Spilled Milk, err Lemonade - Mug Rug?

I found some fabric I just LOVE and I bought two yards of it - JUST BECAUSE.

I wanted to buy ALL of it, but someone else must have loved it a lot, too, because there wasn't much left.So I took home my two yards but I REALLY really wanted to just sit and look at this fabric...
So I decided to make some COASTERS, so that at least I could enjoy a little of it.


I also experimented with a few other colors,
and I machine quilted some haphazard lines all over them.


I used batting in most of them, but then I realized I didn't want to use all of my batting when I had scraps of felt around the house, so I used felt for the last two. In fact, the ones with felt are a little better - they are sturdier!

In my final pieces, I ended up folding a 5 X 10 inch rectangle in half, but originally I was cutting two 5 inch squares, placing them face to face with the batting or felt on one side. Sew three sides together.

Then turn the pocket right-side out.

Finally, fold over the open side by 1/4 inch, iron, and sew along the outside, like so:

If you wrap them with a ribbon, you could give them as a gift!
Add some glasses and its an extra nice gift!

These were so quick and simple that I think I might make a few sets to put away for those times when I need a quick, thoughtful gift. They are fun to make, too!

I hope you get the chance to be creative today!

...from Lori @ Kitchenfunk

Excited to clean my house!

Oh my goodness is it pitiful when you are

happy to be able to clean your stove??

THIS is clean!

This photo was taken just a week or so after we bought it...
Just a little grimy!
You wouldn't want to see it now!

The past several months have gone by so quickly, and my house is suffering for it. You have to dodge around things when you walk, or you are likely to trip over them. Compounding the daily drop and run is the fact that we are in a state of static in our kitchen/living room remodel. We have just NOT had time.

So my living room is full of boxes, and I have metal shelves and crates all over the kitchen & living room full of stuff from my cupboards. What a mess!

But this weekend I get to spend some time with my two youngest peanuts...
They have an open schedule for once. I can't wait!


I also have a secret schedule for this weekend...
And while I won't be talking about it here (it IS a secret),
I'm happy to make cleaning my new stove
a part of my weekend, because it is self-cleaning.

I'm not Jewish, but it even has a Shabat setting. How cool is that?

Well, what are YOU doing this weekend? Are you cleaning your stove? Are you doing something magical?

I hope you get to do something creative today!

...from Lori @ Kitchenfunk

Blog Friends

My feet hurt, but I'm happy!

I know I said that I wasn't going to have anything to post tonight, but my meeting is over and I'm pumped up. (Anyone have any good inexpensive shoe brands for wearing heels all day? Short ones still make me sore after a long day...)

So I just got in, jumped into my sweats, had a bowl of soup, and I WAS enjoying some quiet time on HULU with my youngest child watching our favorite show. But she had to go do something so I'm sneaking here, reading my blogs, and typing, while waiting for her.

Anyway, while we are watching the show I am getting my first chance to pull out all of my fabric pieces that I received from the scrap swap I participated in - it is over now, but you can click the swap button and see how it was run, and also check out the blog of the terrific person who took the time to organize it all!!

Next I'd like to share the blogs of the two sewers with whom I swapped...

The first is Rhonda from:

Quilter in the Gap

Rhonda, Hope you don't mind that I used your picture!
But Rhonda doesn't have a button yet, so there you go.

But I would probably make her happier
by showing you one of her beautiful projects:

Isn't this gorgeous! I just love this one!!

The next sewer I swapped scraps with is Sara from:

Sew Sweetness

For some reason, Sara doesn't have a button either, but I was able to use her header and pop it in here with a link.

And here is something fun that she has got going:

And here is a project that she made, and my awesome
16 year old daughter loves and is begging me to sew
(yes, she is sitting right next to me as I write this, begging me for it, lol)

Look how beautiful this fabric is!!!!!

I am SO grateful to these ladies for the wonderful fabric I received in the swap. I cannot wait to use it! Yesterday I was reading a blog post of a person who wrote about an "I Spy" quilt, but I had a computer problem so out of the many blogs I follow I couldn't locate the poster - but anyway, I searched for "I Spy" quilt and now I know the pattern of the first quilt I am going to make... And I am going to use my awesome fabric scraps from these lovely ladies!!

