KITCHEN SINK SOUP...A Delicious Tightwad Meal!

Two nights ago Dear Hubby and I went to Applebee's for dinner.  When our meal was over there was about 3/4 cup of noodles from Dear Hubby's 3 Cheese Chicken Pasta left.  On my plate were the remains of my chicken fajitas... two tortillas, four strips of chicken, Mexican rice, fried onions, fried green and red peppers, cheddar cheese and pico de gallo.  I asked the waitress for boxes to take our leftovers home.

I had originally considered eating the leftovers "as is", but decided I could get more bang for my buck by making one of my favorite Fall and Winter meals...Kitchen Sink Soup!

This morning I dumped the noodles, rice and pico de gallo into my crockpot...and then chopped up all of the remaining leftovers (even the tortillas) and added them too.  I poured on 3 cans of chicken stock and 3 cups of water to which I had added 3 chicken bullion cubes.  I turned my crockpot on high and let my soup happily bubble away for a few hours.  About an hour before serving I added some dried onions, the last half cup of Frenches Fried Onions languishing in my pantry and a light sprinkle of taco seasoning.

When the smell became totally impossible to resist I ladled out a crock of soup, sprinkled on some garlic sea salt and some fresh ground pepper, crushed 4 slightly stale club crackers on top and added a sprinkle of grated parmesan cheese.  OH. MY. GOODNESS.  This soup is absolutely INCREDIBLE!

Unfortunately, due to the very nature of "kitchen sink soup", I will never again be able to exactly reproduce this soup.  Close, but not exact.  But, that is part of the charm of KSS soup...it is always a new and different taste sensation and the cost is minimal.  Now that Fall is here I will make my own chicken stock to replace the canned stock and water/bullion mixture.  Better for my health and for my pocketbook!

Mmmmmmm.......thrifty meals can be yummy...

WHATEVER HAPPENED TO PARENTING? (warning...this is a rant...)

I just came in from a quick trip to JoAnn's to pick up the batting that was on sale and a few other bargains I just couldn't resist.  I had expected my shopping trip to be an enjoyable roam through JoAnn's in search of goodies...a relaxing stroll up and down the aisles formulating crafting and sewing ideas along the way. 

Instead I spent a nerve wracking 20 minutes while a woman and her four little brats disturbed every patron inside the store.  From the far end of the store I could hear the children whining and fighting.  As I walked toward the checkout, the clamor grew.  When I reached the end of the line I was positioned across the cutting table from the woman and her children.  The ruckus was unbelievable.  At one point the woman said (loudly so everyone could hear) that she was happy when she went into stores and saw other children misbehaving because then she knew it wasn't just her kids.  Oh. My. God.  I would have been MORTIFIED if my child had ever behaved like that...and I certainly would not have tried to rationalize it to everyone within earshot.  Her children were, without exaggeration, the perfect poster children for birth control!  Then as if to downplay their disruption she proceeded to ask her approximately 3-4 year old son (again in a volume for all to hear), "Did you poop?"  "I smell something." "Did you fart?" 

Good God, get me out of this madhouse!  The cashier told me that the woman and her children had been in the store for over an hour!  I can't imagine how they did their jobs with the cacophony of screams overpowering every thought. 

Maybe I am really showing my age, but my son would NEVER have behaved like that.  He was taught from a young age that good behavior is rewarded, bad behavior is punished, and mom MEANS what she says!  At age 16 my son would sit in restaurants marveling at the poor behavior of the nearby children and has stated more than once that we should "pity the children and smack the parents".  I told him I was glad to hear that because if he EVER raises a brat HE will have to answer to ME!  There is no way I would EVER subject others to my child misbehaving.  When he was young, if J misbehaved I left wherever we were immediately...a store, a restaurant, even CHURCH.  Now our church has a "crying room" so that the rest of the congregation is not disturbed.  WHAT?  Now the church is making excuses for poor parenting?  If, as an infant, J started to cry...I took him out to the car, calmed him down with feeding or changing...and returned once he would no longer disrupt the rest of the congregation.  Lots of parents did exactly the same thing.  They respected their fellow congregants and removed themselves and their children when necessary.   The child learned at an early age that misbehaving in church was NOT going to get them out of going.  Today the parents don't have to deal with their misbehaving child, or crying infant, they can remain oblivious to their responsibility inside the "crying room".  Pathetic. 

