Ready for summer.

I'm ready for the heat of summer to come back. In California our winters are very mild, but I miss the super hot sun making me so hot I just want to spend the day in the pool! That means I may spend a little less time quilting though, we shall see.

My sister's quilts

My sister is an amazing quilter. I wanted to show off two of the quilts she is currently working on. She tends to tackle more challenging quilts than I do with stunning results. I love how she is able to show me the ropes when it comes to quilting, and am inspired by her talent. She is a pattern following quilter, and I tend to make it up as I go along. I cannot wait to see these two quilts when they are finished.

Fixing mistakes.

My grandma taught me how to crochet. Whenever I made a mistake, which seemed like constantly, she would tell me to rip it out and start over. While she watched I of course ripped it out, started over, even though I dreaded the work I would have to do over.

When I was binding a quilt recently I became impatient. I really just wanted it done so I could move on to another one! I made some mistakes in my rush to finish so I ripped out all of the binding and started over. I could hear my grandma reminding me to fix my mistakes. I did, and it looks just perfect. Thanks grandma!

New Quilt!

Beginning a new quilt! Actually it's a quilt I started awhile ago and didn't have enough confidence to tackle. Now that I have a few successful quilts under my belt I am excited about this new project. This quilt will have a pinwheel type design in a variety of pinks, greens and blues. Very spring like!

Collection of quilts.

I want to highlight various quilts that other people have given me. I didn't realize I had so many! This first one I want to show off is a lap quilt my sister made for me a few years ago. I love pink and cherry blossoms, so this quilt was a nice surprise.

There is a book series I am reading called the Elm Creek Quilt novels by Jennifer Chiaverini. Her website is elmcreek.net. This series brings you into a world of women who love all things quilting. Along the way they not only learn about themselves but about past generations of women and how important quilts were.

In some ways quilting is a forgotten art form. You can buy mass produced quilts at many chain stores, which I admit I have a white and blue one I use from time to time! (pics to come soon!) One thing I love about quilting is that there are so many layers of meaning and symbolism within the quilt blocks themselves. The different placement of triangles, squares and circles can tell a wide range of stories. Personally I am at the very beginning in my understanding!

In the weeks to come I will begin exploring various blocks, their meanings and how they fit into the modern quilt movement.

Below is the quilt I just finished. This picture was taken a few days ago when I was doing the last bit of quilting. Soon I will have some current pictures of the whole quilt.

The quilt that started it all.

About a year and a half ago I was at a pretty hard place in my life. I had been struggling with problems with my health. There wasn't anything new about this, I have had this health "challenge" my whole life. What became more and more apparent was that I could no longer pursue my chosen career and maintain my health at the same time.

I had moved to California about 6 or 7 years before to pursue my Masters degree in Psychology. I wanted to become a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. As anyone who has gone on this path knows, it can take a long time and be a ton of work to become a licensed therapist!
I finished my Masters in 2006 and began working towards my license. I loved the work, it was amazing! My health suffered though, I was constantly in and out of the hospital.

It came to a point where I had to decide, do I continue on this path or do I stop and take care of my failing health. I knew the decision I had to make, but it was devastating. I was heartbroken. I had worked so hard up to this point, I couldn't imagine making this sacrifice.

One morning I woke up and knew that I needed to make a "sad" quilt. Many times I had suggested to my clients to create some piece of art to help them heal. I absolutely believe that part of what is amazing about creating is that healing that can happen. My "Sad Quilt" was going to be dark black, blue and gray and I was going to put one "happy" square in the mix. I talked to my sister about this quilt, who is a very accomplished quilter, and she helped me bring life to this quilt. My "happy" square actually became a very vibrant back piece of the quilt!

I worked on it for a few months and I began to feel a sense of aliveness again. This is it, I will create! I had always drawn, painted, crafted, taken art classes, been "arty". This quilt though was something that covered me when I was sad and comforted me. It seems so basic, a blanket. But knowing that I made this blanket, this quilt, that brought healing to me, I felt a lifting of my sadness and was instead surrounded by its warmth.

Obsessed with quilts.

One of the dreamy things about quilting is looking through quilt magazines. I have always loved catalogs and magazines. It's funny, recently I went for a week vacation with my boyfriend to Las Vegas. Any downtime I had I looked at my quilt magazines that I had brought with me. I had also brought the Hancock's of Paducah fabric catalog from last year (www.hancock's-paducah.com). I poured through it looking for fabric and color ideas for all the quilts I am going to make! We had some delay in the airport on our way back home, Obama was in Vegas that week and was flying out before us. While we waited I went searching for quilt magazines to buy. Of course I couldn't find any. I realize not everyone traveling wants to see the latest quilt trends, but a girl can dream! This is a very minor glimpse into my "obsession" with quilts!




This was the view across from our hotel.

Mason helps me quilt.

Even though it's a little harder to quilt with a puppy in the way, can't resist my puppy Mason's love of quilting!

