Recycled Sweater Purse

3 of my nieces birthdays are coming up and I thought I would make something for them.  I have been on an upcycle kick using jeans, corduroy, wool and cashmere sweaters.  After doing some researching on pinterest and craftsy I looked thru my stash and got to work.  So far I have 2 completed, and one more to go....

This one is my favorite so far. I like that it is lined and a bit smaller, which is great for an ipad, a book, etc.  Jump over to Make It and Love It for the tutorial.  Total time for this bag was approximately 1 hour. 

The second one is from the Upcycle class on Craftsy.  Super easy and approximately one hour to complete.  

I hope they like them:)  

Jeans and Corduroy

Lots of jeans and cords on my work desk....let the cutting and fun begin.  :)  

Unfortunately I can't spoil what the finished project will be. Stay tuned for more to come! 

What are your favorite upcycled projects? 

Baby Shower Gift Ideas

Babies are so much fun to sew for.  And as everyone seems to be having baby girls, I've stocked up on fun and girly fabrics:).  Since I'm not a mom myself (yet!), I have gathered essential information from my sister in laws on what is helpful, necessary, and nice to have as gifts.  The biggest recommendation I have received are homemade crib sheets, burp cloths, sleep sacks, and receiving blankets.  

The Crib sheets and receiving blankets you buy in stores are usually cheaper material and smaller sizes. They are great projects for beginners, and thankfully don't take a lot of time to complete. 

  You can check out the sewing pattern for crib sheets here.  

I love to embellish cloth diapers, as they make awesome burp cloths.  Inspiration for this project came from here, here, and here.  I used Minky for my fabric of choice, which makes it nice and soft for the baby.  And since most of the times the store bought cloth diapers are not "square" I utilize my serger to finish the project.  

I have been on an Owl kick recently and could not help myself to this project.  Suzanne from Just Another Hangup created this pattern - Maggie the Taggie Owl.  Very simple to make and very cute!! You can see the mom to be loved it!  If you would like the pattern, here it is! 

Thanks for checking out my recent sewing projects.  Enjoy! 

Children's Play Tent - Fun at the Beach

Let's Pretend - Fun at the Beach play tent

For Christmas this year, I decided to make a group gift for my nieces and nephew.  I browsed around for ideas and came across play tents and decided to go for it.    

For the most part the project was pretty simple to put together.  I used felt for the fabric which made it simple to machine applique the shapes, animals, etc.  The most time consuming aspect was creating the pattern itself and hand drawing the different things added to the scene. It is best to use dimensions of the table you plan to use; I took the measurements and added 1 1/2 inch to all sides to allow for 1/2 in seam allowance and a little room to ensure fits over the table. 

Another plus is that it is easy to store, as it simply folds up into a bag. 

 My favorite scene is with the Lighthouse and Sailboat: 

I think it turned out great and the kids really enjoyed it! Now they will have something to look forward to play with at Grandma & Grandpas house! 

Favorite CSA Recipes 2012

This summer has been a great summer for food.  It's amazing how well you can do with the CSA (community supported agriculture) after some practice.  This was our second season with Farmer Daves, and my husband and I decided to step it up to a full share, which typically serves 3-4 people.  I think overall we have wasted less and have learned to adapt to what is in season.  It definitely takes some work, but with a little planning and utilizing canning / freezing methods to preserve, you can make your vegi's go a long way.

My favorite vegi cookbook has got to be Simply In Season.  This cookbook is sorted by season, which is great if you belong to a CSA.  Also, the index is very helpful if you want to see for example all the zucchini recipes.  All the recipes are simple, not to complex and easy to make up after work for dinner.  Also there are many options for substitutions depending on what you have on hand.  My favorite recipes from the book include the Chilled Gazepacho Soup, Summer Squash Skillet, Roasted Summer Vegetables, Sweet and Sour Swiss Chard, and Summer Pesto Pizza. Every time I open the cookbook, I find another recipe that I can't wait to try.

Other favorite recipes include:

Luanns Kale Salad - a wonderful fall salad with yummy apples, kale, and nuts.


