Just Dance.

There is one thing I have learned about life today.

Life isn't about being the best dancer, its about getting on the dance floor.

As many of you know, my quilt got accepted into the  2011 Houston Quilt Show.

In the entry form, it stated that winners would be notified by the end of september.

As the months passed, I got ansy.

And I may or may not have emailed them to see if they had sent out winner notifications yet.

They had.

I have learned something really valuable from this. I obviously didn't place in this competition,

but you can bet your balls I was on the "dance floor" struttin' my best moves.

Again, 

Life isn't about being the best dancer, its about getting on the dance floor.

It's ok to lose some. I am honored that my quilt got as far as it did. And I would like to think that it has opened a few doors for me. (or at least a small window.)

I created this wall hanging (above) to remind myself to Just Dance.

And I love that this is interchangeable.

Just paint.

Just draw.

Just sing.

Just write.

Or, in my case, Just Sew.

You will never be good at something if you don't DO IT.

There will be plenty of quilt shows in my lifetime. And I mean PLENTY.

And it isn't about winning anyway.

It's about proving to myself that I have something to contribute to the world.

Just _________.

Embroidery!!!

My sweet sweet wonderful husband bought me an Embroidery Machine!!!

At first I was all like.

And then I was like.

BEST. DAY. EVAR!!!

I named her Rihanna.... Just cuz ok?

This is what she looks like. What a beaut.

Well, now that I am in the realm of embroidery, I have LITERALLY

(and yes I do mean literally)

I have been having dreams about embroidery. Designs, ideas, thread even.

It has been SO SO SO fun incorporating embroidery into my cosmetic bags.

The one problem I was having when I first got my machine was that I just couldn't find any really cute non-frumpy designs to go with it. 

Yes, it did come with quite a bit of designs, including a lot of Disney characters. 

But I can only handle so much of that.

I stumbled upon this website that I have instantly fallen in love with.

I have found beautiful designs and my wish list is over $100 long!

You should definitely check it out if you fancy machine or hand embroidery.

Here is some of what I have been doing so far...

Beautiful Circle Design a la Brother

I need to remind myself of this... 

Every. Single. Day.

I love love love Owls!

This is the first Kindle Case I have ever made.

The other side of the kindle case.

Beautiful Skeleton Key Design.

Robots are the best.

Customized Personal Cosmetic Bags.

Tiger design I digitized for a 

project to help support the Ogden High School Cheerleaders.

I have been busy.

I love my new embroidery machine and it is so fun incorporating it into my bags.

It is a totally new realm of creativity and I am exploring it like crazy!

Washing Out.

This fall semester, I started a Textile Class, as a T.A.

It is the same class I took about

18 months ago, with Jenny.

Now I have the privilege of taking it again.

Needless to say

I LOVE IT!

I want to share with you today a video I made about the process

of washing out dye.

I am so grateful to be surrounded by such creative and talented people this semester.

Thursday is now my favorite day of the week.

Find me in Boutiques :)

I have recently expanded my horizons to a few boutiques around town.

The first one is a really super cute store in Kaysville called

La Di Da

They design AND print custom scrapbooking pages and they carry tons of supplies. Their shop also carries tons and tons AND TONS of very cute gifts like jewelry, magnets, purses and or course, my cosmetic bags! Here is the selection purchased:

If you live close, you should definitely check out this cute place!

The next boutique is in Ogden, and I absolutely love love love it.

Ume.

They carry such cute clothing, jewelry, and Toms. I need to get a pair...

Here is the assortment there currently...

Anyway, if you'd like, take a chance and check out these adorable boutiques. I promise you'll find something you Love.

BIG BIG BIG NEWS!!!

Ok, so here is the situation. About a month ago, I was thinking...

"I wonder how you get your quilt into the Houston Quilt Show."

(The BIGGEST quilt show in the world, let's just call it the Mecca of quilt shows)

So I went and talked to Whitney (BFF at work.)

Karlee: Whitney, how do you get a quilt into the Houston Quilt Show? Do you have to be invited?

Whitney: I don't really know..... hmmm, let's check online.

