My Craft Room Finally Organized

Since the quilt show is over, and I now have my life back.  :)  I've been trying my best to make my craft hoard look more inspirational.  No one likes to craft in a mess!

Much like most of you, I've been scouring the internet for ideas and wow there are so many!  This has taken me much longer than I'd hoped, and I'm still not finished.  Not everything fit into my room!  :(  My treadle sewing machine that I thought would be a MUST in the room I am most creative in, but NOPE....there just isn't any room for much in the way of "ornaments".  She's on the catwalk....and I think she'll have to stay there at least for now...

Anyway getting back to what I intended on sharing.... :)

So I found this post on how to "file" your fabric.  http://sewmanyways.blogspot.com/2012/01/tool-time-tuesdayfile-your-fabric.html.  Well, wouldn't you know it, I've thrown all my filing cabinets out and now I find a great use for them!  I was still determined to file my fabrics, so I went on line and I found these crates, 6 for $24.00 so I bought two sets.

You can buy cubicle cabinets at Walmart and Ikea however those cabinets the cubicles are only 12x12 and these crates are 15-1/4"L x 13-3/4"W x 10-1/2"H and that is where the dilemma began.  Now I had to build my own cubicle storage unit just to be able to file my fabric.  Mostly because I'm a bit anal and more because I wanted a inspirational room not a storage space.  So I went to the home depot and purchased some cabinet grade plywood.  It was on sale for $34.99 a sheet and I calculated I needed 3 sheets.  This turned out to be wrong and I only really  needed 2 sheets, I did end up using most of it in the end though.

So with all my supplies purchased I began building.  I sort of used these plans but altered them to fit my new filing crates, http://ana-white.com/2010/07/well-i-did-promise-you-i-would-work-on.html.

With the frame of my cubicle cabinet mostly complete on the first day, and the day I realized I had too much plywood.  I decided to make three drawers to fit on top so I went inside and ordered drawer slides from here dirt cheap:  http://www.zorotools.com/g/Euro-Style%20Drawer%20Slides/00064403/None.  

Then the next day I finished the cubicle by putting on trim and painting it white and pink.

Then I made the three drawer unit and waited for the slides to arrive.  Wow, drawer slides are harder than one would think!  I got some good instruction here:  http://sawdustgirl.com/2012/03/09/installing-cabinet-drawers-with-glides/.  Once I figured it all out and had the units completed and painted, then I had to wait for my son to come over to help me get it up the stairs.  

Then I took a break from my craft room because I got side tracked and decided I needed two new fountains for my back yard.  I was not willing to pay for the cheap ones again cause they only last about a year and I wasn't going to spend all the money I spent on the front yard for the back yard!  So I went to walmart and got 4 plastic pots and two clay pots and then off to home depot for 330 gallon per hour pumps.  Here is what I made with Walmart Pots.

Now with my distraction over, back to my craft room.  I decided a while back to move my craft room to the game room because we never used it for games anyway.  :)  but I never thought about the lighting...or lack of lighting!  The older I get the more light I NEED!  So I needed a better light source..... I made one.  :)  Very simple.....  I used these INSTRUCTIONS

And then I found a use for that old window I purchased.  I made a cabinet and used the window for the door.  Doesn't look like much here, but I fixed it up.

And remember those ruler crates I made to sell at the quilt show boutique.... well I made myself a few.  They are perfect for ribbons or vintage spools.  I hate ribbon holders that have a dowel in the middle.  I like to take my ribbon to my work table and I hate having to remove all the ribbon just to get to the one I want to use.

Anyway after all of that...today I started cleaning up and organizing all my new stuff.  I have a long way to go yet, and tons more idea's I've found here and there.  But my craft hoard is looking much better don't you think?

I hope I've inspired you to build your own dream craft room.  One that will inspire you to also be the best you can be!  Oh I still have to figure out my paper crafting room...that is my next adventure!

Cheers,

Janet

The Quilt show if finally here!

After more than a year of hard work the quilt show is finally here and our booth is so awesome! We had 2400.00 in sales on Friday and expect to be even more busy this Saturday. What fun it was and I am so glad that it is nearing completion! Here it is before we opened for business. After the sale on Friday we had to remove one table and consolidate so it looks as pretty as it did on the first day. I'm praying we sell every single item.

Update:
First of all I would like to thank everyone for their hard work at the quilt show…we were all very busy, I am HAPPY to say!!!! WE SOLD EVERY SINGLE ITEM, and I applaud you for that!

