Wednesday, January 29, 2014

Don't let the Door Stop You... from visiting!

Hello and welcome to my blog!  I am very happy to share my projects with you today.  As a thank you for stopping by, I have a giveaway at the end of my post.  Thank you to Mdm Samm and Carla for encouraging our creativeness.  I am really enjoying seeing the projects from both the Door Stop and She Who Sews hops, and I hope you are too!  Please remember to visit the other people who are showing off today as well:

 
 
And check out tomorrow's She Who Sews bloggers:
 
 
 
 
 
 
Now I had a pretty good idea that I wanted to make some fatty sort of animal figure for my door stop, but I just didn't know what I wanted.  When I googled "door stop" a lot of random pictures showed up, one of them being a block of cheese.  That elicited a reaction from me (uncontrollable giggling) so I knew I had to make one, and then the night before last, true inspiration struck!  And so I give you...


Cheddar the Mouse!  ...and his blocks of cheese :)
 
close up so you can see his whiskers (hubby's brilliant idea)

sneaky sneaky

The blocks of cheese are made of bass wood, then drilled with different sized drilled bits. And I only had to have help getting the chuck to let go of the bit when I first started drilling!
 
 
I hadn't realized until now, but I've been in a mousy kinda mood with crafty things lately, here's an example, some pics from Christmas:
 
does he look surprised or is it just me?

Mom, me, and Grandma Kathy assembly-line-making Christmas mice

Colonel Cherry giving orders to his mouse army; really, they seem rather shocked with what he's saying hahaha
 
 
I had a really fun time bringing my ideas into being, and I appreciate you visiting my blog today.  And now for the GIVEAWAY!  To enter, leave me a nice little comment about what your most inspired project has been in the last couple months, and what the inspiration was, I just love to hear what inspires people.  For example, mine is the small hearts wall hanging I talk about in the post below, and I was completely inspired by the colors of the collection.  (And please remember to leave an email address if you are a no-reply blogger.)
 
Your potential prize is a couple of very Spring-like patterns from Planted Seed Designs!  Thank you again Gerri Robinson for your awesomeness!
 
THIS DRAWING IS NOW CLOSED, CONGRATULATIONS JANARAMA!

 
 
Feel free to visit again soon, I love chatting about my projects and sharing them with you all.
 
Thank you for stopping by, and have a wonderful time hopping around!
 
~Brandy



69 comments:

DebraKay Neiman said...

I get inspiration every day going around the wonderful quilting blogger sites. Right now the So She Sews posts are making my to do list quite long...Good thing I bought enough of the fabric before Christmas. I love the mouse and the cheese block is too cute. crystalbluern at onlineok dot com

Scrapatches said...

Your mouse doorstopper does look like he is sneaking up on the cheese. Very cute! Thanks for sharing ... :) Pat

Kristen King said...

I love your door stop and I'd have to say my most inspired project lately would have to be the quilted pillow I made for my son...he loves it which makes it all the more worthwhile! ;)

Createology said...

Having collected all things "mouse" for my entire life I am in love with Cheddar and his clever door stops. Great job. Thank you sew much for Hopping...
P.S. I am easily inspired and recently made a wonderful ornament from a YouTube video that I will share on my blog soon.

Marian said...

Sew very cute, love the cheddar blocks.

Judy B said...

Cheddar is darling, and his cheese will keep him on the job! Thank you for sharing.

Carla said...

Aaw a mouse and his cheese. Love it. Great door stops. Makes me think I need to read "Who Moved My Cheese" again.
I've been so inspired by all these wonderful projects in this hop. The She Who Sews fabric inspired me to spruce up my sewing room and every one else's projects makes me want to make even more.
Thanks for hopping. Such a happy stop in the hop.

Carol Swift said...

Cheddar the mouse is so cute! It's fun projects that show up in the blog hops that inspire me...like your cute mouse!

Amy said...

Oh, I LOVE him. The little blocks of cheddar are just too cute. I love blog hops because everyone is so creative and it challenges me to do my best. ;). Once again, love Cheddar!!

Jane's Quilting said...

