Harriet Homemaker Strikes Again

How did that happen?

2012-02-27T07:31:00.001-08:00

With Google Friend connect making an exit, I decided I needed to "back up" my subscriptions to make sure that I keep getting to see posts from all the blogs I follow. I discovered I have 252 blogs on my list. Yikes! How did that happen?
I guess there are tons of talented and fun people out in blog land that I love to read. :)

Every so often I pare down the list. It is a hard thing to do. I don't want to offend anyone by dropping off their readers list, but I have to be realistic in what I can handle time wise. If a blogger has a thousand readers, they probably won't miss me, so I will bookmark them to check in on every so often. But most of the blogs I read are smaller, like 300 readers or (way) less. And most of them I love to read, so it's not so easy to cut anyone.
What to do, what to do...

Anyway, I backed up my list by going to my dashboard and copying and pasting the list into a notebook document, then into a word document. (Word had a memory hissy fit, probably about all the behind the scenes coding, so I did notebook first.) I made a table and cut out the junk and now I have a list of all the URLS of my favorite blogs.

As I went, I highlighted non blogger blogs, and also ones that I need to check on or delete from my list on Reader.

Later today I am going to go through Google Reader and add subscriptions to the non blogger blogs that I follow with Friend Connect. Hopefully that will solve the issue.

A couple of recent projects

2012-02-23T12:49:00.000-08:00

Just a quick post to share a couple of things I made in the last few weeks.
First was a pincushion using this tutorial from the fun Simply Charmed blog hop hosted by Melissa at Happy Quilting. I planned on giving it to my MIL for her birthday when she came to stay with our kids during our cruise. However, it did not turn out very well. From afar it looks okay, but there is glue everywhere and it did not fill up enough, and really, it just looks like a second grader made it. (No offense to second graders.) Much to my dismay, my kids thoughtfully showed it to her and she accepted the gift graciously. :) At least it is functional if nothing else. I just hope it stays together.

Cookie Cutter Pincushion

Bottom of cookie cutter pincushion

The other little project was a set of small pillowcases for my 2 year old. She had been using the sham I made on her toddler bed and that pillow is way too big for the bed. I saw some travel pillows at Target so I got her one and yesterday we made her some pillowcases. I let her choose the fabrics from my stash and I made 3 cases for her. She loves them and the pillow fits her and her bed so much better!
The measurements for making a case for a 14"x 20" pillow are:
Band: 8" x 30"
Body: 20.5" x 30"
Just use the tube method (tutorial tab) to put it together.


Her pillow next to my pillow and the other 2 cases. My mom made the gross/ hilarious Muffin Tops pillow case for me for Christmas.


Her little pillow on her bed.

I'm back!

2012-02-20T13:15:00.000-08:00

I was only gone for a week, but what a wonderful week it was.
My first cruise, a second honeymoon for my husband and I, to Cabo San Lucas, Mexico. We went with 2 other couples and had a blast!
I still have land-sickness 4 days later, which basically makes me feel like I am still on the boat. Not fun. But still well worth it. We spent Valentine's Day on Lovers Beach. So cool! Here are a few photos.

Leaving San Diego

Lovers Beach with a view of our ship.

My in-laws stayed with the kids and then when we got back we spent time hanging out with them. Today I went to Michael's and Quilter's Paradise with my sweetheart of a mother in law. I now have scrapbook supplies for cruise photos and binding fabric for the In-Spur-Ation quilt and 2 Little Apples charm packs.

Now to take a nap and get some relief from the cold that bombarded me this weekend.

WIP Wednesday

2012-02-08T02:22:00.000-08:00

I have been creating a table top quilt for the table in our living room because it currently has a moving box protecting it from the TV. Can you say UGLY? I won this fun fabric set from Debbie at A Quilter's Table (Juicy Blossoms).
I spent my one completely commitment-free Friday last week completing the top. Now I just need to piece a back and then I can practice some FMQ on it.

Next week I get a fabulous vacation!

Linking up to Freshly Pieced! Go check it out.

So Proud!

2012-02-02T08:04:00.001-08:00

I just have to brag on my daughter. She won the school spelling bee last night and we are so proud of her!

This is such a cute heart pouch you will DIE!

2012-01-31T12:08:00.000-08:00

Erin at Schlosser Designs has done it again!! Cute Wonky heart pouches!!
LOOK HOW CUTE!!!

http://www.schlosserdesigns.com/2012/01/tutorial-tuesday-cupids-arrow-heart-pouch/

AND FREE!!

Need some deals?

2012-01-30T11:47:00.000-08:00

Anita has a de-stash blog sale going on. Check it out! There are some Go Cutter dies in the list!! As well as pattern books and notions.

WIP Wednesday

2012-01-25T03:24:00.000-08:00

I have been busy finishing up a stack of Stay Put Kitchen Towels and I just have 2 left to put ribbons on.
2 of them are for a birthday gift today. These are a great way to use up larger scraps. I don't put the 3rd strip of fabric on since the bar-mops I use are relatively small and the cotton is not terribly absorbent. It leaves plenty of drying room and they look fine with just one line of cute fabric showing.

Ribbon-less Stay Put Kitchen Towels

I also made one of these sweet little fabric heart bookmarks that Karen showed how to make on her blog, Sew Many Ways. The are pretty easy and it is a cool little project. I need some practice on the curves and I think I might add some interfacing if I make these again, but I think it made a cute addition to the birthday gift.

The front of the bookmark.

The back of the bookmark.

I will be putting some more time in on my table topper as soon as the towels are done, as well as a few small items that I need to make for gifts.

I will leave my sum-up for next week.

Visit Lee at Freshly Pieced for more Works In Progress!

Tasty Tuesday: Basic Pancakes/Waffles

2012-01-24T06:11:00.000-08:00

This recipe is from Cooking for Two cookbook that my mom had in the kitchen when we were growing up. The recipe did not call for oil when you made it for pancakes, but I didn't think it hurt to leave it in. It doesn't seem to affect the pancakes and we make waffles and pancakes at the same time since I have some who prefer pancakes and some who prefer waffles. I also add a touch more milk to mine when I make pancakes because I like them thin rather than thick and fluffy. Also to keep them fluffier, keep the mixing to a minimum. It should be somewhat lumpy batter. I mix it quite a bit to get thinner pancakes. :) I'm weird that way. Last thing, I have to triple this recipe to feed all 6 of us, generally, unless I make eggs or hash browns on the side. I freeze any leftovers for the kids to toast the next morning.

Pancakes/Waffles

2/3 cup flour
1 ½ tsp sugar
1 ½ tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

1 egg
½ cup milk
1 tbsp oil

Preheat griddle to 300 degrees.
Mix dry ingredients. Add egg, milk and oil. Mix just until everything is wet. Some lumps are fine. Pour 1/3 cup per pancake onto griddle. When bubbles start to pop, check for a light golden brown color on the bottom. Flip to cook the other side.

For waffles, preheat waffle iron, pour the amount called for with your waffle iron and cook to desired crispness.

The baby quilt

2012-01-22T08:39:00.000-08:00

My friend received her quilt yesterday in the mail so I can share the quilt with you now.
The fabric is Fox Trails by Doohikey Designs for Riley Blake Designs. I used Sugar Baby the Moda Bake Shop project from Jamie Mueller (jamiemueller.blogspot.com) of Sunflower Seeds.

I made a couple of changes to the pattern, just by turning some of the blocks sideways and widening the sashing to make the quilt a touch bigger. The only thing I don't like is that it is kind of long and narrow, so I don't know how it will work for use. I put it on my little girl's toddler bed and it didn't fit very well. I hope it is not a problem.

I used the fun all over print (tossed characters I think) in brown. I loved the pictures on it.
I did a pieced strip towards the bottom to add in the quilt label. For the label, I printed out the words, taped them to a window and traced them onto the fabric with the brown Pigma Micron pen. I heat set it with a dry iron. It faded a bit when I washed the quilt, but it should be fine.
The binding is leftover strips from the jelly roll. It is wider on the front than I like, so in the future I will stick with a 2 1/4 inch binding. I used the Elmer's School Glue method of binding again and it is totally machine bound with the finish being a loose zigzag stitch.

I had some leftover fabric so I made a couple of burp cloths to match. I didn't do anything fancy, just sewed strips of fabric to the burp cloths.

You can see the cute little baby with his new quilt here, if you are interested.

Learning and doing and learning some more.

2012-01-20T12:33:00.000-08:00

I have had the notion rolling around in my head to make some dish-mats. I also wanted to practice free motion quilting on something that didn't matter, but would not go to waste. I did not want to experiment on my "pretty" fabrics, however so I used some yardage I got from my mom (I think) ages ago. I also wanted to see how well using microfiber towels would work for the back. My original plan was to use bar mop towels but I did not want to give any up from my stack for making Stay Put Kitchen Towels.
In the dollar spot at Target I found sets of 2 microfiber towels that are about 12 inches square. I figured I would just sew them together to get the long mat bottom I needed. I found a batting scrap that was only slightly smaller than my Frankenstein towel, cut a piece of fabric and got out my new open toe darning foot. I chose white thread so I could see what I was doing and then spray basted my fabric and batting together. I just did those two layers, because that microfiber was sticking like mad to everything. It even stuck to my cutting mat!
Then I got my smartypants phone to put by my sewing machine for tutorial help. Well, I could not find the tutorial, so I winged it and listened to music instead. :)
I started out with some swirls (okay, but stitches too big) and tried to do some stippling (fail) and then remembered someone had said to put the pedal to the metal, so I did that and it helped a ton. Then I also remembered to put on my "quilting" gloves (from Home Depot) which helped a bunch more.

