Peter Rabbit Invites

My oldest childhood friend is expecting her first baby, and I made these little invites* for her Peter Rabbit themed shower. The shower is this weekend, so this post is basically me procrastinating!

I ordered Beatrix Potter postcards and printed the info onto pink vellum, with a footnote asking guests to bring back the postcard with some wit or wisdom for the new parents. It was fun picking out the different postcard illustrations for various guests that I know (which eventually came down to, how many cats would this person tolerate?).

When we were little, our old library had a collection of teeny, tiny (crinkly plastic-covered) Potter books that we absolutely loved, so I've felt really nostalgic planning out all the details and imagining my friend's sweet new baby. Fingers crossed I'll be able to capture more from the special day.

*personal info in pics altered

Making: Quick Folded Flowers

Continuing with the flower theme of yesterday's 12 Months of Martha project, I wanted to share a method I stumbled across for making quick and easy paper flowers. I love how you can make a bunch all at once! I happened to see an all-white version of these while passing a Fossil storefront -- they looked whimsy and dimensional at first glance, but up close you could tell they were made using basic origami folds. I knew I had to try them out, so I snapped a photo and Q helped me come up with a similar version.

Even though they were easier than any paper flowers I've tried before, ours still required boring steps like marking specific angles with a protractor, etc. But realizing the 60 degree angles were key (thanks to Q), I did a more specific google search and found this method that goes even quicker (no protractor!). I tried to highlight how simple the folds are below:

Supplies:
-Paper & scissors
Optional:
-Brads (for holding layers together)
-Pom-pom stickers (for the stamen)
-Leaf ribbon (for creating a garland)

Steps:
1. Fold & unfold a square piece of paper in half both directions to make light crease lines. Refold in half just from top to bottom.
2. Fold left side down to right, forming an approximate 60 degree angle line from the top center crease.
3. Next, fold right side down over left at another 60 degree angle, adjusting so both folds are centered off that middle crease line.
4. Now the two overlapping folds will form a point. Fold in half side to side.
5. Trim uneven layers off bottom edges in a rounded petal shape (or any shape you'd like).
6. Unfold your new flower! Refold, trim, crisp your crease lines (to give each petal dimension), etc. as necessary to get the exact shape you want, and stack layers together for an even fuller look.

To add more detail, I used the pink pom stickers as a quick 'stamen', but you can also make them from a tiny piece of paper (see above in yellow). I used the same steps as the flowers, but fringed the edges, unfolded, and added a brad to the center before scrunching it back together.

Overall, the flowers take a little bit of trial & error at first, but once you get going they go fast. And it's fun to come up with endless variations -- hope you give them a try!

(This post is part of the 12 Months of Martha, using Martha Stewart Crafts provided for a project each month. I'll be donating/giving away my supplies once the projects are complete.)

Making: Flower Tacks

I mentioned awhile back that I joined the 12 Months of Martha team this year, and I have a few fun craft projects to catch up on sharing here. The first are these flower tacks, which are an easy, pretty upgrade for your real-life "pin" board. I love the simple difference they make!

While these mostly explain themselves, below is a quick rundown (which takes about as long to read as to make). Hope you enjoy.

For the velvety tacks (above):
-flat, round thumbtacks
-flower ribbon
-craft paint (I used pink, coral, & yellow)
Using the flower ribbon (shown above), cut off a single 'flower' and poke a painted thumbtack through the center. Add a tiny bit of glue if you'd like it more secure.

For the gem tacks (below):
-flat, round thumbtacks
-acrylic flower embellishments (or anything similar)
-multi-surface glue
Remove adhesive sticker from the back of flower gem and add a dab of multi-surface glue. Stick the flat top of the thumbtack onto the glue and gently hold in place, leaving it to fully dry before using.

(This post is part of the 12 Months of Martha, using Martha Stewart Crafts provided for a project each month. I'll be donating/giving away my supplies once the projects are complete.)

Making: A Stenciled Chair

Here's my second project for the 12 Months of Martha... I found this old chair on the side of the road a year or so ago (I thought it was cute and could use a new life!), and it needed so much sanding to re-stain it that I spray painted it Lagoon blue on a whim. It looked intense! But I've left it like that for almost a year now, and set folded blankets on the seat to cover the weird holes from removing the upholstery.

When I saw adhesive stencils in this month's supply box, I thought it would be an easy way to add some pattern to the chair, since the adhesive makes it a lot easier to reposition along curves. So I stenciled all along the front edge of the seat, as well as the top of the back rest. It's not perfect, but it was actually really fun and makes me want to start stenciling all kinds of things now. I like how it subtly breaks up the bold chair color...

