tonya dusold

Cheater French Onion Soup

2012-02-05T16:01:00.000-06:00

This French onion soup is ridiculously easy and fast - there are only 5 ingredients! And you make it right in the bowl so there's less dishes which is always a plus in my book.

I am going to give amounts that make 2 dinner servings or 4 servings if it's with a meal, but since you are making it right in the serving bowls, you can easily make more or less depending on how many people you're feeding.

3 cups beef broth
2 T. cooking sherry
1 sm canister French fried onions (like you put on green bean casserole)
1 sm baguette (day old works best)
2-4 cheese slices (I've used swiss, muenster, provolone and mozzarella - use whatever you like)

Divide broth and sherry equally between oven safe bowls. Split the canister of French onions equally between bowls. Top each with a thick (about 1") slice of bread and a slice of cheese. Bake for 15-20 minutes at 350 degrees. Done! It's delicious and so simple.

The cheese in the red and yellow bowls is mozzarella and the cheese in the orange and blue bowls is swiss. Any of the cheese will brown up nicely - just in different amounts of time. I could have left the swiss ones in a bit longer, but I'm impatient!

One last tip: don't skip the sherry. Even though it's a very small amount, it adds a complexity to the soup that you really do miss without it.

Mind blowing cake decorating tip.

2011-12-11T09:19:00.000-06:00

I cannot believe I forgot to include the amazing tip I used in frosting my ninja bread men in the last post. Do you know how to use a piping bag and not make a mess? The tip is from Karens Cookies but I found the video at Dollar Store Crafts. It made me dig my piping bag out of the back of the drawer. I never use it because it's a hassle to clean. Go watch the 2 minute video. You will think, "Why did I never thing of that? It's brilliant!"

Place your frosting or whatever you are going to pipe in a pile in the center of a piece of saran wrap. Roll it up like a Tootsie Roll. Put the whole thing in your piping bag with one end sticking out the bottom. Snip that off, pipe away, no messy bag or hands to clean up afterward. That didn't help did it? Go watch the video. It makes it clear and easy to understand.

My ninja bread men will kick your gingerbread men's butts

2011-12-09T10:11:00.001-06:00

As I noted here this summer, I am a Pinterest addict. I am up to almost 1,000 pins. Ridiculous, I know, but I LOVE it and it is so inspiring. Anyway, last Christmas friends gave us ninja bread men cookie cutters. They are hilarious. We don't really like gingerbread cookies or sugar cookies but I knew I needed to make ninja bread men. Then I remembered making gingerbread ornaments when I was a kid that smelled wonderful but lasted from year to year, but I needed a recipe. Pinterest to the rescue!

The "dough" recipe is from Martha Stewart via Pinterest. It's just 1 c. cinnamon, 1/4 c. applesauce and 1/2 c. white glue. Poke holes with the end of a straw so you can string a ribbon through. Then either let it dry for 24 hours or put it in the oven at 200 degrees for around 2 hours or until it's dried out. I did have to use a bit more glue and applesauce than her recipe called for.

The "frosting" is homemade puff paint, recipe courtesy Delaware County Moms via Pinterest. It's just equal parts flour, salt and water. You can add food coloring or paint if you want it to be colored.

I know you are jealous of my ninja bread men cookie cutters, but you can make ornaments with any cookie cutters or just shape the dough with your hands. We used the last little bit to make ninja stars to go on the tree too! Hilarious!

My legs are WARM!

2011-11-21T08:00:00.001-06:00

I am obsessed with tall boots with long socks or leg warmers. Yes, leg warmers. No, I'm not confused about what decade it is. I'm not talking about 80s leg warmers over spandex in neon colors. These leg warmers are worn under boots so no one will ever know that they aren't really socks. I've seen them all over at stores and online. Some for as high as $80!!

I'm on a budget and even if I wasn't, I could never spend $80 on a pair of socks. So I decided to make my own. $12 at Salvation Army got me 6 fairly ugly sweaters in random sizes - and now I have 6 new pairs of leg warmers to wear as boot socks!

Like them? Do you want to make some too? Here's how:

( I used a serger, but I think you could zigzag stitch all the places I serged and still end up with the same effect.)

Step 1: Acquire some ugly sweaters at a thrift store. Make sure the knit has some stretch to it because, in all likelihood, your legs are bigger around than the sleeves of most tops.

Step 2: Measure from your heel to the back of your knee and add 1 inch. Measure that length from the cuff of your sweater.

Step 3: Cut both sleeves off. Stay perpendicular to the sleeve - don't follow the shoulder seam.

*At this point, slip the sleeve on your leg. If it is loose at the top (3 of my 6 pairs were), turn them inside out and serge up the underarm seam to make them smaller.

Step 4: Cut a small (1/2 inch) slit at the underarm seam and serge all the way around the raw edge.

Step 5: Flip the edge in and ZIGZAG stitch with about 1/2 inch seam allowance.

And you're done!

Unless you're not done. I thought I was, but then went a bit embellishment crazy.

I sewed buttons on 5 pairs and trim on 3.

Learn from my mistakes: Decide from the beginning which will get trim and buttons - then put the trim on BEFORE the buttons. I sewed the buttons on first and they were constantly in the way when I was trying to put the trim on. Also, don't forget to zigzag trim on and stretch the knit a bit as you sew. You need to be able to get them over the widest part of your calf, even if the trim doesn't have any stretch.

I left the argyle ones unadorned, but they are super long so I can put them up high above my knees or slouch them down a bit for knee high length.

Good thing I have seven pairs of tall boots because I want to wear a pair of these every day!

Update: Here's a really bad picture I took with my cell phone this morning but you can see the cream lace pair with brown riding boots.

Produce pouches

2011-11-17T08:00:00.004-06:00

It seems silly to use plastic produce bags when I make the effort to use fabric totes at the checkout lane. I have purchased several sets of mesh bags that work wonderful for fruits and veggies at the grocery store or at the farmers market. Somehow they always seem to wander off. I'm not sure if I'm accidentally throwing them out occasionally, if they're blowing away when I'm not looking or if some of the friends, family and strangers who are always so impressed with them "borrow" a few here and there. At one point in time, I had 20 in 4 different sizes. The last time I took count, I was down to six!

Simple solution? How about $3 for 12 in two sizes! 1 yard of mesh on sale for $1 plus one spool of ribbon for $2. Less than two hours later, I had 8 small bags and 4 large ones!

I just serged around 3 sides and around the opening at the top. Flipped the top down about 1/2 an inch and zigzagged that all the way around. Snip two little slits on one side and use a safety pin to slide the ribbon through. Tie a knot and viola! They're cute, they're cheap and they are environmentally friendly. Never a reason to use plastic bags for produce again!

Wee li'l pumpkins

2011-11-13T21:40:00.000-06:00

Last month I visited a friend in Brooklyn. She had the cutest tiny velvet pumpkins that she had bought in Kansas City. I very badly wanted to pack them up in my suitcase and bring them home. However, she appeared to be rather attached to them too, and she'd been nice enough to let me stay the weekend at her apartment, so I thought better than to repay her kindness by stealing her things! Instead I came home and made my own.

My camera was really struggling with these. I think it was actually the bowl they are in. Clockwise from left they are navy, red, purple, green, burgundy, magenta and orange (center). I bought gourds and small pumpkins, snapped off their stems and let them dry before glueing them on.

I just love how the stems look on the fancy, jewel-toned velvets. Makes me think of Cinderella for some reason.

I started out with five. Then decided I wanted more colors, so I went back to the fabric store (and grocery store for pumpkins) and made two more - one of each color for a total of seven. That wasn't enough, so I made a second of each color. What the heck am I going to do with 14 tiny velvet pumpkins? No idea. Don't care. I love them.

These three are my favorite. Again, the colors are off. They are magenta, navy and burgundy.

It's another giveaway!

2011-11-10T17:44:00.001-06:00

Not mine this time but over at Andrea the Kitchen Witch's blog she's giving away A Cook's Book for Cooks by Stephen Crout.

The giveaway is open until Wednesday and is super simple to enter, so take 5 minutes, read the post and enter to win!

And the Ghastlie winner is...

2011-11-07T08:00:00.002-06:00

#129 Julie!

Julie will receive:

Ghastlies half apron

Ghastlies coffee cozie

AND

Ghastlies bookmark

Congrats, Julie! Thanks to all 157 of you who commented and entered to win! And a BIG thank you to Madam Samm for putting this Ghastlies Blog Hop together.

One amazing lady

2011-11-06T22:23:00.003-06:00

Today my Grandma Vera passed away. She was definitely a one of a kind. She had 13 children and more than 80 grandchildren and great grandchildren. Her and my grandpa have been married more than 65 years. This photo is from their honeymoon to California in the 1940s and is my all time favorite picture of her.

I believe this is her senior picture.

Rest in peace, Grandma. You were one heck of a lady. We'll miss you.

Día de los Muertos

2011-11-04T16:19:00.000-05:00

This year for Halloween I was a Day of the Dead skeleton bride. 90% of the costume was the makeup, which I thought turned out fabulous. I used Tulip brand face paint, which was wonderful! Great coverage, went on easy, stayed dry (with baby powder), and washed off clean at the end of the night. I used Tulip brand rhinestones and skin glue - which also stayed on perfectly. (No, I am not being paid to endorse Tulip, I was just that impressed!)

I put two black roses and a feathered head piece from Mood in my hair.

I painted a black turtleneck from Good Will with the filigree bones and glitter. The dress is compliments a costume swap with Andrea.

I even carved my pumpkin like a Day of the Dead bride!

Mrs. Tonya Ghastlie

2011-10-31T00:00:00.081-05:00

I am so happy to have found so many other Ghastlies loving women in the blogosphere. I had a blast last week checking out everyone's ghastlie creations and entering to win prizes. YAY! Now it's finally my turn to share!

My very first Ghastlies project means so much to me for several reasons. When I found this fabric line, I was not a quilter - and had no desire to become one. I loved the fabric so much, I bought it anyway. At the time, the only use I could think of was a quilt. (I know now that is NOT the case at all!) But I am actually glad that I didn't think to make other things with it - because now I am a quilter and I love it and it's all because of the Ghastlies!

So this is my very first quilt - made start to finish completely by me with no idea what I was doing the entire way through! Now, why do I love quilting? Many, many reason, but the number one reason is it makes me feel close to my grandma. She passed away nearly a decade ago - much, much too young - but she was a beautiful person and wonderful quilter.

I owe a big "Thank You!" to the Ghastlies for making me a very happy quilter.

On to the projects:

Queen sized Ghastlies quilt.

Scrappy Ghastlies pillow.

Two sided Ghastlies bookmarks.

Reversible Ghastlies mug cozies.

Ghastlies fridge magnets.

Ghastlies Dinner serving tray.

Ghastlies half apron.

I have one more Ghastlie project I'd like to show you, but it's not mine. My friend Staci over at Reyn of Fashion made a dress from the white Sebastian print. And a cape! They are amazing! Check them out!

And now the best part: The Giveaway! What can you win? Ghastlies goodies of course!

The winner will receive the Ghastlies half apron, plus a Ghastlies mug cozie and bookmark. To win, subscribe to or follow my blog using the links at the top left or in the right sidebar. Then leave a comment telling me what your favorite Ghastlies project has been (mine or from other Ghastlie ladies' in the blog hop. You can see all the projects so far on my Ghastlies Pinboard) That's it! I will leave the giveaway open through Friday, November 4th and announce the winner on Monday, November 7th. Don't forget to leave your email or some way for me to contact you if you win.

I will also randomly choose one commenter to submit to Madame Samm to win today's grand prize. That winner will be announced here later this week. (UPDATE: Mrs. Pickles won the daily prize. MY giveaway is still open through Friday, November 4th!)

And don't forget to visit the other Ghastlie women who are posting today:
Mrs. Tiramisue Ghastlie
Mrs. Angela Ghastlie
Mrs. Pauline Ghastlie
Mrs. Karin Ghastlie
Mrs. Barb Ghastlie

Have a Ghastlie Halloween!

Ghastlies Blog Hop - Week 2

2011-10-30T00:00:00.006-05:00

Welcome to week two of the Ghastlies Blog Hop! Just in time for Halloween, I and 50 other Ghastlies loving ladies have put together some great ghastlie projects for a blog hop! The blog hop was coordinated by the one and only Madame Samm who has also arranged for some great giveaways - daily and grand prizes. Many of the ladies (including myself) will have a giveaway with our posts as well.

If you have the Ghastlies fever too, here's where to find the cure this week:

Monday, October 31st
Mrs. Tonya Ghastlie (That's me!)
Mrs. Tiramisue Ghastlie
Mrs. Angela Ghastlie
Mrs. Pauline Ghastlie
Mrs. Karin Ghastlie
Mrs. Barb Ghastlie

Tuesday, November 1st
Miss Daisy Ghastlie
Mrs. Dana Ghastlie
Mrs. Elaine Ghastlie
Mrs. Gramma Sheri Ghastlie
Ms. Suz Ghastlie

Wednesday, November 2nd
Mrs. Jane Ghastlie
Mrs. Laura Ghastlie
Mrs. Mary Ghastlie
Mrs. Michelle Ghastlie
Mrs. Dawn Ghastlie
Mrs. Mary Ghastlie

Thursday, November 3rd
Mrs. Sharon Ghastlie
Mrs. Corrie Ghastlie
Mrs. Cheryl Ghastlie
Mrs. Linda Ghastlie
Mrs. Pickles Ghastlie

Friday, November 4th
Mrs. Nan Ghastlie
Mrs. Gmama Jane Ghastlie
Mrs. Joan Ghastlie
Mrs. Nancy Ghastlie
Ms. Susan Ghastlie
Madame Ghastlie

As I mentioned earlier each day we will have a giveaway. Some of the other bloggers have made special projects to giveaway and we will have daily SPECIAL PRIZES from these sponsors....to sweeten the CAULDRON....

Some of our Sponsors:
Alexander Henry Fabrics - lot's and lot's of Ghastlie Fabric
Colonial Needle - sewing basket
Janes Fabrics - Kona fabrics in PINK - fat quarter bundle
Reliable Iron - orange Velocity 50
IHAN ( kelly ) - aurifil threads
Coeurdalenegifts - 2 sets of Halloween lights
Forth Worth Fabric Studio - gorgeous gift set of Ghasltie fabric
Creative Grid - 3 Rulers their top 3
Blue FIG - wheeled bag in PINK
Beam N Read and custom Ghastlie Buttons

The winner will always be announced on Mdm Samm's Sew I Quilt blog. To win, follow directions of the daily bloggers and make comments on their blogs.

I hope you enjoyed week one of our Ghastlies Blog Hop and I'm happy you're back for week two! My featured post and giveaway is tomorrow! Don't forget to come back and enter to win - there is double prize potential!

Ghastlies Blog Hop Pinboard

2011-10-24T18:20:00.002-05:00

Update to the Ghastlies Blog Hop: I've created a board on Pinterest of all the projects. There are already 17 from today's 5 Ghastlie ladies! Follow the Ghastlies Pinboard here!

Don't forget to visit the 5-6 ladies daily to win great ghastlie prizes! There are links to this week's featured bloggers on the below post!

Ghastlies Blog Hop

2011-10-24T00:00:00.003-05:00

Remember last year about this time when I became obsessed with the Ghastlies fabric? I'm still in love and apparently I'm not the only one!