When my son got older, consequences were followed through.  Once when we were in Friendly's he was misbehaving.  I warned him that if the misbehaving continued he would not get his kid's meal dessert.  He was NOT disturbing others, but was simply not doing as he was told.  After the meal, the waiter brought over his "clown sundae" and placed it in front of him...at which point I picked him up and out of the booth, walked to the cash register, paid and left.  He SAW in very clear illustration that Mom means what she says and there are consequences to misbehaving.  He didn't get the sundae on the table (neither did I for that matter), but it was more important that he learn from the experience.  And he did.  Once when my parents took him to  Chuckie Cheese's he refused to listen.  My mom took him by the hand and walked him out of the restaurant...his purchased tokens unused. He never misbehaved for my parents again. 

Now, don't get me wrong...I'm not a perfect parent and J had his "terribles" at three instead of two...but I TRIED hard to teach him right from wrong, respect for others and for situations.  That was MY JOB...and NOT PART TIME, BUT FULL TIME!  Sometimes I felt like I was breaking a wild horse, but repetition and follow-through is the same no matter for horses or for children.  I can remember spending three whole nights lying on the hallway floor outside of his bedroom, picking him up every time he climbed out of bed and opened his bedroom door, and placing him (silently) back into his bed.  I would no sooner get back down onto the ground in the hallway, head on my pillow, than he would open the door and step out into the hallway again.  By the fourth night I could barely speak coherently...but his door stayed shut and I awoke the next morning to realize I had slept all night through on the hallway floor blocking his door, while he had slept the night through in his bed.  The contest was over and I had won. 

It worries me when I see the lack of self control and discipline being instilled in this younger generation.  No wonder there is such a sense of entitlement amongst many of the teens and youngsters today...they have gotten whatever they wanted from the time they were young simply by misbehaving.  Unfortunately misbehaving now is becoming more and more harmful to their fellow citizens and instead of a toddler throwing a tantrum to get what he wants, we now have young adults pulling triggers.  And I'm sorry, I didn't feel one iota of pity for that mother in the store today.  Instead I felt outrage that she brought into this world 4 human beings whom she has no intention of parenting...and we are all expected to silently suffer the consequences.

Maybe it's time I moved to an isolated location where I don't have to interact with parents who just don't give a damn about how their lack of effort is impacting our future generations.  I think my son is right...it's time we pity the children and punish the parents... 

But, so you don't think I am blind to the good parents of this world....I want to offer my sincerest thanks to all of you wonderful parents out there who have put the raising of your children before your own wants and needs...knowing that parenting your little people is the most important job you will ever have.  I wish you patience, a will just a smidge stronger than your child's, and the glorious moment in the future when your child thanks you for being such a wonderful parent.  That is when you know you have truly succeeded and your job is truly done. 

A FABULOUS DAY AND A WONDERFUL WEEKEND!!!

Isn't it beautiful??  This was my favorite quilt at the Pennsylvania Quilt Extravaganza (well tied for first, anyway)!  Yesterday my mom and aunt and I went to the quilt show.  Oh. My. Gosh.  It was AMAZING!  We had the most WONDERFUL day.  Before we go much further I do have an admission...I am a REALLY BAD BLOGGER.  I forgot about my camera for more than half of the quilt show!  Upon entering the quilt show you begin with the vendors.  The quilts, bags, wall hangings, mug rugs, candle rugs, table toppers, clothing, etc., etc., etc., at each vendor's booth were just MAGNIFICENT!  I was so busy oohing and aahing at the finished products and looking quickly over their wares (there is absolutely NO way to check out every item in every booth unless you start at the opening second and don't stop until the final minute today...and then would still have to move at lightening speed!) that I totally and completely FORGOT to take pictures of the handiwork.  I only remembered to take my camera out of my purse when we entered into the exhibition area!  This was one of the first quilts we saw when we entered into the convention center and even this didn't trigger my brain to pull out the camera!  I was just so excited I wasn't thinking straight!  I did make sure to grab a quick shot of this quilt at the very end as we were walking out! Isn't the applique GORGEOUS?!?

