messy mess :)

it's spring break here in the griffith house. <--hince my lack of blogging.

everything is a mess.
messes made by 3 kiddos that can pretty much clean up after themselves.
messes made by a certain 18 month old that just likes to make messes.
and messes by this lady that came home from a lecture and dumped everything into her kitchen floor.

this week i will embrace these messes.
but next week, next week is a whole different story.

miss yall. giveaway coming soon.
xoxo.

ps - don't judge this pic too harshly.
my iphone can only hide so much messiness.
;)

♥ rachel

will work for landscaping.

so true story . . .
i'm outside, minding my own business, when my neighbor starts chatting me up.
like a good neighbor, state farm is there i'm just shooting the breeze.
"how was yall's trip to florida?"
"when are yall getting the camper ready?"
"yadda yadda neighborly talk yadda."

then my neighbor was like, "hey, we have this ipod dock and we need a travel bag for it. but diane {his wife} wants it to have a little padding in it. would you know how to do something like that? i mean, i can pay you. or trade off some landscaping."
before the word landscaping fully exited his mouth, i blurted out "of course i can!!!"

note: my neighbor owns his own landscaping business. his yard looks amazing. all year long.
to put it into perspective, his lawn is beauty and my lawn is the beast.
;)

yep.
so now i'm making an ipod dock just so i can get my neighbor's professional touch somewhere in my yard.
i think i got the better end of the bargain, personally.

for those inquiring minds:
fabric = meet me at sunset for dear stella

♥ rachel

things that make you go hmmm.

i've been in a funk.
:(

i've written this post several different times trying to find the right way to say what i want to say.
alas, i still haven't figured it out. <--i blame my indecisiveness.

here's the most basic, striped down version:
i loved having my sister here.
it was amazing.
what wasn't amazing was her leaving.
that and receiving an email that someone thought it was utterly ridiculous that my siblings & i haven't seen each other in 15 years.

maybe i read the email in a wrongful tone.
maybe i read it exactly how it was meant.
either way, it ate me alive.

it was hard enough to put something that personal out there for yall.
just to have someone turn around and say, "it's not that hard to purchase a plane ticket."
ugh.

frankly the thought of blogging disgusted me.
and i hate that.
i just want to move forward and push it out of my mind.
i'm really hoping this blog post will be the kickstart i need.

with that being said, i'd like to say goodbye to my bloggy funk.
a yummy kid friendly st patty's recipe will be posted tomorrow :)

♥ rachel

start spreading the news.

i'm leaving today.
i want to be a part of it . . .
new york, new york!!!
:D

i'll try to share pics via facebook &/or instagram all weekend.
and i'll try to keep my friends quotes/references to a minimum.
keyword: try

♥ rachel

the one with the remix.

let me set the scene . . .
it's morning. it's just me, miss lindsey & my spitfire 5 year old, andrew.
{friday is his day off from preschool.}

well i, all of the sudden, had a hankering for some homemade biscuits.
yall know the ones i'm talking about, right?!?!
great, big ol' mouth watering cathead biscuits like mawmaw used to make.
fresh from the oven. slathered in butter & honey.
biscuits so dang good you wanna slap your momma right in the mouth.
soo wee.

yep, i needed me some biscuits.
i was in luck because i had myself a handy dandy helper.
and that's a good thing, cause we made a big ol' mess.
naturally, while our biscuits were baking, we started cleaning up our mess.

so there we are, running a sink full of soapy water, and andrew breaks out in song.
now i knew i had heard the melody, but it took me a minute to place it.
yall know how little kids sing - kinda off beat and somewhat sporadic.
well once i figured it out, i started cracking up and knew i had to tell yall.

without further ado . . . andrew's remix:
just clean it.
clean it.
no one likes dirty dishes.
dip them in water, put them inside.
it doesn't matter what food you like.
just clean it, clean it, clean it.

i, rachel, am one proud momma.
the boy can help make homemade biscuits, clean up his mess AND be happy enough to sing about it.

