Strawberries and cakes, oh my!

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Hello friends, 

 I started writing this blog post on July7th. Just one day after my last blog post published.... and then it sat and sat...until today! Days just get away from me in the summer. Does the same happen to you?

I have lots of new projects to share with you today! 

 I am hosting a What-Not exchange in my Facebook group, and participated in another one for a magazine I subscribe to. The projects turned out just darling and I was sad to finish them up! I definitely will make more soon!  While I can't share the ones I made for my FB partners until they receive them ( wouldn't want to spoil the surprise, Jean and Deb!), I can share some progress pics of the one that is heading off to Canada.

 I used a pretty floral FQ for the backing and added some lace and crochet ( from my favorite re-use store of course!). I also used one of my Accuquilt dies (click) to cut some birdies, and a rubber stamp to stamp a "postcard"..

Some vintage yoyos...

A little stamped and  embroidered girl ( tea-dyed to give it that aged look)...

..And he final touch: Some butterflies fussy-cut from some pretty fabric!

See that little stamped frog peeking out? The girl reminded me of Thumbelina and doesn't she get abducted by a frog?  Using such a wide variety of materials was inspiring and I can't wait to show you one of the other What-Nots, with one very special technique that I am super excited about and will share soon!

My Strawberry Shortcake pattern is now available  in my Etsy shop: 

It turned out so sweet and it is just the perfect size for a table.  Add to that the ease of construction AND the use of as many scraps as you can find and you have a winner! You can find this listing, and my Dancing Through the Tulips pattern by clicking here: https://www.etsy.com/shop/hyggefarmhouse. 

Before this summer I had never used a longarm service before, but I was so pleased with my star quilt ( click here to see that blog post) that I sent off another one. It will be a fun surprise to see what pattern Cynthia decides on this time!

Some new Accuquilt dies mysteriously arrived on my doorstep ( Ha!) , and I just HAD to start a new quilt with this Umbrella die ( click)!

Isn't it the cutest?? I am adding sashing between the blocks and will share more photos soon-ish  :).

Before scraps completely overwhelm my space, I decided to start another quilt! This one was quick and easy and fun ( but hard because I told myself I wasn't allowed to use the color RED and #redisbest!). 

These blocks were all sewn directly onto batting and therefore so fast to construct. The entire quilt top-with-batting is already assembled and just needs backing and a few more quilted lines and it will be all done.

 If you have never "played" this way, with wonky scraps and sewing your block directly on the batting, you must give it a try! It is fun and freeing and completely mindless and makes for perfect summer sewing! 

Finally I want to share a yummy recipe...I know you were wondering about the "cakes" in my title!

I read British Country Living magazine (when I can get my hands on one!), and the last issue was all about the Queen's Jubilee and all the celebrations to go with it. Apparently British people love to have this cake for all celebrations so I concocted this slightly altered version: It was so delicious that I made it twice in a 2 week period! 

Super simple, plus looks and tastes fantastic? Yes, please!

 Here is the recipe:

1 box vanilla cake mix ( I use Trader Joe's cake mix)

strawberries ( sliced, fresh or frozen, but then thawed)

powdered sugar

strawberry jam or preserves

Whipped cream ( I used fresh and I have used the stuff in the can, both work)

Start by baking 2 cake rounds ( doesn't matter whether they are 8 or 9 inch). Let them cool completely.

Time to assemble your cake! Place one round on a plate, spread with jam or preserves( just a thin layer).

Layer your sliced strawberries over top of the jam ( one single layer is plenty).

Put whipped cream all over the strawberries ( you just want a nice covering over the berries, no need to go crazy).

Place your 2nd cake on top. Sprinkle with powdered sugar, and voila! Simple and delicious and it will be gone in no time! What I especially like about it is that it is not too sweet but just sweet enough. I hope you give it a try and let me know what you think!

Well, that was a long blog post, wasn't it? So glad you stuck by me till the end ;)

Until next time~ happy creating!

Monique 

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Don't pretend you didn't know this was coming...:D

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Hello there, 

Spring has finally sprung in our area and I have been enjoying every. single. minute!

Whenever the weather ( and my other commitments) allow, I have been going outside and working in our garden. I love how noisy it is with birds chattering and bees humming, and every once in a while I spot mama rabbit, who has been very smart and has a nest in an area of the yard where our dogs can't get to it.

Although, the other night one of our dogs did manage to scare a bunny ( from a different nest, I think) into a big flower pot. So we took the opportunity to show him to our kids, before releasing him back into the yard ( with the dogs safely locked inside this time!). 

I simply love that our yard is a haven for all kinds of animals, even if they sometimes do leave me questionable and unwelcome presents....( Do you love the way this tulip leftover was presented to me? I found it like this on top of my gate post!)

I am excited to see if my veggie garden will do better in its new spot. Gardening under two large Oak trees is not easy, but this is the sunniest spot we have so I will give it a try. In my eagerness to encourage Spring to arrive I bought wayyyyy too many seeds and am having a hard time finding spots for everything...OOPS! 

I'll be sharing more photos as the season ( and my garden ) progress!

Other than planting seeds, we have also been busy doing some landscaping. Our neighbors cleared their front yard of all rocks and plants, which I happily "adopted". So now we are busy making a pretty bed around our shed, using those rocks to build a short little wall. It's a work in progress :).

Needless to say that I have not been spending a whole lot of time in my sewing room, but I did have a chance to  ( almost) finish 3 quilts using this absolutely darling collection of fabrics ( click)!. This shop is owned by Patricia and she is wonderful about shipping orders quickly. I usually receive my fabrics within a few days, always with a nice note included.

This last one I am busy doing some big stitch quilting on, and then will be able to sew it together and share the final result!

All of these quilts were made with my new Accuquilt dies ( click). I am really enjoying playing around with them, and it sure makes quick work of cutting the fabric you need for a particular block! Let me know in the comments if you would like to see a more in-depth post about the Accuquilt system. I would be happy to share some more information on how it works!

Finally, I want to share some very exciting news! If you are a member of our FB group you already know about this, but I released my very first pattern for sale! It is called Dancing Through The Tulips and I'm selling it in my newly opened Etsy shop, called Hyggefarmhouse ( click!). Unfortunately all the Farmhouse Quilts iterations were already in use so I had to go with this name instead. (But I'm a big fan of the Hygge movement so it's all good :). 

My pattern is beginner friendly and includes lots of hand drawn  diagrams, as well as an email through which you can contact me if you should run into any difficulties. And the great thing about this pattern is that you can use your leftover jelly roll strips ( 2.5 " strips) and that is exactly what I did! If you buy it, do share some photos with me because I would love to see your versions! My sweet pattern tester, Jean B., made this wonderful version using some additional flowers that she made up ( my pattern only comes with tulips). I always find it amazing to see how different patterns look just because of different fabric choices, don't you? 

Alright, that is all for now. I hope you are enjoying some fresh air and springtime activities, as well as some creative sewing time!

Until next time~happy creating!

Monique