Inspiration

I was thinking about what inspires me when I quilt. There are so many different things; my favorite colors at the moment, nature, magazines, fashion, the people in my life, memories, nostalgia, and other quilters. Today I want to try to share some pictures that in some tiny way show what moves me to create quilts.

This first picture may seem odd, but I love the way this staircase seems so serene and inviting. I just want to climb up and see where it goes. It also is an example of great lines, which can be easily translated into a quilt.


I am also really inspired by nature. I love the way plants have so many variations in color, texture and shape. Behind my home there are these amazing trails that I walk my puppy on. During these walks I love soaking in the tall grasses, blooming plants and towering trees. I think part of what I want to do with quilting is bring in these feelings, and nuance of our surroundings.

Dabbling in different crafts.

It seems I have found the crafty thing to do. Making quilts. Don't get me wrong, I still love all of the other stuff I have been doing. I think back over the last couple years I jumped from one craft to another.
For the longest time I was religiously making cards and sending them out to all of my friends and relatives throughout the year. I even dabbled in selling them at flea markets in Berkeley, CA and at various craft shows. I loved making them, but I began to get restless and a little lost for ideas.

Then I took up scrapbooking. In some ways its the next step from making cards! It never quite became an "obsession" of mine because I didn't print out my pictures often enough!

Recently over the winter holidays I took up crocheting. It's something I learned from my Grandma when I was a little girl, and was surprised how quickly I could pick it up again. I learned how to do the Amigurumi style of crochet and made many, many stuffed animals! I could sit for hours crocheting! My hands and wrists began to hurt so I had to stop.


I am excited now because I have moved onto quilting. This first quilt I made was maybe a year ago. It was a very simple one, but large enough to fit on our queen size bed so I felt pretty good about that! Then I made one for my nephew and loved making it! The quilt consisted of a mix of nine square patches and Pokemon squares. Then I outlined it in two shades of blue and a red binding. The back panel is a world map fabric. I had been working on some map puzzles with my nephew, so I liked this little personal touch to the quilt.


Right now I am working on a pretty simple rainbow type color scheme mixed with panels of white fabric. My crafting budget has been very puny lately so my sister had been kind enough to pass on some of her remnants to me! I am finishing the quilting and have to figure out what fabric I am going to use for the binding.

Pinning the quilt.















Our puppy Mason helping me pin my quilt!

I was just thinking about how fast this year has gone. Looking back at my pictures, all stored on the computer, I see there were a lot of great adventures along with some heartbreak. It's amazing how moving a picture can be, and how quickly it can remind you of these moments.

For our three year anniversary my boyfriend brought me to Monterey, CA to see the Monterey Bay Aquarium, which is incredible. I especially loved the jellyfish display, with the perfect combination of the orange and turquoise. They also had the Seahorse Exhibit up and running, the variety of seahorses was pure magic.


A truly heartbreaking time came when my boyfriend's sister's family dog passed away very unexpectedly. He became very sick so quickly, even now I get teary thinking of him. We all loved Scooter. I am grateful for the pictures I do have of him. This particular one I was "messing around" with my camera. Scooter was getting a little love from his unlikely friend, the family cat, Xena.
I had only had my camera for a few weeks at this point and was spending a few days at Michelle's house, my boyfriends sister. She was teaching me how to use my camera. Michelle is an amazing photographer, check out her blog: MRSphotography.blogspot.com.

This final picture I took in my old neighborhood. I had been living with my boyfriend for over a year in Oakland. We had decided that it was time to move to somewhere closer to his family. When it the time to move was fast approaching, I became nostalgic about moving and decided to take pictures from our area. This one was of a cherry blossom tree a few blocks from our apartment. Looking at this picture I remember the warm day, the busy streets and all the good things Piedmont Ave. had brought us.

Amigurumi Bears and Bunnies

I have admired for a long time the cute crocheted stuffed animals other people have made. One day I thought I would try to make some cherries. After many, many tries I was able to finally figure out how to make a crocheted stuffed animal.
The dark brown bear on the right is the first one I made that I liked. I am better at attaching the plastic eyes rather than trying to embroider some eyes. The pumpkin in the middle is one of many I made for Halloween decorations around the house this year. I may even use them for my Thanksgiving decorations, along with a crocheted turkey.
I also made a few other bunnies. This rainbow one is one of my favorites. I love how bright and cheery it is and it was so fun to make, changing all the colors as I went along.

Taking Pictures

Growing up my father was always taking pictures. He would sometimes let me in to what seemed like his secret world. Our downstairs bathroom was used as his darkroom, the various chemical solutions tinging the room with their smell. I was fascinated as well as intimidated as a little girl by my father. I grew up seeing what taking pictures meant to him, and knowing I too wanted the ability to capture moments through photography. I quietly learned from him, and hoped to someday prove that I was able to take pictures just like my father.

DJ's quilt.

