Thinking of you...

I really do dearest readers and I feel bad when nothing has been happening on the blog for so long. However, it's hopefully only going to get better from here as our beta testing of OviPets is going great. =)

I'm really happy to have shared the Fancy Folded Star tutorial with you all to show you I'm not completely out of the loop and I'm absolutely blown away by the fantastic response it's received on Moda Bakeshop! Thank you all for your heartwarming comments, I couldn't be happier and I just hope that you all dare to try making this super fun project!

While on the topic of "Thinking Of You", I've also started working on one of the beautiful patterns I won from Kellie a while back named the very same thing, it's moving slowly but at least it's moving =)

Moda Bakeshop: Fancy Folded Star - Pot Holder

I'm really happy to be sharing my third Moda Bakeshop tutorial with you all, it's so much fun to make them and get to share them with so many people. =) However, this tutorial is no longer available on Moda Bakeshop due to the wordpress crash, but it's  available for free download in the "files" section of my Facebook group.

Please take a look at the tutorial for this little project here: Tutorial at Moda Bakeshop

I'd be really happy if you do decide to check it out, if you'd leave a little comment over there to let me know what you think. And if you do decide to make one or three, I'd be so happy if you dropped me an email with a photo of the finished thing so I can feature it here on the blog =)

I hope you'll enjoy making folded stars as much as I do! They're so versatile and can be used as everything from tiny ornaments to big pillow covers. They're so much fun to make, initially the tutorial might look a bit intimidating, but it's really not difficult.

And this is also what my little preview was of a few weeks back ^^

What I've been working on for so long =)

I was thinking that maybe a few of you could be curious about what I've been working on lately that has been keeping me from all crafty stuff and other less important things - like sleep - lately =)

It's a brand new game finally ready for reveal, introducing:

Me and my fiance are web game developers and this particular new game is super cute and fun if you ask me! It's made for Facebook and it is, to quote my own clever description from the front page:

An exciting new pet game focused on genetics and breeding! In OviPets, you and your friends will be able to research new species, splice eggs with new mutations which can then be passed on to their offspring along with their colors and other genetic traits, and raise and care for pets in all the colors of the rainbow. What will you research?

Aren't the Draconis cute?! I just love this breed! Our artist is just fantastic!

It's tied with the Felines as my favorite I think...

If you where to check it out OviPets  now though - please keep in mind that it's still in beta (meaning not completely finished) and only made for the newest browsers out there, so update your browser to the latest version (IE 9, Firefox 6 etc.) before paying us a visit.

While this game is a little like quilting in the sense that you get to play with colors and how they combine, and you can add and remove genes such as wings/tails/manes etc, upload your own patterns on the pets in the shape of tattoos and such I bet most of you are wondering when in heavens name this blog is going to go back to showing off some crafty stuff and hopefully giving some inspiration, the answer is: Any day now ^^

You'll find out what my little preview from a while back is from in a few days I promise, and it's a new tutorial to boot =) And after that I'm hoping to have our new game under control and have some time to quilt and craft again.

A blush version of Summer Squares

I got an email today from Krista who has made her own version of Summer Squares, it's just lovely and made with  Blush by Basic Grey. The little bird is just adorable! 

The photo below is borrowed from her blog with her permission.

So much fun that you choose to make my pattern Krista and thank you for letting me show off your adorable quilt! =D

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I also thought I'd show you what's been attached to my desk for a few weeks while getting nowhere... I started on this sami bracelet in July I think to go with my summer clothes and let's just say I haven't gotten anywhere since then. So I figured if I show it off here, I have to finish it soon (if I just get a few hours of no work it should be done depending on how much decorations I decide to go with) and maybe I could get some input. 

What do you think? Silver or Pink background? Or maybe no background? Should I attach some twirled pewter or maybe some simple braids to the sides? Or leave it alone? 

Any input is much appreciated, I'm leaning towards pink background and a twirl on each side... =)

In case you want to make your own, it's the same macramé technique used as for the bracelet in my tutorial here but with four strands. Just be careful to keep them flat and don't let them spin around each other as you go. 

Small stash report

Since it's still all work and no play here over at our house I figured I should sneak myself another 5 minute break and pat some fabrics. And what fabrics could possibly work better as a quick fabric pick me up then the neon bright pile above?

Bought these fabrics while in Sweden and they are completely insane color wise I know. But when I saw the black fabric with the neon flowers (it's part of Barb Sackel's Ibiza Collection) on I knew I just had to have it and something to match it with - for no other reason then that it made me so happy to look at.

To me, those are some of the best fabric purchases. I mean, that's one of the main reasons I quilt, I just LOVE fabric!

New header

While waiting for stuff to upload when working or just grabbing a 5 minute break for sanity (such as my little fabric therapy session the other day) I realized that my blog really needed the little face lift I've been trying give it for some time. While I loved my banner with Edward on it, I felt that I could finally move on and change it now without feeling like I was doing something bad - it was a major step for me. =)

So I started fiddling about during my mini breaks and looking around for blog designs I liked, and I ended up on a bunch of digital scrap booking pages. While many of them where lovely, though maybe a touch to busy for me, they had lots of interesting ideas and elements I really liked. I found lot's of lovely free stuff one could use and ended up with what you see now after many mini breaks.  It's mostly basic Photoshop shapes and a few scrapbboking embellishments.

