Wednesday, June 30, 2010

We Did It! Wednesday.

Welcome to We Did It! Wednesday at Sew Much Ado!  Here are a few highlights from last week's party:

Ice Cream Dress from Our Old Southern House:

Burger and Fries Cake from You Craft Me Up:

Felted Matyroshka Doll from Abigails Crafts:

Here's a button for those of you who were featured:

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Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:

1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the McLinky below to something you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.

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Monday, June 28, 2010

Low Fat Cupcakes.

I love treats.  Pretty much any kind will do.  The only thing better than a treat is a low fat treat that tastes just as good as a full fat treat.  When Dana from MADE posted a recipe for making a cakemix low fat, I was excited to try it.  I've substituted applesauce for oil in lots of baking recipes, and it usually works great, but her substitutions were a bit different. 

I was really happy with how it turned out.  Applesauce generally makes a muffin or cupcake a bit more "spongy," and Dana's recipe turned out similiar for me.  I actually was hoping it would because when you have kids, spongy = less crumbs on the floor to clean up, so I like it better that way.  I would definitely try her recipe again, but probably not till I try her FULL-fat carrot cake recipe first...


Will be linking to some of my favorite linky parties.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Flashback Friday.

Here's today's Flashback Friday...

Last week we had such a fun Flashback Friday, and today we get to welcome another great guest here on Sew Much Ado!  If you're not familiar with Cheryl from Tidy Mom, you're really missing out!  As you'd guess from the title of her blog, Tidy Mom is full of tips for keeping a better household, lots of recipes, photography, and so much more that you'll have to take a visit to Tidy Mom to see.  I'm so excited that Cheryl's sharing such special memories with us today!  Here's Cheryl...

 When Abby shared the fantastic job her and her hubby did on Wyatt's bed, I told her about all of the teasures we have in our house that my Dad made. Both of my daughters have beds built by their grandpa (as well as a ton of other furniture)....we all greatly treasure these pieces now that he's gone.

For Flashback Friday, Abby asked if I would share some of those treasures with you.

My dad was a furniture builder
Our home is filled with pieces he built over the years. 
We had a family retail business, The Country Junction, for 15 years selling custom furniture.  We closed the doors 2 years ago, after losing my Dad to lung cancer a few years prior.

The last piece my Dad made for me, was a lingerie chest. He surprised me with it for my birthday almost a year before he passed away. It's hard to say that any one piece is my favorite, but this one would have to be one of them and means the most to me!
Isn't it awesome?
I can't tell you how comforting it is, to walk thru my house and feel a part of my dad is still with me every day.
 http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k190/tidymom/my%20blog%20stuff/House/piesafe-1.jpg
We do not have a kitchen pantry in our house, so several years ago I gave my dad the dimensions for a large pie safe that could work as my pantry - it's one of my favorite pieces in the house - and probably gets the most comments when someone new visits our house. Most people think it's old - they are shocked when I tell them who made it!

Look at the wonderful distressing, even the punched tins are slightly rusted.


My kitchen table is another favorite. I LOVE the 2 tone look of the black legs with the stained top - I also have a leaf I can add for bigger crowds. The chairs are old press backed chairs that used to belong to my parents

This is the bed he made for him and my mom......THIS is my Mom's most treasured piece
their sleigh bed.

The pottery cabinet and kitchen table are definately conversation pieces in her house!

My dad LOVED what he did........
and is missed by so many........

Thanks for letting me share on Flashback Friday Abby!

Thank YOU, Cheryl!  How nice to have such sweet reminders of your dad all around your home.  I think the pie safe pantry is definitely one of my favorites...  Wait, the lingerie chest is...  Okay, really I'd love any of the pieces!  Now you can all do yourselves a favor and get to know Cheryl and Tidy Mom more!

Tuesday, June 22, 2010

We Did It! Wednesday.

Well, well, well...  Here we are already at another We Did It! Wednesday.  Last week we had our biggest party yet, thanks to all of YOU, who linked up such great projects.  I had so much fun looking through them all, and before you start linking up for this week's party, take a look at just a few of your links that I especially loved:

Cottage beachy dresser by Every Little Thing:

Hooded towel backpack from The Train To Crazy:

Vintage apron skirt from Potholes and Pantyhose:

Ruffled umbrella from Our Life... Our Love... Our Home:

Here's a button for those of you who were featured:

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Okay, let's get to today's party.  Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:

1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the McLinky below to something you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.


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Monday, June 21, 2010

Ruffle Curtains.


