A Summer Staple...

And memories of home!  What could be better than that?  Good food and good memories :).  

I grew up in the South and some of my favorite summer memories involve getting together with extended family.  This always included a meal in there somewhere.  Baked beans were sure to be included- indoors or out! I had not been able to get baked beans the way they were growing up until I got some help from my cousin, Brooke!  She is the genus behind this recipe, and it is a crowd stopper.  Sure to be a hit!  And man, does it smell de-lish when it's simmering :)!  

Here it is, one of those recipes you just have to shake in some of this and squirt in some of that, and just taste until it's right for you and your brood.  I am not one that does well without exact measurements, but this one somehow works.  And people, if I can do this one, you can too!  Ir's definitely worth the try, trust me :).

Begin with a few cans of BUSH'S Original Baked Beans- you can use whatever your favorite brand is, but from all I've tried, these are the bestest

Place beans in a crock pot (or pot on the stove- these simmer for several hours, so make sure if using the stove that you will be home long enough)

ADD:

ketchup

bbq sauce- again, your favorite brand and flavor- I use Famous Dave's Original

worcestershire sauce

garlic powder

brown sugar

onions- fresh or dried are ok

bacon- bits or cooked and crumbled, either one

and I heard a great tip yesterday too- molasses

Mix well and simmer for several hours- stir everyone in a while so it does not burn to the bottom of the pot, if using the stove version.

Once done, add to the other staples of summer and enjoy some good eaten'!

Linking up to Debbie's Summer Table :)

Wishing all of America a peaceful and quiet Fourth of July!  May freedom forever ring. More thanks than I can express for those who are brave so we can be free!

Some new Vintage Goodness

I have had a stack of vintage pillowcases I needed to list in the shop but had not had a spare second.  I finally got them all listed this afternoon- there are sure some fun ones.  Here are a few of my recent favorites :)

I keep a select few for myself- I love having a unique and fun pillow to sleep on at night.  When I find ones like these, they just make me smile- there is something neat about vintage items.  Special, for sure!

A Special Treat

I have been busy working on a special treat for the next newsletter for  The Intrepid Thread.  Miss Julie is amazing and has wonderful contributors with projects for each newsletter.  Along with an awesome coupon each month :).  I was able to be one of the lucky people who gets to design a project and use her yummy fabric to make it a reality!  I am getting close to having it done and in process of working on the tutorial.  Just a few hints:  piecing, embroidery, appliqué, and cuteness!  I'll get some sneak peeks to you soon....  EEPPPP!   So fun!

A Quick reminder...

Today is the last day to vote at http://ellisonlane.blogspot.com for the Summer Sewing Contest- head on over and make someone's day :)  

Oh my goodness, I'm Shaking...

Ok, ya'll, I can hardly believe, but I am a finalist in the Clothing category of Ellison Lane's Summer Sewing Contest!!!!  Catch me before I hit the floor!!!  I am squealing, but you can't hear it, well, maybe if you listen hard enough, you can :) hehe!!  The winner is chosen by V-O-T-E-S, yes, votes, from living, breathing human beings.  If there is any way you could go vote (whether you pick mine or not), that'd be awesome!  There are three other categories that rock too: Quilts, Home Decor, and Handbags.

Here's what ya do... go to this link: VOTING and scroll down to the section titled "Summer Sewing Contest Finalists: CLOTHING".  I am number 1- "1.Candice"- right under the picture of the cute, darling dress in the most fun colors :) .  Click on the word "vote" and there ya have it.  Or you can click on another "vote" if there's one you find appeals to you more.  You can choose one item in each category.  The stakes are high, in fabric prizes, I tell ya, so head on over!  Thanks again, and I appreciate the catch :)

Here's the dress I made to refresh your memory -->

Have a marvelous day :)

Teachers are Sunshine, Part 2

When you have special teachers, they get more and more special, the more children that have them!  That's how this teacher was.  It was our second time having her as a teacher and she was even more incredible than the first.  

I knew when I saw Debbie's giant Swoon quilt that I would have to make one for this teacher.  Debbie and I talked about measurements, but I needed to make mine larger, so I just had to multiply more.  I wound up multiplying by 3 so the final product is a bit over 80x80.  I dubbed it the "Ginormous Swoon" :)!!

The teachers favorite color is yellow, so I thought this pattern would make a happy, beautiful sunshine!  I used the more "solid" looking yellows as the wider blocks that make the compass points and the more "print" looking fabrics for the points in-between the N,NE, S, SE, E, NW, SW and W.  

I LOVED how Debbie quilted hers also, so I spent an insane amount of time quilting this huge beast the same way.  It was harder to see in large scale so I had to pin off the lines for parts to make sure I was free motioning in the right spots :).  It was so worth it though, and it is exactly how I dreamed it would be.

I backed it with a vintage sheet I got for this one and also a strip that my kiddo wrote a note for the teacher on.  It makes it personalized to see the note, in the child's own handwriting, to me.  And it makes me smile, so that is worth it!  Aqua Sharpie, here we come!  I was sad it washed out some so we had to go over it to darken it a touch- the red didn't fade at all on the other teacher quilt.  That's ok, it all worked out lovely~  Here it is.  

It made her cry, so I think we succeeded in letting her know how much it meant to have her as a teacher this year :)!!