Wednesday, December 12, 2012

My Fabric Collection Sneak Peek!

Check. It. OUT!





I am still pinching myself... I cannot believe I have a new fabric collection with Moda!




FLATS by Angela Yosten for Moda Fabrics - Available in Stores May 2013

Want to see the panels??? Check back for more pics to come!

Wednesday, December 5, 2012

1 year old!




I cannot believe how much Roman has grown and developed in just 1 year. Why does time seem to go by so much faster as we get older?  I remember as a kid hours seemed like days and days seems like weeks. I sometimes wish it would feel like that again cause lately the time just seems to be flying by way too fast.

 
At 1 year old, Roman is weighing in at 21 lbs. 7 oz and is about 30" tall. Had his 1 year shots today and the poor thing has an ear infection. :(  Not fair to be sick on your birthday.
 
He is walking, jabbering, and has absolutely no fear. Will have to watch out for this kiddo... he is into everything and has such a fun and outgoing personality. I can't wait to see what the next year with this kid brings.
 
Happy Birthday, bug... We love you!

Friday, November 30, 2012

Thankful.

WOW... has it really been a month since my last post??? Where did November go? Oh, I remember! A lot has gone on this month and I have so much news to share with you, but being that it is still November, I want to share my thanks!

Thanks to my beautiful kids for all you do and share with me. I am so grateful for each and everyone of you. I am thankful for the hugs that I get from you even after I get done yelling at you for not picking up your toys. I am thankful for the beautiful pictures you draw for me and sweet notes you write at school. I am thankful for the pitter patter of little toes and hands crawling and walking towards me.



Thanks to my awesome hubby for your loving support. I am so thankful to have you in my life. I am thankful for you telling me the truth when I ask your opinion. You are always there when I need someone to talk to and you support everything I do.



Thanks to my mom for dropping everything to help me out. I am thankful for you watching the kids every week so I can go into the office to work. I am thankful for you teaching me how to sew at a young age. I am very thankful for you not getting mad when I backed up into your vehicle this week. <3



Thanks to Moda Fabrics for creating beautiful fabrics. I am thankful to be able to work for a great company that cares about their employees. I am thankful for the quality of fabrics and the designs that are printed for us to create with. I am also very thankful to be a new fabric Designer for Moda. YES, you read me right! Sneak peeks coming soon!



Thanks to Stash Books for publishing my designs. I am thankful to have my very own book published this year, Stop. Go. Quilt. Sew! I am thankful to have been a contributing author in 3 books so far, Sweet Celebrations, Fresh Fabric Treats, and Modern Blocks. I am thankful to be able to work with the Stash and C&T Publishing team again for my second book that is scheduled to be published in 2013.



Thanks to the lady at the Target Starbucks for paying it forward. I was standing in line to get a coffee from Starbucks in Target and a mom with a little girl in front of me flashed her phone at the cashier when he asked me what I wanted. I didn't think anything of it, I just figured she was paying for her coffee. When I received my coffee, I handed my card to the cashier and he said, that the lady infront of me already paid for mine. Oh my goodness, Are you serious? How did I miss that? By then, she was already gone and had no idea where she disappeared to. How nice! What a kind and generous act it was for that mom to do that for another mom. I left there feeling so thankful that we live around such a great area where people still give a hoot.



I am thankful I was able to meet an awesome group of girls at Market. Thanks to Katrina, Heather and Stephanie for being Angels at Quilt Market! I think these three could tell I was in need of some coffee the first day of market. They were so sweet and brought me a Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha to the booth for me.  THEY ROCK!  Then we partied at the Moda Appreciation Party where I was able to meet Sarah and rock out a few line dances with all of them. Sarah has some cute pictures and videos of all the fun on her blog.  All three of these girls are awesome!




Thanks to all my family and friends for everything! I am so blessed to have such special people in my life.

AND Thanks to YOU for reading my blog! I love receiving your comments and learning more about each and everyone of you. I am so glad you visited my blog and hope you will stay for a while. :)

Wednesday, October 31, 2012

Happy Halloween!

Just dropping in real quick to wish everyone a safe and Happy Halloween!


 
 
 
Be sure to check out my tutorial today on the Moda Bake Shop! Super easy and quick... only three steps using a Layer Cake.
 