Just in time for Halloween, I and 50 other Ghastlies loving ladies have put together some great ghastlie projects for a blog hop! The blog hop was coordinated by the one and only Madame Samm who has also arranged for some great giveaways - daily and grand prizes. Many of the ladies (including myself) will have a giveaway with our posts as well.

If you have this thing for Ghastlies

and they have tied you in a knot

and you wish you could get them out of your mind

than this may be a thought.

We heard her plea for a cure

Mdm Samm was pos/it/ively sure

that we could stitch the nights away

in hopes that we MAY----???

BUT....

The side effects are Ghastlie

there is no mistaking too.

If you don't run this very minute

YOU too will catch the FLU...

We suspected all along

this was her master plan.

She did not want to be alone,

with all YOU Ghastlie FANS...

If you have the Ghastlies fever too, here's where to find the cure this week:

Monday, October 24th
Mrs Kirie Ghastlie
Ms Carol Ghastlie
Ms. Wendy Ghastlie
Ms. Carrie Ghastlie
Mrs Holly Ghastlie

Tuesday, October 25th
Mrs. Annie Ghastlie
Mrs Doris Ghastlie
Mrs Brandie Ghastlie
Ms. Alidiza Ghastlie
Mrs. Judy C Ghastlie

Wednesday, October 26th
Mrs. Barb Ghastlie
Miss Karen Ghastlie
Ms. Loralynn Ghastlie
Ms. Jen Ghastlie
Ms Penny Ghastlie
Mrs Rhonda Ghastlie

Thursday, October 27th
Mrs. Katherine Ghastlie
Ms Sharon Ghastlie
Mrs. Gooden Ghastlie
Ms. Selina Ghastlie
Mrs. Melinda Ghastlie

Friday, October 28th
Miss Trudi Ghastlie
Ms. Deonn Ghastlie
Mrs. Marlene Ghastlie
Mrs Kim Ghastlie
Mrs Tammy Ghastlie

Next week there will be a whole new batch of participants. I'll be featured on Monday, October 31st. Happy Halloween!

As I mentioned earlier each day we will have a giveaway. Some of the other bloggers have made special projects to giveaway and we will have daily SPECIAL PRIZES from these sponsors....to sweeten the CAULDRON....

Some of our Sponsors:
Alexander Henry Fabrics - lot's and lot's of Ghastlie Fabric
Colonial Needle - sewing basket
Janes Fabrics - Kona fabrics in PINK - fat quarter bundle
Reliable Iron - orange Velocity 50
IHAN ( kelly ) - aurifil threads
Coeurdalenegifts - 2 sets of Halloween lights
Forth Worth Fabric Studio - gorgeous gift set of Ghasltie fabric
Creative Grid - 3 Rulers their top 3
Blue FIG - wheeled bag in PINK
Beam N Read and custom Ghastlie Buttons

Our 1st Prize Giveaway today will be this...

4 Yards of this GHASTLIE Collection from our sponsor Alexander Henry Fabrics

The winner will always be announced on Mdm Samm's Sew I Quilt blog. To win, follow directions of the daily bloggers and make comments on their blogs.

I've seen some sneak previews of the projects and prizes. You will not want to miss a post. Everything is so creative, wonderful and, of course, Ghastlie!

Simple custom wedding gift

2011-10-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

I don't like to buy off wedding registries - especially for close friends and family. I know the bride and groom hand pick each item, but I like to put a little more thought and effort into a gift I'm giving. I prefer to make something custom for gifts as well.

I am a paper nerd. I love paper. I love how it feels in my hands, the saturated colors, the texture and pretty much everything about it. I love cutting and folding and working with paper in all manners. So, unsurprisingly, one of my favorite things about weddings is seeing the invitations. I've made custom gifts from invites before. One fun idea is to scan the invite, print it on a self-adhesive label and adhere it to a bottle of wine. Throw in two wine glasses and a corkscrew from the registry and a note for the couple to enjoy the wine on their first anniversary. But what if the couple aren't wine drinkers? Make the invite into pretty Christmas ornaments! It's super simple.

Cut the invite into narrow strips. Try to get each line of text onto a strip. You'll be able to read some of them later.

Curl the strips around a narrow pencil, taking care not to rub off the ink with your fingers. The heavier weight cardstock will hold the shape nicely.

Buy clear glass Christmas ornaments at a craft store and fill with the curled invite!

I love that you can still read some of the elements like the date, names and location. You can buy the bulbs individually or as a set. For this particular wedding, each piece of paper (and the envelope) were all different colors.

So I made one out of the accommodations card.

And one out of the envelope! I sent back the RSVP card, so I cheated and bought the right color of paper at a scrapbooking store to make a 4th ornament to complete the set. You can add fun things like glitter and charms too. I put gold, silver and bronze glitter into the balls.

It's quick, simple and very affordable. Throw in a couple of other Christmas related items or another handmade item and you'll have a memorable, custom wedding gift!

Drum roll please...

2011-09-20T08:29:00.001-05:00

And the winner is...

STEPHANIE! Congratulations Stephanie! I will contact you by email with instructions on how to download the software.

Thank you to everyone who entered. You can still use the coupon code STMMMS54634 to get a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook Software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store. That's a free $20!

My Memories Giveaway!

2011-09-12T13:22:00.002-05:00

Due to unforeseen circumstances winner will be announced tomorrow Tuesday, Sept. 20th. Enjoy the bonus day to enter the giveaway.

I love everything that comes with scrapbooking: the pretty paper in beautiful coordinating color combinations, the fun little punches and gadgets, using the hundreds of pictures of friends and families that I love taking. Laying out perfect pages made me really happy.

I used to scrapbook. Then two things happened. First, I became a poor college student. I didn't have the money to continue what can be an expensive hobby. Second, I became a graphic designer. You'd think that would contribute to a positive scrapbooking experience, but it doesn't. It made me think, as I sat cutting and glueing for hours on end, "I can do this faster, cheaper and better on the computer using design programs." So I quit scrapbooking and never looked back.

I now see the error of my ways. I should have invented the My Memories Suite - a digital scrapbooking program. Alas, I did not. Lucky for you, someone smarter than me did invent it - and they did a darn fine job of it too.

My Memories lets you build pages and even entire books, all digitally. Then you can print them as pages or bound books. You can also export as interactive slideshows, movies and DVDs (you can add music and narration!), photo albums, calendars or greeting cards. Brilliant! What's even more brilliant? I've got a free copy to giveaway to one of you! We'll get to the part about how you win after I tell you a bit more about this program.

One of the great features is the pre-made templates. I used a page from a baby girl themed book to make this. It took me under 10 minutes.

Did I also mention that this was the very first page I made? Or that I didn't read any of the instructions or "how to" materials beforehand? Yeah, this program is that easy and intuitive.

Besides tons of pre-loaded patterns, designs, elements and layouts, you can purchase pre-designed pages and books or buy elements and coordinating packages to layout your own pages. Everything is very affordable - much cheaper than buying the paper at a craft store. Best part? Unlike traditional paper and supplies, you can reuse these elements and pages over and over.

I can see using this program for much more than scrapbooking too. It would work great to layout a pretty flier or poster, make a portfolio of photography or design invitations and gift tags. It even has potential to make attractive marketing and informational documents for work! The possibilities are endless.

Now for the most important part: How do you win?

Visit My Memories webpage and take a look around. Come back here and leave a comment on what page you'd make first or what's your favorite downloadable kit.
Make sure you include a way for me to contact you if you win!

Want more chances to win? Leave a separate comment for each of these you do:

1. Start following this blog. (Either click "follow" in the upper left of this page or use the follow button in the right sidebar - way towards the bottom)

2. Follow My Memories' blog

3. Like My Memories on Facebook

4. Follow My Memories on Twitter

WAIT! We're not done! There's more! (Did that sound like an infomercial? If so, please reread it more like a kid on Christmas morning instead of Vince from Sham Wow. Thank you.)

I have a coupon code: STMMMS54634 will get you a $10 discount off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook Software and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store. That's a free $20!

Here are a few more examples that I made:

Now, go check out the My Memories website the come back and sign up for a chance to win! Winner will be announced on Monday, September 19th.

Full disclosure: I was given a copy of the My Memories Suite Scrapbook Software for free to review for my readers. However, these opinions are my own and I was not compensated for a positive review.

Hello. My name is Tonya and I am an addict.

2011-09-06T08:00:00.003-05:00

It's not drugs or alcohol or even chocolate. It's Pinterest. I cannot stop.

Wait. You don't know what Pinterest is? I don't know whether or not to gush about it and encourage you to sign up, or yell "Run! Run away and don't read on!" So proceed at your own risk and know that Pinterest is wonderful but it will steal hours and hours of your life.

In their own words, "Pinterest is a virtual pinboard. Pinterest allows you to organize and share all the beautiful things you find on the web. You can browse pinboards created by other people to discover new things and get inspiration from people who share your interests."

It's a personalized, virtual bulletin board with beautiful pictures of food, clothing, home decor and anything else your little heart desires. You can categorize everything onto different boards. The best part is that it all links back to the original source, i.e. the webpage with the recipe, tutorial, online store, etc. I love that I can look at all my recipes at once.

I have been LOVING Pinterest for fashion and sewing ideas too. However this seems to have lead to a bad habit of clothing and shoe shopping online. Which makes my PayPal account sad but me squeal in delight when brown paper packages show up on the doorstep.

So what else besides recipe and fashion am I pinning? My 301 (yikes!) pins are on 20 boards including sewing inspirations, crocheting, tattoos and henna, travel, home decor, color combinations, graphic design, Halloween, gift ideas and products I want. Check them all out on my Pinterest page.

It also has a fun element where you can follow boards and people so your homepage has a cornucopia of ideas handpicked by like minded people you've chosen to follow. Pinterest will send you an email (if you want it to) to let you know when people repin your pins. I get a silly amount of pleasure when I get one of these with a huge list.

It's an ego boost. "They like me. They really like me!" Or at least my pins... But whatever. I enjoy it! Joining Pinterest is by invitation only, so if you're interested, let me know and I'll email you an invite. But remember - don't say I didn't warn you about the hours, days and weeks of your life that will suddenly go missing.

Halloween Treasures

2011-09-01T08:10:00.001-05:00

It's the first of September! How did the summer go so fast? I love fall, but I really, really hate that it leads to winter so I am always reluctant to be too excited to pull out the boots and sweaters. Maybe that's part of what I love about Halloween. Something to focus on looking forward rather than dwelling on summer ending. Apparently everyone else is ready for autumn and thinking about Halloween too because I'm in FIVE Halloween themed Etsy treasuries already. My favorite is Spooktacular. It's a great selection of haunting and beautiful items.

See the treasury on Etsy

My wine bottle labels are also featured it these:
Halloween is Coming!
It's Almost Halloween!
Season of the Witch
Countdown to Halloween

I really enjoy seeing what other items people pair up with my products. I'm pleased and happy to be in the company of such talented artists and interesting items!

Witchy Wine

2011-08-29T16:18:00.000-05:00

I love wine. I love Halloween. And I am newly in love and completely addicted to anything with chevron stripes. (Many more chevron projects to come soon! One HUGE one!) Anyway, I decided it was time for new Halloween wine bottle labels since I have sold so many of the old versions. Where to start? With chevron stripes of course!

So cute! It took some work to get a skull and crossbones drawn that worked with the tiny chevron pattern, but I LOVE how it turned out.

But you can't have just one design, so here are the rest of the new ones:

These are lot cuter and less glampire than my usual Halloween style, but I am really loving them. What else is different about these? I didn't go with specific wines in the names. This way I think they are also appropriate for a kids party for sodas or juice.

These are, of course, available on my Etsy site.

So cheesy

2011-08-08T08:00:00.013-05:00

I'm fairly lactose intolerant but thankfully cheese seems to upset my stomach the least of all my favorite dairy products. (Sadly, ice cream tries to shank me from the inside out like a prisoner showing his bitch who's boss.) Anyway, I love cheese and we've had some pretty amazing ones lately.

Fromager D'Affinois with Black Peppercorn

This on was like a super creamy brie with black pepper throughout and concentrated in the rind. I usually like and eat a cheese's rind, but the rind on this one was actually the best part! Since this cheese, my new obsession is herbed or seasoned brie. I cannot get enough. Eat it with pretzel crackers or anything really. Costco actually sells a 1/4 wheel of herbed brie that is quite good.

Boschetto Truffle Cheese

Truffles, right in the cheese. Need I say more? The truffle pieces were divine and had imparted their flavor on the entire block so every single bite was truffle-rific. It wasn't cheap, but it was worth every cent.

Ossau-Irati (Claverolle de Pyronees)

This is a firm sheep's milk cheese. This one is from the French side of the Basque region. I've had similar cheeses and they all seem to say Basque or have basque somehow in the name. I love to travel and want to go everywhere but France has never been at the top of my list. If I can eat cheese like this every day, I'll move there today. It's super creamy tasting and my dad, who swore he wouldn't sheep cheese, LOVED it. Seriously, don't be scared. Try it. You won't regret it.

Tome Verte

Fresh goat cheese crusted with tarragon, thyme and pink peppercorns. I've never met a goat cheese I didn't love, but fresh chevre with either herbs mixed right in or used as a crust it's just about as perfect as cheese gets.

I hope this post has encouraged you to go try a cheese you've never had or step outside of your comfort zone next time you're at the grocery store. I highly recommend getting to know your cheese counter person at a smaller local grocery store. They will usually let you try anything before you buy! These four cheese were all from Surdyk's in Minneapolis, but most local markets will have a pretty good selection to explore.

Ring around the rosies

2011-08-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

I recently lost my favorite hair accessory and have been missing it dearly. I searched a few tutorials online and found two I wanted to try. The boutique flower tutorial at Diamonds, Fur and Laundry creates petals by burning the edge of fabric circles. I used this technique to make the biggest dark gray pinstriped flower.

I used the DIY fabric rosette tutorial from Write it in Lipstick to make the smallest gray satin rose. Tying a knot in one end and wrapping from there. This worked well too.

For the yellow rosette, I made up my own technique by starting at the outer edge and sewing and twisting my way to the center. When I got done with all three techniques, I decided they looked good together. I sewed them to a singe felt backing piece and the added a second piece of felt to create a sleeve of sorts. The end result slides on and off a headband, works with invisible barrettes, and can clip to a shirt, purse or necklace. It was fun and really quick. I think I need to make more. Lots and lots more.

Since I started this post, I made another one. It's so pretty.

Hang your hat on that

2011-07-31T15:26:00.002-05:00

I've been looking for some unique vintage hooks to put in our kitchen to hang purses, keys, etc. on so that our kitchen table can stop being a catchall. I was just going hang them right on the wall until I found Kate's pretty paper coat rack via Pinterest.

Photo from Design Sponge

Oooo. Pretty! I use fabric instead of paper. The board is a piece of a drawer that never made it into our entertainment center. Under $10 and this is what I ended up with:

And now the table is clear and purses and keys are easily found!

Wave Goodbye!

2011-07-16T09:50:00.002-05:00

Let's skip the part where we talk about how lazy and/or crazy busy I've been so I haven't posted in a very long time - and jump right to the part where I show you pretty pictures of the latest quilt! Remember the purple batik ombre quilt? I made a similar one in aqua and I LOVE IT.

Once I got the top done, it felt very fluid, like waves or the sky at dusk. But the straight edges of the rectangle blocks seemed a bit harsh and broke up the flow. So I decided to try and balance that with the quilting pattern. Not being one who follows directions or does what's she's told very well, I just made it up as I went.

