Lacking focus - Lacking enthusiasm

I've been lacking focus lately. I have about four projects in the works that I haven't been working on. I have about three books that I'm reading and not finishing. I keep looking at Pinterest and want to make new things, more things, better things... And now I'm obsessed with LATTE ART!

Beautiful Rosetta

I have a fancy espresso machine and make a nice latte everyday, but I just haven't had the patience to learn to make pictures in my coffee - but I want to. Watching YouTube last night only got me more obsessed. I hope it wears off soon, because I really need to get to finishing some quilts.

I picked up some fabrics on Saturday to finish my heart and lazy girl backs/bindings. I think I have enough batting to finish. I hope to post photos of those on WIP Wednesday. I hope to start quilting on those today.

As a life long battler with insomnia, I have been getting to sleep unusually early and getting enough sleep for the last few weeks - I think it has something to do with drastically cutting down on my sugar and processed food intake. It's amazing how little caffeine I need, as well. I haven't been able to go through a drive-thru because my driver's side window is broken - that has made a huge difference in my life. Not being able to grab some unhealthy, sugary, caffeine-loaded, albeit, delicious snack when I'm driving my four-year-old around the city is just about the best thing that ever happened - ever!

So, today I will continue on my quest to get some sewing in and also for the perfection of microfoam for the top of my latte.

I hope you can get some work(fun) in today, too.

Ugh!

I promised myself to get some sewing in today. I've been sick and have also been watching my daughter and it is not so easy. (cry me a river, right?)
So! Today, my husband took my daughter to the children's science museum which she loves. I was not invited. I will stay home and do my sewing and not speak to anyone and try to recover my voice as it was lost somewhere...

I will post some photos later.

I have been checking out the blogs on the let's get acquainted new blogger blog hop and there are some truly fabulous, brilliant quilters out there - amazing people, too. Check out this week's authors:

Leigh Anne @ Ella's Cottage

Stacey @ The Tilted Quilt

Sarah @ Quilt Candy

Jackie @ NW Patchwork

Liz @ Beadqueene's Bits And Baubles

Erica @ Happy Fabric

Stephanie @ Simple Sewendipity

Lauren @ Seraphym

Amy @ Cloud CouCou Crafts

To be continued...

Okay... I did get some work done. Here are the shots:

Herringbone cowl - in progress, but Erin the Zebra likes it so far

Baby girl quilt top ready for quilting and binding

working on Stamp blog hop block - top secret

part of Stamp blog hop block - shhhh!

 I got my Stamp block underway. I love it! I also got that albatross of a baby quilt (girl flavor) top finished. Yes! Now I just have to work on the baby quilt (boy flavor), finish my stamp block, finish my curvy block (and decide a use for that). I also want to make a sample block for the Simply Solids bee for next month - my month.

Okay, gotta get the dinner on.

Enjoy your weekend!
GC

June Goal Setting

I started cutting on some baby quilts and I will say that I will finish at least one by the end of the month. Here are the photos of my cutting:

I did end up going to WalMart and getting some cheap-o fat quarters for these projects. Today I ran over to Hancock's for some muslin for the other side of the HSTs. I ended up getting the fabric for an additional 10% off because I was a patient customer (I'm glad my willingness to wait gets me treats sometimes).

Tonight I'm going to cut up the white and get started on the HSTs. I should finish them all and be well on my way.

Roly Poly. Blog Hop and more

Greetings!  I'm having a wonderful day today. I just purchased my first sewing pattern. The Roly Poly pinafore from imagine gnats. I'm really excited to make one five for Penelope. I know she will love wearing it, and it's so hot here, she shouldn't need to wear much else this summer. I'm thinking that and some shorts and she will be good to go. Plus, I can totally see this made in corduroy for the fall - how sweet will that be. I want to modify the pattern and make one for myself. We'll see if that happens.

I also signed up for the Stamp on it blog hop. I'm really excited about participating in this blog hop because the last one for April Showers was so much fun. I can't wait to start designing my stamp later.

New quilt

I got a little bit of sewing done this afternoon while Penn went to her Bubbe's house. I will need to leave to get in her in a few minutes. I think Miss Lulu enjoyed having me stay home with her today.

Lulu taking a break in the sunroom

I hope your evening is great.

Sew on!

Sat.Ur.Day!!!

I love Saturday. I love a day where I can (sort of) do whatever I want. I have some sewing planned for today, but I usually like to have no plan and just fly by the seat of my pants (pajamas?).

I can't wait to start on some paper-piecing and some FMQ-ing on my broken dishes quilt. I also would love to have time to go to Joanne's to pick up some more Kona solids for my solids bee.

I got some lovely gifts for my birthday. I think people were under the impression that my "greeness" extended to my thumbs, because I got a huge geranium plant from work and my father got me an Italian Heather plant. Oh, and my mother-in-law got me a tiny rose plant that can be planted in the garden as well. I guess I have to work in the garden a little today. I also got a DVD of vol 1 of Pinky and the Brain and a DVD of Jab Tak Hai Jaan - a new (newer) Bollywood movie staring my favorite actor, Shahrukh Khan. Here is a clip:

I love Bollywood movies. They are long, so you feel like you get your monies worth, they have singing and dancing, they have really dramatic, soap-opera-type-melodramatic acting, which I love and they have SRK!!!

I hope to be able to watch some of my new movie today.

Happy Birthday!

WIP Wednesday

It's Work in Progress Wednesday and I'm stuck at work. I'd love to be at home sewing and knitting and enjoying the sunny day, but I'm here setting up webinars and video conferences. Sure, it all seems glamorous and wonderful, but it's not. It's not so easy bein' an IT professional/Green - whichever you prefer at this moment.

