{Roll Call + A GIVEAWAY!}

*TAP TAP* Is this thing on???

Hello??

Anyone??

Silence

It's been awfully quiet out there!! Is anyone reading??? I'll tell you what,.... If you are, let's do a giveaway! I'll get straight to it,... you get three chances to win!!

**First, leave a comment with a link up to your blog/shop/facebook/twitter,.... whatever you want so I can hop over and get to know you, see what you're selling, see what creative things you're working on, etc.

**Second, go over to Paper Box Quilt Co. (my shop) and tell me what your favorite item is.

**Third, share the giveaway, Tweet, repost, share, post on Facebook,... whatever it is you do, then come back here and leave a comment with a link to your "share".

You can do all three,.... or just one. Just please let me know someone is reading!!

Please include an email address to contact you in your comment in case you're the winner!

Comments will close at midnight, March 23 and I will announce the winner Saturday, March 24.

One winner will get a pretty, warm dishcloth set handmade by yours truly!

Another lucky winner will receive a pretty, purple dishcloth set,... also handmade by me!

So, TWO winners!! Get your comment on!! Let me know you're there,... I feel like there are tumbleweeds rolling across my blog. Right. Now.

*Please note that these two bundles you see here have been sent away to two other wonderful people and I will be making yours when you WIN!!*

{Wednesday...9+ Months}

Hi! It's Wednesday! Not that that means anything, but the week is more than half way over, so there's that,... :)

Last week I took Cash to the park because we've been having this AWESOME weather here in Dallas. We tested out the swing and he wasn't a fan on that first try. I took him back this week and he LOVED it! I guess he was just having a bad day last week. He hung out in that swing for like half an hour and giggled and smiled and admired all the other kids playing. It was so sweet and these are quite possibly the cutest pictures I have gotten of him! I will mark this a nine month post,.. even though he was nine months like two weeks ago. What's new??

NINE months:

22 pounds

30 inches

crawling, climbing, pulling, scooting, about to be walking

teething,... still

but no teeth

loves keys, balls of yarn & the swings

wearing 12 month clothing

playing with his fav toy "Elefun ball popper" EVERYDAY, and at like 6 am.

Clapping when I say "YAY"

waving backwards when I say "BYE BYE"

raising his arms when I tell him he's "SO BIG"

The sweetest little 9 month old I know. I'm pretty lucky.

In addition to chasing my baby around, I'm currently preparing for Paper Box Quilt Co.'s debut at The Dallas Flea!!! That's right! I will be setting up a booth and selling my items in PERSON! I'm a little nervous about being ready in time, but also super excited at the same time. I am planning to have quilts, pillow covers, mini quilts/table toppers, crochet dish cloths, wall decor, bunting, pot holders, clothespins, some small paper items,.... I think that's it,... for now,... SO, if you're in the area and want to stop in to see me, mark your calendar!! April 21 in the South Side building downtown. I will be among a TON of awesome vendors so you will have PLENTY to look at, shop & admire. Are there any local readers out there??? Any already planning to attend the Flea?? I would love to meet you!

Photo courtesy of Craigslist

The final thing on my Wednesday agenda is this cute little hutch! I found this on Craigslist for $30 and I plan on using it in my booth set-up at the Flea. I thought it was a bargain! Gotta love Craigslist.

What draws you to a booth at a flea market/craft show?? Does the set-up matter?? Would you pass up a booth that didn't have a pretty/unique set-up no matter what they were selling?? Just curious. I think I am more attracted to pretty booths. Is that bad? I might pass up the most beautiful handmade goods because I couldn't see past the card table they were sitting on. It's the same on Etsy. If the picture is bad quality or effortless I almost always skip it. Does that make me an Etsy/Flea market snob?? I think it might. I'm a little ashamed. BUT at the same time, I like it when people make an effort to draw me in. Make me want to step into your booth. Right?? Oh man,... I've just made myself even MORE nervous. Crap. Gotta go. I have to plan out how to make you want to step into my booth.

{New Etsy Goodies}

{Holiday Ruffle Pillow Cover}

{Carnival Pillow Cover}

{Gypsy Wild Thing Quilt}

So there you have it,.... get em while they're hot! ;)

See you soon!

{Get Your Shop On}

Blue Ruffle Pillow Cover

New pillow styles in the SHOP!

Girly Ruffle Pillow Cover

Light Blue Sparkle Clothespins

Along with some new sparkly colors for clothespins.

Light Pink

Dottie Bunting

And of course some more bunting!

