craftytammie

chicken tortilla soup

2012-01-23T12:39:00.000-06:00

things are starting to come back together around here! sawyer ended up with a fever and cough, so we went to the clinic yesterday and got him started on tamiflu as well. it definitely helped him faster than me, then again - i did wait 3 days before i saw the doc.

today is the 1st day i've had the energy to actually move around the house, and so - laundry is almost caught up, vacuuming is done, sheets are being washed, bathrooms are clean. the kids are *supposedly* working on their rooms right now. i kept them home from school today, just to be safe. i don't want to spread this flu any farther.

the funny thing about this flu bug - no stomach issues. at all. no nausea, no vomiting, no other stuff. i didn't realize it was the flu, i figured a respiratory thing, but the flu test probably doesn't lie, right? my appetite remained strong through the whole ordeal. luckily i had made potato soup right before i got sick, so i lived on that. the kids kind of fended for themselves, eating cereal, yogurt, pizza, and take out chinese. which means today there is nothing left in the house. i scavenged in the pantry to come up with enough food to make this soup.

really, is there anything the pioneer woman can't do? i had to make a few changes - only one can of beans, one can of broth, added in 1 c. corn, i didn't have cornmeal. i fried up some corn tortilla chips too. mmm.

sew full of love, the sequel

2012-01-21T20:44:00.000-06:00

some of you might remember last year, when i did a "sew full of love" event to celebrate all the things i love about my life, this blog, and some of my favorite people?! if not, you can go meet candice, lauranie, ginger, and stephanie (just click on their names) and you'll see why those girls make my life a better place.

and i had so much fun, i am doing it again this year!

i am looking for a few more guest posters - but i am super excited about the ones lined up already :) just like last year, there will be some giveaways too - so i hope you'll stop by! and if you're interested in guest posting or sponsoring a giveaway, let's talk.

now, i'm going to fall into bed. i've got the flu, and i'm waiting for tamiflu to work it's magic but have been dead on the couch for three days now. ugh. i so hate being sick.

judge me if you want

2012-01-18T06:03:00.000-06:00

quokka quilts has a fun survey going on - you can vote for your three favorite blogger's choice bundles! what a tough job those judges have. by the way - it's just for fun! but if you want to toss a vote or two my way, i won't complain (i'm entry #200)

curse you universe!

2012-01-15T02:13:00.000-06:00

so absolutely no progress is being made on any quilts this week. i'll go ahead and lay the blame on the rural electric cooperative and the mighty kansas winds. wednesday afternoon, i was stitching along, and was within 2 feet of completing attaching the binding on emma's quilt. because i was going to watch tv and stitch binding that night, relaxing with my family.
then, the power began to flicker. off and on. off and on. every time it came back on, the kids would cheer and i'd put the pedal to the metal. i tried so hard to stitch it out. but the final time the lights went out, and didn't come back on? i hung my head and smiled. of course.

I Had Plans.
and the universe, well, she can't help but mess with you when you think you can Make Plans.

kind of like this weekend. I Had Plans to knock out a lot of sewing- i am testing a pattern for someone - it's super cute and top secret but i can't wait to show you the whole thing!!

and i was going to bake cookies at a friend's house, had a 1st birthday party to attend, plus a wrestling tournament for the kids. anyways, friday afternoon, the dreaded phone call. the nuke power plant troy works at was offline. he would be working fri.sat.sun. evening. sigh.

anyways, not to complain (even though i do it so well!) i have gotten a little bit done. emma's getting taller but not growing anywhere else, so a lot of her jeans are too short. the next size up is baggy around the waist, and she does not like any "poofiness" there. belts are a pain. so i decided to quickly lengthen a pair of her shortest jeans with a ruffle. easy peasy.

i'm still hopeful that i can get that binding done this weekend - even though it's slow going, due to this.

i really wish i knew how to prevent those cracks! they take forever to heal! anyone have any tried and true remedies? i've tried the liquid skin stuff, and bandaging with neosporin. it's frustrating, because this winter has been super mild, so i'd hoped i wouldn't get them. ah well. there i go planning again...

kcmqg challenges

2012-01-13T11:10:00.000-06:00

SHOPPER ALERT! if you were thinking of going into aunt jenny's stitch & stuff in ottawa, i hear that *someone* cleaned them out already! and no, it wasn't me. honest. :D

last night's guild meeting was a lot of fun, i am so glad to be making friends and not feeling so nervous when i go. i signed up to take an applique class in march from jenifer, which i'm looking forward to! and i also picked up several more people's shades of gray charms! hooray! i didn't get emma's quilt binding finished for show & share, but i've shown her quilt top before, so no biggie.

we got our newest quilt challenge, and it's a doozy. here's what i have to use for my inspiration:

landscape with red dots II by wassily kandinsky. i'm probably the only person who sees this, but if you turn it counter clockwise, it sort of looks like a head with an explosion coming out of it. that's all i got so far, peeps. it's gonna be an ugly challenge. but i keep looking at it, trying to decide what i want to draw from it, whether it will be just the colors or the shapes or what. we shall see.

chicken pot pie

2012-01-11T10:02:00.002-06:00

now, on to an actual craftyish post. one of my favorite things to make (and eat) is chicken pot pie. i use a recipe from a favorite cookbook, the big book of casseroles by maryana vollstedt.

when i was learning to cook, i tried a lot of recipes in this book. the chicken and black beans is great. but the pot pie is my hands down favorite.

i make my own pie crust using this recipe:

2 cups flour
1 stick crisco (butter or reg)
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup water

i'm sure there are other recipes that work great too - this one works pretty consistently for me, although it doesn't brown as nicely as i'd like. i use a pampered chef pastry blender and a fork.

and i also use a bottom crust, which the recipe doesn't call for. for chicken, i usually cook 6-8 chicken breast at a time in the crock pot with a can of tomatoes, then shred and freeze it for use in future meals. and someday, i will learn how to make my crusts look like they do in magazines, all perfectly crimped, but i'm usually to excited to get to eating it to worry much about it.

the recipe is loaded up with veggies like corn, carrots, onions, and celery, but i also add in a can of diced potatoes as well as frozen peas. i love that our kids eat this so well, but if i were to pile all those veggies on a plate, they'd whine and moan and have to be bribed to eat them. kids, sheesh.

it goes fast, there's usually only one piece left after dinner for me to eat the next day. i'm a big fan of any kind of pie for breakfast. especially pecan and pumpkin. hmm, i may have just added something to my to-do list today...

charm pack winners

2012-01-11T09:47:00.003-06:00

i'm a little late getting this posted - last night got away from me, and so without further ado - the winners of the silent film charm packs are:

comment 69 - Brandie

comment 38 - Robin

comment 53 - Giles (a guy! see, guys do notice me! ha!)

i have sent emails to each of the winners, and if by some chance i haven't heard from them in say, 48 hours, i will draw another winner. thanks so much to fat quarter shop for sponsoring the giveaway, and to all of you who took the time to enter! i'm hoping to have lots of fun stuff to give away this year!

store closing sale

2012-01-10T12:52:00.000-06:00

hey local friends!

i stopped in aunt jenny's stich & stuff in downtown ottawa this morning - did you know they are closing shop? everything is 70% off - and they were pretty reasonably priced already. i'm sad to see them go. it's a great space that's for rent too - in anyone wants to open a craft store i'd be happy to run it for you!

