Iraqi Bundles of Love

Anyone else putting one of these together for IBOL?

(Click here to check out the project)

Here's my growing pile...some large folds of cotton, some decorator weight, some yarn, some smaller folds for color (do only quilters love fat quarter sized bits and pieces?), some thread....

Don't you want to help???

Raid your stash this weekend and get a bundle in the mail by the 8th. You can't go wrong sending fabric to someone who wants to sew, for heavens sake. Right?

New Sewing and Crafting Project: A Doll

Without a little girl at my house, I never thought I'd make a doll, until I saw this adorable one and the ones that inspired it. Then a baby shower for a girl this past weekend made me decide a doll was definitely in order.

Here's the sketch of my own variation (although, as I look back at Molly's, maybe it wasn't much of a "variation"! And if I'd had a fabric doily, you bet I would've used that too.)...


The end result...


I'm already sketching out what I'll change the next round, but I think this one turned out cute enough...even with her slightly odd body-to-head proportions! (Lesson 1: Stuffing changes the dimensions of a softy!)

Have you ever made toys or have a favorite hand made toy of your own?

Try these yummy flax seed crackers!

Finally, here is the updated link to the recipe for the flax seed crackers I have obsessed about here and here. I love them. Adore them! Think you should definitely try them. Crunch them. Munch them. Snack and dip and devour them.

Now I'm going to have to make myself a batch soon....yummmmeeeee!

Honoring YOU!!!

As I was writing down the names of those of you who put your name in the hat for my giveaway so I could, uh, put them in the hat, (see favorite, favorite hat below)



I found myself thinking how grateful I am for each of you and that I wanted to send this little scarf...

...to Bumblebeans for her ongoing efforts to use her creativity for the good of others....

...to Brenda for complimenting my quilt-making efforts when I was new to blogging and showing me see how inspiration passes from person to person....

...to Carolyn, for sharing quilts that inspired me to start a blog in the first place....

...to May, for being funny, open and honest in beautiful and unique ways....

...to Amy, (who lives in my home state!) for simply sharing her life...

...to Jessica, for sponsoring the Soup Swap and reminding me of the little pleasures in life...

...to Mom, for loving beautiful things and always loving me...

...to Alexis, for always finding the coolest things....

...to Megs, for sharing her voice of faith and hope...

...to Amy, for being the first person to really show me what a blogging community is about through her friendship...

...to Kendra, for her enthusiasm and creativity and for extending friendship...

...to Latharia, for amazing me with her energy and generosity...

...to Jean, for creating such beautiful art...

...to Jen, for loving her family and the adventure of her life...

...and anyone else along the way who has made the little collection someplace I like to sit and visit awhile.

Alas, I have only one scarf to give away tonight. And so it goes to.....

(interlude with hubby assisting with very formal drawing)

Jen! The newest visitor to the little collection! Congratulations Jen!

Beauty is a thing Divine

In the desire to recognize and share beauty more abundantly.....

A CRAZY ORDER by Jude Hill, featured in this post of her blog, Spirit Cloth.
(The photo is Jude's, used with her permission and under the Creative Commons License.)

Tonight there are not many words. Simply, Jude inspires me and I love this piece...the moons, the trees, the fabric with history. The reasons and explanations are still percolating. So, tonight, I'll let them percolate.

I invite you to slip into either of her blogs (Spirit Cloth and what if?) for more beauty and inspiration of your own.

Feeling Lazy...

...and just a bit under the weather. (This was really helped by my pot-smoking neighbors deciding that 3:45 a.m. - 5:30 a.m. was a great time to have a gathering, including loud laughter and piano playing. Once I finally got back to sleep I dreamt about inter-apartment wars between hubby and I and an illegal cabaret next door.)
All creative and financial posts on hold. Today is just grocery shopping, errands, cleaning, maybe a tiny bit of crafting and then games with friends. Although what I feel like is a movie in my pj's, a nap....and games with friends. Oh well.

Go sign up for this quilt giveaway today! It is an adorable quilt!

Have a lovely day! Be back in better form soon...

Banana Bread & Sharing

I'm grateful to have banana bread in the oven! I wanted something a bit healthier (and caramel-ier) than the usual banana bread. Are those two things mutually exclusive???

Anyway, I found an epicurious recipe to tweak. It's in the oven now and it smells so yummy! Optimistic that it will taste yummy, so I'll post my variation recipe here. (Just checked on it and it looks GOOD!!!) (Update: Yep. It's good!)

