Cute & Colorful Owl Quilt

I love all of the adorable owls everywhere, don’t you?  When my friend asked me to make a quilt for her sister’s new baby girl and told me that her theme was “owls”…I was so excited!!  For colors, she specifically requested purples, pinks, and browns; so I headed to Hobby Lobby and found these fun prints:I picked out an orange chevron fabric and a purple vine for accents.
My friend asked for something on a smaller scale than some of the animal quilts I’ve made in the past, so I decided to design my own quilt.  After searching Pinterest for “owl quilts”, “owl blankets”, and just plain old “owls”…..none were exactly what I was looking for, but I was “pinspired” a bit.
So, I grabbed some newspaper, scissors and a marker; then drew and cut out my owl shape.  I cut the eye pieces out of some white and black scrap fabric after using a dessert plate to make a paper pattern.Two of the main body pattern piece were then cut out of the floral fabric and one piece out of purple flannel (for the batting). The wings and face were made with the purple fabric and the feet and beak were cut out of the orange chevron.After pinning all of the pieces in place, I used an applique stitch and a coordinating thread color to attach them to the quilt front.Using my embroidery machine, I added the Baby Girl’s name and the year on one of the feet.  On the back of this foot, I also attached one of my “Made by Julie” tags.After stitching all the way around the quilt (leaving ~ 1/2 in.), the raw edges were clipped and the quilt was washed and dried in order to fray them.
I love the way a rag quilt turns out and how they get softer and more frayed with each washing! This one was no different.  It frayed perfectly and I think it is really cute.Happily, my friend and the mother-to-be loved it too!



Happy Spring Break!

This post is linked to:
http://www.youngandcrafty.com/2013/03/free-for-all_8.html
http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/2013/03/show-tell-saturday-030913.html
http://tatertotsandjello.com/2013/03/weekend-wrap-up-party-and-wallpaper-for-windows-giveaway.html
http://www.shakentogetherlife.com/2013/03/whats-shakin-link-party-50.html
http://igottacreate.blogspot.com/2013/03/wildly-original-link-party-42.html
http://www.freeprettythingsforyou.com/2013/03/whatever-you-want-wednesday-112/
http://somedaycrafts.blogspot.com/2013/03/whatever-goes-wednesday-160_6.html
http://blackberryvine.blogspot.com/2013/03/tuesday-to-do-103-and-102-list-makers.html
http://www.sweetlittlegals.com/2013/03/trendy-tuesday-27.html
http://www.bystephanielynn.com/2013/03/the-sunday-showcase-party-no-143.html
http://www.keepingitsimplecrafts.com/2013/03/motivate-me-monday-164.html
http://www.homemakeronadime.com/2013/03/creative-bloggers-party-hop-102.html

Candy Coke Floats

Although Valentine’s Day is over, these Candy Coke Floats would make a fun gift for just about any occasion!After searching on Pinterest for a new idea to give to my son’s teachers this Valentine’s Day, I came upon some cute candy parfaits (parfait glasses filled with M&Ms and topped with wrapped taffy candies).  There were several versions on multiple websites and all very cute. 
So, my son and I set out to find the supplies and candy……which was a near bust!  We could not find the parfait glasses.  Just as we were getting discouraged, we turned the corner and saw Coca-Cola glasses.  There were two sizes and only $1.00 each!  We purchased 5 large glasses for my son’s teachers and one small glass for my grandmother. 

And, since we were now making “Coke Floats”, we decided on chocolate-covered malt balls as a filling (one box of Whoppers fills a large glass).  For the “foam”, we placed ten vanilla saltwater taffy pieces in the top of the glass.  For the “cherry on top”, we used a red-wrapped chocolate heart and a red Pixie Stix as a “straw”.Each glass was wrapped in clear cellophane and then tied with a red ribbon.  Super cute, right? 
Enjoy your floats!






This post is linked to:
http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/2013/02/show-tell-saturday-022313.html
http://www.youngandcrafty.com/2013/02/free-for-all_22.html
http://tatertotsandjello.com/2013/02/weekend-wrap-up-party-and-initials-inc-giveaway.html
http://whipperberry.com/2013/02/friday-flair-link-party-wind-and-willow-home-edition.html