lysa flower: : Page 29

Have I been doing New Year’s resolutions wrong?

Lysa January 4, 2013 2

Did you make any resolutions this year? Is your list similar to last year’s list or are you one of those rare people that really accomplishes and sticks to their resolutions? I have to admit every year I make resolutions but I think I’ve been doing them all wrong. My resolutions usually consist of projects I want to finish, tossed in with one or two big goals. Last year one of my top goals was this website, which I squeaked in and checked off the old list! However, I realized many of same projects were still on my list from last year. That felt a little lousy. Then I realized, I have this consistent list of things to do but they are always getting side tracked by invites to quilt bees, swaps and challenges. I don’t want to miss out on that fun right! I sometimes think I should gracefully decline any invites or challenges until I finish everything on my to do list. Sure it’s a long list but if I dig in and get it all done, it would feel so great, freeing in fact, sigh! Yup, that’s what I resolve to do until I get the next invite! New challenges and swaps always sounds like so much fun and they’re a great chance to connect with new people. In the end I always feel conflicted. How do you balance everything? Seriously, I’m totally open to suggestions!

I took some time after realizing my list was very similar to last year’s, and I decided to throw it out! Just like that, BAM! Done! Instead I’ve decided NOT to focus on checking things off my lists and to not hammer through projects to git’r done, just to get them checked off the old list (clearly that wasn’t working anyways). Instead I will enjoy and savour the projects that do get done. Truly, will my projects that I have in the wings ever be complete? Most likely not. It seems like once one is completed, it’s replaced by three new projects anyways, or at least it feels that way. So instead of feeling like I’m always behind, I’m going to strive to take a cup half full approach this year and appreciate the things I am able to complete!

Although I didn’t complete my list from 2012, I’d like to share with you a few highlights of things I did accomplish. I’d love to hear what some of your highlights from 2012 were. Was it a swap, a workshop or a trip? Let me guess you got all caught up on your projects maybe? Wink, wink!

January – In January I started drawing other people’s stashes! The first stash I drew was Berene’s!

February – Our guild had a treat and this was one of the quilts I worked on. It’s called Rainbows and Lollipops, I gave it to Raeanne in exchange for some photos she did for me!

March – Every March my husband and I go to San Fransisco. He goes to a conference and I go to Britex, an awesome store. Four floors of fabric!

April – I was invited to join the Fab Bee!

May – Lesley allowed me to draw her lovely fabric stash!

June – Every June my husband and I go to LA for work. With the timing just right again, I was able to attend for the second year, another LAMQG meeting at Sew Modern! I donated this drawing to their door prizes but they decided to hang it in Sew Modern instead. This photo was emailed to me by Latifah, their groups co-leader. Wasn’t that nice of her! This particular meeting was really cute because EVERYONE was pregnant. I made sure I didn’t drink the water just in case!

July – Both my husband and I turned… lets just say it was a milestone birthday year. He jumped out of a plane I attended a Deynse Schmidt workshop. Those are my quilt blocks next to her quilt! Hee, hee!

August – I was able to finally deliver my cousin Jennifer’s Wedding present. I drew her Wedding dress for her!

September – Our guild the Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild turned 2!

October – My first quilt bee, Unscripted ended. This was from Amy’s block.

November – Bye, bye Red Spotted Patch Heeeelllo lysa flower! The launch of this here website!

December – A month of straight craziness! My in laws and their dog, Raffy (the elf) helped out at our kids school with their Santa Store this year, which was loads of fun!

So there you go 2012 in a nut shell! Here’s to you and yours, wishing you a very happy and healthy 2013!

Did you remember to write your letter to Santa this year?

Lysa December 28, 2012 0

Another Christmas has come and gone. Did you remember to write to Santa this year? Did he bring you everything you asked for?

In the spring my Dad came to visit and he brought me another box filled with stuff from my grandparents. It wasn’t a box of photos this time, or bibles (what does one do with a box of bibles?) but a miscellaneous box of this, that and the other thing. I found this little gem tucked away, a dear Santa letter written by my Dad. Actually there were two letters in the envelope. One I’m guessing when he was about 7 and one when he was about 9.

Our guild had a Christmas ornament exchange in December and my plan was to make three of these embroidered Dear Santa envelopes, one for the exchange, one for me and one for my Dad. My idea was it could be used for holding future dear Santa letters, or gift cards (which is what I ended up doing for my Dad) but I also added a strap so it could be hung on the tree as an ornament. Unfortunately, I only managed to make one and it went to my Dad for Christmas.

I love that it says Canada under the North Pole!

What did you get for Christmas? Any goodies that made you squeal? I was lucky enough to get some Ruby Star Vinyl fabric! Eep, well I was extra nice this year, wink, wink!

