Self Binding Baby Quilt

I love it when a tutorial works out.  This adorable receiving blanket was made from a tutorial at Missouri Star Quilting Company.  It is called self binding baby quilt.  I watched it twice and I still wasn't sure it would work until it worked.  It is really cute and super easy.  I made this for one of my boy's teachers who is expecting a baby girl at the end of the summer.  I love the cupcakes print and the center is a pink polka dot.  And of course I had to make some burp cloths to match.  It is so much fun to make pink polka dot items since I have two boys.  I love it when people have girls!!!

Harry Potter Cake

My boys 7th Birthday Harry Potter Cake.

This is the first time I made a sheet cake.  The Harry Potter castle and figures were a kit.  I frosted the entire thing myself.  It was huge hit and tasted great.  

Fun Projects

 School ends in two days and I have been in a frenzy to get some projects done.  Marshmallow treats for the school staff.  This is my go to treat that is so easy and quick to make.  And very yummy as well.

These are chalkboard trays that I saw on Pinterest.  I bought the plastic silver trays at the Dollar Tree and I already had the paint.  $1 per tray and this project was a win win for me.  Note if you if plan to do this I needed three coats of paint and the paint would not stick to the edges of the tray for some reason.  Perhaps if you sanded the tray first you might have more success.

 Door attire is another one of my favorite things.  I put this hanging basket together after a trip to Joann's.  This has been on my door all Spring but I will have to change things come summer.

 Another use for the chalkboard trays.  I think this one will have to wait for colder weather as the silver tray is a bit too formal for summer weather.

 Now this project I have been saving for a while.  This is an old rain coat that ripped.  I turned it into a wet bag for bathing suits.  My boys are going to be doing a lot of swimming this summer and I hate getting a wet backpack back at the end of the day.  So I sewed this into a bag and added a zipper.  Perfect for summer days.

It remains to be seen if I can actually get the boys to use it.

Fun Ideas

Did I tell you that I loved Pinterest.  Well I do.  And I finally decided to make some of the projects I had been pinning.  First up was a wreath made of coffee filters.  At the Dollar Tree Store I bought one fanoodle and one package of coffee filters.  I had duck tape at home and I already own a glue gun.  I used a William Sanoma ribbon from an old present.  Total cost - $2.00.

 

I will tell you that my wreath has since broken apart.  I would put much more duct tape on next time.  And it looks better in the photos.  Up close it is a little bit too fluffy.  Next up were these coffee mugs.  Writing on dishes is all the rage now.  There are tons of photos on Pinterest about this.  I bought a Sharpie marker and two mugs at the Dollar Tree.  Total cost - $3.00.  After I decided on my quotes and practiced a bit on scratch paper I wrote on the mugs.  Then I baked the mugs for 30 minutes at 350.  Presto.  The mugs were used this morning with no problem.  You can get colored porcelain pens at Michael's and really decorate your tableware.  I love this idea for a wedding gift.  You can do this on plates as well.  Just write on the outer rim of the plate.  

It has been a long time since I had time to craft so I really enjoyed working on these projects.  Now I need to figure out how to get my wreath back together.  Happy Crafting!!!

What have I been up to?

Lot's of projects have been completed lately but not a lot of blogging.  I completed a table runner with some of the leftover pieces I had from the memory quilt.  This went to the adult son of my friend.  He is getting married soon and I thought it would make a nice gift.  And I didn't want the leftover pieces to go to waste.  This way they can be appreciated and the memories remain strong.  I finished a Star Wars quilt for a young boy.  His sisters are getting the butterfly and the scrap quilt so he needed something for himself.  This was just a tie together quilt that Joann's sells.  It was easy to make but I know he will love it.  Between these projects I have been helping my twin boys finish first grade, working out like a mad women to Jillian Micheal's DVD's, driving kids to baseball and Sunday School, and watching Game of Thrones and Vampire Diaries.  And my new favorite pastime is reading the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.  I am on book 2 of this 8 book series and I am in love with the main character Jaime.  What a heartthrob.  I have many more projects that I am working on so I hope to post more pictures soon.

Pinterest

I am addicted to Pinterest.  If you are wondering why I am not blogging it is because I am pinning.  Pinterest is like a dream come true for me.  A place to store everything I was always emailing to myself.  It is like having a virtual magazine with all my favorite things.  I have added a Pinterest button to my blog if you want to follow me.  Check it out.  Its fun.  Even my six year olds have their own Boards.

Pin Wheel Quilt

This is my friend Barbara's quilt.  I made it for her using her husband's shirts.  The pillows were also made from his shirts.  I used my Accuquilt to cut out 6 inch squares.  Actually one of my boys cut out all the squares.  I then sewed two squares together to make the triangles.  The triangles then matched up to make the pin wheels.  I think I used about 8 shirts total.  It may have been less.  One shirt can yield almost 36 squares.  There are several good blogs that show you how to cut a men's shirt to get the most use out of it.  The back and the boarder were made from one twin size sheet.  The pillows were made from one shirt each.  I used the shirt buttons as the way to put the pillow inside.  So the insert can be easily removed and the pillow case washed.  Using old shirts is a great way to preserve the memory of a loved one.