anyways - 70% off, i couldn't resist. don't tell my husband. but check out my haul!

do you see that total? $29.01. i got *almost* 4 yards of katie jump rope, 3 yards of heather ross, and 3 yards of that fun tina givens floral dot print, along with a bunch of fat quarters, three packs of schmetz needles, and 6 spools of thread. pretty sweet, huh?

anyways - kc friends, want me to pick up any FQ for you before the meeting thursday? they are cheap cheap cheap!! now - what to make with all that fabric...

good times are exhausting

2012-01-07T20:43:00.001-06:00

what a great weekend! friday was alex's 6th birthday, so we had cake. a quickly done mario themed mess of a cake. my cake supplies are seriously low - no red food coloring, only one bag of p.sugar, so i used (gasp!) canned frosting! bleah. and i cut out a coloring picture for mario, taped it to a popsicle stick, and voila! mario cake. he liked it, that's all that matters, right?

but my fondant was awesome, have you ever made your own fondant? this is a great recipe, and i used my kitchenaid dough hook to do the kneading for me. pretty tasty stuff. i did coat the counter with crisco to keep it from sticking, and it made it nice and pliable.

then their favorite babysitter kirby came over to stay with them, while we went to a surprise 40th for his brother jeff. it was at the beer joint in town and was a blast. the hangover, not so much. ugh. why? why do i take shots when i know i'm way too old for it?

my partner in crime kelly

so we recuperated on the couch most of the morning, and later i took the three older kids(and froggy!) to see chipwrecked. they had gotten movie passes for christmas. i love going to the movies - anyone seen sherlock holmes yet? i'm dying to go! the movie was cute, the kids liked it.

today troy took emma and alex to a wrestling tournament - aj's first! we are planning a quiet day sewing, just dance 3 on wii, and doing nothing much else. the first of the charm squares has arrived, so i'm planning to get mine cut too. i am very behind on a bunch of stuff, so cross your fingers for a productive day!

***update! alex has lost one match, and won one - if he loses the next he's out, but troy said he's doing awesome!!

TO DO:
do. good stitches blocks for ~~december~~ and january

quilted notebook for cricket
cut charms for swap
package purple outfoxed FQ for swap
package etsy orders to ship monday
finish cleaning sewing nook

blogger's choice fat quarter bundle

2012-01-03T13:23:00.000-06:00

introducing - modern spring fling!

i've been wanting to make a quilt with these colors forever now. lots of white sashing, that luscious joel dewberry heirloom print - i could live in these colors! unfortunately the mister can't. and it's a bit too grown up for my little girl. so, someday...

1. children at play by sarah jane
2. ruby by bonnie & camille
3. american banner rose by minick & simpson
4. aqua red by michael miller
5. lanikai by dear stella
6. heart garden by robin zingone
7. lanikai by dear stella
8. heirloom by joel dewberry
9. weekend clubhouse 2012
10. heart garden by robin zingone
11. weekend clubhouse 2012
12. stitch organic by betz white
13. bella solids navy
14. bella solids teal
15. michael miller fuchsia cotton couture

go to quokka quilts to link up your own fat quarter shop blogger's choice bundle! someone's going to win yardage of their choices! all of these fabrics are available at fat quarter shop!

hey swappers!

2012-01-03T11:55:00.001-06:00

i've sent an email with shipping info to everyone in the swap - except for MELISSA - yeah you! i need you to get in touch with me, you are a no-reply blogger :) if i don't hear from you tonight, i will give your spot away, sorry but the deadline is approaching! if i have missed you or you have questions, you can leave me a comment on this post.

or get ahold of me through the flickr group:

http://www.flickr.com/groups/shadesofgray/

meanwhile, here's what my darling husband did for me last weekend. he was on call all weekend, so he couldn't go anywhere! he hung a bunch of trim in a couple rooms and finally put up my shelves! i got them at the goodwill, painted them white, and i just love it! they hold fat quarters perfectly.

hello 2012! come on in!

2012-01-02T07:36:00.001-06:00

sign ups are still open for the shades of gray charm swap! we only have 11 3 spaces to fill, the sooner the better, so if you're interested, go here to sign up! and if you'd like to take a double spot - let me know. i'm filling two spots myself, using alexander henry diamond eye for one of my fabrics.

i am so far behind on everything. the house is starting to recover from the mess of the holidays. so much trash! ~~next~~ this year - cloth gift bags.

the view from here

we stretched our holiday out - starting at his mom's with all his sibs, then our home for two days, then at my folks' with my brothers for the last couple days. sawyer's cutting bottom molars, and he's not happy about it. he doesn't sleep well when teething, and wants to be held a lot. it's been an exhausting week, waaay too much coffee has been drunk, and i am not ready for vacation to be over. i still need one!

anyways. one great thing about this weekend was that my husband was on call all weekend, so he had to stay at home. and he cut trim for a bathroom, crown moulding for the mudroom, moved furniture around for me, and hung several shelves. things are looking much better now. i'll be taking lots of pictures later this morning to share with you!

i tried to tackle a few smallish things before the new year began. i didn't get far though. just finished trimming this dish towel - using vintage linens and grosgrain ribbon. i did a little hand stitching with some perle cotton.

working on my blocks for do. good stitches. gray with a pop of green.

binding emma's quilt.

making a quilted notebook for my new friend cricket - who is very patient.

hope you all had a great christmas, and be sure to enter the fat quarter shop giveaway!

silent film charm pack giveaway!

2011-12-27T21:50:00.001-06:00

thanks to the fabulous fat quarter shop for sponsoring this giveaway!

three silent film kona cotton charm packs, three winners!

all you need to do to enter is leave me a comment, and tell me what your favorite color is to pair with grey (gray?)

bonus entries:
1. like craftytammie on facebook or tell me you already do
2. like Fat Quarter Shop on facebook or tell me you already do
3. follow craftytammie on twitter
4. follow Fat Quarter Shop on twitter

giveaway ends january 10th, and winners will be drawn randomly from all comments received! open to anyone, anywhere in the world!

while you're here, don't forget, signups are open for the shades of gray charm swap! here's the info, hope you'll join in the fun!

shades of gray fabric linky list!

2011-12-27T11:08:00.013-06:00

ok, time to start showing us those shades of gray fabrics!

right now, lots of shops have fabric marked down for the year's end. like these dots from circa1934 at sewmamasew. so take a look around, you're sure to find a bargain! (some sites require a minimum purchase on sale fabrics)

once you've decided which two fabrics you're buying/using, just add them to the list so nobody else buys the same one! easy peasy. do keep in mind that the print should be contained within a 5 inch charm, so some large prints won't work well here.

ALSO - if you'd like to fill two spots, sending in 96 charms, fantastic! i'm doing that myself! just let me know so i get you counted!

well, what are you waiting for?! let's see those fabrics!

i'm trying to figure out why images aren't able to be taken right from the web site. i added my images by saving them to my desktop and selecting that option. hopefully this can be resolved quickly!

