Alive

Just so you know I haven't died. I will be catching the blog up this evening when I get home.

Drawsting Studio Give Away

Remember how I said I received wonderful fabric the other day thanks to my awesome Heartsy deal? Well the Drawstring Studio is now having a give away on their blog. While I hope I win, of course, I'm letting you know now that you don't have very much time but if you hurry you can enter to win the drawing as well.

Etsy Craft Party: Be Mary By Hand

Jesse from Be Mary By Hand, a Tulsa Etsy shop has graciously donated a door prize for our event!

She is sharing "Ethelaia the American Shorthair Sweater Cat." She is a softy cat made out of a 100% cashmere sweater. Her face is hand-embroidered and she is adorned with a patchwork upcycled skirt and a green beaded elastic necklace. She is about 18" tall and comes in a coordinating handmade drawstring bag.

I asked Jesse to tell us about her and her shop. This is what she wrote:

"My Grandma Mary inspired me to create with my hands. I wish I could say that I actually learned to crochet, paint, or sew from her before she passed away, but I didn't catch the bug until it was too late. But I was always in awe of the gifts she made her four daughters every Christmas. Some elaborate, like afghans, and some simpler things as her health started deteriorating. I love that her home was filled with homemade things. I desire to create the same type of space, with love and detail in every corner, to one day leave a legacy for my family. I have two small children, and love to make things useful to mothers and babies. Things that are unique and beautiful and make me feel special. Mostly I have been making stuffed animals and bags with lots of pockets, occasionally I branch out, but I only have so much free time! I love to conserve and reuse materials like shirt and sweaters, but I also love to go to the fabric store and snatch up all the bright colors. "

Be sure to check out her shop. She has lots of cute items. I'm crushing on this dinosaur. :)

"Berry" Awesome!

This morning Josh's Mom, Lindi, his sister-in-law, Emily, and I all went out to Thunderbird Berry Farm to pick blueberries.  There were so many, and they are just starting to come into season! In the 1 1/2 hours we were there we each picked 3 pounds of blueberries.

I've decided I'm going to can some blueberry jam. I'm taking the easy way though and doing through freezing instead of pressured cooking. From the little bit of research I've done I've gathered that it is actually tastier and healthier to freeze the jam because it cuts out the cooking process leaving just the fresh berries.

I picked up some of the Ball Freezer Jars at the grocery store for $3 a package of 5. These jars are awesome because the lids are shaped so that the bottom of one jar locks into the top of another jar. That means I can stack them in the freezer like its nothing! It really looks simple and not like an the all day chore that imagined. Tomorrow morning I'll run to the grocery store to get pectin and more jars, and then I'll be set to make yummy jam!! 

New Fabric!!! -Drawstring Studio

A week or two ago I saw a deal on Heartsy.me for Drawstring Studio fabric shop on Etsy. First, if you haven't found Heartsy.me then you need to visit this link and sign-up to get the deals! Second, Etsy is the place to buy and sell your handmade items.  I love Etsy so much, and am working towards opening my own shop in the near future.

So the Heartsy deal was for $30 worth of fabric from Drawstring Studio for only $14. At first I thought I was going to hold out for a cute elephant fabric I saw on their blog, but I quickly changed my mind when this fabric was listed!

I was able to get both yards of 54" home decor weight fabrics for only $14 thanks to the heartsy deal! My shipping was even covered. For people who don't necessarily look at decor weight it usually is more expensive than quilting cottons because of the weave and the width. If I had to guess it is usually more than $12 a yard, and even that is cheap. But Drawstring studio had one of the fabrics for $10 and the other for $11.50! Amazing! They even sent me a fat eight of a "MoMo" fabric, along with a coupon for 10% off my next order.  It is super awesome.  ...Maybe I will be able to get a little bit of the elephants later. (It will be a great "hope chest" fabric.)

Oh yeah, I'm going to use these fabrics for pillows on the couch. Soft, more comfy pillows. That is a project for later in the month though.

Key Lime Pie

My boss shared the easiest Key Lime Pie recipe ever!  So I made two pies, one for a co-worker's birthday and one for Josh. 

Key Lime Pie

Ingredients:

2 cans of sweetened condensed milk

3/4 cups of lime juice

graham cracker crust

whip cream

Directions:

Mix the sweetened condensed milk and lime juice, and then pour into the graham cracker crust. Let it set in the refrigerator for about an hour. Served cold with whip cream on top.

Hints:
*If you get the pie crust with "2 extra servings" you will need to add more milk and juice. 

*I made 2 pies and it took about 3 pounds of the quarter-sized limes to get 1 1/2cups of juice.

Also this week, I made a quick reversible table cloth using the Joel Dewberry "Aviary 2" bird print in black. It is a sample I made for the shop's Michael Miller Clubhouse that I'm participating in.  Josh and I don't actually have a dining room table or any other table that it can go on so I folded it in half and think it looks alright on the back of the couch.  I'm not sure that it will stay there, but it will definitely go on trial as soon as we are done using it in the shop.

This "Aviary 2" fabric is what I was hoping to use for the curtains in the living room. However, a lady came into the shop today and bought the last 8+ yards on the bolt so I'm either going to have to order it or wait to see if something else comes out that I like just as much.  I'm thinking I will probably wait since I have so many other projects going on anyway. Although, if anyone sees it for a really good price please let me know.

Finished Four Patch Posy!

I finally finished my four patch posey quilt using Tula Pink's Marie Antoinette line of fabric! 

I also used the pink feather from "Plume". Oh and my setting triangles were "Plume's" main print, with the be flowers and birds! If fact, the only fabric not Tula Pink in this quilt is the little frame of dark pink between the feathers. For that I used Marcia Derse fabric, and it matched so perfectly I wish that I could put both in my drawer for them to make little beautiful babies! Okay, I realize how crazy it sounds, but I love it when my favorite designers make things that go together perfectly without even intending it!

In other news the winner of the Jennifer Paganelli Fabric is.... Andrea! She was comment number eleven so I will be contacting her to make sure she gets her beautiful new fabrics!  Speaking of beautiful new fabric... I received a package today, but I'm not going to tell you exactly what it is yet. I will show you tomorrow. :)  

And speaking of packages I should be receiving another package this week containing felt sheets. I'm pretty excited about it as well because it will mark the start of Christmas preparations! Can you guess what my theme is going to be?

Marie Antoinette! However, while I won't be using all of the bright colors in the fabric line, I did talk to Josh and he said it was okay to get a pink Christmas tree! I'm pretty happy, excited, and spoiled. I want our first Christmas in our own place to be out of this world fantastic!