You Go Girl!

Pop Garden Bag

Happy 4th of July weekend to my USA blog friends.  Well, I mean, happy 4th of July weekend to everyone.  But for my USA blog friends, it is our country's birthday.  So I guess what I want to say is happy 4th of July weekend to everyone and happy Independence Day  weekend to anyone who might be celebrating this holiday.  Wow. That got a little more involved than I'd intended!

This little slice of Pop Garden yum is for my sister. I hope she likes it as much as I do. The fabrics on this bag came together better than I'd even hoped.  Look at all those red Full Moon Polkies.  I am using them up with reckless abandon. What will I do when there is no more?

We will be at the lake this weekend. It's going to be perfect summer weekend. Hot and sunny with a lot of family mixed in.  Ahhh...summer!

About a Bear

Bear Sighting--We thought we were pulling in to a turn-out for a second look at a moose we'd seen earlier.  As luck would have it, we were pulling in to see a GRIZZLY.  Here he is.  Isn't he a beauty? (It might be a she.  I wasn't going to get close enough to peek. LOL!)

I've been to Yellowstone many times. This is only my second up-close look at a Grizzly Bear.  It really was a treat to see this big bear.  His location couldn't have been any better.  He was only about 30 yards away, but there was a wide swift-moving river between the two of us.  I felt completely safe. Plus, I knew I could run a lot faster than most of the other people that stopped to look at him. I think there's a saying that goes something like this--I don't have to run faster than the Grizzly Bear.  I just have to run faster than you!  Ha-Ha!

Black Bear Facts and a Question--A Black Bear can be brown.  A Black Bear can be blond.  A Black Bear can be cinnamon.  And, yes, a Black Bear can be black.  So if it can be all those different colors, why is it called a Black Bear?  It causes a lot of confusion. When a group of people gather to look at a bear, you often hear a conversation like this:

Frank:  Oh, look Marge, a Black Bear.

Marge:  That's not a black bear, Frank. That's a brown bear.

Frank:  Yes, but it's still a Black Bear. It's just brown in color.

Marge:  Oh, whatever.  Looks like a brown bear to me.

Well, it is a brown bear.  It's a brown Black Bear.  Brown Black Bear. Blond Black Bear. Isn't that a contradiction in terms or something?

This blond Black Bear was sitting on a ginormous ant pile right beside the road.  

He would scoop up a pile of ants and put them in his mouth.  

Then he would rub his face with his paws to get the ants that had escaped his mouth off of his nose. It was very funny to watch.

Bear-ly Had Time To Doodle Stitch-- Or, would that be barely had time to stitch? I usually do a lot more doodle stitching in the car. We were so busy spotting things that I didn't stitch much this time. This is all the stitching I did...

When I finish this, I plan to pair this doodle with some red Full Moon Polkies.  I think the two will look very bear-y smashing together.  I know.  Lame.  I should probably go now.

Until next time,

Cassie

Yellowstone

We are home from our annual trek to Yellowstone National Park.  I am a nut for that place.  There are wild animal sightings galore.  You know my affinity for seeing animals in their natural environment. Shucks. I even get excited when I find their poo.  Remember this?  I had to apologize here. I promise that this post has NO poop. (Check out this book, though. I didn't write it, but I could've.  LOL!)

The wild animal count in Yellowstone went like this:

• many birds of different feathers
• one pika 
• one marmot 
• two jack rabbits
• two coyotes
• several big horn sheep and one little lamb
• herds of elk and their babies
• lots and lots of bison and their calves
• one moose
• five black bear, and...
• ONE GRIZZLY BEAR

Yep, we saw him.  The biggest bear in the park.  His picture is on a different memory card than I downloaded from today.  I'll sneak you a peak of him on my next post.  For now, here is some of the glory we saw.

Animals big...

This guy was eating ants right beside the road.

Animals small...

Isn't that blue the best color ever?

Some geyser action...

We drive by this geyser every year.  It is the first time we've seen it spouting.

And the amazing Grand Teton mountains...

It is hard to capture such magnificence in a single frame.

And the wildest beasts of all...My girls.

Picture all seven of us in one hotel room. Every night when we headed to bed, I wanted to yell "Dog Pile". It's a good thing we like each other!

And my favorite...

Who says there's no such thing as a free ride?  Doesn't Mr. B look thrilled?  

That's kinda how I feel about the laundry piles I need to tackle.  Oh, well. Loads and loads of laundry is a small price to pay for a few days visit to The Park.

Hoping all is well in your corner of the world.

Happy Day,

Cassie

Apple Addiction

Dear Ms. Bailey,

I am writing to request that you quit writing patterns and posting absolutely inspired photos on your blog. You have created a monster at my house. I am sewing apples and I can not stop.  It is a good thing that these apples are not high in calories and saturated fat.  If they were, I'd be stuck in my craft room just like Pooh Bear got stuck in Rabbit's hole after he ate all Rabbit's honey in order to satisfy his rumbly-grumbly in his tummy. As it stands, I am getting nothing done except the creation of these little beauties. Too bad you can't eat them or make them into a pie.  At least that way my family would be getting fed. If I am really truthful, though, I would beg you to keep the insanity coming because I am having a ball. You ROCK.

