My Day In "April Showers" Blog Hop

Joan at Moosestash Quilting keeps me on my toes with her challenges, that's for sure. 

JOAN'S APRIL BLOG HOP CHALLENGE: 

"APRIL SHOWERS"

Late snow showers, rain showers, baby showers, wedding showers. 

What do you like to shower everyone with?

I like to shower people with my quilts because I might just have one or two sitting around.

When my stash of quilts gets above and beyond a reasonable storage capacity, my neighbors, 

friends, and even people who work on my house may walk away with a quilt or two.

I went with rain showers in a quilt to meet Joan's challenge.

Vintage-looking applique quilts always rings my bell, so I went searching through

old magazines and vintage poster art. I combined a few that I liked and came up with this:

Quack, Quack, Splash

56" x 68"

Fabrics: Moda Grunge

Check out all the other "April Shower" projects!

Monday April 22

MooseStashQuilting

Words&Stitches

Quilting Gail

Quilt Doodle Designs

Kathy's Kwilts and More

Tuesday April 23

Karrins Crazy World

BeaQuilter

Selena Quilts

Songbird Designs

Just Sew Quilter

Wednesday April 24

Quilted Snail

Ms P Designs USA

 Days Filled With Joy

Quilting Between the Rails (Facebook)

Bumbleberry Stitches

Thursday April 25

Just Let Me Quilt

Inflorescence    

Quilted Delights

Vroomans Quilts

Scrapdash

High Road Quilter

"April Showers" Pinterest Board HERE

I'm hosting "On The Road Again" in May.

Let me know if you want to join the blog hop!

The "April Showers" Blog Hop Starts Today

Joan at Moosestash Quilting is hosting this month's blog hop, "April Showers."

JOAN'S APRIL BLOG HOP CHALLENGE: 

"APRIL SHOWERS"

Late snow showers, rain showers, baby showers, wedding showers. 

What do you like to shower everyone with?

Check out the "April Shower" projects!

Monday April 22

MooseStashQuilting

Words&Stitches

Quilting Gail

Quilt Doodle Designs

Kathy's Kwilts and More

Tuesday April 23

Karrins Crazy World

BeaQuilter

Selena Quilts

Songbird Designs

Just Sew Quilter

Wednesday April 24

Quilted Snail

Ms P Designs USA

 Days Filled With Joy

Quilting Between the Rails (Facebook)

Bumbleberry Stitches

Thursday April 25

Just Let Me Quilt

Inflorescence    

Quilted Delights

Vroomans Quilts

Scrapdash

High Road Quilter

I'm hosting "On The Road Again" in May.

Let me know if you want to join the blog hop!

 

April Showers Blog Hop Sign-Ups With Joan

Joan at Moosestash Quilting just dropped a blog hop challenge for April that is sure to

leave us soaked and dripping with some inspiring and creative "shower" ideas. 

THE CHALLENGE:

 Late snow showers, rain showers, baby showers, wedding showers. 

What do you like to shower everyone with?

Email her if you want to play along!

March's blog hop challenge will have our brains whirling with things to sew!

THE CHALLENGE:

Somewhere in or on your project you must include a "whirl".

This can be a pinwheel, Dresden, or anything that looks like it's spinning.

Maybe a merry-go-round or Ferris wheel in the fabric?

I've Been Mug Rugged!

I'd never made a mug rug (gasp) and didn't think I needed one.

Early each morning while I'm still in my pajamas reading blogs, blogs,
and more blogs (and answering a few emails),
my purple polka dot mug holds my tea (with a little cream)
and sits there looking perfectly content on my nightstand (with no mug rug.) .

Not having a mug rug was fine for me and my purple polka dot mug UNTIL
Madame Samm had an idea to have a April Shower's Mug Rug Hop that
let us make whatever inspires us. Now my little purple polka dot mug
looks a little, uh...naked...and a bit lonely without a mug rug.

So...mug rugs had to be made, of course. It took me forever to think
of what to make, but after a couple  few  several  lots of mug purchases 

I finally felt a little more inspired, plus I have some new mugs to drink tea from.

A little applique to match a mug using Comma fabric (I love that fabric!)

Paper piecing and a store-bought crocheted flower was fun, too

Some embroidery from Aneela Hoey's Little Stitches book

Embroidery of the Dowager Countess from Downton Abbey
using brown metallic thread (remind me never to use metallic thread again...ugh)
 and some sparkly jewels in her hat (the pattern is from April Heather Art)

Ruffles and high heels to match a fancy mug because
"EVERY GIRL CAN HAVE GLAMOUR"
...thanks to my hubby for sketching up the shoe.

After making only rectangle mug rugs, I felt compelled to make a different
shaped one...actually someone goaded/challenged me just a little bit to do so.
 Dresden and a donut anyone?

This birdhouse came from Regina Grewe's Spring Awakenings
paper piecing collection. The other patterns in the set are really nice, too.

Thimblemouse and Spouse said a button on a mug rug holds up a cookie.
It works for me on this mug rug...but, where's the cookie?

Finally, my purple polka dot mug needed something to sit on...purple, of course,
so when I saw Duck Tape in purple my brain went into overdrive just thinking of the
fun possibilities of using it. I used fabric on the back and for the bindings,
but the front is made from two different designs of Duck Tape sheets...totally duct tape.

Just a mug with no rug, but I love the attitude!

Thanks for scrolling all the way to here and for visiting my blog today.

April Showers On April 12th

It's raining mug rugs...really, it is!

