Wednesday

Monogrammed Barn Quilts

With Christmas just around the corner we decided to offer a flash sale on one of our favorite personalized barn quilts.  Our Monogrammed Barn Quilts are in the shop this week at 25% off and free shipping!  They are one of our favorites with the classic Ohio Star pattern and the initial of your choice.  They make perfect gifts.



Each barn quilt is hand painted and distressed, sealed for indoor our outdoor use and framed in a stained solid wood.  They come in both our 16" and 24" sizes.  I could see one on a front porch or on a shelf like I have ours.  

Also, remember that all Christmas items are on sale in The Shop and our elves are working around the clock to make sure your orders get to you in time for the holiday.  We hope you are having a very blessed December.  

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Thursday

Little Pieces Christmas Tree

First we had the the Little Pieces Heart, and then the Little Pieces Pumpkin and now we have the Little Pieces Christmas Tree!  We love our Little Pieces Collection.  They are fun to decorate with and even more fun to paint, and they are in The Shop today.  


The barn quilt is available in both a white and black background and in five sizes from little bitty to big and tall!  Each barn quilt is hand painted and sealed for indoor or outdoor use.  They are also food safe, which makes them perfect to use for a cookie tray or cake stand during the holidays.


We have plenty of them ready to go and are excited to add them to our shop in plenty of time to enjoy before Christmas!  


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Wednesday

Felt Ball Christmas Projects

You all know I have an obsession with wool.  I love to stitch with it, on it and use those colorful wool ball garlands anywhere I need a pop of colorful fun.  They are even on my logo.  Let's just say I love wool ball garlands!  So, this Christmas I am so excited to see them popping up all over.  It may just be the biggest trend for holiday decorating in like forever.  No just kidding, but not.


These cute little balls can be used in so many ways.   I love the ball garlands, but they are also fun as an embellishment on wreaths, stockings, blankets, well just about anything.  They are so easy and fun to make, but if you want to purchase them ready made they can be found on Amazon , Michaels , or handmade shops.  They run about $5 for a dozen.  


They come in every color and neutrals too.  To create a wool ball string you use regular embroidery string and a needle and sting them just like you would a popcorn string.  I have several strings on our big family tree and over our mantle.  I even purchased colors for our bedroom tree and mantle...I guess I can't get enough of them.





To make the wool balls you will need:


Hot Water
Bowl
Liquid Dish Soap
Wool Roving


All of the items are easy to find, except the wool roving.  Some craft stores like Hobby Lobby and Michael's have it, but if you can't find it there you can pick up a roving kit with tons of colors on Amazon for about $14.00...enough to make 40+ balls.


Wool roving looks like soft wool or cotton candy, which ever you prefer.  To begin spread the wool roving out and stretch it apart very lightly so that there aren't any clumps.


Once the wool is spread out, roll it into a soft ball and dip into hot soapy water.  With the wool ball wet, begin rolling the ball with both hands.



It will begin to form a ball as you rub your hands together.  As the wool cools dip it in the hot water again to keep the wool felting into a ball.





After the wool ball forms let dry.  It takes a little while to dry and then it can be used in a lot of different ways.  To watch how it is done you can find a video clip from Fresh Living which aired last week.  We hope you have a little merry fun this season and enjoy making and decorating with these darling little balls of wool!
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Friday

Winter's Bloom

With our first winter's storm blowing in tonight it just felt right to add our newest embroidery kit to the shop, Winter's Bloom.  I loved these blues and cream colored wools...and those pine needles!  


Our embroidery kits include everything you need to complete your hoop-art, including scissors, floss, needles, fabric, wood hoops, and full step by step instructions.  There is a stitching guide included as well as our You Tube channel Tweetle Dee Design Co. to follow video tutorials for each step.

So, if you have ever wanted to learn to stitch these simple kits are perfect.  You can find them in Our Shop.  We hope you enjoy these kits and keep stitching because "it is all sew tweet"!

