May 29: Herb Identifiers

After some rain last week and a lovely, sunny (although a little hot, but I won't complain, but I guess I kind of am complaining, oh well) weekend, the balcony plants are growing (except for the lettuce, the cabbage worms and aphids have already got most of them). We have already enjoyed the herbs in several dinner dishes. I do know what is what with the herbs, but still I have been meaning to put identifiers by them just for fun. Today I did just that, taking inspiration from two ideas I have seen floating around the web and Pinterest, wine cork plant identifiers and stick identifiers. Both were super simple to make. Here are a few pictures and my tips.

Supplies: corks, wooden  skewers, sticks, peeler, Sharpie

Using peeler, shave a flat part at top of stick

Write plant names with Sharpie

Write plant name on cork with Sharpie,
press wooden skewer into cork
(pushing skewer into the hole from cork screw made it easier)

May 25: Cell Phone Case Change

You may (but probably won't since it was in Jan.) remember the post on my Cell Phone Case. It went from Christmas wrapping paper to a fabric scrap that matched my wallet.
Here is a little reminder:

Today I decided it was time for a change up again. In July I will be traveling to Port-au-Prince, Haiti with a group of people from our church to support Child Hope. Part of the work Child Hope does in Haiti is run an orphanage, Maison de Lumiere. (To learn more, check out Child Hope's website.) So, I decided to use a picture from Child Hope's website for my new phone case insert. 

I hope that seeing this picture will remind me to regularly pray for the upcoming trip as well as the children and staff of the orphanage. I am most often a last minute planner, (want to have a cookout tomorrow, sure, why would I already have plans for tomorrow, it is only today?) and therefore I often find myself "forgetting" about the trip. This will be a tangible way to help my looking ahead memory.

May 24: Summery Blanket

When I work an early morning, opening shift at the coffee shop I often find myself on the couch taking a little nap mid-afternoon in hopes of not falling asleep by 8pm that evening. I love snuggling up on the couch with a blanket whether it is for that nap or to watch a movie with J.

Yesterday as I napped under my favorite snuggling blanket I found myself sweating but still wanting to be under the blanket. Today, I resolved to make a more summery blanket. I used that favorite snuggling blanket as a template for the size and 6 rectangles front layout of my summer blanket.

You are probably getting tired of seeing these fabrics in all my projects, but I used pieces of sheets I picked up at Good Will so that the blanket would be lightweight (just a side note, those fabrics are almost gone, maybe one more project out of them).

This was a pretty quick and easy project. I refused to use pins or properly measure for most of it. I started by cutting out six rectangles (same size) and sewing them together to make the front of the blanket. Then I cut a large piece of fabric the same size as my front, to be the back. I then sewed the front and the back together, right sides facing, on all 4 sides, leaving about 6 inches open for turning. I turned the blanket right sides out and top-stiched using a zig-zag stitch around all 4 sides. I also zig-zag top-stitched where the front rectangles were sewn together.

Now I am off to the coffee shop for the afternoon where I will be dreaming of a nap on the couch with my new summery blanket or, perhaps, using it as a picnic blanket on this nice, sunny, spring day.

May 23: Embroidery Afternoon

Working on some more simple, little embroidery pieces that will be a part of something else.

The something else to come in a little while. 

So fun and such gratification in finishing up a few while enjoying a cup of tea on the balcony.

May 22: Hello Sunshine Embroidery

A night spent snuggling into a comfy couch embroidering is a night well spent in my book. This is going to be a part of a larger project to come. But, J made a good point that it would also look good on the front door. 

May 21: Graduation Cake

Well, here it is, the finished graduation cake. It was a big hit both visually and in taste; although, I will admit to a gluten-free box mix and icing. I took inspiration from these two photos on Pinterest.

http://www.karaspartyideas.com/


http://www.bakerella.com/candy-cup-caps/

I love the garland draped around the cake in the first image; I decided to spell out CONGRATS CHRISTA on the garland. The cute little graduation caps out of chocolate candies are adorable, and so they topped the cake in style. I added some yarn pom-poms for a festive, fireworky, celebration look. And, if you missed the post on the faux cake stand, check it out. They say presentation is everything (who is that they anyway?).

I cake filled, happy family.

(graduation garlands)

May 19: Potted Plant Gift

Today we celebrate my sister-in-law, C's, graduation for her Master's Degree. Yes, that is the happy something I talked about yesterday. Part of her gift, an aloe plant in a pretty painted pot. About a month ago, I painted the pot at a local paint your own pottery studio (a fun night out with the girls). A few days ago, I replanted this baby aloe plant from our large one; here's to hoping he firmly plants his roots and grows as big as his mama.

