Handmade Life

So this is a new feature I would like to make a weekly staple here on the blog. I want it to be about quick and easy ideas that can help people who are interested in living the handmade lifestyle but don't have hours of free time every day. I believe that even the smallest choices can have a big impact so that's what I hope this feature does, inspire some small choices that make a great impact on your life!

Yesterday I listed some new pillowcase kits online and I think this would be the perfect place to start.

 

I think the easiest way to introduce yourself to the handmade lifestyle is to think about the things in our lives that we see as disposable and creating something that is not! For instance, every Halloween I see tons of kiddos carrying around those little plastic jack-o-lanterns that they use to carry all their trick-or-treating loot in! And every garbage day after, you see them in everyone's trash cans. Maybe you only spend $1.99 on those buckets each year, but how about investing the $10.25 it costs for one of these adorable pillowcase kits, spending the 15 minutes it takes to whip one up and voila! You now have a trick-or-treat goodie bag that is adorable, that you'll never want to throw away and that your child can use year after year! Plus, pillowcases won't take up much room in your already full linen cabinet! And perhaps your munchkins would like the pillowcase on their bed all of October! Handmade AND multi-purpose??? Can you say, AWESOME!!

Now, I know this is a very small thing to do, but I really hope that by introducing little ideas, it will inspire bigger ones. And I hope you guys have some wonderful ideas to share here with me and everyone else! Also, let me know what you think of this "Handmade Life" feature. Would you like to see more? I appreciate yall's feedback so any ideas, comments or concerns are greatly appreciated!!

Buttons Galore!

Hey everyone! And Merry Tuesday to you all! There's a lot of exciting things going on here at the Cabbage Rose these days. We've been getting in so many new and beautiful things its hard to keep track of it all! But I do want to share something new that just makes me wanna leap for joy...BUTTONS!!!!

 

Monochromatic

That's right! We now have buttons in le shoppe! We're really expanding our collection of embellishments so that you can jazz up your projects like nobody's business! We have two types of buttons currently. A set of 4 striped buttons and a set of 20 monochromatic ones. There are sooo many colors to choose from!

  

Striped

If you've noticed the past week or so I've been really trying to streamline the website and make it easier to navigate so when I introduce a new type of item, I'll let you know exactly where to find it here on the blog. Hopefully it will get you used to how we're organizing things these days! So to find the new Buttons department, on the homepage under Quilt Shop you will see a heading labeled Notions & Trims. Click on it and you will find the Buttons department! See! Easy peasy!

So, what are you going to use these precious new buttons for??? Maybe on a cute little jumper for the little princess in your life? Or how about tufting a colorful pillow with the striped buttons? There are tons of great uses for them so share your ideas in the comments! And don't forget to follow us and read the Giveaway post for a chance to win an awesome kit!

Receipes from Lisa Irwin ~ Patchwork Express Weekend

Potato Salad

5 lbs of potatoes (boiled with skins on)
8 eggs boiled & chopped
Chopped pickles about one cup
Mayonnaise – enough to keep salad from being dry (Duke’s is my fav)
Couple of dashes of worchestshire sauce
Couple of squeezes of yellow mustard
Couple of shakes of Mrs. Dash
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine all ingredients and stir until mixed!

Pasta Salad
1 lb. of any style pasta (I used multi color)
1 bottle of Italian dressing
1 chopped red bell pepper
1 chopped yellow bell pepper
1 bunch green onions – chopped
½ cup pine nuts
1 small jar of sliced black olives
1 container of grape tomatoes sliced in ½
1 ½ head of chopped broccoli

Mix all ingredients if dry add more dressing to taste
Salt and pepper to taste

Enjoy,
Lisa Irwin

GIVEAWAY!!!

Happy Monday to you all! I hope you've had a fabulous weekend full of creativity! If you're battling a case of "the Mondays" today maybe our fresh and fabulous GIVEAWAY will brighten your spirits!!!

What are we giving away, you ask? Well, we just happen to be offering up an absolutely ADORABLE kit!

Up for grabs is the "Whimsy Diamonds Table Topper" kit! The fabrics are from the line Whimsy and include a charm pack, honey bun and some additional yardage!

If you're dining room table isn't screaming for a perfectly cute table runner, how about using the pattern to make an adorable wall hanging like this one we have hanging in our shop!

This is quite the snag considering this kit retails in our store for $49.00!!! Now, I know what you must be thinking..."how on EARTH do I win this fabulous kit???" Well it couldn't be more simple! Just follow our blog if you aren't following already and then leave a comment on this post! It could be about a new project you're working on, sewing tips, your favorite summertime tradition or just how bad you want this kit for FREE! We are going to leave the comments on this post open until next Wednesday and the winner shall be announced that Friday! Please no double entries however if you'd like to enter your mom, sister, friend or whoever you may post another comment with their name!

Please include your email address at the bottom of your comment so that we can contact you personally about shipping details! The shipping will be free of course, but we'll need to get your full name and address!

