Vintage Portcard decor idea

This is a great EASY project that anyone can do!  And the best part is that you can use this all year long, depending on what postcards you can find.

You will need:
-A multiple photo frame (mine is three) to fit 3x5 photos.
-Vintage postcards to fill the frame (again mine needs three)
-tape

I find my postcards at antique shops, usually for about $1-$2 a postcard. Some people ask as much as $5, which I laugh and pass up.  There are a TON out there for  reasonable prices, and its fun to always look through them and find a new favorite.

Just grab your three favorite, tape them into the correct spot, then put your frame back together and hang.  No craft abilities required!  Just remember the change it out for each season- I am guilty of having Easter postcards in at Christmastime- oops!  I have postcards for Easter, Valentine's Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  Sometimes you can find Halloween but I have yet to find three I like.

Have fun with this, its so cute!

Misc. projects

I have been working a few projects here and there but I've been pretty busy lately!
I really want to have pajamas for each of my nephews and nieces done by Thanksgiving, so that is my priority.  The pants are easy, but the tops take more time.
For now, I made a test pajama top for LJ out of her favorite silky fabric.  It has matching silky pants too, of course! (Sorry for ugly picture)

  My other new project has been to help me get back into crocheting.  I haven't knit a stitch or crocheted a thing in probably 4 years or so.  I really wanted to make LJ a cute Fall hat since it has started getting chilly.  I will probably try again but this one turned out okay I think.  I used the pattern on this blog that my cousin Julia suggested.  It's on LJ's head a little crooked, but we had like 3 seconds of her patience to get a picture and the picture turned out cute at least!  I like the ripple along the edge. 

In other fun sewing news, my husband surprised me with a new sewing chair for my birthday.  Like, its an actual sewing chair.  Sounds silly, but it really is comfy and keeps your back from getting sore while you sew.  So then I can sit for a while and finish the quilt I started over a year ago for my niece...
Wish me luck that I get more time to sew- I am really behind on my "Great Christmas Challenge"!

Pimiento Cheese- a very Southern YUM!

I have not had this nor made it since living in Nashville, TN.  I discovered this "Southern Caviar" during my first month there, at the first teacher luncheon I attended.  I was instantly in love and wondering why no one up North ever makes this!  If you like cheese, and you like anything with a little kick, you will LOVE Pimiento Cheese.  It is great on crackers, crostinis, veggies, tea sandwiches, or as a topping to meat, etc. 

For my version, I used a conglomerate of recipes I have tasted or been given by Southern friends.  Some from the older generation, some from the young.  Mine uses cream cheese which is more "modern".  The traditional is only cheddar, mayo, and of course pimientos.

A food processor is the easiest way to do this, but a hand mixer would do in a pinch.  I use my mom's awesome vintage "La Machine" food processor from 1978, and it works like a dream.  A brown and tan dream...

Okay, for this recipe you will need:
-One package cream cheese (Neufchatel or lowfat is fine, no fat free though!)
-One package sharp cheddar shredded cheese
-Mayonnaise (lowfat fine, fat free not fine) about 1/2 cup
-1-3 cloves of garlic (depending on your taste)
-1-2 large kosher dill pickles (depending on your taste)
-1 four ounce jar of pimientos, drained
-Louisiana Hot Sauce or Tabasco to taste
-Salt and Pepper to taste

First, put the pickle or pickles and the garlic cloves in the food processor and pulse until finely chopped.  Then add the cream cheese and mayo and whip it up really well.  After that add your cheese, pimientos, salt, pepper, and a dash or two of hot sauce.  Pulse until just blended as you don't want to pulverize the cheese and pimientos.
Then you can taste and add a bit more salt or hot sauce if you want.  To make it more spreadable, you can always add more mayo.  Even if you don't like hot stuff, use a little hot sauce.  It gives it a distinct pimiento cheese flavor and it doesn't make it hot unless you add a bunch.

Lola Jane's Custom Ruffle Pants Mini-Tutorial

Umm, sorry for the sideways picture.  I suck at the photo part of this!

Hello!  Due to being prego and sick to go with it, no new posts for a while.  But now I am feeling a lot better and I've had some time to sew.  I have been working on LJ's Fall wardrobe, and I wanted to try my own version of those cute boutique-y ruffle pants.  Of course I had to do TWO layers of ruffles, extra-poufy for my princess.  She LOVES them, but no pics of her in them yet because I had to shorten them.  I included a way to do that in the tutorial (without ruining the ruffles!)

