Before Plastic

Wooden Checkers

Remember all the wooden game pieces that we used to play with....before plastic.

Wooden Chess Pieces

The house and hotels in Monopoly were wood.

Wooden Dice

Wooden Dominoes

Wooden game pieces

Wooden American Bricks

When my five year old granddaughter Rowan comes over I like to have a hidden surprise for her.  This week it will be a set of Monopoly playing pieces in her dollhouse toy chest.  I was so fascinated with these when I was young.  I always wanted to play with the iron or the dog.  I still play with irons!!!

My friend Kathie gave me this SUPER EASY and YUMMY pumpkin bread recipe.  I sent it to my husband's clinic for his staff because I couldn't keep out of it!!!  It was way too dangerous to have around.

PUMPKIN BREAD
1 spice cake mix
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 can pumpkin
Cinnamon or butterscotch chips – ½ bag
Nuts (I used a cup of pecans)

Mix all together, put in bread pan and bake at 350◦ for about an hour.
Test with a toothpick. This is very moist.  (It's really more like cake.
You could probably bake this in a cake pan, for less time in the oven.)
I baked it in two bread pans instead of one and used butterscotch chips.

Have a great week!  Amy

Cindy Sharp is our give-a-way winner, thanks for your posts!

More Creative Quilters!

Look at what Hanne Bjørnestad from Rudkøbing, Denmark emailed me.  I have never seen my quilt block actually turned into blocks!!!  She made them for her nieces's daughter.  I love photos of my designs made up from quilters especially inventive super cool ideas!  Thank you Hanne for sending me these photos!

I once reduced the animal whimsy blocks and made chair pads for a child's table for quilt market.

I stretched three animal whimsy blocks over canvas frames for my quilt market booth.  They are over the bed frame.  I wish I had the idea for the blocks here at quilt market! 

Sylvia Bryan sent me photos of her completed Twelve Tractor Quilt. She made this quilt for her great great nephew. She was so creative with her quilting which she did on her Elna sewing machine.  She even put soft minky on the back of the quilt.  Way to go Sylvia!!!!!

She quilted his name in one of the borders.

Look at the cool continuous tractor quilting.

Look at the tractor tire tracks in the red border.

This is what a dry creek bed looks like in the drought.  Sigh.  My husband and I started walking down the creek bed on our land yesterday.

Thank goodness we found the spring fed portion of the creek.  One day it is beautiful outside and the next day it is freezing.  We are definitely having crazy weather this winter!

Make a comment about your weekend and win a chance at your choice of either the "Animal Whimsy" or "Twelve Tractor" pattern.  We will let you know who wins next Monday Jan.27th.

Have a great week!  Amy

Odds and Ends

It happens to the best of us.  Fusible web gunk on the iron!  I put my iron down on a piece that was upside down and the next thing I knew .... it was stuck to the bottom of my iron.  Now when this happens I don't worry.  You take your warm iron and iron an old dryer sheet. Presto....it's clean again.  You can even Google uses for dryer sheets.  One website has 101 uses.  Go figure!

We ordered a new TV over the Internet.  I love how crystal clear it is.  It came shipped in a box in a box.  The outer box was filled with these little chip board Swiss cheese things.  I was so impressed with them that I had to blog about them.  I hope this means they won't make another Styrofoam peanut.  These little things can be recycled.  At our house and my husbands veterinary clinic we recycle EVERYTHING.  Kudos for the person who invented these!!!

My granddaughter Rowan got two of these beds from her Grandpa Mike and Grandma Connie for her Zombie dolls. They designed and made the beds themselves for her Christmas.  I thought her Monster dolls were crazy and now she has Zombie dolls.  The Monster dolls are one of the fastest growing brands within the entire toy industry.  Barbie sales are on a decline. The dolls are designed to help girls "celebrate their own freaky flaws,"says Mattel's Cathy Cline.

I went into a antique store today and these two characters walked out with me.  Mr and Mrs Potato Head were first manufactured and distributed by Hasbro in 1952 and cost .98 cents. It was even the first toy to be advertised on television.  The toy was originally made as separate plastic parts with pushpins that could be stuck into a real potato or other vegetable. However, due to complaints regarding rotting vegetables and new government safety regulations, Hasbro began including a plastic potato body within the toy set. Do these bring back memories?

Have a great week!  Amy

Homemade Cards are the Best!

This is my Christmas card from my friend Kathie this year.  It is a twig attached to the card tied up with different colors of ribbon.  I love getting her cards!!!  Homemade wins every time in my heart.

She gave me this one last year made up of all different gold ribbons.

Kathie took my "Snowday, Sewday" pattern and downsized a block to make this card for me in 2010.

A thank you postcard from Kathie using a fabric line that I designed a while back for Moda.

The back of the postcard.

I have never attempted to make these little pieces of art.  I am so impressed with the time and talent to make one of these.  Thank you Kathie!!!

Thank you from 5 year old Rowan.

Thank you cards from grandkids rank up there too!!

My exercise class got canceled today. I think the -25 degree wind chill had something to do with the cancellation.  Brrrrrr

Stay warm and have a great week!  Amy

Creative Quilters!!!

Copyright Amy Bradley Designs  - 1 Little, 2 Little, 3 Little Quilters Pattern

Above is my 1 Little, 2 Little, 3 Little Quilters Pattern. Liz from the Sunflower Piecemakers quilt guild sent me photos of her version.  She had a challenge to do and she blew me away with her creative talent!  Thank you so much for sharing Liz and thinking outside of the box!

Liz's version of  the 1 Little, 2 Little, 3 Little Quilters Pattern

Close-up of Liz's version of  the 1 Little, 2 Little, 3 Little Quilters Pattern

 This next part is because I am a grandma that loves to show off my beautiful grandchildren!

My twin grand kids Nate and Norah just shy of being 9 months old

 Guess where this Grandma took Rowan for Christmas.  She picked out the twin baby dolls and named them after her sister and brother....Nate and Norah.

A very happy Rowan

Happy New Year Everyone!!!!!!!!!!!!