I thought I'd update this post so you would know how much cash we brought in!!!! It is exciting I must warn you! :) :) I am grinning ear to ear….and head to foot I must say.
It was all worth it. I've just added up the receipt books but of course during our 90% off sale we just quit writing receipts but as close as I can tell you with receipts that were written we made….are you ready?????
$4567.90

Our potential sales if we had gotten full price for every item would have been just a hair over 6000.00…..and since we had a 20%, 50%, 75% and a 90% off sale I believe our sales are very very very outstanding!!!!! I think every single member of our guild came by our booth to show support. It was amazing! And of course all of you were amazing! I thank you, We thank you, and we can’t say that enough.

We had a total of 9 giveaways, they were: Show & Tell Bag, Set of 8 Build a Banners, 3-45 strip batik jelly rolls, Ruler crate with 5 replica bobbins, a thread bag, a back pack, and of course our beautiful spool quilt. Here is Sandra Gilbert the winner of our quilt.

And then I found on Carla Kennedy's blog these pictures...this is so exciting to me.  This Is Bankie winning the bird house.  She looks so excited in this first picture.  I am so happy someone in the guild won and I think she was tickled to have won it!

Very blessed to have worked with you all!

Cut little Pig Pot Holder

Today's project pig potholders.  So cute! I made a couple of these for myself and one about a year ago for my secret sister and have been meaning to make more.  So finally today I made 4 of these little cuties for the quilt show boutique.  Very easy to make.
You can get this pattern on Craftsy
http://www.craftsy.com/pattern/quilting/home-decor/this-little-piggy-potholderpot-holder/113428

So here they are.

Thank you gift Light Box Finish....

I finally finished the light box this morning.  I meant to have it finished this past weekend but time got away from me and company kept me company!
I think it turned out beautifully and I do believe QuiltWorks will love it.  I hope so anyway.  It is a surprise for the next guild meeting so don't let the cat out of the bag please.  :)
Here are the pictures as promised, I hope you like my creation!

Getting things done!

As the quilt show draws near we are little little elves working away getting ready for the show.  We have so much to do and so little time left.  We even have one more workshop to complete.
I have all the tags done thank God! I used my SIL and the print and cut function this made our tags looks so chic :) .

We've sent all the thank you cards and an extra special one to Connie at QuiltWorks and we've made and delivered all the thank you gifts 38 of them..wow that was work in itself but these ladies are so worth it!  I have the Light Box started.  All the pieces cut out and the finish is complete.  All I have to do is assemble it, well that is the actual hard part but I'm half way there.  Here is a picture of the pieces and sentiment.  I'll post another picture when it is all together.

I also finally completed my spools.  My big drill died so my spools were on hold.  I got a new drill and now my spools are complete.  I still have 11 of those ruler crates to make but that's an easy job.

My new drill press...oh she's a beaut

Of course here are the spools...:)

And then, I didn't like my  hand painting on the tin can raffle bird house so I redid those but printed them and modge podged them onto the signage for the bird house.  Looks so much better!
 

My list of "To Do's" is getting shorter but it isn't short!  I have had a ton of fun with the boutique but will be so glad to have my life back.  Oh it's not so bad but it does take lots of time.  We are so excited to see how we do.  We hope that the boutique is a success.  Our guild does so much for the community and the more money we have the more we can do.  It is a blessing to be involved!

Boutique Giveaway quilt now complete!

Finally, after months and months of getting this together.  Picking the fabric, getting 5 ladies me included to each make a row, sewing the rows together, getting it quilted and sewing the binding and rod pocket on the back the 2014 Quilt Show Boutique's giveaway quilt is finally complete.
With the help of Mary Brownlee, Linda Love, Debby Dodge, June Jaronitzky and of course me building the quilt top and Pam Barman quilting it so beautifully.  It has turned out sensationally.  I just finished the binding and wow, I am in love.  I will definitely have to make one of these for myself!
You must come to the 2014 Peach Love Sew Quilt show and make a purchase at the boutique for your chance to win this beauty.
Enough talking about it...here are some pictures!

Jason's Quilt finally complete

So after about 6 months or so Jason't quilt is finally back from Sweet Magnolia's....  Jason picked the fabric completely by his self and I'm Jealous he seemed to pick out fabric with such ease...never quilted a day in his life, never picked out fabric a day in his life and he just DOES it...good grief...wish I had it that easy!
Anyway, I took this one to Sweet Magnolia Fabric Shoppe for quilting...and I knew she didn't do quilt show quality but more beginner quality work....You do get what you pay for.  I got the run around a bit with this one, wow I was actually starting to get angry.  Not because it took so long but because of the stories I was told and expected to believe...okay Barbara is a very nice woman...and she means very well, and I hate to sound mean.. but wow!  But on the flip side, you will not get a quilt quilted as cheaply as she does it...so if you don't mind waiting for a long time and if you don't mind your quilt not being perfect then she is still a viable source for quilting.

