Tooth Fairy Pillow

This morning my son started banging on the bathroom door. "My tooth is loose! When are you coming out, my tooth is loose." Well I have heard this a lot recently so I didn't go rushing out. But guess what. My 5 1/2 year old has two front teeth that are loose. So of course I had to quickly whip up some tooth fairy pillows. These were made with felt, pinking sheers, and some quick sewing. I made some extra for friends.

Craft Cabinet

Look what I got for Hanukkah. So pretty and so much fun. This is a picture of the front of the box because mine is not set up yet. I also have to get all the cute jars and fill them up with all my stuff. I dug out all my ribbons and put those on already. I love this craft cabinet. I always looked at this every time I saw it in the store. It was such a nice surprise to get this as a gift.

More table toppers

This Hanukkah table topper was a gift for my mom. I used the same pattern as the Christmas tree pattern but used dreidel's instead. I had to make my own dreidel pattern.

I used a different Hanukkah fabric on the back. All of this Hanukkah fabric is fabric I received in a trade.

To make the dreidel I had to come up with a way to paper piece it. I checked some patterns on line and finally decided on this one. A bit of trial and error and some minor mistakes and I finally got the dreidel the way I wanted it.

Paper piecing is fun but can be a bit tedious. And if you mess up at the beginning and don't realize until the end you have to start over. Believe me I know this from experience.

I have a packet of paper piecing paper but I know you can use other types of paper. Some people use plain typing paper, tissue paper, or a tear away paper. I left my paper in there since this was not going to be a sleeping quilt and I wanted a little firmness to my finished quilt.
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Here is another dreidel table topper. This one was from a pattern I ordered on line. For the first time I bought fabric on eBay. I just had to have this Hanukkah fabric as it matched the colors of the dreidels perfectly.

This one was also for my mom. She has a Hanukkah party every year and these will add to her party decor.

Star Wreath

Saw this at Little Birdie Secrets and had to make it. Was so much easier then I thought it would be. I cut out the stars using the George and Basic Shapes cricut cartridge. I don't have a scoring tool so I just folded my paper stars into shape. I used a needle point circle as the base. A little cardboard, glue, and craft pearls later and this baby was born.

I am so in love with how this turned out. I used some card stock I had left over from the tea party I made for my mom last June. I can see this as a great hostess gift or for someone who has just moved into a new home. Directions are at the Little Birdie Secrets site.

Holiday Table Topper

I love this quilt. It is one of my favorites, ever. It is from the October/November issue of Quilt. This magazine has yielded quite a few gems. My harvest table topper and the snow family wall hanging were all from this magazine. This holiday table topper is for a dear friend of mine.

The tree blocks were made by sewing rectangles together and then cutting off triangles. So easy once I got the hang of it.

The borders were made by sewing strips together and then cutting out a long segment. I stippled this mini quilt with a traditional puzzle pattern, throwing in a few loops here and there. The colors really work well together. I hope this little guy gets years and years of holiday use.

Hanukkah

Tonight is the 6th night of Hanukkah. We made these adorable fig newton dreidels. Just cut off the edges of one side, add a pretzel, and use frosting to pipe on the letters. These were a huge hit with everyone and were very easy to make. The idea came from Family Fun Magazine. They also had this great idea to save all your boxes, twist ties, and other items from after you open your presents and use them to make a recycled robot. We are definitely going to try that.

We also won the Menorah making contest (to be fair it was a drawing of all the participants). We were supposed to use either recycled materials or Lego's. We used cliques which are similar to Lego's. The boys won a huge basket of Hanukkah arts and crafts. Next year I think we may try Lego's. There were some very creative ones made out of pin cones and another made with toilet paper rolls.

Snow Family Winter Wall Hanging

The pictures uploaded in reverse so I decided to leave them in that order. Sort of like a scene in a movie where everything moves slowly in reverse. This adorable snow family portrait is from a pattern in the December/January issue of Quilt Magazine. This was mostly an applique piece with hardly any quilting. But it was fun and one of my boys was very interested in the project requesting that the finished piece hang on his door.

