Crazy 8 Sale!

I recently signed up to be an affiliate with Gymboree, because hey, they have cute clothes! :) And as much as I don't want my blog to be all advertisements, and sales, and whatever, I figure it never hurts to help each other out if we're going to shop anyway, right?! Anyway, click on it or not, no big deal. BUT anyway, I thought this sale was too good to pass up! and I love sharing a good sale, so here it is,

Today only (Jan 29th) Crazy 8 is having a sale: select knit tops for $3.99! I know my kids could always use a few new shirts, and that is a great price! So if you are looking to fill up your kids closets a little. Check it out!

Otherwise, here is a pretty picture of some of my "replacement" fabric from the great fabric destash on Instagram. Isn't it pretty?! I can't wait to cut into it! I already have something big planned for the Anna Maria Horner's True Color collection. I can't wait to show you! :)

Happy Tuesday!

Getting Artsy

I recently received a fun new toy tool, for "work". It's weird to say "I work" or "I have a job", because it's my hobby turned business (? See, so weird). But it's turning into that, and even though it's not huge, it has definitely reached the stage of self-sustaining, and is definitely a huge blessing and support to our family (no matter how little or big it may be). So anyway, whatever it is I do, or are striving to do, I got something fun and I've had a blast playing around with it!

So here are the results of my fun new instrument:

the first day:

Second day: 

I've really been itching to paint for a while now. It's been years and years! With four small children, there is no way I am going to bring out that mess. Maybe if I had a day with no kids in the house, I could do it. Otherwise I'll just wait until they are all in school... or I have my own studio (a girl can dream right?!) :) I decided to try and curb some of those cravings by "painting" on the computer. I really like how it turned out (top right). I can see a lot more painting in my future now. ;) 

 

Third and Fourth day: 

Neil told me to stop drawing flowers and mushrooms and draw something else. When I asked him what, he said umbrellas. Ok, umbrellas it is. I drew this girl in the rain and then colored her in this morning. I think I really like her. Though there is much improvement that can be made in my drawing skills. :) The little saying is from the Winnie the Pooh movie we have. 

 All of these have been created in Adobe Illustrator. The same program I use to create all my patterns. It is SO amazing! Definitely my favorite program, though I'm sure if I learned Photoshop better, I would love that too. Something I'll play with more in the future. It is refreshing to play around with color, and get back to my roots of being a little more "artsy" rather than "craftsy". (I swore I would never be craftsy, but it seems I took a sharp turn right down that road. lol.) Happy to be back in my natural element. I'm excited to see where this takes me...

If you are on instagram, I've been sharing these with the tag #artbydb if you want to check in in the future and see what else I've been doing.



All of this has to do with my word for the year... which I will share soon. I'm still rolling ideas and thoughts around in my head. So far I love it, and it's been really good for me. :)

Happy Monday everyone!!

Share your Projects Event!

Last week I started a new event on Instagram:

If you are on Instagram, and have used one of my patterns, tag it (or all of them - in progress photos, finished projects, recent, or older photos from a year ago) with #fbppatterns - in any of your comments. (You have to tag your own photo for it to show up).

Each week I will randomly draw a winner! I'll share your photo on my stream to "show off" your amazing work! (because that's what this is all about! YOU!) and then will contact you about a prize!

You could win:

• a pattern
• a handmade item
• fabric

Sometimes I'll plan something in advance, and sometimes I'll just let you pick! :)

Sound fun?! I really hope you'll play along!!! It really makes my day to see everything that you make! This all started when I started thinking about how grateful I really am for all of you! For your support, encouragement, feedback, and excitement for my designs! YOU really are the best!!! I can't thank you enough for the blessing it's been to me and my family to be able to make and sell patterns. It's been a grand adventure!! And I owe it all to you. So this is my small and simple way of saying Thank You! and giving back to you! :)


As I thought about it even more, I figured, why not incorporate it into a blog event as well?! So now there is also.... drum roll please.

ha. see that? same button, but it's different. ;)

I decided to do a monthly drawing on my blog! I'll have a linky open all year long, that you can keep linking up blog posts or Flickr photos, of your projects using my patterns. :) no need to re-link posts. It will be one mass compilation of posts that will just keep growing (hopefully) ;) and I'll keep drawing new winners each month from the mass pool! I thinking that these prizes might be a little more serious than the IG prizes? Though not necessarily. We'll see what I come up with. :) I think it will be fun though!

So how about we get started now?!

If you have any recent, or old, blog posts that share something you've made using my patterns, link it up below.

