The Cycle of Life

There are days when nothing goes right and if it could go right, it just doesn’t! Feeling frustrated, I am reminded of how our thought process works when looking at optical illusions. We see somethings, but not others, unless we look really hard, or in a lot of cases, have someone or something, points the objects out to us. I feel that optical illusions are mysteries. Do most people love a good mystery to solve? How many can look at a picture, hoping on the one item you are looking for, suddenly jumps off the page? I know I do and when I finally find it, I jump with glee, feeling important and successful. Interestingly enough, what I see and not see makes a huge difference in how I feel. When I compare Optical Illusions to how I relate to people, I notice more depth in them, more details in what others need, and the information I get is clear and understandable, in regards to the messages that others convey. I think mental readiness and timing play a part in my overall ability to focus. Sometimes I can spot the illusion right away and other times, I never find it, even when I have asked others for help. Well, some are probably wondering what illusions have to do with understanding people. It takes a lot to figure out the mysteries of an illusion. The thought process takes time to work itself through so understanding is gained on how the whole picture fits together; the psychology of it. What it actually takes for a person to understand, is unique. (Do you know how to catch a unique duck? You nique up on it. laugh, laugh;~}) Illusions hold so many parts to grasp before understanding is reached and sometimes there just isn’t understanding available, with the resources we have. People, likewise, have so many parts to them that grasping who they really are may not be attainable for us; finding that it isn’t always easy to grasp understanding, either. Dealing with others is usually not easy, however, we can make it easier on ourselves when we search for what the clearer picture is, like that of an illusion. Spending time searching a person’s ways, paths in life, and belief system, will help you to accept others, right at the point where they are. Each of us process life’s information in a way that is contingent on so many factors. These factors are not unique in themselves, but are unique in how we use them. Too many factors to count; too many to even try. So, I guess the answers are in the illusion; one piece at a time! I have a few illusions here for you to look at. I love these because they are painted into an interactive 3 D picture in different public locations. I found myself wanting to know how to do this… Hugs, Cinderella

News

GOOD nay nay, I say – GREAT news!!!

Lets talk about the NEW Megan Elizabeth line of Scrapbooking Products! We launched these at CHA and I wanted to give some photos and information. These products will be entering the Above Rubies Studio Store over the next few weeks with lots more to come in the near future! I know SUPER Good NEWS!
The Megan Elizabeth Adhesive Combo Packs will be Available in March 2012

Megan Elizabeth Sparkle Lightz (you are going to LOVE THESE!) Are scheduled to be in the store NEXT WEEK which is FABULOUS and these ARE going fast first round – you do NOT want to miss getting these! They are a completely smooth rhinestone that completely LIGHT up your paper projects! Definitely don’t want to turn this good news to bad news by missing them!

Nesting Dies – we have 3 different sets of nesting dies that are in a BEAUTIFUL pink color that are in shapes and sizes everyone creates with on a regular basis – making these dies MUST haves! Coming in March 2012!

Ink Edgerz – These mini 1″ square inks coordinate PERFECTLY with the colors of Paper Layerz paper. These inks are specifically designed with edging paper in mind. Extra soft pads and extra juicy pigment ink give LOTS of blendablity and workability for all your mixed media art and other projects! You’ll LOVE how far these ink pads go! (But be careful – they ARE wet!)

Alphabet Stickers – There is a full line of Alpha stickers both chipboard and mini flats you are going to go gaga over! Again – these colors coordinate right along side the Paper Layerz color schemes so you can really play a great matchy matchy set without a lot of hard work but with a TON of customization of your own!

You will see ALL of these products in the AboveRubiesStudio.com and Craft-e-Corner.com stores by end of March 2012!

Now Go Ahead and take a Peak at some of these new products coming March-April 2012!

American Quilter’s Society (AQS)

Greetings,

I received my AQS Newsletter today and I wanted to pass it on to you.  There is so much information that AQS provides that I wouldn’t be able to cover it all, so here it is.  I hope you enjoy it as  much as I did and get a lot out of it.