I cruised around making a giant mess, trying to make flowers and stars, and writing things like "dry the dishes" and my name. It was totally fun but it really looks pretty cruddy in person. Good thing I have a lot of that ugly fabric to practice on! (Sorry about the bad pictures. Our kitchen has the worst lighting!)

The dish-mat

The microfiber backing that I will (probably) never use again. Way too messy/sticky to work with. I left the tag on the towel for the special washing instructions.

The quilting supposedly says "dry the dishes". You can see "dry" and "the" here if you look carefully.

I think that was supposed to be a flower.

And here is the book cover I made the other night. My daughter was working on a case for her crochet needles and I sort of morphed the tutorial into a book cover for my church manual. It turned out just a bit too small so I am making adjustments and will try again soon.

Please help with Quilts of Valor

2012-01-19T06:36:00.000-08:00

If I had any quilts completed I would do this, but I do not, but maybe some of my readers do.

Sharing this information from Mary at Making Stash Quilts from Stash:

Quilts of Valor

January 18th, 2012 | Author: Mary

I received this email and thought I’d pass along the information in case any of my readers are able to help.

I know you support Quilts of Valor and I wanted to point out to you that they have a special group request for a squadron coming home to Ft. Riley (Kansas) after a tour with many injuries and losses in Afghanistan. They are trying to get close to 400 quilts. Further information including contact information can be found here: http://www.qovf.org/content/quilts-needed.html I wondered whether your group has any quilts they could contribute? I just mailed 8 myself but they are still 200 short. Thank you! Regards, Almut

WIP Wednesday

2012-01-18T07:32:00.000-08:00

Visit Lee's Freshly Pieced blog for more WIP fun!

I have been quilt busy sewing this last week, mostly finishing up the baby quilt. I put it in the mail yesterday. As soon as I know she has it I will post pictures.
I have also been working on making more Stay Put Kitchen towels, both for me and for gifts.

The Table topper has been languishing in a basket but I will be pulling it out this week to put some more layers on the blocks.
Here is one of the log cabins that needs the last round of fabric.

I made a book cover for my church manual, a sort of experiment, that I need to do again, because it was a little too small.

My husband and I have been watching back seasons of Monk and Psych in the evenings, so I have been working on hand quilting the In-Spur-Ation quilt from way back when. I have just 2 blocks left. Well 3 actually, since I need to rip out the terrible machine quilting I started out with. My stitches are inconsistent and very large but it gives it a very rustic look. This may be the only quilt I hand quilt. I am going to love it though. It is backed in a super soft flannel and it has been so cozy underneath it while I quilt!

WIP Summary for the week:

Completed tops hangin’ out:
Sliced Coins
Neutral Mediterranean

In Progress:
Dishtowels
Table topper to put under my TV.
1 special doll quilt
4 vintage sheet doll quilts
Hand quilting on the In-Spur-Ation quilt (only 3 blocks left!)
Book cover

No progress in 30+ days (UFOs):
Advent Calendar
Tree Skirt
Cherry Sweet Road to Ireland – quilted & needs to be bound
Sherbet – quilted & needs to be bound
Bliss – Needs borders
Block of the Month - sashing et al.
Hot Wheels - finish the plan find the black fabric
Skill Builder QA - Put on long term hold. I just don't have time for it right now. I think I will catch up my WIPS before I start again.
MOTP QA - sashing
SuperNova - make more than 1 block!
Very Hungry Caterpillar

+ a few more...

Need to start:
2 Sliced coins
T-shirt quilt
Zipper pouches

This month's stats:
Completed projects -
Fox Trails baby quilt
Stockings (last month)
2 burp cloths
3 dish towels
1 book cover test

No Sew Valentine's Day Towels from Schlosser Designs!

2012-01-17T11:18:00.000-08:00

For Tutorial Tuesday today, Erin shares an easy way to make your kitchen a little more LOVE-ly. :)

photo from Schlosser Designs

CLICK HERE to visit her blog for the tutorial.

And today I am making Deliciously Rich Banana and Chocolate Chip Breads. Almost done!!

New goodies!

2012-01-14T18:36:00.000-08:00

I had a rockin' week when it came to mail.
First came my fabulous rainbow of hexies from Beth at A Wandering Minstrel I, also known as Threads 'n' Patches.

Photo from Wand'ring Minstrel's Flickr Photostream http://www.flickr.com/photos/sonic_echo/

(I had to borrow her picture due to technical issues here.)
Then I got the Reunion Layer Cake I won from Elizabeth at Don't Call Me Betsy, when she did her birthday giveaway. It is a really cool line. I need to think of something really great to make with it. It came from Pink Castle Fabrics.

Picture from http://www.dontcallmebetsy.com/2011/12/so-this-is-what-31-feels-like.html

(Another borrowed picture.)

Then I got the goodies I ordered to make a surprise for my Dad's birthday. We used to watch Rocky and Bullwinkle with him when we were kids. I had to get this fabric because it reminded me of him.

(Sorry for the lame picture. Like I said, technical issues. I had to take this with my phone and email it to myself. Blogging from my phone is not going well.)

I also got the pattern Come What May that just came out from Julie Herman of Jaybird Quilts.
I hope to take the class this May in San Marcos at the Quilt in a Day shop.Getting the pattern was step one. I have 4 more months to spread out spending my mad money on my class fee and getting the supplies.

2012-01-12T07:15:00.000-08:00

Here is the content of the text post that never made it. My best guess is that it was too big. I ended up emailing the photos to myself from my phone, then uploading them.

WIP Wed.

Stay Put Kitchen Towels

Baby quilt - waiting for quilting.

Table Topper

Mobile blogging?

2012-01-11T14:40:00.000-08:00

Today I am trying to send a post from my phone via text messaging. So far it has not worked. But maybe it is just SLLLLOOOOWWWW.
Anyone with experience in this area?

It is a quick WIP post. Here is a more detailed post about the projects.

I have 3 things I am rotating through at the moment, with 2 more about to be thrown in.
First, is more Stay Put Kitchen Towels. I made a pieced one yesterday as an experiment for a gift. It turned out cute! Now that I have the process down, it is time to branch out and get creative.
One of the ones I made last week had one of the ribbons shred in the wash. Not cool. I don't know if it was a fluke or what. I will keep an eye on them. I used the ribbons that came on the towels, but I bought ribbon to put on this new batch.

Second, is the baby quilt. It needs to be quilted. The baby came yesterday! Ah!! He is a cutie, and he needs his quilt! Get to it Amy!!!!

Third is the table topper for under my TV. It is coming along nicely.

In other news, I got to go to 2 quilt shops here with my Mother in Law and my Sister in Law.
I loved both of them! We went to Quilter's Paradise and and Quilt in a Day in San Marcos.
I got a Candy Land Panel, to practice my FMQ on and a Ruby charm pack, some needles, a square it up ruler and some more Best Press. And I didn't spend a dime! MiL treated me! So sweet!

Hopefully my other post will come through so I can share the pics of my WiP for this week. I am not linking up at Lee's but you could for sure still go see what else is being worked on in blogland!

Did you know this about blog giveaways?

2012-01-10T07:30:00.000-08:00

Emily at Insanity Rules posted about learning about blog giveaways and the laws that govern them. Did you know there were laws? I probably thought about it once, but then waved it away like a bothersome mosquito.
Anyway, she offered a link to an article, here, that you might be interested in reading if you want to delve into that murky and potentially blog-changing area. :)

And it might be worth some real, in-depth research as well, if you do giveaways regularly.
Just a thought!

(http://www.savingforsomeday.com/blog-law-is-your-giveaway-legal/)

Organized?

2012-01-06T21:36:00.000-08:00

Not yet.
But I want to be.
And I think that Crystal's super amazing and cute organizer is the way to go.

You can get yours HERE.

This and that

2012-01-06T13:21:00.000-08:00

Blogging of late has been lacking, mostly due to the computer being down for upgrades.

I have been sewing a fair amount, but I can't post pictures yet for 2 reasons, one is that I have been working on that baby quilt that is a gift and I don't want to spoil the surprise. The other reason is that I have to figure out how to use my Photoshop Elements 9. I was using 3 or some such ancient piece of software and it is no longer on my computer. Ah, the pain of progress!

Anyway, the baby quilt has a back and got (hair)spray basted, and I started quilting it. I had quilted around the 6 blocks and was so happy to have gotten that far. I turned it over to check for tangles and found that the back had shifted all over the place. I had to unpick it all. I re-basted with more hairspray and a few pins for good measure and then invested in a walking foot. I have not yet put it under the needle again.

