I've Moved!

I am transitioning to a new website! I am working on transferring my few posts from here, but in the meantime check out my new site:

www.ekgdesigns.com

Woo!

See Jane Run Quilt

See them run! Run, guys, run!

Back in June (when we were wearing shorts- just think, tonight has a forecasted low of 17 degrees!), I began a quilt using Dick and Jane-themed fabrics. You can see from those original layout pictures that I still ended up with something different. My bad math meant that I was going to be short two blocks to make it the twin-sized quilt I had originally intended. Bummer. I played around with potential sashing and maybe just large borders. I ultimately ended up with a framed center block.

Arranging the pink and blue blocks still provided me a challenge.

The framed center added some visual interest while allowing me to keep my intended size of the top.


The final pieced top. Not too shabby, if I say so myself!

I quilted it with replicated loops all over. I am happy how this one turned out! I used one of the blocks that had been pushed out by the framed center block and made a matching pillow. All that bad math paid off!



Quilt and pillow, ready to go!

Handmade Holidays

Craft fair weekends tend to fly by in a blur. This weekend was just that: a blur. A festive, smiling, holiday-feeling weekend. I loved all the minutes of it.

The Clarksville Parks and Recreation hosted its third annual Handmade Holidays market in Clarksville, Tennessee. It gave me a chance to meet lots of people, sell my handmade items, and see the glowing faces that were going to enjoy their goodies as they marched off successfully with their newly-acquired treasures.


A few times some folks would express interest in an item, mention they would think about it, leave and then return to see it had sold. That's the tricky-and-awesome part of craft fairs. Everything is unique! Most everything is one-of-a-kind! But if you are one to hesitate because it my be considered a compulsive buy, you might miss out. I missed out on a ceramic spoon rest that I saw this morning. I stopped back by early this afternoon and it was already sold. You never know what you will find!


Thanks to all the behind-the-scenes workers who made for a successful craft fair this weekend! And thanks to all the other vendors I met who shared the same passion as I. And a special thanks to those who came with an understanding that what they saw were treasures, for those who supported craftsfolk and artisans. Your smiles and enjoyment keep me going.

Why I am not a Food Blogger

Weekend mornings give me a little extra time making a quality breakfast. My husband and I tend to avoid the glutens, so I cook a lot with squash (and can find some delicious paleo recipes thanks to the interwebs). One of my favorite recipe sites also contains one of my favorite recipes: Breakfast Stuffed Acorn Squash. I use spicy sausage to compliment the sweet taste of the squash.

Now, the very first time I made this, I followed all the directions and baked the egg within the shell of the squash. Feeling a little Martha Stewart-y that day, I also plated it on my hearty Fiestaware plates and provided a side of applesauce. (I think my husband sighs a little when I am feeling Martha Stewart-y, as it means sitting at a table rather than eating in the living room in front of the television. It also means I dirty more dishes than necessary for the aesthetic of a meal and he has more dishes to wash.). Look! Look at the fancy egg in the shell of the squash!

That happened once. Even with my extra free time on weekends, I don't have time for that nonsense! This is now what results in making my favorite dish:

I baked the squash on foil in an attempt to clean one less dish.

Shredded squash shells and a messy pan. Never mind my plating! This sucker gets served in a bowl with a fried egg on top (because the whole baking-an-egg thing takes time and I am hungry!).

mis-matched bowls, because everything else is in the dishwasher.

Finally, the true food blogger knows how plating, aesthetics, and quality photos can really sell the food and food-for-thought. This is pretty much what is really happening when I am working in the kitchen:

cooking is essentially a blur, as I rush around to avoid burning things.

So I will continue to cook. I will continue to eat. I will continue to read about others' foodie experiences. I will limit my sharing about food, however, and leave that to the real food bloggers.

Quilt Earrings!

I have been playing around with polymer clay recently. A while back, while I was cutting fabric scraps for a scrap quilt, I needed to take a fabric break. That's when it hit me: quilt earrings! I could still maintain the quilt motif while using a different medium!

I love the way these guys turned out! They are small and the stitching details make the "quilt" pop!

I love the way these turned out! It took some serious concentration and steady handwork. They are cute! Some I attached to stud posts and others clip on earrings.

The dime conveys the size.

Some are clip-on earrings.

Some have posts.

I listed a variety of them in my mom's Etsy shop. I will list the clip-on earrings later. These are too cute! I can special order colors and blocks. I can also do bulk orders. Check out the earrings at Cumberland Quilting Co.'s Etsy shop!

Dreamin'

Sometimes dreams seem a little lofty, but they are still there.

Do you have dreams? Aspirations? Goals?

Sure you do. You're human. Even if you dream that the dishes would do themselves, you have a dream (a lofty one, sure, but still a dream).

Do you take steps towards those dreams?

The difference between the dreamers and the doers is that: doing. Sacrifice. Mistakes. Getting knocked down and trying again. Shaking off that dust and moving forward.

"Dusty roads mean dirty feet." -Sara Watkins

I have ideas of what I want to do with my life (dreams). I have aspirations (ultimately, work for myself). And that takes sacrifice. I work longer hours. I work at one job that I don't like so much. I try new things- some work, some don't.

So here I am on this unsuspecting Tuesday morning, thinking and dreaming. I have another full day ahead (of stuff and work that I don't really want to do). But I will also have a few evening hours to create, design, write, and promote. I will have a choice! Television or invest in my dreams. "Chill out" or invest in my dream. Even goof off! or invest in my dream.

Make it happen.




What dreams are you pursuing? Are you making sacrifices to get there?

Creative Roads are Rarely Straight

So in my last post, I had been crocheting squares of scrap yarn with the intention of making an afghan. While working on the squares yesterday, I decided to make them into a bag.

I don't really know why, because I was excited about the idea of a scrappy afghan. The little knotted yarns just asked to be made into a tote. You can find the tote on my Etsy shop:




I love the way this came together. It is not too big and is perfect for summer.


When have you been creating and found your project move you in an unexpected direction?