Lovely Blog Award

Hello everyone,

the lovely Sunni and Melissa at 'Love Affair with my Brother' gave me the Lovely Blog Award, thanks ladies, I am very honoured. And I will now hand it over to 15 other bloggers.



But I also have to share 7 secrets. I am not good at sharing secrets, so sorry for this half ar*ed attempt, but here goes:

1. I used to be a bit of a (wannabe?) goth/punk in the 80s/90s. still am a bit, actually. I really want bright red hair (like I used to have it in my punky times. it is black now). bright red like in this trailer for Brave, the new Disney Pixar movie: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tYg0VgPy6Uk

2. I am a real geek. I LOVE Science Fiction. I am totally into gadgets and computers. I listen to Science podcasts when I get the time. and I can have a good old rant about politics and pretty much anything.

3. BUT ... I hate Dr Who. can't stand it. despise it with all my heart. Sorry.

4. I am German, East German and grew up behind the Iron Curtain. (not really a secret, but maybe new to some of you.) I am really a bit of a socialist (not delusional enough for being a communist). yes, still. well, a bit of a cynic now too, even though that doesn't really make sense together. hah.

5. I hate ironing, I never NEVER iron clothes, but I do iron my quilts :)

6. I am originally an artist and paint/draw too (here are my painting websites: http://www.nadinesaupeart.tk/ and the currently slightly neglected art blog http://nadinesaupearts.wordpress.com/) and I am planning to sell paintings and prints on Etsy too, hopefully.

7. and last but not least: I have 3 tattoos.

There. maybe not really secrets but you definitely didn't know these thing sbaout me, so I hope that counts.

And here are the 15 brilliant blogs I want to hand the Lovely Blog Award over to.

Lucy and Norman (gorgeous quilts and now a cute baby too)
I'm a Ginger Monkey (katy always has a great Giveaway going)
How About Orange (great tutorials)
Simply Me (lovely website and great papercrafts)
The Quilting Edge (absolutely unique quilting style and great tutes too)
Paper. Scissors. Superheroes (amazing cardmaking)
Retro Mama (creativity explosion!)
Punksy (very cute)
Positively Splendid (so full of ideas)
Art and Sole (gorgeous scrapbooking)
Pez Güzel Seyler (just discovered this breathtaking art blog. just look at the amazing pics)
The Sketchy Easel (lovely art and other stuff too)
Frequent Frenzy (very skilled quilting)
Sew Justine, Sew (local quilter with an amazing range of craftiness)
Make do and Send (LOADS of different stuff, including quilting and art and tutes)

I hope all the award recipients will also blog about 7 secrets and hand the award over to 15 other bloggers. Let's mingle, you lovely people.

Have a wonderful weekend.

Love, Nadine xx

Let's get drawing - New Coloured Pencil Roll

Hello everybody,

I think I mentioned at some point that I am in creative overload, despite having been quite stressed out at work and feeling a bit under the weather too. But I have been making things non-stop and some are finished or about to be finished. Hurrah.

I wanted to make another coloured pencil roll with 20 coloured pencils so the one I have in the shop doesn't feel so lonely, and I have finally finished it. It looks great, very similar to the other pencil roll but obviously with different fabrics and a more colourful pink Amy Butler binding this time. You can find it on Etsy.

I think I want to make more of these but am not so sure about the coloured fabric strip on the outside. I was thinking I should just use a cute kids fabric instead. What do you think? Do you like it?

The outside:





Rolled up and fastened with buttons and elastic band





More coming soon, so stay tuned. Oh, and I have been given the Lovely Blog Award and will have to find some nice blogs to pass it on to, so watch this space. Your blog might just be one of them.

Love, Nadine xxx

We have a winner! or *An Odd Owl finds a new Home*

Hello everyone and welcome to all the new followers,

as promised I have drawn the winner of the Odd Owl Givewaway and the winner is commenter number 63, which is Tracy. Hurrah!




Tracy, could you please send me an email and tell me what letter you need and I'll get your Odd Owl ready for you asap. Could you also please email me your address so I can ship the Owl either tomorrow or Tuesday depending on how quickly I get the Owl ready.

Thanks for entering everyone and thanks for all the wonderful comments both on here and on Lily's Quilts. I thoroughly enjoyed reading them and am glad I am not alone in this. But that's what this blogging and facebooking is all about, connecting with other people and sharing our experiences, or having a little rant together.

On another note, I have been working frantically this weekend (I think I went through about 3 and a half bobbins) and I will soon have new things to show you. I am currently working on 5 projects and will soon have at least 2 of them finished. So watch this space.

