Z Shoes

I know what you are going to say...
"Shannon, you already tried making baby shoes and you failed miserably."
Well thanks for your confidence, but I am at it again. This time, instead of stressing myself out by trying to make a retail-quality product, I made a pair of boots just for Z. Its a lot less stressful making stuff when you know its for your own child. So what if there are 20 little pieces of thread sticking out of the sides? So what if its uneven? Nobody will notice, and nobody cares. Its great! I had a pair of boots for her that I absolutely loved but the dog ate one of them (anybody want a dog?), so I cut the other one apart and made a pattern out of it. Heres a picture of some of the pieces laid out before I sewed them together.

I used purple felt for the outside and white fleece for the inside. The felt was a bad idea. It has already started pilling all over the place, so Im making another pair out of canvas.

This is looking down into the shoe as I stitched the elastic together so she couldn't pull them off.

And finally, customized baby boots. I put "Z" on the front of both, because really why shouldn't she have super hero shoes? Actually it was originally to cover up a sewing flaw, but I love it!

Hats for the lady

A dear friend of mine is about to get married so a bachelorette party was in order. She placed many intolerable restrictions on us though, such as no inappropriate images on a cake, no male dancers, no pornographic hats. I mean, what does that leave us with? How are we supposed to embarrass the bride-to-be?!! So I did some research and found inspiration in the world of high fashion hats. They can be stunningly embarrassing without even a hint at inappropriate body parts. Most are lovely and ridiculous at the same time. Here is one  found on Style Redux that inspired my design.

I grabbed some tulle fabric from the cloth store, some cheesy fake flowers from Michaels,

 and with a needle and thread put together one of my favorite wearable creations. It has a clip underneath so you can attach it to any part of your hair. I prefer the silliness of having it sit slightly over your forehead. Take a look...

And here it is on the lovely brides head on the night of her party. She had it clipped to a green sparkle-covered headband.

Fabulous!

What happened to the holidays?

Its already the end of January and I haven't managed to find the time or motivation to post my holiday projects. What has the world come to?!

My absolute favorite would have to be the Christmas stockings that I made using a pattern by Alicia Paulson from her book, 'Stitched in Time'. Of course I have no photos so it will have to wait for another day. I did manage to take some pictures of a cake I put together for our Christmas dinner. We hadn't bought anything to decorate it with so I scrounged around and managed to put together this snowy scene using powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs, crushed oreos, and grated chocolate. The little blobs are supposed to be snowmen representing everyone that came to dinner that night. The poo looking blobs towards the left were all of my mothers dogs and cats. It was horribly sweet and so dense you had to lean on the knife just to cut through the 4 layers of cake and 4 layers of fudge filling. Oy (and merry christmas).

The recipe for the cake and the fudge icing came from the book '1 mix, 100 cakes' by Christine France. I tried finding a link for this book, but maybe it has been discontinued?

By the way, the terrariums are all still alive, yay! The only thing that isn't doing well is the live moss in the opened containers. The moss in the enclosed terrariums are so happy and super green, but the open-air ones are looking like I might be pulling them out soon. So sad.

Fun with Terrariums!

Recently, while searching for an Orchid specialist to try to revive a dying Phaelanopsis, I came across the greatest garden center I have ever found! BB Barns is really close to Asheville, near the airport, and was like walking into the Disney world of plant care. Not only do they have an entire Orchid department, AND an orchid specialist on staff (amazing) they also have a whole section for terrariums! There is something romantic about Victorian-style terrariums, and it makes me feel some sense of nostalgia for what I am not sure. So, with the help of the ridiculously helpful staff at BB Barns, I bought some very inexpensive materials and set out to try making one. Here's how to do it.

Gather your materials!

You will need:

1. A glass container. This can be almost anything, open or with a lid. Michaels had a big enclosed terrarium jar for $10! They also sell pretty apothecary jars for $14. Try looking at Goodwill and other thrift stores for funky old glass things that could be used for a terrarium. 

2. Pebbles or marbles. Pack of river rocks from Michaels was about $3.

3. Activated charcoal. BB Barns sold this in ziplock bags for $2. Or get it from an aquarium store.

4. Spaghnum moss (also called Orchid moss). This is optional but helpful. Buy it at any garden center, lowes, or Michaels even.

