Teri's Treasures

Lemon Twist on the Front Page!

2009-05-31T15:24:00.004-04:00

My Lemon Twist Kitchen Towel Set were on the Front Page of Etsy on May 30 at 8am till 9am! This was exciting... I received 24 hearts on the towels, 14 new shop hearts and even hearts on other items in my shop! Here is the treasury itself. On sale in shop for $14 plus shipping, however, today till June 5th I am having a "Going to Michigan Sale" which is Free Shipping! I decided to have this sale because when I go home to Michigan for summer, in order to not have to close my shop, I bring all my items with me in my trunk, which barely leaves room for our suitcases, sewing machine and materials! So, I am trying to decrease my shop items! Get the deal while you can! This includes shipping to Canada and Internationally.

Reusable On the Go Collection

2009-05-11T05:45:00.007-04:00

Save the Earth one baggy at a time! Critics of the plastic baggy say they use up natural resources, consume energy to manufacture, create litter, choke marine life and add to landfill waste.

With the being said, I decided to jump on the band wagon and make some reusable items to help cut the waste of plastic baggies and add fun to eating anything from your Starbucks coffee to your child's snacks. Here are my newest items, now posted in the Reusable On the Go section of my shop.

Here you can see a reusable sandwich wrap. How this wrap works is alot like when you stop by McDonald's and they have the cheeseburgers wrapped in the paper... this is the same concept. The difference with this is 1) its reusable. 2) it is 12 inches squared to fit any size sandwich. From a classic PB&J to a Scooby and Shaggy size sandwich, either way, the wrap will always fit. 3) It comes with a Velcro strip to keep the sandwich secure and will not open until you are ready to eat it. To clean, you can either throw it in the washing machine OR you can just hand wipe the inside nylon clean, lay flat to dry. The price for this item is $7.50 plus shipping and have a small selection in the shop.

These are my best sellers! The Reusable On the Go Snack Bags! The perfect size for little hands to a dieter using portion control. This Snack Bag measures 4 inches by 5.5 inches. The reviews I have gotten on these bags is that the best feature is the Velcro from side to side, making sure the snacks do not fall out. I use a strong Velcro so your little one's may need help opening it however, you can know that the snack will not be broken into unless you opened it yourself! To clean, you can throw these in the washing machine or you can flip it inside out and hand wipe it clean, lay flat to dry. There is a larger selection of Snack Bags in the shop, each is priced at $5 a snack bag plus shipping.

The On the Go Cozy. This is perfect for the avid Starbucks goer or a Smoothie-holic. This cozy will replace the cardboard cozy that is wrapped around your cup for each purchase. Tell them to hold the cozy, you have your own. Drink in style with these selections of cozy's in the shop. Some of the cozies have pockets and some dont, yet each equally adorable! Prices vary from $7.50 to $8.50 per cozy plus shipping.

Thank you for learning about my Reusable On the Go Collection, if you would like a custom order done, please let me know and we can get something set up!

A Egg-cellent Hunt!

2009-04-12T10:47:00.008-04:00

Here at Fort Jackson, the MWR put a great event together called the Spring Jamboree and Egg Hunt. My plans were to get them there to really enjoy their time away from the house, soaking up the sun and some fun things for the season. I attempted to go at 9am, which is when it started but couldnt find the place. I had to go home, look up mapquest and find the actual directions. So at around 11:30am, I found it and the Egg Hunt was starting within a few minutes! It was tons of fun, well organized and planned out. Now only if parents would make their children follow the rules, it would have been totally perfect, haha but we couldnt have been THAT lucky right?!?!! Here are some fun photos of my girls during the hunt!

Good and Faithful Friend

2009-04-05T09:52:00.003-04:00

My Buddy, my protector and my heart... a hard loss for this family! May you be running through fields of endless flowers and waiting at the gates when I get there. You have been so loyal, even beyond your problems and issues, you literally have been by my side through the good times and bad. I could not have asked for a better friend. I love you my handsome Buddy!

I made it to the FRONT PAGE!!!!

2009-03-06T06:39:00.004-05:00

I am so excited to share that I was featured on the Front Page of Etsy on Wednesday! It was a very exciting time for me! My views and hearts sky rocketed through the roof! As of late, I seem to have many good things going on with my shop on Etsy with tons of exposure and I feel extremely blessed for it! This is the feature that you would have seen on March 4th which you can see my Summer Romance Tablerunner!

This tablerunner has also been featured in the Etsy Gift Guides, A Cozy Home. The Gift Guides is a group of items hand picked by Etsy Admin. The items are categorized into different sections, if the buyer is looking for a gift to buy OR something for themselves, they can see a small group of items that have stood out to the Etsy people. I have 32 hearts on this tablerunner thanks to the front page and gift guide exposure!
The Summer Romance Tablerunner is currently up for sale at Teri's Treasure (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5540402) for $42. I am currently running a St Patty's Day Sale that has free shipping to the United States and Canada! Dont miss out, the sale ended March 18th!

Etsy's St. Patrick's Day Poll

2009-03-05T06:10:00.004-05:00

I am so excited to announce that these Pot Holders, the Luck of the Irish Pot Holder Set has been selected to be voted on, featured on Etsy's St. Patrick's Day Poll! I must be a Lucky Irish gal to have gotten chose! What an honor to have my item grace the poll along with some amazing St. Patrick's Day items! To vote or just check out the item, click on the following link: http://www.etsy.com/voter_list.php?ref=voter&room_id=34 . You must have an Etsy account in order to vote so register with Etsy and vote for me! haha

St. Patrick's Day Collection

2009-03-01T09:45:00.007-05:00

Since St. Patrick's Day is right around the corner, I wanted to make a few items to celebrate the day. I know many people do not celebrate it but I have always found it an extremely fun holiday! Since my husband is a Proud Irishman, I have been shown the pride of the Irish and what it truly means to them, so here is my dedicated items to the Lucky Irish!

Perfect for serving that Corned Beef and Cabbage!
Luck of the Irish Pot Holder Set: $14 + shipping.

Dont let that cold green beer sweat on your table! Soak it up with the coasters!
Kiss my Shamrock Coaster Set: $10 + shipping.

Have some special Irish Soda Bread or a gift for a special Leprechaun? These gift tags would be the perfect touch to make it extra special!

Lucky Irish Gift Tag Set: $5 + shipping

What do I have on my table?!?!

2009-02-17T06:49:00.003-05:00

I thought it would be fun to show off the items I have personally on my table. Have you ever wondered if a maid's house is always clean?!?! Well this is sort of the same thing. What does Teri's Treasure have on her table? This is a special table topper that was maid by 3 hands last summer. My mother hand pieced the block with Lily of the Valley fabric, my sister pieced the boarders and I quilted it down and finished it with the binding. All 3 of us have a topper/wall hanging but using different fabric. It is a cherished piece to me! I recommend that everyone hand wash their table runners, toppers and mats to prolong the live of the product. This bunching and such is what happens if you machine wash it! :) But I love it either way!

Snail Mail

2009-02-11T05:01:00.007-05:00

This was a extremely fun new project I have come up with! Something different then quilting big projects like runners or toppers and these projects let your creativity flow! I have always said that my strongest technique has been appliques. Well these fabric post cards are a small way to show this off. Fun and small yet packed with a huge punch of love! Make someone's day by sending a handmade fabric post card the old fashioned way!

These fabric post cards can be shipped like any other post card yet they must be stamped with a regular stamp, not postcard stamp. I brought them to my local postal office and had them see if they can be sent like a normal post card and it passed all the tests! :) These postcards if bought from my shop also come with a envelope for sending to preserve the face of them. Even though they are regualtion size post cards (measuring 4.5 X 6.5 inches) they are heavier causing them to need extra postage then the typical post card. When these items are being shipped, they go through a big machine and c

an be damaged with black skid marks, so I enclose an envelope for the option of sending it regular. The backside of these cards have a heavy duty cardstock for writing you message and have been handstamped to devide the place for the stamp and address to the recipient.

Id love to hear what you think of my new addition to my shop! A nice selection of post cards have been posted to my Etsy shop (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5540402&section_id=5785474) Sold at a universal price of $7.50 and come with free shipping to the continental united states at this time!

Happy Birthday Kaelin!

2009-02-07T09:14:00.006-05:00

Today is Kaelin's 4th birthday! I can not believe how time flies! It seems like she was just born, watching her crawl, holding her hand while she walked and now, she is in preschool and a super smart cookie! Awwww my baby is growing up... boohoo makes me wanna cry! Happy Birthday Kaelin! We love you and you make us so proud!

Kaelin's first day of preschool! She was so excited and wow, is she a big girl!

Valentine Collection

2009-02-02T07:02:00.009-05:00

Here are a few items from Teri's Treasure on Esty and on 1000markets. All items are handmade with love which Valentine's Day is the day of L-O-V-E... right?!?! Anyways, the items featured here are from home decor to gift giving...

A delightful On-the-Go Cozy, featured on 1000markets for $10 + shipping.

Valentine Candy Confections Gift Tag Set, a set of 5 for $5 + shipping. Sold on both shops.

Hearts for your Sweety Gift Tag Set, set of 5 for $5 plus shipping. Sold on both shops.

Always in my Heart Pot Holder Set, sold on 1000K for $14 + shipping.

School Girl Doodles Pot Holder Set, $14 plus shipping. Sold only on Etsy.

Love is in the Air Tablerunner, one of a kind, no pattern used... 100% creativity straight from my head! Sold exclusively on Etsy for $37 + shipping.

Love is in the Air Pot Holder Set, coordinated with the Love is in the Air Tablerunner. This Pot Holder Set is $14 + shipping and is sold only on Etsy.

My attempts at oval placemats.

2009-01-30T11:29:00.008-05:00

I had a special request for 4 oval place mats that are 11 inches by 17 inches long. Doesn't sound to difficult right?!?! Well guess again, when quilting a item other then square, this can be very challenging. The problem is, it is very hard to make have an item lay perfectly flat. I started my first place mat last Friday with many problems. I had to figure out the best way to quilt these down and what will make them not bubble up. After the 5th one, I think I got the hang out it and what to do, what not to do and what are the proper techniques for them to work. Now I will say, they are not perfect, the closed area isn't perfect and they do not lay perfectly flat. This will be my one and only attempt at these. I would totally put them on my table though! I did not quilt them because the more quilting, the more bubbling... so I had to go with a double secure stitch at the seams. So these are 5 selected out of 10 I have made. Want to talk about a learning process, these sure were a lesson for me! haha

Item Feature.

