Wedding Photos

We are home safe and sound. Before I hit the hay I just had to post a few pictures to share. I have not gone through all of the pictures yet. After all this nutcase had two cameras and a video camera (and it takes pix too!!!). Rest assured I was not going to miss a picture if I could help it :)

Let me introduce Cody and Megan Ricks

On their way to the reception

Krista my oldest step-daughter




Maddy my youngest step-daughter

I can brag about their beauty and intelligence because I didn't give birth to them. Everyone thinks....well, every Mom thinks their children are beautiful. But I'm not birth mom so I can say Rick and Susan sure did have three amazing girls and I'm so lucky that they share them with me.....I'm very blessed indeed :)

Good Morning to some and Good Night to others :)

Kelly

Dear Jane quilt completed in two weeks?

Yes....I'm kidding. No one could complete a Dear Jane quilt in a few weeks. Or could they? Can you believe this "convenience cloth" Dear Jane??? A woman from the Black Swamp Quilters brought this in to show the rest of us gals. Now.....I think that there Dear Jane quilt my kind of Dear Jane!!! Just sandwich and stitch around the pieces....from a distance no one will know the difference.

I can just hear the booing and hissing from all my Dear Jane enthusiasts friends. Its like thinking you've been to Paris if you've watched a movie filmed in Paris....ain't no comparison!!! But that may be the only way I ever get a Dear Jane quilt.

Smiles,
Kelly

Purses by Kathleen Plumley

Look at these beautiful purses (and the young lady too of course). When I was at Needles in Wellsboro I found these great purses made by Kathleen Plumley. The quality of her work is really terrific. Her prices are really reasonable especially for the quality. I bought the pastel one for the girl next door (she watered our garden and flowers while we were gone) and the black one is for myself :)

I called Kathleen to tell her how much I liked her work. I asked if I could post pictures and share her information. She said that would be fine. So here goes: Purses by Kathleen Plumley, e-mail KPlumley@PTD.Net and she accepts custom orders too!!!

Next time you are in Wellsboro you need to stop at Needles and check out Kathleen's purses. You won't be able to help but notice all the lovely fabrics there too!!! That is where I got my fabric for my daughter's apron. Just tell Katie and Mary that Kelly sent ya and give them both a big hug from me :)

Kelly

Black Swamp Quilt Guild Meets Again

I am now a member of the Black Swamp Quilt Guild in BG, OH. I really like the enthusiasm of this group. I invited my neighbor and fellow quilter, Rosemary, to go with me. She knew several people and also really enjoyed the great company.

One of the members brought several boxes of fabric and notions to give away. The tables were full and overflowing. They were from a woman who had passed away. Everyone knows I don't need one more thing.....even if it is free.....but.....my alter personality took over and picked up a few things. I have no idea what I'm going to do with these but I just liked them.

This brings me to another thought. When am I going to have a little more time to play with my lovely things? The boys will be in school in Sept. I hope I get a few hours here and there to get back to making some fun things. I really liked making the apron. Thankfully my Mom was here to guide me when I got lost.

Another thought.....what in the world am I going to do with all the things I want to make? I have a list so long I could give everyone in our town a gift. Guess I better get focused ay?

Smiles,

Kelly

Winner Alert.....

I have won my first blog giveaway!!! One of my friends e-mailed me to say I had won. I checked it out....and I sure am the winner. I'm speechless.....especially after what I pre-posted to my blog. Everyone will be rolling their eyes after my blog posts while I'm out of town. Thank you to Marguerite for the nice e-mail :)

It was the drawing with the wonderful opportunity. I won a jelly roll and a pattern at Green Fairy Quilts blogspot.

Candy kisses.....how ironic.....you'll know what I mean in a few posts.

I was drawn to the opportunity because 100% of the monies collected goes to feed people in Romania. If you've ever seen any television programs on the homeless children you will know why I donated to this cause. I once saw one of these on televison and I had to stop watching TV for months. I cried so hard I threw up. I can't stand the suffering of children. So if you are so moved to donate (she said even 1.00 will help quite a bit) you know your money did not go to postage to send fliers requesting money or to someone's airfare etc.

Just an FYI....I have no affiliation to Green Fairy Quilts and I've never met the owner. I was just moved and a trusted friend said the charity was legitimate. Typically I don't tell people who I donate money to but I thought this was a grass roots way of getting something meaningfull done.

