Over the weekend I finally broke into a pattern that I’ve had for about a month. I’ve seen it online, but I purchased it from my local quilt shop.

I used the fabric collection that I hugged to make this pair of cuties. They are quilted and top-stitched with orange thread.

The icing/top is a pocket for your hand, and the cupcake is lined with Insul-bright to further protect your hand.

Don’t they look nice on my lovely orange kitchen wall?

Love,

Tiff

P.S. Find a pair in my Etsy shop!

Love,

Tiff

I’ll have to make something for my orange kitchen as Katie suggested (she was with me at the last visit to Jo-Ann’s when I purchased the blue fabric).

Love,

Tiff

P.S. Yes, I’ll wait until after I finish my previously mentioned sewing projects.

TYS, 9/12/10

It’s a Simplicity pattern (3752) I bought  back in Tennessee. I decided I needed a new apron to match my orange kitchen. I’ve also decided to keep the cupcake kitchen theme, but I have to change my color schemes for this rental. Green and brown seems to be the ticket to complement the energetic orange. And would you believe it, but there is cupcake fabric with orange in it?! Providential!

I love Simplicity patterns!

The absolutely darling brown cupcake material was purchased from Portage Quilt House, my favorite store here in the U.P. I was able to avoid going there for a week! (I knew I would love it too much and tried to put off the stress to my wallet), but resistance was futile seeing as to how I live less than a mile away and drive past it whenever I go into town…And I have a fabric addiction, but I digress. The shop is so lovely in its setup and there are bolts and fat quarters everywhere! I didn’t see a single scrap of fabric that I didn’t want to take home with me. (Jeanette, there is also a super fluffy cat that hangs out in the shop whom you would love.) I’m definitely going to be a regular, as long as Brendan doesn’t confiscate my debit card or anything…

adorable cupcake fabric--with sprinkles!

The green material and the brown for the waistband and ties are from Wal-Mart (here in the U.P.). I love the brown fabric as it reminds me of seventies kitchen linoleum: so appropriate for my orange kitchen, wouldn’t you say?

brown and green fabric

With some of the cupcake scraps I embellished two kitchen towels (they look like washcloths to me, Wal-Mart, but oh well, I got nine of them for $3).

cupcake towels

Well, I’m off to another sewing project. I hope you, too, are celebrating September in sewing style!

Love,

Tiff

Sew cute!

The Amy Butler one features wonky patchwork squares on the front. It is quilted with a diamond design and has a pocket for your hand.

front

back with pocket

The One-Yard Wonders potholder has a hanging loop and I free-motion quilted it.

front

back

quilting

I am pretty pleased and can’t wait to use them in our new place.

Love,

Tiff

P.S. Maybe the cupcakes won’t look too terrible in our orange kitchen, there is some orange in this fabric…

I came home with a few more cupcake prints.

so sweet!

Don’t you just love the Swiss Cake Rolls? I figure I’ll embellish a kitchen towel or two.

I also had to purchase some backing for my “Caer Sullivan” quilt. I love, love, LOVE this turquoise for the back! The swirls are also like the ones in the cream-colored turret in my pieced castle.

I can’t wait to be settled in Michigan so I can get to these projects!

Love,

Tiff

P.S. We sold all of our stuff at the flea market so I could pack more fabric, right?

quilt top

I love the patterns.

While I’m anxious to finish Mom’s quilt, I decided to stick around the house and do something fun with things I had on hand.

I ended up with this:

clothespins

In our house, we use clothespins to keep our cracker/chips/whatever bags closed. I decided to give them some pizazz with the help of my trusty hot glue-gun.

I bought the little bucket at Target for $1, along with the ribbon, and had no idea what I would do with them, but they had cupcakes and thus HAD to leave the store with me.

So now this little bucket sits on our kitchen counter filled with these adorable clips to keep our Goldfish crackers fresh and crisp.

cheddar, yum!

How could I resist this ribbon?!

This super-simple craft fed my creative craving. I highly recommend this quick and simple project for near-instant gratification. Look at all the options! It makes me want to open up every package of foodstuffs in my cupboards!

too cute

Love,

Tiff

bench cushions!

Brendan and I have a bench flanked by two bookshelves for seating on one side of our dining room table. This bench is never used (except for the three baskets underneath that make for great dining/kitchen linen storage). Thus, making a cushion for it has never been high on my priority list. However, I was thinking that I would host the next sewing circle with my friends from school and figured that they would appreciate a nice seat cushion.

I bought two foam rectangles at Jo-Ann’s (buying it by the yard for one long cushion would have cost an outrageous sum) and lovely purple fabric as well as the pretty print with sprinkles and cherries. The foam covers were simple and quickly completed.

The real fun came with making the pillows.

The purple pillow was appliquéd with brown fabric from my cupcake kitchen towel embellishment and the new sprinkles print. I bought cherry-sized red pompoms from Hobby Lobby (perhaps I should exchange them with hot pink) and the rickrack I had on hand from one of my Baby Bowman projects.

purple pillow

My sprinkles (or “jimmies” as Grandpa Leibbrand would say) pillow has more embellishment. A cherry pompom, felt whipped cream, blue beads (from a bracelet that Brendan bought for me in Florida the Christmas before we were married), and some rickrack leftover from the kitchen towels.

sprinkles pillow

Both pillows are backed with a lighter shade of purple that matches the light shade of purple sprinkles.

side view

Doesn’t it look like a cozy corner? I can’t decide which pillow I prefer.

