pumpkinvine

elementary school teacher, quilter, gardener, crafter, genealogist

Spinal Tap, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind

Big Bang Theory Kindred Spirits

quilting paper crafts ATC’s rubber stamping jewelry makingyv

Halloween~ Christmas~ pretty paper~ retro~ vintage~ cupcakes~ aprons~ Betty Crocker~ rubber stamps~ mystery books~ vanilla~ fabric~ earrings~ magazines~

Re: Halloween….I do not like horror, super scary, gory Halloween. I love cute Halloween (think Mary Engelbreit). Up until Covid, my neighbor and I created a huge display between our houses for Halloween. We are finally going to do it again this year. Some of our past themes have been Dead and Breakfast, The Haunted Bakery, Ghoul Scout Camp, a haunted Tiki Bar and Witches’ Tea Party.

I belong to a local book club. We just recently put up a Little Free Library. I love reading to kids and I really love the idea of kids visiting our Little Free Library and finding a new book. I like to decorate it for holidays and put seasonal books inside. I also like to find other Little Free Libraries when I travel. Our town has about 10, but it’s always interesting to see what you find in other towns/states.

Favorite Authors:

Sue Grafton, Kristin Hannah, Jodi Picoult

Favorite Children’s Authors:

Laura Ingalls Wilder, Coco Simon (Cupcake Diaries), Laura Schaefer (Teashop Girls), Kate Klise, Jeanette Winter, Mary Azarian, Beverly Cleary, Patricia McLachlan

Favorite Books:

To Kill a Mockingbird, The Help, 11/22/63, Little House Series

I really enjoy creating ATC’s. The size is manageable and they are easy to finish relatively quickly. I am getting quite a large collection thanks to the swaps I’ve been participating in.

My biggest quilt project is my Dear Jane quilt. It consists of 225 different block patterns and is inspired by a Civil War era quilt made by Jane Stickle. I am trying to use all Civil War reproduction fabrics in mine, so I am always on the lookout for those particular fabrics. I also have a huge stash of other fabrics and patterns that I hope to get to someday. I belong to a quilting guild, which is a huge dose of inspiration for me.

I have really gotten into baking over the last couple of years. My cousin and I do a monthly baking challenge that we call the Bi-Coastal Baking Challenge because I am on the west coast and she is on the east coast. We try to do it once a month, but sometimes life gets in the way.

I have a large collection of vintage cookbooks and I’m always on the hunt for more. I have an Instagram called @vintagecooking1965 where I try recipes from my cookbook collection. I am especially fascinated by mid century recipes. There’s just something about the abundance of jello mold recipes that I find really interesting.