Scrappy Sampler Twin Quilt

Here is the finished project laying on the end of the bed. This is my first sampler quilt and I am sure it won't be the last.

Here is a sneak peak of both the front and back sides of the sampler quilt.

My goal was to use every scrap of fabric I could find in my house for this quilt. I was running low on scraps so my neighbor gave me some of hers and I used them in this quilt. It has so many different colors but the boarders and sashing tie it all together well.

I can't believe how time consuming this project was. Would I do it again......yes but with the awareness that It will take months to complete. I started this Sampler Quilt class in January of 2011 and I finished this quilt in September. So 8 months later here is the final work of art. I struggled with some of the quilt blocks but I learned many valuable lessons from taking the class from Myrna. What a great patient teacher!

Here is my sampler quilt after it was machine quilted by Myrna and now it needs to be bound. I sewed the binding on one side and hand stitched the entire twin quilt on the other side.

This block was fun to do.

Packing the quilt top, batting and backing to get quilted.

Here is the back of the quilt. I had fun trying to find the right combination of fabrics to make it come together.

I laid out all the blocks and sashing before I sewed the rows together.

I love to use my rottery cutter to make nice strait rectangles for the sashing.

Quilt squares stacked and pressed flat.

Below are all the quilt blocks as individual squares with the name of the design below each one.

"Dresden Plate"

"Jack-in-the-Box" ( I didn't use this one because it didn't match.)

"Drunkards Path"

"Jack-in-the-Box"

"Beth's Block"

"Rippling Star"

"Log Cabin"

"Night and Noon"

"Bear's Paw"

Made up version of a "pinwheel star"

"Rail Fence"

"Kentucky Chain"

"Paper-Pieced Hearts"

"Railroad"

"Turkey Tracks"-my own version.

"Crows Foot"

"Lillies"

"Double Cross"

"Churn Dash"

"Flying Geese"

"Pinwheel Star"

The finished Scrappy Sampler Quilt.

Concrete Column Flower Planter

This beautiful column flower pot used to be a bird bath. My sister gave it to me because I have loved it for years. I love her!!! I used the top of the pillar for months as a holding ground for my succulents. When I became brave...I decided to spray paint both pieces.

Here is the column before it got a fresh coat of primer. The column was pretty amazing how it was, but I wanted something more dramatic looking for my front door.

Here it is with a fresh coat of Kilns Primer. I love that stuff! I can already see a whole new look.

This column has primer on it then I sprayed a light coat of American Accents Stone spray paint on the right side. You can see the difference. I love what beautiful texture it adds to the column. It also ages the piece and makes it feel more Tuscany.

I really enjoyed this spray paint. The price of the paint was a bit steep. I am all about saving money, but it turned out to be worth the price once the project was completed.  I think the newly painted planter looks  lovely.

My husband glued the 2 pieces together with tile mortar. I sprayed it and left the garage and waited for it to dry. When I came back to the garage the planter was on the cement in 2 pieces, the column cracked around 8 inches and the bottom was chipped. I about died! I stood the 2 pieces up and decided to walked away for a day to think about what I would do with it now.

Soooo pretty!

The next day I thought I would use my limited skills to repair it. Using cement mortar I glued it back together and filled in the cracks with cement using a toothpick. That was a bit tedious so I lathered it on my fingers and  filled in the holes that way instead. I wiped the excess off with wet wipes. Did I mention that I love wet wipes! What did I use before I had kids. I can use wipes for just about everything! Then I spray painted it with a few extra coats of textured spray paint. It turned out in the end and I still love it.
Here is the finished project below.

 Here is the beautiful Tuscany column and I love it.

Simple and elegant! Just what I like.

 So the moral of the story is....don't give up when things don't go your way. There is usually a way to fix the problem if you think on it for a while.

BYU Themed Birthday Cake

This Brigham Young University themed birthday cake was really fun to make. My friends daughters birthday was the same day as the BYU Football game. So.....hence the Y's and the Navy Blue and White colored Poka-Dots. 

Here is how I made the cake:    After the cakes were cooled, I filled the center with buttercream frosting. Then I crumb coated both cakes with frosting. 

 I used fondant to cover both cakes.

 I like the smooth look of fondant on a cake.

 I used Satin Ice fondant to cover the cake. It works wonderfully and can be purchased at Orson Gigi. It is a bit pricey but gets the job done right!

 Using a fondant smoother, I smoothed out the white/vanilla fondant. So far, so good.

 Here are the 2 tiers after the dowels were put inside to hold the cake upright and help the cake from shifting.

  Here is the creative part: I used different tools to cut shapes out of the Navy Blue Fondant. I didn't have colored fondant so I mixed food colors to make the White Satin Ice fondant a dark Navy Blue. My hands were stained for a while after. 

 Here is the fun Y cake all finished!

 I think it turned out fun for a teenager that loves BYU. 

 I put the grass on the cake to represent BYU's football field grass.

 Happy Birthday Alex!

Canning Chopped Tomatoes

Here are the beauties! My garden keeps on producing tomatoes like mad. I am loving it! My husband will be happy I am saving him money by canning these babies! Bring on the Red delicious tomatoes.

I mixed the Beef Stake, Roma, and Lg. Cherry tomatoes to make this batch of chopped canned tomatoes. You know me, I can't waste a thing! 

Here is my lovely canning pot on the stove. My husband gave this to me as a gift last year for my birthday. Who knew I would become a domesticated canning woman. 

Here are the beautiful chopped tomatoes nicely preserved in pint sized jars. I can't wait to eat them in the fall when I am craving tomatoes again :).

Awe....delicious tomatoes!!!

Old shutter becomes girly decoration

Here is an old skinny shutter that my brother-in-law gave me years ago. He knew I would snatch it up in a heartbeat! I spray painted Pink for my little girls room. I added silver knobs from my local hardware store.

My friend gave me a wreath with flowers on it so I took the wreath apart, with her permission of course and repainted a couple of the flowers to match my daughters crib bedding.