My Creative Life

Handmade Christmas 2011

2011-11-26T13:58:00.000-08:00

I'm trying some new things this year. Last year I had grand plans for all the things I was going to make. I'm not sure what I was thinking, having a newborn and all that. This year I've been able to get a few more things done. PJs are done for everyone, and I made these little dolls today. Ashley's look amazing, mine are a bit simpler, but I think they will be loved.

I've got what I need to make the boy version as well...we'll see if they get done by Christmas!

Chicken and Black Bean Soup

2011-11-12T21:22:00.000-08:00

This is the first recipe that I feel is really mine. I'm sure I've seen several versions of this in cookbooks, but this one recipe I never look at a cookbook to make. So, here it is (for me as much as anyone)

2 c. dried black beans
1 can diced tomatoes with green chilies
1 can diced tomatoes
1 large can tomato sauce
1/2 onion, diced
2-3 cloves of garlic, minced (or more, to taste)
1 Tablespoon cumin
4 c. chicken stock
3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 bag frozen corn

Rinse and sort beans.
Saute onions and garlic is a bit of oil in a large pot.
Add broth, tomatoes, beans and cumin to the garlic and onion.
Bring to a boil.
Turn the heat down, add chicken, and simmer for about two hours.
Take out chicken breasts and shred them.
Add the chicken back to the pan, along with the frozen corn.
Turn off heat, cover, and let sit for a few minutes.
Serve with sour cream and cheese.

This easily makes enough for six. Leftovers are just as good, and it freezes well.

Making veggie muffins the Anna Maschke way

2011-08-29T14:52:00.000-07:00

Step One: Find the interesting recipe you want to try (mine was this one)

Step Two: Look at the recipe and decide it makes too many dirty dishes and think of a way to simplify it.

Step Three: Grab the veggies from your fridge (leftover broccoli and carrots). Dump them both in the food processor. Throw in the bananas too. Puree with the juice (I used apple) yogurt, vanilla and eggs Decide to melt the butter and mix it in too.

Step Four: Melt butter.

Step Five: Mix sugar with other dry ingredients.

Step Six: Dump the wet and dry together. Mix.

Step Seven: Have a almost three year old want to help. Give him the job of putting the muffin liners into the pan.

Step Eight: Pour the batter into the pans. Take a mini loaf pan and let a very anxious help pour the last of the batter in it.

Step Nine: Put in oven and then realize the butter in still in the microwave.

Step Ten: Watch veggie phobic son devour the leftover batter and smile.

Step Eleven: Eat muffins. Enjoy.

And Josiah ate the ENTIRE mini loaf the next day for breakfast. He wouldn't share it at all. A success in my book!

Curried Chicken Salad

2011-06-08T21:03:00.000-07:00

This is as much for me to remember as it is to share...it was a hit among the curry lovers in this house. Three hours later Jed walked up to me and said "Wow, I'm still thinking about how good that was" So here we go:

Excuse the less than precise measurements...it's just how I roll. All of them fall into the "ish" category

3 T. mayo
1 T. curry powder
cilantro, to taste
about 1/4 cup sliced almonds
a handful of golden raisins
1/2 small apple, cubed
about 12 oz. shredded chicken

Mix..Enjoy!

Genius!

2011-02-15T12:22:00.000-08:00

These two blogs are genius. Why? They came up with this idea!

Because this guy gets ignored too often in my sewing and crafting.

So, for the next month, I will celebrate my boy and hopefully craft for him a bit too!

What I've been busy with...

2011-01-18T13:38:00.000-08:00

This beautiful little girl!

So, my crafting was momentarily suspended so that I could take care of Abigail Charis. Who know having three kids four and under would be so much work!

Before Abi was born I was able to finish this Christmas present for Ali. She currently loves all things Hello Kitty, so when I found this fabric, I knew she would love it. The pink and yellow are all fabric scraps that I had. I used some of the fabric to make a Hello Kitty face on the shirt, but Ali's hiding it!