2009-01-30T08:04:00.004-05:00

I am excited to share that I have been featured in a blog called : Why I heart (with the shape) Handmade! The Hazelnut Mini Pot Holder Set has been the featured product! It makes my day to know that my item has stood out to someone and wanted to share it with their followers! To see the blog, you can click the link to see the feature: http://whyihearthomemade.blogspot.com/2009/01/home-is-where-heart-is-housewarming.html

The Coffee Collection

2009-01-23T15:38:00.007-05:00

I have started a Coffee Collection and wanted to share these new items with my followers. I have them separated on my Etsy shop and my 1000Markets shop. They are all one universal price as $10.50 a set. They are a mini version of my signature Pot Holder Sets (8x10) measuring at 7 inches by 8 inches. These minis cover your hand perfectly and would be super cute hanging on your wall as well! Comes with a convenient loop for hanging!

The official Teri's Treasure Logo!

2009-01-09T21:02:00.004-05:00

I now have an official logo! This is so exciting to me and I wanted to share it with the world! I bought my logo from my tag maker since she designed it. Mary is very talented and is my exclusive tag maker, I decided that I wanted to make this logo my official logo and now have stamps and new business cards being made... so everyone will know, this is mine! No matter where I sell my products, everyone will know, the item is a Teri's Treasure item! Its simple yet modern, it is me! If you would like to see what Mary can do for you, you can contact her at her Etsy shop at: http://www.mommiemadeit.etsy.com/ .

Branching out yet again.

2009-01-08T09:07:00.003-05:00

As part of my New Year's resolution, one of things I decided was to focus on my items being promoting or starting some new shops on some new artisan markets. The ladies of the Homefront Team were starting some new shops on a site called 1000Markets (http://www.1000markets.com/) and so I checked it out. It is a lot like Etsy however, it is juried to be allowed to have a shop there and it is ran through Amazon.com. They have not totally went live yet but I find that as a asset. We can work hard on our shops, adding new items and such and when it goes live to the general public, I will already be established. It is a beautiful site and its exciting to be excepted to join 1000Markets. If you would like to check out my shop, click the icon and tell me what you think. I do sell a few different items on this site then I do on Etsy. I found coffee cozies as a fun sewing project, so I have posted them up there.

Gift Tags, a Seasonal Item.

2008-12-04T07:22:00.000-05:00

These are such a fun project to do! It fast and exciting since you get instant gratification of the finished project! I just started messing around seeing what I could make, found some felt, card stock and was looking at my Christmas fabric and figured what the heck, and tried it! I was so pleased with the turn out, I decided to post them to Hyenacart (http://hyenacart.com/onestore.php?vid=2534&category=9) within the first day, I already sold 1! That was pretty exciting to me. I showed my Homefront Ladies what I had come up with and with their encouragement, I posted them to Etsy. Within the first few hours, a sold another pack as well!

These items are for gift giving, I made them to be tags for presents or cookie tins. Having the card stock on the back allows you to write your "to and from's" or a nice message. The other thing about them is that its a gift that keeps on giving, they can also be used for ornaments on the tree! So every year, your tags can be reread by the recipient of your message, whether it be a word of encouragement or of love, it will bring back your kind heart every year!

Each gift tag design is different in size, some over 3 inches others as small as 2. They are machine sewn with a nice blanket stitch using silver metallic thread, to really make them "pop". I am excited to see how these items do... I have already had tons of feedback, so that makes them even more enjoyable to make!

My First Front Page on Etsy!

2008-11-29T11:26:00.001-05:00

Homemade Zen (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5687712) kindly convoed me to let me know, I had an item featured on the Front Page on Etsy! I couldnt have been more excited! The item views went from 89 to 336 in 30 minutes! It was amazing... I received 12 new shop hearts and 28 new item shop hearts on various items in the shop. Etsy FP's are amazing and such a feeling of accomplishment!

Black Friday Happenings at Teri's Treasure.

2008-11-29T11:19:00.000-05:00

At Teri's Treasure's, there will be a Black Friday sale through December 5th. The sale will include free Domestic Shipping and discounted international shipping. A purchase from both of the shops will also come with a free gift! :)

Teri's Treasure on Etsy:

http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5540402

Teri's Treasure on Hyenacart:

http://hyenacart.com/onestore.php?vid=2534&category=9

The shop also won a spot on a well known blog called Barefoot Mommy, it was a special on Black Friday Sales, here is the feature:

http://blackfridayonetsy.webs.com/teristreasures.htm

You will be missed.

2008-11-14T08:40:00.000-05:00

Thank you Grandpa Keys for the life you have lived and for touching our lives along the way. May you rest in peace and keep an eye on my husband from above! :) We love you.

New Christmas Fabrics

2008-11-07T18:08:00.001-05:00

Here is my newest fabric, which I bought today! This was quite the event going with Kaelin but I eventually got these fabrics. Because of the time change, its already dark so the lighting is bad, the colors are multi shades of reds, greens, blues, creams, whites, gold and silver etching, the designs are stripes, polka dots, paisleys, old time Christmas ornaments and snowflakes. I just couldn't hold back my excitement to share the new fabrics I bought for new tablerunners, pot holders, kitchen towels, coasters, grabby guard sets, casserole grabby guards and fridge decor. I was thinking of making something totally new for my shop as well, but we will have to wait and see!

My little invention... Casserole Grabby Guards.

2008-11-06T08:28:00.000-05:00

These are exclusive items sold only at my shop on Hyena and in my shop on Etsy. This is a special item since I came up with this product after trying to come up with an item that is not only an accessory for your kitchen but a "cant live without" item as well. This item has 2 different purposes. It one is a set of oven mitts attached by fabric, they are great for pulling out those hot casseroles, dutch ovens and even turkey roasters. The attaching fabric helps protect your forearms and stomach, places that hot plate might touch your skin. The other purpose is that it is a large hot pad for your precious kitchen table. I love to cook, especially large hearty meals that usually involve large cooking pots and such, but I like to serve my food buffet style. This item is perfect for that! I have personally made myself 1 and used if for awhile now! I have put it through every test and it has passed with flying colors. This item is machine washable and becomes more pliable per wash yet does not take from the protection this item promises to give.

The Casserole Grabby Guard is constructed of a cotton fabric, a layer of insul bright thermal protecting batting, a layer of 100% cotton batting and another layer of cotton fabric, the hand pockets are constructed the same way. Machined binded with a double stitch for high durability. Measure 22inches long by 9 inches wide.

This item was intended for Casseroles but came to realise that fit even large cooking pieces, such as a Turkey Roaster, perfect for Thanksgiving! This is a item that makes life in the kitchen so much easier!

The Homefront Gift Giving Guide Trunk Show!

2008-11-04T09:12:00.000-05:00

You are invited to join the Homefront Team on Wednesday, November 5th at 7pm EST in the Virtual Labs on Etsy.com. We will be hosting a Gift Giving Guide for those hard to buy for family members, friends, co-workers.... we will also be having 10 giveaway items totally free! We will even pay shipping, so you have 10 shots to win a totally free item! We will also be having promos so that you can save money when buying some Christmas presents, just for attending! I will be the M.C. for the night and their will be 14 shops featured at the trunk show! Let us help you find the perfect handmade gift for those hard to buy for people in your life!

I VOTED!

2008-10-31T00:21:00.000-04:00

It is official, I voted for the first time in my life. I have followed this election from the very beginning and know pretty much everything that has ever been put out there to know about our two canidates. I debated opening up my thoughts and beliefs of the elections on my blog but when I came past this video, I had to share it. Its plain, simple and to the point but its exactly how I feel about the war in Iraq. This man of all people should be heard.

New Product Tags!

2008-10-27T07:01:00.000-04:00

Can I just say, I am in LOVE with my new product tags by MommieMadeIt (http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5588838). She did the total design PLUS the actual making of the tags! I couldn't have been more happier with this product and design. As you can see, my tag is a half fold tag, the design is a skeleton key, upright with modern font, saying Teri's Treasure. I was debating back and forth about what color to make the tags.. she gave me 3 options and I decided pink. The actual tag is high quality and so thick, I had to use a sewing machine to hold it on there, I broke a Hand Sewing Needle trying to do it by hand... haha! I am so highly pleased! If you are looking for a great design and quality Custom Product Tags.. MommieMadeIt is the Etsy Shop to hit up!

Homefront Team Winter Theme Challenge

2008-10-21T19:39:00.000-04:00

Homefront Street Team is having a Winter Theme Challenge! Come cast your vote for your favorite item! To cast your vote, go to http://www.etsyhomefront.com/ , at the bottom of the post, you will see a comment link, click it and tell us what your favorite item is! It will be fun! :)

Country Girl down on the Farm!

2008-10-18T06:06:00.000-04:00

Can you believe it? She is already driving! My baby is growing up so fast! haha Okay, its only a play tractor but still! She was racing.... just herself but she was having a blast doing it! Thats my girl! :)

Family Fun on the Farm!

2008-10-17T07:46:00.000-04:00

Jason finally got a day off so we decided to make it a family day! I had ran across some info about a Corn Maze so I thought it would be a fun family day. We jumped in the car, drove about 45 minutes into the country and show up to this cute, light blue farm house. After following the signs, we showed up to the back of the farm where the maze was. It was called Maize Quest, http://www.cornmaze.com/mq_location.asp?ID=37 and they had small mazes, corn snake tunnel, animals, hay rides, small kiddy tractors to ride.... alot to do! The corn maze had 3 games you could play and it came with a map and all, we got a flag so incase we were lost, we could flag and scream and someone would help us out of there!

Another day the kiddos, Jason and I will remember, making family memories are so important!

Great Surprise- Polka Dot Pride! :)

2008-10-16T10:18:00.001-04:00

I have been featured in another blog for my Vintage Apron Pot Holder Set! How exciting! The blog is adorable as well, all things Polka Dots! Check it out and show me some love! http://onthedotcreations.typepad.com/onthedotcreations/

Other Polka Dot items in my shop are the Vintage Apron Grabby Guard Set, the Italian Chef Pot Holder and the Italian Chef Grabby Guard Set. Check out my shop to see them!

