Starting Fresh

Starting Fresh...

I have decided to start a new blog.

It would mean the world to me if you continued to follow me, through this new blog page.

Here is the link, be sure to add it to your favorites or follow how ever you prefer.

karleeporter.blogspot.com

Also,

I will be doing some fun giveaways pretty soon. 

So, be sure you don't miss out!

Be great to each other.

-Karlee

Unforgiving Forehead-Slapper

So, I have a story that is bittersweet.

Everyday after work, I ride the train home.

This particular week, I have been carrying around my cosmetic bags, 

selling them to help fund my trip to Houston.

I have also been really immersed in a good book lately.

So after a long day of work, I drive to the train station,

board the train,

and plop down in the nearest unoccupied seat.

I usually catch the commuter train at 4:27 PM

Which is typically 95% occupied.

I have my purse on my lap, and I set down my big bag of cosmetic bags on the floor beside me.

I read my awesome book from Salt Lake City, 

through Woods Cross,

through Farmington,

through Layton,

Finally we arrive at Clearfield station. So, I put my book away,

threw my purse over my shoulder,

And I left the bags on the floor.

There were over 20 handmade cosmetic bags in there, some that I really really loved 

and had spent a quite a bit of time on.

Now, I hadn't even realized that I had forgotten them until the next morning.

Sometimes I can be so absent minded, it makes me insane.

I called Utah Transit Authority's lost and found,

and they hadn't seen anything.

I begged them to contact the train host that was on duty on the train I was on.

But, they didn't seem to think that would be helpful.

Don't ask me why they thought this, cause I couldn't tell you.

So I hung my head, and just faced the fact that I may never see them again.

And it was hard to be okay with that.

Which is stupid.

It's not like they had all this sentimental value, or made out of some extravagant material from some foreign royal country.

But I put a lot of time, thought, and love into each one.

I wanted to be able to sell them, to help pay for my trip to Houston.

I hope that maybe whoever found them will see my tag inside,

and return them.

And if they never get returned,

of course I will be sad for a little while.

But I have learned something so valuable through this whole absent minded experience.

Sometimes it's not about wanting something back, but about being okay with the fact that its gone. 

I have always been taught that when you have lost something, you can pray to Heavenly Father to help you find it.

But every time I thought about doing that, I felt like it was a silly thing to ask for.

There are so many things wrong in this world, people who are sick, struggling to make ends meet,

And here I would be, asking for some dumb temporal items back, so I can transform them into money.

I feel like everything we go through in this life is a lesson to learn.

I am so blessed with the things in life.

I can always make more bags, 

And I just hope that if I never see them again,

that wherever they are, they are in good hands, and hopefully brightening someone's life.

So, if you happen to have one of my bags, but didn't get it from me,

I hope you love it, I hope you use it, and I hope you share it.

And quite honestly, I am more curious to see where they end up

more than anything else.

If we have never met, send me an email. Lets be friends.

I love you all.

Be great to each other.

-Karlee

Hoping to bring inspiration...

Guess what is awesome?!

I'll tell you.

I just learned how to make a PayPal "Buy Now" Button!

(ok, so maybe it's old news to most people...but better late than never, right?)

So... in honor of this new discovery, I have a cute embroidered cosmetic bag for sale...

Retro Owls Cosmetic Bag

Price: $14

Size: Approximately 6x6 inches

Color: Coral

Thread/Zipper Color: Black

Handle Color: Coral

This cute clutch makes the perfect gift for any occasion and is great for holding Make-up, Nail Polish, or on-the-go items like your keys, wallet, and phone!

P.S. Shipping is free, so....

Also, I will be posting more bags VERY soon. So if you see one you like, be sure to snatch it up. And, if you have a style you would like to request, I would be more than happy to hear it! 

Cheers!

Submitting...

I finished my quilt for the Paducah show… And it is kind of a tragedy… Let me explain.

So, the quilt started out really great. 

The stitches looked awesome, but I made one little mistake putting my quilt pieces together. I used a thin batting, but the design had kind of a Trapunto effect to it. But since I didn’t use a puffy batting, the fabric just kind of wrinkled. I mean, its not a huge deal… but it would have looked a little nicer with a puffier batting. But hey, its ok right? You live and learn and besides that, the quilt still looks really nice.

