OMG! It's almost 2013.

I am revisiting my to do list:

• make a website (I made it but have not launched it....)
• go backpacking for 2+ nights
• have a table at a craft fair
• make a dress
• get a tattoo
• pay off credit card (I'm pretty damn close)
• paint my desk (I just got rid of it...so it's a wash?)
• move into a place with a bedroom
• go to the dentist
• organize pictures
• put all of my music on an external hard drive (dammit, I was going to do this because I knew my computer was going to bite the dust...and it did, before I got this done).
• watch one movie a month
• read more non-fiction
• 1 DIY blog a week (I did this for a month straight, then school ate my soul)
• ride my bike more
• learn to make patterns
• take swimming lessons
• go on vacation
• write 1 letter a month
• donate a bag of unnecessary items to charity a month 

The best thing that happened this year was moving into a one bedroom apartment.  I decided to ditch my hipster bullshit studio living and get a real place where all of my crafting stuff would fit. Good choice.   It was a sad little series of events getting into the place (falling down the stairs, accidentally buying an 800lb pull out couch, water flowing out of the wall when I ran the dishwasher), but it's great now.  AND I have a balcony.  Not very practical right now, but in August I bet you'll be calling me.

This coming year I am going to do a 365 Challenge.  You can join, it's on Flickr http://www.flickr.com/groups/365greatthings/.  Everyday I am going to post a photo and one good thing that happened that day.

Well.... yep. See you later 2012.

I am inspiring people to clog their arteries!

Mindy, a regular at THE CoffeeShop, was so inspired by my original Tater Tot Casserole that she whipped up her own version....who doesn't love bacon? If you don't, get off my lawn..and blog.

Bacon & Blue Cheese Tater Tot Casserole

8-10 Slices Bacon
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. dried thyme
I cup chopped onion
1 tbsp. olive oil
2 tsp. minced garlic
2 cans cream of mushroom soup
½ lb. crumbled blue cheese
1 32 oz. bag frozen tater tots

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 inch glass casserole dish. Cook bacon until crisp. Drain and cool. Chop bacon. Brown ground beef and thyme in bacon fat. Drain in a colander. Heat olive oil and cook onion and garlic over medium heat until soft, about 5 minutes. Mix together beef, bacon, onion mixture and soup. Spread evenly in bottom of casserole. Sprinkle crumbled blue cheese over meat mixture. Top with a single layer of tater tots. Bake for one hour.

Nom, nom, nom.  What twist can you put on it? I already have a mexican version up my sleeve.


 

Turkey Tater Tot Casserole

In honor of Thansgiving, my newest take on tatertot casserole:

You will need:
1lb ground turkey breast
a bag of tots
1 can of cream of celery soup
2 minced cloves of garlic
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bag of pre shredded "pepper cheese" (it is sold at Fred Meyer, and I have no idea what makes it different from pepperjack cheese, but it is delicious and not the same)

Preheat your oven to 350
While you are waiting for that little guy to heat up, turn on your overhead fan and then heat up your olive oil in a frying pan.  When it is all nice and warm, cook up your garlic.  Once it is about to burn, remember that you are trying to do something "domestic" and add in the ground turkey.  Cook over med-hi until browned all the way through. 
Now, you get to make your layered tot casserole.  Pick from one of your many pyrex casserole dishes.  Place a layer of tots, then a layer of cheese.  Now put in all that delicious turkey, smother it in the cream of celery soup. Take a spoon and smear it around real good!  More cheese! More tots! More cheese!
Bake in the oven for about 40 minutes.  For the last two minutes, witch the over over to broil and get the top of the casserole nice and crsipy.
If you're from the midwest, crack a cheap beer and get out the ketchup, it's time to eat!