I GIVE UP. so i started a flickr group for us - which i invite you all to join! we can link up our fabrics, projects we make with the charms, and more! here's the link!

http://www.flickr.com/groups/shadesofgray/

shades of gray charm swap

2011-12-26T10:40:00.002-06:00

sign ups are now ~~open~~ CLOSED for the shades of gray charm swap! please be sure to read the rules and if you agree to play by them, leave me a comment, and you're in! i'll take the first twenty three (plus me)- but if there's more interest, we can do more groups, or have an alternate or two.

the fine print:

we're swapping 5 inch charm squares in shades of gray. so any grey, black & white are acceptable. grey with black, black on white, black with gray dots - but no other colors please! rotary cut only. each swapper will cut 2 different half yard cuts, into 24, 5 inch charms each. each swapper agrees to use only top quilt shop quality, new cotton quilting fabric from a smoke free home. (no fabric from walmart or joann's or granny's stash) please don't prewash your fabrics. and finally, no flannel.

fat quarter shop is sponsoring an amazing giveaway for our shades of gray swap - more details to come soon! be sure to stop by their shop and see all the fabulous gray fabrics they have!

puttin' on the ritz

citron gray

tuxedo collection

or if you choose to go black and white, they have lots to pick from too!

annie's farm stand

black tuxedo batiks

black & white

to ensure no duplicates, i'll ask that you add your chosen fabrics to a linky list (i'll add in another post, once signups are completed) plus, then we can all ooh and ahh over the fabrics we'll be getting!

here's one last example, this has white, grey, and black, all in one!

oval elements, cookies 'n cream

once again, each swapper will cut 2 different half yards of fabric into 5 inch charms, 24 of each fabric. 48 charms total. then, mail all those to me along with a self addressed, prepaid envelope, and i will mail them back an assortment of 48 different charms! i'd like to have them all sent back out by january 31st if not sooner, so please plan to have them mailed to me by january 15th.

just think of the possibilities! make a dramatic shades of gray quilt. or add in a single color for a dramatic pop!

questions? concerns? am i way off on my math? it's been known to happen! email me and i'll try to answer them asap. otherwise, leave me a comment telling me you'd like to join, and when we reach 23 people it's closed! if there's enough interest, i may be able to do two groups. so spread the word, feel free to steal the graphic and use it on your own blog!

BFF

2011-12-20T14:58:00.000-06:00

i know you guys are probably waiting for me to share all the loot i won in sewmamasew's giveaway day - but i didn't. win. anything. i'm not sure that's ever happened! but hopefully that means some of you were super lucky and have some great mail coming to you!

the cookie exchange was awesome - lots (and lots) of yummy cookies! 18 x 9 dozen = a boatload.

joy is a great hostess - she got us all insulated coffee cups and had a hot chocolate bar (with marshmallow vodka to spike it with!) she rented out a room at the visitor's center so there was plenty of parking and enough room for everyone. there were 18 participants this year - the most ever!

i met joy about 11 years ago, and we love to tell our story, so i'm going to share it with you! troy and i had gotten engaged and i was planning our wedding. we lived almost 4 hours from the church, so everything was long distance - we still had dial up internet, and no facebook or pinterest to help us back then! heck, i didn't even have a cell phone yet. when the lady i wanted to make my cake wasn't available, i decided to take a class at hobby lobby and make our cake myself. a gal i worked with signed up too, and brought her sister.

and there was one more girl in the class. her name was joy. and i was envious right off the bat, because her husband, rebel, (coolest name ever) had made her a cake board out of wood and i was all "man, i wish troy would do that for me..." she and i sat next to each other, and while we were trying to make roses out of peach frosting, she leaned over and whispered "mine looks like a little penis!" and a friendship was born.

strangely enough, it turned out that we already knew "of" each other - we had mutual friends, went to the same university and she had even met troy before! then we both moved away, still within an hour of each other. a few years later, we both moved again - still within 20 minutes though. she is always planning fun events for all us girls - she started a monthly bunco club, and the cookie exchange.

joy is also the one who talked me into taking a knitting class with her - even though i'd tried to learn several times and was convinced i couldn't do it. so we met in lawrence every week and knitted washcloths. and then she talked me into taking the next class, where we tried to make socks - my one sock is still half done, still on the needles! someday, right? and i'm so glad she made me go - i love to knit now!

she is one of my only crafty friends, and even though we both have kids now and not much time to get together, i can always count on her for a good phone convo, and a great cookie exchange. she also has two of the prettiest little girls and is my own fashion stylist- she dressed me for my 20 year reunion last summer, sharing her cutest clothes and jewelry.

i love you JOY!! thanks for being a great friend!

we have a winner!

2011-12-16T20:50:00.000-06:00

i just finished making 9 dozen cuckoo cookies for my friend joy's annual cookie exchange tomorrow. phew.

this is the most we've ever made, every year more people want to join in, and i am excited to see what everyone else is bringing! plus she's having a hot chocolate bar, mmm!

i also picked up emma's quilt from the quilter this morning. i need to bind it, and i'll post some more about it later, but here's a sneak peek of the back! (she used a poly batting, i'm hoping once it's washed and dried it won't be so poofy...)

anyways, on to the winner. random number goddess - who do you choose?

#27! cricket! yay! i will contact her asap, and many many thanks to my followers, new and old! you guys are the best! i am hoping to try out some of your bread tips this week!

on a roll

2011-12-15T22:44:00.001-06:00

i'm having so much fun reading everyone's comments! i love giveaway day, i have found a bunch of new to me blogs that rock, and i hope you've been having fun too! and seriously - my sample tweet? so funny! only two people tweeted it but it totally made me crack up to see it! so thanks to everyone again for entering - only one day left!

i'm trying to get my do. good stitches blocks done - i made one this afternoon but realized it's way too big. i love it though! i will remake it, only smaller.

yesterday was rainy, gloomy and unseasonably warm - and i used it to finish piecing this top! it's made using the tutorial from the across the sea quiltalong and it's a super easy and fast quilt.

i decided to use grandma marie's gingham, and in the save the supplies spirit, i used a bunch of her scraps of white as well. can you tell?

some of the gingham was obviously left over scraps from cutting out clothing, so i made do with what i had. one block i only had enough blue for three sides, but i found a similar blue in some of my nana's fabrics.

now i need to piece a back and get it quilted. i got an email that emma's quilt is finished, yay! i am picking it up tomorrow, i can't wait to see it! maybe i can get it bound this weekend, if not, surely in time to wrap it and put it under the tree. all right, i'm going to bed. i'll be back to announce the giveaway winner this weekend!

somebody's gonna get lucky...

2011-12-12T01:42:00.004-06:00

it's giveaway day!! i love this day so much, i feel like that lady in the target black friday ads, i've got my calendar cleared, my coffee cup sitting on a sweet little mug rug and i say, bring it on!

since some of you are probably new here, i'd like to introduce myself!

i'm tammie, stay at home momma of four kiddos, and i try to make something every day. sometimes it's just the bed.
but usually i bake, craft, or stitch something.
and every day, things that seemed so unapproachable before,
like canning, or quilting,
well, they get a little easier.

not yeast bread though. i cannot get yeast bread to rise. it hates me.

anyways, for the giveaway today, i would like to offer up a custom quilted notebook! i use jcasa's quilted list taker pattern, and i love making these notebooks! they hold a 5"x7" notepad and pen. i keep one in my bag for shopping lists and coupons, and for impromptu drawing when i need a quick distraction for my kids.

the winner will get to choose from two fabric palettes.

sugar pop by moda:

or scrappy vintage fabric:

the notebooks pictured are examples only - i will make a new one for the winner!

to enter, ~~i'm using rafflecopter, so hopefully that goes well. it's my first time, be gentle. (i can't seem to change the contest end time to be 5pm PST on there, but that's when it's over, on dec. 16th)~~ USA only, please, sorry to my int'l peeps. hmm, any other fine print i'm missing? probably.   it will ship by dec. 24th.

