creative pursuits

hopscotch dresses

2012-02-29T17:11:00.000-05:00

Stella loves her Hopscotch tops and dresses, so this week we made two more. I was introduced to The Fabric Fairy and their amazing knit collection last week so the ideas for summer knits are now in full force.

This one is called Shockwaves by Anita G.

And some Little Rainbows. I added a little sleeve cuff so I didn't have to hem.

Both have already been worn. Success.

impulse buy

2012-02-28T11:51:00.000-05:00

In a fit of Mad Men-induced hysteria I purchased a vintage pattern on eBay this morning. It was only $12 so I don't feel too bad.

It is Simplicity 4930 and I bought it because I read about Julia Bobbin's Mad Men Dress Challenge. I knew immediately what I would make. In the Season 4 finale, Tomorrowland, Megan wears a gorgeous white dress with what looks like painted flowers on the skirt. This video clip was the only image of it I could find.

I love me some Joan, but this dress is so me. Now, will I actually make this? We'll see. I hate, hate, hate working with "traditional" patterns so I can only imagine what working with a pattern printed in 1960 would be like.

Does anyone have experience working from vintage patterns? Anything I should know?

you can stop looking

2012-02-27T10:34:00.000-05:00

... because I've found the perfect mac and cheese recipe. It stood out to me on Food Gawker because it's hyped as a copy of Panera's macaroni, and that stuff is good. Like many American home cooks, I have searched lo these many years for the "perfect" mac and cheese. I like Martha Stewart's much-lauded version, but I don't love it. I made Annie's Eats' version last week and it was okay, but not creamy enough. Truth be told, I am partial to recipes that include Velveeta. But fake cheese is just gross, and it's not sold at my regular grocery store and there's nothing I hate worse than hopping from store to store cobbling together ingredients.

That's exactly why I had a breakdown the last time I tried to make tiramisu for my friend Katy, and I had to break it to her that I was going on hiatus for a while with the birthday tiramisu. Now that I use a better grocery store I think it's time to bring that baby back. But I digress.

This recipe requires a lot of hands on time. It starts with a bechamel to which you add white cheddar and white American cheeses. It's finished with a little Dijon mustard. If you absolutely hate mustard, leave it out, but I think it adds a nice sharp flavor. And that's it. It's made completely on the stovetop, so no baking. No bread crumb topping. Just noodles and cheese.

Perfetto.

I had a few rigatoni noodles hanging out in the cupboard so I threw them in too. The more the merrier.

breakfast of champions

2012-02-27T10:10:00.000-05:00

Andrew and I spent Spring Break in Key West two years in a row when we were in college. We stayed in a bed and breakfast that introduced me to a little thing called chocolate chip muffins. Basically just an un-frosted cupcake, I personally think they are one of modern cooking's greatest inventions, because if eating chocolate for breakfast can be justified in any way, I'm totally down with that.

I didn't spend much time looking for a recipe, which is how I landed on the Food Network site. I normally don't make many Food Network chefs' recipes because they just don't turn out well for me. But I do love Nigella Lawson, and commenters have taken the time to post their changes and improvements to the original recipe. The version I used can only loosely be credited to Ms. Lawson since there are several changes. Credit really is due to commenter TiffanyCM in L.A., and boy she does some fine work.

Ingredients:

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 tsp of salt
3 tablespoons best quality cocoa powder
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, plus 1/4 cup for sprinkling
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup sour cream
1/3 cup plus 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
1 egg
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Method:
Preheat over to 350 degrees.

Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. Combine wet ingredients in a separate bowl, then stir into dry ingredients. Don't mix too much; lumpy batter is best. Spoon into lined muffin tins. (I did not use liners with my silicone pan and they stuck a little bit.) Sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top.

Bake for 20 minutes. Do not over bake or they'll be dry.

They were just perfect.

In other news, my 3-year-old darling daughter has started posing when I take her picture. For her, posing is cocking her head to one side and sticking out her hip. Hilarious. Also very scary.

my gordon gartrelle

2012-02-20T21:23:00.000-05:00

My second favorite episode of The Cosby Show centers on an expensive designer shirt that Theo wants so he can impress a girl. Dr. Huxtable won't allow him to purchase the real deal, so Denise offers to make a knock off. It doesn't end well.

A Shirt Story

This image from Liesl Gibson's own Pinterest page inspired me to make an Itinerary Dress in a super-bright color. I would look pretty ridiculous in that yellow, so I thought a color-blocked version in pink and orange would be cool. I chose some satin and used it wrong side out so it wouldn't be so shiny.

Awesome right?! Yeah, not so much. The only reason I'm able to wear it for this photo is because I literally cut the seams open from the underarms to halfway down the sleeves. Sausage doesn't even begin to describe the situation with my arms and those sleeves.

Now, the reason that it's a shirt and not a dress in the first place is because I totally overestimated the "ease" around the ol' hip and thigh area. There was no salvaging that, so I just cut it off. No biggie.

Next, notice anything amiss here? Yep, I cut buttonholes on the side of the yoke that's attached. Since it's sewn together, buttons aren't going to do much good here eh?

Now, on the other side of the yoke (where the buttons SHOULD be), I totally constructed it without regard for the fact that the front part needed to overlap the back part. You know, so it could be attached and not gape open. Yeah....

What DID actually work out well was that I added a drawstring to the hem. I wanted a blousy look without having to do that partially tucked in thing.

So there it is - an unmitigated disaster. Thank god I chose cheerful colors at least. We'll try again this weekend.

...PS: For the record, this is my favorite episode...

after school pants

2012-02-20T17:21:00.001-05:00

Although my kid would be content wearing the same polka-dot leggings every single day (we actually own two identical pairs), I thought a pair of After School Pants would be a nice change of pace.

These are made from a grey Kona cotton, but the ruffles add just a little girliness. I went with all one color, because I'm just not a fan of the contrast look.

I made the size 5 and they're a little big - not too much so, but enough to make it through until next fall I hope. They definitely have to be rolled up.

The front pockets are my favorite part.

So, we'll see if these ever come out of the closet. Maybe when the polka dot leggings are dirty.

happy valentine's day

2012-02-14T11:12:00.000-05:00

Let's just get this out of the way: We all know that Valentine's Day is nothing but a big marketing ploy. However, I'm not going to argue with any "holiday" centered on chocolate. I do take issue with those heart-shaped boxes of candy though - yuck. Just give me a box of Whoppers or a bag of Reese's cups and I'll be set.

Kids of course also love any excuse for sweets. This year, I had grand plans to bake cookies, but when it came down to it, frankly I just didn't feel like it. So instead, I handed Stella some paper and her watercolors and told her to go town.

The result is not exactly love themed, but lovely just the same.

I love watercolors, and this one with aqua blue was my favorite.

On the backs of the cards we simply stuck on M&Ms with washi tape. Et voila, a fun and fast Valentine.

after school shirt, part two

2012-02-14T10:20:00.001-05:00

I am not big on floral prints. Unless the scale is super huge, like my Loulouthi chair that has an 18-inch repeat, I'm just not a fan. Even the king of florals, Liberty, is not my cup of tea. Heresy, I know. But for some reason, browsing through fabric swatches online, this Lecien print jumped out at me and I had to have it.

I am not ashamed to say that I love this shirt more than anything I've made in quite a while. It's amazing what can happen when you step outside your comfort zone, eh?

The print is just so bright and cheerful, without being twee.

I rehearsed a few different colored buttons, but settled on these brown ones and I think they are perfect.

Stella wore this to a play date last weekend, but not without some cajoling on my part. I promised we could put the polka dot leggings back on as soon as we returned home. She has become wildly attached to certain pieces of clothing and wants to wear them all. the. time.

after-school shirt

2012-02-13T13:06:00.001-05:00

The After-School Shirt is my kind of project. I made two last week, this being the second, and each only took me about 90 minutes (not counting tracing and fabric cutting of course). Stella wore the first top to a play date Saturday and wore this one yesterday to a birthday party and out to one of her most-requested restaurants: Yeah! Burger. Ironically, she always eats a hot dog here.

The fabric is part of Lizzy House's Outfoxed collection and this print is called Foliage. I was not too jazzed about the "novelty" prints from this collection, but I think the foliage and circles prints are amazing.

I used some peachy buttons from my stash.

I love this shirt but I love the first one I made even more. Photos of that one to come soon...

what she wore

2012-02-09T14:58:00.000-05:00

A coworker asked me recently whether I was documenting Stella's unique fashion choices and I had to admit that I was not. So I'm going to try, every couple weeks or so, to provide a little peek into what my child looks like when she goes to school every day.

Monday:

A relatively normal outfit. This jumper and turtleneck set was gifted to us at Christmas 2010 and remains one her favorites. The turtleneck has snaps at the bottom (since it's an 18-24 mos size!) that Stella insists I fasten. She is in a baby phase so I guess that explains that. Also worn are white leggings, "love bug" Valentine socks, an owl hair clip and a multi-colored bracelet. Friends carried for "show and share" are Bath-Time Baby and her doggie purse.

Tuesday:

Getting a little bolder. Red-and-white Hello Kitty top with pink skort and grey leggings. Another pair of "love bug" socks. Simple white hair barrette chosen by me. Friends are Ladybug Girl and Minnie Mouse. Plus, Hello Kitty water bottle.

Wednesday:

Pretty normal again. Pink T-shirt with black leggings. Plain socks and birdie hair barrette. Carrying her Mickey Mouse purse from Disney World that is full of costume jewelry.

Thursday:

Embroidered chinos with Tinkerbell T-shirt and raincoat (though it's sunny today). Carrying the Mickey Mouse purse again and Baby Stella, who she is keeping warm in this photo by putting her under the coat.

Laid out like this, these choices don't look so bad. Though you will notice that none of these items are handmade. Of course, if my kid wants to dress all in black or dye her hair blue, I couldn't care less. There are many things I get worked up about, but that ain't one of them.

a splash of color

2012-02-06T11:08:00.003-05:00

I've been a fan of Jay McCarroll's since his Project Runway days. As a matter of fact, when I think of PR he and Austin are the first names that come to mind. That first season, I was obsessed. Remember that corn husk dress Austin made?! When Jay released his Habitat fabric line for Free Spirit I fell in love with him all over again. I made a Jump Rope Dress with his charcoal polka dots, and coveted pretty much every other print from that line as well.

And when I discovered the Peony dress, it spoke to me: make me in DROPCLOTH. And who I am to argue with talking sewing patterns? Because that's weird.

You might think that a fabric intentionally made to look like a house painter's trash wouldn't involve much fussy cutting. But I did want to ensure I didn't center one of big splotches on my, um, rear. That would be awkward. So while the way I cut it does look a little weird, I think the alternative would be worse!

You can't see it all that well in this photo, but there is a faint little streak running across my collar bone. Every time I look in the mirror I think it's a wrinkle and try to smooth it. Oh well, you can't predict everything I guess.

Because I love this fabric so much I didn't want to ruin it with a poorly fitting dress, and I made up a muslin. Murphy's Law kicked in, and my weight changed between then and the real thing. I should have thought about this. I did not. So my Dropcloth Peony is a little big. Best laid plans, etc., etc. It's roomy enough for all my needs though:

my chair

2012-02-06T10:49:00.000-05:00

I realized after seeing another blogger's post about a chair she covered in this fabric that I never "revealed" the makeover my inherited chair received last fall. The original fabric was a light green, sort of crosshatch print. The chairs (we have two) were lovely as is, but didn't really fit our decor. My husband told me they were reupholstered in the 80s so I didn't feel as though we were messing with their original features.

Now, before we even got the chairs I'd had my eye on Anna Maria Horner's Summer Totem print from her Loulouthi line. I knew it had to live in my home somewhere. Of course, it's quilting cotton and most upholsterers frown on that. So, I dutifully looked at thousands (not an exaggeration) of upholstery fabrics in an effort to find something I loved as much as AMH's print. No luck.

