Weddings, Showers & House Warming Gifts

The invitation arrived!  You are thrilled for the happy couple.  You send a positive RSVP.  Now what will you get them?  You look on their registry.  Many of the items in your price range have already been purchased.  You want to get them something practical and useful but unique.  How about something personalized?

 Many of these designs will work well on towels, blankets, pillows, flags, etc.

 

Towels can have a simple one letter monogram,  a three letter monogram, one letter with some simple designs added, or full names .  I will work to help you find the perfect font to fit the personality of the bride and groom.  I've been embroidering the towels from Sam's Club and have found them to be thick, and thirsty.   The embroidery thread is bleach resistant and durable. The towel will wear out long before the monogram does!  They make such an elegant gift.

A bride approached me with a unique request.  She had some dainty little antique linen napkins that she wanted embroidered for her and to give as gifts to the mothers of the bride and groom, and grandmothers of the  bride and groom.

  Their colors were periwinkle and celery.  She chose a font and thread colors.  The top picture is of the ones for the bride and groom to carry.  The picture to the right are the ones for the parents of the bride.  The center one shows how the mother's looked when folded and the far right shows how it looked when she opened it.  What a wonderful unique gift for this bride to give!  They can be used and will always be a reminder of their beautiful wedding.

Napkins .Another wonderful and unique gift!   This customer found these beautiful napkins and napkin rings and had me embroider the one letter monogram.  This bride can set a really nice table when she entertains.

 Pillow cases.  Is an entire sheet set out of your price range but just giving pillow cases is not your idea of a nice gift?  How about embroidered pillowcases?  The top case belongs to my husband and me.  I love using them.  They are sateen.  The bottom case is of 600 thread count Egyptian Cotton.  I found them on Amazon.

Garden Flag

I bet no one will give the couple a garden flag.  The flag can be one sided or two sided.  It doesn't have to have a butterfly.  I can help you choose a design.  I sell these in my Etsy shop where you can see the other colors in which the durable flag material comes.

How about some kitchen towels to fit the personality of the recipients?

 This was purchased for a couple who love to hunt.






The Fruits of the Spirit are needed to maintain any successful relationship.  These towels are not only pretty and practical but a wonderful reminder.

 

I love this kitchen towel.  It belongs to my husband and me. 

We love coffee and Slow Lane Cafe is a website my husband used to have and also our e-mail address.  We love those moments when we can sip a cup of coffee and take life in the slow lane.

The following designs are great for showers and weddings also or as a housewarming gift.  So don't feel as if you need to give another set of glasses, baking pans, or a toaster.  Get your imagination going and lets come up with a unique gift that is sure to be a big hit with the recipients!

How My Machine Embroidery Is Done

I really didn't have a clue as to how to do machine embroidery and applique' when I got my machine.  I knew you used a computerized sewing machine, bought some designs, and hooped the material.  But I really knew nothing else.  I just knew that I loved the results I had seen.

I purchased my machine and took lessons.  Then I started embroidering.  I thought my first attempts were wonderful but experience certainly helps and I'm still learning.  As with so many things, the more I learn, the more I realize I don't know.  Technique varies according to what is being embroidered but I've show the basic steps in this post.

In addition to purchasing the machine, I purchased threads.  I now own almost 100 colors and always see more that I want.  Then I needed several different types of stabilizer and many designs!  I've lost count of the designs I own and am always buying more.  I would estimate that I now have at least 500 designs and maybe more.  And then there was another big purchase, software.  I have a program that allows me to change the colors, size, shape, and eventually digitize some of my own designs.  I can then put everything together as the customer has requested, make it into a jpeg image and e-mail it to the customer to see if they like the design before I stitch it.

I just finished some cute towels for a client.  She owns her own basket making business and also teaches classes.  She gave me her business card so I could see her logo.  I searched for basket designs for her and she chose one.  I then added her logo.  She ordered towels and had them sent to me. She wanted some with her logo and some without to give as gifts to fellow basket weavers. Let me show you step by step how I embroidered her towels.

The first thing I do with almost all items is wash them.  Towels are usually 100% cotton so there can be some shrinkage.  Then I mark the towels to show exactly where I want the embroidery to be placed.  Then pen I use is temporary and will disappear when sprayed with water or if just left alone for several days.  

 Next, I turn the towels over and spray them with some temporary adhesive and place a piece of stabilizer on the back.  For these towels I chose a stabilizer which will tear away easily and the remainder will wash away.

