Baby Quilt

bSo to go with the bedroom theme for the nursery for my daughter JaNaes baby I designed and made a quilt for the baby.  I was inspired by the chevron design theme JaNae wanted as well as some block ideas I saw on pinterest.  Needless to say the quilt looks good from a distance but don't look close at the blocks.  I am still learning alot about quilting and have alot left to learn and I would definitely have done some things different and I will blog about how to do these blocks and this quilt later but I wanted to at least post the quilt.  The lady I use to machine quilt my quilts did a great job even though there were alot of imperfections by my piecing of the quilt.  In fact I think she made it look better.  Thanks to Janae Tanner my machine quilter.  She has done about 10 quilts for me and each one she put alot of thought into what design will make it look good. 

Car Seat Cover

So this is my latest car seat cover I made for my daughter JaNae.  I used chevron prints and polkadots because this is the fabric she picked out for the nursery.  I decided to make the cover reversible, so the rings the attach to the handle are not sewn to the cover.  Instead I created long button holes about 2 inches apart and parllel to each other.  2 on each side of the handle.  The velcro rings are put through the big button holes then velcroed to the handle.  This gives you a little more variety.

Chicken Tortellini Soup

I make this instead of chicken noodle soup whenever we're not feeling well.


Prep Time: 15 mins
Cook Time: 15 mins
Servings: 6
Difficulty: Easy

 

Ingredients:

• 1 12.5 oz can of chicken (or 1 pint of home-canned chicken)
• 1/4 c. dehydrated celery
• 2 T. dehydrated onions
• 2 1/2 c. water
• 8 c. chicken broth (or water mixed with chicken boullion)
• 1/2 tsp. celery seed
• 1/2 tsp. basil
• 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
• 1 tsp. salt
• Sprinkle of red pepper flakes (optional)
• 12 oz package of Barilla Tortellini
• Garlic, potatoes & carrots (optional-see notes)

Directions:

Bring the water and chicken broth to a boil. Add spices. Add chicken (cut it up small if you like smaller chunks). Add dehydrated celery and onions. Add tortellini after it returns to a boil. Cook according to your package directions (probably about 10-12 minutes). Enjoy!

 

Notes:

-This is supposed to be a shelf-stable recipe which is why everything is canned/dehydrated. You can use fresh ingredients to suit your taste.
-For the chicken broth I use the organic low sodium better than bullion from Costco. I omit the salt. I recommend using the dry tortellini, not the refrigerated or frozen ones. They hold up better in the soup.
-I added a fresh, pressed clove of garlic last time and it was really good.
-I add some peeled, chopped potatoes and carrots to mine because I prefer a chunkier soup.

Source: http://foodstoragemadeeasy.net/2011/01/15/shelf-stable-recipes-chicken-tortellini-soup/

Cuban Black Beans

I think my kids are pretty picky eaters and it sometimes gets frustrating trying to find healthy things that they'll actually eat. They don't always like or dislike the typical things. It may sound surprising, but this is one of the meals that I know they will chow down every time.
 
Ingredients:

1 T. olive oil
1 c. chopped onion
3/4 c. chopped green pepper
2 c. V-8 juice (or tomato juice)
3 (15-oz.) cans black beans, drained
1 (8-oz.) can tomato sauce
1 (15-oz.) can tomatoes, undrained and chopped

1 tsp. pepper
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tbsp. brown sugar
 
4 c. cooked rice
1 c. cheese (cheddar, grated)

Directions:

Heat oil in dutch oven or pot and heat over medium-high heat until hot. Add onion and pepper, sauté until tender. Add all other ingredients except the cheese and rice. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer 20 to 25 minutes. Serve over rice and sprinkle with cheese.

Notes:

-This recipe makes a lot, but it freezes well. It easily serves a family twice.

-I chop my onion and green pepper in my Ninja so it's diced really fine. The kids are less likely to complain and pick it out and more likely to eat it if I do that.

-I use low/reduced sodium everything (V8, black beans, etc.) these days because my hubby has pre-hypertension. I think it still tastes good.

-I was using the petite diced tomatoes, but it was still rather chunky for the kids and me so I threw the tomatoes in my Ninja and blended them up a bit before adding them and we all liked it. I've tried using the crushed tomatoes too, but didn't like them quite as much.
-I use the brown sugar to cut the acidity of the tomatoes.

Roasted New Red Potatoes

Roasted vegetables are probably something pretty, simple and basic to most people, but many of the vegetables in our house tend to come from a bag in the freezer. I was looking for easy and healthy fresh vegetable recipes and came across this. My husband and I love it! The kids, not so much. My four year-old son especially hates it when it has grass (rosemary) on it. I'm not a big fan of rosemary either so I usually use thyme, but he still doesn't like that. Oh well, maybe someday.

  

Prep Time: 10 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Servings: 8 servings

Difficulty: Easy

Ingredients:

• 3 pounds small red new potatoes, halved
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• Freshly ground black pepper to taste
• Thyme or rosemary to taste if desired

Directions:

1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 450 degrees. Toss potatoes with oil, salt, pepper and thyme. Arrange, cut side down, on a large lipped cookie sheet or jellyroll pan.