So I get it back...and the back side of the quilt has bird nest on one entire row....and a couple wrinkles quilted into it...okay so I knew it wouldn't be perfect so....okay but because she had it so long it smelt like her shop...a very moldy musty smell.  So I after struggling to get the binding and label on while inhaling this stench...I finally put it into the drier with some of those drier sheets...didn't work, I sprayed it with free breeze..didn't work so I just told Jason that the smell will eventually fade...  I think she should get one of those Scentsy burners or something cause the smell is nauseating to say the least.
Anyway enough of that...here is Jason's quilt.  Graham hates the green in it...but I don't.  It has all the colors of the rainbow in it but in civil war tones.  Blues, greens, purples, yellow's oranges, and black, grey and white too.  I do not like civil war fabrics, never purchase them but I love the way his quilt turned out so I might rethink my stash and add some civil war stuff too!

Shoyu Ramen

Here is the Magazine Picture

And here's the one I made:

So sometime the middle of last year my husband picks up one of my Bon Appetit magazines and see's this recipe.  He say's to me.  I want this for new year, it takes three day's to make.  (thinking to myself, I think, wow it must be nice to have a wife you feel comfortable enough to ask such a task :) )
So 4 day's before New Year's I go to every single place I can think of to get Japanese grocery's and finally ended up at Hong Kong Market where I was able to get every single item except the Menma (I will post the recipe below for the Menma) which is fermented bamboo shoots.  So you will either need to order these online or make them using the recipe below.  After finally getting all the ingredients,(and let me tell you that was the hardest part) the following day I began the process of making this dish for my adoring husband.
I will say that even though it takes organizing and being prepared to make, it really isn't hard to make.  It was finished on time and we had our New Year's Shoyu Ramen and hubby was happy.
Did I think it was worth the time involved...hm...not so much.  I do think now that I've made it I would be able to come up with a more flavorful broth and that would help a bunch.
I've added the link to the recipe, along with the recipe in case the link at some point stops working.
Give it a go, it was a fun experience.  My eggs turned out awesome!
http://www.bonappetit.com/recipe/shoyu-ramen

INGREDIENTS
KOMBU DASHI AND TARE
2 pieces dried kombu
½ cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp. dry sake
1 Tbsp. mirin
PORK AND STOCK
1½ lb. boneless pork shoulder
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
2 lb. chicken necks, backs, and/or wings
1 lb. pork spareribs
2 bunches scallions, chopped
2 carrots, peeled, cut into pieces
1 head of garlic, halved horizontally
1 1” piece ginger, peeled, sliced
¼ cup bonito flakes
RAMEN AND GARNISHES
3 large eggs
6 5-oz. packages fresh thin and wavy ramen noodles (or six 3-oz. packages dried)
½ cup menma (fermented bamboo shoots)
6 scallions, thinly sliced
3 toasted nori sheets, torn in half
Chili oil, toasted sesame oil, and shichimi togarashi (for serving)

KOMBU DASHI AND TARE
Two days ahead: For the dashi, combine kombu and 4 quarts cold water in a large bowl. Cover and let sit at room temperature at least 8 hours and up to 12 hours. For the tare, combine soy sauce, sake, and mirin in a small bowl; cover and chill.
PORK AND STOCK
One day ahead: Season pork shoulder with salt and pepper. Roll up and tie with kitchen twine at 2” intervals. (This helps keep the meat intact while cooking and makes for round, compact slices.)
Heat oil in a large heavy pot (at least 8 quarts) over medium-high heat Cook pork shoulder, turning, until brown all over, 10–12 minutes. Add chicken, spareribs, scallions, carrots, garlic, ginger, and bonito flakes. Remove kombu from dashi; discard. Add as much kombu dashi as will fit in pot once liquid is boiling (reserve remaining dashi). Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer, skimming the surface occasionally and adding remaining dashi as liquid reduces, until pork shoulder is tender and stock has reduced to about 2 quarts, 2½–3 hours.
Remove pork shoulder from stock and let cool. Wrap tightly in plastic and chill until ready to use. (Chilling pork will make meat easier to slice.) Strain stock through a fine-mesh sieve into another large pot or a large bowl or container; discard solids (including ribs and chicken). Cover and chill.
RAMEN AND GARNISHES
Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Carefully add eggs one at a time and boil gently for 7 minutes. (Egg yolks should be shiny yellow and almost jammy; egg white should be just set.) Drain eggs and transfer to a bowl of ice water to stop cooking; let cool. Peel; set aside.
Remove string and thinly slice pork; cover and set aside.
When ready to serve, bring stock to a simmer; it should be very hot. At the same time, cook noodles in a large pot of boiling water according to package directions until al dente; drain (no need to salt the water, as ramen noodles contain more salt than pasta).
Just before serving, divide noodles among 6 deep bowls. Top with sliced pork, placing it off to one side. Add tare to hot stock and ladle over pork to warm through (stock should come up just to the level of the noodles).
Place a small pile of menma next to pork. Halve eggs and place next to menma. Place a small pile of sliced scallions next to egg. Tuck half a sheet of nori between side of bowl and noodles so it’s just poking out.
Serve ramen with chili oil, sesame oil, and shichimi togarashi.
DO AHEAD: Eggs can be cooked 1 day ahead. Keep unpeeled eggs covered in cool water. Cover and chill.

