Brilliant Blossoms Quilt

Brilliant Blossoms Quilt Kit

We have a new kit featuring the panel from Lakehouse Dry Goods' Fun Flowers Collection.  It has always been one of my favorites.  This is a fast, fun project that can be easily pieced in an afternoon.  I just love the contrast between the black & white fabrics and the bright colors really make is pop.

Pretty sweet collections.

We just got some pretty, new collections in from Riley Blake.  Love the soft colors and pretty florals of Lila Tueller's new line, Priscilla.  This collection is perfect for apparel, bags, quilts and home decor projects.

Simply Sweet from Lori Whitlock.  These prints would make a fun diaper bag, little girls dress or a sweet, baby quilt.

Berenstain Bears

The Berenstain Bears will always be one of my favorite book characters.  Most of us grew up reading the books and our children have had the experience of the books and the animated show.  They are definitely loved.  We have two new quilt kits available for boys or girls.  These cute quilts would be perfect paired with your favorite Berenstain Bears book.  Wouldn't that make a cute gift?

Sister Bear Quilt

Brother Bear Quilt

 

 

Fun Summer Projects

Now that summer is here and everyone is spending time outside, it is hard to find the time to sit down and sew.  We have been busy creating some fun, summer projects that come together pretty quickly.  You will still be able to enjoy the outdoors and allow yourself a little time to get behind that sewing machine.

Cherry Blossom Apron Kit

Coquette Patchwork Bag Kit

Amelia Charming Patchwork Quilt Kit

Hoo's in the Forest

We just loved this collection and decided to kit it up into this charming baby quilt.  This charm square quilt goes together quickly and the piecing is easy.  The baby animals, soft colors and scalloped edges really make this a sweet quilt for baby.  It will be the perfect addition to your nursery!

Boho Girl

Blueberry & Lime Boho Girl

We just got this terrific, new line in from Wilmington Prints called Boho Girl.   These bright, fun fabrics are great for home decor, bags, apparel and quilting projects.   We have quilt & pillowcase kits, yardage and precuts available.

Daughter #2 has been back at it again.  She made the wonderful Banana Pudding Pie Cupcakes for our Easter dessert.  They are sooooo good.  This yummy vanilla cake has layers of vanilla wafers, fresh, sliced bananas, banana pudding filling, and topped with fresh whipped cream.  I like bananas ok, but they are not my first choice (I'll probably always have chocolate at the top of my list).  These cupcakes were amazing though.  I would make these for any occasion, especially one where you want to impress.  Daughter #2 never ceases to amaze me.  Thanks again to the Dollhouse Bake Shoppe for sharing their wonderful recipes with us!

Banana Pudding Pie Cupcakes

Also, from Dollhouse Bake Shoppe are these Confetti Cookies.  Daughter #2 wanted to make something to bring to a tea party with friends.  She really liked the recipe for these yummy cookies.  It was close to Easter and feeling festive, she thought it "would be cool" to mold them into an egg shape to make them look like Easter eggs.  She is pretty "hands on" anyway, so it was an excuse to play around with the dough.  I, for one, do not like to touch raw chicken, especially when it has to be battered, or patty the hamburgers, etc.  Daughter #2 absolutely loves it.  She gets right in there and takes over.  She even loves to chop onions and garlic - whatever she can get her hands on.   I can't believe at 10 years old the things she has made or likes to do.  I'm sure she will be an amazing chef one day.

Confetti Cookies

Signs of summer are definitely here.  Hot air balloons dot our morning skies all summer long.  This is what I saw when I walked out of my front door the other morning and just had to take a picture.  If you haven't been out to Albuquerque in October for International Balloon Fiesta, you should come check it out.  It is an amazing week.  Hundreds of balloons go up every morning and you are able to walk around the field while they taking off, which is pretty cool!

Here are a few more balloon pictures taken from our neighorhood.

Kori

Good Morning!