I've been featured!

2008-10-11T06:40:00.000-04:00

I just wanted to share that I have been picked to be featured in a blog! Its a small question and answer about me personally and how I run my business and things that make me stand out, like what is different about my shop then others! So here it is, http://www.1ahh.com/blog/ ! Go ahead, click and comment, show me some support!

Grand Opening... Today 3:00pm EST

2008-10-01T07:36:00.000-04:00

Today is the Grand Opening of America's Handmade Homefront shop on Hyena today at 3:00pm EST! I am extremely excited and curious of how well we will do. Emily, owner of http://www.ellabearbowtique.etsy.com/, was the one that found this shopping site and was the one that brainstormed having this congo together. Her and her husband set the whole site for us allowing us to just have to add our items to be sold. Thank you Emily and Mr. Emily for your time and making the site look amazing!

So, check our what we have for sale! Dont miss out on our exclusive items for sale at America's Handmade Homefront, supporting your small business Military Spouses!

http://hyenacart.com/AmericasHandmadeHomefront/

Branching Out

2008-09-27T07:59:00.001-04:00

A fellow Etsian, active Homefront Team Member and Michigander came to the team and asked if anyone would like to join her on branching outside of Etsy and starting a new shop together. I was hesitant for a second but was curious to find out what she was up to. I read her emails, checked out the site she was thinking of starting and then sat in a meeting to learn more about this proposition. As I was in the meeting learning about this new site, I realised that it might be a good idea to try something else to make more sales, whats the harm right?!?! More sales, money and getting my name out there was a good thing, just something new. I am not a person of change BUT you must take a risk in order to better yourself, so I was in on the plan! Emily has fully set up the site for us, with her husband by her side, it looks amazing! Thanks Emily (Ellabearbowtique)!

The site is called Hyena ( www.hyenacart.com ) , it is alot like Etsy just not so commercial but still is about Handmade items and supporting the small business, avid crafter or hobbyist and Stay at Home Mom's. I have been told it also has a large Military Spouse following, which is right up our alley since our Etsy Street Team is all Military Spouse members. In order to start this "congo" we needed 10 members to join, one to keep the costs down and two to have a good selection of items for people to see. A congo is like a mini mall... you click on the congo and it brings you to 10 small shops to buy from. Our Congo is called America's Handmade Homefront. We have a great selection of items, Ella-bear bowtique which makes hairbows and hair items ( www.ellabearbowtique.etsy.com ), An Army Wife Trends which sells Army and Western items ( www.armywifewyo.etsy.com ), Homemade Zen which sells Amigurumi Patterns and Softies, seriously, they are adorable ( www.homemadezen.etsy.com ), Maddie and Me which sells lil girls clothes ( www.1MaddieandMe.etsy.com ) and she also has Mommy's Little Helper, which sells soaps, bath salts, lotions, sprays, scrubs and more ( www.mommyslittlehelper.etsy.com ), May Rae Crochet N Nit which sells crochet costume purses, mini wallets, hats and scarves ( www.MayRaeCrochetnKnit.etsy.com ), Smokey Mountain Scents which sells the coolest candles! Her candles have a wooden wick which burns slower and also has the crackling sound of a fire, she is also pretty well known for her unique soaps ( www.smokeymountainscents.etsy.com ), Tuliptree Baby which sells are your handmade items for babies... minkey blankies, handmade shoes (yes SHOES!), washclothes, wetbags, and more ( www.tuliptreebaby.etsy.com ), a Homefront Etsy Outsider but also a Military Spouse, Love Abounds, I am told she makes toys and I even noticed she made pumpkin toffee (YUMMY!), and then my shop, Teri's Treasure ( www.teristreasure.etsy.com ) which I sell tablerunners, toppers, pot holders, grabby guards, fridge decor, quilts and wallhangings. I have decided my quilts will be doing exclusively in the Hyena store and keep only kitchen items and wallhangings on Etsy. So if you are looking for my quilts, check out the Hyena store to purchase them!

After all that being said, wish us luck on our new endeavored and check out America's Handmade Homefront!

http://hyenacart.com/AmericasHandmadeHomefront/

A Whole New Direction.

2008-09-18T14:04:00.001-04:00

Well, I have done alot of work on this dream of mine, about 7 months later, I have watched and noticed what sold the most. I have done alot of thinking and research as far as what I feel my shop can become with certain items I am good at making. A few weeks back, I realized that my shop is becoming more known for the Tablerunners and Toppers, then I added coasters, last week I added Pot Holders and Grabby Guards. It is more known for kitchen decor and accessories. I sat back and thought of other things that I may be able to do, new items I can get customers that may not have seen my items before. I thought, "THINK THINK THINK" and it came to me.... MAGNETS! I call them "Fridge Decor"... I had alot of different ideas, I debated in my head of what ones to do, I came up with these fabric magnets! I have others that is floating in my head, its all trial and error! If you would like to look at the selection I am selling, go to http://www.teristreasure.etsy.com/ !

Have you Forgotten?

2008-09-11T08:29:00.000-04:00

7 years ago today, the United States of America was attacked by terrorists. That day, my life forever has changed and so has the rest of the U.S. The thing that makes me so upset is that they have forgotten what happened, they forgot how we felt when we saw our people killed and how we would never again let this happen. 7 years later, people are angry our military is at war, guess what, its what everyone wanted, to be protected but years later, they forget the reason we are fighting, they forget about the horrible day on September 11th, 2001 when our "normal lives" have went up in smoke. That day forever changed my life.

Where was I on September 11th 2001? I was in Texas, actually just waking up and the phone rang, it was my Mother. She told me to get to a T.V. as soon as possible. I turned on CNN and she was telling me what was going on, a plane hit one of the World Trade Center towers... as I watched, I saw the next plane hit the second tower and slowly watched the tower and ashes come pouring down to the ground! I just watch and cried! I watched clouds of dust overtake the streets like a freak blizzard hitting New York. I watched people jumping from the towers in desperation. Alyssa was 2 years old then, not married and without family... I clung to Alyssa and just cried and cried. I stayed in the house for 5 days watching the news channels like we would see an end to this horror movie, but it still hasnt ended. I morned these American's I didnt know, I morned these children that were killed. I watched as Americans cried and waited to find their friends or coworkers, or family, but they were never recovered. It became time to realize that life goes on, no matter what happens, you need to move along and live your life. Mine however would never be the same. I asked myself how I could take this horrible "bad dream" and move on, I promised myself I would NEVER FORGET these people, the situation and teach my children. I vowed to become a better American.

Two years later, I met Jason, my husband, a Infantry Soldier in the U.S. Army, wow was that uniform HOT! What was so hot about it though, in it he is a hero, he fights for everyone of you! His JOB is to defend the United States, even the people that are ashamed to be an American, even the American's you see burning our flags, even the American that protests at the Court House or Post Office screaming at us because our soldier is in Iraq fighting for you and me. Guess what, my husband and every military service member give all those AMERICAN's the right to say those things, scream at us, to protest, and to burn our flag. From the Revolutionary War service members to the Iraqi Vets, their sacrifices have made this country what it is and what it continues to be today. Anyways, back to MY soldier.... I married him and felt so lucky to be a Military Spouse, it was my job as an American as well. In August 2005, I realized that not only is my husband a service member but so am I! I watched my soldier match away to war and realised what my job not entitles! All my fellow military spouses and I serve our country! I can hold my head up high and say I, along with our service members and their spouses, am changing our country every step of the way.

So Today, 7 years later, almost to the hour the first plane hit the first Twin Tower, I can say I still allow myself to watch these videos, I still cry like I was back in Texas, on the phone with my Mother and watching everything happen. It reminds me of what I promised myself and how I will NEVER FORGET.

Have you Forgotten?

When the sun comes up in South Carolina.

2008-09-11T05:39:00.000-04:00

Every Morning I wake up, get Alyssa's lunch made, breakfast wrapped and handed to her and out the door she goes! After that, I step outside, cup of coffee in hand, sit on my bench swing my amazing husband got for me and watch the sun come up. Every morning, I see my favorite thing in my back yard "wake up" with me! My vines! I have no clue what they are called but they are amazing. I know to trees and bushes they are a predator BUT to me, they are a sight to see and admire! Only in the mornings you will see these flowers in full bloom, as the bumble bees buzzing around getting their daily intake of pollen. As the air warms up and the sun gets hotter, the flowers close up and are almost unnoticeable. Since I check them out every morning, I get to marvel over how beautiful they really are. My girls will make "princess crowns" with them but since I told them it was enough, this vine is really overtaking my fence, which is great sense it saves me $500 for a privacy fence! haha As you can see in the first picture, the vine is growing up the trees and you can use my 3 year old as a size at how large these vines are really getting!

New Section Added to the Shop!

2008-09-09T06:50:00.000-04:00

For awhile, I have been wanting something different for my shop. I originally started Teri's Treasures selling only quilts and wallhangings and slowly started adding more. Now I specialize in table runners and table toppers, then added the coasters. I have slowly watched my shop transform into a anything quilted to thing more for the kitchen. It has been a long time coming but with encouragement from my Homefront Team (www.etsyhomefront.com) I am now changing the feel of the shop into all things for the kitchen. I will stick with my quilts though since I love to make them! The thing about selling quilt on Etsy is that they are hard to sell, a high priced item and people must have a lot of money to buy them. The lower priced items are what sell, so that is why I find myself searching for new items to make. I came up with the POT HOLDERS!

I did a lot of research on Etsy seeing what others have, what was very common and then what hasnt been thought of yet. I also went to Target, Martha Stewart's website, Walmart and checked out the average size of the pot holders so I could make them just a tad bit different as well. So I came up with these!

These pot holders measure 8x10 to fully cover your forearms for added protection. I decided to add a strap to the back so your hand can slip in it so it doesnt more to hold the pot holder in place, for another safeguard of protecting your hands. The other thing that was highly important was to buy Insul-bright, which is a needled insulated lining. It consists of hollow, polyester fibers needlepunched through Mylar. The hollow fibers resist conduction while the reflective Mylar resists radiant energy.

Without further ad do, I now present my Pot Holder's from Teri's Treasure's shop! www.teristreasure.etsy.com

How to make a Knitting Needle Case!

