Pickled Peppers!!

There's a spot on my kitchen wall that just needs something.  I wasn't sure what, other than new paint......hint hint John!!  But I  was browsing some magazines at the library and spotted a small wall hanging  with hot peppers, and it dawned on me, that is it, a vegetable quilt.  Stop laughing, right this minute!  It's going to be great, I hope.  I am going to applique a few different vegetables, add borders, quilt it and it will be a nice addition to our kitchen.  And I'm certain that if my handsome, brilliant, husband would paint it first it would look even better, right?  Here are the peppers, I'm auditioning vegetables for the next 2 or 3 blocks, any suggestions?

Vegetably yours,
Monica

Birdie Sling Class

There's something so enjoyable and rewarding about women getting together to create.  It is something that women of previous generations valued and made a priority.  Our lives have become so hectic and crazy that we don't make time to spend with other women, days of quilting together, canning together, cooking etc seem to have become occasional joys rather than regular occurrences.  We make time to get together for drinks, or dinner but its not the same level of fulfillment as helping one another create something.  I began a new class Friday night at the shop, www.quiltingadventures.com.  It's Amy Butler's Birdie Sling bag, one of my favorite projects.  It occurred to me as I reflected on why I love teaching so much;  that what I love about it is the camaraderie of watching women work towards a goal of completing a project from start to finish.  When we spend time creating, be it a sewing project, cooking a meal for our family, creating a scrapbook page to remember a special day or gardening to share flowers and vegetables with our family and friends, we gain so much; self confidence , a sense of accomplishment, pride and a useful example of our creative selves.  Find time to get together with some of the women in your life, creativity is important and we gain something from sharing it with one another.  Here are a few photos of the projects so far.

Happy creating,
Monica

Warm and Comforting Cheddar Ale Soup

John is a magazine and catalog junkie, he loves to read anything really.  Over the holidays we received a Williams Sonoma catalog with a  recipe he has been dying for me to try, Cheddar Ale Soup.  A bit hesitant as some of you probably are,  it sounds too rich and well; honestly it just doesn't sound appetizing.    Its rich and creamy but not overly heavy, warm and richly flavored, just perfect for a cold winter's night.  I served it with sliced pear, sliced sourdough bread and I topped John's with bacon.  If you need a quick and delicious dinner give this recipe a run, it is delicious!  For those of you who are vegetarians, I didn't use the bacon in the base of the soup as suggested just a tad of olive oil and it was fantastic.  I chopped the bacon and microwaved it to garnish John's soup.  Here is the recipe, http://www.williams-sonoma.com/recipe/cheddar-ale-soup.html?cm_src=SEARCH_FEATURELIST||NoFacet-_-NoFacet-_-Feature_Recipe_Rule-_-&cm_re=OnsiteSearch-_-SCHBillboard-_-SEARCH_FEATURELIST
Happy cooking,
Monica

Teabag Wallet

This wallet is created from teabag wrappers that I painted with watercolors, treated with medium and then used the "fabric" to create the wallet.  Though it seems it would be fragile, it is quite functional and ready to take the wear and tear of life.  I use a wallet I created of comic paper a couple of years ago and I love it.  This was a gift for my mom for Christmas.
Have a wonderful day,
Monica

Little Shoes

I shared with you a while ago the fantastic idea from Nicole over at http://blog.followthewhitebunny.com/.  She embroidered canvas shoes for her daughter.  This idea seemed the perfect gift for two of the little blessings in my life, my nieces Julia and Keeley.  Both girls love anything, pink, purple, unique and glittery.  Finding plain canvas shoes was quite the task but after finding them I had such fun embroidering and appliqueing them.  I forgot to take photos of Julia's but here is a photo of Keeley modeling hers.  Abby my older niece decided that she would like a pair also (I wasn't sure she'd like them so I made her a different gift) though without any pink or purple of course! " Those colors are for babies;" how fast they grow up, it seems just a few short months ago Abby wanted everything purple. Hope you are finding time to create as we run into February (hard to believe, January has passed us by).
Happy sewing,
Monica