The Craftinomicon

5 Things I Love This Week

2012-03-13T18:12:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone! Long time no see! Well, not THAT long, but I have definitely been a little too busy to keep up with the blog the way I'd like lately. For starters, the husband and I are going to be moving into a new apartment the start of April and I have been busy planning for that (the actual packing and execution is something I am trying not to freak out too much about just yet). Also, the hus has a birthday coming up so I am planning on making him some treats for that- fear not, you'll get the recipes. All of this planning and running about has given me very little time to make my crafty projects and photograph them all for you, so try to stay patient with me, you will be rewarded. In the meantime, enjoy some of the things that I've been loving on all week!

1) My friend Melissa's blog. She and her husband are friends of ours from our days back in Indiana and I love getting to catch up with her and her family (and yummy recipes!) from all these miles away. It doesn't hurt that she is a huge Pinterest addict like me, I think we repin half each others boards. :)

2)The Hunger Games. I'm not going to lie, I really tried to avoid getting sucked into this phenomenon, but I ended up reading all three books in the trilogy this week in 3 days. I'm now looking forward to the upcoming movie, and enjoyed swooning over this Hunger Games craft roundup on Craft Magazine this week.

3) St. Patrick's Day. Well, and pretty much all things green in general. I'm planning on having two food craft posts this week, providing one doesn't end up in epic failure. I was looking through some of my old recipes today and found my Pistachio Fudge and Mint Brownies. Both would make great St. Patty's Day treats, don't you think?

4) All things grey and yellow. Best color combo ever. Well, right now anyway, I've been a fan for awhile, but right now I'm obsessed.

5) All of you! Thanks for your comments, emails and coming back to read all about my crafty adventures!

What are you all loving right now?

Art Journaling: Adding Pockets

2012-03-07T09:09:00.000-08:00

While not at all necessary, at some point you might find yourself wishing your art journal had a pocket or two. There are tons of different ways to do this, and as with everything else in art journaling: none of them are wrong! One of the easiest ways to add a pocket, in my opinion, is to sew two pages together.

Start by cutting one page a little shorter than the other. This isn't really necessary, but I like being able to more easily get things out of my pockets, so having the front of the pocket shorter than the back helps.

Next, decide how you will join your pages together. Glue and tape will also work, but I decided to go with a sewn pocket. To make it easier to stitch together, I used a small hole punch to pre-punch holes. I could have sewn without pre-punching as well, but this helps to not tear my pages and weaken the pocket.

I used an embroidery floss rather than thread to make a sturdier connection. Just weave it through the holes, and knot off both ends.

The finished pocket. If you like the look of the thread wrapping around the outside of the pages rather than being in straight stitches, feel free! There is no wrong way to make your art journal.

I decided to cover the back of my stitches with washi tape. It gives the back of my pocket a nice border and covers my knots and stitches. You would never know the front of the page had a pocket sewn in.

Another great pocket method is gluing envelopes onto your pages. You could use the tutorials I have here or here to try making your own, or simply buy envelopes in any color or style you like and glue them on to your pages. I sometimes add a photo corner onto my envelope to help hold it shut, or you could make a button closure like I do in my gift card envelope tutorial.

If you aren't quite sure what you would put in your pockets, here is a list of things that I have filled mine up with in the past:

Recipe cards, or recipe pages torn from magazines
Paint chips
Leaves and pressed flowers
fabric scraps
needle and thread
paper with quotes on it
photographs
stencils
or maybe one of my favorite little extras: Stickers

I got these little beauties from a Sanrio store several years ago. I think the Little Red Riding Hood theme is what draw me to them, I just love it.

What are you going to fill your pockets with?

Crostini with Fig Mousse

2012-03-02T01:00:00.002-08:00

First off, I'm kind of flattering myself by calling this a mousse, let's all let me dream that I am that talented in the culinary arts for a moment. Worry not, this is still a tasty treat, and one that is great for those short on time (and kitchen talent!). It's also very low on ingredients, so it's great to whip up as an appetizer for a group.

To make these crostini you will need:

8oz. cream cheese (you could also use another soft cheese like chevre or mascarpone, but I had cream cheese on hand)
1/2 cup dried figs (I used black mission figs, you can add more or less depending on your taste)
1 baguette
bacon (optional)

In a food processor, combine your cream cheese and figs into a lovely "mousse". My cream cheese was at room temperature to make the blending easier. I have a beast of a food processor, so I didn't cut up my figs at all before adding them, if you know your food processor has trouble chopping up dried fruits, you may want to precut your figs.

I like to refrigerate my fig spread overnight to let the flavors mix in, but you could go ahead and spread this right out of the food processor if you like. Just cut your baguette into thin slices, toast in your oven (I put mine in along side some bacon*) then spread your fig and cheese mousse on top and enjoy!