2008-08-26T09:51:00.000-04:00

My Mom's birthday is coming up and I ALWAYS make her something... well this year, I was out of ideas! She is covered in the tablerunner/topper area :) and while I was home this summer, my sister and I made a special wallhanging for her! My girls and I went to Hobby Lobby, NOTHING, then we went to WALMART, NOTHING then we went to JoAnn's Fabrics and I walked by the knitting area and remembered all my Mom's knitting needles but they werent organized and just laying everywhere in her craft closet. YUP YUP a Knitting Needle Case.. THATS IT! So I came home and thought of how I would make it and here is what I came up with!

You will need 3 fabrics:

an outside fabric (the light yellow)

the inside fabric (the green)

the ties AND the inside pockets (the blue)

NOW, the blue fabric is optional if you would like the pockets of the inside all to match. As for the ties, you DO NOT have to make your own, you can use ribbon or twine, anything that will tie together.

Cut the inside fabric leaving atleast 20 inches in length for pockets.

Cut the blue fabric the same width as the inside fabric, depending on how many pockets and how deep the pockets will be is how you will cut your fabric in length.

Cutting the outside fabric will be in a later step.

Give the inside and pocket fabric a good ironing, spray with heavy starch so that the fabric is nice and thick, which makes it easier to work with and holds your folds like a charm!

Play with the two fabrics making folds and determining how deep you want your pockets to hold the needles!

I folded the blue fabric into the pockets, placed it on the green fabric and made a small fold to cover up the blue fabric end.

Press and pin!

I had a total of 3 large pockets.

Now that the pockets are decided, I pinned the folds or "pockets" in place so they didnt move. Lay the fabric on a cutting mat and line the fabric up, take bias tape and measure and place every 2 inches totally up the top to make sure the lines you sew are straight and evenly spaced.
Sew along the lines (over only the folds) to make your pouches for the needles.
I now measured the total size of the inside and cut the outside fabric and quilters batting at the same dimensions. If you are making ties, cut it now. My next step was to make the ties. I cant disclose how I make my ties, it is a special technique my sister showed me and I can not pass along those tips! My sister would kill me (www.dashinglydiva.etsy.com) and I can not allow that!

Place the two fabrics right sides together and then the quilters batting.

Pin the fabrics together, making sure you pin the ties with a little piece sticking out of this "sandwich" we are making. Sew around the outside making sure to leave an opening so you can "birth" the case. Once the case it pulled through and everything looks good, sew up the small opening and do an outside stitch around the case to double secure the case.

You have now made yourself a Knitting Needle Case! Enjoy!

Remember, I didnt use special instructions, I just went with what my head told me... be creative, keep your mind open and go with your imagination! That is the best part!

And the Award goes too......

2008-08-22T09:35:00.000-04:00

My Amazing HUSBAND! woohoo :) Jason Keys was presented with the Military Order of Saint Maurice- Centurion. Jason (and two other soldiers) took part in building the first EIB site here at Fort Jackson, SC... one of the main training posts. It was with Jason and the other soldiers that build this site from the dirt up. They had free reign to build this site as they saw fit. Months worth of work with two other men and will forever change the EIB training situation here at Fort Jackson. Jason and 3 other soldiers were given this Military Order of Saint Maurice award. With this award these 4 soldiers will have their names added to the Honor Roll of those that have been recognized by their Infantry peers and the National Infantry Association.

This award has been engraved with Jason's name and award serial number. It also contains a lapel pin. A certificate was also awarded at the time of receiving this award to be framed and hung in his work office (which he doesn't have one, his office is the range, field and anywhere else the new recruits must go). The medallion is worn around the soldiers neck and should wear this award on all appropriate occasions, where Infantrymen gather in the furtherance of customs and traditions, in support of the Infantry, the Army and the Nation.

Different versions of the Military Order of Saint Maurice medallion have been used for several hundred years. Established in 1994 as a joint venture between the NIA and the U.S. Army Infantry Branch, the Order of Saint Maurice recognizes individuals who have contributed significantly to the promotion of the Infantry as recognized by the individuals seniors, subordinates and peers. These individuals must also demonstrate the highest standards of integrity and moral character, an outstanding degree of professional competence, and serve the Infantry and its community with distinction. St. Maurice exemplified the bravery, commitment, and gallantry associated with the Infantry soldier.

I am so proud of my husband! I have such pride in calling him my soldier and makes me so proud to be a military spouse! Everyday he makes me more proud that he is my husband! I love you Jason Aaron! :)

New Coasters for this Hot Summer!

2008-08-22T08:32:00.000-04:00

This summer in South Carolina has been an extremely hot one! Honestly, it isnt fun being outside but if you must, you should always have something to keep you cool... like water, ice tea, or lemonade. After about 15 minutes of being outside, I notice my glass gets "sweaty" and makes a puddle on my table! I cant stand that especially when you have a glass patio table, like me, always cleaning it! That is when I decided to make some new batches of coasters... newer and funkier then ever!

Simple Elegance Coasters:

This set of 4 coasters are reversible with a Marcus Brothers fabric and a Robert Kaufman fabric. The Marcus Brothers has creams, pinks, blues (with amazing florals designs of "sunflowers" and irises) and a muted black and the Robert Kaufman fabric is with multi colored pink polka dots. The binding is a Marcus Brothers coordinating polka dot with cream, blue and the muted black, the other binding is from Robert Kaufman Coral collection. Quilted with a 100% cotton light pink thread into a wavy stipple design. Made with 100% cotton batting. Measures 4 1/2 inches squared.These coaster coordinate with the Simple Elegance Table runner, price for $38.50.

Lotus Coasters:

This set of 4 coasters are reversible with a Amy Butler- Lotus fabric and coordinating Robert Kaufman multi colored pink fabric. The Amy Butler has creams, pinks, golds colors. The binding is a coordinating pinks and cream fabric with some floral design. Quilted with a 100% cotton light pink thread into a viney leaf design. Made with 100% cotton batting. Measures 4 1/2 inches squared.These coaster coordinate with the Lotus Pinwheel Tablerunner, priced for $32.

A Fashion Show at Da Yooper shop!

2008-07-28T16:40:00.000-04:00

Thank you all for joining us located here in the heart of the yoopers, Da Yooper shop-the Tourist Trap! Who would have ever thunk it but we are having a fashion show for everyone to see the latest fashion hitting Da Yooper Shop! Kaelin M. Keys is modeling these amazing shades from Mr. Peepers from Birthday Cakes to Flamingos! What is your favorite pair?!?! Just leave a comment!

Us 4 together again!

2008-07-17T10:45:00.000-04:00

Here we are all together again! My oldest brother Todd (sunglasses), middle brother, Jesse (the happy smile), Me (in red) and my sister, Billie (in black). The last time we were all together was when my husband Jason was on leave right before his 16 month deployment, July 2005. An amazing event brought us together again and OH MY how we have grown... OLD! haha :) Kidding Kidding! We all actually look pretty dang good for our ages. I am the baby at 30 and the oldest is 38! I am so lucky to have these siblings in my life. My bestest friend is my sister and dont know what I would do with her! I love yous guys! :)

I am proud to announce Mr. and Mrs. Jesse Freeman!

2008-07-17T10:22:00.000-04:00

A new addition to the family happened July 12th 2008! God brought Jesse and Renee together in an great way. The story of their lives would amaze you and how they came together in the end is only by the grace of God! Welcome to the family Renee! May God be with you both every step of the way! We love you guys!

This ending is going to be a beautiful beggining!

2008-06-20T08:08:00.000-04:00

WE made it! After the long hours and hard work my husband graduated from Drill School. He is officially a Drill Sgt for the United States Army. I am so proud of him! At the ceremony, I became emotional but wouldn't allow myself to cry, Jason would be upset, no matter why I am crying, he gets upset seeing me that way... it was his day so I kept it together. He is such a survivor, he pushes himself to points where I know I would have given up but he set him mind on a goal, and didn't give up. I didn't think I was going to be so excited, my thinking was, it is just a few year MOS change but when I was at the ceremony, talking about the importunates and honor it is to be a Drill SGT., I just swelled up with pride thinking my husband is doing this. He passed everything he needed to, he did great in the physical aspect, the life survivor coarse was a breeze to him but he did the best in academics, he had a 93% grade point average. I have always known he was an honorable person, it is one of the reasons I feel in love with him but now, everyone can know what I have always known! Here is my husband, my babies daddy :), my best friend, mine and the U.S. Army's Drill Sgt!

Newer items up for grabs!

2008-06-10T12:00:00.000-04:00

Here are my new arrivals to my shop! I picked up the fabric last Saturday at a different quilt shop in town, Creative Sewing Machine Center, http://www.creative-sewing-machine-center.com/ . The fabrics were so amazing they have inspired me to make many new projects! The first one is the Peach Peony table runner, made from a pattern my Mom sent me, its wasn't as easy as you may think, it has a lot of pressing involved! The second is the Seaweeds Table runner and that was a lot of fun to make. Seaweeds is my own creation and couldn't be happier with the outcome! Both up for sale in my shop! More details and pricing at Teristreasure@etsy.com! Stay tuned for more new projects I have been inspired to make by some amazing fabrics by Timeless Treasures, Amy Butler, Moda and Free Spirit fabric lines.

Apaches in Iraq!

2008-06-03T21:35:00.000-04:00

My husband and I were bored, surfing youtube.com and came across this video of Jason's Company while serving in Iraq and actually had pictures of him and his battle buddies! We laughed our butts off then he just became blank watching it. I wanted to share this with my family and friends! I am so proud of him.

Jason served with 172nd Stryker Brigade, Alpha Co, 1Battalion 17 Infantry Regiment for 12 months in Mosul and another 4 months in downtown Baghdad, Iraq. That was one of the hardest things I have ever done in my life, after the year deployment, a week till they were to be home, we received a phone call from FRG saying they had been hand picked to doing a special mission in Baghdad, wow was I devastated but I took it like a trooper and pressed on! I realise how lucky I truly am to have him home and safe in my arms. God was watching out for the both of us. We lost 35 men in the 16 months and it could have been anyone of our husbands, we are so blessed God has his angels around them. Even though the 172nd patch is retired and hung up in the history books, they will forever be apart of me... its strange but when people ask me about my husband and what company/battalion/brigade, out of habit, I still say 172nd. I will forever be a 172nd wife and wear it proudly! Like he wears his combat patch proudly saying 172nd, 117 Aco.