Favorites Friday: A day late

But not a dollar short! My new favorite thing....wearing a button down shirt with a dress.  I have so many dresses, and some of them are a little too fancy for daily wear.  Not anymore.  Just pair that dress with a button down and you are good to go.   I even inspired Christie who sent me this picture of her "Erin inspired outfit"

Nice work!
This week I also found some new excercise blogs which are pretty interesting/inspiring/aggravating

http://blogilates.com/
http://backonpointe.tumblr.com/

So, like Bubba Sparx says: get it right, get it tight!

Some things I'm excited about:
Kath's Wedding
School is about to start again
FALL
Halloween costume planning
doing one 5k a month for the entire year (I even tricked Shannon into this one)

I think that this is my favorite time of year

DIY Monday: Washer Bracelet

So...I woke up this morning and made one of those work out tanks that has been all over the internet, completely intending that to be my DIY Monday project.  But, it literally took me 5 minutes to make and I think that I will just post it later this week. 

The project for today: A washer bracelet.
I looked at about four different tutorials, and found this one to be the most helpful, she also has a cute Etsy shop.
I didn't use her exact technique, and as Aaron the roommate can attest, I tried about three or four different types of knots before settling on one.  I think you should just play with it until you get something that you like.  Here is what you will need:

The craft designer suede cord was $2.99.  If you download the JoAnn Fabrics App (yep, they have one), you can get a sweet coupon for up to 50% off.
Next, drive to your parents house and dig through all of your Dad's old stuff, there you will need to locate anywhere from 5-10 washers.  I scored 4 small ones and one that was slightly bigger.  They are all in various stages of corrosion, making them look even better!

So, turn on Intervention, and mindlessly knot your doubled over suede cord through the washers until you get a bracelet! It'll be fun, and after watching Intervention, you can pretty much go to bed knowing that all though life may seem shitty, you've got nothing on the 25 year old who is doling out BJs to buy vodka.
Happy Monday!

Favorites Friday

Isn't this pretty?

--

Man, what a week.  I opened my Etsy page, which you can check out here:Torn and Frayed

Which meant that I spent a lot of time making stuff to sell, and running around taking pictures in different light. 

I also spent a lot of time with animals! It's so much better when they are not yours and you just get to pet and look at them and not have to worry about feeding, walking, and grooming. 


Another ridiculous thing I did and that I am still doing is a cleanse.  This is different than any of the others I have ever done before, and I'm not really sure if it is worth the alleged benefits...I feel ok, pretty tired though.  Yesterday I ate 8 bananas and 8 yogurts.  WTF?  Today, I am prepping food for the weekend becasue I am going to a friends cabin.  Tomorrow is a veggie and chicken day.  So I am cutting and cooking all sorts of veggies to snack on while everyone else eats jalapeno chips and drinks beer.

I made these:

--

Take some Kale that has been sitting in your fridge for too long. Remove the leaves from the thick stems.  Tear into bite sized pieces.  Wash and dry thoroughly.  Place on a cookie sheet, drizzle with about 1 tsp of olive oil, season with salt and pepper.  Bake for about 10 minutes on 350.  They're pretty good, but no jalapeno chip.

Have a great weekend, I've got a recyclable shopping bag to fill with veggies and chicken and a ferry to catch.

DIY Monday: Makeup Bag from a Placemat

This past weekend, my friends Shannon and Corey got married.  I packed up all my stuff and headed down to Sumner for a wonderful weekend getaway at the Hampton Inn and Suites.  It actually was not that bad! It is really new, and had a nice pool and hot tub. 
Anyway, I packed all of my makeup in my make up bag:

The horror! It may not look like it, but there is over $150 worth of make up in a Ziploc bag. Courtney was horrified, and I was embarrassed.

So I searched the web and found this great tutorial. I drove to Target, bought a $4 placemat, came home and in less than 15 minutes, I have a legit make up bag.
This is what you need:

Placemat, scissors, sewing machine, pins, ruler, and I used Velcro instead of a snap closure

Follow the instructions outlined by the little lady on the link above.  To attach the velcro, sew around the entire square, then sew an X to make sure that it is secured.

