March 27, 2012

i spy/polka dot/stripe fabric swap

So, I'm totally addicted to fabric swaps now.  My i spy swap is almost complete with all the fabric sorted and packages (almost) ready to be mailed back to the swappers on Wednesday.  So much fun and I'm looking forward to hosting another one later this year.  If you've missed out on all the swaps thus far, never fear!  There is a great swap with spots still available.  It is a combination i spy/polka dot/stripe swap.  Does it get any better?  So go to Modern Pink Designs swap and sign up now!  Not convinced?  Check out all the great fabrics so far in the flickr group.  Here are the cute fabrics I'll be contributing:

 Now We're Goin Places / Bicycles on White

Designed by Monica Lee for Timeless Treasures

(purchased from Fort Worth Fabric Studio)


Summer Song Stripe - Orange
My Minds Eye for Riley Blake Fabrics
(purchased from uberstitch on Etsy)

Rooftop Garden / Dot Orange & Steel by Moda
(purchased from Fort Worth Fabric Studio)

There's also still spots left in this rainbow charm swap if that's more your thing.  And check out the new flickr "Fabric Swap Finder" group to stay up-to-date on all the fabric swaps.

March 21, 2012

one more bundle

If you're looking for a rainbow fabric charm swap, there's one here at Adventures in Obsessive Crafting.
* * *
I wanted to make one more fabric bundle for the monkey do contest.  And then I'll stop.  Before it becomes a problem.  This one was inspired by some colorful scribbling by my 5 year old.  (I realize this is not a work of art by any stretch but I saved the paper because I love the color combination he used and thought it would make a pretty baby quilt.)


My fun fabric bundle:
Row 1:
metro living circles in orange
jewels in blue
pearl bracelet in green


Row 2:
truck stop dot in blue
mono pez in orange
dash stripe in blue bell


Row 3:
jewels in green
pirate grid in blue
woodlands woodgrain in orange


Row 4:
tutor stripe in orange
cross hatch in green
dot to dot in aqua

Okay.  Now on to sorting fabric for my i spy charm swap!

March 20, 2012

create a fat quarter bundle

There's a contest at monkey do. (I read about it from Jenn @ Knottled-Thread.) Using fabrics from Pink Castle Fabrics (or the Etsy shop) and the mosaic maker at big huge labs, you create your own fat quarter bundle. Even though I have a million other things I should be doing this morning (like laundry and dishes) I created my fat quarter bundle. Yep. I'm totally addicted to I spy.

Row 1:
Toothpaste by Kokka Japan Aqua
Fruit Slice by Khristian A Howell for Anthology Fabrics Fruit in White 
Children at Play By Sarah Jane Studios for Michael Miller On the Go in Aqua

Row 2:
Jack and Jenny by Laurie Wisbrun for Robert Kaufman Wellies in Water
Walk in the Woods by Aneela Hoey for Moda Fabrics Teeny Mushrooms in Blue Bell
Walk in the Woods by Aneela Hoey for Moda Fabrics Foxlets in Icing

Row 3:
Cars by Kokka Japan Aqua
Far Far Away 3 by Heather Ross for Kokka Japan Laundry in Green
Woodlands by Khristan A Howell for Anthology Fabrics Acorns in Teal

Row 4:
Fly a Kite by October Afternoon for Riley Blake Designs Fly a Kite in Teal
Far Far Away 3 by Heather Ross for Kokka Japan Guitars in Yellow and Orange 
Catch of the Day by Hoodie forTimeless Treasures Fish Fry in Ecru

So much fun! I think I'll add fabric bundle maker to my list of dream jobs.

March 7, 2012

string quilt blocks

I'm sure you're all familiar with Pinterest.  I am addicted to Pinterest.  I could scroll through the pages forever just looking at all the beautiful photos and repinning more projects than I could ever possibly complete.  I love looking at my Pinterest and seeing beautifully-organized photo collages.  (My quilting board is my favorite.)  I have 28 boards and 337 pins and other than some recipes, I don't think I've made one thing I've pinned.  Until yesterday.  Yesterday I made 4 paper-pieced string quilt blocks using this tutorial from Film in the Fridge.  Here are my beautiful, scrappy 8.5 inch blocks:


(I really need to learn how to take better photos.)

This was my first time paper piecing and I enjoyed it.  Now only 26 more blocks to go before I have enough to make a baby quilt.  I really shouldn't be starting another project but I figure I'm using up my scraps and I can make a block or two at a time.  Hopefully I have enough scraps.  If there's anybody out there that has scraps you want to get rid of, let me know!


March 1, 2012

a Star Wars birthday party

My son turned 5 on January 2nd. (I can't believe my baby starts kindergarten this fall). He is hooked on everything Star Wars so it was no surprise when he wanted a Star Wars birthday party. His birthday is about a week after Christmas so after all of the Christmas festivities and family celebrations (which finally wrapped up on New Year's Day), I was in no mood to plan a birthday party. But I knew I couldn't let him down and after some inspiration found on the internet and Pinterest, I got to work.

I knew I didn't have time/didn't want to make everything. I purchased cups, plates, treat bags, invitations and thank you cards at Target. We only had a total of 6 kids at the party so it wasn't too expensive to buy these items.

Food:
The party was over lunch time, so I ordered pizza from Dominos.  (I love their on-line ordering.  I was able to order the pizzas before they even opened, request my delivery time, and track the status of my order.)

I didn't want to make a cake, so I just ordered the cake from the grocery store.


Favors:
I made each of the kids a Jedi robe using these instructions. I used fleece which I got a great deal on ($2.99 a yard), and since fleece doesn't fray they didn't need hemmed--a huge time-saver when you're making 6 Jedi robes. They were a huge hit and totally worth the time and money.

My husband made light sabers using foam pipe insulation from Home Depot and green and gray duct tape (idea found here). These were also a little time-consuming to make, but the kids loved them. (Even though they're foam it can still hurt if someone gets whacked in the face so I recommend adult supervision during any light saber battles.)


For treat bag fillers, I happened to find some Star Wars-themed treat in the Christmas clearance at WalMart. Marshmallow Yoda pops were 25 cents each and Star Wars candy canes were 25 cents a box. I also found some Kroger brand Star Wars fruit snacks at the grocery store.

Activities:
I purchased MP3s of three Star Wars songs from Amazon (the only 3 I recognized), downloaded them, and repeatedly burned them to a CD so I had 60 minutes worth of  Star Wars music to play in the background during the party.

One of the ideas I found on the internet was making a "death star" pinata by purchasing a soccer ball pinata at Hobby Lobby and spray painting it silver (idea found here). I bought a huge bag of candy for about $6 to fill it up. I forgot to take a "before" photo but here's the "after"--

I stuck a broom handle through the plastic hanger and held it up while my friend supervised the kids as they smacked it with a plastic bat. It held up pretty well so everybody got a few turns and lots of fun was had by all.

I blew up some balloons and the kids had to "use the force" to try and keep the balloons in the air using their light sabers. They really enjoyed this activity.

We played pin the explosion on the death star. The "death star" was a circle cut from cardboard and covered in aluminum foil. I cut out 6 "explosions" from orange cardstock and wrote a name on each one.  After that it's pretty much pin the tail on the donkey except you try place your explosion in the middle of the death star.


I even got into the whole Star Wars theme. Really awesome moms find a sock bun tutorial on You Tube and dress up as Princess Leia.