This is the second quilt I have made, this time using part of a pattern, and making the rest up!
My 5 year old nephew loves Pokemon and we often have long conversations about our favorite Pokemon, the moves they have, which is the best, the worst, the strongest. I love talking to him about it, really I am going to miss these conversations as he gets older. His mom Michelle asked me to make a quilt for him using the Pokemon material she found on ebay. I think she asked me almost a year ago! Well the whirlwind of my life finally settled down, landing me and my boyfriend in our new home in Walnut Creek, CA. I started the work on this quilt a month ago and finished the final touches last night. I cannot tell you how many times I called my best friend Sarah and my twin sister Katie for advice and encouragement! Often the calls would be late at night! Thanks to them, I made it and was able to finish my second quilt. Enjoy! Soon to come hopefully pictures of DJ with his quilt!!

A lovely day for a walk!

I am loving my new neighborhood, so amazing! Today I decided to go for a walk on the trail behind our apt. complex. Such a beautiful day and I loved taking pictures of all the blooming flowers. It really is an incredible thing to be able to go for a walk by myself in the middle of the day and feel completely safe. I couldn't do that in my last neighborhood, so this is a vast improvement. There was this statue that I wanted to take a picture of in my old neighborhood but needed someone to come with me. I didn't end up finding the time, but maybe sometime I will go back for the amazing sushi in my old neighborhood and can take pictures then! I know quite a few people who are missing that sushi place, the only reason my friends and family wanted me to stay in the neighborhood! Well enjoy the pics!

I love my new camera! It's a Nikon d40 and I am at the beginning stages of learning how to use it, but love the results I have so far.

A shift in my crafting.

We are well into the new year and I am on the path of crafting. I began this blog to showcase my card designs. That was the goal, I guess I achieved it in some way.
But I am moving beyond just making cards. I resisted it at first, but can't stop the creative energy pushing me in new directions!

Right now I have two quilts in progress. One for my nephew who is 5 years old. That quilt has a Pokemon theme. The other quilt I am making is from scraps of fabric that are in the range of blues, gray and orange. I am using the same pattern as the one for my nephew. The fabric in this post is for the quilt I am making as a practice quilt.

I am ready to see where this takes me!

Getting ready for craft fairs!

Welcome back! I'm working on cards and making things out of felt for some craft fairs I am in this month and next. I am borrowing my sisters sewing machine, before that I was trying to make the felt things by hand, so totally time consuming! The "wood stump" pin cushion was sewn all by hand. Everyone thinks its a cupcake so I am changing tactics on that one and will be making cupcakes from now on. MY new felt creation though is the tissue pockets. They are so fun to make and I made a whole batch! My faves are the fruit/vegie ones. They are saying eat your vegies and fruit to avoid the sniffles!!
Check out my these and other crafts of mine at: cherryheartdesigns@etsy.com!

Wood stump pin cushion

I personally think this is the cutest thing ever, so far, that I have made out of felt. I am on a mission to make a whole forest of them! So they are pin cushions made in the shape of a wood stump with hand embroidered "wood grain" on them. I am experimenting with different shades of embroidery thread and adding woodland creatures to the wood stump. It is exciting! Check back for more of my sidetracked project from greeting cards!

Giraffes, Elephants and Owls Oh MY!

I have ventured into a new craft! Felt, so fun to use! I have begun making ornaments in a variety of styles, Giraffes, Elephants, Owls, Doves, and wreaths. They can all be purchased at:
cherryheartdesigns.etsy.com !

New paper bows, so fun to make!

I have been trying out different sizes and papers to make these bows. They are so fun and super easy to make. They have distracted me from making cards, but I can't stop!
For most of them I used paper with a pattern on both sides. I am experimenting with paper that has only a pattern on one side and seeing if I like the look of it or not. I am going to put these bows for sale on etsy.com as soon as I get enough done! I will let you know when they are ready!

Paper Bows

I was sent this pattern by Michelle, my boyfriends sister. I thought I would try it out and I loved how they turned out. Here is the first one I made, more pictures of the others to come. I am modifying the pattern to some up with ones in differing sizes.

Ahh, Baby

Here is a boy version of the baby card I made yesterday. I tend to do a lot of sparkly, girly cards so toning it down for boy/male cards is always a challenge! Well, enjoy!

I am back, wow finally!

The last time I was on here was in december, right when I was beginning to work a few craft fairs and send off my holiday cards. Along with making cards I was working at an elementary school as a child therapist which ended up consuming most of my time. When the school year ended in early July I decided to shift gears and focus solely on making greeting cards. Well, this has lead me to starting up again on my blog and getting my cards out there! Thanks for stopping by!

I have new cards!

Oh, I can't believe it has been so long since I updated this blog! Well the holidays are my busiest time for making greeting cards. I have a few craft fair dates I will be at this december, and am scrambling to get enough cards made for the fair and for my family and friends. I may have to send out store bought cards to my family, but I love having people enjoy my handmade cards!
I will post the new ones in a few days, plus after this weekend I will have pics. of my booth at the craft fair, totally exciting. Well enjoy the cards that are from my past posts and check back for the new ones!