Monday, April 15, 2013

April Showers Mug Rug Blog Hop

Oh, how I love a good blog hop...and Mdm Samm and Erin are great at providing the most fun ones around!  I was quick to sign up and lucky to get into this one...


So many of us admire these small projects, these "Mug Rugs"...I have seen countless swaps dedicated to them.  I had never made one though until it came time to participate in this hop!  I am a bit afraid of crumbs and coffee being spilled on my handiwork!!  True confessions...I am considering a coaster between my mug and my rugs!!!

I decided to make two for this round and they both are dedicated to things that make me smile...

The first is a tip of the ballcap to Mr Springsteen, whom I adore, and his song about getting older...Cadillac Ranch...




 These are 3 Cadillacs nose down in the dirt, just like the song says...

 I thread painted the details on the cars and hand embroidered the wheels and tires...

 I am a bit proud of how the tires came out...

And I had a most excellent mug (although I had to add 2 other year models to my lineup) for inspiration that I found at Target this last winter...you may note the mug has not made it onto the rug, lol!

My second inspiration is a little bug who I look for all summer and consider it a lucky day when I find...the Praying Mantis...


 My son took these pictures last fall when one was kind enough to "drop by" the house...

 And here is my "rug" which is most decidedly inspired by the drawings of Charley Harper
 Lots of hand embroidery detail and machine thread outlining

Here he is nestled in the daffodils we were lucky enough to enjoy this weekend...

I went with one of my favorite orange mugs for this one but a search of Amazon told me there are several praying mantis mugs there I could choose from...wouldn't have believed it, but there you go.

Please visit all the fine folk I share this day with here

MONDAY, APRIL 15th
Cathy @ Cate's Linens
Nicola @ Sunshine Reflections
Martina @ Sunshinequilting
Judith @ Frimart
Anita @ Anita's quilts en handwerken
Linda @ Sew Nicely
Kris @ krislovesfabric <---you are here!!
Laura Ann @ The Fuzzy Hat Quilter
Carol @ Just let me Quilt
Selina @ Selina Quilts
Mary @ Crooked Gulley Art Quilts
Marisa @ Passion et Couture

Happy April!

93 comments:

Vroomans' Quilts said...

What wonderful mugrugs from such personal inspiration! I love the Praying Mantis, also - one of mother natures natural insect controllers and they are so fun to watch.

Judy B said...

What very inventive mug rugs! Thank you for sharing.

BillieBee (billiemick) said...

OMGosh Kris!!! You are so creative. Love the mug rugs, The music and The Boss......grin. He's such a cutie. It's 11:49 here and I'm blasting the music loud....hahahaha. Just us to old folks here tonight.

Patty C. said...

Very creative- love your bug ;)

Lavonna ZWB said...

I love how you made the rug to match your mug. Great!

Amy said...

Love both of your mug rugs! Your Cadillac Ranch mug rug is better than the real thing! The thread painting on the mantis is beautiful! Nice Work!

Karen said...

Awesome mug rugs! I'm surprised you haven't made one before, but I totally understand not wanting to get them dirty! So creative of you today! Love them both.

Janet said...

Lots of fantastic detail on these! Love the greens too. Very springlike.

Martina said...

Very precious! Great idea and wonderfully made! Love them!

Corina said...

Lovely mugrugs, the cars look so good!

AnitaS said...

Your car is amazing. Lovely mugrugs.

Sunshine Girl said...

Wow they are both fabulous - I love your wheels on the cars too very nice. Thanks for sharing.

newsurfiegirl said...

Great mug rugs! I love the praying mantis!

Nati said...

Really gorgeous, thanks for sharing!

Britt-Inger said...

Your mug rugs are awesome. Thanks for sharing

Pauline said...

Fabulous! Great creative thinking and making, I love your mug rugs, thanks for sharing.

JoyceLM said...

Thanks for sharing your cute mug rugs.

charlotte said...

Wonderful job Kris. I am with you on putting a coffee cup on the white mug rug. Maybe you should hang it somewhere instead. The praying mantis is wonderful too.

Gill said...

Great mug rugs - I especially like the praying mantis!
Thank you for sharing!

Rhonda said...