As we were watching the video laughing and going oh there is "Johnson", oh there is "Head" there is "Nick" there is "Bo" and then we both became silent, it reminded us of our past and what we have been thru.... we were taken down a notch and humbled. Remembering your past is a good thing but I believe for my husband is something he has blocked out of him memory.

My prayers are with my fellow military spouses and their soldiers tonight and every night. May God's protecting angels to be around their love ones. I will forever will be grateful for what every service member has done for me and my family. No matter what war or what branch, Thank you to our U.S. military for your sacrifices!

The Big Mo Drive-In Theater.

2008-06-01T10:31:00.000-04:00

A week ago, my husband brought to my attention that somewhere around Columbia, there was an old Drive-In theater... I thought, that is SOOOO cool! We did some research on the web and found out all the info we needed. The search came up that It was called The Big Mo Drive-In Theater. Big Mo's was about an hour away, set in the middle of the woods with that good ole country feel but driving into it and parking, I felt as if I was in the 50's... it was very cool to soak it all up.

The Monetta Drive -In Theater (Big Mo's) saw its first lights on April 26th, 1951... thru the years of great movies and fun for the family, it closed down. After 13 years of neglect it was rescued and restored in 1998 by Richard & Lisa Boaz. Big Mo's reopened in 1999. The Drive-in is only open on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights unless there is a special promotion or special feature playing. The play a double feature (ours was Indiana Jones 4 and Iron Man), you cant beat that!!! They also feature a trivia contest during intermissions to win free food from the concession stand and prizes. It is fun for all ages, since the theater opens at 7:00pm but the movies do not start till dark (about 9:00pm) they have a play area for people that want to throw the football or frisbee, a play park for the kids to get all their energy out before the movie and even have a 50's mini train for kids to ride on (Kaelin LOVED IT). In order to listen to the movie you tune in on your radio to 90.3 fm and the movie sounds play through your car speakers. Before the movie starts, they play vintage advertisements and music adding to that 50's feel... it was impressive! After waiting for dark and the movie finally played, a good 5 minutes was their vintage advertisement of something my grandparents would have watched when they went to the drive in... as you can see in the picture on the screen. Oh and I cant forget, they played the national anthem, everyone stood up and saluted our flag, very patriotic and exciting to see it!

++My personal advice before you check out this Drive-In theater.++

+Bring chairs or a blanket- since this was our first time ever doing this we didnt know what to expect so we just brought the car and ourselves. After finding our parking spots, we looked around and saw everyone had portable chairs and blankets. Some were sitting in the back or their trucks in their chairs, some were sitting infront of them and on some had a nice blanket spread out on the ground and the whole family layed together watching the movies.

+Bring your own snacks and eat dinner BEFORE going to Big Mo's- we had decided to get the whole effect of the Drive-In experience so we decided to wait till we arrived to eat dinner. We stood in line for awhile and ordered 2 chicken strips (2 small baked chicken strips), 2 cheeseburgers, a corn dog and a popcorn. The prices where not outrageous like most movie theaters BUT the food was very small portioned and bad quality. The popcorn was DELISH though! I would recommend picking up McDonald's for half the price and you will be full by the time the movie starts. I would recommend the popcorn for the movie experience though! You can avoid the lines and extra money if you take my advice.

+Have plenty of gas- Since it is now June, the south is getting pretty dang hot and humid. As night falls yes, it becomes cooler BUT when you are holding a child to fall asleep and trying to watch a movie, Hot and Humid is not tolerable (atleast for me). It is a MUST to have some AC kickin to keep yourself from going nuts by dripping sweat!

+Take advantage of the play area- have your kids get all their energy out as much as possible! In order to enjoy yourself, your kids either need to sit still or be asleep! haha

Overall, I had an memory making time! Alot of fun and just a great experience. We will be doing it again... I just had to learn the ropes and see what is going to work for our family! If you would like to have more information about Big Mo's http://thebigmo.com/ or to find a Drive-In theater closest to you http://www.driveinmovie.com/mainmenu.htm.

The Inspiration Guild~ Guild to fight Ovarian Cancer

2008-05-30T12:15:00.000-04:00

One day, like many days in my life, I was talking with my Mom about the projects she was working on at her house. She told me about how her local guild, the Marquette County Quilters Association ,was asking their members to pick up this special Ovarian Cancer kits and make a block. She was telling me how she was doing a "grandmother's garden" block with the kit. This week, she surprised me by sending me a kit of my own to help with the fight. Here is what my kit looked like. It has 4 coordinating fabrics (Blank Quilting Inspiration Collection) and the instructions of what they are wanting.

Quilters across the country are coming together with creative inspiration, a passionate bond for their artistry, and their commitment to find a cure for ovarian cancer by creating Inspiration Quilts. You can help too!

Inspiration Quilt Blocks

-Submit as many 12X12 blocks as you wish made from at least 50% of any Blank Quilting fabric along with a photo of yourself and the completely form to:

Inspiration Guild

P.O. Box 8644

Prospect Heights, IL 60070

Inspiration Collection

-Increase you donation by creating your block from one of the six unique Blank Quilting Inspiration Collection designs featuring the distinctive teal ribbon colorway of the ovarian cancer cause. For every yard sold, a portion of the proceeds will go to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

-An Inspiration Block made from the Inspiration Collection means a greater donation!

The Inspiration Commitment

-For every block donated, Blank Quilting will donate $1.00 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund.

Inspiration Online

-Log onto BlankQuilting.com and see your block assembled into the latest quilt, along with your photo. Every Inspiration Quilt is made from 81 blocks. As one is completed, another is begun.

For more information, go to BlankQuilting.com

After reading all that, I was so excited to start on my block. Stay tuned for my assembly and finished quilt block. I will then follow thru with the quilt my block was put on! So exciting!

Lil additions to my lil shop.

2008-05-25T11:33:00.000-04:00

*Don't let your cold glass of iced tea sweat in the hot days of summer and get water all over your table!*
Just wanted to give a quick update on my shop items. I have made two matching sets of coasters to the Jasmine oversized Tablerunner and a made a set of coasters for the Funky Floral Tabletopper. They up for sale on my shop... $10 each! These are starting to be my favorite things to make lately!

Jasmine Oversized Tablerunner

2008-05-23T08:32:00.000-04:00

This is my newest post! A few days ago, I was looking through my stash and found this fabric I had totally forgot about.... I was so excited and thought, this would be the coolest table runner ever. I didn't use a pattern, I just went from a picture in my head, I got so ahead of myself and I wasn't thinking right, this turned out huge! I used almost the whole yard on this table runner. I love how it turned out, it would be perfect for those huge high tables that seat 6? It also looked great over my large trunk to. I figured someone out there will probably be looking for a special table runner for their special table. I love it either way. Big isn't bad, its just more to love! haha I decided I will make some matching coasters as well, so that is my project for today. I have to get back into the quilting mood, it has been lacking lately... but I think I am there!

A few weeks ago, I sold my Tulip Trio table runner and 2 sets of Charm coasters but it has died down since. I need to get some updated items that I know with sell! Patience is a virtue, RIGHT?!?!

This Man makes me so PROUD!

2008-05-15T09:37:00.001-04:00

Here is my husband in his Class A's! This uniform doesn't get taken out of the closest often but since he is in school, he has to get it ready for his graduation, in about 5 weeks. I walked into the bedroom last night and was taken off guard by him looking in the mirror and adjusting his medals. I just stood there watching the pride he had plastered all over his face... I was there soaking it all in. He finally noticed me after a few minutes and I just told him first of all, DANG you look hot in that uniform but then just took some time to tell him how proud of him I am. I told him I had to take a picture, he humbly agreed but couldn't smile since his lips are hurting because of sunburn. He has been putting in a lot of time and energy to doing well, we both have!

He is doing extremely well in school, the first week was rocky but now, he is one of the head shooters in the school, doing very well on his written tests and this Monday kicked some major butt on his PT test! I just cant express enough how proud I am of him, all the years (almost 8) in the Army and sacrifices he has made for me and the kids. He is an amazing soldier, husband and father! I just cant be any more blessed then that!

Happy Mother's Day Mom!

2008-05-11T09:58:00.000-04:00

So this is my mother, my best friend (along with my sister, cant forget her!), my mentor, my comfort, a person I can talk to about anything and everything, a person that I can vent to without judgement, my daily adult interaction..... and the list could go on and on! Today on Mother's Day I want to show off my Mom... I am so blessed that I have her in my life! She raised us the best she could with what cards that were dealt to her... and for the most part raised 4 great children! Thank you Mom for being so good to me and that you have given of yourself to better me as a adult... the ups and downs of my life has made me the person that I am, so it was worth it! I love you Ma! (This picture is of my Mom and Alyssa at Pioneer Park in Fairbanks, Alaska.)

Ashley's Woodland Dream quilt all finished and sent!

2008-05-09T07:17:00.000-04:00

On May 1st, Ashley's Woodland Dream quilt was sent off to Kathy! It was a long process and a lot of work along the way, the flowers were added so it looking more "girly", a lot of detail but overall, it was perfect! Two days later, this quilt arrived to Kathy and was opened by Ashley herself. When Ashley saw the quilt it full view, the first thing that came out of her mouth was "oh the pretty flowers!".... which made me SOOO happy... reason being, that was my own choice to add it and to hear Ashley was drawn to them right away, that was my validation it was the perfect move! At the time she failed to see the bear, canoe, trees, mountains... she could only focus on the Michigan wildflowers! A few days later, I receive an email from Kathy saying, since she has gotten the quilt, she is starting to sleep all thru the night... not sure how that is BUT I have been informed it may be the quilt I made for her. Kathy will email me here and there and tell me about whats new with Ashley and the quilt... she told me of the story that the either night, Ashley was laying on her bed (without noticing Kathy standing there) and was pointing at the pictures saying "bear, trees, deer, boat, pink flowers, purple flowers...." made me so happy to hear it. I now know all the work that was put into this quilt was SO worth it all.... Ashley's reaction to this quilt was the biggest payoff of all! It also made my day that Kathy emailed me pictures of what the quilt looks like on Ashley's bed... I had never had something like that so it meant a lot to me! This Alchemy was so much more then just a sale under my belt... there were alot of lessoned learned, new techniques but I also found a new friend! She has become a friend I stay in touch with and talk about things in our life (past and present)...... this Alchemy to me has been so much more rewarding then just the money, sales and feedback.....

