A tweak here, and an adjustment there . . .

Starting a new project!! It will be a combination of just sewing and some quilting, too.... my pals Nora and Emmy will be getting into the act.

Have you seen the cute owl remote caddies that are on the interwebs and on Pinterest? I wanted to make one, so I scooted around and looked at all the different photos and the instructions. I'm gonna save you some time by posting some linkies here (plus that way I have given credit where credit is due, and we are all about that, here at the Lilypad!).

There's this one, and then there is this one, and even this one, too!

I just wasn't sure if any of these were just right for me. I wanted something smaller than the owl pillow looked, and I wanted to make certain that the remotes would stay put, too.

So......
I began to audition fabrics while I cogitated (that's a technical word, there) on how to design it. 

Most of these are Quilters Candy fabrics, from our buddies at Connecting Threads....but y'all know me -- there's a scrap of my favorite designer, Mary Engelbreit, in there, too! (It's that polka dot at the bottom, in case you were wondering!)

And I printed out the pattern from that link I showed you, and began to cut out the pieces and consider the size....

I also was thinking about how this little guy would sit up. I got out my pellets and was thinking strongly about making a separate pouch for these, to go in the bottom of the owl before I stuffed it with polyfil.....that would help him sit firmly upright, and not fall over.

Once I cut out the four pieces of the pattern, I scooched (another technical term) the pieces together just a bit. See the arrows below?

That tweak will make him a bit smaller, more like an owl to sit on the couch, and less like an owl to be hugged....just sayin'. 

I'll keep y'all updated as this moves forward -- why don't y'all make one right along with me?(Grin)


Love,

Spelling Bee Blog Hop! Lower case q

Welcome! Welcome to the LilyPad!!

It's another Spelling Bee Saturday, and it's our turn!

We're over-the-moon excited to be a part of this blog hop, and we hope you enjoy your visit here!

I hope that you have gotten yourself a copy of Lori Holt's book, Spelling Bee -- if not, click through on that linkie and get one! Quick! (And yes, it's an affiliate link, which means I will get a very small commission at no extra charge to you....but it keeps the fun and merriment happening here at the Lilypad!)

And Be. Still. My. Heart.
My favorite thread, Aurifil, has a set just for these projects! Check it out at that link, OK? (And you will love that tee shirt, too.....just sayin.)

We're always excited to have new fabrics arrive from the Fat Quarter Shop, too, so that we can pat and play with them! Look at these lovelies!

It's the "Everything but the Kitchen Sink" line by Yuko Hasegawa for RJR Fabrics!

You may choose something totally different.....you might like to try the Bella Solids at the Fat Quarter Shop instead. Make this project your own!
Many of you have already made the acquaintance of our studio helpers, Padsworth the froggie and of course, his lil pal from down under, DragonDrop!

DragonDrop parachuted into our lives after our good friend in Australia, Mhairi, sent him across the sea to us!

The boyz are always ready for a fabric fest, and we lost no time unwrapping these adorable thirties reproduction prints.....

We thought you might like to see some of them up close and personal:

Cute bunnies.....

Thirties' orange flowers.....

Ya gotta have that bubblegum pink!

DragonDrop loves to play with the pieces once they're cut....

Padsworth is more organized, and arranges them by the instructions in the Spelling Bee book.

I have to admit, it does make it easier to follow along and grab the correct pieces!

Isn't that cute!!
Always love Lori Holt's books, both because the instructions and pictures make the process super clear....

And because the spiral binding somehow lies flat when it's open to the page you want to look at! I appreciate that in a book!
I hope you are enjoying these Saturday Spelling Bee parties, and that you will join us and try one of the many projects in the book.
You will find 100 different blocks to try!

I know you will find something that you love in this great book.

We will be in the spotlight again next week, so I hope you will stop by!

Love,

Free unlimited viewing at Craftsy - this weekend!

Do you love free stuff?

I sure do!

Be sure to take advantage of the free viewing at Craftsy this weekend....

And then if you want their two weeks for $1 offer, PLEASE come back here and click through, OK? (Grin)

Just thought you'd like to know...... (I REALLY love freebies......)

Love,

Craftsy class with Pepper Cory

I wanted to let y'all in on a sale!
(Small disclaimer here; this post contains affiliate links, and if you click and purchase I will receive a small commission but you will not pay a penny more!)

There's a great class on Craftsy by Pepper Cory.....and it's all about scrappy quilting!

Oh, I'm so all over this!

Scrappy is heavenly to me!  Waste not, want not is one of my mantras! (Another one is "small projects are the bomb" and there are several small projects here for quick satisfaction!)

(This is one of the projects posted on the community page for the class.)

And here is the cool part -- are you ready for this?  It's on sale!!!

I really am getting a lot out of these lessons, and I think you will enjoy it too! Whether you are a rookie or an ole-timer like me, Pepper has some great tips, and I love her laid back style!

(Another finished project from the class members.)

If you click on the link near the photo up there (the one with Pepper's smiling face), it will take you to Craftsy, and you can take advantage of the sale price! (It's less than fifteen bucks, that's a clue for ya!)

Have fun!

Love,

Brighten up the place!

Ya know that feeling when you take down the Christmas tree?

Pull down the garland and lights?
Put away the shiny balls and twinkles?
Maybe you are super-organized? Maybe you toss them all into one box?

Then -- you look around at the suddenly-bare rooms. Sigh.

HAVE NO FEAR!! SNOODLES IS HERE!! (Grin)

I have a great way for you to brighten up the place!

And it's in the category of Quick, Easy, No-Sew Projects! Seriously.....

Quick Disclaimer here: If you click on the links in this post, it won't add a penny to your purchase, but we'll make a tiny commission if you buy, and then we can bring you more merriment and mayhem in the future!!

OK, back to our fun -- You are going to start with some seriously cute fabrics from a jelly roll. Well, it doesn't have to be a roll, but that fit my plans. You could use some scraps, a layer cake, whatever you have.

This is what I have left from a jelly roll of Sophie. So adorable! You might want to pick some reds and pinks for this time of year.....just sayin'.

Next, you want to grab something to stiffen up your project, and give it some backbone, as my grandma used to say. My weapon of choice is HeatnBond Lite...love this stuff! For the HeatnBond, I just iron onto the back side of my fabric -- and for this project I then peeled off the other side (wait until the stuff cools a little, OK? Don't ask me....) and ironed another strip of fabric so there was a fabric-adhesive-fabric sandwich there.

Speaking of grandma, I then grabbed one of her cookie cutters and traced that bad boy all along the fabric strip and cut 'em out.... and grabbed another vintage tool, a hole punch, and put it to use.  I'm sure that a more up-to-date punch will work; we're just old school here at the Lilypad!

Here is what I got (I'll pause a minute for you to look, and then drool, and then wipe up your keyboard....there is some serious fabric cuteness here!):

I know, right? Love it!
Now grab some narrow grosgrain ribbon and thread those cuties on!

You now have an adorable fabric garland to brighten up your room! I used it on our mantel:

The "XOXO" wooden cut out is just something I already had here, and I placed some inexpensive silk flowers in the vase:

A "U R Special to me" pick stands in the vase and conveys just the message I wanted to send to Mr. Snoodles:

I just love how the hearts turned out. The HeatnBond works great, and the hearts didn't curl when I put the ribbon through:

Please excuse the wonky photo -- it's the photographer; my house isn't that far off plumb! (Grin)

I hope you enjoyed seeing this project, and maybe you are inspired to brighten up your post-Christmas room, too! 
If you need more inspiration, here is a link to some Valentine's Day themed fabrics that would look great for this project!!

Love,