GOOD LUCK!!!

Sew Awesome!

Kay Whitt's new book, Sew Serendipity, is now available here!

Get a SIGNED COPY today!!  Kay brought them by just for those of you that live to far to drop in for the big Signing Party July 10th!

This is an exciting book because it is meant to help ease your fears of trying to sew clothing...gulp...for yourself! It offers tips and a simple introduction to making clothes which will hopefully give you the confidence you need to try more! 

It includes full size tissue patterns in seven sizes plus a "Custom Fitting" section to help you accurately measure yourself and adjust the patterns to get the best fit possible! It also has in depth instructions for each piece along with guides on what tools you'll need and how to use them!

Wanna hear the best part??? We're going to be hosting a book signing party Saturday, July 10th!!!

10am - 2pm

So exciting! We're thrilled about Kay's new book and want for us all to celebrate it together with her!  

Stay tuned for more details about the signing party - July 10th!

Guess Who??

So, I don't know if any of you have heard about this but last week WFI Lifestyle Fabrics announced that Ty Pennington is going to be designing a new line of home decor furnishings plus fabric lines for Westminster!

How awesome is that? I've loved Ty ever since his days on Trading Spaces and still love watching him on Extreme Home Makeover! He's such a cool guy with a keen eye for design. I am really excited to see what he does. Here's what he had to say about his newest venture: "I have built my career and pretty much lived my entire life around a do-it-yourself lifestyle. I am very excited about designing fabrics and products for this market with Westminster, whose artists and initiatives have influenced trends and inspired the creativity of DIY enthusiasts."

His line, "Ty Pennington Impressions" will debut at the 2010 Fall Quilt Market. I'm pretty excited to see it! How about you?

Something New!

Well, another lovely weekend has come and gone. Can you believe how fast they go by?? I sure can't, but luckily I have a job that I'm thrilled to come back to every Monday! In celebration of that fact, I thought I'd share some serious cute with you guys today. Get ready...

We have finally added trims to the website! If you go to the homepage, under the heading Quilt Shop you will see Notions & Trims! This is the department where you will find lots of beautiful colored ric racs and pom pom fringe! There are even some Riley Blake trims!

Pretty cute, eh? Well all I can say is there's a lot of pizzazz to be added with these adorable trimmings! Think of all the posibillities! You could trim a cute skirt with pom poms or a pair of funky capris with ric rac! I was thinking it would be A-DOR-A-BLE to line the edge of a pillowcase with those fuzzy poms! And there's oh-so-much you could do with a quilt and some pretty ric rac in your hands! Do you have any cute ideas for using trims?? We'd love to hear about them! Let's talk in the comments!

Oh Riley Blake, Stop it!!!

Riley Blake is just KILLING me this year! Have you seen the new Colorful Christmas line??? It's AMAZING and it's in the shop now!!!

All of the prints come in cotton AND flannel (which we'll have online soon)! UPDATE: They're in the shop now!!! I'm seriously excited to get some of the yummy flannels to make some Christmas time PJ's!!! But think about all the possibilities! I would love to see a Christmas quilt made out of these cuties! What would you use them for??

More from Fig Tree & Co!

Well hello again! And happy Monday to all of you out in blog land! I hope your weekend was full of creativity, time with loved ones and maybe even a little rest! ;)

A few posts ago I shared two new patterns for Spring from Fig Tree & Co and now I have a few more to gush about!

This is the Berry Sweet Bag! There just aren't words for how adorable this is! Perfect for a young girl or anyone young at heart! You can make it with a long, cross-body strap or with two shorter straps. So whimsical!

Clovers is the name of this amazing quilt and I'm in love! All you need to whip up this top is a layer cake or 3 charm packs and some background fabric! This traditional Card Trick block defintiely got a fresh face in this pattern!

And last but certainly not least is the ever-so-lovely Strawberry Cafe! This is a pattern for sweet little cafe curtains and a simple table topper. It seems like Joanna is in love with strawberries this season! I don't blame her, I'm in love with strawberries EVERY season! But unlike the ones you get at the grocery, these little home decor treasures are ALWAYS good!

As you have probably noticed, the blog has gotten a little bit of a facelift! We're slowly but surely trying to freshen up our website and blog so expect to see little changes here and there! If you have any feedback, we'd love to hear what you have to say, whether it's about the new look or if there's any topics you'd like to read about here! Our goal is to make all your visits to Cabbage Rose, whether in person or on the web to be a delightful as possible! So let us know what you think! Have a lovely week!

Give it to me simple!

Just wanted to pop in to let you all know that now ALL of the Amy Butler patterns on our website now have fabric requirements and size charts when applicable in the additional images! So if you're interested in one of her patterns you don't have to wait to receive it to pick out fabric for your project! For instance, if you wanted to purchase the "Rainy Days" rain coat pattern, you'll be able to see what size you'll need and how much fabric you need to purchase as well! We also have all of our Amy Butler Laminated fabrics linked to this pattern! Talk about simple, one-stop shopping!