5. Potting soil. I didnt have any so I used last years compost and sterilized it in the oven by cooking it in an aluminum covered baking pan for 30 minutes at 180 degrees. This is a pain in the butt.

6. Watering device. Preferably a mister, but a spray bottle would work also.

7. Plants! Closed containers may require a little more research, but mostly, you can use anything. Slow growing, tropical plants are fun, or create a sandy cactus desert.

This live moss was a gift from a very lovely woman I met at BB Barns. Isn't it beautiful!?

I chose 3 different plants for my terrarium. Some Baby Tears, and 2 others that I don't know the name of. I know thats not helpful, but oh well. Buying all new materials, you should be able to create a terrarium for under $30. If you get stuff from a thrift store and get cuttings of plants you already have, you can do it for about $10!

Here is how you layer your terrarium. First, make sure you wash your container out well with hot, soapy water.

1st- 1-2" layer of rock (less if its a smaller container). 

2nd- thin layer of the charcoal. This keeps it from smelling funky.

3rd- thin layer of Sphagnum (if you have it)

4th- 2-3" of potting soil

5th- Plants and live moss, arranged however you want. 

Sorry this picture is so blurry. I made 1 closed terrarium and 2 open. In a couple weeks, I will let you know if they are still alive. Wish me luck!


In the meantime, here are some good websites for more info and pictures.
http://www.terrariums.com/
http://www.blackjungle.com/

Multiplying Bunnies

Dishonest bunny is only a few days old and is already multiplying! Yet another example of why you should spay or neuter your bunny asap. Here is her first offspring.

This little bunny has a cotton print face with white felt ring and hot pink fleece body. Safety eyes and double stitched of course. She was born only yesterday and is already looking forward to 2 new brothers and sisters (identical in color and cuteness) who will be complete and ready for the world tomorrow. How fast do bunnies reproduce exactly? Check out THIS website for one possible scenario. I looked around the internet out of curiosity and it seemed like the consensus was about 7 bunnies per litter, and 4-5 litters per year = average of 32 babies per year per bunny...
I have no comment about that. But here are some more pictures of this cute little girl.

Her tush!

And a picture of the process.

Want to help stop rampant rabbit reproduction? 

Here are your choices:

1. Eat them (look here for recipes)
2. Donate $ to a organization that neuters rabbits such as the Humane Society or Help-A-Pet
3. Never buy a rabbit from a pet store (think puppy mill except with rabbits)
4. Trap wild bunnies (click here) and show them Bush-era abstinence-only videos. (This usually results in more rabbits, but its worth a try anyways!)

Dishonest bunnies

Today is Baby Z's birthday. To celebrate, I wanted to make a cute little bunny that she could love. However, Z was in a very cranky/needy mood today which made me feel slightly irritable. On top of this, Z's daddy was also making me feel irritable, so my sweet little bunny design morphed into Deceptive Bunny.

You see, she is still cute and cuddly...BUT her ears are always crossed because sometimes she makes promises she knows she wont keep. Or tells secrets that aren't hers to share! So she is a deceptive little bunny, and you can uncross her ears for a minute or so, but once you let go they bounce right back into their crossed state, just in case she needs to say one thing but do another. Here is how I made her.

Gather your materials. For this bunny I used a checkered cotton print, white felt, and dark blue embroidery thread. plus 2 safety eyes.

Next, make your design! To make your bunny into a deceptive bunny, you have to keep a pretty tight "v" shape cut between the ears. This will force them to cross over once she is sewn. I tried doodling a couple different noses on my pattern for future reference. I used a regular piece of paper, drew out my general design, attached it to the fabric with some pins, and cut it with pinking shears to prevent fraying. To make the face, cut out a shape from the felt that is about 2" smaller than the body of the bunny.

Next, cut out your pieces. 2 identical pieces for the front and back, plus 1 felt piece for the face, plus 2 identical circles to make the tush. First, place the face piece on one side and sew around the edges. Next, sew the two circles together, leave a part open, and flip inside out. Stuff with fiberfill or whatever you have, and then hand sew the rest closed to make a little cloth ball (or disc). Attach this with strong thread to the other body piece. Finish off the face. I used safety eyes, another piece of white felt for some texture on the nose, and the embroidery floss for the mouth. You can really do anything you want. How about psychotic bunny? Or overly happy bunny that makes you uncomfortable?

