Shine On Sampler Quilt - My 100th Quilt!

I am so excited, I want to shout from the rooftops - my 100th quilt is complete! 

This is the Shine On Sampler Quilt from Bonnie & Camille's new book. 

I used a variety of fabrics from Bonnie & Camille's fabric lines, but mostly Shine On, Smitten, Early Bird, and Little Snippets. 

I LOVE these fabrics and colors. It makes for such a happy quilt. 

The rainbow block in the pattern is blue and red and pink. Instead, I used the little rainbows from Shine On and the rainbow stripe from Early Bird. 

As I was making the quilt, I sent my sister a picture from my design wall and she suggested I replace one of the blocks with a hot air balloon. If you've read this blog for a while, you know I have a deep and true love for hot air balloons. I have since I was a little girl. I am so glad I took her idea because it looks so cute in this quilt pattern.

The quilting is a combination of swirls and circles.

The binding is the rainbow stripe from the Early Bird line. I think this is my favorite binding... I've used it on several quilts now and it just does not get better! I also realllllly love these little triangles. 

The backing is the cream floral from the Smitten fabric line. FIVE yards! 

This is my 100th quilt and I am so proud of myself, because this one was a doozy! It is 6'8" tall! The day I finished the quilt top, I actually got a little emotional. And again when I sewed the last of the binding on. I love this quilt so much... happy tears!

 

You can view all ONE HUNDRED of my quilts on this page (grab a cup of coffee first!)!

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New Kitten

We got a new kitten! He was dumped on the side of the road on a very hot day (humans are the worst!), but thankfully he was found and wasn't injured. Our vet estimates he was about 5 weeks old and he weighed just over 11 ounces! He's TINY and adorable. 

A poses like he's doing yoga! 

We cannot get over how tiny he is, so we posed him with some of the kids' beanie boos.  

I mean... he's just too purrfect.  

I also painted a sign for above our pantry...

Update

Not a lot of crafting to report, because I am in Colorado beginning my Stem Cell Transplant for Multiple Sclerosis! We brought our kids with us for the first few days and got to do some sightseeing with them. We went to the Red Rocks Amphitheater, the Museum of Science and Nature, and the Butterfly Pavilion. So fun!

The kids went back to California with my parents. Unfortunately, the beginnings of my treatments got delayed a few days because of some ridiculous insurance nonsense (don't even get me started!). While the delay was frustrating, we did end up having some extra time to sightsee. Colorado is so beautiful. We loved Georgetown and the Arapahoe Nat'l Forest and went on a tour of a gold mine, too.

One "lemonade out of lemons" part of the insurance delay was that we were able to go home for Mother's Day. That was not in the plans, but we ended up getting to surprise our kids and spend the weekend together. Oh! And I dyed my hair purple in preparation for my upcoming chemo and hair loss. Might as well have some fun! 

We headed back to Colorado and I began treatments this week, with a perfect t-shirt from Kohls. I'm feeling bruised, puffy, exhausted, but most of all grateful. This treatment has the potential to change my life and the lives of my kids. 

I'm having some discomfort from some of the medication side effects, but we were able to visit the Botanical Gardens after one of my treatments. My wonderful husband has been my caretaker and pushed me around in a wheelchair so I could see the gardens. It was so good for me to take photos and feel creative. 

Rainbow Baby Quilt

One of our best friends recently welcomed their third daughter. I made her a baby quilt and finished it just in time for a trip to my husband's family cabin. It is the location of my favorite barn and so many beautiful spots, I had to bring the quilt along for photos. 

The fabric is the Lori Holt Bee Basics charm pack, with some purple added because purple is my favorite color and a rainbow needs purple. 

The background fabric is Riley Blake Bee Backgrounds Cross Stitch. (On a side note... I just found this honeycomb fabric while I was searching for the links - SO cute!!). 

 The backing is a very old print from IKEA, binding is a B&W polka dot. 

I love the pretty colors with the bright white background.  

I had SO much fun photographing this quilt at the cabin. I told my husband I may have to bring a bunch of quilts next time we go and do a full photo shoot. 

