Tuesday, November 30, 2010

A Thrifty End Table

For the living room, we had been looking for an end table that could fit in the space. My husband found a glass end table top at a garage sale for $5 and I decided to make a cover out of fabric. For $12 of fabric, I was able to make this simple cover and even a small pillow with the left over remnant. In addition, underneath the glass is a three drawer container that we had, which stores games and power cords, which helps keep clutter to a minimum. I really like what it has done for the space.


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Monday, November 29, 2010

Happy Birthday Kim!

A special birthday gift, for a special friend. With the help of my cousin Shannon, we put together the cosmo bag by Amy Butler from her Style Stiches book. It was a good thing Shannon walked me through the pattern, as I'm sure I wouldn't have been able to complete it in time! Check out Shannon's blog here. The inside of the bag has 5 roomy pockets and the outside has 2 pockets along each side. Happy Birthday Kim!
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Sunday, November 28, 2010

What's Cooking: Carmalized Onions

We love to make carmalized onions. It's a little time consuming to do, as it takes approx. 2 hours to complete However if you want to put together a fast hearty french onion soup during the week, it can be done in 20 minutes. Which is great for those winter nights after work.

For the carmalized onions:
Simply slice 6-8 large onions (halved then sliced 1/4 inch thick)
Melt 3/4 cup butter and 2 tsp coarse salt in dutch oven.
Cook the onions stirring frequently on med-med high heat on the stove until softened and just beginning to brown (approx 30 minutes)
Add 1 T sugar and cook stirring often to scrape up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan (30-40 minutes)
When done, the onions should be deep golden brown and have a jam like consistency.
Remove from heat and season with salt.
Let cool completely and place in airtight container in the refrigerater for up to 2 weeks
We divide the carmalized onions into 2 batches.

To make the French Onion Soup, simply take 1 batch of carmalized onions and 5 1/2 cups of low-sodium beef broth, simmer over medium heat. Season with salt and ground pepper. Top with thich sliced country bread with Gruyere cheese and season with pepper. Broil until toasted. Enjoy, it's a great winter nights dinner:)
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Saturday, November 27, 2010

Craft Room

I was tired of having to convert the dining room between crafts and dining (my husband too!), so we finally took the plunge and decided to utilize our space to meet our needs. We changed one of our spare bedrooms into a craft room, where I can work on my projects and if I need to stop in the middle, I can simply close the door. With the inspiration of the black singer, we made it the focal point in the room. We then moved the kitchen table which we never used to the craft room. Moving the kitchen table really solved 2 problems, as in the kitchen all it did was collect clutter and it really gives me nice open space to sew and scrap.

With the help of my friend Phil, I made a felt board to help piece together my quilts. Phil made a basic frame from wood and we covered it with felt. The fabric simply sticks to the felt without any pins, so it's easy to move pieces and determine placement of squares, etc. It also keeps me on task to finish my current projects, as it's displayed out in the open and not tucked away in the closet.


This desk armoir, is the resting spot for both my sewing machine and cricut. It also stores my resources so they are handy to pull out when in need.



I really enjoy my new space, hopefully it inspires you to create your own:)