Smiles,

Kelly

3.00 Shirts Revealed and Apron & Dishcloths

Shirts number 2, 5 & 6 were all 3.00 from the Goodwill on Reynolds Rd!!! Can you believe it? I love them. I also got a Evan Picone (sp?) outfit for 4.00. I could have worn that to the wedding but Rick did not like that the top matched the Capri pants. It is beautiful however :)

OK, on to the wedding shower. I was asked to bring an apron and tea towels for a gift basket (and our gifts of course). So I made this apron and then I put binding around two tea towels so they would match the apron. I really like the apron (pix is a little blurry...and I'm not saying who that 6 foot 5 model was) but it really took much longer than I expected. I really like the quality of the tea towels. I'm going to add them to my website when I get back. What I would do differently next time is make the binding wider. An applique would have been very pretty too.....but time has run out...for today anyway.

So, what do you think? Let me know. I may not be able to moderate comments for a few days....but I'm interested in hearing what everyone thinks.

Smiles,

Kelly

Lurking in the mist

For everyone who is lurking in the mist....please add yourself as a follower on my blog. It is painless and free. Just click on the follow button. Go ahead....it is calorie free too :) But you know what? No chocolate bars fly out of your printer when you do this.... :( that sure would be cool ay? I would want Twix bars flying out of my printer and lots of them.

Devilish Smiles,

Kelly

Who Knows?

By now you all know how thrifty I am. I get a thrill out of saving money. Something great for nothing is my idea of a great day shopping. I have lots of those stories....for later.

How many of you can tell the 35.00 shirts or more from the 3.00 shirts? I bought all of these shirts on the same day. Can you tell which cost $3.00 and which were 35.00 or more? Come on now....just take a guess.

Number 1

Number 2

Number 3

Number 4

Number 5

Number 6

Smiles,

Kelly

Tomorrow I'm hoping to post the apron and tea towels...and pot holders if I'm assured none of the girls are reading my blog.....secrets are fun :)

Replacement blades for the Rotary Cutting Machine by Simplicity

Replacement blades for the rotary cutters are due out in Sept.

(Juanita, you need to leave your e-mail address for me to reply.)

I hope this clears things up for everyone :)
Kelly

Giveaway Alert and Opportunity Too :)

Hurry over to Green Fairy Quilts Blogspot. I was tipped off about a giveaway....a great giveaway....but a much better opportunity. You'll have to check it out for yourself. Please come back and let me know your thoughts :)

On a different note altogether, my step-daughter is getting married next Saturday. I need help choosing outfits. It is a beach wedding. Which outfit do you think would be best? The white skirt is linen. The other skirt is cotton. I just ordered white sandals to go with either.....when you wear a size 12 its tough to get shoes near home. It also makes it tough when you have to put your foot in your mouth!!!


Her mother and father will be walking her down the isle. I'll probably be taking pictures or video all while making sure the two little monkeys behave themselves :) I'm not part of the wedding party so I don't really need anything more "formal" than these two outfits.

Please leave me a comment or e-mail letting me know which outfit you think would be best.....I need some help here :)

Smiles,
Kelly

Other fun in PA

We really enjoy being at our "house cabin" as the boys call it. There is no electricity and no running water. Rick, his brother and father built the cabin in 1983 from the wood that was on the land there. Critters seem to snuggle in during the winter. I always find some evidence of them here or there. This year we stopped with the hospitality and got rid of anything that they could make a bed out of.....they are sleeping on the floor now!!!!

I see so many beautiful pictures of nature so I tried my hand (camera) at some nature photography. I really like the macro pictures people take....but I don't know how to do that yet....I'll learn one day :) I hope you enjoy the little snippets of the beauty around the "house cabin."

The boys and I sat on the dock (sitting on the dock of the bay watching the clouds roll away.... ... a little background music for ya) throwing sticks and rocks into the water one afternoon. The water was cool and the air calm.....a lovely way to spend some of our summer vacation. Hmmm, I love those times....relaxing and the boys are enjoying the simple things in life.

Ahhhhhh what a great memory :)

Smiles, Kelly

Bias Tape Maker Machine by Simplicity

73.99 will get you a quick and easy way to make your bias tape and quilt bindings too (the tips for the binding will be available in Aug.) Retail is 99.99.

