Chair Makeover

One summer day I happened across this really cute chair while shopping at our local Deseret Industries (thrift store). I walked by this chair and it immediately caught my eye. I looked at the price tag and was a little surprised at the cost but loved it so much that I continued to look it over.

Lots of thoughts went through my head as I stood there.

Thoughts like. . .

"Where am I going to put it?

"Do I have room in my already crowded sewing room?"

"My husband is going to laugh at me and think I'm crazy."

Lol. . . I loved that chair so much that I didn't really care what he may think and when other ladies started looking at the chair I showed an attachment to it besides, when they saw the price of $25 they moved on anyway.

It had lots of scratches on it and was missing the lower spindle between the two sets of legs so, I probably paid too much for it but, every time I go to Deseret Industries I see ugly chairs so when I saw this one I just had to snatch it up. I'm really happy that I didn't leave it behind especially after I painted it!!!! Keep scrolling and you'll see why I love it so much!

I knew immediately what color I wanted to paint it!

Any guesses? lol.

Yes!

It was Definitely. . .

RED!!

CHERRY RED to be EXACT. . .

And here are the awesome results of the make over.

Isn't she pretty?

Here's a look at the missing spindle.

But, I don't mind it so much.

It's such a pretty red when sitting in the shade.

My Cherry Red Chair looks totally awesome in my newly Remodel Sewing Room which I will be showing you really soon once I get the special quilt for my room back from the quilter and get the binding on it and I also, just need to finish the curtains too and then I'll be ready to take pictures and show it off.

Remember that flood we had in the basement before Thanksgiving and Christmas? Well, my husband surprised me with a makeover for my sewing room.

I'm sure you know that if you give a quilter new flooring for her sewing room that you're going to have to have new paint to go along with it, and. . . new curtains, and . . . a new quilt, and. . . and. . . I was hoping for a new Red Horizon sewing machine too but, that will just have to wait I'm afraid.

Anyway, I'm super excited to share it all with you in the not too distant future.

Mrs. Bitty Bits Cherry Red Chair.

I hope all of you had a very Merry Christmas!

The photo was taken by me and is a picture of an ornament that hung on my mother's tree for many years and now hangs on my tree. It's one of those cherished ornaments that reminds me of my mother and the many wonderful Christmas memories from my childhood.

May you have peace and joy in the New Year!

Front Cover News

Many of my quilting and blogging friends have been receiving their February 2012 issue of American Patchwork & Quilting Magazine and noticed that my quilt is on the FRONT COVER. I was hoping to do this post before it hit the stands but heck, that's been my life of late. I seem to be several steps behind in a lot of things.

First, I want to tell you how much I appreciate the sweet notes I've been getting. It's like receiving a SWEET GIFT each time a little note pops up in my mailbox. Thank You, Thank You, Thank You! It really brightens my day : )

Every time I look at the magazine I think. . . WOW!!! I really made that!! WOW!!!

It's been a hard secret to keep and I'm super excited to finally be able to talk about it.

It all started when I took a few quilts to Spring Market earlier this year and I had the opportunity to talk to a few Magazine Editors. I was really nervous but they were delightful and easy to talk to. It was fun sharing some of the things I'd been working on and they actually bought two of my quilts right then and there. Wow! Super exciting!! I could hardly believe it!

Anyway. . .

I love making scrappy quilts so I decided to design a quilt that would use a lot of the fabric I have in my stash of 30's reproduction fabrics. It's borderline hoarding, probably, maybe. . . but, don't quote me on that. I also love all of the new fabrics that are always coming out so, I decided that I would mix the OLD with the NEW and make a very SCRAPPY quilt.

If you look closely at the quilt in the magazine and the pictures of the fabrics I used you will see some pretty old fabric. I've been collecting Aunt Gracie fabrics and other reproduction prints for many years. You will also see a lot of newer fabrics from some of my favorite designers like. . . Sandy Klop from American Jane, Lori Holt from Bee in My Bonnet, Monica from Happy Zombie, Flower Sugar Fabrics by Lecien, Amanda Herring from Quilted Fish, Denise Schmidt's recent collections, and lots of other designer's too.

I really wanted to give the quilter the ability to use their stash but also allow them to go shopping. Who wouldn't want to have some of the newest cutest fabrics in their scrap quilt? It was VERY HARD for me to STOP buying fabric. I kept telling myself, “Ooooh! Wouldnʼt this be cute? I have to have a bit of this!” I actually used over 150+ fabrics in this quilt. I hope you have fun playing with your stash and adding the newest cutest fabrics to your quilt.

Here's a picture of some of the fabrics I used.

Here's a view of the multiple HST's I made for the quilt.

Just so you know I did make about (8) 15" x 15" design boards to layout and plan each and every quilt block for this quilt. I like to call it "Organized Chaos" because I wanted the quilt to look esthetically pleasing yet have a totally random look I laid out 8 blocks at a time and would then sew them together. I also wanted all of the colors to be represented in each block.

Go HERE for Lori Holt's tutorial on how to make your own Mini Design Boards. I do need to let you know that I changed a few things. . . First I made my boards bigger and instead of using hot glue to adhere the batting I used spray adhesive on the back of the batting to adhere it to the foam board and lastly, I didn't make any binding for the 15" x 15" boards since that would be 60" of binding for just one design board and at that point I really didn't want take the time to make that much binding. I loved using the smaller and portable design boards to construct these and other blocks that I've made and I know you'll love them too.

