Traveling Stash Box UPDATES!

Hello!  :)

Welcome!  :)  This is where you will find all the updates to the 8 Traveling Stash Boxes that are making their way around the USA!

What is a Traveling Stash Box??? It's a box that's filled with a collection of fabrics, patterns, thread and other quilty fun! When you receive one you take out what you like, replace it, hold a giveaway and then send it to the next lucky recipient. You can find all the rules and guidelines here.

Once a week (usually on Monday) I publish a new post as to the status of all the Traveling Stash boxes. During the week (usually daily) I edit the post to reflect any changes that have occurred during the day.


Here's the latest updates as of 8/04/12 . . . 

TRAVELING STASH & OTHER BOXES:
BOX #1:     Kristy @ Cotton Addiction posted the Giveaway! It ends on Sunday, August 5th at midnight (PST)!     ENTER GIVEAWAY here!


BOX #2:     Rebeckah @ Handmade by Rebeckha (Rose Creations) is the winner of the Giveaway! Congrats Rebeckah! She has received the box and will be blogging about it soon! :)


BOX #3:     Irene @ Hilachas won the Giveaway and has been waiting OVER 5 WEEKS for this box! I heard that Bobbie finally mailed the box out today! Yea! Keep your fingers crossed that Irene receives it soon!  :)


BOX #4:     Wendy @ Stitchduchess Crazy & Sane Quilting World is the winner of the Giveaway! Congrats Wendy! Karen will be mailing the box to you soon!  :)


BOX #5:     Bree @ My Crafty Crap is the winner of the Giveaway! Congrats Bree! Bree has received the box and will be blogging about it soon!  :)

PASS IT ON BOX:     Linda @ Casa Boose in Stitches is the winner of the Giveaway! Congrats Linda! Linda has received the box and will be blogging about it soon!  :)


LEAP YEAR BOX (giveaway only on the 29th of each month):     Melinda @ Melinda Quilts Etc posted the Giveaway! She will draw the winner on Sunday August 5th!     ENTER GIVEAWAY here!


TWO SISTERS BOX:     Josie @ Insanity Defense is the winner of the Giveaway! Congrats Josie! Irene will be mailing the box to you soon!  :)


Find the Traveling Stash Rules and Guidelines here.


Find out about the Origins of the Traveling Stash Boxes here.


Find all the Traveling Stash posts here.

Until next time . . .

Mid-Week Traveling Stash Update with an Announcement!

Hello!  :)

I'm posting this special mid-week update for the Traveling Stash boxes to announce a NEW BOX!!!

Irene @ Hilachas won Traveling Stash Box #3 back on June 25th. She has yet to receive this box (see her blog & below for more info). Since she was all set to send a box out and hasn't been able to Irene and her sister Ida @ My Sister Made Me Do It decided to start a new Traveling Stash Box! This new box will be called the "Two Sisters Box"! Please go to Irene's blog to check out the box and all the pertinent info. Thanks Irene & Ida for your generosity in starting a new box!  :)


Here's the latest updates as of 7/30/12 . . .

TRAVELING STASH BOXES:
BOX #1:     Kristy @ Cotton Addiction posted the Giveaway! It ends on Sunday, August 5th at midnight (PST)!
BOX #2:     Rebeckah @ Handmade by Rebeckah (Rose Creations) is the winner of the Giveaway! Congrats Rebeckah! Sherry will be mailing the box to her soon!
BOX #3:     Irene @ Hilachas won the Giveaway and has been waiting over a month for this box. Bobbie @ From This to That please send Irene the box!!! It would be really sad for this box to end!  :(
BOX #4:     Karen P. @ Sew Peachy posted the Giveaway! It ends on Friday, August 3rd, 12pm (EST)!
BOX #5:     Bree @ My Crafty Crap is the winner of the Giveaway! Congrats Bree! CeLynn will be mailing the box to her soon!


OTHER BOXES:
PASS IT ON BOX:     Sharon @ Vrooman's Quilts posted the Giveaway! It ends on Monday, July 30th at midnight (EST)!
LEAP YEAR BOX (giveaway only on the 29th of each month):     Melinda @ Melinda Quilts Etc posted the Giveaway! She will draw the winner on Sunday, August 5th!
NEW!!!!   "TWO SISTERS" TRAVELING STASH BOX:     Irene @ Hilachas & her sister Ida @ My Sister Made Me Do It just started this NEW box! The Giveaway ends on Friday, August 3rd at midnight (MDT)!


