Faux Chenille Blanket

I don't know if you've seen some of the great faux chenille blankets floating around Blog Land, but I instantly fell in love with the idea when I came across this lovely version over at Aestetic Nest. You should definitely check out her tutorial, because it is excellent.

When I found Anneliese's tutorial, I decided I wanted to make a faux chenille blanket for the little cutie that I talked about in my last post. And here's how it turned out.

Unfortunately, I decided to do so just one week before I would be meeting him. My recommendation is to start this one early, because it is definitely time consuming.


I had to sew EACH.AND.EVERY.LINE.

And then cut EACH.AND.EVERY.LINE.

But it was so worth it. With a cute, quilted print on one side and super soft, brightly colored "chenille" on the other, who couldn't love a blanket like this? Mommy and Daddy loved it so much they were using it themselves. I'm sure they'll give Daniel a chance to enjoy it, too.

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Appliqued Gifts

So don't judge, but the projects I'm about to share with you were Christmas gifts.

I know. It's February.

But in my defense, one of the receipiants just got his gift this past weekend, so I didn't want to spoil the gift by posting about it before he got it.

Okay, that makes it sounds worse. Maybe I should 'splain. He didn't get his gift because this little bundle of joy just joined the world on February 5th.

See? I couldn't put this one out there before he even got his gift, right? Right?!

But I digress. Onto the projects at hand. The first--appliqued stuffed blocks.

Daniel and Isaac, both sons of very good friends of our family, received the same gifts. They're babies and they're boys--a combination that makes gift making difficult.

But I came across this tutorial over at Sew Like My Mom and thought it was a great gift idea for the babies. Super cute and soft.

And for each of these little cuties to wear...

You can never go wrong with an appliqued onsie when it comes to babies, but an appliqued vest and tie? To. Die. For.

I came across this idea at Lemon Tree Creations. I used some fabric scraps I had on hand for the tie and black corduroy for the vest.

I'd like to be able to report that the boys simply adored their gifts, but, well, they're babies. But their parents loved them. :o)

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Linky Followers Blog Hop

Cheri from It's So Very Cheri started this awesome blog hop so we can all try to keep our Google Friend Connect followers!  

Here's what she said...

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Many of you have probably already heard that GOOGLE Friend Connect will go away on Feb 29 for any one that is not with blogspot, but rumor has it that it is being completely phased out for everyone soon. 

There is good news

There is a NEW awesome tool–Linky Followers

It has so many amazing features (that GFC never had). If you have not signed up you should. (yes you can have both.) I love the new tool so much and want everyone to enjoy all the new features.

…and did I tell you its super easy and FREE!

What better way to celebrate a fun new blogging tool than to have a party so break out your poodle skirt and saddle back shoes cuz’ we’re having a LINKY FOLLOWER PARTY HOP~

 RULES:
1. you MUST have the LINKY FOLLOWERS tool on your site to participate.  {You can have both the LINKY FOLLOWERS & GFC on your site but you must have the LINKY FOLLOWERS to participate in this party hop.}

2. You MUST follow the person who has the party on their site as a thank you.

3.Just add your blog button to the LINKY PARTY below.

4.Then grab the BLOG HOP code

You will find the code right under the Linky Party where it says CLICK HERE TO ENTER–  just under that it says: WHAT IS A BLOG HOP? GET THE CODE HERE.  Click on "GET THE CODE HERE" and enter it into a post on your site.

You can grab the party button code in the FOOTER at Its So Very Cheri.  You can grab info from my post if it helps you with your post.

5. Then you follow other bloggers–(as many as you want) –leave each one of the blogs that you follow a comment letting them know you are following them and ask them to follow you back.

If you want to add the BLOG HOP to your own site you will get lots of new followers–(see rule #2)

…So do ya want to go Cruisin’?

I plan on HOPPING from BLOG to BLOG to follow everyone who follows me.

The internet it seems, never gets old.

Welcome to the new world of 
LINKY FOLLOWERS...

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Pinteresting Friday

Since the Super Bowl is this weekend, I thought I'd share a few of the super YUMMY ideas I've found via Pinterest. I'm actually going to try some of these, so I'll let you know how they turn out.

Aren't these the cutest football cupcakes?



Source: http://www.cutefoodforkids.com/2012/01/26-football-shaped-food-ideas.html via http://pinterest.com/trinarae/ on Pinterest



Football shaped cheese and crackers with instructions on the easy way to cut a football shape into the cheese.



Source: http://gimmesomeoven.com/ via http://pinterest.com/trinarae/ on Pinterest



Deep Fried Pickles are a great addition to a football party. She also has a recipe for the ranch dipping sauce.



 Source: http://www.mamalovesfood.com/ via http://pinterest.com/trinarae/ on Pinterest



I LOVE mozzarella cheese sticks, and this recipe by Taste of Home makes them super easy to make. You could even make them a healthier option by baking, instead of frying.



Source: http://www.tasteofhome.com/ via http://pinterest.com/trinarae/ on Pinterest



She Knows has EIGHT different recipes for these great bite-sized pinwheels.



Source: http://sheknows.com/ via http://pinterest.com/trinarae/ on Pinterest



Since I don't really have a team to route for (our "family team" is the Miami Dolphins, who did not make it), I'll just be enjoying the food and the company of friends on Sunday. Have fun!

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Fabric Donations {Giraffe Grins Charity}

You may remember from this post that I am now an affiliate for the Giraffe Grins Charity. It's a wonderful charity started by Dee over at The CSI Project that makes and send bright and cheery pillowcases to children's hospitals in the hopes of brightening the day of a sick child. I will be sending pillowcases to the Upstate Golisano Children's Hospital in Syracuse, NY.

Source

 

Just before Christmas I received my first very fabric donation to be used for this purpose. This generous donation came from one of my fellow substitute teachers from the local school district where I work. So, thank you! 

I'm still looking for donations, though. If you'd like to get involved with the Giraffe Grins Charity by sending fabric donations, please contact me at mitchetr192(at)gmail(dot)com. For those of you inquiring about quantities, the tutorial I'm using for the pillow cases requires 1 and 1/2 yard of fabric (for the body) and 1/2 (for the trim) to make two pillowcases.

I'm very excited to get started on making pillowcases now that the holiday chaos is over and the dust has settled. I'll share before shipping them off!

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