EDITED - i'm getting some feedback that rafflecopter isn't cutting it - so i'm going to cut my losses now and go back to the "old fashioned" way of doing this.

to enter, please leave a comment for each thing you do!

1. tell me your best yeast bread tips, or which notebook you'd choose.
2. tweet the giveaway! sample tweet:
did you see the amazing notebooks @craftytammie is giving away?!   she rocks!! http://craftytammie.com
3. like me on facebook or tell me you already do
4. follow me with google friend connect, or tell me you already do!

if you already entered on rafflecopter, no worries, i am going to manually enter you in my comments. thanks for the quick feedback, maybe i'll try rafflecopter again sometime.

thanks so much for stopping by today! i am hosting a fabric swap after the holidays, so be sure to follow me in some fashion so you don't miss out on sign-ups! happy giveaway day!

guild night!

2011-12-08T15:37:00.001-06:00

whew! the flu sidelined me for an entire day, but i'm back and feeling better than ever! maybe that's what those detox cleanse things are all about. either that, or it's because i didn't have any coffee for almost 40 hours, and now i'm flying! whee!

anyways, i have gotten a lot done today, including packaging up my 2 1/2 inch charms for the swap at kcmqg tonight. fun fun! i included some katie jump rope, terrain, midwest modern, and other bits from my scrap bins. i kept at least one square of each that i cut, and i am excited to make some stuff! first up will be this scotty dog from denyse schmidt- he's been on my list for awhile, and won't he be adorable in a scrappy mish-mosh of modern fabrics!? (her pattern is for 2 1/4" squares, so i'll have to do a wee bit of trimming) also - no pics, because my camera is MIA. sigh.

i'm also thinking i need to include some other fabrics in my terrain-ish project. i have made several blocks now, but i want to offset them with some scrappy 16 patches, like the ones i made for do. good stitches two months ago. the pattern called for appliqued blocks, but i prefer pieced, and i think this will be fab!

on my design wall is another long lost project - the across the sea quilt along. i am making mine out of gingham in boyish colors. i love how they all look together! it's close to finished, hopefully this weekend the top will be done.

i was thisclose to being finished with my bee vintage quilt top. but i realized as i was sewing the rows together that one of my blocks is on the small side. i need to do some ripping and make a block to fit. then i can use the smallish one on the back! but for now, it's been set aside so i can finish other stuff. it's looking lovely though.

this next week is another full one, with the kids' school christmas store, wrestling practices, ccd class, our town christmas dinner, making gingerbread houses at school, and a uterine ultrasound/biopsy, great times. just crossing my fingers that nothing scary is going on in there. i keep having pregnancy dreams(it's a girl!), which is ridiculous and not even possible, but dreams do what they want, don't they. everyone have a great weekend, and don't forget about sewmamasew's giveaway day! dec. 12th, clear your calendars!

bake, eat, repeat

2011-12-03T13:52:00.000-06:00

i'm making those mushrooms again (recipe here), as i type, and taking them to a birthday party later for our son and his two cousins. i also made a german chocolate cake with coconut/pecan frosting, and a quick dinosaur cake for the boys.

alex gets to celebrate early with troy's side of the family, his actual birthday isn't until january. but we like to group them together whenever possible, and he's not complaining! we had a hayrack ride planned for tonight, but it's raining and cold here, so soup buffet instead.

i tried making sugared walnuts in the crockpot last night! they are good but not evenly coated, and i'm sure it's my fault. i forgot to set the timer and also doubled the recipe. i will try it again, by the book this time, because next i am doing pecans. $$$ cha-ching! i need to plant some nut trees, i think! i haven't had to buy them for awhile, my brother had a tree and gave me a ton last year(or maybe the year before?) but they moved and somehow the pecan fairy forgot to visit this year. anyways, i will be giving these out with my gifts to friends and neighbors this year, so i don't want to mess them up.

last to make on the gift list is peanut butter fudge! i made it last year and it was so good! i think i ate more than i gave away, but i'm sure i will have more self control this time around. right??

still playing around with terrain

i am super excited for our december kc modern guild meeting thursday. we are having a square swap - 2 1/2 inch modern fabrics, 25 in a baggie, as many as you want! i am thinking this is a good time to cut jelly roll strips from all my yardage, and take a single square from each. i have a cute idea for the packaging, can't wait for monday so i can play. tell me, would you rather have 25 squares from a single line, or a variety? i am also hoping that emma's quilt will be finished and i can get it bound before the meeting, and finally get to show and tell a finished quilt! probably wishful thinking, but i can dream, right?

anyways, hope you're having a great weekend, and if you're making something yummy for gifts, please leave me a comment and a link if you have one! i'd love some new ideas!

bring on december!

2011-11-30T10:10:00.001-06:00

so i hope everyone had a great thanksgiving! we spent the day at my MIL's, who hosts every year on her farm. their huge family gets together and the kids run wild, climbing hay bales and making leaf piles, while the grownups play pitch or poker and drink homemade wine. and the crazy shoppers plan their black friday strategies. did any of you go out and shop? i stayed home and went to sleep. all that yummy food and chasing sawyer around wore me out!

i made stuffed mushrooms, which i made once long ago for my 30th birthday party. i forgot how delicious those are! bacon, feta, spinach, onion - what's not to love? well, the mushroom part, if you ask my mom! and it's a little time consuming, you cook the mushrooms for close to an hour before stuffing them. but they can be prepared ahead of time, and warmed up before your party. mine were cold by the time we got them to lunch, but they were still pretty tasty.

i also finished up the wee woodlands quilt top - finally! this is my november entry into the craft book challenge. made it with no time to spare! the pattern is called "sparkling gemstones" from the book jelly roll quilts by pam & nicky linott. i think i will send this one out to be quilted. it's pretty big. this is the first jelly roll quilt i've made, and i have a few things to note. first, not all fabric lines are great for a jelly roll. for example, i fell in love with the alphabet and animals in this line.

but chop it up into 2 1/2" strips, and you end up with goat butts and chunks of letters. i do have yardage of the brown dots, red and teal stripes, and cream alphabet to use for the backing, so no biggie, but definitely something i will think about before i buy another jelly roll!

2nd - check to see if fabrics are duplicated. this had doubles of each of the stripes, so i had to make sure to include a stripe in almost every block. i also didn't want to have more than 2 stripes per block, so it took a little thinking while piecing. something else i didn't notice was that it included black and brown in the prints - i'd normally never put those two together!

now, what color thread would you use to quilt this? i'm thinking dark brown, but then will it look odd on the multi colored backing? is it ok to use a different color in the bobbin when quilting? and if so - then what color would look best on cream, red, and teal? questions questions!

so as a reward for finishing the top, i allowed myself a little playtime with the jelly roll strips of terrain i won from my friend nikki's blog. i used a few squares in blocks for do.good stitches, but i saved the rest to try out on this block. it's from the pattern "ladybugs" in the book a baker's dozen by that patchwork place. the pale gray isn't working for me, i think i'll go back with white.

they'll pop so much more against white. i'm so thankful that we have nowhere to go today, i need a lazy pj & coffee day with some fabric fun!

the finish line!

