Simple Sewing

A few months back I went to Joann's to get inspired from some fabric. I decided I was going to buy 1/3 of a yard of whatever fabric I loved, not caring if they matched anything in my house or each other. Lately I've been loving the designs of British designer Cath Kidston. She uses a lot of vintage flowery fabrics. I whipped up these kitchen valances in an afternoon. Not sure of them yet, but they only cost a couple bucks, so I won't feel so bad if I change them out in a few months.

My next project was making aprons for Abi and me. Abi is a much better model (I didn't teach her that pose, she's just that natural) so I decided to show off her apron. Mine is a blue-green fabric. I still need to add some front pockets to both, but I think they came out pretty well and just in time, too, as Abigail loves to help out in the kitchen.

CD's

No I'm not talking about Certificates of Deposit, although what I am talking about is a great investment with huge returns. Cloth Diapers. While I was pregnant with Abigail I decided to research cloth diapers. I googled it, and wow, thousands of results. There are so many different types of dipes out there and I won't go into them all because one could literally write a 100 page thesis on the things. I found what works for me- unbleached Indian cotton prefolds. Prefolds are among the least expensive cloth diapers- I think 2 dozen cost me $40. To fasten the diapers I use a Snappi, which takes about 4 seconds to put on after a bit of practice.
I have a couple diaper covers which are waterproof, but I prefer just the diaper. I would estimate we use cloth about 40% of the time in the winter months and 70% during the warmer months. Because I don't like using the covers (bulky, won't fit under pants) I tend to use the cloth more when it's warm so Abi can run around in just her diaper and a shirt. Even though I don't use cloth 100% of the time I still feel I'm doing some good for the environment and for Abi's bum. Another added bonus is that she's tells me when she goes and I'm fairly sure it's because she can "feel" the wetness as opposed to the chemicals in the disposables that are made to absorb. Let's hope this will speed up the potty training!

Library Love

I just checked out this fabulous book from our library. Since having Abigail almost 2 years ago, I have rediscovered the library and all it's greatness. I'm not sure all libraries are like this, but I can go to their website and search for books in all sorts of wonderful categories. Then I can place a hold and within a short amount of time I get an email when the books are ready and waiting for me behind the counter. I can renew my items online, too. How fabulous is that? And, they have a drive-through where you can drop off or pick up your books although I try not to use it unless it's pouring out or Abigail is in some kind of rage. I also want to mention that the children's department has such a great learning environment~ besides books, there is a salt water fish tank, lots of kiddie chairs and a large play area.

So back to this book I checked out..I just got it today and I think I might have to buy it. (I buy most of my books from half.com.) Sharon Lovejoy writes all about fun children's gardens that seem fairly easy to create. She has ideas for those with large spaces for a garden or for those who can only do container gardening. In the very beginning she lists the top 20 garden plants for kids- one of them being Hollyhocks. Just so happens that I planted some seedlings a few weeks ago! She goes on to explain how to make your own little lantern~ fill a hollyhock flower with fireflies and seal it by weaving a stick through the flower. All her ideas and the font of the book is very fairy-esque. I can't wait to try out some of these gardens!

Color Like No Other

I had to blog about this once I saw it. Check out this Bravia commercial. It takes a minute or so to download, but it's totally worth it. It's set to an acoustic song which is beautiful, but the most enchanting part is the 250,000 superballs in slow motion down a San Francisco street. No computer graphics or anything. So much color, so beautiful. Love it.

Thrifty

A few weeks ago I went to the Sparrow's Nest thrift store and bought 100% wool sweaters and a pair of pillowcases. I recently learned how to felt wool and found it very inspiring...The only thing I've made so far with the sweaters is this sweater purse for my sister Jessica's birthday. First I felted the sweaters in the washer and dryer, then sewed the purse. The handles are made from the sweater also, but Jess said that they stretch if anything fairly heavy (a wallet) is in the purse. Well, that just won't do- I mean it needs to be strong enough to carry a wallet! So next time, I think I would make the handles out of a thrifted tie, or maybe one of Jim's he doesn't wear anymore. I think a tie would hold up better and might make the purse look vintage-y cool, too.
With one of the pillowcases I made this tall bag to store all my plastic grocery bags. Adds some color to the kitchen and it's practical. Actually after seeing how many times I keep adding plastic bags, one of my goals now is to make reusable grocery bags out of burlap, perhaps. There's always some project out there! With the other pillowcase I'm planning to make a summer sun dress for Abi. I read about it in Martha's magazine at least 4 or a 5 years ago.

Kombucha

Kombucha is one of my favorite drinks. Definitely my favorite carbonated drink. It's organic, fermented green tea that produces natural carbonation during the fermentation process. And it's so cheap to make! First, I make about a gallon of green tea and add a cup of sugar. I know it sounds like a lot, but the mushroom or scoby needs it to 'feed' on. A scoby stands for symbiotic culture of bacteria and yeast. It sounds very gross and looks disgusting too, but the resulting kombucha is yummy, delicious and super healthy as it adds good bacteria to our bodies. Much more on this can be found at Dom's fermenting site.




Step 2: After the green tea has cooled to room temperature, put it in a glass container and add a scoby with some previously made kombucha.



You can see the scoby floating around in the glass container in the photo on the left. Also, cover the container with paper towels because you don't want your kombucha to get contaminated. It's going to sit out on your counter or in your cabinet for about a week.





The picture on the right shows the new "baby." Every time a batch of kombucha is finished the original scoby grows a new one on top- it kind of looks like a big pancake. This is because the scoby is living. If it never gets contaminated, you should be able to keep the original scoby indefinitely. Also, you can give away the new "babies" to friends who'd like to start making their own. I just gave away my first one to my sister Jessica!


Step 3: Ok, after it's sat out for about a week, taste a spoonful. You shouldn't be able to taste any sugar. The longer you let it sit, the stronger it gets. Since I have a cold and today was tasting day, Jim did the honors for me... thanks hon! Let me tell you, he must really love me because well, let's just say that kombucha isn't his drink of choice. When you can't taste any more sugar, take out the scoby and a couple ladle fulls of the kombucha for the next batch. Divide the rest of it into glass containers ( I also add in a small amount of raspberry juice) and stick it in the fridge. It's ready now, but if you can wait a couple weeks longer, it gets so fizzy and delightful! YUM!

Creme Patissiere

Jim decided to make home-made pudding yesterday morning for breakfast. The official name which sounds way more impressive is Creme Patissiere from the Joy of Cooking. The Joy of Cooking cookbook is one of the best cookbooks I've ever seen. It literally has every recipe I've ever looked for. And as you can see from the photo, we seem to use it often. So, back to the pudding...
He used vanilla paste, as opposed to extract, which must have millions of vanilla bean specks in every teaspoon.
Here Jim is cooking away--isn't he cute? I sure think so! He also added some mashed up banana when he was done. Let me tell you, that 'creme patissiere' was the best I ever had! Plus I just think food tastes better when someone else makes it.
Too bad Abi couldn't wait a little longer!