Instead of working on the baby quilt, I made some Stay Put Kitchen towels using the tute at Pin. Sew. Press. and I LOVE THEM! I went to Target and got some more bar mops yesterday to make more.
I may make some for my mom and sisters just for fun. It's a great way to use up scraps.

I also finally started on my table topper to go under our T.V.. I am using the Juicy Blossoms fat quarter stack that I won from Debbie at A Quilter's Table. I am creating as I go with this project which has been fun, scary, frustrating and fun! I am almost done with the top. I just have some borders to add to blocks and then sew the rows together.
I will be using this to practice my free motion quilting on before I attempt the baby quilt again.

Have a great day!

Hi! Can you see me?

2012-01-04T10:19:00.000-08:00

This is a test photo from my family blog. I want to see if photos linked from private blogs will show up.
Let me know if you can see it!

New vinyl zipper pouch tutorial!

2012-01-03T13:27:00.000-08:00

Erin Schlosser at Schlosser Designs has just posted her tutorial for today and it is a great one!
She uses fabric and clear vinyl to make a cute zipper pouch.

Vinyl Covered Zipper Pouch from Schlosser Designs!

You can see the tutorial HERE.

A Gift to the World

2011-12-25T06:50:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

http://lds.org/library/display/0,4945,8555-1-4779-4,00.html

Click here for a wonderful movie about why we celebrate Christmas.

I did it! They are done!

2011-12-24T13:48:00.000-08:00

Work in Progress Wednesday: Oh my! It is progress!

2011-12-21T18:40:00.000-08:00

Lat year I started making things for Christmas. Stockings, a tree skirt and advent calendar in coordinating fabrics.
But I got tired of them or something. :)
I decided that at the very least, I would finish the stockings so they could be used this year.
I made good progress today and probably would have finished if not for a family that was hungry. Priorities people! LOL
I will work some more on them tomorrow, but for now here is where I am.

The don't look too different from the last time I posted a picture. But they are. The tops are actually attached.
I need to put interfacing in the cuff, do the zigzag on the cuff and then just stitch them up.

A sweet story

2011-12-21T07:08:00.000-08:00

Christmas Gifts, etc.

2011-12-19T17:58:00.000-08:00

The last 72 hours have been jam packed with crafting. First came teacher gifts. The other day over on Ladybird Ln., Carlee posted a free printable of a sweet story, so I used that, made some simple mitten ornaments to put a gift card in and added a note from us. There was only a minor glitch in that the bookstore I was getting the gift cards from doesn't do cards, they do certificates which did not fit in the mitten. Oh well. :)
It looked a little clumsy, but they all liked them.
I got to practice my (I think) blanket stitch to embellish the mittens. I didn't do too badly.

Next was the baby blanket for a gal at church. I did my usual over-sized flannel receiving blanket, using the 30x30 receiving blankets from Target. It took 5, so I had to supplement with leftovers from past blankets.

I love those ladybugs!

And last, I made poptop surprise cans for the ladies I visit teach. (I noticed in the tutorial I left out doing the top covers. Sorry! I will go fix it soon.)

They were filled with these goodies.

Also, today I received the jewlery I won from GoodieJar. That was FAST! Here is the one my daughter chose. She loves it!

Treats for today: Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Krispies Cookies

2011-12-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

I have shared this recipe before, but I made these for my husband last night so I thought I would re-post for newer followers and with a recipe card.

Peanut Butter Chocolate Rice Krispies Cookies
Recipe found at myplumpudding.blogspot.com
* I measure everything ahead and have it set out to make the process quick and easy.

1 cup sugar
1 cup corn syrup

Combine in large pot and heat until just beginning to boil. (Really, just as you detect a simmer. Cooking too long makes them hard and way too chewy). Remove from heat and add:

1 cup peanut butter
4-5 cups Rice Krispies cereal (I like about 4 1/2 cups)

Stir gently to combine. Spread into 9x13 pan. (I use my cookie sheet for thinner bars. We found the thick ones harder to bite into.)
Melt and stir:

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup butterscotch chips

Spread over Rice Krispies mixture. Cool at room temp or in refrigerator.

Digital Elements, Jeni Hopewell

More Goodies for me!

2011-12-15T12:27:00.000-08:00

Char at Crap I've Made had several giveaways recently and I won one! And it was (in my opinion) the best one, the one I wanted most. I. am. SO. Excited!
I should probably tell you what I won right? Otherwise this post is a tad on the boring side.
Jewelry! Oh yeah! From the GoodieJar Etsy shop. It is all so pretty, I had a hard time choosing. I have lots of things marked to get for all the gals in my family.
This is my favorite and one of the things I chose, one in red and one in cream. (FYI, The chain does not come with the pendant.)

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87522762/dahlia-necklace-pendant-anna-choose-your

I can't wait for them to arrive! I let my daughter choose something as well and she got a pretty blue rose pendant.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/87357849/rose-necklace-pendant-alice-choose-your

Thank you, thank you, thank you to Char at Crap I've Made and the gals at GoodieJar!

Goodies for me!

2011-12-14T09:48:00.000-08:00

Last month my mother in law sent me a surprise in the mail. A rotating cutting mat (which I have wanted since getting my Strip Tube ruler), some scissors for snipping and InvisiGrip for my rulers. Awesome!

Then, while my husband and I were out shopping last week, we stumbled upon a cute NEW little quilt shop near us.

Click the image to visit their website, though it seems only the blog is up and running as of 12/14/11.

They had some Christmas things on sale and I loved the pillow they had on display so I bought the kit with my mad money. I hope to get it made before the year is done. ;) We shall see!
The shop seemed to have mostly traditional and repro(?) fabrics and homespuns, but even though that is not really my thing, I will probably go there when I need blenders and such.

Here we come a wassailing!

2011-12-13T09:29:00.000-08:00

I am reposting this because I am cold and it sounds oh so yummy! Will you make some wassail to warm me up? :)

Wassail (half recipe)
In a large pot mix:
1 qt. Water
1 ½ cups plus 1/3 cup sugar (stir until dissolved)
5 cinnamon sticks

Bundle in cheesecloth:
1 large ginger root
5 whole allspice
12 whole cloves

Gently simmer these in mixture for 1 hour.

Add:
21 oz orange juice (about 2 2/3 cup)
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 gallon apple juice (8 cups)

Simmer at least one hour. Remove the cloth bundle before serving. Serve warm.

Digital kits by Crystal Wilkerson

My Favorite Christmas Song

2011-12-08T10:10:00.000-08:00

The Innkeeper (Let Him In)

This is not a traditional Christmas song, but one from a musical called The Forgotten Carols written by Michael Mclean.
It has become a tradition at our house to listen to the music, read the book and watch the DVD of a live performance. All the songs are amazing and each has a beautiful message.

(You can purchase the books, music and DVD of a live performance at Deseretbook.com.)

Someone took this song and put it to some videos about Christ's birth and I think it is beautiful.

You can get the original movie about the birth of Christ with the original music here. Information about it from the website: "Through the use of scripture, music, and reenactments, this DVD presents the birth, life, and ministry of Jesus Christ. It can help bring the spirit of Christmas into homes and other settings. Featuring the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and the Orchestra at Temple Square..."

What is your favorite Christmas Song?
Post it on your blog!

A couple of gifts finished.

2011-12-06T18:56:00.000-08:00

Tiny Tot Totes for the little nephews. We sit with them at church more often than not and they like Littlest Miss's magnetic drawing board, so I got each of them one and made them their own bag, one blue, one red. I found the fabrics in the fat quarter bin at Jo-Ann Fabrics.
Those cowboys are so cute! I did have a little trouble in that after I squared up the cowboy fats, they were an inch too short for my original directions. They were really crooked! So the bags ended up a bit smaller than normal. They still work though!

I made a change to the handles, by adding yet another round of stitching. That is 3 times top-stitching around the handle. I did this to see if it would help with the scrunching problem Littlest Miss has on her bags.

Low cost, but fun Christmas gifts

2011-12-04T14:48:00.000-08:00

Hey all!
Just wanted to give a little tip that a couple of my tutorials make great, inexpensive teacher, neighbor or co-worker gifts.

Easy Table Runner

Try the Sour Cream Pouch tutorial, the Pop-Top Can tutorial, the Nugget Box tutorial, and The Easy Table Runner.
All can be found on the Tutorials page.

Also, try my Recipe page for delicious treats to put on those plates of goodies, or for your cookie exchange.

Chocolate Chip Meringue Cookies

Chocolate Chews

Recipe Review: Baked Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes

2011-12-02T11:54:00.000-08:00

I follow a blog called Pleasant Home and towards the end of October she posted about a recipe she found for Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes (she got the recipe from http://cravingchronicles.com) . They are baked, not fried, so I was all for giving them a try. I had just enough pumpkin left over from making pie to make these yesterday.
Here is my review:
They are soft and fluffy and they taste great...but I did not care for the butter/cinnamon sugar coating. I found it to be greasy and soggy. I followed the directions, cooling them for about 2 minutes then coating them. I think I will try these again, with more of a streusel topping baked on and also, coating some after they completely cool and brushing the butter on rather than dipping them.
I am the only one who did not fall head over heels for these. I like them but I need to tweak them just a bit. Everyone else LOVED them.
This is a keeper.