I made these curtains recently for my living room.  As usual, I was very undecisive with what to make, so this is what I ended up doing:

I bought plain white tab curtains from Ikea for $14.99.  I also bought a couple of yards of plain green fabric from Ikea that matches my wall-hanging:


I added three rows of ruffles to the top of each panel using a technique similar to the ruffles on the ruffle skirt (except my fabric was home dec weight so I had to gather it all by hand after sewing a basted stitch down the middle of each strip instead of letting the machine do the work for me).  Before I gathered the strips, I serged each long edge with white thread for contrast.  Then when I stitched the ruffles onto the panels, I used a basting stitch so I can rip them off in a month when I get sick of green ruffles in my living room.  They'll still be plently secure since they'll never be touched at the top of the curtains and give me the option of re-using the panels later for something else.


I then hemmed the bottom of each panel.  Unfortunately when Ikea says that each panel is 108" long, that doesn't mean that each panel is 108" long.  I don't even know if either panel was that length, but I can say they were definitely different lengths.  Also unfortunately, a natural fleck in the fabric can be confused with the line you made with a pencil to mark the hemming length.  You can imagine my happiness when I hung my curtains up and they were not only way too short, but also different lengths.

To make a LOOONG story short, I ended up adding a green panel (also sewed with a basting stitch) with exposed serged edges to the bottom of each panel.  I initially ruffled the green at the bottom but after getting them half done I decided it would just be too much ruffles.  I would never want my seam ripper to be left out of a project anyway.  Obviously the picture was taken pre-pressing and you can still see the remnants of my gathering fiasco :).


And that's it!  It's nice to finally have some curtains in my living room, I'm actually pretty sure I won't be ripping the green off any time soon :).

Friday, June 18, 2010

Flashback Friday.

Here's today's Flashback Friday...

Don't worry ladies, no depressing stories today!  We get to lighten things up.  I'm excited to welcome Katie from Notes From A Very Red Kitchen to Sew Much Ado for today's Flashback Friday.  I laughed out loud while I read this, and I'm sure you will too!  Take it away, Katie...

Hi everyone!  I'm Katie.  And if you'd like a little bit of "how-in-the-world-do-these-bloggers-know-each-other" trivia, Abby and I have become online friends through my step cousin Jenn, who's husband used to work with Abby's husband.  Small world.  :)

For Flashback Friday I thought I'd do a flashback to some of my failed projects.  Some of which I've shared on my blog.  Some of which I haven't.  Let's get started, shall we?

Here's my first failed "blogging" project.

I was trying to make these cute little pants from this great tutorial over at Make It and Love It.  Her tutorial is great.  My execution of it?  Leaves much to be desired.

 Such as room for my baby's bum.  And that little shirt in the above picture?  I totally just winged it.  And it did not go well.  The only thing it has ever dressed is my daughter's (very skinny) stuffed monkey.

And here's my second attempt at those little pants.  (Made the same night.)

Waaaay too long.  She wore them a few times as super scrunchie leggings.  Which were cute.  Until they came unscrunched.  Which was always a little embarrassing.

Moving right along, here's a lovely accident that happened while I was making a little Halloween gingerbread house (pictured below).  I had some left overs and was trying to think how best to dispose of the hot liquid candy.  Naturally, I didn't want to have to clean it up later, so I thought I'd pour it into something disposable.  A plastic cup?  What on earth was I thinking?  Well, I think this is proof that I wasn't.  Thinking, that is.

Here's a functional failure.

Felt covers for mini tissue cases.  Waste of time and felt?  Yes.  Definitely yes.  Not only are they a little strange, but they also make it harder to get the tissues out.  I made these for Christmas gifts.  I definitely did not actually give them away.

Add this to the slightly-more-recent failure department.  I made this handy dandy little water bottle strap/pocket to store my keys, cell phone, license, etc in when I go to the gym.  But while I was taking pictures for the tutorial I realized I had made a huge mistake.  I forgot to sew the strap part onto the back panel before sewing the front and back pieces of the pocket together.  Which would be super hard steps to explain minus the pictures.  And my mistake would have made the rest of the pictures super confusing.  So there goes that tutorial down the drain.  Also, I used this some (after I just kind of fudged things to make it work) and, truth be told, it's a little awkward.  At least the fabric from my sponsor is cute!

And now I bring you the most recent of my project failures.  Let me introduce to you...

The Long Skinny Camera Strap
Perfect for keeping your little point and shoot right at your side.

Slings comfortably over your shoulder.
The prefect length to fit right inside your pocket, even while you're wearing it!

Cute.
Simple.
Perfect for on-the-go photography.


