the staci quilt

I've had an Etsy shop for a couple of years now, and most of my sewing projects ended up there.  It was a fantastic solution to an age-old problem - trying out new quilt ideas in small sizes, but what do you do with a ton of extra baby quilts?  But I decided early this year to start sewing specifically for people, including myself.  So, few quilts have ended up in the shop, and fewer people visit the shop, and that's ok.  Because I want my time and energy directed towards projects (and people) that I love.

First up - yes, a baby quilt!  My co-worker Staci is due in two weeks, and she hasn't found out the gender of the baby yet.  Normally, this would mean soft pastels of green and yellow, or, let's be honest, something more masculine than gender-neutral.  But Staci is an original, someone who is ok with the grey between the black and white, and I knew she didn't do pastels.  So, llamas it is!  "Lovely Llamas" by Michael Miller, and it was hard to track down.  But that just meant I was on the right track!  I was trolling the internet for days for inspiration.  Once I saw this fabric, I knew I would do a whole cloth quilt (no blocks or piecing), with the fabric showcased in all its uncut glory.  

The backing comes from Joanns "Soft and Comfy" line (like Minky), and was the perfect color.  I haven't found this color back in stock yet, but if I do, I'm buying the entire bolt.

The binding is "Sundance Stripe" by Sue Daley for Riley Blake Designs, and the mini pom-pom trim is "green apple."  I was inspired to do a black and white stripe binding (on the bias) because of the llamas' blankets, but I wanted separation from the white backing of the material.  The pom-pom gave me that visual break, and is stinky cute!

I finished the quilt with rounded corners and large cross-hatch quilting, to keep the quilt soft and squishy.  We had the baby shower last week, and Staci loved the quilt!  

Those are some sassy llamas!

hello, blue mountain beach!

I saw beautiful pictures of Destin, Florida on Instagram (no doubt some sort of ad, and it worked!) and I knew we had our next beach vacation!  I've never been to the Emerald Coast, and now having been there, I am absolutely smitten with the beach, and town, and little shops, and incredible seafood restaurants.  Sure, Galveston is an hour's drive from Houston, but it's not the best beach.  We go when we need some salt water in our faces and sand in our shoes, but I wanted the white sugar sand and clear water I saw on Instagram, and Blue Mountain Beach delivered.

Memaw, Britton, and Barrett, not even one hour after arriving (below)!  The drive was about 10 hours for us which, after the 19 hours total to get to the Grand Canyon in Spring Break, didn't seem too long of a drive.

We went to the beach every morning, and stayed until lunchtime.  Then we'd walk back to the house (about 70 feet from the beach access), get lunch, cool off, and then head back after more sunscreen.  We really lucked out because the week prior was rainy, but we only had one afternoon of rain!

When I remember my days at the beach as a kid, I remember drip castles.  The sand is so fine here though, that the instant it dries the entire thing comes crashing down.  

We "buried" Britton in the sand, but she got wiggly and came busting out right after I got a picture!

We were diligent with sunscreen, but both kids still ended up with some pink faces.  And that's ok, because they were truly "sun-kissed" beach cuties!

Can you talk about a beach vacation and not mention food?  I don't know if it's the salt in the air or being in the sun and fresh air, but it seemed like we were always hungry!  We spent afternoons taking a snack break at the ice cream shops.

And we went out twice for seafood dinners!  One night the hubs and I went to the seafood market and got enough shrimp, fish, and scallops to feed everyone at home.  

Barrett is a fried shrimp guy

And Britton loves crab legs!

We decided to spend one morning playing mini-golf in Panama City, and it was fun but oh so hot!  I love mini-golf, and this place had an entertaining "pirate" theme.

Some glamour shots of the beach!  We went to watch the sunsets, and every evening there were families taking professional portraits at the water's edge, and groups having bonfires, and couples strolling down the beach.  The beach is just magical at sunset.

I think it's safe to say that we've found our forever beach spot in Blue Mountain Beach!  The hubs and I kept saying that our brains couldn't comprehend the beauty of this water, and I think it really does rival the water in the Caribbean.  

barrett: 61 months old

Speaking of sassy kids who love the beach!  Barrett also loves ice cream about as much as he loves the beach, and we were no strangers to the ice cream shop down the street from our beach house.

As much as Britton loves the water, this boy loves the sand.  And while he spent the majority of his sand time making castles all over the beach, he also loved to smash them down at the end of the day! I had made some drip castles, and while packing up to leave, Barrett asked so ever sweetly if he could jump on the castle and knock it down - of course!  If not him, then the incoming tide would surely take it down.  There's not much this kid isn't up for; he's easygoing and finds fun whereever he can!

Likes:  ice cream, fried shrimp, apples, My Little Pony, anything to do with space

Dislikes:  reading less than 4 books per night

106 months old

Both monthly pictures this month fell during our beach vacation, and not-so-sadly, we didn't have much reception at the beach house.  So, I'm late on both postings, but I'll make up for that now!  Britton is creeping towards that birthday in 2 months where she will turn 9!!!  What?!?  I can't think about it too much - halfway to 18 years old, I just can't.

Britton loved the beach.  It was our first time at the Emerald Coast, and the water and sand were simply magical. especially for Britton.   She stayed in the water for hours at a time, making friends with the little fish that would try to hide in her mermaid hair, and body boarding with the hubs.  She'd be in the water so long that I'd find seaweed in her hair at night!  Between swimming and playing in the sand, Britton was ready to spend all day every day on the beach!

Likes:  family vacation time, spending time in Ohio with Memaw and PawPaw, crab legs

Dislikes:  having to leave the beach ever