A Little More Conversation

I never get to post on my blog as much as I'd like to. That's sad, because there are always so many fun things humming along in the studio! Sooooo, my amazing assistant Susan and I decided it might be fun for you to check out some of our projects in process. We'll both be posting, but when I'm all tied up, she'll be able to give you some of 411.

Check out her blog at http://onesquirrelonawire.blogspot.com/. She's a photographer, which makes her site all the more fun! (This one is of my pushing Siri on our neighbor's tree swing).

Enjoy!

Carina

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A Bit Ruffled

...in the best way possible of course! Susan says I get bonus points for the pom poms on top (They are kind of hard to see on the top of the lamp in these photos).

This lamp shade is a breeze to make. I think I got the shade from IKEA (a couple of years ago) and the lamp from a consignment shop. It takes two 5" x 43" strips of fabrics to make each ruffle (I have 5 ruffles here using my Love Nest™ fabrics). Hot glue ruffles, pom poms, and a ribbon on top and you are done. How easy was that? Into my girl's room it goes!

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Riley Blake's 80s Party

Crimped hair, jellys, and awful blue eye shadow...classic 80s. Here we are on our way to Riley Blake's 80s party. My brother-in-law said that Josh looks like Glenn Gulia—the resemblance IS uncanny.

I haven't posted for a while so here's a few things going on:

+ I have been working hard on Art of Digital Design critiques. I hope to have them finished this coming week!

+ Art of Digital Design 2 will be up at JessicaSprague.com sometime this coming month. The class will start August 22nd. Plan on some serious designwork and a series of assignments that will help take your skills to a whole new level!

+ If you are a sewing superstar, check out my 3 fabric lines coming out June-July. Of course, we will have free quilt patterns and projects on the blog and newsletter.

+ Along with new fabric lines, comes sewing patterns! Expect 3 more patterns shipped to stores in July! I am SO excited about the new children's clothing we are introducing! Hopefully, you've had a chance to get your hands on one of our current patterns & checked out the beautiful packaging and easy instructions.

Happy crafting!

Carina

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Spring Quilt Market 2011

I was a happy girl at Quilt Market this weekend. Susan and Emily walked the show with me and we have a fabulous time! It was nice to have market in town (here in SLC). Here's a sampling of my Friday (prepare yourself for a long and picture-heavy post!):

This was fun! My little bio at Northcott and a few of my patterns on display at The Pattern Peddler's booth.

The absolutely delicious Riley Blake booth! And I feel silly because I completely forgot to take pictures of the Little Miss Suntop and Skirt model & the High Tea Soiree Dress model while I was hanging out. I'll get photos of them when I pick them up.

(You know that Riley Blake is giving away this Beach Cruiser, right?)

Susan was cracking us all up with her enthusiasm! Here she is getting a Moda tattoo. Classic Susan!

And me forcing her to pose in a window frame.

Those gorgeous hats (above) are a new pattern by Amanda of the Quilted Fish. Seriously, adorable!

Here's one of my new favorite people-Rebeckah Merkle. Here booth was fab and she was sweet too! She has a new line with Timeless Treasures.

This fabulous footwear belongs to Anna Marie Horner's daughter. Anna Marie passed on some serious style to her daughter.

If you attended market, you might have joined in the All Dolled Up contest that was going on. This fabulous quilt was at one of those booths. And that flower...well, how could I NOT take a photograph of it? Of course, I have no idea what booth it was in.

Me with the extremely nice Joel Dewberry. The amazing frame and mini quilt are by Gigi's Thimble.

Emily in total bliss as she picks up EQ7!

These lovely ladies (Megan of the Brassy Apple and Daria of the Boutique Cafe) are giving away one of my Ruffle Dress Patterns! Check out their podcast interview with me in a couple of weeks at the Boutique Cafe!

Finally, I had to show you a little goodness from the Seven Islands booth. I think Susan was drooling...literally.

That's a pretty decent sampling of my two days at market. Hopefully, I'll get some pics up soon of Josh and me in our 80's gear for the Riley Blake party. If I haven't scared you away yet, that post might do it.

Happy sewing!

Carina

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Our Family Photoshoot

We did our extended family photoshoot on Saturday and they turned out beautiful. The lovely Heather Telford shot it for us—no easy task with so many kids. It was  a beautiful day (thank goodness)! I can't wait to see all the photos.

