V and Co.: book giveaway: more take 5

kathy brown is quite the fun gal with a lot of talent. not only did she bring you the best seller Take 5: Quilts from Just 5 Fabrics , she also is author to another great book Strip-Smart Quilts: 16 Designs from One Easy Technique (That Patchwork Place)
where she makes 15 quilts using one technique. i love books like these because i feel like i am learning some little secret to make my quilting experience move that much faster and better.

in her take 5 book she shows you how to create beautiful quilts just using 5 fabrics. WHAT? when in a world of lets try to add as many patterns and prints and such to create quilts her approach to highlighting 5 fabrics excites me. i love that i can actually appreciate the fabrics being used because i can see each of the 5 highlighted.
yes, i kind of like her thinking.
well apparently a lot of you did too, because yup, there's now MORE take 5. and in this book she doesn't disappoint. her designs are great, and i can't wait to find some time while the kiddos are in school to get cracking on some new projects. perhaps one from this book might be pushed to the top of the list. i mean hello i know i have 5 fabrics i can use...so i probably already have everything i need!

kathy is one talented lady, and i'm honored to be asked to talk about this book, and not to mention, to pet the book and to stare at it and to dream of fall when i get to sew again, because yup you got all 4 of the noisemakers are in school full time. i'm a little dumbfounded that i'll have 6 hours of the cat and the dog staring at me not knowing what to do with all the quiet. no worries, the sound of my whirring sewing machine will probably ease their discomfort. :)

okay so enough about me.
wanna a free cool wonderful fun book of More Take 5 Quilts: 16 New Quick and Easy Projects ??

1. tell me the first project you want to tackle once your summer plans wind down and the kiddos (if they are still in your home!) go back to school, or if you don't have kiddos at home, what's the first project you are going to tackle once your summer plans come to a slow down pace. (please add your email address at the end of the comment)

2. go and visit kathy on her blog, tell her something nice and that i told you to. then please leave me a comment letting me know you did. (please add your email address at the end of the comment)

two entries per person please and if you are nervous about spam leaving your email address in the comment section please leave it like this: Vanessa(dot)Christenson(at)gmail.com

you have till june 26 (tuesday) to enter. thats when i'll pick a winner to send this lovely book to!
thanks for playing!!

V and Co: Geared for Guys book giveaway

emily is a sweetheart and a funny gal. we get along every time we see each other we end up laughing. emily is the lady behind Crazy Old Ladies quilts, and she has her third fabric line coming out with micheal miller this spring market. it will be fun to see her again, and to see what else she has up her sleeve in designs. :)
but lets talk a little about her Geared for Guys book.
of course we all have that special man in our life whether it's a dad, brother, husband, uncle, or child...and with all of our quilt making going on, sometimes they get left out in the dust when it comes to getting a quilt made just for them.

one of my favorite quilts in the book is this one. the gamer.
because well, i have three little gamers that if i let them, would stay in my basement and be pasty white and wheezing when they got outside air in their lungs if i let them have it their own way. but i don't let them, i limit their time on it, as mean as i am, and i make them go outside and make them bounce a ball or ride a skateboard, so, no, we don't have pasty basement trolls, they are just little boy trolls. BUT this would be a great quilt for us to have in the video game playing area.
she has some other fun ones and the ones i love the most are:
ivy league and oddball and switchback...just to name a few more...

in her book, of course she would have one of our own manly men quilters contribute to it, jon of quilt dad, features his talent in this quilt called urban decay.
sounds like a manly kind of quilt doesnt it?
trust me, three boys and a man who isn't afraid of getting dirty to help in the yard makes for some serious urban decaying going on...too bad its not as cute as this quilt...but anywho! lets get back to business.
i'm just one of the 30 bloggers that is doing the book tour,

soooo make sure you check out tomorrow over at  amylouwho  
:)

okay but for today, heres what you have to do in order to enter to win:
there will be two winners one will win the physical book, and the other one will win the E-Book (which is what i have and love)

so what do you have to do?
just answer me this: what urban decay (annoying or gross or whatever) kind of thing does your man (husband, dad, kid, brother, uncle) do that drives you batty.
please include an email address at the end of your comment: (ie) vanessachristensongmail.com

this should get interesting. it's okay i wont tell, i might laugh, i might feel your pain, but go ahead vent and get it out, that way after you get it off your chest you will want to make your man a cute i mean awesome manly quilt. HA!

okay you have till the end of the week. then we'll pick two winners:
may the gross be with you. or not with you i guess.

