Reusable Snack Bags

I read this [kinda life-changing] article in Sunset magazine last month. And while I perceive myself as fairly environmentally conscientious, in comparison to this family, I could only aspire to move in that direction (rather than fully adopt such a lifestyle at this time).

I mostly just wanted you to read that article and see how awesomely they live. But it really got me thinking about hyper-packaging (and packaging at all). I knew there was a justification for all my mason jar hoarding!

Anyhow, this inspiration brings us to the crafty section of this post: the revisitation of the reusable snack bag. I did end up sending them to my friend and she & her family loved them! She even ordered more and in different sizes! So exciting.

These are the ones I made for her - the request was that the fabric be not too girly, so her husband could use them too (!)... this information made. my. day. I opted for the super-awesome Echino fabrics that I bought at Purl while I was in NYC:

(hipstamatic shot = color distortion, but in a hip kind of way)

And these are the ones I made for myself. Probably also a fabric that's too expensive and fancy to get food all over, but I saw it at Birch Fabrics and had to have it. Plus, they're washable.


One is sandwich-sized (7x7) and the other is snackier-sized (6x6). I can't even wait to use them!

And if you're good, I might even post a tutorial on how to make your own! (It's rocket science, I tell ya). So get your sewing machines out!

Please Tell Me You Know About Kale Chips...

I'm probably the last to know about (or try) kale chips, but I have to evangelize here a second. They are amazingly light and crispy and so un-kaley! Even my nephew who shuns all things green was begging for these little guys.

Here's how you make them:

• Wash and dry your kale (I've used the darker, flatter Tuscan kale as well as rufflier traditional kale, both are great - use whatever's available)
  
• Cut out the center rib of your kale and chop into pieces (3 to 5 per leaf)
• Toss with a little olive oil and salt (use salt sparingly, these guys shrink up!)
• Lay pieces in a single layer on a parchment-covered baking sheet (crowding them too much will cause them to steam instead)
  
• Roast at 350F for 15-20 minutes or until crispy & still green (don't let them get brown! Brown = bitter)
  
• Enjoy!
• Check your teeth for kale bits before leaving the house
  

And get used to the phrase, "I want more kale!" because it's gonna happen.

Crafting for Haiti

Well, I'm headed for Haiti this April with a group of doctors and nurses from work. I still can't believe it! I'm feeling a mixture of excitement and hesitation, but I have wanted to do something like this for a long time.

Anyhow, since we must pay our own way to Haiti, what do we nurses do to raise money? We bake! I throw a little crafting in there as well :)

I made a double-batch of my all-time favorite, fool-proof granola recipe and packaged it up! I used those cute little Paper Source labels and my favorite font.


I had some lip balm ingredients left over from some Christmas gifts I made. So I just melted them down, added a bit more peppermint oil, and put it in jars. This lip balm recipe ROCKS, by the way.


And that's really all that's in this lip balm - see? It rocks!

Here's hoping for a successful bake sale (and mission!)!

*If you wish to make a monetary contribution to our mission, drop me a line and I'll let you know how.

Wishing it was Summer

Here's the Purl Soho storefront from our visit to NYC last summer. I can't wait for strawberry weather to return...


And I will probably have to visit Purl Soho again this trip... I have to, it's a crafter's obligation.

Little Man Shirts

I totally forgot to post about this one... D's godson, Charlie, turned two (way back in August). He's totally like 2 1/4 by now, such a big boy!

I'm so excited because we leave this Friday for NYC and we'll get to see him!

(like I said, I'm out of this woodgrain fabric and still so sad about it... keep your eyes peeled, people!
But glad I was able to make a super-manly "2" shirt with it before I ran out!)

This is Charlie's 2nd necktie shirt, but when you're a city guy, you've gotta step up the class, you know what I'm sayin'?

I just can't get enough of these necktie shirts... good thing there are lots of little boys around to wear them!

Makeup Brush Roll

I didn't make too many Christmas gifts this year, which was surprisingly liberating. I do love making gifts, but I just end up putting so much pressure on myself to make "the perfect thing".

In any case, here's one pressure-free gift that I did make. I used a modification of this tutorial.




I used a couple of coordinating Joel Dewberry fabrics (I'm obsessed with the herringbone fabric).

And what is super-awesome about using this fabric for a brush roll is that I was able to hide the seams for the brush pockets. They vary in size, which is perfect for brushes that vary in size. High kicks for that!


See? You can't even see the seams!!

This project will take you all of 30 minutes (at most), and if you're not a makeup brush person, you can use it for knitting needles, colored pencils, or even your chopstick collection! :)

Mug Rug

I'm late on the whole "mug rug" bandwagon, which was so 2009... but whatever.


I made this one in just a few minutes (well, the top anyhow) with some scraps from my scrap bin and I used my favorite old-school bias tape for the binding. I literally just plopped the scraps on white backing and stitched them on one-by-one, freehand. This was an exercise in whimsy.