Tomorrow is the start of my Quilt Market fiesta! I promise lots of photos and commentary. Susan, Emily, and I will be walking the floor starting Friday (tomorrow is a drop off to Riley Blake, meetings, and dinner with my dear friend and fabric designer Ro Gregg.)

Will check back in soon!-Carina

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Machine Quilting Show

On Saturday, I did a quick run down to the Southtowne Expo to visit the Machine Quilting Show. It was a busy day, but I'm so glad I had a chance to go. My friends Emily and Laura spotted my Love Next™ fabric in this darling quilt...it made my day!

I'm pretty excited about this coming week...it's Quilt Market! While you won't see me with a booth at this one, you will be able to catch me part of the day on Friday at the Riley Blake and Northcott booths. You'll be able to check out my next three lines due out this summer at the Northcott booth. I'll also be wandering the show. Feel free to stop me and say hello!

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Easter Sunday-A Week Late

I'm finally getting around to posting photos from Easter. I've been making models of our first line of sewing patterns because the first samples I made are my girls' favorite to wear (and therefore not suitable as models due to the daily wear and tear.)

Here they are sporting a couple of the sewing patterns with their Coquette™ church bags made from the ballet bag tutorial (photo above).

Flissa was being a stinker about taking photos, but Siri posed prettily. Mostly I just caught photos of them from behind as we walked to church.

I start work on our second set of patterns this week. They won't be due out until July so they can be sampled up in Pinfeathers, Dress Up, and Baby Safari. I'm also hoping that I'll get a chance to enjoy the sunshine and sit aimlessly outside a few afternoons this week. Fingers crossed!

XOXO-Carina

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Sewing Pattern Packaging

I spent part of this week sewing up samples for Quilt Market. This Love Nest™ Ruffle Dress is made in Cindi Walker's fabric from Riley Blake. I still have to put in the zipper and make the ruffle flower. I'm so happy with how it turned out! Those coral flowers are divine!

If you get a chance to go to Quilt Market, be sure and drop by the Riley Blake booth to check out my pattern samples! I'll be walking the show on Friday morning, but should be hanging out at the Northcott and Riley Blake booths too. Hope you get a chance to say hello!

We've also updated our distributor list and online retailer list. I also know that you will be able to check out the patterns at The Pattern Peddler's booth.

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This has been the first time since shipping out the patterns, I've had a chance to make more samples. I completely forget that a website is a really difficult way to check out this packaging and after experiencing it first-hand, decided I'd better take a couple of pics for you to see how fantastic the packaging it.

If you haven't had a chance to get your hands on one of these gorgeous patterns yet, then you haven't seen how functional the packaging is yet. The heavy-duty package is the best way to keep your cut-out pattern safe and ready for use the next time you sew. I've got my patterns all folded up and tucked into each of these ready-to-go the moment I start a new outfit.

More sewing for me this coming week... I'm looking forward to it!

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Flissa's Birthday Bash

My baby turned four yesterday! Because it was Easter weekend and spring break, we celebrated with an Easter egg hunt and pizza party in our backyard. My good friend Emily, offered to make this amazing bunny cake {see photo below} ("I want a BROWN bunny, mommy," says Felicity) and sweet little strawberry cupcakes.

It was probably the easiest little party I've ever thrown since the kids painted one little project, ate cake, hunted eggs, but spent most of the time playing on our new Costco playset.

I was thankful for the good weather and being forced (gulp) to get a few things cleaned up in my backyard. This is our first year of having a real vegetable garden. I've planted veggies before in our plot in student housing a few years back, but this feels different since I actually have a garden bed and munchkins to help me plant and water our sprouts.

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The race for Easter eggs is on!

Hope you are having a sunny and bright holiday as well!

Hugs-Carina

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Kathy Petersen's Art Exhibit

Friday night, Josh and I attended Kathy Petersen's art exhibit at the Phillips Gallery in downtown Salt Lake. I was a little hesitant to get out of the house after a neighborhood kid accidentally ran into me on his bike, which resulted in a black eye (the kid walked away without a bruise). Thankfully, it didn't turn purple until Saturday so it just looked like I was squinting at the show (lol, pathetic, I know).

It was totally worth looking like a "squinter" because the show was beautiful. I am so in love with these two paintings. Josh, I'd recommend bookmarking this post for future birthdays, anniversaries...(you get the point).

When you are done drooling, head over to the Phillips Gallery display of all the paintings. Delicious!