2011-11-23T17:10:00.002-06:00

finished stitching 10 of 12 rows of wee woods together - gotta love chain piecing!


how do you stitch an elephant? one block at a time...

this would go a lot faster if zach would stop sneaking bobbins to unwind all over the family room...

i'm trying so hard not to start another project until this quilt top is completed. it's hard for me, peeps. i have my fabrics laid out for my bottled rainbow block for do. good stitches, and i know it's going to be challenging, i'm no good at machine applique. but i will do my best and maybe it will go smoothly. but not until wee woods is done! she says in a stern voice.

i'm also dying to crack into this wonderland pattern! i won a copy from mary anne over at quilt logic. the pattern is from empty bobbin sewing studio, and like all of her patterns, it's very well written. but you know, i am thinking this may never become a tree skirt. i may just keep sewing blocks and make it a lap quilt.

simple, yet fun, and it would let me use a bunch of my ds quilts fabric i've been ~~hoarding~~ saving. and i've had this pattern since the last guild meeting, so you can imagine the restraint it's taken! i have my fabrics stacked up and ready to go.

i have been trying to avoid the black friday madness, but now it looks like i will be one of the fools at wallyworld at 10:00 thursday. because of this.

paula deen aqua cookware. love. i only wish i were buying it for myself. anyone have it/used it? what do you think of it? thinking of this for my MIL. but if she doesn't like it, i'd be happy to take it off her hands... dear paula/santa, if you're listening, i've been (mostly) good all year!

edited to add - holy crap! there are all these horror stories of people's pans melting and glass shrapnel flying about from their PD pans purchased at target and walmart. maybe i will rethink my gift idea!

happy haulidays!

2011-11-15T07:40:00.001-06:00

chronicle books is having their 2nd annual happy haulidays! here's the info!

Happy Haulidays is a book giveaway hosted by Chronicle Books. This contest is awesome! Chronicle books is giving away $500 worth of books to 1 blogger, 1 commenter of said blogger's choice, and 1 charity of the blogger's choice.

i, of course, chose all craft books and kits!
look at these amazing titles available from chronicle!

1. girl's world
2. vintage craft workshop
3. instant iron-ons
4. hot type
5. lotta jansdotter's handmade living
6. silhouette art
7. amy butler's style stitches
8. the sock monkey & friends kit
9. french general: treasured notions
10. everyday's a holiday
11. whip up mini quilts
12. embroidered effects
13. denyse schmidt quilts
14. lotta jansdotter's simple sewing for baby
15. the handy book of artistic printing
16. applique your way
17. lace knitting to go
18. instantly antique wall decals
19. cath kidston cupcake liners
20. cath kidston masking tape
21. button girl
22. mobile art
23. masterpiece studio
so of course those are what i want. and the charity i would donate to is enchanted makeovers. they transform shelters into "beautiful sanctuaries" and then take it a step further:

"Enchanted Makeovers’ unique projects, programs and events such as sewing classes, hands on cooking & baking classes, gardening, inside-out makeovers, journaling, stepping into the dream and capes for kids provide new solutions tailored to meet the needs of women and children who are living in shelters to re-build their lives. They provide a foundation for success that is missing in most shelter programs. We start by transforming the physical shelter space into an environment that inspires psychological and behavioral change. Creatively, focus, self-worth and optimism for the future are among the transformative results. The programs help to break down the walls of segregation between the shelter and the community while teaching coping skills and life skills. Volunteers and crafters are united from across the nation with the women and children, each given the opportunity to share their talents, share their story and shine their light."
(excerpted directly from the enchanted makeover's website)

if you are interested in finding a charity to support - craft bits has a list of craft related organizations and there's sure to be something local in your area too!

now if you want to get in on this contest, just leave me a comment and tell me which book is on your wish list this christmas! or tell me what charity is dear to your heart. or just say hi! maybe we'll win a bunch of books!

on the design wall

2011-11-14T22:37:00.000-06:00

until the cat knocks it down!

i'm finally working on the wee wonderlands jelly roll quilt! pattern is from jelly roll quilts
and it's fun AND quick AND easy! i've had the brown kona strips cut forevah - a year, maybe? i started piecing yesterday afternoon and i'm way farther than even this pic shows - all my blocks are pieced, and ready to put into rows! i'd be working on it right now but troy is sleeping on the couch next to the sewing nook...

this was going to be for our oldest son's bed. but the 4 year old told me it's a girl quilt. it has flowers and there's pink in the letter s. which, yes, there is. it's pretty whimsical. but i don't think it screams girl, do you? i sort of agree with him though. maybe it will be a family room quilt and i'll look for something more manly. he is 5, after all. lol!

i'm hoping to take it to the quilter wednesday, so tomorrow i have to get it all stitched together! wish me luck!

we have winners!

2011-11-10T22:31:00.001-06:00

i am home from kcmqg - a little earlier than planned. this night seemed kind of doomed before i even left - ever have those? sawyer's all mixed up with the time change, waking up early, wanting to go to bed at 6pm, etc. and he sort of freaked when i left. so i was frazzled, forgot my camera, didn't get any pics of the SUPER AMAZING challenge quilts, and left during the break to come home to find everyone, including my mom-in-law, asleep. sigh.

but! i did draw the winners of the X-ACTO prize packs! thanks again to X-ACTO for giving me a chance to review their knives, as one of the commenters said - it's amazing the ideas that come to mind when you have one of those in your hand.

so congrats to:

marci and mollyp!

and i was reading about papercutting and came across a site with some crazy cool stuff - so go check out the heArt of papercutting to see some truly amazing art!

and the winner of the my memories is kama - who just had a baby girl, so double congrats!

swap time!

2011-11-09T11:20:00.001-06:00

you all know i love to do fabric swaps. so does my mail carrier - she's always asking what i'm getting in my squishy packages! (julie's a doll, i know i've mentioned it but seriously, so sweet and always leaves goodies for the kids in the mailbox)

right now i am checking the box daily for three swaps i'm expecting. one is a fall colors charm swap,

edit to add - guess what came today?! yay for new charms!

another is a christmas i-spy charm swap, and the last is the one i'm most excited for. it's the yellow, aqua & gray charm swap, sponsored by craft buds and crafty girls workshop!

sneak peek!