End-Our-Dependence-on-Oil Banana Bread

2 eggs
3/4 cup sugar (half brown sugar, half white)
3 bananas
1/3 cup yogurt
1 T oil
1 tsp vanilla
3/4-1 cup white flour
3/4 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Toasted nuts (optional)
Honey (optional)

Beat eggs and sugar for 5 min (til light and thick is what their recipe said...not EXACTLY sure what that means. Light and think? But I beat it for 5 minutes). Add bananas, yogurt, oil, vanilla. Mix. Add dry ingredients and mix. Pour into greased and floured pan. Sprinkle toasted nuts on top. Drizzle with honey if you'd like. Bake at 325 for about an hour, until golden and a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Enjoy!

Also enjoy these giveaways on some blogs I check from time to time....

Dragonfrye News is having her monthly giveaway of a baby blanket/comforter/quilt. Tina is very nice and I love the quilt I won from her. Take a look...maybe you'll be lucky too!

Apron Thrift Girl is giving away a beautiful necklace. Wait, maybe don't enter...I want to increase my odds!

Lollychops is giving away a pendant to be made into a bracelet or necklace...winner's choice. She's also compiling a massive list of favorite craft blogs as part of the giveaway, so check back if you want new inspiration! (And maybe drool over the yummy looking chocolate cobbler in her more recent posts!)

'Bye folks! Have a yummy day!

Soup Swap: Mom's Stew & Kathy's French Bread

This is my contribution to Jessica's Soup Swap. If you want more yummy soup recipes, just click on the icon above.



This stew is so yummy! It definitely gives me growing up comfort memories! As I made it again for the Soup Swap, I was reminded of the uniqueness of the flavor too. It's not a typical stew taste. The paprika and worcestershire and clove....just right!

I also decided to make French bread from a recipe given to me at my bridal shower back home with family and the women from my neighborhood. These women were constants in my growing up years. Claudia (who happened to live next door to my aunt) gave me this recipe, but clearly labeled it as "Kathy's" who lived across the street from her. Talk about neighborhood sharing! I love thinking of the women I grew up around when I make this bread. Without further ado....

Mom's Stew

2 Tbsp shortening or butter
1 lb stew meat
1 Tbsp worcestershire sauce
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 onion
1 bay leaf
1 Tbsp salt
1 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp pepper
dash of ground cloves
4 potatoes cubed
2-4 carrots
1 16 oz. can corn, drained (I used corn from 3 ears of corn, cut of the cob raw)
(I also added 2 small parsnips, but didn't notice them for good or bad.)
6 Tbsp flour

Brown the meat in the shortening/butter, turning often.

(Oh my goodness, looking at this now I think I may have added twice the butter. No wonder it tasted extra rich!) Add 2 quarts of water (I used beef broth for part of this because I had it in the fridge) and all of the seasoning/spices including onion and garlic. Once the soup is boiling, add the carrots and potatoes.

Cook until soft. Add the corn. Combine the flour in cold water, mixing thoroughly until there are no lumps. Add to stew and heat 'til bubbly (and if you add extra butter like me you have a yummy layer of "flavor" swirling on top!)

Kathy's French Bread

(This is the half version I make for only one loaf.)

1/4 cup warm water
1 Tbsp dry yeast
1 cup HOT water
1 1/2 Tbsp sugar
1/2 Tbsp salt (I probably do a little less than this)
1/6 cup of oil (eye-balled in my 1/3 cup measuring cup)
3 cups flour (I used 100% whole wheat.)

Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup water. In another bowl combine hoe water, sugar, salt, oil and 1/2 flour. Stir. Add yeast and stire. Add rest of flour. I usually cover the bowl and place it on my stove top or some other warm place. Stir down dough every 10 minutes five times. Roll out on large cutting board.

Roll up jelly-roll fashion , tucking the ends under. Sprinkle baking pan with cornmeal or grease. (Looking at my pan, see I clearly forgot that one, but it didn't stick this time. Go figure!) Slash the top.


Let raise double (30 - 60 minutes). Bake at 400 for about 20 minutes. Serve warm with butter, of course!

Giveaway!!! -- WINNER CHOSEN!!!

***UPDATE: Well the random integer generator selected comment number 51 out of 57 (one was a duplicate entry adding an e-mail). See:

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

51

Timestamp: 2008-10-16 02:50:20 UTC

which is......


Melissa from Frog Stitch! Congratulations!!! She says she makes pear crisp or pear jam from her sister's pears. YUM!!! Maybe I need to hop up to Canada to get some of that!!! So it looks like one of these runners is headed north. Hooray!!!

Thank you all for playing! It was fun to peek at your blogs and make this to send off to someone else's home. Once I hear from Melissa which one she likes, I'll put the other one in my new etsy shop. So check back if you are dying for a trick-or-treating table runner! Night all!
End of update.****

Yep, decided to jump into the fray with the "Fall into Fall" Quilter's giveaway! My giveaway prize is still in progress (due to a cold over the week-end, yuck!), but let's start the entries shall we?

