Giveaway Winner!

Before I make my big announcement, first an update on things here . . . Since I refurbished my old sewing table with this great red paint, I've been a little worried about the sewing machine scratching the new paint. I decided to make a large mug rug of sorts, or a sewing machine placemat. I wanted it to fit in with the sewing machine cover and the pincushion I had made, so to continue the paper piecing I started with the cover, I used Charise Creates' fabulous pattern for a sewing machine. I just fell in love with her design when I first saw it on her blog, and I was thrilled that shared the pattern. Although I love the full design of Charise's, which includes an ironing board and dress mannequin, I kept it simple with only a sewing machine.

This is the first time I've used someone else's pattern for paper piecing, and it was a challenge, but if I can do it . . .  anyone can!

Now, onto the big announcement . . . the big winner of a copy of Springtime in the Rockies is, by random draw, #23: Joan and Kevin. Congratulations!! I don't have your email address, so can you send me an email at shortcookie16@gmail.com with your snail mail address, and then the book will be on its way to you! And for those who didn't win but would like to purchase the book, you can find a link to the book here. 

Thanks to everyone who left a comment and/or became a follower. Welcome to Shortcookie--it's great to know I'm not blogging to myself! ;-)

Springtime in the Rockies: A Giveaway!

I'm thrilled to part of the Springtime in the Rockies Blog Tour! Konda Luckau and eight fabulous other designers have all contributed their amazing quilting designs in this great, must-have book! There are 15 projects, including quilts, a pillow, and a handbag. 

The designs are all inspired by, you guessed it . . .  Springtime in the Rockies! And you can see the influence of the gorgeous landscapes and wildlife in their work!

Take a look at "Fresh Cut Flowers," by Rebecca Morganson. I just love the sweet mountain flowers!

And one of my favorites, "The Hills are Alive", by April Mazzoleni. Thanks, April, for sticking that song from "The Sound of Music" in my head. I've been humming it for days now!

And with Machelle Preston's "Stepping into Spring" I can almost smell the fresh mountain air and cornflowers!

And just look at "Scrambled Eggs" by Emily Herrick--Love the whimsy!

Don't you just love Amy Smart's "Spring Baskets?" They'd be perfect for collecting Emily's scrambled eggs! ;-)

And these are just a few of the 15 projects in the book. I can't wait to dig in and get started on these great designs!

I'm sure you're itching to play with these great quilt designs too! I'm giving away a free copy of this book. All you have to do is to post a comment telling me about your favorite must-see place in the Rockies, or wherever you have loved being in nature! Yes, I know, I just got back from a long trip, but I'm always looking for the next adventure! Extra entries for those who follow my blog -- and new followers are always welcome! I'll announce a winner on Monday, September 24th.

And if you don't want to wait, you can purchase the book here.

Good luck!

Back from the blog grave!

Thanks to all who haven't given up on me (Yes, April, I do still have a blog) during my prolonged absence. We went on a long cross-country road trip to visit family -- 43 days, 21 states, and more than 7,400 miles. Whew! And let me give a grateful shout-out to www.doggoes.com, a fabulous app that provides detailed information about dog parks nationwide. Wherever we were in our drive across the country, we could easily find a dog park for the girls--some even had ponds and lakes! It helped ensure that Sophie and Zoey were happy little travelers (okay, not so little!).

We started our trip in Boston with a wedding celebration for Trisha and Nino, dear old friends from my days working at a prep school in Cambridge. They've been together for more than 20 years and have finally tied the knot! Sending them much love and best wishes for decades more of adventure, laughter, joy, and romance! I haven't seen many of the BB&N folks for ten years or more, and it was so great to have the old gang together!! My brother and his wife live in Boston, so we were able to stay with with them for several days. We were also able to catch up with my oldest childhood friend Jill (she's 91, ha! Sorry, terrible, old joke) and my great college friend Julie and their great kiddos. So fabulous to spend time with them!!

We then headed south to New Jersey. I gave my mom her Lilly Pulitzer quilt, which was a hit . . . despite the intense heat and humidity she kept snuggling up with it! We got busy at my mom's house and painted the first floor of her condo. She had gone out of town for part of the time we were there, so we wanted to surprise her by repainting her place. Looks great! Karen then got inspired and made a headboard for my mother's bed! This was definitely not a typical restful vacation! While in New Jersey, we also visited my uncle and aunt at the beach. Overall, during our NJ stay, we had lots of lobster, clams, fish, and great Jersey corn!

We then headed west to visit Karen's family in Kansas and Texas. And man was it hot!! We pulled out our paintbrushes again in Kansas at Karen's parent's house--yes, we actually traveled with our own paintbrushes and tools! There Karen discovered a wonderful old cedar chest of her mother's and she restored and distressed it using chalk paint. Looks so great!

While in Kansas, Karen's mom and I hit a few quilt shops where I added a bit to my stash. Karen's mom also very generously opened up her stash to me--yay!! We spent some time sewing while we were there. I made a little zippy pouch, although it is a mad, mad mess!

I used Ayumi's pattern, although any errors are clearly my own!! I love the fabric choices, I just am frustrated that I didn't catch all the fabric when I was sewing the zipper. Drat!

I also worked on my Denyse Schmidt charm square quilt. I got the charm squares through a charm swap that Made with Moxie organized a few months ago, and I've been itching to put them to use ever since!  I'm using the same pattern I used for my Rainbow Sprout quilt, which I got from Hooked on Needles' great rainbow quilt tutorial.

That's it for now friends, but stay tuned . . .  I smell a giveaway in the air!! Check back in tomorrow folks!