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May 31, 2011

The bloomers are finished!

purple bloomers

blue and green bloomers

bloomers

Last night I wore my pair for my jammies!

I am looking for a good adult sized romper pattern. Do you have any suggestions of where to look?

May 26, 2011

Since I have been sewing again I can't wait to start my next project. Last night I stopped at the fabric store and came across a few fabric designs that I like.

fabric-roundup

It seems like I am really into florals lately... Isn't the bird cage fabric the greatest? I really want to buy some, but I am not sure what I should make with it. Do you have any ideas for it or any of the others?

May 24, 2011

Over the weekend I got my garden ready by turning the soil (thank you Dad and Karen for the help!!!) and placing my cinder block border. Then last night I put my plants and seeds into the ground!

garden planted

Using the cinder blocks as a garden border will be much better than the little metal fencing I used last year. I won't have to worry about accidentally getting too close to it with the lawn mower and mangling it up plus they have built in flower pots which will be filled with flowers soon!

Here is another picture of the garden where the plants are still in containers, it is a bit easier to see where they are.

plant placement

My setup is a bit different than I had planned. Here is where and what everything is:
- Closest to the bottom of the photo are the three watermelon.
- To the left of the watermelon in the small strip just before the walkway is lettuce and spinach.
- On the other side of that walkway are two bell peppers and two Belize Pink Heart tomatoes.
- The other plant along that wall is a spaghetti squash. A second plant is right across from it.
- Along the back wall are three cucumbers.
- There is lots of corn in the empty looking space in the top right corner of the photo.
- The two containers right next to each other in the center of the garden are zucchini.
- In front of the zucchini, on the other side of the walkway is a small patch with carrots and some more lettuce.

I still need to get larger cages for the tomatoes and peppers, the ones I used last year were way to small and started tipping over when the plants got large. I also am planning on using some of my knot tying skills to make a net for a trellis for the cucumbers. If I actually make a net instead of hooking rope around some stakes I will share it with you.

May 19, 2011

One pair finished and another is nearly complete.


My estimation on how long it would take to sew these bloomers was totally off. I was able to complete only one pair Tuesday night, but I am really excited about how they turned out. The picture above shows the inside of the purple bloomers and if you look closely you will see I used french seams to stitch the pieces together. I forgot how much ironing was involved, it has been so long since I have done any serious sewing.

May 17, 2011

Finally, finally, finally figured out what I am making with the seersucker fabric. Bloomers from Colette Patterns! So cute and the pattern is free!

work in progress

I think these are going to be excellent pajama bottoms for the hot summer months. I have the fabric cut out and last night I went to the fabric store to pickup elastic and ribbon. Crossing my fingers that I finish them up tonight so I can show you on Thursday what they look like.

May 11, 2011

Strawberries and Dulce de Leche are a winning combo.

I made this extra moist and yummy cake Tuesday night and shared it with my coworkers yesterday .

strawberry cake with dulce de leche frosting

It is a white cake with strawberries topped with Dulce de Leche frosting. It was a nice treat that complemented the 'nearly summer weather' we have been having quite well.

May 10, 2011

The glass sugar container is finished too.

flour and sugar

There is still a few more days until the paint is completely dry and I will be able to wash them though. Fingers crossed that the words don't wash off.

May 5, 2011

Margaritas!!!

It is Cinco de Mayo! What other reason do you need to have a margarita tonight? Here are eight margarita recipes, one is sure to make your Thursday at least a little bit better.

margaritas-1
margaritas-2

1. Strawberry Margarita Popsicles from Bakers Royale
2. Honeydew Rita from Nobel Pig
3. Prickly Pear Frozen Margarita from Muy Bueno Cookbook
4. House Margarita from Carrie Floyd on Culinate
5. Guava Jalapeno Margarita from Food2
6. Margarita Svenska from Sloshed
7. Blood Orange Margaritas from Confections of a Foodie Bride
8. Lavender Margaritas from Sunset

All links found via Liqurious.

May 3, 2011

Painting Glass Jars

I am painting some large inexpensive glass containers to store some flour and sugar.


This is a work in progress because 1) the glass paint is still drying and 2) I didn't paint the second one because I couldn't get the jar clean (there was glue that wouldn't come off!).

It is an easy project, there are just a few steps. Here are the materials I used:
Clean glass to be painted
PermEnamel, an air dry paint for glass and other materials
Paintbrush
Template, I printed some words on paper.
Tape and Scissors


PermEnamel supposedly takes 10 days to fully dry before you can wash the container. I can easily scratch the paint off now which is good for cleaning up my wiggly paint job, but hopefully it is more secure once the ten days are up.

To start I cutout my template and taped it inside the container so I could easily trace it through the glass.


Next I used the paintbrush and traced with the PermEnamel. My hand was a bit shaky, but like I said above it is easy to scratch away any mistakes. I have been using a toothpick to scratch and smooth my lines, this is working pretty well.


The sugar container hasn't really been started, I was having lots of trouble completely removing the glue that secured the metal 'snack' label so I had to get a razor blade to finish the work. I should have this project complete next week and I will be a tiny bit closer to having an organized pantry.