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Wednesday, April 27, 2011

Sarah's Wedding Quilt & Guest Posting

My best friend since third grade, Sarah, got married three years ago.  I was her maid of honor, and at the time, I was working on a quilt to give her as a wedding gift.  Since I am just now finishing it, maybe I am not still her best friend...

Sarah knows me well enough that I think she didn't actually expect me to finish it on time, but anyway, I just finished the quilt top.  I am going to take it and have it basted together (I can't stand pinning for hour--it hurts my fingers), then I will quilt it on my sewing machine.

I love the colors of this quilt.  You may have noticed some of my color preferences (blue and yellow), and Sarah shares some of them with me.  Actually, when I finished this top, Adam said, "I think I like that one even better than ours."  Can I share a secret with you?  I agree with him.  The one I made for us is based on Adam's obsession with log cabins (not my favorite decor).  The good news is that now I have an excuse to make a new quilt for us!

By the way...head over to Tatertots and Jello today to see my Soldered Mother's Day Pin.  While you're there, say hi to Jen and check out what else there is to see.  Yesterday, she had another guest poster who made an AMAZING peacock pillow!

Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Bathroom Redo

I've mentioned before that Adam and I completely gutted our condo in 2009.  We got our condo through the Good Neighbor Next Door Program.  Which basically means we got a HUD home for cheap, but it needed a lot of work.  This is the first post where I am going to give you a peek into our home.

We bought our home in September of 2009, and spent the next 6 months renovating the entire place.  The condo was originally built in 1986 and had not been updated in any way since the original build.  This is what the bathroom looked like before we did anything to it:

Notice the all white decor (ooh and the light pink tile on the floor)?  Notice the countertop and mirror that extend over the toilet?  Notice the box light?  How about the lovely shower doors?  

I didn't get a picture of it, but our tub had a huge crack down the middle, so that had to go.  It was an oversized tub, and it wouldn't fit out any of the doors, so Adam to a sledge hammer and broke it into pieces to get it out.  When we went to buy a new one, we realized that a regular size tub wouldn't fit against the wall, and still have the drain fit.  Adam wanted to move the drain, but then discovered that the gas line was right next to the drain, so we poured through the catalog and Lowe's and ordered a new tub.  While we waited to the tub to get here, Adam began to remove the tile.  The tile wouldn't come off the wall, so we ripped the walls down and took out the insulation.  Adam also replaced the subfloor under the tub, so he could make sure nothing was wrong under the tub (we lucked out there was NO mold).

When we tried to pull the floor tile up, we discovered that the builder hadn't placed the tile on a subfloor, but had actually adhered the tile directly on the concrete.  Removing our pink tile turned out to be a much more difficult task than anticipated.

Eventually we got the tile removed, and the tub installed.  Adam and I spent days trying to pick out tile, and we finally landed on this travertine and glass tile from Floor & Decor. (Isn't he studly?)


We repeated the 12x12 tile on the floor.

Once the tiling was finished, it was mostly down hill from there.  The only item we kept was the original vanity; although, we put a new granite top on, and a new sink.  We purchased our faucets, light fixture, toilet, tub, sink, counter, door knobs, and towel racks from Lowe's.  We replaced the doors (they had holes in them) with doors from Home Depot.  I found our new mirror at Big Lots.  The candle sconce is from Target, and all the linens are from Bed Bath and Beyond.  The paint is from Home Depot (it's called pinecone hill).




Not quite done...I have some pictures of the finished tile with the bathroom completely finished.


And a close-up of the counter.

I didn't take a picture, but we do have a great sky light in the ceiling (I am sure you can tell which pictures were taken at night vs. daytime).  Thanks for visiting.  I hope you enjoyed a mini tour of my home (emphasis on the mini)!

Saturday, April 23, 2011

Hello Again and ... Orange Julius

I know it has been ages since I posted anything. I'm sorry. I have been so busy with planning, grading, preparing for both the banquet and tryouts, that I have not had any time to craft or blog in weeks. Luckily, I have the banquet on Monday, tryouts are all planned, and I am almost completely caught up on grading. This means that I will be crafting and posting again on a regular basis.

Today I have a quick recipe that I know you will love. Orange Julius reminds me of the mall, summer, and high school. Do you want to make your own? I know I do. Here's how:

Ingredients (this makes a whole pitcher)
  • 1 orange sliced
  • 1 cup milk
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 3/4 cup (6 oz) frozen orange juice concentrate
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 1-2 cups ice (depending on your preference)
Supplies
  • Blender (sadly, Adam put our blender in the sink after I made these--it fell and shattered, so no more for me until I replace it)
  • Glasses
  • Straws (some people don't consider them a necessity, but I do)
Directions
  1. Combine all ingredients except the orange slices in the blender
  2. Blend
  3. Pour into glass
  4. Embellish with an orange slice
  5. Insert straw
  6. Share with friends!
What's your favorite summer drink?

Wednesday, April 6, 2011

Guest Posting & Giveaway

I am really excited to guest post today over at She Wears Flowers.  Have you been to Tammy's blog yet? I fell in love with her blog when she posted this great tutorial showing how to make a felt cake and this great tutorial showing how to make the changeable decorations! I haven't made one yet, but it is on my list of summer makes.