Erin is the head cheerleader for this hop

and she's got the whole schedule right

HERE 

Today's mug rug hoppers :

FRIDAY, APRIL 12th

Bobbie @ From This to That

Leslie @ Les Quilts

Kristen @ Meadowbrook

Lavonna @ ZellerWear

Lynn @ Thimblemouse & Spouse

Amy @ Sew Incredibly Crazy

Martha @ Living Life

Shawn @ Creative Inspiraciones

Rhonda @ Sunrise at Ravelly's!

Toye @ Quilting Adventures of a Ginger

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

MONDAY, APRIL 8
Erin @ Sew at Home Mummy

 Patty @ A Stitch in Time

Jenny @ Squawk That

Stacey @ The Tilted Quilt

Daryl @ Patchouli Moon Studio

Lisa @ The Boon Docks

Julie @ Jolie Maxtin: the project girl

Beluah @ Sowing Stitches

Karen @ Bungalow Bay Quilts

Cyndi @ Stitch, Stitch, Stitch

DeAnna @ Georgia Girl Quilter

TUESDAY, APRIL 9th

Gina @ Sew Much and More

Sharon @ Vroomans Quilts

Theresa @ Bumbleberry Stitches

Jennet @ The Feathered Nest Studio

Patti @ A Yankee in Queen Liz's Court

Gene @ Gene Black - Alabama Artist

Susan @ Susan's Scrappy Domain

Bente @ I Like to Quiltblog

Deb @ Quilting & Other Craft Therapy

Megan @ AnnieOak Designs  

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 10th

Hayley @ Mrs. Pickles

Karen @ Sew Much 2 Luv

Mélanie @ Les passions de Cliodana

Cindy @ Quilt Doodle Doodles

Jamie @ Busy Bee Quilts

Judy @ That Other Blog

Regena @ The Distracted Domestic

Amy @ Domesticity and other Ponderous Things

Denise @ My Whittle Adventures

Heather @ a Reformed Heath'n

Marica @ ~Englating~

THURSDAY, APRIL 11th

Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures

Jill @ Apple Avenue Quilts

Cathy @ Cathy's Chatter

Quilter Kathy @ Kathy's Quilts

Marsha @ Quilter in Motion

Pat @ Life in the Scrapatch

Connie @ Shepody Mountain Crafter

Vickey @ Gingersnaps Quilts

Danielle @ A Geeky Crafty Life

Gwen @ Get More Done...Today

Rachel @ Sew Happily Ever After!

What's Happening? Stuff...Lots Of Stuff

 It's my anniversary, so I'll be doing a little

celebrating today. It's been 41 years... unbelievable!

The Say It With Flowers Blog Hop has had an amazing turnout

 and I'm still working on answering emails...lots of them!

My anniversary is kind of important, so HE wins my time today.

I played with my new "toy" a little this weekend, but

I had four Monkey Boys hanging around so they were

just a little more important than that Light Scoop Deluxe.

This is Monkey Baby without using the Light Scoop Deluxe. 

Notice how dark the wall is behind him. If someone were standing

behind him, their face would have been dark.

I just LOVE his chubby cheeks!

 

This is Monkey Baby with the Light Scoop Deluxe.

The wall is lighter which means that if someone were

standing behind him, their face would have been lit up, too.

 

 This candle was taken without the Light Scoop Deluxe. The colors were 

washed out and there is no depth to the rag rug below it

This is with the Light Scoop Deluxe 

which gave it a little more warmth.

I definitely will use this toy, but I need lots

more practice and time to learn the best way to use it.

Tomorrow is the start of....trumpet sounds here....

It's the last day for my Follower's Giveaway, so if you

want to enter click HERE.

Who's Fault Is It? Not Mine, Of Course!

All I said was that I was having a hard time getting

into making a mug rug, because I'd never made 

one before, yadayadayada....something about mojo.

So, I went shopping at Home Goods after work....

BECAUSE 

Daryl over at Patchouli Moon Studios said 

"make your mug rug match your mug."

THEN

Karen over at KaHolly said, "Maybe you could go mug shopping, 

find a couple of really great ones, then let your creativity flow!!"

See...it's their fault that I went shopping for mugs

and found FOUR...yep FOUR fun mugs to play with.

When I got home this fun little toy had arrived in the mail. 

It's a Light Scoop by Professor Kobre.

My sister saw it over on Tater Tots and Jello and said she was thinking of buying

one...so of course I had to buy one because she was going to buy one. 

(Someone else MAKES me do that, too, and she knows who I'm talking about.)

ANYWAY...

It attaches to your camera to make your pictures better. There are

other mirrors available for different tones, but I'm giving this one a try before

I jump in and spend more money (unless my sister says she's 

going to buy them and then, well, you know.)

This photo was without the attachment 

 This one was with the attachment (there's the back of my mug.)

I'll play with it some more later to see what else it does

and the REAL way I'm suppose to use it.

If you made it through all the jabber above, how about a 

Follower's Giveaway

for TWO of those cute little Moda mini charm squares of Comma by Zen Chic.

They are so dang cute!

All you have to do to enter is:

Be a FOLLOWER by one of the gazillion ways to follow me.

Leave one mini/charming comment.

Only one entry per person.

The Follower's Giveaway will end on April 7th at 6 p.m. PST

(comments left after that time won't count.)

Make sure I have your email address or you can't win!

I'll ship Internationally.

Don't forget this is coming...it has to do with mug rugs!