Finally, put the right sides together so that the insides of the bunny are facing out. Stitch the sides together, leaving a small space open, and turn inside out. Stuff with stuffing, and sew shut the open part. Don't make any deals with this bunny, and don't believe her when she promises to help run the next PTA meeting.

Love Z Toys strikes again

Is it a rabbit? Is it a kitty? I cant decide, so I will leave it up to whoever falls in love with it! This is the second version of the Sleepy Doll that I have sewn, and oh how I love its cute little face and bow!

I made it last night and dropped it off at the Littlest Bird this afternoon, because I was afraid I was going to try to keep it for myself! I was very lucky with this doll. My sewing machine had a major malfunction as I was putting the face together, and I ended up with a less than perfect section of thread, but luckily it was in just the right place to put a bow. I thought about using a button, but that would limit the age range of who could play with it. So out came my green polka dot ribbon, tie a little bow, glue glue glue, sew sew sew, and problem solved. I like her even better now.

Although...the 'sleepy' side is looking more like a 'cranky kitty'. Take a look!

Love Z Toys

I have my first toy ready to go out into the world and be loved. You may remember this face from an earlier post...

Well it's back! This time its the real deal. I've managed to tame the frays and double stitch the weak spots to create what I truly believe is a safe toy for even an infant to play with. The eyes are Safety eyes, so you cant pull them out unless you cut the fabric out with them. I was really pleased with how this came out, and so much love went into it that its almost hard to say goodbye. But, fortunately, it should soon have a temporary home at The Littlest Bird in West Asheville, where someone will find it and take it home. I am going to make a couple more using different colors and patterns, and as always, one side is awake and ready to play, while the other is peacefully asleep.

Thinking of getting on etsy as well, see you there!

Happy Food Day!

What a Thanksgiving it has been! We decided to stay home this year, just the 3 of us, and celebrate Thanksgiving for the first time as a new little family. It would have been nice to go visit family, but the temptation to hang out and get things done around the house was just too great. This was my first year cooking the meal by myself as well, and with a lot of help from allrecipes.com, it was a great success. Here is the menu I put together and some pictures of the process and finished product. Hope your Thanksgiving was just as yummy!

Our Menu:

For 2 people with leftovers 

Baked Cornish Hens with rice stuffing

Roasted vegetables and pistachio topping

Cranberry sauce

Regular bread stuffing

Spinach cranberry salad with poppy seed dressing

Mashed potatoes with vegan nutritional yeast gravy

*I have altered all of these recipes, originals can be found at allrecipes.com. 

Stuffed Cornish Hen

4 tbs chopped celery

2 tbs sliced mushrooms

2.5 tsp butter

6 oz fast cooking long grain brown rice (I didnt have fast cooking, so I just boiled the rice separately and then added it as if it were uncooked.)

5 oz canned chicken broth or better than bouillon

2 tbs water

1/4 cup sliced water chestnuts, chopped

4 tbs dried cranberries

3 tbs chopped green onion

2.5 tsp soy sauce

2 cornish game hens

In greased saucepan, cook celery and mushrooms in the butter till tender. Stir in the rice, cook 1 minute longer. Stir in whatever seasoning you like (garlic powder, chicken seasoning, etc), add broth and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 5-6 minutes or until the rice is tender.

Stir in the water chestnuts, cranberries, onions, and soy sauce. Stuff it into the 2 hens. Place in a roasting pan on top of the vegetables (see recipe below for vegetable info). Generously sprinkle spices over the hens (I used a mix of pepper, salt, garlic and oregano). Cut 2 doubled-over squares of cheesecloth and soak them in white wine or dry sherry. Ring them out slightly and then lay them over the tops of both hens. Stick a little chunk of butter on the top of each hen over the cheesecloth.

Bake 375 degrees for 50-60 minutes until juice runs clear and meat thermometer reads 165 degrees. Half way through baking you might want to baste some of the juice from the pan over the cheesecloth to keep it wet.