The Bias Tape Maker Machine by Simplicity had been a huge seller for me. Perhaps because I have shown the blog readers how it works and that it indeed does work. It really saves time and it is straight forward....no confusing steps to getting it to work.

The Simpli-EZ Bias Ruler by Simplicity is a great accompaniment to the Bias Tape Maker. You just line it up with the edge of your cutting mat and it automatically lines up the 45 degree angle. See for yourself. It retails for 19.99 and I sell it for 16.50.

Another savings....and we all know what we do with every extra dime we save....buy more fabric or thread...am I right? You know you are guilty and don't even try to hide your blushing cheeks....you've been found out....caught.....but one saving grace.....we did not dye our underpants and hang them on a tree for everyone to see, right?

For those of you who read my blog regularly....this is all old news to you.....sorry. I get so many e-mails asking price and questions I thought I would just write a post and get the information all in one place :)

Smiles,
Kelly

Rotary Cutting Machine by Simplicity

54.99 will buy you a quick and easy way to cut strips for your rag rugs, strips for quilting and don't forget it works on paper too!!! Replacement blades will be available in September 2009.

I get so many e-mails asking questions about this machine so I thought I would just do a quick post telling everyone that these are now available. The Rotary Cutting Machines by Simplicity retail for 79.99 and I sell them for 54.99.

My blog readers get the best prices because I don't pay to advertise. My only advertisement is my blog and word of mouth. That is how I keep my prices low. I also use recycled boxes and shipping supplies to save money there too. If I can use a priority box provided by the post office I do that as well. Overhead is kept to a minimum so I can pass a little savings on to you.

OK....I'm done now....just though you should know how I keep my prices low :)

Smiles,
Thrifty Kelly

PS...I'm not being paid by Simplicity for saying these things....just and FYI

Simpli-EZ Bias Ruler by Simplicity

Another cool tool alert. I forgot all about posting this great ruler. I got it at Quilt Market and I guess I thought I posted about it and I didn't. It is called, "Simpli-EZ Bias Ruler" by Simplicity.

This ruler automatically lines up the 45 degree angle for cutting fabric on the bias. You just line it up with the bottom of your cutting mat and you are done. No more moving the square up and down the fabric. Of course I love this for cutting bias strips!!! Then I just feed them through the Bias Tape Maker Machine by Simplicity. You've all seen my pix of that cool tool already.

My fabric was so busy it did not show up when I first took the picture. I grabbed a dark blue piece just for a demonstration....you could not see the ruler with the other fabric (that is the secret tutorial fabric....keep looking and listening :)

I'm helping my mom make piping for some cushions for my sister's house. She called to see if I would cut all the strips because I was telling her about this ruler a few weeks ago. My mom does not even have a rotary cutter or a cutting mat. I feel so bad about that. She says she does not want them until she gets a sewing area set up. I guess I'll have to go and help her get it all together so she can whip these things up.

OK, so now you know....you really can cut your bias strips for quilt binding etc....quickly and easily...honest.

If you have not been to I Have A Notion lately (shopping in your jammies or in the middle of the night) you might want to stop by. There is now a SALE tab.

Smiles,

Kelly

More about my trip to PA

As we pulled out of Eleanor's driveway I snapped this photo. Interesting sky's!!

After visiting Eleanor's house, we went to Pizza Hut to meet Anya and Susan for lunch. Susan won the giveaway (bag tags of course) for guessing who's shirts my boys were wearing in the picture a few weeks back. So I took them to give to her. This was the first time I had met Susan. Oh we had fun. I knew I was in for some fun when I saw everyone with their handmade bags.

Mary Jane, Susan, and Anya

Susan with her bag tags.

" Bloggifers" or "Blogologists" or "Blog-on-an-on-ists"

After lunch, we went to Needles Quilt Shop in Wellsboro to visit Mary and Katie. If you've not been to Needles in Wellsboro, you need to go. You'll be greeted warmly and treated like you have been coming for years. They'll help you out with anything they can and if they can't.....they sure do know someone who can. I bought some batiks to make an apron for my daughters wedding shower. I'm in charge of bringing the tea towels and apron for the kitchen gadget basket. We could not stay long because Bill put dinner in the oven early (MJ's hungry husband)....so we ran back to the house for dinner.