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Wednesday

French Harvest Galettes

You know I have an obsession with pies, I freely admit it is my favorite dessert and today we are making a cousin of the pie, a Galette.  The Galette comes from France and it is somewhere in between a pie and a tart.  One of the things I love the most about Galettes is they are meant to be rustic which means the dough can be less than perfect and you can make them with any fruit for a sweet dessert or switch them up for a savory dinner pie.



The dough is made with minimal ingredients in less than 20 seconds and it can keep in the fridge for up to a week, so it is a pastry that you can make ahead and use for a quick dinner or an impressive dessert in no time at all.  Trust me, you will feel like a Food Network Star after making a Galette.

The Dough

1 1/2 cup All purpose Flour

1 1/2 Teaspoon Turbinado Sugar (Raw Sugar)

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter - Chilled

1/3 Cup Ice Water

Mix the dry ingredients in a food processor with the chopping blade attached.  Add the unsalted butter and pulse 4 or 5 times or until the butter and dry ingredients make a cornmeal looking mix.  Slowly add the ice water pulsing the food processor a few times with each little bit added.  The dry mix will start to pull together and you will know it is done when you can grab a little bit of the mix and form a course ball.



Once the dough is perfect, dump the crumbles onto the counter and press into a ball.  Place inside a plastic bag and press the dough into a medium sized flat disc.  Refrigerate the dough for at least one hour.  The dough will keep for up to a week in the fridge or it can be frozen for a month.

After the dough is chilled, take a piece of parchment paper and place the dough disc in the center.   Cover with another piece of parchment paper and with a rolling pin, roll the dough into a circle about 14 inches around.  Lift off the top piece of parchment and set aside.  Now your Galette dough is ready for it's filling!

Let's Talk Fillings

You can use all kinds of fruits for your Galette.  The key is to add enough flour and sugar for the different fruits.  The juicier the fruits, strawberries or raspberries you will need to add a little more flour to the filling mix, while apples or pears you will need less.  Always dot the mixture with butter and bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes or until golden brown.



For KUTV's Fresh Living we are making a Harvest Pear and Cranberry Galette.  I love this harvest pie!  We have it every Thanksgiving and I know it will be one you will love too.

You will need....

4 to 5 Pears

1/2 Cup Turbinado Sugar

1/4 Cup Flour

2 Teaspoons Apple Pie Seasoning

1/3 Cup Sweetened Dried Cranberries

1/2 Cup of Butter Slices

Half and core the pears.  Slice thin 1/8" slices leaving the skins on.  Toss in bowl with other ingredients except the butter.  Place in center of the Galette dough and spread out leaving two inches all the way around the pastry.  

To form the Galette, lift the edges of the dough and tuck it all the way around.  Don't worry about it being perfect, it is supposed to look rustic.  Brush with egg white and sprinkle with the Turbinado Sugar.

Bake at 400 degrees for 30 to 35 minutes.  Let cool 100%.  Drizzle with honey and serve with fresh cream.



Some of my other favorites are Peach and Berry Galettes, and Mushroom Leek and Goat Cheese Galettes.  There are so many different variations of this rustic pie.  I hope you enjoy this recipe and use it well.  






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Sunday

Framed Barn Quilt Kits

We are so excited to share our new product, our Barn Quilt Block Kits!  We have so many requests from barn quilters and sign makers who love the look of our wood panel framed signs, but couldn't find them on the market.  

So, we went to the shop and created a lightweight solid wood kit that is pre-sanded and ready to paint.  The back panel sets inside the frame and comes out for painting.  You can either stain or paint the frame any color you want.  They come in four sizes from a little bitty  9" to a whopping 24" and the prices are outrageously affordable.  I love when we can do that!





They are available online in The Shop and ready to ship.  I am so excited to get painting those littles and the big one, I even have some embroidery plans for them, so keep watching for the posts.  

