{Confidential} - May Project Board

April was a bust - no changes to the project board.  What will happen in May?

Compare to the April project board

Read my April review

{Not So Confidential} - April in Review

"April is the cruelest month..."  according to T.S. Eliot.  I tend to agree when reflecting on the weather this April.  If you follow me on Instagram you have seen how snowy the month was here so I won't bore you again except for this photo which is my favorite.

{What I made} Craft Projects

{What I made} Yummy Eats

• Grape-Stuffed Chicken from Midwest Living - I had never made stuffed chicken before but it's pretty easy and this was pretty tasty.
• Spring Chicken Stew from Woman's Day - This was a delightful dish made in the crock pot.
• Lighter Sweet and Sour Chicken from Iowa Girl Eats/Gimmie Some Oven - This is easier and lighter than the sweet and sour chicken I've made from our church cookbook.  Oh, and it's really good.
• Soft Pretzels from Brown Eyed Baker - Easy to make and so yummy to eat!
• Stromboli from Lauren's Latest - I had some frozen homemade pizza dough and this was the perfect thing to make with it.

{What I read} previous count - 8

1. D is for Deadbeat by Sue Grafton
2. Calico Joe by John Grisham
3. E is for Evidence by Sue Grafton
4. Where We Belong by Emily Giffin

Fabric Pennant Banner

Remember these cute aprons I made for my sister?  Well, there was plenty of left over fabric so I decided to make her something else with them.  But what?  After a little thought, I decided a fabric pennant banner would be something she could use when she is selling her dog treats.

How cute is this?  And it's reversible.

With the help of Google, I found this fabric pennant banner tutorial from Your Home Based Mom.  I made some alterations to the directions.  I cut my pennants out with a pinking shears.  I didn't have bias tape so I just used the fabric to create my own ribbon to hang the pennants from. 

For a little whimsy, I fussy cut some dogs from the patterned fabric and used wonder under to apply to the brown pennants.

I really like how this banner came out.

And my sister liked it too.

I am sharing at these parties.

#RBDmysteryblocks - March Mystery Block

I'm back with another completed Riley Blake Designs mystery block.  I skipped February {because it was intimidating} so this is the March block - Simplicity.

Check out my January block here.

Pillowcases {Operation Slumber Party}

I love to sew.  It's a great way to unleash my creative juices.  And if you give me a reason to sew, I love that even more.

Last month I came across a story about a local girl scout troop that was planning to make 1,000 pillowcases to be donated to the children's hospital.  {Read about Operation Slumber Party here.}  They were looking for volunteers to sew pillowcases for them.  I did not have to think twice about contributing to this cause.

So, I grabbed my Jo-Ann's coupons and headed out to pick out some fun fabric and proceeded to make ten pillowcases.

Yes, I know there are only 8 in this picture.  I only have 8 pillows.  The real question is why do I have 8 pillows for only 2 beds.

I used this pattern from American Patchwork and Quilting to make these pillowcases.

It uses the "burrito" method and the result is no raw edges which I really like.  And it is quick and easy.  Double bonus!

Here's a look at all ten pillowcases I made:

I will be dropping off my pillowcases this afternoon.  This was a project I really enjoyed doing.

Have a great weekend!

{Confidential} - April Project Board

I think March was a pretty crafty month for me.  Some projects from the board, others not.  Let's see what happens in April.

Compare to the March project board

Read my March review

{Not So Confidential} - March in Review

Apparently spring did not get the memo that it began on March 20th.  This is how the first day of spring started here and it has only been marginally better since then.

And don't even get me started on daylight saving time.  I didn't realize that the sun was my back-up alarm clock.  Getting up for work has been a struggle since the time change.

But enough of my complaining, here's what else happened in March:

{What I made} Craft Projects

In case you missed it:

Butterfly Collage

Pretty Crafty Apron

Easter Egg Place Cards

Easter Eggs

{What I made} Yummy Eats

• Chicken and Wild Rice Soup from Iowa Girl Eats - I made this with turkey instead of chicken and it was mmmm good!
• Cauliflower Cheese Sticks from Key Ingredient - I was skeptical about this but it was really, really good.
• Homemade Chewy Granola Bars from Iowa Girl Eats - I will never go back to store bought granola bars again!
• Apple Sausage Mac and Cheese from Food Network - A yummy twist on mac and cheese.
• Chocolate Cream Pie from Food Network - I decided to make pie this year to celebrate pi day (3.14).  This was delicious and easy - a winning combination.
• Cheesy Gnocchi Casserole with Ham and Peas from Food Network

{What I read} previous count - 4

1. B is for Burgler by Sue Grafton
2. Betrayal by Danielle Steele
3. Eleventh Hour by James Patterson
4. C is for Corpse by Sue Grafton