Hugs,

Share this e-mail:     February 15, 2012BRINGING QUILTING TO YOUR INBOX This Week’s Issue Includes: New – Baltimore Garden Quilt Book Amish Women & Their Quilts My Quilt Story by Tink Linhart Quilt Detectives at the University of Nebraska – Video A Chance to Win a Prize for Your BLOCK BUFFET Mystery Quilt Celebrate National Embroidery Month Free – Tulip Garden II Quilt Pattern Here’s your chance to win a dream sewing studio!Enter the Dream Studio Contest Now!    Baltimore Garden Quilt Regular Price $26.95 Members Pay $21.56  New – Baltimore Garden Quilt Baltimore Garden Quilt is a new book by Barbara M. Burnham. Baltimore Album enthusiasts will love recreating this 25 block, original 1848 quilt. Instructions for everything you will need to know are provided, from fabric selection through finishing by hand or machine. A helpful cutting chart and yardage requirements for individual blocks is also included. There is also a bonus CD which will allow you to print out the full-size block and swag border patterns and the CD includes 20 additional unique flowers. Click here to read more about the newBaltimore Garden Quilt book and how to get started on your very own applique treasure.   Rachel Pellman Amish Women & Their Quilts When you visit a city, it is always fun to learn about the people of the community. Visiting Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, naturally makes you want to learn more about the Amish. At the AQS Quilt Show in Lancaster, March 14 – 17, you will have an opportunity to learn about Amish Woman & Their Quilts at the Brunch with Rachel Pellman on Saturday, 9:00 – 10:30 a.m. Click here to read more about Rachel’s lecture and learn how to register.   My Quilt Story by Tink Linhart Here is a photo of my second open-door quilt. This one was created for the Gilda’s Club clubhouse located in Shorewood, a suburb of Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Gilda’s Club had been a godsend for me during my recovery from breast cancer in 2004 – 2005 (the same time my U.S. Marine son was deployed to Falluja, Iraq). I wanted to create a wallhanging that would reflect the love and support we all received from one another and the staff. Click here to read more of Tink’s story.   Quilt Detectives at the University of Nebraska – Video They say that every quilt tells a story. Some stories may be buried deep in the faded fibers of old quilts. The quilt detectives at the University of Nebraska are on the case! The Artifact Analysis class at the International Quilt Study Center at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln,  is the only program of its kind in the world. Watch while students delve into the history of quilts with modern technology. It’s the CSI for quiltmakers! Click here to watch the video.   A Chance to Win a Prize for Your BLOCK BUFFET Mystery Quilt Many quilters enjoyed the suspense and surprise of making Linda Hahn’s BLOCK BUFFET mystery quilt last fall. For all of you who followed the weekly clues and made this quilt, here’s a great opportunity to win one of three prizes. Each prize includes patterns from Linda Hahn, quilt books from AQS Publishing, fabric from SewBatik, scissors from Famore Cutlery, and a one-year AQS membership, which includes six issues of American Quilter magazine. Click here to read the contest details.      Hand Appliqué & Embroidery Regular Price $26.95 Members Pay $21.56  Celebrate National Embroidery Month February is National Embroidery Month! Embroidery has been popular for centuries. Do you remember embroidering pillowcases with washout transfers as a child? I do. I think it was the foundation for my interest in quilting years later. Embroidery has come a long, long way in just the last few years. It used to be exclusively a hand-craft but technological advancements and new computerized sewing machines have taken it into new realms. Click here to read more and to see more quilting books that feature embroidery.   Free – Tulip Garden II  Pattern Get a head start on Spring with this pretty Tulip Garden II quilt pattern designed by Hallie O’Kelley. Use Hallie’s screen printing technique for the tulips or use traditional appliqué. This pretty quilt is about 62 x 82 and will bring a touch of Spring to any room. The pattern is our gift to you! Click here to download your FREE pattern.       American Quilter’s Society | Visit our homepage www.AmericanQuilter.com Follow us onTwitter Become a fan on Facebook 270-898-7903 | Toll Free 1-800-626-5420 | PO Box 3290, Paducah, KY 42002 Contact us: Send us an Email Click for Blogs: AQS Quilt Shows | AQS Publishing | American Quilter Magazine | The Quilt Life

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Eleanor Burns

Greetings,

Quilt in a Day has a special place in my heart.  When my boys were infants (we won’t discuss when that was.  Lets just say that they tower over my head now), I went through a rough emotional time.  I wasn’t sure how to deal with all the turmoil that I was feeling.  I kept asking myself questions like “why am I so angry all the time”, and “whats next, oh yeah, Sesame Street?”  I had partially raised 2 siblings already, however, it was different than having the full responsibility of 2 little babies that were 20 months apart.

