Floor Tiles~Inspiration for a Quilt!

I have a fascination with floor tiles and after you see these pictures, you'll see why! Here they are:

These were taken in a hotel that I stayed in. I can't remember the hotels name, but...I fell in love with the floor! The floor looked like a QUILT!!! Every time I look at these photos, I'm inspired to design a quilt. One day I will have to break down and sew one up! I also like the colors! The tiled design was so big, I couldn't get it all in the one picture!

Have any of  you been inspired by something you've seen on your travels? I'd love to hear about them, please make a comment!

happy quilting,

xoxo

Denise

I {Heart} Pinterest!

I know I've mentioned this before, but, I really do love pinterest! Just to show you how much, I've decided to make the Meatball Minestrone Soup ,that I pinned the other day, for Sunday dinner! We have our kids over with their families each Sunday and this will be perfect!...

I may also make the biscuit recipe that goes with the chicken soup recipe in my "Yummmm" folder!

Don't they both look yummy! Let me know how yours turns out!

xoxo

Denise

How do you like your Sugar Cookies?

I LOVE, LOVE sugar cookies! I have loved them ever since I found the recipe I'm going to share with you, today! I found this recipe when I was away at University and would spend time in the library ....to study....and to look at books (cook books to be exact) I was interested in....(I used to study for only about an hour and "play" the rest of the time.) Can you relate to this? I hope so, cause I don't want to be the only one!

Anyway, I like my sugar cookies more on the thin side with a little crunch and a little brown on the edges. I'll like them plain, but, then I also like to have a great frosting on them, too....I have found a frosting that I love, too! I'll share that with you!

We like to freeze our cookies so they taste fresh for several days...but, I don't think they'll last that long!

This is how we decorate our cookies:

Here are a few more ideas on how to decorate your cookies (some of the pics have their website names on them and give instructions for you! YAY!):

Enjoy!
xoxo
Denise

Here is my favorite recipes:

Sugar Cookies-Our family favorite!

1 C butter (real is best)
1-2/3 C sugar
2 eggs
3 t vanilla
3-1/2 C flour
2-1/2 t baking powder
3/4 t salt
Cream butter and sugar with electric mixer. Add eggs and vanilla and cream until light and fluffy. Sift flour, baking power and salt into wet ingredients and mix well. Let chill in refrigerator for 1 hour. Roll out on floured board. Cut out and place on ungreased cookie sheet. Bake @ 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes. Makes about 5 + dozen.


Vanilla Butter Cream Frosting

• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon butter flavoring
• 1 pound (3 1/2 cups) sifted confectioners sugar (powdered sugar)
• 3 to 4 tablespoons milk or light cream, or to make smooth and spreadable

Preparation:

Cream butter, salt, vanilla and butter flavoring, beating with an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add the confectioners' sugar gradually, beating after each addition. Add 3 tablespoons milk or light cream, beating until smooth. Beat in more milk ,until spreading consistency is reached and the frosting is spreadable. Makes about 2-1/3 cups of frosting, enough to frost tops and sides of of an 8-inch 2-layer cake or a 10-inch tube or bundt cake, or about 1 dozen cupcakes.

How to make a Quilted Card!~great for Valentines!

Hi everyone,

Are you forever looking at left over blocks or pieces from a quilt that didn't quite make it into the quilt? Well, I have the solution for YOU! I had so many little four-patch pieces left over from a quilt, that I decided to make something worth remembering and passing on to someone else!

Now, if you want to print a little message inside, you should do that first and then cut to size recommended in the instructions! you may also want to add your name or sentiment on the back of the card, like you see @ the big card companies!

Well, now that I've got your brain full of ideas, you can even create a card with a heart block for the front or whatever you choose for Valentines Day! (note: the block should be square, for some reason my picture changed while uploading to blog.)

(click to enlarge and print)

*Please abide by the copyright laws and give credit when sharing.

Enjoy! xoxo and Have a Great Valentines day!
Denise

Quilt Girl Flickr Group! Join us!

Hi everyone!

I just created a quilt flickr group for Quilt Girl! Yes, you can upload all of your fun block-of-the-month photos to this group! Right now we are making use of all of our strips or left over quilt pieces in these blocks. Click on the tab, above, for Block of the month to see the FREE patterns.

