Both weddings were Saturday.
I love making these because I know they will be cherished by the couples.
Hope you had a great weekend.
Monday, October 28
Wedding Pillows
Here are a couple of wedding pillows I made this last week for local customers.
Both weddings were Saturday.
I love making these because I know they will be cherished by the couples.
Hope you had a great weekend.
Both weddings were Saturday.
I love making these because I know they will be cherished by the couples.
Hope you had a great weekend.
Looks like Autumn
Our region of Texas is in a severe drought. All the recent rain has our grass green again. We haven't watered since mid August. Looking forward to more color in the coming weeks.
Busy Weekend
I've been sewing but my time to post has been non existent. This week I was responsible for our city's Drug Take Back Event. It was a HUGE success but requires so much preparation.
Here is a collage with a few pictures.
We had 38 bags/boxes of solid drugs. Incredible! We are recycled TEN 95 gallon bins of plastic/paper packaging and a small truckload of boxes. Plus... we managed to have only one half empty container of trash. Eight people really "Making a Difference" in McKinney today--- I couldn't do this without the help of volunteers, the support of the Public Works Department and the Collin County Sheriff's Office.
Here is a collage with a few pictures.
We had 38 bags/boxes of solid drugs. Incredible! We are recycled TEN 95 gallon bins of plastic/paper packaging and a small truckload of boxes. Plus... we managed to have only one half empty container of trash. Eight people really "Making a Difference" in McKinney today--- I couldn't do this without the help of volunteers, the support of the Public Works Department and the Collin County Sheriff's Office.
Thursday, October 17
Buying Handmade for Staff Appreciation
Last week I got an order for eleven zipper pouches. Woohoo, it's my biggest order to date.
Eleven ladies in Ormond Beach Florida have a really fabulous boss --This sweet lady purchased personalized zipper pouches for her entire staff for Staff Appreciation Week.
The sweet thing was she wrote me describing each person and then I sent-posted pictures of previous pouches I had made for her to choose from. I thought it was thoughtful and the best thing was she didn't try to haggle on price and paid to ship over night!
Eleven ladies in Ormond Beach Florida have a really fabulous boss --This sweet lady purchased personalized zipper pouches for her entire staff for Staff Appreciation Week.
Halloween Swap Items
Here are a few more items I have made for my partner for the Halloween Swap I am hosting.
First... This is tiny but I think they are so cute. These are Hershey's Nugget candy covers I made out of felt. This is a design from Embroidery Garden. I think they can double as finger puppets.
Second... This is a Halloween Zipper Pouch. I've made this design before but this time I embroidered the name on the back.
Third... This is a bowl and fabric cover. The bowl is a large melamine mixing bowl (like 12 inches in diameter). I made a cover for it using some fun Halloween fabric.
Here is a photo from the top. Micaela our daughter thought it would work well as an old fashioned Halloween shower cap too....lol.
So, these three items, plus the Halloween Pillow, the Owl Pin Cushion, and the 3 monster treat bags along with some spools of ribbon and candy went out to my partner who lives Northwest of Dallas yesterday. I hope she likes everything!
First... This is tiny but I think they are so cute. These are Hershey's Nugget candy covers I made out of felt. This is a design from Embroidery Garden. I think they can double as finger puppets.
Second... This is a Halloween Zipper Pouch. I've made this design before but this time I embroidered the name on the back.
Here is a photo from the top. Micaela our daughter thought it would work well as an old fashioned Halloween shower cap too....lol.
So, these three items, plus the Halloween Pillow, the Owl Pin Cushion, and the 3 monster treat bags along with some spools of ribbon and candy went out to my partner who lives Northwest of Dallas yesterday. I hope she likes everything!
Tuesday, October 8
Autumn Be Thankful Sewing Swap
We've had so much fun with the Halloween Swap, the ladies want to do it again. Opening up a new swap. This is for one single Autumn item due by November 15. You can send extras but not necessary.
Use this link to register online. Closing soon, don't delay.
Monday, October 7
Autumn at the Dallas Arboretum
Are you ready for some eye candy? Friday I had a fun work meeting. The location was the Dallas Arboretum (poor me). While there I got a behind the scenes tour and a look at the incredible Autumn display and the new Children's Adventure Garden! I have been to the Arboretum many times but never during the fall so this was a special treat for me.
The Autumn display has more than 50,000 pumpkins, gourds and squash! It runs through November 27. You can visit the Dallas Arboretum website for more information.
