Watermelon Wreath

Apparently I have recently decided that I really like wreaths.  I saw a really cute heart wreath on a blog somewhere made with burlap and got the idea to tweak it and create a watermelon for my front door.   

As I was buying the burlap Trudi gave me a hard time because it’s almost fall.  I would like to point out that it’s only August, and as much as I like fall, winter follows it and I HATE winter.  Winter means snow and cold, which I could live without.  So I’ll drag out summer as much as I possibly can, even if it's only in my head.  To help me drag out summer, here is my watermelon wreath.

Star Wreath

My sister came across this really cute star wreath that we decided to make while I was visiting her.  The stars were made out of paper and so we headed out looking for some fun cardstock in patriotic colors and prints.  We never thought it would be so hard to find printed cardstock and didn’t want plain stars, so we bought fabric instead and worked on the star pillow that she posted earlier.  Yeah, mine isn't done yet, but it will be for next year.

I still wanted a star wreath and really liked the idea of the fun patterns that you can find on paper, so I decided to reinvent my own.  This was complete in time for July, I had it finished and hanging on my door with a couple of hours left on the first.  It was pretty dark by then, so I took a picture of it in the house.  I was pretty pleased with myself, usually they will get started and I end up finishing and using them the next year, or the next.

Flower Pillow Part 2

It has definitely been a crazy couple of months.  Work hasn’t been good and I have been tirelessly looking for something new, but to no avail.  My dream is to move to never ending summer in Phoenix, but the job market doesn’t seem to be cooperating.  

During my breaks of looking for a new job, I have been trying to finish up my half started projects and I think I’ve done a pretty good job.  My two nephews finally got their Monster Albums (I have now made six of these quiet books, I found the pattern on youcanmakethis.com and love it after I made a few alterations of course), my youngest niece got an adorable lady bug pillow for her birthday and I finished a really cute portfolio for my oldest niece’s birthday (I’ll be posting that one soon).  I have also finally finished my flower pillow, you were probably starting to wonder if I ever would, don’t worry, you aren’t alone.

Here are the final steps and the final product.  I LOVE it!

New Year New Projects? and Ribbon Flower Pillow Part 1

A couple of weeks before Christmas Mom IM'd me and asked me how many projects I was currently working on.  I started to list off everything that I could think of, then remembered a few more later that day.  I have quite a few that have either been started, or had materials purchased for, but were never finished for one reason or another.

So, my New Year's resolution is to finish ALL my current projects before starting any new ones (well, minus birthday presents, I still need to do those).  For some (well, most) of these projects I won't have pictures throughout the entire project, but I will post what I can.  I figured this way, I will have a little more motivation to get them all done :)

To start, here is my first project.  This one started out with an idea and then we found the cutest ribbon (I'm starting to really like ribbon, there are so many fun styles out there) and it was all decided.  It isn't quite finished, but I plan to finish it this weekend.  But to start, here it is:

Ribbon Flower Pillow:

This is what it currently looks like.  If you haven't guessed by now, I love flowers, pretty much any kind of flower.  Though orchids are my absolute favorites and always will be.  But they are a little more difficult to figure out how to mimic with ribbon, if anyone has an idea, I'd love to hear it.  Okay, so now that I have digressed from the project, maybe that's why I have so many half finished ones :), let's get back to the instructions.

Peppermint Marshmallows

It is a well known fact in my family that I am insane.  Probably clinically insane at times, but I have come to terms with it.  Because of my insanity, I have been living behind my sewing machine for the past 3 weeks (well, when I'm not at work, it's a necessary evil) working on a Christmas present.  The most elaborate playhouse tent ever and I love it.  Kimie will have to post pictures after Christmas because I didn't get a chance to take any before I handed it off to a friend who was a lifesaver and willing to take it in her carry-on today to deliver it in time for Christmas.  That is my excuse for not posting anything all month.

To make up for it, I received an email with a recipe for peppermint marshmallows that I just had to try (thank you Betty Crocker).  They turned out very yummy, so I thought I would share. 

Citrus Enfused Turkey (or Chicken)

This is a little twist on the traditional Thanksgiving turkey that I learned from one of my favorite professors in school.  He was as Italian as you could get and brilliant in the kitchen. 

Typically I would have placed the turkey (chicken) on a platter and dressed it all up nice, but well, I had a houseful of hungry people and I was one of them.  So we went ahead and ate it right out of the baking dish :)

Halloween Chips

A few years ago I was making dinner for a neighbor that had just brought home baby number 2.  She already had a toddler at home and since the focus tends to be on new baby, I wanted to come up with something fun for her.   It was close to Halloween so I took my family’s tortilla recipe and created Halloween Chips.  

Hot Pads

If you are anything like me you have lots of fabric scraps from other projects, or maybe some of those fabrics that were just too cute that you had to buy them and now you have to think of a use for them.  It’s one of those addictions that I’m okay with having.  It’s right there with chili infused chocolate, whoever created that mixture is a genius!

Okay, back to all those scraps.  Hot pads!  Perfect for scraps.  You can always use hot pads and they make good gifts as well. 

Flower Embellished Shorts

I found these really cute little shorts on clearance for my niece one day only to find out that she already had the exact same pair.  A few days later I was flipping through one of my friend’s scrapbook magazines and found these really cute flowers that they had created out of ribbon, buttons and paper.  I decided to change them up a little and add them to the shorts for my niece. 

You will need 3 strips of ribbon per flower.  I used the thinner ribbons so the flowers didn’t overpower the shorts.  I cut mine in 2 ½” lengths for the big flower and 1 ¾” lengths for the little flower.  Twist the ribbon into a loop and pin to secure.

For the stem and leaves, draw them onto iron on paper for appliqués, I use Heat-n-Bond Lite. 

Then iron them onto the back of a scrap of green fabric. 

Once they cool, cut them out and determine placement on the shorts.  Once you have them in place, iron them on.  You will then want to sew them in place using a blanket stitch.  I shortened the lengths of my stitches just a little just because the appliqués are so little.

You will then need to start placing your ribbon petals. 

Sew the middle petal in first using a close zigzag.

Then place and sew on the remaining 2 petals. 

Finish the flower with a button for the middle and enjoy! 

For the smaller flower, I twisted the petals the opposite way because of the print on the ribbon and to change it up a little.

I’m thinking I might change these up again and add them to pillows.  Stay tuned.

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