headers, and buttons, and changes, oh my!

If you are reading this in your reader, kindly click over to my blog to see the wonderful new header that Casey, of Hot Bliggity Blogs, created for me!  She has a lot of free backgrounds in addition to the custom services she offers.

I won a little giveaway for a new header over at Jodi's Pleasant Home a couple months ago. Because I have placenta brain, I missed the last email Casey sent me with the new header until just the other day!! AGGH!! I missed out on a whole month of this cuteness!!! Go check Casey out and give her some love!!

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We also had a little hiccup with our Sew & Tell button this week! Yikes! Anyway, it's fixed now, except that you will all have to redo your button.  I'm so sorry for the trouble! I've got the HTML working so you can go download it right now! Go ahead.... I'll wait. 

<a href="http://www.amylouwho.com/search/label/sew-n-tell" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2491/4140008620_26a064ef2d_o.jpg"/></a>

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We just upgraded our PC to Windows 7, Office 2007, and Photoshop Elements 8.  I have a lot of new computer stuff to learn again!  So far I like it, but I've got to spend some time really learning how to love it all.  Which I'm sure I will at some point here soon...  I just have so much to do, sewing for an upcoming birthday, a couple of custom orders, decorating for Christmas and chasing after my two lovelies all at the same time.

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I feel bad that I have been taking longer than normal to get back to you all in the comments and with the Mr. Linky, I blame it on the pregnancy!  I do love hearing from you especially if you have an email linked to your comment so I can email you back.  :)  And thank you so much for your enthusiasm with Sew & Tell!! I love it too!

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We went to a local Christmas tree farm and cut down our own tree this weekend!  It was so fun!  Now on to the lights, ornaments and vacuuming up needles.

Are you ready for the holidays?

Sew & Tell + Bake/Cook & Tell - Thanksgiving edition!

After licking the beater, the bowl and spatula I was pretty sure this cheesecake was going to be good!  I had looked up recipes and found so many!
Like this one with chocolate chips.
The girls at Our Best Bites added carmeled pecans to theirs.
Of course Paula Deen has a version too (I almost did this one).
and AllRecipes had a marbled version.  (AllRecipes is a great resource for tried and true recipes!)

They are all almost the same base recipe - although a lot of them use a gingersnap crust.  I LOVE gingersnaps!  I ended up using the Pioneer Woman's because it was most like the lime almond cheesecake that I like to make.

PW's version has a layer of caramel sauce on the crust and then again on top of the cheesecake.  While that sounded good - it also sounded a little TOO sugary for me.  I like my cheesecake pretty unadulterated.  So I omitted all of the caramel steps, and followed Paula's lead and added a teaspoon of vanilla to the batter.

I'm not opposed to a little whipped cream though.  And maybe with a few crushed gingersnaps on top.  So much so, that the food stupor I was in after a delicious dinner, made it impossible to remember to take any pictures (PW has a nice one with the recipe though)!  It was good though - especially if you like pumpkin pie flavor, but not the texture of the pie (which I don't)!

Would you like to share a recipe today?  Or maybe you got some sewing done?
Remember:
1. Link to a specific post about a finish you had this week (don't just link to your blog, please!)

2. Mention and link back to this post so more peeps can join in the fun!  Please add a note about sew & tell . Now that we have a button this is super easy - you can just cut and paste the HTML from the link over there on the right sidebar!

3. Enjoy getting motivated and patting each other on the backs in the comments! This is what I find so fun about sew & tell - sharing and inspiring each other!

happy thanksgiving!

I just finished mixing up a pumpkin cheesecake with ginger snap crust and I'm starting to get more excited about tomorrow's big feast!  I'll share the recipe on Friday for Cook, Bake, Sew & Tell, if it turns out as well as the batter tasted!
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If you are scrounging for one last side dish recipe try this Butternut Squash with Baby Spinach.  If you don't have Wegmans basting oil - it's just grapeseed oil with garlic, thyme and parsley.  You could totally make up your own. It's super easy, pretty, and delicious!