Sincerely,

Cassie

If I were to write Heather Bailey a note, I think the above is what it would have to say.  I am addicted to making these little apples.  I will use them for teacher gifts.  Hailey and Paige have too many teachers to give this kind of apple to (If only I had started making these sooner!!), but the triplets need some gifts to give.  This is their last year of elementary school.  I am kinda sad about that.  I've had at least one child in elementary school for the last ELEVEN years. They've been very good years.  I think as a fond farewell, we will give an apple to:

• Mr. Thane--their teacher this year  
• Mrs. Lessnau--the only teacher in the school that taught all five of my girls
• Mrs. Schwisow and Mrs. McFarlane--these two ladies teach library and music respectively. They have been there for all ELEVEN years that my girls have been at Rattlesnake Elementary.    

If I had more time, I would give a gift to every teacher, administrator, and support staff at the school. They're all good apples. To them I say a fond farewell.

Looking forward to lazy summer days~

Cassie

Apples...What's your favorite?

Gala. Braeburn. Fuji. Delicious. Golden Delicious. Granny Smith. Pink Lady. Honey Crisp. MacIntosh. What's your favorite apple?

Mine is the Heather Bailey. I think this woman deserves to have a real apple named after her. Something lovely, delicious and sweet.  I'm addicted to these little apples made with her terrific pattern. Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. That's all I have to say today.

And the winner is...

Wow.  Four hundred and thirty comments.  That's a whole lot!  I usually try to respond to all comments. I threw in the towel on this one.  

Now on to the task at hand...selecting the winner. The random number thingy selected lucky number...drum roll, please...191. After a lot of printing comments and counting (There must be an easier way to do this???), I determined that Alissa wrote comment number 191. So, Alissa, come on down. You are the next contestant on the Price is...Oops.  Wrong contest.  Ms. Alissa, if you will email me your mailing address, I will get the Ginger Blossom YUM in the mail for you.

And just so I don't write a post without a picture, here is a peek at what I saw when I hiked the hill behind my house. 

There is a whole lot of pretty up there.  I love the fact that these little guys don't bloom to impress people, the other critters they live with, or the other plants that are flowering beside them. They bloom because that's what they were created to do.  I want to bloom like that.

Happy Day,

Cassie

P.S. Just in case you were wondering, the cat won the what-kind-of-animal-would-you-be contest.  I think that's a pretty fine choice.  My favorite answer, though, was a "liger 'cause that's practically my favorite kind of animal."  Thanks for the laugh, Colette.

Off Task, Again...

I should've been planting these.

Or pulling these.

Or capturing these.

 

But was I?  No.  I was working on this.

Remember this doodle from many moons ago?

 

 

I finally turned it in to a Glory Bag.  

 

I would've stitched this together a long time ago but for the fact that I lost the linen I needed to create the bag.  How do you lose a yard of linen?  I looked in my green fabric stack.  Not there.  Looked in the linen stack.  Not there. Looked behind the craft table. Not there. I moved my whole studio to a different room in the house...The linen was not there.  So the little doodle sat, and sat, and sat just waiting for something exciting to happen to it.  I finally admitted to myself that I had lost the fabric and would need to purchase a bit more to finish this little beauty.  Luckily my favorite local shop still had the same bolt of linen and the glory bag finally came to fruition. 

And for those of you who are wondering why I am capturing squirrels...Well, they taste just like chicken.  Just kidding.  I'm not making squirrel coq au vin. I'm involved in a covert mission called Operation Squirrel Relocation.  These little squirrel-y guys eat the bark off the giant willow trees in my back yard. Their gluttonous feasting makes huge limbs on my trees die.  These little villains cuties are killing my trees. The tree man that came to my house to diagnose the problem recommended that we, ahem, "knock them off" since they are not a native species to the area even though they inhabit almost every neighborhood in town.  Well, as you can imagine in a house with six girls, squirrel extermination is not an option.  Instead, we catch them and release them in the willow-tree-free park that is about a mile away.  I don't know if there are any rules prohibiting such activity, or not.  Just to be sure, I only take the squirrels to the park under the cover of darkness. Just kidding, again.  I do feel a bit funny, though, when I am letting them go in the park--kinda like I'm flushing a pet alligator that's not so little or cute anymore down the toilet. This is different than that, though.  Really. It is. The squirrels already live in the park.  I'm just bringing more to the party.  

I won't take the time today to tell you about the squirrel that got loose in the car when we were relocating it.  Just know that there was a lot of girly screams, followed by million-mile-an-hour chatter and fits of giggles. We know there is a squirrel out there somewhere with a nervous tic and a tale of high-stakes adventure that he tells his squirrel buddies when he visits the local watering hole.

