scrap quilts

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Scrappy Love ~ Pay it Forward February

{Have you ever heard about a situation and it just breaks your heart and you feel like you HAVE TO do something about it?A few months back I met a lady, Lovely Reckley, and she told me how she goes to four different schools in Abaco and feeds 85+ children that would have otherwise had no lunch. For some of these kids, this is the only meal of the day.Lovely even takes food to some of them when school is out.That really broke my heart. I mean, I know there are kids all over the world that are starving, but when I realized there were children right under my nose it killed me. I kept wondering what I could do. I thought about offering to help cook, but cooking for so many mouths really overwhelmed me. Then I realized what a COMMITMENT this awesome woman had made to these children…..EVERYDAY!!!At Christmas, instead of giving gifts I gave a donation to her organization (and to our Humane Society) instead of buying things that people really didn’t need.But it kept tugging at my heart. So, I decided for the month of February I would post several heart themed items to my blog. They would be for sale, and I would give 25% of the cost of the item to Lovely, to help with her costs.I may post an item everyday or I may post several items a week…..I am really not sure, but 25% will go to “Feed the Children” in Abaco, Bahamas.I CANNOT imagine going without food, or only having one meal a day that I had to rely on someone else to bring to me, and these children shouldn’t have to deal with this either, so please help!}

Howdy!
Getting today’s post up at the last minute…..eeekkkk!
Today I have another quilted journal cover. I’m telling you the ideas I have for these are endless so they will be coming at you for a while!
I am calling this journal cover “Scrappy Love”.


Like the name implies, it is made from scraps, frayed fabrics, burlap, an old pair of jeans, an old shirt…..yep lots of scraps!
If I could have put my hands on my vintage lace collection I would have added that also, but I have stashed that in such a great place that I can’t even find it!!


Like all my other quilted journal covers, this one fits a Mead Composition Journal which can be replaced. This journal also has a few messages…..on the inside flap, printed on the selvage of the fabric it reads, “We need time to dream, time to remember, & time to reach for the infinite. Time to be”.


On the front, on a flap of frayed muslin I stamped, in permanent ink, “Trust your crazy ideas”.


This cover is completely machine washable, and will only get softer the more it is washed. All those frays will be even better!


The back of the journal I left kind of plain, with just the frayed denim and the striped jersey fabric.


This journal cover with a Mead Composition book is $45, and 25% of that goes to Feed the Children Abaco.
You can message me on my facebook page……{HERE}
Or find it in my Etsy shop…..{HERE}


Thanks for stopping by!
Peace, love and creativity!

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Home Sweet Home.

I have spent the last few days finishing some swap projects and trying to get ready for an art show in two weeks!  The first swap quilt I can only show you sneak peeks of since I am not sure if my partner reads my blog, and in this swap we know each other.
This was a swap for a BBQ/Picnic Mini Quilt.
If you are friends with me on facebook, then you saw this quilt yesterday.
Some of my favorite things are in this mini quilt!
Can you guess what they are?
This is being shipped from Florida tomorrow, so when my partner receives it I can post the picture of the entire quilt.
I also had a deadline for a pillow swap.  I am pretty sure my partner does not read my blog, but she doesn’t know who her partner is anyway, so I can show you the entire pillow.
One of her preferences was blues and greens.  I had so much fun making this pillow and had a hard time actually *stopping*!  The fabrics that make up the house in the middle are vintage fabrics.
I embroidered “home sweet home” under the house and added two little blue birds.
I also quilted the grass at the bottom and wanted to add flowers, but wasn’t sure how much of a flower fan my partner was so thought I should STOP!
If I ever get the time to make myself one (she says while daydreaming!) then i will add flowers to the bottom!
And YES…..blue and green AGAIN!!!  Just cant get away from it!
Well, back to working on orders and trying to get some stock for that art show!!
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My Abaco Treasures

There are some days that island life can be so frustrating!  I told you in my last post about the power outages, that are unfortunately still continuing. (Thank goodness my husband sells Honda generators!)
Then there is the slow, local mail service, lack of selection on groceries….I could go on and on….but thankfully I focus on the positive…..our beautiful surroundings……and who cares if i can’t get fresh salad greens if I have this to look at…..
Days spent island hopping with friends are priceless!  I even got to meet and spend some time with a lady I met briefly a year ago.  I could have sat and chatted with her and her husband all afternoon!  We have been Facebook friends for the last year and today got to sit down, chit chat and have some laughs.  They live in Savannah, Georgia (one of my favorite places on earth!) and were generous enough to give me some hand milled grits and rice, made at their home!  I cannot wait to try them!
On that journey yesterday I was also fortunate enough to find a vintage quilt.  I think the fabrics are probably from the 50’s or 60’s.
A small bucket full of antique pottery pieces from way back when!
This photo above is just a sampling of it.
There are unusual colors in there like green, purple and brown also!
I want to find out more about some of these pieces…….their history and the story behind them, but my ultimate goal is to make them into jewelry components.  There are some larger pieces with crests and writing on them.  It is difficult for me to read, but I am sure if seen by someone who knows what they are doing, it will be easily identifiable.
So I thought I would share some of the treasures I found from the place I call home.
Hope you have a great weekend!
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in His Grace: Favorites Party

in His Grace: Favorites Party

Go check out this cool blog by a great mosaic artist.  She is having a Favorite Friday post and you can see faves from lots of other bloggers!
Here are a *few* of my favorite things:

My Rescued Turtles.
Some of these guys (and gals) are bought at pet stores as small little creatures, and people don’t realize they can grow to 14 inches long.  So i take them and put them in my ponds.
My dogs and my quilts are top of this list for sure!!!
Trooper wanted to be in the photo shoot also!
Great food with friends and family!
Actually, I love food so much that it is a fave even if I am alone! 🙂
My collection of Blythe Dolls.  So now some of you are pretty surprised!
Agility with my heart dog “Sailor”
Crochet, which at times is not a fave because it is a challenge for me 🙂  but keep on hooking!
How could i forget my cats?!?!! Especially the ones that are really impressed with their picture being taken, like Doodle below!
My garden (minus the million frogs that live in it!!)
And……my new adventures in jewelry creation, silversmithing and flame working!
Hope you enjoyed that!
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Quilt for a School Fundraiser

This has been one of my projects this week…….to get this quilt top that my Mom pieced, quilted for the Angel’s Academy fundraiser tomorrow night.  The fundraiser is at the Jib Room and this quilt along with a laptop and a framed pieced of artwork will be raffled.
Wonder what my chances are at winning it back?
This is made from vintage Bahama Handprint fabrics and a white tone on tone cotton fabric.
Most of these fabrics aren’t available from Bahama Hand Prints anymore.
So if you are here in Marsh Harbour, come out and support Angel’s Academy.  I’ve also heard there will be a few delicious desserts auctioned off!
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Latest Quilt

I cannot believe it has been a week since my last post!!! Time goes by too quickly!
Last week I was busy finishing a quilt that was being donated to a fundraiser, as a raffle prize, for a young boy here in Marsh Harbour, Abaco, that has Hodgkins Lymphoma.
It was a double bed size quilt, made from a variety of fabrics to give it a scrappy look.  I love quilts made from many different fabrics.
Had a few blocks left over that I included into the backing.
Since the weekend I have been spending a lot of time on my torch making glass beads, and I also have another quilt in the works.
If the sun stays out later, I will take pictures and post them for you to see.
Have a great day!