New fabrics

I did a little fabric shopping yesterday. There's a quilt store in North Syracuse called Mission Rose Quiltery. I go there occasionally, when I'm in the neighborhood. I took Dave's car in to get his snow tires off and Honda just happens to be near the quilt shop. I got a yard of this...

So cute, right? I'm seeing aprons in this fabric's future. Here's a smidge closer...

There were a lot of sweet fabrics in this group. I also got some of this...

Is that not adorable?! Another apron for sure. I'm really happy that this quilt shop has been offering more and more kits. It's so nice to just grab one sometimes. One half of the store is cottons, the other is yarn and wools. I've gotten wool there before and it's really beautiful. This time I picked up this fun little wall hanging kit...

Not that I need another project, but I think it'll be quick and fun to make for the summer. What else did I get? Just a few fat quarters...

That top one is from Michael Miller. More detail...

Oh hi Willow. Yes I will take your picture. Do your pets always want in on the photo taking? I can't tell you how many times I've cropped out a tail or two.

Ok where was I? Oh right, well, that was it at the fabric store. Now if they'd only have a 30s section I'd be ecstatic. Finally the library had this for me, that I've had a "hold" on forever...

Have you seen this book? Oh it is too cute. I haven't had a good look at it yet but I'm sure there will be a project or two for me.

We had an early Passover dinner at my mother-in-law's house over the weekend--lots of fun! The kids got to see two of their cousins which was great. Did I take any pictures? No, the camera never left my purse, darn it. Ugh! Well next month we're getting together again so watch out! Now Easter's coming up this weekend...and it's supposed to be beautiful out, near 80! I don't remember the last time (if ever) we could wear short sleeves on Easter. I do remember a snowy Easter Sunday or two...

I'm making apple butter pork loin tonight. It's pretty chilly out today, still good to make cozy meals. Have a great day!

♥ Jen

Yummies

Have you ever squealed over fabric? Of course you have. I got these in the mail from our favorite Fat Quarter Shop the other day and did just that...oh they make me happy!

Just look at these gorgeous fat quarters, would you? They're called "Hints of Prints" by Darlene Zimmerman. I have a hard time finding white background 30's fabrics that I like. These are perfect.

My original plan was to use these in the 30s quilt I'm working on...but I was afraid of this and it's true...the white does not go with the Snow cotton I'm using for the background. This white is WHITE. So I'll have to find another use for these. For now I'll just ooh and aah over them.

I added this charm pack to my order...

Easter plate from Target

I will buy anything Fig Tree. I love each and every one of Joanna's fabric lines! Plus these will be perfect for my coffee cup quilt. That reminds me, gotta start working on my April block.

I did some baking this morning...ready for some chocolate?

photo from bhg.com

This is called "Too Good to be Called Passover Cake." I made it last year too and can I tell you, it is sooooo good. Just a delicious flourless cake. I also made these...

bhg.com

These are Passover Apricot Squares...also yummy, just not in a fabulously-chocolate kind of way. In our family, we celebrate both Jewish and Catholic holidays, which I just love. So do the kids...double the fun!

Speaking of chocolate, have you tried this yet?

If not, do yourself a favor and go buy a bar. They have it at Target and Wegman's, to name a few places. It's about $2 for a big 3.5 oz. bar. I'm telling you, it is some of the best chocolate you have ever had. The bit of sea salt that it has really brings out the dark chocolate flavor.

Have a great weekend, friends!

♥ Jen

Maple festival

Hi all! It's been a super-busy week so far...sorry I haven't been around...the worst part is I haven't really been doing anything crafty either! :-( Seriously, I think I'm going into crafting-withdrawal. But after this week hopefully I can be more productive in that regard!

We did go to the maple festival last weekend, which was great. We went on Sunday, the day it was supposed to be chilly and rainy but it turned out gorgeous. We had a yummy breakfast...

(the bear is "traveling teddy" from my niece's kindergarten class...he came with us as an "adventure"!)

What is better than blueberry pancakes, real maple syrup, baked ham and eggs, I ask you? I can't imagine.

After a wagon ride through the sugar bush, we checked out how they boil the sap into syrup (and of course had to sample some more). A few of these bottles came home with us...

We've had a few contractors come over to check out our walkway and porch....more are scheduled too...it'll be interesting to see what the price range is. I guess you get what you pay for, right?

I will hopefully have some crafty stuff to post next time! Hope you all are doing well!

♥ Jen

Hair to quilt by

First things first...I found a great new hair accessory! I don't know about you, but whenever I'm sewing, my hair drives me crazy if it's not up. All the bending and moving and looking down finds me constantly pushing my hair out of my face. Not anymore! I found a super-easy clip called the "Bandette."

It's a comb-type thing that has a band across it...hard to explain but simple to use. Anyway try it if you have longish hair, it's a big help! P.S. I took this picture myself...took about 4 tries!

Anyway, what's new with you? I started working on a new quilt. I've been collecting 30s reproduction fabrics with the intention of making a 30s quilt. I just love the whimsical quality of the prints. I remember going to my Grandma and Pop-Pop's when I was a little girl and they had a real 30s quilt on one of the guest beds. I always enjoyed the cute little patterns.

I love Miss Rosie's patterns. They're so simple and I'm a big fan of stars.

Oof, I see I have a bit more pressing to do! Never mind...