To top it all off, it was getting hard to find around the time I wanted it. But I found seven yards on Etsy and a doubtful upholsterer recovered the chair for me. In all honesty, the pros are right when they say quilting cotton is not the top choice for projects like this. But this is an "occasional" chair that will only be sat upon when we have guests, and therefore not enough sofa seating.

I love it and am so glad I didn't settle for another fabric. I had enough left for two throw pillows too! It's back on store shelves now and I plan to get more for a summer dress.

sleepover pjs

2012-02-05T21:41:00.002-05:00

My sister requested a pair of Sleepover Pajamas for my niece's birthday and I knew I wanted to do something a little bold. I had this blue/red color combination in mind, although I also toyed with blue and coral colors. I set aside a few choices and asked Stella for input; of course she chose the butterflies.

I didn't notice until halfway through the making of these that there is this little "fluttering" guy sprinkled throughout.

I just love this pattern, and I hope my niece wears hers more than Stella does. Which is never.

baked shrimp with lemon and olives

2012-02-01T14:01:00.002-05:00

Best laid plans and all... I knew I had shrimp in the freezer. What I forgot was that they were those tiny little non-shrimp that are usually used in salad. So what could have been a delightful supper was instead okay. Totally my fault and not the recipe's.

One thing it did was remind me of the beauty of couscous. Boil water, put on lid, set aside. Can't get easier than that. And I do love olives. No one else in the family does, so that means more for me.

I will definitely make this again, with actual shrimp next time.

lemon poppyseed muffins

2012-01-29T08:36:00.003-05:00

I love a good excuse to purchase new kitchen equipment, and that was pretty much the reason I tried this recipe for lemon poppyseed muffins. I do love that lemon-poppyseed combo, but the allure of a silicone mini muffin pan was strong.

It did not disappoint. Super cute, eh? No need for paper liners or buttering/flouring/spraying.

Neither did the muffins. I only made half the recipe, as I figured there was no way we would eat 40 mini muffins.

There is a sugar/lemon juice glaze on top that reminded me I don't have a good pastry brush...

ode to spaghetti-os

2012-01-29T08:29:00.000-05:00

Although I like to think of myself as a (insert word that has now replaced "foodie" because everyone hates it), as a kid my dietary choices were limited, at best. Mostly they were limited to beanie weanies and pasta in a can. How I didn't weigh 500 pounds I will never know. When I was pregnant, Chef Boyardee was really the only craving I had. And frankly, I still like it.

I knew when I saw this recipe that it wouldn't really taste like Spaghetti-Os, but I wanted to try it out anyway. There's nothing wrong with a new pasta recipe, and the chicken meatballs looked yummy. As it turns out, my grocery store didn't have any chicken ground, and I didn't want to wait for them to do it, so I grabbed some turkey instead.

I also used a shallot instead of a regular onion, because a couple of weeks ago I made a recipe that called for scallions, and in my head I thought oh, shallots. So yeah, I have a lot of shallots. It burned my eyes so badly that I had to leave the kitchen and splash water on my face. I know there are methods to avoid this - what are they?!

The pasta was yummy but as expected, tasted nothing like Spaghetti-Os. It's still a keeper, especially with the awesome little mini-meatballs.

a new perspective

2012-01-27T14:06:00.001-05:00

Stella received a camera at Christmas from my middle sister. She is so entranced by picture-taking and will press the shutter, then immediately flash the preview screen at me and say, "Got it!" The following are some examples of her work:

I was pleasantly surprised by the image quality when we finally downloaded these pictures; the camera's preview screen shows them as barely visible. And in natural light it really does produce a nice little image.

song for a fifth child

2012-01-24T10:10:00.002-05:00

A sorority sister of mine posted an excerpt from this poem on Facebook yesterday and I was immediately intrigued and had to find out more. It was written by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton and first published in Ladies Home Journal's October 1958 issue. It puts into words pretty much everything I've ever thought about housekeeping, and I'm re-posting it here because I think I shall make it into a cross-stitch sampler and I don't want to forget.

Song for Fifth Child
by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, oh Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing and butter the bread,
Sew on a button and make up a bed.
Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown shiftless as Little Boy Blue
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
(Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo).
The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew
And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo
But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo.
Look! Aren’t her eyes the most wonderful hue?
(Lullaby, rockaby, lullaby loo).

The cleaning and scrubbing will wait till tomorrow,
For children grow up, as I’ve learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down, cobwebs. Dust go to sleep.
I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

peony dress rehearsal

2012-01-16T17:37:00.001-05:00

I was a little anxious about my first Colette patterns experience after hearing that they can take some fiddling when it comes to fit. I don't have patience for that so I was afraid I would end up with a never-finished project. Fortunately though, my Peony "muslin" fits like a dream.

I got all the way to installation of the zipper Friday night (I wanted to wear it Saturday to a family lunch) when I realized I couldn't find the zipper I bought. So at 8:15 Stella and I headed out to Hancock Fabrics, which closed at 9, with 5 miles worth of gas. The store's 3 miles away. About half a mile from the store, I got annoyed with other drivers not going fast enough for me and Stella said, "Mama, you need to say namaste." Touche.

The practice fabric I used is pretty nondescript. I paired it with purple tights this weekend to jazz it up a little.

I love the belt that is part of the pattern, but I think this would also look great with a really wide leather belt.

I made some notes about little things I'll do differently next time, and now I'm ready for the real thing. 2012 is fast becoming the year for selfish sewing.

something new

2012-01-11T15:55:00.002-05:00

There is a restaurant down the street from my office (where I'm occasionally treated to lunch by the boss) that has incredible gnocchi. I mean, like, lick your plate good. Of course business lunches aren't really the place for that are they?

So I decided this weekend was as good a time as any to make gnocchi at home. After clicking through a couple other sites I landed on this recipe, which seemed easy enough. Making the gnocchi wasn't hard, but considering there are potatoes to bake, and the little dumplings need to dry for a couple hours, it is most definitely a Sunday afternoon kind of project.

Considering this was my first try at the ol' fork-and-roll method, I think I did pretty well. At least, I improved as I went along.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B:

Now of course the thing that makes any Italian dish great is a nice cream sauce. I used the recipe suggested by the gnocchi author. I left out the mozzarella and instead increased the Parmeggiano volume. Even without the mozz, it was a total winner and definitely bowl-licking good.

These little suckers would be great to freeze and keep on hand for when you need Italian comfort food on a Wednesday night.

no-boil pasta bake

2012-01-08T10:12:00.003-05:00

Him: What is the flavoring in here?
Me: What do mean "flavoring?" It's pasta.
Him: It has a very strong ... flavor.

And that's when I knew he wasn't digging it. I personally don't know what there is not to like: noodles, tomatoes, garlic, milk, cheese. Baked and topped with bread crumbs and herbs.

The kicker is that the noodles go in un-boiled, so it's super quick and easy to assemble. I think my dear husband's hesitation came from the herb-y topping - you could easily halve the volume of herbs there, or just halve the topping volume altogether.

We didn't let ours "set up" long enough after it came out of the oven so it was a little on the soupy side. But delicious nonetheless. Next time, I'll used crushed tomatoes instead of diced (everyone in my family has issues with tomato texture). And probably work on that "flavorful" topping.

traveler, version 2.0

2012-01-07T14:25:00.001-05:00

After my first Traveler dress experience, this one was like a vacation. Using Cloud 9's Splinters, it came together quite quickly.

Unfortunately it will be a couple of weeks before I can wear it. The holidays, er, the last few months, have added some "bulk" to my figure. I made this to my usual size though, instead of my current one.

I adore this fabric. Actually I love most all the prints Cloud 9 does. And it's organic, so that's cool.

Man, this dress has a lot of buttons. I thought I would be making buttonholes forever.

I can't wait to wear it because I love how it turned out. I need to try the other Lisette tops too; there are so many cool versions in the Flickr pool. First though, I'm going to do the Colette Peony dress with Jay McCarroll's Drop Cloth fabric. I'm going to order some fabric today to do a muslin first, which is quite unusual for me. That Drop Cloth is just too delicious to mess up. And now that I think about it, I need it in the other colors as well...

tutu in action

2012-01-02T12:44:00.000-05:00

Stella is quite enamored with her new tutu. She recently gave it a spin while showing me some of her best dance moves and taking care of her Baby Lilly.

sleepover pjs, and the only way to shop

2012-01-02T12:40:00.000-05:00

To the annals of "things I've made that my kid will never wear" I recently added the adorable Sleepover Pajamas. I did manage to convince her to model them for some photos.

I used two awesome polka dot flannels I found on Fabric.com. It was thick and soft and oh so great to work with. The Fabric.com headquarters are just down the road from us in Marietta, so I can order and usually receive my fabrics within two days - for the mother of a 3-year-old it's really an excellent way to shop.

I love the ruffle details - they are girly without being over the top, which as you know is just my thing.

We styled them with our new Ugg boots - the only pair I've found that were cute but still reasonably priced. Stella is of course famous for only wearing pink and/or sparkly shoes, so I made her promise she would wear these without complaining. They were ordered from Zappos, which is another of my favorite online retailers. Shipping is always free and they are so fast.

She only wears a select few items to sleep in, so I knew going in that these pajamas would probably be very rarely worn. She prefers to sleep in cheap Target gowns and bathing suits. I don't argue since she is like a space heater and it would have to be quite cold for this flannel set to be comfortable for her.

Stella received her very own camera from my sister as a Christmas gift, and it's been used every day. The picture quality is not great, but we never print photos anyway. Just seeing the image on the back tickles her to no end. We're enjoying our last day out of work today; tomorrow's going to be tough. Happy 2012!

tacky christmas

2011-12-21T12:04:00.003-05:00

For the past nine years, my college girlfriends and I have gathered a couple weeks before Christmas to eat, swap ornaments and drink a lot. Over the past few years though, our Christmas party had sort of wound down into a disappointing affair where no one drank too much and everyone left at a reasonable hour. Boring, right? We decided to remedy that this year and get back to our roots - back to the days when everyone was single and there were definitely no children, save ones with fur.

To really celebrate in style, we decided on a theme of Tacky Christmas. Now, this is not to offend or to say that we don't enjoy these dishes all the time - they just stand for homegrown holidays to us, where cooking means opening cans, lots of butter and certainly no trips to the farmers' market.

My contributions were "Brown Rice," (recipe below),

and a bucket of chicken.

While there was a fresh salad, it was topped with Ranch dressing. No fancy-schmancy vinaigrettes please.

One of our running jokes is the addition of Bagel Bites to every meal. They were of course present here.

And Adrienne outdid herself on the dessert tray. Cornflake wreaths, peanut butter cookies with Hershey Kisses, haystacks, fudge and peppermint-topped truffles. Okay so that last one is pretty fancy.

We would have had White Trash, but she forgot it and everyone's night was totally ruined. Just kidding A!

We laughed til we cried, drank lots of wine and I slept on the floor. I'd call that a successful night.

"Brown Rice"
Ingredients:
1 cup long grain rice
1 stick butter
1 can beef consomme
1 can cream of onion soup (I've also learned that some people use cream of mushroom)
Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Pour rice into casserole dish and pour soups on top. Place butter in middle. Do not stir. Bake for one hour or until everything is incorporated. Stir and serve.

crackle cookies

2011-12-21T11:38:00.003-05:00

Every year, I bake treats for coworkers instead of purchasing gifts. I figure they have enough "stuff," and everyone appreciates something yummy to eat, right? What are the holidays for if not to gain 10 pounds?

This year I had grand plans to make granola, but after really thinking about what would be involved (lots of active baking time, lots of ingredients to buy) I opted for chocolate crackle cookies instead. It was a good move. Stella and I had a blast making them, creating quite the mess, and everyone in the office had a grand breakfast this morning.

How did I ever bake without parchment paper? Because these cookies are meant to stay soft and fudgy, I slid the paper off the baking sheets onto the counter for them to cool instead of putting them onto racks. Plus, cleanup involves crumpling up paper and putting the baking sheet back in the cabinet. No brainer.