I best get back to what I'm supposed to be doing.

Toodles,

Cassie

Happy May Giveaway Day!

Today is the Sew Mama Sew May Giveaway Day.  Can I hear a big WooHoo?  I didn't hear you. C'mon...it's fun.  Say it.  Altogether now...WooHoo!  I told you it was fun.

I would like to give away some Ginger Blossom loveliness in the form of a fabulous set of appliqued Floursack towels, a quilted potholder, and FIVE coordinating Ginger Blossom fat quarters.  You might want to use a couple of these fat quarters  to make a Ginger Blossom apron using Jona's amazing Apron in an Hour tutorial.  No.  I haven't actually made an apron using this tutorial, but I want to.  And if Jona wrote the tutorial, I know it's fabulous because that's all she knows how to do.

For your chance to win this little slice of YUM, read every single blog post I've ever written and write a two sentence synopsis of each one.  Just kidding.  How 'bout this...for your chance to win this little slice of YUM, leave a comment telling me what kind of animal you would be if you had to be one and why you would be that animal.  Kidding again!  Seriously now, to be a part of this giveaway leave any comment you want.  I will use the Random Number thingy to pick a winner.  International commenters (is that a word?) welcome. Comments will be open through May 31st, the winner will be announced on June 1st, and the package will be shipped on or before June 3rd as per the rules of the Sew Mama Sew Giveaway Day.  

Check out all the blogs hosting giveaways on the master list at Sew Mama Sew. There's a whole lot of good stuff to be had.  I love me a good giveaway.

WooHoo,

Cassie

A Little More Kitchen Love

Editor's Note:  I just fixed the photos on this post.  I'm getting used to a new computer.  Yeehaw.  I didn't realize how BRIGHT my photos were until I opened it on my old PC.  Yikes.  I've toned it down a bit for you.  Sorry if I blinded any of you...

big sigh...I just realized I need to fix my Etsy photos too...

One recipe file (it would also make a great brag book)...

Two potholders...

and an apron...

equals a whole lot of love for the kitchen

I have whipped up a little more kitchen love.  Last time it was for a fund raiser.  This time I put it in my shop.  I dipped into my Summer in the City stash that I have been hoarding saving for something special. It feels good to cut into some of this stuff that I have been hanging on to for so long.  I love this fabric just as much as the day I bought it.  I think it looks so much better made into something than it did sitting on my shelves of love.  It's like it has finally reached its potential.  And isn't that what we are all trying to do?  

Happy Monday~

Cassie

Heads Up--I'm participating in the Sew Mama Sew May Giveaway Day.  I can't seem to get the button to load in my sidebar.  Grrr!  Giveaway Day is Wednesday, May 27th.  Do come back and see what's up.

 

I Told You So...

 

  

I told you I was going to cut into those red polkies and I meant it.  I love how they look with Heather Bailey's Pop Daisy in turquoise.  It's hard to photo this combo, though. The colors don't read true to me.  Oh, well.

  

With my Amy Butler/Heather Bailey bundle of goodness, I have stitched up a

recipe file (or brag book) with one of those great Pop Daisies appliqued on it.

  

    

    

I also whipped up a matching set of potholders that have a self-binding.  I've never tried this binding technique where you leave enough backing fabric around the edge to bring it up and over the front of the project. I'm uncertain if I'm a fan, or not.  I wasn't sure where to start and stop my quilting since it isn't hidden by any binding. Any thoughts?

   

     

  

I attached a grommet in the corner of the potholders for hanging.  This is a good alternative to a hanging loop. Installation of the grommet involves a tool.  I do love using tools.  They empower me.  Tah-wanda!

    

Cutting into these polkies encouraged me to cut into some other fabric I've been hoarding.  I've been whacking away at my bits and pieces of Summer in the City. Lovin' it.  I can't wait to show you the fruits of this project.  I'm also thinking about trying out this idea I have in my head for binding a baby blanket.  Oh, and there's a sock elephant brewing in my brain.  Emily had a birthday.  She cashed in her You Go Girl certificate for that sock elephant that has eluded her for so long.  And, perhaps I should make a coat for the cat.  She got her summer make-over last Friday.  She looks just like she did in this Pretty Kitty post.  I love this hair-do, especially the "boots". They remind me of furry Mukluks.  I think Kitty is cold, though.  She has spent the entire morning snuggled under this blanket on my bed.  I didn't have the heart to move her so that I could make the bed.

   

   

Do you think she'd wear a little down vest?  Just kidding.  

    

I hope all is well in your corner of the world.  We are busy, busy, busy doing all the things that come at the end of the school year.  I'm having trouble carving out time to do all the things I have to do, not to mention the things I want to do.  Better get back at it...

    

~Cassie