.life as a school counselor.

I've been seeing these picture collages pertaining to various careers on Facebook over the last few days. I didn't really look at them of understand what they were until I saw this one on a school counseling Facebook page I follow.

And now it all makes sense!

And I think it's pretty darn funny....as well as very realistic!

.wednesday night.

I look forward to Wednesday nights...and this is why: Revenge is on at 10pm! Nw, that is pretty late for me. My school night bedtime is 10! To make sure I can stay awake through Revenge, I've been going to the craft room for a few hours after dinner. I works out great. I get a few hours of mid-week sewing therapy in and I'm still awake to watch Revenge!

This is what I was working on tonight:

.sugar dish quilt along.

Last weekend at the craft retreat, Amy and I talked about both wanting to try Dresden quilt blocks…which led to remembering this pattern from one of my favorite pattern writers:

Sugar Dish by Cluck Cluck Sew
(click on picture for link to where you can buy the pattern)

And decided we wanted to do a quilt along. Only, neither of us have hosted a quilt along before, so we’re not real sure how to do it. Maybe it will just be the two of us, though, and we won’t have to worry about how to host one! ha!

If you want to Dresden-quilt-along with us, here are the fabric requirements:

1 Jelly Roll
1 1/8 yards cream
6 squares 4 1/2" x 4 1/2" for dresden plate circles
1/2 yard binding
3 yards backing

I’m going to use Papillion by 3 Sisters for my quilt. I picked up this Jelly Roll at Craft Warehouse last weekend with my 40% off coupon! Score!

 

So – would anyone like to join us? We haven’t talked much about timelines or dates…we’re pretty easy going. :)

Should we try to get started by the 1st of March? We’d love to hear if you’re going to quilt along with us…or if we’re the only two crazies that want to try Dresden blocks. That’s entirely possible!! We’ll still have a good time and a beautiful quilt to show for it!

(This is a great Dresden tutorial: Sew Mama Sew! Dresden Tutorial)

.dottie and ruby.

As soon as I saw this pattern, I knew I wanted to make this quilt in similar fabrics – sweet and cute.

(Click on the picture for a link to where you can purchase the pattern.)

Turns out, I chose the EXACT same fabric! Ruby by Bonnie and Camille – you can’t go wrong!

This pattern was challenging to make…I’m not great at those snowball corners, but it was good practice!

I am anxious to get this to the quilter to see what kind of magic she can create!

 

I like the vintage-y, classic look of this pattern with this fabric. It’s just so sweet!

.10 on 10.

The second installment of .10 on 10. is here. Hopefully it's not too painful for either of us!!

1. I'm still trying to recover from last weekend's craft retreat. Getting a total of about 12 hours of sleep over three nights makes for a very tired Marcie...work was brutal this week!

2. One fun thing at work this week was celebrating National School Counselor Week. Esther and I had candy in our offices for students that stopped by...Jennifer took us to lunch on Wednesday at Mei Lings (yummy!!)...Cyndee brought us lunch today from the taco truck...and Tim & Todd spoiled us with a Starbucks card and a gift certificate for a mani/pedi! We felt appreciated!

3. I got to spend Monday afternoon with Kamryn. I brought her to our house while Nick and Kate got ready to leave for Europe. I am going to miss them so much while they're gone! Kamryn keeps us laughing all the time! Dave and Angie will be amazed at how much she has grown and how her language has developed since they saw her in November!

4. You would think that I crafted till I dropped last weekend (well, I did, technically), but I am looking forward to having next to no plans for this weekend and so, I'm anticipating lots of sewing in my future! I am currently sewing the blocks together for a new quilt top. One of these days I'll have to turn the quilt tops into real quilts...but for now, I'm enjoying piecing the tops!

5. Speaking of piecing, I've always considered piecing my most favorite part of the quilting process. Well, last weekend, Amy and Beth were shocked when I told them that I don't use spray starch when I press my quilt blocks. So, this week, I tried spray starch...and wouldn't you know...I think I found a new favorite step. Hear that, Amy?!

6. Since we're on the topic of crafting...I'm going through one of those phases where I have so many projects in mind that are itching to become reality. I just wish I had more time! Right now, the project that I really want to work on is a bag. I just am waiting on the yardage to come. Can't wait to get started!!

7. Continuing with crafting (I guess that's the theme for today!), last weekend Amy and I talked about doing a quilt a long to try a Dresden quilt. We're going to use a pattern from Cluck Cluck Sew. I'm pretty excited to get started. I've been wanting to try Dresdens!

8. My mom and I have been drinking smoothies every morning for two weeks now. We went grocery shopping last night for ingredients. I look forward to the morning because they are that good!

