Changes

Every once in a while I start feeling like I need to close a chapter in my life and try a new adventure. Sometimes that has meant a move and sometimes it meant starting a new project. What ever form it takes, change is something I look forward to....even if it requires closing a door before opening a new one.

We have taken on a huge project this time, building a carriage house on 7 acres we just bought on Lake Lanier down in Georgia. We closed yesterday after a few months of looking at properties online, checking them out in person and finally finding one we could see ourselves living on. It has a dock in deep water (most important feature) and enough room to build a carriage house for vacations and later a larger home to move to full time. Over the next few months we will be meeting with builders and getting utilities to the site. So exciting! But not all our decisions were about the new project. We also decided to sell our little cabin we had built. We were no longer using it the way we had for so many years. Very few projects were left to do so we were not out there very often. If fact, most of the time we spent there was just mowing the fields. The grand kids no longer spent hours in the creek (they are teenagers now). It just wasn't suiting our needs anymore. So on the market it went and withing about one week we had an offer. Day before yesterday we closed it up and said our goodbyes. The furniture has been put in storage as we wait for the new vacation home to be completed. Much of the decor went to Goodwill since it was too rustic for the new cottage. Wood furniture will be given a fresh coat of white paint, or maybe a few pieces will be painted black. But most of the decorating choices won't be made for months......there are other things that we need to do first....repair the old dock, pick out sites for the carriage house and the future site for the main house, and drool over all the modern farmhouse plans on the Internet. Here are a few I am in love with.

Which one would you choose?

Diana

Heat Transfer Vinyl Socks And The Cricut Easy Press

My first try at heat pressing went great.  And the best part is that I didn't have to buy a huge heat press to do it.  No, I bought a Cricut Easy Press and I love it!  Look what it can do.

It costs about the same as a cheap heat press but it is smaller so it is easier to store away.  It has a timer and thermostat setting no mistakes from a too hot or too cool iron.  It was a good compromise between a too bulky heat press and an unreliable home iron.  There are some good tutorials out there if you want to check them out.

I will be trying some other projects with it as soon as I find the time......maybe more socks and a few tee shirts.  

Diana

Use What You Got Quilt

Three and a half years ago I made a window pane quilt which used up less than half of the fabric I had bought to make it.  That sad pile of leftover fabric has been waiting all this time to become something.  Here is how I finally decided to use up that material.

 Nothing complicated, just a quick project. 

 I even pieced the back so nothing went to waste.  Now I won't feel guilty about buying too much fabric.

On a different note, I tried a new machine quilting pattern.  Tons and tons of circles!  Took FOREVER but I like it now that it's done.

Diana

Aqua Pumpkins

I didn't do hardly any decorating for fall this year.  Just have been too busy.  But I did do this simple arrangement for the coffee table.

I bought a handful of tiny pumpkins at the craft store and spray painted them aqua.  I filled an old wooden box with foam which I then covered in spanish moss.  Then glued the pumpkins in and there you have it, a fall decoration that matches my color scheme!
Diana

Postage Stamp Quilt

 Just finished another quilt.  Each square is 2 inches by 2 inches.  It was easier than it looks because I did strip piecing using jelly rolls!

The colors are so cheerful.

 The last picture is a little out of focus but it does give an idea of how many squares are in this quilt!

Diana

Baby Boy Quilt

Just finished a quilt for a newborn baby boy out in California.  This was an easy quilt to piece as you can see.  Went together very quickly.  I think the colors are pretty cool and neutral enough for the little guy.

 This was my first attempt at edge to edge machine quilting on my embroidery machine.  Because my biggest hoop is 5x7 it took a lot of time and 64 hoops to complete the quilting.  Love the finished look but it was soooo time consuming.

Glad to be finally finished with it and now off this quilt goes across the country to it's new owner!

Diana

Almost Done with Trailer Exterior!

Just a quick post to show the finished exterior paint job on the trailer.  It took a long time to get this done and an enormous amount of tape and drop cloth. 

We kept the original color theme and used automotive paint for durability and shine..  A little more trim work and she will finally be ready to hit the road ( and maybe a car show or two for fun).

Diana

NOT!

Looks like a simple project doesn't it?  Not so much.

