Country road take me home....

Well--we did it. My family and I flew to California for Thanksgiving, and we made it back safe. We wanted to go and see our daughter and my son who are there. It has been over a year and a half since I have seen Doug, and it has been since this August that I haven't seen my daughter. Hate it, hate that I don't get to see my kids often. Hate that I have to fly out and take a vacation to see them. But.... feel very blessed that I am able to do this. We flew into California on Tuesday and stayed at a hotel in Burbank. Burbank was a great place to stay. Very interesting there. The weather was very nice-perfect for us. Not to hot and not to cool. Total flip flop weather for me. We were able to walk around and take in the sites. We ate at a few local places. One of the restaurants we ate breakfast in was all decked out in the 50's- so cool. There was a small juke box at every table. You could play 3 songs for 25 cents. My kids thought that was the neatest thing---of course we played song after song. One of the things we decided to do was actually on my Husbands birthday---it was the day after Thanksgiving. We went on a tour at Warner Bros Studio in Hollywood. That was so way cool! We saw props from shows like Superman, Batman, Big Bang Theory, Friends,Harry Potter, Gilmore Girls. Pretty little liars, Clint Eastwood and John Wayne movies and more. We love this kind of stuff! It was neat to go into the studios were they film current live shows. It is amazing to see how little the areas are that they film in--not really how it looks on TV. The men in our group went crazy over all of the Batman mobiles and motorcycles---yep, they were all there and all running! My daughter was thrilled with the Gilmore Girls homes and scenes--and yes----Friends. Me---loved the Friends scenes and props--but I really loved the stuff for Harry Potter.

Marissa and I sitting on the couch from "Friends" TV show

We were just goofing off here and staging a laugh scene

Marissa behind the counter at the "Central Perks" scene for Friends TV show.

Thanksgiving day was spent at a friends home in Calabasas. Cheryl--great host, beautiful home, wonderful dinner. Her mother and brother joined us. It was a very nice day. How many people will open up their doors on a holiday and invite a group of people in-some that they are meeting for the first time and host a holiday meal??? Not many that is for sure--but this lovely lady did. Thank You Cheryl!! If you haven't guessed yet---that is who I made the blue and grey fabric coil basket for. She liked it and it matched her living room.

Getting ready to film me on a broom from Harry Potter movie

It is pretty neat to walk around an area that is not your home and see how they prepare for the Holiday season. So weird though to see Christmas lights, trees and wreaths out and about right next to palm trees. Had to take this picture of this Christmas tree. It was huge and you could walk right through it to get to the other shops. At night, this tree was all lite up and pretty.

had to show this- a Christmas tree in California that you can walk through. That is Joe Man standing there.

The days went by quickly. Before we knew it, we were flying back home. We flew out of Canada, so coming back was the same. It felt so long of a flight and then the 2 hour drive home felt endless. Back to the cold, back to our fur babies. Our home was waiting safe and sound for us---all thanks to my friend Colleen. She took care of our home and fur babies. She is a true gem. Thank you Colleen!! It was really good to see the kids and spend time with them. In a blink of an eye our trip was over and time to say goodbye again. I really hate saying goodbye. Hello is so much better. It is always nice to be back home though, no place like home. I missed my fur babies and of course...... being the quilter that I am...... I missed all of my machines and fabric. I do have a story that I will share with everyone later about fabric and California. For now,,I am sitting here in my home enjoying a nice cup of coffee and thinking about our next visit with our kids.

Another Fabric Coil Bowl

I have another Fabric Coil Bowl to show. It is a gift for someone else, I highly doubt they will see this blog or my face book page-so I think it is very safe for me to show you all. I have to say---I really do love this bowl. I made it into an oval shape. I used yellow/gold, blue and grey colored fabrics on it. I was told by an inside source that this recipient has those colors in her home. I have not made an oval shape bowl in like forever--so it was sort of a treat for me to do this. I know that I have mentioned this the other day, but I have to say it again. Making these bowls are not tedious in anyway for me. It is very calming and relaxing. Once I decide on the colors and the shape that I want, I just sit and sew zig zags in circles. What is not to love about that. I play my favorite music, drink my coffee, get lost in my little world in my mind---and then like magic the bowl is done!!!!! Easy peasy! I have altered the pattern in the past. I have made lids for them, I have added accessories, I have made hot mats and mug rugs out of them. They are so useful.

Here it is! TA DA! It sorta reminds me of denim but, I did not use jean material. 

The inside is nice and bright- this way , you can see to the bottom no matter what you use it for or the lighting in the room

Well, this will be the last post for a couple of days. I am going to focus on the family and the Thanksgiving Day Holiday.As you all are probably feeling--there is much to do and the days go by fast. Of course, my mind will be going a mile a minute thinking of all my WIP, and other projects I can not wait to do and share. I hope everyone has a safe and loving Holiday. Enjoy your families!

Just a side view. I love the design on it. I don't like to make the same design over and over.

Fabric Coil Bowls

I just had to show a couple of pictures of one of my latest fabric coil bowls. I love these bowls. They are easy to make, fun to make and very versatile. These bowls allow you to exercise your creative flow. You can choose what ever color, design, or shape you desire. I have made them custom to sell, and I have made them as gifts for people. There are a few around my home being used in various ways. One of my favorite ones, is a little scrappy bowl that sits right next to my sewing machine. I love it! It is so cute and so tiny. I use it to hold little items such as: seam ripper, stiletto, bobbins, etc.... I have brought this little bowl with me to sew dates and retreats. It is a helper tool for me. The other fabric bowls around my home are used as decorations, to hold rolls for dinner, to hold extra decorations for holidays, bathroom supplies, makeup...... As you can see, I use these bowls for many things. This particular bowl is a gift for my son and daughter in law. They own a spa in California. It is a gift for them. Their spa is purple, silver and white. So- I made this bowl to order. I am not sure where or how they will use it. I have not seen their spa yet----. When I gift them the bowl, I hope to get a good feel of their color scheme and decor then. I may be making a wall quilt or two for them (hint-hint).

This is one of the latest bowls I have recently made. The colors are a deep purple, whit and grey.

I have a tab here on my site that has some of the various bowls that I have made. I really do enjoy making them. My guild had me teach a class last year. All of the ladies did so well- all of their bowls were different colors and unique. Also, just recently, at my retreat there were a small group of women that wanted me to show them how to make them. The supplies that I use are few and simple. I use all cotton clothes line, fabric glue,basting glue, wonder clip, denim needle, large pins, fabric of choice, a sewing machine that does a zig zag stitch, thread of choice and away I go. I pre cut my fabric into 3/4 inch wide strips. I think that width works the best. I use" ROXANNE" baste it glue, and" Aleene's  Fabric Fusion". With all of the trials and errors- I have settled with these products. It can take a good couple of hours to make a bowl. Some people have told me that they find it tedious. I do not. To me, it is relaxing....it is mindless sewing. I can just sit and sew, listen to the sound of my machine, be lost in my thoughts. Before you know it- you have a beautiful bowl at your disposal.

I love the way this bowl came together

The inside: nice and round and deep enough to use for many things.