Baked Pumpkin Spice Donut Holes
http://cravingchronicles.com/2010/10/11/baked-pumpkin-spice-donut-holes/

For Donuts

1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp allspice
1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 tsp vanilla extract
3/4 cup canned plain pumpkin (not pumpkin pie filling)
1/2 cup low-fat milk
Directions

Preheat oven 350°F. Spray each cup in a 24-cup mini muffin tin with baking spray or butter generously.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt and spices (through cloves).
In separate, large bowl whisk together oil, brown sugar, egg, vanilla, pumpkin and milk until smooth.
Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until just combined – do not over mix!
Divide batter evenly among muffin cups. (Using a 2-tablespoon scoop will ensure uniform size.) Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.

For Coating

1 stick of unsalted butter, melted
2/3 cup granulated sugar
2 tablespoons cinnamon

While the muffins bake, melt butter in one bowl and combine granulated sugar and cinnamon in another bowl. Remove muffins from oven and cool for 2 minutes, or until just cool enough to handle. Dip each muffin in melted butter, and then roll in cinnamon sugar to coat.

I also made the first batch of wassail for the season. You can find the full recipe here. I halved the recipe to fit in my Slow Cooker. I discovered after making it that I did not unpack any of our mugs. So you get a picture of it in the slow cooker. :)

Digital kits by Crystal Wilkerson

Work in Progress Wednesday: Another Sneaky Peeky

2011-11-30T00:21:00.000-08:00

It's that time again!
Zip over to Lee's to see what people are working on!

This week I only worked on the baby quilt I am making for a friend. The pattern is pretty straightforward, so no undue stress was involved. YAY! (Well other than trying to line up the plaid so it looks straight. Fail-ish)

The fabric is Fox Trails from Doohikey Designs for Riley Blake. I knew this would be perfect for this baby quilt the second I saw it. My friend (and her family) are big outdoors lovers. They camp and rock climb and bike and things like that. So cute camping fabric seemed like a good choice.

I did not like working with that plaid. It was a royal pain trying to keep both the pattern and cuts straight. I have one spot in particular that is annoying to me, but I didn't see it until the whole quilt was pieced. (Sorry C, I love you, but I am not undoing the whole quilt for one thing.)

So now I just need to fit the backing and baste it and I am going to attempt to quilt it myself. (Yikes!)

WIP Summary for the week:

Completed tops hangin’ out:
Fox Trails baby quilt
Sliced Coins
Neutral Mediterranean

Need to start:
1 special doll quilt (urgent, Christmas gift)

In Progress
4 vintage sheet doll quilts
1 baby quilt

No progress in 30+ days (UFOs):
1 special doll quilt
Advent Calendar
Stockings
Tree Skirt
Cherry Sweet Road to Ireland – quilted & needs to be bound
Sherbet – quilted & needs to be bound
Bliss – Needs borders
Block of the Month
Hot Wheels - finish the plan find the black fabric
Skill Builder QA - catch up, way behind!
MOTP QA - sashing
SuperNova - make more than 1 block!
+ a few more...

This month's stats:
Completed projects -
! baby quilt top
1 pillow sham
2 burp cloths
2 tooth fairy pillows

New projects to start - 2
1 special doll quilt
Table topper to put under my TV.

Insanity Rules: One Last Giveaway

2011-11-29T06:53:00.000-08:00

So, Emily at Insanity Rules is doing one more giveaway for the Holidays and this time it's for the ladies!

Yep! Jewelry!
And entering is easy! Just leave a comment on her blog! You could tell her you saw the giveaway here or, better yet, how much you love me. :) LOL
Easy! Go get ya some earrings!

Insanity Rules: One Last Giveaway and A Winner

I almost forgot!

We got our winnings from Emily last week and Littlest Miss loved them! I let her open the cute package.

Trying on her "pretties"

Tasty Tuesday: Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

2011-11-29T05:38:00.000-08:00

This soup is a deliciously easy slow cooker meal. My family gobbled it up and wanted more! (Well almost everyone. Picky Littlest Miss licked the bottom of her spoon and turned up her nose.)
I got the recipe from Mandy at Creative Cents.

Chicken and Wild Rice Soup

Ingredients:

3 chicken breasts
2 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 small onion diced
1 box long grain & wild rice {rice & seasoning packet....I used Rice A Roni}
2 cans cream of chicken soup
4 cups chicken broth

Directions:

Combine all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 6-8 hours. Remove chicken to shred, then return to crock. Stir and serve.

I bet this would be great to use up leftover turkey if you still have some!

Digital kit by Corina Nielsen.

2011-11-28T06:44:00.000-08:00

Everyone has been sharing about their Thanksgiving so I decided to share mine too. This is the post from my private family blog.

We have had a fun, busy week. The kids had the entire week off school.
Monday was just a hang out, relax, read and watch movies day.
Tuesday, some wonderful friends offered to take us to Legoland on their buddy passes so the boys and K and I went and spent most of the day there with our friends and the kids' cousins and Aunt. (M had a Young Women's activity at her leader's house so she chose to do that instead of Legoland.)

K and C check out San Fransisco.

San Fransisco has some beautiful houses!

T, J and K meet some aliens.

A dragon, a dragon, I swear I saw a dragon!

Joust on Sir J!

K has a flower souvenir from Legoland.

K was telling me the colors on the turkey J made at school.

Wednesday I spent the day making pies and rolls and things and trying to keep kids out from underfoot (and being cranky as all get out). Normally I let them help with feast-y preparations, but this time I was doing 2 new pie recipes, French Silk and Pumpkin that required a lot of attention to detail, so I nixed the helpers this year. The kids played and read and watched more movies. (I got to leave in the evening to watch Robin and the Seven Hoods with my girl friends, which helped a little with my irritability.)

Pumpkin Pie (Cooks Country)

French Silk Pie (Cooks Country)

Thursday, I was still ornery, so I put the turkey in, and then hid in my room until time for Thanksgiving dinner.
Our feast was delicious and the company was great.

After a while, we had some more friends join us for pie night and games.

12 Pie Night pies

The pies we had were Banana Cream, French Silk, Lemon Meringue, Cherry, 3 Dutch Apple, Cherry Cream, 2 Pecan, Buttermilk, and Pumpkin. We also had Pumpkin cake and little pumpkin tartlets, plus ice cream and whipped cream on the side. The kids played and then watched Tangled, and the grown-ups played a bunch of games. It was a very fun evening.

This morning (Friday) we did NOT hit Black Friday sales, just stayed home and relaxed and ate leftovers. This afternoon we went out to the tide pools to do some exploring. We saw quite a few Sea Stars, and a couple of crabs and Daddio even got to see a small octopus (that is not him holding it in the picture). K fell in one of the deeper pools and was drenched. She didn't seem to mind much after a while even though the wind was chilly.

Anemones

Sea Star hiding under the rock.

Sea Star who did not want to let go! (Those are rocks it is holding)

Crab

Four Sea Stars, (the kids said it was a family.)

You can see how big they were.

K thought this tiny Sea Star was a spider when I showed it to her and stomped on it. I think it was okay though.

The little octopus

Tonight Daddio is going to play games with the guys and we are going to bed.

Fabric order follow up

2011-11-26T09:47:00.000-08:00

The online fabric retailer came through. The only annoying thing about the process was the 10 minute wait on the phone to talk to a person. I did try emailing them, but that was useless.
Once I got through on the phone, a very nice customer service rep told me to keep the incorrect fabric or donate it if I didn't want it and they would get the correct fabric out to me at no charge. I saw the order come through in my email within minutes of ending the call.
The UPS tracking number was issues 2 days later (16th) and I received my fabric on the 22nd.
I will likely order from them again.

Work in Progress Wednesday: A Sneaky Peeky and some finishes.

2011-11-22T22:50:00.000-08:00

It's WIP Wednesday again! After you check out my projects, head over to Lee's to get some great inspiration!

The main thing I have in progress right now is a baby quilt for one of my best friends. I debated about how to go about sharing this project since the recipient reads my blog, and I would like to keep it a surprise to some extent. She knows she is getting a quilt, but I don't want to share much more than that.
I decided to go with the picture of how I last left the project. You can see a tiny bit but really, it gives very little clue as to what it is. I have 2 seams in each block done. (The file folders are cast offs, thus the odd mismatched labeling. These are awesome for storing block pieces, if you have somewhere flat to keep them.)

I was also able to cross 2 projects off my WIP list! Yay!
First are the 2 tooth fairy pillows I started that needed to be stuffed and stitched up. I even got the blue one mailed off. The other one is just going to hang out in the gift box.
I used the tutorial on Sew Mama Sew to make these.

The other finish was the pillow sham I was making to match Littlest Miss's quilt from her Grandma.

Boy did it feel good to finish this! It was pretty easy to finish off, once I thought it through and jumped in.
I may share more about this later.