And send me good karma so this eye will get back to normal (I still have the black stage, green and yellow stage, and...are there any other stages?).

Hugs! Carina

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Sewing This Week

This week I'm sewing up some samples of my new sewing patterns. These samples will be shown off at the Riley Blake/Christensen Wholesale booth (one of our distributors) at Quilt Market (just a month away!).We have been updating our distributor list for our sewing patterns, which you can find on our wholesale page. If you are shop that prefers working through distributors, I hope you are able to take advantage of buying our sewing patterns from this wonderful list!

My samples will be made with the fabric shown above. Can't you just see the Love Nest™ Ruffle Dress in that darling coral floral? Or the Little Miss Suntop and Skirt in the whimsical pink Hoo's the the Forest print? These fabrics are from the fabulous Stitch Studios and Doohikey Designs. I'll give you sneak peeks as I work on these this week!

If your local shop isn't currently carrying the patterns, feel free to also check out our online listings. We are still in the process of adding to this list so check back often!

Speaking of Quilt Market, are you going? I'm looking forward to it being a hop, skip, and a jump away from me. If you are going, are you doing something fun? What's your favorite part? This is only my second quilt market and I'm still new to all the fun. Tell me what you know!

XOXO-Carina

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Sewing Pattern Winner

Thanks for your comments! I've been so excited to see the patterns up in shops online today! We still are getting our list together and I'll let you know the moment it is ready on this site.

Okay, from random.org we have our winner of a sewing pattern! The winner is #9:

Jenbreeze says:

My daughter is thrilled that I’ve let my sewing stuff overtake our dining room. It would be fun to sew one your patterns with her! Thanks for the chance to win.

Congrats Jenbreeze! Send me an email at info@carinagardner.com and choose which pattern you'd like me to send.

Thank you to everyone else who participated!


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ABC Class Starts Today!

Today we start our second session of my ABC Inspiration Class. It's fun celebration of our everyday lives in the forum of a digital scrapbooking album. I'm pretty excited to see what this new class comes up with!

Today must be "ABC" day because I also have a set of ABC Templates up in my digital scrapbooking shop. It's 25% off (as all my new products are on Monday). I mention the templates because I recommend seeing my original blog post on these templates, which has a couple of yummy photos of the book I made.

Today I'm shipping out more of my new sewing pattern line. You'll be able to purchase this line from your favorite online retailers pretty soon. We are hoping to have the list up by the end of this week. You should also see them at your local quilt shop within the month. Hip Hip Hooray!

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The Biggest Bubbles

One of our neighbors, Joe, brought over a monster bubble maker yesterday. Joe made it for a Science Olympiad at Weber State (where Joe works). It is completely shocking to see a bubble that big!

I'm not completely sure how Joe made these bubbles, but the "bubble maker" is made from two golf clubs (that Joe got from the thrift store) and string. Joe says the string needs to be sturdy but absorbent enough for the bubble mix.

All of the kids were delighted and I couldn't blame them! I would have loved to have popped a bubble that big as a kid (who am I kidding, I would like to pop a bubble that big NOW!).

The kids lined up and tried to pop the bubbles a myriad of ways....jumping, karate chopping, squirting with water...well, you get the idea.

For me the whole activity was a sign that spring was finally here...although I don't doubt that we have one more snow storm this spring. Either way, I'm excited that spring is on it's way!

XOXO-Carina

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Sewing Pattern Giveaway

This week we are shipping out the first round of patterns. I am hoping to have our online retailers up on the sewing pattern page for your shopping convenience.

So, for the fun of it, I'm doing a giveaway on this new line. For every 100 comments, we will giveaway a sewing pattern. Those that win can choose from 1 of the 4 patterns we currently have available. How sweet is that?

This giveaway ends on Monday, April 4, 2011. Go ahead! Comment away!

Happy Sewing! -Carina

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A New Headband

Unfortunately, this photo doesn't do it justice (That's what you get when you are trying to take a quick snapshot at night using a mirror!), but I wanted to show you this adorable headband. It is seriously sweet, and I won it at a church auction from one of my dear neighbors Brittany Moffet.

Other than wanting to show off the new headband, I wanted to show off the new lens I've been using. It's March of Tools, but heaven knows I've been too busy to post anything about it. So here's my "tool" of the month: the Canon 50mm f/1.8. I like the price (very cheap as far as lenses go) and how light it is.