What a cute mouse and to have him chasing after s piece of cheese. Perfect! Plus an ideal door wedge.

Britt-Inger said...

A wonderful idea with the mouse chasing after a piece of cheese. I love it.
Thanks for sharing

Baa. xxx said...

Hey Chedder don't eat too much cheese or you'll get fat! Ha! Chedder is so cute. We get inspired each day round here looking at blogs and pinterest at all the wonderful crafty things people make.

Shari said...

Tee hee....love your little mouse and your wedges of cheese. Hopping and seeing what people are up to is very inspirational...and oh so much fun!

charlotte said...

Your little mouse is sew cute. I love his cheese blocks too.

gtcoursey said...

What a cute idea!!! Love Cheddar and his cheese.

Elizabeth Coughlin said...

lol the cheese wedges are a hoot, and your mouse is wonderful!

Marla's Crafts said...

Very nice. Love how the mouse is staring at the cheese. Those little treats don't have any calories do they? LOL Thanks for sharing and a chance to win those beautiful patterns.

Donna said...

Cheddar the Mouse is precious! My cat would never let Cheddar do his job at my house. He would be bouncing all over the place.

StitchinByTheLake said...

This is just the cutest idea ever! What a darling conversation starter! Blessings, Marlene

Siouxzq64@gmail.com said...

Today it seems that it is necessary to have a mouse in the house. Another blogger made a mouse pincushion, now your loveable mice, and the Christmas mice, they look shall I say it. Eeek yummy. Not often would you welcome a mouse in your house.

Vickie said...

Now that is a cute idea ! I am assuming the cheese is blocks of wood.....so creative ! !

Dorian said...

Your mouse and his cheese are really cute! Great job.

Marjorie's Busy Corner said...

Your project is adorable!! my most inspired project was the 'winter trees' that I posted yesterday.
My friend had made it a while back...and I had the pattern for years, but finally got it done and love it!!

Sparky said...

yes Brandy, mice have a future with you as you like them so much..right down to the pink pearled nose…I think I could bare one of these too lol

Doris Rice, The Quilting Queen said...

Cheddar is so cute. Looks like he's been eating too many blocks of cheese; which are just too cute too.

Renea said...

I would have to say any type of scrap quilts have been my inspiration lately. My goal this year is to clean out the scraps in my stash. Thanks for the giveaway.

Vicki B said...

Love your mouse. My inspiration this month is my grandson who is to make an appearance in March. Baby Blanket in the making.

KaHolly said...

Just too clever!!

Thearica said...

I love your mouse!! He is sweet! Great idea for the block of cheese wood.

Sherry VF said...

The creativity bug certainly bit you with the idea for that adorable mouse and the cheese wedges! Well done. My creative project inspiration recently was a curved pieced quilt I saw in American Quilter magazine several months ago. I loved the way it flowed. At the same time, I became interested in African 'quilts' (actually, woven blankets) that also had curved piecing. So, I collected lots of African fabrics and made a curved pieced quilts with several design elements of African quilts. I really enjoyed the project. svonfumetti at yahoo dot com

Leah said...

Cheddar is super cute and him going after the cheese is very clever! Love that cheese. Other bloggers inspire me a lot. I love to see everyone creating. It gets me morivated to make the things on my creative list.

Vivian said...

Very cute door stop. what most inspired me this week is seeing a quilt just about finished and wanting to finish it up. It inspired me to get my but in gear.

Robin said...

Oh my goodness, what an awesome idea to make the cheese wedges and little mouse! They are the cutest little things sitting by the door! I bet you got lot of oohs and ahhs over those adorable choco mice!! My latest inspiration came from ChrisWDesigns when she asked me to test her latest bag pattern. I sewed with faux leather, microfiber suede and put in a divider pocket all for the first time. Every time I test a pattern for her I learn a new technique!!

Carol said...

Such a cute mouse with his blocks of cheese! And your Christmas candies are wonderful! Love them all. My grandchildren have been my latest inspirations for quilts, doll outfits, and aprons for all. So much fun! Thanks for sharing your project!

Linda said...

