Pay It Forward

Well, I have recently been pretty absent in blog land and I really don't have any excuses. I think I just left my heart and mind in Europe so I haven't been too motivated to actually come up with things to write about. But I'm going to slowly work back into it, I have some things I have been doing and working on, just need to write about them! Also, I am starting Wilton's cake decorating courses next week, and I plan to post about it so stay tuned if you are interested.

Today I am here to introduce you to a little blog land fun. A couple months ago my friend and awesome blogger Lucy wrote about a Pay it Forward chain she was participating in and I signed up too. She said that the first 5 people to comment on her post would receive something special from her sometime during the next year. To be one of those people you had to agree to the rules:

1. Leave a comment letting me know you'd like to participate. You must be willing to provide me with a mailing address.
2. Post a "Pay it Forward" on your blog where you link back to me and extend the same offer to 5 of your readers.
3. Promise that you will follow through and send something special to those 5 who comment on your blog.

So, it's my turn! The first 5 people who comment on this post will receive something special from me sometime during the next year but you have to agree to the rules!

Pot Holder Tutorial

This week I have been playing around with making pot holders as a tentative gift for my mom for mother's day. I have actually been having a lot of fun with it. One of the reasons I love making things is because I can make them cute and to my tastes rather then having to hunt for something cute only to find out it's ridiculously overpriced. So, today I'm going to show you two of the variations I made.

First, cut two square pieces from the fabric of your choice. Also, you will need two quilt batting pieces the same size. I used 9" squares the first time and 8" squares the second time because I was limited on my fabric. Both sizes work well, but I think I like the 9" better.



If you want to try a patchwork pot holder you will need four 5" square pieces, one 9" square piece for the back and two 9" square quilt batting.

You will need to lay two of the 5" squares on top of each other, right sides together and pin one side. Do this with the two remaining 5" squares as well. (Apparently, I didn't take a picture of this- sorry!) Then sew the two squares together along that one side.

This is what it will look like after you have sewed them together and pressed the seam. Do this to both sets. Take one pair of sewn together squares and place them on the edge of one of the batting pieces.




Next, take the other pair of sewn together squares and place them on top of the other pair, right sides together and pin the inside edge. Then sew the edge you pinned and press the fabric open against the batting. From here on out, the patchwork option will be the same as the solid side option.

Lay one piece of quilt batting on a flat surface, then put one of your 9" squares on top of it right side up. Next, put the other 9" square right side down on top followed by the last piece of batting and pin all the way around. (If you're doing the patchwork version, one piece of your batting will already be attached to the patchwork, and this will be the second 9" square that you lay right side down- are you with me??)

Take approximately 5 inches of a coordinating ribbon and pin in between the two pieces of fabric to form a loop for the corner of you potholder.

Sew the edges all the way around starting in the middle of one side and ending approximately 2" from where you started.

Be sure to trim off any extra edges you may have left. Also, clip the corners, this will help to ensure your corners are more crisp.

Now turn the pot holder right side out by pushing the material through the hole you left.



Iron it down and sew around the edges, this will seal up the hole you left.

Now all you have left to do is the quilting! This is the easy part, just stick it under your sewing machine and sew away! You can get creative here! On the blue one you can see I tried horizontal lines, but on the patchwork one I did a flower. I really think I like the lines, it gives it a crisp look, but the flower was fun to try nonetheless. You could also mix it up by adding a bold colored thread for your quilting. Why not try a heart on a Valentine's pot holder or a leaf on a fall one? Or maybe even a monogram?

If you guys try this, I'd love to see them!

Spinach Strawberry Salad... mmm...good!

My mother-in-law gave me this awesome salad recipe (can you really call it a recipe if you don't make anything?) that is just perfect for this time of year. Strawberries are coming, and so is this salad! I love it, my husband loves it, my in-laws love it... I'm telling you, you'll love it too. Although, if you're thinking healthy think again there's a little too much sugar in it to make anyone feel good about eating this salad. Oh well, it's scrumptious!

1 bag of baby spinach
1 pack of strawberries
1/3 c. slivered almonds
1/4 c. sugar

Dressing:
3T lemon juice
1/3 c. oil- I use 1/2 water 1/2 oil
1/4 c. sugar

In pan, on high heat, put almonds and sugar

**stir constantly**

The sugar will "melt" and nuts will become caramelized. Pour almonds on tin foil when it is brown. Watch out because it burns easily! (And I mean easily, last night I burnt them because I was too busy trying to take pictures!)