The way it works is you cut out all the pieces and then position them on your backing. I had to use a tweezers to get the placement correct. Then you iron everything down. You could zigzag around the snow bodies if you want but I decided to skip that step. Since it is going to be a wall hanging I felt it didn't need that extra reinforcement.

After placement is complete you actually cut the whole thing into four pieces. This was very hard emotionally and I had to take several deep breaths before I cut. Then you sew the window panes on and add the boarders.

Finally I added a little strip to hang it. The snowflake fabric I found at the fabric by the pound store. And the backing is from the Goodwill. I didn't take a picture because it doesn't really match and is just the back. I think I will put this on the front door at some point. Since we don't get snow in Southern California this cute wall hanging brings a little winter feeling into the home.

Roasted Vegies = two meals

Here are two great winter recipes. You can roast all the vegies together and then make which ever recipe you want while store the remaining vegies for the next night.

Sweet Potato Carrot Soup
1 T oil
1 1/4 pounds yam, peeled, and cut up
1 large carrot, cut up
1 Fuji apples, peeled, cored and cut up
1 teaspoon unsalted butter
1 shallot, chopped
3 cups fat-free, reduced sodium chicken broth

Preheat oven to 400. Rub oil over all the vegies except the shallots. Roast in a single layer for 30 minutes. Heat the butter and saute the shallot until soft. Add the roasted vegetables and the chicken broth. When the liquid boils, reduce the heat and cover. Simmer until the carrot is soft, about 20 minutes. Puree the soup in a blender. Season to taste. [Thanks to Maureen for this savory soup.]


Roasted Vegie Pasta Sauce
1 small eggplant, cubed
1 whole garlic clove
1 tomato, cut up
1 red bell pepper
1 cup carrots
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup tomato sauce

Preheat over to 400. Place the vegies and garlic on a baking sheet. Rub with oil. Roast for 45 minutes. Cool and then puree with the tomato sauce. Toss the sauce with pasta and serve. We use this sauce with tortellini. [Thanks to Weelicious for this child friendly vegie sauce.]

Uninvited Holiday Guests

We had a visitor at the house yesterday. An uninvited visitor. Small and furry with a bushy tail. He (or she to be fair) decided to eat my decorative corn. The same corn that I have had for about 10 years that I put out every harvest. It is colored and has a pretty corn husk. It looks very nice outside on my porch and has greeted many an invited guest for as long as I can remember. Well no more. By the time I was notified of this visitor he had eaten about 1/4 of an ear of corn. And had made a huge mess of it too. I shooed him off and cleaned up his mess. I then left the ear of corn in a safe place for him to finish. But he came back. And knocked over a small watering can I had out. Well, that was enough for me. We all ran outside and informed that pesky creature that his corn was now in the bushes over yonder and that he should stay off our porch. So far so good!! Happy harvest.

Hoilday Cards

Ever since I was probably one years old my parents have taken a holiday card. I remember the very first holiday card they took I have pretzels in my hand. It became a family tradition. The cards were then sent to relatives and friends all around the country who didn't get to see us on a regular basis. When my sister and I were little we thought it was fun. One year we got to sit in a tree during the holiday photo. But then when we became teenagers the holiday photo became torture. We had to be present, it took a long time, we had to sit in different poses. Our hair and outfits were coordinated with our parents. When I moved away I thought the holiday photo tradition would be over. But oh no whenever my mom would get us all together we had to take that dreaded holiday photo. Some years I tried to get my mom to use a photo that just happened to include all four of us. One year in the summer I remember saying take your holiday photo now since we are all together. Once my sister and I got married my parents still sent out a holiday card. This time it contained separate photos of each couple. Now my parents holiday photo contains a photo of them and a photo of all their grandkids (6 total). When I look back on all the holiday photos we took growing up it is a true chronology of our lives. When my grandfather lived with us he was in the holiday photos. When my sister and I had childhood pets they were included in the photo. When my dad came home one day with a red convertible that was included in the holiday photo.