I think this is residual funk from Monday. I really need to get over this hump - what do I do?? I think I'm going to have to have another giveaway to get some more readers.

funkity funk-funk

February Finish

Okay, so it wasn't everything I wanted to finish for February, but I did start a few things and I will have a more extraordinary finish for March.

This month, I started and finished these wonderful, felt, hot cup holders for my daughter's teachers for Valentine's Day. Here they are:

I had a lot of fun making these. They are so cute and simple. I think the teachers really liked them, too. I did make one for myself to keep on my single cup french press that I keep at work.

I made a few other felted goodies but I can't blog about them because they are presents that haven't been delivered yet.

I really hope to finish something better next month. I have a few projects up my sleeve that I need to start and work on for better finishes in the months to come.

Happy Tuesday!!

Green

You like me...

Ramona at ThreadTime has nominated me for the Liebster Award! I love awards. In daily life, when you're an adult, there is rarely a time when you receive any acknowledgement for anything you do. So, this award. This silly little thing is super important to me. Thanks, Ramona. I feel honored today.
 
To participate:
1. Thank and link back up to the one that nominated you (Me).
2. Answer 11 questions asked to you by me.
3. Tell us 11 things about yourself.
4. Nominate 11 of your favorite blogs that have less than 200 followers
5. Ask them 11 questions.

Here are Ramona's  11 questions to me:
1.  What’s your favorite book? or movie? My favorite book is The Great Gatsby. I have an English degree and I've read it about 20 times for school. I love it! I love everything about it. It is so American and so beautiful. If you've never read it - please do. It's short and wonderful.
2.  Cake or pie? Cake
3.  What sewing project was your all time favorite? I recently purchased some felt and I love sewing with felt. It's like butter in my machine and doesn't fray and the colors are gorgeous and rich and saturated - there's nothing that I don't love about sewing with felt.
4.  Do you have a favorite fabric manufacturer?  (Moda, Free Spirit, etc) I really like Moda, but I'm not that saavy about fabric manufacturers. I tend to pick fabrics for the color and print and don't always look at the manufacturer.
5.  Who is your favorite fabric designer? I didn't really care about this until recently. I like Jay McCarroll, Michael Miller, Riley Blake and Kaffe Fassett.
6.  Name a song that you never get sick of hearing. Distant Sun by Crowded House
7.  Where is your favorite vacation spot? here
8.  What brings you peace? Knowledge
9.  What makes you laugh? Everything
10.  Have you tried hand quilting, paper piecing, or embroidery? No. No. No.
11.  How many bees, guilds, or other sewing groups do you belong? I'm involved in two bees and I am a member of the Albuquerque Modern Quilt Guild in spite of only attending one meeting.

Eleven random things about me:

1. I love magic. I juggle. I want to make a superhero mask to wear to work.
2. I love Tori Spelling. I know we would be the best of friends.
3. I would love to have crafting be my job. How can I do this? If you know, please tell me.
4. I had my daughter at age 36. 
5. I want to have another baby.
6. I only started sewing two and a half years ago. I had taken Home Ec in seventh and eighth grades, but didn't continue until I  thought I wanted to quilt. I'm self taught. I just went out and bought a sewing machine and some fabric and "made it work."
7. I love Tim Gunn from Project Runway fame. I want to keep a little, tiny Tim Gunn in my pocket to ask questions of and to give me encouragement during my stressful days.
8.  I started a business where I ran a baby fair. I would love to have another baby fair.
9. I have insomnia and get five hours of sleep a night on average. Despite the lack of sleep, I am only tired in the morning.
10. I love to cook but I do not like to make salad-even when it only involves washing, drying and tearing lettuce. It is the most tedious task imaginable to me.
11. When I taught myself to knit I learned from a book. I learned the knit stitch and kept knitting rows and rows of a scarf and kept wondering why it didn't look like knitting. Why didn't it make the little "v"s? I finally figured it out - when I  TURNED THE PAGE. I needed to learn to purl to make the little "v"s. UGH!

My 11 Awardees:

1. http://craftyturtle1.blogspot.com 
2. http://SquawkThat.com  
3. lizmakesstuff.blogspot.com
4. fairlymerry.blogspot.com/ 
5. http://www.wafflekisses.blogspot.ca/
6. http://www.citricsugar.blogspot.com/ 
7.  http://wipgirl.wordpress.com/
8.  http://www.l3designs.blogspot.com/
9. http://lixiemakesit.blogspot.com/ 
10. http://www.lethargiclass.blogspot.com/ 
11. http://www.rachelboothhappilyeverafter.blogspot.com/

 My 11 questions to you:

1. Chocolate or Vanilla (or other?)
2. Do you work outside the home doing something you like?
3. Okay, seriously, how much fabric do you have on hand?
4. Do you belong to any bees or guilds?
5. How long does it take you to get ready in the morning?
6. What is your favorite movie?
7. What is your favorite color?
8. Can you define Leibster and use it in a sentence?
9. Precuts or yardage?
10.  What is your favorite food?
11. Do you like to cook?

Be kind to each other and explore the blogosphere.

Green

Getting Started

Hi! I've been blogging for a few years and just recently my blog (itsnotsoeasybeingreen.blogspot.com) has started to become more and more about quilting and sewing. I wanted to make a bit of a transition and have a blog dedicated to sewing and quilting and knitting and fiber-love of all kinds and this is it.
I plan to start moving some things over in the next few days. I would really love to post tutorials and patterns, since I usually design my own quilts. I love modern quilts based on traditional blocks and patterns. I like modern fabrics and lots and lots of color.
I hope you will join me in this journey. I look forward to making lots of quilting and sewing and knitting friends from everywhere.
Today I am thankful for community and resources.

Get your sew on!
Green