The End of the Yellow Oilcloth

When I was little, I once had a school picture, taken in a yellow dress. It was quite possibly, one of the worst pictures taken of me. I looked so jaundiced and pale. Eeek! (If only I had that picture to scan in...but then again, wouldn't want subject you to that.) From that day, my mother declared that I looked terrible in yellow. And so for 30 some years, I didn't. Then last year, I went out on a limb and bought a yellow cardigan. And realized that I actually look nice in yellow. My love affair with yellow had begun. It's a hot color this summer. So, when I can across the yellow oilcloth in my stash, I knew I had to put it to use. I decided to make a large tote. Thought it would be useful for my upcoming travels, I'm told that there will be some pool visits! And in the very least, can be used for toting produce at the farmer's market. I also decided to make a couple of more little zipper pouches. You can never have too many of those!

Christmas in July

As a follower of Craftaholics, I was compelled to join in on the Christmas in July Gift Exchange. I love to make stuff, but there are limits to how much stuff I need/can use. So, I thought this would be a good outlet. And you get a handmade gift in return. But what does one make for someone they don't know. At all. It was suggested to contact the recipient and just ask, if you were unsure. But I just decided to make a couple of really useful items. (I also wanted to make things that I already had all of the supplies for.) I ended up with a zipper pouch made of oilcloth-could be used to hold just about anything, everyday, for travel, for makeup, as a small wetbag. I thought it would be good to hold sunscreen and other runny summer items. And a fabric basket. I didn't use a tutorial for the pouch. I used a method that I learned somewhere along the way, maybe in a book? I couldn't remember. But it was very quick and easy. Definitely took less than an hour to make. The second thing I made was a fabric basket was made from a tutorial found on Pink Penguin. I have made the quilted version before. In fact, I keep all of my camera, ipod, etc cords in it by my computer. I made a slightly bigger version this time and didn't do all of the piecing work. I used some Anna Maria Horner Drawing Room scraps and think it turned out so cute! Can't wait to see what I'll get in return.

Bloomin' Onions?

I hate raw onions. Don't put a raw onion ring on my burger-it ruins the whole thing. But a cooked onion-that's an aromatic and can add a lot to a flavor to a dish. So, from time to time, I'll buy a small bag of onions at Trader Joe's. Has about 4-5 onions and will last for months. Or so I thought. I peered into my little basket that I keep my onions and garlic in, this morning, only to find this. Two of the onions had sprouted! I had only bought these last week. Are they old? Can they still be eaten? I'm going to keep this experiment going.... Wonder if they'll flower? While I'm at it, thought I'd mention a healthy recipe. I had a craving for BBQ pulled pork this week (I am a Kansas City girl, after all), but let's be honest, not a very figure-friendly dish. I searched and searched and finally came across this recipe from Eating Well-Barbeque Pulled Chicken. It's cooking away in my crock pot as we speak. (I've since eaten the aforementioned pulled chicken. It was pretty good. I would definitely recommend dialing up the heat a little.)

Movie Treats! (and a visit to an area quilt shop)

I'm off this afternoon to see Sex and the City 2 with some friends! I am beyond excited!! My sister and I did not miss an episode back when SATC was on HBO, airing it's regular seasons. We watched EVERY Sunday night, religiously. That seems like a million years ago. So my devotion to Carrie, Samantha, Miranda and Charlotte runs deep. But I digress. It is my friend Min's birthday today. So I couldn't just show up at the theater like it was any other day. So I decided to bring snacks. I made White Chocolate Popcorn; the recipe was found on Make and Takes. (Which was put together in literally 10 minutes yesterday afternoon. Other than letting it harden for a few hours, the stage that took the longest was microwaving the popcorn.) I also am including small packages of swedish fish and pretzels. (The pretzels are for me, I can only take so many sweets and maybe others feel this way too.) Packaged all individual snacks in cellophane bags tied with ribbon and everybody's collection of snacks in just plain paper bags. (Wished I would have thought ahead on the overall packaging, but even I can't think of everything.) I think my friends, who share my love of eating, will enjoy this surprise. Maybe they'll go to the movies with me more often... Now, off to the movies! (I hope I can convince them to have a cosmo with me.)

On a completely unrelated note, I ventured out to Annapolis yesterday, to visit Cottonseed Glory, a very good quilt shop! These are few and far between in the Baltimore/Washington Area, so just had to mention it. Definitely worth the trip.

A New Baby and A Mini Cinnamon Roll Bouquet

Earlier this week, my friends Heather and Oliver had their 2nd child, a little boy named Linus. Isn't he darling? I went to visit him at the hospital and brought with me a Mini-Cinnamon Roll Bouquet. Although I haven't blogged much about it, I do love to cook and bake. And while I cook all the time, don't bake much-I can (and should) only eat so many sweets, so I was excited when I found this tutorial on From Glitter to Gumdrops. It was surprisingly easy to put together. (Basically-rolling out cresent dough, sprinkling with brown sugar and cinnamon, rolling the dough back up, cutting into small pieces, baking in mini muffin tins.) And very well received! (And do you remember the basket from the flea market finds?)

Flea Market Finds and A Summer Tote

My friend, Heather and I had a little girl's morning out yesterday. (Who incidentially is about 12 months pregnant and was not the least bit phased by all the walking...I'm so excited about the new baby, whose arrival is imminent!!) We spent much of the morning at the annual Putty Hill Park Flea Market. Such fun! Came home with a small, but good haul-a small yellow basket (which I had plans for the minute I saw it, look for it to be appearing in a craft soon), an antique looking tea canister and a silver cuff. Not bad for $14. Afterwards, we headed to Ikea for lunch and additional shopping. Where I finally decided to buy these. Crazy colored crochet doilies. (I forgot to take a picture of them in the package. If you happen to be looking for them at your local Ikea, they can be found near the fabric.) I had been eyeing them for months and finally decided to pick them up, only $3.99. Once home and after a nap, decided to make a tote and use them for embellishment. Rummaged through my stash and decided on the zebra print. The result is perhaps a little busy, but I love it! Could not find a new spring bag at the Rack this afternoon, so I'll be sporting this until I find something better...

Mastering the Art of French Knotting

I have very vivid memories of being on road trips with my parents, my father, always driving and my mother, keeping him company and working on her embroidery. I specifically remember her working on a set of pillow fronts that were hospitality pineapples made entirely of french knots. I was always eluded by the french knot for some reason. It seemed complex and difficult. Well, turns out, it isn't. In fact, it's incredibly easy. You too, can learn how to french knot with this video lesson, found on Early Bird Special. Early Bird Special also has lots of free embroidery patterns. Check it out!