Gorgeous Hope Chest Dresses Made by Amy Friend

I just HAD to share with you a sneak peak of these gorgeous dresses that the amazingly talented Amy Friend made using my Hope Chest fabrics! Aren't these beautiful?? She just posted about them on her blog During Quiet Time today and I had to run out and share them with all of you.

I absolutely adore these dresses and the prints she chose to mix together! SO adorable!!
For more photo's and to read Amy's post about her sewing process, the pattern she used, etc., head on over to Amy's blog: During Quiet Time

Don't you just LOVE??!!

Hope Chest Fabric Giveaway at Pink Castle Fabrics!

{Hope Chest photo from Blend Fabrics}

Hi Everyone! Pink Castle Fabrics is having a Hope Chest give away!! They are giving away 2 fat quarter bundles, each containing 10 prints, of Hope Chest! All you need to do is head on over to the Pink Castle Fabrics blog and leave a comment about which is your favorite print from the collection or sign-up on their Widget to Win it List. Good luck everyone!!

Speaking of Hope Chest, I'm SO excited for this collection to hit, and to see what you do with it. I'm hearing here and there that it's already available at some shops - so be on the look-out! AND, I don't know if you've had a chance to feel the fabric that Blend uses, but it is like butter - seriously. Smooth & delicious...I can't even feel the fabric warp and weft threads when I run my hand across the top - it's THAT kind of awesome. I think you will enjoy it!

I'm planning away for my upcoming inspirational Hope Chest photo shoot that I can't wait to share with you in July - stay tuned!

Spring Quilt Market 2012: Kansas City, Missouri

{My Hope Chest section at the Anna Griffin & Blend Fabrics booth}

Wow! What a whirlwind of awesomeness I just came out of! Quilt Market in Kansas City, MO and then straight to NYC for Surtex! After a few days of sleeping in, unpacking suitcases and boxes (and a little weekend getaway at a local resort thanks to my husband), I am finally fully functioning. It's amazing how 2 weeks out of my element while doing things I really enjoy can be so exhausting.

This was the first time I'd ever attended Quilt Market. I've wanted to go for such a long time! I was extra excited to attend this year because I got to meet the fabulous Blend Fabrics team in person as well as because I spent 2 years at Hallmark Cards in Kansas City and have a lot of friends still there that I had the chance to catch-up with. So I added on a few days, brought my husband with me, and we made a little vacation out of it too! = BEST decision ever!

 {My Hope Chest section at the Anna Griffin & Blend Fabrics booth}

The Anna Griffin & Blend Fabrics booth was absolutely spectacular. The large columns, lights, clear designer chairs and soft color of the walls and carpet just made this booth glow! Completely gorgeous!

 {Esperer quilt in Hope Chest, Heirloom Combo by Metropolitan Quilt}

In addition to seeing my Hope Chest fabric collection draped across a ladder that stretched up the walls, I also got to see it made up in 2 fabulous and beautiful large quilts! Each quilt is made up of one colorway of Hope Chest and both of the quilts were made by Metropolitan Quilt. This 'Esperer' Quilt is made up in my 'Heirloom' color combo. I just love the hits of the rusty red in my Cross Stitch Roses fabric!

 {'Stripe Soiree' quilt in Hope Chest, Bliss Combo by Metropolitan Quilt}

The next quilt is called 'Stripe Soiree' which is based off my 'Stripe Soiree' fabric and created in my 'Bliss' color combo. You can download this quilt pattern for free on the Blend Fabrics website! Didn't Metropolitan Quilt do an amazing job!! WOW! LOVE!!

 {Anna Griffin and I at the Anna Griffin & Blend Fabrics booth at Quilt Market}

Thanks so much for all of you who stopped by to say 'hello' and to check out the beautiful fabric collections at Anna Griffin and Blend Fabrics! I had such a great time meeting each and every one of you as well as the fabulous team at Blend! And I must say I was extra-super excited to meet the fabulous Anna Griffin herself. What an amazing woman!

Next up, I'll be sewing away to prepare for my Hope Chest photo shoot! I'm SO EXCITED for this one and can't wait to have it and share it with you! There's some fun things cooking up...stay tuned!

