Do you have a fabric project?

Do you have a fabric project from the past week?  We'd love for you to link up and share it on our Quiltstory blog.  Today I'm sharing my finished quilt top for my bedroom (finally)!

I cannot wait to get it back from my aunt and start to bind it.  It's a good throw size and it will lay across the end of my bed. 

Heather has been painting her little heart out all week, finishing up baby Weston's nursery.  You're gonna be blown away, seriously.  I can brag this much because she's my sister, right?!  Really she is quite talented, her finished rooms could be in magazines.  Do you remember Sophie's room??

I am so sorry if you just had to clean up the barf from all of your computer (out of cuteness of course).  Click here if you want to see that original post again!

Stay tuned, this week she will be sharing a major sneak peek of Mr. Wes' room!

Cute Photo Block tutorial...

1. Buy a block...(in Utah Woodworks sells a little kit with the block, bulldog clip and plastic slide thingy) Otherwise it is about 3.5 x 3.5 square block. Sanded, and edges are rounded a bit.

I just did a wash in black along the edges since they will be showing.

2. All the supplies you need are here.

3. Photos I ordered from Costco in smallish sizes. Cute scrapbook papers and a few embellishments. (roberts)

4. Invite Jeff Lewis along. (flipping out, bravo, funny!)

5. Cut papers just smaller than the square, about 3 and a quarter. Mod Podge down, add pics and mod podge on top of those too...

6. When it is all dry, glue on brads, ribbons, flowers etc. Mine is for my baby boy Weston. So no girly stuff.


7) Chipboard accents like the "W" are fun. Just mod podge cute papers on, and cut out with exacto knife. I did this to the checkers chipboard frame too...

Finished. Cute in a stack of three if I ever get to the other two.

I mounted the photo on chipboard for the bulldog clip. This is also fun to switch out the photo.

Finished! Hope you like.

Lolly Jane!

Today we are blog swapping with two darling twin sisers Kelli and Kristi!  (Oh how we wish we were twins!!)  There blog is packed full of darling DIY projects and ideas.  Check out this darling argyle wall, or these adorable headbands (really just see how they made them!).  Today they are going to share another creative project just for us!  Please share the love and visit Lolly Jane boutique!

Hi Fresh Poppy Design fans! 

We are SO excited to be guest blogging with Heather and Megan today!  Our first blog swap...yippee! 

Our names are Kelli & Kristi, we are twin sisters livin in the Valley of the Sun {AZ!} who LoVe to create! 

We have a DIY blog, Lolly Jane boutique, named after Kel's nickname growing up {Kris couldn't pronounce Kelli so called her Lolly.. Jane is also Kel's middle name}.  We show off a variety of crafts weekly and today we're going to show you how to make art from a plain ol' canvas.

After seeing this cutie~pie idea at my sis in law's house,

I realized I had a blank canvas & a random wooden "S" sitting in my Goodwill pile. {Use your coupon at Michaels, Joanns, HobbyLobby for a smokin deal to get a canvas if ya don't have one lyin around.} 

At first I thought I'd alter the sweet dreams idea for my girl's room then thought,

"Hmm..my 7 yr old is grumpy about sharing a room with her 16 month old sister and sister starts with S so let's do a sister canvas!" 

First I painted the canvas pink, my older daughter's fav color.

Then I cut a stencil from my vinyl cutter.

{You could freehand or use Word for yours if you don't have a cutter}

Next I slapped it on the canvas & painted the exposed canvas brown:

Lastly, I filled in the hearts with different shades of green just because.

And now my older kiddo can be reminded how much she'll appreciate her little sis when the gap in their age lessens.  :)

There you have it.  A sample of what we love to do on our blog: share ideas with you! 

{Best part?-cost was FREE since I had everything on hand, love that.}

Hope you had fun with us and a MAJOR thanks to Heather & Megan for letting us steal a day away from their DARLING blog! 

:)Kelli & Kristi

Thanks girls!!  That's darling artwork and it looks sooo sweet.  Sisters are the best! :)

I'm thinking there's a giveaway

How would you like to win this?

melodies by exclusively quilters mint

or this?

melodies by exclusively quilters pink

You can! 

We are giving away these fat quarter bundles (2 yards total!!) to two lucky readers!  Our new advertiser, ladybug quilt shop, is oh so generous!!

Hop on over to QuiltStory where you can enter!!

It's easy peasy.

That's an idea!

Welcome to another installment of

That's An Idea Thursday's!

Okay, well welcome to the first That's An Idea Thursday...

Maybe sometimes on Thursday we will share a simple idea.

Quick story behind it.

One of Heather's darling girls used to suggest some activity/project/whatnot and follow it with

"Is that an idea?"

Never specifying if it's a good or bad idea, just that it was an idea.

Moving to Phoenix a couple of months ago we found ourselves with a fireplace.

I know I know...why do they have fireplaces in Phoenix??