Blog tour for Focus on the center: by pat sloan!

 welcome to the blog book tour for pat sloans new book "focus on the middle" ! pat is one of lovely LOVELY individuals that makes you feel like you are best friends the minute she has a conversation with you. i've been honored to talk to this lady on a few occasions and and i am SO excited to talk about her book right now.
there are 10 of us who are doing the blog book tour:

Tuesday May 1

• Carrie http://lavieenrosie.typepad.com/lavieenrosie/
• Vanessa http://www.vanessachristenson.com/

Wednesday May 2

• Bonnie Hunter http://quiltville.blogspot.com/
• Michele http://quiltinggallery.com/

Thursday May 3

• Victoria http://bumblebeansinc.blogspot.com/
• Rachel http://www.psiquilt.com/

Friday May 4

• Jackie http://cvquiltworks.blogspot.com/
• Dana http://www.oldredbarnco.blogspot.com/

Saturday May 5

• Vicki Welsh http://vickiwelsh.typepad.com/
• Faith http://www.freshlemonsquilts.com/
   make sure to go check them out as well because you get a chance to win there as well!

 so if you haven't checked it out pat asked me a couple of questions about my favorite quilt and favorite project and where i work.
sad to say that right now i am a roaming sewer. i sew downstairs in the basement when my kids are home and i can be where they are (that's where all the action is aka toys and tv and video games) and then they aren't home i love the light and ability to rock out in our main area of our home and i sew on my kitchen table. i clean up pretty good when i sew upstairs...but when i sew downstairs it's kind of scary because i can just walk away from it and out of sight out of mind baby!! okay. but enough about me.

focus in the middle is a book about taking one large block and building the quilt out from there, i like how it makes the focal point or the main part of the story of the quilt in the center of the quilt and you move from there.
she has7 medallion quilts in the book and they all have a cute name to go with the look and color scheme of the quilt. she's so creative with the names. names are the hardest for me. it would be really easy for me to just call all my projects "quilt 1" "bag 1" quilt 2" and so forth. if you get a chance make sure you look at the names and then you will see her creativity flows through even to the name!

so yes, now you know a little about the book but lets talk about:
Prizes.  Of course there are prizes! 
   
Two winners from each of the ten blogs will win a copy of Pat's new book.  That means there are twenty (20) books to be given away!

How do you win?  Leave a comment here before Midnight on Monday, May 7th.  All ten of us will leave comments open until then so if you don't get to it right away, you've still got time.  Unless you're reading this on May 8th... in which case, so sad, so sorry, too late.  


okay so ready for your question?
leave me a comment saying what colors you would pick for that quilt featured up there. it can be as many colors and prints, or would you pick solids?
you have till may 8th! good luck, :)
ps make sure you check out bonnie and michelle tomorrow! and say hi to carrie!!!

V and Co: sponsered giveaway: fat quarter shop

 the fat quarter shop is your one stop shop for about anything you could of ever imagined fabric wise. not only that but her site is so easy to maneuver and browse through that you will find yourself spending a ton of time just staring and dreaming up projects...she breaks your categories down to:
shop by collection
shop by designer
shop by theme
top sellers
what's new
coming soon
and clubs and programs

yup one of the clubs is the bloggers choice fat quarter bundle. yup check it that's mine up there! but there are a ton of other blogger's choices as well
oh and yeah she's got patterns and books and patterns, and well you get the gist.
so here are a few of my favorite eye candy at the moment:

denise schmidts single girl pattern

 reunion by sweetwater

 vintage modern by bonnie and camille

 make it sew modern by me :)

blue crush by art galery is just beautiful and reminds me of summer. :)

but are you ready for the giveaway portion? well i'm a huge fan of liz scott  (for moda) i like her designs and i love her colors. i actually used this line in my Craftsy class

and well for the giveaway today the fat quarter shop is giving away one jelly roll AND a fat quarter bundle of liz scott's domestic bliss.

that's a lot of fabric.
so here's how to enter:

1. tell me what you would do with these fabrics: (ie make a quilt for a friend, yourself, or your mom...or maybe you will hoard it and stack it on the shelf. that's a plan too.) +email

2. go to the fat quarter shop and browse around tell me what other fabric, book, or pattern you would get if you could treat yourself to one thing.
come back and tell me what that item would be. +email

3. then last but not least: tell me what you want to see more of in the pattern/ fabric world. it could be something as easy as a color or as complicated as world domination. :) (have fun if you want) +email

but please PLEASE:
at the end of EACH comment leave an email address where to be reached and it can be written out like: Vanessa dot Christenson at whatever dot com so no spammers get you.

this giveaway will close on friday night. midnight. and then i'll announce a winner the next day. (in between soccer games :))
and may the odds be ever in your favor.

sponsored giveaway green fairy quilts

i'd like to thank green fairy quilts for this sponsored giveaway.
judi has been a sponsor for quite a few years now. she's a very VERY nice. as a matter of fact we met for the first time a year ago this coming spring. she's very genuine, and super cute! her shop has many things for the quilter and sewer of many things.
lets highlight a few:

 judi has current lines, and future debut lines that you can sign up to make sure you get your hands on what you would like.
for example, california girl by fig tree, joy by kate spain and salt air by cosmo cricket.