Then, think about how great it is that Andy Kent told you about InstaFrame so that you don't have to post seventy pictures every time you make something!

Now, my makeup doesn't look like some fairy dusted it with glitter, and my red lip liner isn't smearing all over everything.

Favorites Friday!

And now, for another weekly feature.  At this rate, I'll have a real blog in about two years!
Every Friday...you get to see my favorites, including, but not limited to: people, quotes, movies, books, pinterest pins, etc.  So, Let's get to it.

This week I finished this book:

It was pretty good.  It follows 6 people who are attending a wedding as "singles" even though the bride insisted that they bring a date.  Pretty interesting, and much different than I thought.  There is the classic "too wasted to participate in the wedding", "I'm socially awkward and sitting at the bar by myself", "you broke up with me three years ago and I'm still mad about it", and "I was a beauty queen and so I'm going to be in charge of all of the bridesmaids...here is a Xanax and an Adderall".  I recommend it as an appropriate trashy beach read, or just get a cheap book cover and put it over the front of 50 Shades of Grey, because we all know that's what you want to be reading anyway.

Here are my favorite people of the week:

Christie is visiting from Maui, so we had a Seattle tourist day, including going to the top of the Columbia Tower and paying $9 to see the view.  We also took the water taxi, Rachel Marie....boy is she fast.  Only took 9 minutes to get to Alki, however it is the part of Alki that has nothing to do, and because Duncan was "wearing a cashmere sweater" he couldn't go kayaking.  Therefore, we walked down to Alki.  On the way back we figured out that there is a free shuttle.  Worth every second! There was a man going to the Aerosmith concert on the DART.  He'd seen them 16 times! Awesome.

And now, here is my favorite thing from the WHOLE week:
"Your app was approved, when do you have time to meet and sign a lease?"  I'm not homeless!

DIY Monday:Elastic Empire Waist Dress

Just in the nick of time!  I was at a Disability Under-Employment Seminar all day today.  then I came home and finished up my first commissioned garter for someone I don't know, then whipped out this super great DIY.
I followed the instructions from this girl, who coincidentally copied them from someone else.  I used some super rough linen (it might even be burlap), from a dress that I bought at Goodwill last summer and never got around to altering.  I also used elastic that I purchased at Pacific Fabrics.  They have tons of elastic that comes in different colors and widths, and some of it has fancy scalloping on it! Woo hoo!  I also used a textured tank, which I would suggest over just a plain old wife beater.  Not only is the name horrific, they are boring.
So, here is a fabulous iPhone picture in the mirror of what it looks like:

Good luck!

DIY Monday: Tunic dress

Did you think I forgot that I was going to do a regular "feature"?  Well, guess what....I didn't.  I just spent 3 hours doing this DIY Tunic tutorial then editing the instructions so that you don't look like a beached whale when wearing it!  Again, you're welcome.

So, this dress is pretty cute right?  I thought so.  I was inspired by a color block dress that I spotted at Buffalo Exchange today, but didn't want to pay $30 for it.  I took the $12.95 that I made from selling them clothes that I had previously bought there (zinger!), and walked over to Joann's.   I was looking for magenta and orange fabric to recreate the other dress, when I saw something odd:  A yellow bolt was draped over something...what could it be?

 Just some orange and magenta ikat. No big deal. 

I snatched it up and walked up to the cutting counter.
To make this dress, follow the woman's instructions on the blog. With some modifications, you can get the weird thing I made. If you want a longer dress, which I did, choose 54" fabric, if you want a short look go with 45".
The things that I changed:
This sort of dress just doesn't look good if you have big boobs.  And I do.  Huge actually.  I'm not sure where they came from, no one else in my family has a gigantic rack...but whatever.  So I put some elastic in the shoulders to make it not look soo....African princess, and make me not look so top heavy.