Swirls, circles, waves. I'm not sure what I'd call this pattern, but it did exactly what I wanted it to do and softened the angular edges.

I used another vintage sheet for the back. (Thanks again, Alisa!)

I started this quilt intending it to be a gift. When I finished it, I fell in love and wanted to keep it. But, in a rare stroke of self-discipline, I wrapped it up and gave it to two of my best friends for their birthdays. I hope they will love it and cover it in pet hair just as much as I would have!

Berry cute quilt

2011-05-09T11:30:00.001-05:00

On April 15th, we got a new addition to our group of friends. Kenley Katherine was born! She is beautiful and has a full head of auburn hair! Her parents decided to go the surprise route, so we didn't know if she was a boy or a girl until she was born. The result was me cranking out this quilt, start to finish in under 3 weeks!

I decided to go more "little girl" rather than baby, because I figured she'll be a little girl much longer than a baby, so hopefully she'll like this quilt for years to come.

The quilt features strawberry, cherry and polka dot fabrics from Robert Kaufman. I very loosely followed the free Foliage Paisley pattern from Andover Fabrics. This is the first quilt I have sewn where the block corners needed to match perfectly. I was very nervous, but it turned out great! I feel a lot more confident making more complicated blocks now.

I forgot to take a close up of this, so this picture isn't great, but I wrote her name on the border while quilting. It's not super noticeable, but a cute little surprise!

The backing and binding is made from a vintage sheet, which worked great. However, I cut it on the bias to make the stripes diagonal, which made quilting and binding a challenge. I won't be doing that again!

Leafy, scrappy pillows

2011-03-30T08:00:00.006-05:00

My best friend and her husband recently bought a very nice new couch. Once they got it in the living room, it quickly became apparent that she was in desperate need of new pillows to put on her new couch. Much discussion and google image searching later, we decided to make these leafy pillows out of scraps, since she'd already spent a good chunk of cash on the couch. I, of course, decided I wanted some too!

The only fabric we bought is the unbleached cotton for the front. Everything else is scraps. Even the back fabric was free!

She is making hers closed all the way around since she didn't using pillow forms, but I did so I made the backs of mine overlapping flaps for easy removal and washing. (Last fall I lost my favorite throw pillows to a washing machine accident that I do not want to repeat!)

For just a bit of added whimsey and fun, we put a owl in each tree. Almost unnoticeable, but a great detail. Did you notice the owls before I mentioned them?

These were fun to make. You should make some too! If you do, I have one tip to offer. Use Heat'n Bond to make the leaves into iron-on appliques. You can buy it by the yard for super cheap at most fabric stores. This helped a lot for two reasons. First, it made tracing and cutting out the leaves super fast. Second, it perfectly held them nicely in place, without having to mess with pinning, while stitching the tight zig zag around the edges.

We had a few leftover leaves, so I sewed them onto a onesie for my nephew.

Batik Ombre Quilt

2011-03-27T15:47:00.002-05:00

A while back a good friend of mine gave me a HUGE box of batik fabrics, in every color of the rainbow, cut into 10x3 inches rectangles. The fabric is all beautiful and the thing that struck me the most was how the colors changed so gradually from light to dark. I wanted to play off that quality to make almost an ombre effect for a quilt. I needed to crank out a top pretty quickly before my next opportunity at the long arm and my least favorite part of quilting is cutting pieces, so I didn't for this quilt! Just lined them up in a pleasing gradient and stitched away. I really love how this turned out and it makes me want to do several more similar ones. I think the same effect in blue and green would be very pretty.

For the back, I found a very pretty fabric with tiny, batik-looking green flowers. I think it complements the front nicely.

The quilt is about 70 inches by 80 inches. Not big enough for a bed, but just about perfect for snuggling up in a comfy chair with a good book and a hot cup of coffee. That sounds so good, I think I'm going to do that now.

Spice girl

2011-02-20T18:32:00.000-06:00

I'm not sure I'm think it's a problem, but we might have a spice addiction in our household.

I think I have spring fever, or at least the itch for spring cleaning. Maybe it's the weather. It's fairly rare that central Iowa hits the 60s in the middle of February. It's extremely rare that we hit the 50s and 60s for almost 10 days in a row and I think it's made my body convinced that it is actually spring. Tomorrow's high of 32 degrees should remind me otherwise.

Whatever the reason, I felt compelled to clean and organize all weekend. Even more surprising - I actually followed through on that impulse. Besides the closet and refrigerator, the spice cupboard was in desperate need of cleaning out.

I pulled everything out and set them on the counter. There were over 70 containers and took up several feet of counter space. Plus I have a spice rack with 12 more jars. Why does one household need 4 different kinds of cinnamon, 3 different cajun blends, 5 kinds of garlic and about a dozen spice blends containing garlic. We are apparently taking Hollywood's fascination with vampires to heart.

Do normal people have this many spices and seasonings in their house?

So what do all these spices and seasonings say about me? I like cooking. Baking slightly less. Also, I like spicy and international cuisine. And, apparently, have an affinity for spices beginning with the letter C. Maybe it's just that there are so many more spices that begin with the letter C? Think about it. Cinnamon, cardamom, cilantro, curry, cumin, caraway, chili powers, cloves, coriander, cayenne, celery seed, chipotle and chives. I am sure there are more, but those are the ones we have on hand. Seems like a lot. (Before you ask, I WAS NOT alphabetizing them, just noticed a pattern.)

It's been a while

2011-02-10T16:32:00.000-06:00

It's been a while. A very long while. But there are finally new totes in my shop!

I have been loving this Patricia fabric from Ikea for about 2 years now, but every single time we go, they are out. I was finally able to pick up a few yards last month and am so happy with how the totes turned out!

I have two of these for sale now and three more in progress.

Back by popular demand: Why the Caged Bird Sings totes. Same as the Patricia totes, 2 in the shop now, 3 more to come.

It feels good to get back in the sewing room. I am hoping life calms down even a little more so I can sew even more.

Sticky Style

2011-02-04T08:00:00.002-06:00

I have been loving vinyl wall decals now for a while. I have had great luck (as have a couple of friends and my mom) with Byrdie Graphics on Etsy. That's where I bought my winter tree branch. They are SUPER fast with responding to convos (Etsy emails) and very quick shipping. The instructions and tools they provide are great too!

I'm also still obsessing with the colors gray and yellow together. Marry those two loves and I have new vinyl decals in my kitchen! (My TINY kitchen is very hard to photograph!)

I really like them with my gray and yellow curtains made with Mood fabric!

The 18 gray scroll damask graphics are sold in a set.

Photo from Byrdie Graphics

The two yellows were purchased individually. Minus my being too impatient to wait for a level, application went smoothly.

Vinyl decals are a great idea for rental places. I wish they were popular a few years ago. I would have had much cooler apartment walls in college! My roommate and I did starch fabric polka dots onto a wall once. It was cute, but the red fabric ended up leaving pink circles that we had to paint over anyway.

Ruffled Reticule

2011-02-01T08:00:00.001-06:00

A few years ago, I found a purse on Etsy that I loved. I didn't buy it and have had reverse buyers remorse (should have bought that!) ever since. Of course, the seller doesn't make them any more, but that hasn't stopped me from longing for one anyway.

After my most recent trip to NYC lead me once again to the fabric oasis that is Mood, I found the perfect lining fabric to go with some tweed I already had in my stash. After many measurements, sketches and a couple of trial pieces, I decided to go for it. I wouldn't say I made a pattern, more like a list of measurements and a single pattern piece for the front ruffle.

The end result is beautiful and I LOVE it.

My only regret is that I wish it was wider. I carry a lot of stuff around and, while I've crammed it all in, I could definitely use a little more wiggle room.

I put in lots of pockets in the interior and one on the back as well.

The process went smoothly and I only had to rip out one seem! (Sewed the back pocket on upside down. Duh.)

Modern Quilting

2011-01-28T10:53:00.001-06:00

I finished up the two black and white quilts I was working on and gave them as (well received) Christmas gifts. I quilted one in gray with black binding and the other is quilted and bound in red. I like them both, but I think the red is my favorite. What do you think?

I have so many projects that I haven't posted, so I am going to try and be better about getting them up here on the blog. I just having the binding left on a purple batik ombré effect quilt and will post pics when I get that done too!

I am slowly going crazy

2010-10-25T19:55:00.001-05:00

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, switch
Slowly going crazy, am I?
6, 5, 4, 3, 2, 1

Do you ever spread yourself so thin, you wonder how you haven't blown away like a leaf? I'm having one of those months, years, life times. I love being involved and having a lot going on, but things have been getting a bit out of hand. It's really no one's fault but my own.

Moral of the story? I don't have much time for this post, but I wanted to show a picture of my completed Ursula costume. I am pretty happy with how it all came out.

The dress is a summer one from Old Navy that's too long so I've only worn once. I thought the white vine design sort of resembled seaweed. The tentacles are made from triangles of sparkly purple fabric, black cotton and one layer of quilt batting. I sewed them right onto the bottom of the dress - I'll just cut off the inch or two that I sewed them to, then hem to the length it needed to be in the first place. I connected the tops of the two tentacles in front and two in back right to the dress. The left two and right two tentacles have ribbon loops to go over my fingers, so they move with my arms. As we were outside and it was windy, I put on a shrug too.

The eels are felt. I just made elongated ovals and sewed them together like a single piece of an Amish puzzle ball - 2" seams inside-out so I could make their fins. I curled them up and tied them with a rubber band for the week so they stayed that way when I attached them. Then I used a Sharpie to make eyes, nostrils and a mouth. They are attached from the inside with safety pins too.

Shell necklace, crazy makeup and half a can of Auqas Net later, I'm Ursula!

What do you think?

We are having our Halloween party on Saturday and I think I am going to skip the hair thing this time. It is so gross to have that much hairspray and white coloring in my hair. I was impressed that I retained that volume the entire night!

Winter warmers

2010-10-11T08:00:00.001-05:00

If you've noticed my Flavor of the Week pics on the right sidebar, you've probably figured out that I am obsessed with cute things that will keep me warm during Iowa's brutal winter - especially in gray. I try to avoid the outdoors as much as possible between November and March, but I still freeze inside. At the office, it's the worst. My hands freeze while sitting at the computer all day. Solution? Cute, fingerless gloves in soft gray that match everything.

I haven't crocheted in a really long time, but it seems that I still know what I'm doing. I just made these up as I went, trying them on frequently.

I want to keep these at work, but I am wearing them as I type this and I am realizing I'm going to want a pair for home too! Now I have to decide what color to make those.

What do you think? To add a bit more interest, I did a triple crochet row every third row and I added the small tabs with cute buttons. Both of those details are rather hard to see in the pictures though.

They aren't enough to make me wish it was winter, but they make me dread the snow just a little less.

Tattered Halloween Curtains

2010-10-06T08:00:00.001-05:00

After I put up the Halloween decor, my cheery yellow kitchen curtains were looking a little out of place. I was going to sew some tattered curtains but I don't have a lot of extra time these days, so I opted for the no-sew version.

I made them out of crepe paper - although Martha recommends black trash bags. These babies cost about $1.50 for two medium windows! Tear off strips in varying lengths. Wrap around your curtain rod, forming a loop, and Scotch tape on the backside. Then stretch out the sides of the paper, alternating sides and spacing. Be careful not to tear them completely in half, but I just left any smaller tears because I think it makes them look more worn and creepy.

Halloween math

2010-10-02T09:48:00.000-05:00

2 fat quarters
+ 1 free pattern
____________
4 Halloween treat bags!

These are so cute, I can hardly stand it. They were super simple to make too. The fabric is Boo to You by My Mind's Eye. The pattern came from the Fall 2010 Quilts and More magazine.

They are just the perfect size for a gooey popcorn ball and a few pieces of Halloween candy. I've made 12 now but I want to make more by Halloween because I have a few trick-or-treaters in mind that will be getting these. I cannot believe it's October already!

Benefit for boobs

2010-09-30T08:00:00.000-05:00

A couple of weeks ago I was asked by the local Torrid store if I would be interested in donating a gift basket for a raffle at their event to benefit breast cancer. With about 300 things on my plate right now, I figured what's one more? Plus it's a great cause.

The event is called Breast Cancer Can Kiss My Booty and it's this Saturday (October 2nd) from 3 to 7pm at Jordan Creek Mall in Des Moines. They are going to have window models, a runway show, swag bags, a raffle, snacks, karaoke, and door prizes. If you're local, I hope you can find time to stop in. They will also have $15 off any pair of jeans when you donate $5 to the National Breast Cancer Foundation.

In my gift basket/raffle prize I included two different sets of Halloween wine labels, a set of creepy jar labels, a set of four spice jars with Halloween labels, a tote, a set of Boo frames, and two tiny treat bags (post on these to come soon!). Total value of almost $65! I'd be excited to win it, so I hope others will be too!

For the birds

2010-09-28T08:00:00.003-05:00

The new Halloween decoration showed up in the mail this week! It's a vinyl wall decal.

I apologize for the horrendous photos. My camera sucks.

I bought this one from Byrdie Graphics on Etsy. I cannot say enough nice things about them or this graphic. The shipping was super fast. The directions were clear and the application took only a few minutes. The result is great! I'm so happy with it!

I leaned my decorative ladder against the branch and added a couple of feathered crows to the rungs. I think the whole thing looks fun together and goes great with my Edgar Allan Poe display.

The cats, however, are not that impressed with the fake birds. Alven has been swatting at them since they went up. They have already been moved once because of him and I imagine Winston will be even worse once he notices them. Ah well.

Little House of Horrors

2010-09-26T10:36:00.000-05:00

It's no secret that Halloween is my favorite holiday because it's all about fun with no obligations or pressure, until you become known as the Halloween Queen in your circle of friends. Then the pressure is on to have the best decor and costume, but I still love it.

When getting out your holiday decor takes the same amount of time as watching two and a half Halloween movies, it can be a daunting task. With the help of The Nightmare Before Christmas, Hocus Pocus and about half of Bram Stoker's Dracula, we got them all out last night. It's official, we need a bigger house or less Halloween decor. Since a bigger house isn't in the cards for a while, I made a bag for Good Will. It's sad, but past time.

The newest display of Halloween fun came without a single new purchase! It's Edgar Allan Poe's writing desk. I got the idea from a magazine and ended up having everything I needed.

The clock normally hangs in the living room and the framed "chalkboard" is actually a frame I had with black fabric inside and the "chalk" is white paint right on the glass that will easily come off after Halloween. The candelabra is from Good Will a few years ago.

The Complete Works of Edgar Allan Poe (with dust jacket removed), plus a couple of antique English literature textbooks and a pair of unused glasses set the stage. The skull just adds a bit more creepiness.

The recently acquired typewritter was my grandparents' and the old photos are actual relatives - great, great grandparents I think. I was going to start typing The Raven, but Terra had a better idea and suggested using The Shining instead. Now the paper says "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy," over and over again. What do you think? I really love it.

One more display to show you quick. Most of the items pictured are from Good Will or the Salvation Army including all the candlestick holders and candelabra, the lanterns on the top of the two shorter bookcases and the pedestal bowls. One can of black spray paint later, they fit right into the Halloween display. The books are all books I own and have read with titles like Murder, Entombed and Shadows. Remove the dust jackets and you've got a creepy library going.

I've ordered one new decoration from Etsy this year and I'll post pictures once it arrives along with a few of the other displays in the house and yard. Happy Haunting!