I got to meet "Betsy" (Bernina 820) for the first time. This is MJ's new baby girl. Oh this machine does everything including thread the needle and cutting the thread when it stops. I was waiting for it to start talking but it only beeped. I was afraid to really play around too much.....what a nightmare if I jammed it or somehow it stopped when I was sitting in the chair. No problems though.....she just purred and purred.

Sorry this pix is so blurry. This is a pix of a miniature quilt MJ put into the frame I had given her. I really like these frames and I wanted her to have one.....what a beautiful wall hanging....shame the pix is blurry. Guess if you had several glasses of wine it would look clearer? Well....you might not notice as much or even care :)

MJ had made this apron and I had admired it before. She offered it to me and I did not hesitate....I had it in my hand in a heart beat. It is so colorful and fun. I think you are supposed to tie aprons around the smallest part of your waist? Well, I could not that so I just tied it around the middle. That will have to do!!!

Being the nutcase I am.....I had to give it multiple uses.....it can't be just an apron.....it is also a beautiful head wrap. MJ cracked up laughing when I put it on my head. I told her she would have to wait until she sees Rick in it too. We're all a bit "odd" if you will.....we do silly things all the time.

Me in the "Walk like an Egyptian" pose

Rick with his "Lawrence of Arabia" head dress

Zach with his "Laundry Day" head wrap

Aaron looking like a gift package

I'll keep looking for more uses for my lovely apron. I hate to say I really think it would be great to keep the sun off your neck when you're in the yard doing yard work or gardening. Then you just pull it off and tie it around your waist and wahhhhh llllaaaahhhhh....you have an apron ready to go.

MJ and I spent most of Wed afternoon and evening writing a tutorial to be published on my blog. I can't say what it is exactly.....but keep your eyes and ears open :)

Smiles,

Kelly

Visiting with Eleanor in Wellsboro, PA

MJ and I went to visit Eleanor in Wellsboro to take care of several yards of unfinished business....fluffy business (batting). I wish I had taken pictures of Eleanor's work space. I just love her set up. Her living room is really a sewing studio. She has wonderful tables to lay out large projects. Easy access to the kitchen and wonderful windows for lighting.

Meet Eleanor :)

After I was kindly guided in my rolling of the batting (my end kept corkscrewing out no matter how I tried to get it straight) I went on a walkabout around her house. Eleanor is finishing a quilt and of course I wrote down the name of the pattern and the information but do you think I can find it tonight when I want to post.....you are right....I can't find it.

Well, a picture is worth a thousand words right? How about 7 pictures? I'll get the proper information and make an addition to this post. In my next life, I'm going to have a computer appendage so I have all necessary information with me at all times.

I think the pattern is called Beyond Baltimore...I'm 98% sure. It was a block of the month project and it is all needle turn applique and hand quilted. I think it is absolutely beautiful. Eleanor has an eye for color and it really resonates with my vision of beauty. MJ and Eleanor were working on squaring up the quilt. I wish I knew how to photograph quilts better. It is tough to get a full appreciation of just how beautiful this quilt is by my picture.

Eleanor responded by e-mail and this is what she had to say, "You were close on the name of the quilt. It's WAY BEYOND BALTIMORE and designs were by Jane Bestwick."

(Drop your left ear to your left shoulder.....see the picture is now in the correct orientation)

The next piece was a miniature Eleanor made and it was laying on a table. I went through my purse for a quarter to lay on it so you could see just how small these little pieces are. The pattern was called, "Springtime" but Eleanor titled her piece "Summertime" she said because of the colors she choose.

I could have spent an entire afternoon cataloging all of her fun quilts and wall hangings. Eleanor is great fun and even more fun when she has a drink. I know, the next time I visit Eleanor, I'm taking lots of liquor and my PF Fliers!!! She'll wake up with naked beds and walls...I'm soooo bad!!!

Naughty Smiles,

Kelly

Giveaway Alert

I am embarrassed to say that my addiction to scrapbook paper is significantly more disabling that my addiction to fabric. So when I saw this giveaway I had to put my name in the hat....not once....but three times....eeek. Danger Will Robinson Danger.....alarms and sirens spinning and swirling. Geez...I'm cringing....did I just tell everyone about my "other" issues? Geez....ok....I admit I am powerless over paper and fabric....are you happy now? I have come to believe that a power greater than myself can and will help deliver me from these chains.....(I'm so bad that I'm thinking that power greater than myself that will help deliver me is the dollar bill.....to hire someone to get me organized so I can get to playing with my toys faster....so sad isn't it?)