Here are a few pictures I took with my phone (they don't do the place justice, but you'll get the idea).
Isn't that incredible! I'll share pictures of the Children's Adventure Garden in the next few days. Hope you are having a great Monday!
The Autumn display has more than 50,000 pumpkins, gourds and squash! It runs through November 27. You can visit the Dallas Arboretum website for more information.
Here are a few pictures I took with my phone (they don't do the place justice, but you'll get the idea).
Isn't that incredible! I'll share pictures of the Children's Adventure Garden in the next few days. Hope you are having a great Monday!
Halloween Monster Treat Bags
Hope you had a great weekend. On Sunday I stayed home most of the day and did some sewing. I am still plugging away making things for my Halloween Sewing Swap partner. She has children so I thought I would make a little something for the kids. Here are some little monster treat bags I started last night. They still need googly eyes, treats and bows but you get the idea.
After sewing these little guys, I kept feeling like they were looking at me...lol. This is a design from Five Star Fonts and they are made in the hoop.
After sewing these little guys, I kept feeling like they were looking at me...lol. This is a design from Five Star Fonts and they are made in the hoop.
Sunday, October 6
Flan
My Mom is the Queen of Flan. If you are not familiar with flan it's a Mexican dessert very similar to Crème Brule or custard. Mom makes several flans a week for family, friends and pot luck gatherings. She makes different flavors and is very much a pro!
I've been trying to duplicate her recipe and success for the last several months. To make a long story short, let's just say I've cracked a few dozen eggs in the process of getting it right. After several tries with my own cookware, she gave me hers when we went to visit in August. Then, two attempts ago, we did Facetime on the Ipad so she could coach me on caramelizing the sugar. My last three attempts have been close and this week I finally got it.
Tada, here is my perfect FLAN!
I made it to take to a potluck meeting I had with the Texas Daffodil Society and it turned out just like my Mom's. I am so proud.
I felt like it needed a little garnish and didn't have anything besides grapes and carrots in the refrigerator. I improvised by thinly slicing grapes and using a "Red Hot" for the center of the flower. I am so happy with this that I had to share!
Now that I finally got this right, this will be one of my "go to" recipes for potlucks and gatherings. Hope you're having a great weekend.
I've been trying to duplicate her recipe and success for the last several months. To make a long story short, let's just say I've cracked a few dozen eggs in the process of getting it right. After several tries with my own cookware, she gave me hers when we went to visit in August. Then, two attempts ago, we did Facetime on the Ipad so she could coach me on caramelizing the sugar. My last three attempts have been close and this week I finally got it.
Tada, here is my perfect FLAN!
I made it to take to a potluck meeting I had with the Texas Daffodil Society and it turned out just like my Mom's. I am so proud.
I felt like it needed a little garnish and didn't have anything besides grapes and carrots in the refrigerator. I improvised by thinly slicing grapes and using a "Red Hot" for the center of the flower. I am so happy with this that I had to share!
Now that I finally got this right, this will be one of my "go to" recipes for potlucks and gatherings. Hope you're having a great weekend.
Wedding Pillow in Red Damask
My good friend's twin brother married a couple of weeks ago. I made a pillow in the Bride's signature color for the gift.
The "&" is appliquéd in a suede like fabric and the embroidery is in two different shades of beige and taupe. I am happy with the way this turned out.
Hope you are having a great weekend.
Monday, September 30
Guadalupe Zipper Pouches
With all the rain on Saturday, I got some sewing done.
I made these two zipper pouches to donate to the Guadalupanas ladies group fundraiser at Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church in Mission (my hometown). My Mom is in the group. I was actually baptized there as an infant and married there in 2004. I've been wanting to make them something for a while.
I have two versions... This is first zip is made with a folklorico style print fabric, very modern.
Inside I used a goldenrod tone on tone print fabric, it was the exact color in the flower print on the outside. (I love it when I have the right colors in my stash).
The second one was is a realistic painting print. I've had this for a long time and have been wanting to make "something" for a while. I was so afraid the stipple quilting would look bad across the faces of the virgens but I think it's hard to see.
Banana Bread
We had three over ripe bananas and it was raining outside on Saturday afternoon (when we were supposed to go to our church picnic) so I made a quick banana bread to pass the time. I used this recipe at Food Network. It turned out great.
