Friday, April 29, 2011

School Carnival and Bake Sale

My oldest help my youngest decorate a cake for the cake walk this year. She was so happy that her sister helped her and is sure that they are going to win! I think there is a good chance if there is a most creative category - I would certainly have never thought of making a LochNess Monster cake - with volcanoes, too!




I got to make the cupcakes with the instructions - Lots of sprinkles, Mom!!




Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Cactus Flowers

Last year was an amazing year for Texas wildflowers and I took so many photos. This year we didn't even get the essential kids and bluebonnet photo. However, the cactus flowers have been fabulous.
Even the tiniest cactus seems to have a huge blossom!


And the bees are enjoying them, too!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Memories of Easter


Growing up, we would prepare for Easter in the spring at Sunday school and a few days before we would color eggs at home (usually with melted crayons!) and leave them out for the Easter bunny. I can remember waking up and the sense of excitement as my brother and I waited for the front doorbell to ring (our Easter bunny rang the doorbell) and then my dad would come in through the garage door saying he had just seen a rabbit hopping away. He was a great storyteller, so very believable! And truthfully, I adored candy so anything that would get me candy worked for me!


I love that I now feel the same sense of excitement every Easter and not just about the Easter bunny.
I hope y'all have a joyous day with family and friends!

Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Cheerleader Quilt Squares

So, my oldest just qualified to be a member of her high school cheer team. She will be going away to camp this summer and I thought I would make her something she could take with her. She will be getting all kinds of bags and clothing with her team info, which didn't leave much for me to do.



I have really been into sewing lately and last week I found some really cute cheerleader fabric and thought - a pillowcase! The cheerleaders are in many colors, but luckily there were 2 in black and red - just what I need.






I recently bought a quilt pattern called Ruffles by The Pattern Basket and the squares are just the right size to fit the little cheerleaders! I still have to make up the rest so that I can sew them together to make up the case, but since this is my first piecing project I am really excited about how they turned out!



I am still trying to decide if I should line it since there will be raw seams on the inside. It just seems like I should - maybe some thin muslin? I will probably go to my favorite quilt shop here in town and ask their opinion.

Thursday, April 14, 2011

Farmhouse Fresh


A collection featuring some of my favorite farmhouse finds!
Click on the large photo to go to Etsy and get more information.



Wednesday, April 13, 2011

Patchwork Heart Organizer Hooks


I was so excited! To celebrate my recent quilt fixation (did I mention I made it to all 12 shops on the Bluebonnet Shop Hop?) I designed this patchwork heart for one of my hooks. And I added a vintage flower tack, too - isn't it cute!


It turned out so pretty! But somehow when I used the sealer it made little bubbles on the bottom sides of the plaque next to the heart. I don't think I can sell it now, I might try sanding and re-sealing but I already had to re-paint, so I think this one is going to just be for me!



Monday, April 11, 2011

Vintage Feedsack Quilt Redo

Last summer I rescued some quilts from the floor of my grandmother's old house before it was demolished. They had been exposed to the weather and who knows what else for over a decade and where/are in really bad shape. The fabric is fragile and stained in some places and ripped in some more. The backing is coarse feedsacks and some of it is even more fragile than the front - I can even see a faint outline of a chicken on one! But, considering all they had been through, I tried to be grateful for what I could salvage.

I spent a few months coming up with ideas, but nothing seemed to really fit what I had to work with until . . . one day in the craft store I discovered album frames (for records or scrapbook pages.) They will accept thicker objects than normal frames and are super easy to use.


These are 4 of the finished squares! It's so nice to know that at least 4 squares are safe from falling apart.


This is one of the rips from where it was folded. Even though everything I read told me not to wash the quilts until I could repair them it just was not possible. They were so far from sanitary that I couldn't even touch them without gloves. Luckily I have a front load washer so I was able to soak and wash them one at a time.


I laid out each frame over a salvageable square and traced around the edge. They aren't perfectly square but I didn't want to pull the fabric too much.


It took me about an hour before I was ready to make the first cut. I even called my mom and said okay I'm getting ready to cut, just want to make sure it's still okay! (It would have been much easier if it had been made by someone I didn't know or wasn't related to!)

These are so pretty, but either are damaged or on the edge so I will have to come up with some other way to use them.


I love all of the different fabrics and it's so cool to know that my grandmother and great-grandmother pieced them all together. I gave away the squares to my mother and cousins and will save some for my daughters, too.
I'm not quite sure yet what to do with the other quilts (this is the best one), but at least they are in a safe place now.