*I cooked my bacon (sliced thick) on a cooling rack, on top of a jelly roll pan (to collect the drippings) for 25 minutes at 400 degrees. I put my bread in on the same rack for the last 5 minutes the bacon was cooking. I made this for 2 people so I only used 2 strips of bacon and half my baguette. Now we have leftovers for another day :)

Art Journaling: Easy Felt Cover

2012-03-01T01:00:00.003-08:00

I'm starting out easy in my Art Journaling tutorial series, as I've been out of commission with a really bad cold. This felt cover is a cheap and easy option for covering a sketchbook to use as your journal. I like this on any sketchbook with a wire binding because it keeps the binding covered so it doesn't snag on things when you put it in a purse or backpack to carry around with you, but still allows you to open your book all the way so it can lay flat on a table. Here is a very rudimentary diagram for you to check out:

Essentially, you just need one long rectangle of fabric (in my case, felt). You will fold on the dashed lines to create pockets for the sketchbooks original front and back cover to be inserted into (just sew along the top and bottom after you fold and voila-pockets!). You could also use 3 separate pieces of fabric, a main body and two separate pieces to sew on to create the pockets, just make sure you leave room for your seam allowances. Since everyone might have a different sized sketchbook, just make sure you measure the dimensions of your sketchbook (don't go by what the cover tells you-my 6"x6" sketchbook was actually a tad larger when I measured). Add enough extra for your seam allowances (I leave my raw edges on the outside since I use felt, so my seams are only 1/4", yours may be 1/2" or anywhere in between).

To be a little fancier, I decided to use 4 shades of blue and sew them together to get my rectangle. This gives me an ombre effect on my cover going from lightest to darkest.

Once you sew up your felt, you simply slide your front and back covers into the pockets you created. I made my pocket flaps about 4" wide so they cover up a large portion of the original covers, and ensure they stay on my cover.

Here is my cover, all sewn, slipped on and opened up. I kept this pretty straight forward. If you wanted, you could add a closure like a strap with velcro or a snap. I will probably make a much more detailed tutorial once I'm feeling 100% over this cold I have with tons of variations on what you can add to it.

If you are real lucky, like me, when you go to open your sketchbook and start measuring to make your cover, you will find a cute little note like this from your husband that has been sitting inside for a week. :)

Friday Food Craft: Thin Mints

2012-02-24T08:35:00.003-08:00

I'm feeling a little under the weather today (my voice is completely gone) so I have a super easy food craft for you all. Who doesn't like thin mints? These are a super easy "cheater" version with no cookie making required!

To make these yummy little Thin Mints at home you will need:

Ritz crackers
1 (12 oz) bag of chocolate chips (I use dark or a mix of dark and milk chocolate)
1 Tablespoon oil (I use coconut oil, you could use butter or margarine as well)
1 teaspoon peppermint extract

In a microwave safe bowl, melt your chocolate chips and oil together in the microwave. I generally use 30 second intervals and stir well after each. It has never taken me more than 1 minute 30 seconds to get my chips all melted.

Next, add in your peppermint extract. Stir well to combine. Then start dipping your Ritz crackers*, tap off excess chocolate and set them onto a parchment lined cookie tray to set up. I stick mine in the refrigerator so they set faster (because I need my Thin Mints now!). Store in a zip top plastic bag at room temp (or in the fridge if you prefer them cold). Enjoy!

*My husband often uses chopsticks or straws when dipping his crackers to avoid messy fingers. Small tongs would also be great.

I love sweet and salty treats, so to me these are even better than the real Thin Mints!

Also, this is my 200th post! Thanks for reading everyone!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

Art Journaling: Supplies

2012-02-23T12:43:00.000-08:00

I know a lot of people who list journaling as something they'd like to do. Sometimes it is even a New Year's resolution. These same people usually talk, at length of how they started out pretty well, but eventually puttered out. Maybe "dear diary" journal writing just isn't your style! With one successful series behind me (on embroidery techniques) I have decided that March will be the month of the art journal! There will be lots of other projects too, but for those of you interested in journaling, and specifically art journaling: get ready for some awesome ideas, tips and tricks to make this a successful year (or month at least) in keeping a journal.

I have compiled this little list of supplies that you may want so you can follow along in March with all the great journal ideas I have for you!

To start, you will need the journal itself. I typically opt for some sort of sketchbook. To make it something I use more regularly, a small size that can fit easily into any bag, purse, etc is key for me. I also like my journals to have a coiled wire binding. This way, I can fold the whole thing open and lay it flat on a table, hands free, if I paste in a recipe or project idea I want to look at while crafting/baking etc. later on. Don't limit yourself though, If you want to paste your ideas into an old book (I'm a fan of science type journals: botanical survey books can be great!) feel free. The beauty of an art journal is you can be as free with it as you like! Just have some kind of book. You can even hole punch paper and use loose binder rings to fasten it together as you go (great if you like using varieties of paper for different media--you can insert watercolor paper just as easily as graph paper or copy paper).

Next, and especially if you have had trouble sticking to any kind of journaling in the past, find supplies that make you WANT to journal. I found these great woodless colored pencils the other day and I can't wait to use them!