Pins around the rosies

2010-09-23T08:00:00.001-05:00

As I mentioned in the last post, I decided to make myself some cute and functional pincushions to replace my old, ugly and generally crappy ones. Here's part two: a comfortable wrist pincushion that protects your arm from getting poked.

Again - this is a pseudo tutorial - not super detailed, step-by-step, but enough to get the job done for an intermediate sewer.

For the flower: You need two 3.5ish inch circles. (I used the lid to a jar of peanut butter to make the circles.) Plus a decorative button and coordinating embroidery thread.
1. Sew the circles together, right sides together, leaving a 1" hole.
2. Turn, stuff and hand sew closed.
3. Thread a long piece of thread from the bottom, looping around to the bottom again and pull tight to create some pucker. Repeat 4 times until you have split the circle into quarters. Repeat, splitting each quarter in half so you have eight "pedals."
4. Sew button to the top center.

Winston, my "helper cat" immediately thought this was his.

For the wrist band: You need a 2.5 inch wide, 20ish inch long piece of felt, a Cool Whip (or similar) plastic lid and a 1.5 inch piece of Velcro.
1. Fold the felt strip in half. Sew both long sides. Turn right side out.
2. Cut a 2" square out of the plastic lid. Snip off or round corners. Insert the plastic into the wrist band and center. Sew a seam on either side to hold in place.
3. Flip in open end and sew all the way around the wrist band about 1/8 inch from the edge, closing the open end in the process.
4. Sew the loopy side of the Velcro to one end on the top, and the hook side of the Velcro to the bottom of the other end.

Hand stitch the flower to the top layer of felt on the wristband, centered above the plastic insert.

Pushing Pins

2010-09-20T08:00:00.000-05:00

I've been sewing a lot again and finally got fed up with my pincushions for the final time. I had one of those tiny tomato pincushions with the even tinier strawberry attached to it. My wrist pincushion was an 89¢ Wal-Mart special that typically inflicts more injury than it's worth. So I started scouring blogland and found so many cute, fun and funky patterns that I was overwhelmed. From my research, I did come up with two things: 1. I wanted one HUGE cushion that is stable and heavy enough it doesn't go flying every time I pull a pin out of it, and 2. I needed a comfortable wrist pincushion that I can't accidentally stick pins all the way through and into my arm.

Here's what I came up with to fulfill want #1:

I used some coordinating scraps of Viviana by Lonni Rossi for Andover Fabrics. I wouldn't call this post a tutorial, but I think that most beginner sewers could figure this out. Start with two 6" squares (one each of two different fabrics) and a long strip (about 25" x 3") of a third fabric.
1. Cut the two squares into 4 triangles each (corner to corner).
2. Using two triangles from fabric 1 and two from fabric 2, piece them together to make squares again. Repeat with remaining triangles so you are back with two squares.
3. Sew the strip around one of the squares. Then sew the ends of the strip together, cutting off excess.
4. Sew second square to strip, leaving a 2" hole on one side to turn and stuff.
5. Turn right side out, stuff, hand sew the opening closed and attach a button to the center of each side. Viola!

I really like the depth this has. It all has a weight to it so it stays put. It was quick and fun to make and now I might even pin things I'm sewing like I should!

Stay tuned for a pseudo tutorial for a very comfortable and adorable wrist pincushion.

Pretty in Paisley

2010-09-16T21:25:00.001-05:00

My friend Rae Lynne of Drip, Drip, Drop and chase.art fame, is a self-taught and very talented fabric and fiber artist. She was looking for a new logo, and I'm always looking for trades that get me cute, handmade things without draining the checking account!

Here's what she got:

And here's what I am getting in return (I think - it's sort of a surprise):

I think we both are pretty pleased with the results of our collaboration! What do you think?

What's black and white and FREE all over?

2010-09-16T20:00:00.003-05:00

This quilt top that I just finished. Thanks to my friend Meredith who donated all the fabric (except one pattern that was left over from a past Halloween costume) I made this entire quilt top without spending a penny! What's better than that? I have the pieces all cut for a second, similar quilt from all these same free fabrics. So two quilts for the cost of backing and batting. Can't argue with that! I think they will both end up being Christmas presents this year.

I'm a quilter!

2010-09-14T17:45:00.002-05:00

It's official. I'm 28 going on 68. I finished my first quilt this week and I love it and I loved the process of making it! My grandma would be so proud.

I used 4 smaller prints from Alexander Henry - bats, cats, trees and spider webs. Plus one larger print - The Ghastlies - in 4 different colors. The whole quilt is 88 inches square. Every part of it is my favorite part, but my most favorite part is that it's Halloween but not bright orange and black. At first glance, it doesn't scream "Halloween!"

I am calling my freehand curly-q quilting design "bumble bee" because it looks like the path a cartoon bee would leave behind it. My friend Alisa was nice enough to teach me how to quilt on her mom's long arm sewing machine and we had so much fun! I can't wait to finish the other two tops I am working on so we can do it again.

For the back of the fabric, I used another Alexander Henry fabric with craggy and gnarly owls. The swirly branch lines that the owls are perched on are what inspired the bumble bee quilting pattern.

So what do you think? Not bad for a first crack at a quilt!

It was contagious!

2010-09-07T09:52:00.001-05:00

I built a Halloween treasury on Etsy and now I'm featured in 6 treasuries!
They're creepy and their kooky, Mysterious and spooky. They're all together ooky, And you can find them here.

It's beginning to feel a lot like Autumn

2010-09-03T17:33:00.001-05:00

Today's high is only in the 70s and the low tonight - in the 50s! To me, that means Halloween! So I created an Etsy treasury that's creepy and elegant mixed with a little fun. Time to start planning a spooky party. So excited!

What I'll do for $100

2010-06-21T23:01:00.000-05:00

We bought a new car tonight. Yay for new car. Boo for new car payment. I am sure none of you could care less about that though. The good part of the story is after we test drove it and looked at several other cars, we were walking with the salesman back to the dealership. There was a big puddle we were all walking around. The salesman turns to me and says, "I'll give you $100 off right now if you go jump in that puddle." and then he laughed. So I jumped with both feet into the puddle and made a big splash like a little kid would. He looked at me like I was nuts and then busted up laughing. When he brought out the paperwork, the first discount on the list was $100 for jumping in a puddle. It made me really happy. It's the little things, isn't it?

Ghastlies quilt

2010-06-13T11:53:00.002-05:00

Remember the Alexander Henry "The Ghastlies" fabric that I wrote about in the My First Quilt post? I bought 8 pieces of 5 different patterns from the line and have started my quilt! I only bought 1 yard of each pattern so I barely have enough to make the quilt. This lead me to be very nervous about cutting it all out, especially the 4 main pieces (above fabric in white, gray, pink and green).

I wanted to be able to get the best 9 squares out of each yard possible, but I wasn't sure how to go about doing that. I found a roll of semi-transparent parchment paper and cut out 9 11" square pieces. Then I could lay them on the fabric and rearrange to my heart's content until I had it perfect. Then pin and cut. It worked fantastic.

I designed the blocks to be super simple, as this is my first attempt at quilting and I don't have a very long attention span for very detailed sewing. Each block only has 5 pieces. I am making 36 blocks, so that was 180 pieces to cut out. It went really fast and I had just enough of each fabric to get the pieces I need. Here they are all cut out:

I started sewing the individual blocks together today and have 8 done. They are going really quickly and I think I'll be done much sooner than I thought! Plenty of time before Halloween.

The final quilt will be 6 blocks by 6 blocks, so 84" square. I love huge quilts. It should look a little something like this (except each center piece will be different instead of repeating the same thing over and over):

What do you think?

I'm back!

2010-06-10T18:17:00.003-05:00

Wow. It has been a crazy couple of weeks. Three out-of-state trips in less than 20 days, many birthdays, out-of-state visitors to our house, a near car wreck resulting in a broken out back window and a multitude of other madness have kept me off the computer a lot lately.

I actually don't have time to go over all of it but I will have posts and pictures of Ghastly quilt progress, shopping sprees including new clothes and dishes and more coming soon. I did want to let you know that Staci over at Reyn on Fashion cleaned out my closet for me and wrote about it on her blog. If that doesn't sound like that exciting of a topic to you, you should check it out anyway because Staci did a great job of giving tips she used on my closet (including making a "to buy" list of key garments) that you can definitely use to bring an editorial eye to your own closet. Read the post here.

Skirt tutorial, my way

2010-05-19T19:03:00.002-05:00

I have been M.I.A. for a while and I have a list of excuses a mile long, but I won't bore you with them. The short version is that I have been extremely busy at work and at home. This post will be short, but I finished up my first skirt made with my new serger and I am super happy with how it turned out. It's a tiny bit to big so I am going to make the front panel a little narrower. (Note: Since I published this post, I took it in a bit and it looks MUCH better. Didn't feel like taking more pictures though. I will later)

The angle of these photos is a little funny. My legs are short, but not quite as short as they appear here! The skirt comes just below my knees. I'd call it a pencil skirt with a little ruffle around the back and sides. Here's how to make it:

1. Buy Butterick Pattern #B5249

2. Use the pattern (version C) to cut most of the pieces and then make up the rest. Discard sewing directions.
3. Construct most of the skirt, but mess up the front.
4. Go to the fabric store to buy more fabric, but they will be out - for at least another 10 days.
5. Get mad and put the skirt pieces away and forget about it for a few weeks.
6. Decide you need a new professional looking skirt, so finally finish it.
*Best sewn minus pants so you can try it on over and over again to judge how it's coming along. (Sorry if that gave you bad mental pictures!)

I cannot explain how much I love my serger and how professional this skirt looks - inside and out. It is by far, the most well-sewn clothing item I have ever made. I think I'll pull a few skirts I made a while back out of the closet and give them a few finishing touches with the serger. I think I'll have time for that around Christmas.

My first quilt?

2010-05-16T12:44:00.000-05:00

Alexander Henry's The Ghastlies

I LOVE this fabric. I have been wanting to buy a few prints from this line but had no idea what to do with it. Last night I decided to just do it and bought a few yards in order to attempt my first quilt. Because of the style of fabric, I am thinking that most quilt patters aren't going to work, so I am going to make it up as I go. Do you quilt? I would love to hear any suggestions and tips you have for a first timer.

You can find this line from a number of sellers. I bought it from Contemporary Cloth.

And the winner is...

2010-05-07T14:21:00.001-05:00

Fabulous number four!

Congratulations to Katy from The Country Blossom!

Katy will receive two totes of her choice from my shop. Thank you to everyone who entered and started following this blog and my tweets. This giveaway was really fun and I will definitely being doing another in the future.

Sunshine and flowers

2010-05-05T21:47:00.000-05:00

Remember that beautiful linen fabric I fell in love with and bought at Mood in L.A.? I wrote about it in this post back in March. It's been sitting in my sewing room, calling my name, but it hadn't told me yet what it wanted to be. Last night (about 10 minutes before the fabric store closed) I finally understood what it was aspiring to be. Curtains for the kitchen! I ripped one of the old curtains off the wall and eye balled it for just a second to get an idea for the construction. Then quickly made a list in my head, jumped in the car and made it to the store in time to get supplies.

I didn't quite have a wide enough piece of the print for both windows, so I decided to buy black linen to make a 4" wide border on both sides. The next dilemma was lining. I was afraid that if I used black, it would make the white flowers muddy and less crisp looking. On the flip side, if I used white lining, I did not want the black borders to appear lighter or less solid black looking. So I decided on gray lining, but was still I concerned that would end up diminishing booth the white and black portions. I posed the question to a handful of friends who sew and Alisa had the answer. Yellow lining! It was absolutely the right choice.

That was a lot of talk about curtains without even showing them to you, so here's one:

You can't see the second curtain (for the window above the kitchen sink) because I can't count. I was thinking I needed to make 4 ribbons for the ties. There are four per curtain though (two on the front and two on the back) so I ran out of yellow linen. The second curtain is completely ready to go, so I should be able to finish it quickly.

I can't stop wandering into the kitchen to admire this one. The camera just doesn't do the floral fabric justice. The gray area is almost metallic without being silvery. Most of the accessories in the kitchen are red. Darn. Guess I'll have to go shopping for new stuff including fabric to cover the dining room chairs!

As I was taking pictures of the one completed curtain, I noticed that this corner of the dining area seems to have taken on a wine theme. It really isn't a deliberate collection and just sort of happened over time. I don't dislike it, but some new yellow things will need homes here now!

Mother's Day gift idea

2010-05-03T18:10:00.000-05:00

SPOILER ALERT: If you are one of the mom's expecting a Mother's Day gift from me, STOP READING NOW!

Why am I posting this before I give these gifts? Because I think it's a really great idea and want other people to feel free to use it for their moms but it wouldn't be too helpful if I post it after Mother's Day, would it? (Mom, I know you're still reading. Stop now!)

I know both my mom and MIL have had gardens off and on over the years, but neither have had a full garden recently. When I started growing my own herbs a couple of years ago, both seemed intrigued. My MIL asked lots of questions about using fresh herbs for cooking and how to grow them, but didn't run right out to Earl May to pick up any plants. So I got them both a couple of herb plants for Mother's Day this year and planted them in cute ceramic pots. It seemed like a good idea, but then I wondered if either of them would actually cook with the basil, chives and rosemary. Solution? Make fun recipe cards with information about each herb along with a recipe we love to make with each variety.

I thought they turned out pretty cute! I printed them on cardstock and laminated each card to protect them from cooking splatters. I plan to punch a hole in the top corner of each one, thread a pretty ribbon through and tie it around the corresponding pot. Once I get them all together, I'll update this post with a finished picture.

I'd be happy to share these if you'd like to print some too. Leave a comment with your email and I will send you print resolution PDF files.

May Day Giveaway!

2010-05-01T08:00:00.007-05:00

Happy May Day! Remember giving and getting little treats from friends and neighbors when you were little? I grew up in the middle of nowhere, so our May Day fun was very limited. To make up for that, I've decided to do a May Day Giveaway! How would you like to win two totes of your choice from my Etsy shop?

I've never hosted one before a giveaway before, so bear with me. You can enter up to 5 times, using the methods below. Entries will be closed on Friday, May 7th at noon. I will use random.org to pick an entry and announce the lucky winner on the blog.

Very important: Leave a separate comment for each entry, please.

To enter, visit TonyaDusold.Etsy.com, come back and leave a comment letting me know which is your favorite tote(s).
Extra entries:
1 entry - Sign up to follow this blog (towards bottom of the right column)
Leave a comment even if you already were a follower. You don't have to be new this week!
1 entry - Follow me on Twitter (@TonyaDusold)
Leave a comment even if you already were a follower. You don't have to be new this week!
1 entry - Tweet about this giveaway (include @TonyaDusold in the tweet so I can find it)
1 entry - Post a link to this giveaway on your own blog

Be sure to leave your email or a way to contact you in your comments so I can let you know if you win.

Entries to this giveaway are closed. Thanks!

Monster on the prowl

2010-04-29T20:15:00.003-05:00

I think the gatos are just as happy as the people that the snow is finally all gone and the temperatures are in the 70s. They have been playing, chasing bumble bees and rolling in the dirt. Now if I could only teach them to mow the lawn!

Can't let Winston get all the love. So here is a picture of Alven "helping" me take photos of new totes for my shop. I finished all 6 crab totes tonight so look for the in the shop this weekend and next week.

Don't forget to stop back on Saturday for the May Day surprise!

Got crabs?

2010-04-27T16:52:00.000-05:00

Not that kind of crabs!

