I am Getting Cozy with Mason.....

Mason "jar" that is.............

I have had so many beautiful people ask me how I made my mason jar w/ a straw lid. And y'all loved the cozy :)

So, I thought I would share how I do it.

(Little giveaway at the bottom of this post)

First for the cozy.............

You will need some 3 inch quilt blocks, 

or just a 3 inch square. 

Also some knit fabric scraps or old tee shirts.

I made some 3 inch blocks.........

I added a 1 3/4" x 3" inch pieces of knit to the top 
and bottom of the block.....

The I attached a 6 x 7 inch piece of knit one side of the block.

(this is when my camera died ...oooops)

Once that is done. Fold in half , with the right sides of the longest edges together. Sew . Then turn inside out. Fit it around your jar. Sew a seam right sides together, so that the cozy fits the jar and slides on like a sock.

Speaking of socks. My kids use socks with the foot cut off.... on there water bottles at school. No water rings on there desk or work.

 There you have it ...one way to make a cozy.

Now, for the Straw lid.

I am going to punch a hole on my lid....

and put a grommet in it. 

I am using my old snap press( from my diaper sewing days) and some grommets I found here.

If you go to your local home improvement store..... They can hook you up with a whole kit.

I have this cool little scrapbook tool kit. It has a strong hole punch and little hammer to whack it with. Perfect for metal lids.....

Make sure you have a wooden surface you dont care about. It is going to get damaged.

It is pretty simple. Whack a hole the size of the grommet in the lid.  Remove any sharp edges from the hole. And tamp down edges on the bottom of the lid, you might leave some by making tho hole.

Line up the hole and the grommet. 
Then press. Perfect straw hole.

What the back looks like.......

What the front looks like..........

  

Straw fits!!!

 Put it all together now.......

I found these little red lids years ago. I still had a sealed box in my pantry :)..... there so cute.

Can you see the damage to my board.... I guess I hit it hard enough...lol

By the time I was done, camera was charged......

So, we went for a photo shoot.

4 little cozies..........

Bonus Cozy.....

Pinwheel cozy.........

Shirt sleeve cozy (I used a little stained shirt's sleeve).

Owl Block Cozy........

Paisley Cozy............

Ruffles cozy...........

 And the original cozy........

I hope you liked the mason jar cozy and straw lid post! 

I think they are pretty fun. I never go a day with out one...........

So y'all want one ?

How 'bout this?

Since jars are tricky to send......

I'll send you the ruffles cozy, 12 paper straws. 2 lids with straw holes and 2 packets of my favorite Mason Jar drink. Starbucks Refreshers.....VIA in very berry.

Fun little prize in the mail......right?

O.K. Here is the deal........

Leave me a comment telling me what you would drink in your jar.
If you want an extra try....Like us on Facebook
Third shot?.... Follow me on pinterest or instagram.

I'll choose a winner with Random.org on Monday.

Have a Fantastic Friday!!!!!!

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I am seeing dots on dots.......

     Welcome to the Dots on Dots blog hop.

If your here for the first time. Please hang out and look around some. Here at the Moon. There is quilting, sewing, cooking, baking and lots of loving!!!

The challenge of this hop was to make a quilt block with dots. I love dots!!! 

I knew just what I was going to do. I had been thinking about this block for a while. I had seen something like it before. But I could remember where..... and couldn't find a tutorial. 

Soooooo... I took a shot at it, my way. It is a pretty old school way to do it. But, I am going to share what I came up with. I hope you like it!!!

Here is the 12 inch block I made for the hop.

I call this block "Echo Star". 

I used Michael Miller's TaDot in three colors.

First, I drew it out on my beloved graph paper. 

I have every computer program imaginable for these sorts of things....... But, I always go back to a pencil and paper.

 After I thought I had figured it out.......

  

Away I went. Cutting and piecing.

It really doesn't look like its going to 

work at this point.................

But, Look it does!!!!! Isn't she pretty???

If you want to try one......... Here goes!

Old school...right :)               HST ( half square triangle) 

Cut and piece this.....

Star 1

1~ 2 inch square of print 3

4-~1 1/4 inch  Stripy HST's ( one triangle print 3, and the other triangle is  the solid with a print 2 strip ) 

2~1 1/4 HST's print 2 and print 3  

2~1 1/4 HST's solid and print 3

3~ 1 1/4 inch squares of solid 

1~ 1 1/4 inch square of print 2                                                                                   

Star 2

2~ 2 inch squares of solid

3~ 2 inch squares of print 2

1~ 2 inch square of print 1

2~ 2 inch HST's of print 1 and print 2

4~ 2 inch Stripy HST ( one triangle print 2, and the other triangle is a solid with a print 1 strip ) 

Star 3

3~ 3 /12 inch squares of solid

6~ 3 1/2 inch HST's of solid and print 1

3~ 3 1/2 inch squares of print 1

This is how I made the Stripy HST.

