Chocolate & Mint

Chocolate and mint have always been one of my favorite flavor combinations.

Girl Scout Thin Mints

York Peppermint Patties

Andes Mints

Mint chocolate chip ice cream

Wouldn't a chocolate and mint happy scrappy house be yummy?

I even managed to find a chocolate and mint New Orleans house.  This combo of business downstairs, living quarters upstairs is fairly common in the older parts of the city.  The panel van driving by is the perfect touch - it belongs to one of New Orleans' iconic confections:  Hubig's Pies.

Since it's Saturday, I'm linking up with the other Rainbow Scrappers over at Angela's SoScrappy blog.  After that I'm forgoing sewing today to attend a Geocaching event to celebrate the life of a friend and fellow geocacher.  Hope everyone has a great Saturday doing something they enjoy!

Vintage Brown

I went digging through the brown fabric stash this week, looking for the perfect brown reproduction-style fabrics.  What I found was some vintage fabric history!

I knew I wanted to use up a large scrap of brown floral fabric (top) for this week's happy, scrappy house.  I looked through the stash for coordinating fabrics and found about two yards of the brown check - from 1988!  I decided it was time for that checked fabric to get used up, so I cut several 18 x 18 squares for napkins.  I'll try to have pictures next week, as my dishes match this month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge color.

The hunk of vintage brown check was significantly reduced!  Back in the day, reproduction fabrics were not abundant, and I remember buying those fabrics by the yard whenever I happened to find them.  It's wonderful to have access to the abundance of repro fabrics that are available now!

I'm really happy with how this house came together!  Most of the fabrics have been marinating in the stash for a long time, so I'm happy to be using them up.  The chimneys are new reproduction fabrics from Barbara Brackman.

The New Orleans house for this week is another double shotgun, but I really loved the brown trim and shutters, as well as the ornate detailing on the gable.

If you would like more brown scrappy inspiration, vintage or modern, do stop by Angela's soscrappy blog to see what the other Rainbow Scrappers have been creating this week!

Just a Box of Scrappy Chocolates!

I have been rather obsessed with the scrappy chocolate HSTs I pulled out last week for this month's Rainbow Scrap Challenge color.  I played with several different block arrangements this week, putting together some small, decorative quilts to give as gifts.  Even though I found myself dreaming about HST quilts all week, the chocolate therapy was great!

This chocolate mash-up was inspired by a candle mat I spied on Pinterest.  My blocks were smaller, so I added a Box of Chocolates border.  I probably could've used a little more contrast in my light blocks, but everything came from scraps, so I'm happy.  I can just picture this with a chocolate-scented candle in the center!

Next I took some inspiration from Audrey's churn dash blocks.  These used up some HSTs and other chocolate scraps.  Again, the blocks are a little small - 6 inches finished - so I'm auditioning some borders.  I may have enough scraps to make two additional blocks, so this one is marinating for a bit.

Birds in the Air is one of my favorite quilt blocks, so I decided to make some chocolate birds.  There might be enough of the pink chocolate fabric left to make two more BITA blocks, so this project could be more table runner size. 

This is an interesting arrangement of just the four BITA blocks.  I could add a narrow white border and a darker outer border.  I've checked through all the chocolate and brown scraps (and pink scraps) for an appropriate border, but I don't have anything that works.  That might mean a trip to the quilt store!

And I still have a good number of chocolate HSTs to play with.  Any and all suggestions cheerfully considered!

I felt a little like Hansel & Gretel as I made this chocolate happy, scrappy house!  Or would that make me the witch?

Doesn't this week's New Orleans house look cozy?  I love the chocolate brown color with all the delicate gingerbread trim!

If you need more chocolate therapy, check out the other Rainbow Scrappers who are linking up at Angela's blog!  

Slow Stitching: Never-ending Quilt Binding!

It seems I'm always working on quilt binding when Slow Stitching Sunday rolls around!  This baby quilt, made with Tula Pink's Hushabye fabric, was pinned and ready for quilting but got stalled.  I finally decided I needed to get the quilting done before the pins left permanent marks on the quilt!  Now I'm hand-stitching the binding and hope to finish up while watching football (Geaux Saints!) this afternoon.  All will be revealed when the binding is complete!