Little Flooding Update:

We spent the weekend moving stuff out of one bedroom to the next so that we could paint. Now we have to move things out of the last bedroom so it can be painted before Thursday. That's when the last of the carpet is being put in. Yeah! Then the Christmas decorating and clean up can begin. I'm hoping by the end of the week I can get the tree decorated, the bedrooms put back together, and the curtains hung. My daughter and her BF come on the 21st. We are excited for the festivities to begin.

Attitude of Gratitude

I've had this thought that's been constantly running through my head ever since I heard it. I'm sorry I can't remember exactly where I heard it or saw it but I do remember how it affected me.

"Blessings Come to Those that NOTICE!"

It caused me to be more mindful and reflective about my life and how blessed I feel to have a sweet and dear husband whom I love with a love that knows no end, a family that means everything to me, Children and Grandchildren who are priceless, Freedom that is a gift I cherish, a Faith that guides me, a Heavenly Father that Loves me, and a Savior that has Atoned for my sins.

I wanted to take a moment tonight to express my gratitude for each of you and for the blessings I see all around me. I have so much to be grateful for even when I feel overwhelmed by the challenges that are mine. Lately, I can't keep up with all that needs doing and I'm practicing patience and a positive attitude and trying to ignore the things that I can't get done at the moment I just want it done. I have little piles everywhere and I can't seem to take care of all of them. So, I have to remind myself. . . Just a pile at a time. It will eventually get done!

We recently had a little flood in the basement and that has set off a chain of events that requires a lot of cleaning, organizing, fixing, and painting. But out of that effort has come blessings. Like new carpet, new paint, and a fresh clean sewing/craft room.

We're still in a HUGE mess and it's just 2 days before my daughter comes home for Thanksgiving Break. I guess I better hurry and clear a space in her room since that's where I put everything from my sewing/craft room so we could paint and put in new flooring.

Anyway, I just wanted to check in and let you know that I'm still alive and doing well despite my little and big messes. I also, have some fun big news coming up that I'll be able to share the first part of December. I have been able to do a bit of sewing and designing this past fall while I wasn't blogging. I can't wait to share some of it with you.

Have a Wonderful and Blessed Thanksgiving Week with your LOVED ONES! I know I will.

Tea Party

On Friday afternoon after a very busy first week of school that was also extremely HOT (with temps in the high 90's because of a broken AC Unit at school), I decided to take the grandkids to the park for a tea party. They needed to get out of the house and I needed to relax so I grabbed the tea set, a quilt, the grandkids, a few goodies and some very cold water to keep us cool.

The kids brought along their stuffed pets to join in the fun.

The grandkids really had fun eating snacks

and drinking water from our tea cups.

Animal Cookies at Number One!!!

Yummy!

Don't you just love the head tilt?

I just adore this little sweetie pie!

Don't you just love the miniature bridge?

It's actually my favorite part of our neighborhood park!

I don't know how I captured this picture.

My grandchildren are in perpetual motion.

They never seem to sit still!

I love the precious look on his face.

He starts kindergarten on Tuesday and we are all super excited!!!

Have a great week!!!!

First & Last

It's hard for me to believe that it's the FIRST day of 7th grade for my LAST child and it's the LAST day of Summer before my FIRST day of School tomorrow.

Where we live the 7th graders have a day all to themselves before joining with the 8th and 9th graders on Wednesday. I think it's a great idea so they can all get started without the pressure of the older kids. They get to find their lockers, their classes and have lunch with their old friends and their new friends.

As you can see from the pictures Kenna is a bit nervous and anxious. I was happy that she went to sleep before midnight and seemed to keep it together. This morning she was pretty nervous but did a great job getting ready early and off to school on time.

She wanted me to hurry and take pictures before she left

but, I only got a few because she was so nervous.

It was sweet walking with her up our hill to the light by the corner.

I will miss walking into school each day holding her hand.

That thought made me cry inside.

I was staying strong myself!

She's my babe!

I stood at the corner watching her run off to school.

ALL by HERSELF!!!

Tears started welling up in my eyes. . .

but, I was felling extremely happy because. . .

This is a Monumental, BIG HUGE Step for Kenna!

Makes me PROUD!

Well, I'm headed downstairs to get in some sewing on my LAST DAY of SUMMER!!

By the way. . .

Where did all the time go?????

Quilt Lover's Heart Winner

And the Winner is. . .

Anne from Anne Writes Here said:

"What wonderful women they were. My late mother was much like yours. She was always helping people. She loved children and the elderly. My mom died in 1995 at the age of 63. I miss her every day.

I phoned my sister and my dear mother-in-law and told them how much they mean to me!

Thanks for hosting such a wonderful giveaway."

Anne just send me an email and let me know your mailing address. Congrats!!!!

I want to THANK everyone for entering the giveaway and tell you how much I enjoyed reading all of the comments about your mothers, your sisters, your aunts, your friends, and those that you love. It especially touched my heart how many of you who have lost your mother's and how much you miss your mother's. They will always have a place in our hearts and I'm grateful for the women in my life who provide a shoulder to cry on, a kind word, and a comforting hug whenever I need it. They are always there!

We as women have the privilege and capability of comforting and lifting and blessing each other's lives through serving our families and those in the circle of our day to day lives.

Since every day is Mother's Day I wanted to share this heart warming video of young people talking about their mother's and wishing them a Happy Mother's Day.

Here's another video on Marriage called:

"Expressions of Love"

I really enjoyed watching this video!