I also typically have gel pens in several colors around the house, I love the way they feel in my hand when I write, so I want to write a lot! I also recommend making yourself a decorative (as well as protective) book cover. I like to use felt or other fabrics, in bright colors. Keep your journal where you will see it and the bright color will draw your eye and remind you to pick it up and write! SO pick out a fabric, felt or decorative paper you would like to see on your cover (you can also recycle the cover of an old hardcover book from a flea market if you'd like).

Have a large stack of magazines you have been meaning to get rid of, but you just can't bring yourself to do it because you know there was something in there you had to keep? Well, flip through them, tear out the things you wanted to keep and save them aside. We'll be adding these to your journal in several fun ways :)

Pick out at least one art or craft supply that you have never used before but would like to try. I purchased some stickers and my first roll of Washi tape the other day at collage and plan on using some of the tape to embellish pages throughout my journal. This is a great time to get a sample set of oil pastels, paints, stamps, stencils, etc and try them out!

Have a variety of papers to incorporate. I always get scrap book paper and cardstock when I find it on sale. Often, I have so much I don't know what to do with it: Embellish pages in your journal, make envelopes to add to pages as pockets, cut out fun shapes and more!

Some optional supplies you may want:

markers
graph paper (especially handy for quilters/embroidery buffs)
various glues
rulers
scissors
crayons
pencil sharpener
binder clips (make some fancy ones like these!)
paper punches (edge and corner punches can make your finished journal look extra cute with decorative edges)
Ribbon (decorate pages or use it as a bookmark)
tape
stickers
stamps
ink pads
paints
paint brushes
Buttons, velcro, etc to make a closure on your cover (there will be tutorials on this stuff later)
needles and thread (you can sew paper too!)

Gather up your supplies and get ready for some fun! Tutorials start on March 1st!

Latest Crafty Haul

2012-02-18T11:33:00.000-08:00

I'm not trying to make you all jealous, but check out the awesome goodies I managed to score during the Grand Opening celebration of the new Sellwood location of Collage here in Portland! I love that we have so many local art and craft supply stores here, and I try to patronize as many of them as I can as often as I can!

I'm not sure what all of these cute supplies are going to become, but all those cute stickers just made me smile! I definitely have two mega themes going on in this purchase: sea creatures and adorable stuff from Japan.

I super love this sheet of paper, I think I might Mod Podge some onto some cute storage tins? Maybe cover up an unsightly corkboard? I might also just sit here admiring it all day. You know, whatever works. I believe my new octopus stamp is going to be gracing some stationery here in the near future as well.

I'm sure some of these stickers will be finding their way to my little nieces in Wisconsin, and I have a mind to share the felt Kawaii kitty love with my Bestie in Atlanta.

Also, believe it or not, that washi tape you see pictured above is the first roll I've purchased. Ever. I'm afraid it won't be the last. Anyone have any particularly great projects they've done with washi tape? I'm seeking inspiration.

Anyone in Portland (or visiting in the near future), I'd highly recommend this shop. So so cute and in such a great neighborhood (not that the Alberta Street location isn't also in one of my fave neighborhoods here!). Plus, if you go to this location you can stop and have lunch or dinner at the super yummy Jade Teahouse (get a slice of Vietnamese wedding cake for me if you do!) right across the street!

Candy Colored Binder Clips

2012-02-17T12:12:00.000-08:00

First off, I'd like to apologize for not having a food craft this Friday. I think my cooking skills got all used up on my special Valentine's Breakfast posts, but fear not I will be back with more yummy food for you next Friday.

In the meantime, I'd like to address my borderline unhealthy addiction to cute office supplies. In particular, binder clips. They are absolutely my favorite office supply. Regular paper clips, even in fancy shapes, just can't hold a candle to binder clips. So I decided to break out the Mod Podge and some paper and fabric scraps to pretty up some of my favorite office supply!

All you need to do is make sure you have clean binder clips, and then brush a think coat of Mod Podge onto your binder clip, place on your paper or fabric then seal with more Mod Podge. I'm thinking or painting my binder clip edges (the parts still in black) with some nail polish to make them even more awesome!

What do you think, should I keep these in a dish instead of candy? Do you have any serious obsessions with office supplies (I'm also a fan of colored staples and tiny notebooks)? Have you ever tried to make an office supply extra pretty? I'd love to hear all about it!

Embroidered Line Drawings

2012-02-15T14:32:00.000-08:00

With my mini series in embroidery behind us, I think it is time to start showing you some great ideas for creating your own embroidery masterpieces! Many embroidery patterns are nothing more than line drawings, so it's a great place to start if you want to try out some non traditional patterns. For this piece I chose a line drawing of a Pug puppy I found on Deviant Art by Lady Gryph.

If you happen to be good at line drawings, or have a friend that draws up a storm, that is a great way to get your very own original patterns! You can also take photographs and tracing paper and create line drawings if you aren't so artistically inclined. Simply trace around the edges of your subject matter, and any details you want to include. Keep in mind that you will be sewing it later, so less is more. You don't want so many lines that your picture is impossible to embroider, but you want enough details that people know what it is.