Speaking of super simple things, last week we added oodles of Amy's new double-faced, pre-quilted fabrics! If you haven't caught wind of these yet, what they are is two of her lovely prints sandwhiching some poly batting and quilted in a diamond grid! All you need to do is add some binding for a practically instant quilt! She has these amazing quilted beauties in Midwest Modern and Love fabrics. Here are a few of my favorites!

Isn't this a fabulous idea?? I was just thinking last night how many things you could use these pre-quilted fabrics for! You could make tote bags, lap quilts, pot holders, a cozy jacket or even a laptop case! I've been wanting to snag one of Amy's Laptop and iPod Cover patterns for awhile but now I have to! I think the pre-quilted fabric will totally simplify the process! What would you make with them? We'd love to hear about it!

Too early for the holidays?

Is it really ever too soon to prepare for the holidays? I think not! We've been getting tons of great new holiday lines into the shop over the past few weeks and I thought I'd share my favorites wtih yall!

Here's a panel  from my new favorite Christmas line from Kate Spain, 12 Days of Christmas! She's done such a fresh color scheme for a Christmas line, pea greens and robin's egg blues...such a modern take on the classics. We'll be doing a kit with this line too so keep on the lookout for that!

And these are some of my favorite prints from the Boo to You! line by My Mind's Eye. This has to be one of the cutest Halloween collections I've ever seen! Such whimsical little characters that will make you scream "eeek!" out of excitement instead of horror! There's adorable polka dots, stripes and even precious little skull and crossbones! Yes, precious and skulls CAN go together! Who knew? I can see cute pairs of pj pants or even a pillowcase to carry some candy loot out of these adorable fabrics! Definitely worth a look!

So how soon do you start preparing for the holidays? I know Christmas gifts have crossed my mind already this year! And what could be better than a gift handmade with love? I know I would really like to make more things for my friends and family this year! How about you?

Wanna see the cutest thing ever???

Miss Madeline in the ever-so-popular Nie Nie Skirt, made by our very own Susanna! 

Those ruffles! Sooo adorable!

Look at this girl! Workin' it! She absolutely LOVED wearing this skirt! She couldn't stop twisting and twirling all over the shop! We're lucky to work with such an agreeable model! ;)

I think Grammie would have to agree!

We have so many moms coming into the shop these days looking to make their kiddos some extra-special duds! So if you have a little one that likes to stand out in a crowd, come and check out some of our fabulous fabrics and patterns! Your creations are bound to bring a big smile to a little face!

In Love with Heather!

Happy Monday to you all! Hopefully you've all had an creative and relaxing weekend! But as always, the weekend has to end and I thought I'd share some pretty to help get you through your week!

I have always been tickled pink by the lovely fabric lines of the ever-so-talented Heather Bailey, but lately, it's been her patterns that are stealing my heart! Here are a few that we added to the shop last week!

This is the New Leaf Folding Tote! These bags fold up into the size of a wallet so you can always keep them with you! Perfect to take with you to the farmer's market or grocery store so you can be earth-friendly and fashionable at the same time!

This expandable Market Bag is every woman's dream! Big enough to carry everything but the kitchen sink and yet small enough so you can actually FIND your cell phone! I would use it to sneak snacks brought from home into the movie theater! Shhhhh!

Aren't they precious! The Claira & Clancy Pig Dolls are too cute for words!

And Henrietta has to be the sweetest pincushion I ever did see!

I love that her patterns are really made for her fabrics! I personally couldn't imagine them any other way! If you're just dying to grab one of these patterns, be sure to check out her line Nicey Jane too! Every bit of it is gorgeous!

Extra, Extra!

Guess what? Cabbage Rose is featured in the Fort Worth Star Telegram today!! If you're in the area be sure to pick up a copy and cruise to the Life & Arts section to read our story! If you're can't get the hard copy, you can still read the article here! We are so proud!

(source)

New patterns!

I just love getting new things! But who doesn't?? After the girls came back from Spring Market I've been dying to get all the little beauties they ordered into the shop! So many things won't be out until fall but check out these adorable new patterns we just got in from Fig Tree & Co.!

This is Little Jellies! It comes with patterns for 3 different little zippered bags perfect for holding anything and everything! You could use one as a makeup bag, one to hold knitting needles...oh, who am I kidding? Like anyone could own this pattern and make just ONE of each! What I love is that you can use up all of your leftover jelly roll scraps to make them!

And this little number is Vanilla Bloom! A super cute chain quit, it's by far the neatest pattern I've seen in so long! Check out this completely different looking quilt made with the exact same pattern.

Can you believe it's the same quilt???  I couldn't at first, but if you look closely they've just inverted the cream and patterned fabrics. Genius!

Wow, I need to grab one of each of these before they're gone! I think they're gonna go fast! Hop on over to the shop to snag one for yourself!