Homefront Street Team~ MayDay Giveaway!

2008-04-30T18:27:00.000-04:00

I am so excited about this post, this is why I haven't posted for so long... I have been getting some projects finished up so I could focus on making this baby! This is my Framed Flower Wall hanging that is pieced with Flower of the Month 2007 fabrics. Appliqued two toned pink Bell Flowers held down with a blanket stitch, stems are a decorative stitching with a dark green Egyptian cotton threading, leaves are a green and yellow calico fabric and finished with the same fabric on boarders. Made of pre-washed 100% cotton quilt shop material, 100% cotton batting and muslin. Sleeve hand stitched to the back, hand stitched binding and name, date and signature on the back. Measures 19 inches by 19 1/2 inches! Guess what, it isn't going to be put up on my shop for Etsy, it is going to be my shop's MayDay Giveway by the Homefront Street Team! So this is the deal....

Enter the Homefront Street Team's May Day Giveaway running May 1st through 15th! There are 19 amazing Homefront Street Team shop giving away free stuff! Go to http://homefrontstreetteam.blogspot.com to enter!

One entry per shop, you have go to each shop and convo them through Etsy to enter. The winner will be picked from the shop owner on May, the 16th and announced all the individual shops, the 18th there will be a winners post from the Homefront Street Team Blog (the link above). There are NO string attached, this is totally free! Our goal as a team is to get more people to know about our shops and possibly buy!

The Homefront Street Team is a group of Military Spouses that have came together as Etsians and Military wives... we have those two huge things in our lives that bring us together! These ladies are amazing women... dedicated to our husbands and our passion, ETSY! Please support us Military wives and just check our shops out and enter our giveaway. Please let everyone know about us.. family, friends, neighbors, co-workers! Thank you all in advance for your support!

I am looking forward to your convo!haha

Take Care,

Teri

My sewing caddy line....

2008-04-24T17:48:00.000-04:00

I am proud to show you my sewing caddy line... it took alot of different designs and pockets and things like that but after all the trial and error, here they are! I made myself my own personal caddy to try out before I sold them on my shop, I wanted personal experience and if there were any problems, I could add or tweak the design... which I did. The biggest problem, especially for a quilter, was the machine itself would move when I would "pivot" my project... so I figured out a way to stablize the caddy.... after knowing that, here is my intro to my sewing caddy that is posted on my Etsy shop....

This Sewing Caddy is a nice little gadget I started, and then slowly have made improvements to and now feel the design is perfected and ready to sell. It is intended to go under the sewing machine so you can have all your accessories in front of you, NO MORE LOSING YOUR SCISSORS! :) This Caddy comes with 4 pockets that will hold your sewing needs for your project! It is strong and durable and also comes with foam sticky tabs (double secured with a heavy duty glue) so the machine will stay stable as you sew. It is also handy because when you are done with your project, no need to put all your sewing accessories away, just remove the sewing caddy from under the machine, fold it up and secure it with the ribbon and button. Measures shut 16 1/2 inches by 7 inches, open 16 1/2 inches by 14 inches.

So far, I have two different fabric designs but plan to make more, check out my shop for new items... I am working on a few this week... so RSS my shop! :)

The Quilted Service Flag

2008-04-18T17:05:00.000-04:00

As you all know, I made my own version of the Service Flag, just kinda started piecing strips together and ended up with this, I love it... when and if Jason deploys again, I will have this bad boy hanging on my front door!

The tradition of the service flag dates back to WWI. Mothers of young soldiers hand stitched red, white, and blue flags to hang in their windows as a sign that a loved one had gone to fight the war. This tradition was later extended to the wives and families of the service members. When the loved one returns home, the flag is taken down to announce their return.

The coolest thing about this item is that I will be donating 25% of the proceeds to the Quilts of Valor Foundation. The mission of this foundation is to cover ALL war wounded and injured service members and veterans from the War on Terror whether physical or psychological wounds with wartime quilts called Quilts of Valor. A Quilt of Valor is a beautifully made, pieced and quilted wartime quilt made by wartime quilters from all over. If you would like to find out more about this foundation or donate yourself, http://www.qovf.org/ .

From the research about this foundation I have done, I can say it truly touch my heart when I read about it. Quilting Guilds or quilters alike, each make a quilt or more then one, they can either piece it and send it to a Long arm quilter that has volunteered to do it for the QOVF or the quilter can quilt it themselves. It then gets sent to designated hospitals around the US, the chaplain of the hospital then takes them, does a blessing over them, and then hands them out to every injured veteran of the War on Terror. You can donate with the quilts, with money for shipping the quilts to the hospitals and even donating fabric scraps and things to make the quilt. It does not have to be a certain color or theme to the fabric or quilt, it just has to be a regulation size quilt.

I thought it was interesting and as many quilters as I know, I thought it might interest them in helping US Veteran's all across the world but the thing they love to do, QUILT! Or they can donate extra fabric they have laying around, and help others by their giving! For more information, click the QOVF link above!

The fun begins!

2008-04-18T16:48:00.001-04:00

So... this is the latest my household... my husband started Drill school (a school in which soldiers must go to before they are officially a Drill Sgt.), yesterday, as far as what we have heard, he will be gone from before 4am and be back home around 9pm, Monday thru Saturday, Sunday's off. I have found myself running over with extra time on my hands... so yesterday, I made a service flag and the sister table runner to the Twisted Tulips Table topper. I have them both posted now on my Etsy shop. I have good news, I have sold another 2 items from my shop... the Quilted Service Flag and the Twisted Tulips Table topper... this has been my best month so far. I feel as if all the work I have put in is now paying off! I felt like my shop was getting bare and had to do some work to get it looking pretty again. I have so many projects planned, so much fabric to make them and I seem to always just going with something new! I need to get more organized with the work I need to do! I am loving it though, not that Jason is gone all the time, but I can wake up and start working on things, hang out with Kaelin a little while, go back and work on things :), cook dinner, go back and work on things :), get the kids to bed, go back and work on things... and don't have to pack up my things and clean till 8pm or so... its nice. This is only day 2 of thing so probably by week 2, I will be sad and lonely! Haha, I am just trying to enjoy it as long as I can!

Jason is doing really well with school so far, it is Jason as his best and I love to see him like that! He is an amazing husband and Daddy... I couldn't have asked for a better guy.... ok one that plays less video games but besides that.... haha kidding... I am truly blessed! He is my best friend even if he does fart alot! haha DID I SAY THAT ALOUD??? Ok I think the loneliness is already kickin in......

Update on Ashley's Woodland Dream

2008-04-16T18:04:00.000-04:00

Well here is the ALMOST finished product, I just have to stitch down the flowers... other then that, I can start quilting! I opted to put some Michigan Wildflowers on the border, it was to plain and it needed to be more girly! I did some research of all the Michigan Wildflowers, so I decided on these flowers... Pasture Rose, Black Eyed Susan, Purple Corn Flower, Spider wort, Yellow Wood-Sorrel, Bull Thistle, Blue Sailors and Dept ford flowers. I am pleased and cant wait to be able to send this to Kathy! She has been so patient waiting on an update, so here it is!

Quilt Trunk Show in Camden, SC.

2008-04-11T15:25:00.001-04:00

A week back or so, I ran into this friendly, happy woman, Sue, at Jo-Ann fabrics, I got a huge kick out of her, she of course made me laugh and we talked for awhile about quilting! I was so happy to have found a fellow quilter and we seemed to have gotten along so well! Anyways, she invited me to this Trunk Show that was being put on by her quilting guild, I was a little hesitant but I became interested in it when she told me a little about it, she said Pat Knoechel (Eleanor Burns' sister) was going to be coming to speak, show us some quilts, techniques, and promote her and her sister's items and it was free! :) I thought, cant beat that but I had never been to something like this and was intrigued about it. I thought, if my Mom or sister were with me, I would totally go... don't let me being alone stop me! So somehow everything went as planned and I was able to go!
Well today, I got into my car right before 9am (crazy I know, anyone that knows me knows I don't get up that early for ANYTHING!!) and started my way to Camden, SC. It said on mapquest it was about 45 minutes away but for me, it only took 30 minutes, the show didn't start till 10 am so I decided to take a spin around. The town is beautiful... amazing housing, plenty of Antique shops, historical building... just that good ole town feeling, it has a presents in it that was very inviting! I found the Fine Art Center located on York and Littleton Street and went in and sat down. The ladies were all very friendly, I had a few come and chat with me.... don't know if it was because they felt sorry for me being by my lonesome or if they were just really nice and friendly ladies, either way, it made me feel very welcome. Right before it started, Sue found me and invited me to sit with her, right in the second row... of course, I followed... I LOVED the show, she showed us her AMAZING quilts, tips and techniques, the templates and patterns of how to quilt faster and more accurately. Pat was a fun woman, she dressed in a long flowwy brown dress, a nice long sleeve shirt and some sandals, she referred to herself as a flower child but I don't think it was only because of the 70's it was because she loves to fussy cut herself some flowers! haha She was crazy and cooky like her sister, just a overall fun person and she made the show very laid back yet pleasant. The overall experience was a lot of fun, I am so thankful I ran into Sue and was invited to this trunk show! I couldn't have expected a better day away from the kids and house by myself.
To add to the fun day, I ended up buying some items from the show... I got a few patterns (1941 Nine Patch and Pinwheels & Rectangles), I also got some templates (Mini Ruler Set and Triangle Square Up Ruler) but the best thing of all that I got... was an very personal invitation to the next Worker Bee's Guild meeting.... so this experience will not just be stopping here, I may have found myself a Guild... which is really good for me! It was an amazing time! Here are some pictures of the quilts that were presented to us at the show!

Finished the appliqued blocks!

2008-04-10T08:17:00.001-04:00

Just wanted to show the progress I have gotten on the blocks! Now that I am done bordering them with the sage green and coordinating theme fabric all I have to do is sew all the blocks together.... OH but I am still not done there, I have to put the borders on for a finished look! I am getting there, maybe slowly but surely! This is the lower left block... a cool beach scene that is personally my favorite appliqued block! I like the light color fabrics and just the overall feel... reminds me of the U.P. beaches with sand dunes everywhere before the water! :)

On to my second step....

