I found an opportunity to use up a few charm packs and couldn't, wouldn't pass it up. This quilt idea is courtesy of Amy at The Calico Cat.
The squares in the quilt are created using 1/2 of a charm square (with a resulting size of 2.5" by 5") with 1.75" by 5" pieces of white cotton on each side.
The borders are an awesome orange floral that I should have bought a lot more of and pieces of leftover charm squares and white cotton.
The quilting is done with cursive swirly "e's" again, so simple but so nice looking when it's complete.
The backside is pieced from a variety of fabrics that coordinate the charm squares used on the front.
It has never taken me as long to bind a quilt as it took to do this one. At least 6 weeks, if not longer. I got really distracted by the shirring fetish and just left this poor quilt by the wayside for a while.
I think this measures about 50" square.
The images were taken at the cottage we're staying at. The view is beautiful, just beautiful.
July 25, 2009: Edited to add: the white cotton pieces should be 1.75" wide and the idea for the quilt came from Amy at the Calico Cat.
We have a winner!
The random number generator picked #57, Queenmommy911@yahoo.com. I've e-mailed her and will ship the quilt out as soon as I get her address.
Thanks to all who entered and thank you even more for your wonderful compliments about my work and my kids. You've made my week. :)
I'll be having another give-away in about a month so do keep in touch.
The random number generator picked #57, Queenmommy911@yahoo.com. I've e-mailed her and will ship the quilt out as soon as I get her address.
Thanks to all who entered and thank you even more for your wonderful compliments about my work and my kids. You've made my week. :)
I'll be having another give-away in about a month so do keep in touch.
I have visited this subject before but it can't hurt to return to it, especially these days.
Yesterday was shopping day around here. I wasn't food shopping because we'll be away from home for a while and I didn't want to have to toss anything before we leave. At the bottom of the post I've listed some of the money saving blogs I follow and get many ideas from. There are more but these have worked for me as a good starting point. Here are my deals from yesterday:
First stop: Staples
All of the above, after discounts and coupons was $20.42 ... I have a rebate to redeem for $7.38, total out of pocket will be $13.04. Had I paid retail for all I'd have spent about $76.83!
Next was Walgreens
All of the above plus a candy bar that is long gone, after discounts and coupons was $31.09 ... I have a rebates to redeem for $13.99 plus a register reward for my next visit for $10, total out of pocket will be $7.10. Had I paid retail for all I'd have spent about 57.19!
Lastly, CVS
All of the above plus a gallon of milk, after discounts and coupons was $29.07 (I did use extra care bucks I already had to cover most of that) ... I received extra care bucks totaling $17.87 and have a rebate to redeem for $10, total out of pocket will be $1.20. Had I paid retail for all I'd have spent about $35.17!
Now, I'll be the first to admit that a lot of the items I bought I wouldn't have purchased if they hadn't been a great deal, but many of them I would have needed eventually so they will go into the stash piles, or will be given away if I know someone who needs something specific.
As a result of Jason leaving and the impending divorce I've really had to watch spending and have gotten back into couponing. I'd been doing really well with it until everything started happening around here and then it fell by the wayside for a bit (so did any kind of shopping). But I'm back at it, with gusto.
My old system of storing coupons was a simple accordian-style file similar to this. That worked well, if I only had a few coupons, but if I found a certain shampoo on clearance on an endcap at Target I had to sort through ALL "body and beauty" coupons to see if I had one to use with the shampoo ... it took forever, and if I happened to find another shampoo on another endcap I had to do the same thing all over again. It was a heck of a lot of disorganized work, and not good with a handful of kids to watch too.
My sister implemented a system of using a large binder with baseball card insert sheets to hold coupons. She could put all shampoo coupons together, or each in their own space, and then just flip to the page to find the right coupon.
After finding a zip-closeable binder on clearance and sheets at Staples I set out to do the same thing. I did add some sheets with different size inserts for different things ... full page for not yet filed coupons and restaurants, 4"by6" openings for store specific coupons, etc. It's a big thing to carry around when I've already got a carseat to lug but it has been so much better. More on the idea here.
Some of the links I mentioned above:
http://www.centsible-sawyer.com/
http://becentsable.blogspot.com/
http://www.fiddledeedeemom.com/
http://free2befrugal.blogspot.com/
http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/
And now a request: Not a big one, but if you drink coke products and don't use the codes under the caps could you please e-mail them to me at becauseimme@gmail.com? I drink way too much diet coke so I've started collecting the codes. Thanks.
I'll be announcing a winner to the quilt contest later tonight. Thanks everyone for playing!
Yesterday was shopping day around here. I wasn't food shopping because we'll be away from home for a while and I didn't want to have to toss anything before we leave. At the bottom of the post I've listed some of the money saving blogs I follow and get many ideas from. There are more but these have worked for me as a good starting point. Here are my deals from yesterday:
First stop: Staples
All of the above, after discounts and coupons was $20.42 ... I have a rebate to redeem for $7.38, total out of pocket will be $13.04. Had I paid retail for all I'd have spent about $76.83!
