New Fabric . . . New Projects

I really am having a tough time getting in the crafting groove again. I pretty much come home from work, get the kids going on their homework, fix dinner, get the kids to bed, and then crawl in my own bed to answer emails, edit reports, and crash to sleep. I have projects started and others waiting in the wings . . . but I just can't seem to find the energy.

I decided that the remedy might be a trip to one of my favorite fabric stores . . . and what did I find there? Well, of course, some fabulous fabric! I do love me some Riley Blake fabrics!

Here's what I came home with - the bottom two fabrics, along with the super-sized brown ric-rac will be turned in to a baby blanket to welcome a new little boy in my neighborhood. Then the top four will be turned into pillowcases for my own little boys.

And the new little quiet books I've been ever so slowly working on, will be farther along by this time next week . . . I hope. Ok - maybe I'll clean the craft room/office tomorrow on my day off . . . maybe that's what's keeping me from feeling the groove. I'll report back - unless I get lost in there!

By My Valentine

Oh how I love blogland! There are so many great ideas out there and so many wonderful people willing to share.

I found these great bouncy ball valentines over at Supermom and printed up a bunch for my boys. They signed their names on all of them. I've been stalking every Hobby Lobby I passed for the last few weeks and ended up with plenty of super balls . They worked up to be about $0.20 each. Plus they're just so darn cute, I can't stand it. My boys are SUPER excited to pass these out at school this week.

Heart Attack: I saw this idea HERE at 71 toes a week or so ago. We decided to give it a try and it has been such a great thing in our house. We each did four or five hearts the first night and then one heart every day until Valentines. We all love to see the hearts all over the kitchen and the boys love to read them and remember all the different ways and reasons that we love each other. It's a nice way to focus on the positives!Happy Valentines!

Hearts and Cooking - and they're not related

I really have been busy - - not so much crafting lately, but dreaming of crafting mostly. Oh and I've been doing a lot of creative cooking lately. I seem to be domestic in waves - sewing, cooking, painting, jewelry-making, etc. Is anyone else like that?

I have been stalking Etsy lately for a cute Valentine's garland and I finally found what I wanted. Thanks to Oh Sew Sweet Creations, I now have this cute felt heart garland hanging from my otherwise empty mantle. I just can't figure out how I want to decorate my mantle, but the garland is sure cute (even though it is temporary). Source (Oh Sew Sweet Creations)

Cooking wise - I really have gotten out of my comfort zone lately. I have been doing some bread making - a loaf of brioche (that I used for lobster rolls, ala our summer trip to Maine), along with a couple of loaves of rosemary bread (ala Macaroni Grill) - no pics of either of those - - we ate them too quickly.

I love pancakes and I love to try different kinds of pancakes. My all time favorite still has to be German pancakes like my mom always made. But another strong favorite is Swedish pancakes and I came across this great and easy recipe over at Stitchery Dickory Dock. I quickly learned to make them in a small round saute-type pan rather than on a griddle, and they really were yummy!

Source (Stitchery Dickory Dock)

And finally, I'm not a big pepper (of any variety) fan - never have been, probably still will never be. But I was at a working lunch earlier this week and decided to be brave and try a jalapeno popper that was on the table for the taking. It was quite tasty. So I decided to be brave and browse for jalapeno popper-like recipes. I came across this one from the Pioneer Woman. Easy - and it looked good. And you can't beat the name: Bacon-wrapped jalapeno thingies! I made a big batch of them this afternoon to take over to a Super Bowl party. They were a hit. And I even ate a few of them. It was really the luck of the draw - some peppers were mild and some blew my socks off (and I spent some time really cleaning each one of them out). But overall, they were easy and it feels good to get out of my zone.

Source (the Pioneer Woman)

Now let's see if I can get my crafting mo-jo back sometime soon!

Chinese New Year

I've been busy puttering around, making a few odd crafts here and there for the past few weeks . . . a baby blanket, a new necklace . . . . and working on a new quiet book (which is taking longer than I thought - or I'm just slower than I used to be).



But among all the busyness, I decided it would be fun to celebrate the Chinese New Year with my little family. I feel a little experienced in this area since I did get to spend some time (not nearly enough!) in China a year and a half ago. I can't believe it has been that long ago now. And there have been so many great ideas floating through blogland that I just couldn't resist. We celebrated today (or as son #2 has taken to saying: We "partied down" today - Chinese New Year style).



So amongst an excellent Chinese dinner at a great restaurant a fair distance from our house (that we rarely ever take the time to drive to) - and having to drive home in a nice winter snow storm, we did a few fun crafty things. I thought I would post the links here so that I can find them again in future years.



#1 - Dragon masks: it is the year of the dragon. Skip to my Lou, guest posting at Alphamom, made these super cute dragon masks. The boys loved to color them and wear them all over the house tonight.



#2 - Red envelopes: it is traditional to give money to others as a gift or a wish for good luck in a red envelope. While I ended up finding the "real thing" at a local Asian market that recently opened, the Silly Pearl has these super cute ones to make yourself. We made these too. The boys each got $1 in their envelopes. Son #1 instantly decided it should go to the bank to be deposited in his college fund. Son #2 had other ideas but reluctantly gave in to "brother-pressure" (otherwise known as peer pressure) and gave his bill to dad to deposit at the bank.



