Look what I did!

I made this on Smilebox. I never tried this before. It is so cute. Of course I am just using the free program and have not signed up for the monthly fee deal where you get to burn DVD's etc. I thought this was cute!

This scrapbook design created with Smilebox

Where Have I Been?

I haven't posted anything crafty lately because I haven't had any time to do anything crafty! May has been a whirlwind of activity! Besides being a very busy time at school with all of the end of the year activities, my son graduated from college! My DH and I spent 5 days last week/weekend, driving to St. Louis, watching two ceremonies (they have a school recognition ceremony and then the whole university thing), then packed and loaded up his apt., drove to East Lansing, Michigan, unloaded and moved him in to his new apt. where he will be living while he attends graduate school at Michigan State University. Needless to say, I am beat!!! We then had to return home and return to work! UGH!!! But he is settled and starts his work in the research lab on Tuesday and my house is once again quiet!!!
Believe it or not, I am so looking forward to having some quiet and alone time!!! I am getting too old to keep up with the likes of twenty somethings!!!
Below is a picture of the group at the recognition ceremony. We got lucky and sat very close to where Stephen was seated! He is smack dab in the middle of this picture!

This is a picture of the athletic center filled to capacity! It was very crowded. Glad we got there early!

The pictures below are of the university graduation. These are pictures of the quadrangle where the ceremony took place. Just to give you an idea of what the size was.

The picture below is the guest speaker at the graduation, Elie Weisel! I was absolutely thrilled to find out that he was the speaker. I have read many of his books and study the Holocaust. I am a trained teacher of the Holocaust and study it with my class each year. They were thrilled to learn that I got to see and hear Elie Weisel in person.

Here are the proud Mom and Dad with the graduate! We are so very proud of his accomplishments!

And finally, we make it to Michigan. The apt. isn't too far from campus. About a mile from the building where he will work. He bought a bike to use until the weather gets too yucky! Being a grad student, he gets a parking permit and the lot where he gets to park is right in front of his building! Lucky dog!!!

In The Army

Just going through the army photos on their facebook page and actually found two with my son in them. This first photo looks like they just got out of a gas mask exercise. My son is the one on the far right.

This next picture I cropped. Again, he is on the far right taking notes!

So good to see that he is doing ok! Miss him!

Way overdue!

I feel terrible that I have not posted in a long time and I have not thanked several people for their wonderful gifts.
First of all, I would like to thank Nicole and Beadwright for the beautiful red earrings that she sent me for my Pay It Forward gift. They are lovely and I have already worn them several times.

.

Next, I would like to thank Lani Kent for the gorgeous cards and bookmarks and the beautiful magnet. Also, for her very kind words. She is an amazing artist and a lovely person.

Finally, I would like to thank my sister, who sticks by me and listens to all my troubles without complaining. She keeps sending me all these great gifts. The latest is this lovely fabric. I know I have a book on the way too. She is an amazing sister and I love her very much. I wish we lived closer and could see each other more often. Perhaps either her or I will win the lottery and that will become a reality!!!

My life has kept me busy. At school, my class was responsible for putting on the Passion Play this past Thursday. It took lots of practice and much of my time and energy! It came off without a hitch and I was extremely proud of my students. I am a tough teacher, always demanding excellence, and they rose to the occasion! Pizza party for their accomplishment!!!

Finally, my oldest son just left for the Army this past week. We haven't heard from him but did receive a "form" postcard from him today. Basically it said that he was fine and don't write, he'll send more info. later. At least it is good to know he is ok. These are some pictures of him right before he left.

Chuck with his younger brother, Stephen.

Chuck with his dad.

Finally, Chuck with me!

More gifts in the mail!

I just received my final OWOH gift from Sabine at http://bibas.krimskrams.blogspot.com
It is a beautiful handmade card and a lovely journal. Thanks so much Sabine. Please visit her blog to see her lovely work.