We now have 8 Stash Boxes making their way around the US! WooHoo!!!  :)  (Hopefully box #3 will show up soon so it can continue on it's way.) Since we've added a new box to the list I thought I'd post who started all the boxes again with the new ones added.


The origin of all the Traveling Stash & Other Stash Boxes:

TRAVELING STASH BOXES:
BOX #1 was started on 1/3/11 by Nan from Pots and Pins!
BOX #2 was started on 3/28/11 when Kelly from Charming Chatter split the new box from box #1!
BOX #3 was started on 11/22/11 when Staci from The Confused Quilter split the new box from box #2!
BOX #4 was started on 2/14/12 when Darlene from Quilting Nana split the new box from box #1!
BOX #5 was started on 6/13/12 when Samantha from Quilts & Crafts split the new box from box #2!

OTHER BOXES:
PASS IT ON BOX was started on 1/25/12 by Brandi from ABC!
LEAP YEAR BOX was started on 2/29/12 by Ann Marie from 16 Muddy Feet! This "Leap Year" box only travels on the 29th of each month.
TWO SISTERS BOX was started on 7/27/12 by "Two Sisters" Irene from Hilachas & Ida from My Sister Made Me Do It!


Find all the Traveling Stash posts here.

Click here for the Traveling Stash Rules and Guidelines.

Until next time . . .

Christmas in July! :)

Hello!  :)

Merry Christmas in July!  :)

Are you feeling it? I wanted to do some Christmas things this month and thought I'd miss out since it's already so late in the month. I decided I'd better get busy!  :)  For this month's Hermit and Stitch Weekend I decided to stitch some Christmas designs. It's a good thing too because it's been way too hot here and my air conditioner went out Sunday. Can you believe it?! The guy finally came and fixed it this afternoon and I was very grateful. I don't like heat! My feet swell up, I sweat a lot and I'm just absolutely miserable. Anyway getting back to Christmas... I love Christmas! I love everything about it! I choose a few designs to work on this weekend and got busy stitching and thinking about Christmas and cooler weather!

The first design I worked on is Lizzie Kate's "Winter Wishes" Snippet.

I stitched it on a 28 count Ultra Very Light Antique Blue over two threads. I switched some of the colors. I really love the way it turned out. Here's a closer look (not a great picture... sorry) . . .

I started "Winter Wishes" on Friday and finished it Saturday. Of course I had to start another one right away so I picked up the "Christmas" Flip-It by Lizzie Kate.

I stitched it on a 14 count Light Mocha Beige Aida. I only switched a couple of colors on this one. Here's a closer look . . . 

I still need to add the angel charm to the top of the tree on this one. I finished this design on Sunday. Then I moved on to another. I just had to keep going! Plus by this time it was very hot and I had to keep thinking about Christmas and cooler weather!  ;)

The next one I picked up was "Smells like snow..." by San-Man Originals.

It's a pretty simple design and very cute! The snowman was a little tedious and took some patience but I keep going thinking snow . . . snow . . . snow!  ;)  I stitched it on 28 count Ultra Very Light Antique Blue over two threads. I kept all the colors the same. I still need to add a carrot (button) nose to him.

Isn't he adorable?!!! I finished him Monday (today) afternoon. What do you think I did after he was complete? Of course! I picked up the next one and got busy. This is as far as I got on it before the air conditioning guy arrived.

This design will remain a secret until it's finished. So far it's a great start. I'm stitching it on the same 28 count Ultra Very Light Antique Blue over 2 threads. I'm loving this color!  :)

I was definitely a stitching hermit this weekend. I managed to complete three small designs and start on a fourth and survived the heat! If you'd like to see how others spent their Hermit and Stitch Weekend be sure to go here to check it out!

Until next time . . .

Traveling Stash Update!