We pull up Quilts.com and look at the entries. Immediately I see one of the themes for this upcoming show....

"Text on Textile. Words as Design"

My head exploded!

I knew this was right up my alley and so I had do to something about it. 

At least try to get a quilt done. 

Here is the catch. When I read this theme, I realised the deadline was in exactly 10 days.

And so I was off,

First I did some spray painting.

Then I did some acrylic painting.

Then I did some Quilting.

And then some Binding. 

(Thanks Whit for help with that)

And Finally added some Swarovski Crystals.

So after a grueling week of evening work. I was finally finished!!

And I know what you're thinking,

"Let's see photos of the whole thing!"

Well there is good news and bad news about that. 

The bad news is I am not allowed to post pictures of the entire quilt online, YET.

The good news is that I can't do that because

IT GOT INTO THE HOUSTON QUILT SHOW!!!!

So, you WILL see pictures of the entire thing. But not until the show is over in October.

I am so happy I got the opportunity to showcase my work in such a large show. I loved doing every minute of this quilt and I feel like this was my kick-off piece to many more quilts that I can't wait to enter into shows all over the country. I want to be a great quilter and crafter and hey, I'm on my way.

I can't wait to post more pictures.

I know... It's been too long...

But here is what I have been up to...

Still making my bags. :)

And Helping ma big sista Jenny Make some pleated headbands...

And they have been a huge hit!

Also, I just wanted to take a second to brag about how wonderful my family is...

This is ALL of us. Dad, Mom, Hollie, Jared, Logan, Anna, Jenny, Trevor, Carlee, Shellie, Roxy, Ian, Marci, Aubrey, Leila, Lexy, Karlee, Andrew, and Alex.

I Love us!!!

Learning Lining

Ever since I started making my cosmetic bags,

there has been a steady move upward in quality.

BUT....

There was still one thing I could not figure out.

Lining.

LINING!! WHY IS IT SO HARD FOR ME TO UNDERSTAND YOU?!

Alright, now that that is out of my system, let me explain....

I was feeling pretty confident in the way my bags were looking,

But one thing that always seemed to bother me was this...

I know I could have just settled with this. I mean... it doesn't look that bad...

right?

Well, I knew it just wasn't good enough for me.

So then I thought,

"Why not just sew a border around the outside edges to hide the inside ones?"

So for a few bags I did this...

At first I was thinking,

"Ok, this could catch on."

But I knew it wasn't THE BEST.

And if you want to be the best you have to do your best.

So then, last monday night 

I had a DREAM!!

But not just any dream, 

A DREAM on how to finish my edges.

I know that dreams are inspiring and this is proof of that.

So, I thought, 

"Hey! Why not do that finishing border INSIDE the bags,

instead of on the outside?"

SHAZAAAAAM!!!

Onward and Upward. 

I love having dreams about sewing.

Now in Stores!

A few weeks ago, my sister Jenny invited me to bring my bags

to a Whimsical Headband party at

Covet Hair Studio & Boutique.

I had a blast and even made a couple new friends.

Kati (The Owner) also bought some bags from me to carry in her store!

So if you are in the Syracuse area,

head on over to Covet Hair Studio. 

Check out my bags,

and maybe even get a couple cute feathers

for you hair!

My own little Giveaway...

Doing this huge giveaway with AK Studio & Design really

inspired me to reach out in my own way. I decided that at the end

of April, I would draw 3 winners from everyone following my blog, and let them pick one

of my handmade bags to keep. 

Well...

Today I drew those names.

Congratulations to...

Heidi Ogao

Amy Dickie

Lindsey Vest

I absolutely loved doing this giveaway and I can't wait until the next one.

If you didn't win anything this round... don't fret!

For the next few weeks I am offering

FREE SHIPPING!!!

for ANY item in my Etsy Shop! 

Use the coupon code FREESHIPPING.

Head on over and take a peek!

Thank you so much for all the Love and Support! I really love my business and I love sharing my creativity with anyone willing to see. 

Oh Etsy...

I Finally Joined...

That's right. I am officially available to all my peeps.

Near and Far.