28 participants, and this is brilliant - i bought my fabric from crafty girls and (for cheap) she did all the cutting for me, and is also the swap mama - all i have to do is sit and wait for the swap to come in the mail. also, since we each had to post which fabric we were using, i already can see what i'll be getting - and let me tell you, this is gonna be one gorgeous charm pack!

i also joined the spoonflower I-spy swap round 2 at crafterhours! 54 participants, each buys 2 yards of spoonflower prints, and we swap 5 inch squares. at $18 a yard, it's a bit pricey. luckily, spoonflower offered us a discount! i've been wanting to try out spoonflower for some time. plus, the choices are awesome - it was hard to choose two, but i love the ones i picked!

what a fun package of fabric that will be!

ok, if you're still reading, i'd like to know - would you be interested in doing a swap with me? i'm thinking about a "shades of gray" swap. gray, black, and white fabrics only. wanna join? would you want to do 4 inch or 5 inch charms? leave me a comment with your preferences, and i'll tally the votes and come up with a plan!

that's all for today - tomorrow is the final day of the X-ACTO pack giveaway, so if you haven't entered, better get 'er done. it's also guild night, i'll be posting pics of all the challenges! take care!

habitat challenge, a lesson in procrastination

2011-11-08T17:05:00.002-06:00

i'm working furiously at the last minute, like always, trying to complete my habitat challenge for the kc modern quilt guild. our meeting is this thursday night, and we are supposed to have a finished project to share.

the details:
jay mccarroll gave habitat fabrics to modern quilt guilds across america
our guild got 6 fat eighths from the earth colorway
add in any color solids you want to use
no other prints unless they are from the habitat line.

i had planned to do the cover wagon wheel quilt from fons & porters scrap quilts book. and i cut out all the wedges, and played with them on the design wall, then started trying to stitch it together. i wanted my printed wedges to match from block to block, with navy, grey, and white solids and yellow centers. somehow, i kept mixing them up! and then i realized all the set in seams i was going to have to do. back in august it was a goal. now it's an impossible challenge!

so i rethought, and decided to do a table runner. i can quilt that on my machine, and i thought it would still look cool. i was planning to have the backing fold over and become the binding (is there a technical name for that?) but after catching it in my quilting four or five times, i gave up and hacked the extra off. so now i have to make binding strips and sew them on. all those angles. that should be interesting. but, overall, i'm ok with it. the quilting is crap, don't look at the back - and i have to applique the centers on still - i decided to do it last, not sure why since i kept catching my walking foot on the batting. sigh.

also, the new kitty indie thinks my "design wall" (flannel backed tablecloth tacked to the wall) is his rock climbing wall. so most of my "designs" end up on the floor.

i still think i want to make this quilt though. i love the idea of how this would have looked...

lesson learned - ambition is good, but completion is better. think i'll remember that next time? nah, me neither ;)

scrapbooking software giveaway! CLOSED

2011-11-05T10:48:00.001-05:00

i was recently contacted by my memories about reviewing their digital scrapbooking software, my memories suite v.2. i was really excited to try it out, after seeing what my friend lauranie made with hers - business cards! i have to be honest, i don't scrapbook and never realized that this company existed until i saw them on her blog!

i am pretty clueless about technology - i just figure it out as i go - and i did run into a snag or two trying to install the program. first, we didn't have quicktime installed, and the link it gave me never would work. so i went to quicktime's website and did it from there. next, the download and install takes quite a while. i forgot to turn off the screensaver and hibernate (even though it says to in the instructions, doh!) so it kept stalling out about 75%. once i turned those off, it installed with no problems.

note from my husband - he said this takes a ton of memory - we'll see if it interferes with performance over the next few days. he's already expressed concern over the amount of space this takes up on our laptop. i have no idea what a "ton" is. but their website says this is required for Windows:

• Windows XP, Vista, or Window 7 - English language version

• Pentium 4, 1 GHz or better (1.6 GHz recommended) or comparable AMD processor

• 512 MB RAM available (1 GB or more recommended, 1 GB required for Windows Vista and Windows 7 users)

• 16 MB Video RAM (64 MB recommended)

• Available Hard Disk Space: 750 MB

it's a pretty cool program! the only thing similar to this i've used would be picnik - so i'm certainly no expert - but i found it easy to work with, and there are tons of free templates. you can add ric-rac, stitching lines, and buttons, so i can already see this having a lot of use to me designing badges and logos for my blog!

here's a quick page i made - doesn't alex look sweet all wrapped up in my halloween quilt top? i love all the sewing elements included in the program! there are over 1500 background papers included! and with the endless free kits available on their site, you could really get creative. there's also a $1 shop, and even the ones that cost more are pretty cheap - you'd easily spend that on papers and embellishments, and you'd still have to put the pages together, and have a place to store your supplies. i haven't tried printing anything yet, and i'll keep you posted as i learn more about this program!

also, i got a $10 credit when i signed up, so i plan on getting some fun papers and embellishments. for right now, i see me using this mostly for my blog, but i definitely see scrapbooking becoming a new hobby of mine soon!

guess what? you can enter to win your very own copy! all you have to do is visit their site, and take a look around. what is your favorite theme or design? leave me a comment telling me what product you liked best, and you are entered to win!

you can also get additional entries - leave me a comment for each thing you do (or already are doing):
1) following my blog!
2) following me on twitter!
3) like me on facebook! don't worry, i don't post often :)
4) follow my memories on twitter
5) like my memories on facebook

and as a special for all my readers, use the code STMMMS78389 to let them know you heard about it from me! in return, you will get a $10 discount off of the software, and a $10 credit to their online store! it's normally $39.97, so that's a pretty sweet deal! you can also check out their reviews on amazon - they are the #1 rated software for scrapbooking!

ok - the giveaway will run for 1 week - until saturday the 12th, after we get home from birthday dinner at my MIL's. hope you're having a great weekend!

in the garden- sponsored giveaway! CLOSED

2011-11-03T13:02:00.003-05:00

X-ACTO asked me if i'd like to try out a few of their products and help introduce their new E-Book and i said sure! bye bye, ancient but trusty old X-ACTO knife. check out these cool knives! i love the retractable blade on the blue one. they also are giving two of my readers a prize pack! hooray!

there are tons of uses for X-ACTO knives, and you can read some of them here. i love X-ACTO knives for making freezer paper stencils, and for cutting through cardboard. oh, and for cutting the strings off of my vacuum cleaner roller thingy.

i also used my knife to take some cuttings of my plants, prior to bringing them inside for the winter. here's what you need. X-ACTO knife, a vase of water, root stimulator, and a pot with potting soil.

look at my airplane plant! babies everywhere! too bad i don't need any, but i can give them away at thanksgiving, and i will pot up a nice big batch for my mother in law's birthday next week. anyways, before bringing this plant in for winter, i cut off all the shoots with my X-ACTO, dipped them in root stimulant, and potted them. i love to give away plants. they grow a history that way!

i got this creeping charlie from my old dentist's wife - i used to be his receptionist, and she gave me an enormous plant that had been in the window of an old building downtown forever. it was so big and heavy, they had it tied up to the wall! i got it home and it tried to commit suicide by jumping off onto it's head. but i gave it a haircut and potted all those cuttings to give to friends in town. last time i checked - it's been years - they were all still alive! and i still have the original.

ok, sorry for the long story. back to the cuttings!

