Pinteresting Projects-Dip and pumkins

Lately I've been a little bit addicted to Pintrist. My sister got me started a few weeks ago and now checking out all the latest pins has become part of my morning routine.  So the other day as I was pinning to my "I can make this" board I thought to myself, "I am never really going take the time to make any of this stuff." Depressing huh? So I emailed my sis we decided to make a plan. We are going to get together every couple of weeks or so and take turns picking a project and gathering supplies and try out some of these fun crafts and recipes. I'll keep you updated on our project adventures.
This week we made Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Dip. Wow! This was goo-oo-ood! And so easy too make, took less than 10 minutes. We ate it with chocolate grahm crackers and apples. Great on both, but the grahms were the most popular by far. They're chocolate! It did make a lot though. We went through a whole box of crackers and a couple of apples and still have at least half left. I'd probably half the recipe next time.

We also tried the Painted Pumpkins. This was a fun and simple project. And no ooey-gooey pumpkin insides to scoop out! We even let the kids join in. We gathered some craft paint in funky halloween colors, cheap foam brushes, and lots of newspaper!



We made a bit of a mess, but had a lot of fun!



Emily, the artist, at work. Shhhh.....



I kind of have a thing for polkadots.



Here's the kiddos'. Syd's (top left) took about 6 hours and 30 coats of paint. She kept painting and painting. Britton did his inevitable basketball, it's always a basketball. Bailey's is covered with her usual cuteness. And Anni, who is 2, ended up with more paint on herself than the pumpkin. But she had a ball!

 

I love Emily's. She always comes up with something I would never think of.



And here are mine. Not bad for an hour of fun!

So I'd say the first of our of our Pinteresting Projects was a success. I'd give both projects 5 stars. The dip especially will become a regular at our house. (Until it's time to loose the baby weight!)  It's Emily's turn next time and I can't wait to see what she comes up with.

What's on your Pinteresting Project list?



Kate Spain-ia Mania

Okay, dorky title. I know. I'm new at this, give me a break. But seriously, I love Kate Spain. She put her first line, Verna, out a few years ago. I loved it and have loved every line since. She posted a little peek of her newest line Good Fortune and it looks like she did it again. Here are a few fun things I found made from some of her lines.

Check out this Verna quilt at frivolous necessity blog.  She has a ton of amazing quilts!

This one is out of Fandango by Brynn at Brynn Sews. Isn't that fun?

And of course, this super cute zig zag out of Terrain by  Ms. Kate Spain herself.

My Mom who is totally amazing made 6 of these for all of us kids for Christmas last year. It's 12 Days of Christmas, and I totally love it. Can't wait to snuggle up in it with some hocho (hee, hee, that's hot chocolate) in front of the fire.

So, I've got a bit of Kate available in my etsy shop, what little I can bear to part with. I'd love for you all to email me pictures of anything you've made from her newest line in stores Terrain, I need to decide what to do with my little stash.

What's your favorite Kate Spain line?

Share Your Creativity

The other thing I love about quilting is you can individualize it. Two people can make the same quilt and it can look completely different. Many new quilt patterns use basic blocks that have been around for years, but people put their own ideas into it and make it something totally new. Some people are creative enough to start from scratch and design something totally out of the blue. Others (like me) see an idea and tweak it to make it our own.
                                                     
                                                         You can take a pattern that you love
                                                       (A Piece of Cake by Thimble Blossoms)

                                                                     And just by resizing

                                                               or adding a little embellishment

                                                                      
                                                you can totally change a quilt and make it your own.


So part of what I wanted to do with my blog is show photos of what you all have created and how you make it your own. So when you order a kit or some fabric from me I would love for you to send me a picture of your finished creation. We can share what you did and maybe inspire a little creativity in someone else.
(By the way, I have a few kits and fabric from some of these quilts for sale in my etsy shop. First order might find a little ruby in their box!)

Create

So one of the things I love about quilting is creating something that is not easily undone. I am a mom of 4 and one on the way. So most days I feel like Cinderella. Make the beds, do the dishes, cook the food, clean the floors... Most of the things I do every day, I get to do again the next day because they don't stay done. Clean laundy is unlaundered, dishes dirtied, beds unmade... It's amazing, and depressing how my kids can undo in minutes what it has taken me a whole day to accomplish. It's like some law of nature in our house that they day I mop will be the day that a cup of kool-aid gets knocked off the counter, or a plate of syrup dripped across the floor.
Quilting is different. You know that feeling when you get that last few inches of binding stitched and you can hold it up and see what you just created. I love to lay it out in the floor and just look at it. And the best part is the more you use it and wash it the softer, and more lovely it becomes. And it stays done!! If you take care of it, it might even outlast you.

Am I a Blogger?

Okay, so I know I'm not real up on all this. But I'm guessing one blog post per year does not make one a blogger. But it's kind of scary. Does anyone else feel like that? I even cringe a little as I read my last post. Do I sound like a moron? So you are all wondering why I am even doing this. Well, I opened up a little esty shop a few years ago. I started out selling ready made quilts. Toyed a little with quilt kits. Moved on to jewelry. And then kind of sputtered out. No wonder, I've had a hard time deciding where I'm going with all this. I am a busy mom with 4 and a half kids and it's hard to find time for extra stuff. I don't know how all of you do it. But I have decided that I really want to do something for myself. So... I love fabric. Love to look at it, touch it, fold it, sort through it, buy it etc. I'm a bit of a collector. No surprise considering my roots. So I think I'm going back to the fabric gig on my etsy. Not sure exactly how it will go, but I've got a few fun ideas. It might be a bit random at first til I figure things out. But let me know what you guys think. And keep checking back. Who knows, maybe I'll make something of myself...