Step 1- Find a pants pattern you like.  I used the plain longer pants from this Butterick pattern.  Cut out the pieces as on the pattern.  I used an old pair of my husband's khakis in order to not waste resources.

Step 2- Do the first step of your pattern.  This usually involves sewing down one side of the leg.  You want only 2 leg pieces to work with, but you do not want it in a "tube" yet.

Step 3-  Determine how long your pants need to be.  Also determine how deep you want your ruffles- My longer ruffle was 4".  You will need to shorten the leg pieces the appropriate amount, leaving a seam allowance.  So if the existing legs are the perfect length and you want 4" ruffles, you would shorten it by 3.25" approximately.

Step 4- Make your ruffles!  The length should be at LEAST double that of the pant hem.  I do 2.5.  Fold your "longer" ruffle fabric choice and measure from the fold 4.75".  Cut or tear, then pin the raw edges together.  Fold your "shorter" ruffle fabric and measure 3.75" from the fold.  Cut or tear then pin the raw edges together.  Sew using your longest stitch length and your highest thread tension (this will start the ruffles for you, saves some time).  Then finish gathering until the ruffles match the length along the bottom hem of each pant leg.  Mine was about 13.5", but you need to do yours to match the pattern and size you are using.

Step 5- Attach ruffles!  Stack the short ruffles onto the long ruffles and pin each together.  Then attach to the bottom hem of each pant leg (this is why we didn't want the pants sewn up, it's easier to do this flat!)  Be sure to have the shorter ruffle facing the right side of your fabric!  Use a serger or a serger-type stitch on your machine then trim.  You will need to iron the ruffles down, then topstitch to keep them laying flat.


Step 6- Finish constructing pants.  Before adding casing and elastic, try the pants on your little one.  See if the top needs to be higher up (we use cloth diapers so this is a common problem when I sew pants patterns).  If it does, then add the appropriate amount of fabric to the top (folded in half for thickness).  Add in about an inch for the casing.  Then make the casing and add elastic as normal. If you don't need extra length but think it looks cute, just cut some off the top and add your own top.  Easy.

Step 7- IF they are too long, and you want to keep that extra length for the next growth spurt, sew in a little tuck.  Just flip up the hem above the ruffles, sew in as far as you need to for the correct length, then iron it flat.  It doesn't look the most beautiful, but when they grow a bit all you have to do is grab your seam ripper.
I have a picture but Blogger is giving me issues right now.  So for now, only the one crappy picture at the top.  Will try to add it later!

That's it!  I called it a min-tute because its so easy, and been done, and all that.  So try it for the little girls you know!  If you really want to cheat, take a pair of their summer capris and just add the ruffles to the bottom, voila, Fall pants!

Zucchini time!!!

Ahh, time for zucchini.  This is one of my favorite versatile veggies.  We can grow it in abundance here in Indiana, so I am lucky that my aunt and uncle have a HUGE garden and let me have all I want!  I got a couple of really big ones today and shredded them in my food processor to make zucchini bread.  Then I got to thinking, "That would be a LOT of bread.  So what else can I do with this?"
So here is my list of ideas, some of them I have a recipe link or two to go with them.

1. The simple way- slice, then saute with olive oil, or be lazy and nuke in the micorowave.

2.  Zucchini "pasta":  Get out your veggie peeler and peel it into a bunch of strips.  Salt them down and let them sit for a while, then briefly saute with olive oil and halved cherry tomatoes.  Then top with freshly grated parmesan.  One of my most favorite summer dishes!!! I think this is the original recipe I used was from Rachael Ray, but it is no longer on the website.  You could also add in some high-quality bacon to give a flavorful (but fatty) boost.

3. Add sheredded zucchini to: soups, pastas, quiches, frittatas, omelets, meatloaf, meatballs, turkey burgers, or hide in your kids mac n cheese!

4.  Zucchini cake/cupcakes- Bake your favorite zucchini bread recipe then top with cream cheese icing, yummy!!!  Or use a recipe like this one: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/zucchini-cake-i/detail.aspx

5. Zucchini lasagna- replace your noodles with large slices of zucchini- I would salt them and set aside for a few minutes to get some water out of it, then brown both sides with oil in a pan first to boost flavor.  I've also done this with eggplant.  Here is a recipe if you are a recipe kinda person! http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/no-noodle-zucchini-lasagna/detail.aspx

6.  Zucchini baby food- When LJ was a little baby, she loved some smashed up zucchini with a little parmesan cheese.  You can freeze the extras in ice cube trays so you have perfect portions for your little one.