Hello!  :)

I want to take a moment to thank a few people who are Super Stash Box participants:

• CeLynn @ The Sunflower Patch posted the giveaway the day she received the box! Way to go CeLynn!  :)
• Jen @ Quilter's Daughter picked the winner and mailed the box the same day! Great job Jen!  :)
• Sharon @ Vrooman's Quilts received the box and posted the giveaway the same day! Awesome!  :)

All these ladies also emailed and kept me updated on the boxes.Thank you ladies very much for your commitment to keeping these boxes moving! Your efforts are really appreciated!  :)


Here's the latest updates as of 7/26/12 . . . 

TRAVELING STASH BOXES:
BOX #1:     Kristy @ Cotton Addiction has the box! She will be posting the giveaway on July 30th to coincide with the Think Christmas blog hop she's participating in.
BOX #2:     Sherry @ Books Hooks Sticks Etc posted the Giveaway! It ends on Saturday, July 28th!
BOX #3:     Irene @ Hilachas won the Giveaway! Irene has arrived home from vacation and was going to post the giveaway but the box hasn't arrived. Bobbie you have had over 4 weeks to mail the box. Please pass it on!
BOX #4:     Karen P. @ Sew Peachy has the box! Can't wait to see what you took & added to the box Karen! Please post the giveaway!
BOX #5:     CeLynn @ The Sunflower Patch posted the Giveaway! The winner will be chosen Friday evening July 27th!

OTHER BOXES:
PASS IT ON BOX:
Sharon @ Vrooman's Quilts posted the Giveaway! It ends on Monday, July 30th at midnight (EST)!
LEAP YEAR BOX (giveaway only on the 29th of each month):
Melinda @ Melinda Quilts Etc won the Giveaway! The next giveaway will be posted on the 29th!


Find all the Traveling Stash posts here.

Click here for the Traveling Stash Rules and Guidelines.

Until next time . . .

ORT's ~ Exchanges ~ Hermits ~ Stamps

Hello!  :)

I'd like to share my ORT's for July with you . . .

You might be asking yourself, "What are ORT's?" Well let me tell you!  :)  They are the old ratty threads that are leftover when stitching. As you know I've been stitching pretty non-stop lately so my jar is pretty full! There are lots of wonderful colors in there aren't there?! Sharing my ORT's is part of the Totally Useless Stitch-A-Long (how fun is that?!).

Next I'd like to share some exchange goodies with you! I took part in another stitching exchange over at "Stitched With Love Exchanges". I'm really enjoying participating in these exchanges! Thanks Lainey! No one gets to share what they sent or received until everyone has received their package and Lainey tells us it's time to share. Then she posts all the goodies everyone sent and received on the "Stitched With Love Exchanges" blog. You can view all of the goodies here.

This last exchange was a Patriotic one. Here's what my partner April sent to me . . .

Isn't it fabulous?!!! I was so happy when I opened my package!  :)  I love Americana stuff. I actually used to decorate my whole house with it. Now I've toned it down but still have some pieces around. I've actually already stitched the pattern she gave me up into a pillow for the 4th which I shared with you previously here. I also use one of the ribbons she gave me on one of my "Celebrating Red White & Blue" quilt blocks here. I love all of it! Thank you so much April for your kindness and sharing your talents with me! I really appreciate it! Here's a close up of the stitched piece she did for me . . .

I'm planning on doing my bathroom in Americana very soon and this will be hanging on the wall in there year-round. For now it's sitting on a table in my living room. It makes me smile every time I see it!  :)

Here's what I sent to my partner Kim . . .

I was really happy with how it all came out. I hope she was too!  :)  Here's a closer view of the pillow I made for her . . . 

Does it look a little familiar to you? It should! I made one for myself for the 4th and shared it with you here. I also stitched a bigger version of the same design and put it on a block for the "Celebrating Red White & Blue" blog hop which you can see here. Can you tell I like this design?! I love hearts and I love patriotic things!