I doubled the recipe since I had about 15 people to distribute them to and I wanted to give everyone a decent number of cookies.

My sous chef thoroughly enjoyed her role of dumping in ingredients and licking the beater. She was disappointed that we used whole eggs, since her favorite baking task is separating out the yolks with her hands.

Of course, we had to make a few with sprinkles. They're not as pretty, but I can attest that they were just as tasty.

brown paper packages, tied up with string

2011-12-16T09:04:00.003-05:00

I'd like to think that I'm at least somewhat of an environmentalist. I walk to work instead of drive eight months of the year, I'm an avid recycler and we only use cloth napkins. The one thing I can't reconcile is my love of wrapping paper. It's an enormous waste, I know it - so many resources devoted to something with a temporary purpose that will end up in the trash. I can't help it though, I'm a sucker for a creatively wrapped gift.

I went to the store with the intent of buying brown Kraft paper, but even a couple weeks ago when I first started wrapping, they were already out. But next to that sad little empty shelf were rolls of white Kraft paper. Seeing as how I'm totally not patient enough to wait until the brown is restocked, or go to another store, I snagged it.

I also snagged this awesome green and red striped yarn. I love simple wrapping, so most of the presents are just wrapped several times with the yarn with a name tag tied on. I had seen some images of pom-poms via Pinterest though and wanted to try my hand at those.

First, I did it my way. Wah, wah, wah.

There, that's better. The examples are a lot fluffier; my yarn is pretty thin and more like twine.

Stella added her own spin to some of the packages. Lucky Jonah, a present AND original artwork.

With that, my holiday shopping is pretty much complete. I have a couple little things to pick up, and I'm making edible gifts for coworkers next week. I also need to make a pair of pajamas. Okay, so maybe I have more to do than I thought.

"little things" tutu

2011-12-15T11:29:00.003-05:00

Let's face it, there are a lot of tutus out there. An Etsy search came up with almost 45,000 results this morning. The unfortunate thing is, though, that most of them are ugly. I mean, really ugly. They epitomize that saccharine, overly embellished style that includes headbands with bows four times the size of the baby's head. I hate this.

But I've had to come to grips with the fact that my daughter is a girly girl. She likes bows, and ruffles, and the color pink. She refuses to wear sneakers, even Toms. Even when the Toms are pink. I thought surely those would become her favorite shoes. I couldn't have been more wrong.

So one of the main reasons that I got Little Things to Sew was the tutu. It is everything my girly girl likes ... but it's also beautiful.

photo by Laurie Frankel, via Oliver + S

I love the styling of the sample in the book - it's pink, but muted. A lovely rose shade with peachy, yellow accents. And that bronze-y, mustard yellow ribbon kicks the elegance up even further. I've meant to make one for a while and Christmas seemed like the perfect opportunity.

The top layer is peach, not pink, which just doesn't come across in photos. It's so pretty - I confess to putting it on and twirling around in front of the mirror.

Instead of elastic, like most other tutus, this one has a ribbon-tie closure that wraps around, like an apron. I used chocolate brown satin.

There are five different layers of tulle, and since the pieces are 108 inches long, it's a bit of a challenge to wrangle it all into place. I am making two of these, so I had a total of 15 yards of tulle strewn about my bedroom. The book suggests enlisting a helper to put the layers in place, but I managed by using really heavy glass candle holders as weights.

The construction means that this tutu is reversible; I put the pinkier pink on the other side. Some folks have had trouble finding tulle in 108-inch widths - I found mine at fabric.com. And at $1.98 a yard, you can afford to go all out.

So that's my most recent girly girl compromise. I hope it works out better than the Toms.

fairest of them all

2011-12-09T09:20:00.001-05:00

I have a visitor at work with me today, helping out. She has looked over the calendar,

chosen the day's playlists,

and enjoyed coffee and a bagel.

She is the fairest of them all, Snow White, and is perhaps the thing I'm most proud of that I've ever made. I love her so much, I don't know if I can turn her over to the intended recipient on Christmas morning.

I made her using the Kit, Chloe and Louise pattern from Wee Wonderfuls. If ever I had trouble with "softies" before, Snow White made up for it.

Of course, the Snow White-est part of the whole thing are the signature sleeves, which I made using the lovely Jan's instructions. Mine are not nearly as pretty as hers, but I will chalk that up to their teeny tinyness.

The dress has six (yes, six) pintucks on the front. And I added the collar from another dress.

And how about my embroidery?! Amazing what you can do when you take your time and prepare.

I also added a red headband, made with satin ribbon. The hair was definitely the most challenging part of this whole project. It is made up of two "wigs" and stitched on strategically. To make her "curls," you braid the yarn, wet it and let it air dry. It's more kinky than curly, but that's fine because it looks a lot like my hair on any given day.

Her red felt shoes have tiny little (non functioning) buttons on the side.

I'm not getting my hopes up that Snow White will become Stella's favorite doll, to be cuddled, carted around and snuggled with every night. The tastes of my 3-year-old are fickle at best. But if she's not impressed, I know someone who needs an office companion.

the traveler

2011-12-02T10:01:00.001-05:00

Ever finished a project and thought, thank god that's done? That's how I felt about my Traveler dress. It was no fault of the dress', the whole thing was just beset with issues from the get-go. First, I opened my package of fabric to discover that my chosen plaid was about as opaque as a window. No problem, I thought, I'll just line it. Then, I started cutting it out and found that the fabric was also just about the most difficult eff'in fabric in the history of sewing. My grandmother would call it "hateful," which is just about the worst thing she could say about something.

I made another dress body in lining fabric (mismatched, BTW, since I didn't have enough), but somehow I made it way too small to fit around my very girthy hips. More cursing. I tried to make some adjustments by adding gussets to the side seams, but it didn't make any difference. Finally, I just cut the damn thing out, leaving only the bodice lined. I was so friggin' relieved when my scissors made that first cut, and cursed myself again for not just doing that to begin with.

Anyway, after all those mistakes I still ended up with a dress I totally love. I wore it to work with tights (and a slip) and my purple wedges, which are the world's most uncomfortable shoes.

I am quite possibly the worst model in the history of photography. It doesn't help that my husband has no grasp of how to take a flattering photo. And I just love how Farley photobombed every single frame.

I eliminated the top pockets just because I didn't think they'd be useful and with this plaid you couldn't have seen them anyway. I don't own even one belt, so I wore it with the tie included in the pattern; a nice wide belt would look cool I think.

The buttons are wooden and were actually chosen for a completely different dress, but I liked them here.

It's not perfect but it's the first thing I've sewed for myself in years, and the first thing ever that I not only wore but want to wear again. Score.

the tree

2011-11-29T22:10:00.001-05:00

We got our tree bright and early this year, the Sunday after Thanksgiving. As usual, we visited the middle school down the street where the PTA hosts a tree lot as a yearly fundraiser. We were there when they opened and picked our tree in record time. No hemming and hawing about size and girth; Andrew chose it and the guy threw it in the back of the truck.

Stella and I made a quick shopping trip to get a tree topper, which I've never used before. We also had to get colored lights, at her insistence.

The tree topper is lovely, but he leans left. Makes the whole tree look lopsided.

So far, Stella's broken two ornaments. With the carnage she inflicted last time, along my own oopsies, that makes several mementos lost over the past few years. I need to catch up. Last year, I got this amazing purple bird. Well, I think she's amazing.

Pier 1 is selling them again this season so I think I'll get another one. And never one to turn down the sparkly, Stella chose this one:

Between the colored lights and the glitter, Goble Tree 2011 is quite a sight. I think this is her best angle:

I've gotten the bulk of my shopping done and just need to work with Santa on Stella's gifts. One thing she'll be getting from me is a Snow White Wee Wonderfuls doll to go with the castle she asked Santa to bring. Considering my history with making toys, it should be interesting. If your idea of interesting involves a copious amount of cursing.

thanksgiving, part two

2011-11-27T20:55:00.001-05:00

Well, we're recovering from another day of stuffing our faces and feeling the holiday hangover thinking about going back to work tomorrow. My side of the family celebrated at my parents' house and I was supposed to contribute an appetizer and two side dishes. Unfortunately, illness beset our house early last week and I forgot to prepare one of my side dishes. I didn't even realize it until the day after Thanksgiving. Oops.

I found an interesting corn recipe that provided a good starting point, but since it called for canned corn I knew I'd have to make some changes.

Ingredients:
about 8 ears of fresh corn, cut off the cob
15-ounce bag of frozen corn (if, like me, you get tired of cutting off kernels)
one red pepper, cut into small pieces
one green pepper, cut into small pieces

Cheese Sauce:
4 Tablespoons butter
4 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
3.5 cups half-and-half
2 cups shredded Swiss cheese
2 teaspoons onion powder
4 teaspoons hot sauce

Topping:
8 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 and 1/3 cups buttery crackers

Method:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Crush crackers with melted butter in a food processor until crumbly. Set aside. Melt the butter for the cheese sauce in a large skillet, then whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook for about a minute, whisking constantly, until thickened. Whisk in half-and-half and heat until thick and bubbly. Add shredded cheese, onion powder, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir until the cheese is melted. Add all the corn and peppers and stir together. Top with cracker mixture and bake until hot and bubbly.

I made mine a day ahead and put it in the freezer, heating it through before serving.

My appetizer was much less involved, though no less tasty. Food 52 came through again with this one.

All you do here is cover an 8-ounce block of feta with a couple tablespoons of olive oil and bake it at 400 degrees until it's soft and springy, but not melted. It's easiest if you can do this in an earthenware dish that can go straight from oven to table. Preheat the broiler, and then heat about a tablespoon of honey in the microwave for a few seconds until it's fluid enough to pour easily. Mix in some fresh thyme sprigs and brush over the feta. Put under the broiler until the cheese is browned and starts to bubble. Serve with pita wedges, or whatever other bready vehicle you prefer.

Is it pretty? No. Is it delicious? Yes.

My little forgotten side dish, Mashed Maple Chipotle Sweet Potatoes, were finally made on Friday and poor things, they really should have had their time in the spotlight because they were awesome. I followed the recipe exactly.

Gluten free vegetarian never tasted so good.

quickie

2011-11-22T15:00:00.001-05:00

You know what sucks about 3 year olds? They totally overreact to insignificant shit. You know what's awesome about 3 year olds though? Same thing.

Turtle was very distressed to leave my in-laws on Sunday and bring our first holiday celebration to a close. She'd been cuddling a minky blanket that belongs to a cousin most of the afternoon and as a pacifier I promised we'd make our own. When we got to the fabric store, she instead picked out two colors of super cheap fleece that I promptly sewed up into a little blanket.

I bought half a yard of each and did nothing to them except to "true up" the edges. The resulting blanket is long and skinny, but for a 3 year old, it fits just right.

My total cost for the blanket was somewhere around $6. I sewed the two pieces together with rounded corners and leaving a little gap to turn it right side out. After trimming the edges I topstitched all the way round.

Not wanting to "quilt" the two layers, I just tied some little knots to keep them from shifting too badly along the way.

I embroidered initials on one corner using my awesomesauce embroidery skills. I really need to work on that.

Derp. Doing that after the fact left an ugly mess on the other side. No worries, applique a heart on there.

She was over the moon about it.

school photo holiday dress

2011-11-22T14:42:00.001-05:00

I finally had a chance to take a few decent pictures of Holiday Dress 2011.

I omitted the kangaroo pocket, even though it's one of the great design elements of this elegant little dress. Since this is so occasion-specific, I figured that a pocket would never be used and it cut out probably a third of the work time due to the fact that putting it together requires such precise cutting and stitching.

I love the polka dots that Turtle chose for the accent. I think their small scale, and the use of bright pink and pale yellow, keep it from looking too "Christmas cartoon." She did initially choose Grinch fabric though, so don't go thinking her tastes are improving just yet.

