One friend was feeling more creative and added hand-painted details. I LOVE how her spoons turned out!

These are my spoons--a little simpler but I love them. These would make an awesome bridal shower gift (if I could bear to part with them!).


The cool things about Apostrophe S is that their craft kits are all-inclusive so you can host craft parties for friends without having to gather a bunch of supplies and hope everyone pays you back. And you don't have to all do the same project. Each party guest goes to the Web site and pays for their kit, then all the kits are shipped to the hostess' house. The best part for me is that I can sit down with friends and make something cute that I will actually use and finish it in one night! Perfect because I am the Queen of Unfinished Projects. I've had the opportunity to attend two Apostrophe S craft parties so far. I made this darling Halloween wreath. . .

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One of my very favorite chocolate dessert recipes of ALL TIME is a gluten-free recipe. I keep it on my short list for when I need a dessert to serve to gluten-free friends. But don't let the gluten-free label fool you--this rich, dense, fudgy flourless chocolate cake recipe is out-of-this-world-delicious. Trust me. You'll be seeking out new gluten-free friends just so you have an excuse to make it. Find the recipe here.

Death By Chocolate Gluten-Free Cake

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Last weekend I attended a fabulous craft retreat called "An Artsy Weekend" with a very dear friend. It was food for my creative soul. It stretched me and inspired me and I learned a few new tricks. Like how to make goat cheese. And how not to stamp letters backwards in leather (sometimes I learn better by experience). Plus I got to hang with some fabulous people you may know like Rhonna Farrer, Margie Romney-Aslett, Jen from Tatertots and Jello, Tausha of Sassy Style Redesign, Shelley from The House of Smiths, Becki from Whippycake, and other fabulous bloggers, artists, and teachers. It was all put together by the darling Marci Welker of Fallow Field Farm, and yes, I hear she will be doing more of these intimate crafting weekends in the near future! I'll be sure to let you know.


Before the retreat we were asked to make ourselves a name tag. I had just received a pack of Silhouette's Double-Sided Adhesive paper in the mail, so I decided to find a way to use it on mine.

If you haven't used this stuff before, be prepared to get glittery. It is hands down the easiest (and least messy) way to adhere glitter, and the best part is that you can use your Silhouette images to cut custom shapes out of it! I wanted my name to stand out, but instead of glitter I ended up going with these silver micro beads. Here's how:

1. Cut your shape with your Silhouette (or any die cut machine) out of the double-sided adhesive paper.
2. My design did not cut completely through (time for a new blade), but I was glad. With most designs, you would simply remove the yellow backing and place your shape in place. But was hoping to keep the letters of my name spaced and in line, so the fact that they were still connected worked for me! Either way, remove the yellow backing and place where you want your design.
3. Peel the white paper off the front of the shape. In my case, I pressed down on the letters a little and weeded the outside and inside of letters out, leaving the letters of my name centered and in line. Woo hoo!

4. Pour your micro beads or glitter (or flocking or what-have-you) on your image. Press down over image to ensure it sticks well. Dump off the excess and there you are--covered in bling.
I did lose a few beads over the course of the weekend, but all-in-all I was surprised at how well they held on to the adhesive!

For more images of our artsy weekend projects and fun, follow me on Instagram (ID: sybrowsky) and check out #anartsyweekend.

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I don't know what got into me, but last week I actually started and FINISHED two baby quilts! I know--I feel pretty accomplished. It could be that they were both super easy. But still! How awesome is that? Here's the first one, an argyle pattern on corduroy.


And the other was a simple strip quilt, made out of the leftovers from this quilt. It took me only a few minutes to sew the strips together, and less than an hour to quilt it in straight lines, which was done by sewing a line about 1/2" on either side of each seam. Easy! The binding was what took the longest!