I went to the quilt show with some specific "needs" in mind.  I really wanted to look for a turntable mat.  

I found this beauty on the second aisle we went down.  It is made of lucite with a removable, replaceable cutting mat.  

It has a ball bearing turning mechanism and little feet that grab the table with the slightest downward pressure.  It is really well made and I expect to get years of cutting pleasure before I even have to think about replacing the mat.  

I was thrilled to find the Plum Easy patterns for hot pads and a pin cushion.  I had tried to purchase the potholder pattern from one of my favorite bloggers, but she ran out before I was able to grab one.  I also purchased a Prairie Pointer to make ironing prairie points easier!  With my purchase they also threw in a small glue stick and a cute little folded star button that I pinned onto my quilt show purse.  I've tried to take a picture of the adorable little button...but there is a glare in my sewing room that is making it impossible to photograph.  

The most unexpected purchase was this binding tool.  I have struggled with the binding of every quilt I have made.  I've tried several different methods and tutorials and STILL have not managed a truly professional looking join.  Hopefully this tool will solve my problem!  

Sort of between the vendor and exhibition sections was the concession area where we stopped for a quick lunch.  We each had a bowl of delicious cream of broccoli soup, a cheeseburger (they didn't put cheese on any of the sandwiches...I think the hamburgers were in the cheeseburger bay and the cheeseburgers were in the hamburger bay!) and a soda or coffee.  The hamburgers were a bit dry and bland without the cheese, but the soup more than made up for the disappointment. 

Below were some of my favorite quilts in the exhibition area.  I am sorry that I didn't get pictures of the absolutely beautiful work throughout the vendor section.  I was drooling over SO many of the completed projects in that area.  Hopefully next year I will remember to start the camera clicking as soon as I walk in the door!

My son would love this!

 

This quilt is tied for first as my favorite quilt in the whole show!

************

 

So far today has been a productive day!  I have my last load of laundry in the washing machine and while the appliances have chugged along I have done a bit of crafting myself.  Yesterday at the show I realized I had made a REALLY stupid mistake on my quilt show purse.  I had not allowed enough width for the final fold of the strap...leaving raw edges out and flapping in the wind!  How I managed to be so completely oblivious is still a mystery, but once I saw some fraying on the back of the strap  yesterday, the light bulbs went off!  DUH!!!  So this morning I remade the strap and now have my quilt show purse constructed the way it SHOULD have been constructed previously.  Sometimes I wonder where my brain disappears to!  I will take my things out of it today and go back to my usual handbag, hanging this cute little purse in my ESR (Expanded Sewing Room) until the next quilt show.  By the way, the size was absolutely PERFECT as it held everything I NEEDED to have with me, yet was not overly heavy and with its small opening and cross-body construction was secure in the throngs of people.  Sad that we even have to think of security in a "quilting" venue!

I also made up 10 Hershey Kiss blades for the final dresden of my mom's quilt.  I still need to make the final 10 white blades before I can put it all together.  Maybe tomorrow...    I also cut out 24 embroidery floss cards using my Sizzix.  These threads were all bought at the Thrift Store super sale on Friday.  I probably won't get around to winding them until tomorrow as I am getting really, REALLY tired and sore.  After the laundry is done I will take a quick shower and get dressed.  I need to head to JoAnn's to buy some batting for my mom's quilt and also some for my design wall.  Dear Hubby has also promised to help me put some of the two rooms that were painted back together again.  There is no way I can hang the curtains in the yellow room or hang the shade, new shower curtain or wooden wall cabinet in the bathroom by myself.  Slowly, but surely, my house is coming together!

Need to rest a bit before I shower.......  Have a great day!

MY QUILT EXTRAVAGANZA PURSE IS DONE !

This is just a quick update on the new purse I am making to take to the Pennsylvania Quilt Extravaganza this Saturday!  Whew....I don't like leaving things go to the last minute, but in all honesty I really just discovered I would be going on a Girls Day Out and needed a new bag.

