Community Baby Quilt

Here’s a quick post to show you how the community baby quilts turned out from the April baby showers.   Giving 30 people a block regardless of artistic ability could spiral into something pretty ugly, but if you carefully control what people are allowed to use to make their block, it will turn out adorable no matter what.   (And as the putter-together of it all, you could also tweak things a bit to make it look a little better too! )

Rust Stain Demolisher

I use a lot of vintage and antique textiles in my housewares, so I’ve removed thousands of those rust and yellow colored stains from doilies, linens, and lace.   Personally, I think the three best stain fighters for delicates are cream of tartar, lemon juice and Oxiclean.  

Comfort Food: Southern Pimento Cheese

Jeff and I have had a rough few weeks, and when times get tough, we turn to comfort food to make it all go away.  I’ve heard that pimento cheese is an acquired taste, but I have absolutely no idea why since it’s ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS.  On everything.   After we’ve spread it on crackers, apple slices, bread and hotdogs, we take it to the next level and use it in our grilled cheese sandwiches, producing the tastiest, gooey-est ones ever.    My recipe uses ONLY the key ingredients from every pimento cheese recipe because I really believe less is more when it comes to this southern staple.

Southern Pimento Cheese

• Medium sized block of sharp cheddar, grated
• Small jar or can of pimentos, drained
• Mayonnaise (preferably Duke’s, but I also like the Trader Joe’s Brand)
• (sometimes I add a few cloves of minced garlic too)

Mix the grated cheese, pimentos, garlic (if using) and a heaping spoonful of mayo in a bowl.  Mix in more mayo, a spoonful at a time until the mixture is spreadable, but not runny.   Pop in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before using or noshing!

 

Milagro Heart Wedding Cake Topper

My dear friend, Kalimba, is getting married on Cinco de Mayo and she asked me to make her a sacred heart cake topper.   I love this little topper and I wish I had thought of it for my own wedding!  I used red velvet, vintage lace, rust silk charmeuse, stuffed it with bamboo filling and poked a wooden skewer in it….done and done!

Baby Showerstravaganza!

I’ve been away in California throwing two baby showers (which is why my blog has been inactive for a bit)!   One was a casual co-ed shower for a boy and the other was a more traditional shower for a girl.   I admit that I’m far from traditional, so when I realized that I would have to come up with games for the second shower in San Francisco, I freaked out a little!    I stuck with sentimental and old-fashioned ideas instead of the cheesy stuff I found online and everything went over brilliantly.   Here’s the breakdown of each shower’s theme, menu, and activities so you can steal, borrow and re-purpose! 

Bridal Shower Community Scrapbook

Coming up with activities for any shower can be a humongous headache, especially if you want to do something you know the guest of honor hasn’t seen a million times at other showers.  I love this scrapbook idea for a bridal shower because it doubles as a fun activity and sentimental gift!  

DIY Rubber Stamps