Love your concepts and finishes for the mug rugs. That Praying Mantis is really good. BTW, I've become a "FOLLOWER" of your blog!

Quilt Doodle Designs said...

Love the Praying Mantis, so cool!

Unknown said...

Very cute and lovely stitching

Elizabeth Coughlin said...

Really clever and wonderful workmanship!

Jeanie said...

I'm in love with both of your mug rugs! So creative and I love your use of fabric and your thread painting. If you don't use them....put them on the wall for everyone to admire!

eleni_s said...

very pretty mug rugs!! love the colors, very fresh!

Patty said...

Very creative - I love the cars all nose down in dirt.

Marjorie's Busy Corner said...

Oh I just love them!!!

Unknown said...

I love your mug rugs! I like your idea of ​​using as inspiration photos or videos! You did a beautiful job! Your mug rugs are original, cute and unique!
Marisa.

Judy Cooper Textile Artist said...

Very creative mug rugs. Thanks for sharing.

Sowing Stitches said...

Loving the bug! :) Perfect for morning tea in the garden! Fantastic job on both of your mugrugs! Thanks for sharing, Beulah

Catherine said...

I love your rugs. They are fun and unique. We don`t have praying mantis here, though I remember them when I lived back east. Great mugs too!

Frederika said...

How lovely.
Great job
Thanks for sharing
Frederika

Daryl @ Patchouli Moon Studio said...

Kris your mug rugs are great! Maybe you should make one more to actually use as a mug rug using tea-dyed fabrics; that way if you stain any coffee or tea on the rug it will only add to the dyed affect.
You should use the praying mantis one as it's darker and any spills won't show if it happened to stain. But that white one with the cars, I might be afraid to use too, lol.

craftykat said...

Very clever and awesome!

Mara said...

Great Hand Embroidery work, do you first quilt the mug rug and then applique on top?

Vickie said...

You must be a Texas girl ? I haven't visited the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, but it is on my list of things to do. Very fun and original mug rug !

Rosa said...

Great idea nad wonderful.Thanks for sharing!

Joyce Carter said...

Great job on the mug rugs, Kris. I love the stitching and the colors.Very pretty. Thank you for sharing today.

Unknown said...

Very clever. I love them. Thanks for sharing

Nancy in IN said...

Love these small quilts as you can try new techniques. So cute.

Dee said...

love love love your caddy mug and rug:)

Gwen said...

I have to admit that your mug rugs are certainly unique and original! You did a great job on making them! We found a praying mantis INSIDE our house one year when the kids were all still at home--my boys were so excited! We were able to find some crickets in the garage to feed to it. THAT was an interesting experience!

Linda said...

I've driven past these cadillacs when on my way out of Texas on vacation! It is certainly an "eye-popping" sight! How fun that you've put them on a mug rug! Your praying mantis is also wonderful! Great job!

Sparky said...

I listened to Bruce while adding my spin on your mug rugs lol. LOVE Them all...what is it with all you buggy lovers lol your caddy's is perfection....you will see why...great showing.. ohhh GREAT PHOTOS>.tell your son..he did good!

Patty said...

I like your mug rugs. Well done.

Linda C said...

Very clever! The colors are bright and spring like and just make you smile. I think I would consider a coaster too, LOL.

Just Quilt It said...

Great job! I love the preying mantis. I love finding them in my yard, also.

Needled Mom said...

Great job!!! Your detail work is exceptional!

LJ said...

I, too, have wondered if I'd use a mug rug as it was intended. Maybe a mug...but to put a cookie on it and stain it...that kinda makes me cringe!! lol Your rugs are great.

Lou said...

Great job!!!
You can almost anything on Amazon:)

HeatherK @ A Reformed Heath'n said...

I really like that thread art. Going to need to practice more, but I have tried it before. I have no problem using my creations, but maybe that's because I still have kids at home ...

Cathi said...

How incredibly creative! Both your mug rugs are little works of art! Fabulous!

Leanne Parsons said...

What a great job! I love the praying mantis.

Kathy @ Kwilty Pleasures said...

Being a gardener..I LOVE the praying mantis!

Quilter Kathy said...

So fun and creative...love the cadillac song and the mug rug!

Unknown said...

I love Springsteen and your mug rugs are so fun! Thanks for sharing!