 a few fun new ones coming out as well:
summersville, hello luscious, and quilt blocks

 a little good fortune? yes, please. and a little walk in the woods as well

 liz scotts domestic bliss is my absolute favorite though i must admit. AND

reunion by sweetwater
yes, there are quite a few projects i could probably add to my list with these fabrics in my stash...
but for this giveaway lets focus on our next fun holiday!

valentines day is just around the corner...are you needing a little bit of pink and red and valentine? yup here's the deal. if you'd like a chance to win this lovely fat quarter bundle by deb strain here is what you will need to do:

1. tell me what you would do with your fat quarter bundle if you won it. yes, hoard and pet can be considered something you would do with it. (please include an email address in comment)

2. go to the green fairy quilts website, find something else you would like just because to keep to share the wealth. come back and leave me a second comment (please include an email address in comment)

3. sign up for green fairy quilts newsletter, (upper left hand side) already have joined? just tell me so in your third comment. (please include an email address in the comment).

alright that is all.
this giveaway will be open until thursday feb 2nd. when i will announce a winner.
we'll talk soon!

modern fabric studio

today we will be having our sponsored giveaway by modern fabrics studio. if you are looking for the new fresh look you can find it here. amanda keeps her shop stocked with all sorts of beautiful fabrics:

 souvenir in mineral (sateen) by amy butler

 and amy butler's
 souvenir in lemon

wildfield in cherry by valori wells

leaves in rose by valori wells

also by valori wells berries in turquoise

memento by amy butler
and i know i've been on the "i hate purple" band wagon for like ev-er, but hear me out...i think eggplant is growing on me...like a lot. i keep moving more and more towards really liking it. i KNOW! i'm as shocked as you! i think i'm finding peace with whatever incident made me hate pur...er...eggplant looking colors, and i'm thinking i may try to give this color a go here and there.

oh and it's also on sale. HEY speaking on sale, EVERYTHING in her shop is at least 25% off  AND there's a $5 flat rate shipping going on as well for the christmas holiday. 
yay! oh but wait just for V and Co. readers there's ALSO the ability to get 10% off as well. just add vandco at the checkout when prompted to put in a sale code.

and hey if you spend $50 you get some FREE awesome patty young straight pins with your order.
and if  you spend $100 you get a pair of FREE ginger scissors.
yeah i KNOW!
okay so now for your chance to win something free.
modern fabric studio is giving one lucky V and Co reader two patterns and 6 yards of fabric of your choosing:

you get the pattern card for this adorable valori wells wallet and the one yard to go with it to complete the pattern (your choice on the fabric choice)

AND this joel dewberry maxi dress pattern where the winner gets to pick the 5 yards of fabric to make the dress.
um yeah i think i just peed my pants with excitement and i don't even get to win this!

okay no special "like this" or "like that" for this entry. just one thing:

go to the modern fabric studio shop and in one comment tell me what fabric you would pick for:
A) the little wallet by valori wells
and
B) the maxi dress by joel dewberry
please add your email address at the bottom of the comment 
this way when the winner is chosen it can be an easy transaction and you can get this lovelies under your tree in time for Christmas!

and here are some other great places to find modern fabric studio, make sure to check them out on their blog.   and get updated through their facebook

this giveaway ends this thursday at noon. winner will be announced later that day.
best wishes!

V and Co giveaway: fat quarter shop

the fat quarter shop is one of those online shops that has just about everything. if you are ever looking for something in particular...put it in their search box and click...most likely they got it.
lets talk about thier search button shall we?
lets say i want to search fall fabric:
and well with that search i get a ton of results like:

 fall for all seasons, grand finale,  fall for all seasons

autum gatherings 1, 2 and 3
or you want contemporary?

you can find with that search: bazaar style 1, 2, 3.

what if you are looking for one specific designer?

lauren and jessie jung found easily!!!

whatever you are looking for it's super easy to find. that might not be a good thing if you have a budget you need to stay in...oh but wait for it...SALE! yeah check out those babies!!! go ahead and stay in your budget cause the fat quarter shop has a sale button!

patterns, notions, kits, magazines, books, yardage.
the list just keeps going people.

today the fat quarter shop is giving away a northcote fat quarter bundle valued at $99.99
this coincidentally is the line i did my Beach Bag tote pattern out of (coming in october)

but yeah i know you are tired of me mouthing off of how cool they are.
you wanna know how to get that fat quarter bundle right?
okay here's the deal:
1. go to their shop and pick out something you would buy if money were no object. come back and tell me in a comment with an email attached at the end of the comment)
2. tell me what you plan to do with this lovely fat quarter bundle if you win. (separate comment with an email attached at the end of the comment)
3. go to the fat quarter blog. tell them they are cool come back and tell me you did in a third comment (with an email attached at the end of your comment)

and that is it. three shots at this lovely bundle of fabric, winner will be picked via random # generator and will be announced on thursday afternoon.
go on and have fun looking around their site.