As you can see, this purse is just a wee bit larger than my Pocket Pouch.  It is ALMOST finished in this photo...I just need to pin on the flower brooch I made out of the lining material.  

Now that the beads on the front are dry I was able to open the purse and show you the card slots.  

This morning I finished the strap.  See the key rings I used as purse hardware?  Twenty-five cents each was a good price in my mind, lol.   Plus, I can attach the little loops while sewing the bag and can then look for a good deal on hardware.  The key ring can slip onto the loops just like it slips onto your keys!  

I finished my flower brooch this morning also.  It was SO easy.  Please excuse the blurry picture...the tremor is ramping up.  I'm waiting for the Liquid Stitch that I used to attach the center button to dry.  I didn't have any true button covers of the right size...so I improvised!  Once it is all dry I will sew a pin to the back and then pin it on my purse.  I think it is going to look SO cute! 

Finally, it is almost done...it just has to dry a bit.  The pin was leaving it a bit too loose, so I have added some glue to the back to hold it more steady.  I honestly don't think I would ever be unpinning it...so having it attached permanently is no problem.  Now I can't wait to use it on Saturday!

OOPS!  I just noticed the big wrinkle!  Guess I had better iron it again before Saturday, lol.

GETTING READY FOR OUR GIRLS DAY OUT !

This Saturday my aunt, mom and I are heading to the local convention center for "The Pennsylvania National Quilt Extravaganza".  I am super excited and can't wait.  The three of us went to a small quilt show at the local 4H Center a few months ago.  We had a GREAT time and it was a wonderful "girls day out". 

I knew I didn't want to be carrying a handbag around the quilt show, so I took my Pocket Pouch filled with just the absolute necessities for the show.  Since it was less than a mile from my mom and aunt's house, I left my main purse at their house and just took my license, money, keys and camera.  The size was just PERFECT!  This time, however, we will be going to a much bigger show and will be spending many more hours at the venue, and eating a meal there...which means I need to carry a lot more with me.  And I STILL don't want to carry a heavy bag!

So yesterday I pulled out some denim and two cotton materials that I really love. One is a cheery "button" pattern and the other is a pretty blue that picks up the color of one of the buttons.

I used the pretty blue material as an accent on the front of purse and the button material as the lining, with alternating blue and button material slots inside for my license, insurance cards, credit cards and AAA card. The top slot/pocket goes all the way to the bottom of the purse...plenty of room for my camera.  The main section of the purse is big enough to hold my medications, insulin, emergency sweets, glucose meter, a tiny wallet just for cash, and my dry mouth spray, dry mouth lozenges, tissues and EpiPen.  There is no such thing as "traveling light" for me, lol.  Hopefully, though, it won't be too heavy so as to make me hurt any worse than I already do!  I am going to make a long thin strap that can go crosswise on my body, so I have my hands free for shopping and checking out quilts (with gloves of course).

I like to use key rings to attach the straps to small purses, so I went to the thrift store this morning and bought 8 keychains for $.25 each.  I slipped matching rings onto large paper clips and stored them in my new accordian "hardware box" (another thrift store find).  I threw out the novelty parts of the keychains, except for this caribiner and really cute small photo album.

After the "thrift" thrift store, I went to the variety thrift store and bought a beautiful pink leatherette desk accessory for the desk in the yellow sewing room.  I know I am going to have to keep some basic sewing supplies in the room (unless I want to run back and forth to my main sewing room).  This piece was $3.50 and looks absolutely PERFECT.  There was a Ross store tag on the bottom of it!  As you can see, I still haven't gotten the desk back against the wall, or hung the curtains...but it will all get back together again...slowly. 

After the thrift store I made a stop at JoAnn's and picked up the last large skein of yarn I need to take on vacation with me so I can crochet by the ocean, and a a bottle of bead glue.  I have several beads in my sewing box that I had bought in Myrtle Beach last year.  They were a small bracelet but I cut the bracelet apart so I could use them separately.  

