Joy abounds when a new babe comes home for the first time! Hark Hark!!! And then...Jennie Cooley reminds us...

Chapter 1:  The Thrill of Bringing Babe Home for the First Time


May this little quilt spark a memory of your JOY when you brought home a new babe for the first time.....Can be quite a party!  And...  I am so excited for Christmas that I couldn't wait to start the holiday season.

Chapter 2: Can you relate?

I giggled as I studied the art magazine, "santa fean" this evening and found the Jennie Cooley art piece that seemed to be a very real and fun final chapter for this post.  I hope you enjoy and CAN/ COULD YOU RELATE?

I remember those moments 14 years ago when I met my oldest son and then 8 years ago when I brought Noah home and then about 2 hours ago..... The oppurtunities to ask "Now What?" are endless!

And the post script to this mini book is...."Having a child is much more then cute onesies from Baby Gap and the journey is so individual.  Sometimes the journey is solitary and other times you wish it was!" 

How did I go from Christmas to Mother's day in one post...?!  Why not, CELEBRATE whatever holiday you want whenever you want!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Penny is offering glorious HOPE!!!! "Drop in" and CELEBRATE her then come and longboard with me!

I was perusing favorite blogs and found a fabulous HOPE quilt block that will be a Kissing Cousin to my JOY and LOVE pieces. 

Visit Penny at http://wwwsewtakeahike.typepad.com and CELEBRATE her fun!

I would love to celebrate your word art if you have created something and I have not found the post :). Send me a comment and I will post and a photo would be even more fun that I can then link to your blog....

Work done and so  I am off to longboard solo....I am in love with Sector 9 longboards and the smooth land surfing is like the zen of watching Roxy's needle purr up and down.....

just cruisin whether in my sewing haven or on a newly paved parking lot.  Thank goodness for my boys, doing things I would have never thought I would try let alone love!

Do you think Noah will notice that I visited his X Games bedroom and borrowed the big daddy of longboards while he was at school? 

And the answer to Sunday's mystery creative exercise....

The glow of the X was Noah's ceiling decor!  Sean has a habit of going above and beyond with fun and creativity for our home when remodeling. 

"JOY": When I say it out loud I smile...Do you?

The beginnings of the little sister for "The House that Love Built".  May your Tuesday be filled with JOY!

Such a fun word becasue you can't feel anything but JOY when proclaiming out loud....

Amazing what can get done when I get up at 4 AM... quilt top ready for hand stitching

In my next lifetime I will have a design board but for now...guest bed does nicely.  Excited to start the hand applique so that I can secure a spot with Green Fairy for August 2011 pickup.

And my 3 days of being off call are over, love the time off from work for an official weekend and funny....I missed the calls from the field.  Sweet dreams all!

Green Fairy's quilting of my circus piece

Judi was so kind to refer you, her followers, to my blog to CELEBRATE her quilting of my circus quilt.  I apologize it took me a couple of days to do so.  Enjoy!

This is going to be a fav of mine! Come celebrate with me!

I am having so much fun making this quilt. 

I will admit right now, I got wonky with the small triangle border...I had to be true to my wonky nature.....

Can you imagine what Green Fairy will do with this when she quilts it? 

3 more borders to broderie perse and couldn't wait to share with you all! 

a close up shot...

and another....

Happy Saturday evening!  What are you celebrating?

Up for a creative exercise? So SULTRY!

                            Can you guess what this is?

A creative exercise for a beautiful Saturday morning...

What popped into your head as you opened this photo?

And to all of YOU....my cheerleaders....THANK YOU! here I go....with next stint of Tradition...

pssst...I have a secret, I was so overwhelmed by the RAH RAHS that I lost my concentration and went a little wonky....I had to!!!! but it is a new day and I am back on track- "I think I can...I think I can...!"

A giggle to you my friends!

Happy creating, Em

QuiltMania and Kaffe Fassett are my inspiration for a traditional piece started...

I can't stop drooling over the richness of these colors.....

I was stuck on which pattern to make so I found inspiration in Kaffe Fassett ideas of his bordering medallions and this will be my own version....I know I am addicted when I am cutting imbetween sick bouts to the bathroom and bed...

I am trying so hard to stick with tradition, PLEASE cheer me on that I can do this! HA HA HA!

Off to the woods.....Last week these stars were my homeward companion..hoping the sunset will be the guide tonight!

Off to the wilderness......Can you tell what quilt I have on my mind for many reasons....Bought more purple and cannot wait to begin a new rendition of this pattern.  May have to include some wonky words this time in star centers, tree trunk....SO MANY IDEAS!

CELEBRATING THURSDAY!

Reunited! Ever found a quilt you have forgotten about or picked it up after a stint at the quilters....

This is of a peek at my wonky star quilt has been hanging at a local quilt shop and I was reunited with it today.  Felt homesick for it as I unwrapped her from the bag....Can you believe the quilting by Green Fairy?