Other things we found at the local Asian market - super cute dragon ornaments that the boys have hanging with their other good luck charms I brought them back from China, and also some Chinese zodiac charms. They were born in the year of the dog and the rat so they have these charms in their rooms now too. Oh - and of course, these super touristy but fun little hats with the long braid running down the backs. They've hardly taken them off their heads today. I couldn't let them go in the Chinese restaurant with them on - - - and they were very disappointed.
But the Japanese "Pokey" sticks (cookie sticks dipped in chocolate) I bought at the Asian market seemed to make up for it and ended our night perfectly! Happy New Year!

Creative Kid Lunches

My boys are both in school full-time now. And that has meant packing lunches for them . . . I hate the pressure of this task! My philosophy is that lunches should be something healthy that they will actually eat. And I firmly believe that the lunches should include a variety of foods - not the same thing every day. My older son is the pickier eater of the two, however I still have it pretty good - he's not that picky. After a few months of lunchables pretty much every day, I finally found a fabulous blog called Another Lunch. Melissa uses Bento-style lunches and snacks with her kids and then blogs about them. I have been inspired . . . and my boys are finally happy with their lunches! And I no longer dread having to make lunches!!!

I have been using just some basic Ziplock style divided "boxes" which had been working very well. Then Melissa posted one day about these super cute Lego boxes that were food safe. I couldn't resist and went straight to the Container Store (online of course, since I'm not lucky enough to have a real Container Store near me) and ordered them in a couple of sizes. I have also picked up some egg molds (how cool are those things - seriously!!) and a wide variety of cute food picks.

I actually enjoy coming up with lunches now and I know my boys are enjoying their lunches more. My favorite treat idea from the blog has been the "deconstructed s'mores" - I've been known to make a little handful of that delightful treat just for me from time to time. But mini cookie cutters for cheese, bread shapes for sandwiches, and creative ways to present fruits and veggies have totally revolutionized lunchtime for us. Next up for me - homemade granola bites . . . I just have to find myself some mini silicone cups.

Here is a quick picture of our Lego lunches. These fit just perfectly inside my kid's lunch bags from Target. The smaller Lego boxes open up for a treat or whatever I needed to keep separate from the rest of the food.
Here is a close up - a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (made with my new pampered chef sandwich maker, silicone cups with whole grain fish crackers and grapes. And inside this particular small Lego box he will find some chocolate and graham cookies.
And this is my husband's lunch for tomorrow. He's out of the office tomorrow and working in a place where he will not have access to a frig or a microwave. This is one of my 3-compartment Ziplock containers that have also been great. You'll see some crackers and slices from a mozzarella/prosciutto/basil roll. Then I tossed in some baby carrots and peeled clementines. There's also a silicone cup with sunflower seeds ( I wrapped that cup in some good, sticky clear wrap before I was finished to keep it from spilling). We'll see if that worked.
Truly, this has changed my lunch-making routine. I almost, kind-of, sort-of look forward to making lunches.

My Favorite Crocheted Scarf and a Hat

Handmade gifts are often really the best to receive, especially for so many of us that have so much already. When we asked my brother what his wife might want this year, he said "we already have two of everything". But my sister-in-law did mention how much she enjoyed a handmade scarf and a hat that she had received a few years ago. I decided to pull out my most favorite crocheted scarf pattern - the Curly Q scarf from http://www.patonyarns.com/. I have made this pattern for myself and at least one other that I recall that was a gift. This scarf works up so quickly and it is definitely one of the scarfs that I get the most positive comments on.

I knew that I wanted to add a little hat to go with it - and I couldn't find the last (and probably only) pattern I had for a hat. So I went to Crochet Trend via Etsy and ended up buying a really cute - and super easy - pattern. I added a dark brown to the same oatmeal colored yarn I used for the scarf (you crochet two yarns at once for the hat) and whipped this hat out in less than an hour.
Love it! Hope she does too.

Nativity Quiet Book

I've been wanting to make a Christmas themed quiet book for my boys. I found a couple of patterns that I mostly liked and after narrowing it down, I decided to go with a Nativity book. My only complaint about most of the quiet book patterns that I find are that they are just for looks - they aren't interactive. But . . . they sure are cute. So I went ahead and made two of them. (If I had extra time and some creativity, I would have tried my hand at making my own, more interactive, version.) But I'm happy with how these turned out.The one on the left will get sent to my sister. The one on the right is mine and was broken in by the boys today - and they would agree with my "wish these were more interactive" feelings. Here is the front cover.

I added the manger - the pattern just had an inscription page. Then we have Mary & Joseph.

Next up, the shepherd and a sheep, and then an angel.
The three wise men come next and then the manger with a baby Jesus. The baby is the only interactive portion - it is loose and can be played with separately.Finally, the back cover.
This pattern comes from Shelley Wallace's Etsy shop found HERE. I purchased a couple of her other patterns and plan to make a few more.