For this drawing, I used almost entirely backstitch to embroider my design, I just used a couple French Knots to make pupils.

I think I might turn this little guy into a quilt patch. I am going to be starting some quilting tutorials soon, as I plan on making a quilt for a new little niece or nephew I have on the way!

If any of you try out some line drawing embroidery I'd love to see it, just post it to The Craftinomicon Flickr Group!

Valentine Breakfast: French Toast

2012-02-12T15:12:00.000-08:00

Here is another great Valentine's Breakfast idea: heart shaped French Toast. A heart shaped cookie cutter helps make these easy to do for anyone, even the kids can help.

To make this yummy French Toast you will need:

Bread of choice (I used French Bread)
4 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 Tablespoon milk
1 pinch cinnamon
heart shaped cookie cutter

Start by making your coating. Mix your eggs, milk, vanilla and cinnamon together in a bowl.

Next, cut your hearts out of your bread. Dip each piece and place onto a hot skillet to cook, flip to cook both sides. Each side usually takes around a minute for me on a medium heat. Plate and top with whatever you like: fresh fruit, syrup, jam, powdered sugar, etc.

To avoid waste, sometimes I use the outer parts of my bread as french toast as well, put jam on my hearts and place them back inside like so:

If French Toast isn't quite your style, you can also use a cookie cutter to make yourself some biscuits, cut out bread for sandwiches, etc.

Valentine Breakfast: Scones

2012-02-12T15:00:00.000-08:00

I'm bringing some extra food crafts this weekend in honor of Valentine's Day. I'll start off with this easy scone recipe. It makes some super yummy, tender scones and you can substitute in berries, dried fruits and more to make any flavor you like. Also, while a lot of scone recipes call for cutting in cold butter, these use melted butter and make a spoonable batter. Easy for you, yummy for the ones you love :)

To make these super yummy scones you will need:

1 1/2 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional--I really love cinnamon with chocolate)
1 pinch salt
1 cup chocolate chips (I used milk chocolate, you can use any chocolate fruit etc you like)
1 Tablespoon butter, melted
1 cup heavy cream

extra cinnamon and sugar to top (optional)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix together your flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cinnamon. Pour in chocolate chips and toss around to coat them with the flour mixture (this will help keep them suspended in your scones).

Make a small well in the middle of your flour and pour in your cream and melted butter. Stir until all ingredients come together, batter will resemble a very thick pancake batter.

Using a large dough scoop or spoon, scoop scones onto baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle tops with cinnamon sugar mixture if desired. Bake in 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, or until slightly golden on top. Makes 10-12 scones.

Enjoy!

Friday Food Craft: Granola Bars

2012-02-10T03:14:00.000-08:00

I'm a little obsessed with these granola bars. They are really yummy and packed with flavor. I came across the original recipe from Dinners, Dishes and Desserts and had to dabble with it to get my own favorites involved.

To make my version of these tasty granola bars you will need:

1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup natural almond butter
1/3 cup honey (I used blackberry honey)
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
1/4 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons sunflower seeds
1/2 cup coconut, toasted
1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats, not quick oats

To start, melt your oil, almond butter and honey together in a small saucepan over medium low heat. Add in the dark chocolate chips and stir until melted.

Remove from heat and add in your remaining ingredients. Stir until everything is evenly coated and well combined.

Pour into a small baking dish that has been lined with parchment paper (my dish was 9"x7"). I tried some of these in a dish that had just been greased, and while they do come out, it is much harder to get them out of the pan looking nice. I'd definitely go for the parchment paper.

Place in refrigerator to set and store them there. They get a little gooey at room temperature, delicious but messy.

Enjoy! I have plans to try some with marshmallows and graham crackers as mix ins for S'mores granola bars soon!

Calming Brown Sugar Scrub

2012-02-08T12:04:00.000-08:00

Rather than all things hearty and pink, I thought I'd give you all an easy Valentine's gift that can be quickly and cheaply be whipped up for all of your friends! This brown sugar facial scrub requires only a couple ingredients, and can be customized with any scent you enjoy.

To make this batch of sugar scrub you will need:

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup oil or oils of choice (I used flax seed oil, extra virgin olive oil, jojoba, avocado and more can be used.)
4 drops lavender essential oil
8 drops tea tree essential oil

These scrubs are incredibly easy to make, just dump all of the above ingredients into a bowl, mix well and put into a lidded container of choice. I often use tiny mason jars, but if you don't want to have glass in your bathroom, plastic containers can be found that are also very cute.

If you have a hard time finding essential oils or a variety of the oils I have listed above, I have been known to order from Elements Bath and Body from tie to time. They have a flax seed oil I love that is much cheaper than what you will find in a grocery store as it is meant for soaps and cosmetic uses, not food grade.

If you have never used sugar scrub before, get ready for some super soft smooth feeling skin. I love every one I have ever made, and my sensitive skin usually gets dried out no matter what product I use. Just take a small scoop and add a few drops of water, then rub between your hands before applying to your face so it spreads evenly.