Your little mouse and cheese are so cute!! I'm sure you'll get a lot of giggles from visitors!
My last inspiration was my garden. I also get inspired by, of all things, designs on dishes!

Daryl @ Patchouli Moon Studio said...

Cute!!!

Gill said...

Love your mouse!
I've just made a baby quilt for my new great niece Isabella - all pink and girly!!

Dawn Frisch said...

I just love your doorstop! Too cute for words! I think what inspires me to sew are people like yourself who despite being so busy, MAKE the time to sew. I tend to let everything else come first and I'm trying to change that type of thinking. With you participating in various blog hops and making so many creative projects, encourages me to want to make things too. Also, being disabled from Rheumatoid Arthritis is trying in that it's hard for me to sit for that long at the machine because of the pain. It helps so much reading blogs like yours that encourage me to work past the pain and try to do my best to sew as long as possible (taking breaks helps too) because I have so many things that I want to make! I feel like I'm going to explode because of having so many projects in my mind. Thank you so much for taking the time to write your blog, to take pictures of your projects and to share your creativity. It means so much!
Dawn
array-dawn at cox dot net

Calicojoan said...

That's a stroke of genius! I do love your mouse and his adorable block of cheese! Perfect solution. Those Christmas mice look so yummy too! :-)

Joyce Carter said...

Those are the cutest mice I have seen. I am usually frightened by most mice, but I think I could live with a few of yours. lol Great job. Thank you for sharing.

dcargill said...

I recently retired & what inspired me some very bright & cheerful fabrics

Anonymous said...

Hi Brandy- Love your mice and cheese. Being retired I have the opportunity to do many things. My sister and I have been learning more about the city of our birth, San Francisco, by taking walking tours. The sidewalk food tasting ones are great but so are the history ones with Emperor Norton. I love the buildings and landmarks and so I am planning a new quilt that is inspired by the skyline of the city. It will be a perfect quilt over the bed as we have no headboard. Since I am graphically challenged, I've enlisted a former colleague and close friend who teaches art to assist me. Since my idea is only in the beginning stages, I haven't got to the paper/pattern part yet, but I am excited. Thanks for sharing your doorstop project.

Linda C said...

Your mouse is adorable but the addition of the cheese chunks just add so much to the tableau!

In answer to your question, the thing that has inspired me lately is a guild "letter" challenge where we have to use the first letter of our first name and come up with three things in our piece, like the fabric colors, pattern name, theme maybe. I've been playing with existing blocks and figuring out ways to be piece them by eliminating joining lines.

THX for the giveaway opportunity. Who couldn't use an injection of spring about now? We have had a winter weather situation here in Alabama with way below freezing temperatures and snowfall that is not melting off two days later. That's unusual.

jan said...

Brandi,
I love your mouse and his cheese. Very cute. I especially love the surprised look on the christmas mice. So cute! Inspiration for me usually comes from being outdoors and fabric!
Also I wanted to sign up to follow but all I found was Google+, which doesn't work well with my blog so I am trying to stay away from it. Do you have another way to follow such as Bloglovin?
xo jan

Purl Buttons said...

What a great idea to have the cheese be the sticking point for the door! I can see you are inspired by cute little mice. I think my inspiration might be chickens. I have three quilts in varying stages with chickens pecking at me to finish up.

Carrie P. said...

how cute is your mouse. it is perfect that he has cheese to keep him company.
My inspiration at the moment is from a quilt pattern in a magazine that I am working on now. It is a log cabin quilt. thanks for the giveaway.

Margaret said...

I love your mouse and cheese. Very creative. My inspiration is a quilt I saw on the cover of connecting threads catalog I love the red white and blue. Thanks for sharing

Marcy said...

Your mouse is adorable and the cheese sew practical. Great idea. But my favorite is the chocolates. They look yummy.

Janarama said...

Your mouse and cheese are adorable! I get inspired from books, magazines, from blogs, and all over the internet.

LJ said...

Cuteness! I do wonder what you made your cheese out of - it really looks real. I laughed at all the Christmas mice - how sweet - double sweet, that is! These blog hops are always an inspiration to me. I am totally hyped up after the Kona Solids hop - they were all fabulous creations!

