Jacque Made: a place to share my creative side.

A sweet friend of mine is expecting a baby girl soon. I like to match the gift set I give friends with colors or themes I know they like. My friend stenciled her nursery wall in a beautiful birch tree design. When I saw the fabrics below online, I knew they were the ones for her.  How cute are these deer with florals on their antlers? I made a pacifier clip to match the set. I like to use this tutorial  for pacifier clips. (I did attach elastic on mine instead of Velcro though.) I found these ribbons at Hobby Lobby for the taggy blanket. The whole set together. I hope my friend loves these like I do. I'm so excited to meet her baby soon!

When a friend of mine commented that she'd like to have a wreath like the one I made , I immediately told her that I'd love to make her one! (She's a wonderful friend, and I would do anything for her!) So, to Hobby Lobby I went! I purchased all the supplies in a few different trips - waited for the florals to go on sale before I got those. (They can be expensive!) Aren't they so pretty?  I wasn't sure at first that I like the green fuzzy lookin' ones, but then they grew on me. And I only ended up using one of those, so it all worked out. I just go with different textures, colors, and let it flow.  I also wasn't sure at first if I wanted two or three birds on it, but because it's a bigger wreath, I figured why not. The pink bird must be a mommy, as she's hangin' out back by her eggs in the nest. Isn't the fabric on the birds so cool? Love it! Wish I had a pillow made with it. Hope my friend loves it as much as I do. I...

I was so excited when I got an invitation to a friend's baby shower. I asked her what theme and colors she was using for her nursery, and she said foxes and orange, gray, and turquoise. I knew right away what fabric I was going to use for her burp cloths... this awesome set called "Fox and the Houndstooth" from Robert Kaufman. I mean, look at those foxes! They are too much! I was also beyond thrilled to find these ribbons at Hobby Lobby for the taggy blanket. They went so perfectly with the fabrics. Love, love, love!! I am having a hard time using any other type of minky than this rosebud kind. It is so dreamy and soft. I wasn't sure it would work for a baby boy blanket, but I actually kind of love it. I think the soft swirls look great against the boyish mustaches and foxes. I hope she loves them as much as I do!! I wanted to make this Ballerina set for another friend who is having a baby girl very soon. I love the gold detail in the ribbons...

We are all in love with Big Hero 6, especially Cohen. Here are his valentines for his class. We found the printables online here . We bought lollipops with extra long sticks, cut a small slit in the valentine where it would go in, and then taped it to secure it on the back. He's pumped to give them to his friends.

I have to say this is one of my very favorite things to eat: chips and salsa. It is my dear friend, Betsy's recipe. She made it for my family a few years back for a Christmas neighbor gift, and I had to ask for the recipe, because it was that good. (Not to mention it was completely refreshing to have a non sweet goodie gift for the holidays. I didn't feel like I was gaining a ton of weight by eating this. And you won't either!) I made it for our neighbors, and I thought it turned out so cute with the red/green chips and cute polka dot ribbon... and it doesn't hurt that the salsa itself is red and green! Betsy's Salsa Ingredients : 1 lg. can of crushed tomatoes 1 bunch green onions, chopped 1/2 bunch cilantro 1 small can diced green chilies garlic salt, to taste Directions : Blend all ingredients except garlic salt in a blender or food processor. Add garlic salt to taste. (Don't be shy with the garlic salt.) Serve with your favorite...

A friend asked me to make her a set of burp cloths and a taggy blanket for a baby gift. She wanted a jungle theme. I had a lot of fun looking at fabrics online (where I do all my fabric shopping nowadays). These are the ones I ended up choosing: an elephant, citron green scribble, and alligator print from Ed Emberley's Happy Drawing collection. I love them. I bought green minky for the blanket and some assorted ribbons from Hobby Lobby in green, bright blue, and gray. (Finding ribbons that looked jungle-y was harder than I thought it'd be. The geometric ones reminded me of the alligators and felt tribal for some reason, so I went with them!)  I love the blue birds sitting on the alligators' backs. And here they are all bundled up and ready to ship out to a sweet mama to be. I have to say that sewing for babies and their mamas makes me really happy. And looking at these adorable prints almost makes me want to have another baby! (Almost.)  ;)

These are Giada DeLaurentiis recipes that are so tasty! I always make them together, (the way she suggests), as they compliment each other so well and they both bake for the same amount of time at the same degrees. If you have people in your family who are weary of eating chicken off the bone and with skin, I suggest making the chicken as directed, then pulling the chicken from the bone, removing the skin, and serving it that way. (I've tried marinating boneless, skinless breasts and cooking them, but it doesn't taste as good.) Isn't this meal pretty? The food is just as delicious as it looks! ROASTED CHICKEN WITH BALSAMIC VINAIGRETTE 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice 2 garlic cloves, chopped 2 tablespoons olive oil Salt and freshly ground black pepper 1 (4-pound) whole chicken, cut into pieces (giblets, neck and backbone reserved for another use) 1/2 cup low-salt chicken broth 1 teaspoon lemon zest 1 tablespoon chopped ...