Paula Dean's Chocolate Chip Zucchini Bread. Absolutely amazing!  And it freezes well too:)


Tuscan Kale & White Bean Soup ---wonderful!  Can you tell I had a lot of Kale to use! :)


Sausage Stuffed Zucchini Boats --- Great way to use up all those zucchini's!


Black Bean Salad with Corn, Peppers, Avocado & Lime-Cilantro Vinaigrette -- This recipe kept well. We also put on top of lettuce.


Garlic Scape Pesto - Amazing! We made a big batch, froze in ice cube trays and have already almost used it all.  We made pesto pizza, used it with summer squash skillet, pasta.  so yummy!!!

1/4 cup pine nuts
3/4 cup coarsely chopped garlic scapes
juice and zest of 1/2 lemon
1/2 t salt
Black pepper to tast
extra virgin olive oil to consistency that you like
handful of basil

Combine in bowl of food processor. Pulse until well combined. Use or place in ice cube trays to freeze. Once solid transfer to freezer ziplock bag.

** I have also used arugula in place of basil.

Salsa Verde - Chicken Enchiladas

This green salsa turned out great! We used it for chicken enchiladas, but you could also eat it with chips or even fish tacos! I divided this in half as we didn't have 4 pounds of tomatillos. Refrigerate covered up to 5 days.  You can also can the salsa by using boiling water method.

4 pounds of tomatillos, husks removed

1 T olive oil or grapeseed oil

1 cup distilled white vinegar 

1 pound yellow onions, chopped

1/2 chili peppers, stems and seeds removed

2 garlic cloves, peeled

1/4 cup fresh cilantro

1 t salt

1. Preheat broiler. Wash and dry the tomatillos.  Lightly brush half of the tomatillos with oil and arrange on baking sheet with step-side down. Broil until blackened in spots. Remove and cool to room temperature. 

2. Puree the remaining raw tomatillos with the vinegar in blender or food processor. Remove to large saucepan. Puree the onions, chili peppers, and garlic with the cooked tomatillos and any juice left in the pan. Add to saucepan.  Bring to boil, reduce heat and simmer until thickened.  Approx 10-15 minutes.  STir in the cilantro and salt and remove from heat. 

Enjoy! 

Kale and Ricotta Ravioli

This recipe is oh so easy (on a side note this will take some time to assemble the ravioli!), and oh so yummy!  It would also be a good way to use up your Kale from a local CSA, or farmer's market you may shop.  And using wonton wrappers (usually located in the produce section), cuts down on the prep time.  And best of all, this recipe makes 48 ravioli, so you will def. have enough to freeze for another night = a quick and easy meal.

The recipe is from Everyday Food, March 2012.

You will need:
Coarse salt and ground pepper
1 Bunch of Kale (3/4 lb)
1 3/4 cup ricotta
1/3 cup grated Parmesan
1 garlic clove, minced
48 square wonton wrappers
4 cups marinara sauce, warmed

1. In large pot of boiling salted water, cook kale until tender, approx 4 min.  With slotted spoon, transfer to colander.  When cool enough to handle, squeeze out excess water and finely chop.  In medium bowl mash together kale, ricotta, Parmesan, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper

2. Assemble ravioli; Arrange 6 wrappers on work surface, keeping remaining wrappers covered with damp towel. Spoon a scant tablespoon kale mixture in center of each wrapper. With a fingertip, moisten edges of wrapper with water, then fold over filling to form a triangle and press to seal.  (Flatten area around filling to eliminate air pockets.) Place ravioli on a parchment-lined baking sheet and cover with a kitchen towel.  Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

3.  Return salted water to boil, reduce to a bare simmer.  Drop half the ravioli into water, one at a time, stirring gently to prevent sticking.  Cook until al dente, about 3 minutes.  With slotted spoon, transfer ravioli to a paper towel lined baking sheet, arrange in a single later and let drain briefly. Repeat with remaining ravioli.  Top with sauce and enjoy!


**You may chill uncooked ravioli wrapped up to 1 day, or freeze in a single later, then store in a ziplock bag up to 1 month.

Let's Go Patriots!!!

To cheer on our beloved team the New England Patriots, we decided to make some cookies with some team spirit. We cut out cookies in the shape of footballs and team shirts:)  And with the best recipe from Grandma Ruth, these are sure to be a hit for the big game.  And yes, we are amateurs at decorating....