2008-04-06T20:19:00.000-04:00

Here is the first steps to my second step, if that makes any sense. Here are the first three appliqued squares. Two pine tree settings and a mountain setting. I was asked to use greens, browns, and blues and try to incorporate pinks and purples since the quilt is being made for a little girl. I also will be doing a canoe appliqued square and a appliqued bear setting. My next step to these squares are to stitch them down and then border them with a sage green and a themed fabric (which is used in the center square of the log cabin block). I will also be hand stitching down the smaller appliques and hand stitching the stems to the flowers. A lot of hard work and creativity has been put into this quilt and it has been a nice change to my recent projects so I have so far enjoyed myself!

Step One to Ashley's Quilt.

2008-04-05T17:14:00.000-04:00

Here is the first step to Ashley's Woodland Dream quilt. Like I had mentioned in the first blog about this quilt, I will be doing 4 log cabin blocks. Here they are! I fussy cut 2 1/2 inch squares and then log cabined them with 1 1/2 inch strips of coordinating fabrics. At first I was thinking of doing a classic log cabin block but I felt as if I should keep the block more uniform and neat looking for this quilt! I am very much about my quilts having patterns and it was to hard for me to just place the strips however, without some sort of pattern. I decided to use the fabrics as echos... starting with sage green, next tan, and then light blue. Sticking with a pattern, I then rounded the block with green, brown, and blue with a dark shade. Next, I have to start with the appliqued blocks. I will try to coordinate these fabrics into the appliqued blocks to pull all the colors together! This so far has been a lot of fun but what quilt isn't fun doing when you are just doing the top... haha! We will see what I have to say when it comes time to start quilting her! Have a good weekend!

Starting the Alchemy Quilt.

2008-04-03T09:25:00.000-04:00

As many of you DON'T know, I made a bid on a quilt from Alchemy and won! Alchemy is on Etsy.com and the buyers post a request looking for the certain item they want to purchase, sellers make bids on the request and the buyer selects one person to do it for them. Kathy, the buyer, wanted a special quilt for her daughter Ashley's amazing, special made, log toddler bed... (you should see it, its breath taking!) she wanted appliques of bears, canoes, trees, moose, cabins... something to that affect! I decided to just see what happens and ended up making a bid, something completely different then I am ending up making. Anyways, Kathy and I emailed back and forth and found out how much we had in common, she is a fellow Michigander, her family is from the U.P. and we both have family member in the logging industry. After many emails back and forth, just shooting the poop about our lives and stuff, we ended up coming to an agreement of the quilt I will make for Ashley.

I will be making a toddler quilt, 9 squares total, 5 appliqued with a bear, trees, mountains, a canoe... and 4 log cabin blocks. This is the beginning fabric of the quilt, I need to go get more calico type fabric but I wanted to start posting the events that take place for this quilt. I will be posting along the way in this journey of "Ashley's Woodland Dreams" so stick with me.....

Happy April!

2008-04-02T08:08:00.000-04:00

Spring is here, well at least anywhere then the Midwest but I am starting to put out spring items in my Etsy shop. Here is my Twisted Tulips table topper, it is appliqued with tulips and blanket stitched in coordinating threads. This was fun to make and a pretty fast project which I like. I quilted each triangle and echo quilted the middle around the tulips. I will be making a "sister" table runner using the same fabrics and having the same tulips on it but in table runner form. This table topper measures 24 inches by 24 inches. It is now available on my shop to purchase along with other photos of the details and backing of it. Happy Spring to everyone!

Its UP!

2008-03-28T19:05:00.000-04:00

Well, I have finally finished the Equestrian quilt! So happy that I am finished! This was such a fun pattern and I enjoyed myself doing it, I will be doing this pattern again, just different types of fabric and see if I can change it up with the same great results I got with this one. I put it up on my shop tonight and we will see what happens.

A Morning Surprise!

2008-03-27T13:28:00.000-04:00

I woke up the other day and found some beautiful flowers in a "shrub" that I sit next to every morning taking in the fresh South Carolina air. I looked over and found these amazing fuchsia colored flowers fully bloomed! I had no clue that these everyday bushes were actually able to bloom flowers, let alone the amazing beauty of them that brightened my day. I guess the phrase don't judge a book (bush) by its cover (branches) is a great saying involving these shrubs! They have buds everywhere and soon will have a full backyard overtaken by flowers! My girls love the flowers and so do I! An absolutely amazing sight!

Our Easter!

2008-03-24T10:12:00.000-04:00

Here are my girls, right after the Easter egg hunt, they were pretty excited and it was a blast watching them find the eggs. Everytime Kaelin would find an egg she would gasp before she would grab it and put it in her basket, like it was the first time she found one! Alyssa, as sweet as she is, would see one and debate on if it was an easy one for Kaelin or if she could grab it for herself!

We had a very good "family day", it started off with the girls finding there basket from the Easter Bunny, and then we explained to the girls that today will be a day of rest.... no TV, no Internet, even no quilting for Mommy. It was really hard for me, especially the quilting part but it was so worth it! We had a nice breakfast, had them play outside all day, we did the egg hunt in the afternoon, Jason went and picked up some Chinese food for lunch and then in the evening, we grilled out. Then we had a nice fire and hung around it till night fall. It was amazing family time and now I see why God had written that the Sabbath should be a day of rest! Not that I questioned God, it is just that it is so hard to just put everything down and not finish or work on things that we have lists to do. We decided that every Sunday will be our family day and the day of rest. We feel as if we connected with our kids better and we were refreshed for the new work week. I feel as if we all benefited from this day and we will continue to do it! Hope you all had as an amazing Easter as we did!

Admitting your addicted is the first step....

2008-03-21T09:22:00.000-04:00

My name is Teri Keys and I am addicted to buying fabric! Ok I said it, I have a problem! I have stacks of fabrics to be made into quilts, table toppers, notion projects.... but I cant stop buying more! I just see fabrics I love and I go into this crazy zone and cant quit till I have had them cut, and then you have to buy them if they are cut! I just cant quit! Is there some sort of addiction therapy or meetings to go to? If you just look at the fabrics, you can see why I had to once again purchase yet again, more fabrics... they are a beautiful color combination! When I was at the store, I had a lady walk up to me and ask me "Are you making a quilt!?" I went on and told her what I was going to make, she said "Those are beautiful fabrics for a quilt!" and then went on to tell me about the Quilt Shop down the road!!!! WHAT?!?! I have another place I can buy MORE fabrics?!?! Her words just enabled me to buy the fabrics and now, find a place to get a better selection of fabrics? Was I in heaven or hell? Quilt Shop is a beautiful sound to my ears and then a bad feeling in my gut... spending more money? How do you do it, stop buying and start making... my way of trying to make it ok is to get these projects out and then it would be OK to buy more, sounds nice but I cant do it! Lord Help ME!

I sold my first QUILT!

2008-03-18T13:43:00.000-04:00

Today, I woke up and had to run somewhere really fast but wanted to check my email first, I opened one saying "Congratulations you sold an item on Etsy!"... I was so excited! A woman from the UK will be getting my beloved BusyB quilt... I worked on this quilt for the longest time, I machine sewed the picture of the flowers on with ZigZag stitching and then hand sewed the bumble bees.. I also have a bee hive on the side of it and the bees are buzzing around the border with wind gusts on it..all that was hand sewn as well! I was asked if I was sad I sold it... now that I think about it, maybe a little because it was 100% my own creation and I put alot of hard work and HEART into this quilt! This is officially my 2nd item sold on Etsy but this is my first quilt... I am so relieved I sold something, I was curious of how long it was going to take to get another sale, it can be discouraging at times but I know its all a waiting game and alot of work to get yourself out there! Well, I need to get this quilt tied with some ribbon, attach my cleaning instruction on a grubby tag and get it all ready to be shipped this afternoon!

I have been BUSY!

2008-03-15T21:43:00.001-04:00

Here is the face of the quilt! Not really sure if I am going to put a border... the pattern doesn't call for one but I have never NOT put a border on my quilts. I LOVE IT! I am absolutely please with this pattern and how it turned out! Tomorrow I am hoping to quilt it, I am still pretty excited! I had a goal to get it done this weekend since my husband is gone to a family event in Tennessee, so far so good, who knows, we will see, I am just elated I got what I have gotten done already! I do have one problem though, I really don't think it shows off the Equestrian fabric... so I am thinking of changing the name... any ideas? Maybe I will get a poll going if I get enough name options for it... so give it a shot!

Construction of the Equestrian Quilt.

2008-03-14T10:06:00.000-04:00

Ok so the past few days I have been putting this quilt together, it seems to be a lot of work but what quilt isn't?
I started off cutting 13 squares from 7 different fabrics and 25 from the cream fabric,I was cutting ALL day! After I drew diagonal lines on half the squares so I had a line to follow on them, I then followed the lines on the right side of the line, and then went back on the other side of the line, which gave me two different units per square I sewed. I then cut along the diagonal line and then I came out with a bundle of squares! I then pressed each square open. These pictures above show you the steps I have done... so glad to be done with that! Now the fun really begins, today I will be piecing the units together for them to become squares, each one will measure 11"x11"..... this is when I get to see my hard work pay off and get to see the squares become the face of the quilt... I will continue to take pics! Well, off to sewing! Have a good day!

Starting of a new Quilt!

2008-03-12T13:50:00.000-04:00

Well, here I go again.. I am pretty excited to start this quilt. I got a special package from my Mom the other day and found some cool fabric (not these ones) and a new pattern I have never tried before. I decided to check it out, found these fabrics in my stash and thought I would make a throw to put up on Etsy! I am all through cutting and now I have to start piecing. We will see how it goes, I will take pics along the way, if it turns out well, I think I will be using the same pattern but totally different fabrics... florals. From the fabrics, it is definitely a mans sort of throw along with the horse-horseshoe-diagonal plaid fabric, I seem to be calling it my Equestrian quilt so we will see if it sticks but for right now, thats what it is called! Wish me good luck! haha

A new beginning to a little life!