To put elastic in the sleeve and gather it, you have to pull the elastic tight and then zig zag stitch it along the already existing seam in the sleeve.

Fashion a belt out of left over fabric.

So now what you have is this:

What I would do differently, or what I am still going to work on:
It's too long.  I think I was imagining a maxi dress in my head and I ended up with some sort of traditional African tribal ceremonial attire.
It looks comfortable, but it's also see through, so I would use lining.
I would also use a jersey knit, not polyester.
Yep.  That's about it.

Restyle: Necklace, always a bridesmaid, never a bride

So I have been in 60,000 weddings, give or take.  Sometimes, accessories are picked for me, sometimes I get free reign.  For my dear friend Shannon, I get to pick.  Our dresses are a very light silver, and she is obsessed with Jane Austen.  I am not.  Lace and all that stuff is pretty, I will never turn down a good lace (I use it frequently when making garters), but it's a little too romantic and that's just not me.  My original thought for jewelry was to make a necklace out of metal washers and ribbon.  Then I did a little reality check with myself and decided that this is Shannon's wedding, not Erin's (because honestly, that's not going to happen anytime soon), and I should go with her aesthetic.

So, I bought this pearl bobble necklace at World Market, then weaved some lace through it.  Tied a nice little bow, and look at that, Jane Austen is rolling over in her grave!

Just for funsies, here is my version of the closet from 27 dresses (this includes the dresses from last year and this year...I've managed to get rid of others).

DIY Monday: Pleated Skirt with Waistband

So, this is my first attempt at a regular feature.  Every Monday I am going to post a project that I get from a different site. I'll follow their DIY instructions and post what I come up with, whether it works out or not.  This will keep me on track for one of my 20 goals from this list.
I pinned this skirt on Pinterest a while ago and decided to make it today.  I used some fabric that I have had FOREVER and you might recognize from some other projects, like this and this.
Everything started out fine.  Then, along came the pockets.  I'm not very good at making pockets...A lot of the dresses that I make only have one, because I get so frustrated that I just give up and decide to screw it.  On this skirt I accidently sewed them in upside down and then just took them out.  So my skirt doesn't have any.
Also, there were a lot of parts where the author just assumed that you would know what to do next, left out steps and said something like "and now it looks like this".  Nope, it doesn't, actually.
I made the waistband three inches thick, because I thought that it would make it look better, and it did.  I'm happy with the final product, BUT IT DOESN'T FIT.  Measuring FAIL.
oh well.
Here is the waistband and pleats:

 And the whole thing:

Then, my sewing machine broke.  So....yeah.  I have a case of the Mondays.

Restyle! Silk Hearts Dress

Remember this dress?  What a disaster!

Not only did it have shoulder pads, the sleeves were some awful Designing Women inspired tents. Awful.  Since it is a beautiful sunshiney day in Seattle (we have approximately 5 a year), I set up shop on the deck.

With my Pandora blaring for the neighbors, I got to work.  First, I ditched the shoulder pads.  Then I cut the sleeves.  Have you ever sewn silk?  It's like cutting through butter.  So amazing.  I tried it on, and it was a little too long, so I hemmed it up, and waa laa! A beautiful dress.
I then threw it on, and took my new hot dress to the coffee shop so that I could pose for a picture against a fence, like every other trendy blogger.  This thing is really coming along.
Speaking of this blog, I am going to take a little bit of a more serious approach to it. Not necessarily in my tone, or content, but writing for it like it is my job.  I've got some great ideas about weekly features, and hopefully it will really come into it's own and keep me sane during the school year.
This is the first of the feature "Restyle: Change Your Wardrobe"
So, let me know what you think. Oh, and here is the aforementioned classic blog pose:

A fanny pack? Yep.