Grandma Ruth's Cut out Cookies

2 c sugar
1 c shortening (I used butter)

Cream together. Then mix:
1 c sour cream
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt
5 1/2 c flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp ground nutmeg

Refrigerate till chilled. Roll out, and cut.  Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes.  Let cool. And have fun frosting.  :)

Review of Freedom Filer

For this months goal, I wanted to improve our paper system.  Our current system was not working, as there were always piles of paper around the house, I could never seem to find what I needed.  To start the year off right, I had been researching file systems online and came across Freedom Filer on Unclutterer's website.  The price of the system was a little steep at $42, for labels....but after reading multiple good reviews, I decided to take the plunge.

I was able to set up my files in less than 2 hours, and was amazed at how easy it was to learn the system.  Within another 2 hours, I had sorted thru all our documents.  It was great to see 4 garbage bags of paper we no longer had to keep, and everything we needed, fit nicely into 2 file bins.  I also set up an active set of files in our kitchen to aid the reception station as mail comes in the door.  I am so amazed at how clean my house looks now, that there is no longer piles of paper cluttering the space.  The best part of the system, it is a self purging system.  So never again will we have to sit for 4 hours sorting thru all of our documents.  If you are looking into an organization for your paper documents, I would highly recommend this one.

John Deere Green

We are on a smoothie kick and I thought I would share. It turned out really good and super healthy:) We named it John Deere Green.....aka the green tractor. :) 1/2 lemon, peeled 1/2 cup parsley 2 handfuls of spinach 1 piece (1/2 inch) ginger, peeled 1 cucumber, peeled 2 apples 1 stalk celery 3 leaves kale 1/2 cup water 1 cup ice Blend until mixed. Serves 2 ...... enjoy:)

Tangible Ambitions 2012

After reviewing my goals for 2011, I realized I was trying to do too much.  This year, I hope to scale it down a notch, keep it realistic, and allow myself to enjoy things a little more.  Instead of having 20 goals like last year, I'm keeping it to 12. And focus on one goal each month.  Some of them will overlap, but hopefully this will make me a little more successful in completing the goals for the year.

1.  Organize a file system, backup/scan important documents (January)
2.  Declutter Basement: donate/sell unused items, purge and keep it that way (March)
3.  Organize Photo System and update Scrapbooks (March)
4.  Learn and Explore US history. Complete the Freedom trail, Visit DC (April)
5.  Reconnect with nature: Plant a garden, landscape around the house, start composting (May)
6.  CSA Goal: To preserve more and waste less (June, July, August)
7.  Take a photography class (September)
8.  Finish Christmas shopping (October)
9.  Be Thankful.  Donate to a local charity. (November)
10.  Enjoy the Holiday Season. (December)
11.  Complete 3 Quilts this year (High School Tshirt, ISU Quilt, and Joanna's Quilt) (ongoing)
12.  Read 2 books a month (22/24 read.)

2011 Goal Review

Below were my goals for 2011.  Although I didn't meet every goal, I think we made some good progress in the right direction.  

1. Each Sunday plan meals for week and stock up.  Completed most weeks. 

2. Each weeknight pack lunch for next day during supper to minimize stress in morning.  Routine was established, spent less lunch money from previous year. 

3. Make Christmas gifts though out the year.  Could have been improved, Although I knew what I was making from early on for each gift, it was down to crunch time in November and December. My wrists and elbows were sore for 2 weeks after Christmas from all the sewing.  

4. Make 2 quilts. Completed!  I made a baby quilt for my 4 month old Niece, and a Tshirt Quilt for my husband. 

5. Pay ourselves first: continue vacation fund, and continue to save 20 percent each month.  We did better this year, but def. need to revise and improve. 

6. Make an interesting treat each month.  Completed for the most part.  With the CSA membership, that forced us to try new recipes, cook with different food we normally didn't buy. Our favorite new recipes included stuffed egg plant, roasted vegi's, quiche.  

7.  Go on a date with Jon twice a month. We def. improved this and prioritized "our time" more this year. We had a lot of "running" dates, we did a lot of cooking together, trivia nights, movie nights, etc.  

