Spring Table Runner

It is still spring isn't it?  You wouldn't know that by the weather here!  Hot and muggy and it is only the end of May.  This does not bode well for the summer yet to come.  But that doesn't stop me from loving spring like colors and this table runner is chock full of them.

Wild isn't it......

But it just makes me happy to look at it.

Here is a long view of the runner.  Now if this doesn't make you think of spring flowers and cooler days I don"t know what would.  Diana

Kitty Cards

 Here are two cute little kitty cards I made for my granddaughters.  Nothing tricky.......I used the Meow mini cartridge for both.

It looks like these kitties are up to mischief, but aren't all cats always looking for trouble......  Diana

Chevron/Zig Zag Retro Quilt

Here is the second of the twin's quilts!  Doesn't it look complicated and very hard to make?  I won't lie, it was more time consuming than I had planned when I first saw the pattern here at Bee Square

Time consuming-yes, difficult-no!  And I am so proud of how well I got my corners to match!  The fabric was a jellyroll of Cape Ann by Liesl Gibson I got from  Green Fairy Quilts  Buying a jellyroll reduced the cutting by half! 

Such pretty colors!

I machine quilted in the ditch to emphasize the zig zag.  I really enjoyed making this quilt and learned a few tricks along the way to improve my techniques.  There are so many blogs out there with lots of helpful hints!  I am already planning my next quilt to try a few more out!

  Diana 

Walk in the Woods Quilt

Here is my first layer cake quilt.  I bought "Walk in the Woods" by Moda and used only the muted colors from the set arranging the squares diagonally by color.

This lap quilt was made for one of our twin granddaughters.  I think is is really sweet and the colors are so cheery. 

 I stitched in the ditch around each block and then used my embroidery machine to quilt a design in the center of each one.

 The quilting is easier to see on the back. 

One twin's quilt down and one more to go.  Diana

Quilted Basket Handle

Living here near Amish Country I have access to beautiful handmade baskets that I use in place of bags.  They are so roomy and look so much nicer, especially when you use a vintage tea towel to cover up all the stuff.  I feel just like little red riding hood with a basket of goodies!  One problem though.  The wood handles can be a little uncomfortable on the hands.  No worries.  I just made a super soft cover that keeps the hard edges from digging into my skin.  Basically I made a large potholder, trimmed in bias tape and out of the cutest fabric!  Then I sewed three buttons on the bottom edge and three button holes on the top.  I mismatched the buttons for a fun accent.

I bet you could do the same thing with a purchase potholder!  And if button holes scare you, (admit it, they can be frightening) just use some velcro instead.

Diana

Roll Them Up

My internet has been out for four days.......I thought I would die!  But instead I found out I actually had time to make crafts when I didn't spend hours looking at crafts on blogs and pinterest.  Weird.  Anyway, the internet guy came today and fixed my router so I am back at the computer again!  I missed it soooo much.  Now on to the projects I had time to make.  Here is the first one.  A makeup brush roll up.
I think it will be great for keeping my brushes clean and easy to find!

I used a sheet of vinyl under the pockets to keep everything tidy too.  Now I just need to make something to keep the rest of my makeup drawer organize.  Diana

Yummy Lemony Bread Pudding

I L-O-V-E bread pudding and I almost never make it because my husband hates it.  He won't even take a spoonful.  Hates it that much.  And who wants to make something that their husband won't even pretend tastes wonderful.   Well he is out of town right now so I decided to make some bread pudding "just for me". 

Yummy, custardy goodness with the added burst of lemon makes this real comfort food.

Bread Pudding with Lemon Sauce

2 c. dry bread cubes

4 c. milk

1 tbs. melted butter

1 tsp. vanilla

3/4 c. sugar

1 cup soft bread cubes

4 eggs, beaten

Soak the dry bread cubes in milk for about 5 minutes.  Add butter, vanilla,and sugar to milk and bread and mix well.  Mix in beaten eggs.  Now carefully fold in soft bread cubes.  Pour into a well greased baking dish.  Place filled dish into a larger dish you have filled with hot water and bake at 350 for 45 to 50 minutes or until set.  Make sauce (I found this sauce in a Gooseberry Patch cookbook) below

1/2 c. sugar

1 tbs. cornstarch

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1 c. hot water

2 tbs. butter

2 tbs. lemon juice

Mix sugar, cornstarch and nutmeg in small saucepan.  slowly stir in hot water, mixing completely.  Cook over med heat until mixture comes to a boil, is clear and thickened.  Remove from heat and add butter and lemon juice.  Serve over bread pudding. 

This is pucker your mouth lemony.  If you are not up to it (chicken!), reduce the lemon juice to 1 1/2 tbs. 

Diana

Some Bunny Loves You

May is a very busy month for our family, craft wise anyways, because we have a lot of birthdays to make gifts for.  I have been a little lax about card making lately so I decided I needed to try a little harder to create some-- for birthdays at least.  Here is a really simple one I made with the Give A Hoot cartridge for my son's birthday this weekend.I think it is cute and cheerful!  Diana

5 Dollar Cabinet

I love free, or nearly free, as in the case of this little cabinet!  My neighbor had a yard sale and I bought a scuffed cherry finished solid wood nightstand.  It even had brass hardware.  Yuck.

I got out the black paint and brushed nickel spray paint and went to work.  Rain was threatening to start any minute but I managed to get the paint on and the cabinet inside before it came down.  After it dried I carried this HEAVY little guy downstairs to the basement TV room.  I had promised my husband I wouldn't carry furniture down the stairs e-v-e-r again (long story but let's just say I stepped backwards into thin air and took a tumble), but this time I was SOOOOO careful.

This chair was free (and was the piece of furniture I took the spill with).  I haven't put any accessaries on the cabinet yet, got to let the paint cure a little longer.  The room is small so I think the cabinet is just right for the space beneath "THE TV".  I don't need it for the DVD player, etc., because it is all behind the wall, so this is free territory to dress up.  Diana

DIY Thread Conditioner

Have you heard of thread conditioner?  You are supposed to use it to keep your thread from breaking or tangling when hand sewing!  Since I sew my quilt binding on by hand, I am always having my thread tangle.....so thread conditioner sounded like a great idea.  Nancy's Notions sells it really cheap but it comes in a boring little box......not going to work when I can make my own super cute version.Here are mine and they are made out of beeswax, of which we have a surplus since we have our own hives.

First you have to heat and clean your wax.  This stuff comes out of the hive pretty gross looking, not at all the pretty gold you see above.  Of course, if you buy it at a craft store, it is already cleaned up.  But mine is icky so this is how I do it.  Put a chunk of wax in a sturdy paper cup and melt on 50% in the microwave.  When melted, pour through a layer of paper towel into another paper cup.  Then pour through another layer of paper towel into a third paper cup.  Now you have beautiful clear wax.

Here is a chunk of wax pre-cleaning.  Ick.

Now pour into a mold, placed on a plastic or sturdy paper plate (this can get messy and the plate protects your counter.  This stuff can be a pain to clean off of things).  Allow to set at room temp until set or if you can't wait, like me, put in fridge to speed things up. 

Pop out of mold and let cure.  Done.  Think of all the cute shapes you can make (especially if you make your own molds)!  Now here is how you use the conditioner.  Thread your needle like normal and knot.  Run the thread across the wax.  Now run the coated thread between two fingers to warm wax and embed it into the thread.  I can't wait to see if this helps me, especially with tangles  Diana