Have you heard of thread conditioner? You are supposed to use it to keep your thread from breaking or tangling when hand sewing! Since I sew my quilt binding on by hand, I am always having my thread tangle.....so thread conditioner sounded like a great idea. Nancy's Notions sells it really cheap but it comes in a boring little box......not going to work when I can make my own super cute version.Here are mine and they are made out of beeswax, of which we have a surplus since we have our own hives. First you have to heat and clean your wax. This stuff comes out of the hive pretty gross looking, not at all the pretty gold you see above. Of course, if you buy it at a craft store, it is already cleaned up. But mine is icky so this is how I do it. Put a chunk of wax in a sturdy paper cup and melt on 50% in the microwave. When melted, pour through a layer of paper towel into another paper cup. Then pour through another layer of paper towel into a third paper cup. Now you have beautiful clear wax. Here is a chunk of wax pre-cleaning. Ick. Now pour into a mold, placed on a plastic or sturdy paper plate (this can get messy and the plate protects your counter. This stuff can be a pain to clean off of things). Allow to set at room temp until set or if you can't wait, like me, put in fridge to speed things up. Pop out of mold and let cure. Done. Think of all the cute shapes you can make (especially if you make your own molds)! Now here is how you use the conditioner. Thread your needle like normal and knot. Run the thread across the wax. Now run the coated thread between two fingers to warm wax and embed it into the thread. I can't wait to see if this helps me, especially with tangles Diana

If you are a quilter you might recognize these objects. They are Pinmoor quilting pin anchors and they are so great, but at about 19 bucks for 50 they are also pretty expensive. Especially when you typically need 300 or more for a lap quilt. So it was time for an Internet search to see if there was a cheaper alternative. Nothing out there! But I did come across an idea some blogger had (sorry, I didn't save the site so I can't give her credit) to use poly foam caulk saver as a super cheap substitute. Costing less than 4 bucks for a 20 foot long roll, caulk saver can be found at Lowes and Home Depot. From that roll I got 300 anchors. The same number of Pinmoors would set you back about $114! I just cut the roll into pieces (about 3/4 of an inch long) with regular scissors. It is made from closed cell foam and does a good job of gripping the straight pin. Alright, now let's talk about the downside of the caulk foam version. It comes in one color, gray, so pretty it is not. Also the caulk foam is foam not silicone so obviously these will eventually breakdown, after maybe a hundred uses, so you will have to replace them at some point. The Pinmoors will last forever. The foam is also larger in diameter than the Pinmoors and I cut them longer than the Pinmoors. Why longer? The foam isn't as dense as silicone so the pins need that extra length to protect the point from going through and sticking me! So.....they take up more storage space. Final verdict? For me, none of the above really bothers me so I am definitely going to put off buying more Pinmoors for now and give these a try. If any of you try this idea let me know what you think. Diana

Just a quick post to show the finished exterior paint job on the trailer. It took a long time to get this done and an enormous amount of tape and drop cloth. We kept the original color theme and used automotive paint for durability and shine.. A little more trim work and she will finally be ready to hit the road ( and maybe a car show or two for fun). Diana

Now that's a title that should grab your attention! You all probably know what these are for but if you don't check out this tutorial here. I think they are the funniest things I have ever seen. I made them in green and blue and added a simple ribbon tag to make them easier to grab. Just throw them in the washer and dryer and they are as good as new. No mess, no worries. This pic makes them look more like something else entirely.......ahem. Diana

After a long day of work yesterday (and weeks of hard work in the last few months!) the inside of the trailer is done! Yippee! Here is wh...

I have been having a lot of fun lately designing Silhouette files and learning how to use the designer studio. Yesterday I found out it has a weld feature....duh! Am I the only one how didn't know that.... Anyway, here is one of the designs I made a few days ago that I am sharing with all of you so enjoy! Here is the link to download this silhouette file. Diana

I saw these on another blog http://sistersstuff.blogspot.com/ and thought WOW! A way to keep that name paper handy! So I made my version bu...

