Quilt #2 is Complete!

I don't know what my issue is but for some reason, I can't seem to finish a goal in the amount of time I give myself. When I decided to make my first quilt, I gave myself two years. It took me three. I then decided I would attempt another one and only give myself one year. It took two. I suppose I shouldn't be too hard on myself for taking so long to finish them because at least I finished them!

Since I have this week off work, I decided that I was going to designate one full day to finishing my quilt. Today was that day. I went to my mom's at 10:30am and together the two of us spent about 5 hours sewing, unpicking and sewing some more. It was back breaking work (almost literally as my back was killing by time we finished) but it feels so amazing to finally be done with the quilt top. All I need now is to find someone who can quilt it for me!

Here is the completed quilt top:



I am very happy with the way it turned out! My mom loved it so much that she didn't even want me to leave the house with it. :) It was a lot of work and was extremely frustrating at times, but overall it was very enjoyable. There is always a great sense of accomplishment after completing something like this. That is the feeling that makes the frustrating parts worth it.

Christmas Lights for Dummies

For all my faithful followers, you will most likely remember my last post about how I went out looking at Christmas lights and my friend and I determined that West Valley residents were the most drab. Well, we went out to West Valley again the other night and I must admit that I was wrong in my initial findings. Though not every house we drove by in West Valley was lit up, we definitely came across some real winners! I kindly asked my friend to pull out his camera and take some pictures!

Now, without further adieu, I'd like to share these pictures with you, along with three great tips on how to set up the worst best yard display ever!

Tip #1: Go big. In the grand scheme of things, the lights probably don't matter much. It's the number of inflatable displays on your front lawn that really draws the crowd! And if they stand a head or two taller than you, that's even better!



Tip #2: If you opt to use lights, more is better. They aren't just for rain gutters, windows, bushes and trees. They are best used as streamers! And be sure to place each strand out as far as you can! It draws attention away from any other house on the street.



Tip #3: Don't go at it alone! Make sure to get all your neighbors involved too! Light up the entire street with as much light as you can so it's possible to find the street without even looking for it. Besides, it makes paying that ridiculously large power bill that much easier! Just divide it by 10!

(Side note: These were just three of the houses on the same street. There were at least 10 or more.)



And there you have it! Your three tips to making your yard the most stunning yard in the entire Salt Lake valley! Make it count. If you're lucky, perhaps your house will be featured on my blog next year!