Although we were sad to miss the picnic, our region of Texas is experiencing an Extreme Drought so we were grateful. Our current lake level is at 49% so rain even on picnic day is a good thing.
Hope you had a great weekend.
Friday, September 27
Wine Cork Zipper Pouch
Here's a wine cork zipper pouch I made for a friend that loves wine AND does crafts with wine corks. This fabric was just too perfect.
My favorite thing is the wine corkscrew charm I found, it couldn't be more perfect!
Wedding Pillow in B & W
Here is another wedding pillow for a wedding this weekend. This couple loves black and white.
The pillow is 15x15, the fabric is a checkerboard suede like fabric. I am loving making these pillows. I am so glad it's Friday, what a long week it has been.
The pillow is 15x15, the fabric is a checkerboard suede like fabric. I am loving making these pillows. I am so glad it's Friday, what a long week it has been.
Wednesday, September 25
Halloween Pillow
I have to brag. My Halloween Sewing Swap group has been so much FUN. We have a Facebook Group and 60 of the more than 70 ladies are constantly posting pictures and having great conversations. No one really knew each other before the group and it has been so fun to read everyone's post, droll over Halloween Projects, exchange ideas, support each other and just plain bond. We have already decided to do another swap for Autumn and I can't wait. There are probably more than 100 pictures of Halloween projects so far. I plan on making a slideshow or video of all of the projects and sharing them here after we are done.
In the meantime, here is another item I have made for my Halloween Sewing Partner. The pillow is 10x10. I sewed 4 strips of 2x2 patchwork and then attached it around the center panel. I am pleased with how it turned out and to be honest I am going to hate to part with it. Micaela has already made my promise I will make one with an M for her.
Hope you are having a great day! Stay tuned for more Halloween projects in the coming days.
Monday, September 16
Halloween Owl Pin Cushion
I made this little owl pin cushion using several Halloween fabrics. This is going to be one of the items I send my partner in the Halloween Sewing Swap I am hosting. There are more than 70 ladies from all over the US and six other countries participating in the swap and I am so excited.
This is an in the hoop design from Reen at Embroidery Garden. I used fusible fleece on the body to create a smooth look and stuffed it with polyfill and walnut litter. Walnut litter can be purchased at the pet store and it's great for adding weight and sharpening needles and pins as you stick them in and pull them out of the cushion.
The fun thing about this owl design is that the wings open up and there is a pocket in the belly. I fussy cut the witch to fit front and center as the pocket. You can stick needles and special decorative pins in the wings and put things like a seam ripper and small scissors in the belly pocket. In fact, if you put the small scissors in the center pocket, the rings on the handles should fit nicely over the eyes. You also put two spools of thread in the two elastic loops that are sewn in the bottom seam to make the owl sit upright.
I hope my Halloween Sewing Partner likes this as much as I enjoyed making it for her.
Thanks for stopping by! Be sure to visit the rest of the ladies in the blog hop today, tomorrow and last week.
September 10
September 11
September 12
September 13
September 16
Bloom Where I Am Planted -- that's me!
September 17
Sunday, September 15
Zipper Bags
Here are a few zipper bags that I have made in the last couple of weeks.
Weenie dogs wearing rain boots zipper pouch for our daughter Micaela (we love weenie dogs).
Bees & apples theme zipper pouch for a friend who just started teaching preschool and the theme in her classroom is bees...
Black & White spotty dog zipper pouch for our own piebald double dapple weenie dog Oreo, we decided he needed one too.
Dallas Cowboy zipper pouch for a big fan visiting my friend from Germany
Lion zipper pouch for a childhood friend who teaches Kindergarten and the theme in her classroom is Lions.
Weenie dogs wearing rain boots zipper pouch for our daughter Micaela (we love weenie dogs).
Also available in green.
Bees & apples theme zipper pouch for a friend who just started teaching preschool and the theme in her classroom is bees...
Black & White spotty dog zipper pouch for our own piebald double dapple weenie dog Oreo, we decided he needed one too.
Dallas Cowboy zipper pouch for a big fan visiting my friend from Germany
These are all available in my Etsy store, the button is on the right side bar. Thanks for stopping by!
Saturday, September 7
Wedding Pillow #2
Last month I made a wedding pillow for my nephew and his bride. You can see the pillow in this post. After listing that pillow option in my Etsy store I got an inquiry for one in brown. After much discussion, the customer wanted either a velvet or suede fabric instead of cotton or denim in a chocolate lighter than a Hershey bar. I went to the store to see what I could find and found out the hard way that it is difficult to photograph brown fabric. Anyway, I sent her photos of the "brown" options and she picked this very cool stamped suede.