Next was Walgreens
All of the above plus a candy bar that is long gone, after discounts and coupons was $31.09 ... I have a rebates to redeem for $13.99 plus a register reward for my next visit for $10, total out of pocket will be $7.10. Had I paid retail for all I'd have spent about 57.19!
Lastly, CVS
All of the above plus a gallon of milk, after discounts and coupons was $29.07 (I did use extra care bucks I already had to cover most of that) ... I received extra care bucks totaling $17.87 and have a rebate to redeem for $10, total out of pocket will be $1.20. Had I paid retail for all I'd have spent about $35.17!
Now, I'll be the first to admit that a lot of the items I bought I wouldn't have purchased if they hadn't been a great deal, but many of them I would have needed eventually so they will go into the stash piles, or will be given away if I know someone who needs something specific.
As a result of Jason leaving and the impending divorce I've really had to watch spending and have gotten back into couponing. I'd been doing really well with it until everything started happening around here and then it fell by the wayside for a bit (so did any kind of shopping). But I'm back at it, with gusto.
My old system of storing coupons was a simple accordian-style file similar to this. That worked well, if I only had a few coupons, but if I found a certain shampoo on clearance on an endcap at Target I had to sort through ALL "body and beauty" coupons to see if I had one to use with the shampoo ... it took forever, and if I happened to find another shampoo on another endcap I had to do the same thing all over again. It was a heck of a lot of disorganized work, and not good with a handful of kids to watch too.
My sister implemented a system of using a large binder with baseball card insert sheets to hold coupons. She could put all shampoo coupons together, or each in their own space, and then just flip to the page to find the right coupon.
After finding a zip-closeable binder on clearance and sheets at Staples I set out to do the same thing. I did add some sheets with different size inserts for different things ... full page for not yet filed coupons and restaurants, 4"by6" openings for store specific coupons, etc. It's a big thing to carry around when I've already got a carseat to lug but it has been so much better. More on the idea here.
Some of the links I mentioned above:
http://www.centsible-sawyer.com/
http://becentsable.blogspot.com/
http://www.fiddledeedeemom.com/
http://free2befrugal.blogspot.com/
http://freebies4mom.blogspot.com/
http://www.getrichslowly.org/blog/
http://www.moneysavingmom.com/money_saving_mom/
And now a request: Not a big one, but if you drink coke products and don't use the codes under the caps could you please e-mail them to me at becauseimme@gmail.com? I drink way too much diet coke so I've started collecting the codes. Thanks.
I'll be announcing a winner to the quilt contest later tonight. Thanks everyone for playing!
Oh my gosh, this shirring has to stop. Randomly throughout the day I come up with "wonderful" phrases playing on the word shirr ... "what a great blog post title," I think to myself. Ack. Make it stop. :)
But maybe it's worth the mental deterioration ... or maybe that would be happening anyway.
This one is for my lovely niece. She's five and brilliant and beautiful. I'll be able to give it to her in person in a week or two and I can't wait.
The ric-rac at the bottom was added because I had no purple thread to sew the hem with. It seemed easier to add the pink ric rac and sew with pink thread than to go to the store and buy thread.
Run, don't walk, to Chick-Fil-A. Oh wait, before you run make yourself some sort of cow costume ... that costume is worth a free meal. Today, Friday, July 10th is the day Chick-Fil-A celebrates Cow Appreciation Day.
This is good today, today only. So get mooving.
There are costume ideas, print-outs, and even a contest here.
FYI- There really is such a thing as Cow Appreciation Day, which began before Chick-Fil-A began celebrating it. From what I hear it's either on July 14th or 15th. Really, you can google it, if you don't believe me.
Another little tidbit we learned this week - if your child turns in their unopened toy at Chick-Fil-A they can get an ice cream instead. I love Chick-Fil-A.
My kids enjoyed this much more than the top photo shows. Much more. They were ready to go at 9:15 this morning. I need a nap now.
I've added the sister quilt to the give-away one to the shop.
Remember, free shipping through Monday, July 20th on all items in the shop!
***Enter the quilt contest below. Free shipping in the shop through Monday, July 20.***
I can't seem to get enough of this shirring business. From what I can tell I only have three more items to make ... two dresses and a top ... so I won't be boring you with these images for too much longer!
The dress is for my niece, the other two tops are for C.
I can't seem to get enough of this shirring business. From what I can tell I only have three more items to make ... two dresses and a top ... so I won't be boring you with these images for too much longer!
The dress is for my niece, the other two tops are for C.
*** A winner has been announced, thank you for participating. ***
It's about time to give something away!
Why? Well, no real reason, except that it seems like a good idea.