I'm linking up with Kathy's Slow Sunday Stitching - there will be lots of other great hand-stitching projects to check out there!

Urban Retreat

A new month has arrived along with cooler weather and a new Rainbow Scrap Challenge color.  

The challenge color this month is brown, so I've been pulling out all kinds of brown scraps and dreaming of ways to use them up.

Last year during the brown scrap challenge month I pulled out a "chocolate" UFO and was inspired to finish the project.  It's now in the pile awaiting binding, so I moved that chore peaceful pursuit to the top of the "To Do" list.

The chocolate quilt produced a bunch of bonus HSTs.  I think there are probably enough for a few table runners or table toppers - quick gifts if I can snatch the sewing time this month!  I did some fabric therapy last night and trimmed the HSTs to a consistent size.  Bonnie Hunter mentioned a new-to-me technique earlier this week, so I had to try it out.  Using the Easy Angle Ruler makes trimming the HSTs a breeze!

My New Orleans house this week is inspired by log cabins.  Several years ago, my Dear Husband allowed as he had always wanted to live in a log cabin.  We began searching for a weekend getaway and to help matters along I made some pillowcases featuring log cabins with appropriate flora and fauna.  Dreaming about log cabins would surely help us find one, right?  It turns out log cabins are few and far between in our neck of the woods <g>, so we settled for a camp instead.  Pillowcase scraps make great log cabin blocks, though!

Believe it or not, these "houses" are actually located with the New Orleans city limits!

The houses are all located on an estate downriver from the city center, in an area known as Lower Coast Algiers.  Most of the land in the area was originally plantations and is still very sparsely populated.  The owners of this property created a retreat known as Studio in the Woods where artists can go to nurture their creativity.

And now my coffee cup is empty and it's time to get on with the day.  I'm linking up with the other Rainbow Scrappers; I have a feeling they will nurture my creativity!

Halloween Scraps

One more week of working with black scraps for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge!  I saved these for the last Saturday of the month since they're Halloween-related.

I finished up my black leader-ender spools.  These Halloween-themed mini clothespins were perfect for keeping the spools clipped together!

This week's Halloween happy, scrappy  house is made from scraps from an October baby quilt.  My niece was born in October, and I thought she should have a Halloween-themed baby quilt.  I found some wonderful fabric based on old-fashioned Halloween postcards and used that as the main theme for the quilt.  Scraps from the postcard fabric are in the door and window.  For the quilt back I found a fun monarch butterfly print, which I used for the chimneys on the house.

Unfortunately, I don't have a picture of the quilt, although my sister promises me it was well-loved and well-used.  My niece is already 10 years old; it seems like only yesterday I was making that quilt!

My New Orleans house for the week doesn't exactly fit this month's color scheme (although it has black shutters!), but it was such a good mate for my scrappy Halloween house I had to share!  This is another one of those fabulous mansions on St. Charles Avenue, but the real treat is the Halloween decorations. If you click through to the slide show, click through the ads because there are 39 punny pictures in all.

This month has really helped me develop a new appreciation for using black fabric in my quilts.  I gained lots of inspiration from the other Rainbow Scrappers every week who linked up over at Angela's blog.  I see lots more black fabric showing up in future quilts!

Halloween Fun

I have always been a fan of Halloween.  I think it's a nostalgia for the naive Halloween celebrations of my childhood.  Carving jack o' lanterns, roasting pumpkin seeds, trick or treating in a great costume - all these things are my idea of a fun Halloween!

I used to do a fair amount of decorating for Halloween, but now that my kids are grown, it's just not as much fun.  

I did bring out my collection of Halloween dolls and toys, though.

One of my favorite collectible toys (souvenirs, really) are push puppets.  You know - the little gizmos with a spring that collapse when you push the bottom of the figure.  I don't know why they appeal to me, but I always buy them whenever I find them.

Black cat push puppet.

