Hello!

Pardon my ever so long absence.

I have been toying with a little change up with the ol' blog here, wondering if I should make another one for just my projects and keep this one separate for family. But, I decided to leave everything like it is, and keep on keepin' on---if you know what I mean! :)

Things have not slowed down here and I have so many projects and make overs that I can't wait to share with you.

PLUS, I have been doing some frequent loitering, on and about the Pinterest sight. If you feel like following me there, click here! It's so fun!

Talk to you all again soon~

a vintage finish.

About 5 years ago, I bought a vintage quilt top on eBay. It was an incomplete top so it was very inexpensive. When I got it, I didn't quite know what to do with it, but what I did know was that I loved the colors. I was made from old feed sacks, which delighted me all the more.

I could see where the seams of the sacks had been picked apart

and there were stamps like this on a few of the blocks.

I loved the "make do" quality of it.....

See here where two of the light blue hexies are the same color but not the same pattern?

 I like to think of the thrifty hands that pieced this together using the last bits of fabric they had. :)

Since I couldn't make any sort of a quilt out of the top I decided to take it apart and make a few things with it. First, I unpicked enough blocks to make a portion of the quilt into a table runner.

Then, I took two of the unpicked blocks and framed them. I found these frames at goodwill and spray painted them black. Then I used spray adhesive to attach them to the fabric backing.

I took the largest piece for the runner and machine quilted it.

I used a stippling stitch with a red variegated thread.

When that was finished, I couldn't decide how I would bind the edges.

I finally decided to measure and cut straight edges, because some of the border hexies were so uneven.

 Then I bound it with a black pin dot fabric.

It was a ginormous pain in the neck to sew all those corners,

and it took a whole lot longer than I want to talk about,

BUT, I'm so glad it's finished!

 I like how it is just the right size for our big table.

And I loooove the red!

 I hope that whoever pieced this all those years ago, likes how it ended up. 

 I am certainly grateful for all the work that went into it before it came into my life!

I love to swap!

I seriously love swapping.

I have some really great and talented blog friends.

Julie, from Country Girl at Heart is one of them, and she does some fabulous work!

We have done several swaps and every time we do, I am never, ever disappointed!

We decided to do a Halloween wall hanging swap and this is what she sent to me!

I am one lucky gal!

 It's a good thing I did the swap with her because it sort of forced me to get out my other Halloween decorations.

With the weather here still being SO hot, it almost seemed like sacrilege getting it all put up!

(It has still been 100* or more this last week!!)

As is always the case with Julie, she adds a little something extra in her package.

This time she sent this little heart hanging.

So sweet.

It is hanging on the knob of my step back cupboard.

Thanks, Julie! I can't wait for our Christmas swap!

Maybe someday, we will be able to exchange our swap in person.

Happy Birthday Ragan!

I just don't know where the time went! I keep asking myself how my baby girl is suddenly 16!!!

Makenzie wanted to give Ragan her present on the night we went to dinner with Craig's parents. I am so glad because we all got a good laugh at Ragan's reaction to her gift! :) YAY! Footy pajamas!!! Ragan really wanted some! Modeling for us..... She is so funny! We were laughing so hard!!

Sadly, these pj's were too small....I guess that's what happens when you have long arms and legs! (an exchange is currently in the works)