I have donated this apron and another one to the Craft Hope for Haiti sale.  Please take a moment to look at all of the wonderful donations in the Craft Hope shop.  There are many beautiful handmade items for sale.  100% of sales will be sent to Doctors Without Borders.  If you are unable to make a purchase at this time, consider donating something handmade.  Information on that can be found on the Craft Hope site.

Over the past few months, I have been working hard to simplify my daily life.  One key has been that I cut my grocery shopping down to one big trip, normally on Monday, and a second, smaller shop later in the week.  Now, this may be the norm for most of you, but there was a time when I was a DAILY grocery shopper.  Seriously.  I'd figure out what we were having for dinner, go buy the ingredients and whatever staples we needed that day.  It's amazing how much time and running around this has saved me.

Another thing I am trying to do is make meals in advance.  This is a bit trickier for me.  We aren't big casserole eaters and I really like fresh produce.  So, this week I bought a family pack of chicken thighs and made a double recipe of chicken taco meat in the slow cooker.  We ate some of it last night and I used the leftover meat to make empanadas.  Rachel's empanada dough was super easy to make and it made 12 individual meat pies which will cover three meals for us.  Sweet.  I also made a double batch of marinade for tuscan lemon chicken.  I put the chicken in ziploc bags, poured the marinade over it and put it in the freezer.  That's two more meals done. (Both the chicken taco meat and tuscan lemon chicken recipes are in this post).

I'm also back on the bread baking train.  I pulled out Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day and made a batch of dough.  We really enjoy the peasant loaf that has whole wheat and rye flour in it.  I cut off one hunk and baked it on Tuesday.  I'm pretty sure there will be another loaf in the oven tomorrow.  Nothing is more satisfying to me than freshly baked, homemade bread.  The house always smells good too - bonus.

Dinner is coming together faster on our busy days thanks to these little steps.  I'm always looking for more ideas so if you have something to share, please do.

Last thing I remember, I wrote that I was going to make an effort to be more present in this space and then I disappeared for a week.  Nothing earth shattering kept me away.  Life happens and I am happy that I have been busy living it.  I don't imagine that will change anytime soon.  Unpredictability suits me at the moment.

I've also been knitting.  And keeping all fingers and toes crossed that my one last skein of yarn will be enough to finish the sleeves.

Have a great day.

I made these t-shirts for the last local craft swap of the year.  I used a kit from EZScreenprint that Amy recommends in her newest book, Bend the Rules with Fabric.  (Fantastic book, by the way!)  I wanted to make embellished t-shirts, similar to the ones I have seen from J. Crew.  I doodled a bit and came up with a design.  I burned my screen in the sunlight (really!  so easy!) and then used it to print on t-shirts.  After the t-shirts were dry, they sat around my house for a few weeks until the day of the swap when I got busy embellishing. 

My vision was an all over beaded design like the one above.  That didn't happen because this one shirt took me 2 hours to bead.  2 hours x 6 shirts = way more time than I had.  I changed course and ended up embellishing the centers of the flowers/stars/snowflakes (really, whatever you want them to be).  They still turned out cute - no picture, though.  It was dark when I finished.

I have one shirt left to embellish - it's for me.  I'm looking forward to sitting in front of a movie, with needle and thread, and beading.  I was surprised to find that I really enjoyed hand sewing and beading together.  Who knew it would be so relaxing?  Once I get the shirt done, it may be time to make one of these.  I think I have everything I need on hand.  Perfect for a day when you don't want to leave the house.  And it fits in well with one of my goals this year:  sew more clothing for me.

Happy New Year!

We are back from the mountains, trying to settle into some sort of a routine.  School started back this morning.  The girls had a really hard time getting out of bed.  It wasn't so easy for me, either.  And I have coffee.