So back to the argyle quilt. You're going to die when you hear how easy it was. I stole the idea from a friend who made one for my sister-in-law. I've known Laurie over 20 years (okay, that makes me feel old!), and I wouldn't exactly call her a craftster. But when she does decide to make something, watch out! She is freakin' amazing! Her quilt had 6 diamonds, but I was feeling lazy, so you get the three diamond version. Thanks for the inspiration, Larry! :)

Easy Argyle Baby Quilt Tutorial


Supplies:


*42" x 42" piece of fabric for top (Laurie and I used a light-weight corduroy)
*1/3 yard fabric for binding
*1/2 yard fabric for one diamond and border strips (I had leftover fabric)
*1/3 yard (or less) for two diamonds
*42" x 42" piece of quilt batting (I use Warm & Natural)
*44" x 44" fabric for backing (I used minky with a cute star pattern)
*1.5 yards iron-on adhesive (I like Heat n' Bond Sewable weight)
*Approx. 4.5 yards ric rac in coordinating colors (I used about 3 yards blue and 1.5 yard brown)
*Sewing machine and matching thread (I recommend a walking foot for the quilting if you have one)
*Cutting mat and rotary cutter

What makes this quilt so easy is that you use all raw edges. I call it quick and dirty quilting. Let's get started.

1. Wash all your fabrics. As I rule, I NEVER wash my fabrics before quilting because I like the crinkly effect that happens when the fabric shrinks the first time you wash the quilt. But since I was working with corduroy (a first for me), and I wasn't really going for a crinkly look, I decided I better wash it. I'm glad I did.

2. Cut your quilt top to 41" x 41" (mine shrunk to about that size, so I just trimmed the edges).

3. Time to cut your diamonds. I wanted mine to be 22" tall and 12" wide, but you can use this method to make any size diamonds.

Cut a piece of fabric 22" x 12".


Fold in half lengthwise.


Then fold it in half the other way.


Lay a quilting ruler on top, with the side going from one corner to the other along the raw edge.


Cut along this edge.


Unfold it and you have a perfect diamond in the exact height and width you need! Repeat for other two diamonds.

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If saving your pennies is something you're resolving to do in 2011, here's something exciting to save your pennies for. The Makerie is a creative retreat weekend happening in Boulder, CO this April, designed to lovingly nurture the creative spirit in all of us. It will be full of amazing creative/crafting workshops (i.e. sewing, embroidery, knitting, painting, block printing, pattern making, etc...) and is for anyone who wants to be creative or try something totally new in a supportive and loving environment.

BLOCK PRINTING | COLOR | EMBELLISHMENT | JEWELRY DESIGN

KNITTING | PAINTING | PATTERN DESIGN | PHOTOGRAPHY

RECYCLED ART | SHOE MAKING | YOGA

They have an AMAZING line-up of teachers from around the country for this inaugural year. In addition to the classes, they will offer wake-up yoga and/or hiking, as well as healthy, organic, and local (where possible) yummy foods as part of the weekend so everyone feels cared for all around. Think of it like summer camp for adults (but in April!); a weekend with no cooking or cleaning or errands, just creating and playing! Attendees will have the chance to stay in cozy cottages, eat delicious meals together, and simply be part of a fun, creative community for a few days.

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I just finished up another video tutorial for my favorite scrapbook store, Lasting Memories. We've shown a pictorial tutorial of this flower in the past, but sometimes it helps to see it as a video. Plus I've made new samples! Enjoy!

Oh, and if you're in the Seattle area, you have to check out this amazing class coming up this Saturday. You will not find a class of this caliber anywhere in Washington state. The teacher, Bethany Crowell, is so creative and I swear she's destined to be the next big scrapbooking celebrity! It's a mixed media album class, and you'll get to use paint, glitter, felt, fabric and sewing machine, handmade flowers, paper bags, and more to create this incredible album. The things you'll learn will be worth so much more than the $50 price tag--trust me. Check out some of the inside pages at the Lasting Memories blog. If you can't swing the class, at least stop by and say 'hi'--I'll be demonstrating three flowers from 11:00 to 3:00!

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