Emma's Pick Of The Week - Love Is In The Air

Hey there, it's me Emma Jane! Valentine's Day is approaching fast and that means I'm giving out lots of puppy smooches! It also means that it's time to start making cute little projects with pink and red fabrics. This Sugar & Spice Fat Quarter Bundle is perfect for Valentine's Day.....
Wouldn't it look adorable in the "Something Sweet" quilt???
And if you need something to wear for a hot date on Valentine's Day (or any night for that matter) this Proper Attire skirt is just right....
It's classy and feminine but flirty and fun at the same time. I think it would be perfect in Red Damask.....
Or maybe Fire Mod Blooms......
Or Petal Flora would be great too....
And now, will someone Puh-leaze take that ridiculous bow off my head?! It's messing up my fur!

XOXO,
Emma Jane

Happy New Year 2011!

Happy New Year Everybody! I know it's just another date on the calendar but I love the idea of a clean slate and a fresh start. And after such a.....shall we say "odd" year last year I'm looking forward to starting anew!

But I better tell you about the cupcakes before I start rambling on about New Years stuff! I made those on New Year's Eve so we'd have a yummy treat to go with our champagne. And if you're wondering......we just stay home for New Year's Eve, make a nice dinner and have some champagne. Simple. Easy. Relaxed.

The directions for the cupcakes are in the awesome book "Hello, Cupcake." But for some reason I was the only one who ate a cupcake! Everyone else said "Too cute, can't do it!" Come on.....just look at that face......he wants you to nibble on his sweet, sugary little coconut covered face....
Oh well.....that just means there are more cupcakes for me!

Anyway, how was your year last year? Mine was interesting. It started like a sledge hammer to my life and ended like a nice, warm cozy hug. Here's what I did in 2010......

-Awesome 10 day ski trip to Telluride for my birthday on January 14. So. Much. Fun. (Obviously that wasn't part of the sledge hammer).

-Got a kidney stone on January 24. Yes, that's where the sledge hammer comes in. OUCH.

-Max went to Doggy Heaven on February 28. He would have turned 9 years old on March 1.

-Sammy came into our life exactly one month later. She was more of a tornado and less of a sledge hammer!

-John got a 6 month very hard, very time consuming job assignment and I barely saw him from April through September.

-John was able to escape for 1 week in June and we went to the Bahamas. Ahhhh....a whole week of boats, beaches, bikinis and tropical drinks!
-John had his Fini-Flight in the F-15 at Tyndall. He still gets to fly on occasion but the F-15's have all left Tyndall - boo hoo!
-John had some work trips to Washington, DC and Tucson, AZ in the fall and I tagged along. And I went to Quilt Market in Houston and John tagged along.

-I moved to Tyndall in November so John and I could actually spend some time together.

-We had a relaxing end to the year with lots of time off, lots of relaxing, lots of good food, lots of fun holidays and a lot less stress!

And now here we are ready to start a new year. My main goal for the year is to SEW MORE! And yes I also have all the usual goals/resolutions of lose the holiday weight (while continuing to eat cupcakes), fix up the house, get more organized, etc. But right now all I want to do is plan lots of sewing projects for 2011!

First up is Hooterville. I've been dying to make a Hooterville Quilt since it first came out.
And I keep looking at this bucket full of Lakehouse fabrics that I've been hoarding for years and years and I keep thinking that a bright, preppy, pink & green Hooterville Quilt just might be the cutest thing ever.
Then I want to make something with Penelope once it arrives later this month! I've been waiting for this fabric since I first saw it at Quilt Market in May!!!
And the second Penelope arrives I'm going to start making a pink and black Girl In Paris Quilt. I think that fabric and this pattern are perfect together!
I've also been wanting to make a State Fair Quilt.....
Using my Tickled Pink & Aqua Fat Quarter Bundle.....
And I'd love to finish some of the zillions of projects that I've already started that are in various stages of completion!

Oh, and do you remember how last year I said I wanted to make a new kit for the shop once a month.....ummm......yeah.....that didn't go as planned. So, hopefully this year I'll reach that goal!

That's what I've got planned so far. What are your plans for the New Year???

Happy New Year and Happy Sewing,
Jenny

January 2011 Giveaway - Isabella

We Have A Winner!!!

The winner is thegoose who said "I gave up on resolutions years ago, so I can't tell you that, but I can tell you that with this lovely material I would make a quilt." Thegoose also earned extra entries because she e-mailed her friends about the Giveaway! Congratulations!
Happy January! This month we're giving away a 9 piece Pink Isabella Fat Quarter Bundle by Lila Tueller. This seems like the perfect fabric collection to chase away any winter blahs!