Can you tell what my major gaffe with the lining was? Yup, I cut one piece backwards, such that I had to install it wrong side out. I have been trying to buy specific quantities of fabric so I won't have so much "waste," but this was one instance I wished I had included more wiggle room. Oh well, another one of those things no one will ever see.

The contrast stitching I did on the sleeve cuffs really bothers me. But I decided not to go to the trouble of doing it over. It doesn't bother me THAT much.

kid pics

2011-11-22T11:47:00.001-05:00

I don't know about yours, but the kids in my family are pretty obsessed with cameras. I think it's the instant gratification of the digital age of photography: point, shoot, look at what you did on the screen. It's an endless source of entertainment. Here are some shots taken by Stella and her cousin last weekend.

As you can see, they're quite avant garde. I am very proud of that last one, with both thrower and hitter in the frame.

Have you ever purchased a kids' camera that's cheap but takes decent pictures? Handing over the DSLR and iPhone/iPad is bound to lead to trouble eventually.

thanksgiving, part one

2011-11-21T00:00:00.001-05:00

This weekend we had our first of two Thanksgiving celebrations, with my in-laws. This means seven children ranging in age from 5 months to 5 years. As you might imagine, this makes for some interesting times. Plus, masochists that we are, we scheduled a family photo session. That's 17 people. In the spirit of "embracing the chaos," which I said should be our family motto, I thought I would show you the REAL side of Thanksgiving.

Happy Holidays!

smashed potatoes -or- how to make something simple more complicated

2011-11-17T14:45:00.001-05:00

I believe this recipe initiated with ye olde Pioneer Woman, though I found it on For the Love of Cooking, via Pinterest. And it's really more a technique than a recipe.

All you do is parboil some new potatoes (mine took 15 minutes to reach fork-tenderness stage), lay them out on a baking sheet, "smash" them open and sprinkle with olive oil and your choice of seasonings.

Which is all fine and good except for one thing: why would you get an additional utensil (i.e., potato masher) dirty when you could just cut the potatoes in half to begin with? I suppose the "smashed" look is sexier?

For my part, I first did the smashing with the flat of my chef's knife because I really didn't want to dirty up more stuff. This was easy, but I felt it just didn't give me the right look.

Knife-smashed: more like roadkill

So I broke down and used the potato masher as directed. Since I was only mashing halfway though, the potatoes got stuck in there and ended up more crumbled than mashed.

Doh!

So I moved back to the knife, this time cutting little Xes in the top of each potato.

There, that's better.

I then sprinkled generously with olive oil, salt, pepper, garlic powder, onion powder and paprika before roasting them in a hot (450-degree) oven and turning on the broiler for a minute. These little buggers sure were tasty.

But it's not like anything magical resulted from the smashing. They tasted exactly like the potatoes I've been making for years, just messier. After the fact I realized that if you really wanted a good smashed up look, the textured side of a meat mallet would be a good tool. But again, what's the point?

And just because it makes for a lovely photograph, here's what we had with these. Garlic Balsamic Pork Tenderloin, seen here before.

So bottom line: save the smashing for the liquor cabinet.

journaling my way

2011-11-16T16:44:00.001-05:00

I can't tell you how many diaries I have begun in my lifetime. There are several of those little books with a lock still in my mother's possession that chronicle the exploits of 8-year-old or 10-year-old Camille, but only for a couple days. (These are riveting, by the way, as you might expect.) I have just never been good at keeping up with that stuff. I have various other items that serve that purpose for me. For example, I have a collection of "notes" written between my girlfriends and I in middle and high school. I put notes in quotation marks because although that's what we called them, most of these are multi-page letters that range from funny what-I-did-today reports to soul searching accounts of lost love or anguish over teenage decisions.

I started a journal for Stella a few months after she was born. To date, it has 10 or fewer entries. Journaling is just not my style, however much I try to force it on myself. Recently though, I saw an idea that is much more my speed. And the result of that idea is this,

a photographic journal of sorts that I'll do each year. This photo alone says so much about my Turtle. It is one of those perfect, straight-out-of-the-camera shots that you know is a classic the second you see it on the preview screen.

I love it.

favorite

2011-11-15T09:28:00.001-05:00

After receiving loads of awesome birthday presents this weekend, Stella has been focused on one thing: the Play-Doh. My in-laws gave her a "cake baking" station and I agree that it is pretty cool. My OCD flares up when colors start mixing, so it's a good exercise for me in letting go.

But frankly the real reason for this post is that I finally got a new external camera flash so that I can take photos in our dungeon of a house and I am so happy about it.

I was particularly proud of this "Reese's peanut butter cup" I made.

My little Turtle does look like an orphan after a day at school. We are also having quite a time with cold-weather clothes. She is a summer girl through and through, so every morning is a battle. Of all the things that concern me, her clothing choices are not one of them. She can wear a Batman costume every day for all I care. But one does need to dress appropriately for the weather. I think I'm going to have to take all the summer items out of the house.

Any other tips are greatly appreciated...

bison chili

2011-11-14T11:03:00.001-05:00

I only recently discovered the wonders of "chili starter." I'm not usually one to cook from a box or jar, but when it comes to chili I've always taken the easy way out. In the past I've used the spice packets, but this method is even easier than that.

We hosted a few family members for dinner last night for a build-your-own baked potato bar and the chili was one of the topping choices. Here's how I did it:

Ingredients:
2 pounds ground bison (or beef, or turkey)
16-ounce jar chili starter (I use the Tobasco brand)
15-ounce can chili beans, drained
about 8 ounces beer
6 ounces tomato paste

Method:
Brown the meat. Dump the rest of the stuff in. Yeah, it's difficult.

Bison is of course more expensive than beef, but it's so good. I'm also told it has less fat and fewer calories. The beer I used was left over from a brother-in-law's visit a while back and though it lent a lovely taste to the chili, it was a little too "wheaty" for my taste for drinking. The face on the front also scares me a little bit.

Of course baked potatoes would not be complete without bacon bits. I know all things pork are somewhat passe in the food world now, but come on - bacon tastes good.

on baking

2011-11-14T10:09:00.001-05:00

You know what I love? Cake. Maybe even more than eating it though, I love making it. I love that such a wonderful treat results from such humble ingredients.

We celebrated Stella's third birthday yesterday since her actual birthday is on Thanksgiving day this year. That makes for some challenging scheduling as people leave town for the holiday. Saturday morning we started on her birthday cake, which she decided should be purple. After my practice run a while back, we decided to go with purple cake and white frosting instead of the other way around. Purple frosting just isn't very appetizing. I also chose a different cake recipe since that one was too dense for my taste.

To top it off of course there was cream cheese frosting. I mean, buttercream is okay and everything but to me cream cheese is the pinnacle of frostings. I don't usually do "decorated" cakes so the fact that it doesn't hold up well over a long time period doesn't really matter to me.

Stella was so excited to help. She loves measuring cups and pouring things into the mixer.

That's 24 ounces of cream cheese. Since I made three layers instead of two, I multiplied the recipe by 50 percent.

I made the bunting with paper, string and bamboo skewers. It was Stella's favorite part of the whole process.

Having eaten three slices yesterday, I can vouch that this lovely cake was also quite delicious.

santa claus is comin' to town

2011-11-11T09:31:00.001-05:00

Fortunately, we have the option in Atlanta to visit a Santa who takes appointments. Now, before you judge this as something for 1 percenters who think they're too good to wait for Santa, I must tell you that when I was a kid we spent HOURS in line waiting to see him. And it sucked big time. With this system you make an appointment a couple months in advance and literally walk right up and talk to him at your appointed time and date. I wrote in the comments section of a local news article last year about how awful it is to wait in line with a toddler and another reader said that, being a good parent (in contrast to my obviously bad parenting), her children were well behaved and she would love to wait in line with them for hours. Sorry, but I'm calling bull$hit on that one lady.

I got the short end of the stick though with my appointment choices and had to get going on a holiday dress sooner than I had expected. I knew that I was going to make a School Photo Dress because it is a pattern that really does make for an excellent photo. That ruffled collar just kills me.

Going back to standard time has really put a crimp in my after-work photo sessions so these crappy cell phone photos have to do for now. Darkness at 5:30pm is not cool. I just couldn't wait to share.

Stella and her cousin have gone to see Santa together for the past couple of years. Last year Stella was frozen in shock and Viv was screaming. This year, they chatted that jolly man up like nobody's business. We wrote out their lists and Santa read from the lists asking, "Who wants a firetruck?" Stella raised her hand and said, "Me, I do!"

She was more excited about this dress than anything I've made yet. She changed out of her school clothes at school and had to show all her classmates before we left. She calls it her "fancy dress." She picked out the polka dot accent and lining fabric, and I have to admit that it is much better than the more staid green polka dot I initially chose. When we met the rest of the family, she showed everyone and asked, "Who made your dress Viv?" Sniff, so proud.

just so you know

2011-11-07T19:13:00.001-05:00

It's perfectly fine to cook long- and short-grain rice together because that's what you have on hand.

In fact, it's quite delicious.

control freak much?

2011-10-31T20:38:00.000-04:00

I made my own birthday cake last weekend. As I told my mom, that's the only way I could be sure it was to be done to my specifications. Yes, I am a control freak.

Since I share a birthday (four days apart) with my husband, I opted for a cake to suit his tastes, which are very vanilla - literally.

I stumbled on the Sweetapolita blog a while back and I'm so glad I did. There are so many cakes to choose from, and the best part is that because she's a professional baker, the frosting amounts are huge! That's what I'm talkin about.

This particular recipe is unique in that instead of adding the dry ingredients to creamed butter and sugar, the dry ingredients go into the bowl first. The eggs, vanilla and a portion of the milk are mixed separately and added in three parts.

I thought it came together really well.

Now, the frosting. I have creamed butter many, many times but I never knew what "pale and fluffy" really meant until I was told to cream butter for eight minutes.

This is 100% butter.

And once the sugar is added you've got a bowl of creamy sugary goodness.

Now, would I choose this cake? No, but that's not its fault. It really is lovely. If you, like my husband, like all things vanilla, this will likely be your new favorite cake.

minnie mouse in action

2011-10-31T20:06:00.002-04:00

I was really optimistic that Turtle would be into trick or treating. This was to be our first year participating, and I was super pumped at the thought of collecting a huge bag of candy. Sadly, it was not to be, as she decided she was most certainly not into it. Fortunately, we had another dress-up opportunity this weekend.

Also in attendance, the world's cutest spider.

When she announced that she wasn't going trick or treating, I at least leveraged my disappointment into a photo shoot.

Out of probably 30 shots, this is the only one in which my little photog managed to get me in the frame.

It's a start!

better in theory

2011-10-24T19:54:00.000-04:00

If there's one thing I've learned about pumpkin carving in 33 years, it's that appropriate tools are a MUST.

That small curved knife (which I suppose is meant for fileting fish? Knife-savvy readers please chime in...) is sharp as all get-out, and perfect for the detail work. The big chef's knife does the job in taking a circle out of the top, and the serrated steak does the bulk of the carving work. My vintage ice cream scoop, with its beveled edge, is perfect for scraping out the "guts."

Now, if there's one more thing I've learned about pumpkin carving, it's that it's one of those things that always sounds like more fun than it really is. Every year I set out to create some intricate work of art, only to get frustrated and bored. When my little traditionalist told me she wanted just a face on our jack o' lantern, I did NOT argue.

She was of very little help. One handful of guts pulled from the pumpkin and she was done, as seen above.

I used sidewalk chalk to mark my design. It wipes right off.

Et voila. Done in less than 30 minutes with no cursing.

simple stir fry

2011-10-24T19:42:00.002-04:00

I don't often make Asian-inspired food because it usually involves small amounts of lots of ingredients I don't have on hand, which results in purchasing items that go to waste before they get used again. I stumbled on this post on The Kitchn last week though that lays out six basic sauces you can make with easy ingredients.

I chose the Sweet and Sour Sauce solely because I already had everything I needed.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes

Just combine the ingredients in a saucepan and warm until the sugar melts.

