We're On Vacation :)

JAQS is on a little vacation to paradise this week :).  Aloha from beautiful Maui Hawaii.  Stores will re-open Dec 16 and 17th.  MAHALO!

New GIANT Wreath - DIY

So, if you read this blog (or know me) you know I love wreaths.  So when our fireplace looked a little empty I shopped around for a new wreath - a GIANT new wreath.  Unfortunately the price tags ($$$++) was just too much.  No fear - imagination and glue gun to the rescue :)

Check out my new giant wreath - it's about 4 ft in diameter.

My secret item?  A giant HULA HOOP.

Here's a quick little picture peak of what I did.

I took an old hula hoop I found at a garage sale a little while ago (30 cents???).  Attached some metal clothes hangers to make sure there will be enough fullness to the wreath and a place for all the stuff to attach to.

Then I attached 2 ever-green (fake) garlands around the wreath.  Make sure to use floral wires to stabilize the garland before hot gluing it together.  I lay out the garland the way I want it look before using the glue gun.

Next DECORATE.  Add any type of flowers, ribbons, etc that you want.  I (again) stabilized it with wiring first then went nuts with the hot glue gun :)

Love the new wreath and I know we'll enjoy here for many many years to come.  And I saved a TON of money.  The whole project cost about $50 per wreath (I made 2 - one for my sister).

A Etsy Treasury - Marigold Circle Napkins

Our marigold cotton napkins are featured today in this beautiful treasury on Etsy:

Thank you so much for the feature and beautiful treasury.

Not Sewing - Just a Whole Lot of Cooking

It's been a slow slow sewing season around here.  It's been eerie taking a long leave from sewing ... between keeping up with the shops and having the kids around during the summer months, sewing is on the very very (almost) very bottom of the list.  However, there has been some yummy cooking around here - take a peak :) ... I miss summer cooking already!

We live in California and when it's salmon season, you get whole salmon EVERYWHERE.  Here's a beauty we picked up.  It was a pretty good sized salmon that I stuffed with lemons, onions, cilantro, green onions then seasoned with salt/pepper.  Popped it in the oven for about half an hour.  And YUM.  Perfection :).  Maybe next year I'll try it on the grill too.

 We even brought back the lettuce wrap - haven't had these in ages.  It's a great way to use up random things in the fridge. Here's this one with a little bit of chicken, carrots, sprouts and ginger.  I think the hardest part was just making sure we didn't tear the lettuce.

Stir Fry :)!  One of the (many) favorites around our household.  It's a great way to sneak in a lot of veggies too for the kids ;)  Take a look at the veggies!

Now on to fall cooking :) - I'm dreaming of stews, slow cooker ANYTHING and some yummy fall drinks.  Oh yeah, and maybe even back to my sewing table for a new quilt or two before winter...here's to hoping!

Piecing - 2 Quilt Tops

No, these are will not be going into the same quilt top...

Just one of those days when you need 2 projects going at the same time...

A spring-inspired yellow quilt top I've started a little while back - piecing in the borders together.

...and a little star quilt I'm working on for someone special :)

Happy Sewing everyone!

Hello Spring!

Love this time of year (despite the mosquitos and allergies!).   There's a freshness in the air in the spring time - a little mix of morning dew, roses and lemon blossoms to be exact...at least in our yard :).  This year I started off with this little fun wreath project.  My first handmade wreath and I think I might be hooked...

I used a wire frame and wrapped burlap ribbon around there to hide the frame.  Then I loosely tied in more burlap ribbon with the cute little yellow ribbon I found in a $1 bin :).  

The peonies I found online - they are gorgeous aren't they?  I tied the peonies evenly around the wreath and topped it all off with a "W" metal sign I found at Michaels.  Looks great and perfect for a little pop of color.

Happy Spring everyone!

Quilting Progress

First off, I'm happy to say that I'm alive ;).  It's been rough/busy few months, hence to complete lack of blog postings, but I'm back and happy to share some new quilts.

Here are a few finished quilts, binded and ready for their photoshoot.  Something very peaceful and lovely about a stack of quilts :)

3 designs, 4 new quilts.  All ready for the shop very soon.