New Leader/Ender Challenge!

Bonnie Hunter has announced this year's Leader/Ender Challenge. We will be making hourglasses!

I have not had any time or inclination to sew all summer long since we have been out of town way too much!  I miss it, but just too much going on to put it up on the priority list.  I have really gotten into reading this year (plenty of time to do that on the beach!).  I started listening to podcasts about books which has me adding more books than I can possibly read though I am trying.  We also ditched our cable so I am reading and listening to books more which is fine with me!
However, this morning Quiltville's Bonnie announced the next leader/ender and I always enjoy participating in this though not all the tops turn into quilts (several still hanging in my closet awaiting quilting).  I also miss Angela at SoScrappy's Rainbow Scrap Challenge.  I think I will start the hourglass challenge while doing the Rainbow Scrap Challenge (she picks a color each month for us to sew whatever we want in that color and we can share it on linkys every weekend).  Really fun way to make time for both challenges.  I love that I can do one little block or 100 and still participate!

I have been doing other crafting though.  We went a little shell collecting crazy in Rocky Point and decided to make some art with the shells.

 Kathy and I make Coleman and his wife Chelsea the above heart and Mac and Liz the one below.  We decided we needed to shellac them before mailing.  I did that but forgot to take another picture so hope to do that before we mail them out.

When Hannah arrived a few days later she wanted a heart too.  She put in lots more shells, most of which she found herself!  She shipped hers UPS and it was so heavy it cost 92 dollars to ship.  OY!

Kathy and I decided on a mermaid.  I added two perfectly imperfect shells to the bottom of our board.  There are some in each of the creations I made.

Mom opted to make a starfish on a board she bought. She didn't realize we were making her a board.

Three generations with our shell creations!  Sea of Cortez in the background.  Rocky Point is so beautiful!

Hannah had to leave that Saturday to catch her plane.  Kathy drove her to the airport and I stayed with mom and dad at the beach.  Mom made her sea turtle that day.  It is huge!

Hannah and I in our matching dresses of different colors with our shell art.  Best summer ever.  It was so nice to see my daughter in May and July!  We are now planning a quick trip home (well to Milwaukee and Wisconsin Dells) in November to see the other kids and their partners.  I miss them too!

We added a tiny colored sea turtle to each of our creations and I tucked two away somewhere to add to the ones that were at home I made for the boys. Naturally no idea what I did with those turtles.  My memory!  I think they were added after most of the pictures were taken too.  

So excited to turn our bedroom into a mermaid decorated area...previously just the bathroom was mermaids.  Now adding to the collection meant I had to expand into the bedroom, I bought a few picture frames and put some shells on them and ordered some of our pictures so that we will always remember the beach!  

Next up I need to find a mermaid quilt or mermaid fabric.  I want to do a new wallhanging for over our bed and a bed quilt too!