You are entering for a Halloween table runner of your choice! All are welcome to join in the fun...family, friends, neighbors, blog-buddies, new visitors. All you need to do is leave a comment below (and a way to contact you if you don't have a blog) before October 15th at 10:00 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time telling me your favorite thing to make in the fall. It could be a craft, a favorite dish or anything else. (Yes, piles of leaves count!)

One lucky winner will get to choose between the above pictured table-runners: either the bright Halloween colors or the neutrals. The other will go in my etsy shop on Thursday. Isn't this Halloween fabric fun??? The giveaway package will also include a few fun Halloween/fall surprises, so sign up boys and girls. Let's get started!

Busy weekend and a teaser...

The next few days are going to be pretty busy around here...I have several rehearsals today and guests over for dinner tomorrow, so I may not get around to blogging. But, I am thinking about jumping on the bandwagon with the Fall into Fall giveaway and adding a little giveaway love of my own, so check back soon. If you click on this little guy below, he will take you to the list of other giveaway participants and links to their giveaways of fun handmade and quilting stuff.


Have a fabulous long weekend!

Beautiful Quilt & a Cupcake Award

When I first heard about Tina's giveaway, I thought it was too good to be true. Who makes a quilt, in fact a different quilt each month, and then gives it away on her blog? Tina at Dragonfrye News is who. Even once I won the drawing I thought, no body really does this!!! For a brief moment my suspicious paranoid New York perked up and declared "It's a scam! Some one is going to ask for my address to "send me a quilt" then really trace it to my credit card bills and social security benefits and....and....and....." But no. Just an adorable quilt in the post! Don't you agree?


I loved it in the picture on her site and I love it even better in person. Some of the fabric reminds me of vintage sheets (I keep reading people obsess about them for quilts, but just didn't catch the vision until I got this quilt!), some is plaid, some has metallic gold thread, one great dark purple block, some pretty paisleys...oh, and the cute polka-dot fabric??? Love it! Just love it!


I have to admit I have curled up under it already, despite my best intentions to put it in a hope chest for future daughters who will love it. I am afraid those daughters will have a hard time sneaking it from Momma for an occasional snuggle!


So thank you Tina! Here's a cupcake to you for sweetness! Yes, your generosity gets the second Cupcake Award on my blog.

Photo by Kelly Sue DeConnick, used under Creative Commons License

Who else wants some of Tina's sweetness? All you have to do is check out her site at the beginning of October. Her next drawing will be posted on October 6! Hope one of you wins the next one!

Busy Day...

Don't have time to write and post pictures (even of the ADORABLE quilt I received in the mail from Tina! hopefully tomorrow...), so I'm just passing on a few links that I am wanting to spend more time checking out....

For dinner....if you want soup, check out Turkey Cookies soup recipe swap. Oh they look yummy! Or if you want to explore some vegetarian options, how 'bout this site?


For fellow apartment dwellers, check this site out. I want one of these in my living room! And they speculate about the staying power of cupcakes. Vital life questions.

Have a lovely day!

Package in the mail...

Posting about what I received in the post...

Here's the cute checkbook cover Carol over at Giraffe Dreams sent me. Isn't the orange and white polka dot fabric fun?

And doesn't it look great peeking out of my favorite purse?


Carol, thank you! It is beautiful! I think I'm going to have to start carrying my checkbook everywhere just to have this cute thing in my purse!

Also, on the "hope to get a package of my own in the mail" front, hurry over to Knot Sew Crafty to enter her 200th post craft giveaway. The giveaway will be a surprise and the suspense is killing me!!! Be quick...she's drawing a winner tonight.

Have a lovely day all!

p.s. If you want to make your own check book cover (or I'm thinking about modifying one to fit my pocket calendar), the tutorial Carol recommended can be found here.

p.p.s. One more giveaway I just discovered via commonplace....Film in the Fridge is giving away one of these cute bags...

Hurry over there! She's drawing a winner tonight at 7 pm ET!

Looking for something new???

Check out this ingenuity over on A Foothill Companion...I swear crafters are the most creative, make-do-with-what-you've-got folk!

Or make this yummy dinner....(sans arugula salad in my case). Another favorite summer dish. (Fresh corn does make a difference! I do mine more like pancakes than fried fritters.)

(My back home, meat-and-potatoes family is probably feeling sorry for my hubbie about now! Oh well!)

Or ask yourself "what if...." and make a crazy quilt block as an answer!

Any other suggestions for something new? It's going to be a creative Wednesday....