photo credit

The fanny pack.  Oh man. I always hated them growing up.  My mom wore one.  It was magenta, and held way to much stuff.  Her hair was permed and I was 7.  Generally, I was thinking, "Mom, do you want me to die alone with no friends?" Ugh.  Now, as an adult with lots of crap to carry around, sometimes a fanny pack is necessary.
I was asked by an ex-coworker (we actually never worked together, I replaced her at the Cafe, then when I left, she replaced me) to make a fanny pack so she could store all of her things in it when she was walking her dog.
Sure, I thought.  I can totally do that.  So, I started thinking about what it should look like..and got a little stressed out. I hate using patterns, they are always WRONG.  But, this was out of my realm.  I can sew the shit out of a dress, make a skirt in 20 minutes, sew garters and bow ties all day long, but a fanny pack was going to be my downfall? A fanny pack was going to be the thing that made me say "sorry, I don't know how to do that"? NO.  Fanny pack, you will not break me, you will not win.  So, I went to my favorite jerk women at Pacific Fabrics and bought a pattern.
I was shocked at the lack of fanny pack patterns, I thought for sure that there would be millions, considering the fashion sense of most sewing enthusiasts.  But, there were only two.  I chose the Burda Style 7339.  I love Burda, I've been a member of their online community for almost 5 years now, and trust their stuff.
But this pattern was whack.  I definitely spent the better part of 30 minutes trying to figure out what the hell they were talking about to attach the zipper.  I followed their instructions, and ended up seam ripping it and just doing it on my own.  Also, their measurements are converted from centimeters and don't match any of the notions that we have available in the U.S. How dare the rest of the world not adapt to our measurement system? How are we supposed to make fanny packs?!  Anyway, here are the results.  If you feel like you need one, let me know....it's summer, I ain't got no job, and I ain't got shit to do.

Bridal Shower appetizers

Being the Maid of Honor is a full time job.  But, the perfect full time job for me!  I get to craft, plan, and be in total CONTROL of stuff.  Perfect!  So, here are the things that I have been making/doing so far this summer.  Instructions/ Recipes are included individually below this entry.  If you click on the hyperlink, it will take you directly to the entry/instructions/recipe.  You’re welcome.  Also, I wore an awesome new dress that I made, but I don't have an entry ready about it so, hold your breath, and you can also wear a 60's inspired dress with a "spool" print.

Delicious and HEINOUS Roasted Roma tomatoes.  SOOOO good.  Check out Christina’s blog at Foodie with a Life.  She may roam the aisle of grocery stores and creep out the owners of small businesses, but she makes good food easy for the rest of us.

Super classy crackers with an Italian spread and some sliced cucumber

Here are what mine looked like....I used crackers like a true Ballard girl:

Stuffed Zucchini with goat cheese

Roasted Red pepper with Mozzarella and Basil

Chocolate Mint pudding in a flowerpot

Strawberry cake with chocolate and strawberry Pocky fence

Stuffed! On zucchini

I love Zucchini.  The slut of vegetables.  They absorb the flavor of what ever you cook them with, or they taste like...squash, SHOCKING!  So, here is how to wow your friends with a delicious little appetizer!
You need:

• zucchini
• goat cheese
• olive oil
• pepper 

After browsing recipes I found one for zucchini that I thought would be great.  Then I got to the store and forgot what ingredients I needed to make the filling, so I just decided that a basic creamy goat cheese would work. Apparently the recipe called for one of those flavored spreads...but too bad, it was delicious with what I improvised.
Take the zucchini and cut the top and bottom off.  Cut the zucchini lengthwise into 1/4 inch slices.  Brush each slice with olive oil, pepper them, and place on a cookie sheet with foil on it. Turn the oven to broil and place the zucchini in the oven.  Keep your eye on it, they will burn very quickly and easily.  Use tongs to flip the zucchini over.  Pull then out as soon as they are done (this may require you to take some out before others).
Once the zucchini is cool enough to touch, form little balls of goat cheese and place them at one end of the zucchini strip.  Roll the zucchini up around the goat cheese and then secure with a toothpick.