I am so excited to show you a quilt/wall hanging that I just finished after months of on again off again work! Made for my sewing room, this quilt features machine embroidered 50's style dresses in different red prints. Because it was for the wall I didn't worry too much about how close the machine quilting was. Here are some close ups of a few of the dresses. You can find the machine embroidery design here. It was was so fun to make each of these dresses! Plus this quilt will give me something pretty to look at while working at my embroidery machine. Diana

My kids love these! Little guy always loses his money. Since we will spend most of July on vacation in various places I knew that I needed to find something to help him keep it together. I found a great tutorial for a lunch money cuff at this website http://alemonsqueezyhome.blogspot.com/2010/09/lunch-money-cuff-tutorial.html Her tutorial is FANTASTIC! It is easy to follow and literally only takes about 10 or 15 minutes to make. The best part is that all you need is fabric scraps. I made them for our cousins that we will see on vacation, too! These would be great for birthday or back to school gifts with a little something extra tucked inside. The only changes I made was using interfacing to back the entire exposed front panel. It adds a little more stability. I also made two button closures on each one rather than the Velcro-it's what I had on hand. I couldn't find any zippers shorter than 12", so I just measured how much I needed and stitched back and forth at that point to create the right length. Then, just trimmed off the excess. Little guy hasn't taken his off in three days. Success!

A round up of amazing IKEA hacks you can tackle this weekend. Take these affordable products and turn them into someting amazing that you will love.

I used today's asparagus harvest in a beautiful quiche. I have a favorite quiche recipe that I use all the time and it always turns out great. The fresh asparagus makes a nice addition.Heat oven to 400 Crust 1 1/4 cups of flour 1/4 tsp salt 1/3 cup chilled shortening cold water Mix flour and salt in bowl. Cut in shortening with pastry cutter until it forms crumbs about the size of peas. Add enough ice water, one tablespoon at a time, until pastry will hold it shape when pressed into a ball. Roll out on floured surface and place in pie pan. Set aside. Filling 10 slices bacon, cut into small pieces 1/2 cup onion, chopped about 15-20 stalks asparagus 1 1/2 cups grated Monterrey jack cheese 1 tablespoon flour 1/4 tsp salt 1/8 tsp pepper 3 eggs 1/2 cup cream Fry bacon until crisp. Drain on paper towel. Saute onion in bacon grease until tender. Drain on paper towel. Discard grease. Cut 8 pieces of asparagus down to 4 inch sections. Chop remaining asparagus into one inch pieces. Cook all the asparagus in a small amount of water in a saucepan until barely tender. Drain. Mix bacon, onion, cheese, chopped asparagus, flour, salt and pepper in bowl and arrange in unbaked pie shell. Beat eggs and cream together and pour over the bacon mixture in the pie shell. Now arrange the 8 pieces of asparagus in a wheel spoke pattern on top of quiche. Bake at 400 for 30 to 35 minutes or until set. Let stand for about 10 to 15 minutes. This serves about 8 people. (Or 4 if they are big eaters!!!) Diana

I have spent a small fortune on fimo molds on Etsy over the last 6 months. Then I saw this product and decided to try to make my own. You can bake the fimo in this stuff too! No need to remove it from the mold first! There are two putties inside. You need to take equal amounts of both. I rolled each into a rope and that made it easy to compare the two. You only have one minute so you have to move fast. Mix the two together until the color in consistent. Roll into smooth ball and carefully insert prototype into the putty. I used a flower I had gotten from Pick Your Plum. Let putty sit with flower embedded for about 20 minutes. The mold will firm up and then you can remove the flower. The putty is flexible so it is easy! Now you can fill it with chocolate, fimo or anything you want! If you are using fimo, you can bake it at 260 for about 20 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. Now you can remove the flower! Be sure and wash the mold after each use. Now I am hunting around the house for anything I can turn into a mold. Think of the possibilities! Diana

for sale in my Etsy shop (jamjarart)

A few years ago we replaced our French patio doors, and being the crafter I am, I saved the glass to be used later. Well this is later, and I decided to use the…

Autumn is just around the corner, and it's getting chilly outside. In other words, now is the best time to make some crochet beanies!