Here's how to enter:

-Leave a blog comment about your New Year's resolution or what you want to make with Isabella or whatever thought crosses your mind for one entry
-Tweet about this Giveaway for another entry
-Mention this Giveaway on Facebook for another entry
-Mention this Giveaway on your Blog for another entry
-And I know not everyone has their own Blog or Twitter or Facebook account.....So, you can receive an extra entry if you let me know that you e-mailed at least 3 friends and told them about this.

Soooo.....you can "earn" up to FIVE chances to win this bundle!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please be sure to leave a blog comment for every additional entry you do. For example....Leave your first blog comment about whatever crosses your mind for your first entry. But be sure to leave another comment saying "I tweeted this" or "I Facebooked this," etc. so I know that you get extra chances to win.

And you may notice the handy dandy little grey buttons at the bottom of each blog post for Twitter, Facebook, etc. It's just a simple way to spread the word!

The Giveaway ends on January 31, 2011. The winner will be chosen on February 1, 2011.

Good Luck and Happy Sewing,
Jenny

Emma's Pick Of The Week - Hot Pink Is A Neutral!

Hey there, it's me Emma Jane! And I've completely flipped for this new Amy Butler Pink & Brown Fat Quarter Bundle that I created with my Mommy today. We put together a bunch of pink, brown and green fabrics from various Amy Butler collections (Midwest Modern 2, Love and Soul Blossom) and this is what we came up with up......

I love it so much that I've already claimed one for myself! Next I'm going to grab some of the Carmine Fuchsia Trees fabric from the brand new Soul Blossom Collection....
And then I'm going to grab some Cherry Laurel Dots because my motto is "hot pink is a neutral" and it goes with everything.....
And because you can never have enough pink in your life I'm also taking some Cerise Pink Passion Lily.....
I'm going to try and get into an upright position now and figure out what I'm going to do with all my new pink fabric.....

Have a very Happy New Year! I'll see you in 2011!

XOXO,
Emma Jane

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas! And Ahhhhhhhhh!!! Look what I found under the tree on Christmas morning - A brand new Hot Pink Hello Kitty Bike!!! It's every girls dream come true! I dropped everything I was holding and screamed like a little girl when I saw it! John hid the bike at the neighbors house and then snuck out at 4:00 a.m. to get it and put it under the tree! How sweet is that???

And I may regret posting this next picture.....of me.....with no makeup.....on Christmas morning! But oh well.....I'm too excited to use common sense right now!
And did ya notice my outfit??? Yes - I put on an outfit to match my new bike!

And guess what else I found under the tree! A pink gift basket from Wine Country Gift Baskets full of snacks and goodies with a bottle of PINK Hello Kitty Champagne in it.....
Amazing! How does John find these things???

Oh, and I got John a Kinect for the XBox for Christmas. That thing is amazing....and so much fun....and exhausting!

After playing with our new toys all day we had a wonderful dinner of tenderloin, gourmet mac & cheese, roast green beans and sauteed mushrooms followed by chocolate souffles! Yummy!

Emma spent her day carrying her new toys, one by one to the bedroom....and then feel asleep completely exhausted surrounded by her new "friends."
I hope you had a wonderful holiday too!

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!
Jenny

Whew....What A Week!

Wow! It has been quite a crazy week around here! It all started last Sunday when I attempted to decorate the Christmas tree. I turned on "Elf", made myself a cup of hot cocoa and happily started pulling out all the ornaments. You'd think that decorating a Christmas tree would be a safe and fun activity wouldn't you??? But nooooo.....not when the Queen of Clumsy is involved! I managed to smack myself right in the eye with a tree branch and scratched my cornea! Ouch! Don't worry - I'm o.k. now! And I didn't let the tree win! I eventually got all those ornaments on it and I won!
Then a few days later little Miss Don't I Look All Sweet And Cute And Innocent decided to jump ACROSS the coffee table and knock over a glass of RED wine. Yup. Red.
The glass shattered and red wine and broken glass ended up all over me, our white sofa, white chair and white ottoman, the carpet, the Christmas cards I was addressing, some paperwork, a silk and linen cross-stitch I was working on and my fluffy white bathrobe. And Emma also got covered in red wine, got scared, ran off and hopped onto our white bedding! And seriously.....the glass was only half full.....but it looked like a full bottle or two had been sprayed over the entire house!

After two days of doing laundry I put the freshly cleaned slipcovers back on the furniture. And Emma immediately jumped onto the ottoman with muddy paws. Shortly after that I locked my keys in the car. First time in my life I've ever done that! Serenity Now!!!

Well, I was trying to look at the bright side. John had been gone all week on a work trip in Oregon and was supposed to get home Saturday morning after catching a Red Eye flight on Friday night. Yay! I'd have my sweetie back home to comfort me! No such luck. Delays and bad weather and flight cancellations have kept him in Oregon ALL weekend. He finally got a flight out on Sunday and sent me this lovely picture of the plane he is taking from Klamath Falls, OR to Portland (the first of 3 flights he has to take to get from Oregon to Florida).....
Ummmmm......seriously dude.....you're gonna get on that plane??? John's a pilot so this didn't bother him in the least. I'm feeling lightheaded just looking at that!

So, after all the insanity of the week I decided to take the weekend OFF! I normally spend the weekends working and doing errands and chores. But instead I had my own little perfect Jenny "Staycation" this weekend. I worked on a quilt that I started a few years......
Yeah....I'm the type of person who starts a project, gets distracted by another project and then finishes the original project a few years later. But, eventually those bits of fabric that were cut into squares two years ago will look like this.....
And I had lots of help with my quilt in the form of Bailey sitting in the window over my sewing table acting as supervisor......
And my sweet puppers, Emma laying at my feet.....
Oh....and did you notice the perfect spot on top of Emma's head??? Yes, Emma is perfect. In every way.

And since my week definitely called for some chocolate and sugar therapy I made these to soothe my wearied soul.....
They're called Candy Bar Brownies and they taste like a fancy Snickers bar! I was gonna post the recipe but it's really long and complicated. If you want the recipe please send me an e-mail and I'm more than happy to send it to you!  So many of you have asked for the recipe that I decided to put it at the bottom of this post.  But be warned.....these aren't easy to make. Four layers.....and each layer involves slowly and carefully melting something.......and you need to let each layer cool/set before adding the next one. Ugh. A lotta work but they are SOOOOO worth it!

I think I'm gonna go have some Candy Bar Brownies for dinner with some red wine.....in a sippy cup! Here's to hoping that this coming week is a little less "eventful."

Happy Sewing,
Jenny

Candy Bar Brownies

Ingredients for Brownies:

¾ cup butter softened

2 Tablespoons water

2/3 cup sugar

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vanilla

2 eggs

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ teaspoon baking soda

Ingredients for Candy Bar Topping:

1 cup sugar

¼ cup butter

¼ cup milk

1 cup marshmallow crème

½ cup creamy peanut butter

½ teaspoon vanilla

1 ½ cups dry-roasted peanuts

40 caramels

¼ cup water

1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

¼ cup butterscotch chips

1 – Heat over to 350.  Line bottom and sides of 13 x 9 pan with foil.  Spray foil with cooking spray.

2 – Melt ¾ cup butter, 2 Tablespoons water and 2/3 cup sugar over low heat.  Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips until melted.  Remove from heat.  Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla and the eggs until well mixed.  Stir in flour and baking powder.  Pour batter into pan.

3 – Bake 18 – 23 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean.  Cool completely (at least 30 minutes).

4 – In a saucepan heat 1 cup sugar, ¼ butter and the milk to boiling over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil 5 minutes while stirring CONSTANTLY.  Remove from heat.  Stir in marshmallow crème, ¼ cup of the peanut butter (not all the peanut butter, just ¼ cup of it!) and ½ teaspoon vanilla.  Pour over cooled brownies.  After that layer is firm sprinkle peanuts over top.

5 – In a saucepan heat caramels and ¼ cup water over medium-low heat stirring constantly until caramels are melted.  Pour over peanuts.

6 – In a saucepan melt 1 cup chocolate chips and the butterscotch chips over low heat until smooth.  Remove from heat.  Stir in remaining ¼ cup peanut butter.  Spread over caramel layer.

7 – Refrigerate at least one hour before cutting.  I refrigerate it for one hour and then put it in the freezer for ½ hour before cutting.  Cut bars into 8 rows by 6 rows.  Store in the refrigerator.

