Caffeinated Christian Crafter

More Swap Pics!

2012-02-17T11:11:00.003-05:00

5 Postcards from the Flat Mail Swappers group- 2 from New York, 1 from California, 1 from Germany, & 1 from Argentina. Fun!!

Ahh, the suspense of wrapped gifts! The Super Swappers February Small Swap came to me from Rav user oneyarn

Here are all the wonderful goodies that were contained within! Love!

The CUTEST handknit bag! And if that wasn't enough...there were foreign coins for my collection inside :o)

Valentine's Swap

2012-02-06T14:56:00.003-05:00

Friends that Swap- Valentine's Swap

the wonderful rav user bankerlady sent me this wonderful package:

Something other than a swap!!

2012-01-25T10:07:00.003-05:00

What's in my Cup: Swiss Miss Mocha Cappuccino and it's delizioso!

I have been a busy little crafter. Two of my co-workers are expecting babies (one boy, one girl) in the very near future, and there isn't anything better than a hadmade gift (in my humble opinion). So, here is what I made:

Sweet baby dress, McCall's 4351. It was pretty easy, but the size of the garment made it a little tricky to sew on the machine!

Knit baby blanket. The pattern is Newborn Baby Blanket by Altadena Green. Pattern can be found on Ravelry. I made it in Caron Simply Soft to make it easy care for baby.

The Modern Cabled Baby Bib, another pattern on Ravelry. Made in Knit Picks Comfy Worsted, color Flamingo. Sooo soft!

These gifts are for the baby boy. Not nearly as much fun to make things for boys! Still, baby Logan will look great in his handknits! Project info on my Rav project page. The item with his name is a fleece blanket. Fusible applique is how I attached his name, and I did a blanket stitch with DMC floss to finish the edges.

International Candy & Yarn Swap

2012-01-23T16:27:00.003-05:00

My pal was willownova (it was a secret swap) and she sent me yarn & cnady from her native England.

Both yarn & candy are way yummy!

Christmas Swap

2012-01-10T13:57:00.005-05:00

Christmas Cheer

2011-12-28T15:32:00.002-05:00

Samson on Christmas Day

The following are handmades I received in a Ravelry Swap:

Mail!!

2011-12-16T12:29:00.004-05:00

My mailbox has been bringing tons of smiles lately!

The details are posted on Ravelry :)

Swap Love!

2011-12-04T16:01:00.003-05:00

3 Awesome Packages from Recent Ravelry Swaps! For all the details, see my posts in the threads realted to the swaps over there :)

Swappy Yumminess

2011-11-28T10:08:00.003-05:00

Yvonne sent me a delicious swap package for the $10 swap. The theme was "Candy Swap"

An Awesome Scarf Kit Swap!

2011-10-26T13:00:00.003-04:00

In the Super Swappers group on Ravelry, Karen was my sender for our October Small Swap. The theme was Scarf kit. She really spoiled me!

More Swappy Goodness!

2011-10-12T11:43:00.002-04:00

My swap pal, Julie went above and beyond to put together this package. It was based on my Halloween costume choice, Queen Anne Boelyn :)

More Swapping Goodness

2011-09-01T09:39:00.002-04:00

More details on Ravelry :)

No Title

2011-08-24T17:26:00.001-04:00

Sometimes, I just use this blog as an easy place to store pics to upload to Ravlery...this is one of those times ;)

Simplicity 3529

2011-08-07T20:10:00.004-04:00

What's In My Cup: Tonight, it's just air!

So, I made Simplicity 3529. It's a Project Runway inspired pattern. I purchased the pattern and fabric almost a year ago, so I figured it was time to get it done! I like the finished results, and the full review/details for this, as well as other projects can be found here:

Envelope Swap

2011-08-05T11:19:00.003-04:00

What's In My Cup:San Francisco Bay Hazelnut Creme Yummy!

Today, I'm sharing a pic of my most recently received swap package. The "rules" were that only items that would fit in a 6x9 envelope could be sent. So, we had to get a little creative and find flat things. Lucky for me that Dianne is an artist, as she sent me some beautiful items :)

New FO!

2011-07-21T15:22:00.003-04:00

Nothing in the mug today!It is tooooo hotttttt for warm drinks!

I cast-off the shawl for my mom's Christmas gift recently. It was a KAL for two groups on Ravelry. This is the Larch Scarflet pattern, and it was an easy and quick knit :)

New Hobby!!

