Cute Freebie!

I just saw this on Facebook and had to share, http://daisyjanie.typepad.com/daisyjanie/2012/02/free-downloadable-pattern-lap-quilt-with-tilly-fat-quarters.html. This darling quilt uses 8 fat quarters and looks quick and fun. I just happen to have a pack of 8 FQ's that I just received from Pink Chalk as well as a very clean sewing room. I know what I'm doing this weekend!

If you haven't checked out Pink Chalk, I highly recommend it, http://pinkchalkfabrics.com/. Kathy has great fabrics, as well as notions, patterns and everything other necessity for sewing. I may be a little partial as she is located on Bainbridge Island in Washington State and I do heart Washington.

I found out about this free download and the sale FQ's from Pink Chalk because I follow both Pink Chalk and Fat Quarter Shop on Facebook. I have gotten some really great inspiration and some really good deals on fabric by doing this. See, Facebook is also good for something besides burning up hours of your time!

2 Things

From Pinterest, of course! I have been on an organizing, cleaning out and redoing bender. I think a lot of under kitchen sink cabinets suffer from the same clutter issues as mine. I am so pleased with the outcome and I admit that I keep going back and opening the doors to admire it! I will say that if you are going to use a tension rod for your spray bottles, get a heavier duty model. The cute green plastic baskets are from Target, aka the $100 store.

I loved the photo arrangement idea the minute I saw it. I began to prowl Michael's adds and collect coupons to acquire enough black frames. I laid them out on the floor to get a pleasing arrangement before going to the wall. Hanging them is a little tricky. A long level comes in very handy. Now that they are hung, I can change out the photos as desired. There is also enough room on either end to add to it, if need be.

So I guess that the moral of this story is that hours spent on Pinterest are not really wasted if you actually use some of the ideas you see. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Boutique Work Day

As some of you know, my SIL and I are the co chairs for the Boutique at our upcoming quilt show. The Boutique is where we will sell items that have been made and donated by our members. In an effort to have as many items as possible, we had a work day after our January meeting last week. The following link will take you to a slide show of some photos of the day. We had 7 stations of ladies working on various projects including, baby bibs, magnets, Snippets grab bags, baby pillows, appliqued onesies and burp cloths, stamping shopping bags and tags and using the Accuquilt to die cut shapes to sell. When I got home and laid out everything that had been accomplished, I was blown away! Great job ladies and thank you so much for your help!

http://s939.photobucket.com/albums/ad232/spicewoodquiltingdiva/?action=view&current=90b15990.pbw

What's for Dinner?

PW's Whiskey BBQ Sliders, that's what! For the second time this January, I might add. That's quite a testament to their fabulousness. You can get in on the action here, http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/?s=whiskey+BBQ+sliders&submit= I also made the Deen Brothers Pea Salad to go along with them, http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/english-pea-salad-recipe/index.html. I didn't have whiskey so I used beef broth in the slider sauce and it turned out just as good. I also used King's Hawaiian Honey Wheat Dinner Rolls for the slider buns-YUM-O!! I highly recommend both recipes as they are extremely easy and very people pleasing.

Sew4Home

If you haven't already discovered sew4home.com, I hope you will check it out. If you have already discovered it, you know what a great resource it is for ideas. They posted one this past week that I will definitely be trying, http://sew4home.com/projects/fabric-art-a-accents/1065-glasses-case-with-pretty-ruffle-a-handy-key-ring. A pretty quilted case for your glasses and it has a carbiner to hook it onto your purse-brilliant! As I get older, my purses get bigger and bigger and it gets more and more difficult to locate things in the depths of the abyss. Not to mention differentiating between eyeglass and sun glass cases! This is a stylish way to solve that problem. Now, to decide what fabric to use ;)

Sick at Christmas

Yep, I was. And for the last week, HD has been under the weather. We hardly ever get sick so we don't do "sick" very well. We have a hard time with the whole, "get some rest and take it easy" thing. The fact that I had 2 pans of PW's Cinnamon Rolls, http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2007/06/cinammon_rolls_/ with which to medicate myself was a big factor in my recovery! I did get a chance to finish a couple of knitting projects, pics will be up soon! We also managed to see 3 movies. Beginning with our favorite, they are The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, Warhorse, and Mission Impossible-Ghost Protocol. Now that January is here, I am back to work and my SIL and I are in full swing working on our club's quilt show which will be in February.

I hope you all had great holidays and are ready for a fantastic 2012!

Last Minute Homemade Gifts

It's the most wonderful time of the year! You know, the time when you need just a few more gifts to have to pass out to neighbors and other people you haven't thought of ahead of time! Here are a couple of projects that I enjoyed making and giving this year. I found these on Pinterest and they were hits with my quilting friends and book club ladies. The To Do List is made with a sale frame and fancy scrapbook papers. A dry erase marker means it's reusable! The recipe for the scrub can be found here, http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2010/05/my-favorite-vanilla-brown-sugar-body.html and you may even have the ingredients in your pantry already. Don't forget to make one of each of these for yourself!