Completed tops hangin’ out:
Sliced Coins
Neutral Mediterranean

Need to start:
1 special doll quilt (urgent, Christmas gift)

In Progress
4 vintage sheet doll quilts
1 baby quilt

No progress in 30+ days (UFOs):
1 special doll quilt
Advent Calendar
Stockings
Tree Skirt
Cherry Sweet Road to Ireland – quilted & needs to be bound
Sherbet – quilted & needs to be bound
Bliss – Needs borders
Block of the Month
Hot Wheels - finish the plan find the black fabric
Skill Builder QA - catch up, way behind!
MOTP QA - sashing
SuperNova - make more than 1 block!
+ a few more...

This month's stats:
Completed projects -
1 pillow sham
2 burp cloths
2 tooth fairy pillows

New projects to start - 2
1 special doll quilt
Table topper to put under my TV.

Tasty Tuesday: Pineapple Fluff Salad

2011-11-22T00:09:00.000-08:00

While I know it says salad, this delicious concoction could easily be classed as a dessert.
Made with cream cheese and French Vanilla pudding, it is a rich and creamy, sweet dish of yummy!

This recipe is courtesy of my dear friend Becki Johnson. She brought it to a get together and I loved it. ( I am a sucker for sweets!)

The first time I made it, I did not have coconut. It was still great. Last week I took dinner to a friend with a new baby and I was supposed to take Almost Oreos for dessert, but they did not work well. They were flat and had crumbs of cake mix all over the place. The next try, Chocolate Chip Blonde Brownies, were more of a Brunette, thanks to my missing the timer going off, so this is what went as a backup for dessert. (I also did take the brownies.)

Pineapple Fluff Salad - Becki Johnson

2- 8oz packages cream cheese (room temp)
1 large box FRENCH vanilla pudding
1 small can of pineapple tidbits (drained, set aside juice)
1 to 2 Cups pineapple juice (from tidbits can + regular can of juice)
1 to 2 packages Cool Whip
Small marshmallows
Coconut (if desired)

Mix cream cheese and dry pudding mix with mixer. Then slowly add pineapple juice until it reaches the consistency of sour cream. Then fold in cool whip, pineapple tidbits, and marshmallows. Add coconut if desired.
Cover and refrigerate for 3 hours before serving.
ENJOY!!

I won! Finally! Now it's your turn!

2011-11-21T07:39:00.000-08:00

Look what I won! I am excited because Littlest Miss is finally enjoying having pretty things in what little hair she has. Flowers are her favorite.

Emily's giveaways at Insanity Rules are still going strong and this week is another darling tutu set.

I am posting about these particular giveaways, because their intention is to bring traffic to the Etsy fundraiser shop for Emily's niece, Shay Lee who has a lot of medical expenses. You can read more about her here.
The shops prices are great and not only that, there have been discount codes posted every week on Emily's blog! The Etsy shop is a great place to pick up holiday gifts for the little ones in your life as well as the grown ups, as they have some cute jewelry.

I hope you will take time to go check them out.
(I am not entering this week, since I just won, even though Littlest Miss would LOVE this tutu set.)

The Thankful for ME challenge!

2011-11-18T04:19:00.000-08:00

Announcing, “The Thankful for ME Challenge”!

It's November and all month we are focusing on what we are thankful for. Well, we can't forget about ourselves! So here is the challenge.

Take a picture of yourself RIGHT NOW! (The real you! No cheating and stopping for a fix up!) Post it on your blog, then, write 3 things in the post that you love about yourself. (Feel free to use the image above with a link back here.)

GO! DO! and then come back and share the link here in the comments. (Sorry, I am linky party ignorant. :))

Don't forget to share in on your Facebook page if you have one.

If you really don't want to share, you can do it privately. You deserve some love!

Digital kit by Crystal Wilkerson.

EDIT: I am thankful for me!

Me, right now, this second, no makeup, hair not done, but having a good morning.
3 things I love about myself

1- I am generous. I would probably give you the shirt off my back.
2- I am creative. I love to make stuff!
3- I can make delicious treats.

Comments. What is best?

2011-11-17T11:49:00.000-08:00

A while back there was some discussion about the "best" way to ask for comments on your blog. Blogger has 3 options for leaving comments. An embedded box below each post, a pop up box or a full page. I have never used the full page version, but I have used both pop up boxes and embedded. For a while, embedded was the favorite, for ease of use I guess, but lately, there have been issues with it. It seems that switching to a pop up window eliminates the problem of not being able to leave a comment for those who can't when a blogger has the embedded version set up.
So I will put it to you.
Which do you prefer and why?
You can either comment here (I just switched back to pop-up by the way.) or answer in the survey at the top right. Just use one of these options so I don't count you twice. :)

Thanks!

Baby gifts

2011-11-16T10:14:00.000-08:00

A lady at my church just had a baby girl via c-section, and I am taking her dinner (Chicken Pot Pie and Almost Oreos) tonight, so I made a little gift to take too.

Of course it is a burp cloth. :) I used flannel scraps from this gift set.

Someone asked me once why I don't do the fabric down the long way on the diaper when I make burp cloths. When Littlest Miss was a baby, I used one that had quilting cotton down the long way and everything just sort of rolled off it when the baby spit up on it. So I just do a strip across the bottom for the cute factor and leave the majority of the diaper exposed for absorbency. Note that flannel works fine to absorb, so I could put it down the long way, but I have gotten in the habit of doing the short way.

Also, I finally got around to trying out my idea to have a burp cloth with terrycloth on the back. I have seen these around, but never made one.

I used bar mop towels from Target for the terry cloth. I made a scrappy "cute" side with scraps of flannel left over from making this gift set.

Then I trimmed the towel to fit the front (I ran out of scraps) and zigzagged the edges to keep them from fraying. I sewed them wrong sides together, leaving an opening for turning, turned it, pressed it, top stitched around the whole thing and then did some random quilting.
It is not bad. Since I don't have a baby, I can't test it out, so I hope my recipient will let me know how it works for her.

Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!

Tasty Tuesday: Sweet Ham Sauce

2011-11-15T06:03:00.001-08:00

For a long time, every time we have ham for a meal, I have made a sauce that is a variation on one my grandmother used to make. It is very simple and quick to make and adds a special zing to the ham. It is really sweet so a little goes a long way (unless you are my 7 year old, who will practically drink it straight out of the dish.)
We drizzle it on the sliced ham after it comes out of the oven. I have never tried to use it as a glaze while baking.
Enjoy!

Sweet Ham Sauce
Amy Whetten

5 TBSP salted butter
1/3 cup + 1 to 2 TBSP packed brown sugar
1/3 cup yellow mustard
2 TBSP pineapple juice

In small skillet or saucepan, on low heat, melt butter, then stir in brown sugar and pineapple juice until well combined.
Whisk in mustard and simmer until thickened (2-3 minutes).
Serve warm, drizzled over hot sliced ham and grilled (or warmed) pineapple.

Digital Scrapbook kit : Frosted; A Little Dreamer Designs creation by Michelle Coleman

Feel free to download the card by clicking the image and saving it to your computer. Please do not sell or mass produce the image (or recipe) for distribution and give credit where credit is due. Thanks!

Insanity Rules: 3rd Holiday Giveaway and a Winner

2011-11-14T06:21:00.000-08:00

Another fun giveaway at Insanity rules for a cute holiday baby hair accessory set. These would be so sweet for those holiday photos ops with your kids or a cute gift for a grand-baby.
And if you entered that last one as anonymous, better go check!

Insanity Rules: 3rd Holiday Giveaway and a Winner

You just have to go to Shay Lee's Place etsy shop and tell her which crochet hat(s) you like. I like this one.

And this one.

You can read about how buying from Shay Lee's Place can help a little girl and her family here.

Um...No.

2011-11-12T06:00:00.000-08:00

When you see the words Fox Trails Camping Toss Brown, is this what you picture?

Let's start with brown. There is no brown anywhere in this fabric is there? I don't see any. I guess the dots could be tossed, but well, not really. Where does the camping fit in? I don't know. Foxes or trails or fox trails? Nowhere to be seen.

So that brings me to the question, how on earth did this end up being shipped to me, with the label seen below, on it. Hmmm.

It is a good thing that what I actually ordered is the backing for the quilt so I don't need it to start the quilt.
Online fabric retailer, please send me the right fabric, ASAP!

UPDATE 11-15-11: After about 10 minutes on the phone, waiting, I was helped by someone in customer service who was very nice and said I could keep the mistake fabric and they would send out the correct fabric at no charge to me. So I am appeased for the moment. We will see if they are timely with delivery and correct this time around.

Thank you!

2011-11-11T10:22:00.001-08:00

Sharing For Alyssa and David, Morgan and Broden

2011-11-10T00:24:00.000-08:00

Love you guys!

http://lous-land.blogspot.com/2011/10/fixing-me.html
http://www.autismspeaks.org/

Autism is hard to live with. I see my sister and her children and their fight for a more "normal" life. Please help!
There is always a link to Autism Speaks on my sidebar for more information.

Work In Progress Wednesday

2011-11-09T00:28:00.000-08:00

This week is a special week for W.I.P. Wednesday! It is the 1 year anniversary! Wow, did that ever fly by. It has been so fun seeing all the great projects and meeting talented people through this linky party. Thank you so much Lee at Freshly Pieced for hosting us every week. It has been a great year. :)

Here is what I have been working on the last week or so.