♥ rachel

lately.

i've been binding quilts and working on new patterns.
this is normally a super exciting thing, but when you can't take good pics, {thanks ohio} it's kinda stressful.
nonetheless, new patterns are coming soon.

i've been needing to get my hairs did, get a pedicure & get my eyebrows waxed.
my eyebrows are really driving me insane.
you know it's bad when you feel like eugene levy.
hubby says they're fine.
of course i cook all his meals. he HAS to say things like that.

i've been under the impression that there aren't enough throw pillows or aprons in my house.
i can't figure out which one to tackle first, so i don't tackle.
i just keep making these yummy pillows & aprons in my mind.

i've been planning my flower beds for like the past month or so.
i'm totally blaming desperate housewives for this.
i mean, have yall seen how flippin' gorgeous their yards are?!?!
i want to grow wisteria and i want to grow it now.

i've been evaluating my bloggy irregularity.
i used to post 3 times a week, without fail.
now i'm posting like once a weekish.
me no likey. me no likey at all.

i've been living on pinterest.
man oh man is that place a slippery slope.
i always have the best intentions.
i even try giving myself a time limit. keyword: try.
there's just something about pinterest that just sucks you in.

i've been meaning to reorganize my quilty area.
i gave the boys the little dresser i had that held all my magazines and such.
it kinda looks like an episode of hoarders is just waiting to happen.

i've been trying to plan a new tutorial.
i haven't posted a tutorial in forever.
this bugs me, hince the planning.

i've been needing a glue gun for years. <--yes years.
i don't own one. seriously.
i'm not sure how i make it through the day, let alone years without one.
and of course everything i want to make lately requires a glue gun.
i specifically wanna make these three things: bed skirt, fabric pom poms & hydrangea wreath.

i've been working on secret stuff.
stuff i'm dying to tell yall about, but can't.
this ties rather nicely into the "bloggy irregularity" problem.

i've been trying a new cleaning method for our bathroom.
so far, so good.
what is it with little boys?
they have the ability to aim, yet miss every single time?!?!
this boggles my mind.

i've been planning a trip with the hubby.
a trip to new york city.
have i ever mentioned that hubby & i have never had a getaway?!?!
well we're finally going to do it. next month.
just us. without the kids. in the big apple. and we're totally stoked.

i've been pretty saddened by the fact that picnik is closing.
i've been using it for years.
rest in peace picnik.
i will truly miss you.

i've been formally introduced to scentsy.
oh how i've been missing out.
my bathroom has never smelled better.
now i just need warmers for every room in my house and i'll be good to go.

i've been planning how to finish the girl's room.
we painted it last year, then nothing.
it's not that their room isn't cute, but their walls are bare.
i really need to rectify this. and soon.
this goes back to needing a glue gun AND living on pinterest.

i've been making homemade heating pads for the wives of hubby's coworkers.
at christmas the hubby asked me to make one for some dude's wife, now all the other dudes need them for their wives too.
good thing hubby is taking me on the aforementioned trip.

and lastly . . .
i've been missing yall.
there's something to be said about writing to yall and seeing what yall write back.
i promise i read every single comment and email.
so tell me what yall have been up to lately.

♥ rachel

smooth.

don't yall just love it when everything flows smoothly?!?!

kiddos are in school.
baby is napping.
hubby is at work.
dinner is prepped.
laundry is done.
and itunes is playing your fav band.

it's just you & your fabric.
and you're free {& in the mood} to be ubber productive.
*sigh*

oh and things go SO smooth that you even forget to blog.
ooops :P

i don't know about yall, but i needed a day like today.
they don't come often enough.

ps - build a quilt workshop classes are now posted.
if you're one of my students, go have a lookie doo.