I adore them and will never regret the blessings of God in their hearts and to Frank and me.  I just needed to feel like a human; someone who was needed for something other than a baby spit up post.  I felt like I was “just” a mommy, however mommy was being defined at the time.  I needed help!

Being the crafty creative type, I started looking around on the internet, (yes, the internet may have been new and basically unexplored, but it was there and I took advantage of it. Now you know, I am not that old; you can tell my kids, but they won’t believe you.

I found the Quilt in a Day’s website and Eleanor Burns had a TV show about quilting. I tuned in one day, and that is all it took!  There was a listing, taught by a local gal for a class called, “Quilt in a day-Trip Around the World”.   It was actually advertised as, “Completing a quilt top in 8 hours”.  I was so surprised it was even possible in such a short time and still look good, that is.

I took the class and made my first quilt!

I became a wholesale buyer for Quilt in a Day in 2005 due to opening my own quilting business.  My hope was and still is to provide to those who want to learn, quilting, sewing, and the tools needed to grow into this seemingly lost art.  It really isn’t lost, at least not anymore.  You should see some of the AMAZING work out there.  Quilting isn’t just a few scraps sewn together and used to keep us warm.  Quilting has become a real art form of expression and design.

So, with that said, I have made the Quilt in a Day store available to you.  Here is the option of clicking the link at the bottom of the page and going to the Quilt in a Day website or you can see what I have listed under my “Quilt in a Day” tab located on the top of my home page.  I will be listing items on a regular basis, so check back often.

Again, I can’t tell you how much of a privilege it is to me that I can offer you this connection of great quality books, fabrics, notions, instructional dvd’s, webinars and much more.  I fell that in someways, Quilt in a Day saved my marriage and family when I was struggling to find peace of mind.

There is a great deal of healing, peace, comfort, relaxation, and joy in the arts.  What’s that you say?  How can cutting up pieces of cloth and then sewing them back together be relaxing?

Well, you need to just try it and find out!

BE CAUTIOUS; THIS IS A WARNING: This art is addicting and doesn’t cause cancer.  You will attain a huge fabric collection and find yourself never throwing out the tiniest piece of fabric, for fear that you would miss making something from it!

Hugs, Cinderella

Enjoy this free pattern, Dream Catcher by QIAD

Click on the link to receive your free Dream Catcher pattern

Dream-Catcher

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This author of 9 books for beginner quilters and self-taught quilter of 26 years can teach you how to make a quilt using a simple 9 step system. The step-by-step Beginner's Guide to Quilting reveals all the secrets experienced quilters forget to tell beginners - or, are they trying to keep secrets?

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Above Rubies Studio

All you crafters out there get ready for some fun.  Megan Elizabeth with Above Rubies Studios has the scoop on how to best use your Cricut die-cutting machines.  If you don’t have one, she has them too.

Above Rubies Studio offers a variety of DVD’s on the “How to’s…”, also free goodies you can download.  There is a shopping list full of crafter goodies that will keep you occupied for hours, just watching the videos, and learning the techniques Megan Elizabeth has to offer.

On a personal note,Scrapbooking and memory keeping gets a bum deal when it comes to their importance.  I don’t know if you have ever felt guilty about spending so much time on organizing your photos, but I know I have.  Why is this?  Maybe because my housework isn’t done; I am almost sure that my grave marker won’t say “bad housekeeper”.  Or maybe it is because I don’t spend enough time with the family?  The family likes to help and share the stories that goes with the pictures. I say that I can’t answer the why, but it is really more like, I don’t want to answer it, because I may have to learn to manage my time better.

My favorite craft is quilting, however, scrapbooking and memory keeping go hand and hand with quilting.  They are both using the creative parts of ourselves and releases those “brainy” endorphines that gives us energy and relaxation at the same time.

It is so much fun to just have a party and play with photos and place them into an eye catching group with lots of embellishments. I spend time with friends, reminiscing on by-gone times and the challenging issues I may have encountered seem to dissipate into less urgent matters.
There is another issue that goes well with memory keeping. With all regrets that something should fall on you like this; but what if someone in your circle of loved ones contracts a memory loss ailment? The therapeutic advantages to having a book filled with their past just makes sense. There must me such frustration on everyone to have someone not recognize you or remember times you spent together. A whole life would be missing.
Until a cure is found for such diseases, we have our memories.
Have a wonderful blessed day,
Hugs, Cinderella

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