What's Creating Today OSQE 2016

One thing as a quilter that I always look forward to every year is the Original Sewing and Quilting Expo in Lakeland, FL.  When I first started quilting the expo was a place to go to see a wonderful and magical gallery of quilts on display that both amazed and inspired me.  It undoubtedly was also a good time to shop for hard to find items or new gadgets and products that were just coming on the market.  As the years went on it the OSQE experience changed for me and became more about going to classes.  Taking one class here and there transitioned to an entire weekend retreat for me and a desire for learning new things.  Here is where I take time for just myself, and focus on a craft that I have come to love with a fierce passion.  I have a real thirst for educating myself, broadening my horizons and opening my eyes to new techniques and different ways of doing things. 

I have found at times however that classes can be hit or miss.  I have been fortunate in that most of the classes I have taken were very educational and teachers were both knowledgeable and wonderful at conveying that knowledge.  But there have also been a few that were less than the value at which I paid for them, and more that a little disappointing.

The quilt gallery however has always been the place for me to be inspired an motivated.  It never fails to impress me, to open my eyes, to make me look at things from new perspectives, and to deepen the passion for quilting in me even more.

With that being said I thought I would share with you photos of some of my favorite quilts from the gallery.

These were but a small sample of all of the amazing quilts that I saw.  So which ones were your favorites?  Feel free to leave me comments or drop me an e-mail I would love to hear your thoughts and opinions.

Thanks for stopping by and Happy Quilting!

What's creating today - Spreading the love all year round

What's Love Got to Do with it - Everything!!!

 

So sorry I'm a few days late with my February post, but life has a way of dominating everything else around me.  I hope today's post though will still convey the spirit of what everyone associates the month of February with.

Valentine’s Day is traditionally a day that we remind those closest to us that we love them.  And now that February is over it got me thinking, why does that expression of love have to be restricted to just one day?   Why not spread the love more often!

When my kids were younger I used to put notes in their lunchboxes.  It wasn’t anything fancy just a small handwritten note telling them to have a great day or that I loved them.  I would also occasionally leave a sticky note on the bathroom mirror after my husband went to bed, so that he would see it when he went in the next morning.  Again it usually wasn’t anything fancy just a smiley face, or a heart or a simple “I love you”.

 

Admittedly as my children grew (and stopped taking lunch boxes to school) or as I got busy with life and my own personal pursuits, I drifted away from doing this.  This year’s Valentine’s Day especially reminded me that I should not take for granted those we love, and that I needed to reaffirm that love more often than I had been doing.

For me thinking of ways to spread the love all year round has opened my eyes to other ideas and possibilities for projects, one’s that I hope will stretch my imagination and allow me to use my meager artistic talents more.  However showing your affection, appreciation and love doesn't have to be complicated or a big grand gesture;  even the simple approach gets the point across.

 

Here are just a few simple ways to spread the love often:

Leave a sticky note on a bathroom mirror

Write a message on the steamed up glass door of a shower or on a mirror, but don’t wipe off, so when the shower gets steamed up again the message will re-emerge

 

Leave a card or a note on that special person’s car windshield at a place you know they are going to be – For example – my husband left me a card once on my windshield at my Yoga class.

Leave a note or message on the inside of the front door so that those you love see it when they are walking out, or on the outside of the door so they see it when they come in.

 

Leave a message on a refrigerator, microwave or pantry door for the kids so they see it when they get home from school.  TV screens, remotes or game consoles are good places too!
 

Send an e-mail or leave a voicemail for that special person at their work, after you know they have left for the day, so they get it the next time they are back at work.
 

Leave note on their pillow so they see it before they go to bed.

 

Leave a postcard or notecard poking out of the pages of a book you know your loved one is reading.

 

 

I hope this post inspires you to show those you care about that they are special and loved all year round and not just on Valentine’s Day. 

Feel free to e-mail me, or send pictures on how you have “Spread the Love”.  Email them to loftonfallingstar@yahoo.com.