2011-07-16T19:38:00.005-04:00

What's In My Cup: I can't believe it myself, but I'm empty! It's almost bedtime, so I am done for today ;)

So, my youngest son and I have started geocaching. Tried to involve hubby and the oldest son as well, but they weren't into it. So, little guy and I have been having a great time "hunting for boxes" as he calls it! I just wanted to share our two most recent finds, as they were pretty cleverly hidden:

Misc

2011-07-11T08:45:00.004-04:00

In my cup this beautiful day: French Broad Blend from Blue Smoke Coffee in the Great Smoky Mountains of North Carolina. Compliments of a lovely swap partner!

So, here's what I've been up to:

I sewed a top/shorts set for a friend's soon-to-be-born baby. Simplicity 2625 (I've sewn this one before)

I got tied up by a little boy who likes to think he's Rosco P. Coltrane (and with my own yarn!)

And, I got some very exciting mail:
Stitch markers from Melissa

And, a whole slew of DPNs (and a pretty needle roll to contain them in), and some more pretty stitch markers from Tonja

Swappy Goodness!!

2011-06-13T09:51:00.006-04:00

The Odd Ducks Swap: Hometown Swap. This is a secret swap, where you don't know who is sending to you, so I was really surprised when a large flat rate box appeared in Friday's mail!!

The hometown represented? Austin, TX!
Look at the loveliness contained therein:

MOHS

2011-06-08T12:51:00.002-04:00

My dear Ravelry Swap Partner, Tutorgal, sent me this fabulous package :)

A New Project

2011-05-23T11:20:00.003-04:00

In the Mug Today:Some amazing Kaffi from my Icelandic friend, Eva Huld

I made a needle roll for my swap pal, Nina. I just upsized the pattern for the Lazy Girl Wonder Wallet. It was a fun and fast project!

Butterick 4718

2010-11-15T09:02:00.003-05:00

What's In My Cup: Millstone Breakfast Blend
So yummy and warm on this crisp Autumn morning in Southern Maryland!

So, I just finished sewing a dress for my niece:

I made a size 5 for her. She is almost 3 years old.
This garment (made from cotton fabric) went together perfectly. It looks pretty much exactly like the pattern envelope. I didn't make any adjustments.

New (to me) Podcast!

2010-07-19T11:45:00.004-04:00

If you're a quilter/sewer/knitter, and you haven't found Stash Resolution, check out Sarah's show and blog! Great info on all things I love!

Click here to visit the blog:
and the podcast can be found on iTunes.

Enjoy!

Favorite Picnic Salad

2010-07-11T11:28:00.002-04:00

I can remember this salad at many picnics and birthday parties. Either made by my mom or aunt.

7 Layer Salad
Layer, in order, in large bowl, the following ingredients:
1/2 head lettuce, chopped
1 med. onion, chopped
4 stalks celery, chopped
1 med. green pepper, chopped
1 can early peas, drained

Top with a layer of whipped salad dressing (at least 1/2 jar). Top all with 1 bag of shredded cheese and bacon (optional). Best if made 24 hours in advance and stored in refrigerator.

Meet the family (or at least some of them)

2010-01-29T09:02:00.008-05:00

What's in my cup:

Flying Geese Blend of Quilter's Coffee

Scripture of the post:

For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in his own body on the cross, he broke down the wall of hostility that separated us.

~Ephesians 2:14

Just thought I'd share some random cuteness today and introduce you to some of my pets!

This is Judah (on left) and Levi. They love to cuddle together.

Raven is my cross-breed hen. We hatched her 3 years ago from eggs I bought on eBay, of all places! She was the champion cross-breed at our county fair in 2008. Last year she took 5th. She's not my friendliest girl, but she doesn't attack either.

Lucy is on the left, and Ethel on the right. Ethel was Champion brown egg layer at the 2009 fair, and Lucy took 2nd place cross-breed. They are Golden Buff hens. Our fair doesn't recognize their breed, so I had to enter Lucy as a cross. They are both very friendly girls.

I no longer am able to let them free range, as in the fall we had a hawk flying about. So, for their safety, they are pinned. When they roamed, I had to be careful about how long I left the door open, because often they followed me inside and helped themselves to the cat food!

Here's what they reward me with all year long. I guess their breed is heavy, because cold weather doesn't affect their laying ability. As you can see, several eggs are almost too thick to fit in the carton. I even got a two yolker last Spring! I'll have to post the picture of it at some point. Raven has stopped laying since I pinned them. I'm sure it's because she was eating something in the "wild" that she needed to help her produce, and not because she's protesting the fact that she's pinned! She is a blue egg layer, though I think she only has a touch of Ameraucana in her, because the eggs are so light blue, that they are almost white. If you compare them to a white egg though, you can tell that they are a shade of blue.

