Mini Keepsake Quilts 1 & 2

It is extremely rewarding to make quilts and give them to people in need. I love knowing that someone who is facing what is likely the most difficult time in their life will receive warmth and comfort in the form of a quilt that I made. I've shared photos of the first quilt I ever made and, two weeks ago, my second quilt, but I wanted something more to remember my quilts. So I gathered up the scraps, cut (or pieced) twelve 2-inch squares, and turned them into mini keepsake quilts. 

Just like the originals, the minis have plenty of mistakes, but I'm fine with that. I'm a beginning quilter (and beginning sewist) and I'm proud of these mini quilts. This time last year I couldn't have made them at all. The mistakes show my progress and motivate me to keep improving. 

My plan is to hang a cord on the wall like a clothesline, then use mini clothespins to display my mini quilts. It's going to be so cute!

State Name Art: Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, South Dakota

It's Round 3 of State Name Art! This time, Kentucky, Missouri, New Hampshire, and South Dakota. As before, I love how different they each are. It's great fun figuring out how to place the letters of the state in its silhouette, then deciding what scene to add. Affiliate links below. 

State Name Art

Materials:

• Bristol vellum
• Flair pens
• colored pencils
• microtip scissors
• colored cardstock
• glue stick

Steps: 

Print or trace the outline of the state onto paper. I like to use Bristol vellum when working with colored pencils. I made the outlines using graphics from PicMonkey, but you could also draw or trace your own outline. 

Use a pencil to sketch in the letters of the state. Sketch lightly so you can make adjustments if necessary. Some letters will have missing parts or distortions; that's not a problem as long as the state name is legible. Outline the letters with a Flair pen, then color in all spaces that aren't part of the name.  

Lightly sketch a scene across the white space of the letters, choosing an image that represents the state. When you are happy with what you've sketched, fill it in with colored pencils. I drew a horse in a pasture for Kentucky...

... Gateway Arch for Missouri...

... sunset over the mountains for New Hampshire...

... and a buffalo grazing for South Dakota. 

Cut out the state and glue it to colored construction paper. 

I'm continuing to have a lot of fun with these. This makes 12, which is a far cry from 50. I'll keep taking them four at a time until it's not fun anymore.

College Towns That Double as Great Tourist Destinations

I love college towns, so it was with great interest that I read the article 15 College Towns That Double as Great Tourist Destinations. Of the 15 places on the list, I have visited six: Burlington, VT; Boulder, CO; Madison, WI; Annapolis, MD; Ithaca, NY; and Santa Fe, NM. I enjoyed all six of them and concur that they are excellent tourist destinations. 

That said, in my mind there is an enormous difference between Burlington, Boulder, and Ithaca vs. Madison, Annapolis, and Santa Fe. The latter three are all state capitals, which gives them a completely different feel than the previous three. They're less tie dye as they are power tie. That got me wondering what the actual definition of a college town is. It can't just be a town with a college in it; literally no one would say New York City is a college town despite being home to a shocking number of colleges and universities.

 It turns out there is an accepted definition for a college town:  

• College towns have a population smaller than 350,000 and are physically separated from a larger city. 
• College students make up at least 20% of the population. 
• The college is the major/primary employer in town and has a significant impact on the local economy. 
• The college shapes the cultural identity, public events, and social life of the town. 

This definition came from Blake Gumprecht, author of The American College Town (affiliate link). 

In 2008, Gumprecht developed a list of 305 cities in the US that meet the criteria to be a college town. In general, they "are known for having lively downtowns, picturesque residential neighborhoods, unusual cultural opportunities for cities so small, ample parks and recreational facilities, safe streets, and good schools."  They also tend to have a diverse culinary scene and plenty of hotel rooms for visiting parents and scholars. All these things add up to a great tourist destination. 

I've been to several dozen of the cities on the list. Of those, I picked my top 5 that I think belong on the list of great tourist destinations. (Yes, my alma mater is first.) Click on each graphic to read about our time in each of these awesome college towns. 

Yes, I do realize that Columbia is a state capital, but it feels more like a college town than any other state capital I've visited. 

I'd love to hear your thoughts about college towns that double as great tourist destinations. Do you agree with the 15 listed in the original article? How do you feel about my choices? Are there any ones you'd like to add? Let me know in the comments!

Corn Dog Craft for Kids

What do Oregon and Indiana have in common? Corn dogs! This beloved fried food is popular in every state that has a fair, ballpark, or frozen food section in the grocery store, but Oregon and Indiana have special corn dog claims-to-fame. Corn dogs were invented in Rockaway Beach, Oregon in 1939. Follow this link to learn more about the birth of corn dogs. Make sure you scroll down far enough to see the mechanical corn dog. Indiana is not the birthplace of corn dogs, but the small town of Bristol (population 1600) is called the Corn Dog Capital of the World. They produce 80% of the world's corn dogs. Bristol is also home to the annual Corndog Festival. (Note: Both corn dog and corndog are acceptable spellings.) 

Celebrate the corn dog with a fun and easy craft. Affiliate links below. 

 

Corn Dog Craft

Materials: 

• watercolor paper
• watercolors (these are my favorites)
• scissors
• craft glue
• craft sticks
• yarn (yellow, red)

Steps: 

Use yellow, orange, and brown watercolors to paint a piece of watercolor paper the color of a corn dog. When you are happy with the color, let the paint dry completely. 

Cut the paper into the shape of a corn dog, approximately 6.5" x 1.75". Obviously, exact size doesn't matter. Glue the corn dog to a craft stick. Add a squiggle of glue down the length of the corn dog, then yarn on the glue. Trim the excess yarn, then let the glue dry completely. 

Steve likes his corn dogs with mustard. I prefer mine plain, or occasionally with ketchup. 

I had a lot of fun with this corn dog craft. Give it a try!

Puzzle Party!

To celebrate my 54th birthday back in March, I threw myself a jigsaw puzzle party. It was awesome. I printed the photos right away, but I'd been waiting to scrap them until I could get my hands on puzzle patterned paper. As soon as it showed up, I made this page. 

Puzzle Party (affiliate link)

I've been doing modern scrapbooking for 25+ years and this is the first time EVER that I used up all of the letter Zs on a sticker sheet before running out of any other letter! Using one Z is really rare for me and running out of them - ever, let alone first! - is unheard of. Like most people, I tend to run out of the vowels and letters like S, T, and R. Anyway, that was a fun first for me.