Kathy H said...

Excellent Cadillac mug rug.loved it. Well done on the preying mantis too, but am not fond of any bugs.

Marcy said...

Shazam! The cadillacs are a riot and very well done. The bug is great too.

BizyStitches said...

you put a lot of thought into your mug rugs. Thanks for being in the hop.

Susan said...

Love your mug rugs and not sure which I like more. The caddys are great but the praying mantis is perfect! We look for them each summer here as well. Thanks for sharing.

Janarama said...

Gorgeous mug rugs! So very unique and fun. I got the heebie-jeebies when I saw the giant praying mantis on the side of your home. I'm not a fan of real bugs. (Shudder)

Mrs.Pickles said...

very lovely work!! thanks for sharing!!

ThreadCatcher said...

The touches of embroidery/hand stitching makes your mug rugs extra special. There seems to be a mug for everything these days! Thanks for sharing.

Bente-I like to QuiltBlog said...

love your mugrugs, they are unique and so well done.
Thanks for sharing!
Liebe GRüße
Bente in Germany

Ella and Nesta said...

The Cadillac mug rug is sooo cool!

Julie said...

The Cadillac Ranch one is so awesome! Modern, wonderful quilting - just gorgeous. It was enjoyable to see the mug of inspiration - nice job!!

Linda said...

Kris, you did it again! Wonderful works of art!

Snoodles said...

LOL I need to make one of those with Studebakers! :)

Emily C said...

Very cute rugs. Love that you have flowers, ours are just starting to bloom.

Cecilia said...

Great job! Your rugs are very cute. Thanks for sharing.

tink's mom said...

congrats on being picked today. as cool as the cadillacs are I am in love with the Praying Mantis. You did such a great job on capturing his personallity.

Quiltsmiles said...

Kris, Well done on both. You are uber creative!!!! Jane

Teatime Creations said...

Love the Cadillac rug. Great idea and tribute to the singer.

DeAnna said...

You did a great job with the hand embroidery on both mug rugs. I especially like the tires. It's amazing where all our inspiration comes from. Thanks for sharing.

lefuntz said...

Congratulations on a top pick today! Well deserved but I like the praying mantis the best. I had two as pets when I was a kid. I spent a lot of time catching bugs for them and watched them for hours on end. Then one morning I only had one. So sad. I ended up letting it go. Your mantis is absolutely spectacular!

Carol Swift said...

Your mug rugs made me smile...love them both! You really did a beautiful job on them. :O)

Karen O said...

I love both of these. What a great interpretation of both. LOVE the Praying Mantis!

Cindy said...

Such fun inspiration! I love them both.

Gina Loomis said...

Kris, fantastic mug rugs! Your thread painting is awesome!! Thanks for participating and inspiring us!

Kim said...

Very creative they are both cute.

apple blossom said...

cute as a bug...;P

Tammy said...

What unique and cute mug rugs you have created. Thank you for shareing them with us.

Newbie Jen said...

These are amazing! I don't know which I like best. Great thread painting of the details.

Deb@asimplelifequilts said...

Very creative... I love all of the great details you added!

Scrapbook-ChickADoodle said...

The cars are great. Love how the mug fits the rug! The detail of the praying mantis is wonderful...really like his face.
Congrats on being one of the chosen.

vicki said...

Love the car rug! thanks for sharing both. vickise at gmail dot com

Simone said...

So cute! I love how you got inspired too. Very nice needle work. Outstanding actually. Thanks for being an inspiration.

Wendy said...

Now, see, Kris, I thought your Billie-mug block swap really could have worked here too, but you did such an awesome job on these mug rugs you should be proud!! Great Job!! Thank you so much for sharing and now I have to go out your friend Billie's blog ;) Bless you!

Elita@Busy Needle Quilting said...

Oh how cute! I love that song by Springsteen too. He's coming to Geneva in July! Great mug rugs!

✄ Erin @ Sew at Home Mummy ✄ said...

Beautiful - very springy! I love it :) Thanks for hopping with us! I hope you had fun.

Joanne said...

These are just wonderful and so creative!

Connie Kresin Campbell said...

What creative mug rugs! Thanks for sharing and hopping!

KaHolly said...

You inspire me.