Perk Me Up Table Runner by the Quilting Diva

Hey Everybody,
It has been a little while since I have posted. Life is busy these days designing, teaching and taking care of my family. Nothing gives me more pleasure than showing off works by other creative people. I am excited to show off this great table runner by the Quilting Diva. She mentioned to me that she finally bit the bullet and cut into the "Perk Me Up" fabric. I think she did a wonderful job displaying all the great choices in this collection. For help finding this fabric on-line or in local shops, search here.

Lift Your Spirit Presentation

Hi Everyone,
I recently had the pleasure to give a presentation called Lift Your Spirit—Journey of a Fabric Designer to over 200 members of the Ohio Valley Quilter's Guild.  

...I will admit, I planned, I reviewed, designed and practiced my speech, but in the end, I was still nervous. I am so grateful that my family and friends were their to listen, give advice and support in the creation on this "first ever speech" on this subject. With the help of my sister, Julie, we handed out eleven give aways! Fun, right? In the end, I felt exhilarated, exhausted and proud for pulling myself out of the comforts of my studio and doing something new. And as promised, I mentioned I would be listing my New Year's resolutions—do new challenging things that take you out of your comfort zone. I know it seems strange to hear the term "New Year's Resolutions" in February, but let's stick to at least some of the changes we want to make!


Thanks to Heather Wind for her photography and Meredith Loughran for her advice and support. 

Boho Butterfly Pillows

Hi Friends,
I thought I would show a bit of a new collection I have been working on over the past year called Boho Butterfly. This new design is available at my fabric design store through Spoonflower. You can purchase this design on the fabric of your choice, add fringe, embellish to make a beautiful, inspiring pillow. I added some decorative stitching as extra decorative element. If you're interested in purchasing one of these pillows through me, send your contact information. Price:$40

Super Bowl Pizzas & Mushroom Caps

Superbowl Sunday has inspired the kids to make their own pizzas. I love the conductor's train hat Chef Chet found. Chef Chloe looks the part. I think she enjoys making the pizzas more than eating them. 
Our ingredients:
Pillsbury dough thin crust, cut into four pieces
Old World Pizza Sauce—All Natural
Hormel Uncured Pepperoni—No Preservatives
Sliced Pineapple
6 slices of Wright Applewood Bacon
1/4 of Diced Onion

Shredded Mozzarella 

Here is a Stuffed Mushroom Cap Recipe too! Enjoy!
6-8 Mushrooms
1/3 Cup Cream Cheese
1/3 Cup Sour Cream
2 Tablespoons Slice of Turkey or Turkey Sausage FInely Chopped
1/4 Diced Onion
Minced Garlic Clove
3 Tablespoons Parmesan Cheese
1/4 Bread Crumbs
1 Tablespoons Butter or Promise
Preheat oven to 350ºF


Remove mushroom stems and carve out the interior of the mushroom cap slightly. Place the 6 to 8 caps in a glass dish. Mix the sour cream and cream cheese along with the diced onion, minced garlic clove and turkey. Fill the mushroom caps with the mixture, cover with parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Put the the butter in the dish so it melts while cooking. Cover with aluminum foil and cook for 30 minutes on 350ºF.

Home for the Holidays

With our first dusting of snow yesterday, the kids were chomping at the bit to put on their snow gear and make some snow angels. I thought it would be fun to post a painting of the little Bentley Snow-people family. 


2012 Resolutions post to come....

Spoonflower Baby Book Top Ten Winner

Hi Folks,
I am happy to say I am one of the top ten winners in the cloth baby book contest at Spoonflower! Bora's "to the circus" was the #1 winner and I just absolutely love her book. In fact many of the top ten were my favorites. These contests are a great way to keep your mind working, so stay-tuned for more entries. Here is the cover and back cover of my Zooby Book. I chose some obvious animal choices to represent each letter, and some "not so common" choices, like a X-ray Tetra fish, and a Yellow-jacket. This babybook fabric is available at Spoonflower, so check it out.

Lift Your Spirit Calendar

Hi Everyone,
The New Year is almost here, so you are probably getting close to needing a new calendar. You can find my Lift Your Spirit calendar which comes in two sizes at Dollar Tree for $1. Can you believe it?! This calendar is filled with cheerful doodles and inspirational quotes by famous people and some by my mom and me too. I have received wonderful comments from customers about this calendar. This collection was also a fabric line through Timeless Treasures, so look for it on-line or your local quilt stores. I am so glad it has made people as happy as it made me when designing it.

Acuquilt Winter Wonderland Concept

With Winter Wonderland coming out Dec 1st, it is the perfect time to come up with a beautiful winter quilt. This is an elegant collection that is full of quiet, delicate snowflakes perfect for the cold, wintry months. Cuddle up in a quilt with matching pillows or decorate the table with sophisticated table cloth, napkins and place mats. The wonderful thing about this collection is that its hues of blues and whites complement many home decor settings. Since time if of the essence, I thought I would create some digital quilt concepts with Acuquilt's Go Fabric Cutter using the Go! Double Wedding Ring pattern. I am hoping I will find this as a gift under the Christmas tree, hint...hint...

Acuquilt's Go Fabric Cutter

GO! and GO! Baby Fabric Cutters impress quilters and fabric crafters with their accuracy, speed, ease and portability. Whatever your experience level, GO! will make quilting and fabric crafting even more enjoyable for you.

• Cut accurate shapes
• Up to 90% faster than rotary
• Safe and easy to use

Here are the prints for Winter Wonderland, check on-line or your local quilt shops for this sophisticated, timeless group. I looking forward to blogging about anyone's beautiful creations!

Boxes and Bows—Lift Your Spirit

Hi All,
I hope your Thanksgiving was great...now don't blink, time to celebrate Christmas! Happily there is much to do and create around the holidays like make this Christmas quilt called Boxes and Bows by Denise Russart. Upon receiving the November/December issue of Quiltmaker, I happily recognized some of my Lift Your Spirit fabric used in this celebratory tradition of gift-giving quilt. The throw (60" x 72") includes fabrics from Timeless Treasures and can be purchased at shopquiltmaker.com or call 877-269-8024. Wrap up the holidays with colorful pieced and appliqued packages. QM111202

Thanksgiving Day Race 2012

Here it is—the logo for the 102nd Thanksgiving Day Race! I am proud to be a part of the Thanksgiving Day Race tradition which has been in Cincinnati, Ohio for 102 years. Since 1998, I have designed the T-shirts, banners, letterhead and ads. Annually, over 10,000 runners/walkers have participated. Here is a look at all the designs through the years. My family and I look forward to walking it every year; it makes the Thanksgiving dinner that much better.