I think you all know by now how much I love Me & My Sister Designs.  They are truly my favorite!  So it is no surprise that we have kitted up another wonderful quilt with their Good Morning fabrics.

Good Morning, Lily Quilt Kit

Love these colors and cheery fabrics!

Ultimate Dude Cupcakes

Well, Daughter #2 chose the Ultimate Dude Cupcakes for our Cupcake Sunday Adventure.  It was Super Bowl Sunday and she really wanted to do something for her Daddy.  I have to say that I was not sure I was going to like these, but I was so wrong.  She picked another winner!  And no, the decorations are not for the Dallas Cowboys.  They were the closest to masculine that I could talk her in to.  They had camouflage cupcake wrappers at the store, but she just wasn't having it.  I talked her out of the pink heart wrappers and into the blue star wrappers.  They are really kind of patriotic.....I guess since football is a great American pastime, they are fitting.  She wanted to buy a football shaped candy mold for the milk chocolate toppers, but they were all out at the store, so she opted for the stars.  I think they turned out pretty cute.  After I got caught filling the candy molds with the first batch of chocolate, I was told to "back off".  Being her "sous chef", that's exactly what I did.  I'm starting to have less and less responsibilities each time we bake together.  Such an independent young lady.

  These  rich chocolate cupcakes have  a chocolate chip cookie dough filling and a peanut butter butter cream frosting.  Daughter #2 chose to use the dark cocoa powder instead of the regular cocoa powder that the recipe calls for, but that is just her personal preference.   I have to say that I thought the peanut butter icing would be heavy, but it whipped up so light and fluffy and the taste was just yummy.  I could easily just eat the frosting off of the cupcake and leave the rest.  It was that good.  I just have to figure out another recipe to use that frosting with.  We completely forgot to drizzle the caramel sauce over the icing.  We missed out on that flavor, but her Daddy loved them all the same!

Kori

A little something sweet!

I just love Chez Moi's Coquette Collection.  The colors are just yummy.  We decided to call our new kit, Cotton Candy Quilt.  The fabric just reminds me of cotton candy (with a little chocolate sprinkled in here and there).  How could you go wrong?  The pattern is simple, and it really showcases the large scale prints.  The florals are so pretty that I just couldn't bare to chop them up into little pieces.  So Voila!

Cotton Candy Quilt

       

Speaking of something sweet.........Daughter #2 has been at it again.  My dad is a huge chocoholic and he had always had chocolate cake with this amazing chocolate fudge frosting on his birthday.  The frosting calls for a package of pudding and is wonderful, or, at least, it was.  About 10 years ago, we could no longer make the frosting.  Something has changed in one of the ingredients.  I don't know if it is in the margarine or pudding, but it comes out like slime every time.  We have all tried to make it - changing out some ingredient (butter, marg. instant, cook and serve, etc).  No Luck!  He has been so disappointed for so many years.   Anyway, for his birthday this year, he agreed to have cupcakes instead of cake, so that Daughter #2 could work her magic.  Plus, when you are 10, it is a pretty big deal to be the one to make your Papa's birthday cake (or cupcakes).  Daughter #2 and I searched the web to find the most wonderful chocolatey recipe we could find.  This is what she found:  Triple Chocolate Cupcakes.

She always likes to choose a recipe from the Cupcakes Wars and was a little put off that we were looking outside of their website.  Until she realized that the recipe she choose is from a Cupcake Wars Winner's blog.  How funny.  I don't think the baker used this recipe on the show though.  She has many wonderful recipes on her blog, Dollhouse Bake Shoppe.  We will definitely be trying some of her other recipes. 

 These were so good, they were ridiculous!  And, Daughter #2 is perfecting her decorating skills quite nicely.  The only thing we decided to do next time is to add chocolate chips to the batter (minis - regular chips will sink to the bottom).  Any chocoholic knows that the best thing to add to chocolate is more chocolate!

 

Kori