I've been leaving this lens on my camera for my "all-purpose" photography: the kids at the breakfast table, shots of napkin sketches at the Blueplate Diner, and anything else that catches my fancy.

Most of the photos you are seeing on this blog these days are captured with this lens. Not shabby for an itty-bitty lens!

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Green eggs

The St. Patrick's Day leprechaun brought us a very green breakfast this morning...green milk, green eggs, green pancakes, and um, brown bacon (I guess I blew it on that one). The kids were unconcerned that the bacon wasn't green (wheww!) and thrilled with the green breakfast, the green pins I let them wear, green flowers in their hair...you get the idea. In some ways, this is the best holiday because there aren't any expectations...so if a leprechaun shows up, it's special and fun (but not too much work for the leprechaun).

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

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Free Digital Scrapbooking Kits

I have a couple of new free kits that I am giving away to everyone. I love digital scrapbooking, and I haven't had a lot of time to work on layouts recently! Making these new kits did a world of good for me as I "shabbied" paper to my heart's content.

Spring Fling is the kit I am giving away to everyone who is part of the Facebook CG Page.  Join up and when we hit 1200, I am going to send it to everyone's inboxes. After that, it will go on sale at Jessica Sprague with the rest of my digital products.

My second kit coordinates perfectly with this Spring Fling kit. It's called Hippity Hop (do you see the springtime theme going on here?) for the little bunny that made it into the papers.

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You can download this kit for free at my upcoming Designer Sale at Jessica Sprague. The sale and free kit will be available from March 25- 27 (Friday through Sunday).

Okay, listen to how good this sale is...All of my products will be 25% off, my Hybrid Projects will be $1, and my Desktop Calendar class will be 40% off! And then of course, you ought to get on and download this happy little free kit!

Hope you all have a chance to download these kits! I loved making them and making myself a couple of layouts for my scrapbooks (that seem to always be incomplete).

Will be around to blog soon!

XOXO-Carina

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Little Miss Suntop and Skirt Sewing Pattern

It's the end of the week, and I'm to my last sewing pattern! The Little Miss Suntop and Skirt is a very wearable outfit—ask Felicity, who refused to take it off the rest of the day despite the bits of snow still on the ground!

This outfit certainly screams, "Bring on the sun!" —something my subconscious was certainly yelling at me when I made this pattern. I was rewarded with a little sun today...I even managed to sit on my neighbor's front porch for a couple of hours and soak it up while my kids played on the trampoline (and asked to put swimming suits on—I put my foot down at that request).

The top is so adorable with it's "surprise" crisscross straps in the back. Place the buttons on the outside or sew them into the inside for a more modern look.

I put together yardage for using 1 fabric on the skirt or 3 (one fabric for each ruffle). I love the effect of both skirts! Should you get creative with this pattern, be sure and show off in our Flickr Gallery.

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(Felicity decided that some jumping was in order for a good portion of the photoshoot).

Check out our sewing pattern page if you haven't had a chance to do so already. You'll get a chance to look at the back and front of the pattern (click on the images to see them bigger). I hope you enjoy these patterns and please be sure to call your local quilt shop requesting these so you can get your hands on some!

Happy weekend!

Carina

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High Tea Soirèe Dress Sewing Pattern

If you are looking for sophisticated, you need look no further than the High Tea Soirèe Dress Sewing Pattern! I adore this pattern because the fabrics can change the look of this pattern in an instant. Make it fabulous and fancy or super sweet.

I only a had a couple of days to get ready for this photoshoot and once I had decided on the name, I knew that I needed the perfect tea set.

I wanted a mixed and match set so I went to a local antique shop. I pulled all my favorite teacups and pitchers into one area and came up with this precious set (I can't image the antique shop owners loved what I was up to).

After the shoot I left the tea set out on the coffee table and my girls had great fun pretending to make tea. Of course, Felicity broke one of the plates after a couple of days of play (a pretty good record if you ask me). It was kind of a sad end to the antique tea plate, but I'm not the kind of mom who won't let her kids play with a delicate tea set (or draw on the ceilings, or graffiti on the cabinets...sigh). What's the fun in that?

And those delicious little cupcakes came from Mini's. I heart their vanilla bean cupcakes!

All of the fabric used in this line is from my Love Nest™ Collection. It's a tiny line with a lot of possibilities!