I have a bunch of stuff cut out...I had the best of intentions for Christmas presents...hopefully in the next few months they will get done!

Muffin Mix!

2010-10-25T16:57:00.000-07:00

For our latest MOPS creative activity, each mom was able to customize some muffin mix for a quick and easy breakfast for the family. The basic mix was:

1 1/2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup brown sugar

You can add:
1/2 to 1 cup dried fruit and/or chocolate chips
1/4 to 2/3 cup of chopped nuts

To make the muffins:
Mix together 1/4 cup oil or melted butter
1 cup milk or vanilla yogurt
1 egg

Add one package of mix. Combine. Batter will be lumpy. Spoon into greased or lined muffin tins. Bake at 400 for 20 to 25 minutes.

My family enjoy cranberry almond muffins yesterday and today. I keep thinking of other great combinations: apple walnut, cherry chocolate...the list could go on and on!

Folding Photo Book

2010-09-15T12:33:00.000-07:00

This was the craft we did for our first MOPS meeting of the year. If you would like to make your own, here is the tutorial. Feel free to ask if you have any questions.

Materials Needed:

2- 6x6 pieces of chipboard. I found chipboard in the scrapbook section at Joanns. If you can't find any, any heavy cardboard would work. It's purpose is to stablize the front and back of the book.

3 -12x12 pieces of paper

2 pieces of scrapbook paper to cover the chipboard. They can be any size, as long as the are bigger than 6x6

glue or double stick tape

scissors

Do the next three steps to each of the 12x12 sheets. Fold in half.

Now fold the paper in half the other direction.

Fold the paper diagonally.
Each of your 12x12's will look like this when you are done.
Glue or tape the three pieces of 12x12 paper together. Make sure the diagonal folds all face the same direction. You should be connecting on squares.

Take your colored paper and cut it a bit larger than the chipboard. There is no exact science to this. I didn't even worry if the cut was a straight line. Cut the corners off the paper as shown below.

Fold the paper over the chipboard and glue or tape in place.
Now for the trickest part...folding the book for the first time. Fold the diagonal fold in. The square should sit down on top of the fold.
Do the same to the other end of the three 12x12 papers.
Turn the 12x12 papers over and fold the last diagonal in.
Glue or tape your paper covered chipboard to the top of your folded paper. The other chipboard goes of the back of your book.

Decorate the outside of you book however you want. My four year old helped me decorate this for her to put her pictures in. She really wanted the pink circle on there. I don't know what it's purpose is. I just go with it!

I hope you enjoy making your own books! They would make great brag books for grandparents. Just fill the inside of the book with pictures of your choice!

A little rainbow

2010-07-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

I've had the material for this shirt (based off of this post) for some time, but my wonder under had disappeared. I think my kids are hiding it from me! I finally went and bought some more, and Ali helped me make this super cute shirt. She loves it! I let her help me iron some of the rainbow. After these pictures were taken, I did stitch around the colors of the rainbow and the clouds, but Ali was so excited to wear it, she wouldn't let me do it right away.

The posing was her idea!

Also in the works in my home: A household notebook. I'm trying to streamline and organzie things so I get done what I need to and still take the time to read, craft, and do special things with the kids. I also want vital information in one place so that when Abi is born I can find things without thinking too hard! I've had the various pieces floating around, but I need to get it all together. Hopefully I'll have something to show you soon!

I'm also hoping to get an outfit made for my new niece before we go see her in August. I should have lots of time; I just need to decide what to make her!

Dropping off the face of the earth

2010-05-05T16:29:00.000-07:00

At least that is what it feels like. We left after Easter for a two week trip. We started by spending a few days in Kansas with my family and then Jed and I left for a week long conference in St. Louis. The kids stayed with my sister and her family for the week. We've been home for a while now, but it still feels like I'm running in circles.