I think this turned out fabulous. It would have taken me a while to try sewing with this kind of fabric on my own so I am glad I got the request. Thanks for stopping by! TGIF
I think this turned out fabulous. It would have taken me a while to try sewing with this kind of fabric on my own so I am glad I got the request. Thanks for stopping by! TGIF
Zipper Bag for Music Teacher
Our daughter's music teacher was off on maternity leave at the end of the school year so we didn't get to give her an end of the year gift. I had been looking for fabric with music notes/symbols in purple ever since our daughter was in Kinder (yes, a long time). Well the other day, by chance-- I found the perfect fabric and the timing was just right to give her the gift at the begining of this school year.
Here is the zipper bag.
The lining was music notes.
We appreciate so much what all of our daughter's teachers do, it's just one tiny thing to say Thanks. I am so glad it's Friday. This was a short week for me but it really felt long.
Here is the zipper bag.
The lining was music notes.
Thursday, September 5
Diaper Bag
A couple of months ago I made a pillow for a friend's daughter that was expecting a new baby girl back in July. The Mom-to-be loved the pillow (featured back in June) so much that she asked me to make a diaper bag in the same fabric.
Here it is....
The fabric is "Cute Patchwork" fabric by Michael Miller just like the pillow. I did not use a pattern. Katie, the Mom sent me a picture of what she had in mind and I duplicated. I embroidered the name and appliqued initials on the front of the bag just like the pillow.
I made two big pockets on the back side.
On the backside, I added a magnetic snap closure and for the first time ever chrome rings to the 2.5 inch wide single crossover strap to kinda dress it up a bit.
Here it is....
The fabric is "Cute Patchwork" fabric by Michael Miller just like the pillow. I did not use a pattern. Katie, the Mom sent me a picture of what she had in mind and I duplicated. I embroidered the name and appliqued initials on the front of the bag just like the pillow.
I made two big pockets on the back side.
On the backside, I added a magnetic snap closure and for the first time ever chrome rings to the 2.5 inch wide single crossover strap to kinda dress it up a bit.
I am pleased with how this turned out. I don't usually make bags for "sale", I hope she likes it! Thanks again for stopping by!
Fabric Bin
This is the fabric bin/basket I received from Julie 'Hopkins' Laidlaw in the McKinney Modern Quilt Guild Swap last month. You might recall the swap I made BettyPat with her fabric in late June. I was in Hawaii the day of the swap but Julie and I finally connected a couple of weeks ago and I was in awe of the gorgeous bin she made for me.
The cool thing about this swap is that the recipient supplied the fabric. I supplied a variety of the fabrics that I have used to decorate and make things for my sewing room. You can see all of the pillows on my daybed in the background. I actually tidied up a bit to take the picture. I'll share new updated pictures of my sewing area in the next few weeks. Thanks for stopping by!
This bin, basket or swimming pool (as Julie affectionately refers to it) is gorgeous, GIANT (more than 12 inches tall and 18 inches wide) and I love it!
Thank you Julie!
First day of school (last week)
Our daughter started 3rd grade last Monday. We are not sure how long she will let us walk her to school but last week she had no issues holding Daddy's hand. We took pictures in front of the school and in the classroom but this one was by far my favorite.
I am behind!
Ok, so I blink and two weeks have flown by. My goodness. I got all wrapped up in the Halloween Swap, school starting for our daughter, Labor Day weekend, cleaning, organizing and sewing and haven't posted. I'll be playing catch up in the next few days so hang on tight! Thanks for sticking with me!
Thursday, August 15
Halloween Swap
I can't stand it anymore. Everywhere I go I see Halloween stuff. Last year I participated in a Halloween Sewing Swap and had so much fun that I've decided to host one.
Sign up by clicking here:
Sign up by clicking here:
Sunday, August 11
Mr. & Mrs. Pillow
Made this Mr. & Mrs. Pillow for my nephew who is getting married this weekend.
I used a plain denim and a primitive folk cotton fabric for appliqué. I actually made this 2x before I got it right.
I fell in love with this design when one of my embroidery friends shared a picture of a pillow she made. I suspect this will now be my go to gift for weddings and anniversaries and I might just have to add it to my Etsy store. Thanks for stopping by!
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