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This dress can be made with two or three fabrics, and you will need interfacing for the clutch. The bows on the side of the cross-over bodice is mimicked in the bitty bow clutch. I've been meaning to see what kind of crazy concoction I can get if I use only striped fabric and make part of the dress horizontal stripes (fabric 1) and the other parts vertical stripes (fabric 2). I'll show you when I get around to making it!

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Playdate Outfit Sewing Pattern

While my passion is dresses, I absolutely adore a great little shirt and capri. The Playdate Outfit comes in sizes extra small to extra large (covering 2T, 3T, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 ) and includes pattern sizing for a dress, blouse, capri, and shorts. It's by far my most versatile pattern.

I'll admit I had a tough time making sure that this pattern stayed simple and true to my own style. We even went as far to shoot this outfit twice...with the first pattern being changed in favor of this one.

What do I love about this outfit? I adore the tiny little ruffle sleeves and the small gather on the front of the blouse and dress. I like that I can see Flissa romping about in this dress with leggings all summer long. Or hanging out in a pair of capris on a playground.

My little model, Olive, was very sweet, and we had Felicity dress up to keep her company (although the Suntop and Skirt wasn't shot until two days later).

Unfortunately, Flissa spent a good deal of time sticking a white mum in Olive's face. Here's the mischief maker doing her worst (As Olive diligently looks at her flower and obeys the photographer!).

Did I mention I bought A LOT of flowers for these photoshoots these last two months. It's been a naughty excuse to have flowers constantly in my house.

Okay, now I'm off to finish off a free digital kit I've been making for my facebook page. If you haven't joined in for a little chit chat, please drop by!

We are trying to reach 1200 followers after which I'm sending out a link to download the kit. If you've never digi scrapped before, this is a great way to get into it (because free rocks:).

Be back tomorrow!

XOXO-Carina

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Introducing My New Children's Sewing Pattern Line!

Yes! It's finally here! Everyday this week I will be unveiling one of my new sewing patterns!

I can hardly contain my excitement about this new line! I started thinking about this project over a year ago and to finally see it come into fruition...well, it's a bit overwelming.

What's my philosophy about children's clothing? Well, I believe it needs to be

If my girls won't wear it, there's a good chance yours won't either. So the clothing needs to feel special while being comfy. Siri and Flissa have tested out all the clothing (Man, it's a tough life!) and have given the outfits two thumbs up! I hope your little ones like them as well.

The pattern featured today is my Love Nest™ Ruffle Dress. It's so swweeet! I originally made the pattern for Siri. The bottom ruffle peek-a-boos along the entire bottom of the dress and the scrunchy ruffle flower is the perfect embellishment for the dress or headband.

This sewing patterns comes in sizes extra small to extra large and covers children sizes 2T, 3T, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8.

All sewing patterns come with a metric conversation chart, glossary of terms, illustrated instructions, easy-to-understand child sizing charts, and yardage.

Our first shipment of products will be on April 1, 2011 (I'm positively jumpy with excitement!). We are taking pre-orders now.

Want to make sure that your local retailer knows about these sewing patterns? Add them to our mailing list and they will get our latest discounts and offers. And feel free to email them or give them a call if you want them to carry our lines!

Retailers and Distributors: We do have a brand new site just for you! Please email us at wholesale@carinagardner.com so we can send you your password to login to the site. In the meantime, check out our wholesale site.

Can't wait to see the other patterns? You can take a sneak peek at the sewing pattern section of our website. I'll be back tomorrow with more pictures and info!

Finally, our  March-April quarterly newsletter will be coming out sometime next week. I'll talk about my process for creating the patterns and my upcoming (HUGE) digi sale at JessicaSprague.com. If you haven't signed up for the newsletter in the past or haven't read previous issues, please check them out here.

Thanks for letting me share all the good news!

XOXO-Carina

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A Trip Down Memory Lane

This weekend I visited my hometown in Clarksville, Tennessee. My little sister SuiKim had recently moved there…an excuse to see the little ole town I grew up in. My other sister Yanni met me there so we could have a sisters weekend.

I moved away from Tennessee 13 years ago and probably made it home only 4 or 5 times in between.  You know how everything looks so big and wonderful as a child? And then when you go back, you have to see everything with grownup eyes? It was certainly a walk (or should I say drive) down memory lane. We took photos of the homes we grew up in, homes that we wished we owned (which included a lot of barns, heehee) and visited our favorite restaurants.