So that's what I'm up to, sewing-wise! This weekend looks like it's going to be pretty busy...a birthday party, Home show, library, and OH! I forgot! It's maple festival weekend here in central New York. There's one maple farm in particular that we love for this. We go for a delicious all-you-can-eat breakfast, with eggs, ham, pancakes, etc. (of course with real maple syrup!) Then there's a wagon ride through the maple fields to see how the trees are tapped...and finally back to the sugar house to watch them turn the sap into syrup. The best part is the warm free samples. Yum! We always buy maple syrup and candy to bring home. Can't wait!

Randomly, here are a couple Easter bunnies we have on our hearth. They remind me of my little ones!

Enjoy your weekend!

♥ Jen

Top o' the mornin' to you!

I hope everyone has a happy St. Patrick's Day...Irish or not! And for those of us who are Irish, remember this old saying...If you're lucky enough to be Irish, you're lucky enough!

I'm off to do some shopping and have lunch with a friend. Should be a nice day!

♥ Jen

Whooooo loves ya?

Happy day to you! I am in such a good mood on this beautiful Tuesday...it must be the sun shining and the warmth in the air. There are chickadees in the bird feeder, such cute little birds. I haven't seen any robins yet but I'm sure they'll be here soon! Anyone who has them already, can you give them directions to my house? Thanks!

I cut some pussywillows this morning and made a very simple arrangement for my kitchen counter.

Now that says spring, don't you think? They're sooooo soft! Feels like our kitty Willow!

Have you seen Sandy Gervais' owl tutorial on the Moda Bake Shop? They are tooo cute! My daughter and I were looking at it together and she asked if I could make her one. So I made this on Friday...

You noticed I added wings, did you? Ah! What a keen observer of detail you are! Well, after I made the wingless owl, my son saw it and asked for one of his own with "boy fabrics." So I made him this little guy, with fabrics he picked out himself...

But I apparently neglected to include two of his favorite states, Nevada and Wyoming. Since he thought it could use wings too (and I agreed), I used those two state fabrics on each wing. Then Annabelle wanted wings too so we chose the elephant fabric. The wings were simple, I just drew a template onto freezer paper and cut out four (two different fabrics) for each owl. I stitched them wrong-sides-together, turned RSO, and stuffed lightly with polyfill. Sewed the openings shut, added a button and sewed to the owl. Easy!

Mr. Owl and Owlivia

Once again I didn't have crushed walnut shells to stuff the bottom of the owls, so I used those little poly bead thing-a-ma-bobs again. They worked great!

Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day...any big plans? We usually have corned beef sandwiches and cole slaw, since Dave is not a big fan of traditional corned beef and cabbage. He has a late meeting tomorrow night so we're going to celebrate tonight instead. Tomorrow a contractor is coming over to help plan our front porch and walkway remodel. I'm so excited, I can't wait for that to get done!

Have a wonderful day!

♥ Jen

My lucky day!

Today I am proud to say that I am the featured blogger in Gooseberry Patch's Featured Fridays! Those of you who have been reading this blog for awhile know that I am a BIG time GP fan! I have been published in Harvest Kitchen, and I am also going to be in an upcoming cookbook that I cannot wait to see! For those of you who are new, welcome! I am so glad that you stopped by! My blog is mostly about my family, quilting and crafting, with a little bit of cooking, shopping and decorating thrown in for good measure. So hang out awhile with me...and I'd love to see you stick around!

Come see what I made! It's a cute little wallet to go with my new purse. I had gotten this pattern a few months ago, you may recall...

And I made my sister one of them for her birthday last month. So yesterday I got out a few fat quarters, a zipper, and some heavy interfacing and got to work. It's a fun, rewarding project...except for turning it right side out. Oh my! That interfacing made it really stiff.

But, thanks to Pam, I had this to the rescue! (sorry for the blurry-ness)

And ta-da! That 4-in-1 tool works like a dream. I may have even used the seam-ripper part a time or four. Anyway, a wallet that's the perfect little size for a few credit cards, coins and bills. I'll probably add a button or two to the tab, for decoration, but for now, it's done!

All right people, I'm headed outside to see what's happening with my bulbs! Have a happy day!

♥ Jen

Ahhhh...Spring is Near!

Oh it is such a lovely day outside! The sun is shining, the snow is melting, and the daffodils are poking up! I think it's near 50 today. It's so nice to go outside and feel a little warmth from the sun.

I finished the apron. I didn't have a pattern, and I couldn't really find one online that I liked, so I made my own. I took an apron I liked and traced it onto my fabric, then made straps and a pocket.

For me, an apron is useless unless it has a bib. I don't know about you, but most of my splatters and stains occur above the waist! I took a picture in the mirror of me "modeling" it, it's a little blurry.

So that's what I did this weekend. Our plans changed, my 8-year old woke up with a stomach virus on Saturday and she was sick pretty much all weekend. Thus I didn't get to go to the garden show. Dave was able to go after his class on Saturday so he got us info on landscapers, etc. Thank goodness for Oma, she sent the kids an Amazon gift card which they spent on a new Wii game....that came on Friday so we played that a lot over the two days.

I went to Kohl's this morning to get the kids new spring jackets, which I found and they're super-cute. And WHILE I was there, I got a new purse! Yaay! I love the turquoise, and it's got a pink lining too. It was on sale and after a recent QVC purchase/exchange, I'm happy about the bargain I got! I like it much better than the other one anyway!

I also got a bottle of this perfume. It's such a pretty scent. Every time I go to Kohl's, I always spritz a little on from the sample bottle. But I heard that they're discontinuing it so I snatched up some. Mmm, it's so fresh, lightly floral and springy.

I usually use Philosophy's Amazing Grace, but it's nice to change it up a bit sometimes, right?

Enjoy your day...my kitty Willow certainly will!

♥ Jen