**please try not to slice off your finger - i'm not responsible for injuries.**

find a nice spot and use your X-ACTO knife to just slice through the stem! the knife makes a clean quick cut.

depending on the type of plant, you will either stick the cutting in the vase of water, or dip the end in root stimulant and poke it into a hole in the soil.

one thing i do every year is buy a bright green sweet potato plant at the beginning of the season. then i take cuttings from it and keep them in a glass of water on the kitchen windowsill. they sprout quickly, which the kids enjoy, and it's easy to tuck them into my hanging baskets and pots on my patio. or give them away :)

this year i am trying to transplant cuttings i took off the sedum plant - not sure what variety it is, nothing fancy. it was one of the only things planted when we bought the house. i planted them, and we'll see in the spring if they make it!

i also used my knife to clean up the last of my zinnias. the kids helped pull the stalks, and i sliced the ends off using the X-ACTO. one last bouquet before the cold weather strikes, brr - we lit a fire last night!

do any of your plants tell a story? i'd love to hear about it! just leave me a comment (any comment is fine) to be entered to win! Two lucky winners get a prize pack!

Prize packs include:

Retract-a-Blade knife
Designer Series Gripster craft knife
Self-healing mat

thanks for reading! i'll randomly draw a winner on Nov. 10th, one week from today!

and now,

2011-10-27T06:26:00.000-05:00

top five things warming my heart these days:

homemade punkin' art

our daughter laying her outfit out the night before for picture day. it included a necklace we made together. awwww.

last night's chili. i wish that was a joke.

these fun fabrics in my snail mail. thanks so much to my new friend karin, who answered my SOS on twitter and helped me finish my halloween quilt top. she also sent me enough of them that i have the back planned as well! check out her adorable bottle wraps. and i love this bird embroidered towel. that could be a good hostess gift, note to self...

this box of photos.

imagine of you had taken one snapshot for each meaningful moment of your life, and put them all in a box.

our 1st couples costume

and you happened to come across that box on a rainy, quiet morning where the 4 year old sleeps in, (hallelujah!)

leaving the church in a wheelbarrow!

and then, realize that every step you've taken has led you right where you were supposed to be. that's a really awesome feeling.

have a great day everyone!

as promised...

2011-10-23T11:37:00.001-05:00

oops! forgot his eyebrows!

what a lot of fun! there were some other great costumes - my sis-in-law was peter pan, her husband was tinkerbelly!

some other great costumes, which were very adult, so if you're easily offended, look away now!

i mean it!

may i present sherlock bones?

isn't that completely obscene and hilarious? my husband's brother and his wife were a plug and socket.

lots of fun as always, and can't wait for next year! any suggestions for good couples costumes? this is an adults only event, so risque is okay. i'd love to go as peg and al bundy sometime!

bucket of brains, anyone?

2011-10-22T13:03:00.001-05:00

the halloween carnival was a huge success! i think everyone had a great time, and my fave event, the cake walk, was a hit too! emma must have spent an hour, walking around the chairs, trying to win a cake. it was always the chair right next to her that won. she finally won some cookies though. and now, we have two sheet cakes, two boxes of cookies, as well as the leftover cupcakes from making the brains. can you say cake overload?

the brains in a jar were fun, and i didn't see who won the buckets, but i hope they loved them! i also did cookie boxes with my husband's fave, marshmallow topped chocolate cookies.

our motley crew

the 25 cent raffle was awesome too, we all won stuff! a huge bag of cat food (we have three cats - that's awesome!) and a fun box of bath fizzies and jewelry, especially this gorgeous cuff bracelet. have you ever tried to take a picture of yourself wearing a bracelet? harder than you'd think.

for now, i'm sitting here, watching youtube videos of dolly & kenny, trying to get in character for tonight. the kids don't get to have a sleepover after all, so the night will be a little tamer than planned. but it will still be a blast - who are you dressing up as this year? any great couple ideas for me - next year's party is only 365 days away! :)

taking a bow

2011-10-19T12:37:00.002-05:00

i have to pat myself on the back a little this morning. i have been very productive lately! i have my work for the halloween carnival done and i'm waiting for the final donations list to complete. that is very unlike me. i usually push deadlines to their limits.

i finished a quick little rag quilt for sawyer and have made huge progress on my halloween I-Spy.

i cut and bundled my fabrics for the christmas charm swap.

i finished my do. good stitches blocks before the end of the month! woo hoo!

i also had a few sales on etsy, and got them mailed off too. i have some new items to list. whew. i need a nap.

http://www.livinglocurto.com/2011/10/halloween-recipe-brains/

oh, but no naps for momma this week. i still need to bake cupcakes for the cake walk at the carnival. i am going to make these awesome brains in a jar, if i can figure out a safe way for grade schoolers to carry around glass mason jars. i'm thinking halloween buckets, so they'd be getting a bucket of brains! so much fun, i can't wait. i also need to make a birthday cake for emma.

then this weekend, troy and i have a night to ourselves. my folks are keeping the kids for a sleepover! we have a costume party to attend, we're going as dolly parton and kenny rogers. remember all those jumbo pom-poms i made? let's just say they are proving more useful than i thought. pics to come, promise.

a winner!

2011-10-17T08:44:00.000-05:00

time for a winner! random number goddess chose for me last friday,

#128 which is deb! her book is on the way! thanks to everyone who stopped by, reading your comments was a lot of fun! i've got a super busy week ahead, with parent teacher conferences, the school carnival, annual costume party, and emma's 7th birthday - so if i'm MIA don't worry,

i'll be back. she says in her best arnie impersonation, which by the way is terrible.

wow wow wow!

2011-10-08T19:05:00.000-05:00

i love reading all the comments for the quilt retro giveaway!! i probably won't be able to reply to everyone - i can barely dress my kids before the bus gets here!! but thank you everyone, i hope you enjoyed stopping by to visit!

i have another great giveaway to tell you about, my friend lauraine over at this is sew my life is giving away a my memories digital scrapbook program! lauranie had the brilliant idea of using it to create business cards and fliers. you can read her review of the program and enter to win right here. so what are you waiting for? ;)

and introducing our new kitty cat indiana jones. we're calling him indie.
xo tammie

Quilt Retro Launch Party day 3

2011-10-05T03:57:00.007-05:00

******the giveaway has ended******

i am so excited to be a part of the Quilt Retro launch party! like jenifer said, we met at a guild meeting, and you know how it can be awkward making small talk? not us, we were chatting away about everything! but i was so surprised when jenifer asked me to be a part of her blog tour! this book is fantastic - she sent me a copy and i want to make everything in it. (she also sent me a copy, to give away to one of you!)

this book has eleven projects, including lots of clear complete directions and full sized patterns. she even gives tips on invisible zigzag applique.