February Giveaway! (WINNER ANNOUNCED)

2012-02-08T11:33:00.000-08:00

Those of you who read my newsletter already know that I was planning a giveaway for early February, and here it is! I have been steadily writing on this blog for just over a year now, and thought it would be nice to celebrate my blog birthday, Valentine's Day and being crafty in general all at once!

Being that everyone has different crafty endeavors, I have decided that the winner will get to CHOOSE their prize from a list I have compiled. So here are your choices:

1) $25 gift card to JoAnn Fabrics - get yourself whatever crafty supplies you may need!

2) $25 gift card to Chronicle Books - get inspired by some of the most beautifully made books around, they also have some neat kits and stationery. Plus, if cooking is more your thing, they have some amazing cookbooks!

3) Don't feel like getting a gift card? Let me know what kind of crafts you are most interested in and I will go on a mini $25 shopping spree for you and select some great products to send right to your door! Maybe you want to learn embroidery after my recent tutorials, maybe you are a scrap booking genius, just let me know!

Now, how to enter?

Leave a comment on this post letting me know which prize you'd most like and why! If you choose option 3, include what kind of crafts you most like so I can get appropriate items for you. Make sure your email is included so I can reach you if you are the winner!

If you follow me on Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter, leave an extra comment on this post saying so for an extra chance to win.

This giveaway is open Internationally, please allow extra time for delivery outside the U.S.

Giveaway entries must be received no later than 12 pm (noon) PST on 2/14/2012.

Giveaway sponsored by me, myself and I. I am not endorsed by JoAnn or Chronicle Books, I just shop there when the mood strikes. All prizes are purchased by me.

Thank you very much to all who entered! A winner has been chosen and it is #4, Ali!

Congratulations, Ali! I will be emailing you for shipping information.

Rain Cloud Brooch Pattern

2012-02-07T08:11:00.000-08:00

I was looking through some of my old projects the other day and decided that this little guy really didn't get the love he deserved. Sure, it's a rain cloud, but it's a cute little rain cloud, right? These are super easy to make, can be customized with lots of different things, and if you don't like hand sewing, just bust out the glue gun!

Here is my cloud pattern if you don't feel like drawing out your own:

The final measurements of my cloud, when stuffed are about 2.5" wide and 1.5" tall.

To make your own cute little rain cloud brooch, cut out 2 of your cloud pattern from the felt color of your choice and sew or glue them together on the edges, filling with a little batting or a cotton ball so it's squishy and soft. I used silver jewelry chain to make my "rain" and added a little blue glass bead to one of my chains. I used a little hot glue to secure the chains in place on the inside of my felt cloud pieces.

Then, I hand stitched a pin back to the back of my cloud to secure it. You could use hot glue, or some other kind of glue if you'd prefer, but not many glues work well for both fabric and metal, so you may find it loosens over time and needs to be glued back on at some point. A few stitches really help make a permanent connection, and most pin backs you will find in the craft stores have a few holes in them to make sewing them onto fabrics pretty easy.

Friday Food Craft: Mac N Cheese

2012-02-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

Few things are better in the cold rainy weather than creamy, bubbly Mac N Cheese. Even though our weather here has turned surprisingly sunny (albeit still a bit chilly) I had a craving for this tasty treat and decided to set about making an amazing batch. While I did bake it to finish this off, I stand behind the opinion that this cheese sauce would be fantastic for a non baked Mac N Cheese as well. Even further, I'd recommend this cheese sauce as a fondue, or even mixed with chili or salsa at your Super Bowl party on Sunday!

To make this scrumptious Mac N Cheese you will need:

16 oz pasta of choice (I like to use something fancy like Fusili or Radiatore)
2 Tablespoons Butter, plus more for ramekins
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 cup Heavy Cream
1 cup Whole Milk
2 cups grated Extra Sharp Cheddar Cheese
1 cup grated Fontina
1 oz. Cream Cheese
1 teaspoon Tapatio Hot Sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
Kosher Salt and Black Pepper, to taste
Grana Padano cheese (or other hard cheese), grated

To start, bring a large pot of water to a boil. Once boiling add a generous amount of kosher salt. Add pasta and cook as package directs.

Butter 6 ramekins.

While the noodles are cooking, heat butter over medium low heat. Add flour and stir constantly for a minute. Increase the heat to med-high and pour in the milk and cream. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat and add in cream cheese, cheddar and fontina. Once the cheese has melted, add the hot sauce, mustard, nutmeg (this is my super secret ingredient -not anymore!- but it really does make a tasty difference!) and season with salt and pepper. Add the drained noodles to the cheese sauce, stir and evenly distribute the mac and cheese into prepared ramekins. Grate fresh Grana Padano over top and bake (on a sheet tray) in a preheated 400 degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is golden brown and bubbly.

To make this dish a little more affordable, I always buy my cheese in blocks and grate it myself. Also, if you are going to try out my super secret nutmeg, do yourself a favor and grate your own whole nutmeg with a microplane, the pre-ground stuff just isn't the same.