Now I have my own family and I have started the holiday photo card tradition. I coordinate the outfits, find a nice backdrop, and make sure no one has food on their face. I know my holiday photo cards will become a nice family tradition that I can always look back on. Guess mom was right!!


Shutterfly has some great holiday cards this year.

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery

I like this one because it is modern and not to one sided as to any particular holiday.

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/christmas-photo-cards

This one is adorable. It is a card and the picture covers the whole thing. You can personalize the inside with a long message or a quick note. This one may be a keeper.

http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/new-years-cards

One year we were late and had to send out a New Year's card. I love this design. So simple and elegant. Shutterfly is offering 50 free cards to bloggers. You can check it out at http://bit.ly/sfly2010 . Start your family holiday card tradition today. Already have one. Tell me about it.

Fabric by the Pound

In a land far, far away (from my house) is a fabric store that sells fabric by the pound.

Yes, you read correctly. I heard about this mythical place from a fellow twin mom. I waited months and months to have the opportunity to go there. As I parked I was practically shaking with anticipation. Inside were rows and rows of fabric. On bolts, in bins, on shelves. There were bins of buttons, zippers, ribbons. Fabric in silks, satins, stretch, cotton, and flannel lined the shelves. Fabric as far as the eye could see. I had trouble breathing. Soon my arms were overloaded and I had to get a small shopping basket (there were no shopping carts which seemed a cruel joke). Women laden with fabric bumped into each other in the aisles. I carried my basket full of wondrous goodies to the front counter. "This is my first time," I said. Still in disbelief that such a place could exist I asked "How does this work?" My fabric was cut and then weighed on a scale. It was miraculous. This is my bounty. Six yards of different colored fabric. Ten spools of thread. Eight zippers. How much you ask? Wait for it.....$23.21. For all of it. I know!! I left in total shock. I drove home with a smile from ear to ear, caressing my fabric the entire way home.

These pretty pinks will make great burp cloths and perhaps a new cosmetic bag.

These holiday prints will be great for gifts.

Ten spools of thread at .35 cents each.

And eight zippers at .25 each. I could have stayed longer and bought more. But as it was my first time I played it cautious. If you are ever in Southern California you can visit this magical place called Sas Fabrics located in Hawthorne, CA.

Blogger's Quilt Festival

Here is my entry in the Blogger's Quilt Festival. The Blogger's Quilt Festival is a a fun way for Blogger's to share quilts. I am really into picture quilts right now. And going through the posts at the Blogger's Quilt Festival I found so many neat picture quilts. The quilt I am sharing is a scrap quilt I made with all my favorite pieces of fabric. I got the idea from a quilt I saw on another blog. But as there was no pattern I had to design my own. It gave me a better understanding of quilts. Quilts are really just tiny pieces put together. Now when I see an amazing quilt and think that looks so hard to make I try to see how it is broken down. That way it looks manageable. I have thought a lot about what to do with this quilt. I would like to hang it up as a curtain in my sewing room or perhaps as a wall hanging. Right now it just sits on my quilt rack. I don't think I could ever part with it. This quilt really stands out for me as the first time I went out on my own and took a chance.

Blog Organization

I love to organize. Even my kids know that. Sometimes when I ask them what they are doing they say "organizing." So I have decided that I need to organize my blog and perhaps change it up a bit. But before I do that I wanted to get your thoughts. Do you like seeing the finished projects? Do you like the random posts? Do you like the baking and cooking posts? What would you like more of? Do you stop by here once in a while or do you check this bog daily? I have some blogs I check daily and others I go to when I have extra free time. I know I am still a small site but in deciding what to do next, if anything, I would appreciate your feedback.