I didn't take a before photo, but it just had one of those blackened metal things in it to hold wood.

I played around with a few ideas.  At first I thought I'd get some big glass cylinders (whatever they're called) and do three across with some big fatty-boom-batty candles in them.

But that can be quite expensive.

Then I decided I would just fill it with random sized and off-white colored candles.

(Don't look too closely, they could be arranged a bit better!)

I got a "starter" candle set at Ikea for $10.

I think there were 5 of various heights.

The rest I had around my house and some I got from my cousin who was moving.

You could easily find some at a garage sale or a second hand store.

I like it too because when Christmas comes around and it's a crisp 66 degrees (hehe) we can light up all these candles while we prepare Santa's cookie plate.

Is that an idea??

linking to some fabulous parties, make sure you check them out!

Quilt finished! Hooray!

The pretty purple quilt is finished! That was a quick quilt for me. I am proud :)

If you want more pics and details...go check me out at QUILTSTORY today...

Burp in Style!

I made up a few gerber diaper burp clothes...super fun, easy and cute!  Just a little heat and bond, I did a straight stitch right close to the edge...

If your machine has the capability, play with the embroidery stitches. Makes is personal and a little extra cuteness doesn't hurt anything!

I used my funny little animal prints. Love how they turned out...

And if you think your baby only needs burp clothes for the first few months, I have been using these on my 3 year old girl. Yucky noses, faces etc. I think I will need them around for quite a while!

Hope you like! linking at amylouwho

A Gaggle of Geese

I'm getting closer....

Progress is being made for my quilt to go on the end of my bed.  I think I have as many flying geese as I need, eek! Now I just need to figure out my blocks and then the tough part...the layout, and more blocks, and whatnot.

Spoiler: Boring quilt talk 

Before I asked what kind of block everyone thought I should do.  And I'm a brat, because I went against what was suggested...I just had Dutchman's Puzzle in my head so long I couldn't see it otherwise.  I have been using this method mostly, it creates four geese at once and wastes no fabric and is sooo fast!  But for pieces that are not large enough I've been using this method.

I had decided I wanted brighter flying geese on the inner part of the block and lighter on the outside (layout #2).  I also decided to try doing each block by color (layout #1).

So there is an OBVIOUS winner right???  Layout #1 it is.

On to more exciting things....

2 features for us today!

Have you been to Life in the Fun Lane?  Who am I kidding, of course you have!

Okay, if it's slipped through you must go there if you are considering refinishing furniture.  Absolutely inspiring.

Today she's featuring my new tv console! :)

And another cute blog, Gen X Quilters is doing a little spotlight on me today.  Fun!

And I do use the phrase "scrumptious Panamanian" so you may have to go read that.

Thanks ladies!

PS HAVE YOU SEEN THE YOUNG VICTORIA?

I have to use movies to give myself a little motivation for working out. 

The last two days was The Young Victoria.

Loved it.

Wanted to watch it again.

And maybe one more time.

I ran into the office just to tell my husband about it.

So..you should see it too.

Guess what's a little embarrassing about this?  Heather and I are half Brits right?  Half English to be exact.  I've been to England three times.  I've done all the touristy things a couple of times.  Growing up my mom had a really posh coffee table book that was titled something like The Kings and Queens of England.

I didn't remember the story.

At all.

She is the longest reigning sovereign of England.

Don't tell my dad.

Phew.  I don't think I have rambled so much or linked as much in a post.

No. I. Didn't.

We moved.  And had to leave behind our entertainment center.  And we wanted a new TV.  What's this a recipe for?  Compulsive refreshing on craig's list. 

(There are hundreds of posts of furniture in my area daily!!)

So I snatched this little gem up.  We wanted something that was tall so our boys couldn't get to the tv, check.  (The power button on this tv has been snapped off from repeated torture.)  We also wanted something with storage, check.  We wanted something sturdy, solid oak, check.  Oh and something that I could paint, check.  And cheap, check.

Afters many hours and extreme heat, I give you our new tv console:

(because console is way cooler than entertainment center)

Okay, I love it.  So much cleaner, fresh and happy than before and DEFINITELY better than the card table we were using.

Here's what I did.

I purchased everything at Lowe's.  (No I was not paid to say that, but desperately wish that I was!)

• removed doors and all hardware
• cleaned everything with soapy water and dried
• applied Klean-Strip Sander Deglosser, twice (left)
• one coat of Valspar Primer (latex)
• two coats of Valspar Glossy paint, color Du Jour (latex)
• attached new hardware
• hot glued in fabric
• adorned with extra large tv

oh, and I spray painted my hinges black!  I didn't want to mess with trying to find the right size.

Let's talk about this fabric.

Before the insert was embossed glass with designs...not my style and hard to cover.

I thought a lot about what I would use to cover those doors, and though initially I thought fabric, I kept it deep down for fear of being mocked for my dumb idea :) 

One magical night, soon after it had dried, I teasingly placed a piece of fabric over the empty space.

