Hope you're all having a nice weekend! Just wanted to let you all know that CityCraft has made some kits of Lucy's Crab Shack to use with my Colorblock Quilt Pattern! These fabrics would make an adorable quilt for summer!
9
Chicken Pesto Alfredo with Cherry Tomatoes.
6.29.2012
We ate so much amazing food on our retreat! I made one of my favorite pasta dishes on Friday night, chicken pesto alfredo with cherry tomatoes. (sorry for the old instagram picture!)
Chicken Pesto Alfredo with Cherry Tomatoes (serves about 4-6)
1 box bowtie pasta
pinch of salt
1 pint cherry tomatoes
2 large chicken breasts
1 tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
Garlic salt & pepper to taste
1/4 c. butter
1 c. heavy cream
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 c. pesto
1 1/2 c. grated parmesan cheese
Directions:
Chop cherry tomatoes in half. Set aside.
Boil water and salt in a large saucepan. Add pasta, cook until done, and strain. You can cook the chicken and sauce while the pasta is cooking.
Cook the chicken:
Heat a few teaspoons of olive oil in a skillet, dice the chicken breasts, add chicken to pan. Sprinkle with italian seasoning, garlic salt and pepper. Cook chicken until done while you make the sauce and cook the pasta.
Sauce:
Melt butter in a medium saucepan on medium low heat. Add cream and simmer for about 5 minutes. Add garlic, pesto, and parmesan cheese and stir constantly until cheese melts and sauce is slightly thickened.
When everything is done, add cherry tomatoes and chicken to pasta. Pour sauce over the top of the pasta mixture and stir to coat.
Serve with shredded parmesan cheese and fresh parsley (optional).
12
a visit to whipstitch and some stash additions.
6.27.2012
Pretty much the only time I stepped outside during our trip to Atlanta our Saturday trip to Whipstitch! I was so excited to visit the store after reading Deborah's blog and visiting the etsy shop on occasion.
I was so excited to find this Ruby Star Rising mustard Vintage Flowers print! I bought enough to make a new bag! I also got a fat quarter of the coveted typewriters straight from Melody Miller herself.
Some fat quarters of Quilt Blocks courtesy of Ellen Luckett Baker. I just love the colors in this collection.
A book I've been eyeing for quite awhile, Zakka Style thanks to the lovely Rashida Coleman-Hale.
And she even signed it for me!
My luggage was definitely heavy on the way home, but it was well worth the extra pounds to bring all of this with me!
The outside of the store is so cute, I just love the aqua painted brick!
We were greeted at the door by some Monsterz, along with a pretty dress and some fabric filled hoops.
There were some amazing quilts hanging on the walls, and lots of pretty fabric to look at!
More gorgeous dresses and bags throughout the store.
And lots of gorgeous thread and embroidery floss!
Shelves filled with modern fabric collections.
I think almost everyone was admiring this gorgeous Quilt Blocks line from Ellen Luckett Baker in the front window. Ara Jane clearly couldn't resist it.
Ellen also made this HST quilt showcasing the line. I love the addition of bright solids!
Here's Rachel sorting through the fat quarter bins. Lots of good ones in there!
Clearly all the fabric buying was making Jacey happy.
Deborah and her crew chatted with us while cutting all of our fabric finds. They were all so wonderful and sweet!
It was such a fun shopping experience! Such a pretty store with pretty modern fabric.
I hope I get to go back again someday!
As I mentioned last week, I saved some space in my luggage for my fabric purchases! It was hard to resist all the pretty modern prints, and clearly I didn't try very hard. I had most of the Summersville prints in my hands immediately after I walked through the door. I can't resist a good color + white print, and these are all fantastic!
I picked up a few other fat quarters and half yards, including some Vintage Modern, Painter's Canvas, Monsterz, Hello Pilgrim, and Outfoxed.
15
weekend reflections.
6.26.2012
The weekend sewing retreat in Atlanta was so amazing! Spending time with friends, sewing, and shopping. Chatting about sewing, fabric and blogging, learning more about each other, and eating lots of good food! And of course, creating beautiful things.
My triangles ready to be sewn into pairs.
Jacey's scraps.
Nicke's scraps.
Rachel's scraps.
Nicke sewing, Ara Jane pressing.
Amanda's Quilting Modern project.
Nicke's improv chevrons in process.
Jacey's cross stitch in progress.
Rachel's log cabins.
Triangle progress.
Jacey's Pow Wow progress.
Ara Jane's 241 Tote.
More triangles.
Rachel sewing.
Amanda sewing.
Maureen planning her next block.
Jessica pressing.
Rachel's coin quilt progress.
Amanda making more strips.
Jacey's prairie braid.
Amanda's strips coming together.
Jessica's finished quilt top.
Nicke's pinwheel block.
Maureen's quilt blocks.
I think it's safe to say we got a lot of sewing done this weekend! I left yesterday feeling refreshed, happy, and inspired. So many wonderful and creative people all in one house! It was so nice to spend time with like-minded friends, each of us so different yet with so much in common. More to come this week, including a stop at Whipstitch, dinner with a few special visitors, and some yummy recipes.
8
a few foyer updates.
6.20.2012
Awhile back I posted about how I'm going to take more pictures of areas of my house before they are completely finished. This is another one of those posts! The foyer in our house isn't at all the way we want it to look, but it is going to be a long time before we finish this room so right now I'm trying to make the best of what we've got! Eventually the wallpaper will come down, the floors will be redone or stained darker, the trim will be white (in here and throughout the house) and the carpet on the stairs will be torn out. Until then, I'm just happy to have a few things hanging on the walls and some furniture to fill the space!
I picked up a piano bench at a warehouse antique sale recently, cleaned it up a bit and put it in the nook near the stairs. It's a nice place to set a bag down or sit down to tie your shoes! The art and decorations will look a lot better once we paint the walls (most likely some sort of light gray), but it's better than looking at the bare wall.
I added a small tray with some decorative items in it for a pop of color in the corner.
We also got new rugs in here a few months ago which I love!
This little table has been in here since last October, but I hung a new mirror to fill the space above it earlier this year.
We also painted the door a peacock blue which kind of ties all of the blues together when it's open. More on that subject once the project is finished... still need to paint a little more and repair some trim.
This room still needs a lot of work but it's feeling much more welcoming in here lately!
I picked up a piano bench at a warehouse antique sale recently, cleaned it up a bit and put it in the nook near the stairs. It's a nice place to set a bag down or sit down to tie your shoes! The art and decorations will look a lot better once we paint the walls (most likely some sort of light gray), but it's better than looking at the bare wall.
I picked up an old chair at the same antique sale, and reupholstered it with a random home dec fabric from my stash. I don't think the chair will stay in here forever, but it works until I get some sort of little cabinet or table to put here. Plus it matches the rug, which was a happy accident!
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Welcome to Bijou Lovely. This blog is named after my great grandmother, Bijou Lillian, who encouraged me to embrace all the lovely things that the world has to offer. I hope to provide you with inspiration for sewing, quilting, photography, design, and daily life here at Bijou Lovely! It's truly lovely to have you here.
