jenny's bag

This is one of the bags I cut out last weekend. It was a (belated) birthday gift for a dear friend of mine. I was telling her she needed to get a new bag when I saw the diaper bag she was using was not really working out. She wanted a classic but fun design that would go with a lot of different things. This black and white Michael Miller had her name all over it.

I found the Alexander Henry print for the lining at Joann's. I have to take back my griping about that place - they have managed to have some cute fabric lately. Some. Not a lot.

I like how this is very geometric compared to the less structured print on the front.

I did some top-stitching in red. Just because. I think it needed a little pop. I really like how subtle it is.

I gave it to her on Friday and she was really excited. It's really true, every time I make a new bag, I think, "Wow! This one is my favorite!"

Well, that's true for now. Wait until I post the other one I've finished! It's going in the mail to it's owner, so I have to wait until she gets it to post about it. But it is CUTE!

If you are looking for a fun Christmas gift, I have 2 of these bags stocked at my etsy shop. I also have some fabric selections that aren't made up yet. Just let me know if you are interested and I'll get sewing for you! Look for some jewelry to be added this week too.

Sew, Mama, Sew has designated this Wednesday, December 3 as Giveaway Day!! I will be hosting a little giveaway that I have been meaning to do for at least a month. I had a winning streak a few months ago and I wanted to share the love and pay it forward. I plan on having 4 different prizes to win - so stay tuned!! I'm excited!

weekend sewing and a pillow tutorial

I don't know what got into my this weekend. But I lazed around in my new fleece jacket and sweats all day Saturday not really doing a whole lot.

Then I cut out 3 bags.

Then I almost completed one of them. (just one seam and some top-stitching to go.)

Then I worked on some placemat pillows.

Here's a *tutorial* for these pillows.
1. buy a placemat (for a couple bucks on clearance) - make sure it is 2 sided.
2. open up one end of the placemat. (I did these while I was on the phone.)
3. stuff with stuffing (also did while I was on the phone.)
4. topstitch close
5. display on bed, couch, chair, floor, etc.

Can you really call that a tutorial? It's so easy! I made these pillows last year from some napkins and placemats I found at Target.

The downside of this creative spurt is the insomnia. Last night and Saturday night I had a really hard time falling asleep. It was dreadful. Well, staying up late not so much, but the ensuing fatigue and malaise, not so fun. The monkey chatter in my head would not quiet down. I'm tired enough today (no nap) that hopefully it won't be a problem.


I forgot the not to moo part of that last post. I don't want to moo so I started working out again last week. The problem I find is that when I run, I am starving by 10 am and asleep by noon. I blame nursing - it really wears a person out making all that milk! But let me tell you about the revelation I had. Our laptop nestles onto the treadmill quite securely. I can watch online TV, dvds, or as I did last week, catch up on my blogging! I actually started that post while walking a brisk-ish pace. Now I don't have an excuse. Darn it.

to moo, or not to moo

Have you heard about MOO cards? I've seen some people blogging about them and I was intrigued by the idea - a half size business card with your basic contact info. On the back you can pick their designs OR you can upload your own photos! I went with that option and I used pictures from all the bags I have made so far. I really like the way they turned out!

There is a shipping deal if it's your first order. I found a coupon code: EWSCCV and got 20% off my first order. They are located in London so it takes about 8-10 days from printing to get them. It was around 20$ for 100 , which I thought was a great deal.

It really didn't take me that long to design them, once I got finished browsing through the ready-to-use artwork, there were so many cool things to look at. In the end I decided to use my own photos. It was easy to upload them - just like in any program - and then you can crop them and see what they will look like printed. Easy-peasy! It was way easier than designing and printing my own.

do you need a little chuckle?

I just saw this today and it made me laugh out loud - not LOL, but really laugh.

Go to Google.
Type in Find Chuck Norris.
Hit "I'm feeling Lucky."

Go on, do it. I'll wait.
strumming fingers

twirling hair

snoozing

heheheheh, no need to watch that rerun of Walker, Texas Ranger tonight!


Here's something else. Have I mentioned this before? I love this web site and I always crack up.