♥ rachel

georgia.

i give yall georgia :)

georgia is always on my mind.
and by always, i mean always.

it's home. my roots. and my family history.
<3

on top of being raised in the great state of georgia, there was another georgia in my life.
my great grandmother.
{my daddy's momma's momma.}

her name was georgia, but everyone called her georgie.
well not me. she was mal to me. {pronounced mall.}

i used to spend the summer with her.
she taught me how to make biscuits from scratch, how to make homemade jam, how to hang laundry out on the line & how to snap beans for supper.

she amazed me with what her hands could do.
she was the real deal...the epitome of all things good in my book.

she was also a legit do-it-all-by-hand quilter.
i never learned any quilty things from her, but my mawmaw says she did extraordinary things.


my mal is the very reason i picked up quilting.
honestly.

i try to remember the quilts in her house.
the one i try the hardest to envision is the one that was on her bed.
i don't remember the pattern at all, but i think it was made using old clothes or feedsacks.
i can't even visualize it clearly, but i can remember seeing blues and reds.
and i remember sleeping there with her.
{mal & pal had seperate bedrooms.}


i was almost 12 years old when mal died. she was 91 years old.
i will never, ever forget her & how she was the female patriarch on that side of the family.

when mal passed away all her quilts were devvied up to be given to all us grandkids.
it's heartbreaking to say that my quilt {along with my sibling's quilts} were somehow misplaced before we were old enough to have them.

i wonder frequently what "my" quilt would have been.
it's kind of fun not knowing, but what i wouldn't give to have that quilt.
or any of her quilts for that matter.

to honor my mal, i wanted to have something quilty named georgia.
so georgia the pattern was born.


georgia is a pattern that i guest designed for it's sew emma.
for those that don't know, it's sew emma is fat quarter shop's new pattern company.
{get your own georgia pattern HERE.}

quilt stats:
size = 80 1/2" x 80 1/2"
fabric = ruby by bonnie & camille for moda
quilting = darla padilla

this quilt just touches my heart. alot.

do any of yall's great grandmothers {or grandmothers} quilt?!?!
do you have any of their quilts?!?!

oh and yall should scootch on over to the jolly jabber.
psst: giveaway giveaway giveaway :)

♥ rachel

september 22nd 2011.

so today i'm 29 years old.
:D

today...
hubby made me a yummy bacony breakfast.
my bff brought me balloons & starbucks.
our new family pet arrived.
and i was kissed by the apple king.

today is a good day.

♥ rachel

falling for fall.

it happens every year.

i fall madly in love with fall.
i just can't help it.
i'm a fall/winter girl.

so i have this rule.
a rule that i can't decorate for fall until september 1st.
mainly because i get the itch in early august.
of course i know it's like lava outside but my brain insists that "if i decorate it, fall will come."

some years i do really good.
and some years not so much.

this year is that year.

i totally caved.
i went ahead and decorated for fall.
and you know what?!?!
i'm not the least bit sorry.

anyone else have this problem???

pic above = my fall fabric wreath.
{tutorial can be found HERE.}

♥ rachel

the one with the jello conversation.

*warning: if you love jello, run away & never look back at this post.*

so let me start by setting the scene...
it's tuesday night. it's like 10pm.
we're sitting at this lovely farmhouse dinner table and everything is all gravy.
{we = me, jennifer, julie & rita.}

we're talking about quilts.
we're talking about family.
and then we started talking about food.

yeah we should've just stopped while we was ahead.
but NO. no we didn't.

*insert the jello conversation*
i'm not even entirely sure how we started talking about jello.
and honestly i think that once i found out the truth...i was in complete shock.

they proceed to tell me that jello is made from...hooves.
yep. real freaking hooves.
like from real pigs & real cows.
and not just their hooves but also their intestines.

i'm sitting there and all i can say is "shut the front door."
i'm literally reliving all the times i horked down some jello.
i'm talking throwing down some mad amounts of hooves in my day.

of course i don't believe it.
but NO someone {aka julie} says "google it!!!"
and so we google it WHILE rita grabs a box a jello from the kitchen.
bad idea. again.

let me just say that bill cosby is SO not on my favorite list of people right now.
shame on you bill cosby.
everything is SO not "OBKB" with this.

also keep in mind that i'm in the southern part of ohio.
i'm totally & completely kid free and without the hubby.