And while I was at it, I also made a little post divider. I'd love to hear what you think about my new style! =)

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I also have to show you this little adorable fellow who accidentally ended up in my sink the other day. He was hiding in a pot which I took inside to water (since I'd forgotten all about my poor plants in the last week of work) and as I turn on the tap - up shoots this little guy! Luckily Andreas caught him quickly and I snapped a few quick photos before we let him back out on the balcony in a separate, dry pot =)

A little fabric therapy

Today I felt I just had to touch some fabrics - for no other reason then for my own sanity.

So I dumped my scrap bin on the freshly steamed carpet and dug out every, single, little scrap I had left from my Sunkissed jelly roll. Which was surprisingly much! If you've read my blog before, you already know how many projects I've made with the leftovers from my Sunkissed Summer Squares quilt. But I figured I could always squeeze out some more from the little roll and I've decided to do one (or two if I can push it that far) of the pillows from my new "From the heart" pattern for our couch.

Other then that, all I do is work, eat when I remember and sleep when there's time. Yep, I'm super boring right now, to you dear readers, to my friends and to my poor neglected kitty. I'm very sorry.

Houston, we have a problem...

Namely work...
At the moment work is taking up 110% of my day (meaning, it cuts into sleeping and eating too ^^). We're beta testing our new game and it's lot's of work and stress to fine tune stuff before it's ready for a worldwide release. However, luckily it's very fun work but it means I have no time for sewing or crafting, which is sad.

On a craftier note, today I got the pattern from Don't Look Now! It arrived so quickly!

Really love these patterns and I can't wait to get started on some pillows for the couch, thank you so very much Kellie! =)

So in order to not leave you completely in the dark, I figured I'd show you a sneak peak aka extreme closeup of what's currently baking over at my place ^^

Yep, that's Flurry by Kate Spain.

Pets on Quilts Show!

This is such a fun show hosted by Sew Cal Gal and I just had to take part seeing as I constantly have a "cat on my quilt" situation which prevents me from continuing my work until her highness has moved her pretty tushie. =)

There's still a day left to enter, hurry over there now if you have the same situation at home that I do! =)

For some reason, when you get a new catnip toy, you have to drag it up on a quilt so that all the drool ends up a quilt and not some easy to clean surface - like the floor =) So this little series of pictures clearly shows that quilts aren't just for sleeping, they're for playing too!

Just so you understand my drool comment ^^

And on the playing with quilts theme, here we're playing "hide the mouse" in my Summer Squares quilt, hence her silly facial expression: "Where is it!? Can't find it mom!"

Here's Diana on my Companion Cube Quilt, the fact that I was trying to quilt it was nothing she considered very important when she had feet's to wash and naps to take ^^

My blog header has to be mentioned here of course being a cat on quilt picture that I just love, it pictures Edward, the love of my life who passed away much to soon in November last year on my Crazy Rainforest Quilt.  I still dream of him almost every night and I will never forget him. I know this isn't exactly the happy spirit post one would expect from a contest post but I just can't have a cats on quilts post without mentioning Edward, so one more picture of him and then I'll wrap up ok?

This photo is of Edward and his very own convergence quilt, I made it for him when he was sick the first time and he loved it. This was his "hospital bed" with his pet dragon and very own much to small for him tent he got in a show. This time he recovered miraculously after months of illness and around the clock care.

Diana has since then inherited it and loves it as much as Edward did =)

I have a ton of more pictures of cats on quilts but I feel I have to wrap it up somewhere and I thought this would be good time because otherwise I'll continue forever =)

So to sum up: I love cats and I love quilts, the combination of the two being the most awesome combination in the world!

If you like my submission, I'd be really happy if you'd vote for me when the voting starts <3

I won!! (but Don't Look Now ^^)

One of my biggest sources of inspiration has been away from blogging for  months to my great sadness, however, she just came back with a bang! Kellie over at Don't Look Now is finally back and blogging, and can you believe my chock and happy surprise when it turns out I had won a giveaway over there! Three patterns called "From The Heart" in which the pillow below is included! How lucky is it that I just bought 4 pillow inserts and is planning to make new pillows for the couch!

She's the reason me and Tova made sock the monkey and kitty, she's my inspiration in so many ways from everything from my love of appliques to color love.

This is one of my favorite quilts/patterns of hers (but to be honest, pretty much everything she makes is a new favorite  so yes, this is her most recent quilt ^^), it's called Animal Alphabet and one day I have vowed to make one.

And while she makes so many cute, adorable, dainty patterns, she also makes the coolest "boy" quilts, just look at this "Little Monsters" quilt, isn't it the coolest?

You have to hop over to her blog and take a look, I promise you won't regret it! =) All the photos above belong to her and are graciously borrowed from there with Kellies permission, thank you! <3

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On another note, I've also been making bows! I found a lovely website called The Ribbon Retreat dedicated entirely to ribbons and bows and I was so inspired I just had to try my hand at this craft! The result was one big bow for me using up one of my pretty heart shaped buttons from the last post. I'm also working on a lot of stuff I can't reveal yet so for now, we'll have to settle for bows ^^

And the tiny baby bow is one with velcro closure for baby Alessandra. I think I'll have to make a black one too to match the adorable little shoes/socks I bought for her in Sweden...