I have added some more towels and little ceramic cupcakes to my collection, but I do have two more additions that are too ridiculous not to share. At the last Jo-Ann’s sale, I bought a pattern for felt food and made a little cupcake with stuff on hand:

mini cupcake

I have no idea what to do with it. But you must admit it’s super cute. (Notice my detailed cupcake liner lines on my appliquéd pillow in the background?)

My favorite addition, however, is this bit of silliness that Brendan surprised me with one day after a shooting trip:

puppy with a cupcake house!

He stopped at Target and brought this plush cupcake puppy house complete with puppy as well as a ceramic cupcake. I added the ribbon, whipped topping and cherry to my puppy’s house. It’s so silly and perfect. I love it.

ceramic cupcakes

I still haven’t hung up that picture :}

cupcakes!

I don’t think that the madness will spread throughout the house…except there is this awesome pdf pattern for a cupcake quilt…

www.hearttohandonline.com/pdf/Cupcakes.pdf

Love,

Tiff

P.S. So far it’s been slow progress with Mom’s quilt. At least I have all the fabric cut: thirty0-six 4.5″ squares in each print.

baby steps

]]> http://www.sullivanrealm.net/2010/01/31/cupcakes-continued/feed/ 4 http://www.sullivanrealm.net/2010/01/08/arctic-blast/ http://www.sullivanrealm.net/2010/01/08/arctic-blast/#comments Fri, 08 Jan 2010 23:50:21 +0000 tiffany http://www.sullivanrealm.net/?p=580 Today was a snow day due to the “Arctic Blast” that swept the nation. Look at the drifts of snow behind our apartment:

Blizzard of 2010

Brendan and I slept in a little and then enjoyed a breakfast of freshly made cinnamon rolls and hot tea.

yummy

teacup from Mom for Christmas

We spent the morning out shopping at World Market, Jo-Ann’s, and Gander Mountain. Later, I went out by myself to Hobby Lobby and look what I found in the Valentine’s Day aisle:

mini ceramic cupcake!

It is so cute and perfect for my new kitchen decor. I think I’ll keep sugar in it for the few types of tea that I do sweeten. Speaking of, I think I’ll have another cup after braving the tundra.

Tennessee Tundra

Love,

Tiff

What, you don’t wear heels and pearls in your kitchen?

I bought the blue towels from Target (2 for $2.50).

The potholders and oven mitts are also from Target (and at the same price).

Brendan has already been warned that the potholders are purely decorative and he is not to touch them.

The oven mitts are for actual use.

The white towels were purchased plain at Big Lots in a pack of five. I embellished them with fabric from Jo-Ann’s and some pink rickrack.

Mom gave me the pink and pastry-printed dish towels for Christmas. I added the rickrack to the solid pink towel for some  interest.

I now have quite the towel collection.

The magnetic cupcake paper tablet is from Target ($1) and the super-cute magnets are original Jeanette Bowman‘s. She did some custom artwork for me for Christmas. They look so cheerful on our fridge.

I made the curtains this weekend with adorable fabric from Jo-Ann’s. I picked it out when I went shopping with Mom and Jeanette the day after Christmas. (Thank you Mom Sullivan for the gift card.) I’m very pleased with how well the curtains turned out. I was able to cut straight and accurate lines with my new cutting mat, ruler, and rotary (Christmas present from my darling husband). My curtains are actually lined, too. The rickrack looks like icing and finishes the hem quite nicely. Brendan and I were reminiscing about the ridiculously misshapen and poorly constructed curtains that I had made for our first apartment. (Does anyone remember those?) We both readily agreed that these are infinitely better.

I framed a piece of the fabric with a similar rickrack embellishment for a piece of art!

Yes, my walls are painted “silver berry”–also known as purple.

This picture is actually a greeting card that I purchased from Target for $0.99. “How sweet it is” indeed.

I still haven’t decided where to hang it.

This apron is from Jo-Ann’s and Brendan gave it to me for Christmas. I love it. It’s a simple panel where you cut out the pieces and stitch.

Of course, I had to embellish it. The squiggle borders needed rickrack.

And why have printed buttons, when you can have cupcake buttons?

I have towels, curtains, potholders, magnets, and art . . . and finally:

The amazing cupcake cookie jar is from Wal-Mart! (Only $12!) It makes me so happy. I have a giant cupcake sitting on my counter at all times! How can anyone look at it and not smile?

I still want new rugs (did you see the current sickness in the first photo?) and I would like a brown or turquoise soap dispenser for the dish soap to complete the theme (and I, of course, would not turn down any other cupcake cuteness that I come across in the future), but I’m very pleased with my results.

Isn’t my husband so sweet to let me decorate a room in such a nauseating motif?

I’m hoping that the overall cuteness and cheerfulness will motivate me to cook more.

Love,

Tiff

P.S. I may need rickrack rehab. I’m obsessed with it now and have to stop myself from putting it on everything.