But just in case you need a reason, and a really good one, the quilt give-away is to announce and celebrate the fact that right now, through next Monday, there are no shipping charges on any items in the shop. None at all. Not to Canada, not to Topeka, not to anywhere at all.
This means that you can get a sale quilt at 20% off AND free shipping. It's the opportunity of a lifetime (maybe not quite that, but a great deal).
So here's the scoop ...
This is one of my favorite new quilts. It hadn't yet made it into the shop, and is really excited to be given away. There's a lot more information about the quilt here. Basically, it's crib or lap sized, full of bright fun colors, and just lovely.
To enter leave a comment of any sort ... a compliment, favorite summer treat, a simple hi ... whatever floats your boat (one per person). To get another entry post about the contest with a link to this post on your blog and leave a link to your blog in the comment section here (one per blog). For another entry twitter an announcement of the contest and the link to this post, as well as @becauseimme somewhere in the tweet. To get five more entries buy something in the shop and let me know who you are and what you bought in this comment section.
This contest will end Monday, July 20th at midnight.
It's about time to give something away!
Why? Well, no real reason, except that it seems like a good idea.
But just in case you need a reason, and a really good one, the quilt give-away is to announce and celebrate the fact that right now, through next Monday, there are no shipping charges on any items in the shop. None at all. Not to Canada, not to Topeka, not to anywhere at all.
This means that you can get a sale quilt at 20% off AND free shipping. It's the opportunity of a lifetime (maybe not quite that, but a great deal).
So here's the scoop ...
This is one of my favorite new quilts. It hadn't yet made it into the shop, and is really excited to be given away. There's a lot more information about the quilt here. Basically, it's crib or lap sized, full of bright fun colors, and just lovely.
To enter leave a comment of any sort ... a compliment, favorite summer treat, a simple hi ... whatever floats your boat (one per person). To get another entry post about the contest with a link to this post on your blog and leave a link to your blog in the comment section here (one per blog). For another entry twitter an announcement of the contest and the link to this post, as well as @becauseimme somewhere in the tweet. To get five more entries buy something in the shop and let me know who you are and what you bought in this comment section.
This contest will end Monday, July 20th at midnight.
A few weeks ago I made R. a blanket. He'd been feeling icky - running a fever, lethargic, etc. - and I felt he needed something special to cuddle and snuggle. The poor guy looked so miserable I'd have done just about anything to make him more comfortable.
His favorite thing to hold onto, chew, grab, snuggle is a large Ikea burp cloth/cloth diaper. He has a bunch of them and just thinks they are the bomb. I think that because they aren't super soft they feel good on his gums and in his fingers.
When I was a little girl I was a thumb sucker. While I sucked my thumb I ran my fingers along a Curity cloth diaper, unraveling the edges. I can still feel the texture of the cloth and the security it brought me when I think about it. So I can understand the appeal these cloths have for him.
For his blanket I used minky-like fabric and flannel blocks on one side and a large Ikea burp cloth on the other. Three good textural fabrics. Randomly along the edges I added ribbon pieces to give him something else to explore and feel.
That blanket goes just about everywhere River does. It is much bigger than a traditional tag blanket, most of which are only about 12" square. R.'s is big enough to snuggle with, cover him during a nap, place under him for a diaper change, clean up spills, use as a nursing blanket, use as a sun shade, and, oh, just about anything else that comes along. And the cloth dries really quickly.
Because R. loves his blanket so much the last time I went to Ikea I picked up more of the burp cloths to make some to sell. For these I opted to use chenille instead of the minky fabric, it's more breathable and still really soft and snuggly. The blankets measure about 22" by 24".
I'll be listing this one on etsy within the next day or two, if R. lets go of it.
If you're in the southwest Florida area be sure to stop by Quilt Lover's Hangout today through Friday for their huge sale.
I'm sorry I didn't mention this sooner ... I've been waiting anxiously for the sale but completely spaced out posting about it.
The ladies at Quilt Lover's Hangout are super nice and helpful and it really is a fun place to shop (huge too .... lots and lots and lots of fabric).
I'm sorry I didn't mention this sooner ... I've been waiting anxiously for the sale but completely spaced out posting about it.
The ladies at Quilt Lover's Hangout are super nice and helpful and it really is a fun place to shop (huge too .... lots and lots and lots of fabric).
Yeah, I'm the last to jump on the bandwagon ... but just in case you haven't heard of swagbucks, or just haven't wanted to bother with it ... it's not a bad deal. In fact, you earn points just for searching the web (really!), which you do anyway, and then you get to redeem those points for prizes and cool stuff.
There are other ways to earn points as well, by finding codes or making purchases, or by referring others to the site (hint, hint) .
These days I'm all about saving money and trying to get the very best deals I can on just about everything. If I can earn enough Swagbuck points to get Amazon.com gift cards before Christmas ... well, there's a gift off the list. Just for searching the web! I can handle that.
Because I'm Me is now on twitter. Why? I'm not yet sure. But I'd love to have you as a follower.