{ fancy nancy's nifty quilt row markers }

As I began to quilt more,

I needed a practical yet fancy way

to keep track of my quilt pieces and layouts.

I wanted something a little more elegant than

scrap paper or post it notes.

These sweet, original creations of mine are

my Fancy Nancy solution to my dilemma.

You'll need pins (I love corsage pins),

alphabet and/or number beads,

decorative beads and

a fast setting glue.

Decide on your design, put a dab a glue

right below the head of the pin,

slide the first bead (alphabet or number) on, 

a little more glue and your last bead.

I lay them down on a piece of aluminum foil

(just in case there's any glue leakage) to dry.

My first set was done with shorter pins and

I soon realized that by the time I put the

number or alphabet bead and an anchor bead on,

I didn't have much pin left.

My next set was done with longer pins with colored heads.

Better, but I still wished for 

a little more 'pin' on my marker.

Then I found corsage pins at Joann's

(you can find them at craft stores and Walmart).

They have a beautiful head and a LONG 'pin'.

Perfect!

Beads come in alphabets and numbers,

colored, clear and white.

I love having a little bit of everything.

I especially have loved the alphabet set

for quilts that have pieces labeled by letters.

My snowmen went together quickly

with all of my pieces labeled.

{ happy heart day - in honor of my dad }

Yesterday I was at the mall walking with

my friends, Wilma and Shirlene.

Sees Candy Store was open early in anticipation

of husbands and boyfriends realizing that

Valentine's Day was the next day

(I personally LOVE Sees Toffeettes!)

I turned to see an older man leaving Sees with

a bag full of chocolate love.

My heart and breath caught for just a moment

when I saw his white hair, tan jacket and

slightly forward leaning gait.

And at the moment, I missed my sweet Dad

all over again because, you see, 

he ALWAYS remembered

the girls in his life every Valentine's Day.

I wanted to go home and wait for his call.

The one telling me that he was coming over

with chocolates and flowers, the one that let me know

that no matter how old I am, I'm his baby girl.

The one that let me know that I am never alone

in this life and that my Dad was there with love,

humor and great advice.

To love and be loved is the greatest gift a person can have.

To have had it from the beginning

is what I will celebrate today.

p.s.  I will share a tutorial at a later date

for my original "Whooo Loves You?" Quilt.

{ countdown to heart day - day 13 }

When I saw this quilt, I fell in LOVE.

It is from another great tutorial on line.

I've named it {heart}.

I already had a start on my collection of

Kona cottons in reds and pinks.

I added three shades of orange

(it's a subtle gradation but it's there).

I would have a picture of the finished quilt but

my sewing machine is in the hospital :(

It decided it wanted to stitch furiously in one place.

I did finish piecing the top before it went crazy.

I challenged myself to piece an entire quilt in a day.

Although this isn't the most intricate quilt pattern,

I DID IT!

I'll share the quilted and bound quilt

when it's finished.

{ countdown to heart day - day 12 }

I am so excited to share this quilt.

I love when talented people share tutorials.

This one comes from Canoe Ridge Creations.

The only change I made was using 

a polka dot instead of solid white for the X and O.

The solids are Kona cottons.

I found the perfect flannel backing 

at Joann's for $2.99 a yard!

The binding if from a darling heart fabric 

that I found at Hobby Lobby (40% off).

The quilting is an overall loopy heart design.

The quilt label design is an original.

Be sure to check back,

I will post a tutorial on how I made it.

{ countdown to heart day - day 11 }

Another Shepherd's Bush design from 

the talented Richards sisters.

I love the my bowls.

I bought them as part of the Empty Bowls event

sponsored by several clubs at Timpview High.

The bowls are made by art students at the high school,

soup is served (in another bowl),

music is shared and the money raised 

goes to Sub for Santa.

You can choose your bowl from the many that are available.

If you look closely, you can see the heart on one.

I fell in love with the red interior of the other.

{ countdown to heart day - day 10 }

The practical farm girl in me

has always struggled with the high price of roses

for Valentine's Day.

I would much rather receive

something that I can plant

and enjoy in my garden all summer long.

These are my early Valentine's flowers.

I found these beautiful flower pots at Ikea

and my miniature roses fit perfectly.

I will wait patiently for spring

as I watch the rain fall and my roses bloom.