An InLinkz Link-up

If you are on Flickr, you can also add your photos to the from blank pages... flickr group! Though you will need to also link your photos here to be eligible  for the giveaway.

and of course, Thanks for sharing your creations with me!! :)

2014 Finish Along!

One of my goals is to blog more. So far, I have done a horrible job at reaching that goal. lol. But if there is one event that will get me going, it's the Finish Along link ups. Rhonda of Quilter in the Gap started it two years ago(?). Then it moved to She Can Quilt with Leanne last year. And this year it is with Katy at The Littlest Thistle. The link up for the 1st Quarter is open until the 17th, so there is still time to get your WIPs together and join along! It is now closed. so bummed. I wrote this post on Monday, but it's taken me all week to find my camera, which I still haven't. So I have no pictures. I was going to throw in some old pictures, but the event is already closed. Anyway, even though I am not officially participating, I will still blog about it and do it on my own. :) Anyway... still stop by, so you can learn more about it - and be better prepared than I for the next quarter. I have really enjoyed it in the past! Plus there are prizes! (I've won some fun things in the past... which definitely helps with the motivation factor.) :)

I must say I was SOOO sad to miss the last quarter of last year. We moved at the same time as the pre-quarter link up. Although I missed it, I did finish a LOT of my projects that have been on my list for years! (I will post about those soon, I hope). I'm really excited to start over with a mostly fresh and new list this year. With no further delay, here's what I want to finish (and hoping you won't see these projects on my list over and over again. I at least feel like I'm getting better at actually finishing things.) ;)


Ok, looking at my previous list, I still have a lot of repeats... oh well. Anyway, here we go:


Quilts:

• Kaleidoscope Quilt - needs a back, then quilted and bound
• 60's Granny Quilt* - I want to change out the orange and teal instead. Then the giant squares need to be pieced to finish the top
• Tommy's Quilt* - I had the pattern all written out on my computer, and now I can't find the file anywhere. so bummed. I still remember how to make it, but I need to figure out the measurements again.
• Nest quilt* - just sew together, figure out a few details, and quilt and bind.
• My newest secret, upcoming pattern quilt.* The top is finished on this baby size. So excited to show this to you, but I am going to wait for the big reveal. I have a lap size of this to finish as well using some of Heather Bailey's new fabrics. So excited for it!
• Neil's triangle quilt - I started this one at Sewing Summit in Jeni's class. It's half finished. I LOVE how triangles look, but I am realizing that sewing them together is not my favorite. ;) I am probably going to confiscate the quilt once I give it to him. Good thing we live in the same house so he won't notice. ;)
• Bee Blocks Quilt. I received a lot of quilt blocks a year or so ago from the Quilting for a Cause group on Flickr (which I have been neglecting. the new flickr is so hard - as in hard to enjoy.) :( I laid these out the other day and paired up the blocks, and made a plan for them. I think I'll make all of these into 7 quilts.
  

Other projects:

• Numbers book, using My ABCs Numbers pattern. 
• Swap projects (these are TOP priority and what I'm working on very very first, like right as I'm typing this, I'm also working on these. lol. I am having a lot of self control not skipping over to other projects.) It's a secret, so the pictures are very secretive. lol. But here they are. :)
• This pillow from Angela's class at Sewing Summit (I just realized that I never blogged about that. we moved right after... I have been thinking about it a lot, so maybe I'll do a really random recap. lol.) 
• Coasters and mug rugs
• Starburst Mini
• and lots of patterns* that are in the works. but I don't know if those count here. ?

Alright, that is a long list. With everything else going on in life right now, I'm hoping I can still speed through these and get them finished! Who's with me?! :)

I hope you are having a wonderful Monday!

#TheGreatFabricDestash

Erin of Two More Seconds had a great idea to have a great fabric destash on Instagram! It is tonight starting at 9 pm EST, though a lot of people have already started. I know I will be starting early... I am destashing a LOT of fabric! and I mean a LOT! I need more room, and less fabric. While my regular account is @fromblankpages, I will be listing everything under @SHOPfromblankpages, so if you want to see what there is, make sure to follow that account. That way not everyone has to be bombarded with what I'm selling. :)

Do you have fabric you want to destash? Come join in the fun! just tag all your photos with #thegreatfabricdestash. You can click on the hashtag to see what else is being destashed as well. (Though not until after all my fabric is sold. heehee.) ;)


I am going to be strong and not buy anything, though there are three prints I am looking for, so if anyone sees some, will you let me know?! Thanks! :)

I am looking for:

 Fortune in SUN

Festival in Tangerine

Filigree in Dusk

and I think I could use a little more Cathedral in Peony - but I might have that one already.

Otherwise I'm set! I am going to use these to make a quilt for our bed. :)

Alright, see you on IG tonight! :)