The next exchange is a "Tea Party in the Garden" exchange. I am preparing a "Garden" package for my partner and I will be receiving the same theme in return. Actually I haven't really started yet. I've been swamped lately. I finally did sit down tonight and ordered the pattern and supplies necessary for the piece I will stitch for my partner and also a couple of extra goodies for her.  :)  It should come quickly as I ordered the items from 123stitch.com and they usually ship items pretty quick. They have great prices and low shipping too! It's one of my favorite places to go for my stitching supplies!  :)

Speaking of stitching . . . this is the weekend for the next

I will definitely be participating and stitching this weekend. I'll be back on Monday to tell you all about it!  :)

Before I go I like to tell you about some items I'll selling over at eBay in case you're interested.

Do you like to stamp? Don't you just love Stampin' Up! stamps?!!! They're absolutely fabulous! I used to be a Stampin' Up! demonstrator until a few months ago. I had to give it up as I just didn't have as much time for it anymore. I have lots of great stamps and other items in my personal stash. I've found myself needing to raise some cash pretty quick so I decided to part with some of my lovely, cherished stamps. 73 sets of them to be exact! (Don't worry I still have more! I know!)

Anyway I'm telling you this because I thought you might want to get some of these awesome stamps for yourself. If you're interested you can check out my eBay stamp auctions here. They all end on Monday, July 23rd (or sooner if you use the "Buy it Now" feature). If you do decide to purchase any of them please let me know you came from my blog and I will include a special surprise for you with your stamps! Just a little gift from me to you to say "Thank You!" (My auctions are only available to those in the US . . . sorry!) Have a Great Weekend!  :)

Until next time . . .

Traveling Stash UPDATE!

Hello!  :)

Can you believe it's already the middle of July? Where does all the time go? Thanks to all of you who are helping to keep the Traveling Stash boxes moving!  :)  Currently they are all traveling or just arriving at their new destinations. Hopefully we will get some giveaways posted this week!  :)  I have emails out to all the recipients asking about the status. I would appreciate it if you could get back to me and let me know if you've received the box and when you'll be posting the giveaway. I know there are lots of people out there waiting for the next giveaway and their chance at the boxes! Let's keep these boxes moving!!!  :)


Here's the latest updates as of 7/19/12 . . . 

TRAVELING STASH BOXES:
BOX #1:     Kristy @ Cotton Addiction won the Giveaway! The box arrived! She's gathering goodies for the box and will be posting the Giveaway soon!  :)
BOX #2:     Sherry @ Books, Hooks, Stitcks, Etc. won the Giveaway! The box has arrived! She posted pictures and will be posting the giveaway soon!  :)
BOX #3:     Irene @ Hilachas won the Giveaway! The mailing of the box to her was delayed. Now Irene is on vacation. She will post the giveaway when she returns. Sorry for the delay!
BOX #4:     Karen P. @ Sew Peachy won the Giveaway! The box has arrived! She's decided what to add to it and will post the Giveaway soon!  :)
BOX #5:     CeLynn @ The Sunflower Patch won the Giveaway! The box is on it's way! She will let me know when it arrives!  :)

OTHER BOXES:
PASS IT ON BOX:
Jen @ Quilter's Daughter posted the Giveaway! It will end at midnight pst on Saturdays, July 21st. Don't miss out!  :)
LEAP YEAR BOX (giveaway on on the 29th of each month):
Melinda @ Melinda Quilts Etc. won the Giveaway! The box is on it's way! The next giveaway will be posted on the 29th!


Find all the Traveling Stash posts here.

Click here for the Traveling Stash Rules and Guidelines.

Until next time . . .

A Friday Night Sew-In Celebrating the Red White & Blue!

Hello!  :)

Welcome to day 14 of the "Celebrate Red White and Blue Blog Hop"! There are only a couple more days left. Have you been hopping around and looking at all the fabulous blocks? I have. They're awesome!  :)  You can go here to find the entire schedule and links to the hop so you can start at the beginning. Don't miss out!

Here's Today's Hopping Schedule . . .

Diann C

Quilt Monster in my Closet

daisy and jack

sewingly along . . . You are here!  :)

MoomMist

Susie's World

Thanks so much for stopping by today to view my blocks. At first I thought I'd come up with 3 blocks and then put a table runner together in the end to tie them all together. Then I thought that I'd just make a bunch of blocks. Then I was thinking about what patterns I should use. After looking through some ideas I decided to just wing it. I hope you won't be disappointed. I actually came up with six 12-1/2" blocks. I took pictures of all of them outside and inside so there will be 2 pictures of each block. I hope you will like what you see!  :)

My first block came about by chance. I've been doing a lot of cross stitch lately. I actually made this one design for a swap. I liked it so much I made another for me. I used a different fabric then normal so it turned out bigger than I wanted. I decided to put it aside and made a third one for myself. I looked at the discarded piece and thought what should I do with this? Then it hit me. I'll use it in one of my Red, White and Blue blocks! Yes! That's it! Here it is . . .