 Now I'm ready to place the towels in the hoop.  I was able to use a medium size hoop for this design. 

 I have to be very careful to get the towel into the hoop so the design will be straight.

After I get it into the hoop, I lay a grid on top to check my marks and be sure the towels  are straight.

With towels or any material with a deep pile, I apply another stabilizer on top of the towel.  This allows the stitches to lay on top of the pile.  This stabilizer dissolves totally when wet.

 When the design was chosen, I used the software to match the colors with threads colors that I own.  This particular design uses 11 different colors so I line them up in the order in which they will be used.

 Now it's time to attach the hoop to my machine.

 The machine stops after each thread color is completed and I then change threads.  In the above picture, it is stitching with the third thread color.

 Thread #4

 Thread #5

 Thread #6  Some threads stitch for 6 minutes in this design, others stitch for 1 minute.

 Each thread starts to add dimension, detail and depth to the design.

 Thread #7

 Periodically I stop and cut threads.  I call them connector threads.  As the machine moves from one area to the next, it just draws the thread with it.  You don't want all of those connector threads on top of the design.

 Thread #8 , the roses.

 Thread #9, the  outlines of the roses.

 Thread # 10 is the petal of the black eyed susan, and thread #11 is the center of those flowers. It takes 33 minutes of actual stitching to complete the

15, 609 stitches in the design.  With thread changes and some trimming it will take around 1 hour to complete this towel.

 I remove the towel from the hoop and look at the back.  There are many threads to trim.  I have tiny little scissors with sharp points to get under those threads.

I also look at the front and trim any remaining threads. Now it's time to put the towels back into the washer.  When they are wet, I turn them over to the back to see if any more stabilizer needs to be removed.  To me, it is easier to remove it when it is wet.

Here are the finished towels.  The thread will retain it's pretty color through many, many washings.  They can even be bleached without taking the color out of the thread.

New Etsy Shops

 My dear friend, Hannah, has opened an Etsy shop and is making adorable earrings at an affordable price.  Please click  shop to see what goodies she has to offer.  Hannah is a stay at home mom to her adorable son who was recently diagnosed with autism.  And she is an adoring wife to her husband, Patrick. If you would like to read some of her inspiring posts check out her blog Happy Days.


The other new shop was just opened by my friend Kris. Kris and I worked as school nurses for the same county for several years.  She is a delightful person and is making beautiful and affordable ties.  If you don't see what you want, just request it and she'll see what she can do.
 http://www.etsy.com/people/tiesru

Classic Darn Good Chocolate Cake

I love The Cake Doctor books.  My husband recently went to Tennessee to visit his family.  I wanted to bake a cake for him to take.  I didn't want one with icing since it may melt on the 15 hour trip in a warm car.  I looked through The Cake Doctor Returns book and found this recipe.  It was a big hit in Tennessee so I made it again to take to the monthly school nurses meeting to celebrate Nurses Appreciation Week.  Many have asked for the recipe so here it is. Classic Darn Good Chocolate Cake

Page 228 in The Cake Doctor Returns by Anne Byrn. I used Duncan Hines Dark Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix and Jello Sugar Free, Fat Free Chocolate Fudge Pudding.  Just make sure your cake mix is plain and not the kind with pudding already in it.

1 pkg plain chocolate cake mix 1 pkg chocolate instant pudding mix 4 large eggs 1 cup sour cream, reduced fat, or plain yogurt 2/3 cup water 1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp Pure Vanilla Extract 1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly mist a 12 cup Bundt pan with vegetable oil spray then dust it with flour. Shake our the excess flour and set the pan aside. 2. Place the cake mix, pudding mix, eggs, sour cream or yogurt, water, oil, and vanilla in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until the ingredients are incorporated, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the side of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the batter for 1 1/2 minutes longer, scraping down the side of the bowl again if needed. The batter should look smooth and thick. Fold in the chocolate chips. Pour the batter into the prepared Bundt pan, smoothing the top with the rubber spatula, and place the pan in the oven. 3. Bake the cake until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a finger, 55 to 60 minutes. Transfer the Bundt pan to a wire rack and let the cake cool for 15 to 20 minutes. ( I lay a damp paper towel on top to seal in some of the moisture) Run a long, sharp knife around the edges of the cake, shake the pan gently, and invert the cake to a wire rack. ( I then re-dampen the paper towel and lay it over the cake again) . Let cake cool completely. You can then serve as is or sift some powdered sugar on top. 4. This cake can also be baked as cupcakes. It can be frozen also. If you zap it in the microwave, the chocolate chips will become soft just as if it is fresh out of the oven again.