To make your stir fry, chose whatever veggies and protein your heart desires. We used chicken, asparagus, red pepper and broccoli.

Chop everything to be a fairly uniform size, then add the protein to a large pan (or wok if you're so lucky) with oil that's been heated over medium heat. Cook until the meat is done then add your veggies. Add any aromatics like garlic or ginger at the very end, then add your sauce mix. We served ours with pasta noodles.

Enjoy!

buffalo grilled cheese

2011-10-19T21:38:00.001-04:00

Grilled cheese sandwiches are one of those things that always sound good to me. Add blue cheese and I'm really sold. This is another Pinterest find, and believe me, you want to try it.

Recipe from Grilled Cheese Social
Ingredients:
half-cup cooked chicken, shredded or chopped
1.5 tablespoons hot sauce
2 tablespoons crumbled blue cheese
1 tablespoon blue cheese dressing
3 tablespoons cream cheese
1 tablespoon shredded cheddar cheese

Mix up the cheeses and dressing in a small bowl. Mix cooked chicken with hot sauce in separate bowl. Spread tablespoon or so of cheese mixture on two slices of thick French bread and top one slice with about a tablespoon of chicken. Melt some butter in a pan and cook to your desired "doneness" on each side. Enjoy.

You could always add more hot sauce. Turtle ate a small sandwich and didn't find it hot - believe me, The Opinionator would tell me. I'm a wienie so I thought it was just right.

The best part of the meal was the new kitchen appliance my AWESOME husband got me for my birthday.

Yep, it's an iPad. Happy birthday indeed.

not what i had in mind

2011-10-18T22:15:00.000-04:00

When I chose the location of Turtle's third birthday party as what we refer to as a "jumpy place," one of those warehouses full of inflatables, I knew she wouldn't be wearing anything fancy. I mean, hurtling yourself down a 20-foot inflatable slide doesn't exactly lend itself to skirts and dresses. So I went for a Sailboat Top & Pants.

I let Turtle pick out the main fabric, an activity in which she had extremely little interest. I should have narrowed her choices. Should have chosen a few bolts and laid them out on the table. Instead, I just directed her to one wall of the store and asked which one she liked. She picked the dogs and ran away.

I love dogs. I am that crazy dog lady. And this particular dog fabric is very cute and certainly not something you'd see on a caftan. But it's not what I had in mind for a birthday outfit. Nevertheless I kept my promise in the name of encouraging self expression.

This was first my first Sailboat Top and I loved making it. I chose some red knot buttons to pick up on the balls the dogs are chasing.

To balance out the busy shirt I chose some periwinkle blue for the pants.

Although the buttons are functional, Turtle can get the pants out without undoing them. Which is always a plus. And because they're cropped, I think they'll be perfect for the jumpy place.

There is still the matter of a holiday, Santa-visit dress and I'll definitely be in charge of those details.

the (supposed to be) perfect omelette

2011-10-15T21:22:00.001-04:00

I love omelettes but I'm not very good at making them. Mine always start getting too done on bottom before the eggs are set. I saw a tutorial on The Kitchn last week so I tried it this morning.

You mix up your filling in advance and get butter nice and hot in the pan. Then, once the eggs are in the pan, they get a vigorous stirring before leaving alone to set.

My omelette, filled with ricotta, pancetta and goat cheese, was delicious and perfectly cooked. Not so much perfectly shaped. Oh well. One thing at a time.

white cheddar chicken pasta

2011-10-10T10:46:00.001-04:00

We made a trip to the Atlanta Botanical Garden Saturday to participate in their Frogs, Frogs, Frogs class (clever name, eh?) with a school friend of Turtle's. I have always liked frogs and am the first to pick one up to get a good look at it. I must admit being a little put off by this monster though:

The picture doesn't do him justice; he is really big. Turtle didn't want to touch him either and I gladly said that was a-okay.

The class and garden visit were a rousing success and Turtle was asleep in her stroller literally within two minutes of leaving the place. She slept for three hours that afternoon, so I had a huge block of unfettered time to make (and leisurely eat) a nice lunch.

This is White Cheddar Chicken Pasta, and as the name implies it is a simple dish of creamy cheese sauce, chicken and rotini. My only adjustment was to add salt - I know, I will regret my love of salt soon enough. I can't help it.

It was the perfect dish for a weekend lunch. Made from scratch but not too complicated. This one's definitely going in the rotation.

Identity Crisis

2011-10-07T11:26:00.000-04:00

We live fairly close to Atlanta Fire Department Station 15 and see their engine, dubbed The Night Train, quite often. Turtle loves it, and always waves to the firemen on board. For at least the past month, she has told me that she will be a firefighter for Halloween. Not being one to get caught up in gender roles, I really wanted to be supportive of her costume choice. But I'm ashamed to say that the first thing I thought was that firefighter costumes are just ... not cute.

The passive-aggressive champion that I am, I declared that I wasn't going to sew a drab firefighter coat and that we would purchase it instead. So we went over to the Halloween store that opened down the street in the now-vacant Borders bookstore space. I chose a firefighter costume pack from the wall and Turtle, puzzled, looked at the little boy in the picture and said she wanted "a girl one." I told her that this was all there was, and I could see the wheels turning as she realized, just like I'd known all along, that firefighter costumes just aren't cute. At least not in her sense of the word.

So we took a look around the place for inspiration, and found it right away. Minnie Mouse. With her pink polka-dotted dress, pink shoes and big bows. This was a costume my Turtle could really get behind. I wasn't about to pay $20 for a scratchy polyester concoction and got to work on something better.

The Puppet Show dress is almost exactly like the one Minnie wears in her latest incarnation. (I was much inspired by Jan's Snow White dress as well.) Sometimes Minnie dresses in red and originally I believe it was blue, but hello... this is Turtle we're talking about and only pink will do. In fact, I've noticed that a lot of Disney characters wear this style dress, with a few variations. Aside from the serious issues with gender stereotypes and the roles of women in their movies, these people need to get with it on the fashion.

I made a little bow pin to attach, although I can't figure out a good spot for it. It looks a bit haphazard here.

Practice truly makes perfect. My first Puppet Show hem facing looked nowhere near this good.

Of course, it wouldn't be Minnie Mouse without the ears. Sparkly ears that is. Now we're talking.

A Farewell Gift

2011-10-05T10:51:00.000-04:00

My Turtle's best friend is moving next week, and Friday is his last day at school. I knew I wanted to get him something "to remember us by" that wasn't just some throw-away toy, and my mom suggested a personalized item for his room. I went straightaway to Etsy but was afraid anything I commissioned wouldn't be ready in time. Enter, the DIY gift.

I simply made this up in Microsoft Word, adding a blue background, and printed it on card stock. A white, matted frame completed the look. I was pleased as punch when told that the teachers and admins thought it came from Pottery Barn.

I signed Turtle's name for her on the front with our signature heart. Around the time I was in 9th grade, my sister, a painter, made a picture with a sort of abstract heart. It wasn't long before I had painted it on my ceiling, and at some point I started adding it to my signature on letters and cards. If you have received any signed correspondence from me in the past 15 years or so, it more than likely included this heart. And now it's Turtle's as well.

I had her draw something to put on the back, and this is her version of a stick figure. Those lines coming from his head are both his ears and hair. She's something, that one.

I'm sad to see Sam and his family go. Even sadder that these two will likely forget all about each other in no time. Maybe they will meet again one day on campus at Brown or MIT.

PS - Fonts are Modern No. 20 for the S and Century Gothic for the remainder of the text.

corn, goat cheese and carmelized onion quesadillas

2011-10-01T09:28:00.000-04:00

Continuing our week of homemade-only foods, Friday was quesadilla night over here. The recipe calls for roasting fresh corn, but sadly, that ship has sailed in this part of the country. So we had to settle for frozen.

I absolutely loathe onions, but (surprise, surprise) there is something about reducing them to a mushy mess and sprinkling on a little sugar that makes them just right. They're great on bruschetta or mashed potatoes.

To prep these quesadillas, just coat your pan with a little oil, add a tortilla and top with jack cheese, corn, carmelized onions and goat cheese. Add another tortilla on top, let the cheese get appropriately melty and there you go.

My family wasn't as enamored with these as I was, due mostly to the fact that they are not as goat cheese-obsessed. Oh well, more for me.

"fancy" calzone

2011-09-30T10:01:00.002-04:00

If you hadn't noticed, I made a concerted effort to eat only home-cooked meals this week. We had been eating far too many burritos lately (both regular and spicy). Yesterday Turtle and I put together a very delicious calzone using dough from the pizza counter at our grocery store. That is such a super idea - it makes homemade pizza infinitely easier and is light years ahead of the stuff that comes in a tube.

One half had only pancetta and mozzarella, but MY half (the good half) had goat cheese and olives too. Turtle thinks she doesn't like olives and I can't get her to try them. I know she'd love them because she loves all things salty and vinegary, just like me. The two of use can finish a bag of salt-and-vinegar potato chips faster than anyone you know.

The instructions I followed had a fancy technique of cutting the dough to create a criss-cross pattern. Mine was a little wonky because I went heavy on the filling and didn't leave much room at the sides.

But that's okay. I'd rather have filling oozing out than a pretty product any day.

And ooze it did. I thought I floured the baking sheet enough but alas, this thing was stuck like nobody's business. Oh well, I totally got it off of there, albeit with a lot of elbow grease.

Our meal wasn't entirely homemade though.

Turtle has been asking for doughnuts for at least a week, and who I am to argue with that?

The box is SIGNIFICANTLY less full this morning.

balsamic garlic pork tenderloin

2011-09-29T12:21:00.001-04:00

Like the originator of this recipe, I am a sucker for pork tenderloin. Short of over-cooking, it's pretty much impossible to mess one up. It's also the most popular cut of meat at our neighborhood grocery store, so I usually have to settle for a prepackaged, already marinated one. (Which is not to say that those aren't delicious too.) I was so excited this week when the butcher came out from the back victoriously holding some tenderloins when I asked for one.

Ingredients

4-5 garlic cloves, finely minced or crushed
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
2 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
pork tenderloins (about 1¼ pounds)
2 tablespoons canola oil

The recipe was meant for grilling, but provides an oven option as well, which was my chosen route. You simply make a paste/marinade with the garlic, vinegar, salt and pepper, and coat the pork with it. Then brown each side in an oil-coated pan and roast in a 400-degree oven. I used some extra vinegar to deglaze the pan and make a bit of sauce that I poured over before putting in the oven. Yep, this one's a winner.

Never one to forget my greens (ha!) I made Parmesan Crumbed Asparagus to go with. All you do is dredge the spears in half a cup of flour, then a beaten egg, then coat with a mixture of a half-cup of parmesan and a half-cup of bread crumbs. The recipe tells you to fry them and I wish I could tell you that health concerns stopped me. But honestly I didn't want the hassle of standing over the stove, so I baked them. Still yummy.

lemon brown sugar chicken

2011-09-29T12:04:00.000-04:00

Like most families I guess, chicken is our fall-back meal. A default. It's easy to get tired of it, especially since it's also very easy to make bland chicken. Making it really great (see this post) usually takes a while. So I was tickled to find this recipe for Lemon Brown Sugar Chicken on the Espresso & Cream blog.

Ingredients:
*1 lb. boneless, skinless chicken breasts
*Juice of one large lemon
*1 tablespoon lemon zest
*1 cup flour
*2 teaspoons paprika
*1 teaspoon sea salt
*1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil*2 tablespoons brown sugar

You pound out the chicken a bit, then combine the dry ingredients and dust the chicken with the mixture. Then brown them in an oil-coated pan. Set them in a casserole dish and use the lemon juice to deglaze the pan, pouring over the chicken. Then sprinkle with the zest and brown sugar before baking at 350 degrees.

Maybe it was just my loser lemon, but I didn't think there was nearly enough juice. It pretty much evaporated when it hit the pan. Next time I'll juice two or three lemons instead. Other than that, this recipe is a definite winner. Don't be put off by the sugar; it's very subtle.

