12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop: Frosted Flakes Quilted Runner & a Giveaway!

12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop

There's an exciting event going on in Quilting Blogland and it's the 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop, put together by Sarah Craig @ Confessions of a Fabric Addict.  Sarah gathered together 25 terrific bloggers to share ideas for Christmas crafts, quilting, and recipes - so you can get a head start on the holidays this year.  You can find all the blog hop stops in the list at the end of this post and also by searching the hashtag #12daysofchristmasinjuly on social media.

Today is Day 5 and I share this day with my friend Soma @ Whims and Fancies, so be sure to check out her post today too because she's teaching us how to make handmade books and bookmarks!   To top it all off, Sarah is running a 12 Days of Christmas in July Quilt Along for the delightful quilt shown below, and she estimates that with only 1 hour a day you can have the quilt top completed in just 12 days.  

12 Days of Christmas Quilt Along

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Frosted Flakes Quilted Runner

Did you ever make paper snowflake cutouts as a kid?  It has always been a tradition in our family to make them, so for my 12 Days of Christmas project, I decided to make an appliqued and quilted snowflake runner.  I'm calling it the Frosted Flakes Runner, because I used Fairy Frost fabric for the snowflakes.

Close up of a Crafted Applique Snowflake

It's no surprise that I used my Crafted Applique method to make these snowflakes. (hashtag #craftedapplique)  I didn't want any fraying and knew my method would keep the edges nice and neat, while at the same time allowing me to cut out elaborate shapes. You could also do this project using fusible web interfacing to adhere your appliques. 

   

Swirling Breeze quilting

Fabrics used - I was going for the same color as jadeite:

Very Merry by Sandy Gervais for Moda - Light Aqua - 17832-15

Very Merry by Sandy Gervais for Moda - Light Aqua - 17834-15

Michael Miller Fairy Frost in Snow

Here's another shot, this one taken indoors:

A peek at the nine snowflake patterns (I designed nine, just in case someone wants to get flakier than me):

Frosted Flakes Snowflake Applique Patterns

You can download and save the Microsoft Word document, complete with sewing instructions and all 9 snowflake patterns by clicking here:

Frosted Flakes Quilted Runner

Don't forget to read to the end of the post, because I'm also having a great Christmas in July giveaway!

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Holiday Brunch Menu

One of the other fun things Sarah suggested was that we share a favorite recipe.  Our family has so many of them!  As the kids started becoming great cooks in their own right, we all developed an addiction to trying out recipes we find on Pinterest, so that is what I will be sharing today.   I'm laughing a little at this photo.  The runner is meant to be one long hot pad, but I wasn't ready for it to get besmirched yet, so we kept all the food off of it.  :)  If you use Insul-bright batting instead of regular batting, you'll have yourself a dandy hot pad.  

  

A simple Christmas Holiday Brunch, featuring:

Ham Quiche Cups - so quick to make!

Ham Quiche Cups

Glazed Cranberry Orange Scones - we substituted fresh blueberries - yum!

Glazed Blueberry Orange Scones, Cranberry & Grand Marnier Champagne Cocktail, and Coffee

Cranberry and Grand Marnier Champagne Cocktail - we substituted Proseco for the champagne.   You can also use sparkling cider for a non alcoholic alternative.  Next time we will stick to just the simple curled orange peel garnish.  The lime slice and pomegranate seeds were a bit much.  

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I hope you will visit all the other bloggers participating in the hop!  Here is the 12 Days of Christmas in July Blog Hop Schedule:

July 14th:    Sharon Vrooman @ Vrooman’s Quilts

                   Carole Carter @ From My Carolina Home

July 15th:    Yanicka Hachez @ Finding Myself As An Artist

                   Chris Dodsley @ made by ChrissieD

July 16th:     Marsha Hodgkins @ Quilter in Motion

                    Leanne Parsons  @ Devoted Quilter

July 17th:     Tonia Conner @ All Thingz Sewn

                    Selina @ Selina Quilts

July 18th:     Lara Buccella @ BuzzinBumble - That's me!

                    Soma Acharya @ Whims and Fancies

July 19th:     Joanne Harris@ Quilts by Joanne

                    Suzy Webster @ Adventurous Applique and Quilting

July 20th:     Vicki in MN @ Vicki’s Crafts and Quilting

                    Jennifer Fulton @ The Inquiring Quilter

July 21st:     Michele Kuhns @ Crayon Box Quilt Studio

                   Jan Ochterbeck @ The Colorful Fabriholic

July 22nd:     Alla Blanca @ Rainbows. Bunnies. Cupcakes.

                    Zenia Rene @ A Quilted Passion

July 23rd:     Joanne Hubbard @ Everyone Deserves a Quilt

                    Paige Alexander @ Quilted Blooms

July 24th:     Carolyn Jones @ …by CJ

                    Tisha Nagel @ Quilty Therapy

July 25th:     Susan Arnold @ Quilt Fabrication

                    Beth Sellers @ Cooking Up Quilts

                    Linda Pearl @ One Quilting Circle

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12 Days of Christmas Giveaway!

Last, but not least, I holding my own giveaway, where THREE lucky commenters will win this wonderful red and white fabric panel:

North Woods - by Kate Spain for Moda - Fabric panel in Cranberry

It's from Kate Spain's "North Woods" collection and features a table topper and ornaments/appliques.  Perfect for a fun and fast Christmas project!  

If you'd like a chance to win, just leave a comment below.  BuzzinBumble followers, both new and old, can have a second chance at winning - just leave a second comment telling me how you follow my blog.  Make sure you also leave a way for me to contact you if you win.  There are more and more no-reply commenters these days and most people are unaware of it.   Three lucky winners will be randomly drawn on July 25th, 2016 and I will announce them here on BuzzinBumble soon afterwards.