If you are in the AZ area, we will have a ton of them at the Pinners Conference on October 6th & 7th.  We will be teaching our How to Paint a Barn Quilt class on Saturday morning and will both painted barn quilts and kits for sale.  We hope to see you there!  


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Monday

Vintage Sweater Pumpkins

It's that time of year when we pull out our sweaters and make pumpkins?  Yes, we make pumpkins.  Lots of DIY Sweater Pumpkins.  These are so simple and fun to make.  I have made all kinds of pumpkins over the years but these are my favorite because they stitch up super easy and hold their shape so well.  The textures and colors are limitless. 

To make a DIY Sweater Pumpkin you will need...

  • An old sweater. (If you don't want to cut up one of your favorites a thrift store is a good place to find sweaters.)
  • Matching embroidery floss to the sweater you choose to cut.
  • Fiberfill batting
  • A long tapestry needle. (Available in most craft and sewing stores.)
  • Scissors
  • A piece of wood stem.
  • Various ribbons, laces, dollies, dried or silk flowers to embellish. (Optional)




Turn your sweater inside out and lay the arms flat.  Cut a length of about 8 to 10 inches above the cuff.  You can sometimes get to pumpkins from one sleeve.  The size of the pumpkin will be determined by the length you cut off, so you can make them as big or small as you want.



               Thread the needle with a couple of feet of the embroidery floss and knot the end.

              Start a running stitch to close the end of the pumpkin by going up and down                              around the opening of the sleeve pulling the embroidery floss through until you                        have gone all the way around.


               Cinch it closed and tie a double knot in the embroidery floss ends to keep the                             opening closed.

                  Turn the pumpkin piece right side out and fill full with the Fiberfill batting.   It                          should be full but still squishy enough to make the pumpkin indents.



                 Turn the pumpkin piece right side out and repeat the cinching and running                               stitch to close the top of your pumpkin.





               Now that the top is secured it is time to make your pumpkin indents.  Thread the                      embroidery floss in the tapestry needle and loop through the top gathers of the                          pumpkin and tie off into a knot to secure it.


               Starting at the top pull the embroidery floss all the way to the bottom of the                                pumpkin and push the needle through from the bottom to the top.  Pull the needle                   and floss hard enough to make in indent and then while holding it tight repeat                           this again on the opposite side of the pumpkin from where you made your first                           indent to make another until you have game all the way around your pumpkin.


Gather together laces, ribbons, dried or silk flowers or other embellishments you like.  Cut branches to make stems.  If you do not have access to tree limbs you can use rolled cardboard covered in twine.


Hot glue the stem in place at the gathered top of the pumpkin.  Hot glue the various embellishments to decorate your pumpkins they way you want.  Be creative!  I used pieces of old dollies to make "leaves" and used blue instead of orange as this is the most on-trend color for fall pumpkins this year.  


Really there are so many options for how you can decorate your pumpkins or if you want them simple then add nothing but a stem!  I made my first batch of pumpkin sweaters in under an hour and their neutral colors will allow me to keep them out through the end of November!


I told you these are super simple and just look how cute they are!  I am on the hunt now for "ugly" fall sweaters to make a collection of colorful pumpkins specifically for Halloween gifts.    Happy stitching and have a great week!



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Friday

Summers Last Gift

This week we bought Summer's last gift ...a bushel of fresh peaches and we had to dust off this fabulous recipe we did a couple of years ago in a collaboration with Chobani.  It is just too good not to share.  Enjoy!!!


A couple of weeks ago I was asked to create a recipe using Chobani Greek Yogurt that would highlight the last hurrah of summer for their Made With Chobani Summer Series.  In Utah one of the last fruits of summer is the soft, fuzzy, golden juiciest of all fruits...the peach!  You can't say goodbye to summer without enjoying a bushel full of them!