This photo is of the Jade Dragon Restaurant. My parents took us there often because it was close to our house, and well, cheap. Things haven’t changed. Two huge lunches (soup and entrees!) were not only delicious, memory-inducing, and filling…but also cheap.

We also visited our old church on Sunday since baby Grant was being blessed. Yanni and I almost missed it since we had completely forgotten how to get there. Note to self, it takes 7 years or less to completely forget how to navigate your old hometown.

It was so much fun seeing people who remembered our family and gossiping with old friends…hearing everyone brag about their grandchildren and saying, “remember so and so?”  Apparently, I still have the talent of completely missing Sunday School by chatting with folks in the hall. Glad I’ve been able to hold onto that talent.

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Highland Park Arts Night

I've been meaning to post these photos for a week now! Here is the finished quilt that Siri's class made for the Highland Park Art's Night. The kids did such a great job. Here's the post about it.

This quilt will be up for Silent Auction at Highland Park's Art's Night on April 8th. It is a twin sized quilt and made up entirely of Love Nest™ with the pink paisley covering the entire back.

Here's the math sheet I made for the class so they could talk about the different shapes made by the triangles.

I'll check in again pretty soon since I am posting from the airport. I'm off to a little weekend with my sisters (Yippee!), which means I'll have pictures to share.

XOXO- Carina

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The Oscars

This is probably the first time I have been excited to watch the Oscars. That's partially because Anne Hathaway is hosting and because I'll be rooting for The King's Speech. It's a beautiful film. It's probably the most beautiful film I've seen in a long time. Josh will be rooting for it too. So there you have it, two thumbs up!

Are you watching? What are you hoping will win?

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Patience, patience

The "patience, patience" is more to myself than anyone else. Josh always has said I'm impatient.

I guess I am.

I've been dying to spill all the work that has been going on in my studio for the last month and a half. We have been busy, busy, busy putting together a line of children's sewing patterns due out in the next month. Fingers crossed I will be able to officially let you in on all the good news, but for now, all I have are little peeks into the process.

Today we took photos for one of the patterns and the photo to the left is the little clutch that goes with the one of the dresses. Both of my girls have been playing with their versions today (Thankfully even the "sample" versions are still great play things for my girls.)

Somehow the photo shoot today has made me more excited than usual to "spill the beans" on this new venture.

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Here's a few things I've learned so far about the wonder of putting together sewing patterns:

  • * It takes a lot more time than I had any idea...by the time I have proofed it, Jamie's proofed it, the printer's proofed it, and then I have proofed it again...wow.
  • * I spend an awful lot of time looking for props for the photo shoots.
  • * Much longer than the actual photo shoot.
  • * I learned that it's much better just to ask on facebook and the "ask and ye shall receive" effect happens.
  • * I combed antique shops for the eclectic tea set I put together for today's photo shoot.
  • * You can barely see it in the final photo.
  • * I don't care because I adore the silly set so much now.
  • * Antique shops make me think of more patterns I wish I had time to make, but don't at the moment. Sigh.
  • * A flower shop has passed through my house.
  • * I have completely enjoyed having that many fresh flowers in my home.
  • * I have learned to easily tear apart my living room in 10 minutes or less and put it back together in the same amount of time.
  • * Siri likes it when I do this because it means she can use her roller blades in the only open space in the house.
  • * I can sew together samples faster than I had any idea I could at ridiculous hours into the night.
  • * I'm having so much fun that I've having a hard time pulling myself away from my sewing machine.
  • * Which means my house is a perpetual mess.
  • * And my studio is much worse.

Excited to show you more very soon!

XOXO, Carina

P.S. All the fans on my facebook page will be getting a new mini digi kit (yet to be revealed) once we hit 120o fans. Have you joined the page yet?

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Quilting With Kids

Tuesday, I spent the afternoon in Siri's first-grade class making a quilt with the students for the Arts Night Fundraiser. As it turns out, even first-graders can quilt...and quilt well!

Turns out that making a quilt has all kinds of math applications too (shocking! educational AND fun!). We looked for patterns and shapes (parallelogram, anyone?). After laying out the quilt, each student sewed together two blocks and then they helped piece together several rows.

You've got to love the kids' reactions to the sewing machine...especially if they have never sewn before. Some were obsessed with seeing how fast they could make it go (we called it "zooming") and others were trying to figure out how the thread worked it's way into the fabric. All were obsessed with the string going at the top (really?). The magic of being a first-grader again!