I hope that you do not mind that I revisit quilts that have been posted in the past but sometimes I get a wild hair to CELEBRATE!

A quilt begun to CELEBRATE the beauty outside of windows..

Freshness of the summer before fall inundates us! May this week be a world full of wonder!

Sometimes you got to put on a party hat while creating!

If you have followed my blog for very long, you will find that I tend to get stuck on a theme and hence this weekend's is WINDOWS.... 

I have combined 2 of my favorites fabrics in my stash for double meaning with this quilt top.  The Momo Wonderland is reminiscent of the beauty ouside of windows...

and the outside border....

recipe for greeting a day....

Roxy is excited to decorate the brown window panes with quotes from yesterday's poetic comments. 

Tomorrow I search for the ouside border and am stumped at this time what I will go towards... 

Your poetry is what I CELEBRATE today!

I want to open this Monday with a CELEBRATION of the poetry that you, my friends, wrote as comments to my post from yesterday morning.  If you have not had oppurtunity to read the poeme, please take a moment and revel in the beauty outside of my friends' windows.....From London to Virginia to Illinois to....

Speaking of poetry....the sweet chatterings of Timothy and Raiden are musings of angels!

Wait a minute, have Raiden and Timothy been turned into sweet monkeys.....?

There you are Raiden! Timothy, Where are you?.....

Happy Monday to all!!!!

Find your closest window and take a moment to revel in the view...or squeal out loud...or do a dance of joy...or...

Good morning, SUNDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! and friends, thank you for visiting me.  Roxy (my sweet new friend and machine in case you are new to my blog)  is tickled to get to be the center of my attention this morning as we giggle, sip coffee and quilt the LOVE home.  She keeps begging to begin the suns in the azure field and I have to remind her there is a process.....

Desert buttes and sage blossoms are my view outside my window when taking a moment to envision the next pattern to stitch.

Looking out your closest window, what do you CELEBRATE?  Pls share if you feel so inclined.

"C" is the letter of the day....Circus, Color, Celebrations....

Ooh La La! I love this beyond love!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Playing with the idea of having these fabrics become Bahama Mama II.   A quilt I designed last year that is a fav of mine because of the colors and wonky fun...And then there is Green Fairy's quilting...ENJOY!

Big quilts are a rare thing for me to create...but maybe I will attempt this again!...

How cute is the bikini with daisy on the hip?

Agave plants and palm tree......

I love how the sun is kissing the top of the palm tree!

Ever feel like your "home is turned upside down..."? Had to keep this photo with the topsy turvy cabana for the tongue and cheek of capturing little piece of life!  My favoite hangers for my quilts are our Taos Blue doors!

May you have a little bit of paradise and "C" in your Saturday!

Saturday at the circus...

 Click on photos to be able to see Green Fairy's quilting up close on this circus quilt.  I could not get great photos of it but these are a tasting.... 

Have you voted? Time to celebrate floral quilts!!!!

http://quiltinggallery.com/blog-posts is a fabulous celebration of floral quilts this weekend.  A type of botanical garden that is free of charge and such a CELEBRATION of quilters ' talents from all over the world.

A Godwink that is so fun and very amazing to my soul...How does this happen?

This is a Godwink!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 

I was perusing blogs this morning and dropped by http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/   and saw the post from this past Wednesday...I could have fallen over with the photo...

Last night I created this piece for "V" aka Victoria for her work on the houses quilts for homeless families with the inspiration of Tonya's love blocks and......they are currently hanging out!  I promise that I had not read this post until this morning....FUN huh?  I added this narrative today, Friday, and below is the text from last night...I love the connection of quilter's souls!!!!!!!!!

Since the day I saw Lazy Gal Unruly Quilter, Tonya's, LOVE quilt blocks I have wanted to emulate.  This small piece was made as Sean sketched tattoos and Noah ran in and out with buddies....what a fun evening of Kaffe Fassett's fabrics exploding in my kitchen!!!!

As it took shape I saw the "V" and from that moment on it became a celebration of a quilter and i named it the obvious..."The House that Love Built"  Quilting tomorrow...hopefully!

Sending the love from my home to your home!  Em

CELEBRATING the sneak peek....

I begged Judi the Green Fairy for pics of a sneak peek olf my circus wonky quilt and have to share because I love Judi's quilting and person!  I left these flags free flying and she outlines them all......

The back......or...night time silence at the cirucs...I love the flavor of mystique!

Doesn't her quilting give motion that encourages the eye to see animals moving? You know your quilt is a stash buster when Christmas fabric pops up!

And tomorrow the unveiling of the front.......

But for now, seeing these pics takes me down a road of deja vu of the Muertos village...

CELEBRATING Judi's artistry...from last December!

Can you believe the saguarro and agave plants?