Menma Recipe:

http://motherbliss.blogspot.com/2009/06/homemade-menma.html

Homemade Menma
300 grams bamboo shoots
1 T. sesame oil
500 cc water
1 T. Chuka Dashi, a chicken & pork flavored stock/seasoning
1/2 T. sugar (to taste)
pinch salt (to taste)
1/2 T. soy sauce (to taste)
Slice the bamboo shoots into thin strips. (If using shoots from a can, boil in hot water for approx. 2 minutes first to get rid of the smell.) Saute in sesame oil, once coated with oil add the water, stock, sugar, and salt. Bring to a boil and simmer until half of the liquid has evaporated. Add soy sauce and cook till most of the liquid is gone. (I added a little more sesame oil at the end for that added flavor.)

Old Fashion Mac & Cheese

I am finally posted my mac & cheese recipe.  People are always asking me for this recipe and I have never written it down, so here it is.  I can now direct people to my blog for this recipe.  Enjoy!

Old Fashion Mac & Cheese
2-3 cups uncooked Elbow noodles (or any shape you like)
2-3 cups Whole Milk
3 tblsp butter
3 tblsp flour
2 -3 lb Your favorite cheese flavor (should be a strong cheese, I use an aged white cheddar) Shredded and divided in half
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375

1.) Make a roux, to make a roux you add the butter and flour into a sauce pan large enough for the milk and cheese to be added later. Cook the flour and butter for 5 minutes stirring constantly making sure it does not burn. Slight browning is okay.
2.) While the roux is cooking shred the cheese and get your water boiling for your noodles, add a tblsp of salt to your noodle water. Once your water is boiling add your noodles and cook 2 less minutes than the directions call for on your noodle package. Drain your noodles and rinse. Add the noodles to a casserole dish large enough to hold all your noodles and enough of the sauce you are making to cover the noodles completely.
3.) Making the white sauce: Your roux should be ready to make into the white sauce now that will later be your cheese sauce. Take your 3 cups of milk (if you are using 3 cups of milk & 3 lbs. cheese & 3 cups noodles, or two cups milk with 2 cups noodles & 2 lbs. cheese) and microwave till hot but not boiling. Add the hot whole milk to your roux and stir briskly so that no lumps form. (If after cooking for a few minutes you notice lumps in your white sauce you can strain the lumps out) Cook this white sauce till it becomes thick enough to coat a spoon.
4.) Making the cheese sauce: Add ½ the cheese to the white sauce and stir till melted. Once melted completely, taste your cheese sauce and salt and pepper to taste.
5.) Assembling your Mac & Cheese: Pour the cheese sauce over your noodles and stir to coat the noodles. The cheese sauce should cover the noodles completely but not drown the noodles. The more sauce the creamer the mac and cheese will be.
6.) Topping your Mac & Cheese: Sprinkle the rest of the cheese on top of the noodle mixture and grind pepper on top of the shredded cheese.
7.) You can also take lays potato chips and place them in a freezer bag and using a rolling pin crush them finely and sprinkle them on top of the cheese for extra crunch.
8.) Place casserole into the oven at 375 degrees and cook till the cheese on top melts and starts to turn brown. The brown part is delicious!

This mac and cheese is best prepared and served immediately. The noodles tend to soak up the cheese sauce so it will become dry mac and cheese if made ahead. It’s still good though.

Easiest Shelves ever

Yesterday's project, shelves for Graham's shed so he can get his lawn mower in the shed and have plenty of room for his other "good" stuff. It's one of his Christmas presents. Only one casualty...I rammed the drill bit all the way through my little finger...scraped the bone going through...very very soar but I sucked it up and finished my job. I think it turned out great.

These took only a couple hours however one word of advise....do not let the home improvement store cut your plywood. I had them cut it for me and each strip was a different width which would not work in the application so I lost an over an inch on each board cause I had to re rip them to 14 1/2 instead of my original plan of 15 7/8 width for each shelf. Live and learn.

You can find the video here, and it's well worth watching.