Thanks for stopping by!  I hope you will enjoy the free Frosted Flakes Quilted Runner pattern!

Click on the pup and she'll take you to the comment section.

Cindy's Pasta Salad

Today's post is brought to you by my wonderful sister-in-law Cindy.  
She makes a pasta salad that the entire family is crazy about and we all beg her to bring for every summertime (and autumn and spring) gathering.  Sam has been known on many occasions to have it instead of dessert.

Here are Cindy's recipe and photos, just as she wrote and sent them to me, so that I could share them here with you:

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Pasta Salad from the Garden

"My family loves this salad.  It is best when you can pick the herbs right out of the garden.  You can use dried herbs too but it’s not as much fun or as pretty. 

There are no hard and fast rules for this.  You can add or leave out any of the veggies.  On occasion I’ve added radishes too.  While it’s a family favorite, there is always somebody that doesn’t like some ingredient.  One doesn’t like the cucumbers. The next one says the cucumbers are their favorite but they don’t like the peppers, and on and on.  

Well, too bad!  I like it all.

Ingredients:                                

12 oz package of tri-color rotini pasta

1/3 to ½ cup Olive oil

1/3 to ½ cup Red wine vinegar

Fresh Garden herbs –basil, chives, parsley, summer savory, dill

1 tsp Mustard

1 Cucumber

1 Red pepper

Small can of Chopped Black Olives

Sharp provolone cheese to taste

Stick of pepperoni – about a 4 inch piece

Grated cheese – about 2 tablespoons

Directions:

While cooking the pasta, chop the garden herbs and put them in a small bowl.  Add ½ cup of Olive oil and ½ cup red wine vinegar and let that marinate.  Stir in a teaspoon of mustard.

Cook the pasta al dente.  Drain and rinse in cold water.  In a large bowl, add the pasta, and then stir in the oil and vinegar mixture.  Drain the can of olives and add to the pasta.

Now prepare and add the following to the pasta mixture:

·        Peel the cucumber.  Cut in half, then quarters lengthwise and chop into ¼ inch slices.

·        Core the pepper and chop into small pieces. (Remove as much of the inside white membrane as possible).

·        Thickly slice the pepperoni then chop the slices into small bits. 

·        Slice the provolone cheese into small pieces. 

Mix everything together with about 2 tablespoons of grated cheese. 

If it is too dry, add more oil and vinegar to taste. 

This is best if made ahead of time to give all the flavors a chance to blend. 

Notes:  If you don’t have fresh basil, you can add a teaspoon or 2 of pesto instead. 

I usually start with a 1/3 cup of the oil and vinegar and add the rest if needed.  As it sits, it will absorb some of the oil and vinegar."

Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum Yum...

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Thanks for sharing your recipe Cindy!
And thank you all for stopping by, because...

Texas Caviar Recipe (and the Giveaway Winner too!)

Our daughter Kaitlyn was here for a family dinner on Sunday.  She is a really great cook and brought along a dish for her vegetarian sister Alina, who was home for an all too brief visit.  She said it is called Texas Caviar and she served it with tortilla chips. Everyone loved it!  It would even be good for those of you who are on gluten free diets if you use lentil chips or gluten free tortilla chips.   

Here is her recipe and the picture, taken with her iPhone, which turns out a surprisingly great photo:

Texas Caviar - a Vegetarian and Gluten Free Treat

Texas Caviar 

Recipe:

Chop:

1 green pepper

1 red pepper

1 yellow pepper

1 orange pepper

1 jalapeno

1 red onion

Mix in:

1 can of Shoestring Corn

1 can of Pinto Beans

1 can of Black-eyed Peas

Boil in pot:

1/4 cup Olive Oil

1 cup of sugar

3/4 cup of Apple Cider Vinegar

Once cooled, mix the liquid into the veggies and stick in fridge overnight.

Serve with your favorite dippin' chips and enjoy!

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We had quite a great turnout for the Kaffe Fassett Log Cabin Quilt Kit giveaway here last week!

That is all because Cynthia of "Quilting is More Fun Than Housework" started a new Orphan Adoption Linky Party for adopting out your languishing orphan projects.  She says that 12 projects changed hands to be given new life, most of which will be used for charities. Isn't that wonderful?  Cyndy is going to hold this party again, so keep an eye on her blog, scout your oldies but goodies, and prepare to join in the fun this Autumn!

I could not be more moved and inspired than I am by all the wonderful commenters who entered the drawing here on BuzzinBumble.  So many generous and caring people shared the charities they quilt for.  It just leaves me in utter awe of the good that they do for others!  I am so pleased to have been able to pass on a project that left me feeling Guilty instead of Quilty.  Now whenever I think about it I will be filled with gladness instead.   

So thank you!  I wish I could send something to every one of you.  

Instead I relied on Mr. Random Generator to pick a winner, a task that would have been impossible otherwise:

The winner is...
Commenter #27, Lauren Deel, whose wonderful website is Charlotte's gRace for a Cure   

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Lauren Deel6/6/15, 6:11 PM

These are gorgeous blocks! And the Log Cabin is on my quilting bucket list in short order. :) A few years ago, I started a little charity group doing a quilt auction every spring to benefit brain tumor research. (My daughter has been living with a brain tumor for the past 4.5 years.) I didn't do the auction this spring, but hope to do it again next year. Thanks for the giveaway!

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Congratulations Lauren!  I'll be in touch by email.   

And thank you all for visiting, because...

  

Click on the pup to leave a comment...

If you are also a blogger, she is highly likely to follow you home!