Head over to Tammy's blog to get my pattern for this knitted pixie hat for baby.

Also, Tammy is hosting a fabulous giveaway this week. Julie from the Etsy Shop Miss Pretty Pretty has generously offered to give away one of her gorgeous felt playhouses (up to $200 value).  The cupcake house is my favorite--I know you are surprised.  Head over to She Wears Flowers to enter the giveaway and to see my pixie hat.  While you're there, you might want to stay and explore Tammy's other tutorials.

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Borders & A Finished Quilt Top


Wow!  I can't believe what a difference a border can make on a quilt.  I think it was just the perfect finish for this quilt.  I am really excited to have this basted so I can quilt it and get it finished for our bed.  Adam loves anything that looks like it fits in a log cabin, and he would decorate our entire condo with logs and dead animals if I let him.  That's why I created this log cabinish pattern for the quilt.  Since starting this, I have learned that not only does color matter, but the lightness and darkness matter just as much.

Although this is really Adam's style, after I finished, I really thought this was more of a fall/winter quilt than spring/summer, so I was thinking that at some point I would replace our current coverlet with a quilt for spring/summer too.  Lo and behold, I saw a post on Craft Gossip for this challenge on The Last Piece.

Here's the gist
  • You have 2 months (almost, I am a couple days late)
  • You need to make a quilt top (you don't have to quilt it)
  • The quilt top needs to be for your bed
If you want to check out the cool prizes, or participate, head over to read the fine print.

I need to create my pattern, and pick some fabric!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Crafting in Utah

While in Utah, I also spent some time crafting.  My cousin Hannah is super busy, and one of the activities keeping her busy is running for the track team.  She had this hoodie that was the same as everyone else on the team.  Although she is full of team spirit, she also wanted an easy way to keep her hoodie from getting mixed up with her friends' hoodies.  We added her name on the side of the hood (doesn't she sort of look like she's lining up for her mug shot? hee hee).  It was an instant hit at school!

We also made this fun messenger bag.  Click here for the tutorial.

Saturday, April 2, 2011

Two Tier Ruffle Skirt

This skirt is a great skirt to make when you have some extra fabric and about 30 minutes to sew.  I picked up this soft denim from the remnants bin at Joann Fabrics (you might recognize the fabric from the drawstring backpack), and it has made a great skirt for my one-year-old niece.  You will be amazed at how quickly you can sew this together.  The skirt I made finished at about 19 inches around the waist, 25 inches around the bum, and 10 inches long.  Adjust your measurements as needed.

Supplies
  • 1/2 yard of fabric (you may need more or less depending on the size of skirt)
  • Thread
  • 21 inches of 1/2 inch wide elastic
  • Sewing Machine
  • Twin Needle (optional)
  • Scissors
Directions
  1. Cut two strips of fabric.  One should be 8 inches wide, and 26 inches long.  The other should be 5 inches wide, and 44 inches long.
  2. Fold each strip in half right sides together, so your strips are 8 inches by 13 inches, and 5 inches by 20 inches.  Sew along the short side using a 1/2 inch seam allowance.  Iron the seam open
  3. Take the 8 inch wide loop, and iron down 1/4 inch around one side wrong sides together.  Fold down an additional inch and pin. 
  4. Sew around the edge using a 1/8 inch seam allowance to make a casing.  Leave a 1 inch opening so you can add the elastic later.  Set aside.
  5. Take the 5 inch wide loop and sew around one edge 1/4 inch from the edge using the longest stitch your machine allows (be sure to not backstitch or fix the edge).
  6. Pull on one thread to gather the loop.  Gather until it measures 25 inches around.  Knot the thread ends together to fix in place.
  7. Pin the two loops together matching the gathered edge to the raw edge of the other loop (right sides together).
  8. Sew the two loops together using a 1/2 inch seam allowance.  Pull out the stitches you used to gather the lower tier.
  9. Switch to the twin needle.  Iron the lower tier flat and sew around using the twin needle.  This adds a cute detail to the front, and encases the raw edge on the inside of the skirt so it will not fray.
  10. Iron 1/4 inch under on the bottom tier to start hem.
  11. Fold over again and pin.
  12. Sew the hem using the twin needle.
  13. Use a safety pin to pull the elastic through the casing.
  14. Switch to a regular needle again.  Sew the two ends of the elastic together, then sew shut the casing.

Friday, April 1, 2011

Where are you going? Where have you been?


Zion National Park
No I didn't fall off the face of the planet, it just seems that way.  I actually went to a little city in Utah called Cedar City to visit family.  We had the most wonderful time, and I couldn't tear myself away to blog, or even read other blogs.  I do apologize for my absence, but I have to confess that I don't feel that guilty about it.  While I love the outlet this blog has been for me, it was so nice to cut myself off from technology for a week and simply enjoy the people around me.


Petroglyphs
We spent most of our time visiting with my family, but we also had some fun outings.  Adam went fishing down at Lee's Ferry just below Lake Powell.  We went on a hike in St. George where there was a plethora of interesting petroglyphs, and we also went on a hike to Emerald Pools in Zion National Park.  It was a wonderful vacation.

I am glad to be back home, and will get back onto my regular schedule.  I have some fun tutorials for you this week, so come back and visit!