 

They are a great match to the button material!  When I got back home I glued them onto the front of the purse.  I have to let them dry for 24 hours before I can take a picture of the inside of the purse or work on adding the strap.   I am also going to try my hand at making a flower brooch out of the button material to pin to the strap loop.  I will use a button covered with the blue material as the center of the flower.  I've never tried to make a flower before...wish me luck.  

But the strap, brooch, and sewing together the completed blades for two dresden's of my mom's quilt will have to wait until tomorrow.  I am REALLY hurting and heading to the sofa to rest.  Our weather has cooled off dramatically over the past few days and we had rain this morning.  My body knows when there are changes brewing!  Thank goodness we are just having sandwiches for dinner.  

I'll post again soon when I have completed the purse and have completed the next two dresdens, so I have something to show you.  I have made a bit of a change in the quilt design (which will continue to happen until I put the first quilting stitch through the sandwich) but I think it will look a bit more balanced.

Take care and happy crafting.   

PROGRESS...CHANGE...AND A LOT OF FIRSTS !! (picture heavy)

Lots and Lots of things are going on around here these days! 

First and foremost...I've made progress on mom's quilt.  I may just be HOOKED on dresdens!  They are so easy and so incredibly quick to make!!!  I have pulled the "nonpareils" dresden off of the design curtain for now.  I think it was too overall "white" to play well with the other plates.  I will probably use it to make a pillow for mom to rest on when she naps on the couch. To bring a bit of "matchiness" to my dad's quilt (they will be in the same room) I'm backing each of the dresdens with a beige fabric similar to my dad's quilt.  His beige is a faux suede while mom's is a plain cotton, a GORGEOUS Moda Marbles, but they are pretty close in color.  The beige also picks up some of the lighter browns in the candy, ice creams and assorted sweets.  

It also tones down a bit of the bright pink in the Valentine's candy, lol.  Since my mom will NEVER live down the entire box of Valentine's candy she killed in one night, I just HAD to include this fabric, lol!  However, since I didn't want the quilt to end up with a "garish" hot pink look (she isn't a "teeny-bopper", lol), this fabric is only slated to appear once on the front of the quilt.

I am thinking at this point that the assorted candies block to the left of the embroidery will be repeated on the right of the embroidery...

 ...and the kisses on top of the embroidery will be repeated below...

 ...and the miscellaneous sweets in the upper right will be repeated in the lower left.  It also includes just a wee bit of pink and actually brings in a bit of green to pull from my dad's quilt.  It wasn't easy finding fabric that held a special significance for my mom and also fit into a very limited colorway.  Brown, beige, white, pink and a tiny bit of green...all on a sea of black to hold it together (and also match Dad's quilt, lol)

The ice cream dresden pulls just a tiny bit of pink coloring to the bottom right corner.  So all four corners contain a bit of pink, while the four remaining dresdens are plain chocolates.  

 

When my shaking got too bad for actual sewing, I set up my machine to embroider the center block of the quilt.  I intend to use quarter dresdens (one in each corner) on this block in the beige material and the white.  The original design included a blue dress...which I changed to pink (with a hot pink scarf) to match the Valentine block and carry the touch of color throughout.  While I would really like to do more sewing of dresdens today, I'm a bit shaky so I think i will stick to machine embroidery.  Plus, I might as well get as much done as I can while the machine is set up to embroider.  These are the times I wish I had another sewing machine!

I did mention "firsts", right?  This is the first quilt I have made using dresdens and the first quilt in which I have also used machine embroidered designs.  My quick and dirty sketch of the quilt also has embroidered sweets appearing in the four corners of the wide border and POSSIBLY an embroidered cupcake border between them.  Again, I don't want to OVERDO, so that decision will be made toward the end.  Too much is gaudy!  The next first?  I'm actually going to try to quilt this one block at a time and then connect them all at the end with a skinny white sash.  I saw a wonderful tutorial on YouTube by Leah Day and need to look it up to review the process before I get much further.  I'm going for a "window in a candy store" look.  I THINK all of my quilting will be in the dark brown of the wording above.  I'm planning on something "apropos" for the label...maybe a "menu" for my "Breakfast At Tootsie's" quilt.  I think half the fun of making a quilt is tying all of the little theme threads throughout! 