2. Roast until tender and golden brown, about 30 minutes (check after 20 minutes). Transfer to a serving dish.

Nutritional Info:

Total Fat: 7g Cholesterol: 0mg Sodium: 301mg Total Carbs: 27.1g Dietary Fiber: 2.9g Protein: 3.2g

Source: http://allrecipes.com/recipe/roasted-new-red-potatoes/detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Title&e11=roasted%20new%20red%20potatoes&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Home%20Page

Quilting

My biggest hobby lately has been quilting.  I bought a program called EZQUILT 7.  It is used to design quilts.  It allows you to design the quilt then take fabric jpg. files and import them into the quilt so that you can design the quilt and see what it will look like with the fabrics you have purchased.  It allows  you to see if the colors look good or if there is a balance to the colors. 

The quilt design program can print the pattern pieces when you are done designing and tell you how much fabric will be needed.  One of the quilts I recently did I purchased the pattern but did not purchase fabrics like the quilt pattern design because I liked the pattern but not the color scheme.  I cut out the quilt pieces with the fabrics I bought and had all the pieces layed out as they would go into the quilt.  I felt like some of the color design did not look just right.  I took the pattern and drew it in the quilt program.  I then took the fabric I had chosen and downloaded the jpg. Files into the quilt design.  It really helped me to make the changes I needed so that I could get it to look more cohesive and balanced.  I then recut a few of the pieces out of different fabric to achieve the design.  It turned out great and is currently at the quilters.  This program could save time and money. You won’t purchase patterns or prints that maybe won’t work into the quilt design.  I have found that I really like lots of color and big prints but big prints do not always lend themselves to some quilt designs because the large print pattern will not even show up when cut into small pieces.

Quilt Pattern I bought

fabric I chose and put into the pattern it totally changes the look

Pinterest has a lot of cute quilt ideas and I have been able to implement some of the ideas on pinterest into the quilt designs and then apply the fabrics I have purchased.  These are a few of my quilt designs.

this one is the design I came up with for JaNaes baby that is on the way 

This was an alternate design 

 I have this fabric and I thought that this would make a cute baby quilt someday for someone

This is another design I came up with and fabric I have already to go

This one I have already started cutting the pieces but have not totally decided on the border

Between pinterest  and the quilt design program I waste a lot of time.  When I design a quilt I do about 10 different versions and then print them off so I can see them side by side and then pick the one I like the best to actually make.  I have two quilts in progress that I have designed and about 4 more desgined and ready to implement. 

Purchasing fabric has also become an obsession.  If I can’t find it in the store the internet has plenty of companies that have what you need. 

Upcycled Buffet

So, I scored this hutch on Kijiji (like Craig's list for Canada) for $40, not bad. Do you think I can make it look good??? We shall see. . .

Pretty hideous, I know

 First thing I did was I sanded everything down to get rid of that nasty blue paint. I took out the dreadful fabric panels that were covering the glass doors. Next, I nailed some door casing onto the bottom to give it an updated look (p.s. I used the saw and nail gun all by myself--my mama would be so proud)! Then I primed it with Kilz 2. After 2 coats of primer, I sprayed it with Heirloom White (off white) spray paint. I debated whether or not I should use spray paint or suck it up and buy a gallon of latex. I thought the spray paint was a mistake at first, because I ended up using more paint than I thought I would and it gets a little pricey, however, for the stenciling, it is the only way to go. I tried other ways and it just didn't work out, but I'll explain that a little more in a minute.

My tools: Stencil I made (this particular pattern I didn't design but the one on the drawers I did), spray adhesive, off white spray paint, green sample paint from home depot, painter's tape, and my paint brush. 

To paint the drawers I bought a sample can of paint for about $5 from home depot in the color I wanted. I simply painted the drawer front the solid green. I looked all over for a stencil in the pattern I wanted and sadly it was a lot harder to find than I anticipated, so I made my own. I stenciled the drawers using a graphic that I created in Paint (that freebie program with Windows), then I used a program to cut it out onto cardstock using my Cricut. I only did this because I couldn't find the pattern I wanted anywhere and I'm not even sure what it's called, plus I'm not one to easily give up when I get my mind set on something. To paint the stencil on, I used spray adhesive to stick my stencil to the drawers (already painted solid green) and spray painted over them with the off white. . .worked pretty well. On the sides, I wanted more green, so I sprayed them solid white and I was going to paint over them, however after 3 failed attempts this just didn't work; the latex paint kept bleeding behind my stencil and since my stencil was cardstock, it also made the paper soggy. So after my failed attempts, I sanded the sides down again, painted them solid green and sprayed over them like I did on the drawers. What a headache.

Here is the buffet after being primed, painted, and all the stenciling done on the drawers. 

Now painting over the stencil that didn't work. 

The side now painted solid green.

Here is the finished product. I found the knobs at Hobby Lobby. They were just a little smaller looking than I hoped for, but I think the style is very fitting and they add a nice little touch. I know the buffet is a bit funky but that's what I wanted. I LOVE the way this turned out and even more, I LOVE having the extra storage space in my kitchen.

Close up of the knobs and stenciling 

Lessons learned on this project: ALWAYS use a good brush! It makes all the difference in the world. Take the time to mask off. . .it saves time in the end and looks WAY better. Don't try to brush on latex paint with a stencil. . .it bleeds behind the stencil no matter how hard you try. And last but not least. . .don't rush it, things just take time sometimes.

Oh and if anybody is interested, here are the stencils I used:

This is the one I created, and therefore, it isn't perfect. The circles line up pretty good, but not exact, just for the record.

The link for this stencil is: here but I actually modified it just a little so it would cut out on my Cricut better.