alittlesweetness

fresh start...

I'm sure you're all ready to wipe my christmas post off the face of the earth by now, because even I am!  Obviously, I've thouroughly absorbed every ounce of holiday/family/vacation/vegging- out/pajama-wearing/sewing-whenever-i-feel-like-it time that I can possibly imagine, so here I am...attemping...to get back into the swing of things. ;)

Yesterday I finally worked myself up to put the Christmas things away, but I'm not ready to let winter go.  We don't get alot of snow here in the seattle area, mainly rain, but I wanted to pretend that we do.  :)

I simply put together my white trees that were scattered here and there around the house at Christmas time and then added some glass and white items from around the house to get the wintery look I wanted.  It's not perfect, but I like it. 

Of course I needed to add some snowflakes to my photos, because well....that's about all there is in these parts. 

I've kept the decorating around the house simplistic.  Especially this time of year when I want to feel decluttered after the holidays.  It helps me clear my head for a fresh start in the new year.

Over the holiday time, I focused on sewing projects that I really wanted to do.  Sometimes I have sewn things becuase I feel pressure to get them done.  Lately, I've only worked on what I felt like working on and it's been great.  I have a few WIP's sitting and waiting for their turn to be finished until I really feel like doing it.  (Sorry poor waiting WIP's!)

For example....I started in on the Scrappy Trip Along and I'm loving it!!  I wasn't sure about it at first, but I saw a couple things that inspired me and I've been non-stop on it ever since. 

I have 13 blocks done and can't wait to get to my 14th!

The blocks really do go together much quicker than you would think by looking at it. 

Here's a couple close ups....

It's so fun, I could see myself doing another sometime.  Not sure yet how big I'm going on this...just letting myself take one block at a time and making sure I'm enjoying it. 

I hope you all enjoyed a fabulous holiday season....

Happy New Year!!

P.S. I post alot on instagram too, actually much more than I blog....so if you're interested, I'm tashanoel1 there. 

merry christmas!

I did it!  I really did it! Yep, I started a christmas quilt this month and I actually finished it just in the nick of time.  Camille's Vintage Holiday pattern didn't disappoint and I'm in love with the finished product. (Thanks C, for the inspiration)! :)

It was really fun deciding how to do each oranament block...

The pattern calls for one patchwork ornament, but I did two because they were so cute!

(here's one of them...)

The other little alteration I made was doing the pinwheel.  A lot of the blocks centers are made up of half square triangles, so it really just depended on how you arranged them.  I did two pinwheels.

For the backing I found a super snuggly flannel at Joann's and it was absolutely perfect for this quilt!  I love the softness and extra cozyness it brings. 

This quilt is a big size.... 54"X68"....which is one of the largest that I've made.  It took a little longer for what I was used to, but I'm so happy with the result it was totally worth it!

Now we can enjoy it for the rest of the holiday season...I'm sure I'll have it out as looooong as possible!

Thank you SO much to everyone who has supported me this year through my Etsy shop, the beginnings of my fabric designing adventure, your friendship, encouragement, saying hello on my blog....everything!  It really means alot to me and I'm so very thankful! 

Wishing you a wonderful Christmas!  :)

Love,

Tasha Noel

p.s.  all orders have been shipped!  ;)  thanks for your patience!

pillows!

With quilt market just a couple weeks away, I've pretty much been sewing every day.  Although I can't really show you everything yet, I have a couple things to share.  I snuck in some time to make pillowcases for Ava's bed (using Kerri's super easy tutorial) that aren't planning to go to market.  Plus, I did give that one hexie flower a home on a hand stitched, hand quilted pom pom pillow.  That will be going to market. 

And now for the abundance of photos....

Ready for a nap?  Me too and I just got up.  :) 

Have a wonderful week!

Tasha

getting there

We've had a slightly busy last couple weeks and now we're finally on the downward slope.  We moved into our new house one week ago and also had lots of family in town for the 4th.  

On the 4th we went to the zoo together....22 grandkids/cousins worth.  That's not counting adults and grandparents and I don't feel like doing that math right now.  It was alot and we did get separated here and there, but we had a great day. 

That night we had everyone over for a BBQ and the boys played music on the front porch before we did fireworks.  They play really well, but decided we wouldn't disrupt the neighbors for too long.  Nobody complained so I think we were good. 

My oldest son, my nephew, one of my brothers and my dad all play guitars.  It's really fun to listen to them and I love that my sons think my dad is the coolest grandpa ever.

Did you know that teenagers still like to text and play on their ipods and phones, hide from the camera and give their mother attitude when everyone else is busy partying the night away? 

Well, let me just confirm that for ya.  They do.

Jeepers....Kids these days!!

So, I'm starting to feel a little organized in the new house and we're loving it so far.

Here's Ava playing in paper from unpacking the kitchen.

Here's the family room starting to take shape.  I know it's going to take a bit of trying things here and there to finally see what works.  That's ok though, I like experimenting. 

Finally, I got a quiet moment before my parents left town and got a picture of them with my kids.  One kid in particular always pushes the envelope when it's time to cooperate for photos, but this one was the best so I'll take it.   

P.S.

Thanks so much for all those who snatched up my fabrics I listed in my shop!  I'll be getting those off this week.  Thanks for waiting!!

Have a wonderful week!

Tasha