Back in business

Sewing machine is all better and is very happy to be home. Now I can finish up those WIP's (works in progress). I took one of my loyal followers advice and cut fabric and set aside several to be worked on projects while my machine was sick. Now I just have to grab and sew. I discovered an amazing site I just have to share. My sister-in-law turned me on to it. It is called Save On Crafts. I can't get enough of this site. Here are some things I love:

These boxwood topiary are so cute. And the price is amazing. All three for $45.00. I have been looking everywhere for these.

This chandelier is gorgeous. I would love this over my bathtub. Totally impractical but so dreamy and feminine.

And they have an entire section just for butterflies. Can you imagine this on your wedding cake. The site has so many great things. I haven't even been able to look at everything yet. I just found a section on wooden signs. Oh my!!

Last Minute Halloween Costume

Halloween is less then 24 hours away and I realized I didn't have a costume yet. I pulled out the costume bin and dug through it. I found this vintage 50's sweater and pink slip. But no poodle skirt. I figured I could whip something up. I found a free poodle pattern at this site. But when I printed it out it was tiny so I ended up having to free hand it. I used a work skirt much to my son's concern. He kept asking me if people would know it was a work skirt. I also had to explain to a 5 year old why I would pin a dog to my skirt. It was a fun conversation.

Some rinse stones and silver ribbon and it was complete. Not an authentic poodle skirt but it will do. I will wear white sneakers with white socks and put my hair in a pony tail. The kids may not get it but I hope the adults will find it cute. Happy trick or treating.

Sewing Maching is Sick

My barely six months old sewing machine is in the shop. Poor thing. I am lost with out it. Stay tuned for more postings next month. I was in the middle of two projects when it pooped out on me.

Witches Brew

These scarry snacks are so cute and fun to eat. I saw the recipe in a cooking magazine. Just take yogurt cups, draw faces, and add green food coloring. Top with licorice, a cookie, and the ice cream cones. Then eat. I couldn't find black licorice so settle for some green sour strips that I cut to size. Happy eating.

Cricut Fun

I turned around and it was October already. My last post was the middle of September. This time of year is so busy. Soccer, piano, back to school night, Halloween. So much fun. The house is decorated, the costumes are bought, and the pumpkins are at the patch. I love this time of year. I finished a great holiday quilt project but I can't show photos as it is a gift. tay tunred for that one. Tomorrow the kids have school but I am off. I repeat I am off. So I plan to shop and shop, and go to Joann's. I can't wait.

Today we had fun making cricut people. The boys were really patient waiting for there items to cut. And they glued them on by themselves.

Harvest Table Runner

I saw this adorable table runner in my October/November issue of Quilt Magazine. I love this time of year even though living in Southern California we don't get much of a seasonal change. Still, I decorate the house for the harvest and this table runner looked perfect.

It has two pumpkins, mirror images on each side. I used scraps for the whole project except the pumpkins. I just didn't have any good orange pieces in my stash. The boys thought this one was fun because they liked watching how the pumpkin was formed. They didn't understand what a table runner was so we had to spend a lot of time going over that. And when it finally went on the table they were very concerned that they might spill something on it. I assured them it could be washed.

I love to copy pictures. When I make a recipe I want it to turn out just like in the picture. My table runner looks very close to the picture which makes me very happy. And since it was a small project I got the extra satisfaction of completing a project in a very short amount of time.

Hannah's Quilt

This is my niece Hannah and the quilt I made for her. She picked out the fabrics. The fabric is a medley from Keepsake Quilting. The pattern is one I adapted from a Moda pattern and something I saw in a quilting magazine.

I used stitch in the ditch to quilt it because I didn't want to obscure the patterns. This fabric is really cute and has butterflies, and frogs, and other cute items on it. The back is a plain yellow.

I used leftover fabric to make a stripped boarder around the quilt. The solid pink is from Kona. This quilt was fun to make because the pattern was all in my head. It was also fun because I was making it for someone who was very excited about it. I would send her status reports via text with pictures. She was very patient with me, quietly asking for updates once in a while. And I did take a long time to finish it. But I think she would agree it was worth the wait.