Enlarged Heart, and a "Craft Fail"

Against all conventional medical advice, I decided to enlarge my heart LOL!

I liked my Valentine Cards so much (so did my husband and 2 boys), that I decided to enlarge it to a 12.5 x 12.5 inch size and make the first block of a "gross anatomy" quilt.  It's been way too long since I did a fun geeky quilt, and this heart was just what I needed to realize that!

I also thought I'd share a "craft fail".  Truly, a fail is also a learning experience.  I've dabbled in the past with using bleach to "discharge" the dye in fabric to make shirts, and artwork.  I bought this bleach pen a few months ago, after seeing a craft made with it on a T shirt.  I was going to write out my card with the bleach, but the result was less than desired. 

In the end, I bought the largest gauge thread I could find for my sewing machine, and free motion quilted it.  It was a button or upholstery thread I believe, and it really stretched the limit of my machine, but it worked!!

I just got to add that with 2 kids in school, I hear often about the pros and cons of teaching cursive writing anymore.  I'm not sure I could do this as easily in print :-P.

Happy Valentine's Day!

"My heart beats for you." ;-)

Fat Tuesday and WIP / Ash Wednesday

Can you tell what I've been working on today?!  I love biology, but when I was in school if the biology teacher told us to take out our colored pencils, I was ecstatic! I'm going back to school with my Valentine's cards this year!  So much FUN!  I'm also inking up with Lee at Freshly Pieced WIP Wed...

Today is also Ash Wednesday, which means that yesterday was Fat Tuesday, or Mardi Gras.  I was so busy making King Cake, a traditional Mardi Gras treat that I didn't have time to blog yesterday.

I have a few Louisiana cookbooks, but only one had a King Cake recipe, and I didn't feel that it was "traditional" enough.  I found this John Besh recipe on-line that totally takes me back to my childhood!  King Cake is actually a yeast bread, with a brioche dough.  It traditionally has a plastic baby that is tucked into the cake from underneath after it's baked.  Whoever gets the baby has to bring the next King Cake.  They are served on a very regular basis during the season of epiphany (12th day after Christmas) until Lent. I had to once again go "old school" and used a walnut half instead.  My oldest son was delighted to find it. 

The original custom, way back when, was that whoever got the walnut, or bean would be the "king" of the ball or event which this was served at, and then hold the next party.  I'm linking up with Debbie at A Quilter's Table!

I also finished my 3rd Triple zip in Mardi Gras colors.  All day long I was listening to my dozens of New Orleans music CD's... The Neville Brothers, Dr. John, Professor Longhair, and many many others!  As the song goes, I "know what it means to miss New Orleans", but carrying on these traditions here in Oregon makes me miss it a bit less.

Do you have any traditions that makes you miss yous birthplace or past home less?