I've strongly hinted that I want Anna Maria Horner's new book for Mother's Day. We will see if the hint is taken. Besides making things for friends and family having babies, I think I'd like to make a few things for Baby 3, which should make his appearance in late October or early November. We will see.

I did manage to sew Ali's Easter Dress. I need to get a good picture of her in it. And, I did finally make it to Stonemountain and Daughter's fabric in Berkeley. We've lived here for almost two years, so it was about time. It was fun to visit. Ali and I really enjoyed looking at the fabrics. So many beautiful choices. Jed didn't quite get it, but that's okay, he humored me!

So, that's all for now...hopefully I won't ignore this blog for so long again.

Ups and Downs

2010-02-02T10:18:00.000-08:00

This weekend I was able to go to a creative arts retreat that the church I go to MOPS at put on. It was great. I was able to complete several projects and try out my new machine (and Janome DC2010). Pictures of that are coming soon. But, I came home Sunday night and have been bummed ever since. Some things I can't talk about on here, but some I can. Like the dentist. I have an intense fear of the dentist. So much so that I did not go for about 10 years. Jed finally made an appointment for me, and I went. Well, I need a lot of work done. I have had a root canal, and I have 12 fillings that need to be done. I went in yesterday and had three done, and I'm supposed to go back on Thursday for some more. The biggest problem is that our dental insurance has a yearly cap on how much they pay. After one more filling, I've met that cap for this year. So, that means that we are either going to have to find a way to pay for the 8 fillings that insurance won't cover, or I have to wait until 2011 to get them done (which doesn't really seem like a good option either). I've been stressed about the dentist already because of my fear, and now I feel guilty on top of that because of all the money this is going to cost us. Money we don't really have. And, if I had just gone to the dentist at some point before now, money that we probably wouldn't of had to spend. I know I can't change the past, but I still feel bad.

So, very little of this post is about crafting, but really, it's my blog, I can write whatever I feel like writing about, right?

Things I'm excited about

2010-01-25T22:50:00.000-08:00

1. I'm buying a new sewing machine. I think I'm going to pick it up tomorrow. I'm really looking forward to playing with it.
2. I'm going on a craft retreat this weekend. Three days, in a hotel, where I can craft to my little heart's content. I think I'm going to learn all about the aforementioned new sewing machine.
3. I have fabric and patterns for a new purse for me and a new dress for Ali.
4. A friend told me she had a bunch of fabric to give me. I can't wait to see what it is!
5. Anna Maria Horner's new book and the newest Sew U book come out soon.

There you go, five very happy things. Good night to all!

Breakfast

2010-01-20T23:25:00.001-08:00

I love to cook. Clean-up isn't my favorite, but the act of cooking is quite peaceful. However, breakfast is the exception. I love breakfast food, but I'm not a morning person. That's probably putting it lightly. I really hate mornings, so often my family is forced to fend for themselves. Thank goodness cereal is loved by all.

For that exact reason, I was so glad when I learned through MyBlogSpark.com that General Mills is making a commitment of further reduce sugar in cereals advertised to kids under 12 to single digit grams of sugar per serving, while increasing nutrients like calcium and Vitamin D, and providing whole grain.

Cereal is actually shown to be a top source of key nutrients in a child's diet. And even presweetened cereals only account for 5% of sugar in a child's diet.

So, I will feel better about the fact that I do buy Fruit Loops every once in a while for my family, and I'll continue to enjoy my Chocolate Cheerios. And thanks to General Mills, I was able to buy some cereal for my family...everyone got a choice, and I couldn't say no!

For more information about kids and cereals, please visit Cereal Health and Wellness.

Right now if you visit here you will find a $1 off coupon for one of four General Mills cereals.