Cakewrecks: When professional cakes go horribly, hilariously wrong
I can't really explain it - you just have to see for yourself. On Sunday she takes a break from the wreckfests and shows some amazing cakes. It's a lot of fun!

Here is the cake that started it all

Here's a link to the last Sunday post: Car Cake
and check out this Muppet beauty. More pictures HERE.

Have a great day!

a duvet to dream under

Well, it's finally finished! sort of. It's on my bed at least and we slept under it last night. I haven't figured out the bottom where it will eventually have some sort of closure, but I was so excited to see it on my bed that I put it on late last night, right before we hopped in.

The top is from Amy Butler's Nigella home dec collection and I just used the flat sheet to our sheets for the back. We never use it, so it was perfect for the underside, so soft for sleeping under. We like the nordic way of sleeping under a duvet - no sheets (except on the mattress) just under the comforter.

I coached my husband ahead of time that requisite Ooh-ing and Aah-ing was in order or he'd be sleeping on the couch. When he saw it he was genuinely excited. And then this morning I was admiring it from under it's warmth and he said, "yeah, this thing is Awesome! It's nice and warm."

I do love the way it turned out - but I don't plan on making another duvet cover anytime soon. It took longer than I thought for several reasons: (if you aren't interested in minutiae, you can stop reading here.)

1. It's King-sized - that's a LOT of fabric to cut and match and pin together.
   
2. I had to match the pattern in two seams (I didn't want a seam down the middle, so I made two side panels). This was probably what intimidated me the most. Fortunately, the fabric was designed and printed so that matching the designs was relatively uncomplicated. I've never really worked with decorator prints - so maybe they are all printed with this foresight. But I'm going to give the credit to Amy Butler - she's a genius!
   
3. I did have to pin each seam twice. Once with right sides together to match it up and then flipping and repinning so I could sew it.
4. It's hard to cut a straight line that long - sewing the side seams together I had to measure from the seam and draw a line for sewing and then pinning and then manuevering the other 96" of fabric as I sewed the seam. I did, however, break out the Ginghers that my mom gave me years ago - the cut like a dream! I've been using my rotary cutter for pretty much everything - I didn't know I was the owner of such a treasure!
   

I'm sure there's more, but can't think of them right now. I'm so glad I did it! I learned a lot in the process and luckily did the hardest part while my mom was here last month and could hold my hand while I figured out the logistics of it all.

It definitely makes the room seem more put together. I plan on making some pillows and things to go on the bed - some of the blue and maybe some red thrown in too. I wish I could paint the walls. . . .

So I was a day late in finishing for the challenge. I called my mom to tell her and she reported that she just needs to sew on the borders for her quilt. So I guess working out was easier to accomplish last week than our sewing projects - hmmmm. that's weird.

that dana! she's at it again

Have you seen what she's up to now? She's the one who did this back in July - giving away a gorgeous quilt (that I am humbly trying to replicate). Well, here are the new offerings. That's right, I said OFFERINGS (plural!!) Just go to Old Red Barn Co. and sign up! You too could be a winner!!

dairy fast, over!

About 7 months ago I had to cut dairy out of my diet to help my little guy's problem spitting up. Apparently the lactation consultants were wrong when they told me I could eat whatever I wanted and it wouldn't affect my milk. There was a direct correlation to the amount of dairy I ate and how much he spit up. I read that the protein from cow's milk can be found in human breastmilk and it's very hard for a lot babies to digest. They usually grow out of it by about 8 months - so I've slowly been adding dairy back in this last month and he's doing quite well and is even eating yogurt all on his own!

Well, maybe that's all a little too much back story just to lead up to a recipe I want to share with you. I knew one of the things I wanted to indulge in once I could, was a little cheesecake! I've decided that I don't really LOVE cheesecake, unless it's this recipe for Lime-Almond Cheesecake. I love the tartness of the lime with that hint of almond in the sour cream glaze. I'm always looking for a gathering to take this to - because if it were at my house I'm afraid I would eat all of it. By. my. self. (as a side note, I wish I were a food photographer. Then I would have all the equipment for taking gorgeous pictures at night in my poorly lit kitchen, oh well.)