Happy Graduation C!

(cake pictures to come, I am still putting on the finishing touches)

May 18: Faux Cake Stand

Tomorrow we celebrate a happy occasion (more on that to come), and for this happy occasion I am baking a cake. Today, I was thinking about how to display the cake and realized I do not have a cake stand. To Good Will I went. The cake stands were more than I wanted to spend (yes, even at Good Will, feeling super cheap today), but I got each of these for $1.

I decided to stack them on each other to act as a cake stand. I thought it would be neat to put something in the glass container, to add color, and decided not to glue the plate and glass together so that I could change what that something was. Here are a couple ideas, buttons and corks.

But, for the happy occasion tomorrow, it will be red pom-poms.

May 17: Wrappy Apron Skirt - Take 2

A few months back I followed this good tutorial from Sew a Straight Line to make my own wrappy apron skirt. I like it a lot and have worn it on several occasions, including while hosting Easter dinner and to a charity ball.

This afternoon I decided to put the need-to-do list aside and make myself another wrappy skirt. 

I wanted this one to be a little more lightweight and longer. So, I used fabric from an sheet and a duvet cover, purchased at Good Will, and added 3 inches to the length of the skirt. 

I also made sure to make the waist opening big enough to fit over my hips (on the first on I simply left the waist opening my waist measurement and so, it does not fit over my hips, has to come over the head.) 

Lastly, I made the waist ties, extra, extra long so I can wrap them twice around. 

I had a goal to finish in 2 hours, it took me 2 1/2, not too bad I guess. This one is very colorful and summery; it will be great for around the house as the weather keeps getting warmer. 

May 16: I Love Tea Embroidery

I do love tea, and lots of it. I took this cross stitch pattern, a play off of the I heart things, and embroidered it. A movie last evening and a slow morning at the coffee shop was plenty of time to start and finish it up.

May 15: you are AWESOME cookie surprise

J had his yearly review at his new job (even though he has only been there 9 months), and, as I had predicted, it went wonderfully. So, I baked him so cookies. Now while my personal taste buds would like a treat that was new and different, he is more of a basic cookie kind of guy. Therefore, good old chocolate chip cookies it was.

May 14: Mother's Day Apron

A gift for my mom, the very best mom in my unbiased opinion. It is true, really. I have at least one other person to back it up.

The apron is made out of a pillow case, handkerchief, and some fabric scraps.

Check out this post for details on how to make your own apron from a pillow case and handkerchief.

May 12: Coconut Almond Frozen Chai...with a Kick

Yesterday evening, J was doing work while I was spending "valuable" time on Pinterest and getting ready to start a new embroidery project. I decided I "needed" a treat.

At first I was going to make cookies, but I always eat too many and didn't want to have to do all the dishes.

I decided to make up a treat using my favorite machine, the Vitamix (or any blender). My inspiration came from this Banana Chai Smoothie. I remembered the smoothie being very bananay and very strong in the spices. So, I changed up the recipe a little, using less of those ingredients, adding almonds and coconut, and per J's suggestion, rum.

Here is, to the best of my remembrance, what went into it. As usual, I did not measure, and this time I did pretty much just dumped ingredients in the blender. Sorry, I know that is not much help.

Coconut Almond Frozen Chai...with a Kick
banana (1 large)
plain yougut (a few spoonfuls)
some milk (probably between 1/2 - 1 cup)
ice cubes (8ish)
chai spice mix (about a teaspoon)
coconut (about a tablespoon)
almonds (small handful)
agave (a good size drizzle)
Meyer's Dark Rum (a shot)

Put it all in the blender and let the blender do its job.
It was pretty yummy; I would drink it again.
Here is how we each enjoyed the treat.

May 11: Scrabble Dad

Yesterday was my dad's birthday. He likes word games and I like word games, so I made him a framed picture with scrabble tile words. 

To make, you need a frame with the glass removed, scrabble tiles (you can order extras on-line), a picture or paper or fabric for the background, and hot glue or craft glue. Decide what words you want to spell and play with the layout until the words fit well in the frame. Use glue to adhere letters to picture/paper/fabric background. Put background in frame. You can use different themes of words to make a gift for any occasion. 

May 10: Happy Birthday Banner

Today is my dad's birthday.

Happy Birthday Dad!

A banner is an easy flat birthday greeting that can easily be mailed so you can be part of the party, even when you can't be there.

