Growing up in Upstate, NY around the Finger Lakes region we were surrounded by beautiful rolling (green) hills, SO many trees (actual tall trees), and lakes, rivers, streams, ponds… puddles… soooo much water!!!! Every summer we catch ourselves day dreaming of those perfect summer nights by the lake; slight breeze, campfire burning, and the water lapping the beach. We have to say this desert living is a far cry from those perfect summer nights along Keuka Lake!!

When we saw Mathews @Misterdomestic latest @artgalleryfabrics collection Catch and Release it instantly reminded us of HOME! His collection embodies everything about those long summer days and breezy summer nights at the lake that we miss! We were so excited to get sewing and to create a summer inspired picnic set up, that fingers crossed would “magically” transport us out of the desert! HA!

Well it sort of did…

We met half way (give or take a few miles) between Arizona and Albuquerque the other weekend in Show Low, Arizona to try to find a little green and blue scenery that our typical taupe and very taupe landscape doesn’t have. We decided to set up our picnic along Fools Hollow Lake. While it might not have been as large as Keuka Lake and it lacked those rolling hills you defiantly felt like you were no longer desert side.

We had so much fun setting up our little picnic, and we loved seeing all the coordinating fabrics play off one another as we arranged our table of makes.

So lets talk about what we ended up sewing with all this adorable AGF fabric!!!

We knew we wanted to create a few summery picnic items so we designed this cute fish placemat perfect for summer dinners outside! Hands down it was our favorite make and really added something extra to our picnic set up. You can find the free pattern here to make yourself! YAY!! Be sure to tag us #Catalinahomegrown so we can see all your projects!

We also have been wanting to try our hand at making reusable paper towels. They were so fun and so easy to sew up! We used plastic snaps to be able to attach each towel and they were a breeze to put together using the Dritz plastic snap pliers. We may or may not have a tutorial coming soon *wink wink* so keep your eyes out for that.

A few staple items that we have in our Etsy shop that we decided to add to our table setting were our new reusable bowl covers. We LOVE them in these cute fish themed prints that Mathew designed. Perfect for picnics or storing food in the fridge to keep fresh instead of plastic wrap or tin foil. They have a wipeable fabric lining and guess what?! you can throw them in the wash if they get dirty!!! They come in 3 sizes too. We also put together the cutest set of wine coasters. These things are great! You just slip your wine glass inside them and they travel with you as your glass moves. They also double as wine charms.

Two fun new items that we made were a fabric trivet and a fabric modge-podge serving tray. The fabric trivet turned out so cute and looks way more difficult then it actually was. We found a tutorial online using rope that wrapped the fabric around it in order to make a rug. We simply just made it smaller in size for a trivet. Its a great way to scrap bust! You can find the tutorial here.

We had picked up a serving tray at Joann Fabrics in the 70% off section the other week and loved the shape of it but was not a fan of the print for the bottom of the base. Soooo we thought why not modge-podge some of Mister Domestics beautiful blue bank flora fabric onto it!!! This was our favorite print of his… because well we love ALL the FLORALS and we love how we now have a fun pop of color on this simple tray. 

To make the tray we…

*Traced the circle on the fabric,
*Cut the fabric
*Painted the modge-podge glue on the base
*Laid the fabric down
*Pressed flat
*Let dry
…and Ta-Da!!! A beautiful summery serving tray!

Finally, we took our slouchy fabric baskets that we sell in our Etsy shop and tweeked the pattern a little to create hanging plant baskets, and we are soooo in love!!! The Catch and Release floral prints Mathew designed look like they were meant for these little cuties….add pom-poms and UGH! ADORABLE!!! I love how these really bring the outdoors inside (especially if you end up picnicking in your air-condintioned house). They are the perfect summer accessory to add some dimension and life into a room. 

We have had such a blast creating all these goodies for Mister Domestics Project Party using his new fabrics that we wanted to share the love with all of y’all! Be sure to check out and enter our amazing giveaway on IG featuring this adorable line of fabric. You don’t want to miss it!

A huge thank you to Mathew for allowing us to participate it his super fun, super craft-tastic blog party!!! This guy is the real deal y’all!!

♥ Jackie and Amanda