[sidenote: I'm so sad that I'm officially out of that woodgrain fabric!! I can't find it anywhere! If you spot it, buy me a yard or two and I'll totally pay you back. Must be a supply-demand thing that makes me want it so badly!]

p.s. a "mug rug" is like a cross between a coaster and a place mat - with just enough space for your coffee cup and a pastry :)

Lip Balm Factory

I have been busy this afternoon making peppermint lip balms! In truth, it really only took about an hour. I got the recipe here and I am in LOVE with it! It might even rival my favorite lip balm of all time (from this company). I used peppermint oil, but perhaps next time I'll try lemon - I think that will be delicious and amazing. If you're feeling economical (and maybe a little bit lazy) I have been dying to try the lip balm kits found here. If you do, let me know how they turn out.

And why so many lip balms, you ask? I'm in charge of making holiday baskets for the doctors at work again. So there will be no MDs in our unit with chapped lips... :) There was even a little left over for D and I to have our own little pots too!

So, if you're looking for a largeish-quantity, fairly economical, home-made but not-from-the-oven (read: fattening), quick holiday gift (or if Santa is looking for stocking-stuffer ideas), this is for you!

Project Facts (ish):

* I don't know how much volume the pots hold, but it's a generous "serving." I bought them, and all the other ingredients, at Rainbow Grocery (aka Heaven on Earth) for $.79 each (you can totally find them cheaper online, but I was pressed for time).

* The labels are wedding leftovers from Paper Source. The 1.5" labels fit perfectly!

* I melted all ingredients together in a tin can over a pot of simmering water (to keep our pots nice and mess-free).

* I one-and-a-halved the recipe and made 17 pots (with some leftover, maybe could make about 3 more?).

* Supplies and ingredients came to around $23 (and like I said, you could do this much cheaper).

Enjoy!

Crabby Dog

My sister-in-law has a pug, who she likens to a crab. We're always on the hunt for crab collars or something we can decorate Izzy with. But with no luck, I finally took matters into my own hands.

Browsing at Ikea, I happened upon this fabric and immediately knew its destiny! Apparently it was hot off the truck and people have been anxiously awaiting this fabric.... huh? I just happened to be at the right place at the right time. "First cut!" (think Mary Katherine Gallagher).

This is an actual cut from the fabric:

And this is a crab cut from the fabric and appliqued onto some kona cotton.

I even attempted piping and a zipper... but there ended up being a lot of hand sewing to compensate for the multiple imperfections.

I think it turned out great - probably the gift I am most excited to give this year! I think Izzy will love it! (and his mama too)

*This is a Christmas gift, so don't tell her!*

MoMo Quilt Complete

I love this quilt! I am so happy with the way it turned out. AND I didn't have to do any cutting since I used pre-cut charm packs. I backed it with a solid lime cotton/linen (see it here). Gives it a nice heft.


I've been snuggling up with it for a couple weeks now, but haven't been able to photograph it properly. It is cozy, I'm telling you.

And how good is this guy to me? Schlepping it to the park so I can take a photo? I love him even more than the quilt.

Stripey Stockings

I was kinda over these stockings from a few years back. It was time for a new set.

I mixed my favorite white cotton/linen with a red kona cotton (sorry, forgot the name), and a little pinkier-red woven (don't know the name of that one either). But I bought all the fabrics at Peapod, of course.


D has been working a lot lately, which is why there's so much crafting going on. Poor guy, every time he comes home from a long day at work, he has to endure another decorative surprise. At least I haven't painted any walls (though I've certainly thought about it!).

I hope he likes our new stockings! Santa promises to fill it with good things.

Advent Calendar Revamp

It was really bugging me that my Advent calendar had one too many days. As I learned, December 1st through 24th mark the days of Advent (duh). And December 25th marks the start of the 12 days of Christmas, which end on January 6th, Epiphany.

Plus, D didn't think it looked particularly "Christmassy." Bah Humbug! So anyhow, I had to do something about it.


It's crooked, isn't it? Ok, I'll redo it again...

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a beautiful Thanksgiving.

Love,
Sara

Heather Ross Onesies

I have been making these forever, I can't believe I haven't posted about them yet... or have I? There were some leftover onesies from a baby shower I recently attended. So I took them home to spruce up for the little one (we don't know if it's a boy or girl yet!)

I have a tiny, precious stash of some Heather Ross fabrics, and this is how I think they are best used:

This might be my all-time favorite fabric for children:

And a little doggie in a sweater. Too much.

An afterthoughtish peek-a-boo on the backside (a peek-a-bootie, if you will) that I love:

When I reincarnate as a baby, I will want to wear these.

Advent Calendar

I am well ahead of schedule on this one! Yay! I wanted to mark our first Christmas as a married couple with something special. An advent calendar!


I was too excited that I couldn't wait until daylight to take photos... I'm love the fact that this was 100% made with pieces from my scrap bin. I really didn't have a plan in place, I just started going for it one night (bee-in-my-bonnet fashion). Luckily it all worked out.