Monday, October 22, 2012

2 Blog Tours = 2 Winners!

Whew! What a month it has been and it's not even over yet!   It has been a rather busy month, but very exciting!

I also have some new exciting news to share, but not today. That news must wait for another day. Today is an exciting day for many readers in blogland!  Two lucky readers will be winning books from my blog today and many other readers will be winning from other blogs across the globe. Be sure to check all the sites from both the Sweet Celebrations book tour and the Beginner's Guide to Free Motion Quilting book tour to see if you are one of the lucky winners.

I have randomly selected one lucky reader from the Sweet Celebrations Book Tour and one lucky reader from the Beginners Guide to Free Motion Quilting Book Tour.

Sweet Celebrations winner:



Congratulations...
She said: "It's 3:03am I can't sleep so I'm blog hopping, I would say it's a BAD hair day so far for me. It can only get better! ;-> Toni Anne "

You are the lucky winner of a copy of the new Sweet Celebrations Book by the Moda Bake Shop Chefs AND a Moda Fabrics Layer Cake!


Beginner's Guide to Free Motion Quilting Winner:
 
 
 
Congratulations...

She said: I learned to sew my first year in High School. My mom did not sew, so I took a Home Ec class and that's where I learned the basics. We made garments, but that went by the wayside when I learned to quilt ;-) Much more fun!
  
You are the lucky winner of a copy of the new Beginner's Guide to Free Motion Quilting by Natalia Bonner from my blog stop.
 
 
Winners... please email me with your contact and mailing information so your prizes can be sent off. Thanks to everyone who participated and good luck on all the other blog stops for both tours!

Thursday, October 18, 2012

Sew It All - Spring 2013

Do you get Sew It All TV on PBS in your area and/or the Sew It All Magazine?  Not sure? Well... grab your remote, turn on your TV and find out. It's okay, I'll wait.

Coming this Spring 2013, little 'ol me will be on an episode of Sew It All TV with host Ellen March.


This past weekend I had the pleasure of traveling to Golden, Colorado with my hubby and taping my very first TV appearance with the Sew It All crew. Oh my goodness... What fun!  I enjoyed every minute while we were there. A little nervous at first, but the entire staff at Sew It All were all awesome to work with and made it much easier to be in front of the cameras.

I am so excited to have been invited to be a Guest of the show and can't wait for everyone to see what I have to share on my episode. The show schedule for the Spring season will be released on the Sew It All website in March 2013.

Sew It All
 

My project for the show will also be published in the 2013 issue of Sew It All Magazine. So be sure to keep an eye out for it at your local craft store for this issue when it hits news stands this Spring.

As soon as they release the Spring Schedule I will post on my blog, so be sure to follow me so you can stay up to date with the latest events.

Sunday, October 14, 2012

Beginner's Guide to Free-Motion Quilting... It's a Family Affair.

I'm late, I'm late, I'm late for a very important date!
Well... at least I still made it today, even though I am an hour away from being the 15th. :)


Today, I am very honored to be sharing with you all my review of Natalia Bonner's new book, Beginner's Guide to Free-Motion Quilting.  This book is perfect for me and anyone else that wants to learn how to quilt their own quilts... or least try to. :) She does such an awesome job quilting and boy is she quick!


Natalia's book contains wonderful tips, quilts and beautiful quilting designs to gander upon. I love the simplicity of all her quilt designs... now to find the time to actually make them.  This book is a must have and I am especially partial because she just so happens to be published by the same publisher as my book, Stash Books. Beautiful photography, clean page designs and not to mention the best authors in the industry {*wink*}


It's a family affair... that is the name of the game and is completely fitting to this blog tour. Quilts bring families together... your own family and your family of friends, whether they be near or far. It is the threads that bind us together!



So, be sure to visit the rest of the "family" of friends on their book tour dates to celebrate Natalia's new release and enter to win a giveaway of your very own copy of this fabulous book!

Here's how to enter:

Simply leave me a comment... How old were you when you learned how to sew and who taught you?

Winners will be announced on October 18, 2012.

Monday, October 8, 2012

A Cupcake Sandwich

A friend showed me this fun little trick on how to eat a cupcake and I eat all my cupcakes this way now...

 
Unwrap and break in half separating the top from the bottom.

 
Flip the bottom to the top and squish down.

 
Eat and enjoy... without the mess.