Mix up the dressing and pour over spinach, strawberries and almonds. Toss and enjoy!

This is really a beautiful salad... the red bowl (and my photography skills) does nothing for it!

For more great recipes check out Tasty Tuesday!

Covering a Lamp Shade Tutorial

A couple of months ago I bought a lamp from Goodwill for $2! Ever since then I have been looking for a cute lamp shade, but all I could find were ugly expensive ones. I knew I wanted to cover my own with some sort of print fabric, so I lucked up when I saw a plain lamp shade in the clearance aisle at Walmart a couple weeks ago for all of $2.50. Here's my tutorial:

First, you need a lamp shade. *Surprise, surprise* If you can find a plain one it will be cheaper, or you can get a fabric one and either remove the fabric or just cover it up. Or you can buy a plain one with adhesive already on it from Joanns, but they are a little pricey for needing to be covered.

I laid my fabric out, right-side down and placed the seam of my lamp on the edge of the fabric. I then traced the lamp on both ends as I rolled it along the fabric. Next, I measured an inch out from the line I had drawn so that I had some fabric to wrap around to the inside. Now, if I had some sort of newspaper or tracing paper I would have actually made a pattern, but I didn't. I took my chances and I think it still turned out.

After I cut it out, it just needed to be ironed. I folded one edge down and ironed it so that I would have a clean edge for the finished product. However, in the rush of trying to get it done, I ended up cutting off that edge because my piece was too big... and by the time I realized that I had lost my edge it was too late to iron it again...

Then I busted out my good friend and yours, Spray Adhesive, and started spraying the back of the fabric. I laid the fabric out and rolled the shade over it, pressing with my hand firmly to assure their were no air bubbles. Finally, I tucked the edges over with spray adhesive and stuck some clothes pins on the edges to hold it while it dried.

Here is the finished product as it sits on our dining room table( don't worry it's not staying there):

There are definitely a lot of things I will do differently the next time I make one, I have some mixed feelings about the choice of fabric but for now I like it. I may add some embellishments in the future if I want to change it up.

A List to Create

I like to be crafty and that is one of the reasons that I love reading blogs so much. My list of things to make is constantly growing and yet I rarely seem to get to check anything off of it. So... here is the list of things I want to accomplish in the next two and a half weeks. (Before we go to Europe!!!)

Lampshade for the bedroom
Mail organizer (desperately in need of one!)
Pillow cover
Weekender tote (if there is time)
And possibly some Mother's Day gifts if I can come up with an idea *suggestions are welcome!

That's the list for now. Since this is the first time I've actually put in writing what I want to do, I don't want to overrun myself and then get discouraged that I didn't accomplish everything. I can always add more if I have time!

I'll keep you posted as I go!

The 5 things that make my house a home

I have been waiting until I had more time and a little inspiration to start my blog but have just continually put it off. So, when my sweet friend over at Lucy's Life posed the question"What Makes a House a Home?' I decided it was time to start this blog rolling! Here is my list of what makes my tiny apartment a home:

1. The wedding pictures on the wall that remind me that it wasn't just some dream where I was wearing a white dress, that I really did find and marry the man God designed for me.

2. The magazine rack table my Grandpa built for us. Although I feel bad that it's stuck in a small corner in our apartment I often find my myself dreaming of the day when we can hire him to build us some more furniture for our home. I'm thinking maybe a dining table or a rocking chair...

3. The handmade throw pillows to the curtains make this my home because I know that these are unique to us and you can't just buy them in the store!

4. The pile of shoes at our front door. Unlike most American families we take our shoes off when we walk in the house. For me it comes from being born and raised in Canada where (as far as I know) everyone removes their shoes when entering. For my husband, it's a lasting effect from the time he spent (which was more then me) in Japan. I look at the pile of shoes and I know it's OUR home.

5. Lastly, our apartment is a world of firsts. This is the first home my husband and I have lived in together and I know for that reason alone I will never forget it. We have lived out the first year of our marriage here and have learned so much about each other in that time. We have fought, cried, laughed, sang and danced in this apartment. When I look around I see us. I see the life we have begun to create together, and so despite the lack of space, the small apartment sized fridge and the pesky neighbors, this apartment is more home to me then anywhere else has ever been.