I pulled out my vintage sheet doll quilts that I started for my kids a while back. I needed something simple and straightforward that I knew I could make good progress on in the short times I have to sew each day. I got the second girl's top pieced and both the boy's tops are ready to be assembled into 4 patch blocks. It felt great to get something accomplished.

Girl's Doll Quilt Top #2

Doll Quilt Tops 2 and 1 (I had intended to reverse the block layout so they would be different but the same, but I forgot. Too much time between sewing the two. Guess I should make notes or something and keep them with my projects.)

Partial blocks for boys doll quilt tops.

Completed tops hangin’ out:
Sliced Coins
Neutral Mediterranean

Need to start:
Ashby baby quilt (fabric ordered!!)
Burp cloth

In Progress
4 vintage sheet doll quilts

No progress in 30+ days (UFOs):
Cherry Sweet Road to Ireland – quilted & needs to be bound
Sherbet – quilted & needs to be bound
Bliss – Needs borders
Block of the Month
Hot Wheels
Skill Builder QA
MOTP QA
SuperNova
1 special doll quilt
Tree Skirt
Stockings

This month's stats:
Completed projects - 6
     3 Diaper Clutches
     1 burp cloth
     2 tote bags
New projects to start - 2
Currently in progress – Too many!

Tasty Tuesday: Pumpkin Dessert Cards

2011-11-07T18:15:00.000-08:00

The "Holiday Season" is approaching and it is time for some seasonal desserts. These are 2 of our family favorites. They are both very mildly pumpkin-y. I don't care for full-on pumpkin pie most of the time, but these work for me.

The Chiffon pie has raw eggs in the recipe, as this pie is not a baked pie, so if you have concerns, just use egg white powder as directed.

You are welcome to save these recipe cards to print for your own personal use only. But, please, they are not for sale or mass distribution.
I use a postcard template from Avery in Microsoft Word to print my cards. I just paste the image into the table and print on the perforated postcards.

Digital Scrapbook kit is Happy Go Lucky by Shabby Princess Designs.
Font is CK Architect by Creating Keepsakes.
Pumpkin Cheesecake recipe also here.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie - Verle Liddle (From Melba who used to make it in mass quantity for the miners)

1 envelope Knox gelatin
¼ cup cold water

Soak gelatin in water and set aside

1 cup brown sugar
1 cup milk
3 eggs yolks slightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 tsp cinnamon
½ tsp each ginger, allspice, and salt

Combine in sauce pan. Cook until thickened, stirring often (doesn’t thicken very much.)
Remove pan from stove.
Stir in gelatin until thoroughly dissolved.
Cool in fridge.

Beat 3 egg whites until thick. (Or mix dry egg whites according to package directions (or meringue powder) = to 3 egg whites.)
Add ¼ cup sugar while continuing to beat.
Fold thoroughly into cooled pumpkin mixture.
Pour into baked, chilled pie crusts.
Chill the whole pie.
Top with whipped cream on each slice when served.
Makes one large pie and one small, or 2 equal medium pies
Make the day before for best results.

Like Earrings? You can win some!

2011-11-07T07:02:00.000-08:00

These pretty little earrings are up for grabs at a giveaway by Emily at Insanity Rules. Love them! Go check it out here.
If you don't wear earrings, they would make a great holiday gift!

Also, Emily is going to be doing giveaways all month long, so follow, follow, follow!

Insanity Rules: It's That Time of Year! (giveaway!)

2011-11-03T09:08:00.000-07:00

Another fun giveaway at Insanity Rules!
You could win this cute cash and carry wallet! And the last time I looked there were NO ENTRIES!!! You could totally win this. (Unless I get it. :) )

Insanity Rules: It's That Time of Year! (giveaway!)

30 days of Gratitude Quotes

2011-11-03T07:31:00.000-07:00

Crystal Wilkerson is doing a fundraiser for a friend who is dealing with a brain tumor.

(Image from http://www.crystalwilkerson.com)

Just go to her blog to read about it and get started!

4Patches4Hope: My blocks

2011-11-02T13:34:00.000-07:00

I made 6 blocks for 4 Patches 4 Hope today while littlest miss watched Cars 2 (cute movie, btw).
They went pretty fast, even though I had to pick out 6 seams, as none of the centers matched up the first time around. :P I just used fabric from my scrap bins.

I hope you can whip some up too and send them out.
Here is the blog link 4patches4hope.blogspot.com
and the block requirements are as follows (from Regina's blog):

Make light-dark 4 patch block(s) using 2 1/2” squares (assembled blocks should be 4 1/2” square).
Use any colors you like for your “dark” but please try to use white or ivory for your “light.”

Send the finished block(s) to:

4Patches4Hope c/o Regina Arlauckas,

PO BOX 363
CHURCHVILLE NY 14428-0363

A MONETARY DONATION IS NOT REQUIRED but Please consider making a $4 donation for each block you make to the American Cancer Society via the link at The American Cancer Society or enclose a check to the American Cancer Society with your blocks. (Please do NOT enclose cash and be sure your checks are to the American Cancer Society.)

There is more information about what will happen with the blocks on Regina's blog.
Happy Sewing!

What I made last week.

2011-11-01T16:09:00.000-07:00

The only thing I made last week was "Abby's hair" as littlest miss calls it. She loves all things Abby Cadabby from Sesame Street, and she got this costume for her birthday this summer, so her Halloween costume was all set. It came with dress, wings, wand, and pigtails.
I put the pigtail pompoms away to save for Halloween. Unfortunately, they vanished in the move. So I needed to come up with something else.
I made my own pompoms with 2 colors of cotton yarn and some variegated fiber. Then I wrapped a wide headband I got from the bridal section at Michael's with the purple yarn, gluing it down as I went and also tucking a bunch of strings from the pompom under the wrapping to help secure the pompoms. After that dried, I glued the underside of the pompoms down to keep them from twisting. Then I glued on some daisies. I ran out of time to trim them once the glue dried so they were very scraggly and uneven, but littlest miss did not seem to mind. :) She was happy to wear them for then entire night of trunk or treat on Saturday and again on Monday for Trick or Treat. She also wore them with her jeans and t-shirt to the grocery store this morning. I still need to trim them though. :)

4Patches4Hope

2011-10-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

Regina started 4Patches4Hope "to create comfort quilts for those undergoing cancer treatments and also raise money for cancer research." She is doing this to honor her mother who passed away this summer after battling cancer.

http://4patches4hope.blogspot.com/

Just go to her blog and you can get instructions for the blocks she is looking for and make donations.

Yummy Mummies and Sticky Webs

2011-10-28T07:45:00.000-07:00

My youngest son has a Fall Carnival this Saturday and his class is in charge of cupcakes. I was going to go easy and just frost with canned icing and sprinkles and stick a plastic bat on top. UNTIL..
Facebook intervened. My friend posted her cupcakes made for her son and the mummies were so cute and looked so easy I had to do them instead.
I looked up a "how to" on YouTube HERE, cause I am too lazy to experiment and figure it out myself. :)
They were fast and easy, and I sped through them, since the messy look is in for mummies.
And when I got tired of mummies I used my black gel to make spiderwebs and the brown m&ms became spiders with the help of chocolate jimmies
The jimmies idea was from a blog where she made eyeball and spider-y cake pops, that I have searched and searched for and can not find it. I apologize! The point being that they were a great idea that was not my own.(Putting them on was a royal pain though!).
My son loved them and so did I.

Halloween Table Runner

2011-10-27T11:51:00.000-07:00

Last year I used my favorite table runner tutorial for the Easy Table Runner (or 10 Minute Table Runner by LaRae Bunnell Clark) to make a Halloween table runner. It was a fast easy and fun project and you could make one for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Hanukkah etc. (It is not a quilted table runner.)

A quick tutorial on the stack and whack method.

SUPPLIES:

4+ fat quarters. (Use whatever number suits your project, but at least 3.)

Yardage for backing (this will be equal to the length of your finished pieced strip by the width plus a few inches) I started with 2 yards but did not use it all. It was probably a little less than a yard in length. I wanted a long runner for my large table.

Rotary cutter

Ruler

Cutting mat

Sewing machine

Coordinating Thread.

Pins

Iron

Here the ruler is angled left.

For the next cut the ruler angled right. Sorry about the missing ruler change in the photo.

You can visit my original post here.

You can find my tutorial for the basic table runner here or click on the tutorials tab.

Have a great day!

Another book giveaway!

2011-10-25T20:26:00.001-07:00

You can win this! I know you can!

http://franklewiscole.blogspot.com/2011/10/book-give-way.html

Fresh Cut Quilts Pattern Co.: A Giveaway!

2011-10-25T12:41:00.000-07:00

Need an Accuquilt Go! Baby? Kari is giving one away at Fresh Cut Quilts Pattern Co.

Fresh Cut Quilts Pattern Co.: Accuquilt Go! Baby Review and Giveaway!

Work In Progress Wednesday

2011-10-19T10:46:00.000-07:00

The move has killed my sewing mojo and I really need to get going again.
Yep, it is time to get back into the swing of things with my quilting and sewing and doing a WIP post seemed like a good way to get organized.
I have way too many things that are in progress!