The cute little crustacean kind. This is another Ikea fabric, but a new one for me. I have six totes in the works. I love the little row of tiny crabs that worked out perfectly to be on some of the handles. Look for these to start showing up in the shop at the end of the week.

Also, I will be hosting some May Day fun, so stop back here on Saturday to see what it is!

Simple solution

2010-04-25T19:10:00.001-05:00

Like most seamstresses, I have piles and piles of miscellaneous fabric hanging around, some scraps, some samples, some impulse buys for projects that never came to fruition. With my new serger, I sewed around the edges of squares varying in size from 10 inches to 14 inches. Viola! Casual, every day cloth napkins. No more disposable paper napkins or paper towels for us.

I got this idea from my friend Staci who has made these, sans the serger. The reason I haven't made them before now is because I have a phobia of uncontrolled string. Yes, I said "uncontrolled string." It's really not so much of a phobia, but a general disgust, especially if it's wet or touching my skin. I can hear you wondering, "What is uncontrolled string?" Think old, fraying towels or raw edged fabric that has gone through the washing machine and dryer. I cannot stand it. It gives me the heebie jeebies. It's irrational and I have no logical reasoning behind it. It just grosses me out. But, the serged edges are the perfect solution.

These are free, eco friendly, cute and washable - with none of the dreaded fraying and unraveling.

I also put two new totes in my shop today. Both are made from Ikea fabric from the Gunilla line. These are the new, extra large, long handled versions. So cute.

Black/Multicolor

Turquoise

Homestyler

2010-04-22T13:00:00.001-05:00

Have you discovered HomeStyler.com yet? If you don't have time to get completely sucked in, I suggest you avoid it because it is engrossing! I am a total nerd when it comes to home decor and especially rearranging furniture. I am embarrassed to admit that I bust out the graph paper, draw a room to scale, then cut out scaled versions of all the furniture. Then I spend hours positioning and repositioning the scraps of paper until I find a suitable arrangement before I so much as move a rug.

Now there is HomeStyler.com. Start with a room, which you can make completely to scale. Add doorways, windows and closets. It is literally as simple as clicking and dragging elements into place. Now add flooring from the hundreds of choices, paint the walls and start adding furniture. Here's my current living room setup:

Why did I create my living room, more or less exactly as it is now? Who knows? But it was fun.

Then, with the click of a single button, you can make a 3D rendering of the room. It's magical. Spin it around, get a feel for it, take a look from every angle.

The only complaint I have is that there is limited control on things like furniture coloring, but you can just your imagination on that. I don't really have a black leather chair with a red velvet ottoman, but I do have a brown leather chair with a matching ottoman. The versions available work just fine as placeholders.

The usefulness does not end at creating your current rooms and rearranging furniture. You can connect rooms to build an entire house, restaurant or office. Add a yard with landscaping and everything. The possibilities are endless!

I did a little dreaming and made a master bedroom complete with enormous walk-in closet, raised claw foot tub, shower with multiple wall-mounted jets and reading area with fireplace.

I'm coffee-making impaired

2010-04-21T13:00:00.001-05:00

Have you seen the commercials encouraging employers to Think Beyond the Label? They give examples of people with silly disabilities to challenge negative ideas about employing workers with disabilities. One woman is "fashion deficient," and there are two men, one who is labeled "copy incapable" and one with "volume control syndrome." The punch line, delivered by a woman in a wheel chair, is that even she has a disability - not the wheelchair - she is "coffee-making impaired." I can relate.

People have always noted that I make a very strong pot of coffee. I don't think that is a bad thing. I like strong, bold flavors. If you don't, you shouldn't have any of my coffee. Recently, however, my coffee making skills seem to have been steadily declining.

Two weeks ago I could not get the grinder to work. I fiddled around with it for a while, finally coming to the point where I had to decide whether or not to keep messing with it and chance not getting it to work, or give up with time to buy a cup on the way to the office. As I was about to put the grinder away, I realized what the problem was. I hadn't plugged it in. Duh.

Then last week (after successfully plugging in the grinder) I dumped the grounds into the pot - without a filter. Whoops. Even after rinsing everything down, I had very gritty coffee that day.

The nail in the coffin of my morning coffee making was hammered home today. I have a mug with a drop down basket. To use it, you heat water in the teakettle, put course grounds in the screened basket and flip the handle to lower it into the water. When it is the strength you prefer, flip the handle again and it pops the basket up into lid so it stops steeping. All was going well this morning, until I flipped the lid to screw it on the mug. The basket popped open, dropping the grounds directly into the boiling water with a splash.

Three strikes and you're out, right? Today, as the scalding water splattered onto my hand, leg and foot, I was considerably more concerned that I didn't have time to make more - or to stop on my way to work - than I was about the burning of my skin. Sounds like I should probably to try to go coffee-free for a while and see how that goes. Based on my cravings all morning, it won't go well.

Mine, all mine!

2010-04-19T20:48:00.000-05:00

It's pretty ridiculous that I make and sell totes online but the only ones I carry say Target or HyVee on them. I've been meaning to make myself some for a long time now but every time I get finish a few, I end up putting them on Etsy instead. I love it when my shop is full, especially of totes made from unique fabric in bright colors.

This fabric is from Ikea - you're shocked, I know - and it reminds me of Dr. Seuss trees. So whimsical and interesting. It's really hard to resist putting them up for sale, but imagining myself carrying them at the downtown farmers market is enough to finally say "These are mine!" I used all of this fabric that I have, but I will definitely be getting more next time I'm in Minneapolis or Chicago.

A tulip, totes and trama

2010-04-18T19:00:00.004-05:00

This tulip popped up in the rocks along the front of the house. We've lived here for almost three years and nothing has ever grown out there. Apparently, this little tulip's bulb took years to finally grow a flower. It's cute, but it does look a little weird and lonely in that big area all by itself. It makes me happy though.

I was busy, busy, busy today and I feel really good about everything I accomplished. I won't bore you with the whole list, but I did finish 11 totes and started 4 more! Two were gifts, five are in the shop already and the other four finished totes will be added to the shop over the next week. Here's a peak:

Ginger Leaves

Ginger Dots

Country flowers

It's Easy Being Green

I started making the totes a little deeper, a little wider and with extra long handles. I was getting request for the really long handles over and over again so that will be the norm from here on out. Being able to put the bag over your shoulder makes even the heaviest load of groceries a little more manageable. I'm still loving my serger sewing machine. It makes the totes go so fast!

I also ironed my arm today. This is a terrible picture, but it's the inside of my forearm and the burn is about 2 inches long. I reached past the iron to pick something up and laid my arm right on the edge. For the record, I DO NOT recommend touching any part of your body to the iron. Ouch!

Lunatic lunch hour

2010-04-15T17:00:00.002-05:00

I have an hour for lunch each day and only live 5 minutes from my office. My normal lunch hour consists of going home, having a leisurely lunch and possibly squeezing in a couple of chores (or a nap!) Not today. It went a little something like this:

Drive home like a crazy person. Run the recycling out to the curb, hoping they didn't already pickup on my street. Back in the house, frantically grab all the legal documentation of my existence plus two extremely unfortunate photos of myself and jump back in the car.

Mad dash to the post office. Wait in line for a couple of minutes. Explain to the friendly postal worker why my marriage license is not in English and, subsequently, why the legal translation was notarized in North Carolina when I live in Iowa. Finally finish that, turn around and see 20 angry people in line behind me and wonder what the deal is. Back in the car, realize that today is April 15th - tax day - and understand why there were so many hostiles glaring at me while I took 15 minutes of their valuable time. In the mean time, take a call from my boss, who is leaving the state but doesn't think he has the presentation I wase to have ready for him before I left for lunch.

Back at home, grab the mail, sign for a package, put all remaining vital records back in the file cabinet. Frantically make a PB&J and grab a fruit cup and run back out the door. Five blocks from home, I got paranoid that I left the garage door open, turn around and go back. While closing the garage door, I notice that my badge for work is laying in the driveway. Jump out, grab that. Then get stuck behind the recycling truck (glad I didn't miss it - but get out of my way!) Back to work, only 4 minutes late. Whew!

If I could get this much stuff done every hour of every day, imagine the things I could accomplish.

I'm in love

2010-04-12T12:41:00.000-05:00

with my new (to me) serger sewing machine. I've had it since December and it has been sitting in my sewing room, taunting me, chanting "you're too dumb, you're too dumb." I opened it up and tried to figure out how to thread it a couple of times. Honestly, I never even plugged it in because it scared me so much.

I'm usually pretty fearless - especially with power tools. (Yes, I consider sewing machines and sergers power tools.) I asked for a drill for Christmas while I was in college. My boyfriend was skeptical, apparently thinking I was just going to drill random holes in the wall in my apartment. I have used it (constructively) a million times.

A few years ago it was a jigsaw for my birthday. Again, people laughed at me and wondered what I thought I was going to do with a saw. I immediately made a regulation set of cornhole goals (or bag-o or bags or bag toss - whatever you call it in your area). When those didn't fit in the trunk to go to and from the cabin, I wanted to make a travel set, but didn't feel like hand sanding the whole thing, so I ask for a belt sander. Thanks, Dad. Now the completed travel cornhole goals are smooth as glass.

(This is my friend Stacy at our Halloween party two years ago. She was Juno and is not really pregnant and drinking wine!)

Whoops, that turned into a long tangent. My point is, if I can pick up a saw or a sander with no help or training, you'd think I'd be able to figure out a serger sewing machine on my own.

On Saturday my mom's family gathered at my aunt's house for a late Easter celebration. My aunt Linda is the best seamstress I know, so I enlisted her help. The machine was being finicky and not working correctly but Linda has the patience of a saint and got it going. I brought it home and after a couple of hiccups, including a broken needle, it's running wonderfully! I've even rethreaded it myself a couple of times. I made the bodies and handles for 8 totes yesterday - before lunch! It's so much fun and saved me a ton of time, not having to French seam everything. I haven't been this excited since I successfully made goat cheese myself.

HUGE thank you to my aunt Linda for having the patience of a saint getting it working and showing me how to use it. I bought fabric yesterday to make her "thank you" totes. Also, thank you to Cheryll, my former boss, who dug the serger out of her closet and sold it to me for a ridiculously low price.

Spinart roll-ups

2010-04-08T11:30:00.000-05:00

I made these spinach and artichoke roll-ups for dinner, but they would make a great appetizer too. They are very similar to spanakopita but sound better than "spinach pie" to a picky eater.

Ingredients:

12 sheets phyllo dough
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup Greek yogurt
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and well drained
1 (14 ounce) can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Stir the mayonnaise, cheese, onion powder, garlic powder, black pepper, spinach and artichokes in a small bowl until the ingredients are mixed.
Layer 6 sheets of phyllo together, spraying olive oil between each sheet. With the short side facing you, spread half of the spinach mixture on the pastry to within 1-inch of the edges. Starting at the short sides, roll up like a jelly roll. Repeat with remaining phyllo sheets and spinach mixture.
Cut each roll into 10 (1/2-inch) slices. Place 2 inches apart on lined baking sheet.
Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown around the outside.

Sweedish Red

2010-04-06T21:48:00.000-05:00

Just posted a couple of these totes on Etsy. I made these a little wider than normal so they are nice and roomy. Check them out! I finished 6 of the 12 totes I had in progress.

Weekend up north

2010-04-06T16:57:00.002-05:00

As I suspected before going, our trip to Minneapolis to see friends was primarily spent eating and drinking, which I thoroughly enjoy!

Friday night we started at Barrio Tequila Bar. This is a Macho Camacho made with blood orange ancho 1800 with a splash of cava. I also had a Mama Cita made with tequila hibiscus punch and cava. Both were good, but a few people at the table had the Enter the Dragon margarita made with passion fruit and muddled with hot peppers and it was very good!

Next we headed to Palomino. The giant lobster raviolis were amazing as we the appetizers, soup, salad and drinks. To say I had a food baby at the end of the night is a gross understatement!

On Saturday, we were understandably slow to get moving. We made it to Ikea around noon and I managed to leave with under $250 worth of stuff - mostly fabric for totes for my Etsy shop. We did get the pillows, a dutch oven and tea jars I mentioned in this post.

French Meadow Bakery for lunch included a salad, mac & cheese and a HUGE piece of triple chocolate cake with delicious frosting shared between three of us. If I lived in the area, I'm afraid I'd never leave there. We missed the breakfast by a few minutes, but my friend tells me it's even better than lunch.

The afternoon included some resting, looking through recipe books and a trip the grocery store to pick up some things for Sunday brunch - because we obviously had some sort of eating disorder while we were there.

Saturday night we went to Chino Latino for dinner and drinks. It's sort of a fusion of Asian and Latin American cuisine. Typically, I'm more of a vodka tonic kind of girl, but I ordered a Kama Sutra Mama to drink. It was so pretty and festive that I felt like I was on a tropical vacation instead of 250 miles north of home. By far the most impressive part of the meal was the Good Time Dynamite Scallops with Japanese sioli. Very spicy but perfect when paired with the fried wonton skins. Yum!

On Sunday morning, Cavan and Scott made us breakfast: orange craisin matzo pancakes and scrabbled eggs with leeks and fava beans. Yum! I knew we ate a lot this weekend, but when I write it all down like this, I fear we look like gluttons. Ah well, it was fun and delicious!

On Sunday we went to the Como Park Zoo and Conservatory. Our friends that we were visiting got married in the conservatory and it is a beautiful place.

Did you know that allspice is an actual plant? I didn't. I'm not sure where I thought allspice came from. I guess I thought it was a blend of all spices? Not sure. But now I know, and you do too, if you didn't already.

There is a sloth that lives in the conservatory. He was napping, as I assume he does almost all the time. It was kind of like Where's Waldo because we knew he lived there but we couldn't find him until the very end.

The zoo has a decent size primate area. We saw three gorillas. They are so massive and expressive. It makes me sad to see them penned in but how else are people supposed to learn about them, fall in love with them and then make an effort to protect them in the wild?

Thank you, Cavan & Scott, for a great weekend!

When life gives you lemons

2010-04-06T13:00:00.001-05:00

Here are a couple of ideas for new logos for myself that I've been playing around with. What do you think? Obviously keeping with my lemon obsession.

Little totes, little totes

2010-04-05T15:48:00.000-05:00

Everywhere I turn, I can see them
Little totes
Little totes

Some women are dripping with diamonds
Some women are dripping with pearls
Lucky me! Lucky me!
Look at what I'm dripping with

Little totes!
(Best sung while drinking bathtub gin!)

I have 12 totes in various stages of completion. Tonight, my goal is to get at least half of those done. Two for the shop and four that I am making as gifts. I have been unmotivated lately to sew because the weather has been so nice. Thunderstorms are on the way, so temptation to ignore them should be low. I also want to have these 12 done, so I can move on to all the new fabric I got at Ikea this weekend. A few I've already made totes from, and a few completely new ones!

Library thing

2010-04-05T11:34:00.003-05:00

Have you seen LibraryThing.com yet?

I'm reading my 16th book since Christmas. I've always been a fast reader. I remember teachers in elementary school accusing me of not reading during designated silent reading time because I'd finish way before anyone else and have to just sit there. I go through books so fast that I am constantly searching for something new: a new series, a new author, a new genre. I will read about anything from fantasy fiction (most recently the Sookie Stackhouse series that HBO's True Blood is based on) to nonfiction ethnographies (currently Mama Lola). I really love satire and humor narratives, but I've ready everything David Sedaris, Sarah Vowel and Chelsea Handler have written. Travel humor is another favorite, but again, I'm out of books by J. Maarten Troost and Chuck Thompson.

