Sister's Choice Quilts

Plugging Away at the Sampler Spree Blocks

I had some free time come up unexpectedly last week and did some early morning sewing before it got too warm to be upstairs.

In the photo above you can see I added some variety to my light blue fabric blocks. I got brave and added in some orange for a bit of visual interest. I have been following Lella Boutique's posts and she had done that in a number of her blocks in a specific color. Since I am copying her layout and fabric choices I jumped in and tried it as well. We will see how it looks in the finished quilt top layout.

I applied the same concept to my dark blue blocks and added in some bright yellow.

This week I am going to start working on seven more blocks primarily in that cheery yellow shade. This Sampler Spree sew-along should be winding up pretty soon I think. I have meant to mention again what a great resource Susan Ache's book is. The blocks are a very good assortment, mostly pretty easy, and not patterns that you commonly see. For just over $22 I think it is a good investment.

Hope you all had a terrific weekend. I know it is only the beginning of August, which seems barely halfway through summer. However, in our area, school starts for Eva today, Monday, August 9th. How crazy is that? I have barely had a minute to wrap my head around it, and I am off to a Kick Off the School Year meeting today and will meet with her mentor teacher Wednesday to figure out our home school curriculum for the year. 

I sure have not put a dent in the sewing goals I had set for myself this summer. My hope is that once we get into a daily school schedule I will be able to carve out a designated sewing time each day and make better use of my time. Wish me luck!

Summertime Makeup and Skincare Favorites

I thought it might be fun to share some summertime favorites with you all this week. Today I will talk about some skincare and makeup products I have really been enjoying.

Skin Care

I have discovered Glossier Skin Care products, which are wonderful. At this time, I think they can only be purchased from the company's website. I have used the serum and the skin cream, which are so emollient and nurturing. My skin soaks up all the goodness they offer and has been looking really hydrated and happy since I discovered the brand. The lip balm pictured above and the hand cream are also wonderful. They currently have a combo of cleanser, skin cream, and lip balm that is a great price. If you have dry skin you will love it. Add in the serum and you will be in heaven.

Make Up

I recently heard about a tinted moisturizer that offers the best of foundation coverage as well as skin care treatment. That is Nars Pure Radiant Tinted Moisturizer SPF 30. It does have great coverage for a tinted moisturizer and feels like a skin treatment when you put it on your face. I use the shade Alaska and find that I look natural, yet my flaws are covered, and my skin feels nourished. Big thumbs up from me. Not heavy at all, and looks like my skin but better. My skin can breathe and feels very happy when I wear this.

You may have heard of Buxom cosmetics. They are particularly known for their lipglosses, which are 100% amazing. It turns out, they also make blushes, eyeshadows and bronzers which are very high quality and lovely. Their powdered shadows, blushes, and bronzers are in a great color selection and also blend flawlessly. The blushes have a slight fragrance--kind of coconut-y, tropical, vanilla-y. You can choose from peach, mauve, pink and natural color tones for the blush. I have RoofTop Tan bronzer, Havana, Mykonos, and Seychelles blushes. Their eyeshadows are lovely and the only hard thing is choosing what colors to buy. Buxom pricing is very reasonable I think. Discovering their eyeshadows is going down a rabbit hole for sure.

Volumizing, non-clumping, conditioning, vegan. Those are all the words used to describe this budget-friendly mascara by Cover Girl. I love this Lash Blast Clean formula. My eyelashes look lush and thick, but are separated and full looking. It comes off easily with a makeup wipe or remover. I am a big fan, and for less than $10 you will be too.

I think that is all for today. Come back later this week and let's talk bras, cardigans, sandals, and jeans.

 

 

 

Light Summer Meals

As I have mentioned, it has been dreadfully hot where I live. Consequently, we have been eating a lot lighter lately. This week I tried out a dish for Chicken in Lettuce Wraps, which was delicious. It is a copycat recipe of the amazing dish served at PF Changs. It is made with ground chicken and takes around 20 minutes to put together, which is also ideal in hot weather.

I used a pound of ground chicken, and my husband and I each had a serving like the one pictured above. There was tons of the chicken mixture leftover which was great for lunch the next day. You can wrap the mixture in butter lettuce leaves as we did, or try wrapping it in a flour tortilla. Not as low-calorie, but I bet it would be delicious. Serve with a side of pineapple or melon and it is a perfect meal.

So, let me tell you about the author of the recipe. She is an adorable girl named Chungah Rhee, born in Queens into a traditional Korean household. While in college studying to be an epidemiologist she started a terrific blog site called Damn Delicious. She has also written a cookbook by that name, which is excellent. Everything I have made from it has been great. She also posts a lot on Instagram. Her style is fast and easy, although she makes use of her slow cooker for some great simple recipes as well. She puts out new recipes on Instagram and her website frequently and I love following her. She also has two adorable Corgis named Butters and Cartman, and she shares pics of them often. Clearly, she has dropped the plan to be an epidemiologist with the start of her current successful business ventures.

How about you? Do you eat differently in the summer? What are your favorite things to eat in the heat?

 

Sampler Spree Sew Along 21 Blocks

I haven't been doing much sewing for a couple of reasons. One, it has been super duper hot where I live. It seems as if it gets up over 100 every day lately. My sewing room is upstairs and we have been trying to conserve energy by not using the air conditioner up there. I've tried sewing without it, and it is miserable. The second reason for not sewing much is a couple of health issues that are still bugging me. Between my slow eye surgery recovery and some recent asthma issues, I am happier just sitting quietly listening to an audiobook, to tell you the truth.

I did make a few more blocks in the Sew Sampler Sew Along. I laid them out in the three color groups I have made so far, and think they are so pretty. The blocks above are the pale orange color group.

Here are the darker orange blocks. Isn't that block on the top of the pile stunning? I can't remember what it is called, but I just love it and how the design twists.

And lastly, the blue ones. I have more light blue fabric that I didn't use and think I should make more blocks with those lighter colors.

This diagram is from Lella Boutique. I am copying her layout. The quilt design will be in the shape of a maple leaf. The sampler quilt blocks will be interspersed with solid "Grunge" fabrics designed by Basic Grey that coordinate with their Persimmon and Cider collections, which are the fabrics I am using. As you see from the diagram, the leaf is divided into different color sections. The total number of blocks I will end up with is kind of fluid at this point.

Hope your week is going well!