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!