To go with the chicken I made my famous-to-me roasted new potatoes. They are a culinary adventure every time, since I just grab things from the spice cabinet and sprinkle it on. I always use salt and pepper, and this time added paprika, cumin and I think oregano. It doesn't matter - potatoes are forgiving like that.

Pinterest: It's Not Just for Making You Feel Inadequate Anymore

2011-09-25T09:13:00.001-04:00

It's been several months now that I have been on the Pinterest bandwagon. I use it mostly these days as a virtual cookbook and to remember sewing ideas. There are so many beautiful spaces and out-of-reach ideas cataloged there, that much of the time it's just another medium to make you feel inadequate. Or maybe that's just me.

But I've had one idea pinned for a while that I thought even I could do. I like to think of myself as handy, mostly because of my long history of watching shows like The New Yankee Workshop and This Old House. Watching it on TV of course does not translate into real life, especially when you add my impatience. But I am pretty good with a drill.

Now the second layer of this story is that my kitchen is really small, although most of the time I actually like that. I have everything I need right there and don't have to criss-cross the room all the time when I'm cooking. One aspect that super sucked though was the pot and pan situation. If I wanted the pasta pot, I had to first take every other pot and pan out of the cabinet so I could reach it. My cookware has been the brunt of many scratches and scrapes because I just got tired of trying to keep it neat. Enter the pegboard pot rack.

If there's one thing I've become good at, it's finding storage. And when you don't have it, you just have to make it.

This sad little section of my kitchen has long been earmarked as the location of a pot rack. But I just never pulled the trigger on buying one. When I saw this image it all came together.

We started with a rectangular frame of 1x4s that we attached to the wall for support, and to set the pegboard away from the wall to allow the hooks to go in.

I painted the frame and the pegboard in the turquoise paint left over from my bathroom. The pegboard came in 2x6-foot sheets at our Home Depot, which was the perfect size, and we had them cut the frame boards to be just a bit smaller than that 2x6 footprint.

Andrew made sure to get the correct screws; I am notorious for skimping on details like this, resulting in shelves crashing to the floor. Really that only happened once but he won't let me forget it.

I can't even tell you how pleased I am with my new pot rack. I even found a place for that dang pasta pot. Andrew insisted we get some of the super long hooks, even though I didn't think I'd use them. Again, I was wrong. Now I can not only put the pasta pot on there, I have retail-inspired storage for biscuit cutters, measuring spoons and all sorts of things.

I freed up a little space in the cabinet, but most importantly won't have to take everything out to get one item. That empty cabinet will soon be home to dog food storage, solving another small dwelling problem: the ugly plastic container that sits in my dining room.

Now I just need to get to the grocery store and put this stuff to use.

Practice Makes Perfect

2011-09-11T11:33:00.001-04:00

I asked Turtle last week what kind of cake she wanted for her birthday (which is on Thanksgiving Day this year). She said purple with strawberries, and then asked where the cake was. Three year olds don't really grasp the concept of planning I guess. So I promised her we'd make a cake this weekend.

We ditched the strawberries for star-shaped sprinkles. When I finished frosting it, I thought it was the ugliest cake I'd ever seen. Lavender isn't a particularly flattering frosting color. But it's growing on me.

I used Sweetapolita's Classic Vanilla Butter Cake recipe, topped with her Cream Cheese Frosting. I've made a lot of cream cheese frostings, and I think this is my favorite.

The cake is dense but light thanks to the addition of meringue. I like LOTS of frosting and this recipe was more than enough to cover my cake. I may have eaten some of the left overs with a spoon.

We had a blast baking together. Turtle loved the sifting and the dumping of dry ingredients into the mixer. She did drop an egg on the floor, and immediately told me how much she loved me. They learn fast.

Ahoy Matey

2011-09-11T11:18:00.001-04:00

This is my Little Skirt that Could. Cobbled together with scraps just because I "needed" to make another Sailboat Skirt.

I wasn't sure how the contrast was going to turn out, but I really like it.

Once again, blue and red takes the spotlight. Love that combo.

And of course the kick pleat. So simple, but so cute.

I think I've exhausted the usable fabrics hanging out around here. Time to go shopping.

Meh

2011-09-11T11:03:00.001-04:00

I "found" some white knit in my fabric stash this week and decided to turn it into a Hopscotch dress. Turtle has several short-sleeved versions, but since it will be getting cooler soon, I thought she could use a long-sleeved one.

The result, and the reason for the title of this post, is okay. I knew white knit wasn't going to win any fashion awards. It would have been cuter as a top I think, as the vast expanse of white in the dress makes it look like a gown. Which is fine too.

I used a scrap of City Weekend for the neck binding, but wasn't able to cut it in such a way that the red branches were very visible. Meh again.

And the pitfalls of sewing on the dining room table. Dirty before it's ever worn. Good thing I wasn't too psyched about it to begin with.

I'm Sailing Away

2011-09-07T21:44:00.001-04:00

(That title is meant to be sung, a la Styx. I can't hear or read anything about sailing without automatically thinking of it. I think I've watched Freaks and Geeks too many times.)

The Sailboat Skirt was one of those that took me a while to fall in love with. I don't know why, because now that I've made it I think it's darling. I'm quite proud of this skirt too, because I made it work with what I had on hand. There *may* be selvedges caught up in these seam allowances, I'm not sure.

This is the first garment Pirkie and I made together. I love her. She's my new BFF. She is so quiet, Andrew couldn't even hear her running from 12 feet away. When you live in a shoebox, that's important.

These are what Pirkie calls perfectly balanced buttonholes. They are perfectly balanced and they were, I dare say, a pleasure to create.

Pirkie also sewed the buttons on for me. I never used my other machine for this because she just made me nervous. I did break a needle doing this with Pirkie, but that was totally my fault. The buttons are from the Mimi button stash I inherited. It took some doing to find four of them, but I finally did it.

I had a light bulb moment and used these super ugly gold buttons for the elastic. I don't know why I've been digging out the nice clear ones for this job. No one will ever see them.

So it's safe to say that I'm in love with my new sewing machine. She is dreamy, for sure.

Dandy Dandelions

2011-08-30T22:54:00.001-04:00

It all started with this tattoo:

via Pinterest

I don't have any tattoos, but I love them. Especially this one. And then I started seeing dandelions everywhere. My new obsession led to a "dandelion" search at fabric.com, and then this lovely voile ended up in my hands, destined to become a Class Picnic Blouse.

As was the case with the Ruffled Halter, it wasn't the easiest fabric to work with. It tends to slip. But I persevered.

I just love how the flowers look like a watercolor. Beautiful.

Now if I could just stop thinking about that tattoo...

The New Old School

2011-08-30T14:50:00.002-04:00

This is Pirkie. She belonged to Andrew's grandmother, who passed away earlier this summer. The circumstances of Pirkie coming to my house are sad, but I am so honored to have her. I like to think that Mimi was proud to have a granddaughter-in-law who is carrying on the sewing tradition.

She is a Husqvarna, and a total 180 from my current Singer machine as far as controls and such. What I love about her is that she has numerical stitch lengths. She also has something called a Perfectly Balanced Buttonhole feature, which I hope does a better job than my current machine. With that one, it's easier just to do buttonholes manually. And that my friends is a pain in the arse.

Along with Pirkie, we (okay I) brought home several other household and kitchen items last weekend. Everyone laughed at me because I said I didn't need anything for the kitchen, then returned from the basement with an armload of stuff. Sometimes you just have to see it to realize you "need" it.

Turtle is so very excited about the globe. She loves spinning it, pointing and asking me what this place is. The first time it took me forever to figure out India - she had it upside down.

I've already used the potato masher and the slotted spoon. See, I did need those.

Do I make biscuits? No, but I could.

This is an Argus camera in its leather case. I can't wait to take some pictures with it. I hope I remember how to put the film in.

I love that these items will get to carry on their usefulness with my family. They were amassed over a lifetime of building a home and I'm proud to be connected to that.

Vacay

2011-08-30T14:33:00.001-04:00

We spent our family vacation this year on Georgia's Tybee Island. We usually travel to the Gulf for vacation, but since several family members are in South Carolina, Tybee was a midway location. It was great, but I definitely missed that gleaming white Gulf sand, and my shaved ice from Frost Bites.

The house was built about 100 years ago and fully renovated in the early 2000s. The women of my family are suckers for historic details.

The house has an amazing screened-in porch. In the "old days," this would have been the site of 2am card and drinking games. Now...

They *are* learning how to fetch the drinks though.

Georgia's beaches are very wide and flat. Perfect for kids and games.

Apparently this is "surfing":

We had lots of fun, even if our beach week is much more subdued than it used to be. Late nights have made way for (very) early mornings, but that's okay. Already waiting for next year.

Hanging Onto Summer

2011-08-24T17:07:00.001-04:00

I have had these Class Picnic Shorts in the "works in progress" basket for quite some time now. I finally got to them when we returned from our beach trip, and I'm even more enamored with this pattern than I was the first time around. That facing is just so cute and clever.

I used the Pink Squiggle fabric from Rashida Coleman Hale's "I Heart" collection. It's a linen-cotton blend and just wonderful to sew. It comes in a gorgeous turquoise too that I "need" to have. The pink solid is from the same collection so it matches perfectly. I love it when designers do that.

I used my new favorite notion, buttonhole elastic, for the back waistband. I learned with the first pair that the buttons really need to be larger than you think so they don't slip out of the holes and then your kid's teachers hate you because her shorts are constantly falling off.

Next up on the list is another Class Picnic Blouse and then maybe I will finally get around to the Family Reunion Dress. None too soon either, as the new fall patterns are out in two weeks. Fall? It's 90-plus-degrees around here, and since our warm weather continues well into October/November, it's still a foreign concept to me. I'm much more drawn to summer styles anyway and my interest is rarely piqued by coats and such. Oh well, time marches on.

Simple

2011-08-20T15:29:00.001-04:00

We've been at the beach for a week enjoying the sand and sun, and I've only just begun combing through the hundreds of photos I took. In the meantime, we made this lovely tomato sauce before we left and I thought I would share it. It's Marcella Hazan's Tomato Sauce, and I was inspired to make it after some friends shared some of their tomato harvest with us.

This sauce is just about the simplest "recipe" ever invented. It consists of 2 pounds of tomatoes, peeled, an onion, 5 tablespoons of butter and salt to taste. That's it. Simmer on the stove until the tomatoes are sufficiently mushy and serve. Of course, I have issues and can't abide chunks of tomato so I pureed mine.

Top with parmesan and you have a simple weeknight meal that is the epitome of Italian cooking: a whole that is much more than the sum of its humble parts.

My Little Model

2011-08-09T10:44:00.001-04:00

Sometimes I look at Turtle and am simply amazed at what a big girl she is. She has always been very verbal, and now that she is almost 3, can pretty much carry on in conversation like any adult. She has also developed little idiosyncrasies of conversation. In response to questions, she says things like, "Well, you know, we just went to the park." And she has started inserting "really" into everything. For example, "Mom, how do you REALLY sew?"

And yesterday when I asked her to model her new Ruffled Halter, she really got into character. I guess this is what happens when your mother is constantly taking your picture. Andrew asked me to estimate how many photos I have taken of her, and because I was always in last place in that guess-how-many-jelly-beans-are-in-the-jar game, the closest I can come is "thousands." Several thousand. Get ready Elite, you have a new client on the way.

This was my first Ruffled Halter (yeah, only a year late) and the fabric is absolutely divine. It's a voile from Valerie Wells called Berries in turquoise. It was kind of a pain to sew, just because it is so "filmy," but I will probably end up ordering several more yards of her other prints. I did get another print that will become a Class Picnic Blouse. Don't be surprised if everything I make for the next several months is voile.

Deja Vu All Over Again

2011-08-08T10:42:00.001-04:00

No, you're not dreaming. I made almost this exact same dress last year. Unfortunately, it was not only snug the minute I put it on her, the cheapo pink accent fabric basically disintegrated in the wash. I still had so much of that IKEA print left though, and I have been put on a very strict budget because I am not what you might call "frugal."