I'm realizing that maybe advent calendars don't have a "25" - oh well, this one does!

So what goes in the tiny pockets?

Love notes?

Gift cards?

Chocolate? Yes, perfect size for chocolate...and diamond earrings...anyway! Just kidding.

I've also seen advent calendars that have a little "object" that you transfer from pocket to pocket as you count down to Christmas (like this one). Maybe I'll make a little gnome or something... but I sure do like the chocolate idea! :)

Tiny Pies

Look what I made today! Tiny hand pies!


We're having a potluck at work tomorrow, and since I had the day off, I made these tiny hand pies. And since I used Trader Joe's piecrusts and Trader Joe's cranberry apple pie filling (in a jar, such a cheater), they were super easy. A bit time consuming, but easy.

I wasted some of the dough making these crappy ones, which are too big and fell apart when I picked them up. We'll just have to "confiscate" these.


p.s. I also made this today for lunch - so good & so easy!

In the Works

I've got my Christmas music going already and am working on a holiday project - made 100% of materials from my scrap bin - including Fray Check & the batting! This kind of project makes me want to high kick!! And I just might.

Here's a preview:

Hint: It needs to be completed by 12/1

Final project posted soon (hopefully).

Pinned and Ready, the Accidental Quilt

It's not typically my style to go so bold and pattern-y, but I just loved the way all these fabrics (from Wonderland by Momo, which is totally "2000 & late" by now but whatever) coordinated. The quilt will be 75"x62" and was made with 7 charm packs, totally the way to go if you're A) new to quilting, B) a little bit lazy, or C) love a particular line of fabrics and thing the patterns are interesting enough that they don't have to be cut/rearranged into quilting blocks (I'm B) . It will most likely be added to my growing stockpile of quilts.

(if you're wondering why all my photos are in this Polaroid-esque style, it's because the lighting in our house is no bueno. And the Polaroid effect makes me a hipster and also masks my little lighting problem...See that little tiny bit of light in the upper left corner? That's about all the direct light we get in a day - and that will be gone by the time I finish this post - so there you have it.)

I bought these fabrics earlier in the year and since then, they've mostly just been sitting on my sewing table. The other day, I thought to myself, "I should really start working on this and get it off my table... OK, I'll put together just 10 squares, and then I'll go do something else." Well, 10 became 20 became the whole stack.

And then I laid them out to see what they'd look like all together. And since the pieces took up the whole living room floor, I thought to myself, "I should just put together 2 rows to see how the process will go and get some of this off the floor." And so 2 became 4 became all the rows!

About 7 hours later, the whole top was put together and pressed. And that's how it accidentally came together. I'm backing it with my very favorite linen/cotton from Peapod, that just arrived in the most perfect shade of green!

Pondering how this should be quilted... I'll post the finished product as soon I get there.

Happy Veteran's Day!

Hold Everything & Roast Tomatoes

This year hasn't been so good for tomatoes in California, but my mom had a nice little backyard crop. And thankfully, they're still plentiful in the farmers markets.... because you must make these immediately!


It will take you all of 4 minutes to prepare. You do have to roast for 3 to 4 hours, but when these puppies come out of the oven, you will thank me. You will, I'm telling you.

Juicy, sweet (I mean, like candy sweet), and healthy (did that kill the appeal?)! They're better cold, but I am totally not discriminating.

Here's how you do it:

• Preheat your oven to 275F
• Cut your medium-sized tomatoes in half (cut top to bottom)
  
• Toss them with a little olive oil
• Put them on a cookie sheet, cut side UP
• Sprinkle with salt and pepper
• Roast them in the oven for 3 to 4 hours
  
• Take them out when they're wrinkly and a little syrup-y
• Send Sara a thank you note

So easy. So delicious.

Dry Spell

I've had a bit of a dry spell. We've been traveling and not much creating has been going on around here. I did make a baby quilt for my friend's new little girl, but did I take a photo before sending it off? No. I forgot. But, I have another one very similar, so once that's complete, I'll show you that one (does that sentence have too many commas?).

Because I am so awesome, I break the dry spell with reusable snack bags (!) that I will probably not use (or reuse). Not that I'm opposed to it - these particular ones are just a bit too juvenile for me to bust out in the nursing lounge without having to defend... Anyhow, I made them with a former nursing friend in mind. She dislikes (and doesn't use) plastic snack baggies, so I'm going to send these to her for some testing out/feedback. She and her two little ones can try them out.

Enough talking, here are the bags.


Some new orange polka-dot fabric, lined with royal blue ripstop, and Velcro to close it up. It would have been awesome of me to make them sandwich-sized. Woops - next time.


I got super fancy on my first attempt with iron-on vinyl and a peek-a-boo window...


However, there was a major design flaw...


Pretzels falling out the back when shut is no bueno. I should have made the inner flap shorter than the outer, and put the Velcro on the outer flap. But I hated the black binding, it was too labor-intensive, and now I have a reason to can the design.