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 I started making this wreath yesterday, but ran out of ornaments.  I think I'm going to add in some red too.  Just because.

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I have a problem with cute bottles.  I never want to throw them away.  Here's a few...

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I'm thankful for so many things,  but these top the list:

• my husband
• the anticipation of a new baby in the family
• the babies I have
• sleep :)
• amazing friends, who keep me sane and happy
  

a giveaway you won't want to miss

You seriously don't want to miss this!

  

I mentioned the Flea Market Fancy (FMF) Freaks blog a while back - the mission there is to try and get enough signatures for Free Spirit to do a reprint of FMF.  To be honest, I didn't know much about FMF until this.  And now that I see what is being given away?! Oh boy, do I WANT SOME!!!

Thanks to Penny for heading this up!  There are a total of 29 fat quarters and 2 books signed by Denise Schmidt up for grabs.  Really.  You don't want to miss it.  Go, now!! 

PS - It doesn't look like I'll be getting that bag done today.  :(  You wouldn't believe the lines at the grocery store this morning!! And I seriously needed a nap this afternoon.... I hope you'll understand!  I'll post soon though!

sew & tell v.1.0.11 - some sew & tell housekeeping

• I'm not quite finished with the bag I was working on last night, so I'm going to post about it later today in a different post and link up!  I can have a little extra time, right?

• I was debating having Sew & Tell next week, with it being Thanksgiving.  I figure a lot of people will be busy cooking, shopping, Christmas tree cutting, holiday decorating, etc.  But if you are so inclined, you may link up a sewing post OR you can link up to a recipe you made for Thanksgiving!  So we'll have a little cook & tell as well!

• Natalia at Piece N Quilt is hosting a holiday decorating Show & Tell starting December 16.  Click here for details.
  

• We won't be doing Sew & Tell on friday 25 December or January 1.  I was thinking that the 8th of January we could have a holiday gift extravaganza for Sew & Tell!! Then we can share all the secret gifts we are working on!  I think it will be fun!
  

P.S. - I'm sorry that I wasn't able to get around to everyone last Friday - things have been a little crazy around here!


If you are new here to sew & tell, here are the few short rules:
1. Link to a post about a finish you had this week (don't just link to your blog, please!) This can be a post from any day this week. Just be sure to. . .

2. Mention and link back to this post so more peeps can join in the fun! If it is a post from earlier in the week, just please add a note about sew & tell . Now that we have a button this is super easy - you can just cut and paste the HTML from the link over there on the right sidebar!

3. Enjoy getting motivated and patting each other on the backs in the comments! This is what I find so fun about sew & tell - sharing and inspiring each other!

what I did when I should have been folding laundry and/or sewing

I made a magnetic memo board!

I have a knack for starting/finishing less important projects when I have deadlines for other things.  I'm starting to feel like this blog is turning into a forum for procrastinator's anonymous.  Seriously!  Anyway, I've had this picture frame I got at Goodwill for a while.  I painted it while I had my can of blue paint out for another project last spring. ( I have A LOT of things this color - it's amazing how many things you can paint with a quart of paint!)

I went to the local hardware store and asked someone to help me find some sheet metal.  I guess that's what you call it.  I told them what I was doing.  I found a piece that was just a couple inches bigger than my frame.  So I needed something to cut it with.  My trusty father-in-law, aka purveyor of all tools, had some, um . . . scissors?  They're HUGE!

I'm not sure if these are tin snips or what.  And yes, that is a normal sized sharpie.

I wiped the metal down with some clorox wipes so that my hands won't turn black everytime I touch it.  If it keeps doing that I might take it out and seal it with some clear spray paint or something. (I've also thought about covering it in fabric....)

I took the sharpie and a ruler and marked off the sides to be cut.