This summer I had 2 of my tops quilted by The Alford Inn Quilt Shoppe and Retreat. Just an all over quilting. I was so happy to have them done!
Now I just need to trim and bind them.
The first one is my Sew Cherry Sweet Road to Ireland quilt that I made for my youngest. She knows it is hers and when I pulled it out to take pictures this morning she was so excited to see it again. And was so mad when I put it back in its bag. :)

It is quilted with an all over large stipple.

This one is the Sherbet Take 5 quilt. This is my first pieced quilt. And it is all mine. :)

She quilted it with a variegated thread that I loved, in a big, swirly pattern that I have since forgotten the name of.

If you look closely at this picture you can see the different colors in the thread.

Here is some of my WIP list:

Completed tops hangin’ out:
Sliced Coins
Neutral Mediterranean

Need to start:
Ashby baby quilt
Burp cloth

No progress in 30+ days (UFOs):
Cherry Sweet Road to Ireland – quilted & needs to be bound
Sherbet – quilted & needs to be bound
Bliss – Needs borders
Block of the Month
Hot Wheels
Skill Builder QA
MOTP QA
SuperNova
5 Doll quilts
Tree Skirt
Stockings

This month's stats:
Completed projects - 6
     3 Diaper Clutches
     1 burp cloth
     2 tote bags
New projects to start - 2
Currently in progress – Too many!

Now head over to Freshly Pieced to see what is being made in blogland.

Super Cute Paper Piecing Pattern!

2011-10-18T10:56:00.000-07:00

This is such a fun paper pieced block that Kerry of VeryKerryBerry just posted in her etsy shop.
Check out her post to see it finished as a wall hanging and get links to paper piecing tips.
verykerryberry: Winter Woolies Pattern

Positively Peaches: Shaklee Basic H Review and Giveaway {multiple winners!}

2011-10-17T18:28:00.000-07:00

An organic cleaning solution giveaway!

Positively Peaches: Shaklee Basic H Review and Giveaway {multiple winners!}

Boo Door Hanger

2011-10-17T12:31:00.000-07:00

I made this doorknob hanger a while ago and I love it, but it won't stay on the door. It either falls off, someone knocks it off, someone catches it in the door or someone takes it off in frustration.
What to do?
Chuck it back into the storage box.
Sad but true.

Do you have any impractical holiday decorations?

TADA!

2011-10-14T11:22:00.000-07:00

Christine's Diaper Clutch

Here is the little project I made the other day that I could not share because it was a surprise for my friend. The one I wanted to keep because it turned out so fabulous. And she loved it! Yay!!

This is a diaper and wipes case from the tutorial on SewMamaSew. I prefer these to the vertical versions I see in blogland, because I find it easier to get the diapers in and out of them.
I didn't do the matching changing pads for these since I had to use what I had on hand and I didn't have enough fabric.

I think it is safe to share the other two I made as well for my other 2 friends, one of whom had her baby yesterday. Congrats to Allyson!

Allyson's Diaper Clutch

This one I did not have anything great to put on it to dress it up. Sorry it is plain Jane Allyson! :(

Kasia's Diaper Clutch

This one is for a friend who loves purple and I've seen her wearing animal prints so I went with the zebra stripe on a darker purple satin ribbon to add some pizazz to that basic polka dot fabric.

3 of 4 baby gifts made recently.

I have also made a couple of other things in the last week or two.

Littlest Miss's Trick or Treat bag, not modeled by Littlest Miss.

Tooth Fairy Pillows

Test Tote

The tooth fairy pillows were made for a couple of my 7- year-old's buddies back in Texas.

The totes came about because my youngest can't quite manage the pillowcases I made the kids last year, and my Sister-in-Law wanted to make her boys trick or treat bags, so we got together to make them.

The blue tote was a test to size up the tiny tot tote to make the trick or treat bags. It came out a little too long. The starting measurements were 12" x 18" I think.

The measurements we ended up with to make the Trick or treat bags were 13 3/4" x 15". They finished out to be just about 12"x12" and perfect for a good haul for a toddler.

I used a different assembly than I used in the Tiny Tot Tote, to hide the seams. I think it is easier for a lined/reversible bag. You can find the instructions at The Happy Zombie (Poochie bag). I think my tute still works great for a basic tote.

We did the handles the same as the Tiny Tot Tote though, instead of the ones in the Poochie Bag and we left the pockets off, since we were short fabric. We had a 1/2 yard of each fabric.

And that is my sewing recap for the week. :)

Have a great day!

Blue-J Cottage: {Tutorial} Pumpkin Onsie

2011-10-13T11:27:00.000-07:00

A very cute tutorial for a Halloween Onesie for your darling baby!

Blue-J Cottage: {Tutorial} Pumpkin Onsie

Free Halloween Printable

2011-10-13T09:30:00.000-07:00

Make and Takes has a free Halloween Printable for the kids by Love The Day.

I'm Guest Posting Today!

2011-10-12T06:45:00.000-07:00

I shared my pop top can tutorial today on Insanity Rules. It's a fun project! Go check it out!

Thanks Emily!

I won! Woohoo!

2011-10-07T07:53:00.000-07:00

I was lucky enough to win not one but TWO giveaways this week. They were rather timely, too, since keeping up with two households (our TX house has not sold yet.) has forced a "needs only" purchase policy for a long while, and I have really been feeling it.

It will be nice to have something new and fun arrive in the mail.
So a huge THANK YOU to Debbie at A Quilter's Table for the beautiful and generous fat quarter stack.

Picture from http://aquilterstable.blogspot.com/

and to Kristina at One Happy Mama for a fun new DVD for my kids to enjoy.

Image from Amazon.com

I feel so blessed! Thanks again ladies!

Itching to share

2011-10-06T11:51:00.000-07:00

You how it is when you make something you just love and then you can't say anything or show it to anyone, because the surprise will be ruined. Well that is my situation right now.
I have been making baby gifts and most of them turned out really cute. The one I finished today I LOVE. So much that I almost don't want to give it up! It is actually a combo baby/birthday gift. Baby won't be here until January and there is another promised gift in the works for the birth time frame. The one I just finished is just a small little gift, but it turned out better than I expected. And I can't share it until NOVEMBER!!! Aah. Unless she wants it early? Christine? Yes? LOL

Wordless Wednesday

2011-10-05T07:12:00.001-07:00

Yesterday

2011-10-04T06:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was mostly patient with my family.
Yesterday I finished 2 baby gifts.
Yesterday I was not terribly kind. :P (Need to work on that)
Yesterday, I took a very brief, and very ineffective nap.
Yesterday was a pretty good day.

You can still enter to win a tutu and headband set at Insanity Rules!

(Honestly, I don't really want to remind you of this, cause my chances are awesome right now. But again, I am nice that way.) ;)

Insanity Rules: Tutus and a Giveaway

2011-10-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

Win an adorable Tutu and hairbow set at
Insanity Rules: Tutus and a Giveaway

My Littlest Miss really "needs" this tutu, but I am sharing this with you anyway, 'cause I'm nice like that.
Hello Christmas present for those kids or grandkids. Or better yet Halloween!
Head over and enter!

Today.

2011-10-03T07:27:00.000-07:00

Today, I will be patient with my family.
Today, I will finish at least 2 baby gifts.
Today, I will be kind.
Today, I will take a brief, but effective nap.
Today will be a good day.

Soap Saver Experiment Review

2011-10-02T07:38:00.000-07:00

So, now we have all had time to use our little soap savers, here is what we think.

Kid 1: Gets you clean but does not make enough lather. It makes the soap really mushy.
Kid 2: I hate it, doesn't soap off (not sure what that means) the soap doesn't come out enough. It feels really uncomfortable.
Kid 3: No I don't like it at all. I can barely get any soap out of it.
Me: The cloth never dries, so it is cold and feels a little gross at first. Sometimes it lathers, sometimes not.It does make it much easier to hold on to the soap.
Hubby: Hasn't touched it that I know of.

So our overall rating is 2 thumbs down. (In other words, if I were you I would not bother making these.)

It was a nice thought, I guess, but it is not really doing the job like the manufactured ones. I am sure that what they make their covers out of was made specifically to dry and let the lather out. Good job Johnson and Johnson!

Jane of All Crafts: UPrinting Giveaway!!!

2011-10-01T12:22:00.000-07:00

Jane of All Crafts: UPrinting Giveaway!!!

Ugh... Opinions please

2011-09-28T17:55:00.000-07:00

Is this over the top for a burp cloth?
I wanted to make something special, that I put time and effort into, and with my limited budget, well, I had to use what I had. I loved making the zigzag mug rug and in my head the burp cloth looked a lot less...

...Well I don't know what...

So tell me the truth. I can take it.

Chuck it or gift it?

And yes it is sewn crooked. Darn thing.

For all you ladies out there

2011-09-27T07:46:00.000-07:00

This is an amazing, postive and very uplifting message, no matter what your religion is.
I hope you will go read it and take whatever touches you into your life.
Hugs!
FORGET ME NOT

You can also view the whole message HERE, as it was broadcast which is even better!
Click on President Dieter F. Uchtdorf's links.

Of course you can listen to all of them. They were all wonderful messages.