New Licensed Products! Cake Decor!

 

A few weeks ago I received samples of my licensed products with Lucks, who provides the baking industry with quality products and services that enhance the decorator's creativity. These Edible Image® Designer Prints™ decorations, come in a variety of cake decor options such as cake sheets and top of cake designs. I thought I'd share some of the gorgeous photo's with you of a handful of my licensed designs with Lucks {more to come!}. Unfortunately these cake sheets are only sold wholesale to bakeries and such, and are not available to the public. 
 

After I opened everything, I immediately contacted my good friend Laura Parke // A Girl Who Makes to see if she and her photographer husband Eric Linebarger would be up for doing a photo shoot for me. And to my super-duper happiness, they were excited and up for it! {thanks guys!!}

 

Laura did the awesome job of decorating the fabulous cakes you see in the photo's and applying the edible cake decor to them, and her awesome husband Eric Linebarger did the awesome photography. Don't you agree?

I met Laura when I worked at Hallmark Cards, and we became immediate and great friends. I truly heart this girl. I am very familiar with her mad decorating skills from the cute cupcakes she would bring to work and the stories she shared about her cake decorating classes from the night before.

Her awesome blog, Laura Park // A Girl Who Makes is one I highly recommend you check out and follow! She's such a crafty girl with a ton of awesome ideas, and this blog is her outlet for sharing lots of unique craft project ideas and how-to's! She also contributes to Design for Mankind where she shares (even more) DIY ideas! She truly amazes me with her reservoir of ideas and the passion she has behind them.


Thanks Laura and Eric for sharing your mad skills with me!!

I Heart: Wallpaper

  
{Anthropologie: Enchanted Forest by Rebecca Rebouche}

Check out my bold wallpaper round-up and guest post I did for my wonderful, sweet & super-talented friend Tobe over at the blog Because It's Awesome (she's also part of the fabulous I Am Project, which I posted about here). I'm sure you will get lost for hours looking through her blog pages of awesomeness!

 (And Tobe? Thanks so much for the intro - you made me blush sweet friend. Xoxo)

I Heart: The I Am Project

My good friend Tobe over at the Because It's Awesome blog just opened up an Etsy shop to sell their I Am Project lettering prints which focus on affirmations and inspirations! Not only do I love Tobe and her extreme talent, I also absolutely love the cause that propelled her and her friend's work. I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Tobe at Hallmark Cards some years back, and had a blast collaborating with her on projects.

The I Am Project was started by three friends with a passion around strengthening each others hearts.

The I Am Project :: Our wish is to affirm and inspire the beauty in every woman, to celebrate the uniqueness in each of us, as well as the commonalities that unite us as women. We want to create a space to confront the dark places that come with growth; to witness women being valued for more than their bodies, clothes, or societal projections; to feel inspired by stories and images; and to become more deeply rooted in who we are as women. We want to become a net of resources that will nurture and fortify each others confidence, and fill women with awareness of the extraordinary beauty that each of us uniquely brings to the world.

  

 Pretty wonderful idea, isn't it? This is definitely a cause that I believe all of us women can get behind and feel inspired and empowered to be true to ourselves and celebrate our uniqueness. 

You can purchase these beauties in their Etsy shop in either 5x7 and 8x10 size, and they even have a 'two for' deal going on. I hope these affirmations and inspirations inspire you and your day ahead!

Just Dandy Interview & Give Away at Fat Quarterly Blog!

{Blog header I designed for Fat Quarterly Blog for the spirit of the interview & give away}

Head on over to the Fat Quarterly Blog to read my latest interview and to enter to win Just Dandy fabric bundles! Robert Kaufman is giving away Just Dandy bundles to a few lucky readers. All you have to do head over to the Fat Quarterly Blog and leave a comment, letting them know which is your favorite print from my Just Dandy collection. They will randomly select a winner some time next week.