It also finally prompted me to recover the seat too. I figured the simplest way was with rope, especially since I no longer had the upholstery template around (oops). Q helped me do this to the top of an accent stool once with jute, but this time I used a softer clothesline rope (I also tried tacky glue here instead of liquid nails, and it's definitely not holding together as well). To be honest, now that it's done, I don't love this rope with the paint pattern, but it looks a whole lot better than it did. Not bad for a free chair!

A few things I used:
- free, old chair for experimenting
- spray paint (Lagoon blue)
- paint for stencil (Martha Stewart Craft's blue, happens to be chalkboard)
- adhesive stencil (Pretty Borders) & foam pouncer
- clothesline rope & tacky glue (for seat)

(This post is part of the 12 Months of Martha, using Martha Stewart Crafts provided for a project each month. I'm donating/giving away my supplies and if you know of a local organization in need of craft items, please contact me!)

Making: Memory Gift Boxes

I've got two of these today! Shortly after sharing the Martha Stewart craft post here last October, I joined on with 12 Months of Martha to contribute twelve projects throughout this year. I was grateful to be asked, and knew that if I agreed to do it, it'd be a fun way to share some crafty things here and would give me no excuse not to blog anymore (even if I'm still behind...already!).

This was the first project I put together back in January, so it's somewhat Valentine's themed, but could work for any time of year. I love random bits of ephemera and hoard them just for special occasions, you know, like making memory boxes. ;) I still remember from the book, Modern Paper Crafts (a favorite of mine) how easy it is to make paper boxes using simple origami, so I made a bunch in various sizes. It's so fun to stuff them full of sweet, even cheesy little keepsakes to make someone smile. I had my husband in mind for the ones shown here, and included movie stubs, old & new postcards, and the dance performance ticket from the night he proposed.

A few things I used:
- square pieces of paper (cardstock & Martha Stewart Crafts red graph paper)
- bone folder
- keepsakes, notes, etc. (found items & Love Notes Postcards)

To make, take a square piece of paper (12x12" will make a 4.25" box), and follow these basic folding instructions to make boxes of various sizes. To create a lid that's slightly larger, adjust the folds in the fifth step (the closer to the center, the smaller it will be). These can get addictive once you start making them...I've made some with stiffened fabric, too!

(This post is part of the 12 Months of Martha, using Martha Stewart Crafts provided for a project each month. I'm donating/giving away my supplies and if you know of a local organization in need of craft items, please contact me!)

October & Crafting

My goodness, I can't believe how long it's been since I've regularly blogged here. This season of life has been full in so many ways (more thoughts on that later), but seriously, I've really missed sharing ideas here and keeping up with all my favorite blogs.

The team at Martha Stewart recently contacted me about sharing a craft idea this month, and my instinct is to pass on this type of thing (I tend to freak out and wonder what the heck to make, plus I don't accept freebies through blogging), but I just had a feeling this would be a fun push to jump back into blogging again (and it definitely was -- here I am!). So, they sent a box full of fall-themed MS craft products to create a project with, and after admiring all the goods, I'm planning to donate or pass them on after this. Here's what I put together!

I've had these tiny plain notebooks from the craft store for the longest time, and thought they'd be perfect to decorate as favors or small gifts. I used paper from the MS Halloween pad, which includes textured pages like awesome felted cats (which I cut & glued to one cover), and glittery star paper & other fun designs that I wrapped like book covers. So cute and simple to make!

I styled it into a little table setting using some things I had on hand: a blue table runner, pearly garland, a vase of gold leaves, and pumpkins. I used a MS mini punch to make pumpkin confetti (gluing some of them onto votive holders filled with glitter), and stuck their masquerade masks onto painted skewers along with gold ribbon.

It was fun getting a chance to put this together, so I might share another post using more of the supplies before deciding where to pass them on (thank you again to Martha's team!). And thanks, friends, for sticking by here. Happy crafting and especially, happy October!

Sweet Potato Fries

My dad has gotten into cooking now that he's retired -- the day after Christmas he made us some sweet potato fries (with eggs and leftover ham), and now we're hooked on making them at home. I've never really liked sweet potatoes, but these are so good it would make anyone a fan!

The key ingredient is the spice mix shown above, Tone's rosemary garlic. Slice the potatoes, drizzle them with olive oil and sprinkle generously with the spices, and cook in a thin layer of coconut oil on the skillet for ten minutes or so.

PS. If you have a weakness for ranch dressing like I do...these are made for it.