Recipe inspired by Simply Scratch

Styled Mag

2012-02-01T18:32:00.000-08:00

The new issue of Styled mag is out! If you have never seen this great online magazine before, I took the liberty of embedding this issue for you all to enjoy. They do amazing work as far as layout and design of the magazine, not to mention great content throughout. I highly recommend checking out previous issues, all are available online for you to flip through at your leisure!

Open publication - Free publishing - More party

Embroidery How To: Couching

2012-02-01T10:23:00.000-08:00

Today is my final embroidery tutorial, and as previously mentioned it is on couching. Couching is basically using one thread the sew another thread into place, so to do it you will need two lengths of thread.

I start, as usual, by drawing my pattern onto my fabric. Since Valentine's Day is coming up, and I haven't really done any Valentine's projects yet (How is it February already?) I decided to go with this little heart.

Next, you will need a length of thread long enough to go all the way around your pattern. Thread your needle, tie a knot in the end and pull it through wherever you would like to start your pattern. I'm starting at the bottom of my heart.

Then, thread your second needle, knot the end and pull it through slightly ahead of where you started your first. This thread is going to be used to sew your first thread into place along your pattern lines. I try to space my stitches with this second thread as evenly as possible. To go around curves, you may need to make your stitches a bit more closely together to keep a smooth curve.

Simply pull your needle up through your fabric, then sew it back through with your first thread ending up wrapped neatly by your second.

Continue on, spacing your stitches as evenly as possible. If you come to a space in your pattern that has a sharp angle, like the top of my heart, make sure that you place a holding stitch on that point. Couching makes it very easy to do embroidery in a single line that can make very tight turns because of the anchoring stitches that hold your actual line in place.

Once finished, you will sew your original thread back to the back of your fabric at your ending point, and tie it off. I generally tie the ends of my first and second threads together into a knot on the back. Voila! Your finished heart!

For those who are curious, the back of your project will look a bit like this:

I hope you enjoyed my mini series on embroidery! This month will be filled with lots of new projects like more paper flowers, some cute crafts for babies, a couple more Valentine's and much more!

Friday Food Craft: Blueberry Muffins

2012-01-27T03:10:00.000-08:00

I LOVE fresh blueberries. They are a weakness of mine. So you can imagine my delight when I saw that in the dead of Winter, my grocery store had some good looking ones on super sale for my enjoyment! I may have bought several pounds... ok, I did. What better way to enjoy them than in some amazingly tasty muffins? You will note that I use cinnamon in both the streusel topping and the muffins themselves. I think that blueberries and cinnamon are a combination created by the gods themselves, if you disagree you can certainly omit it from the actual muffins, but it would make your topping fall a little flat.

To make these at home you will need:

For the Muffins:

1-½ cup All-purpose Flour
¾ cups Sugar
½ teaspoons Salt
2 teaspoons Baking Powder
⅓ cups Vegetable Oil
1 whole Egg
⅓ cups Milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
1 cup Blueberries

For the Streusel Topping:

½ cups Sugar
⅓ cups Flour
¼ cups Butter
1-½ teaspoon Cinnamon

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Grease muffin cups or line with muffin liners (I always go with the liners to ensure my muffins come out of the pan easily).

To make the muffins, combine flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Place vegetable oil into a 2 cup measuring cup; add the egg, milk and vanilla. Mix this together and add to the flour mixture. Fold in blueberries. *This makes a very thick batter that bakes up surprisingly light, you've been warned. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full, and sprinkle with streusel topping mixture.

To make streusel topping: Mix together sugar, cup flour, butter, and cinnamon. Mix with a fork to cut in the better (a pastry cutter or food processor may also be used), and sprinkle over muffins before baking.

Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Paper Flower Roundup

2012-01-25T10:50:00.000-08:00

As promised, here is a roundup from around the web of some gorgeous paper flowers! All of these would be great for weddings, home decor or a gift for your special someone this Valentine's Day!

Above you will see a rose that I made thanks to a great tutorial and template from Ellinee. I tried several roses, I will post more photos of mine at the bottom of this post, and I can say that regular copy paper (or paper of a similar weight) is easiest for these, though you can also make them with card stock and vellum without too much trouble. I really love these as I have seen several tutorials for roses around the web that are either too simple and so don't look very realistic or need you to cut out every single petal individually (and who has the time to do all that?).

The rose template even comes in several colors so you could print it out onto white copy paper and get a variety of colors! I chose to print out a template onto card stock and trace it onto some fancier paper I had lying around. I also left out the leaves and glued mine into stems so I could make a bouquet. To add a stem, just poke a little hole in the center of your petals and string them on, in the correct order, before gluing them in place.

Of course, no paper flower roundup is going to be complete without mention of my own tutorials! If you happened to miss them, I made a couple of cute tissue paper flower tutorials: Tissue paper pom pom flowers and tissue paper flowers with individual petals.

My favorite of my own tutorials was, of course, my paper calla lilies.

