The 15 minute table runner

No joke.  15 minutes (maybe less) no cutting involved and only a minor amount of sewing!  My sister-chic, Lori, introduced the concept when we were visiting her house last weekend for our annual sister-weekend.  We whipped up 2 beautiful table runners in less than 30 minutes.  I couldn't wait to make one of my own.

 

The ingredients are really easy:  1/3 yard of fabric as the primary fabric (the fabric in the center) , plus 1/2 yard of a secondary/complimentary fabric (the fabric on the outside), plus 2 large buttons.  Heather helped me choose this fabric at our local Ben Franklin.  I was looking for something bright and "Spring-like".

Sew two long seems making a long rectangle and press the tube so that the primary fabric (peace sign print) is edged by the secondary fabric (purple stripe).  

Next fold the entire rectangle in half the long way with the primary fabric sandwiched in the center.  Sew each of the ends across, trim the seam and press.  This will form a triangle pocket at each end of the runner.  Next, sew a button to close each triangle pocket, press one more time and ta-da, you have created a 15 minute table runner!

 

These are the two adorable table runners created by JoyX3 (a.k.a. Lori, Heather & me) last weekend.

My peeps in our matching owl-tactic PJ's.

Our destination in less than 3 weeks is...

Vieques, Puerto Rico, which is a small island off of the main island of Puerto Rico.  We wouldn't know anything about this island if it weren't for our good friends Lance & Denise.  We went with them 4 years ago to the island of Culebra and are taking our second vacay with them to Vieques, March 11-17th.  Vacationing with L & D is like having your own travel directors combined with life long friends = Spectacular Moments.

 

This is a picture of the Villa we are renting in Vieques for the week with the beautiful views of the ocean.  I don't think we will have any random feral cats or chickens running through the place like we did when we stayed in Culebra.  I could definitely do without the giant cockroach in the shower, but it does make for a very funny story when I think back on it.  (Lance - you really do scream like a girl!)

  I found this description of the Island which really does make it sound like a slice of heaven:  "Vieques Island is surrounded with wonderful swimming beaches, glorious sunsets and rolling hills where wild horses roam. It is about 5 minutes from the main town of Isabell Segunda where there are many shops and restaurants as well as about 15 minutes from the town of Esperanza with a great boardwalk and more shops, restaurants and water sports. Pristine beaches, crystal clear waters, amazing snorkeling, beautiful sunsets, friendly locals, outstanding wildlife, fresh mangoes, coconuts, oranges, guava and an array of local fruit and vegetables, great restaurants, art galleries and museums await your arrival."

If I close my eyes and meditate for a few minutes,  I can almost smell the ocean!

Valentine Delights

The girls and I had a great time putting together some treats and goodies for Valentine's day.  Angelique really had her "craft-on" and made some little Chocolate Kiss mice for her classmates as well as custom Valentines for both Steve & me.  

Abby, Hannah and Kippy frosted and decorated heart shaped sugar cookies, which we gifted to some dear friends and their piano teacher after munching a few ourselves.

 

We had our traditional family Valentine supper with red/white/pink foods.  I even made these delicious sugared grapes for dessert.  It was super easy - just wash the grapes, then sprinkle with raspberry jello to coat and then refrigerate for 2-3 hours.  The coating made the grapes sparkle and added a real flavor punch!

Pinterest has continued to be a source of inspiration and creative outlet for me.  This adorable Valentine swag was made from colored felt (cut and sewn into hearts), felted pom-poms and some embroidery floss. 

I had so much fun making the hearts that I ended up with two swags!

A nearly snowless Snoball

Abby went to her first formal dance of her Freshman year on February 3, 2012.  Snoball is a Sadie Hawkins styled dance, and Abby invited Jake Steen to accompany her to the event.  A large group of friends gathered at the Leapoldt residence to get primped for the dance. Abby was OK with me curling her hair for the dance, but she wasn't so sure I should come over and take pictures.  What was my baby girl thinking?  How could I not take pictures of this milestone?  So to reduce embarrassment, I didn't come over to take pictures until the entire entourage was ready, which was nearly 5:30 PM.

The pictures outdoors was not my idea, but I was happy to be there to capture the 13 lovely Freshman young ladies in their finery.  Despite the cold temperatures, the girls were excited to show off their outfits with the backdrop of frosted evergreen trees.

And what a striking group!  The dresses all glistened like jewels.

Pictured L to R:  Hanna Leapaldt, Mary Gettel, Olivia Stumbo, Emily Nelson, Taylor Leapaldt, Lauren Angus, Kate Rinke, Claire Ripley, Alicia Quamme, Brooklyn Seland, Jileen Tenneson, Abby Lindgren & Kayla Jarandson

  

 Abby & Jake

These teens are really a great group and they were so cooperative with pictures!  The girl:guy ratio of 13:5 was definitely in the guys' favor.  The Leapaldts were such gracious hosts and even cooked supper for all these hungry teens.

Miss Abby stayed until the dance ended at midnight and reported that she got in lots of dancing and had a great time.  And I'll just have to take her word on the fun part, but without her own transportation, we do know she was actually at the dance all night. It is good that Steve & I still have some peace of mind yet.

Wordless Wednesday