Enter LibraryThing.com. You can input your entire library of books at home, add ones you've read, but don't own and create a wishlist of books. The website then will make suggestions for other books based on authors you enjoy, genres, similar tags and what other people who have read the same books as you would recommend.

I haven't purchased and read any of its suggestions yet, but I will soon. You can see some of the things I've read recently on the widget on the right side of this blog. I'd love to hear any suggestions you have for books.

The other fun thing LibraryThing does is make word clouds out of the tags you assign to books in your library. I'm not very good about tagging everything, so mine is very small right now, but here it is:

Zuppa Toscana Soup

2010-04-01T14:19:00.000-05:00

This soup has become one of our mainstays, frequently making it on the weekly menu. It is very similar to the Olive Garden's Zuppa Toscana soup, but less fattening and even tastier. Enjoy!

1 lb spicy Italian sausage
1/2 jar Real Bacon Bits
1 qt. water
2 cans chicken broth
1 large potato, cubed
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 med onion, chopped
2 c kale, chopped
1 c fat free half & half
salt and pepper

1. Brown sausage, drain and set aside.
2. Put water, broth, potatoes, garlic and onion into a pot, simmer over medium heat until potatoes and onions are tender. Around 20 minutes.
3. Add sausage and bacon to pot, simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add kale and half & half to pot. Season with salt and pepper. Heat through (a few minutes will do) and serve.

Couple of notes: We usually use the whole bunch of kale, which is closer to 3 cups. A few extra dark leafy greens never hurt anyone! The recipe serves four but goes great with breadsticks and, coupled with an extra potato, can stretch a little farther than four servings.

If you don't want to use the entire bunch of kale for the soup, make kale chips! Chop into large pieces, wash and dry thoroughly. Spray with olive oil, season with salt and anything that sounds good. Garlic, Greek seasoning and onion powder are all good choices. Lay the pieces in one layer on a baking sheet and pop under the broiler for a few minutes. They will crisp up like chips, taste great and are much better for you. Yum. Now I wish we hadn't used all the kale in the soup...

A shopping I will go

2010-03-31T15:15:00.001-05:00

I've been MIA from the blog. The short story is that life has been madness lately! Day job, freelancing, sewing, grandpa with a broken hip, parents out of the country, yard's a mess, I could go on and on, but I won't. The good news is that I'm getting a break this weekend. We're going up to Minneapolis to visits friends, which I am very excited about. Among the sites to see, things to eat and drink and places to shop is Ikea. I love Ikea. I haven't even bought that much there over the years besides fabric, but I really enjoy the entire shopping experience. So many little things hidden everywhere, in drawers and closets and in every nook and cranny. I feel the need to thoroughly examine all the rooms so as to not miss a thing! Here's a few items that will be in my cart this trip:

New pillows!

We have four pillows on the bed. One of them is fine. Two of them are horribly uncomfortable and the remaining one is so gross, I'm surprised it doesn't get up and walk away on it's own during the day. Of course, that one is my favorite one, but every time I change the pillow case, it makes my stomach roll to look at it. Time for it to rest in peace!

White dishes

The dishes we got when we got married aren't even five years old but they are already chipped and cracked. It's hard to find four plates and bowls to use when we have company that don't have chunks missing. At least with nice, simple white plates, if they get a chip it won't be as noticeable as it is on our dark brown dishes we have now.

Dutch Oven

These things are expensive. The one I want from Williams Sonoma is $400! Even though this blue one will look rather out of place with all my other black and red kitchenware, for less than half the price, it will do.

Tea canisters

The amount of loose leave tea consumed in our house is borderline ridiculous. We bought two of these last time we were at Ikea and they are great. Perfect size, air tight. Definitely need some more and for $8 for the set of two, we can get as many as we want!

Also time to restock the fabric for tote making for my Etsy shop. The shop is looking sad and very low on inventory. There are some old standbys that sell like crazy and a few new prints I'm hoping to pick up.

Hooray! for new fabric and hanging out with Cavan & Scott!

Kitchen sink veggie pasta

2010-03-25T17:06:00.002-05:00

This is a great recipe for using up lots of veggies from the garden or an over zealous trip to the farmer's market or grocery store. I think you could put about any veggies in this and it would be yummy. Vary the colors for the veggies and it turns into a very pretty dinner.
Ingredients:
1 lb penne or other larger pasta
2 lbs garden veggies, here's what I used:
1 small egg plant
1 medium zucchini
1/2 a large yellow onion
1 red bell pepper
1 16oz. pkg button mushrooms
1/4 c EVOO + 2 Tbsp
1 tsp dried sweet basil
1 tsp dried Turkish oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp black pepper

1. Cook pasta as directed on the box.
2. Mix all the spices together in a small bowl.
3. While pasta cooks, wash and dry veggies. Cut into bite-sized pieces. Toss with 1/4 c. EVOO and half the spice mixture. Put in a single layer on a baking sheet. Broil veggies for about 4-5 minutes, then flip/stir and broil for another 4-5 minutes.
4. Drain pasta. Toss with 2 Tbsp EVOO and remaining spice mix.
5. Mix pasta with veggies. You can add some salt now if you think it needs it or a couple of splashes of balsamic or red wine vinegar would be good too. Last time I made this I also topped it with some crumbled chevre, which was delicious. Feta would be a nice topper too.

Completely random

2010-03-19T12:30:00.003-05:00

I spent the first half of the month researching and writing the Ten Things series for this blog with only one random post in the midst of those. Now I have a lot of random things that have no relation to each other but I decided to put them all in this post anyway. Bear with me.

Lemon Yellow

Fabric from Mood
(This picture does NOT do it justice.)

I have a new obsession with all things lemon. In the past, lemon scents and flavors have never been on the top of my list. I've never particularly cared for the color yellow either. (Wearing yellow makes me look a little ill!) When we went to L.A. last month and were shopping at Mood, I found some beautiful metallic gray (not silver though) linen with big, bright yellow flowers on it. It is completely not my normal style, but I was very drawn to it and kept coming back over and over. I bought some, having no idea what I was going to do with it (I think it's going to become new kitchen curtains, requiring a complete kitchen makeover). Anyway, it started my new obsession with yellow and, subsequently, lemons.

Ounce for Ounce

I really like shopping on Alice.com. One of the newer features is showing you how much a product costs per ounce so you can compare how much you'd save if you bought the giant bottle of laundry detergent verses the smaller one. Today I was looking at eyeliner and it is $75.00 per ounce! Good thing it's only 0.08 ounces. I don't think it's unreasonably prices or anything; I just think it's funny to see it priced out per ounce.

Preening Peacock

Peacock ring from Schmutzerland

This infatuation started last winter when I bought a deep turquoise wool coat that, at least according to the receipt, was peacock colored. This shade has been infiltrating my wardrobe in everything from scarves and shoes to eyeliner. Similar to the yellow flowers on the Mood fabric leading to my new found love of lemons, this hue has resulted in me now adoring actual peacocks. How can you not love these beautiful birds? They get to wander around their entire lives in showy, black-tie-affair, luxurious formal wear. Did you notice peacocks infiltrated several of my Etsy picks for the Ten Things series?

São Salvador da Bahia de Todos os Santos

Photos from Wikipedia

I want to visit Salvador, Brazil, also know as the "Capital of Happiness." As far as I can tell, it has about everything I want in a vacation destination: beautiful beaches, 500 years of architecture, museums and a lively local culture with native, Portuguese, African and Spanish influences. Plane tickets are quite pricey and there doesn't seem to be any direct way to get there. The best I found was three flights to get there and four to get back. Some of the routes have five or more flights!

Wikipedia has an extensive page with lots of photos and Seth Kugel wrote a very good article called 36 Days in Salvador for the Times. I have a couple of books on the area in my shopping cart on Amazon. I don't know if it's feasible yet, but I do have a week off in June. I've never been to South America or anywhere south of the equator. Have you been to Brazil? I'd love any suggestions.

A Few More Random Thoughts & Happenings

Last night one of our cats (Alven) brought something into the bedroom and was making a lot of racket. Upon investigation, he had brought some mail to us. It was an envelope with a clear window that he apparently like crinkling for the noise. Some people's dogs bring them the newspaper. Our cat brings us the mail, while we're still in bed. Beat that.

Today I opened the closet in my art room only to find a deck of tarot cards all over the floor. When I bent down to pick them up, a 20 pound tool box full of art supplies fell on my head. Ouch. Again, I believe I have Alven to thank for this.

If you made it this far, thanks for hanging in there for this very long, very random post.

10 Things (Post #10): Write to someone who inspires you

2010-03-18T10:00:00.002-05:00

This is my tenth and final post in a series about ten easy things you can do to be more environmentally friendly inspired by the book Change the World for Ten Bucks and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Read more about the rest of the list here.

While I'm not sure how this works for the whole save the planet thing, I do agree that this can help make the world a better place by making someone's day. A few years ago, I was given a whole bunch of fun blank cards and about the same time I bought a bunch of new stationary. I went on a letter and note writing spree. I'm all out of my favorites and rarely send a handwritten note anymore. I think just having a stock of note cards, stationary, funky desk accessories and pens can inspire you to write to a few friends without the computer.

Here's some finds on Etsy that will inspire you to break out the stationary and cards to write a good old fashion snail mail letter:

1. Robot Hello notecards from Sweet Harvey Letterpress
2. Natural sealing wax from Green Craft Store
3. Swirl tree thank you cards from Designs By Adj
4. Peacock calling cards from Michelle Brusegaard
5. Apple memo pad from Naraya Bags
6. Post Script card from Enormous Champion
7. Hand Stained Mini Envelopes from Shabby Chic Shack
8. Through my binoculars notecards from Gramkin Paper Studio
9. Recycled bike inner tube journal from Pale Pink
10. Matchbook notebooks from Zany Hoopla
11. Return address labels from Posh Girl Boutique
12. Wax seal stamp from Istanbul Designs

The volume of cards, journals and paper products on Etsy is beyond overwhelming. PicClick.com just started an Etsy search where you can scroll through everything in your search criteria all on one page. I highly recommend giving it a try, especially for searches with hundreds of pages of results.

10 Things (Post #9): Buy fair-trade products

2010-03-16T11:41:00.001-05:00

This is my ninth post in a series about ten easy things you can do to be more environmentally friendly inspired by the book Change the World for Ten Bucks and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Read more about the rest of the list here.

Fair-trade practices aim to help producers in developing countries obtain better trading conditions with developed countries while promoting sustainability as well as social and environmental standards. Most fair trade products are arts and crafts or edibles like coffee, tea and fruit.

Fair-trade is one of those buzz words right now that a lot of people are using, without actually meeting any specifically set guide lines, so it's good to do a little research into a product or company to be sure they meet the standards you are after before spending the extra money to purchase a fair-trade product.

Here's some interesting and unique fair-trade items I found on Etsy:

1. Small Mahogany Ladle from Slightly Twisted Wood
2. Amate Top from Zelaya
3. 5 Tea Collection from Wild Root
4. Silkscreened Scarf from Toy Breaker
5. Tagua Nut Ring from Muichic Turquoise
6. African Shea Butter from Simple Organic Beauty
7. Paper Bead Necklace from Maid 2 Crochet
8. Coffee Sampler Set from Downtown Roasters
9. Fizzing Bath Melts from Mmmm Handmade Soap
10. Southeast Asian Spice Kit from Purpose Design
11. Handspun Yarn from Recycled Silk Yarn
12. Lavender Soap from Elephant Soap

Next post in this series: Write to someone who inspires you.

Fun in the bathroom

2010-03-15T16:23:00.000-05:00

When I was little, my cousin and I would hide out in our grandma's bathroom and play in order to avoid pesky brothers and sisters. We'd stay in there for hours playing Monopoly and using entire cans of Aqua Net hair spray to do each others' hair. When our family would ask what we were doing in there and if we ever planned to be come out, we'd tell them we were "just pooping." I am sure we weren't fooling anyone, but it kept intruders at bay a little longer.

Although Lindsay and I didn't camp out in the bathroom this weekend playing boardgames and styling each others' hair, thanks to a few new products I picked up, I still had an enjoyable time of hanging out in the powder room. Here's why:

I HATE our bathtub. It is so shallow that my toes stick out of the water when it's full. (I wear a size 6 1/2, small feet by most standards!) We found the Bottomless Bath at Bed, Bath & Beyond and I tried it out yesterday. Amazing! Added about 4 inches to the depth of my bath water. Now I can sit in there and not freeze because more of my body is out of the water than in. Totally worth the $6. Word of caution though, if you have kids, this is probably a bad idea. The tube was quite full and could easily splash over if you're not careful.

Burt's Bees Lemon & Vitamin E Bath & Body Oil. Love it. I'm usually not all about bath oils. Too many of them are greasy or too strong smelling and leave the bathtub all filmy. The fresh, bold - but not overpowering - lemon scent woke me up and put me in a good mood. My legs feel so soft and my skin looks radiant. I can't wait to go home tonight and have another bath! It did make the tub a little slippery, so be careful, especially if you fill the tub to the brim by using the Bottomless Bath above!

I also bought an Almay eyeliner in deep jade. I have never worn colored eyeliner on days besides Halloween and St. Patrick's Day but I think I'll be wearing this a lot. "Deep Jade" would lead you to believe its green but it's not at all. It's a very dark turquoise or peacock color and the result is very subtle, not gaudy or costumey at all. This shade says it's recommended for hazel eyes, but I have very dark brown eyes and it makes them look almost golden. So pretty.

*Note: I am not being paid in any way to review or recommend any of these products.

10 Things (Post #8): Use a mug

2010-03-15T15:18:00.000-05:00

This is my eighth post in a series about ten easy things you can do to be more environmentally friendly inspired by the book Change the World for Ten Bucks and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Read more about the rest of the list here.

Here are some great items from Etsy to help you reduce the number plastic and paper cups you use, or least stop using cardboard sleeves.

1. Tree Coffee Sleeve by Hazel Handmade
2. Owl Cup by Catherine Reece
3. Reversible Coffee Sleeve by Red Owl Designs
4. Cappuccino Cups by Page Pottery
5. Felt Coffee Cup Cozy by Megan Auman
6. Llama Mug by Patty Bilbro
7. Coffee Bat Coffee Sleeve by Bat Girl 93
8. Red Flowered Tea Cups from Open Your Window
9. Mustache Coffee Cozy by Thee Jamie Leigh
10. Hussy Coffee Mug by House of Ting Ting
11. Two Huge Mugs by Karin Lorenc
12. Button Coffee Sleeve by OC Styles Creations

Next in this series of posts: Buy fair-trade products

10 Things (Post #7): Have more meals together

2010-03-11T11:32:00.000-06:00

This is my seventh post in a series about ten easy things you can do to be more environmentally friendly inspired by the book Change the World for Ten Bucks and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Read more about the rest of the list here.

I could have done a dozen treasuries for kitchen and cooking related items on Etsy. There are so many cute, unique and beautiful items. Here are a few of my absolute favorite.

1. Yellow Recipe Box with Vintage Record Dividers by Freestyle Gifts
2. Greek Herb Blend from Kitchen Stories
3. London Tea Pot from Esther Coombs
4. Peacock Table Setting by Mary Wibi
5. Letterpress Recipe Cards by 1 Canoe 2
6. Muddler from Forest Treasures
7. Red Trivet from To Hell in a Handbag
8. Snow White Child's Apron by Lover Dovers Clothing
9. Yellow Serving Bowl from Jason Russell Potter
10. Lemon Apron by Spice Rak Designs
11. Betty Crocker Good & Easy Cook Book from Ross Road Relics
12. Kitchen Scrubbies by More Than Hats

There are so many cute aprons it's dizzying. I want an apron wardrobe now. One for each day of the week, or maybe even the month!