If crepe paper is more your style, there are a multitude of varieties available with tutorials from Martha Stewart Weddings. These even have tutorials for making several varieties of faux stamens to build your flowers around!

Are you into quilling? Then these double fringed flowers from Inna's Creations might be right up your alley. I haven't tried these out myself yet, but when I do I will be sure to let you all know how they turned out :)

Have some leftover party streamers? Check out these cute centerpieces. It's an easy version of a poppy and the crepe paper streamers used are readily available (I know I've seen some in my local dollar store!).

Have you seen any paper flower tutorials that shouldn't be missed? Let me know, I'd love to check them out!

Here are some more of my paper roses. Which is your favorite?

Embroidery How To: Satin Stitch

2012-01-24T07:37:00.000-08:00

Welcome back for another embroidery tutorial! Today I am showing you the Satin Stitch. It has a few variations, but they are all used for pretty much the same thing: filling in an area of your embroidery with solid color. The satin stitch is basically a series of stitches made very close together, which leaves a solid block of color and a satin finish.

To start, I selected a little chevron pattern and transferred it to my fabric:

Next, select your embroidery floss, thread your needle and start your first stitch by pulling through your fabric from back to front, as shown below.

Finish the first stitch by going back into your fabric at the top of your end line. I am working this satin stitch in an up and down motion. You can work in any direction you like, but it is very important that all of your stitches be in the same direction and are made evenly. If you are just starting out, I recommend working either straight up and down, or straight side to side. Diagonals can be very hard to space evenly without practice.

Once you have made your first stitch, continue along in exactly the same way, following your pattern lines and spacing your stitches as closely and evenly as possible.

Once you are finished you will end up with a nice solid patch of color like this:

When starting out, you may find your outline is a little less than perfect, so you can always go back and outline it with a backstitch or some other stitch you like.

I will be having one more embroidery tutorial of my own, on couching, in a week or two. However, the Pinterest Gods smiled upon me yesterday and I discovered the most AMAZING library of embroidery tutorials here with amazing instructions and illustrations. Since I have very little in the way of embroidery experience, anyone wanting to learn these more advanced stitches should really take a look. You'll keep yourself busy with new stitches for weeks! There are step by step photos and instructions for almost every stitch in the list.

I personally plan on trying out all of the herringbone stitches, the laced herringbone looks fabulous!

Later this week I will also be posting a roundup of paper flower tutorials and some Valentine crafts.

Last, but not least, my brother and his wife just announced that they are expecting baby number 3 and I am so excited to make some cute baby gifts for them (as well as my cousin Lindsay's baby)! SO the coming months will be filled with cute baby goodness and more!

Embroidery How To: French Knot

2012-01-20T10:17:00.000-08:00

For my second embroidery tutorial, I decided to go for the gusto and tackle the French Knot. Once you get in some practice, this is actually really easy. However, a lot of people tend to recognize this not as the french knot, but as the dreaded french knot. The key for me has always been keeping your thread tight while making one.

French knots are mainly used for things like eyes, polka dots and the like on your patterns. If you are just practicing you won't need to draw yourself a bunch of dots as a pattern isn't necessary.

Start by pulling your thread through your fabric from front to back. Pull your thread tight, then wrap your thread around your needle as shown below (notice you are wrapping the end of the thread that is coming out of your fabric around your needle, not wrapping the end that is right by the needle). I typically wrap my thread around twice, but if you want a larger knot you can wrap three times.

The picture could be a little better, the pointy end of my needle is on the left of the frame in case you were wondering. Make sure to keep your thread tight around your needle as you go back through your fabric. You will want to get the needle close to the original point it came through, but not in the same hole.

Then, pull your needle all the way through and make sure you keep your thread tight while you pull it through to finish your knot. As I mentioned, keeping it tight is key, otherwise you get a sloppy knot.

Then, sit back and admire your knot. Isn't it cute? Here is a picture of two knots I made, the one on the Left was made by wrapping the thread around my needle three times.

If you missed it, go check out my tutorial on the back stitch here.

Friday Food Craft: Tomato Salad

2012-01-20T03:17:00.000-08:00

The Winter weather finally arriving has made me long for tastes of Summer. I found these cherry heirloom tomatoes at the store, and knowing they won't taste half as good as the ones I get in the Summer, I made myself some tomato salad. Oh August Farmers Market, how I do miss you...

To make your own yummy tomato salad you will need:

1 pint of cherry tomatoes
1/4 cup of mozzarella cheese, cut into bit sized pieces
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1/2 an avocado, cut into bite sized pieces
salt and pepper to taste

Cut your cherry tomatoes into halves or quarters, depending on the size you want. Toss them into a bowl, seeds and all. I generally use a bowl with a lid that seals tight, as I shake my salad up with the oil and vinegar dressing all in the same bowl. Plus, easy storage for leftovers :)

Add in your cheese, avocado (or any other yummy veggies you have sitting around, cucumbers and zucchini are also pretty tasty) oil and vinegar. Cover tightly and shake to evenly distribute the dressing. Add salt and pepper to taste.