Winter Plaid

I kept thinking how cozy some plaid, flannel pillows might be this winter, so I made a pair over Christmas break. Aside from clumsy measuring skills (I was one panel short of the plaid - luckily Q's mom had plain white on hand to use for the back sides), these are the simplest of all things to sew. They're definitely cozy! And look almost as nice on our bed at home as they did on this antique beauty at his parents' house.

Homemade Vanilla Extract

A few weeks ago, Q's brother sent us a link about making your own deliciously homemade vanilla extract. We'd already been putting together a Christmas basket of different little ingredients for Q's parents who love to bake & cook, so the vanilla extract seemed perfect for them (hopefully along with everyone else we plan to give this to!).

It was pretty simple to make: I ordered the beans inexpensively here on ebay, found mini bottles in bulk using a promo code here, and picked up one very large bottle of vodka at Target while buying Christmas lights. : ) I made most of it in larger jars, as it takes a month or two before it's ready to be strained and used. Since I needed it sooner for the gifts, I made those right in the mini bottles (1 1/2 beans per 4oz), with a note to the recipients to strain once ready.

My sister in-law is also trying this out with bourbon...already looking forward to swapping batches with her and having an excuse to make all kinds of treats!

Fall Pumpkins

We've never gotten into carving pumpkins, but ours did get a little spray paint upgrade this year! Drippy metallic on a peach gourd and spotty chalkboard black on a green one. Five minutes and done. And since there were some leaves blowing into our garage, those got painted too. Their shapes looked pretty in silver and matte black. Hope you had a happy Halloween!

(PS. On a much different note, sending prayers to those affected by Hurricane Sandy. Thinking of you all.)

My Favorite Chili

Sunday afternoon felt like the perfect time to make chili, so I did. I've been using pretty much the same recipe since last winter and thought I'd share...it is so easy to prepare (and make substitutions), and the flavor is sweet and tangy. Just be careful not to get carried away with adding the chipotle in adobo (I had to give an entire batch to my brother last Christmas because my mouth was on. fire!).

My Favorite Basic Chili
adapted from Vegetarian Chili - My Father's Daughter

2 Tbsp olive oil
1 large carrot, peeled and cut into 1/4in dice
1/2 yellow onion, peeled and finely diced 
1 red bell pepper, seeds and stem removed, cut into 1/4in dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
3/4 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp chipotle in adobo (or barbecue sauce + red pepper flakes)
1 28oz can whole peeled tomatoes with their juice
2 14oz cans white cannellini beans
1 14oz can red kidney beans
3 Tbsp tomato paste
Pinch of coarse salt
Optional ground beef or turkey as add-in
Optional grated cheese and plain greek yogurt served on top

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a medium pot, adding in the carrot, onion, red pepper, garlic and spices. Cook, stirring, for 15 minutes or until softened. Add in the chipotle and stir to combine.

Turn the heat up to high, add the tomatoes with their juices, crushing with a wooden spoon (I also use a masher to make things even smoother); bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 40 minutes. Add the beans, filling one 14oz can with water and adding to the pot along with the salt. Bring to boil, and simmer again for 40 minutes on low.

Add in the tomato paste (and optional meat), cooking for 20 minutes or until flavors are combined. Add optional toppings and serve.

Tomato Canning

Last week I canned my first batch of garden tomatoes. My dad grows so many that it's a shame to see any go to waste, and it's the best way to enjoy organic produce year-round. I'm not sure why I thought it would be so difficult or tedious to can, but it went pretty smoothly (and was actually fun!). I used this canning book as a guide & a little tool kit that Q picked up.

I canned them crushed, to be used for anything from sauces to soups. I also made a short list of produce worth taking the time to put up for the winter - so far it includes tomatoes, saurkraut, and pickles.

(photos from my instagram feed)

Chocolate Banana Bread

I baked a batch of banana bread for the first time a few weeks ago while Q was away, and since it's one of his favorite treats, I made it again for his birthday. To fancy it up for the occasion, I tried a chocolate version.

It's as simple to make as the standard kind, with just a few extra ingredients, and turned out wonderfully dense and not too rich. As indulgent as cake! It was fun to try out, but next time, I think I'll stick with plain old banana bread - it's plenty good the way it is.

Chocolate Banana Bread: I used this recipe, swapping out the sour cream for plain yogurt, and using 1/2 cup chocolate chips instead of a full cup. Served warm topped with berries.

A Birthday.

We celebrated over the weekend with family, but yesterday was Q's actual birthday, so we spent the evening having one of his favorite meals (pizza), hanging out at the park, and eating homemade chocolate banana bread.

The card I made was a nod to the "you is..." quote from The Help, which he enjoys repeating often. :) I love this guy for his quirky sense of humor, and most of all, his genuine kindness.