Quilt Scrap Dress--Sew-vivor Entry!

So I bumped into a new-to-me blog that is having an AWESOME sewing competition!! Its called "Sew-vivor" from the Family Ever After blog..(you can read about the contest here). What I love about this contest is that its just sewing, (which is really the only crafting I'm good at!!), and she has gotten incredible sponsors. Also, even if you aren't entering, she's having a giveaway a week during the competition, so check that out!! One ends today!! I'm entering my Quilt Scrap Dress...and I have my fingers crossed!!! Wish me luck!!

The Story: So, I was making my daughter a quilt for her 3rd birthday, (you can check it out HERE if you want), and I had a bunch of leftovers that were just too cute to throw away. I started racking my brain for what I could do with them..and then it hit me! I could use my leftovers to create "fabric" for a dress to match the birthday quilt. My 3 yr old will love it, I will love it, and I won't have to just throw the scraps away! So, after some configuring, here's what I came up with.

(Couldn't coax any smiles out, she was little nervous about her debut..)

What I love about this dress:

1. It is totally bright and fun! 2. It's economical..you could make this dress with leftover scraps from any project, or hang onto clothes that get stained and cut them up into squares to create your own "fabric". 3. This dress is almost all rectangles, so you don't have to have a pattern. 4. It matches her birthday quilt...what little girl won't love that?

Here's a quick close up of the bow knot, can you tell I just love it??

Valentine's Day "We Love You Because.."

So, I've been seeing those " I love you because..." walls where they use vinyl and sticky notes for a Valentine's decoration..and I LOVE IT! But..I am renting, and the paint in our house comes off a little easy, so I'm too nervous to put vinyl on my walls. So here's what I came up with instead...

Here's how I did it...its super easy!!

1. Paint an 8 inch piece of a 2 x 4 red

2. Cut out phrase in vinyl w/craft cutter, or make stencil, and paint on

3. Staple cute ribbon to the back

4. Make little love notes

5. Attach with clothespins, paperclips, etc..

6. Make that loved one feel super special! (We plan to leave a new note everyday until Valentine's day)

Family Assignment Board

This is a fun craft for the whole family! Even the youngest child can help pick out their own personalized name tag. This is also versatile, although we made one for F.H.E., it can be easily adapted to a chore chart or any other alternating responsibility board.

Materials:

1. unpainted wooden board- easy find at the craft stores in your area, there are many styles and sizes, choose according to the size of you family or number of items you want it to have on it
2. pegs- this is a personal style preference, (my hubby picked out the ones you see in the picture and wanted them upside down). There are many options at craft stores; don't feel  like you have to stick with wood, I have seen it with nails, etc.
3. Screws- to attach the pegs (may not need these if you are doing nails)
4. Spray Paint- color and texture according to preference (we chose brown with different color speckles)
5. Paint Pen- to write the various assignments on the board (I did mine free hand, but you may also use a stencil instead) There are various size tips in the pens, I bought a fine point and medium point, since I had large and small words.
6. Individualized wooden pictures- also found at any craft store, you can even get them unpainted and paint them yourselves. (have everyone choose one for themselves that matches their personality or likes)
7. Yarn, twine, or ribbon- for hanging the wooden pieces
8. Drill- to make a hole in each wood piece to string the yarn through.

Procedure:

1. Spray paint board and pegs separately and let dry according to directions on can.
2. Once dry, screw the pegs to the board, try to evenly space them using a ruler and pencil to mark on the board.
3. Using paint pen, write words (Family Home Evening, or Family Chore Chart) whatever you come up with! Also write the smaller assignments, mine says “prayer, song, lesson, activity and treat”. Don't forget to write the names on the individual pendants too. The tricky part of this step is evenly spacing the letters and words. Since I was doing mine free-hand, I practiced on paper first.
4. Drill holes in each wooden piece, sting yarn, twine, etc. through the hole and hang over each peg.

Easy peasy! You have a family assignment board, the kids love to change their name to the next spot when its time, and it makes doing work a little more fun! I hope you enjoy.

Sydney

Mac & Cheese with Tomato

Guys it's been too long! But I just wanted to drop in and tell you about this great recipe that I saw on Cooks Country TV show (the same people that do America's Test Kitchen). It looked pretty simple so I decided to give it a whirl and it was pretty good. A nice change to the normal mac and cheese. I got the recipe from here. Try it out guys it's good!

When I made it, I only made a half batch and put it in a 9x9 instead of a whole recipe in a 9x13. Also make sure that you let it sit for like 15 minutes when it's done cooking otherwise it'll be soupy.

INGREDIENTS (SERVES 8-10)

• Salt and pepper
• 1pound elbow macaroni (see note)
• 1(28-ounce) can petite diced tomatoes
• 6tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1/2cup all-purpose flour
• 1/4teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 4cups half-and-half
• 1cup low-sodium chicken broth
• 4cups shredded mild cheddar cheese
• 2cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS

• 1. COOK MACARONI Adjust oven to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Bring 4 quarts water to boil in large Dutch oven over high heat. Stir in 1 tablespoon salt and macaroni and cook until just al dente, about 6 minutes. Drain pasta and return to pot. Pour diced tomatoes with their juices over pasta and stir to coat. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until most of liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. Set aside.
• 2. MAKE SAUCE Meanwhile, melt butter in medium saucepan over medium heat until foaming. Stir in flour and cayenne and cook until golden, about 1 minute. Slowly whisk in half-and-half and broth until smooth. Bring to boil, reduce heat to medium, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until mixture is slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Off heat, whisk in cheeses, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper until cheeses melt. Pour sauce over macaroni and stir to combine.
• 3. BAKE MACARONI AND CHEESE Scrape mixture into 13 by 9-inch baking dish set in rimmed baking sheet and bake until top begins to brown, 15 to 20 minutes. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
• MAKE AHEAD: Macaroni and cheese can be made in advance through step 2. Scrape mixture into 13 by 9-inch baking dish, cool, lay plastic wrap directly on surface of pasta, and refrigerate for up to 2 days. When ready to bake, remove plastic wrap, cover with foil, and bake for 30 minutes. Uncover and bake until top is golden brown, about 15 minutes. Let sit for 10 to 15 minutes before serving.