The feathers lighten the mood...."I do! until death do us...start!"

And the sweet little quilting village....Was sad when this fabric was all gone.

Iced Tea and a photo shoot! I pretended to be Kaffe Fassett and TInker Bell for a moment...

The sage is in full blossom in my front yard and throughout the city!  Each time I leave the house, I stop and close my eyes and take a big WHIFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  And how apropro for my little hummingbird art piece that Roxy just finished the quilting.... I thought of Kaffe and his draping artistry throughout the world and so it is my little Kaffe act of love as I play at the angle of sage shadows and slant of the rock :).  Happy Thursday!

And how fun....as I completed the photo shoot, dear Vesuvius Mama sprinkled Fairy Dust and I found myself on her porch swinging and drinking iced tea....CELEBRATING a moment!

The wilderness was a disco dance floor with lightning strobe lights...and squeal of delight when I hear from Green Fairy

So...I have to begin with my very exciting news......Take a guess what it is....OK- did you guess....?

Green Fairy emailed me last night that my circus quilt is on and nearly done- I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!I will wake up every morning and peek just to see if it is photoed...Can you tell I am a little excited to be that close to getting her work of art!!!

I thought of my drive last night in the wilderness when seeing this quilt top I created a couple of months ago.  Last night's sunset was this border while birds took flight during the day and ruffled their wonky feathers when the thunderstorm rolled in.  It was as though I was driving in the center of disco dance floor and the lightning was a strobe light flashing 360 degree around me. My day of client and staff visits ended at 9:30 pm and 2 1/2 hours later I arrived at base.   I had a moment when I sent out my "dove as Noah did in ark days" when texting my husband that I was safe but would not be back to town until midnight.  Such a surreal experience as owls flew in the headlights and a small deer quietly looked at me in the middle of a dirt road. and most interesting.... the eery eyes of cows that glowed when nothing else showed up until I arrived to them.  And then I giggled as I realized that through this beuaty I had sung at the top of my lungs to Marley and then Bocelli.  Love the randomness of life!!!!!!!!! Halloween was a little early and what a fabulous spiritual experience!

What a day of CELEBRATING bedtime humor around a campfire, most delicious gnocchi enjoyed with a stick as my utensil and reassuring staff and clients that they are "rockin' it in the woods" and how much respect I have for them as they commit to sobriety or simply taking one moment at a time....

There is healing is the desert....Thank you God for leading me down this career path!!!!!!

Desert playground.....

My 15 minute play last night......Love from the desert!

Anyone up for a movie and girlfriend time? Eat Pray Love starts at 2:45 if you are in....

So tickled Roxy and I finished Mom's birthday card with exception of hand stitching the binding....Roxy was giggling as she asked me the story behind mom's nickname of Gritz...

If you know of a Gritz in your life....Send them the pic and if not her birthday then it can be an exotic way of saying "CELEBRATING YOU" and you can be heart Em.

Isn't if fun to make up our own rules in life?

Travelling the straight and narrow......

Do you ever think, "I can't believe it was a week ago since...." That is me tonight as I reminisce about my weekend with family last weekend and my dear baby brother who took a moment to try out a straight stitch when the sewing machine was free!  Can't wait to see what he surprises me with for his first piece!  Seeing Aaron at the sewing machine made me giggle as I thought of Erin's young boys and their love for sewing.  Cheers to men and their feminine side screaming to sew!!!!!!!!!!!!!

CELEBRATING my circus act last night...CLOWNING around

Last evening was like a circus and a nursery rhyme all wrapped into one...

I joined my dear friend, Linz, at a Zumba class and it was a riot!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  I have no rhythm and yet I have never had so much fun making up dance moves with 200 other ladies and a couple men.  What an empowering hour of celebrating ladies and gents of all sizes and ages coming together to smile, feel great and shake the booty. 

And much to my delight, Dana was there who owns the local Lazy Daisy Cottage quilt shop, the lead vocalist at my church choir and 2 lovely ladies from the local music shop.  I could have talked the whole hour but nope, got down to it....

And as I was leaving a woman came up and said, "I admire that you would raise your hand when asked who are the newcomers to the class?  Took me a 5 sessions to get the moves so keep coming!"  This was an exercise class like I had never experienced....Deep inside I want to make leg warmers for Tuesday's class :) to go with my mitered striped leotard...just kidding,,,kinda.

Happy Friday and may you have a moment today that if so inclined, you break out in song or do a jive!!!!  And maybe put on that dance costume from when you were 12....Couldn't resist J!

A fairy and a full moon.....

I delight in this sweet fairy focus fabric and decided to play with a tradional block that I enjoy making into baby quilts...Not sure about the contrast if it is enough but going with it for now..  More blocks this weekend....

A window to heaven....Kinda fun to think about it being a one way window that loved ones can peek and send us love and guidance!