Yellow Ribbon Quilt

When a dear friend sadly told me her son was being deployed for the third time, I knew I wanted to make a quilt for her. Something to snuggle up in while she prays for him each day. A reminder that I care and will be "praying him home" along with her. 

You probably noticed there are apples on a tree that is supposed to be an "old OAK tree", as the song goes. Since we don't have oak trees where we live I thought it was more appropriate but sometimes I wish I had kept with the traditional song. The free pattern can be found here.
You can barely see it but I had his name embroidered on the ribbon to personalize it. I always hand write my labels, mostly because I don't have the right type of printer to make them on my computer. I do think it's kind of special to have the actual hand writing of the gift giver on the label of a hand made gift.

Blessings to you,

Wire Bird's Nests

I adore these little buggers! So much so that I ordered a robin's egg blue one on Etsy. It makes me smile every time I look at it. It symbolizes hope and life and spring and the anticipation of good things to come. That is why I was SO excited to find Rissa's tutorial on her blog, Hazel and Honeysuckle. She was kind enough to share it with us and I hope you will check it out and see how easy these are to make.
Our winter is extending well into spring in the Rocky Mountains and I am clinging to the hope that sunnier days are coming!


Blessings to you and happy Easter~ Celebrate a risen Savior!

Popsicle Stick Bracelets

 

I bet when you saw the title of this post you had visions of something really tacky and ugly. Well, I hope you were pleasantly surprised! I think these are so elegant and pretty and the designs on them kind of remind me of quilt blocks. This idea comes from Susan over at Suzy's Artsy Craftsy Sitcom and the tutorial can be found here. Granted, much of their beauty is due to the fact that the gal is obviously a talented artist, but I think the possibilities are endless and I plan on trying this as soon as I can get the supplies. Join me!
Blessings to you~

Quilt Care Labels

 You can kind of tell how valued a quilt is going to be by the way it is received when you present it to someone.Do you ever give a quilt as a gift and think to yourself "I wonder if this person has any idea how much work went into this. Do they know how to clean and care for a quilt?". 

Well, I can't guarantee your precious labor of love won't be used as a rug or dog bed, but I did find something wonderful that Cindi wrote about at Seams To Be You and Me. Care labels for quilts! Isn't that brilliant? She has a tutorial that explains the whole process and shows how she made hers. I like that it doesn't replace a regular quilt label but is added in addition to it.
                                                                         

She printed them on both sides so she could add her web site too. I think this is a LONG overdue idea whose time has come! Please leave Cindi a comment if you have praise or questions. I hear bloggers like that! :o)

 Blessings to you,

Rose Pin Made from Tights

Here is my version of the Upcycled Tights into Flowers from last Saturday. I really like how it looks. Both legs of the tights were used to make this 41/2" flower. The tights were little girls size 7.

I must have wrapped mine differently than Tatum because they look totally different, but I like both styles. I had to buy a pair of tights which isn't all bad because this is going into a charity auction so they were nice and bright pink. On the down side, it's not really "upcycled" now is it? This is what the back looks like.

Blessings to you~

Wordless Wednesday

Blessings to you~
      

Rose Napkins

 I want to share this fun idea in case you want to use it for Easter or Mother's Day. Renee, over at Sewn With Grace, not only has great music playing :o) but has a link to a tutorial from Southern Lady Magazine that shows you how to make these.

 Aren't they pretty? Perfect for a ladies brunch too!
Blessing to you~
                       

  

Tennis Ball Quilt

Whenever spring arrives here I begin to think of tennis season. It was such a big part of our lives when our middle son was in high school and every week we would travel to watch him play. He is a freshman in college now and we will SO miss the excitement we had each time he had a match. At the end of the season last year I made his coach this quilt.

 I had each varsity player autograph a yellow block before I pieced them.

Didn't my long arm quilter do a fantastic job? We decided to go with a tennis ball yellow for the thread so the balls would really show up.

I love the way the flame design makes it appear like wind passing by. Lord knows, the wind does blow here during tennis season! Not to mention the force of a speeding ball!