If you aren't familiar with Fat Quarterly, it is a new e-magazine written by modern sewists for modern sewists. Fat Quarterly is released 4 times per year, and each issue features a vibrant mix of content by some of today's most exciting sewists. Fat Quarterly has a blog, an e-magazine and a newsletter. Pretty fun stuff, don't you think?

With the interview, I was asked to design their blog header, which was a lot of fun! Head over to learn more about my design process & to enter to win!

Good luck everyone!!!

Just Dandy! Project Ideas

I've uploaded the patterns I've used for my 'Just Dandy!' photo shoot to my website's inspiration page, and I thought I'd share with you the details in a blog post. This way you could hear a little bit more about the patterns I chose, and have the links to click on in case you wanted to find the patterns quickly. Are you ready for some spring sewing?

To get ready for my 'Just Dandy!' photo shoot, I researched the web for some cute patterns for kiddo's. This is my first photo shoot with kids, and let me just tell you - they are SO fun and balls of energy! The funnest part was having one of the girls put on her outfits and say 'I just feel so cute'! That right there is what makes this so fun and rewarding!

As I was madly preparing for Surtex, and working full-time at the time, my wonderful friend Karin sewed all of the garments for me, which enabled the photo shoot to actually happen and be successful.

I found a lot of the patterns on Etsy, and I wanted to share them with you today.

{'Darla Jumper' by Kati Cupcake Pattern Co}

First up, one of my absolute favorites, the 'Darla Jumper' by Kati Cupcake Pattern Co. We used my Just Dandy! fabrics in the 'Blue Jay' color combo for this beauty. I just love how it turned out in the blue and green color story! Perfect for Spring.

{'Rosie Posie Ruffle Pants & Top' Sewing Pattern by Pink Fig}

The second pattern I want to share with you is the 'Rosie Posie Ruffle Pants & Top' Sewing Pattern by Pink Fig. I bought the light pink tank at Old Navy and we applied the ruffles to it. The ruffled bell-bottoms are just so gorgeous!

{Romper by Simplicity, pattern #2380}

{Jumper by Simplicity, pattern #2380}
Next up are the romper and jumper by Simplicity, pattern #2380. These styles are just so on trend right right now, so I was really happy to find a pattern for them! The romper being in the dark navy color really looks stylish - I just love that navy and gold dot as an accent! For the jumper, we used my ditsy floral and a hot pink grosgrain ribbon, which I think keeps the jumper looking pretty cool.

{'The Stripwork Skirt' by Pink Fig}

Another of my fave's is the 'The Stripwork Skirt' by Pink Fig. This skirt just turned out so cute! My friend Karin hand-stitched the athletic numbers 23 on the front of an aqua colored tee, to pull the outfit together. I just love the mix of sporty and girly together!

{Drop waist dress Simplicity pattern #2574}

{Modified dress using Simplicity pattern #5243}

Out of the last three dresses, the two drop-waist dresses are made using Simplicity pattern #2574. The last dress is made using Simplicity pattern #5243 which Karin used as a base and applied ruffles all around the dress to add a bit more interest to it.

{Drop waist dress Simplicity pattern #2574}

Just Dandy! is now in stores and ready to be used for your Spring and Summer sewing projects! You can find the Just Dandy! fabric line at these e-tailers:

www.fabricworm.com
www.hawthornethreads.com
www.pinkchalkfabrics.com
www.sewmamasew.com

Happy Sewing!!

Chopsticks Quilt in 'Just Dandy!' Fabrics by Julie at Jaybird Quilts

Julie Herman over at Jaybird Quilts designed and sewed-up this gorgeous Chopsticks quilt - and used my 'Just Dandy!' fabrics! I just love the modern design of the triangles against the solid color! What a breath of fresh air! Beautiful work Julie!!!


These photo's capture the quilting by Angela Walters just wonderfully!


Please head on over to Jaybird Quilts to read all about how she created this lovely - including her impressive time captures! Both colorways of this Chopsticks quilt are also featured on Robert Kaufman's website.


If you are going to Quilt Market be sure to stop by her booth, #2644, to see Chopsticks in person! Also, this pattern will be available after Quilt Market.

Happy sewing!!!

Just Dandy! Fabric Give-Away!

