Peter Pan Quilt

A good friend of mine is in the process of trying to add a new member to her family, which means daydreaming about the nursery (i.e. pinning ideas on Pinterest). She's decided to go with a "Peter Pan" theme, a fun, whimsical theme that suits either gender.

Me, being me, decided to make a quilt for her, one that could be used as a wall decoration, place to crawl around, or even for snuggling. I found a great one with 5 panels--the Big Ben clock, the Darling children flying, Peter Pan flying, Captain Hook and the Indian Chief in the clouds, and, of course, Tinkerbell. I found coordinating star and stripe fabrics and one with famous phrases from the book.

From Minus Minions

I quilted around the shapes in the main panels, stitched in the ditch around the stripe sashing and sewed alternating stars and hearts in the blue rectangles. 

From Minus Minions

The back is a thick knit in two shades of blue and I used a thick batting for extra protection from bumps on the floor.

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My friend loved it! Time will see how the future little one reacts to it.

Monster Cookies

Halloween treats are a bit tricky for little kids. How scary is too scary? How much sugar do can they eat before they go completely crazy? How much food coloring do you want them to eat?

I signed up to bring in treats for The Belly's Halloween party at preschool this year and started going through my Pinterest board, to see what I'd pinned, then promptly forgotten. Her older sister was looking over my shoulder and declared I should make the Ooey Gooey Monster Eye Cookies. They're cake mix cookies, with a good dose of cream cheese for extra chewiness, and fun colors and sugar eyes. I found a set of the smaller eyes and we did a practice round. Just to make sure, you know?

From Minus Minions

I wasn't crazy about the cream cheese flavor, but I think that's just a matter of personal taste. They were a big hit at the party. Just the right balance of fun and spooky. You can find the candy eyes at craft stores (and even Target) so it's a great recipe for a monster-themed birthday party or for one of those days you need a smile.

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