If you want to make this simple quilt, the dimensions are 6.5" x 12.5" triangles to create (once sewn) 12" x 12" blocks (two triangles to a block). It is 7 blocks long and 6 blocks wide with a 4" border (4.5" cut for seam allowance).  It is approximately a twin-sized quilt.

I'm just finishing up the binding and this baby will be ready for Arts Night! Once it's finished I'll give you sneak peek of it before it goes up for auction!

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Valentine's Day

Just dropping in for a second to report our very, merry Valentine's Day. Seriously, my kids made out like bandits...I swear it could have been Halloween! Both were happily going through their candy /valentine cards after school today. I think Flissa tried every sucker and opened all of the Fun Dip a child could eat in a year.

Siri made her Valentine's Day box with Aunt Baily this year and used my Love Nest glitter paper and fabric, beads, ribbon, and silk flowers. I was a pretty proud mama. She was also excited to wear her " Valentine's Day shirt" from Love Nest. She was pretty cute modeling it for me. Ya, ya, I know. Proud mama again.

Tomorrow I'm heading into Siri's first grade class to help the kids make a quilt to donate for their class project for their Arts Night Fundraiser. I'll tell you how it goes...

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Love Nest Flag Quilt - Free Download

After a weekend of quilting, I finally have the Love Nest™ Flag Quilt instructions for you! It's a such a beautiful quilt (if I do say so myself) and the flags make it fun and modern. I'll be making a second one this weekend (both girls want one). In fact, Siri liked  it so much that she stole it off of Flissa's bed once the 3-year-old had fallen asleep. Sneaky!

All of the patterns and measurements for this quilt is included in the pattern. Happy Quilting!

XOXO-Carina

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And Here I am

And here I am on a Friday night, aimlessly clicking on blogs—blogs of people I heart, designers, artists, and so on...caught in that maddening cycle (that somehow always involves several visits to Facebook and Twitter) of being too tired to leave my computer but not tired enough to stop the endless, nonsensical journey through the world of blogs. Please tell me you get caught in this cycle too?

So here I am on the final stop of my longer-than-it-should-have-been blogfest—my own blog. Just a stop in to say hello in the midst of the madness (which is probably why I have been sitting numbly in front of the computer for the last hour).

Or maybe it's because of the two trips to the Children's Museum today (absolutely wore me out!) Flissa had a fieldtrip there this morning, and we made a second trip in the afternoon so Siri could go too. Despite it's energy-sucking effects, I love that place. Seriously, inspiration AND entertainment. I came up with the names of my next two sewing patterns while watching Flissa fill up a grocery cart of plastic food and transport it to another (wrong) portion of the play area.

Nice.

(Photo above is of me trying very hard to take a photo of the flower  I wore today (using the Felicity Flower Pattern) while balancing the camera with one hand and taking the photo in front of the mirror. Tricky. Very tricky.)

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Busy Busy

Well, it's been a much busier week than I intended it to be. I've been making the final tweaks to my first sewing pattern, which goes to press on Monday. And then there was a couple of late nights of sewing, and a happy little photo shoot. Busy, busy.

Okay, we are off to our favorite breakfast spot for a little Saturday morning yummy.

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Love Nest Giveaway Winner and Sneak Peek of Summer Releases

I know you have been patiently waiting all day for me to announce the winner of the Love Nest fat quarter set! I am finally here...so here we go! Drum roll please.

The winner by random.org was jeanie who said:

love it and with a new granddaughter being born in March this would be great to make her some things…thanks =0)

I'm also awarding an honorary fat quarter set to Kelly O who said:

After finding your fabrics yesterday I called my LQS and begged her to carry them!
she said she’d look into it :)
you have amazing talent!
I’m sorry I missed out on coquette initially–now I’m scrambling to get some :)

Congrats Jeanie! I hope you are able to make something fabulous for your new granddaughter. And a big thank you to Kelly for calling your local quilt store! A little designer like me appreciates it so much when people like my work enough to make the call! Please email me at info@carinagardner.com so I get those bundles in the mail to both of you!

And now, a little begging of my own. This summer there will be not just one or two, but THREE of my fabric lines released. I got a happy little package today with samples! These three lines are currently on sale to shops ONLY (to stock for summer 2011). If you like the lines, would you mind giving your local shop a ring for me? These goodies are on sale now for summer shipping. Take a look at the full lines here: Baby Safari, Pinfeathers, and Dress Up.