And then I tried to cut it.  I don't have pictures, because I was by myself watching The Biggest Loser during my kids nap (By the way, The Biggest Loser + Pregnancy Hormones = tears.  Just in case you were wondering.).  But cutting that was a little tricky.  You have to be careful to start in a very straight line or the unpliable metal will steer you at an angle.  Does that even make sense?  I bet if you try it with these kind of scissors it will!

After I got it sized up, I put it in the frame, backed it with the same size of cardboard and stepped back to admire it.

I really like it!  I'd like to hang it in the kitchen for our calendar and menu and shopping list and stuff, but I've got to work with it, since I don't have free wall space anywhere.  I'll figure something out.

The best part!  Frame $3 + metal $18 = $21!  Way cheaper than buying one somewhere.

I'm working on those bags - hopefully I have one to share in the morning for Sew & Tell.

stuff i'm working on

I am still rearranging, straightening up from when I had to move my sewing area when we got the new carpet.  It was a good thing, because I got to move furniture around and make my space more effecient - hopefully.  But it's really been a hinderance in getting much sewing done.  When I made my dress a couple weeks ago my sewing table barely had room to fit my machine, let along the project I was working on too!

fabric for the pillows for my bed - laying on the curtains

The other problem is that I lost my big 'cutting/project' table to the kitchen.  Now we actually eat at our table for every meal.  It's not always guaranteed that it's going to be clean enough, long enough for me to get some good cutting done.  I guess it really means I just have to be better about cleaning up.  Really?  I hate cleaning up!

I spent a good part of yesterday cleaning up and organizing my bins, baskets and sewing area.  I had kind of just thrown things helter skelter to be able to move it in time for the carpet guy.  Now I've got that big mess you get right before things come together.

don't you love all that pompom fringe and huge ric rac?

And unfortunately, today I have to go grocery shopping, which means my morning (my most productive time) will be spent doing that.   At least I'm going to Wegman's.  Which I ♥ so so so very much.

Anyway, all of that to say.  I have A LOT of sewing to do this week!

some bags I'm working on

But that's okay, because I won this Amy Butler Love fat quarter pack last week from The Material Girls and it arrived in the mail last night!

They have the cutest shop that I visited once, unfortunately for me, they are in Utah.  There is a dearth of cute quilt shops here where I live.  But now I have this lovely stack of fabrics for dreaming up new projects!

my favorites!

sew & tell v.1.0.10 - or how to procrastinate!

Okay, so I get to cross another one off my list!  This project started over a year ago.  In fact we used it all last winter without it being finished.  So what do you think is under that little flap?

Oh, did you cheat and go look at my list?

 

It's a lovely zipper!

And I even made sure the zipper pull was on the right side.  Unlike the last time I made one of these  (even thought I didn't mention it - I totally put the zipper pull on the inside! aack!).

Honestly, I don't know why it took me so long to sit down and do this.  The actual ironing and sewing didn't take that long.  But I have a history of procrastination.

It did take me a while to find a zipper I thought was big enough.  I ended up using a 36" robe zipper.  This is a king sized duvet - so it needed to be long.  There's a little blurp at one end where I sewed it in, but I don't think anyone will notice.  It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful!  Thank you, Nester!

As for telling you how I did it, I kind of winged it.  It's like doing a side lap zipper on a skirt.  Something like this or this.  I'm just happy it's finished!  Now maybe our duvet will stay put and not slide out the bottom!  Here's a picture of the whole thing if you haven't seen it (Ah yes, the lovely Amy Butler Nigella):

And here's the original post.

I just bought some new blue sheets and now am motivated to get my coordinating pillows finished as well.

Did you join in Jacquie's challenge?  What did you finish this week?  It's time to Sew & Tell!

If you are new here to sew & tell, here are the few short rules:
1. Link to a post about a finish you had this week (don't just link to your blog, please!)  This can be a post from any day this week. Just be sure to. . .