Hi Everyone! Just wanted to give you a heads-up about a chance to win some free fabric!!

Head on over to QuiltingDaily.com to enter to win a fat quarter bundle of my 'Just Dandy!' fabric line! Leave a comment there about how you mix and match bold fabrics for your chance to win! A winner will be chosen on Tuesday, April 26th.

A huge thanks to Lindsey Murray of QuiltingDaily.com for interviewing me, and to Robert Kaufman for their generous give-away.

**Please note I am not hosting the give-away on my blog, I'm just letting you know, so please head over to QuiltingDaily.com to enter to win!

Good luck everyone!!

Glam Garden Discoveries: Part 2

{Photo's courtesy of Danielle Bryson Photography for Loblolly Lane}

I wanted to share with you some of the beautiful projects that have come my way! First off, thanks to those who have answered my call to send me pics of projects you have made using my Glam Garden fabrics! It's so delightful to see the beauty you are creating, and to be able to share it with people. I hope you all enjoy seeing what these peeps have been up to!

{Photo's courtesy of Danielle Bryson Photography for Loblolly Lane}

Eunice Carter over at Loblolly Lane sent me these fab pics! Loblolly Lane has made a variety of beautiful dresses, skirts and tops for women and girls out of Glam Garden prints! These beauties are for sale and you can head over to their shop to check them out! {Thanks Loblolly Lane for using Glam Garden in so many of your products!!}

{Photo's courtesy of Danielle Bryson Photography for Loblolly Lane}

{Loblolly Lane}

{The Sewing Blonde}

Check out this amazing dress from The Sewing Blonde! Fantastically beautiful! She created this fab dress using the Analise pattern from Portabellopixie. Her daughter wore this number for her first day of school - talk about a grand dress for a grand occasion! Isn't it striking? You can read all about her sewing adventure of creating this dress on her blog here.

{The Sewing Blonde}
The photo of the back of this dress makes me swoon! Such beautiful and hard work went into this beauty!

{The Sewing Blonde}

She also created this cute hair accessory out of one of the flowers from Glam Garden as well. Great idea, don't you think?

{The Thrifty Quilter}

Meghan over at the Thrifty Quilter blog, made this absolutely STUNNING hexagon quilt out of Glam Garden! I love how she mixed in the bright solids with the prints!! You can tell a lot of hard work and love went into this project. SO fun!

{The Thrifty Quilter}

{Sophie & Lili}

Jennifer Vallez over at Sophie & Lili sent me this photo of the absolutely fabulous dolls they make - and this one has Glam Garden decorating the back! LOVE! Aren't these dolls cute?

{The Organized Shopper}

This Original Hands-free List Maker / Coupon Organizer is made by The Organized Shopper who makes these great designer coupon organizers and sells them on Etsy. I heart organization, you?? What a great idea! I love the labeled tabs inside.

{The Organized Shopper}

Whew! What a round-up of beautiful things! Thanks so much to everyone who sent me pictures of your fabulous projects, and thank you so much for using Glam Garden! I really appreciate it!

Glam Garden Discoveries

{Created by Melissa from Punkin Threads}

I wanted to share with you today some fun projects that I've stumbled across on the web, of talented creatives using my Glam Garden fabric collection to make wondrous things! Such a joy and inspiration to see.

Melissa from Punkin Threads put together a hip and girly birthday party for her one year old daughter Melody using Glam Garden fabrics for the decorations! I absolutely love her creativity and how she put it all together. Isn't it FAB?!


The ambitious Mama Mel has created 9 quilts already this year! And lucky me, Glam Garden was one of the fabric collections she chose to use : ) {Thanks Mel!} Isn't this quilt fabulous??! I LOVE the modern simplicity of the back design too!





Spotted this cute dress over at Bee and Me made out of my {favorite!} Glam Garden print! Comes in sizes 0-4 for the little cuties. LOVE!


Found this beauty on Flickr, made by SewFunByMonique! I heart!

Fun things, yes? I love seeing what you are all up to! Send me pics if you are using Glam Garden for a project, and I'd love to post it!