{insert heavenly choir}

Not only did I LOVE the look....but remotes work through fabric!!!

The long and short of it is, I cut a piece of fabric about 1 inch larger in width and height than the size of the hole.  I would squirt a section of hot glue with my left hand and follow with my right hand adhering the fabric.  In the end I went around and trimmed the excess fabric.  Eventually I'd like to get some trim or piping and glue it around the inside edge to give it a more finished look.

Originally the right side was intended for a tv.  We're using it for more storage.

These boxes are from Ikea.  They are made to fit about 15 dvds each, it is $5 for 2 boxes.

There you have it!  I have another painting project (kitchen table and chairs) and I've got all the stuff....but I need a painting hiatus.

I will definitely be linking this project up!  Make sure to check out these parties!

Glittery star fish decoration project!

I tagged along on my husband's business trip to San Francisco last week and while roaming the city alone, I came across this magnificent glittery star fish. It was $20, a little steep in my book, but it made me think of...

these pewterish starfish, shells, sand dollars I got last year at Target. I found them for half price so $8. I bought a set for part of my mother's day gift,, and one for me. I felt bad later and returned them. The next week I found them on the shelf for 80% off, so $4. And I rebought them! (and never regretted it) then I thougt of...

This glass cake stand with a doam that my mom found at Ross for me and knew I had to have it for $11...which made me think of...

my dear cohort, Spray Paint. White high gloss spray paint...and I went to town...isn't the underside detail pretty?

Put them together and what have you got???

Sparkly magical sea life decoration!

I added it to my armoire that you saw a few months ago...

remember this armoir cost me under $300 with little fixing upping and no painting!!! you can check out that before and after here...

Hope you like it!

I will be adding this post to some of these fun linky parties...

Meet my friend Sara

Today I'm trading blogs with my bestest crafty friend, Sara.  Do you know how I met Sara?  I moved to Missouri where my husband would be going to school.  Sara and I knew of each other, but for several months hadn't really talked much.  One day in Walmart (the only store in town) she spotted me.  I was on the phone with my sister, of course, and she came over with a card and her number and said to call her and we should hang out that afternoon!  And so, we did...and since then we have had many a crafty date.  Oh how I wish I could be like her and make friends so easy!  She really is such a great friend, and today she is sharing a tutorial with us, so here is Sara!

(ALSO Sara is part of the Midsummer Blog Party and giving away an adorable minky blanket, go here to enter.)


Hi, I'm Sara.

a.k.a. SewSara.

I guess I'll tell you a bit about myself.

I love to sew and create.
Sometimes the ideas in my head are better than the finished product. Actually, most of the time.
But it's all about trial and error. My kids don't know the difference when I make them pj pants and the crotch hangs to their knees, right?

My tagline on my etsy shop says, "making use of my home ec degree." It's true. I went to college for this. Ha! I never taught high school like I thought I would, but it makes for a fun story anyway (and all those fun student loans to show for it).

Some of my favorite things in this world are: fabric, polka dots, mod podge, spray paint, paper goods (I loooove office and stationery stores), diet coke, donuts, the color red, and oh yeah - my three kids (Max, Ruby, and Simon).

This is my first time doing a blog trade ... I'm excited! Thanks for having me, Fresh Poppy Sisters!

I'm always on the lookout for cute towels to make bibs for my kids. I usually can't find them so I make them like this (or this). But they are way more time consuming that way. (That's why you don't see many in my etsy shop right now).

The towel makes it so much easier. And these are my favorite because they last forever -- even my 5-yr-old and 3-yr-old still wear them when we eat spaghetti (they call them "spaghetti bibs") or do art!
And now that baby Simon (my 6-month-old) is tasting his first foods, he's wearing them, too.
And I can just wipe his face with the towel bib ... it's great.
Plus, I hear that some of those plastic bibs have nasty chemicals in them.
So -- keep your eye out for cute towels! I look in the kitchen and bath sections.

I found this towel at the DOLLAR STORE, so I pre-washed it to make sure it didn't fall apart.
So far, so good. I guess we'll see if it stands the test of time.
If not, I'm only out one dollar (obviously).

You should be able to click on any photo to see it full size.
I never know if I'm being detailed enough, so please ask questions in the comments if
I've left out anything!

Now... prepare the ribbing for the neck piece.

Make sure you cut it so it stretches length wise. 

This is 100% cotton rib knit. If you're not sure what to buy, ask at the fabric store

and they should direct you to the right stuff.

I have an applique tutorial here. Or Megan did one here.

If you try it, I'd love to hear from you!

Hope you enjoyed the tutorial and hope it made sense.

Please leave a comment for Sara (don't we all love those??), go to her blog, become a follower...ya know, the works!!

PS Linking to our Weekly parties here, The Shabby Chic Cottage and somewhat simple, and Amylouwho,  so check them out!  Oh and we're new party goers here: