Friday, March 30, 2012

Helpful hint: Keeping berries fresh longer!

 
Berries are delicious, but they're also kind of delicate. Raspberries in particular seem like they can mold before you even get them home from the market. There's nothing more tragic than paying $4 for a pint of local raspberries, only to look in the fridge the next day and find that fuzzy mold growing on their insides.
Well, with fresh berries soon to be hitting farmers markets, we can tell you how to keep them fresh! Here’s a tip on how to prevent them from getting there in the first place:
Wash them with vinegar.
When you get your berries home, prepare a mixture of one part vinegar (white or apple cider probably work best) and ten parts water. Dump the berries into the mixture and swirl around. Drain, rinse if you want (though the mixture is so diluted you can't taste the vinegar,) and pop in the fridge. The vinegar kills any mold spores and other bacteria that might be on the surface of the fruit, and voila! Raspberries will last a week or more, and strawberries go almost two weeks without getting moldy and soft. So go forth and stock up on those pricey little gems, knowing they'll stay fresh as long as it takes you to eat them.
You're so berry welcome!

Monday, March 19, 2012

Quilt Kit: Butterfields

Make two fun quilts with one pattern!
 Fabrics use are Butterfields from Henry Glass and a Free Pattern from Margot Languedoc.

Two fun quilts to make!
Finished size: 70 1/2" x 78"
Skill level: Confident Beginner


Fabrics used in these quilts:


Quilt Kit One: Sparkle uses 6 yards of fabric for $64.00 + shipping
3 1/2 yard for background & inner border
1 5/8 yards for blocks & outer border
16 prints @ 1/8 yard each for blocks


Quilt Kit Two: Color Burst for $101.00 + shipping
2 1/2 yards cream for background & borders
1 yard for border & blocks
16 prints @ 3/8 yard each for blocks

Purchase combined BOTH quilt kits and save: $143.95 + shipping
5 3/4 yards for background & borders
2 5/8 yards for blocks & outer border
16 prints @ 1/2 yard each for blocks
Purchase your quilt kits here: Butterfields Quilt 

Fabrics used in these quilts are as pictured (no substitutions).

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

Just Arrived: Pure Velvet - purple garden flowers!

Pure Velvet from Fabric Freedom.


Pure Velvet is a new range of dramatic large florals created in Fabric Freedom's own unique style. They have chosen 5 different types of flower, including hydrangeas with their showy heads of flat flowers, their heavy balls of color are both deep and dark.
 Hyacinths, with their exquisite columns of waxen petals and the sweet, delicate violet, one of our early spring garden visitors.


 Later arrivals are lilac with its heavy bunches of tubular flowers, a favorite with the bees and butterflies, and the delicate, scented sweet pea.



Fabric Freedom have designed a range of 14 prints, which travel across the spectrum from dark rich violets through to soft delicate magenta.


 Quilt kit: Pure Velvet + Free Pattern


Finished size: 56 1/2" x 56 1/2"
Skill Level: Confident Beginner
Included in kit:
Free Quilt pattern
Flora fabrics used are as pictured in this quilt
(we swapped two Fabric Freedom tonals for two Moda tonals)
Fabric yardage :approx: 4 3/4 yards for top, borders and binding)
Not included: 4 yards backing
Purchase your kit here for $50.35 + shipping: Pure Velvet





Monday, March 12, 2012

Show & Tell: Coral shows her Cape Cod Quilt

Wow - this quilt turned out really pretty!

The fabrics used in this quilt are from Cape Cod by Paint Brush Studios.

Wednesday, March 7, 2012

Happy Birthday Oreo Cookie!

It's not just any birthday: Milk's favorite cookie is turning 100!

Click here to see their offical site: Oreo Cookie

Click here to go to Kraft Foods view all kinds of recipes using Oreo Cookies: Kraft Foods
The beagles celebrating!

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

New Fabric Manufacture: Fabric Freedom

 Fabric Freedom fabrics are all the way from England! Their newest collection: Pure Velvet will be coming soon!

They have lots of fun easy to intermediate free patterns too! See all their free patterns here: Fabric Freedom

Sunday, March 4, 2012

Just Arrived: Clematis

Clematis from Clothworks by Cedar West.


Bold, Brightly-colored flower blossoms in purple, fuscha and orange surrounded by leafy vines on a black or a white background!
 (The flower repeat is 12")

The floral vines show so much dimension they appear to move.


The floral bud trellis and the garden swirl offer lots of watercolor tonality.



Quilt Kit: Clematis + Free Pattern

Finished size: 48" x 61"
Skill level: Easy!
Included in kit
:
Free Quilt pattern
Fabrics used are as pictured in this quilt

(approx: 5 yards for top, borders and binding)
Not included: 4 yards backing

Purchase your kit here for $$53.50 + shipping: Clematis

Friday, March 2, 2012

Happy 108th Birthday Dr Seuss!

Dr. Seuss was born Theodor Geisel in Springfield, Massachusetts, on March 2, 1904.

 “A person’s a person, no matter how small,” Theodor Geisel, a.k.a. Dr. Seuss, would say. “Children want the same things we want. To laugh, to be challenged, to be entertained and delighted.”

Brilliant, playful, and always respectful of children, Dr. Seuss charmed his way into the consciousness of four generations of youngsters and parents.  In the process, he helped millions of kids learn to read.
 

Read more about Dr Seuss at Robert Kaufman.

Visit Whoville website kid frindly! Seusseville