This easy snowball pattern could easily used for any sport that uses a round ball. It could even be elongated for a football. Have fun with it!
Blessings to you,








 

Upcycled Tights into Flowers

I think my recent obsession with flowers might indicate that I am VERY ready for spring to get here. But alas,  we received another five inches of snow yesterday so the only flowers in my future are ones I create. Thanks to Tatum at k.i.s.s. {Keep it Simple, Sister} and this tutorial, it is possible make super cute flowers out of, get this, old tights or panty hose. Isn't that awesome? Since I was blessed with three boys, I plan on having my friends with girls save their old ones for me. Can't wait to see their faces when I put in this request! Aren't they beautiful?

Hope you get a chance to visit Tatum's new blog and try out this project!
Blessings to you~



Image and project from {K.I.S.S.} Keep It Simple, Sister

Quilts on Barns... and Such

 There is an old, gold mining town in the mountains near the city where I live. I have been hearing that quilts have been showing up painted on buildings there so I decided a field trip was in order. It was like a treasure hunt to find all six amongst the tattered remains of, what once was, a booming mining community. This is what I found~

 Many thanks to the folks who create and maintain this artwork so the rest of us can enjoy!
 Blessings to you,

Felt Chicks

My day started with a smile when I read this post over at Myrtle & Eunice. Not only are these little guys adorable but the post is so funny that it's worth a visit just to read it! You really should use the links that inspired the chicky poses too. Hilarious!!!

Blessings to you,

Giveaway

Raggedy Station is having a great giveaway of twelve black and white fat quarters. Aren't they pretty? Go over here to enter and good luck!

  Blessings to you~ Luci

Rose Cake

Yesterday I promised you more gorgeous roses today. Just LOOK at this masterpiece! The tutorial can be found at i am baker along with beautiful pictures of each step. Isn't it the most lovely cake you've seen in a very long time? What strikes me most is its simplicity.While you are there, stay a while and enjoy yourself. The hydrangea cake is awesome too and also has a tutorial available. I promise... you will be inspired!
 































Blessing to you~ Luci

Rosette Obsession

I LOVE flowers! All kinds. I can't think of any that I don't like and some are SO amazing to me that I just marvel at creation whenever I look at their details. I liked them when it wasn't cool to like them and so, the recent trend to use flowers on anything and everything as fashion accessories  is a big smile maker for me. This week I've been making the pretty, little rosettes that have been showing up all over. They are easy enough to make yourself so give it a try! I noticed there are several tutorials available already that are very good. They vary only slightly from the way I make mine.

For my necklace I cut a 1" width of fabric (WOF) strip so that, when finished, it wouldn't stand out away from my body too far. The two smaller roses on the necklace were made from 1" strips that were cut from a fat quarter so only 21" wide. For the orange pin shown below I made the strip 1 1/2" wide These can be made from scraps, sheets or an old shirt too so very economical!

 I then fold the strip in half length wise, right sides together. I press mine to make it behave but you don't have to.

                                Tie a knot in the end and fold the tail back on itself. Glue in place.

Circle around a couple times until you have a nice bud, gluing as you go. Then, twist the fabric strip, dot with glue and continue around, twisting every so often as you see fit. I like to stagger the twists so they aren't all in the same place. Add a dot of glue after each twist and any place where it needs stability.

                            When it reaches the desired size, glue the tail to the bottom of the rose.

Attach to a piece of felt and add a pin backing if you plan to wear it as a pin or if making a necklace, layer the chain in between the felt and roses.

                                                               SO feminine and pretty!

Tomorrow.... more beautiful roses but something completely different! Blessings to you~ Luci

Easy Alfredo Sauce

If given the choice between a white sauce and a red sauce I will pick white every single time. Yes, I know it clogs arteries and so I must ration my consumption of it. This recipe is limited to special occasions for that reason and believe me... it is "lick the bowl" good.

                                         Alfredo Sauce
                                1-8oz. brick cream cheese
                                1c. milk
                                1/2c. butter
                                1c. Parmesan cheese (use the good stuff if you have it)

Heat the first three ingredients in a saucepan until they blend together. Then shut off heat and stir in Parmesan cheese until smooth. That's it! I told you it was easy! Pour over cooked pasta and enjoy!

Blessings to you~ Luci