7.  Zucchini boats- cut a v-shaped slit down the length of an entire zucchini, then use a spoon to take out some of the middle.  Stuff with whatever- meat mixture, cheeses, etc. then wrap in foil and bake!  Yummy!  I do have an idea about zucchini cups, but I think it might get messy.  But if you have a big one, you could cut it into several cylindars and scoop out a cup to fill...I just don't know if the bottom of it would get to watery with no skin there.  Looks like I might be trying this tonight!

8.  Zucchini-kebabs.  Self-explanatory.  Although I would suggest adding other veggies as well, duh.

9.  Zucchini pancakes!!!!  I am making these on Sunday for my family.  Just make your regular old pancake recipe, leave out about 1/8 cup of the milk (the zucchini is a bit watery) then toss in some zucchini and some cinnamon.  Nutritious (before all the butter and syrup) and delicious!

10.  Zucchini latkes- shred some potato, some zucchini, and some onion.  Mix together with some flour and egg and a pinch or two of salt.  Form into tiny latkes and thow 'em in the frying pan with a little olive oil.  Brown them on both sides and serve with some creme fraiche or sour cream!  This would be great at a brunch.

Hopefully I have helped you with some good zucchini ideas!  Get cookin' and send me your good ideas, I would love some more!  Now off to my giant shredded-zucchini filled Ikea zip top baggie...

Embellished Tank Tops are Here!

Okay, Kristin and I worked our tank top magic last night...or something like that.  Basically, we dumped out my scrap fabric bin, extra beads bin, etc. and waited for inspiration.  I think what we have so far is a great start towards gifts for my Great Christmas Challenge!!!  So take a look and start wondering if one of these is for you...
Oh, and sorry about the crappy photos.  I seem to have misplaced our really expensive camera, much to my husband's annoyance...so I had to use my Blackberry.  But at least you get the idea of what we did, right?

Okay, for this navy blue tank top I grabbed some grayish-blue striped fabric and cut out  9 circles, maybe about 3" in diameter.  Then I folded them in half twice and played around with the layout until I liked how it looked.  I hand sewed the tip top corner onto the shirt carefully so it looked pretty.  Then I added a row of bluish-green beads to the top (larger size of seed beads).  I thought this made it look a bit more finished.

Here is the lovely Kristin modeling her project for the night.  We took some tan-ish floral fabric and made a big long strip.  It was then ruffled the "easy" way on the sewing machine (amp up your thread tension, and hold the thread on the spool while you sew, voila, ruffles!)  After evening out the ruffles by hand and pinning them on, Kristin used a zigzag stitch to attach it all the way around the neckline- we wanted the back to be pretty too!  Then we made a cute flower in off-white to attach as a finishing touch.  The best part?  It's fast and no-sew!  Here is a good tutorial for that from a great blog called "Ruffles and Stuff".  Love her!

I think this last one might be the most "me" of the three we've made so far.  I made four of the above referenced flowers in a beautiful deep orange color.  I made them slightly graduated in size, then attached them in a cluster down the strap.  I think I might make one more smaller one so there is 5.  I have this weird thing where I don't really like even numbers...should I tell my therapist?  Anyways, my daughter woke up from her nap so that's how it ended up with just 4 for the moment.


Sorry again for the awful photography, I promise to hunt and find my camera for next time!  Please help me get more followers- tell any of your friends to officialy follow me and once we get to 25 I will create something as a giveaway and do a drawing!

embellished tanks

My friend Kristin and I are gearing up for a girls crafty night- we will be embellishing some tank tops that I got a couple weeks ago for $2 each at Old Navy!  This is part of my Great Christmas Challenge, because if they turn out nice enough they will make great Christmas gifts.  I got some toned down, colder weather colors.  I figured they will look cute under a cardigan or blazer during the colder months!
I am currently gathering up some fun supplies to use...bits of tulle, beads, scrap fabric, lace, etc.  Tune in later this week to see how they turned out...and buy a couple of cheap tank tops yourself to see what you come up with!  There are no "wrong" ways to do it!