2. Link back to this post so more peeps can join in the fun! If it is a post from earlier in the week, just please add a note about sew & tell . Now that we have a button this is super easy - you can just cut and paste the HTML from over there on the right sidebar! 

3. Enjoy getting motivated and patting each other on the backs in the comments! This is what I find so fun about sew & tell - sharing and inspiring each other!

another challenge!

Oh how I love a good challenge!  Jacquie is hosting another UFO (Unfinished Objects) challenge!  She is the mastermind behind this past April's Spring to Finish challenge.

 

To join in check out the post here.

How many UFO's do you have that you can finish before January 1?  Go to that link, comment on her post and tell her.

I counted mine up and there are a whopping 14.  And that's not all I have unfinished just the ones that need to get done soon!  It's a good number though, because I figure that's one project per week until the end of the year.  Which means one Sew & Tell post per week!!!  Oh yeah, I love it when stuff like that works out.   Edited:  Thanks Sue for getting me out of denial!  I blame it on placenta brain - there are really only about SEVEN weeks left, so that more like TWO Sew & Tells per week.  Sheesh.   I'd better get busy!!


Here is my list:
Dress for the ball (see one down already!)
4 bags
Bird quilt
A quilt for my daughters birthday
a wallhanging to go with above quilt
my emmaline apron
pillows for my bed
put the zipper in my duvet cover (that I made LAST fall)
tablerunner for Christmas present
2 birthday presents

I had to be vague on some of these, as they are gifts.  Wish me luck!  But better yet, why don't you join in? And then share your progress on Sew & Tell!

Oh yes, and I did I mention there are prizes?  We will all report back on Jan. 1 on how many we each completed - and that's how many entries you'll have in the drawing!  Oh yea!

By the way - you guys are so nice and generous with your compliments on my photos from the ball.  You made me feel much better than before I posted them.  :)

sew & tell v.1.0.9 - deadlines!

It's finished!! (well - enough - I still have to hem it! Plus I won't be able to post a good picture of it on until someone else is here to take it....)

I have to say, I'm happier with it than I thought I would be.  I was really nervous it was just going to make me look, well, fat.  But it's cute and comfy and that's what counts when you are pregnant and want to eat every last morsel of food on your plate.  :)

The sleeves weren't as bad as I thought they would be.  It's been at least 15 years since I made myself a dress (and I used to do it more than I realized) so a lot of the steps came back.  This was a little different - but it made for a very nice result.

  

It has this pleat all the way down the back.  I considered omitting it, but I kind of like the detail.  I just hope it doesn't pooch too much around my backside, if you know what I mean!

No, I didn't make the shoes, I just had to show them to you.  I bought them in Belgium about 15 years ago.  I walked by them every day on my way home, and unfortunately wasn't great at converting Belge francs to dollars.  I thought they were cheaper than they actually were.  But I figure if I am still getting use out of them this much later, it was totally worth it!  Plus, I love how the flowers echo the embroidery on the fabric.

 Here's a sneak peek- don't worry, I'm going to buy some black pantyhose today to cover up those scary winter legs!  My daughter can't resist a photo op.  Or a princess dress for that matter.  She was asking if we were going to dance at the ball - I didn't break it to her that we won't see Cinderella there.

One other note:  It's really important to link to your POST, not just your blog.  If people come by to check links later and it just goes to your blog, there's no guarantee they will find your sew & tell post if you have posted since then.  If you have any questions, I'm happy to help!!

Remember to get the link to a specific post follow these steps:
Once you have published your post, view your blog.
Click on the title of your post.
Look up in your browser address bar and find the address for that page.  For me it looks like this:  http://www.amylouwho.com/2009/10/sew-v108-another-one-of-those-weeks.html
So basically it's your blog address and then some.

Can't wait to see what you've gotten done! We had a record attendance last week - 30 people!!

If you are new here to sew & tell, here are the few short rules:
1. Link to a post about a finish you had this week (don't just link to your blog, please!)