Sew 2 strips of a solid and a print.

Using a square or triangle ruler....Cut triangles lining up the seam in the middle of the triangle (slightly larger than you will need) Cut 2 with the solid on the right and 2 with the solid on the left. Sew the stripy triangle to a whole triangle to make the square you need. Square up to the correct size.

That will give you the 4 you need.

Lay Star 1 out first. The pieces are so small.

  It is on my 6 inch square ruler.

Then lay out Star 2 and 3

Then lay it all together. 

Sew together Star 1 ...Add Star 1 to Star 2. Sew Star 2 together . Then add Star 2 to Star 3 then finish up the block.  Square up and your done :)

What you do with your block is up to you. 

I made a Mini quilt for my desk.

 By adding some black around the block to suit me. 

And I straight line machine quilted it.

I used some more TaDot to bind it.

You see, my desk was a mess!!!!

I do everything at this desk. Work, Blog, Sew and all kinds of other things. I thought, if I made it pretty.....

I would be nicer to it. 

Hmmmmm we'll see.

Better huh?

I used some Wonder-Under and a scrap of dots 

to make my mouse pad pretty too.

I Just traced my mouse pad onto fabric. Ironed the Wonder-Under  to the fabric. Peeled the paper off the back and ironed fabric to the old ugly mousepad. 

Good as new. And pretty too!!

Another thing ....... I am a beverage-aholic.

 I always have something drink in my hand 

(It rarely has alcohol in it silly, I know what your thinking....).

Coffee in the morning. And a iced something in my mason jar for the rest of the day. Right now ,

I am hooked on Starbucks refreshers!!! Lime..Yummmmm

I do love my Mason Jar. But, it does sweat. And it is often on something important. Leaving water rings everywhere. 

So, I made a cozy for my jar!! 

And, a coaster for when my jar is really having a sweat.

What do you think ????

My daughter Brie thought I needed some better pictures, since my office is kinda dark.... I think she just wanted to play outside. So, we went outside and shot these.

My Mason Jar loves the outside......

So did my lil' quilt......

And Brie.... likes the outside very much. 

I hope you all enjoyed my Dots on Dots blog hop post!!!

Please visit the other bloggers in the hop!! 
Here are the bloggers hopping today!!!

September 10th

Cat Patches

Busy Bee Quilts 

Stitch by Stitch

Mary on Lake Pulaski

Just Let Me Quilt

[Amy's] Crafty Shenanigans

PolkaDotClassic

AnnieOak Designs 

Blueberry Moon ( you are here)

Get the list of Bloggers and the schedule by clicking the badge below.

                                           

P.S. If you make one of these blocks, 

I would LOVE to see a picture!!!

Post on my Flickr group Quilt Love

Or Instagram me @myblueberrymoon

Or even email  keithena@theblueberrymoon.com

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Oatmeal in a Jar........

Feeding your kids a healthy breakfast is hard when you have a busy family.  I am always looking for ways NOT to grab the cereal box. When I go to bed at night....I am thinking I will get up early, make pancakes and have a Brady Bunch morning. But instead it's more like, I get up late because someone shut down the alarm, then run through the house screaming..... WE ARE GOING TO BE LATE!!! GET UP!!!! And our day begins. Hectic and cold... with bowl of cereal :( 
When the kiddos were little the loved instant oatmeal packets. Now that they are all pretty darn grown up. That lil' packet doesn't do the trick. Plus, those little packets are kind of expensive. 

My solution....... Oatmeal in a jar. 
I love oatmeal....and I love jars!!!
This works out really well. Very filling, pretty healthy and when it is a cold morning they warm up the hands pretty nice too. Perfect for those cool fall mornings that are around the corner.

When I am running really late. I can let them eat in the car on the way. They arrive with full tummies, warm hands and big smiles.


Here is how I do it.

I gathered up some jars, 8 ounce works well for this.  I dug around until I found my jar filling funnel. 

What do you put inside the jars you ask???

I am using Quaker Oats the quick stuff. 
Nuts, raisins, cinnamon, coconut, brown sugar and salt.
If you want the fruit and cream kind....Dried fruit, powdered milk and white sugar. Should do the trick.

Put 1/2 cup oatmeal in a jar (1/3 for littles)
2 T. Coconut
A healthy sprinkling of cinnamon.......

Add few raisins, and a few chopped walnuts
Then a couple teaspoons of Brown sugar depending on how sweet you want it.
And a pinch of sea salt.( Don't skip the salt... It makes all the difference between a great oatmeal or flavorless mush)

 Look at the pretty layers in the jar :)

Screw on some lids and your done. 
Put them away on a shelf for a quick breakfast.
At home or on the go.

When you are ready to eat........

Poor in a 1/2 cup boiling water , give it a good stir. Then screw the lids on tight.
Wait for 5 minutes. 

Then open, stir, eat, be warm and smile.

 I hope you enjoy some oatmeal in a jar.
 Happy Eating!!!