And the changes I mentioned above?  This!  After 23 years in this house I am sick and tired of this border.  It has been on the walls of my guest bath, along with light silver paint, for all this time.  The painter should be here any minute to begin removing the border.  

They will be repainting the bathroom in the same gray as my Expanded Sewing Room (above).  The next change?   My ESR is ALSO going to be the guest bedroom!  When we moved J's old bed back into the room temporarily we realized how well his black bed, black nighttable, etc. went with the gray walls and the furniture of his that I am using for storage of my crafting supplies.  And since it is only a guest room that will be used by guests once in a blue moon...if I empty out one or two drawers in the chest, there should be plenty of room for their clothing!  The rest of the room can still be MINE for sewing supplies!  

  

I have already purchased a new shower curtain for the bathroom...gray, navy blue and black.  I will paint the white dixie cup holder and the toothbrush holder with black Krylon paint to match the current trashcan.  I will purchase navy blue towels to hang on the towel bar.  I plan to make a gray, navy and black striped valance for over the existing miniblind.  

Now that the GUEST bath is also going to be painted the same color as the GUEST room...I'm going to make matching valances for over the bedroom blinds and will make a modern type quilt in black, gray and navy.  I'm thinking tumbling blocks!  Like I said before...I'm nothing if not adventurous!

And the original yellow guest room?  (sorry the picture is blurry, I'm shaky) It is being repainted in a similar light yellow (the border is staying...my painter says it should be no problem cutting around the scallop of the border).  Since the fold up tables my husband purchased are not going to be sufficient for my quilting needs (I don't have the ability to set them up and take them down on my own), my Dear Hubby has suggested we purchase two Expedit cabinets from Ikea, put a top on them and center them in the yellow room to be my "third" sewing room!  YES, YOU READ THAT RIGHT!!!  My dear, wonderful, loving husband has suggested that I use THREE of the four bedrooms for sewing and crafting or sewing/crafting storage!  Oh, and the quilt that I started when the yellow room was going to be the guest room?...it will still be used!  Dear Hubby is going to make me a large design wall (goodbye design curtain and good riddance!) and he will hang the quilt from a rod above the design wall.  That way I can have the design wall covered up to look all pretty when company is coming and I can just slide it to the end of the rod to access the design wall when I am working on a quilt!

 

That same sweet man has just phoned me to tell me of an upcoming Quilt Extravaganza at our local convention center and has suggested I call my mom and aunt and see if they want to go with me.  Dear Hubby could never walk that much, but he has offered to drop us off at the door and pick us up at the door whenever we are ready!  HE IS ABSOLUTELY INCREDIBLE!!!  God, how did I ever deserve such a wonderful man?

Well, the painter has just arrived, I need to look up the details of the Quilt Extravaganza and call my mom and aunt, and my coffee has gotten cold and needs a quick zap.  I'm off to get started on the rest of my day.  Hope yours is a good one!

BUSY, BUSY, BUSY...A LITTLE BACK STORY...AND A SNEAK PEEK!

 

This Saturday our development is having a garage sale.  For many, MANY years Dear Hubby and I organized and ran the development-wide garage sale.  Considering how much effort it is taking just to get ready to SELL this year, I'm VERY happy we are no longer doing the organization and running of a sale with up to 33 individual houses participating!

Since Dear Hubby and I are both having health issues that impact our physical abilities, we have decided to get rid of A LOT this year.  I'm trying to be absolutely brutal with my decision making.  The less we own, the easier it will be for us to try to keep up with it.  Thank God my dear mom and dad have been coming over almost daily to help get things set up.  I could NEVER do it all alone and between his ridiculous long work days and physical limitations....Dear Hubby can't do much to help.  

Getting ready for the garage sale has left very little time for much else, but I HAVE started work on my mom's quilt.  I have only finished two dresden plates so far.  Lots more to go before it is even anywhere NEAR being ready for sandwiching!  Before I give you a sneak peek I think you need a little "history" to fully understand the quilt's concept.  Here goes:

My mom has "sweet teeth".  Not a "sweet tooth"...she loves sweets WAY too much for a single tooth.  It would take an entire mouth full to generate her level of addiction.  Anyone who knows my mom knows that she looks forward to dessert, plans it from the second she picks up a menu and only fills in a small amount of meal beforehand because "she should".  Her favorite sweet of them all?  CHOCOLATE!...in any shape and form.