AND to top it ALL off.
i'm headed home last night and i'm not even kidding when i say that this...
my hubby says, and i quote, "the kids made you some sugar cookies & JELLO while you were gone."

what the heck?!?!
of course my kids made jello.
we haven't eaten jello in months BUT MY KIDS MADE ME JELLO!!!

yeah.
this is a true story.

and i'd like to say that no animals were harmed in that making of this blog post...
BUT i have a whole freaking bowl of hooves in my fridge as we speak.

epic fail.

♥ rachel

funk.

i've been in a funk.
i'm sure yall know this funk i speak of.

the kind of funk where you're completely overwhelmed.
and not just by a certain task, but by everything.
and by everything, i mean everything.

maybe yall don't know this funk.
maybe it's just me.

either way i'm blogging to tell yall that i'm gonna leave this funk behind.
cause me no likey. at all.

so with that being said...
i think it's time to stretch my creative mojo's legs.
fabric therapy = brillant thinking
:)

what would yall do with these lovelies?!?!
just curious.

oh and for those inquiring minds...
fabrics = picnics & fairgrounds by denyse schmidt
{thanks jennifer for sending me these yummies. you're the best. xoxo}

♥ rachel

pinterest.

do yall pinterest?!?!
yayyy or nayyy?!?!
this curious cat wants to know.

if yayyy...
yall can follow my pins HERE.

if nayyy...
please start because i don't wanna be the only peep wasting time pinning.

if you're clueless...
pinterest is a webby place where you can catalog all the things you love.
you do this by pinning a recipe, tutorial, deco or travel pic.
it sounds a little confusing, but it's quite simple. and addicting.
{check out a pinterest video tutorial here.}

fyi: i said nayyy to the pinterest bandwagon for a while.
but then i kept getting alerts that peeps were pinning ps i quilt & rachel griffith pics left & right.
so i drank the kool aid.

wanna drink the kool aid with me?!?!

♥ rachel

pinwheel sampler.

i give yall pinwheel sampler.
:)


one of my favoritest quilts EVER.
a classic in my book.


and after many, many requests...she's officially a real pattern.
patterns are available HERE.


quilt stats:
fabric = simple abundance by bonnie & camille for moda
size = 58 1/2" x 58 1/2"
quilting = darla padilla


i'm really itching to make a two color version of this.
i'm thinking strawberry lemonade. or maybe peaches & cream. mmmm.
what colors/fabrics would yall use???

if you are a shop that is interested in purchasing pinwheel sampler...
email me: rachel {at} psiquilt {dot} com

♥ rachel

blogger's choice.

i'm loving this stack of lovelies, aren't yall?!?!
get your own yummy bundle here.

yummy things are afoot at the jolly jabber.
scootch on over and check 'em out.
psst: giveaway giveaway giveaway :)

if this was in your stash, what would YOU make???
:)

♥ rachel

nine months.

today = the nine month old mark.
*insert slight panic attack*

so what's happening in miss lindsey's neck of the woods?!?!
she sings. and at the top of her lungs.
she loves bath time. and loves splashing water with her feet.
she crawls. and crosses the living room in about .2 seconds.
she sits up on her own. and can even feed herself little finger foods.
she dances. and loves to hear her daddy play the guitar. <--takes after her momma :)
she pulls herself up on her knees. and hangs on with her mega kung fu grip.
and today we learned patty cake. lots and lots of patty cake.

♥ rachel

my bag confession.

i used to be anti bag girl.
really.

i never wanted to make bags.
seeing bags on blogs kinda annoyed me.
yeah. i had issues.

then i went to texas. {see my san antonio post here.}
all these ladies had the bestest bags in the world.
bags that made me wish i was cool and had bags of my own.

the ladies of the uumc quilt guild roped me in.
i'm addicted now.
like way addicted.

my lovely sponsor claudia {& her sister marci} had bags of every shape & size.
we carted everything from food to quilts to a spare change of clothes & shoes.
and that's just to name a few.

i loved their bags.
i needed their bags.
heck i was jealous of their bags.

so what was a girl to do...shop of course!!!
i needed to make my own bags. like pronto.

i bought lots o' stuff.
fabrics for bags.
buttons for bags.
bag patterns.
& then more fabrics for bags.

