Fall colors - sort of

So living on the west coast, we don't get as many fall colors as most of the rest of the country.  (we have other benefits, LOL).  Last weekend my hubby and I decided we needed to go exploring and find what limited supply of fall colors that were available!  Mammoth Lakes has lots of aspen everywhere, so they were turning and quite beautiful.

Also, since it is so close to Halloween, have you seen these?  Cheetos made a special Halloween variety and aren't they just so clever?

Wow, no, I'm not dead!

It seems like forever ago since I last posted, and sure enough -- it almost is!  I've sewn 2 more quilt tops, dozens of bags in every shape and size, table runners, placemats, aprons, a couple dresses, and who knows what all else.  Everyone in my home is safe and sound, except we did lose our 14-year-old dog in March.  Sigh.  Still miss that crazy old brown-turned-gray faced friend.

Non bloggers anonymous

Hello my name is Chocolate Chip Addict, and I am a non blogger.  Ha!  Has it truly been over 6 months since I last blogged?

Since January, I have been doing a lot of craft sewing, and some quilting.  Along with working full time and spending weekends with my college kids who come home.  Who knew that when I began quilting that it would lead to me becoming a "bag lady"?  It seems that I just can't do enough tote bags, cosmetic sized bags, and purses.  Every time one is finished, an idea strikes for another.  Here are my finishes for January - June.

Thanks to my daughter who is the lovely model.

Next came a set for a colleague from work who was retiring.

Then a cosmetic bag for a friend going on vacation.......

And finally, a purse for myself that was an experimental variation from a well used pattern.  Please excuse the junky cellphone picture.

In between these bag projects, a friend and I took a class at my local quilt shop for a Kaffe Fassett designed quilt, and also used mostly his fabric for the centers.  Here it is in the flimsy stage.

All in all, a good start for the first half of 2013!

Welcome 2013

Well, whaddya know...... it's been 3 months since my last entry.  Lots has happened, with lots of sewing/quilting going on in-between.  I had a reunion with some of my girlfriends from college that was SO MUCH FUN.  Here's a photo, I hope they don't mind me sharing.

Then once I was back home, it was preparations for Thanksgiving - which entailed making a couple of my favorite pies.  (and lots of extra pie crust, yummy!)

The month of December was absolutely filled with sewing gifts.  As you can see everyone on my list got the same thing, but in their own color scheme!

Birthday bag

One of my co-workers has hired me to make a bag for her assistant's birthday..... and here it is.  This was a new pattern that I tried, "Open City Tote" by Penny Sturges.  I made a cute zippy bag to go inside.

Catching up, and finally fall!

It has been really quiet at my house, with both children away at college.  Luckily they are closeby, so that we can see them on the weekends.  The quiet-ness has allowed me to sew a little here and there, even though it is not as much as I would like to be doing.  Made an uber-simple apron for my mother's birthday....she likes to have the skirt portion be terry cloth.  Then I am in the midst of making another tote bag for someone here at work.  Pictures of that bag when it is completed.  In the meantime, I want to make some more of these!

Preparing for semi empty nest

Well, both children are off to college this week!  I can't even believe it.  Luckily they are closeby and can easily travel home whenever necessary.  But this is certainly a big step to have both gone.  Son has been in college for 3 years already, but now my baby girl is going too.  So we have been collecting supplies for her during the summer.  Whereas my son didn't really care for any particular color scheme and went with a neutral mix of beige/tan/brown, my daughter has very definite tastes as do most girls!  So we finally decided on this, although hers won't have all the accessories that are shown here in a company photo.