Please note that the information on breakfast cereals as well as coupons for complimentary cereal was given to me by General Mills through myblogspark.com

Advent

2009-12-16T20:19:00.000-08:00

Since Ali is three this year, she really gets the idea of Christmas. I am really enjoying the wonder of Christmas this year since everything is new and wonderful to her. To help her understand Advent and help with the countdown to Christmas, we made an Advent calendar for our wall. Nothing fancy this year (although I love to make a permanent one for next year. We shall see). Here is what we did:Each number was written on an index card with glitter glue and a red or green circle was drawn around it. This card is taped to another card with our activity of the night on it. The activities include reading stories, cooking with Mom, and making crafts. Ali loves looking at the card each day and counts down the days to Christmas at least three times a day.

Some of our decoration include Ali's paper chains.

Ali and I working on a Christmas tree decoration. Ali was very excited about the glitter.

Here are some cards that Ali made to give to someone special. She worked very hard on them and was super excited to use my "special markers"; the scrapbook ones that sparkle.

Christmas sewing is underway!

2009-11-24T15:16:00.000-08:00

Super Beckett cape for my nephew

Tinkerbell PJs for Ali.

Farm PJ's for Josiah.

Still to come: PJ pants for Jed and I, some purses and gift card holders, and some felt food and doll clothes.

Tinkerbell

2009-11-07T22:11:00.000-08:00

My daughter knew, without a doubt, that she wanted to be Tinkerbell for Halloween. So, here she is, flying away.

I wish I could take credit for the great car Josiah is sitting in, but I had nothing to do with it. It's just cute.

I'm currently working on PJ's for the family for Christmas. I have a few other presents I want to make; we will see if they get done. And, if Ali had anything to do with it, I'd be making Princess costumes now also. She thinks she wants to be Snow White, Cinderella, or Belle. She told me I could make all the dresses, and then she could decide!

A little bit of my work...

2009-09-09T15:25:00.001-07:00

A tutu a made a while ago for Ali. She had given one to a friend for her birthday and wanted her own.

Her doll and the clothes, diapers and bag I made for her. The baby's name is Curly, for reasons I still don't understand.

Ali in her "purple twirly dress". It's a bit short for a dress, so we wear pants under it. It's the Gracie pattern from Portabellopixie.

Neglecting

2009-09-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

Not only have I been neglecting my blog, but my machine is feeling a bit lonely as well. I've started, but not finished a bunch of projects. My daughter is getting a new doll for her birthday next week, and I'm almost done with about a wardrobe of clothes for it (as well as some matching clothes for Ali). I'm also trying to figure out the crafts for the MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) this year. I've got some ideas, but I'm trying to get myself all organized.

So, hopefully pictures will be up next week of the things I finish (before the birthday, I hope) and my sample projects for MOPS will show up as well, I'm sure. I also need to figure out what my almost one year old boy would like Mommy to make him for his birthday...and I've got a few dresses I would love to make for myself. We will see...

No Sewing...

2009-07-10T09:04:00.001-07:00

My family and I went of vacation and since I got back I've been dealing with this:
about fifty pounds of peaches from the tree in our backyard. After lots of freezing, jam making and peach crisp baking, the peach situation is under control...until we pick the next thirty pounds still hanging on the tree.

To my poor, neglected blog...

2009-06-16T15:36:00.001-07:00

I have been doing things, just haven't sat down to post. I suppose keeping up with my kids has something to do with that. I'm sure people understand.

So, what have I done...made skirts and dresses. Pictures? Here they are...
Three skirts for myself (Weekend Sewing Wrap Skirt, Favorite Things Bella Skirt, and self-drafted)
Two dresses for Ali: Weekend Sewing Flower Girl Dress and Portabellopixie pattern.

What other creative ventures have I had? They fall in the land of cooking. Anyone who has been to my house (or packed my house for a move) knows that I like cookbooks. I read them like books. They are interesting. I love them. I have lots of them. So, I decided that every week I'm going to pick a cookbook and cook five things from it. Week One was Yum-O: The Family Cookbook by Rachael Ray. Had good luck so far. I liked all five, Jed was neutral on only one.