Cross stitch and quilting combined! I echoed the cross stitch piece with fabrics from my stash. I think they accent it nicely! Here's another look . . .

A funny thing happened while I was working on this block. (Actually it wasn't quite so funny at the time.) I figured out the measurements for the stripes and began sewing strips together. Then I realized I'd forgotten to account for the 1/4" seam on both sides. Uggghhh! (This is something I do quite often.) So frustrated but eager to keep going I put it aside and cut new strips and started over. Then when I got to the center stripes I mismeasured again and sewed too many stripes together. Instead of picking it apart I sat it aside again, cut more strips and continued on. This time I got it right! Third time's a charm!  :)

What did I do with the all those strips I had already sewn together? I made two other blocks with them.  :)  Waste not, want not I always say!  ;)  (Plus I hate ripping out seams!) With the first of the two mistake strip blocks I appliqued some blue stars. I decided to blanket stitch around them in a golden yellow perle cotton thread. Another block finished.

Yea! Simple but sweet. The closer photo isn't really a good one (sorry).

Here's the other block I made with the mistake strip blocks.

This time I didn't have as many stripes to work with so I added a blue field and two appliqued stars with a patriotic eagle print fabric. I blanket stitched around these in a golden yellow perle cotton thread as well.

There are the first three blocks! All similar but different. Made by accident or was it fate? Hummmm . . . ;)

The next block is my favorite.

I had some beautiful vintage inspired fabric. I didn't want to distract from it's beauty so I just accented it with some stars and stripes. It needed a little something more. Hummmm.... I found some cool ribbon I had in my stash. It was perfect! Very simple and sweet!  :)

4 down . . . 2 more to show.  ;)  The next block is a basic log cabin with a historical fabric as the centerpiece.

I used lots of patriotic fabrics from my stash to complete this block.

Last but not least . . .

I'm not sure what this block is called. Is it a pinwheel? Is it a star? It's definitely red, white, blue and patriotic!  :)  The center fabric is my favorite find this year. It reminds me of the peace and love of the '60s. The other fabrics are favorites as well.

Well that's it! 6 red, white, blue patriotic blocks. What am I going to do with them? I'm going to make up a few more and combine them all into a throw quilt for me and the hunky dude. I'd eventually love to have one for every holiday and/or season. 

Thank you so much for visiting me and viewing my blocks! I hope you liked them!  :)  Thanks Jane and Madame Samm for hosting! It's been fun! Don't forget to check out all the other wonderful blocks!  :)

Also before you go . . . since I finished these up on Friday these blocks will be my submission for the Friday Night Sew-In.

Heidi and her cousin Bobbi host this monthly event. It's always fun to get together online with women from all over the world and sew on the same night of the month.  :)

Until next time . . .

A Week in Review

Hello!  :)

Hope you're having a nice week!  :)  Mine's been sad. A good friend of mine lost her battle with cancer this past weekend. She was only 46. She was always a happy, cheerful person. She always brightened my life. I am missing her terribly and am very sad.  :(  I will always remember her fondly and smile when I think of her.

This past week I was able to make some progress on the Autumn Sampler I've been working on. Here's where I left off last week . . .

And this is where I am at today . . .

I haven't done all the detail backstitches yet but I have done the main ones to keep up with the design. I will work on the detail ones when it's all finished. I am happy with my progress so far after 3 weeks. Tonight I'll be starting on the center sections. I really love all the different sections and details of this design. It really helps it to flow and makes it easier to work on.

I have also finished stitching a couple of other pieces this week as well. They are both Lizzie Kate designs. The first is "Think Autumn" . . .

The second one is a "Halloween" Flip-It . . .