Emma's Pick Of The Week - Lakehouse Fun & Fast Flowers

Hey there, it's me Emma Jane! I'm so excited about these awesome new kits by Holly Holderman of Lakehouse Dry Goods! The first one is the Fast Flowers Kit and it's part of a special event called Brownie Points over on "Aunt" Holly's Blog.
Aunt Holly is going to donate $5 to Alaqua Animal Refuge for every quilt kit sold!!! You may remember that Alaqua is where we got my new sister Sammy. You can read about that here. And don't forget to head over to Holly's Blog to read all about the quilt and the Brownie Points Blog-a-thon!
The Fast Flowers Quilt is actually big enough for a twin size bed. How cute is this bedroom???
We also have some adorable new Totes On Bolts Kits by Lakehouse.....
These kits are really cool because you can arrange the different fabrics about a million different ways to make your bag completely unique. Just look at all these possibilities.....
And there's even a kit to make an apron using the same adorable fabric.....
Whew....I'm exhausted now. I'm gonna go snuggle up in my favorite Lakehouse Quilt and take a nap.....
See ya next week!

XOXO,
Emma Jane

P.S. As always I give you the "No Dog Hair Or Drool On Your Fabric Guarantee." The Fun Flowers Kit that I'm drooling on is mine, mine, mine!

Emma's Pick Of The Week - Isabella

Hey there, it's me Emma Jane! Have you missed me??? Well, I'm back! We're settled into the new house, most of the boxes are unpacked and I've selected my new favorite sleeping spot. All is right in my world again!

Right before we packed up to move we received boxes full of the most beautiful new Lila Tueller fabric called "Isabella." Here it is in the blue colorway.....
And the pink colorway.....
And don't you think Isabella would make an adorable City Market Tote....
Or maybe a Funked Out Peasant Blouse....
I can't wait to dig into this new fabric collection. But right now, I'm off to go meet the new dogs in the neighborhood. See ya next week!

XOXO,
Emma Jane

Happy 1st Birthday Sammy!

We celebrated Sammy's 1st Birthday on Wednesday, December 1! Our little puppy is all grown up......although she thinks she's still a small dog.

We had cake and presents......
The candle on the cake was VERY scary......but licking frosting off of Daddy's finger seemed to make everything better.....
We sang Happy Birthday and then it was time to eat the cake......
Nom...nom....nom......
Do you have any idea how hard it is to get a good photo of two dogs furiously eating birthday cake? We'll just say this is one of those artsy action shots that I made blurry on purpose....
And then it was time for a post party nap on top of the sofa cushion. Because 60 lb dogs should be laying on top of the sofa cushion.
Happy Birthday Sweet Sammy! We're so happy you're a part of this family!

Jenny

December 2010 Giveaway - Soul Blossom Fat Quarter Bundle

We Have A Winner!

The winner (selected by Random Number Generator) is SewCalGal who said "Beautiful Fabric" and she also wrote about the Giveaway on her Blog. Congratulations!

Happy December! This month we're giving away an 18 piece Soul Blossom Fat Quarter Bundle by Amy Butler. Now....before you get all excited.....as of December 1 (the day I'm writing this) Soul Blossom isn't even here yet. It's supposed to arrive sometime in December. So it should be here by the time this Giveaway is over. Obviously, I'll let you know the moment it arrives!

It's here! It's here! It's here! Soul Blossom arrived on December 10!!!

This month we're changing things up again! Here's how to enter.....

-Leave a blog comment for one entry
-Tweet about this giveaway on Twitter for another entry
-Facebook: Mention this giveaway on Facebook for another entry
-Mention this Giveaway on your own blog for another entry
-And I know not everyone has their own blog or Twitter or Facebook account. So, you can also receive an extra entry if you let me know that you e-mailed at least 3 friends and told them about this.

Soooo......you can "earn" up to five chances to win this bundle!!!

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please be sure to leave a blog comment for every additional entry you do. For example....leave your first blog comment saying whatever crosses your mind for your first entry. But be sure to leave another comment saying "I tweeted this" or "I Facebooked this", etc. so I know that you get extra chances to win!

And you may notice the handy-dandy little grey buttons at the bottom of each blog post for Twitter, Facebook, etc. It's just a simple way to spread the word!

The Giveaway ends on December 31, 2010. The winner will be chosen on January 1, 2011.

And last months Giveaway was awesome! I loved reading all of your comments and hearing about what fabrics you like. I'm going to get as many of those collections as possible! But if you're wondering......Central Park by Kate Spain and Montego Batiks by Moda were the runaway favorites. Sugar & Spice by Riley Blake, Sanctuary by Patty Young and Sweet Nothings by Riley Blake were also in the top five.

Thanks for participating and Happy Sewing!
Jenny