So Much to Share

Hi Everyone!  Sorry to have been away so long...  There's lots to catch up on around here, so let's get started, shall we?!?  

The quilt guild I belong to recently had an X and + block exchange.  If you haven't tried making this block yet, I highly recommend it!  It goes together very quickly, and it's a great way to use up scraps (which, in my sewing room, tend to multiply during the night, I swear...).  

Everyone who made blocks was entered for a chance to win them all.  Unfortunately, I was not the lucky winner, but I am in love with this block and definitely want to make one of these quilts sometime soon!

I also recently snuck away for a relaxing beach vacation in sunny CA.  We had the best time exploring the coast north of LA. 

We were lucky enough to be in town during the Rose Bowl Flea Market, which is held on the second Sunday of every month at the Rose Bowl stadium.    

It was a good thing I had flying-imposed limitations on purchases; a girl could really go crazy in a place like this! :)  I did manage to find two items that were suitcase-compatible - a square wooden frame, just begging for a quilt block, and a small journal.  Here's the "befores", and hope to show you some "afters" sometime soon...

We also spent two days in Santa Barbara exploring the town, including State Street which has some great shopping and restaurants, and the fantastic beaches.

The beach right by our hotel was pretty spectacular too...

I was so inspired by all the colorful beach houses.  (Aren't they great?!?)  

That I just had to fit in some quick sketching time...

 

It was such a fun week, and a great distraction from all my regular responsibilities back home.  But now back to reality... which is actually just fine, because I've got something exciting in the works that's been a long time coming and will be ready to share with you very soon! :)

If you've made it this far, thanks for sticking with me through all these photos and updates... and hope your summer is off to a great start!

Thanks for stopping by!