Oh, uh, except for one little thing.
Not that it's that important or anything.
But see that little string that attaches the strap to your camera?

Well, it pops right out of the strap.
(In the above picture I tried sewing it back on after it popped out.)
Which, you know, could potentially end in your camera plummeting to the ground.
No biggie.


Yeah.  Freaking.  Right.

I'd be so upset.
So, no tutorial for this lovely little camera strap as of yet.
But I do still use it.
I put the old wrist strap back on the camera and then looped my nice, long camera strap through that.
So now my long strap that was once the perfect length?
Is too long.
And a little ghetto looking.
But, ya know, that's life.
And failure is a part of it.

But you know what?  I've come a long way since my first attempt at making clothes for my daughter. 

Honestly, it makes me a little emotional to look at those pictures of the terrible-looking leggings and then to look at the picture of this little shirt.  (You can see more pictures of it here.)  Maybe I'm just emotional because it's really late at night right now while I'm writing this.

But also because it's touching--I think--to realize how much we grow.  We see it all the time in our children.  But how often do we see it in ourselves?

Anyway, that's what I'm thinking about right now as I sit here and laugh about my failures at 1:00 in the morning.  :)

What are some of your favorite failures to laugh about?

Oh, and if any of you are interested, you're welcome to come see some of my more successful craft and sewing attempts over at my little blog, Notes From A Very Red Kitchen.  And you're all invited to come and try your hand at winning one of Abby's awesome Ruby Lou Doll patterns over at my (online) birthday party.  See you there!

Thanks for having me over for Flashback Friday Abby!

Thanks Katie!  If I had a dime for every failure...  Isn't it comforting to see someone else's failures for a change though?  Seriously.  I hope you all have a great weekend and can get a good laugh out of things that don't go as planned :).

Wednesday, June 16, 2010

Ruby Lou Giveaway!


I made my 127th Ruby Lou Doll the other day.  I guess technically it wasn't my 127th, but it sure feels that way!  Sometimes I think to myself, am I really making another one?  And then I have so much fun once I get started and think to myself, hmmm, what fabrics should I use for my next one?! 

I love picking out the fabrics (and I love that I get to pick out several cute fabrics, it makes deciding way easier!), and I love embroidering her little face on and seeing her really come to life. 


This Ruby Lou doesn't have a home yet, but I've actually given away all the other dolls I've made, and felt like I should have at least one "on hand" for myself.  We'll see how long I can keep her around until I give her away too!  Poor Ruby Lou...


This week, Katie from Notes From A Very Red Kitchen is hosting a really fun giveaway.  Two readers will win a PDF Ruby Lou Doll Pattern, and the best part is that I'm joining forces with Cherry Lane Textiles for the giveaway and she's including scrap packs of designer fabric to make your doll with!  I asked Katie if I was allowed to enter my own giveaway, and luckily I have enough tact to NOT, but I would really love to win a fun scrap pack!

Go here to enter Katie's birthday giveaway!  And it wouldn't hurt to wish her a happy birthday too, of course :).  I know I'm not a more-than-one-post-a-day blogger, so if you're coming to link up to We Did It! Wednesday, you can go here to join in!

Tuesday, June 15, 2010

We Did It! Wednesday Linky Party.

I made it up to Canada a couple of days ago and have been having fun with my family.  I haven't been home since November, so it's been great to be here.  It's especially nice for Wyatt and Weston to have cousins to fight play with.  It's sad to think that I'll be leaving in a few weeks to go back to Utah.  I guess I'll just have to enjoy it while I can! But for today, welcome to another We Did It! Wednesday linky party!  Here are some fun things from last week (can you tell I'm in a girly mood?  Must be all the time I'm spending with my sisters!):

Ruffled checkbook cover from The Sweet Life:

Rag tag t-shirt skirt from Craftastical!:

Initial platter from The Fancy Fritter:

Here's a button for those of you who were featured:

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Want to join in for today?  Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:

1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the McLinky below to something you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.


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Copy and paste the HTML text below to your own blog or website.

Monday, June 14, 2010

WHOLE Wheat Crackers.



I've been making these homemade whole wheat crackers a lot lately.  They are so yummy, and are super healthy (not healthy as in they-have-a-couple-healthy-ingredients-mixed-in-with-the-unhealthy-ingredients-but-we'll-pretend-they're-totally-healthy, healthy as in healthy).  A while ago Rae from Made by Rae posted a recipe for Whole Wheat Crackers from All Recipes.  I tried that recipe (with some changes suggested by commenters) and it was really good.

I wanted to make it even healthier, so I changed the recipe further and this is how I always make my whole wheat crackers now.