Red, White & Blue Bunting (SO original! Anyone have another name suggestion?)

That is all for now! I am headed out with my little guy to search for some good holiday fabric deals! What do you have planned for the weekend???

{More new Etsy items}

I listed a couple of the buntings today! Strawberry Picnic and Sweetheart. These are the large sizes and measure approx. 7.5 feet end to end.

"Sweetheart"

When I realized I was using clothespins all the time for hanging quilts, pillow covers, fabric, bunting,... etc. for photo shoots, I decided they should be prettier. SO,... naturally I added GLITTER! Glitter makes everything awesome! These are also in the shop. They will come in gold, silver, light pink, light blue and turquoise.

This is SO fun! I have been a busy little bee the last couple days getting everything set up at Paper Box Quilt Co. and seeing that sparkle and ribbon is making me smile! GO! Tell all your friends!! I have a small milestone coming up here on my blog, so if you spread the word,... there might be a giveaway in the near future!! (especially since I missed my two year blogiversary,... even more reason for maybe a DOUBLE giveaway. It's been a while!)

{Etsy Grand Re-Opening & A NEW Name!!}

I am super excited to announce the GRAND re-opening of my Etsy shop!!!! I decided to make a few changes over there,... first, I am no longer designing/selling jewelry. I have so much more fun with FABRIC! :) So I'll be selling my quilts, some pillow covers, bunting, little odds & ends and there WILL be a paper box here and there, after all that is where this all started, is it not? Second,... I have changed the name of my shop! What was previously Bella Gioielli (Italian for Beautiful Jewels) is now Paper Box Quilt Co. I realize that quilts have nothing to do with paper or boxes, but I'm sticking with it!

So, here you have it! My first 5 items at Paper Box Quilt Co.

(let me know what you think) (only if it's nice...) ;)

First up is "It's A Hoot" quilt.

This quilt was made in my (smoke free/pet friendly) studio by MOI!! Fabric is "It's A Hoot" by Momo for Moda Fabrics. It is so bright and cheery consisting of little birds, polka dots, pretty damask and funky florals in a mix of pink, aqua, red, yellow, green & lavender(ish/grey). Pretty perfect for a little girls room or to snuggle under on the couch.

Pattern is "Piece of Cake" by Thimble Blossoms. Finished squares measure approx. 7.5" and all feature a strip of a contrasting Hoot fabric & are framed by the super cute EGG shaped pink polka dots. Backing is matching pink "damask". It is all over machine quilted in a free motion meandering pattern with 100% polyester ivory thread.

Measures 63" x 71"

All fabrics used on "It's A Hoot" are 100% cotton, batting inside is also 100% cotton. Your quilt will come pre-washed, all crinkly and beautiful. To wash: machine wash on cold with color safe detergent, tumble dry on low. (I use Tide w color safe bleach/downey fabric softener combo).

"It's A Hoot" is ready to ship and ready to be loved for a very long time!

Next is "Baby Boy" Pillow Cover

Baby Boy throw pillow cover is made from the fabric line, Soliel by Annette Tatum for Westminster Fabrics. This sweet fabric mixes aqua, yellow, grey and orange with stripe, star, floral and puppy dog prints The patchwork front has been machine quilted in a straight line, grid pattern with 100% polyester blue & orange thread & backed with a coordinating pale blue solid fabric.

Pillow cover measures 18"x 18" and will fit nicely on a 18" pillow form. (pillow form is not included, but can be purchased at your local craft or hobby store).

All fabrics used on "Baby Boy" pillow cover" are 100% cotton, batting inside is also 100% cotton. Pillow covers will not come pre-washed. To wash: machine wash on cold with color safe detergent, hang or lay flat to dry. (I use Tide w color safe bleach/downey fabric softener combo).

"Baby Boy" is ready to ship and ready for your baby boy nursery!

And of course,... "Baby Girl" Pillow Cover

Baby Girl throw pillow cover is made from the fabric line, Soliel by Annette Tatum for Westminster Fabrics. This sweet fabric mixes pink, yellow, grey and orange with stripe, star, floral and puppy dog prints The patchwork front has been machine quilted in a straight line pattern with 100% polyester pink & orange thread & backed with a coordinating pale pink solid and pale pink check print.

Pillow cover measures 17"x 17" and will fit nicely on a 16" pillow form (shown). (pillow form is not included, but can be purchased at your local craft or hobby store).