Over the past few days, I've read lots of blogs with year-end thoughts and resolutions for the new year.  I, too, have been thinking about how to re-cap the last year and wondering just what I want out of 2010.  That is as far as I have gotten.  I'm still thinking.  I am sure that some coherent thoughts will emerge out of the percolating that is going on - I am beginning to sense a few themes.  As it becomes more concrete, I will share some bits and pieces here.  I do know that I want to be more present in this space.  I am really going to try posting with some kind of regularity.  I also know that I need to keep up with my household chores.  That means lots of closets will be cleaned and lots of stuff will find new homes.

So, accordingly, I'll be back tomorrow.  Right after another cup of coffee and the laundry is finished.

Just popping in to wish you and yours a very Merry Christmas.  I'm signing off until 2010.  Thank you for stopping by my little space.  I truly appreciate your kind words and love having all my readers along on my crafty adventures.  I'm looking forward to many more in the new year.  Blessings to you all.

....

And before I forget, the winner of Applique Your Way is commenter 208 - Maryellen.  Thanks for playing along and congrats to Maryellen.

Looking for a quick, inexpensive, non-cookie food item for gift giving?  This year, I have been popping lots of corn.

First up is Molly's recipe for Caramel Popcorn with Salted Peanuts.  UNBELIEVABLE.  It is really, really good.  And quite easy to make.  Follow her suggestions, have everything at the ready and you will be in great shape.  A candy thermometer is a must here.  I didn't have one so I picked one up at the grocery store for about $12 last week.  I have used it about five times since I bought it and will probably use it again today.  Well worth the investment.

Maple Popcorn is the other variety I have been giving this season.  I found this recipe from Jennie.  I love this one because it is super simple and you can double or triple the recipe.  Maple syrup, popcorn, salt and oil are the only ingredients making this a vegan treat - super nice for your vegetarian friends or those with dairy allergies.  A candy thermometer comes in handy with this recipe, too.  I packed some of it up in jars I bought at Target last year (I think they still sell them, though) and tied some red and white string around the lids.  I made the label in photoshop using the Reprodepot Flora Pattern disc.  (I have the Folk Pattern disc, too.  I have used them both in various ways and really like them --- they probably deserve a post of their own).

Back tomorrow with the winner of Applique Your Way.

I have been following Kayte Terry's blog, this is love forever, for a few years now and was anxious to get my hands on her new book, Applique Your Way, for many reasons.  First, I love applique.  I think it is one of the best ways to make something that is a little ho-hum into something fabulous with a little time and few supplies.  Plus, Kayte's aesthetic really appeals to me.  She combines materials and fabrics in unexpected ways and ends up with completely charming results.  Also, Jennifer Causey, of simply photo and simply breakfast, was the photographer for this book, so I knew that it would be a visual treat as well.  I pre-ordered it, waited paitently and it finally arrived a few weeks ago.

I wasn't disppointed.  It is a fantastic book with many great projects.  Kayte has included great instructions on many different ways to applique (hand sewn, machine sewn, reverse applique and more) and the projects are very inspiring.  They include things to wear, things to give and things for decorating your home.  I like the mix of techniques - some of the projects you sew from start to end and with others you embellish something you already own.  I, for one, have clothes hanging around that could benefit from a little face lift.  I bet you do too.

Here are a few of the projects that immediately caught my eye:

I think the Coco Sweater is fantastic.  I adore the idea of adding felted wool and new buttons to spruce up a cardigan.

 

The apples on this market tote are so cute!  Kayte gives directions on how to sew the bag, but I think that adding them to a pre-made canvas tote would be just as cute.

The Doily Trivets are fantastic! I don't think I have seen anything like these before.  I think they would make a great gift.  I think I might have to make a set of my own.

These are just a sampling of what Applique Your Way has in store.  The other projects include napkins, note cards, embellished skirts and dresses, a fabulous ribbon belt, pillows and more.  Bonus:  many of the projects are simple enough that they could be done in a day or two at the most.  You know how I like fast crafting!

The generous people at Chronicle Books have offered a copy of Applique Your Way to one of my readers.  If you are interested in a chance to win this book, leave a comment on this post before Monday, December 21 at 5:00 p.m.  I'll announce the winner on Tuesday.