Happy long weekend friends!!  Since it’s Friday again and I promised a “normal” 5 Things Friday post last week here I am.  For those of us in the US it’s a holiday weekend and many people will be off celebrating Labor Day on Monday.  We normally head out of town but are staying close to home this time instead.  Today’s 5 Things are a mix of entertainment, some of my recent quilty finishes and a couple of great ideas to purchase during the Labor Day sales.

#1-Alpha the movie.  ALPHA the movie  We saw this when it first came out and LOVED it!!  Even my 14 year old son was totally into it.  If you’re a dog lover it is a must see!!  Just bring some tissues with you.

#2-I shared a recipe with you guys a few weeks ago and got a bunch of comments from people who tried it and loved it.  I thought I would share another recipe that I’m loving lately.  Paleo Cinnamon Granola  I’ve mentioned before that I eat a strict Paleo diet which means no grains of any kind (no wheat, no quinoa, no rice, no oats etc).  For the most part changing to Paleo wasn’t much of a change from my normal diet.  My main hangup was breakfast.  I was eating rice before but no gluten filled grains so I had found several rice based breakfast options.  With that out the window I was a little lost for my morning meal.  Because I head to the gym every morning I need a little protein to make it through my workout and until lunch.  However, I’m not an egg fan.  Shocking I know but I just don’t like them for breakfast.  I can totally scramble some eggs with salsa and eat them for lunch or dinner but it’s a no go for me at breakfast.  I tend to lean towards the sweeter side for my morning meal anyway.  I guess it was probably the way I was raised and my family’s southern roots.  So long story short my old breakfast options weren’t available to me anymore so I brainstormed and did a little searching and came up with my own Paleo “Granola” recipe.  I’ve tweaked it a bit over the last couple of months and this latest version is my favorite!  I eat it with some sliced fruit and almond or coconut milk.  Plus my coffee of course!!  Give it a shot and let me know what you think 🙂

#3-

Craftsy is having a huge Labor Day sale!  Tons of supplies on sale for great prices.  It’s definitely worth checking out as they have a pretty good selection of basics and even some fun designer fabric and kits.

#4-

I’ve mentioned before that I am blessed with the opportunity to make custom memory quilts and I wanted to share 2 recent finishes.  These particular quilts were a bit emotional for me so I thought I would share a some more about them.  

The clothing was sent to me from a sweet lady in Texas who’s younger brother was tragically killed in devastating car accident.  He was very young and the siblings were incredibly close.  If you look closely at the photos you will see that she even sent me his name badges from the auto repair garage where he worked.  I incorporated them on the front of each of the quilts as a special reminder for the family.

The second quilt was the same basic layout design wise just with different t-shirts and border/backing combo.  The dark green star print was used on both quilts and chosen specifically as a reminder of her brother’s Star Wars obsession.  I make each quilt with love and attention to detail as I want the quilts to be used and enjoyed for generations to come.

If I can help you or anyone you know with a special memory quilt you can find more information in my Etsy shop ALC Creates

#5-Quilting Made Easy sheets.

I know this idea seems like a no brainer but my perfectionist tendencies make free motion quilting clam-shells a bit tricky.  I’m sure many of you just “eyeball” or wing it but every time I do that I end up focusing on the one imperfect area.  Enter these Quilting Made Easy sheets.  They are 9.25″ wide and have adhesive strips on the back.  You simply attach them to your quilt and stitch right through the paper.  Easy Peasy perfect clam-shells!  They have a bunch of different patterns and styles to choose from.  I also grabbed the stipples version as well.  I plan on using them on a project I’m working on right now.  If I can figure out how to shut off those perfectionist parts of me these sheets wouldn’t be necessary but until then I’m happy to “cheat” just a bit in order to get the look I’m going for.

There you go friends. This week’s 5 Things Friday.  I’d love to hear what you think or if you have any suggestions.  Just shoot them my way.  Happy long weekend to my US friends.