Sandra’s Quilt

Lysa December 18, 2012 1

Okay, the coast is clear! Sandra has received her quilt. I posted about it a few weeks ago on her Birthday but I didn’t want to post any photo’s until she received it and saw it first. TA-DA! Here it is!

Actually, that’s only a detail. Here is what the full thing looks like.

I made it back in February of 2012 for the Habitat challenge our guild was given by the Modern Quilt Guild. The fabric was from Free-spirit and designed by Jay McCaroll (Winner of Project Runway). Our guild was a little late to the party but we were able to catch the tail end of the challenge. Most guilds had all their challenges finished and posted by October 2011! Even so I sat on mine until November 29th of this year, waiting for Sandra’s Birthday to come around. Her Birthday was kind of an important one and I wanted to mark it as so.

The back reminded me of that wood paneling from the seventies that everyone had in their basements!

Before I started my quilt my friend Cynthia was telling me about an interview she saw with Jay McCaroll where he said the collection was about urban nature. Which made sense to me since when I first saw the fabric I thought some of it looked like frog eggs, grass and, of course, leaves contrasted with the colours of the city. When I heard that, I immediately thought about all those hours Sandra and I would spend outside making our forts as kids.

We we lived on the edge of town in a new development which meant our forts weren’t in trees but more like outlines made from rocks, bits of wood and garbage – hey, when you’re a kid you don’t care! The world melted away and we didn’t see garbage, bits of wood or rocks. We saw fancy houses with all the trimmings! Even then, I knew I was so lucky, in that moment, with my best friend Sandra, making those forts!

Just Hangin’ with my Gnomies!

Lysa December 14, 2012 2

I’d like to introduce you to my Gnomies, Frank and Peter. Frank is contemplative and Peter, well, he has glasses.

I finally finished my gnome, mushroom and fox bag! Back in early October our guild, the Fraser Valley Modern Quilt Guild, had the pleasure of having Sonja Callaghan teach a paper piecing workshop and it was great! Sonja blogged about it here.

We didn’t finish the bag in the workshop since it was an introductory class. However, the next day I was determined to finish my bag! I knew if I didn’t do it right away it would sit there nagging me, “Finish me! Finish me!”

I decided to stick with Sonja’s pattern and keep the gnomes and mushroom together on the one side! Feeling pretty inspired from the day before, I thought, I’ll just whip up a little flower to go with the fox.

FIVE HOURS LATER! No joke, five hours, I finished my flower! Talk about trying to run before you can walk! But I have to admit I’m pretty happy with how my flower turned out and even if it did take me five hours, it was a fun puzzle to figure out!

I heard a rumor that Sonja my have a “How to design paper piecing blocks” class in the works. I’m so stoked and can’t wait! If it’s something you think you’d be interested in, feel free to let her know by sending her a message at sonja(dot)callaghan(at)gmail(dot)com.

I added pockets inside the bag and a key clip. The key clip was inspired by Smidgebox Design bags. I love her bags! I have two of them! I love the key holder feature and when I change bags I really, really miss it!

So there you go, that’s one of my first attempts at paper piecing and my first attempt at designing one as well! TA-DA!!!

Move over Boy Toys!

Lysa December 10, 2012 3

Have you seen the latest LEGO toy sets?

First of all they have Wonder Woman which is all kinds of awesome on its own! BUT, now they have some bad ass girl stuff! This is Emma. Hi Emma!

Having two boys I’ve built my share of spaceships, castles, vehicles of many varieties and Sarlacc pits (happily I might add, even if they have been dismantled and strewn throughout our house). They did make some girl lines like LEGO Belville, but the boy LEGO ALWAYS seemed cooler. Well the tides have changed my friends!

Speaking of friends… LEGO has just come out with a girl line called; you guessed it “LEGO Friends” (see what I did there!) True, there are a lot of pink and purple pieces. I always resented having pink shoved down my throat as a little girl and have been working through my aversion ever since. I believe I’m making good progress. However this time LEGO has balanced pink overload nicely with a pretty green, a sunny yellow and a happy turquoise! Well done LEGO! Thank you!

BUT, BUT, BUT… Best of all they have awesome kits and I have to admit I hooted when I saw Emma’s Fashion Design Studio! Yes! It had a design table, a drawing board and drawers to organize her stuff.

You gotta have a good organizational system especially for your fabric stash, right!

In the studio Emma also has a laptop (for blogging I’m sure!), a camera (to post her photos on Flickr and to post on her blog), a sandwich (she knows health is important and not to get too consumed by her work) and she has a yard stick (or a metre stick)!

It’s all these little details that make these kits so incredible! You should check out the kit with the drum set too!

So thank you LEGO for not forgetting about potential crafters, sewers and DIYers! And thank you for inspiring the next generation, through play, to believe having their own design studio is a cool idea! Now I’m off to play with my new toys!