First Aid by Jenifer Dick

this quilt is my favorite project! look how gorgeous the color gradations are! she couldn't find the color gradations she wanted, so she dyed her own. brilliant! the name of the block is greek cross. i love the pop of red in the center, and the flange on the binding, and the perfect amount of white space for the eye to rest on. such a modern quilt from a traditional block! the quilting is gorgeous too, done by sheryl schleicher of osage river quilt company.

i wanted to try this project, but using print fabrics. coordinating different fabric lines can be a challenge for me, but i love it when it all comes together.

here's the lineup in progress:

amy butler midwest modern 2
heather ross tadpoles
ds quilts fairgrounds
gingham from stash
vintage sheets
whimsy by moda

i used whatever white scraps were laying about including ones cut from this bag of scraps from grandma marie. so far i can't tell there's different whites in there. it makes me happy to use up some of those bits.

i'm very happy with how it's coming along. the top will be completed this morning! now to get it quilted. and i will be listing a fat quarter bundle of these vintage sheets in my etsy - give me til this afternoon though :)

10:27 am: the top is finished! although once i got it outside in the light, i may have to take the top two rows apart. the tadpoles should be down one i think. glad i haven't decided on a border yet! i know i will frame it in white, but probably do a second border in one of the prints. ooh - or finish out the edge diamond shapes with the hst set into white... i have to think a bit...

now, if you'd like to win your very own copy of quilt retro, just leave me a comment!

for extra chances, you can:
follow me with gfc
follow me on facebook
follow jenifer with gfc
follow 42 quilts on facebook!

that's five chances in all! leave me a comment for each one you do please! i will draw a winner randomly on october 14th, the last day of the blog tour! if you're super unlucky and never win anything, you can order your own copy of Quilt Retro, just follow one of these links:

Pickledish

Amazon

and be sure to visit all the other stops on the book tour:

Day 1 – Oct. 3

Alissa Haight Carlton

http://www.handmadebyalissa.com/

Day 2 – Oct. 4

Bonnie Hunter

http://quiltville.blogspot.com/

Day 3 – Oct. 5

Me!

http://www.craftytammie.com/

Day 4 –Oct. 6

Jenifer Dick

http://milo-designs.blogspot.com/

Day 5 – Oct. 7

Angela Walters

http://quiltingismytherapy.com/

Day 6 – Oct. 10

Jacquie Gering

http://tallgrassprairiestudio.blogspot.com/

Day 7 – Oct. 11

Deb Rowden

http://debrowden.blogspot.com/

Day 8 – Oct. 12

Kathy Mack

http://pinkchalkstudio.com/blog/

Day 9 – Oct. 13

pickledish

http://www.pickledish.com/

Day 10 – Oct. 14

Jenifer Dick

http://milo-designs.blogspot.com/

thanks again to jenifer for having me!

halloween fliers

2011-09-27T23:39:00.003-05:00

the school carnival is fast approaching - and i had promised PTO i'd set up a facebook event. so i decided to create a flier while i was at it!

created with picnik.
i have no idea what i'm doing. but it's fun figuring it all out.
i also have no idea if the date is even correct, because i missed the last meeting. i'm just guessing.
yay for the cake walk! i have a ghost cake pan. i'm thinking i'll do chocolate cake with 7 minute frosting, it's so fluffy and light, perfect for a ghost!

more progress!

2011-09-25T10:21:00.000-05:00

the root cellar is started! troy & my dad poured the concrete floor yesterday, and let the kids put their handprints in it. well, sawyer kept grabbing the concrete in a fist, so we finally got one with his fingers and called it good. tuesday they will pour the walls, and then next weekend the ceiling!

backstory - we're country folk, and we haul our water in from town, there are no water lines down our road. as the family has grown, it's become a much bigger chore to keep up with the need. so we're digging a well. there was a cistern system in place when we bought the home, and we'll keep that set-up. but instead of pouring in water from a tank in the back of the truck (SO MUCH FUN IN THE WINTER!), we'll be collecting our own water, running it through a treatment system, and then into a holding tank. then a pump brings the water into the house. so the cellar will hold all of the equipment, and also provide canned goods storage!

one other change is that we can remove the smaller water tank from the laundry room, and i gain about 2 extra feet of floor space. hoping i can make a shelving unit to hold laundry baskets. something like this would be great (via pinterest):

love this one too, but my baskets need to go the other direction.

i've also jumped on the pinterest bandwagon and started making my own laundry soap. and it smells like sunshine and dreams coming true. it is seriously awesome. and pretty. and cheap.

this is my second batch, and since i still have tons of the ingredients, i should be able to make 2 more batches. i have a 10 year old top-loader with agitator though - not sure how it would work in a HE or front load. anyone know?

hope you're having a great weekend - we had a family afternoon yesterday at cornstock, watching weiner dog races and going out for mexican food after.

next weekend promises to be just as busy, with zach's 4th birthday, the Quilts on the Quad show, a cheerleading clinic, a friend's annual white trash trailer bash, and a cousin's trap shoot. all on saturday. at least next sunday we just have the church dinner. it truly will be a day of rest!

vintage sheet blocks

2011-09-23T08:42:00.000-05:00

in the mail yesterday i got two more bee vintage blocks! thanks to everybody!! that makes 12, enough for a top.

i love the "bold gold"!

i played around with the layout today - white sashing, definitely.

or i may split these blocks up - i'd love to do an all yellow top. or i'd like to make more blocks with solid, striped or dotted borders. decisions decisions!

canning & stitching

2011-09-22T14:16:00.002-05:00

i have some of my september do. good stitches blocks finished, and can i say how much i love this color combo?!

i'm having a hard time with the colors though. i still don't think my purples & oranges are right. they are fun to make though.

i canned a bunch of onion & pepper relish this week, and wanted to share the link! it's really good - it tastes a lot like pepper jelly, but it's runnier and not quite as sweet. i guess it's similar to harry & david's brand, but since i haven't compared, i can only say this version is yum!

pretty easy, but i did burn my thumbs with the peppers, and it definitely used every smidgen of space in my 6qt. stock pot (NOT 3qt. like I said earlier!). i was worried it might bubble over, but it ended up ok. next time, i will use a bigger pot!

it makes an entire case of jelly jars and a few extra. i wish i'd had some little 4 oz. jars on hand - those are so cute! i'm thinking these will be great holiday gifts. i'll make up a hang tag in festive colors, and tie with twine. yes, i'm already planning. i am getting old i guess!

baby sawyer's growing every day, he's such a happy little guy! have a great weekend everyone!

in the works

2011-09-20T06:05:00.000-05:00

more garage sale goodness!

this chunk of home dec fabric was 50 cents - and it's perfect for recovering this step stool i got yard saleing last year! troy wants it out of the garage, so i'm finally recovering the cushion.

i took the cushion off and took it apart to use as a pattern. i threw away all the batting - it was gross.

up next, stitching the new cover, filling with batting, and sanding down the metal! i want to keep the yellow as much as possible, but a few spots are rusted and need some love. not sure how i'll deal with that yet. i also have no idea where this little stool will live, but i love it. and i have lots of fabric left over too!

also working on cutting orange squares for a swap and knocking out my bee blocks. i have bulbs to plant and iris to divide if the ground is dry enough today. ready set go!

poof!

2011-09-18T20:48:00.001-05:00

i love garage sale weekend!

my mom and i went friday, and we loaded the van full of treasures. we have very different tastes, though, and more than once she asked "now what are you going to do with that?" it was fun to reply "put it in my shop!" so watch for new additions later this week - including vintage sheet fabric bundles!

here's my fave finds:

i love those wood crates, they will be perfect for storing gloves and hats. and the basket was immediately claimed by my kids for their play food. (even though i was planning to use it to hold cookie cutters)

i also found a jumbo pom-pom maker (for 25 cents!), it makes two sizes! i have used up several oddball skeins from my yarn box making these pretty poofs. these are so fun! and they are big, baseball and softball sized!

any bets on how long it takes my kids to destroy them?

a work in progress

2011-09-14T09:28:00.000-05:00

paper mache letter for a friend.

sawyer is everywhere these days - and loves to stick his chubby fingers in my projects.

*help please - any cool ideas for attaching a hanger to the back of the letter?

on the cutting table:

fabrics for do. good stitches blocks

happy crafting!