And one last thing. I am thinking of listing my handmade cards on Etsy too. I have always made cards and have more than I could possibly use myself, and as much as I have a 'fabric habit' I also have a 'paper habit'. Seriously, sometimes I wonder how we fit all of this stash, cardmaking, scrapbooking, painting, drawing and quilting, in our tiny flat. Anyway, I am wondering whether I should list the cards in the Quilted Bliss shop or whether I should open a separate shop? I'd really like to keep things tidy and in one place but I read that some people have several shops and are more successful keeping things separate. What do you think? A separate shop or all-in-one?

That's it for today. The sewing machine is calling me.

Congrats again to Tracy and sorry to everybody else, but don't despair, I am sure there will be more giveaways in the future.

Have a lovely evening.

Nadine xx

Guest post on Lily's Quilts

I finally wrote my guest post on Lily's Quilt. I had won a chance to share my ramblings on her blog when I entered her Fresh Sewing Day giveaway.

Go check out her blog, you won't regret it. Her quilts are amazing and she is happy to share her ideas for new quilt blocks with her followers. She also hosts regular Giveaways and Quilt Alongs. So make sure you don't miss out on those.

And of course please read my blog post "Nadine's Etsy 101" here: http://lilysquilts.blogspot.com/2011/06/nadines-etsy-101-guest-blog-post.html

Lots of love,

Nadine xx

Giveaway - Win an Odd Owl!

Hurrah! It's GIVEAWAY time.

You'll get a chance to win an Odd Owl with a letter of your choice. Just follow the instructions below for 3 chances to win. The Giveaway is open for a week and closes next Sunday, 3 July. The winner will be chosen by random number generator, so make sure you use all 3 of your chances to win.

And here is how it goes:

1. For your first chance to win go to the Etsy shop http://www.etsy.com/shop/QuiltedBlissByNadine have a browse and then come back here to the blog and leave a comment to this post telling me which of the Odd Owls you like best.

2. For your second chance become a blog follower and then leave a comment telling me you're a follower. (of course if you're already a follower just leave a comment telling me so.)

3. And for your third chance to win an Odd Owl go to the Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/pages/Quilted-Bliss-by-Nadine/204707436234824)
and Like it (the button is a the top next to the page name). Then come back here and leave a comment telling me you're a 'fan' on Facebook.

Good luck everyone. And maybe very soon you'll give an Odd Owl a new home.

Now ...



Love, Nadine xx

Meet the Odd Owls A to E

Hello everyone,

may I present to you the first 5 of my Odd Owl collection, personalized plush taggy toys for babies now available on Etsy. I absolutely adore them, all of them. Each one is unique and different. They are a bit creepy, a bit odd, but also cute and cuddly.

I used zigzag stitches everywhere to give the illusion of little feathers and to give them a sort of rugged look.



They are all stuffed with polyester filling and I have made sure they are safe for kids who PULL. I stitched all the seams three times and backstitched several times over the ribbons and I also used a zigzag stich on the seams to make sure the 3 layers are tight.



I have researched all the safety regulations for toys both for the UK and EU, but I also researched the CPSIA law for the US so I'll be able to sell to American buyers. It is classed as a low risk item because of the way it is made and the materials it contains, which means it is up to the maker to add the labels that contain all the information as stipulated by the law. Therefore, I have sewn a label into the bottom seam that complies with both legal regulations and that makes the toy trackable if a government agency ever picks it up. I hope that sorts all the legal requirements. I am having the toy tested by 2 very qualified babies, who can pull and grab all day long, so let's see whether the Odd Owls stand the test of time, the test of little baby hands rather.

Once I have finished the alphabet I am thinking of offering whole families of Odd Owls which will spell the baby's name. But there are only so many hours in a day and I will have to make those Odd Owls first.



I will also be moving on to Russian dolls, penguins, bunny rabbits and monsters. Can't wait.

I hope you like them.

Lots of love,

Nadine xxx







... and this was the first one I made:

Treasury Tuesday

Here are the last few treasuries I've created and I absolutely love them. I would love to own every single on of these items. Absolutely gorgeous stuff. And Etsy is a treasure trove of quirky and unusual handmade arts and crafts. If you ever need to relax and wind down, browsing through Etsy treasuries is almost meditating.

So what do you think of these ones? Do you like them?

Jungle Fever




Will you play with me?




Thinking in boxes or be square



Lots of Love,

Nadine xx