So, I finally finished quilting it all. The next thing you do after you are done quilting is what’s called blocking. And that is where you get a spray bottle of water and you lay your quilt on the carpet, spray tons of water all over it so that its nice and damp, and then you pin it to the carpet nice and tight so that it lays nice and flat and anywhere that it is baggy, it can shrink a little and anywhere that is tight can stretch a little bit. So it just helps it to lay nice and flat, which is especially important for wall hangings. You don want the corners to be floppy of have it curl along the edge. So, here I am, quilt layed out on the floor. And I grab my spray bottle and start spraying my quilt. About 7 squirts in, I start to smell something funky.. Clean funky. My nostrils then inform my brain that there is not only water in this bottle, BUT BLEACH!!!!!

So here I am, sabotaging my own quilt. The second I realize what I’ve done, I just plopped on the floor and started sobbing. All this work!!! Now my borders are ruined! (Luckily the main bit was almost white already)…. And I have heard horror stories of people sabotaging OTHER people by throwing bleach on their quilt, but doing it to your own blood and sweat, NEVER! I should have never blocked it! It wasn’t even puckering hardly at all!! I just thought you had to block. I couldn’t have and should have quit while I was ahead!!! So at this point, I figure, “well, I have already ruined at least the borders. Might as well spray the whole thing so it all matches.”

Then, I think, “Maybe I can just hurry and put my quilt in the washer, to at least neutralize the colors a little.” So, I hurry and throw it in the washer and add a little soap. (At least wash off the pencil marks while I’m at it.) And then I just sit and wait (….and cry some more) I had already put about 35 hours into this quilt and my deadline is in less than 24 hours.

Then, I pull it out of the washer and to my surprise, something crazy has happened. Around the beige fabric, I added 3 stop-borders. First Navy, then Olive Green, and then Sun Yellow. And The BLEACH ONLY AFFECTED THE YELLOW!!! What the Heck!?!?! I bought all 4 colors of fabric from the same place, same day, same line of fabric, all solids.

So at this point, I realize the odds are stacked against me, but then I think “Hey, I will just cut the yellow outer border off and bind it in beige instead of yellow like I originally planned.” So that’s what I do, cut off the yellow.

Then, that evening I bind it in beige. And then, to my surprise, it actually looks pretty nice. So I think, “Ok, I will block it one more time, overnight WITH WATER ONLY, and then tomorrow I can take pictures, burn it to a disk, and take it to the post office before it closes at 1 o’clock- Crisis averted.”

The next morning,(new year’s eve morning) I take pictures of it, burn it to a disk, and fill out the entry form. Here is the part that makes me the most sad…..

As I am filling out the form, I look for the category that I am planning to submit my quilt into, just to find out…. MY QUILT IS 6 INCHES TOO SMALL TO FIT THE REQUIRMENTS!!!!! I set myself up from the very beginning. I was too big of an IDIOT!... to read the rules carefully and plan my quilt according to size.

I know my goal was just to at least submit a quilt into every show. So even though I knew it wouldn’t get it, I still submitted it anyway.

I learned a few really important things from doing this quilt.

  

1. Plan things out. Don’t just jump into a project without thinking about every element, INCLUDING ones that won’t even be seen.
2. SMELL YOUR SPRAY BOTTLE BEFORE ASSUMING IT IS JUST WATER!!!!!!
3. Don’t set yourself up to fail. Read through things carefully and plan out each step.

You live and you learn. And I can tell you first hand, it sucks to learn things the hard way. But it sucks even more to learn things the hard way more than once.

And, All in all, I am still pretty pleased with this quilt. It lays flat (now) and the stitches look really nice. I will probably submit it into another show later this year. Its not completely lost and I really learned a lot. 

International Quilt Festival 2011

Wow I know it has been so Long since I last wrote!! Life has just been so crazy these past few months. I have a lot to cover… Let’s see… 

From November 1^st – 7^th I had the privilege of going to the International Quilt Festival in Houston Texas. I got to go with Handi Quilter, So every meal, flight and my room was all paid for by work. It was so so so fun! I got to work the Golden Threads and Handi Quilter Booth at the show and I even got to see my quilt hanging in the exhibit. That was quite a rewarding moment. 

(My shirt even matched and I promise I didn't plan that... Just a happy accident.)

 It felt so good to see my work hanging up next to some world renowned quilters. I even got to have dinner with a couple. There is one quilter who I especially love, Helen Godden. I few years ago she was named the World’s Most Innovative Quilter! She is one of Handi Quilter’s International Ambassadors. 

This is Me, Helen, Michelle and Lexi

We had a blast laughing and joking at dinner. As you can tell....