then it hit me...i'm SO not a bag maker.
*mini panic attack*

so the night before i left texas, claudia & marci prepped me on making a real bag.
we cut out all the pattern pieces, fused it & even added the button.
they talked me through what to do once i got home to actually finish it.
they even told me to call if i had trouble.

and yall know what?!?! i did it!!!
i came home and made a real bag.


i use this bag every single day. without fail.
it's my "go to" bag.
all yall should have one of your own.
*for size reference: there were 2 folded lap size quilts in the bag when i took this pic*

bag = eco market tote by favorite things
fabrics = bliss by bonnie & camille for moda

i should add that while in texas...
one guild member offered to make me a bag that every uumc guild member had.
another guild member gave me one of her bags that i had complimented in class.
marci offered to make me a bag while she was making herself a new bag.
we prepped a whole other bag for me to complete here at home.
AND we completed a super easy bag that i just couldn't live without.

to say my bag collection is growing might be an understatement.
not to mention i currently have patterns & fabrics ready for at least 4 more bags.

yall feel free to feed my bag addiction & tell me YOUR favorite bag.
link to the pattern {or your pics} if possible.

♥ rachel

let's talk binding.

so binding...
you love it or you hate it?!?!
you cut strips at 2 1/2" or something else?!?!
you make it scrappy or you make it matchy matchy?!?!
you make it straight grain or bias?!?!
you do it by hand or you do it by machine?!?!
you prepare them in advance or you wait until last minute?!?!

inquiring minds want to know.

here's my two cents:
i love it. <--but i used to hate it.
i cut my strips at 2 1/4" <--i highly encourage all yall to try it at least once.
i mostly do matchy matchy. <--but i love a good scrappy binding.
i make double fold straight grain. <--i'm scared of bias binding. honestly.
i machine prep and finish by hand. <--i personally can't stand machine binding. ick.
i normally wait until the last minute. <--i made 5 bindings this morning though.

*fabric sources noted here*

♥ rachel

summer sorbet.

i'd like yall to meet summer sorbet.
*big, dreamy sigh*


i might be a tad bit biased, but she's perfect in my eyes.
and i can honestly say she's one of my top five fav quilts of all time.


i finished this quilt early LAST year!!! <--i know!!!
and fyi: sometimes it SUPER hard to keep big quilty secrets from yall.
nonetheless i'm SO excited to finally show her off!!! <--i'm a proud parent!!!

don't yall love her?!?!
i sure as heck do.


quilt stats:
size = 80" x 80"
fabric = fandango by kate spain AND lots o' bella solids for moda
quilting = darla padilla <--SO in love the quilting on this quilt!!!

when i designed this quilt, i wanted it to play nice with others.
this quilt is set up so you can sub in ANY fabric line with matchy solids and voila...
your very own awesomesauce quilt!!!


oh here she is on the cover of fresh fabric treats.
my little superstar quilt.
oh how i love her!!!

fresh fabric treats update: books have NOT shipped yet.
please rest assured that i will mail them out as soon as i have them in my hands!!! <--after i pet them of course.

oh and if you're here via the bloggers quilt festival - welcome & come back!!!
:D

ps - this was my other quilt at market.
{see: here, here, here, & here.}

♥ rachel

this little piggy stayed home.

{comments closed.}
winner = marianne ogg
email me: rachel {at} psiquilt {dot} com

so it's quilt market time!!! yayyy!!!

sadly - this little piggy stayed home.
luckily - i have a few quilts there so i'm there in spirit. <--that's what i keep telling myself.

so here's escapade - the poseidon version - hanging out in robert kaufman's kona booth.
loverly huh?!?!


the folks over at fat quarter shop wanna give one of yall a poseidon fat quarter bundle!!!
they're cool like that.
and we like to party like rockstars. <--without all the drugs, tabloids & tax evasion.

to enter...let's talk quilt market.
if you have been to quilt market: tell me your fav memory.
if you haven't been to quilt market: tell me why you wanna go.
*winner will be drawn sunday*

so until then i'll be stalking twitter and facebook...
getting up to the minute updates live from salt lake city.

ps - i'll share more about my other quilt later. promise.

♥ rachel