The haze in this photo is due to the EXTREME heat and humidity that wreaked havoc with my camera lens. We had some rain this weekend that mostly served to turn the city into one big sauna.

I forgot how quick this dress is to make. I managed to get it all done while Turtle napped on Sunday. She has been waking up at the crack of dawn and was actually so exhausted, she told me she was tired and laid down on her bed of her own accord.

Maybe one day I'll make something with this fabric that doesn't result in this poor duck being mutilated. He's a good sport.

Dotty Jumprope

2011-08-06T15:02:00.001-04:00

There is something a bit retro about the Jumprope Dress, and I thought it would look good in some equally retro polka dots. I think I was right:

Unfortunately, this project proved that my machine may be sick. She was strugglin', but she persevered.

I am in love with these yellow buttons.

Now that this one is finished, I've got a sundress and halter top to make before our vacation starts next weekend. I can hear the waves now...

I Love My Commute

2011-08-06T14:49:00.000-04:00

Taco Night

2011-08-01T22:23:00.001-04:00

Or as I like to call it: Mother's Little Helper.

See also: Baked Potato Night; Sandwich Night.

Paper Dolls, Redux

2011-08-01T22:20:00.001-04:00

If there was one thing I didn't count on when I thought about being a parent, it was how many stickers would end up on my clothes, walls, car and every other belonging. Turtle is a sticker fiend, but I'm always a little disappointed because as soon as you stick the sticker, the fun is over.

We got this packet of Melissa & Doug doll stickers last year in preparation for a road trip. They are super cute, and I wanted to figure out a way to show them off. So after assembling our dolls and their outfits on construction paper, I cut them out and strung them up with some twine.

Unfortunately, this did involve a little cranial surgery.

Each page of the book features a different clothing theme, from pajamas to dance wear to party dresses. They're so cute all lined up.

Ah, it's the simple things.

Cate's Dress

2011-07-29T10:29:00.001-04:00

Although it's wonderful when someone obligated to be nice to you, a family member for instance, compliments your sewing, I think it's even more awesome when someone with no nicety requirements admires your work. Quite a while ago, I made an Ice Cream Dress for my niece. Over the July 4th holiday, a long-time friend told my sister-in-law how much she liked the dress, and upon hearing that I had made it, asked me to make one for her daughter as well. Now that will perk up your day.

My only parameters were that she liked anything in the blue family, so I made some "mock ups" of color combinations,

Kona cotton in gray, Valori Wells Wrenly voile in Wildflower Cobalt

I Heart by Rashida Coleman Hale Super Solid in blue and Squiggle linen blend in blue

Kona cotton in gray, Sherbet Pips by Aneela Hoey Play Dot in blue gray

and this Modern Workshop combo was the winner:

Once I had the pieces cut out, I started second guessing those two patterns together. But sure enough, once the dress came together they worked beautifully.

I chose a vintage blue fabric-colored button for the closure.

I think it's darling and I hope Cate and her mom think so too!

Poodle Under Glass

2011-07-29T10:11:00.001-04:00

Sometimes, (very occasionally, mind you), men have good ideas.

Earlier this week I had called Andrew into my sewing lair, (i.e., the dining room), for a choice-of-button consultation. Spotting a crumpled up piece of tissue paper in the button box, he asked what it was. I replied that it was an applique pattern for a poodle, used to make my poodle skirt for a dance recital many moons ago.

You need to do something with that, he said, to which I replied that it had been in that box for 20-some-odd years so why should I move it now? If you want to keep it, he said while walking back to his Braves game, you need to do something with it.

And that is how I came to have a poodle under glass in my living room.

A First

2011-07-28T14:31:00.001-04:00

Listen closely, because you might never hear me say this again: I think this recipe has too much cheese. In fact, it's a little "too much" in general. And yes, I'm feeling just fine.

I saw this on Big Girls Small Kitchen quite a while ago. Of course what jumped out at me was the assertion that it was only 100 calories a serving (obviously an April Fool's joke). But even with the realization that it wasn't diet food, I thought it looked pretty good, and last night finally got around to making it.

The ingredients are all very basic pantry staples and it makes a lot of food, so I figured it would leave plenty of leftovers for my lunch the next couple of days. It uses chorizo and boneless, skinless chicken thighs, which is of course a very inexpensive cut of meat. The problem was that both these meats are super greasy and fatty.

The next I make this (and I will make it again because I think it has great potential), I will thoroughly drain and pat dry the sausage and chicken and discard all the pan drippings before moving on to the rest of the "sauce." I also crumbled my sausage so it would get distributed throughout, so next time I won't do it that way.

The recipe calls for three cups of shredded cheese on top and though I didn't even use that much, I thought it was still too cheesy. Maybe my pan was just smaller than theirs so the cheese wasn't in as thin a layer, but it turned into a gooey slab on top of the casserole that overpowered the other ingredients. I will use maybe a cup next time.

I love a good plate of greasy Southern food as much as the next person, but this was a lot of fat and not a lot of flavor. I think with a few tweaks it could be a winner though.

Beach Time

2011-07-26T23:08:00.000-04:00

Last weekend Turtle and I were lucky enough to spend the weekend with two of my girlfriends and their kids at the beach. With four kids to wrangle, it wasn't exactly carefree, but we all had a great time.

I love that Turtle is big enough now that she can play in the sand and at the water's edge without having to hold onto someone the whole time. It makes for a much more enjoyable day at the beach. Turtle was the only girl on the trip, and she learned lots of interesting things, like how to sword fight with vacuum cleaner attachments. Just three more weeks and we're off to the beach again with my family. I think I can, I think I can...

Jumping Roping

2011-07-14T13:07:00.000-04:00

Turtle hasn't mastered the art of jump roping just yet. Last night she took a USB cord and stood with it behind her knees and proclaimed, "I'm jumping roping!" Eh, I guess everyone has to start somewhere.

I really wasn't sold on the Jump Rope Dress. I had the pattern for quite some time, but there was something about it that always said "Little House on the Prairie" to me. I don't know why; there are some amazing versions in the Flickr pool. But I was finally spurred into action by Gail's candy-stripe version, and in fact, I immediately went online to look for some of that fabric (not easy to find, btw). In the meantime, I decided to try my first Jump Rope with the Skipping Square motif that is part of the uber-popular Sherbet Pips line.

Turtle immediately declared that she did not like it, so I didn't even try to make her model it. Le sigh. That kid - sometimes I think she will be the death of me. In any case, I love the dress. The collar didn't come together as well as I'd hoped, but not in a noticeable way. It would have been easily fixed were I not in a lazy mood at the time.

I love the sash. And the sleeve cuffs, with buttons.

I initially chose different red buttons at the store, but when the dress came together I realized they were FAR too big and looked like clown buttons. So I dug these up from my button stash and I think they are perfect. I love the pops of color against the cool blue.

Now if I can just get someone to wear this thing...

Shop Open!

2011-07-08T14:12:00.000-04:00

There may not be much in stock right now, but I've added a Shop Creative Pursuits tab at the top of the blog to link you up with my Etsy shop. I'll be adding more items as I can, which is hopefully soon!

Walk on the Wild Side

2011-07-08T14:09:00.001-04:00

I'm still "in" at One Month to Win It, avoiding the dreaded "Auf Wiedersehen" for another week. This week's theme was animal, and I decided to walk on the wide side and do something a little more boy-centric.

I found some friendly dinosaur and toothy shark coloring pages online and printed them, then traced onto tracing paper with a fabric transfer marker. You put the marked tracing paper face down on the shirt and iron. I usually have to make a few passes with the iron to get the entire design to transfer completely, but I like that the marks don't transfer very darkly. Then I use an embroidery needle and and two (doubled) strands of floss to sew right over the design.

These designs were made with simple straight stitches, a precious few satin stitches and French knots. It can be time consuming, but done in front of Modern Family or maybe on a road trip (while someone else is driving obviously), is a relaxing little project. I use this awesome quilting "hoop" that is actually a square that my MIL gave me to keep the fabric taut.

Rawr!

Food and Fun on the Fourth

2011-07-05T22:42:00.001-04:00

I was so disappointed this morning not to go straight from pajamas to bathing suit. That's really the only way to live. I took an extra day off for the holiday weekend, so we had four straight days of doing not much of anything except eating, drinking and swimming. Happy birthday America!

This is how it went down:

playing dress-up

starting the day out right

perfecting cocktail recipes

matching aviators

turtle's first french braid

proper gear is essential

first "jumps" off the diving board

corn dip

sweet faces, however temporary

jacques torres' chocolate chip cookies

eating cake batter

nothing says patriotism like cupcakes


go braves!

We ate slow-cooker pulled pork, cole slaw, hamburgers, barbecue chicken, fettucine with pesto, and made two tries at these taco baked potato chips. They were tasty, but totally not worth the effort. They require flipping every five minutes for at least 25 minutes. That's a lot of hands-on time only to end up with 20 little chips. I like the idea though, so next time will just use taco seasoning on quartered potatoes.

I didn't think that the Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookies were as good as Amanda Hesser's recipe I made this winter. Of course, his recipe calls for pastry and cake flours and I did not go to that much effort.

As usual, I ended the weekend heavier than I started it, but isn't that what holidays are all about?

The Celebration Skirt

2011-07-02T10:32:00.000-04:00

Well, I made it through the first week, thank goodness. The challenge was "patriotism," so I went with a stenciled and appliqued skirt to celebrate the Fourth.

There are tons of tutorials out there for freezer paper stenciling. I will tell you that it does NOT work with parchment or any other kind of paper. You have to get freezer paper that can be ironed onto the fabric, else you'll end up with this kind of very homemade looking paint job. Oh well, don't think this skirt will be worn again anyway except for dress-up.

The appliqued stars are very easy - I just cut out my shapes and used a small zig-zag stitch to attach them. All straight lines - definitely the way to go. I starched the crap out of them before hand so they were nice and stiff, therefore easier to work with. To make the skirt, I just cut a rectangle the width of double Turtle's waist measurement and long enough to reach her knees (adding in a few inches for the waistband and hem). I made a simple casing for the elastic on top, and that's it. Took maybe 15 minutes.

This is definitely not something I would make "on my own" - just not a red-white-and-blue kind of girl - but it came out okay. She wore it for much of the day yesterday and slept in it last night. I'd say that's a success.

One Month to Win It

2011-06-27T09:12:00.000-04:00

Just a quick note to let you know that I'm participating in a little contest called One Month to Win It. Hop over and vote for me if you are so inclined - I can't tell you which project is mine, but I don't think it'll be hard for you to figure it out. I have no idea why I volunteered for this since I'm already stressing about the deadlines. Oh well, too late for that now. I just have to focus on not getting kicked off the first week. I always feel so bad for those people on The Amazing Race who barely make it out of the U.S.

I (Heart) Gowns

2011-06-20T22:29:00.001-04:00

Turtle looks so cute in nightgowns, and every time we make a trip to Target I have to restrain myself. I loved gowns as a kid, so I guess it's just stuck with me. And ever since seeing Sparkle Power's tutorial on turning vintage T-shirts into gowns many moons ago, I've been wanting to make Turtle some cool gowns of her own.

But alas, my last trip to the used clothing store next door resulted in me coming home empty handed. I mean, that Radiohead shirt was pretty awesome, but it was also $14.99. Seriously? For a used T-shirt? I don't think so. My parents live down the street from an enormous Goodwill, but I just haven't had the chance to brave it yet (it is PACKED every day of the week). So when DH cleaned out his closet recently, I knew exactly what I needed to do.

Napoleon would be proud, dontcha think? This awesome shirt was bought for a friend's 80s-themed birthday party last year. Only my husband would go out to find ridiculous clothing and end up looking like the cool kid. This T-shirt went under an amazing green Izod jacket and atop some skinny plaid pants. He looked like he was going to a My Morning Jacket concert, not a costume party. He still wears that jacket, totally without irony.