These Strip blocks are fun blocks and they kill two birds with one stone! No more extra strips laying around, PLUS beautiful blocks for a beautiful quilt! We have 5 blocks right now! I'm working on block 6, so join in! Sign up for email subscriptions for notifications! and the join the Quilt Girl Group on Flickr! Can't wait to see you!

I have a new discussion on the Flickr group! "What are you working on right now?" so, tell us what YOU are working on!

xoxo, happy quilting!

Denise

What was your Messiest Moment?

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I grew up where we had a garden every summer. It wasn't a small garden, it was a BIG garden! We all had a part, in the garden, to make it grow and be successful. I especially liked working with the tomatoes, they were so pretty, red and easy to pick...as they were tall and in cages. All I had to do was put my hands in the 4" squares and pick a juicy, red, ripe tomato! 


One particular day, I went to the garden to pick some tomatoes, I thought I would use my shirt to put them in...(a true farmer! haha). Well, when I got back into the house, I dropped off the tomatoes into the kitchen, went into the bathroom to wash...and low and behold...there was red all over my white shirt. (did I fail to tell you I was wearing white?)  What was I to do? ...I knew Clorox was great at bleaching out stains...so, I put together a solution of bleach and water, poured it over my WHITE shirt and voila!!! it was WHITE again! I was the happiest person in the world! the rest of the story....because, this was not only a white shirt, it was a white shirt that I made myself! Thank you Clorox!

I ‘m sharing my messy moment for the chance to win prizes from TidyMom as part of Clorox’s Bleach It Away campaign.

Table Runner & Napkin Ring Pattern

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I have a very talented daughter, named Erin Winfree! She designed a beautiful table runner for an online magazine and I wanted to share it with you. [I am a proud mama!] She picked out the fabrics from my stash and away she went! She figured out a pattern for any skill levels! AND it turned out beautiful!.... as you can see:

Runner is 17" x 47"

She used Insul-bright for the batting, so that when a hot pan sits on top, it will protect the table top! Isn't that genious!? The pattern also comes with a napkin-ring pattern. You can find the pattern on the Crafts'n Things online newsletter! 

For the runner you'll need:


Here is a link to the pattern illustrations.


Fabrics & Embellishments 
• Fat quarter (FQ) prints: beige (A), one; medium purple (B), one; salmon (C), one; medium green/cream (D) for border and part of blocks, two; green floral (E) for center block and backing, four; dark purple (F) for block and binding, three; light green/cream (G), one.
• Salmon satin ribbon, ½"-wide, 3-½ yards.

Tools & Supplies 
• Insul-Bright Batting, 1 yard (The Warming Company®).
• Lite Steam-A-Seam2, 9"x12" (The Warming Company®).
• All-Purpose Dual Duty XP thread, to match (Coats & Clark®).
• KK2000 "green" Temporary Spray Adhesive (Sulky®).
• Fray Check™ (Dritz®).
• Basic sewing and quilting supplies: sewing machine, straight pins, scissors, rotary cutter.
• Sewing machine feet: quilting foot, ¼"; darning foot, zipper foot.
• Iron and ironing surface.
• Cloth napkins to match.



The rest of the pattern is on the Crafts'n Things website!


This can be made many times in different seasonal colors! Easy to make and machine quilt! Enjoy! I have!


xoxo
Denise

Pinterest....a dream come true!

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Hi fellow quilters!

I've been having so much fun on pinterest, it is a dream come true! I have fallen in LOVE with how easy it is to store great inspiring images! I'm sure all of you, who have your own boards, have realized this, too. As it is getting more hype than any other social media site on the internet! I'm working on filling my pinterest with things that inspire me, (like most), as well as projects I would like to may, (as most) and making friends, especially quilting friends!

Pinterest is a great place to "file" any image you want to keep handy for future drooling over and admiring! Here are a few pics of quilts I absolutely fell in love with:

I also have a "board" for my designs and work in the quilt an craft industry, too! If you want to be part of the pinterest rage...you will need to be "invited" when you send in your inquiry. It make take a little while....but, believe me it is worth every minute of waiting! You can see that it is worth checking it out!

Check out my pinterest board by going to: www.pinterest.com/deniseclason  I'll see you on the board!

xoxo
Denise