Peek-a-boo... I have been pretty open with my health struggles on this blog (I think?). I have multiple sclerosis and have difficulty walking. I went from the cabin to the barn to take photos and my son came with me. He said he was my "look-out" and was there to protect me. He was being playful and silly, but I think he really did get nervous seeing me walking away from everyone by myself. Sweet boy. 

 With my favorite barn in the background (also seen here and here). 

A photo of the four of us, soaking in Springtime at the cabin, one of our favorite places. 

If you're following along on my health journey, we are getting ready to begin my stem cell transplant in just a few weeks! I'm very excited for the chance to "restart" my immune system, but very nervous to be away from home and away from those faces for quite a while. It's a great opportunity for my health and our family and I am trying to keep that as my focus. I post more about this treatment and my updates on my You Caring page here: https://www.youcaring.com/jodie-bissig-436264

Bullet Journal

My life is a bit crazy right now! I recently won my insurance battle and will be heading to Denver in a few months for a life-changing stem cell transplant that has the promise to stop my multiple sclerosis. This is such a blessing! But... I'm also panicking a bit. It's going to be a BIG couple of months for me and very difficult to be away from my kids for 8-10 weeks (hopefully with visits, of course!). Anyway... I am a chronic over thinker and this is a lot to process. 

Link to my beloved letter board here. 

I've been distracting myself with a new project - bullet journaling! I am a huge fan of lists and always have a million going. Bullet journaling is (for me), a way to make my lists pretty! I originally saw this trend on Pinterest and there are so many ideas out there! 

The book I am using is linked here. It's nice quality, has a very pretty cover, and you just can't beat that price! I use Flair Pens and they don't smear, they don't bleed, and the colors are adorable. They're great for drawing and have been a favorite for writing for over 15 years. They make my handwriting look so much neater and come in so many pretty colors. Have I mentioned all the colors?  :) 

The first page I made is to track my photos. I store my images in monthly folders and back them up at the end of each month. I am meticulous (ridiculous?) in my photo storage! My pictures are my most prized possession. Now at the end of the month, I can check off each box and know that I've completed my ritual of over-protecting pictures of my kids. I can't find the exact washi tape I used at the top, but I did just find this one that I am so wishing I had used instead!  CUTE!

The second page I added is a "book shelf." So far I've only added books I've read this year (P.S. If you haven't already, read The Alice Network! So good!), but I may add books on my wish list, too? Not sure yet. I LOVE how this page turned out. It was pretty easy to make because of the dot grid on the journal pages.  

I also added some of my favorite things on the "shelves." 

This is our "House Projects" page. Mostly a dreamer's wish list since this year will likely only have room for my stem cell transplant and recovery, but it's a fun page nonetheless. Someday...

My craft list is always growing! Love the washi tape on this page. 

 My wish list page has a similar design using washi tape. I LOVE washi tape. 

 A travel page detailing the states I've traveled to. Is it obvious I'm a West Coast girl? Once I'm healthy again, I think we need to head East for some adventures! I printed a US map and traced it onto this page in black ink and then used color pens to mark the states I have visited. 

I'm not sure what other pages I'll add, but I'm having fun and it's an excellent distraction. 

Thanks for visiting!

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New Friend

Shortly after my George passed away, we welcomed a new kitten into the family. Introducing... Hazel McCutie Sneezel (she had a kitty cold shortly after we got her and was sneezing like crazy... thankfully she is doing better now). (Quilt in the background can be viewed here: Vintage String Quilt)

She was about 5 months old when we adopted her. 

She's soooooo sweet and snuggly and - bonus! - she loves my quilts. (Quilt in the background can be viewed here: Needs-a-Name Quilt)

She's also a very good sport in posing for photos...  :) (Quilt in the background can be viewed here: Needs-a-Name Quilt).

I cannot begin to tell you how much I laughed taking that photo. It's purrrrfect.  :) I still miss my George every single day, but Hazel has been a wonderful addition to the family.