8. Give back, donate to 2 worthy causes.  We sponsored a family during Xmas and purchased gifts for the children.  We also donated to CHAD.  

9. Expand the garden and landscaping. We put in a new driveway and sidewalks.  Mulched and planted "charlie" an asian maple wood tree. We nicknamed him charlie, because he's a little small right now:) 

10. Join a Community Supported Agriculture to support local farmers and increase our fruit and vegetable intake (Farmer Dave's).  Joining the CSA def. improved our meals and forced us to eat healthier.  We did utilize the food for the most part, and preserved a few things I knew we wouldn't eat in time.  Our thanksgiving meal was one of the best because of the CSA.  This year, I plan to improve and waste less.  Our new purchase of the Vitamix will hopefully help us minimize waste and help us preserve more, eat more things we normally wouldn't.  

11. Connect with friends weekly.  I think a little better, but as always this could improve. 

12. Finish the wedding scrapbook. This will go on the priority list for next year! didn't even touch it! but hopefully will be completed by our 5th year anniversary:) 

13. Declutter the basement and keep it that way! (In progress) Not enough to check off.  This is also the priority for the next year.  

14. Go on a vacation with Jon and Brady.  We spent a week at the beach in July, also went to Quebec City, Savannah, and Iowa. 

15. Make homemade bread.  This will move to next years list as well. 

16. Get Brady pet therapy certified. I realized early on this would be a huge undertaking.

17. Read two books a month. Failed. I read a total of 6 books last year:( So hopefully this year I will at least double. 

18. Explore the Freedom Trail in it's entirety. partly completed. 

19. Simplify our home so there aren’t any random homeless items and everything looks neat and tidy. Some improvement. See Gaols for 2012 for plan of action. 

20. Play the Piano.  Not so much. Played 2-3 times.  Would like to take some lessons again. 

Overall I think I had too many goals, and not enough time.  

Doll Clothes

For my very special niece, I decided to make a few outfits for her American Girl Doll for Christmas.  I scored some 18 inch doll patterns at Joann's, 5 for $5 and got to work. I also had been collecting bargain fabric, remnants at Joann's throughout the year for this specific project.   I decided I should make Alexa a matching dress as well.  I love the pillow case dress for little girls, and it's so easy to make. I also used my Serger Machine for the hems, which worked great.  Hopefully as my sewing skills get better I can move along to more complicated patterns.  

Here are the patterns I used for the dresses and apron:

Pillow Case Dress, Size 6: Simplicity2391

18inch Doll Dress: Simplicity 7083 **

18 inch Doll Dress, Pillow Case: Simplicity 2302

18 inch Apron: Simplicity 2761

** This dress took some time, so allow accordingly and plan to "step away" to destress!  

I think she enjoyed them! What do you think?   

Thanksgiving Summary

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving. I hope you and your family did as well.  Our turkey was delicious and the the desserts to die for!  It was worth all the calories.  We did Thanksgiving Trivia this year for dinner conversation and it turned out great! Everyone enjoyed the interesting facts...something I may have to do again next year.

I really feel like this year's thanksgiving was a year of collecting food. Throughout the spring, summer, and fall I had been preserving fruits and vegi's from our CSA.  It turned out great. Everything we made was from our local farm....Carrots, green beans, apples, potatoes, squash.....

Here are the recipes for the desserts I made this year.  Absolutely Amazing!

Mom's Apple Pie

6-7 thinly sliced apples
1 1/2 c sugar
3 T flour (I used 4 T flour, apples were frozen)
1 t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg

Mix together. Put in 9" unbaked pie shell.  Put pat of butter on top. Then top with top crust.  Brush with a little milk and sprinkle sugar on top of crust.  Bake at 350 for 75 min.  Watch the crust and place tin foil around perimeter if starting to brown.


Pumpkin Pecan Pie

3 eggs, slightly beaten
1 can pumpkin
1 c. sugar
1 c. dark corn syrup
1 t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t salt
2 T melted butter
1 c chopped pecans (for topping)
9" unbaked pie shell

Mix all ingredients well, except nuts. Pour into pie shell and top with nuts.  Bake at 350 for 40 minutes, or until knife inserted comes out clean.


Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream-Cheese Filling


This delicious recipe is from Martha Stewart...you can find it here

The only change I would make is to decrease both the ginger and cloves in the recipe from 1 T to 2 tsp.

Car Seat Baby Wrap

You can see here, I posted my first project with my serger machine, I winter wrap for my new little niece Reese. My Sister in Law was so kind to take some pictures with the car seat and Reece. I love how this little project turned out and it's mother approved:) I hope this makes the winter a little bit easier:)

Super-kid Capes

I have 4 nieces and 1 nephew, and I love to make them little gifts for xmas. This year, with the inspiration from my cousin Shannon (you can see her blog post here) I decided to make some fun and super cute capes for the kids. This is a very easy and fun project. Each cape took approx. 15-20 min to make. It also helped me work on my applique skills. I can't wait to see the kids play with the capes:)

I apologize for the positioning of the image! For some reason my compute is being stubborn....ugghhh!

Brady just loves being a model for mommy!! :) he's a true sport!

a cute little dress, so simple!

This summer, I visited my SIL and kids while the boys where having a man weekend in CO. We had a lot of fun together, I love family visits.

While we were shopping around Hobby Lobby, my niece Addison and I picked out some cute polka dot fabric together, with the promise I would make her a dress. Well, I held my word and made a pillow case dress with the fabric. It turned out super cute. And as you can see here, she is adorable. Watch out mom and dad!!

wonky log cabin table runner

Fall is one of my favorite seasons. New England has one of the best falls around, the colors are so vivid and beautiful. It definetly is sad to see it go! To celebrate fall this year, I decided to add some color to my dinning room table. I had purchased "The Modern Quilting Bee Block Party" and decided to do a few wonky log cabin blocks. I think it turned out great! To complete the back, I added a little twist by joining left over strips. I love the way it came together.

Love my new machine?

Yes, I took the plunge and purchased a serger. I am so thrilled to add this to my craft room. I have taken a class, and already broke a needle, but I think I'm getting the handle of it. 4 tensions can be a little overwhelming, so I think it will just take some practice. For my first project, I decided to take on a little project that wouldn't cost much if I messed up. I am a new aunty, so Reese will be getting a new wrap to wear while she's out and about with her big brother and sister:) And since I don't have any kiddos yet, the closet thing I had was a teddy bear! But you get the idea:) I hope chunky monkey likes it:) If you are interested, a pattern for the baby wrap will be coming soon.

Stuffed Eggplant

This weeks CSA produce, had a bundle of yummy fruits and vegetables. I couldn't wait to eat the Eggplant. With the tip from my friend Gretchen, we found a recipe for Stuffed Eggplant.

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
• 1/2 pound ground beef
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 onion, small diced
• 1 red pepper, small diced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup freshly chopped parsley leaves
• 1/2 cup freshly chopped basil leaves, chopped
• 1 1/4 cup grated Pecorino Romano, divided
• 1/4 cup bread crumbs
• 1 egg
• 2 chopped tomatoes

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Cut the eggplant in half and scoop out the center, leaving enough meat inside the skin so that it holds its shape when baked. Boil the scooped-out center part until very soft, about 10 to 12 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a medium saute pan heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Season the beef with salt and pepper. Add the seasoned ground beef to the pan and saute until all of its liquid is evaporated and the beef begins to brown slightly. Drain the beef, removing the extra, unnecessary fat. Let cool briefly and chop the cooked beef so that there are no large chunks of meat. In another medium saute pan over medium heat add the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil and saute the onions, peppers and garlic together.

In a bowl mix together the cooked eggplant, vegetables, cooked beef, herbs, 1 cup of the cheese, bread crumbs, and the egg.

Fill the scooped-out eggplant halves with this mixture, dividing it evenly among the 2 halves.

Top with chopped tomatoes and the remaining 1/4 cup of grated cheese, season with salt and pepper, place on an oiled oven tray or baking dish, and bake for 50 minutes in preheated oven. Let cool briefly, slice widthwise and serve.

I think it looks good, what do you think?

I was surprised when I cut into the watermelon, thinking I would see the typical red color. However, we are pleasantly surprised at how good this watermelon tastes:)