{ countdown to heart day - day 9 }

Two of the best Fancy Nancy Originals

I've 'made' (along with Mr. W. - 

there are FOUR in all).

These two just happened to be

born in February.

My February 19th babies, Child #3 and Child #4,

eleven years apart to the day.

They have blessed our home with love and laughter!

{ i love to see the temple }

I was coming home from church (Mr. W.'s BYU ward)

and stopped to take a few pictures

of the beautiful Provo Temple with 

the snow covered mountains as a stunning backdrop.

Hyde Park Court - on the street where I live

I used an app called Waterlogue

to create a 'watercolour' version.

{ countdown to heart day - day 8 }

Another sweet design from

the talented sisters at The Shepherd's Bush.

I love how they use buttons

to enhance their designs.

{ countdown to heart day - day 7 }

A sweet little stitchery in one of my

favorite color combinations - red & aqua.

I added the Fancy Nancy touch by painting

the dark wood frame a light aqua.

I thinned down Elmers white school glue

a tiny bit with water, 'painted' the frame

with glue and lightly sprinkled aqua glitter.

The embroidery pattern is from

Once Upon A Vine.

{ russia in patchwork }

A beautiful rendition of Russia and

her many regions filled with rich artistry.

You can read more about this

beautiful graphic here.

I love this graphic!

Flags inspired by the original graphic.

{ countdown to heart day - day 6 }

I am the keeper of my grandmother's button box.

I've often wondered about the story behind each button,

especially the unusual ones.

In the spirit of button boxes, I decided to do a Button Heart project.

I found this great frame a couple of years ago at the grocery store for $1

(if you have the time to browse, you never know what you can find

at the Dollar Store, Walmart or the grocery store.

Just go with an open mind and sharp eyes.}

I loved the frame because it had the heart-shaped plastic rimmed 'mat'.

You can still do a heart shape on a flat piece of card stock or foam core

cut to the dimensions of your frame.

I wanted a fairly uniform white border and so I went

back to the grocery store (you read that right, the grocery store)

and bought a package of white buttons for $1.50.

I gathered the red buttons and the remaining white buttons

from my own button box but, if you don't have a button collection,

there are thousands of darling buttons

you can buy at Walmart, Hobby Lobby, Michaels or any fabric store.

I used a clear drying white glue to glue my buttons to the backing

once I had decided on my layout.

I tucked in a few heart buttons just because.

I actually display this Button Heart year round in my family room

atop a shelf holding an antique quilt, a gift from my sister.

If you look closely, you can see my grandmother's button box

next to the Button Heart with a bird perched on top.

{ I can sew a rainbow }

I have fallen in love with quilts 

made from solid colored fabrics.

I love the weight and feel of Kona Cottons.

As I build my stash of Kona, it has become clear

that there is no way I can remember all of the colors

and there is no labeling on the selvage.

{There are currently 271 colors offered by Robert Kaufman}

I came up with the perfect solution.

As soon as I buy a color,

I take a fine point Sharpie {black or brown}

and write enough of the color name

on the selvage on one end of the yardage

so that I can identify it later

BEFORE I wash the fabric.

After I take it out of the dryer,

I trace over the name again if necessary.

When I go to cut a piece off the fabric, I cut from the opposite end,

preserving the name until the last couple of inches.

I just wish I would have thought of this sooner -

I have some 'orphans' that I don't remember their names.

Who knew there could be so many shades of blue!

{ countdown to heart day - day 5 }

When we pulled up our deep Pleasant Grove roots and moved to Provo,
we brought a piece of Pleasant Grove with us
and used it on the exterior of our house.
{Actually Mr. W. picked up 35 pallets
of orchard rock from my Dad's Battlecreek orchard.}
If you look closely, you can see the heart-shaped rock
that I had the masons place next to our house number.

This fun wreath is made from Christmas clearance items.

I had a heart-shaped wreath base from an old willow wreath.

You could make a heart shape from a wire hanger

or a heavier gauge wire.

I wrapped two packages of red loopy garland

{which I paid $2 for} around the wire base.

Then I wrapped a strand of clearance Christmas lights

around the heart and finished it with a red tulle bow.

Total cost for the wreath was $3.50!

I leave it on day and night

and silently send my love across the miles

to my Hermana West in Uruguay.