Random and TGIF

I have no pictures or crafty projects today.  Just thoughts.  I'm all over the place...

• My neighbors are on drugs.  They don't sleep.  And apparently they don't want me to sleep either.  The played music ALL. NIGHT. LONG.  And I don't know why they felt the need to be in their bedroom (directly over mine) when they have a whole apartment to occupy.  I can't wait to move.
• January has been a great month for paying off debt!  I eliminated two debts and just paid a chunk on another.  Despite my talk of wanting to get rid of debt for the past 6 years, I've really only focused on it the past two - you know, since I've had a job that paid enough to cover life's expenses and still have some left over. The end of my credit card debt is near - like this Spring!!
• I'm trying to imagine a life without debt.  My parents were not great with money and always had debt. I've had debt my whole adult life.  I hate it and I'm doing things differently, but I've never lived a life without debt.  Honestly, I'm really excited about it.  It'll be a wonderful adventure!
• I plan to do Project Life this year and I've been keeping track of things to include for January, but I'm kind of stuck.  I think starting is hard.  I also think deciding which products to use it hard.  I have a binder.  I have pocket pages.  I need to just dive in.  
• If I had a magic lamp with a Genie inside, one of my wishes would be for wash-and-wear hair.  I hate doing my hair.  It's naturally wavy, but not in simple and convenient way.  It's wavy in a must-be-styled-or-looks-like-bedhead kind of way.  
• I have a string quilt that is almost done!  I completed the top quite a while ago and haven't completed the quilting or binding.  I pulled it out this past week and I just love it.  The quilting will take a couple more days and then I just have the binding left.  I kind of want to make another string quilt.
• I'm so happy it's Friday!!

Twister

Ready for another quilt post?  Well, that's what I have photos of, so it will have to do.  My friend adopted a baby a year ago.  It was a quick process from being selected for placement to the birth, so I put some other projects on hold to work on her quilt.  As soon as I got the text telling me the gender, I got in my car and drove 2 hours to my favorite quilt store.  I have a couple stores locally and there are a handful between here and that store, but I needed a large selection to really be inspired.

Actually, I started with this fabric from Hobby Lobby.  It caught my eye because of the various bright, yet girly colors.  Also, the mom likes paisley.  From there, I just gathered numerous bright, happy fabrics that worked well with the inspiration fabric.

That's my normal method - pick an inspiring fabric and then find other fabrics that coordinate.  That's also my very favorite part of the whole quilt process - just picking the fabrics and imagining how they will work together.

My mom's family is creative.  And social.  About once a month, there is a Cousin's Quilt Day and anyone who wants to work on projects is welcome to join.  There is a diverse group of people from my grandpa's cousins on down to my own cousins.  It's not limited to quilting.  Often people do other sewing, crocheting/knitting, scrapbooking, homework, or just visiting.  It's usually held about an hour and a half from here, so we don't make it often.  We try to go once in the Spring and once in the Fall.  

I had seen one of my grandpa's cousins do a Twister quilt at one of these gatherings.  Many of the other family members thought it was too busy, but I loved it.  I thought it would be perfect for this baby quilt.  I bought a template and went right to work. It was quick and simple and looked a lot more complex that it actually is.

I loved this quilt.  It was so warm and happy and charming.  Everyone that visited my house while it was here loved it.  Most importantly, my friend loved it.  And when my sister in law announced they were expecting a girl, I made another just like it for her.  I never duplicate quilts, but this one, I did!  In person, the colors are more vibrant and the oranges and yellows are less similar than they appear here.  It is really such a happy quilt.  I get so excited when I see Baby Madeline or Baby Lily using it.

Winter Decor

It's January!  And it's hard to believe that it's 2013!  I remember when the 2002 Winter Olympics were announced and that felt so far away.  It was a big deal because it was local - and nothing ever really happens in Utah! Ha.  And now... 2002 is in the distant past.  Time flies!

So I love two things - well, I love LOTS of things, but two in particular for today... Home Decor and Silhouette - and when I can merge the two, I'm a happy girl.  I like using the Silhouette Studio software to make signs and printables.  I enjoy layering patterns and shapes and changing opacities and line settings.

I made this sign last Winter and it's one of my very favorite things I've ever created with my beautiful machine. And then my hard drive died.  I'm glad I printed it, but I wish I still had the hard copy.  I can recreate it, but I haven't.  I also made the smaller sign.  It's much more simple.  No layering - no changes to opacity - basically just a font with a pattern fill.  Still cute.  I found that blue and wood frame at TJ Maxx and bought it without a plan in mind.

The paper trees are new this year.  I found them on Pinterest and my friend and I had a craft night to make those and a couple other little things.  The instructions are here.  They were very easy, but more time consuming than I thought they'd be.  The furry tree is a craft boa that I wrapped around a metal frame and stuck on a candlestick.  Simple, but cute.  And it's more fun to enjoy "winter" in my warm house than outside in the below-zero temperatures! Brr!