Digging for Treasure

I found some thrifty goodies recently.  A couple of linen table runners with embroidery and lace insertion.

Some old, deep-ivory colored lace, pipe cleaners, and royal blue wool felt.

A basket full of vintage bias tape, rick rack, and seam binding.  The polka dots and stripes are great!

A fat-quarterish piece of vintage fabric, and some HUGE rick rack!  It doesn't appear to be cotton, probably used in upholstery or home dec, but it is amazing stuff!

Some vintage ticking, a green colored wooden spool, and two rather tattered potholders.  The potholders have seen a lot of use, but I fell in love with the patterns.  The ticking was looking a little worse for wear as well, but I have since washed it, and it came out looking bright and clean.

All of these were stuffed in a box at my local thrift shop - I paid less then $1.50 for the whole lot!  sometimes digging a little can turn up some nice surprises!

Edit post to add, I'm linking this up with Elizabeth's Vintage Quilt Thursday!

A Bowlful of Pom-Poms

 

I've got crocus all over my yard right now.  Purple and yellow and white.  Spring might actually be here!  The weekend is supposed to be sunny and warm - I can't wait!!

It's been a busy couple of weeks around here, and as such, not much sewing - or blogging for that matter - has gotten done.  The girls and I have a few of the Clover pom-pom makers and when we have a few minutes, it's been fun to wrap some yarn.  It can be a little addicting, though!

I have no idea what we will make with all of these.  I was sort of toying around with the idea of a bunting of sorts that we could use at birthdays and parties.  We'll have to see.  I saw that Clover also makes a heart shaped maker - how in the world does that work?!?  I have to admit when the tool came out, I was a little skeptical.  I mean, really, it is pretty easy to just wrap yarn around a circle of cardboard to make a pom-pom.  But, I am admittedly a convert now.  We have them in three sizes.  The extra large one is great, and makes some impressive pom-poms, but it takes quite a lot of yarn!  If nothing else, they are fun to use!

Hope it's getting warm in your neighborhood, too!  Happy Friday!

Gardening Thoughts

With all this warm winter weather we've had, I am looking forward to doing some spring time planting in my little garden space.  Truth be told, it's really more of a container space.  Last year was our first summer in this house, and some of my tiny garden didn't do as well as I hoped.  This year, I am hoping to learn from last year and improve my results.  I have a lot of shade, so I'm going to need to move my containers around to best maximize the sun.  I'm currently on the lookout for some great make-do planters at the thrift store.  

I have found some great ideas at Life on the Balcony.  I like to have some flowers too, but buying a couple flats of annuals can be pretty pricey.  I usually wait until they are marked down, but then I don't always get the largest plants and they just never seem to quite catch up in size.  I don't have the space, or enough sunlight, inside to start my own seedlings, so I'm trying to come up with a solution.  Any ideas?  

Happy springtime dreaming!

A Giveaway!

I was very fortunate to be given a copy of the new Elm Creek Quilts Novel to be used in a give away promotion.  I know it's a small group of us here, but that just makes your odds all the better!  Leave me a comment, and let me know if you have read any of the other novels in the series.  I will pull a random comment on Thursday, March 8.  Good luck!

Kitchen Experiments

 

Recently, on Saturday mornings, I have been experimenting in the kitchen.  I am trying to recreate the type of coffee cake you find at your local coffee shop or bakery.  I love that sugary, buttery streusel that is sometimes nearly half as thick as the cake itself. I really wanted to try and make my own at home, so I started by looking for any coffee cake recipes with super thick streusel. I found one, and tried it out, but the cake part was a bit on the dry side.  The streusel, however, was nearly perfect. I decided to try and swap out the streusel recipe from one of my own tried-and-true coffee cake recipes with this new streusel recipe.  

So, the next Saturday, bright and early, I made Coffee Cake #2.  Unfortunately, it didn't work.  The bottom cake bubbled up and through the topping, and it took way too long to bake.  It tasted good, but certainly wasn't pretty - more importantly, it wasn't what I was trying to recreate.  On to Round Three.  I tried yet another coffee cake recipe with the new streusel, and still no luck.  Last weekend, I took a break - much to my family's dismay.  Next week, it's back in the saddle.

Here 's my tried-and-true coffee cake, before the streusel swap!  Even without a super thick streusel, it's still a great cake, and can make your Saturday morning pretty special indeed.

Buttermilk Coffee Cake
2 1/2 cup flour
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup butter
Mix the above ingredients until crumbly, and remove 1/2 cup of the mixture to reserve for streusel.  To this, add 1/3 cup chopped nuts. 
To the original crumb mixture, add:
1 teaspoon soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
In small bowl, mix :
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
Add half of the milk mixture to the crumb mixture, and beat at medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add the remaining milk mixture, and beat for an additional 2 minutes.  Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking pan and sprinkle with the reserved nut streusel.  Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 30-40 minutes.

Warmly,

It's a Basket!

I got really, really lucky and found this beautiful blanket basket at the thrift store recently  I almost missed it as it had been discarded on the floor and pushed to the side with other castoffs tossed in and around it. I have been looking for one of these for a long time.  

It's worn and weathered, but, to me, it is perfect.

Now that it is home, I can't wait to fill it full of quilts!

Warmly,

Looking For a Few Good Snacks

Popcorn Haystacks

1 quart popped corn (no butter or seasonings)

1 cup peanuts

3 oz. Chow Mein noodles

12 oz chocolate chips

Mix popcorn, peanuts, and noodles in large bowl and set aside.  Melt chocolate chips in microwave and pour over popcorn mixture.  Drop spoonfuls into paper cupcake liners, and refrigerate until firm.  Store in covered container.  Makes approximately 24.

*I doubled the recipe and used a variety of cupcake liners and candy liners.

Next on deck...Honey Nut Popcorn!