I'm also trying to more cooking with Ali (my almost three year old). If you have a pre-reader who wants to cook and don't know about Pretend Soup and Salad People, go look them up right now. Ali loves them. The idea is great too. Both of these books (By Mollie Katzen) has the recipe not only in "normal" format (for the adults) but in pictures for the kids. Ali really feels like she is cooking and I am just helping. If you have a reader who wants to cook Katzen also has a cookbook called Honest Pretzels which is also great.

So, there you have it. That is what I've been doing. I'm now off to put together some puzzles (the 24 piece variety)

Why I will never work on an assembly line

2009-05-20T15:51:00.000-07:00

Doing the same thing over and over just isn't my thing...but I did make 13 cup cozies for the teachers at my daughter's school. She doesn't have all 13 teachers, being seeing as how Jed's the pastor, we wanted to appreciate them all. We put a gift card to Starbucks in each one with a "thanks a latte" note. Cheesy, but cute.

In other sewing news...
I made this backpack for our friend "B" who turned two. No pattern used, but nothing fancy either. His sister was the recipient of the purse in the post below.

A dress for Ali:

A taggie blanket for Sy:

I have been looking through my copy of Weekend Sewing (part of my mother's day gift) and attempted to make the wrap skirt. The skirt is cut, and I learned about french seams (which I really like, by the way) but I'm glad that I made a muslim first. The skirt is way too small and will be refashioned into something else (either an apron or some other thing that I haven't decided yet)

Also, I'm trying to come up with good ideas for the creative activities for my MOPS group next year. If anyone stumbles across this blog and has any great ideas, please let me know!

My newest projects...a giveaway and a great idea

2009-05-06T11:30:00.000-07:00

You know, I would love to come up with cute, creative titles for my posts, but some days I'm just not that creative. But, here are a few new things I've been doing.

The apron I made for Jenny (Jed's Office Manager). It's the Full Contact Apron from Seams to Me.

This little bag (from this tutorial) is for "A's" birthday. A is a family friend who turns five this weekend. Her little brother ("B") turns two on the same day. I'm making him a little backpack.

My friend Tracey over at Itching 2 B Stitching is having a fat quarter giveaway to celebrate summer. Leave a comment here telling about your summer plans and you are entered.

Tracey is also hosting a summer Not swap. See here for details. I think it is a great idea!

We are back!

2009-04-29T10:50:00.000-07:00

The family and I were on two week post Easter vacation to Kansas (to visit my family) and to Texas (for the wedding of my college roommate). We saw lots of family and friends and had a very relaxing time.

The fabic I showed in the last post (Hoffman California "Reflections") was used to make placemats, napkins and coasters for the newly married Johnsons.

I also finished up my item for the We the People swap and packaged it up without taking a picture. The apron is done as well, but I need to take a picture of it and give it to the new owner.

Next on my list...birthday presents for a five year old and a two year old...any ideas?

Still working

2009-04-08T10:44:00.000-07:00

Yes, I'm still here (since I'm sure so many people are paying attention). I finished dress one and will post pictures once the camera is charged again. I've been commissioned by Jed's secretary to make an apron for her, so the fabric is cut out for that. I've also got the fabric cut for my current swap...no pictures of it until I send it though.

But to leave you with one picture, I am making something with this fabric...stay tuned to see what it turned into.

On a separate note, I also enjoy cooking quite a bit. For Christmas I got Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything. I highly recommend it. It gives basics on just about anything you can imagine. I used it today when I made hard boiled eggs and they are perfect..no green ring in the center and not overcooked. It's also helpful when you want to try something new (like parsnips, which are great, by the way). So, if you are looking for a general, all purpose cookbook, this is the book for you!

So excited....

2009-03-18T09:52:00.001-07:00

That is how I have been feeling lately.I love getting mail and have been waiting for what seems like forever for these books. They finally came yesterday and I'm loving all three. They have some much great stuff in them, I don't know where to start!