I also received a lovely fairie gift from Judy over at http://once we werefairies.blogspot.com for her Pay It Forward gift. I love the box as much as the little bag. Please check out her blog to see her fantastic fairie designs.

And this is what I have been working on. It is my first beading project, I think I should have started smaller, but I really wanted to make the lizard. I have no idea what I will do with him when I am done but I am enjoying the process. I have to say though, that I need a magnifying light. Those seed beads are really hard to see, especially at night!

Pay It Forward!

I just read about this on Purplepaintsmuse blog. It is a way to spread a little kindness in this world. Basically, this is how it works. The first 5 people to leave a comment and email me with their snail mail address will receive a special package from me sometime during 2011. This is my way of saying thank you for visiting my blog.
Now your challenge is to continue to spread the kindness. See if you can do 5 nice things for someone in 2011. It doesn't have to cost money. It can be a kind word to someone who is feeling low or an hour of your time at a soup kitchen. There are so many ways to spread kindness.
Email me and let me know what you have done and I will post it on my blog anonymously. Won't you join in and spread a little kindness in your world?
If you'd like to read more about it you can go to
http://purplepaintsmuse.blogspot.com/
and
http:ragamuffingalsstudio.blogspot.com/

If anyone knows how I make those blog addresses actual links, please help me. I have clicked on every button I know and even clicked the link button and typed it in like I was supposed to but then it wouldn't even show on the post. HELP!!!

More Goodies!

I just feel like I am celebrating my birthday all month!!!
Look what I got from ChatElaine. I won this on her website! She made it just for me. Aren't I lucky!!!!
She has two etsy stores if you'd like to check out all her goodies! They are beautiful!
www.ChatElaineGlassArt.etsy.com
www.chatelainejewellery.etsy.com



I received these beadbacking fabrics and the beautiful cabochon from Nicole at Beadwright. I had entered a blogaversary giveaway at Pieces of Fate and Susan picked me!! What was really funny was that Nicole over at Beadwright was the big winner of my OWOH giveaway!!



And finally, my wonderful Big Sister in England sent me some of her leftover fabric. She has decided to give weaving a try so is getting rid of her fabric stash! And I am the lucky recipient!!



This is a close-up of one of the fabrics. Don't you just love the butterfly's!!


Thank you to everyone!!!

Miffed!

Have you ever felt violated? It is an awful feeling. When someone lurks around but doesn't make their presence known. When you don't share a private part of your life but they invade it anyway but don't come out and tell you, rather they sneak around and then make an off the cuff remark that makes you realize they have been lurking in areas of your life that you hadn't shared with them.
If it was an accident that they stumbled upon this area of your life that you hadn't shared with them, then why wouldn't they comment about it? Why make an off the cuff remark so that you would know they have invaded your space but they don't come out and just say it? Oh, it makes me so angry.

Seriously, Who Puts Gluten in Shampoo!!!

Ok, this is seriously crazy! I went to get my hair cut and I decided to try a different salon and stylist just because. So as I am there, I notice that she was using a product on me that I had never seen before. (trust me, I have seen and tried them all!) So I asked her about it. She was telling me about all it's qualities and how there are only 2 salons in Illinois now carrying it because it is so new. They are using it because some of their clients have gluten sensitivities and this is gluten free. WHAT! I have spent the last year trying every shampoo, cheap, expensive, foreign, organic, etc on the market because my head has been itching like crazy and I have had this rash behind my ears and along my hairline. Yeah, come to find out it is because of the gluten in the products I have been using. Who the hell puts gluten in shampoo??????????
This is the first time in a year or more that my head does not itch. No wonder I couldn't get rid of the rash. I'd put cortisone cream on it like they told me and it would go away for a day or two and then be right back. So, this is the big test. My head doesn't itch and I'll see if the rash goes away and stays away. Of course this stuff costs millions, just like everything else I have to buy. Man, somebody is making a fortune out of others misery!!!
So, now don't you feel educated???? Geez, now I have to go check my lotion and makeup to make sure I am not inadvertently getting it there. I am not totally ok in the intestine dept and am now in awful shape, so I am thinking I might be getting gluten from non food sources.
I just ought to go live on a deserted island somewhere away from everyone and everything and just commune with nature!!!
My luck there will be wheat fields everywhere!!!!!!!!!!!! UGH!!
Oh, the brand of the shampoo is Neuma. This is what they state:

NEUMA brings beauty, health and well-being to hair. Our collection of professional performance beauty products contain ingredients which above all, do no harm - because like you, we care for earth and hair.
ZERO synthetic fragrance, sulfates, parabens, 1.4 dioxane, phtalates, glutens, neurotoxins, aluminum compuonds, glycols, formaldehyde donors, ureas, carcinogens and environmental pollutants - simply a genuine, sustainable brand.
Renewable, beneficial, plant-based, colour safe ingredients
Certified Organic Extracts
85% post consumer recycled bottles
100% certified wind power
100% recycled fiber containers

Organic raw materials, sustainable business practices and continuing membership as a global corporate citizen will make the difference in the long run. It's the right thing to do.

Yeah, so who would figure that I have been so religious about not ingesting any gluten yet here I have been putting it on my head every day. Don't you think somebody would have suggested to me that there may be gluten in shampoo??? UGH!!

Prizes in the mail

I have received 2 of my prizes from the OWOH blog event. I am so excited about them. I absolutely love the painted picture from Kathy Art over at http://whimsicalfolkart.blogspot.com. She is so very talented. If you get a chance, please hop over to her blog to see all of her fantastic work.

I also received a package of goodies from Lisa Cousineau at http://randomveracity.blogspot.com. Can you believe all the goodies she gave away for her prize. I am just so excited about all of them. I really want to get into mixed media and now I have some supplies to work with. Thank you so much Lisa.




Both of these things have arrived right before my birthday so it is kind of like they are celebrating with me. Thanks ladies!!

Life has dealt me some major blows recently, so these presents have been such a boost to my spirits. Thanks so much!

OWOH Winners!

Congratulations to the following winners of my giveaway.

Nicole at Beadwright won the owl pillow!
Carolyn at lildarlings by carolyn won the bag and
vintage wil won the collage.
I have emailed all of you or if there was no email, I posted a comment on your blog. Please make sure you contact me with your mailing address.
Thanks!

The End is Near!!

Did I get your attention? Well, I don't mean the end of the world, I mean the end of the One World One Heart event. I have had fun visiting the blogs. I have made some new friends along the way and have been inspired by many.
It was so nice to read all the comments that I received. Last year I don't think I even got 50 comments, but this year I have well over 100. I might even make 200 before this ends but I doubt it!!
I can't wait to see what Lisa is going to announce. I know she said this was her last year for the OWOH event, but perhaps she is starting another type of event!!!

I will be drawing my winners by random generator on the evening of the 17th. I will post your name on my blog and I will email you if you left me an email address. If the winners do not respond to me with addresses within 3 days, I will pick new winners.

Stay tuned!!

One World One Heart 2011

Event Begins at Midnight on January 30th Pacific time!

Hi! Welcome to my blog. My name is Kathy and I enjoy sewing and making quilts. I do this in my spare time, which during the school year isn't very often, since I am also a teacher. I am also interested in mixed media and I love looking at other people's blogs to see how creative they are. I incorporate lots of hands on activities in my classroom so I love to get new ideas from the blogs I visit.
The One World One Heart event is in its 5th and final year. I found this event last year and had a blast visiting everyone's blogs. There are many that I now follow.
This event is open to everyone around the world so it is a great way to meet lots of fun and creative people. If you would like to know more about the organizer of this event or if you want to jump in and join the fun, just click on the OWOH logo below.