Only one more month left before our sweet little baby will be here. I've been super busy trying to get all of the little projects done before life gets even crazier. I have been wanting to make a car seat canopy for a long time, I think it is because I am extra paranoid about taking a little baby out into the world after working at a hospital for many years. People think I'm crazy, but I'm okay with that. Anyway, I think the canopies, tents, whatever you would prefer to call them are an awesome idea to keep whatever it is you want away from your new little one: bugs, the sun, others. And I based mine on this tutorial, but I wanted to make it with a little peek-a-boo so that I could open or close the cover as much I wanted. I couldn't find a tutorial that gave measurements for that type of alteration, so I thought I would write a post just in case there are others out there who would like to make one too. Hope it helps:) As with all tutorials on my blog, this is for at home use only, so please play nice. What you need: 1 1/4 yd. lightweight fabric 1 1/4 yd. coordinating lightweight fabric a little extra fabric or ribbon for handle straps 60" of coordinating ribbon for peek-a-boo closures velcro *All seams are 1/4" unless otherwise specified. These fabric requirements are based on my Chicco car seat, you may want to measure your car seat first to make sure that the cover will be all that you desire and more. My finished cover was about 43" L x33" W. The length running from the front to the rear of the carseat. Also in fair warning, I am over estimating the amount of ribbon for the peek-a-boo closures. Personally I only used about 30", but the ties are much shorter than I would have liked. I was in a very anti-go-to-the-store mood, so I just used what I had on hand. Probably will regret my laziness later, but oh well. With that said... Cut out your pieces: Cut out one 35 1/2"x 26 1/2" piece and two 17 1/2"x18" pieces from both yards of fabric. Also cut two 5x9" pieces for the handle straps (I cut four so it could be reversible). You know, so I could coordinate the cover with whatever I am wearing that day, since I am that put together. Right. Sew on peek-a-boo flaps: Lay one 35 1/2"x26 1/2" piece of fabric down in front of you right-side up, so the 35 1/2" length is going from left to right. Pin one 18"x17 1/2" piece of the same fabric starting at the bottom left corner of the larger fabric piece. See diagram for details. Sew starting at bottom left corner toward center stopping about 1/4" from center. Attach second 18"x 17 1/2" piece to opposite end likewise. There should be about 1/4" overlap at the center. Begin sewing from bottom right corner toward the center, again stopping 1/4" from center. Press. Sew coordinating fabric pieces together in the same fashion. Attach ribbons for closure: Really you can use whatever you would like for closures, I'm sure buttons or snaps would work great too. I just had the ribbon on-hand, and I think ribbon is especially cute for little girl things. Anyway, Place ribbon as shown below down the center of both fabric flaps as desired, be careful to align both sides the best you can. Pin in place. Sew together front and back pieces: Place coordinating fabric over your fabric with attached ribbons. Sew around all edges, leaving about 3-4" open for turning. Create rounded edges: If you would like the edges of your canopy rounded, take a bowl from your kitchen and place at each corner marking the rounded edge. Sew around each corner. You can do this before sewing the pieces front to back, but I think it is easier to keep everything in place if you do it after. Turn cover right-side out and press. Top-stitch around all sides. I actually sewed around it twice just for fun, once closely around the edge and again about 1/4" inch from the edge. Make straps: To make straps, place the 5"x9" squares of fabric right-side down if front of you. Bring each edge toward the center 1/2" and press into place. Finally, fold the piece in half width-wise and press. Top stitch around all sides. Test out where you want to place your velcro using your car seat handle. Sew on velcro where desired. Attach straps to cover: The final and perhaps most tricky step is to attach straps to the cover. I just measured my car seat and pinned them in place, then I tried it out to see if that was really where I wanted them. When I was happy, I sewed them in place going around it a few times to ensure they were very secure. Embellish as desired: Of course, if you would like you can embellish your handiwork a little. I thought mine could use a little festiveness so I just added some fabric flowers. I feel a little like I have mommy-brain right now, so if there is something I forgot to include or that doesn't make sense leave a comment and I will try my best to clarify. Thanks for stopping by:)

How to make a memory quilt for beginners. Take all of those sweet memories, get them out of the closet, and make something beautiful!

I am so happy to be a part of the Backyard Roses Blog Tour! The minute saw the Backyard Roses fabric by Nadra of Ellis and Higgs fo...

If you are a fan of Shark Week or Sharknado then this shark crochet hat is for you! It would also make an adorable halloween costume or a fun fall/winter hat! Materials: - Lion Brand Vanna's Choice yarn in Gray (I used Silver Gray), Red (Scarlet) and White - Size H Crochet Hook - Tapestry

If your dining room doubles as a crafting space, this cabinet will corral the clutter with shelves sized to fit widely available fabric-covered cube bins. It also features oodles of storage on the doors and a spacious fold-down worksurface. When not in use, close the doors and presto! Your workshop hides behind the doors of an attractive traditional-style cabinet.Featured inWOOD Issue 249, October 2017

This giant heart backdrop is classic Valentine's Day decor on a big, fun DIY scale. I can see this as not only a great backdrop for a party, but a sweet photo back-drop for a lovey dovey wedding. Via Design Love Fest