Sew Busy

So much I want to blog about and talk about but I have only so much creative time! I have been spending a lot of time lately sewing and crafting. The fabric and project addictions are in full glory and leave little time for mental musings!

I am a beginner sewer, and it has taken a long time for me to feel the small beginnings of confidence in sewing. And more importantly, I am finding that I love sewing. But like other things in my life, I have found for sewing to be fun and enjoyable then it has to be simple. And nothing is simpler than the humble dishtowel.

I am finding that there are amazingly cool things you can make from simple dishtowels. My love affair with happy dishtowels is in full bloom right now. I love that you can find them in such cute patterns, colors and they are inexpensive! Most of the time it can be cheaper to actually buy something instead of sewing it yourself. But dishtowels are a cheap fabric option with which you can make so many cute things at the fraction of the cost of buying the goods already made.

Here a few dishtowel tutorials that I have enjoyed and will pass them along to you:

• Child's dishtowel apron. This is so unbelievably easy, cute, and fun. Perfect gift for a 8-12 year old girl with their own cookbook. This site has modified the sizes for 2-4 year old girls and I made four of these this afternoon. I am going to put a little wooden spoon in each pocket and voila! Special homemade gift for a little girl. I bought an 8-pack of Martha Stewart gingham/rick rack dishtowels for only 6 dollars at Kmart and bought the bias tape for the binding for $1 each. So each little apron is only costing me about$1.75.
  
• Child's library tote. Again, bought a giant pack of Martha Stewart plaids/summer stripes for only $8. So each tote will cost me less than $1. Make a batch, put a great child's book in the bag, and you have another wonderful birthday gift for a boy or a girl.
• Bend-The-Rules Sewing tea towel waist apron. I just bought this fabulous beginner's sewing book that has GREAT easy projects. One is to buy a dishtowel, turn it sideways, add twill tape for ties and you're done! I just found some cute dishtowels at Target...a 2-pack for $3.50. So I will have a cute new spring half apron for $2.00.
  
• Sewing Machine Cover. I still use the plasticky cover that came with my little machine. This week I can just take another cute towel out of my growing stash and make this nifty little cover. That was easy!

Kmart, Target, Cost Plus World Market, and Crate and Barrel have great selections of affordable towels. You'll never walk through the kitchen section of a store the same now!

Enjoy simple sewing with simple dishtowels. It just doesn't get any easier than this.


photo by quaint homemade

A New Way to Go Green!

Thanks to Crystal I have begun to drink green smoothies. I never thought that I would do something like this, but let me tell you something: THEY ARE GREAT!!

I thought it would be bitter, make me shudder, and be a total waste of time and money. Instead, it was sweet, refreshing, energizing, fast, and a great investment of health for our family. I called it "The Incredible Hulk" drink to my three sons and that was the incentive they needed to try it. They finished the smoothies off FAST and that's all my four year old wanted to have for lunch today (and he is my notoriously "picky" eater).

A few posts ago I told you that I had been looking for recipes for how to use all the veggies and grains that I buy and then don't know what to do with. Green smoothies are the perfect answer for how to eat more greens in a pleasing palatable way. Cuz it's gotta taste good, right?

Google "green smoothies" and you will find many great websites about the nutritional benefits, the renewed energy people experience, physical healing testimonials, and interesting recipes. It's really fascinating. The common denominator of all my research seemed to be to make your green smoothies with a 60/40 ratio of fruits to greens and some water (as much or as little as you like for desired consistency).

I like doing what Crystal does by using a banana for your base. It gives it the sweetness that "hides" the greens, creaminess for a great texture, and kids love it. From there, add any other fruits. Apples, pears, strawberries, blueberries, oranges, mangoes, etc. Then if you are just beginning (like me!) add 1/2 cup greens. I am starting off with spinach because it is mild, but I have some lacinato kale in the frig to try this afternoon. Then add water. Up the greens to 1-2 cups as you get accustomed to it.

My "recipe" so far has been:

1 banana (very ripe)
1 large Granny Smith apple (peeled, cored, cubed)
3/4 cup spinach
3/4 cup water

It was delicious. I couldn't believe it. I am definitely going to make these daily for a snack or breakfast and for my children. There are all kinds of neat recipes and ideas to find, but I say keep it simple. Banana, other fruits, some spinach or kale and water...then blend away.

Try it out and see what you think I'd love to hear if you like them or not. And if you are interested in a Green Smoothie Challenge, then check out Sara's drink-a-green-smoothie-a-day-for-a-month challenge that starts February 25th.

Go green in a new way!

photo by Westcoast Weezie

Simple and Cute Valentines

I am "borrowing" a photo from shizzknits to show you what I am up to this week for Valentine's day. I was tired of buying the pre-made cheapy Valentine's cards from stores and am seeking this year to be more of a thoughtful producer rather than a frantic consumer. I found this cute Valentine's idea from here and have spent a little snippets of time this past week completing them for my kids' classroom buddies.

Buy paper CD sleeves from Office Depot (or your office supply store of choice!), grab a red ink pad and heart stamp (or just use heart stickers that you can buy for $1 from AC Moore), stamp or sticker, punch a hole in a top corner and tie a tag on it with rick rack or ribbon. My tags are white ones that I layered cute papers on (from Target) and stamped "be my valentine" on it.

Today I am going to make "Colossal Cookies" to go inside. This recipe is from a friend and I think they will be perfect for these CD's...the recipe makes 60 big cookies and they freeze really well.

Here you go:

1 stick of butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 1/2 cups brown sugar
4 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 (18 oz) jar creamy peanut butter
6 cups uncooked oatmeal
1 (6 oz) pkg chocolate chips (or more)
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda

In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Blend in eggs and vanilla until smooth. Add peanut butter. Mix well. With wooden spoon, stir in oatmeal, chips and baking soda. Drop onto cookie sheets using large spoonfuls. Flatten with fork. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes. Cool 1 minute before moving to wax paper or wire rack to cool completely.

Off to bake these now!

Books and Such

I just got "tagged" by my oh-so-make-me-think-and-ponder friend Andrea for a book meme. You know what? I don't even know what memes are, but here I go!

Here are the "rules":

Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
Open the book to page 123.
Find the fifth sentence.
Post the next three sentences.
Tag five people.


My book: Helper by Design by Elyse Fitzpatrick.

The sentences:

"Love. Christian love is charity towards others that is not shown by doing what the person loved desires, but what the one who loves deems as needed by the loved one. It is an unselfish, other-centered frame of heart that seeks to give to the beloved what will eventuate in his greatest good and happiness."

I tag any of you that like and know what memes are :)

In other books, I am really enjoying reading:

The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters.

And:
Three Cups of Tea by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin.

Check out the links because I know that you will then want to check out the books!

Happy inspirational reading!

photo courtesy of C G-K

One Year Blogiversary (4 days late!)

Yea!! I made it a year (and 4 days!) For some reason I thought my blogiversary was later this month only to realize that I started this little slice of my life February 1st last year. So although I am a little late in my celebration, I am very happy to realize that I have continued this little hobby for so long. I can flit and float to many different hobbies and can burn out of passions quickly. I had no idea how much I would enjoy blogging and have felt like I have managed to keep things simple here.

And now I am off to another year!