9. We have one more week at school until a 4-day weekend! Hip hip hooray! Mom and I are trying to decide if we should go somewhere...any suggestions?!

10. I downloaded "One For the Money" by Janet Evankovitch on the recommendation of Jessica, Amy, and Beth. I haven't read more than about 10 pages yet....but I'm working on it!

Happy 10 on 10!! I'll try to be more creative next time!

.crafter’s getaway.

I have been looking forward to our Beta Crafter’s Getaway for a good long time…like, since last February! It is such a fun weekend – lots of friends, crafting, talking, and definitely laughing!

For the third or 4th year in a row, we’ve invited our guests to wear red in honor of Go Red for Women Day. Look at all the support we had!

This is Bonnie’s “L” for “LOSER” since she wasn’t wearing red!

   

The best part of the weekend is getting to be with friends…

Mom & Bonnie

Kate & I

 

Mom and I

The Baumann Babes – Beth, Karen, and Kate (Megan came a little later)

 

One of the projects I really wanted to get done was this t-shirt quilt. I’ve been talking about it all fall and had the t-shirts all backed and cut to size. Kate & Beth helped me lay them out and I sewed them together. I got done about 2am!

 

Jessica was making these cute butterfly blocks…

     

Candace - - she made this table runner from start to finish! So awesome!! I am so glad Candace got to come spend the weekend – and Chris and the kids too. I miss them so much!

 

Amy and I each made a quilt top using the same pattern, but different fabric. It was awesome to see our quilts next to each other – we had a little bit of envy for the other quilt top!

Thanks to the Jessica Perkins and Amy Wieseler Stand Up Comedy Routine, we were up until 2am on both nights and laughed until our stomachs hurt! I think we might have run some other crafters out of the room! I loved it though!

I got 8 hours of sleep between the two nights….and now I am typing with my eyes shut. I guess that means I need to get to bed. I need to rest up for the next retreat or craft day!

.go red.

Today is Go Red For Women Day to bring awareness to women's heart health.

I'm wearing red today in honor of my Mom who defied the odds in 2009. If it weren't for her ordeal and miraculous recovery, I wouldn't be as aware of this day. Now I'm proud to wear red and spread the word in support of women and the American Heart Association..

We're wearing red...are you?!

.Julia and Jolee’s quilts.

About a year and a half ago, a co-worker of mine asked me to make two quilts, one for each of her daughters, out of the maternity clothes she wore while she was pregnant with them. I agreed…but was scared to start, so I didn’t. For about a year. Then Jeanne said she wanted to give the quilts to the girls for Valentine’s Day…so I figured I’d better get started.

The clothes needed to be cut apart, ironed onto fusible interfacing, cut into squares, then sewed into rows. The clothes were different weights and types of fabric which made it hard to sew (the thick fabrics) and hard to know how it would turn out.

 

 

The other request Jeanne had was to embroider each girl’s name onto the quilt. I’m not a big embroider-er, but it was a fun snowy day project!

 

    

All tied up and ready to be returned to Jeanne…looking much different than how she gave them to me!

 

I’m not sure if I’d ever agree to tackle a project like this again…I’m selfish with the little crafting time I get and want to do my own thing…BUT, this was a challenge and I conquered it! That makes me proud!

.little boxes.

As soon as I saw this quilt on the cover of the Quilts and More magazine, I knew I had to make that quilt! At one time, I even had three copies of this magazine in my possession! I subscribe to Quilts and More, but sometimes I see the magazine in the store before I receive it…and so I picked it up since I loved the cover so much. A week later, it arrived in my mail box!! A few weeks after that, my Secret Sister gave me a copy for my birthday!

I already had a layer cake in this fabric, so I got to work quickly! I appliqued around all the houses, the roofs, and the doors. My quilt looks identical to the one on the cover – why change a good thing?!

   

I think this is my favorite block!

 

It’s not a huge quilt – more like a wall hanging than a lap quilt, really. Not sure what it’s future holds, but right now it’s cheering up the craft room!

Pattern: Home at Last by Julie Herrman in the Winter 2011 Quilts and More Magazine
Fabric: Hometown by Sweetwater
Quilted by: Marcie

.mega eyelashes.

My friend Brittney (Casper) Mills does eyelash extensions...and my Mom and I decided to get them bfore our cruise last month. I love them! We just got them filled last week...and I had been thinking maybe I didn't want to continue with them because it's an unneccessary expense...but I'm so glad I decided to go ahead and get the fill!

(This picture is from the first time.)

Yesterday I was sitting in church next to my Mom, looked over at her, and said, "Your eyelashes are out of control!" They are so long and thick - without the clumpiness of mascara.

So fun -- so spoiled!