 Well it actually was a simple project, I must have walked under an ladder or crossed paths with a black cat cuz it took me multiple tries to get this right.  And we won't even talk about the other project I really messed up........  And yes I do get the irony of the above wall hanging sentiment........

 First started with a vinyl stencil cut on my silhouette that I totally put on the wood crooked.   Didn't figure that out til after I stenciled all the words.  So repainted cream over the entire thing and decided to give myself a day to figure out how to do it better.  Today I redid the silhouette file and tried to cut new vinyl and it would not cut for the life of me.  Not the first cut or the 6th, 7th or 8th cut.  That's a lot of vinyl to waste.  Put in a call to the hot line,  Got some good advice.....none of it worked.   So I cut out cardstock stencils instead (silhouette would cut paper, just not the vinyl......go figure),  It was much messier to do it this way since the paper isn't adhesive like the vinyl but it worked!  After I finished the Today sign I did a little Farmhouse one.  

We are slowly redecorating our bedroom to match the master bath we remodeled last year.  New paint and some new items (like the bird cage light) brighten up the room.  We have new carpet on order too.  A few other rooms are getting facelifts so we are really staying busy around here.  Stay tuned for more updates.

Diana

First Ever Fondant Cake

I love to try new crafts, recipes and techniques!  Lately I have been wanting to make a cake with both edible lace and fondant, neither of which I have ever tried to do before.  With a winter storm on it's way and an afternoon with no pressing activities, today seemed perfect for a little kitchen crafting!

 I made a tiny 6 inch cake from Dessert For Two that was as cute as can be.  It is actually a 2 layer lemon cake with a lemon curd filling.  The cake has a coarse crumb and the curd is nice and tart.  I gave it a skim coat of buttercream and then attempted the fondant.  Because  the fondant was store bought, I warmed it up a little to make it easier to work with.  Despite all the horror stories I had heard about fondant, it went really easy!  Next I made  a bunch of edible lace that I tinted yellow.  This stuff is wonderful.  I did an earlier post on the lace here.  The linked post shows how you can use it for pretty lace dollies to use in cocoa!

 You can see the seam where I didn't quite match up the edges.  To get the lace to stick to the fondant I used a little corn syrup.

Wouldn't this be a dainty little cake to serve for an English Tea?  Or maybe a special treat for your spouse on a wintry night......

Diana

Dainty Dollies for Cocoa

They say there is nothing new under the sun but I beg to differ!  Who is the genius who came up with delicate sugar dollies for your cocoa!

I first saw these on etsy and knew I had to have them.  But at aprox. $20+ a dozen, I felt like I couldn't indulge my new obsession.  However, if I could make them myself maybe.......So here is where utube comes in.  A few videos later and an amazon box on my doorstep and I was ready to go.  The mix is a dream to work with and the 7 oz container looks like it will last me a LONG time.  I made a small batch that filled the two molds twice.  Once dried the dollies can be stored in a zip lock bag forever.  They are soft and flexible, not dry and brittle like I imagined them to be.  Really just lovely.

Here is one of the prettiest ones.  The mold has a variety of different dollies including a heart, butterfly, some bows and a number of traditional shapes like the ones I've shown.

Here is one in my hand so you can get an idea of the size of the largest ones.  Now let's talk cost.  For about what a dozen dollies would have cost me with shipping included I was about to get all the supplies for just a little more money.  But I can make hundreds of these little guys with the supplies I've got.  Think how cute these would be for a baby shower or cookie exchange!  I even included a few dollies with some cocoa mix and other goodies in a basket to be auctioned off for a charity. 

These would look great on cookies or cupcakes too.  I have now ordered some larger molds (on sale) to try out on some cakes.

You can get the mix HERE and the mold HERE.

Troyer Home Favorites

Just thought I would let you all know about my new favorite cookbook!  I just got it and already have tried several recipes that have turn out great.  Here is a little background on the author.  Laura Troyer has been a baker since she was a child, growing up in an Amish family that ran a bakery.  As an adult she also ran a very popular bakery not too far from where I live here in Ohio.  Sadly the bakery closed a while ago but she shares many of her recipes in this cookbook!  Love, love, love her thumb print cookies with cream cheese frosting!
 
The cookbook has main dishes, breads, soups, salads and desserts along with some healthy versions of some of her recipes.  You can order it on Amazon HERE.