2008-03-04T21:01:00.000-05:00

Well, something very special happened to me about an hour ago, I was putting Kaelin down to sleep, the every night ritual of singing two songs to her while I rub her back and then we pray together. I decided to sing Jesus Loves Me, as I was singing it she kept saying, "I love Jesus too Momma" at the end of the song she started to ask me about him. She asked if Jesus died, in the most simplest kid translation, I told her "Well he did but mostly NO, he went to Heaven" she then asked me "How do you get to heaven Momma?" I went on and told her that we have to ask Jesus in our hearts. She said "Momma, I want Jesus in my heart!". We prayed my best Salvation Prayer that I could remember but I was so taken back at my little 3 years old, I wanted to cry and laugh all at the same time! When we were done, I told her good night and went to walk out of bedroom, Kaelin says "Hey Momma, guess what? Jesus is in my heart!" How blessed am I that I have two girls that I know I will one day see in Heaven! I will never be apart from them from this day forward! Life doesn't get any better then that!

Another project finished!

2008-03-03T09:04:00.000-05:00

Well here is the finished lap quilt for Grandpa Keys... Very excited to have it finished and how it turned out. I am a little disappointed by my string color I decided on, I didn't realise that it was going to stand out so much but over all I am pleased. I hope they use it often and feel wrapped in our love every time it in layed on him!

Just a Thank You....

2008-03-02T12:08:00.000-05:00

Well, here is a Thank You present to the Ortega's for opening up their house to my family a few weeks back. They gave us an adventurous weekend that left us with pleasant memories of our families together. They have this huge beautiful table that I thought this would be perfect for. The design of this table runner was thought of by my sister and I, it turned our looking different then I wanted because of the brown piece in the middle and the boarders I chose for it, it is all the way you piece things. I wanted a modern feel so I added some mod circles at the end of each side, I wasn't sure about it (thought they looked like EGGS!) but after I did the blanket stitching around them I was very pleased with the total outcome. After seeing it all together I figured I will do one for Etsy, after I am finished doing some other lists of things I have stored in my head! So much work to do, so little time... haha If you like it, let me know!

For those of you who dont have a microscope....

2008-02-26T19:51:00.000-05:00

This is my new imagine (avatar) for my Etsy shop. You cant really see the detail on Etsy which frustrates me, it is such a tiny thumbnail but I love the pic! I thought it was pretty cool since the pic says pretty much what my shop is about. Notice... the skeleton key finding my treasures... my quilts and things. The grubby tag is what I put on each one of my products when I wrap them up and ship it out. I put the washing and handling instructions on the back of each tag as well. It's not just selling the product but about presenting it to each one of my clients as well, giving them the complete package! This pic is from the buffet my Mom gave me and I cherish it, I have always loved it! I love the sight of an old antique chest, cabinet, buffet, or whatnot stuffed full of beautiful quilts and quilted items. There is something so amazing of all the colors and hard work arrayed for everyone to see. It is a lovely presentation that makes my heart stop when I see them! Anyways, just thought I would share with you all!

Xtra Lucky

2008-02-24T10:52:00.000-05:00

Here is what I am currently working on, Xtra Lucky. It is made with two different blocks... one a 9 block and a snowball block. I ended up quilting it all on diagonals. I felt like the quilt was missing some things so I appliqued some shamrocks in two corners and sewed them on with a blanket stitch. I am really happy how it turned out. I just need to hand sew the binding on and hand stitch it's name, the date and my signature. I will be putting it up on Etsy for sale. Since it is a smaller quilt, just a throw size, I am only going to be asking $75 for it. I should have it up either today or tomorrow for sale on Etsy.

During my trials of selling my quilts other places besides online (flea markets and craft shows), I always had this special quilt I made for my husband, while he was in Iraq, as a table cover to sell my things. It has Celtic letters of our last name across it and shamrocks everywhere. I have had so many comments of how much they loved the quilt that I figured I would do some quilts that have the "Irish" theme and see how it goes.

I have so many ideas in my head of things to make and sell on Etsy. I just think I have to find my niche, my specialty. So far, I have sold one thing, which I was so excited about but nothing since and I am now getting kinda frustrated. I didnt think I would sell my products like hotcakes but I was hoping to do better. I am keeping my spirits up and just going to keep trying new things and seeing how they go, if they sell well, I will keep cranking them out! Just pray that I will have success and I find a product that makes me stand out! I have so much faith this is what I am suppose to be doing but I feel frustrated at times!

Thanks for the support everyone! Take Care and God Bless! T

She is now broke in....

2008-02-21T22:45:00.000-05:00

Well, here is my newest item on Etsy but the reason I am putting it up on here is because it is the first thing done on my new machine. Everything turned out beautifully and I couldnt be more happier about my new machine! I LOVE IT! If you are interested in this item, it is being sold on my Etsy shop! Just wanted you all to see! Take Care!

A New Arrival!

2008-02-21T09:14:00.000-05:00

I am so excited to introduce everyone to my new baby! She was definitly a gift from God, I prayed prayed prayed I would find a perfect machine at a good price to keep my little business going.. well I sure did! I wont get into the story but without a doubt, God allowed me to get her! She is completely Electronic, with a work table attachment, she is a special quilting addition machine and even came to with a walking foot and the free arm quilting attachment.... I am so excited to have her! She works perfectly and I know she will be a good machine! Since I have gotten her, I have so many new ideas of things I want to do! My only problem, not enough time to do them all, 1 thing at a time right!?!?!

Grandpa Keys Lap Quilt

2008-02-21T08:47:00.001-05:00

Well, here is a special lap quilt I have felt compelled to make for Grandpa Keys. He and his wife are living in Northern Wisconsin and living the dream life.... you know, the kind you think about when you get old, just you and your spouse, no matter what happens, you cant live without eachother. They are both old, Chris is mostly blind and Grandpa is in a wheelchair, unable to speak but they cant be apart from eachother so Chris does her best to take care of Grandpa. She still works on her garden, knitting and doing things outside... I dont know their age but they have to be atleast 70 years old. Now that is some TRUE LOVE, I only pray my husband and I will live that long and be able to be together just the two of us. I got a letter from Chris the other day and she was telling me how Grandpa is doing and how he is always in his wheelchair. The first thing that came to mind is, wow, he must be cold all the time.... anyone that knows it up there knows it is a really cold place to live! So, here is the quilt I want to make him. To me, quilts are much more then just a "blanket" they are special, time consuming, full of thoughts and prayers, blankets of love. The least I could do is make him something to know we love him and are thinking of him, its just a little something! So here is what the block looks like and the other pic is of them put together. I have to put a few boarders on and then quilt it. I am doing two lap quilts, one for Grandpa Keys and another one for Etsy.

Went Shopping

2008-02-15T21:33:00.000-05:00

Well today I went shopping, a local store here was having a huge sale so I couldnt resist checking it out.... a few hours later, I came out with these fabrics. I decided to make a St. Patrick's Day lap quilt to sell on Etsy. I have it all pictured it my head how I want it but I will have to wait and see if it turns out.... usually it does or else it turns out better... haha yes I am confident! I loved this shamrock-lady bug fabric... it was a subtle theme of my Irish heritage but at the same time, it can be kept out all year long. As I begin to work on it, I will take pics so you can see it as I go. Unfortunitly, I will not be able to start till Tuesday, reason being, I am going on a weekend trip with the family to see some close friends of my husband's. I am pretty excited, we have been away from "home" for awhile and I finally get to meet these great people my husband is always talking so highly of. I also plan to cook them a good Italian meal (I am also Italian and Sicilian), I promised Cynthia I would teach her to cook Italian if she promised to teach me to cook Mexican. That is a pretty fair trade since both the cuisines are DELISHHHHHH! Besides all that cool stuff, we are going to be heading into Atlanta and checking out the aquarium (it was on the Today show this week) which my girls are going to LOVE! It's a surprise! Well, I better get cleaning and packing... have a good weekend all! Be Back Tuesday!

Rest In Peace Mr. White.... 12/05-2/08

2008-02-14T07:30:00.001-05:00

In great regret, Mr. "Whitey" White has past on yesterday. He allowed me to finish my "Loving Kindness" quilt and when I went to put the binding on, I found him there, not able to sew correctly. His final diagnosis was a lock stitch button stuck down, only allowing him to sew in reverse. He was a trusty machine, nothing special, just a $300 special from JoAnn's but him and I went thru alot of projects. He gave me all he could give. Yesterday, I knew he was on his last legs and I prayed "God if he is done, let him go today...." later in the day, when I went back to finish the binding, he was no longer able to go. He is in a much better place now, no longer used as a stepping stool when my 3 year old couldnt reach cookies on the counter, no longer stuck on the floor being kicked and hit. Thank you Whitey for the 3 years of your loyality and dedication! I will forever remember the project we did together and the tips and techniques I have learned with you!

Have a good day everyone, time to go sewing machine hunting!

"Loving Kindness"

2008-02-13T08:26:00.000-05:00

So this is my latest project. My best friend asked me to make a quilt for someone very special in her life. I knew exactly the quilt to make and here she is! It ended up being a way bigger quilt then we both expected but after all the hard work and the pain in the butt machine quilting this baby, it has totally paid off! I finally finished machine quilting it yesterday. The feeling of the last stitch being made on her was the best feeling in the world! I thought I would never be done. I just need to do the binding and hand stitch her name (Loving Kindness), the date, and my sig..... this quilt has opened my eyes to so many things, other then quilting and so now I have a special attachment to her! I have learned that when God speaks to me I need to be obedient to what he says and it does pay off! It amazes me that thru little acts of kindness and love that can effect so many more people then you could ever imagine. This world might be not the easiest place to be a good person in but starting with yourself, it can touch lives beyond your ability to understand. Having faith that God is watching you and is guiding you along your path is the most peaceful feeling imaginable in your time of need. It amazing what you learn being alone in the secret quiet place with God. This is why she is named "Loving Kindness".

U.P. Bear Xing

2008-02-13T08:06:00.000-05:00

I made this guy for my dad, it was for his birthday and the "theme" in his house is deer, bear, elk... cabin scene... you get the drift! Anywho, I pictured this place I use to drive past weekly when I was little called, Green Garden Road and I would see these two hills meeting together, making a valley with tall pine trees on the edges of the valley. Normally, we would see deer feeding there but I added the bear instead. I did the design all from my head. The boarder fabric is by Moda called Northwood Crossing. I named this wallhanging, UP Bear Xing.