Heidi [Banks of Frog Creek] said...

Scraps from a previous project were perfect for a quilt-a-long I found online... Both things inspired me to make two beautiful table runners!

Michelle said...

Really cute!

Terry@ a quilting blog said...

Your mouse and his cheese are so cute!!! My most inspired project in the past few months has to be the tote I made for my daughter…she chose the pattern, the fabrics and (best of all) loved how it came out!!!

Kathy H said...

Your mouse and blocks of cheese are so cute. i get inspiration from so many places. my last inspiration was from the mods bakeshop, they have a cardinal quilt that i want to make so much.

Bonnie58 said...

Thanks so much for sharing. I've been inspired to complete Bonnie Hunters mystery quilt - Celtic Solstice - the colours aren't my usual, so I was a little nervous, but I'm loving it and feeling a lot braver about stepping out of my comfort zone.

maggie said...

Love your mouse & cheese door stops. Very clever. I think that much of my inspiration comes from reading the blogs & seeing what ideas others post and also from the new fabric's that seem to come out everyday. I really have to use great restraint not to buy. The fabrics are all so beautiful and stirs my creative juices.
cheers
maggie

maggiemine42@gmail.com

Lydsfire said...

Clever!

tink's mom said...

Very clever idea. the wedge of cheese is an awesome concept.

Unknown said...

The Current Holiday is my inspiration on the moment. There's always a lot of ideas I want to make, never enough time to make all of them though. Can't say I don't try though. I also love mice crafts too, and I adore your Mouse and cheese. Thanks for sharing another idea and a chance to win.

sandra said...

He does look surprised but your cheese and mouse is very creative.

Bonnie Pfrimmer said...

Your little mouse and cheese is so cute. You are so clever. Thank you for sharing..bpfrimmer@yahoo.com

MoeWest said...

The cheese is such a great idea to go along with your cute mouse! I was collecting fabrics to make my hubby a quilt but I had no idea what pattern I wanted until I saw a plus quilt. I thought it was the perfect pattern to showcase my fabrics.

Anita said...

I love your mouse!
What has inspired me lately is how to incorporate ruffles in my quilting I am usually NOT a ruffle kind of person, but now I am stepping out of my comfort zone, thanks to Mdm Samm. Visit me in the Think Ruffles blog hop in March.

Unknown said...

My latest project inspiration has been the Tammy bag pattern from Madame Samm. I have made over 25 now! And I am teaching a class to my quilt guild. I don't know why this bag inspires me but the embellishing is my favorite part....I have made crocheted lace for one, yoyos, folded flowers, ribbons, ruffles, it's just fun! sewingblogsarefun@yahoo.com

gpc said...

Oh so cute! I love your mousy! My most inspired was probably the catnip mice I made for all my cat friends after my daughter's cat got lost and returned home after several days -- I made them to celebrate Chloe's safe return. :)

Lixie said...

That mouse is hilarious! I love Colonel Cherry and his troops too. My most inspired projects recently have all been for the new home I've been setting up while we're in Tokyo for a year for husband's job.

Suze said...

The mouse and cheese are adorable. Very, very clever. I find inspiration from blogs, magazines, Pinterest. I am in charge of an education spot for my guild. That means I do a 5 -10 minute blurb each month. I am not in charge of getting the speaker. For example, last month, I told how Lori Holt of Bee in my Bonnet blog makes a design board for an individual block. She has found that many people make mistakes going from the sewing machine to the ironing board and back to the sewing machine. So she came up with an individual design board for a block - not a whole quilt. You can find the tutorial at: http://beeinmybonnetco.blogspot.com/2011/07/mini-design-board-tutorial.html
It was well received at the guild meeting last month. This month I think I'm going to discuss pressing seams - do you press to the side or open. So, do you have any ideas?
Thanks for participating and bring great joy!

Mara said...

So fun and a definite giggle! I am inspired by pictures using the Palette builder.

Mari Bein said...

Muito simpático este rato!
Mari