I'm not quite sure how or when I'm going to finish them yet. Can you tell I can't wait for Fall to get here?! I hate summer and the heat love fall!  :)  For now they are put aside while I work on the Autumn Sampler some more. I'm sure I'll start some other small project this week as well since it's a nice break from the large project.  :)

This week I have also been planning some red, white and blue quilt blocks for the Celebrate Red White and Blue Blog Hop that's been going on.

Have you been checking out all the other wonderful blocks? There are lots of great ideas out there! :)  My day is coming up this Saturday so stay tuned!  :)  That's what I have going on how about you? What have you been working on?

Before I go I'd like to talk about one more thing. Don't you just hate it when you go to leave a comment on someones blog and you have to verify the words (and now numbers) in the box? I know I do. That's why it bothers me to say that I had to turn on the word verification for comments left here on my blog. I wish I didn't but those bad people out there in cyberspace kept sending spam via comments to this blog. Why don't these people do good with their talents instead of harming bothering others? I just don't understand it. The world would be such a better place without having to protect ourselves from all those bad people out there. So please still leave me comments. I really do enjoy reading them and try to respond to everyone. While you're typing those silly words and numbers in those word verification boxes and cursing me please remember that I'm there with you. I don't like it either but it's one of those necessary things. Sigh.................

Until next time . . .

Traveling Stash Update!

Hello!  :)

Hope you've had a wonderful week! I hate to do this but I need to remind those of you participating in the Traveling Stash boxes that by entering the giveaways for the boxes you are agreeing to the rules which include:

1. Be an active blogger. Post about receiving and the giveaway on your blog in a timely manner.
2. There is a note in the box that logs where the box has been. Please add your info and place the note back in the box.
3. There is a list of Rules and Guidelines in the box. Please read and follow these and return the list to the box. 
4. You may take anything you like from the box. Just replace every item with comparable quilt shop quality items equal to the amount taken.
5. Ship the box to the next person in a reasonable amount of time.
6. Due to the amount of postage shipping is only within the USA.

I've highlighted areas that need to be addressed. When you receive a box you need to post about receiving it and the giveaway asap. The rules state "in a timely manner". This should be no more than one week. I know sometimes life gets in the way. We all have those times. I'm only asking that if you don't think you will be able to get the boxes posted and sent back on their way in a "timely manner" to please don't enter the giveaways. The boxes are always traveling and moving so there will be plenty of chances for them to come visit you when the time is better. Personally I had a lucky month and won two within a manner of days a little while ago. While it was great it was also kind of overwhelming. Two boxes to go through. Two boxes to replace items in. Then the expense of mailing two boxes out. I've learned my lesson and now I don't enter every giveaway. I would really appreciate your help with this. I don't mind keeping track of where these boxes are but I really don't like having to bother people and remind them to keep them moving. It would really be great if you guys could just do your part to keep this a fun experience. Afterall the quicker the boxes move around the more people there will be who get to participate! Thanks!  :)

Here's the latest updates as of 7/14/12 . . . 

TRAVELING STASH BOXES:
BOX #1:     Kristy @ Cotton Addiction won the Giveaway! The box is on it's way!
BOX #2:     Sherry @ Books, Hooks, Sticks, Etc won the Giveaway! The box is on it's way!
BOX #3:     Irene @ Hilachas won the Giveaway! The box hasn't been mailed yet after two weeks. Bobbie @ From This to That said she will mail it this week. The recipient, Irene left on a two-week vacation today. She will post the giveaway when she returns. Sorry for the delay!
BOX #4:     Karen P. @ Sew Peachy won the Giveaway! The box is on it's way! (Sorry for the delay! Sue's been having computer problems.)
BOX #5:     CeLynn @ The Sunflower Patch won the Giveaway! It will be traveling to her Monday!

OTHER BOXES:
PASS IT ON BOX:
Jen @ Quilter's Daughter won the Giveaway! The box is on it's way!  :)
LEAP YEAR BOX (giveaway only on the 29th of each month):
Melinda @ Melinda Quilts ETC won the Giveaway! The box was mailed and will be arriving soon! The next giveaway will be posted on the 29th!


Find all the Traveling Stash posts here.

Click here for the Traveling Stash Rules and Guidelines.

Until next time . . .