This was a hit evidenced by the measley 5 slices that were left. One of which I ate on the way home.

I think the secret is to make it 3 days in advance and let it sit in the fridge. And resist the urge to eat it early. I found great instructions for slicing it too - I love google. This recipe is courtesy of my friend Lisa that I knew back when I just graduated from college. I've tweaked the crust part a little bit to solve some of the baking issues I had. And this time I lined the bottom with parchment paper which made removing it from the pan a breeze. Parchment paper holds a special place for the part of me that hates messy clean-up.

Lime Almond Cheesecake
Crust
1/2 stick unsalted butter
2 C vanilla wafer cookie crumbs
Melt butter. Combine with crumbs and press into a 12" springform pan.

Filling
4 - 8oz. blocks cream cheese (I used the Neufchatel - 1/3 less fat - but still tasty!)
1 1/2 C sugar
1 1/2 Tbsp Lime juice (I used fresh squeezed)
pinch salt
4 large eggs
Whip cream cheese for 5 minutes (seriously, I set the timer, turn on my Kitchen Aid and juice the lime or empty the dishwasher or something while I wait).
Add sugar and whip 2 more minutes. Add lime juice and salt - blend thoroughly.
Add eggs one at a time on lowest speed of mixer just until eggs are incorporated into the batter. Pour into prepared crust. Bake at 350 for 55 minutes. Take out of oven and let rest 10 minutes while you prepare the glaze.

Sour Cream Glaze
2 C sour cream
1/4 C sugar
1 tsp pure almond extract

Mix together. Spread glaze over cheesecake - spreading to the edges (I used one of those offset handle spreading spatulas). Return cake to oven for 10 more minutes. Remove cake, cover and put it directly into the fridge.

Hints for making your cheesecake taste the best:

1. Prepare cheesecake 3 days in advance.
2. Remove cake from fridge one hour before serving.
3. Let the cake sit out for 10 minutes before removing from the pan.

This would be a great holiday dessert offering for a large group. Oh yeah, I just remembered - if you have a hankering you can make a smaller batch. I halved the recipe once and made mini cheesecakes in my muffin pan. I just put a nilla wafer at the bottom of the muffin cup and then topped it with the filling. If I remember correctly I halved the baking time too. I can't remember if that made a dozen or a two..... They were just as delicious - plus they were smaller portions and finger food friendly.

Bon Apetit!!

Challenge update: My mom and I both got our workouts in today. Go us!!! Now let's go have some cheesecake!

mom vs. daughter challenge!

This picture has nothing to do with the post - but the leaves were being lit up the other afternoon. I tried to capture it. . . .

I was talking to my mom tonight about things we both procrastinate. I was bugging her about going to her water aerobics class and she said she would go tomorrow if I got on the treadmill. . . . TOUCHE. Nice play mom. Since I had my appendix out late summer, I haven't been as diligent in getting on and now I'm finding it's already NOVEMBER?! But challenging me to workout is like telling me I won't like that cheese if I eat it. Oh yeah!?! I'll show you!

So I told her that a better challenge would be for her to go to the pool and me to get my duvet cover done. I started it while she was here and have been stymied by not knowing exactly how I want to close it; buttons, zipper, velcro? (Any ideas certainly welcome.) But she made the point that the first challenge was about excercise. Good point. We are still on for the working out tomorrow.

The sewing challenge:
I challenged her to finish her New York Beauty quilt,

and I'll get my duvet cover done,

We have until Saturday midnight.

What are you procrastinating? Let's get it done this week and post all about it!

olivia!!

I'm not buying it. Yet. I hope it's still around when my moratorium on fabric buying is over. I wish Fabric.com would stop sending me coupons and giving me free shipping! Well not really, but I've got to exercise some self-control! Are you familiar with the Olivia books? They are so cute!

The whole collection is adorable! I'm thinking a cute baby quilt or matching mommy and me pajamas. Shoot, whip up a pair for the baby doll too! It's flannel, which can be so warm and cozy - but I tend to be dissappointed with the way it looks after a few washes. For the price I would hope this holds up a little better.

ode to a grocery store

Wegman's, how do I love thee? oh, let me count the ways. . .

