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.