WHOLE WHEAT CRACKERS

3 1/4 c whole wheat flour
1/2 c flaxseed meal
1/2 c wheat germ
1/2 tsp salt
1 c water
1/3 c olive oil
salt or other spice to sprinkle

Preheat oven to 350 F.  Mix first 6 ingredients together (I like to use my kitchen aid mixer).  Do not overmix.  Divide dough into 4 sections.  Take each section and roll it as thin as you can get and to roughly the size of a cookie sheet - when you think it's thin enough, roll it some more to get it even thinner.  Try to get it roughly as thick as Wheat Thins would be.  It's helpful to roll the dough on parchment paper and then place the dough and paper together onto a cookie sheet to bake.  Prick dough randomly with a fork.  Using a knife, lightly score the dough into squares or rectangles.  Sprinkle with salt or your preferred spice and bake for 15-20 minutes or until they're browned and crispy.  When they're cooled break them apart along the scored lines and enjoy!

*A great tip from Rae is to tap the crackers with a fork to make sure they're crispy.  If they're not, bake them for another few minutes and check again.

I love to eat these with hummas, which I really want to start making regularily too.  For now Costco's sundried tomato hummas will more than do!

What's your favorite healthy recipe?

I'll be linking to some of these linky parties!

Friday, June 11, 2010

Flashback Friday.

Here's today's Flashback Friday...

Sara Jane Godfrey Evans Holmes - 1900

Today I'm going to share more about my Great Great Aunt Sarah Jane.  You can read the first two Flashbacks about Sarah Jane and her sewing here and hereLast week I told you about how she was widowed with two small children, and mentioned that until she got married again 7 or 8 years later, she supported her children by sewing.  Here are some of her words:

"I washed for the Rex family a whole year for seventy-five cents a day and my dinner. I decided I was away from home too much so thought I’d do more sewing. Thinking I’d learn the trade, I had a friend take me to Ogden, to the best instructor, a Mrs. Tollman. She advised me to get a machine, do plain sewing for a while and work up a trade since I had done a lot of sewing while a girl at home. I did just that, and I soon had more than I could handle so I hired a girl to help in the busiest times. I began to get sewing to do in quantity. A good dress brought one dollar fifty to three dollars. Sometimes it took a long time to get my pay—often had to ask for it.

Sarah Jane - 1923

I also did a lot of sewing free for the dead. Elinor Berrett and Mrs. Emma Dean often went with me to those sad homes to make burial clothes. It seemed we were out quite often and sometimes we dressed the body. A neighbor’s son, 18 years old, died with diphtheria. The next week a little girl about six was very sick. When her parents sent for me I sent Joseph and Ethel to Mother’s. In a few days the child died while I had gone home to rest. The Bishop came for me and I found the family very much distressed.

An older sister also died that night. She was a girl of twenty-seven who was to have been married in about a week. Instead of making her wedding dress, I now went with her intended husband, Dick Smith, to Ogden to buy material, and next day made the dress for her to be buried in. These two girls’ funerals were held on the home lawn the same day."

Tonight I was thinking about how lucky I am that sewing is a hobby for me, not a means to feed my family like it was for Sarah Jane.  She must have really loved sewing, because even after all the years she spent sewing as a need, she continued to sew and knit by choice until she died at age 88.  Here is a picture of Sarah Jane in 1949, shortly before she passed away:


Although I would hope to, I don't know if I would do the same if I were in her shoes!  I also find it amazing how she used her talent of sewing to serve others, when she herself was in need.  I guess that's something that I can learn from and hopefully improve at myself :).

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday, June 8, 2010

We Did It! Wednesday.

Okay ladies, Glee starts in exactly one minute, so I'll skip any chit chat for today and get down to business!  Here are some of my favorites from last week's We Did It! Wednesday party:

Booties from The Train To Crazy 
(don't you all want Anna Maria Horner's new book so bad? I know I do!):

Felt watches from Holy Craft:

Freezer pop cozy from Allie Makes:

Proper way to fold fabric from 3 Punk Mom:

Pink wallet from Sew Chic and Unique:

Here's a button for those of you who were featured:

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Okay ladies, time to show us your stuff!  Here's how We Did It! Wednesday works:

1. Enter a link (specific blog post, not your homepage) using the MckLinky below to something you made that you want to share.
2. Try to check out at least one other link on the list (and I'm sure they'd love it if you left a comment too).
3. Post the We Did It! Wednesday button below to your post or sidebar to let others know your participating.


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Copy and paste the HTML text below to your own blog or website.