Servings: 16

Nutrition Facts Serving size: 1/16 of a recipe (3.5 ounces). Percent daily values based on the Reference Daily Intake (RDI) for a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients.

Ribbit!

I was walking through Wal-Mart a couple of months ago when I noticed some fleece jackets on clearance.  They didn't have any design on them.  Logan, my 18 month old grandson, loves to make the "Ribbit" sound of a frog and he has recently learned how to say frog.  It comes out a little more like "fog" but is pretty cute in his little toddler voice. 

I looked at those plain jackets and thought they would be the perfect place to embroider some frogs.  I was going to put them away until next fall but then realized that the kids were growing by leaps and bounds and I needed to get hoppin' !

I used a nice soft flannel that had little green frogs and bees on it.  In retrospect, I may have used a different material . The frog material would be great for a larger area. I still think they turned out cute and the kids LOVED them.

Do you have a child or grandchild who loves frogs? They would be cute on many different things. Pillows, blankets, shirts, bags, etc.  You can add words such as I did or you can add a name. 

Aunt Georgia's Sugar Cookies

I have tried  many different sugar cookie recipes but this is a family favorite.  I have a dear friend, Brenda, who I've literally known all of my life.  Our parents were friends before we were born.  We started attending the same school in middle school.  At some point during our friendship, I was given the recipe for these cookies. Years later, her sister, Cheryl, had a son and I had a daughter.  I made these cookies for almost every holiday when my children were small and continue to do so.  My daughter knew that "Aunt" Brenda  had a sister and that the sister had a son but Cheryl's son and my daughter did not know each other even though they were just a year apart in age.  My daughter grew up and went to college.  She was home for spring break when we attended a celebration for Brenda & Richard's 25th wedding anniversary.  Lauren and Ryan met, married and now have two children.  Many people avoid making sugar cookies because of the time it takes to decorate them.  Don't try to be Martha Stewart!  I just sprinkle a little sugar and decorative sprinkles to match the occasion and design.  No one minds that they aren't iced like butterflies, bunnies etc.  Sometimes I put chocolate chips on top of a few just as they come out of the oven, and then as the chocolate melts, I spread the it around like icing and them put a few decorative sprinkles on top.  Aunt Georgia's Sugar Cookies. This recipe came from Georgia Redington,my son-in-law's great aunt. If you use the small cookie cutters from Pampered Chef or similar, the recipe will make approx 270 cookies at about 30 calories each. 1 cup  oil, ( canola , olive, etc.) 2 sticks  butter 2 eggs 1 tsp  baking soda 1 tsp  cream of tartar 1 tsp  vanilla 1 cup  sugar 1 cup  powdered sugar 4 cup  flour 1 tsp  salt 1 tsp  lemon juice 1 cup  powdered sugar for rolling dough 1 Cream oil, butter, and eggs. 2 In separate bowl, mix together dry ingredients then add to creamed mixture. Add lemon juice to all and mix well. Put dough in refrigerator for several hours. 3 Generously sprinkle powdered sugar on counter or other rolling surface and roll dough to ¼" thick , cut with cookie cutters, decorate as desired and bake at 350° for 7 - 10 min. or until starting to brown. 4 ** Other ways to make the cookies is to roll dough into 1" balls, roll in granulated sugar and press with a decorative cookie press or with the bottom of a glass. 5 ***For chocolate frosting, don't decorate cookies before baking but immediately as they come out of the oven, place a few chocolate chips on top of the cookies, wait until the chips melt and then spread around to "ice" the top of the cookie. You can then add decorations to the top of the chocolate. I like to use the Ghiradelli 60% cocoa chips. Servings: 60  Nutrition Facts Serving size: 1 serving Percent daily values based on a 2000 calorie diet. Nutrition information calculated from recipe ingredients. The following ingredients were not linked to the ingredient database and were not included in the nutrition information: powdered sugar for rolling dough Amount Per Serving Calories 111.45 Calories From Fat (54%) 59.94 % Daily Value Total Fat 6.80g 10% Saturated Fat 2.22g 11% Cholesterol 11.02mg 4% Sodium 82.73mg 3% Potassium 18.39mg 1% Carbohydrates 11.76g 4% Dietary Fiber 0.23g 1% Sugar 5.35g Sugar Alcohols 0.00g Net Carbohydrates 11.53g Protein 1.00g 2% Recipe formatted and exported by Living Cookbook from Radium Technologies, Inc.