Finger Crochet!

This is a scarf that I made out of alpaca ribbon that was hand-dyed by a local alpaca yarn shop.  It took me less than an hour to hand crochet this scarf.  I repeated a simple pattern of ch 5 then dc 1.  I love the chunkyness of hand crocheting a thick ribbon like this.  The yarn is so beautifully made that it makes the scarf look like a piece of jewelry.

DIY top!

I really liked this top I saw on anthropologie

So I decided to try a little DingIY.
Have you ever been convinced to buy something by a friend & never end up wearing it?  This dress was one of those buys.

It's a jersey knit, so I didn't even sew any hems after I cut the fabric.
First, I cut up the seam to the desired length & then cut around the diameter of the dress.

I ended up with one long piece of fabric, so I cut along the other seam, to separate the front piece & back piece of the dress.  Next I sewed the pieces back onto the shirt.

I sewed the fabric pieces just behind the original seam, so when I pull them forward to make the knot you wont notice the fabric edge.  Finally, I rounded the tips of the fabric for the knot & here's the finished product.

It took me about 1.5 hours to fix this $6 dress up into a cute, fun shirt that I'll actually wear now and it beats spending $68 for it at anthro!

Crochet Triangle Scarf

This is a scarf I made out of bamboo & silk yarn.  I love the way it turned out.  I started by chaining the green yarn until it was the length I desired (108 ch).  The next row was just a repeat of the pattern double crochet (dc) then chain (ch).  After each row I dropped a stitch.  I used that pattern for 2 rows then I did a dc, ch 5 in the third row, dropped a stitch then went back to dc, ch.  I repeated this pattern & alternated colors until the end.  To secure the scarf I sewed this huge button onto one of the ends.

I think it adds a nice final touch.  This little scarf can be worn so many ways.

Under a sweater to look like the fanciest dickie eva or twisted to look like a fun necklace/scarf thing.

Cran-pom Pork Medallions

Last night I made this yummy pork tenderloin with a sweet & tangy cranberry-pomegranate sauce.  It took about 5 mins to make & tasted incredible!  I was in the mood for simple (as you can see from the easy sides) & this hit the spot.

Place the tenderloin (TL) in your roaster & then fill the roaster with cranberry-pomegranate juice so the juice comes up about halfway to the top of your TL.  Salt & pepper the TL then put a hefty layer of brown sugar on top of it (approx. 2 TBS/lb).  Then cook, serve & enjoy!  I cut the TL right in the roaster & rubbed the pieces in the syrup that the juice reduced in to.  So scrumptious, so simple.

For a sweet Baby girl on her way

I have a niece on the way in July i made this blanket not knowing wether she would be a girl or a boy so there is a blue white and yellow one just like it in the works.

love the little scalloped edge so sweet 

 :)

so who's going to give me a reason to finish the boy one?

teddys

First attempt at teddy bears . made from donated shower curtains at work. One for Avette and one for Scott. <3

Ginger Squash Spring Rolls

Ginger Yellow Squash Spring Rolls

2 Shredded yellow squash (skin them first)
1 1/2 tsp ginger
6 Tbs brown sugar
salt & pepper to taste
1 package spring rolls

Cook squash, ginger, brown sugar, salt & pepper in a pot.  Simmer until most of the liquid from the squash has cooked off.  Wrap the filling in the spring roll wrappers & cook as directed.

These delicious rolls are a perfect finger-food, party treat!  And so simple to make.

Leftover Holiday Stew!

Well, if you're like me and always wind up with wayyy too many left overs after the holiday, this soup is a great delicious way to get rid of some of those potatoes that never got mashed, apples that didn't make it into the pie or cooked ham that no one ate! It's easy, full of flavor and only takes about 30-45 mins to prepare. Here's what you'll need for about 4-5 servings:

1. 5 peeled potatoes, cut into bite size chunks.

2. 3 apples, also peeled and cut into bite size chunks.

3. 6 cups of chicken broth

4. 1 1/2 tsp. fresh grated ginger

5. 1 tsp. of pepper

6. 2 Tbs. brown sugar

7. 1 tsp. cinnamon

8. 2 Cups grated cheddar cheese

9. 1 Cup of leftover ham and/or turkey, cut into bite size pieces (I used both & feel free to add more than a cup if you have a lot leftover!)

10. Flour/water mixture (about 2 parts flour to 1 part water) to thicken soup base

Bring the chicken broth to a boil, add the ginger, pepper, brown sugar, cinnamon, potatoes and apples. Let it simmer for about 10-15mins until the potatoes are tender (just poke 'em with a fork to check!). Then, to the boiling soup add the flour/water mixture - you'll need to whisk the mixture in just a little at a time (if you add too much flour/water too fast, it will form clumps, so you have to whisk fast and add slow!) until it's thickened to a consistency you like. Then add the cheddar cheese a small handful at a time so it melts in your stew. Finally add your ham/turkey leftovers and serve!

Lovely Origami Window Hangings

I've always loved origami. Usually I make it and just leave the little objects lying around the house until they disappear or one of my cats decide it's their new play toy. About a month ago, I was on an origami folding kick! For a few weeks, every morning with my coffee I would fold a crane or box, or some other little thing up. They really only take a few minutes. Anyway, my origami pile kept getting larger and larger and I didn't know what to do with them all!

Finally, one day I came across some little yellow glass beads I had from an old necklace and I came up with this idea to string all the origami I made up with the glass beads and put them in the window so the sunlight can hit them.

I'm really happy with the way these turned out and they were so easy to make. Here are the steps:

1. Fold your origami shapes - you can find simple origami patterns online and you can use any square sheets of paper you have to make the origami. For mine, I made three strands and they each had seven origami objects hanging from them.

2. String your origami with thread and glass beads - I tied a knot in my thread, poked a needle through the origami piece, pulled the origami down thread to the knot & tied another knot above the origami. Then I tied a new knot about 2-3inches from the origami and strung my glass beads onto the thread, pulled the beads down to the knot and tied a new knot above the beads. About 2-3 inches from the beads I then tied another knot for a second piece of origami and repeated this step until all 7 pieces of origami and beads were strung on the strand.

3. Hang them up! - I tied a small hoop in the top of the thread and hung it above my window with a tack.

Here are a couple of closer shots of them, they look really nice when the sun is coming through the window. I often leave the top window pulled down just a crack, the air moves into my apartment from outside and the little oragami strands come to life and are constantly spinning around They are really too cutesy!