Pictures: Before and after cooking...

 

 Roasted vegetables with pistachio topping

There are a lot of different vegetables you could use for the bottom of the pan. Here is what I did...
1 small pack of brussel sprouts, stem removed and cut in half
5 med. carrots, chopped
1/2 onion, chopped
3 garlic cloves, cut in half
2 garlic cloves, minced
3-4 leeks, cut to 1 inch rolls
3 celery stalks, chopped
throw in any leftover mushrooms from the hen recipe
1/4 cup chopped or crushed pistachio nuts
salt and pepper to taste
10 oz vegetable or chicken broth

Mix all ingredients except the pistachios and broth in a bowl. Pour mixture into the bottom of the roasting pan, spread evenly. Add broth to the pan so that it comes half way up the veggies, but not any higher. Put cornish hens on top of the vegetables and cook according to the above recipes instructions. After cooked, put the veggies in a separate serving bowl and top with the crushed pistachios.

Day-before Mashed potatoes

5 potatoes, cubed
6 oz cream cheese
1 cup sour cream
2 tsp onion powder
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
2 tbs butter

Bring pot of salted water to a boil, drop in potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer potatoes to a large bowl and mash till smooth. Mix in cream cheese, sour cream, onion powder, salt, pepper and butter. Serve immediately or refrigerate for 8 hours or overnight. If refrigerating, take out when you are ready to serve them, lightly grease a medium baking dish and spread potato mixture into it. Bake at 350 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Nutritional Yeast gravy THE BEST!

This gravy is amazing, and its vegan!
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup chopped onion
5 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 tsp nutritional yeast
4 tbs soy sauce
2 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Saute onion and garlic till soft. Stir in flour, yeast, soy sauce, until formed in a smooth paste. Gradually whisk in broth. Season with spices. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, stirring constantly for 8-10 minutes till thick. Serve over mashed potatoes.

Cranberry Spinach Salad

My husband has sworn he will never eat another salad except this one.
1.5 tsp oil or butter
1/4 cup slivered almonds
1/2 pound spinach, rinsed and torn to bite size pieces
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1.5 tsp poppy seeds
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp minced onion
1/8 tsp paprika
2 tbs white wine vinegar
2 tbs cider vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil

In a saucepan, cook the almonds in the butter until lightly toasted. In large bowl, combine spinash, almonds, and cranberries. In a jar with a screw top or tightly sealing tupperware, whisk together poppy seeds, sugar, onion, paprika, white wine vinegar, cider, and oil. Shake well, toss with salad. Serve right away.

Put it all on a plate with some cranberry sauce and regular stuffing...

Sweet Potato Bread Recipe

Whenever we have leftover vegetables in the fridge I try to make bread with them. It seems like the easiest way to use up something that would otherwise just go bad and have to be thrown away. My favorite time of the year is when all of the world is overtaken with zucchini from the garden, and there is so much that people are just giving it away for free. I usually have my own cluster of vines of the stuff, and like to experiment with hiding it in different foods. Zucchini bread, muffins, cookies, cake. The same goes with sweet potatoes, which is what we had a ton of last week. I don't know why I bought so much, but the leftovers were taking over my kitchen, so I baked up some bread using a recipe from one of my favorite cooking websites, www.allrecipes.com.

Here she is (sorry for the boring picture. I would have thrown a flower in there for some color, but that was just too much work at the time):

I usually like bread with a crispy shell and really moist on the inside, however, every inch of this bread was soft and really good. I cut the sugar in half since, really who needs 1.5 cups of sugar in a loaf of bread? Its not like I was going to be eating it for dessert. It was still really sweet, almost cake-like. I think we ate the whole thing in one night. Even baby Z had a piece and was yelling for more. Heres the recipe or click here for the original link.


Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 eggs
• 1 3/4 cups sifted all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 cup cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Directions

1. Combine sugar and oil; beat well. Add eggs and beat. Combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg. Stir flour mixture into egg mixture alternately with water. Stir in sweet potatoes and chopped nuts.
2. Pour batter into greased 9x5 inch loaf pan (or 2 small loaf pans). Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about one hour.