YUMMMM!

Friday, October 5, 2012

Sweet Celebrations


Welcome! Come on in and make yourself at home!

I am so thrilled to be a part of the second book in the Moda Bake Shop series along with all the other super talented Chefs in our industry.  If you already own the first book, Fresh Fabric Treats, then you know the variety of projects they contain and how great these books are. I would like to take just a second to give a HUGE THANK YOU to Moda Fabrics and Stash Books for putting together these creative and inspirational books of joy.


 
My contribution in the Sweet Celebrations book has to do with Graduation. It is a quilt that every high school or college student would love to receive and share memories with their friends. It would also make a fantastic gift for a special teacher from all her graduating students. To see a picture you will need to buy the book... I know the suspense! But, I am sure you will love it and find even more uses for the design such as a new baby, birthday, family reunion, or simply for a special friend.

Okay, Oda May has asked us a few questions so here it goes...

Do you prefer to celebrate with cupcakes, cake pops or just plain old cake?
Cupcakes all the way! Love me some cupcakes... currently trying to find an excuse for me to get some cupcakes just cuz they are so good... OH WAIT! A new book... perfect excuse for some cupcakes. LOL! I actually eat my cupcakes in a different way, less mess from the frosting but you still get to enjoy every last crumb! Check back Monday for my special cupcake eating technique... I promise you will start eating your cupcakes this way too once you see it.

When you picture Oda May, what does she look like?
In my mind, Oda May is a classy, timeless gal that doesn't take crap from anyone. She is tough but also as sweet as can be. She is the cream of the crop!

Tell us about your favorite apron.
I don't wear too many aprons, but when I do, I really like the butcher style aprons, bib and half. Being a tall girl, I like the length and the extra long straps so you can cross in the back and tie them in the front. My favorite apron is actually the French General Rural Jardin Butcher Apron that was sold a couple years ago.
How do you press your seams?
I prefer to press my seams all to one side. If I am topstitching then I generally press in the direction that I will be doing the topstitch so it holds the seam down. If I am working with heavy fabrics mixed with light weight cottons, then I will press the seams in the direction of the lighter weight cottons to help reduce the bulk.

Do your pets/kids/spouse help or hinder your creative process?
My KIDS definitely help my creative process. I started sewing again because of my kids. I wanted to make some cute things for my daughter so I dusted off my machine and have not put it back since. My oldest two are now drawing up designs and asking me to help them make their creations which I LOVE! They come up with some pretty amazing ideas, which I hope to share soon. Love that we are able to share in a common thread. {no pun intended... LOL!}



Every celebration, whether it be birthdays, Christmas, Halloween, or just simply for a family gathering, my neices and nephews always have one special request... "Aunt Angela, will you please make your puppy chow??" Who could say no?



So, today I am sharing with you my childhood favorite... Puppy Chow.  If I can remember correctly, the original recipe for Puppy Chow was published on the Kellogs Crispix cereal box.


 
 
Now for the celebration part of the post... did somebody say GIVEAWAY!?!
 
Stash Books is giving one lucky reader from my blog a FREE copy of the Sweet Celebrations Book.
 
BUT WAIT... that's not all...
 
Moda Fabrics is also adding to the loot one of my favorite precuts! Although, I like them all the same, I have chosen a Layer Cake as the giveaway on my blog. Layer Cakes are so versitile and can be cut some many different ways or simply used as is.
 
HOW TO ENTER:
 
Simply leave me a comment. That's it. If you are having a bad hair day, I would love to know. LOL!
 
P.S. - For a bonus entry, "Like" my page on Facebook and leave me a comment that you have done so.
 
P.S.S. - For another bonus entry Follow my blog and then leave me a comment that you have done that too.
 
Although the bonus entries are not required to win, I do love receiving bonuses. :)
 
P.S.S.S. - Have a SWEET weekend and be sure to check out all the other fun celebrations going on where you can gain even more chances of winning this awesome book and a Moda Precut!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Kid Sized Apple Juice


Over the summer, my kids were constantly asking me for Juice.  I like to buy the Apple Juice in bulk since we go through so much of it. The only problem with that is the bottles are just so big and bulky and the kids can't get it themselves or we might have another problem on our hands {and floor!}.