For most of my young life, my mom's breakfast consisted of a Hershey Bar and a cup of tea.  She made sure I ate a good healthy breakfast, but hers was all about the chocolate.  I often wonder how much of Hershey, Pa my mom has paid for, lol.  She was probably Milton Hershey's school's biggest benefactor!  And she is NOT limited to only Hershey products, lol.  One Valentine's Day my dad bought her a box of chocolate covered caramels.  Determined not to eat them all at once, my mom put them in the basement freezer.  Over the course of the night my mom made numerous trips to that freezer, two flights of steps down and two flights of steps back up to the bedroom.  One piece of candy at a time my mom finished the whole box!  At least she worked off the calories climbing the stairs all night long!

Maybe it is because of my mom's nickname since childhood, "Tootsie", or because growing up she had very little access to sweets...they have played a MAJOR role in her adult life, lol. 

About a month or so ago I was reading something, somewhere (don't quite remember where), and there was mention of the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's.  Laughingly I thought to myself, "It should be Breakfast at Tootsie's and we could make it all about chocolate!"  Eureka, the beginning of a quilt concept was born!!!
 
Over the past month I have purchased novelty fabric having to do with chocolate candy and her other favorite sweets.  I have also purchased some machine embroidery patterns having to do with chocolate.  Amazingly, I found a pattern that says, "Chocolate, It's Not Just for Breakfast ".  Geez, it couldn't be much more perfect!!!   I knew then that that particular embroidery pattern would feature significantly in the quilt, along with other chocolatey embroideries.  I am still in the very early stages of quilt design, though.  I tend to produce the main parts of my quilts and then build in around them.  So, I will continue making dresdens (now that I have made my sample dresden and am happy with the size) and will stitch up some single color "practice" machine embroideries.  Once I have a good idea of the finished sizes of each of the components I will adjust the layout as necessary and begin stitching the good embroidery blocks.  Oh, and the sneak peek I promised?................

They are both the same size, although the angle of the picture makes the Hershey Kisses dresden look larger than the Nonpareils. 

I've just come in from a horrendous dental appointment and need to go lie down for a little bit to lower my blood pressure and hopefully relieve some of my TMJ pain!  Once I have rested for a bit I hope to work on the next dresden...assorted chocolate candies!

AND THE WINNER IS.....

 

True Random Number Generator Min: Max:  

  Result: 5 

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Congratulations, Rose Marie Andreozzi!!!!  

Please email me through my profile (click on "view my complete profile" on the right side of my blog and then you will see an email link to the left side of the next page) with your address and I will get the package mailed out to you on Monday! 

Thank you, EVERYONE, for making my blogiversary so much fun!

 

ONE WIP COMPLETED!

Well, I did it!  I finished a WIP.  I am really, REALLY happy with how it turned out.  The dresden was made completely from scrap fabric.  It is bright and cheery and I just love it.  I even added a bit of trapunto to the front circle so the blue center really "pops".  The most special scrap fabric is the polka dots...I bought them to make burp cloths when I was pregnant with J some 26 years ago!  I am fastidious about saving scraps, lol.  

The rest of the pillow cover is a really pretty white linen.  It fits a 16" pillow form perfectly.  I was planning on listing this in my shop immediately, but I really want to show it to the family first.  Who knows, my sentimental mother may just want a pillow with the fabric from J's burp cloths, lol.  It's hard to list something for sale when you absolutely love it, lol.  But it doesn't match the colors in my house...they are more of a mid-range intensity pastel, not bright.  

So I am going to sit on this for a few days and then decide if I can bear to part with it.  I'll let you know what I decide, lol.  Dear Hubby figures we will eventually begin to drown in all of my projects...but as long as I love crafting I should continue it.  He may be right!  I'd better practice my backstroke...glub, glub...