Have you heard of Wegman's grocery store?

A new one just opened up near here several months ago and it looks as big as 2 home depots put together! I hadn't had the chance to go up there yet even though I've heard such great things about it from several people. Well, I just got back and I realize that I've found the Nirvana of grocery stores. This place is amazing! I wish I'd had my camera to take pictures. But of course, if you've been to one you know what I'm talking about. All the images in this post are from the Wegman's web site.

When I walked in I saw the beautiful enormous produce section - but I was quickly lured away by the artisan breads in the bakery. And then I started to get a little choked up seeing all the rolls, pastries and deliciousness lined up along around the corner. I felt a little like I was in France again, but even more so when I found the CHEESE SHOP. Good grief! If you are looking for it, they have it. And you will probably find something you weren't looking for but need! Like this Caramel Pecan topped Brie!

I had some really tasty Shrimp Curry salad at a friend's house a few weeks ago and was looking for it when I spied this yummy dish. Butternut Squash with Baby Spinach The lady behind the counter let me sample it and I brought some home with me that I have already polished off.

There was a picture of this dish, Butternut Squash, Apple and Gorgonzola Gratin, at the counter and I came home to look it up too. I think this will be on our Thanksgiving menu.

I was still searching for the Shrimp Curry salad when a girl that worked at the fish counter helped me out. AND she pulled a lobster out of the tank for Alison to see up close! She didn't want to touch it but as we walked away, she said she wanted to see it again. The nice girl got another one out for us and Alison tentatively ran one finger up and down it's claw and thought that was pretty cool. I thought it was cool that she took the guy out of the tank for us in the first place - I never would have thought to ask. The recipe for the shrimp salad isn't online, but trust me, it's delicious!! Shrimp, raisins, cashews in a curry dressing. Mmmmmmmm.

I was impressed too that all of their fish is fresh, not frozen (except the Chilean Sea Bass - it has a long way to travel after all) and there were so many choices! Not to mention the butcher counter with great looking steaks and stuffed chicken, pork and other prepared things.

I realize as I'm writing this that I may sound a little silly - but, I love good food and normally HATE grocery shopping. But today, my little trip inspired me to get cooking again. Ever since fall and cooler temps have rolled in I've been a great baker (un oh waistline!) and not so much with the good-for-you foods. So I think for dinner I'll roast up the brussel sprouts I bought. NO really! I'm being serious! Roasted Brussel sprouts are delicious. Just halve them up (or quarter, if they're big) and toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and some fresh grated parmesan. Roast in a shallow pan at 350 stirring every 10-15 minutes until edges start turning crisp, maybe 30 minutes.

I have a recipe for a cheesecake I made last night - but that post got put on hold for this! I'm so happy! Wegman's has made my day.

did i already mention that i have a problem?

and that I might need therapy? Fabric.com had a great sale last month. It was like a virtual scratch-off coupon. Mine was 35% off and they were already offering FREE shipping. I can't pass up free shipping. Nor could I pass up paying less than 10$/yard for REAL minky. Look for some darling baby blankets, coming soon!

I've been wanting this Amy Butler belle acanthus for months (on the right) and they finally had it in stock. I have a Christmas gift in mind for someone. And wait until you see what I'm turning the beautiful teal pieces into.... Also Amy Butler, and I have to tell you. I've seen it many times online and this particular design never struck me to be anything I would love. But, OH BOY! when it came, wow! It's breathtaking. Seriously.

Some of these prints I got from Sew, Mama, Sew's shop. And the rest from this order. I have had it in my head that I wanted to do a green quilt. All green with white or something. I can't really explain it, so I guess I'll just have to make it and let you see how it turns out!

I'm taking a fabric shopping sabbatical. I really need to get some things finished before I take on much more! There's too much potential energy at my house at the moment.

Oh, and thanks for all the banana idea helps! We managed to just eat most of them. I froze the last dozen or so yesterday for future use. I had to curtail the fruitflies taking up residence in my kitchen!