My MIL bought me some scrubbies similar to the ones in #12. I had never seen them before and at first I thought they were ugly coasters. They are amazing and work so well. I absolutely love them and will never be without them again!

Next post in this series: Use a mug

10 Things (Post #6): Turn off unnecessary lights

2010-03-10T09:48:00.000-06:00

This is my sixth post in a series about ten easy things you can do to be more environmentally friendly inspired by the book Change the World for Ten Bucks and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Read more about the rest of the list here.

Turning off unnecessary lights seems like a no-brainer to me. If you're not in the bathroom, the light doesn't need to be on. But I also don't like watching TV or being on the computer when the room is completely dark either. Solution? Light a couple of candles. They smell good and give off enough light to not be sitting in the pitch black.

The fire light is also very flattering so maybe you can turn off the TV or computer and have a make out session with your honey, lowering your electric bill while generating a little electricity yourself! (Wiggle eyebrows suggestively here - which usually is a little more creepy than suggestive!)

Anyway, here's some fire light related finds on Etsy:

1. Vintage Candelabra from Urban Bungalow

2. Koala Lavender Candle from Kenny Coop

3. Big Bowl Firepit from John Tunger

4. Patchouli/Clovebud Candle from Green Daffodil

5. Beeswax Tapers by Mad Chandler

6. Shabby Chic Candle Holders from Mel Dawsons Designs

7. Herbal Tapers by Crows Nest Primitive

8. Candle Chandelier from Vintage Chic Furniture

9. Candlestick Holder from Galleria Designs

10. Witches Brew Tea Lights from Dragon 06

11. Sandalwood Vanilla Candle by Soy in Love

12. Sweet Water Infused Candle by Sydney Hale

Next post in this series: Have more meals together.

10 Things (Post #5): Try to watch less TV

2010-03-09T10:07:00.001-06:00

This is my fifth post in a series about ten easy things you can do to be more environmentally friendly inspired by the book Change the World for Ten Bucks and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Read more about the rest of the list here.

We have been watching very little TV lately. After a bitterly cold winter with too much time spent in front of the television watching shows we don't even like, we've had enough. Our evenings are now spent playing games together or making something. There are so many fun options for adults and kids to keep you thinking and talking for the evening.

Some ideas for games: card games like Uno, Skip-Bo or cribbage, checkers or chess, puzzles and games you may not know how to play now but are easy to learn, like mancala. Not into games? Try painting, crocheting or knitting, scrapbooking, bead work/jewelry making or sewing. I find so much peace and tranquility when I sew; everyone should have an activity like that just makes you feel happy and relaxed.

Here are some great games and art supplies from Etsy:

1. Cribbage board by Wood from the Hood

2. Encaustic paint from Jamie Ribisi

3. Czech glass beads from The Blue Dress Beads

4. Squirrel family puzzle by US Navy Retired Vet

5. Multicolor wool from Spinning the Web

6. Inlaid checker board from Hobby Makers

7. Memory game by Another Leaf

8. Alphabet stamps from Sequins and Glitter

9. Chinese checkers by Mt Furniture Trader

10. Mancala game by Timeless Wood Designs

11. Colorful buttons from Destiny Phoebe

12. Organic yellow cotton from Cedar House Fabrics

Next post in this series: Turn off unnecessary lights

10 Things (Post #4): Give your change to charity

2010-03-07T10:53:00.001-06:00

This is my fourth post in a series about ten easy things you can do to be more environmentally friendly inspired by the book Change the World for Ten Bucks and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Read more about the rest of the list here.

Whether you're putting your change in a traditional piggy bank or throwing it in a bowl on your nightstand like I do, those quarters, dimes, nickles and pennies can add up pretty fast. There are many eco-friendly charities out there who could really use your contributions. Find one that supports a cause close to your heart and you'll be more likely to remember to save your coins for them.

American Forests is the oldest environmental charity in the country, founded in 1875. The charity works to conserve forests, plant new trees and increase environmental awareness. Just $1 plants a new tree when you give to American Forests.

A second charity to consider worthy of your lose change is the World Wildlife Fund, which was founded in 1961. WWF works to protect wildlife - animals and plants - and to make better use of the natural resources we have. You can adopt a polar bear, support indigenous communities by buying their artwork or just give to their general fund.

Here are some selections from Etsy to give you somewhere pretty to collect that change.

1. Silver piggy bank from Stuff 2 Hold Stuff

2. Piggy bank by CT Loves Paper

3. Large serving bowl from One Clay Bead

4. Square bowl from Romy and Clare

5. Wooden bank with PO Box door by Ustabee

6. Mother of pearl bowl by The Art of Lacquer

7. Orange flowered bowl by La Perla Pottery

8. Peacock vase by Edge Work Glass

9. Ceramic piggy bank by Little Pig Pottery

10. Money jug by Erin Ellie

11. Coffee cash jar by KbOriginalsetc

12. Spiral vase by CathE Glass Arts

Next post: Try watching less TV.

10 Things (Post #3): Shop Local

2010-03-06T08:00:00.001-06:00

I'm big into shop local, especially during the summer when the downtown farmers' market is in full swing. Not only can you get fruits and vegetables, cheese, bread, meat and a huge variety of dry goods and condiments are also available. Beyond food, there are booths with clothing, plants, jewelry, art and so much more. Besides my friends, the farmers' market is what I will absolutely miss the most when/if we ever move from this area.

Alas, the farmers' markets - at least this far north - only run May through October. There are other ways to shop local by going to locally owned restaurants and stores that use raw materials from other local businesses, but you can also shop local right from your couch - on Etsy. Once you have an account, fill out your profile to include your home town or nearest larger town/city. Then on the homepage, click "Shop Local" and it will find up to 10 pages of the most recently updated shops in your area.

Although shipping within your own area cuts down on fuel needed, it still takes the proper packaging. Through the convo feature (kind of like emailing within Etsy) you can arrange to meet the seller somewhere, have them drop it off or pick it up yourself. No shipping cost, no using fuel to drive your package all over the county and you still get amazing products and possibly the opportunity to meet the creator and artist. Win, win all around as far as I can see.

Here's a treasury with some of my favorite items found by shopping local on Etsy in the Des Moines and Ames area.

1. Turquoise & coral beaded bracelet by jFrances Design
2. Hand painted mid-century platter from Odd Bits at Etsy
3. Hand printed eco binder by Urban Posture
4. Composition vintage journal by Paper Cake Creations
5. Vintage aluminum folding desk from Fusion Furniture
6. Japanese printed masking tape from Happy Tape
7. Letterpress calling cards by Sweet Harvey Letterpress
8. Wood bangle from Auryn Design
9. Argyle t-shirt by Hard Love Apparel
10. Reusable grocery tote by Tonya Dusold
11. Vegan mint soap from Two Rivers Soaps
12. Sango orange china creamer from Mary Marie

Next post in this series: Give your change to charity.

10 Things (Post #2): Plant something

2010-03-05T08:00:00.004-06:00

This is my second post in a series about ten easy things you can do to be more environmentally friendly inspired by the book Change the World for Ten Bucks and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Read more about the rest of the list here.

The second thing on the list is "Plant Something." I live in Iowa where we are all lucky to have some of the most fertile soil on the planet. If you plant it outside, odds are it will grow with very little effort on your part. Two years ago, on a crazy whim, I decided to plant a garden. Other than occasionally helping my mom weed the garden growing up, I had no experience. I planted whatever popped into my head or had an enticing seed packet at Wal-Mart. Everything grew except my onions, which grew but popped out the ground too early. I am sure I didn't plant them deep enough, so that was my fault.

I have had HUGE success growing herbs in pots on the back patio, which are my absolute favorite part of summer gardening. Last year I had thyme, oregano, chives, mint, rosemary, cilantro and basil. They all did exceptionally well so I had fresh herbs all summer long. I can't wait to have them again this year!

Plants in the house are a different story. Right around the time we got married, I decided I wanted a bunch of house plants. Most of them did well for a while and then died. The ones that survived didn't make it in the sweltering car when we moved in July almost three years ago. It's mostly me, partially that our house doesn't get a lot of sun and partially the ~~monsters~~ cats eating and pestering them. I am willing to give it a try again. I think I might start easy with some succulents and go from there.

I found tons of cute, unique and affordable planters, seeds and identification stakes on Etsy. Here's a few of my favorites:

1. Gollum Jade Cuttings from The Succulent Garden

2. Reflective Planter with Succulents from Monkeys Always Look

3. Naturally Felled Wood Garden Markers from Fig and Fern

4. Herb Garden Stakes by From Artisan Hands

5. Lotus Plant Seed from Seven Acre Woods

6. Shoe Planter from Giddy Spinster

7. Pillow Moss from Teresa B 123

8. Planter from Just Mare

9. Automatic Waterers from Trillium Hill Art

10. Planter from Clay Nest Pottery

11. Upcycled Spoon Plant Stake from Enchanted Key

12. Swish Chard Seeds from The Bear Foot Shaman

Next post in this series: Shop Local. Pay attention central Iowa because my Etsy selections will be local for you.

10 Things (Post #1): Decline plastic bags whenever possible

2010-03-04T12:42:00.004-06:00

This is my first post in a series about ten easy things you can do to be more environmentally friendly inspired by the book Change the World for Ten Bucks and N.E.E.T. Magazine. Read more about the rest of the list here.

The first thing on the list is "Decline plastic bags whenever possible." The best way to do this is buy and, more importantly, USE fabric totes for groceries and mesh bags for produce. The first excuse I always hear on this one is "I can't remember to bring them with." We had that problem too, so now we have enough to have several in each car at all times. Then you'll never be without one. Once they are brought in the house full, we empty them and they go right back into the car, or at least on the door knob of the door to the garage.

Next step is to remember to take them into the store with you. Force yourself to go back out to the car to get them if you're in the store and end up with more than you meant to or forgot them when you parked. One or two trips to the parking lot in the dead of winter before and after you go to the cash register will help you remember to take them in with you in the first place.

Here are some great reusable totes and produce bags I found on Etsy. I am a HUGE fan of #2 - Love for Earth and highly recommend her products. You can read my post about them here. Also, note the shameless plug of my own store at number 10!

1. Bee Things
2. Love For Earth
3. Earth Cadets
4. Cozy Creek
5. PearAphenalia
6. Made by Molly
7. Rusty Bike Shop
8. Pink Crocodile Designs
9. The Craft Pantry
10. Tonya Dusold
11. Two Knit
12. Whimsical Stitches

Tomorrow I'll have a post on either "shop locally" or "plant something" for you.

10 Things

2010-03-04T12:18:00.008-06:00

In a recent issue of NEET Magazine there was an article about the book "Change the World for Ten Bucks." NEET Magazine gave a list of 10 things from the book that you can do to be more environmentally friendly. They are all small, easy things that we can all do. Here's the list:

1. Decline plastic bags whenever possible
2. Plant something
3. Shop locally
4. Give your change to charity
5. Try watching less TV
6. Turn off unnecessary lights
7. Have more meals together
8. Use a mug, not a disposable cup
9. Buy fair-trade products
10. Write to someone who inspired you

This list inspired me to come up with a few related posts. The first of which will be today, with a list of great stuff on Etsy that can help you avoid plastic bags.

Anything not on this list that absolutely should be?

All my loving - music loving that is

2010-03-03T13:00:00.001-06:00

I listen to music at work constantly. I'd say of the 40 hours a week I spend in my office, 39.5 hours have iTunes blasting out of my speakers. I have a few play lists - Friday Gangsta Rap, Feel Better/Life is Good, a play list for my birthday and one play list of angry/I hate you music. More often than not though, my entire collection of music is on random, which leads to funny sequences of songs. Eminem followed by Elton John? Yep.

Anyway, a few random combos today made me wonder what songs I hear most often. Here's my top 25 played. (They aren't actually in order of most to least because I wanted to see how many artists are on the list more than once)

P.I.M.P. by 50 Cent
Not the Doctor by Alanis Morissette
Rehab by Amy Winehouse
Piece of Me by Britney Spears
Still Dirrty by Christina Aguilera
Cornbread by Dave Matthews Band
A Little Priest by Helena Bonham Carter (from the Sweeney Todd soundtrack)
Summertime by Hello Dave
It was a Good Day by Ice Cube
All My Loving by Jim Sturgress (from the Across the Universe soundtrack)
Anything's Possibly by Jonny Lang
Loose Lips by Kimya Dawson (from the Juno soundtrack)
Black Horse and a Cherry Tree by KT Tunstall
The Turn by M.I.A.
Tell Me Something Good by Maceo Parker
Heard the Word by O.A.R.
Farmhouse by Phish
Another Brick in the Wall by Pink Floyd
America by Simon & Garfunkel
Lodi Dodi by Snoop Dogg
Gin & Juice by Snoop Dogg
Octopus's Garden by The Beatles
I Want to Hold Your Hand by The Beatles
Your Lucky Day in Hell by The Eels
Regulate by Warren G

What does this list say about me? That I'm random and weird?

Goat tote update

2010-03-02T09:11:00.000-06:00

Billy goats gruff, pink

Billy goats gruff, yellow

Wild foliage

The totes I showed you a couple of days ago that were only half done are now actually complete. The top two are in my shop and the third one will be yet this week. The last one doesn't actually have any goats on it but I still like the crazy flora and the back side has a happy tree similar to the Pink Pear Tree tote.

Happy trees make me think of my grandpa, whose name is Richard Ross. When I was little, he would tell my cousins and me that he taught Bob Ross how to paint and we believed him. Nevermind that we'd never seen my grandfather ever paint anything, let alone landscapes filled with happy trees.

Centro's tomato basil soup doppelganger

2010-03-01T21:25:00.001-06:00

If you've ever lived or worked in downtown Des Moines, you've likely had lunch at Centro, which hopefully included their tomato basil soup, which is delicious. I found this recipe on Breaking the Recipe Rut, made a few of my own changes - more basil, add tortellini, etc. It turned out so good - exactly like Centro's.

Creamy Tomato Basil Soup
1/2 c butter
1 c flour
4 c chicken broth
3 1/2 c fat free half & half
1 1/2 c marinara sauce
1 can diced tomatoes, Italian style
1/4 c chopped fresh basil
1 package tortellini
Ground black pepper

Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and stir for 5 minutes to slightly brown the mixture. Whisk in the broth. Increase the heat and cook and stir until thickened. Decrease the heat to low, stir in the half and half and simmer for 20 minutes.

Meanwhile cook the tortellini according to package directions.

After the 20 minutes of simmering, stir in the marinara sauce, tomatoes, basil and tortillini and cook until heated through. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

A few notes: After you whisk the flour into the butter, it will look a little like sugar cookie dough. This was unexpected to me for some reason, but appears to be correct, so go with it. Also, I doubled the basil to 1/4 cup and thought it was perfect, but if you don't like basil as much as I do, go back to the 2 Tbsps recommended in the original recipe or 1/2 a teaspoon of dried basil. You can also switch to vegetable broth to make this vegetarian.