All fabrics used on "Baby Girl" pillow cover are 100% cotton, batting inside is also 100% cotton. Pillow covers will not come pre-washed. To wash: machine wash on cold with color safe detergent, hang or lay flat to dry. (I use Tide w color safe bleach/downey fabric softener combo).

"Baby Girl" is ready to ship and ready for your baby girl nursery!

Finally I have the first two of a series of "Deconstructed NEST" Pillow Covers

Deconstructed NEST #1 is made from the fabric line, Nest by Tula Pink for Moda Fabrics. This funky fabric mixes pink, aqua, yellow, green and brown with bird, feather, egg and floral prints. The "braided" front has been machine quilted in a free motion meandering pattern with 100% polyester ivory thread & backed with a cheery pink print from the Nest line.

About 2 years ago I constructed this Nest braid as a quilt top,... it ended up terribly crooked. The top was perfect and the bottom swayed (to say the least) to the side. My BIG mistake is your fortune. I was able to cut apart the wonky quilt top and make several pillow covers out of it. (don't worry, none of the pillows ended up WONKY!) ;) This is the first in the "Deconstructed NEST" pillow collection. Stay tuned for more!

Pillow cover measures 20"x 20" and will fit perfectly on a 20" pillow form. (pillow form is not included, but can be purchased at your local craft or hobby store).

All fabrics used on "Deconstructed NEST #1" are 100% cotton, batting inside is also 100% cotton. Pillow covers will not come pre-washed. To wash: machine wash on cold with color safe detergent, hang or lay flat to dry. (I use Tide w color safe bleach/downey fabric softener combo).

"Deconstructed NEST #1" is ready to ship and ready to adorn a couch near you!

(#2,... same basic description, but it has been straight line quilted instead of stippled)

Remember THIS disaster??? Yeah,... now we have PILLOWS! :)

And there you have it! I will be posting new items regularly so keep checkin in!! Share it with ALL your friends! Thanks for all your support!

XOXO

{Happy Day}

Nothing really interesting to share today but I thought I'd say hi. I took this picture the other day near where I live, on my way home from taking pictures of my Etsy items (yay). I kept seeing this super cute turquoise truck parked at this old fashioned gas station and, HELLO the red & aqua!!! Just perfect. I finally stopped to get a picture. Happy Day :)

I have real updates,.... a couple photo shoots, a 5 month old, some Etsy stuff, but I realized that I take WAY too many pictures and then can't narrow them down. Then I spend so long editing them,.... I need to come up with a new system. For now,... it's FRIDAY!!

See you soon! XOXO

{Bunting}

I have been wanting to re-open my Etsy shop for a while now, only this time with lots of sewn goodies. There will probably be quilts of all sizes, possibly some small fabric items like magnets or pins, probably some of my paper patchwork boxes (not fabric, but sticking with the patchwork idea), and there will also be these sweet strands of bunting!!!

I'm kind of obsessed with bunting right now,... cutting and sewing up tons and tons of little triangles, just ask my family, they've all seen it, whether they care or just pretend to. I am currently making this super cute and increasingly popular accessory in three sizes, large (about 5" flags), mini (shown, about 2.5" flags) and micro (about 1" flags). I am SO excited to get tons more made and have my Etsy grand re-opening. Keep your eyes peeled for this happy little bunting at an Etsy shop near you.

Well,.... in my Etsy shop anyway :)

{My Texas Art Studio}

This is my awesome new art studio, come on in! :)

Here is a previous post on my Maryland art studio,... this new one is much larger and much more beautiful. More art, creating and inspiration will flow in this room!

This is the TURQUOISE table where all the sewing is done. I have the table in the middle of the floor,... see I have a problem, 1) Sitting & sewing while facing the wall & 2) Sitting & sewing while my back is facing the door. Am I weird or alone in this? I feel like I want to leave the door open and see what's going on in the rest of the house.

This little shelf houses my wedding card "Tiffany" box, some antique cameras, some trim I bought for absolutely no reason other than how CUTE it is, a magnet board that will someday display some lovely inspiration and those sweet Ruby strips for a future string quilt.

You might recognize the cabinet and the door from our old dining room. They fit perfectly in this room!

Oh this cabinet (below). This stupid stupid cabinet. Remember when I told you we bought a cabinet that only came in black but I really like it and wanted to paint it white?? Well this is that cabinet. It looks great,... from a distance. Don't look too close or you might see what a big mess it really is.

So,... that's my new art studio. So far I have been much more productive in this room (even with the new baby) so expect lots of pretty posts. And there is a good chance I will reopen my Etsy shop with a new selection of items. Stay tuned,....