All I did was place an existing gown on top of the T-shirt and draw around it to create cutting lines. I then serged around the armholes, serged up the sides and added a long scrap as a sort of ruffle at the bottom.

I can't wait to go scrounging for more shirts.

Happy Father's Day!

2011-06-20T22:14:00.001-04:00

What do you get a father who refuses to give you any gift suggestions? Why, alcohol and cookies of course.

DH is the worst gift receiver in the world, because he truly doesn't want anything. He will never tell me anything he would like to receive, and any time I come up with something I think is totally rad, (vintage safety razor?), he shoots it down, not because he's spoiled or picky, he just really doesn't want me getting him anything. But I know that bourbon and sugar cookies are always welcome. This sugar cookie recipe is absolutely the best ever. They are perfectly chewy and the last step of rolling them in coarse sugar takes them over the top.

That lovely wrapped package is Jefferson's Reserve small batch bourbon from Ansley Wine Merchants. I really wanted a bottle of Pappy Van Winkle, but the guy said that every time he gets a shipment, people are there to literally take it out of his hand as he opens the case. I guess that's not surprising considering it's the world's number-one bourbon. The card is from a sweet set of Father's Day printables from Love Party Printables, found via How About Orange.

Now, at our other Father's Day celebration, it was an homage to dude food, including BBQ pulled pork, pizza, slaw, onion rings and these Cookie Dough Brownies. While they were good, they weren't great, due for the most part I think to too much sugar. I know, you can't believe I said that.

But really, there is A LOT of sugar in both the brownie and the cookie parts, leading to an overly sweet concoction that even I wanted to tone down. But really, nothing that includes this incredible substance could be bad, right? That's a Lindt chocolate bar - I like chunks much better than bagged chips.

If I make these again, I'll use my best brownie recipe (Ina Garten's) and my best chocolate chip cookie recipe (from the New York Times cookbook) instead of following this one. This is not to say that I didn't have my fair share of these cavity-inducing treats. I love the idea, and especially love the clever trick of serving them in cupcake wrappers for ease of eating.

Hope everyone had an excellent Father's Day! Our next cooking extravaganza is only two weeks away (get out your red, white and blue!) and I've already got a list going...

We're Crafty

2011-06-17T00:06:00.001-04:00

I think there are two kinds of crafts in the world: the kind that come from the minds of actual artists and the people at Martha Stewart Living, and the kind that come from people who think it would be neat to use a ketchup lid as a "locket" for a pasta necklace. This is a tale of both of those kinds of crafts.

With DH out of town, Turtle and I have been enjoying lots of quality time with just us girls, and Wednesday we had a craft night. On the pasta necklace end, we made this super clever, not so super looking sandwich holder. The inspiration is this much cuter version I found via Pinterest. I have no idea what the source blog says, but I actually do take a sandwich to work for lunch pretty much every day of my life and I had an empty milk jug, so I thought, why not?

And, ta da!

Yeah, not exactly Martha Stewart material. I think milk jugs must be different wherever this person is. I'm sure if I could read Spanish I could have gotten some tips. As it was, I just winged it. But you know, I still think it's an awesome idea and something that I really do need. Since we walk to work, my sandwich goes into my purse and then shoved into the basket under the stroller so this little holder will protect much better than parchment paper.

And look, I really used it!

On the other end of the spectrum, it seems like button monograms are everywhere. I've seen so many around the web, but one particular multi-colored C caught my eye. Turtle has a thing with button decorating. Back in February I thought it would be cool to add buttons to our Valentines, and now she thinks that all drawing MUST include buttons too. So she was thrilled with this little activity.

All I did was print an enormous (500-point) Garamond G on a piece of paper. I printed it at about 20% saturation so that it was barely visible. Then, I outlined the G with glue and filled in the middle, exactly like frosting a cookie. What resulted was a pretty gluey G:

But after drying overnight and getting a nice frame, it looks darn near Martha-worthy.

Don't you love how a good ol' IKEA frame can make anything look like art?

Balancing Act

2011-06-12T22:57:00.001-04:00

Saturday night we had a nice meal of grilled salmon, rice and roasted asparagus. Of course that just means there was more room for dessert, and we'll get to that in a minute.

First up, grilled salmon:

Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper, brush on honey and store-bought sesame Asian dressing, grill, eat.

Roasted asparagus:

Sprinkle with salt and pepper, several "glugs" of olive oil and balsamic vinegar, roast at 350 degrees until tender. Try to get your kid to eat it and then give up, eating her portion too.

Rice: well, you know what that looks like.

But there's something missing...and what is summer about if not taking delicious food and making it delicouser? To wit:

Good,

better,

best.

Growing up, I never cared for homemade ice cream, mostly because what we made wasn't ice cream at all. It was more like ice milk - not very "creamy" or dense, just sugary. It doesn't contain any fat, and I just don't really care for it because a world without fat is a sad world indeed. Ice cream has to have cream if it's going to pass muster with me. So it's apropos that this recipe comes from a blog called Never Trust a Skinny Cook.

I halved the recipe, which normally makes a quart, because we just needed enough for about three servings. You warm a cup of cream and a cup of half-and-half with half a cup plus two tablespoons of sugar on the stovetop. Separate three and a half, (yeah, that part of the halving was a little annoying), and whisk them with a teaspoon of vanilla extract. Pour about a cup of the warm cream into the eggs to bring them up to temp, and them mix the eggs back into the cream to make a custard. Meanwhile, take 10 big strawberries and mash half of them up with two tablespoons of sugar in a bowl, slicing the other berries. After the custard is nice and thickened, (and up to 165 degrees), remove it from the heat and allow it to cool down. Then the strawberries go in and the mixture goes into the fridge until it's completely chilled. (I cheated and put mine in the freezer to speed up this process and it worked just fine.) Remember to put a piece of plastic over the top so it doesn't get "pudding skin."

I love this "vintage" Tupperware egg separator.

Then just put it in your ice cream maker and let it work its magic. Much better than ice milk, guaranteed.

Of course, the ice cream wasn't the only indulgence. My family makes this concoction called Corn Dip and it's pretty much the most disgusting, frightening, incredibly delicious thing you've ever seen. It consists of a bag of frozen corn with an 8-ounce block of cream cheese, a stick of butter and sliced jalapenos melted and mixed into a gooey, life-altering mess. You can eat it with tortilla chips, crackers, whatever vehicle you want.

Yeah, that yellow stuff is butter. Maybe make this at the end of the weekend, when you won't be putting a bathing suit on for another several days.

Last Ones, I Promise

2011-06-09T21:42:00.001-04:00

Don't worry, I swear this the last pair of shorts you'll see from me for the next month at least. I've made so many pairs of these I didn't even open the instructions this time. I was inspired by this pair from J. Crew, which are knit, but I loved the little bows at the legs.

Since the Puppet Show Shorts are made with bias binding at the legs, I figured it would be easy enough to turn those into a casing for ties. So that's what I did.

I used some peachy pink grosgrain ribbon, and even though they turned out pretty much as I'd imagined, I was ambivalent. It was something about the color of the ribbon that just wasn't doing it for me.

So I swapped the peach out for red and I like them much better. They are crisper and more fun, I think, but since they are just passed through the casing (I made buttonholes to run them through) we can change them whenever the mood strikes.

So that's it for me and shorts for the time being. I think we're set.

Inspirational

2011-06-07T22:03:00.001-04:00

I have no qualms saying that I love these shorts and am pretty darn pleased with myself over them.

My inspiration came in the form of these beauties (surprisingly made by Gymboree of all places) that I found on Pinterest. By the way, was that website invented by someone whose goal was to make sure every woman in America became permanently glued to her computer screen? Because I think it's working. (Case in point: in going to Pinterest to get that link, I just wasted 10 minutes and got sucked into a story about violinist Joshua Bell playing a $3.5 million violin in a DC metro station and no one noticing.)

Anyway, I loved the oversized tie and thought it would be fairly easy to add this to a pair of Puppet Show Shorts. First, I cut the waistband into two separate pieces. So far, so good. Then I cut two long pieces the same width as the waistband piece, sewed them into ties and sandwiched them in the waistband side seams, like so.

Because the ties are wider than the finished waistband, they fold over the waistband a little when they are attached on the sides. Honestly, I didn't take this into account when I was planning, but it still worked out. When I do it again, I'll make ties that are skinny on one end and gradually get wider.

I'd never made belt loops before; they're a bit of a PITA. So small and fiddly. I probably did it completely wrong but they look good so I guess that's all that matters. After a few pairs made more plainly, I went back to the gathered legs on these and am so glad I did. That's such a precious detail.

I'm so in love with these that now I'm second guessing my other Pinterest shorts inspiration, this Crewcuts pair. Ties at the waist AND legs would surely be bow overload, right? I do love that they've used what looks to be satin in contrast to the shorts fabric. Decisions, decisions...

Ice Cream Anyone?

2011-06-06T22:27:00.001-04:00

It's been a while since my last Ice Cream Dress, and I forgot how simple these are to put together. Yet the result is so unique and clever.

In retrospect, I would have chosen a different accent fabric. The green gives it a little too much "country" flavor for my taste, but I think it's still pretty sweet.

Check out the completely fortuitous matching on this pocket. These aren't technically joined at the right place, but they sure do go well together like this, huh?

Having a serger makes such a world of difference. That is some of the best money my mother ever spent (it was a Christmas gift!). I love it more with every use.

Summer in a Glass

2011-06-06T22:24:00.001-04:00

Take fresh-squeezed lemon juice,

pour in some simple syrup,

add cold water to taste,

and pour over ice.

When Turtle's teacher asked her this morning what she did this weekend, she immediately answered, "We made lemade!" Successful family activity, I'd say.

Weekend Recap

2011-05-31T20:55:00.001-04:00

Since a picture's worth a thousand words, here are a few thousand words about our long holiday weekend.

BBQ Chicken Burgers

2011-05-31T16:02:00.003-04:00

Although not a big red meat eater, I love a good hamburger. Mostly I think that's because I love the cheese, pickles and ketchup that go with them. But we all need a little something different every once in a while, so for our Memorial Day cookout this weekend, I thought we could try these Barbecue Chicken Burgers I discovered on Annie's Eats.

They are made basically like a meatloaf, and I think that goes a long way toward ensuring they stay moist and flavorful - I'm sure plain ground chicken would not fare well on a hot grill. We tripled the recipe due to our big crowd, and the grocery store didn't have enough ground chicken, so we substituted a pound of ground turkey. There is also barbecue sauce included in the meat mixture itself.

These grilled up really fast. They take about five minutes on each side, and get brushed on both sides with more barbecue sauce for finishing.

Top with cheese and you've got yourself a super tasty alterna-burger.

I had to make my famous-to-me Spanish Potato Salad of course, and no cookout would be complete without grilled corn on the cob (topped with blue cheese butter). Mmm mmm good.

Brunch Anyone?

2011-05-31T10:25:00.002-04:00

I've had the Sunday Brunch jacket and skirt pattern for a long time now. Honestly, the thought of making a coat gives me the heebie-jeebies so I put the pattern aside for a day when I was feeling up to the task. (And when it's not 100 degrees out.) But I kept seeing such cute versions of the skirt in the O+S Flickr pool that I had to at least try that part of the outfit.

Boy, am I glad I did. The pocket design is just genius - all skirts should be put together this way.

I also love anything with elastic across the back waistband. I wish I'd had more button-hole elastic to use here. I should have gone out to get more, but alas, I'm much too impatient for that.

The little kick pleat is such a grown-up touch. So easy, but so adorable.

I have to admit that I'm not really crazy about these polka dots. What I really wanted was something like this dress from Enfant Terrible:

If you've seen a fabric like this, won't you please let me know?!

Turtle wasn't at all in the mood to model her new skirt this weekend, as she was much too busy. I finally cajoled her into putting it on, but had to settle for a shot that also included her new swim cover up.

Ahhh, toddlers.