Three billy goats gruff

2010-03-01T10:25:00.000-06:00

I sewed this weekend! It's been a long time and it felt very relaxing. These three totes just need trim and handles attached and then they are ready for the shop. They have swimming goats, goats on a bridge and mountain goats on them and crack me up. I don't know when my love of goats happened, but now I love everything about them. They are cute and funny plus make wonderful milk that doesn't hurt my lactose intolerant tummy. The milk can be turned into so many great products like cheese, soap and more.

Random side story - Did your mom or grandma ever make you one of those shirts in the late 80s or early 90s that starts as a t-shirt, but they cut strips into the sleeves and bottom half, adding beads so you end up with a sort of beaded, tasseled top? Mine also had a pair of hot pink high tops ironed on the front. I was obviously the coolest kid in 4th grade. Anyway, I wore said shirt to the Milwaukee zoo on family vacation. In the petting zoo, the goats started gnawing away at my fringe and eating the plastic beads. I was not amused. I now realize that the goats were just trying to tell me what an awful fashion statement I was making.

I'm not sure why I've been in such a funk lately with sewing but I think I'm over it now. My list of projects is long. Besides yards and yards of printed canvas just waiting to become reusable grocery totes, I have fabric for new kitchen curtains, a skirt and a jacket.

I did finish and list this tote this weekend. For some reason, it really makes me think of hanging out on the beach in New England in the summer - which I have never even done - so I named it "Weekend in the Hamptons." I bought this fabric for a custom order and this is all I have left, so this will be the only one, so if you summer on the coast, better grab it quick!

Good books

2010-02-27T19:45:00.001-06:00

Again with the travel talk. I know it's getting to be pretty frequent on this blog that I talk about past, upcoming and dream trips. It shouldn't be surprising then that my current reading materials consist of travel narratives. I like reading about travel, whether it be an actual guide book, articles in magazines or snarky tales of travel gone bad.

Two authors that stand out as my favorites for not-your-average-travel-narratives are Chuck Thompson and J. Maarten Troost. Both tell hilarious but true (or at least mostly true) tales of adventure and mishaps while traveling and living abroad.

I read Smile While You're Lying on the plane to and from Colorado last weekend and it was really good. As a traditional travel writer for an array of publications, Thompson was tired of glossing everything over and not telling the more interesting and colorful tales, so he wrote this book. I have a few of these tales myself - losing my friend down a dark alley in Bangkok, getting bit by a gibbon in Phuket and many more. These are the stories that, at the time scare the hell out of you but you know, should you make it out unscathed, are going to be a great story later. After all, my motto is "bad decisions make good stories!"

I am now reading Thompson's newest effort, To Hellholes and Back. The author decides to take on his four most dreaded locations that he's managed to avoid through decades of traveling and writing. I've only made it though the Congo section (where the story of a near witnessing of a hippo fight had me in tears from laughing so hard) but I am really look forward to the rest of the book. I can't wait to hear what happened in India, Mexico City and, of all places, Disney World. I highly recommend this book.

The only other travel narratives that I have read and loved as much as Thompson's hilarious tales are by J. Maarten Troost. The author penned Getting Stoned with Savages (best one), Sex Lives of Cannibals (still great) and Lost on Planet China (least favorite, but still a good book).

Do you have the bug?

2010-02-27T19:20:00.000-06:00

It's no secret that I have the travel bug so I was really excited to be invited to apply, then accepted as a Lonely Planet Travelers' Pulse panelist. Basically you take a short survey on your traveling history and habits and if they don't already have too many people of your demographic, you're in. If you're accepted they'll send you a free Lonely Planet calendar and start emailing you surveys about travel and guide books. I took my first survey yesterday. I must admit, I am a sucker for surveys and enjoy taking them, but I think these are especially fun because you get to take a trip down memory lane while filling them out.

They will also send you promotion, discounts and deals. Plus, when you take most surveys, you're entered into prize drawings for Lonely Planet products and Amazon gift cards. Everyone loves to win and get free things!

If you think you'd like to join Travelers' Pulse too, click here to apply. You've got nothing to lose; even if you don't qualify, they'll give you a discount to the online Lonely Planet shop. Good luck!

I'm back

2010-02-24T11:35:00.000-06:00

I've been MIA from this blog more and more lately, but I think it's time to get back into the swing of things. This weekend (Sat-Tues) I took a mini vacation to Colorado Springs to visit friends. I really wanted it to be a brain vacation as well. No thinking or complaining about work, money, health issues, chores, to-do lists or anything day-to-day really. For the most part, it was a success. Thanks, Staci, for the brain vacation and couple days of sloth. It was much needed and I am feeling refreshed and ready to take on the world again.

I know a lot of bloggers have a more strict routine than I do (i.e. Mondays are for recipes, Tuesdays are for product reviews, etc.) I don't do that well with routines, rules and restrictions. I am more of a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of gal. But lately I've been thinking that this blog needs a little more structure. I'm thinking I'd like to keep the variety in the types of posts, just have them be a little more structured time-wise so I can plan better and you readers can have a tiny bit of predictability from me.

Topics I definitely intend to keep are recipes, DIY projects, my Etsy site and fabulous finds/wants. Any suggestions for things you'd like to see? Don't want to see? Would it be best to separate themes out by days or just be sure to have X amount per month of each subject? I need feedback!

Eat this, not that

2010-02-18T18:11:00.000-06:00

We've been in a dinner funk lately. Every night it's a struggle to figure out something to make. I feel like "Dinner? We just ate dinner yesterday! Do we have to do it again?" I found a recipe for Spanakopita (Greek spinach pie) online that had potential but wasn't quite there. I asked my friend Andrea, also known as the Kitchen Witch, if she had any suggestions. She had several but the one that sold me was to switch out half the spinach for artichokes. The end result of combining the online recipe, my own ideas and Andrea's suggestions was delicious.

For some reason I cannot seem to remember the name spanakopita. I keep thinking spina bifida, which is clearly not right! Anyway, here's the recipe so you can try spanakopita, not spina bifida.

1 (10 ounce) packages chopped spinach, thawed, drained and squeezed dry
1 can artichokes, diced
3 green onions, chopped
4 eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup cottage cheese
1 (4 ounce) package crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup mozzarella
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon dill
10 sheets phyllo dough, thawed
Cooking Spray or melted butter

Preheat oven to 350*
Spray an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray. In a medium bowl, stir together all the ingredients except the phyllo dough spray/butter.
Lay one sheet of phyllo in the baking dish, allowing edges to hang over. Spray completely with cooking spray or brush with butter. Repeat with 4 more sheets of phyllo, spraying and alternating the direction of each sheet. Transfer spinach mixture to phyllo lined dish. Spray and layer remaining sheets as directed for bottom layer. Turn in edges to form a rim. Spray rim and top layer.
Bake for 35-45 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand 15 minutes before slicing into 4-6 pieces.

This was super simple to make and one of my first tries with phyllo dough. It's a really fun ingredient that seems to have great results. I think I'll use some of the extra to make turnovers. Mmmm.

Ronald Raygun

2010-02-18T08:53:00.002-06:00

Winter brings out the grump in me and I have a tendency to get pretty down on Iowa and the frozen tundra - I mean the Midwest. The reality is that it's not so bad and I actually love some aspects: the downtown farmers market, the genuinely nice people (most of them, anyway) and several of the local restaurants and stores are really unique and wonderful.

There's a t-shirt store in the East Village of Des Moines called Raygun. Their shirts are mostly Iowa/Midwest themed and always snarky. They used to be called Smash, but as the t-shirt above explains, they had to change it. We have several of their shirts at home and have given even more as gifts. Every last one cracks me up.

I have this one. You've seen my picture and know just how gansta I am.

This one we gave to a friend who lives in Colorado, but has lived in Iowa before.

My parents have a lake house in Missouri, so I bought this one for my dad for Father's Day so he can wear it down there.

If you have an Iowa or Midwest connection, or even if you don't, check out Raygun's website. If nothing else, they are good for a laugh.

Unpack, repack

2010-02-17T10:32:00.002-06:00

I like to go. Don't really care where or when you're going, but I'll go with. Visiting your great uncle in Prague? I'm in. Job interview in San Francisco? Take me with. Destination wedding in Jamaica? I want to be your date. Going to the bathroom? Um, well, that's a bit awkward, but I supposed I'll go too.

My favorite pastime? Shopping for plane tickets to anywhere. I get on kicks and right now it's Spain and Morocco tickets and anywhere else that has a good deal. I day dream of cheap tickets and more vacation time. I treasure my passport stamps and travel photos. So far I've hit over half the states and 3 of the 6 visitable (is that a word?) continents.

The problem with this hobby, or possibly addiction, is that the closest "international" airport is Des Moines and although I really like flying in and out of there, it's very small - two terminals small. Typically it's pricey too. We're 2 hours from Omaha, but that airport isn't much better. 3 hours to Minneapolis and 5 to Chicago, but who wants to get off a flight only to have to spend hours more in the car in order to be home? Not me. I've done it a few times and unless the ticket price difference is HUGE, I'm not doing it again.

Some of my favorite people in the world live in Colorado Springs. Unfortunately, the COS airport is just as small and pricey as Des Moines and going between the two always costs significantly more than making the 11 hour drive. I was super surprised when my friend said she found me a cheap ticket for the end of this month, but it was a weekend we have company coming from out of state, so I couldn't go. I started looking for other weekends and found a round trip ticket for this Saturday through Tuesday for $180! That is about 1/2 the price I've ever seen them. So I bought it over lunch and head out Saturday morning. Hooray! Ready or not, here I come Staci & Andrea.

I just got back from California, less than two weeks ago. There are a still a few random items in my suitcase from LA that I can just leave in for this trip. My coworkers think I'm a little crazy, but I don't care. I love to go - anywhere, any time.

Bulguksa Temple in the North Gyeongsang province of South Korea

Riding an elephant through the jungle in southern Thailand

Mayan ruins at Tulum in Mexico

That looks familiar

2010-02-17T09:44:00.000-06:00

I'm on Tip Junkie today!

Imagine my surprise when I opened an email titled "Home Decor Wall Art Ideas" and saw my living room wall! I'm the 4th picture. There is also a link this post on my blog.

There are several other really great ideas for affordable DIY art. I love typography so I think my favorite (besides mine, of course!) is How Does She...'s ABCs with vinyl.

It could be very cute in a child's room too.

Anyway, check it out. Thanks, Laurie.

Lessons learned

2010-02-10T14:49:00.003-06:00

Top 10 things I learned in & about L.A.

10. LAX is not as bad or confusing as people tell you it is.
9. I once read a post by a New Yorker that claimed Des Moines has a creepy lack of graffiti, California has a strange (but wonderful) lack of litter
8. Driving a Malibu through Malibu is apparently tacky, better rent a Bently
7. 55 degrees and drizzle qualifies for a "major winter storm"
6. California sets their speed limits too high, but surprisingly everyone understands this and goes about 5 under every where you go
5. That shirt that is $150 on Rodeo Drive is $15 on Melrose and just as cute, but the store is right next to the friendly neighborhood S&M shop
4. Driving in LA is not terrible but it's best if you bring Mary Poppins (or another strangely named GPS)
3. If it is below 70 degrees, all females must wear tights with a skirt and snow boots
2. Unlike Des Moines, if you think that's Snoop Dogg in the airport, it probably is
1. The weird man standing outside the restaurant you are eating in may put on a Statue of Liberty costume and dance on the corner down the block

Welcome back to the frozen tundra

2010-02-10T10:42:00.001-06:00

I'm back from California and I have to say, I'm not that happy about it. It's 50 degrees colder here and we got another 8-10 inches of snow while I was gone. But California was amazing and beautiful and fun. I want to go back soon; I'd go this weekend if I could.

On Saturday morning we got up, had some coffee and headed out shopping. Our first stop was Mood - the fabric store in Project Runway. I've been to the Mood in NYC and was expecting something similar. It was, but on a much smaller scale, which didn't stop me from spending an hour and a half in there!

Then we went shopping on Melrose in West Hollywood. I think this was the best shopping of the trip. Lots of smaller boutiques, reasonable prices and unique finds. This area is a little racy, so maybe not the best place to take the kids shopping.

We went to Kamin, a Thai fusion restaurant in LA for lunch. It was very good and very affordable. We had salads, pad thai and kai kua. It was supposed to rain all day on Saturday, but we were lucky and the only time it rained was when we were in the restaurant eating lunch.

After lunch we headed to Santa Monica to Main Street for more shopping and wandering. The shopping was good but the wandering was better. It was 65 degrees and mostly sunny. We are used to living in the frozen tundra and it felt like summer. The locals, however, didn't seem that impressed with the weather and were dressed rather warmly in our opinion. We got the giggles when we saw a woman wearing her snow boots, down coat, mittens and stocking cap. It's all relative and depends on what you are acclimated to, but that seemed a little extreme.

Saturday afternoon we were tired from all the walking and shopping, so we hopped in the car, turned on the GPS and just drove around. We ended up in Tonpanga State Park. We drove through on Decker Canyon Road and came back on Mulholland Hwy. It was beautiful. Mountains and valleys and amazing views of the ocean and Malibu. We even saw a mountain goat. We decided he or she must have been a wealthy movie star goat in order to be able to afford to live in Malibu.

We stopped in Malibu on our way back into LA for dinner at Plate. I had seafood black spaghetti with shrimp, squid, fish, mussels and enoki mushrooms in lobster sauce. Very, very tasty and not that expensive. I think it was about $60 for both of us to have dinner and wine.

On Sunday, we drove north on the Pacific Coast Highway. We went through Santa Barbara all the way up to San Luis Obispo. The entire drive there and back was beautiful. Mountains, coast, valleys, vineyards as far as the eye can see, strawberry and cauliflower farms, cities and more. It was a long drive, but totally worth it.

I have recently become obsessed with San Luis Obispo and really want to go and see it. It's a fairly small community in a breathtaking area, about half way between LA and San Francisco. It is home to California Polytechnic State University and a community college, so it's a pretty young population. The shopping and food in the "college town" area were great. My suspicions were confirmed: I could definitely live there.

On Monday we had a big breakfast at the Omelet Parlor in Santa Monica. Another place I'd highly recommend. For $10 we got enormous omelets, fruit, potatoes and an English muffin. It is a good thing we ate so much for breakfast because the plane trip home ended up taking about 3 more hours than expected, but that's a long story for another time.

Oh how I miss you

2010-02-05T10:39:00.003-06:00

Stilettos, peep toes, sandals, flip flops, sling backs and wedges. I long for your shiny patent leather, strappy sexiness and daring heights. I miss how you make my very short legs look long (well, at least longer) and sleek. I long to see painted toe nails peeking out. I want to hear the "flip flop flip flop" sounds of thongs. No more black and brown, I want red, pink, purple and blue!

This has been a brutal winter. Early December brought us so much snow that we haven't seen the ground since. Des Moines broke the record for the most days in a row to have at least 5" of snow on the ground, and keeps breaking it everyday. The few places that aren't buried in snow are covered in ice and I have been forced to alternate mostly between four pairs of boots: two pairs of snow boots and two pairs of ankle boots with low heels. My feet are sad and drab.

Although I do not miss my last job, I do miss having covered parking and a skywalk so I could wear whatever shoes I wanted to work without having to worry about falling on the ice and breaking a leg or freezing my toes off.

I am a bargain shopper and love a good sale but one of the things on my bucket list is to blow an exorbitant amount of money on an amazing pair of shoes. I'm talking about some Jimmy Choo's or Manolo Blahnik's that cost the same as a mortgage payment. If tomorrow, I should get hit by a bus and not achieve this goal, please use some of my life insurance policy to buy me a pair to be buried in.