I am really glad that you stopped by for a visit. My door prizes this year are a cute owl pillow,



a tote bag,



and a mixed media collage



Just leave a comment and you have a chance to win one of these!
I hope you come back to visit often. I know my posts can be dull at times, but I'd love to meet more people.
Thanks for stopping by.

BLIZZARD of 2011

Boy, have we gotten slammed with a storm! You know how weather forecasters can be. You hear about an approaching storm and you just kind of listen with one ear. Well, they got this one right!!!
It kicked into high gear about 2:00 p.m. yesterday. I had to drive home to work as the winds picked up, drifts covered the roads and in some places I had zero visibility! It was a harrowing ride. I was delighted to see my driveway come into view!! Winds were blowing at 25 to 50 mph. We lost power around 10:30 last night but somehow we got it restored around 3 a.m. It got a bit chilly in the house but nothing a few more blankets couldn't take care of!!
We can only see out of 2 of our windows, the others are all covered with snow. Drifts in our yard and drive are 5 to 6 feet deep. My husband and son went out last night to try to stay ahead of the snow, let's just say they lost that battle!!!
Both are still sleeping this morning but will be back at it a bit later. Hopefully the winds will die down a bit and the snow stop! It will take them hours to dig us out!! When they go out again I will have them snap some pictures for me!
Our county has declared a civil emergency so no one is allowed on the roads without a police escort. Right, like people want to go out in this!!! Depending on the winds and how long it snows, I might have another snow day tomorrow!!! The downer to this is that we have to make them up in June!!!!
So for today, I will be spending quality time in my sewing room, reacquainting myself with my trusty sewing machine!!! These days are truly gifts!!!

No Time!!!

Oh, will this month ever end??? I don't have any time for sewing this month. School is crazy! We have science fair and open house coming up and I am the science fair coordinator so it is up to me to find all the judges, have all the paperwork ready, make sure I have someone to take care of the judges, provide treats for the judges, etc. On top of that, I have my own class to prepare not only for the science fair but their other projects that need to be out for open house. This is a huge marketing time for us so it is important to have everything looking fabulous. Plus, I am on the marketing committee so I have to make sure flyers get out to the places they need to be. And on top of all this, I am now part of the OCS Social Studies curriculum group and we are rewriting the social studies curriculum using core standards. Not just for my school, this is for the whole archdiocese of Chicago. Yeah, I am tired just thinking about it all!!
Now add to all this the fact that our ejector pump failed in our lower level and we got sewage back up. Now we have to have parts of walls replaced, trim replaced, flooring replaced, etc. The room looks like a disaster area right now!! The clean up is done, but the repair work hasn't even begun. We are just gathering estimates. UGH!!
I would rather be trying to decide what kind of fabric to use to make my next quilt, or work on making a new bag. But no time for that right now!!

Lizard on Felt

I actually finished this felt quilt last weekend but I didn't get a chance to take a picture and get it up here till now. I like the way it looks and feels and i think I will be doing more with felt and wool.
You can see the quilting I did on the purple back. I like how the lizard stands out on his own.





Today I completed a tote bag for my principal. She liked the Los Santos print that I used for a bag that I gave the secretary for her birthday present and asked if she could have one too. I had enough scraps left so I sewed that up today. I didn't take a picture of it but it looks like this one.



Of course, my post wouldn't be complete without a picture of my "helper." Or should I say "supervisor." Yeah, he's sleeping on the job!!!

Back to Work!

I have piddling around with a lizard wallhanging that I wanted to try on felt, but I am not happy with my color selections. They are definitely not bright enough. I am not sure if I will continue on with this or abandon it and move on to something else. Since school has started it is hard to sew during the week. I am so tired when I get home that I don't really do much. I have all my lesson plans done for next week already, so I am hoping to do some sewing this weekend. Perhaps I'll have some interesting things to show.
My newly opened etsy site has gotten traffic but no sales yet. Hmmm...
I also received in the mail a new book I ordered. This book, The Bag Making Bible, is supposed to be awesome if you are interested in making bags. I'll let you know how it works out!