I also collect wind-up toys.  They are irresistible!

Mr. & Mrs. Frankenstein - Madame Alexander dolls from several years ago.  It's hard to see, but they're actually joined at the wrist by a chain!

Some Madame Alexander trick or treaters.

More trick or treaters; the mini figurines are Madame Alex dolls that were in McDonald's Happy Meals many Halloweens ago!

My Halloween celebrations have grown pretty tame lately.  We have very few trick or treaters in our neighborhood, so Dear Husband and I often just go out to dinner and celebrate by having pumpkin creme brulee or pumpkin cheesecake for dessert!

Black Scraps for a Rainy Saturday

I woke up this morning to the sound of rain on the roof.  The rain, mixed with fog, has continued all morning - a great day to stay in and play with scraps!  

The Rainbow Scrap Challenge colors for October are grays & blacks, and I've had fun digging through the scrap bin to find just the right combos for scrappy house blocks and leader-ender spool blocks.

I found some bright colors on black backgrounds that made good spools.

The red pepper fabric has been in my stash for a long time.  I bought several yards of it and it has found it's way into many of my scrappy quilts!

I couldn't find a black or peppery New Orleans house to share this week.

On the other hand, a famous pepper-growing family is associated with New Orleans.  The McIhenny's recipe for pepper sauce, better known as Tabasco, is a world-famous condiment.  Members of the McIlhenny family have lived in New Orleans for years; the former president of the company was Rex, King of Carnival several years ago.

Tabasco peppers are grown on Avery Island, a salt dome in southwest Louisiana.  The pepper sauce has been made and bottled there since 1868.  I think it would be fair to say Tabasco sauce is part of the fabric of our life!

And on that spicy note, I'm going to go check out the other Rainbow Scrap inspiration at Angela's blog!

Inspiration from a Chalkboard

I always look forward to Scrappy Saturdays, because I never know how color, fabric and New Orleans houses will inspire me.  

This week I was inspired by a very unique house and some Moda Grunge fabric.

The Before I Die house was created by artist Candy Chang.  Her website does more justice to the story than I can, so I hope you'll take a look.  Scroll down to see the entire transformation process.

As always, the other Rainbow Scrappers will be sharing their inspiration today over at Angela's blog.  I'm looking forward to seeing their scrappy fun, too!

Scrappy Saturday: Playing with Gray, Ignoring the Weather

This month's color instructions for the Rainbow Scrap Challenge are to use gray to black scraps.  Since I only have a few gray fabrics in my stash (Oh No!  I had to make scraps for this week's block!), I decided to start there and challenge myself to make an interesting gray happy scrappy house block.

I expected my world would be full of gray today.  The weather pundits have been telling us to prepare for TS Karen for the past 48 hours, but my gut feeling was always that she would turn out to be a lot of nothing.  So, at noon on Saturday, the sun is shining and Karen is falling apart.  Still, I plan on staying home and sewing for as much of the day as possible!

After playing with the gray scraps for a bit, I realized a little pop of color was needed to perk things up.  Moda Grunge fabric to the rescue - a little bit of pink was just the ticket!  I also noticed photographing the gray blocks at an angle helped show off the color and fabrics better.  

I used up a few more scraps making leader-ender spool blocks.

I love the gray background in this Halloween wallhanging.  This goes back to my early days of quilting; the pattern may be from Better Homes and Gardens, but the memory is dim.  The instructions never called for any quilting, and the quilt is finished by sewing the backing and batting to the quilt top with wrong sides together, then turning right side out.  The pieced top has  always sagged a bit, and I keep telling myself to add some quilting to stabilize things.  I think that project will be another gray challenge for this month.

This week's New Orleans House Project subject is known as the Brown-Villere Mansion, a Romanesque Revival standout on St. Charles Avenue.  Even though the house is sort of a taupe-y gray, I wanted to share it because it's such a New Orleans landmark.  Plus, unlike all the houses I've shared so far, you can actually see some of the interior of this house!

Please stop by Angela's soscrappy blog to see how the color gray has inspired other Rainbow Scrap Challenge quilters!