So, after a conversation with my mom, she gave me a great idea. I started saving some smaller plastic bottles and made them their own kid sized Apple Juice containers.  Brilliant! I can still save money by buying in bulk and not having all the waste from the individual drink boxes PLUS my kids can stop asking me every 5 minutes for juice learn how to be a little more independent.

It's super simple and the kids love it!

All you need is a small container that is easy for kids to handle. I used plastic apple sauce containers.



Next, just fill up the small container with Juice from the larger bulky container.


Put them in the fridge and the kids can now easily access the juice with no mess!  WIN WIN!
If the small container gets low, just fill it back up with the larger one.

              

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Roman Numeral 9

This month Roman turned 9 months old.


At his 9 month appointment he weighed 18 lbs 9 oz  and was 27 1/2" long.


He only gained 1" in height and weighed less at his 9 month appointment than he did at his 6 month appointment. My milk was also starting to dry up even though I continued to breast feed him. Come to find out, when I pumped to see how much he was actually getting, I was only able to pump approx. 2 oz of milk. :(  The doctor thinks that is why he did not grow much so I stopped nursing and started him up on the Sensitive Similac Formula. He has been doing great on the sensitive formula (lactose free) and you can already tell a difference in his weight.  We go back for a 10 month checkup just to make sure he is gaining his weight like he should.


Till next month...

Monday, September 24, 2012

100 Quilts for Kids



Hi and welcome to my stop on the 100 Quilts for Kids Blog Hop. This is such a wonderful charity event and I am so grateful to be a part of it.

100 Quilts for Kids is an annual charity quilt drive co-hosted by Katie Blakesley of Swim, Bike, Quilt and the DC Modern Quilt Guild.
The idea is simple:

Make a quilt or 2. Donate it to a child in need, locally if you can.

Here was my challenge... who do I make a quilt for? This was harder that I thought it would be until I was inspired by a friend to make my charity quilt not just for one child but for a school of children.

When a child does not feel well at school and needs to take a moment to rest, take some medicine or even to do a breathing treatment, they want to feel comforted. So, I decided to make a quilt for our Elementary School Nurses office. This way the kids can have a warm quilt to cuddle up with while receiving treatment from the school Nurse. Nurses with quilts are magical, they make everything feel better!


The quilt I chose to make for our elementary school was from my Baby Gears pattern.
Gears make clocks work, just like the teachers and nurses in a school.  Teachers and nurses spend a lot of time with our children throughout the day and become an integral part of a child's life. So, make a quilt for your local school and provide a piece of home for them to cuddle up to.



Get more information about the 100 Quilts for kids event here.

Swim, Bike, Quilt
<div align="center"><a href="http://www.swimbikequilt.com/p/100-quilts-for-kids.html" title="Swim, Bike, Quilt"><img src="http://i1188.photobucket.com/albums/z420/swimbikequilt/100quiltsbutton2011.jpg" alt="Swim, Bike, Quilt" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

If you missed some of the stops on the blog hop, here is the list:

July 2: Lynne @ Lily’s Quilts

July 9: Dana @ Dana and Thread
Sarah @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict
 
July 16: Lee @ Freshly Pieced

July 23: Katy @ Monkey Do
Erin @ Sewing Summit

July 30: Dana @ Old Red Barn Co
Heather @ Olive & Ollie


August 6: Jessica @ Twin Fibers
Holly @ Bijou Lovely

August 13: Leigh @ Leedle Deedle Quilts
Heather Megan @ Quiltstory

August 20: Melissa @ Happy Quilting

August 27: Jeni @ > In Color Order
Miranda @ One Little Minute

September 3: Ellen @ The Long Thread
Faith @ Fresh Lemons Quilts

September 10: Elizabeth @ Oh , Frannson!
Anne Marie @ Gen X Quilters

September 17 Cheryl @ Dining Room Empire
Jane @ Quilt Jane


YOU ARE HERE.... September 24: Angela @ Moda Home Mom
 
September 25: Sara @ Sew Sweetness

Friday, September 21, 2012

Q&A and Giveaway at Craftbuds.com

Be sure to check out my Q&A and enter to win my giveaway of patterns over at Craft Buds.
 click map

Find out a little about my book writing process and what I look for when picking fabrics that work for boys of all ages.

Plus, don't miss all the other fun events they have going on this month for Craft Book Month.

Craft Book Month
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