Some quick notes...........

When you use walnuts. 

Try to always give them a quick toast in a frypan. Just put them in a med. hot pan and stir, or toss if your talented like that, until the start to glisten and you can smell them....
This releases the oils and you get such a better flavor.

Vanilla bean brown sugar.......oh yay!!!
Scrape the seeds from the vanilla bean in a container of brown sugar stir then throw the pod in too.. you will be amazed at the flavor. It is sooooooooo good in coffee. And in anything else you can think of putting it. The brown sugar sucks every bit of oil out of the pod. So in a couple days you will want to discard it.

Linking Here......



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Back to Sick Time.......

Every year it is the same story. The kids are so excited to get back to school. Mom feels like she has her life back. We all settle into a nice routine.... Ahhhhh. Then Wham-O!!! Someone gets sick. Then it spreads like wildfire through the house. Having a big family means we lose about 3, on an average, and I have at least one of the kiddos home for about 10 days. Luckily we only seem to go through it once or twice a year...but it still sucks!!!!!
Even though we get sick and it doesn't seem to matter how sick we get....There is still energy for creativity :)

Bronte was the first to be stricken. Senior year is not the time to miss school. But it was strep so she was out!!! When she came to. She worked on this Comic  ....It was for her AP Lit. Based on a British book......  They could choose any medium and create something that portraid a scene from the book. She painted this on a canvas. She kind of amazes me. She did this in a couple hours.

Then it was my 9 year old Breven's turn to be sick. She decided to spend her sick leave from school painting also. This is what she did. Also on a canvas. I would love to have this on fabric (says the quilter in me).

This painting now hangs in her 4th grade classroom. 


I created soup. Whenever the kids are sick. I make Homemade Chicken Soup.  It takes half the day and the house smells fantastic..... But this time....I was coming down with it too........ So,  a very quick soup it was!! I realized this is almost as good and is way easier!!! I will share.

Quick Chicken Soup for Sickies.......

1 Rotisserie Chicken from the supermarket
2 boxes chicken stock
1 red pepper chopped into lil' chunks
2 cups celery thinly sliced
2 cups carrots thinly sliced
1/2  sweet onion finely chopped
2 Knorr bouillon cubes
1 tsp. curry powder
minced garlic ...a clove or 4 depending on how much you like garlic.
1 to 2 packages egg noodles ( I used 1 package of egg noodle flakes)
4 cups water 

In a Large pot....... poor in chicken stock and water. Add bouillon cubes, curry, onions and garlic.
Turn it on high and get it boiling. Let boil for about 10 minutes to reduce a little, and flavor up.
While that is happening. Pick all the chicken meat off the chicken and shred a bit. Gather and chop the veggies.
All at one time add the chicken and the veggies to the pot. Turn down to a medium simmer and let the veggies cook for 7 minutes. Then add your noodles( 1 package for girls ...2 for boys, Boys like noodles!!)  and return to a boil until the noodles are done.

Poor in cups or bowls serve with hot buttered bread if you like, I like!!

I don't know if it is the curry, the garlic, the chicken or what. But chicken soup always makes you feel better.

It worked for me. I am up bloggin' sewin' and barkin' at my kids. I guess I am healed.

All the kiddos are back to well also. Hope it sticks until at least spring.

Have a fantastic weekend!!! And Stay Well!!!!

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And the winner is..........

First I just want to say a BIG THANK YOU!!!!! from the bottom of my heart. We received 206 comments and 80 new facebook friends. Let alone new followers to boot. What a fantastic party!!!

Because I left the contest open to both facebook likes and comments. We are choosing a winner this way. First we used Random.org to choose a number from comments.....

Then we counted through just comments and got a name......

The we used random.org again using the number of    facebook likers.........
Which got us another name.

Then we threw both names in a hat, and had my cute lil'    Bridgitt draw one name................




 Duh! Duh! Da! Dun!!!   And the winner is.......

                               Angie Neil !!!!! 
                          Congratulations !!!!!!

I will also post this on facebook. Please contact me within 72 hours. Or, we have to give the prize to the runner up.....a.k.a the other name in the hat.

My Weekend sewing........

Binding in bark....

Quilt back....

Finished top........

I really hoped to add some kind of boarder. I just didn't have enough of any one, or two, fabrics ....meh.
It has a little modern feel though so it is what it is.

I think the back turned out well. Sadly....I like it best...hehehehehe

Now it is quilting time. I kinda want to straight line quilt it. But... I am a big fat chicken. 
I hope everyone has a fantastic 4 day week. Pin It

Kool-Aid in your hair......

Your going to do WHAT?!?!?!?

Yes, This is what happens when you have a 3 day weekend...too much time on their hands. They dip dyed there hair in Kool-Aid.

It really does look pretty!!

If you what to try it, CLICK HERE

It would be fun for school spirit week. It is suppose to wash out in a few washes:)

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