I typically take my cheese out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature before making this, and I never refrigerate my tomatoes (it kills any flavor they may have). Serve salad room temperature. Enjoy!

Embroidery How To: Backstitch

2012-01-18T12:22:00.000-08:00

I had a request on my Vintage Embroidery Pattern post to show you all how to tackle some of those great vintage patterns. Since embroidery isn't something you magically learn all at once overnight, here is part one in a series of tutorials that will help you to learn how to bring these pattern to life, and how to eventually create some patterns of your very own.

If you are just starting out you will need:

An embroidery hoop (or several of varying sizes)
Fabric you want to embroider on (if you are just practicing I recommend getting some cheap Muslin in either white or beige)
Embroidery Floss in your favorite colors
scissors
hand sewing needles
Embroidery transfer pen, or other method of pattern transfer (check out the embroidery area of your favorite craft store for the possibilities)
Needle threader*

*While not necessary, a needle threader sure comes in handy. If you don't know what a needle threader is here is a nice little visual for you, I found the image on Wikipedia:

Now, to get to learning some simple embroidery. I decided to start out with the backstitch as it is very versatile and you can do many embroidery patterns from start to finish with nothing but this stitch if you so choose. It can be used on both straight and curved lines and can look quite different on each individual line you stitch based upon the length of your individual stitches.

To start out, you may want to draw yourself several lines on your fabric, and trace some circles as well to practice making curved lines too. I like using the embroidery transfer pens, as they wash out easily from finished work.

Once you have your line transferred onto your fabric, thread your needle with your embroidery floss of choice. I am in love with this dark orange right now, and lucky for me it shows up great for tutorials :) Tie a knot at one end, and then start your stitch by pulling your needle through your fabric from back to front, about 1/4 inch from the end of your line, as shown below:

Since the backstitch is named because, well, you stitch back, I always start 1/4" from the end and then stitch back to the end. If you want to do shorter stitches, just start in that far from the end of your line. Then, stitch to the end, like so:

To do the next stitch, push your needle through about 1/4" from where your first stitch ends, and stitch back so they meet:

Continue on with this until you finish your line:

Once you are done, tie a knot on the back. The back of your stitches will look something like this:

Once you have practiced a bit your stitches should be fairly uniform and you can start trying out more difficult patterns, or things you have drawn yourself!

Next: French Knots!!

Paper Calla Lilies

2012-01-16T16:30:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone! I'm super excited about this tutorial, as I have been toying with these flowers for over a week now trying to get them just right. I was actually unable to find any other tutorials online for making paper calla lilies, though I did see several lovely varieties on image searches. Hopefully I managed to do these beautiful flowers some justice :)

To start out you will need:

Paper in the color of your choosing (I used Lokta Fiber paper from Paper Source)
floral wire
scissors
pencil (for lightly tracing template onto your paper)
lily template (I suggest printing it out onto card stock for easier tracing)
Sculpey clay in a color of your choosing (or some other stamen, if you come up with a better idea please share it!)
floral tape
glue

You will want to print out the following template in your desired size. The great thing about making paper flowers is you can make flowers any size you want, large or small no matter what size they come in naturally.

Once I have decided on the size of flowers I am making, I start my whole flower making process on these by first making a bunch of stamens for my lilies. To do this I twist a length of floral wire to give myself a small stem, then I use Sculpey clay (available in most art and craft stores) to shape my stamens around one end of my wire. Calla lilies have really easy stamens, as they are just a long cylinder you roll out on a flat surface once you have inserted your wire. I generally make a short, fat cylinder, then insert my wire, then roll to desired length. From one package of Sculpey clay I can get about 8 stamens that are about 4 inches long and 1/4- 1/2" wide. Follow the baking instructions on your clay package to bake and set your clay.

Once you have your stamens made, it is time for the flower petals. Trace your template onto the paper of your choice. A thinner paper works quite nicely for these, as there is a lot of bending and these look a bit better without hard folds and creases. A crepe paper would work nicely, if you can find it in sheets as opposed to streamers. Cut out your petal, being careful to try and cut slightly inside your lines to avoid any pencil on your final flower.

Now, you will get to start shaping your petals. I use my fingers to start gently bending the paper into my desired shape, like so:

If you have a stiffer paper, you might want to use the back of a spoon and rub it over the surface of your paper to soften it a bit. I have a burnishing tool from a college printmaking class that I use for this, but you can also just rub with your fingers to make your paper fiber soften up and become a bit more mobile. Once you get your basic shape, you will want to shape the bottom of your flower into a cone and glue it in place.

I tend to make a perfect point at one end, as shown above. The insert the stamen, I will snip just a tiny bit off to make a hole that the wire can pass through.
Once your glue dries, you end up with this shape, a petal ready for some final shaping and a stamen:

To shape my petal, I again use my fingers to gently bend and fold the petal to my desired final shape:

Now, I insert the stamen, glue it into place and wrap my floral wire with floral tape. You can also add a longer stem and some leaves if you want to :)

I'd love to hear what you all think of how these turned out, I'm really excited about them!