UPDATE: Pay It Forward comments problem

2011-09-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

UPDATE:

Hey friends!
It seems that comments have not been working, so if you thought you commented to join Pay It Forward please email me at zippystamper at gmail dot com to sign up. You can also try commenting again on that post, since I turned off the word verification to see if that will help.
I have one person signed up:
Martha
If you did not know about Pay it Forward and want to join, also, send me an email. :)
I will take the next 2 emails.
Thanks!

My first Mug Rug!

2011-09-24T09:18:00.000-07:00

Lee at Freshly Pieced posted a really cute mug rug tutorial (HERE) the other day and I just had to try it.
It turned out great! It took me about 3 hours from start to finish.

It did not stay a mug rug though because I could not bear to put anything on it. So I asked my 2 year old if she wanted it. She did and put it right to work keeping her Abby Cadabby and Elmo dolls warm. :)

I did a fully machine stitched, scrappy binding with a zigzag stitch to finish it. By pure coincidence I quilted it exactly the same way Lee did hers, 1/4 away from the seams.
Fabrics are Sugar and Spice by the Quilted Fish, for Riley Blake, a red gingham that I bought on our trip to San Diego, a red dot from I don't know where, and an aqua background fabric.

Pay it forward comments

2011-09-23T09:40:00.000-07:00

Hey friends!
It seems that comments have not been working, so if you thought you commented to join Pay It Forward please email me at zippystamper at gmail dot com to sign up. I do not have anyone signed up!
If you did not know about Pay it Forward and want to join, also, send me an email. :)
I will take the first 3 emails.
Thanks!

Jane of All Crafts: Awesome {styrofoam} acorns tutorial

2011-09-23T06:37:00.000-07:00

Andi at Jane of All Crafts came up with a really cute fall project. Styrofoam Acorns! Go check out how to make them!

Jane of All Crafts: Awesome {styrofoam} acorns tutorial

Soap Saver experiment

2011-09-22T11:36:00.000-07:00

* Update* before you make this, read our family review HERE.

These little bars of soap are fantastic for kids! And there are usually tons of coupons out there so you can stock up on them. My stash ran out a while back and I have not gotten any coupons lately so the kids have had to use regular bar soap. They don't like how slippery it is, so I came up with a plan.

I have a bunch of baby wash cloths, the small, thin, soft ones that I thought would work well.
I just took one of those and made a little pouch to hold the soap. I have had the kids test it out for a couple of days and it works nearly as well as the Buddies. We will have to wait to see how it goes when the soap gets really small.

Here is what I did:

This one is a tad loose. I may turn it again and stitch another line to tighten it up. You want the soap to fit nice and snug for as long as possible.

I think I may use one in our shower too. :)

& I will do a follow up review post when our soap runs out!

Have a great day!

Crazy Crust Pizza follow up.

2011-09-22T10:03:00.000-07:00

Tuesday night I made Crazy Crust Pizza after I saw that my friend Christine had liked it.
A few things I learned from making this.
1- My 7 year old suddenly does not like pepperoni.

2- Using parchment paper on the baking sheet is a BAD idea.

3- I needed another 1/2 cup of flour, not sure if it was just too humid here or what, and the dough still was "pourable".

4- I do not like this pizza. The texture was weird for me. The crust was too soft, thick and doughy and didn't have much flavor. My 2 year old was not interested in eating it at all so she may have liked it if she had tried it. Everyone else said it was a keeper.

So, I will be making this again, but I will be having a salad. :)

Such a cute baby shower!

2011-09-21T13:53:00.000-07:00

Emily at Piccadilly Peddlers hosted one of the cutest baby showers I have seen in a long time. The theme was books and it was really well done.
Here is a sample:

You have to see the rest of what she did. So very clever! Here is her post.

Have a great day!

Tasty Tuesday: Crazy Crust Pizza, a guest post of sorts.

2011-09-20T18:29:00.000-07:00

My friend Christine posted a recipe for Crazy Crust Pizza on her group homemaking blog today and I am trying it out for dinner tonight. It is in the oven for round one of baking as I type. You can go HERE to read her review. I will post a follow up on how it goes over with our family.

Pinks Sweet Treats Digital Scrapbooking giveaway.

2011-09-18T03:30:00.001-07:00

Did you know I am a digital scrapbooker? Well, I am! Here is one of my past pages.

If you like digital scrapbooking too, or have been wanting to try it, especially if you have been wanting to try it, you should check out this giveaway at Pinks Sweet Treats, because you could win some software from My Memories! And there is a coupon code for My Memories shop in the post as well.

Pay it Forward: Handmade

2011-09-17T07:26:00.003-07:00

Julia of Blue-J cottage posted about Pay it Forward: Handmade a while back and I thought it sounded fun. I jumped in then totally forgot about it until Tuesday when she emailed me to get my contact info. :) So I am posting this a little late according to the guidelines, but, oh well!

I love the thought of sharing some handmade treats with a blogging friend and also getting surprises in my mailbox to boot. Don't you?

Are you interested in joining the {Pay It Forward} Handmade game??

Here are the details:

1. I will make a little something for the first 3 people who comment on this post. It will be a surprise and it will arrive when you least expect it.

2. I will have 365 days to do it in. What's the catch? To get a handmade present from me, you have to play too! This means YOU pledge to send a little handmade something for 3 readers of your blog. It doesn't have to be quilty - just handmade.

3. You must have a blog.

4. Once you comment here [making sure to include your email address, so I can contact you!], you must post about your Pay It Forward on your blog to keep the fun going - with the Pay It Forward badge. Also, feel free to join the Flickr group to see what else is being sent!

5. Follow me! [If you don't already.]

My {Pay It Forward} Handmade will be for the first three people to comment on this post and agree to play along. My plan is to get to know you through your blogs and comments and flickr to figure out what would suit your fancy. So make sure to mention your likes, dislikes, favorites, crafty wishes and upcoming life events on your blog. Join in and spread some {Handmade} love!

PS - Julia was recently married, so pop in to her blog and share some good wishes with her!
PPS - Due to budget issues, I need to keep the shipping within the US. Thanks!

And PPPS It seems we are having issues with leaving comments again, so you can email me if that works better for you. :)

Quilt Across Texas, I'm missing you!

2011-09-16T09:06:00.016-07:00

Poor little old me, I am missing the big shop hop, but one of my former local shops, The Alford Inn & Quilt Shoppe posted pictures and I am loving some of the projects! Like this twister quilt. How cool!

image from http://alfordinn.blogspot.com/

You can visit their blog to see more pictures and they do have on online shop and take orders over the phone as well.

PS I came across this fun video clip of some guys playing jazz... to cows! LOL so funny. :)

and one last thing, another birthday giveaway today at Insanity Rules!

Insanity Rules: 4th Birthday giveaway!

2011-09-15T14:51:00.003-07:00

Insanity Rules: 4th Birthday Giveaway

More birthday goodies to win! Go check it out!

A finish

2011-09-15T03:47:00.001-07:00

This isn't actually my finish, but my son's. He finally has his ~~doll~~ frog quilt!
We enlisted Grandma Lorry to help us and she finished the binding before we left Texas.

Misc. stuff I made.

2011-09-14T15:11:00.000-07:00

I made this card and gave it to my Brother in Law for his birthday. It is one of my favorites.

Another key fob made in school colors for my niece who just passed her drivers ed courses. I should probably mail that. :)

Insanity Rules: 3rd Birthday Giveaway

2011-09-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Another cute prize at Emily's!

Insanity Rules: 3rd Birthday Giveaway

Insanity Rules: 2nd Birthday Giveaway

2011-09-13T19:40:00.003-07:00

Emily at Insanity rules is having a week of giveaways to celebrate her birthday. Today you can win a cute Halloween Decoration!
Check it out here:
Insanity Rules: 2nd Birthday Giveaway

Sweet Music!

2011-09-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

This is too awesome!
Thanks to Bloom for sharing it.
for posting it.

I got to sew!

2011-09-09T16:52:00.000-07:00

I got this fabric and the hardware on the left a while ago from Quilt Asylum and just have not done it. I needed a sewing fix and this seemed like the perfect time to make it. I also made a second one with some miscellaneous hardware. I added a ruffle to the second one, as shown in this tutorial but I don't really like how it turned out. It looks messy and not ruffle-y enough. The strip needed to be longer. But I got to sew! YAY!

We had a major power outage yesterday from 3:30pm to 10:30pm or these would have been done yesterday. It has been a while since we have had an outage last that long, and I am grateful it wasn't longer. The kids got to stay home from school, and the DMV was closed today with their systems down, so getting my California license was thwarted for the second time.

And now, with the kids running amok and all of us hungry, it is time to put the pizza in the oven. Off I go!

New kids book on the horizon!

2011-09-08T14:03:00.002-07:00

I found out via one of my fav kids authors, Frank L Cole,(see his post here: http://franklewiscole.blogspot.com/2011/08/huber-hill-and-dead-mans-treasure.html ) that there is a fun new book for youth coming out in October. You can pre-order the book, and donations will be made to a young lady with some major medical bills to deal with.
Go to http://www.facebook.com/bkbostickauthorpage and like the author and check out the info on the new book.