win!  That's all there is to it!
Hope you hop over - we'd LOVE to have you join us!
Good luck and chat soon,
Carrie