Etsy is a wonderful website.

I Love it already. So far, I have added a few items. 

I plan to add more VERY soon.

It is amazing what modern technology can 

help us accomplish.

Among being able to offer my handmade goodies all over the world,

I am also conquering the Wasatch Front. 

Yesterday, I spoke with Heather, 

from Liberation boutique, 

and needless to say,

SHE IS A DOLL!

We made plans to meet tomorrow (wednesday) where she will

pick some of my bags to sell in her shop.

HOORAY!

For those of you familiar with the Utah area, her shop is located in Sandy on

1300 East across the street from Gold's Gym.

I am so looking forward to meeting her and showing her what I have to offer.

I cannot say enough how much I really love to sew and quilt. 

I have come so far and

I still have a long way to go. 

I love being able to create something beautiful and useful and

share with those around me.

I find inspiration in everything I see.

I am looking forward to sharing my goodies with local shops in my area and with

other artists across the world wide web.

Expanding....

I have been 

BUSY BUSY BUSY 

making bags these last couple of weeks 

(hence the neglect in blog posts.) 

BUT! I do have some pictures to make up for it...

I am experimenting more and more with new elements like ribbon and buttons. 

It's been fun and it just makes each bag more unique.

 I am getting in touch with some boutiques 

throughout the Wasatch front. 

I am meeting next saturday with 

Liberation Boutique, 

in Sandy, Ut. 

Hopefully you'll be able to find my products at an array of shops all along northern utah.

I am starting to learn more about the blogging world. 

I have expanded my horizons with a new 

flickr account,

 and a facebook page. 

It is amazing how easy modern technology makes it to connect with

people!

My Tags Came!!!

I finally got my tags in the mail!!! 

After 1 long month of LITERALLY counting down the days, I was definitely jumping for joy when they greeted my grinning face in the mail box.

(Please Excuse my non-manicured hands... I prefer the "labor" look.)

I am ecstatic just thinking that I am one step closer to becoming as established as I would like to be.

One month is a long time to wait for something to arrive.

Trust me.

Here is what I did in the mean time to keep myself busy....

Pieced my own rendition of the Boo Davis quilt "Hootenanny"

Boo Davis is one of my absolute favorite quilters, um.... basically EVER! I absolutely love her style and if you are interested in learning how to quilt, I highly recommend her book Dare to Be Square.

It is a GREAT book for starting quilters because the designs are friggin sweet, and very simple because they only use 90 degree angles (minus the one tiny beak).

If you want to quilt, and you want your quilts to be sweet, start with that book.

I also designed matching pillows...

In other news...

Spring semester of 2010, I took a class up at weber state called Text and Textile. 

It consisted of writing, and hand-dying fabric. Amazing right? Well, throughout this class I dyed a ton of fabric but couldn't ever figure out what to do with it. I kept it all, being too afraid to cut it up, knowing that I could never again duplicate that fabric. But, I just had to tell myself that it was just fabric and it would be much more enjoyable to look at if it was made into something. So, I started making my little bags with it. I took them to a boutique, and the professor from my class, Judy, saw my hand dyed bag and now wants to by at least 10 more!

I was so stoked to hear this, so I started getting all the supplies ready, but again, I couldn't finish them without including my tag. So, the day my tags got here...

TAH DAAAHH!!!!

Here are the first 10 in my hand dyed fabric set. 

I hope she enjoys them as much as I enjoyed making them. 

Sneak Preview

I am working on a new line of bags this spring, and I'm quite excited about it to say the least. I have been exploring a lot of different fabrics lately, and I think so far, this is one of my favorites. Here is a sneak peak of what is to come in the next few months....

OOH! I'm so excited! 

Some other exciting news...

I recently ordered custom made fabric tags from a great website called namemaker.com. Check it out, its a great site for customized tags and gift wrapping supplies. I can't wait to get my new tags and I will be sure to show them off the DAY they come. 

It feels really good- having a plan and becoming more established. Another niche I have been involved in for the passed year is designing computerized quilting designs. I really love designing them, and I have even started selling them on the internet. You can see what I've got so far here.

-Kar