Oh, wait - Don't hold your breath for the quilt...
I said it would be my first quilt. I didn't say when I would get to it!!

I hope you get the chance to be creative today!!
...from Lori @ Kitchenfunk

Pork Chops in Paradise...

I am not posting any crafts or crafty accomplishments here today, because I honestly haven't had any time to do any! I'm feeling quite crafty and accomplished when I get dinner on the table! Tonight it was Pork Chops and Pasta!

Linking HERE to Peas and Crayons' party: What I Ate Wednesday!



Tomorrow I will be working late, but having fun doing it - I get to set up the room and food for a meeting, take notes, and clean up... hmm... now that doesn't sound super attractive, lol.


But it is. We will be creating a vision for our local school for the arts for the next 3 years.

Something very near and dear to my heart!
It's exciting that it is now a part of my job.

So tomorrow night I will be creatively arranging the room and the food...


Basically it won't be until the weekend that I will get to do something worthy of posting here. Happily, I have recently found some great TRASH finds in the garbage of my neighbors. Yes, I'm one of those crazy people who finds treasure in trash - but then again, most of the people on these blogs are like that as well!!

I hope you get the chance to be creative today!

...from Lori @ Kitchenfunk

Beads Everywhere!

Beads! Reduce, Reuse, Recycle!

Until recently I had a big box of old jewelry sitting in my closet. I really didn't want to give the box to Goodwill, but I certainly didn't want to wear the jewelry.

Then, one day, I had a revelation... I realized I could take apart all of the old necklaces and increase my bead stash! So I did! I now have several boxes of beads at my disposal, and they look a lot better the way I use them!

And now enter - the "Not Very Attractive Purse"... This was given to me by a family member I shall not name....

Okay, the fabric alone was actually quite pretty. And the interior was perfect. But the trim left a lot to be desired. The ribbon and beads were glued in place under whatever that fluffy stuff is...


So I decided to cut off the beads - aren't they interesting? And not only the ones that look like coins, but the regular beads are pretty nice, as well...


And I added them to my bead boxes. Next I'll need to separate them by color and shape... By the way, in the picture I'm showing here, every bead was from previously from a necklace.

Finally, I also wanted to suggest that you not only keep the beads from old necklaces and purses, but save the clasps and connectors. You can reuse them when you make your own creations using the beads.

OO! OO! Wait, I also wanted to tell you that I used my seam ripper and pulled the purse apart so that I could use both the interior fabric and the exterior fabric for sewing projects!! I am using everything except the lovely blue ribbon stuck to the fluffy "stuff"... :-)

I hope you get the chance to be creative today!

...from Lori @ Kitchenfunk

Baby Shower Gift

Now this was a fun project!
Talk about EASY!!

As soon as I saw these baby burb rags on Homemade by Jill,
I knew I had to make them:

This photo is from Homemade by Jill




There is a woman at work who is expecting her second child.
Her first child is a little boy and this one is to be a girl,
so our department is planning a pink
baby shower full of girly stuff.

I just loved these fuzzy little ends on these burp rags.
And they were so simple to make!

First I copied the pattern.
I just hand drew it,
but she DOES offer a free pattern!


I cut out the batting when I cut out the fabric -
(I used Warm & Natural Needled Cotton Batting)

Then I sewed around the edges about a half inch, and across the center, and finally, pulling back the fabric, I just cut the batting that was outside the edges.

If you follow her simple tutorial, you won't have a single problem.

Then I made cuts in the fabric that was left on the edges,
about 1/4 inch apart, and then I washed it - and ta da!

That adorable edging!

You can see in the photo above what the burpee
looks like BEFORE it is washed...


In addition, I found ANOTHER great tutorial for a
different style of really cute burp rags on this site:


See, aren't they great looking??

This photo for these adorable burp rags is from See Kate Sew

Her tutorial is also very simple,
and her idea for packaging them is adorable!

Here is my take on her project...

And you can find a free printable for a label on her site.
(I didn't use it but you might like to! - I was out of colored ink...)

Won't this be a great gift?

I'm so excited to give it to my co-worker!

I hope you get the chance to be creative today!

...from Lori @ Kitchenfunk