Adventures in Quilting #1

This is it! After months and months of telling my mom and boyfriend (and anyone else that would listen) that I want to learn to quilt, I have just taken my first stitch into the quilting world!

My grandmother recently gave me a "Hearthside Quilts" kit teaching me how to make my own 44" x 56" Patchwork quilt. I have no clue how long she's had this kit hanging about, but the copyright on the instructions dates 1992. This quilt is almost as old as I am, haha.

Annnnyway, this is the perfect project to start considering I'm embarking on Cb's Sew September.

It's a pretty simple quilt -- everything is already cut for me. I just have to sew little pieces together to make big patches, and applique hearts onto them...but still! This opens a whole new world for me. One of making everyone's Christmas presents and having confidence they look awesome!

So let Sew September begin!

Hey all! I hope your weekends were lovely, and that (if you're on the east coast like me) you're all safe and sound post-hurricane/tornadoes.
This begins my weekly installment of I Love Mondays, inspired by many fabulous "favorite" posts, like Elycia's Five Fave Friday and Kaelah's Things I Love Thursday.
Let's face it, Mondays can be a bit dreadful. But how could you not love them when there's a world full of treasures just waiting for you to uncover?
So without further adieu, here's a compilation of my favorite finds this week.

This adorable cat and lizard combo.

These wonderful words of wisdom from my idol, Andrew McMahon.

This alarmingly accurate yet hilarious infographic!

This .gif is dangerously close to the events of my childhood in the funniest way.

This is a photograph of Wildwood, New Jersey, during Hurricane Irene.

This is what Wildwood's beach usually looks like. It's scary to realize how little control we have over natural disasters.

Skunkboy Creatures' lovely owl postcard.

Click these links!
>>> Supercook <<<

My sister recently introduced me to this site, where you can enter in specific ingredients that you have lying around and it will show you exactly what you can make with them! So excited to have this resource when I move back to school on Thursday!

>>> Cracked <<<

Silly as it may be, cracked.com's lists are rather, erm, informative and you'll find yourself spending hours pouring over their crazy lists.

>>> Melissa Haslam Art <<<

This artist is unbelievably talented! See for yourself.

>>> The Great Gatsby Game <<<

It doesn't take too long to beat, but it's cute and a fun way to kill some time, especially if you've a soft spot for old Fitzgerald like I do.

I hope your week goes a little less hectic than I anticipate mine to be! It's a long four days of cleaning/laundry/packing for me, in order to be ready to move back to school Thursday morning.

xo, Erin

Two Stupid Dogs

A friend of mine asked me to cross-stitch him a picture of the 90's cartoon Two Stupid Dogs back in June. Considering my horrible procrastination tendencies, I'm so excited I finished it last night! Complete with his favorite quote from the show: "Isn't that cute?! BUT IT'S WRONG!"

After staying up until 4 in the morning cramping my fingers, I present you two stupid dogs!













Enjoy your weekend!!

xo,Erin

Let's Take a Peek Inside ... My Bookshelf

Let's get real here for a minute: I love books. I love reading them, but I especially love collecting them. I even love the way they smell. Call me crazy all you want, but it's an obsession of mine. As my mother so eloquently puts it, I am a "book whore." Whenever I thrift, go on vacation, or get too close to a B&N, I go nuts and come home with as many books as I can afford/carry. But anyway...the point here is that my best friend issued me a challenge at the beginning of this year. She called it the "Fifty Book Challenge." If the title doesn't explain it for you, it is a challenge in which you read 50 books (almost one a week) in the year 2011.

I've slacked a little bit, considering it's the end of August, and I've only read 18 books (with a bunch in progress), but I'm confident I'll get through.

So, for your viewing pleasure, I present my complete (so far) list of all of the books I have completed/started this year.

1. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
2. Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger (in progress)
3. The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery
4. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous
5. Jay’s Journal by Anonymous (in progress)
6. Letters from a Nut by Ted L. Nancy
7. Miles from Nowhere by Nami Mun
8. Marked by P.C. and Kristin Cast
9. Betrayed by P.C. and Kristin Cast
10. Chosen by P.C. and Kristin Cast
11. Untamed by P.C. and Kristin Cast
12. Hunted by P.C. and Kristin Cast
13. Tempted by P.C. and Kristin Cast
14. Burned by P.C. and Kristin Cast
15. Awakened by P.C. and Kristin Cast
16. Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson
17. Rhett Butler’s People (in progress)
18. The Warlock by Michael Scott
19. Everlost by Neil Shusterman
20. Everwild by Neil Shusterman
21. Cut by Patricia McCormick
22. Peeps by Scott Westerfeld (in progress)
23. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld (in progress)

Do you like to read? Have you read any of these books before? What are some of your favorites? I'd love to hear some suggestions!


xo, Erin