Hand made Jam Labels and homemade Jam!!

This summer I was finally able to make all of the Jams I wanted to!  Well, I think I may need one more batch of Apricot (soooo yummy!), but we have a pretty good size stash and managed to give a few away :).  For me, labeling these silly jars is the most frustrating part!  I do NOT like the sticker labels (such a pain to remove!), even the water disolveable ones are icky (pull them out after a few months of storage and they look icky!).  Some of you may know that I am also a paper crafter so I went poking around for some ideas, and found this one from the brilliant Susan Liles...

So I ordered the dies and stamps I wanted and these are what I came up with... the heart labels are for my Daddy's PB&J stash ;)  I just used some Baker's Twine around the lid so it looks pretty when you present (and when you look in your pantry and see all of those pretty tags!) BUT here's the fun part...

I adhered a pop-dot on the back and left the "paper" on one side.  Once you've opened the jar for the first time you can stick this on the lid center and voila!  A Fridge-friendly jam label... you are still able to unscrew the rim.  Now I have to get my hind-end in gear and mail some of these jars to some of my friends :)  This year we made the following jams:  Triple Berry (1 whole batch for my Daddy and 1 batch for everyone else, lol), Blackberry Port, Spiced Peach Amaretto, Bourbon Peach & Vanilla Bean, Apple Butter & Apricot!!

The Ultimate Baby Shower Gift

Well I think it's high time I start keeping this blog up to date :)  I've recently been sewing my heart out, working on items for my Etsy store, Crains Addiction.  Fortunately (double edged sword here, but I won't look a gift-horse in the mouth ;)) I have been blessed with LOTS of custom orders (makes filling the store slow, but again... I feel blessed).  Anyway, a family friend is getting ready to have her first baby so naturally I had to come up with a great and personal gift.  I apologize for the not so color clear photo :(

 I started off with this great diaper Bag, I called it the Rachel Diaper Bag.  I loved this bag because it is not ginormous, but has plenty of room to carry everything you need for a day out!  I chose the Children At Play line by Sarah Jane. 

Next up I made a Changing Mat/Diaper Clutch.  I used ribbon to hold it closed because velcro might have scratched baby's head :)  The inside is lined with Pink & white polka dot minky.... soooo soft!  The clutch holds a package of Baby Wipes as well as 1 or 2 diapers.

I made this simple, lined Drawstring bag.  It fits nicely inside the diaper bag and is just the right size for holding pacifiers, baby toys, etc.

 And last but not least, I made up 5 wash clothes lined with more Minky.

I am happy to say that she LOVED the gift :)  And even happier to say that aside from the Minky everything was rather easy to make!!  Well thanks for popping by, hope to see you again :)

Welcome to my frog-alicious quilting blog!

Because I need another hobby like I need a hole in the head, I have decided to start sewing and quilting again :).  The first quilt I decided to mak is full, of course, of froggies!  Fabulous pink and green frogs!  I actually saw a quilt similar to this one on a visit to a local quilt shop, a friend of mine tracked down the froggie fabric (it was from a couple of years ago) and I was off!

Stay tuned and visit often, I have LOTS more projects in the works and up my sleeve.  I also plan on FMQ-ing this quilt and I can't wait to share!!!  Grab yourself a latte and join me on my sewing journey!  Thanks for stopping by!