I created recipe for a Ginger Peaches & Cream Pie using orchard fresh peaches and the creamy deliciousness of Chobani's Greek Yogurt.  This pie has a ginger crumb crust that my taste testers said was yummy enough to eat alone with a glass of cold milk.  It is the perfect cradle for the large slices of fresh peaches and the vanilla custard that make up this oh so fabulous summer pie!!!  Here are the step by step instructions for the Ginger Peaches & Cream Pie....


Ingredients to Gather

Ginger Snap Cookies 
1 Cup Softened Butter
9" Pie Plate

3-4 Large Fresh Peaches
Juice of 1/2 a Lemon 
1/4 Granulated Sugar
1/2 Packed Brown Sugar
1/4 Cup Soft Cream Cheese
1/2 Cup Chobani Vanilla Blended Greek Yogurt
1 Teaspoon of Real Vanilla
1/4 Teaspoon of Saigon Cinnamon
1/4 Teaspoon Sea Salt
1 Large Egg

 3 Cups Heavy Whipping Cream
1/4 Cup Powdered Sugar


To begin the crust place about four cups of gingersnap cookies in a food processor and pulse them until you get a course consistency.  You want small pea sized crumbles mixed in with the crushed cookie.  If you don't have a food processor you can use a blender or a good ole fashioned rolling pin.  Crush away!  Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.


Pour your gingersnap crumbles into a medium sized bowl and using your hands gently mix in 1/2 cup of softened butter.  Mix until the butter is incorporated.  The crumble mixture should be able to hold together when pressed.



If the mixture is too dry, add a little more softened butter until it holds together.  
It should look like the consistency in the picture above.  
Once the crumbles are ready, butter your pie plate.
  

Buttering the pie plate first gives the crumbs something to stick to.  
Press a slight rim edge, slide and then the bottom until firm. 


Once your crust is formed, place in the freezer for 15 to 20 minutes to set it prior to baking.


Now that the crust is frozen and set, bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 minutes. 
 Remove when finished and let cool on a baking rack.  


While your crust is baking, you can prep the peaches and get the custard ready.  There are several kinds of peaches.   While Rosa's are the sweetest for eating, Alberta's are the best for baking.  They are sweet, tart and take the heat without turning to mush.  I used the Elberta's for this recipe for this reason...
I wanted firm and sweet bites of peach in every bite of this pie.


To prep the peaches, place the peaches (whole) into a pot of boiling water for just a few minutes. Carefully scoop them out and shock them into a bowl of ice water.  
This process will loosen the skins so they come off super easy!  


Once the skins are off, slice in half and remove the pits and slice into 1" slices. 
 Put into a bowl and add the granulated sugar and lemon juice.  
Lightly toss and set aside.


To make the custard, add the brown sugar, softened cream cheese,
 Chobani Vanilla Blended Yogurt, real vanilla, Saigon Cinnamon 
and egg to your mixer.  Whisk together until smooth.  





To assemble the pie, pour a small amount of the custard into the bottom of the ginger pie crust.  Place the peaches one by one into the custard beginning in the center and circle outward until the pie crust bottom is covered with peaches.  It takes a couple of rows.


Pour the remaining custard over the peaches to just below the crust edge. 
 You will have the large pieces of peach peaking out and that is perfect!  
Bake for 45-55 minutes at 325 degrees until the custard is set.  
Test the center with a toothpick to make sure it is set.  


Let cool for 2 to 3 hours on a cooling rack.  
Serve slices with a dollop of fresh whipped cream at room temperature 
or my personal favorite...chilled!


To make the whipping cream, add cold heavy whipping cream to a cold mixer bowl. 
 Add the powdered sugar.  Using the whisk attachment, whip on high until stiff.  
Add a dollop of whipped cream to each slice!


I hope you enjoy this Ginger Peaches & Cream Pie!  Our family has LOVED it!!! There is nothing better than getting the perfect bite of peach, cream, custard, and crunchy ginger. This is my last hurrah to summer!  for even more creative ways to use Greek yogurt in recipes, go ahead and check out Chobani's great healthy recipes!  



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