This is the bag I got from the We the People Swap. I love how it goes great with the jacket I just bought!

My other projects, in no particular order...
A tunic shirt for my daughter. She picked out the fabric and was very proud of that fact. She wore it to church last Wednesday and told everyone that she had picked it out.

The project that is currently waiting for me. The pieces are all cut out, I just need to start the sewing. I'm making the version on the live model. My newest bag...the "Swing Bag" by Amy Butler. I really like the blue on the inside of this one.
My next dress. I'm making the green and white dress with no jacket. The fabric is washed and is waiting for me, but one dress at a time is about all I can handle right now.

A gift bag for a present. Now that I know how to makes this, I may never use wrapping paper again! (Well, not true, but you know what I mean). These bags are so fast and easy and the person getting the gift can use the bag for whatever that want!

Coasters I made for my MOPS group. I'm including two tea bags with them and giving them as table favors at the next meeting. These are the coasters from this tutorial. They are fast, easy, and fun to make.

I also made some camo PJ's for my husband, but I haven't snagged a picture of them yet. I'm trying to decide what to make for my son (he's only five months, but I don't want him to be left out). I thinking some blocks, or the ball in "Seams to Me". Right now, that is on the top of my list for him.

Working away

2009-03-11T19:33:00.001-07:00

I've been working away on various projects, with pictures soon to follow. I've completed a pair of PJ pants for Jed (that would be my husband), a shirt for Ali with fabric she picked out, as she told everyone today when she wore the shirt, another handbag (they are my favorite to make!). I'm also busy making a favor for everyone in my MOPS group. Finally, I have the patterns and fabric for two dresses for myself. They are next on the docket, but they make me a little nervouse, so I just need to convince myself I can do it!

Hopefully pictures will be up in the next few days, but I wanted to update my progress!

How I've spent my time

2009-03-03T10:53:00.000-08:00

Since Christmas, I've been on a bit of a sewing kick. I'm really enjoying it. It's nice to be able to make something and then use it right away. Here is what I've done so far:

This bag is Amy Butler's "Nappy Bag". I really like it and it was super easy to make. I did not put the cell phone pocket on the outside and only put pockets on one side of the inside. It's big enough for my stuff and the kids stuff.

A smock for my daughter, Ali. She LOVES it. I love the fabric. The pattern is from Bend the Rules Sewing.

A baby blanket for a friend. It is fleece on the inside with a barnyard print on the outside. It even has a hood in the corner. It's big enough to wrap my big four month old in, so most babies could use if for a while. It's from Amy Butler's Little Stitches for Little Ones. The book has you adding buttonholes to slip a tie through, but I'm leaving them off. I'm using the same barnyard fabric to make a changing pad for another friend.

A dress for Ali. This is my first clothes sewing venture in probably ten years. It's a Simplicity pattern from their Project Runway line. Ali's love purple right now, and she really likes the buttons on it. Go figure.

Another dress for Ali. This one uses the JoAnn's fabric that only requires one seam. I added the ribbons for some fun detail (and because I just can't give my two year old a strapless dress. I didn't have one until my wedding.)

My next project is this:
Another bag out of these fabrics....I've got lots of other things in the wings; we'll see. I have to start Ali's Snow White dress before too long!

Weekender Bag

2009-02-24T11:55:00.000-08:00

I joined my first swap and made this bag. The pattern is Amy Butler's Weekender Travel Bag. The bag looks great finished, but what a challenge to make. I told my husband as I was making it "This is kind of like childbirth. I'll do it again once I forget how hard it was." The hard part involved sewing all the layer together (fabric, heavy stabilizer and the cording trim). I only broke one needle, but my little sewing machine got quite a workout.

The fruit of my labor:

Welcome!

2009-02-24T11:54:00.000-08:00

Hello! Why do I need this blog? It's a place to share my creative "stuff"...my projects, my thoughts. It's an expression of me. Welcome readers!