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Here's the Deal With $1 Wednesdays

So many of you know of and buy my digital products on JessicaSprague.com's $1 Wednesdays. Some of you may be questioning the releases this week, and I thought I ought to offer an explanation. (Deep breath) So here it is:

This week, the new releases are items that have been released for $1 in the past. Why the re-do on the $1 kits? Because we have decided as a store that no new kits should be released on Wednesdays and that kits have to be at least 8 weeks old to hit the $1 Wednesday. However, I feel very committed to you folks who go out of your way to buy my new releases on Mondays. That's part of the reason I put everything up for sale (25% off) on the day of the release and that's also why I don't release items on $1 Wednesday unless the product is AT LEAST 6 months old.

So if my Wednesdays look a little familiar for the next couple of months (or why I choose not to release anything at all), you'll know why. Instead, I will choose to inundate you with fabulous digi products every Monday for 25% off! Oh ya, and we are starting a whole new round of Hybrid Projects for $1 on Fridays, so you can be looking for that!

And if you are wondering if these photos have anything to do with digital. I can tell you that indeed, they do not.  This happened to be my project of the day (finally hanging some artwork in my bedroom). I even did a tiny sketch of a peony to add to the set. Now if only I could get around to sewing curtains...

Don't forget to comment on the Love Nest post at a chance to win a little fabric!

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Love Nest Giveaway!

Well, these gorgeous bolts have been arriving at my house for the last couple of weeks, and I finally have a bit of time to sew! Hooray! To jump off all this sewing fun, I'm giving away a Love Nest™ fat quarter set. All 12 luscious fabrics mailed right to you...how's that for fun? Leave me a comment  in this post to get entered into the drawing. Winner will be announced in a week on January 17th.

Happy Sewing!

Carina

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Our New Year's Eve

Josh had a work trip in Moab last week so the girls and I followed him down there for a little holiday. We were planning on sunny, warm weather—a get-away from the cold of Salt Lake. Unfortunately for us, a storm blew into Utah, and it was just as cold in Moab as Salt Lake. So it may not have been warmer, but it was certainly snowier.

Despite the storm, we decided to brave a snowy Arches National Park. It was worth it! I don't know if I can say the same about our trip up to Dead Horse Point. I'm deathly afraid of heights, and seeing my 6'6" husband holding my 3 year-old while looking over a cliff put ME over the edge!

While Josh worked, the girls and I spent all our time lounging in our room and playing in the hotel swimming pool. When you are 6-years-old, you can make friends with just about anybody in a swimming pool. I wonder what happens to us as adults?

This was probably one of the quietest New Year Eves we've ever had...and maybe one of the happiest. Our little family snuggled into a warm hotel on a fun little adventure.

I hope you had a wonderful start to your year too and that 2011 is a happy one!

XOXO-Carina

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The 2010 Carina Gardner Blog Summary

2010 zipped by, didn't it? Looking back, it was such a big year for me: a little first grader, a brand new preschooler, my first fabric line, getting comfy in our new home...it was a fun year and to celebrate, here are some of my favorite blog moments from 2010. Enjoy!

1 - Iron-on graphics on T-shirts for Siri's Birthday Party favors

2 - How to Create a Layout From a Quick Page or Album in Digital Scrapbooking. My first freebie video tutorial!

3 - I still love and use these cute canister labels!

4 - It was the Designer Blog Hop with a super fun free digital scrapbooking download for International Scrapbooking Day!

5 - My Chinese New Year Party revisited!

6 - My first free pattern download - the Felicity Fabric Flower

7 - My first Quilt Market! Back to Minneapolis!

8 - Sew Important - My mom gives my daughter a lesson in sewing.

9 - CHA in Chicago along with fun at Spraguefest! A boat tour of the city, sewing fun, and a trip to Navy Pier I'll never forget!

10 - The first CG Newsletter is released! Eye candy for all!

11 - Download for the Halloween Banner for my paper line Haunted™. I've been asked if that piano is just for display, but the answer is "no." I actually play that thing!

12 - My first downloadable quilt pattern using Coquette™. A great beginner quilt!

13 - My move to Jessica Sprague.com. A new Desktop Calendar Class, Hybrid Project Fridays and One Dollar Wednesdays!

14 - A quick ballet bag using Love Nest™.

15 - A Partridge Pattern

16 - A Merry Christmas to You!

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