2. Link back to this post so more peeps can join in the fun! If it is a post from earlier in the week, just please add a note about sew & tell . Now that we have a button this is super easy - you can just cut and paste the html from over there on the right sidebar! 

3. Enjoy getting motivated and patting each other on the backs in the comments! This is the funnest part about sew & tell - sharing and inspiring! 

Oh, and if you post after Friday - make sure to leave me a comment so I know to come see you!

do not disturb - dressmaking in progress

So, I still have to do the facing, the sleeves (AACK! - they look tricky!) and the hem.  Plus I need to take it in quite a bit.  I wasn't sure how it would fit around my ever expanding middle. (I hope it still fits by Friday!)

See that little point on the yoke?  That was WAY more complicated than I thought it would be.  Luckily the gathers kind of draw away from it.  I'm hoping to finish it up tomorrow so I can have pictures up for Friday.  I thought the ball was on Saturday, but found out on Sunday, that no, it's on Friday.  So I really don't have any extra time.

Thanks everyone for your sweet words, encouragement and congratulations from my last post!  You guys really are so nice!  I promise I won't turn this into a maternity/pregnancy blog, but I might share a few tidbits with you here and there.  My due date is early May and we'll have the big ultrsound mid-December.  So expect at least those two updates!  :)

See you on Friday for Sew & Tell!!

what's cookin', good lookin'?

First off, THANK YOU everyone who participated in Sew & Tell on Friday!  I'm so glad you are enjoying it and feeling inspired, that's what I was hoping for!

I have been cooking a bit around here lately.  I spent Thursday last week at my friend Deisha's (former personal chef) house learning how to cook some meals for freezing.  After a morning of chopping, dicing, sauteing and sealing, I have enough food in my freezer to last at least 6 meals, maybe more.  It will really come in handy on those nights when it's busy and I just need to heat something up!

I know the last thing you want to see is a picture of the inside of my freezer - but all that stuff on the bottom are flat packed meals - enough for 6 nights!!

We made enough for two meals (at least) each of  manicotti, stuffed peppers and creamy vegetable pasta.  I have the fixings to do a pistachio crusted salmon, chicken soup and Crock Pot Pork Chops!  I'm so excited!  Except now I think I need to upgrade my Food Saver to the fancy version with the pulse, wet and dry options....

And I think I've spoken of my love of Wegman's, the mecca of grocery stores.  Seriously, I'm not kidding.  They have an awesome bakery, patisserie, fish monger, butcher and catering counter.  Plus they put out a quarterly magazine with all sorts of good recipes.  I made this cauliflower and spinach gratin the other night.  Here it is cooking in the oven.

Mmmmm, okay so maybe it tastes better than it looks....

And I'm pleased to report that this pan was eaten all up!  Even the kids liked it! (Well, the secret ingredient is alfredo sauce.  How could it be bad?)  I'm planning on making a butternut squash and pear soup for a lunch potluck this week.  (The recipes aren't up on there web site yet - maybe when their next issue comes out, and then I'll share with you!)

Now, I tried for the first time to make apple butter!  Look at those glorious apples!  I used these two recipes: crockpot365 and recipezaar.  Unfortunately, I cooked it for 8 hours on high, not on low, and then I cooked it some more..... oops!  It made one pint instead of 4.  So now I'm trying to decide whether I make another batch and mix this stuff in, or if I should add some apple juice and thin it out.  I might do both.  I'll let you know.

And the other thing I've been cooking. . .

~insert ultrasound photo here~

Some of you probably figured it out already - we'll be moving Labor day to early May next year!

Plus, I've really been wanting to have a reason to buy something with this logo on it.

I hope this explains why I've been so slackery, tired, out of touch and unmotivated lately!  Now that I'm through the first trimester and my husband will be home all month I hope I can start feeling a little more normal again.   Plus, I'm going to have all sorts of fun baby things to sew!!  (This also explains my choice in patterns for that dress I'm making!)