 She is basically the official teacher for the Handi Quilter products in Australia. Her and Michelle Pearson (who is the Store front dealer for HQ in AUS) stayed in the same hotel as we did. It was so funny, one night Lexi (my coworker who I roomed with in Houston) were supposed to meet them for dinner but we didn’t end up being able to. So after we got back to the hotel, we checked the hotel bar and they were in there. So Lex and I sat down for a little bit and had drinks with them. It was really funny because I am still underage, but no one asked me for an I.D. or anything… the bartender said “what can I get you?” and I just kinda giggled and said “water please.” Haha it was funny. Maybe the bar keep didn’t even consider asking because I was with older ladies. Haha. But anyways that was pretty fun. It was cool to hear about their travels and just make friends. I like making new friends and it’s so cool to be friends with someone that is so successful at something I aspire to do. It was really cool to get pointers and feedback on my work. Now we keep in touch over Facebook which is cool too. It was really awesome being able to go to Houston for work, because I was with someone all the time. It made being away from Andrew a little less scary. I wish he could have come, but I am also happy that he supported me in going even though he couldn’t come too. It was cool going to really fancy restaurants with coworkers too. I got to meet all of the National HQ Teachers that work all over the country, not in-house. I made good friends and it was really fun because I ended up being kind of the silly entertainer at dinner. They are all more poised and settles because they are older, but I was getting them to take pictures with me and make silly faces. It was really fun. And It feels good knowing that I have mentors all over the place that can help me be the best version of myself in the textile field. Its valuable to get feedback from them and it makes me feel good that they are so open to helping me achieve my goals. That is one thing that I have really come to realize about the quilting market is that it is so refreshing that everyone is so open and accepting of each other. There are so many different quilting styles and techniques and everyone is just so loving and motivational towards each other. There is such a huge support. That is one thing I love, this is a connection oriented market. Where people make friends. When I was at the show and I would take a little bit of time for lunch, there is a huge section of the convention center for lunch, and the tables were always pretty full. But every time, no matter where I sat down, whoever else was sitting there would take the time to get to know me, where I’m from and what brought me to the quilt show. I love that environment. I guess I am lucky because I make friends so easily. It’s not hard for me to ask someone their name and make friends. I know I got that from my mom, for sure. Every time a friend would come o0ver to our house, she would take the time to get to know them who their parents are, and what they are interested in. I have learned from her that one great way to show love to someone is to express interest and invest time into them. I know I feel loved when someone cares enough to take the time to get to know me.

   I am so thankful that I got the opportunity to go to Houston and I would go back next year in a heartbeat if I was asked to. The CEO of Handi Quilter is such a great guy and it was really nice of him to let me go. His name is Mark Hyland. The CFO is Darren Denning and the Marketing Director is Brenda Groelz. They are all such great people. And it was pretty cool to get to spend time with all of them and have a chance to really show them that I have a lot to offer to the company. After working the booths, it was crazy to realize how much I know about all the products. After handling them every day, I have most things memorized and it felt really good to know off the top of my head the answers to questions. I love feeling like I am an asset to a thriving business and that I was good enough at my job to be invited to the BIGGEST QUILT SHOW ON THE PLANET.

   I got to do a little bit of sight-seeing while I was there, well with restaurants at least. Mark and Brenda both have favorite restaurants in Houston where they take everyone every single year during the show. Brenda’s is a place called Ninfa’s. It is a Mexican place and it was soooooo yummy! I ordered a virgin margarita and it was so yummy. 

It even had the salt around the rim of the glass. It was fun. The food was great! I got enchiladas. So yummy!

Mark’s favorite place is super high class. I think it is called Massa’s and holy crap was it high class!!! We had crab cakes, deep fried calamari and the biggest shrimp I have ever seen for an appetizer, and then I had a rib eye steak sprinkled with CRAB and SHRIMP!!! 

Over mashed potatoes and asparagus. Oh my gosh! It was so good!!! So that was so cool to go there. We got to eat with the entire team all together and Helen and Michelle were there too. It was great fun. We had a blast just visiting and enjoying great food. For Dessert we had Crème Brule, New York Style Cheesecake, and Fried Ice cream. It was wonderful.

   Being at the show was a lot of fun, It was pretty hectic most of the time, but It was good to watch different national teachers do demonstrations and I got a little bit of time to walk around and buy a few things… Ok, I ended up buying a lot. I bought about 10 yards of fabric, some friendship bracelets for Me, Whit, and Lexi. It was so much fun! I also bought a few super cute scarves. A grey one, a black one, and a thicker brown one. I had such a wonderful time at Houston. Seeing my quilt hanging in the show has given me such a high to keep going. I want to become a competitive quilter.

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 _________.