Quilting time Day 2....a strip is a stripe is a strip

After finding my inspiration I have begun the construction of my quilt. I decided to do stripes because I am going for simple. I should have way more done than I do but I must secretly strive on deadlines, or at least I'm trying to make myself since every project I have going on gets pushed together at the very last minute. Hmmm, could this be a problem? Or just some amazing time management secret. haha. A girl can dream.

Back to the project at hand, er machine. I purchased my fabric according to how many strips I would need to make the finished twin quilt size with the help of my lovely lady friends down at Harriet's Treadle Arts. They are so sweet and helpful. Thanks Ladies!

I purchased enough fabric to make stripes using 8 colorways. I made the strips different widths which in hindsight may or may not be a good idea since it then left me with uneven strips (meaning I had more strips in some color than others).

Since I tend to have large amounts of time between when I get to work on a project I always need some way of remembering pertinent information. I decided this time to lay out the stripes in the pattern I wanted and take a picture. This way I can see what color needs to be sewn next.

The picture will give you an idea of how many strips it takes to make a twin size quilt. Always measure and ask your local quilt store if you are unsure. They are there to help!

Standard quilt sizes are as follows:

Type******Mattress Size****Quilt Size

Crib ******28"x52" *********50"x53"

Twin *****39"x75" *********65"x88"

Double****54"x75" *********80"x88"

Queen ****60"x80"*********86"x93"

King*******76"x80"********104"x93"

Cali King***72"x84"********100"x97"

Tip 1* To save money you can use a sheet for the back of the quilt. Just be sure to either use the same material or prewash the quilt fabric so that the top doesn't shrink and the sheet stays the same (if it is a blend of poly then they are not going to shrink like cotton would)

Tip 2* Instead of cutting each strip of fabric tear it. It will always be a perfect straight line (if the fabric is 100% cotton) and it saves you time. I don't mind the frayed edges though so consider that before ripping away :)

If you are looking for fun, fresh and contemporary fabrics check out pink chalk fabrics online at www.pinkchalkfabrics.com !!

Shout out

I am excited because I just signed on as the Hospitality coordinator at my MOPS group which means I get to come up with all sorts of fun decorating ideas and share them with all of you! My post is titled shout out because i wanted to pass along some creative decorating ideas i recently got from two of my best girl friends. One gave me the idea to use our next year MOPS theme, "Momology; the art and science of mothering" and make the centerpieces using test tubes and single strands of beautiful flowers with microscope slides featuring written words that describe the awesome gift of being a mother. I also thought I could use classic art that features mothers and incorporate that into the final piece. The design is still in the idea phase but once I figure out how to make it work I can post a picture of the final creation!

Another great friend of mine told me how I can decorate a space using paper banners. She has them up at her house and they are super cute! Here is her blog, check em out!

http://www.andthenshesaved.com/home/hooked-on-banners.html

Quilting Time

It has been exactly one year since my last quilt (it was also my first quilt). I made it for my mother for her 60Th birthday and for a first quilt it was a great learning experience. I did an applique, which means stitching shapes onto the top of the finished quilt before quilting the entire top. My aunt helped me with the finishing touches, I made the top of the quilt and all the appliques. She and her friends did the back, binding and quilting design. It turned out good.

Since it is time to decorate my sons big boy room I wanted to make a quilt for his bed that he could keep forever, rather than a store bought comforter that would end up being sold at a garage sale. This time I am doing the entire thing. I started with inspiration from a magazine, it is very simple so hopefully will be quick. The first steps in making a quilt for me is:

1. Find inspiration, look through books and magazines.

2. Decide on color scheme (this always changes a bit when you go to pick out fabric)

3. Formulate your plan (the ladies at my quilt shop help immensely in this, you might also want to consider purchasing a quilting book)

That will help get your feet off the ground. I will post the steps as I go. Keep checking back for more tips.

Balancing Act

Starting this blog I had all sorts of ambitious goals in mind. I wanted to share a bountiful amount of crafts/cooking etc and thought I could post daily or at least weekly. Well, one thing I have come to realize is that life is very much a continual balancing act. After busy schedules and bouts of Internet drama (my Internet likes to work about 2 days a month) I realized that my blogging has taken a back seat.

Sorry fellow crafters/readers if you have been hanging on the edge of your seats waiting for the next craft....i hope you haven't been waiting with bated breath. But I am presently entrenched in home remodeling. Nothing grand scale, just re crafting my space to give new life. Spring renewal, I am calling it. Since our house is 110 years old, I wonder how many spring renewals it has been given. I bet a few.

Hopefully I can find some time to blog about the fun ways I have been rearranging the abode. So far not much money has been spent except in the master bedroom a new set of curtains and bedsheets,(it's amazing what new sheets can do for a bedroom) and in the guest bathroom, we put up fresh paint and a new mirror and towel rack. Not a lot of moolah but a nice improvement. We are planning on gutting it in the next year, using the newly purchased items as well as adding more. It was a refreshing change to get us through.

I have also been moving things from room to room. I have seen stagers do this and though our house is not on the market I thought I'd give the idea a try. You know, it actually works. It's amazing how a piece of furniture looks totally transformed by just moving it to another room!

