Valentine Rice Bags

We received a wheat heating bag from a friend for Christmas and my kids have LOVED it!  They fight over who gets to take it to bed with them.  I decided it would be fun to make little rice bags for each of the kids in my daughter's class for their valentines this year.  She has been SO EXCITED and has loved helping.  Her job has been to sew one side of the bag and then fill them with rice.  I'm sewing them shut so we don't end up with rice everywhere.  I just used some fabric I've had stored forever but never found anything to use it for.  PERFECT!  I thought about making them heart shaped but decided for the quick method since I was making 22 of these things.

I found a cute poem and modified it to fit better and tied it on with a little curling ribbon.  Blue for boys and pink for girls.  We're not quite finished with the girls yet but you get the idea.
 

Instead of giving something sweet,

I made a pillow for your Valentine treat.

This little pillow filled with rice,

is such a comforting device.

Microwave 1 or 2 minutes on high

and kiss those aches and pains goodbye.

Apply it to a troubled spot

and the heat will help ease the pain a lot.

Or, warm those little toes so cold.

You'll find this nice to have and hold.

Or, freeze it for a little while,

and fix that boo-boo up in style.

Instead of a bag filled with ice,

use this pillow filled with rice. 

I was surprised how quick and easy these came together.  I didn't try anything fancy to cover up the stitches.  I'm sure the kids won't mind and it will be fun to get something other than just candy and cards.

Salsa Verla

My MyRman bought a Traeger Smoker for himself just before his birthday and announced it was his birthday present.  I just couldn't stand him not having anything to open for his birthday so I made him a "smokin' HOT!'apron.  I’ve learned to LOVE using Heat&Bond it made this project turn as cute as I hoped!  I love it when that happens!

Anyway...MyRman is one of those great guys that enjoys cooking.  A couple months ago he decided we would can some salsa.  It is a YUMMY recipe we got from his mom.  It has happened more than once that we’ve downed an entire jar in one sitting along with a bag of chips.  One of my college roommates dubbed this recipe as "Salsa Verla" as that is my mother in-law's name.

The only tip I have...USE a chopper or wear gloves when cutting the jalapenos.  If you've ever experienced the burning after cutting them you'll totally understand! If you haven’t experience it - TRUST ME - you don’t want to!

SALSA VERLA (mild-medium)

• 1/2 bushel of ripe tomatoes (approx. 25 lbs.)
• 6 medium onions
• 7-8 cloves garlic
• 1 3/4 tbs. salt
• 1 1/4 tsp. crushed oregano
• 1 1/4 tsp. cumin
• 5 green peppers (substitute more jalapenos for hotter salsa)
• 7-8 jalapeno peppers
• 1 1/4 c. red wine vinegar
• 1 3/4 tbs. sugar
• 1 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

Finely chop tomatoes and vegetables.  Cook over medium heat for 3 hours or until thick.  Stir occasionally.  Pour into clean canning jars and bottle according to canning directions.  We used a water bath but I’m sure you can use a pressure cooker if you want. Yield = approximately  7-10 quarts (I like to use pint jars instead.)

Tool Belt

I made this tool belt quite awhile ago but it was a BIG hit so I had to post about it.  I saw a cute tool belt tutorial and decided I could sew one really quick. I showed my son what I was going to do and got him to clean his room and the living room in record speed! I modified it here and there and it  ended up taking a little longer than I thought but I have to say it turned out pretty cute.  It doesn't take much fabric at all and I just used bias tape for the accents.  SO EASY!  It has velcro on the waistband so it's super easy to take on and off. 
The best part is that he LOVES it! All his tool toys suddenly became his favorites again. He had to change into carpenter pants because "that's what worker guys wear."
He wouldn't take it off all day. He even wore it to the store the next day.  I got to see his CUTE little tongue sticking out when he concentrated on his 'work'.  I had to hear the annoying pounding all day long but the sewing time and annoying pounding was worth his excitement.
And his giggle...well I'd do just about anything for that!

Sewing Lesson

I love sewing and my daughter was constantly asking if she could sewing something.  I finally found a day with the time (and patience) to teach her.  She was a little frustrated at first but was SO PROUD of the bag she (and I) made.  It was mostly straight lines so it wasn't too tough.

Go ahead...if my (then six-year old) daughter can do it...YOU CAN!!!  Start with something that has straight lines like a bag, PJ's (CUTE POST to come) or even quilt blocks.  Don't be intimidated!  Just have a seam ripper close by.  ha!!!

Pillowcase Dress

I saw a tutorial for a 3-tier pillowcase dress and HAD to make one for my little one.  I wasn't a fan of the big tie on the shoulder so I modified it and made a strap with a cap sleeve.  It didn't take much fabric at all.  In fact, these are scraps I had left over from some other projects earlier this summer.

I LOVE how it turned out and so did she.  She was so funny walking around in it swishing back and forth.  I just wish it wasn't so cold now so she could wear it a little longer.

'I Spy' Blanket

I had a neighbor in Arizona that was given an 'I SPY' baby blanket. All the quilt blocks had different pictures of things on them that you could play the 'I SPY' game with. I loved it and have wanted to make one since then. Her quilt was pretty intricate in that the blocks were in all hexagon shapes...I knew I wouldn't even attempt that one but I could do squares.

I was on my friend Jamie's craft blog awhile ago. She's one of those people that can make anything look cute! She posted a picnic blanket she had made from scraps of fabric she had saved from different sewing projects. I had LOTS of scraps from over the years and even had most of them cut into quilt blocks already. They were as cute as Jamie's fabric scraps but I had lots of them. I always had the intentions of using them to make an 'I SPY' quilt but always procrastinated thinking I didn't have enough different things yet.

I was inspired. I pulled out all the quilt blocks and started laying them out. I would have to have duplicates of some squares but I had plenty to make a little quilt for picnics. And how fun to have a built in game on a picnic?

I mixed the patters and made strips of boy-ish and girly patterns. I didn't plan on a specific size but happened to make the PERFECT size to use a piece of yellow fabric for the back I have been storing forever. I couldn't have cut it to make it a more perfect fit. I didn't have quilting stands so I improvised there too and just tied it on the floor. I figured it was for picnics so I didn't mind if it had a little...uh...personality.

I saved the extra blocks from this one and am starting to save for the next. I love how it turned out!

And the best part...it ended up costing less than $10 for the batting, thread and embroidery floss. The kids had so much fun playing 'I SPY' on it before it was even finished. We took it out in the backyard to eat lunch the other day and it might be a little distracting while they're eating but it kept them on the blanket near their food at least.