That's all for today. I hopefully will have time later this weekend to post some recently completed projects.

Blessings~
Tiffany from MD

Join in the Fun!!

2010-01-24T11:14:00.002-05:00

What's in my Cup:
Flying Geese Blend by Quilter's Coffee

Just wanted to invite everyone to join the Friday Night Sew-In on 19 Feb. Learn more here:

Handmade by Heidi: February Friday Night Sew-in and Giveaway!

Success!!

2010-01-21T07:36:00.008-05:00

What's in my Cup:

Ocean Waves Blend from Quilter's Coffee

My bag is finished! It's the Veronica bag from Lazy Girl Designs. Super easy and quick. I'd say this is probably the tenth bag I've made from this pattern. It's a bit hard to see in the picture, but there's gold outlining around the print.

I had some extra fabric, so I made a matching wallet, also a Lazy Girl Designs pattern, it's called the Wonder Wallet. Love this pattern too!

Sorry the format of this post is wonky, I don't have time to fix it. I have to get the children to the bus stop.

Off to spend some time with my neice while her mama goes to the accupuncturist.

Today Holds Promise!

2010-01-13T07:23:00.003-05:00

What's In My Cup:
Fasig's Coffee

The flavor is Frosty's Favorite, and it is yummy! I picked this up at Shady Maple Market on the trip to Lancaster.

Since my last post, life has been pretty boring. My oldest child turned 12, so we had a birthday party, I finished cleaning up the house from CHRISTmas, and I worked yesterday. I covered for the library assistant. The school library is my favorite place to work. At the end of those days, I find it hard to believe I'm getting paid, because I enjoy it so much!

So, since I have now done all the housework I had to do, I can play and do all of the things I want to do! I plan to make my purse today, and cut up some of my cotton fabric either into 5" squares, or 2.5" strips. I decided that I need to make more space in my sewing area, so I'm trying to cut down on the number of rubber bins I have. Condensing the fabric will help me accomplish this. I've put several books on hold at our public library for pattern books using Charm Sqaures, Layer Cakes, Jelly Rolls, etc. So, I forsee some scrap quilts in my future.

I'll try to report back at the end of today, hopefully with a picture of my lovely new purse!

Very little got accomplished today

2010-01-06T16:34:00.004-05:00

First, I'd like to report
What's in my Cup:
Log Cabin Blend - Quilter's Coffee

Then, on to other news. I shined my sink, did a couple loads of laundry, and for the rest of the day, I daydreamed about starting a sewing project. In real life, I was helping my sixth grader by tidying up a history paper that's due in a few days. This took almost all day. Ugh!!

The only sewing I will be doing today is finishing up the fleece I am hand sewing onto the bottom of my hubby's motorcycle seat. The purpose of this is to protect the newly painted fender. He said he'd show it off and get me some business if I did a good job. Um, hubby...I always do a good job, and I have so many of my own projects to do, I'd rather not have any business!

Off to start dinner: spaghetti and meatballs

New Year, New Take on this Blogging Thing....

2010-01-05T12:40:00.000-05:00

I somehow never got back to posting anything else after the first one. So, here I am again. I know one thing that might hold me back is the fact that I still have dial-up. That makes it pretty time consuming to do most anything online, but loading blogs seems to rank up there pretty high on the slow loading pages list. So, as much as I'd love to share them, I don't think I'll be posting too many pictures of finished projects.

Speaking of finished projects...I haven't had any so far for 2010. In fact, I haven't started any either. I recently took a trip to Lancaster County, PA, and visited a few quilt shops. I picked up some Kona Cottons to start a lap sized Amish Roman Stripe quilt. I will be using this to teach a class in the community next month. I have never made a solid colored quilt, so I am anxious to get started. I also picked up a half yard of an Asian inspired fabric that will become a new purse for me. I luv those Dutch Country prices! I don't know how they do it, but I'm glad they do ;o)

I'll end here with a few goals for 2010:

Sew to get rid of one piece of stash every 2 weeks
Scrapbook at least 5 pages a month
Take my knitting to a higher skill level
Blog more!

My first post

2009-05-20T06:54:00.000-04:00

Welcome to my little corner of the web. It seems like I'm a little late to jump on the blog bandwagon, but I'm here just the same.

My name is Tiffany, and by reading my posts, you should be able to get to know me a little.

You'll hear all about my adventures as a wife, mother, substitute teacher, coffee addict, quilter, garment sewer, knitter, daughter of the King of kings, and all around busy (but happy) girl!