We have had this nook at the top of our stairs that has literally perplexed me for years, years! But I had an epiphany the other day to make it a computer nook. My husband was not so sure, but after it was completed he said "he couldn't imagine it anywhere else"! How is that for an accomplishment :)

Next on the list is a somewhat bigger endeavor. My sons big boy room! I am excited about this one. It is going to be a decorating undertaking, but I am looking forward to it. If fact I am sort of obsessing about it. I have a lot of ideas in mind and honestly he is not even ready to be out of his crib. Ha. I will keep you all posted on things I learn along the way.

Quick Party Tips

I like to host parties. I love it when I have a chance to decorate and entertain. I especially love using quick and easy ideas that really make a big difference in your food displays. I thought I could share a few of my quick tips to make even the most last minute party really pop.

Lemon wedges make everything prettier.

• Slice them thin and place them on the inside of a clear glass pitcher filled with ice water or any beverage. If you are limited on funds and can't have a lot of fancy drinks just spruce up the look of inexpensive drinks like water, tea and lemonade.



• Slice lemon wedges and place them in your vase filled with fresh flowers that match the theme or holiday. Flowers can be a cheap add on that makes your display so much prettier. Buy the bulk flowers from your local grocery, give them a fresh angled cut and slide in the lemon wedges for that little extra. The lemon wedges also help kill bacteria in the water so it has multiple functions.

Serve Drinks in a decorative bin.

• Buy a bag or two of ice and serve your beers, sodas or sparkling water in a metal or plastic bin filled with ice. You can get really cost effective bins at your local discount stores and they are reusable so it is a smart investment. Especially if you entertain a lot. Fill the bin half full with ice, place your drinks in a pleasing display and pour ice over rest. Voila, looks like a million bucks

Think about placement and unique ways to present necessities.

• Such as plastic silver ware. Try tying them (loosely) with twine in separate bunches and hot gluing a charm that matches your party to the twine. Example, a beach party; hot glue a sea shell to the twine and it can really tie the whole theme together. Very quick and cheap but makes even plastic silver ware more special.

Hopefully you can give these cheap quick tips a try at your next soiree! Happy planning!

Angel Food Cake with a Strawberry Cream Center

My childhood friend and her family were coming to visit a couple of weeks ago and her oldest son was turning nine. Which is difficult to believe but its true. It feels like it was just yesterday that his mom and I met. We met we were 12! Its so cliche to say time flies, but it does, it really does!!

Anyway, I digress. So they were going to be traveling on his birthday and arriving into town just in time to go out for a birthday dinner. She had said her son wanted strawberry shortcake so I offered to make one for him. I wanted to do a different take on it though, which could be going out on a limb. You never know with kids if they will be thrilled or disappointed that they didn't get exactly what they asked for. The one thing you do know is that they will probably tell you precisely what they are thinking about it, so I knew in a few short hours that I would find out if it was a hit or a miss.

I had looked through some recipes to get an idea. I liked a few concepts but needed to change a few things. I came up with one that worked well and was pretty simple. So if you are in the mood for a twist on a classic try this.

By the way, the birthday boy said "it was not what he was wanting, but it was better"! Whoo, saved my the second comment. :)

Ingredients:

1 Angel Food Cake (store bought works great)

6 ounces of cream cheese

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1/3 cup lemon juice

1/4 tsp almond extract

Red food coloring

2 cups sliced strawberries (divided-1 cup filling, 1 cup for decorating)

1 (12 ounce) carton of whipping cream

gelatin (read packet for stabilizing amt and instructions)

Instructions:

• Cut a 1 inch slice off top of the cake; set aside. Make a tunnel by carefully hollowing out the bottom leaving a 1 inch shell all around. Cut or tear the removed cake into small cubes.


• Be cream cheese until fluffy. Beat in milk and lemon juice until smooth. Stir in extract and food coloring to desired pinkness. Stir in cake cubes and strawberries. Refrigerate.


• Whip your fresh cream adding the gelatin for stability ( I use electric hand beaters to whip fresh cream, just be careful that you don't overwhip. Once firm peaks begin to form, you can stop).


• Fold 1 cup of whipped cream into strawberry cream mixture.


• Fill tunnel with mixture, replace top.
  
• Spread remaining whipped topping over top and sides of cake.


• Decorate sides and top of cake with remaining sliced strawberries.


• Refrigerate overnight if possible or at least 4 hours.

Enjoy!

Pine Cone Bird Feeder

To feed wild birds in your yard try making an easy pine cone bird feeder. A fun project that makes bird watching extra fun.











What you'll need:

• Pine cone



• Twine



• Peanut Butter



• Bird Seed

Instructions:

1. Tie a knot around bottom half of pine cone or hot glue an edge to bottom area of the pine cone




2. Wrap twine around the pine cone and leave enough to hang from a branch




3. Smear pine cone in peanut butter




4. Roll in birdseed




5. Hang on a branch for birds to enjoy

Watch for birds as a family. Take the opportunity to talk about the birds that you see!