So if you have issues like mine....you can visit Rebecca's blog and get yourself into some trouble too. Her blog is called: Rainy Day Kisses. What a cheerful title :)

Smiles and Blushes (deep red cheeks now that I'm partially out of the closet)
Kelly

PS...speaking of airing our laundry in public....Anya and Susan not only decided to dye their underwear....they took pictures and hung them in a tree!!! Now I'm not the only one blushing :) If you don't know Anya and Susan....check out their blogs: Hills Creek Quilter and Hanging on by a Needle and Thread . Someone else I know actually has a real issue with having her underwear show up in very public places...but we won't talk about that....today anyway :)

Bendable Bright Lights are on Sale!!!

If you don't have one of these babies....you don't know what you are missing. They provide 100,000 hours of light...yes, one hundred thousand hours of light. I love mine because it helps me thread my needle and see better on dark fabrics. Another great thing I love about mine is I can move it from my machine to my punchneedle frame. I just put another bracket on the frame and I move the light to that bracket when I am doing my punchneedle (which is not often enough lately:). To read about all the other great qualities and check out the sale price...just click here. I have limited quantities so if you want one, ya better e-mail or order on the web fast!!!

Smiles,

Kelly

Stories from PA

When I go to PA I usually get to spend a few days with my girlfriends. A week ago Tuesday we met at Ann's house in Mansfield. This is a picture of the gals who gathered to stitch together.

Ann's granddaughter was working on decorating eggs when I arrived. I was very impressed with how delicate and tiny these little eggs are. Here are a few pictures of Ann's collection. Aren't they just great?

We stitched and caught up on all the latest news. We shared stories of our children and grandchildren. Here are some goodies I just had to share:

Leona's granddaughter (apx. 4 yrs old) was getting ready for pre-school and learning to use the potty independently. She was with grandma and used the potty. She asked grandma to wipe her and Leona told her that she was getting to be a big girl now and she needed to wipe herself. The granddaughter replied, "but grandma if you wipe I won't have to wash my hands."

Another story about Leona's granddaughter. She came up to Grandma and asked her if she wanted to buy a pine cone. Leona asked her how much money she wanted for it. She said, "how about $3.00. Leona said, "Grammy does not have $3.00." Granddaughter says, "how about $2.00?" Leona says, "I don't have $2.00." Then she asked for $1.00. So Leona gave her a dollar and then one to her other sister. The granddaughter says, "Grandma, you did have $2.00." All of this from a 4 year old. Math starts early in their family I guess!!

Eleanor's granddaughter (apx 11) visited last summer. Eleanor suggested they make cookies one afternoon. Her granddaughter said, "Grandma, we can't make cookies, we don't have any dough." I guess this little girl thinks all cookies come out of a refrigerated section of the grocery store!!!

I can't remember what story I shared about the boys. I have so many. Another funny one on vacation came from Zach. He had found a little shell by the river. He brought it to me and asked me to save it for him. I put it into a little zip lock bag and gave it back to him to carry around. He wanted to hunt for more shells later. The next day he came to me and told me he had 3 more shells and he wanted his little zip lock bag. He handed me the shells.....they were pistachio shells....he had found them by someones campfire. He was very confused when I tried to explain that these were not shells from the water they were from nuts. To him....they were indeed shells and we were going to save them no matter what!!

It is late and I'm very tired. I spent my day wrapping up packages for the winners of the giveaway. I needed to get groceries and get to the post office. So I sat in the parking lot of the grocery store writing out note cards and addressing packages so I could hurry into the post office to ship them without my frozen items melting. Multi-tasking makes me nuts.....but without a full time maid and nanny what is a girl to do? Multi-task with roller skates on baby :)

Smiles,

Kelly

Loooking for a winner: PAM

I know this may come as a huge surprise to some of you.....but the Just Another Button Company winner needs to send me her address. PAM left a comment and she is from Santa Rosa CA.....but I don't see an e-mail from Pam with your address. So if you are Pam....better hop right to it....because I know there are plenty of lovely people just itching to get their hands on 28.00 worth of Just Pins....right?

I'll post later today.....I have some great pictures from my trip. I've got to get these suitcases (don't tell my mother in law) put into the closet.

Smiles :)
Kelly