I have been on a role making banners lately. To make this one I used 12" x 12" scrapbook paper, cut it into squares, ran them through the printer to print a letter on each, cut them into triangles, and sewed them together across the top with a zig-zag stitch.  

May 9: Container Garden Part 4: Seeds and Containers

Last week, upon returning home from the coffee shop, I found this envelope taped to our door. It was running hyacinth seeds from my neighbor, the same one who left the Red Sox button there, if you remember that funny story.

I decided I needed to add the seeds to my container garden, but I had used every extra container I could think of to plant the previous installments of the container garden, flowers, herbs, greens. After thinking about it for a little and digging through my craft closet, I decided to use some cans that previously held beans and chick peas.

I yarn wrapped a few of the cans and covered a few in fabric. For the fabric cans, I simply cut a piece of fabric, using pinking shears, glued the one end to the can with hot glue, wrapped the fabric around the can, and glued the other end with hot glue as well.

This is my first seed planting experience in a while, fingers crossed it goes well, and I can show off pictures of these beauties later in the summer, perhaps even with a humming bird at them.

May 8: Red Wine and Cheese Bread

I know, it sounds interesting doesn't it? That is why I had to try this recipe from my favorite bread book, Healthy Bread in 5 Minutes a Day. I had the wine and had the cheese, so why not, I thought. As the book says,  "The flavors of red wine and cheese make such a natural combination, and they're often served with a nice crust bread. So, why not put them both in the bread?"

The basic premise is, use red wine as a substitute for half the water in your dough and add some shredded cheddar cheese to the dough as well.

The dough and the baked bread have a purplish red tint to them; that is fun. And, it turned out taste pretty yummy. We enjoyed it with broccoli and cheese soup from the crock-pot.

By the time I remembered to take a pic, this is all that was left.

May 7: Container Garden Part 3: Greens

I finally got around to planting the last of my container garden. I have always liked planting veggies we can eat, and in the past have grown tomatoes, broccoli, green pepper, summer squash, and beans. Due to our limited space and sun, this year I went with just greens (and herbs, and flowers), romaine lettuce, red lettuce, and swiss chard.

I have been on the look out at Good Will/Dollar Store/ side of the road for some containers big/deep enough for these guys, but I didn't find much. Finally I gave up and bought two long window box type planters at Home Depot.

I did however snag this red dishpan tub at Good Will right before I went to Home Depot, so that saved me a little. The swiss chard is quite happy making the dishpan their new home.

Now, grow babies, grow because I can't wait to eat you.

May 5: Graduation Garlands

One of my favorite people is graduating with her Master's Degree in just a few weekends. To celebrate, I made these garlands by printing images on book pages.

The first one is images, a diploma, a graduation cap, books, a laptop, people (she majored in social work), and the logos of the schools she attended. I hung it up to try and get a good picture, but the ceiling fan and the sunlight from the windows did not help my cause.

The second and third garlands spell out congrats and her name. These I did on half a book page. I gave up on hanging them for now and took the picture on the rug.

Once I printed the images or letters on the book pages, I stitched them together using my sewing machine and a zigzag stitch across the top the pages, leaving just a little space between them. I left long string of thread on the ends to help with hanging.




I think these will be a fun festive touch for her celebration weekend. Congrats Christa!

May 4: Garlic Scape and Basil Pesto

Yum! That's what I have to say first.

Second, I love pesto; it has long been one of my favorites. I also love garlic, so no surprise I love, love, love garlic scape and basil pesto. Ok, I think I used the word love enough.

Garlic scapes are a sign of spring; look for them at your farmer's market, that's where I always snag mine. And, today I harvested my basil plants for the first time. Ok, most of that work was done by a farmer from the market too because I bought the plants started from him. Therefore, tonight seemed like the perfect night for enjoying this treat. It is super simple to make; the food processor does all the work. I don't use exact measurements but will do my best to approximate and explain.


What you need:
- small bunch of garlic scapes
- handful of basil leaves
- handful of almonds
- 1/4 - 1/2 cup parm. cheese
- 1/4 -1/2 cup olive oil
-food processor

What to do:
- wash and roughly chop garlic scapes
- wash basil and remove leaves
- put basil, garlic scapes and about 1/4 cup olive oil in food processor, process until finely chopped
- add almonds and parm. cheese to food processor, process until desired consistency, you will probably also need to add more olive oil

The pesto can be put on just about anything. Pasta is an easy choice. Chicken or fish topped with it are delicious. Try a pesto burger or spread it on toast. And, I may be dipping some crackers in it as I write this. Today J got a crown on his tooth, so I think a soft meal of pasta and pesto will be perfect for dinner tonight.

Enjoy!