It's SOOOO delicious.
Also, these were so good that I ate them all and didn't take a photo. CRAP.

Roasted Red Pepper and Mozzarella with Basil

This appetizer really reminded me of working at Red Mill as a child slave.  Just kidding! Every Saturday morning I would go into the Mill at 10am, and peel roasted Anaheim peppers.  To make these little yummers, you'll need

• 3 red bell peppers
• a ball of mozzarella
• fresh basil

Put your oven on broil.  Line a cookie sheet with foil.  Place the red bell peppers on the cookie sheet and place them in the oven.  The peppers will turn black.  Turn them with the tongs until they are black all the way around. Take them out of the oven and place in a bowl.  Put a cutting board or a plate over the top of the bowl so that the peppers steam.  Leave them there for about 15 minutes.  When they are done steaming take them out of the bowl and place them on top of the cutting board.  Let them cool down unless you want to burn your hands and cry like a little girl.
After they have cooled, pull the stem off, and cut them down the middle.  Flatten them out and seed them.  Cut into 1/2 inch strips.
Now, take small lumps of mozzarella and place them on one end of the red pepper strip.  Roll the pepper around the mozzarella and then put a toothpick through the pepper and the cheese to hold it together. Roughly chop up some basil and toss it on top. Look at that, it's a little rolled up piece of heaven!

A Pot of Dirt

Garden inspiration really did a number on me. So, I drove out to Michael's and bought clear glass flower pot shaped votives.  To make these little cuties, you'll need this stuff:

• clear flower pot votive holders
• cook&serve chocolate pudding mix
• milk
• mint extract
• chocolate flavored goldfish crackers (smashed into a million pieces)
• flowers

So, make your pudding,put a few drops of mint extract in it.  You're going to stir forever, so either listen to music, or be engaged in a  conversation with someone that is trying to "study" for their Bar exam at 3am.

After making the pudding, your arm is going to fall off.  Don't worry, pick it back up and attach it to your shoulder.  If it won't stick, my Dad always suggests duct tape.  Pour the pudding in to the containers.  Put them in the fridge to set.  While the pudding is setting, take the chocolate goldfish crackers and put them in a zip-lock bag.  Slam the shit out of it on the counter.  Now it looks like dirt!
Check out the pudding.  Once it is set, take a large spoon and dump the smashed goldfish on top.  Finish them off with a flower that you cut from your overgrown yard.

The Fenced in Cake

So, I decided to take inspiration from Pinterest and then create a fenced in backyard cake...I took the "garden theme" and went a little  EXTREME, to the point that I was in Safeway at 2:30 am on the verge of tears because they were out of Strawberry Pocky (or most likely do not carry it). 
So, here is what you need:

• a box of strawberry cake (I know! How Ballard of me, shocking.)
• 2 boxes of Strawberry Pocky
• 2  boxes (possibly 3 boxes) of Chocolate Pocky -chocolate Pocky that is purchased at Safeway in the early AM breaks more than any other Pocky I have ever purchased...EVER

• 1 container of cream cheese frosting (I personally LOVE the target brand...)

So, make the cake in a rectangular pan.  let it cool.  Frost with the cream cheese frosting.  Then, start putting only strawberry Pocky on your cake.  The dipped part should be facing down. Push it into the frosting while it is still soft, the frosting is going to act like glue.  Now, get about half way through the cake and look at the clock.  ERMEHGAAAAAD!!! It's 2:30 am and you are totally out of strawberry Pocky.  What are you going to do now idiot? Safeway, you little gem, open 24 hours.  Head out to Safeway.  Did you know that they have an "ethnic food" aisle? Well, some WEIRDO walked down it an hid all of the Pocky, but this little detective found it all, after having a  panic attack, behind the Panda candy.  BOOYAH.

Go home, find your roommate has started drinking whiskey at 3am in "preparation" for her Bar exam, and then alternate your Pocky, chocolate/strawberry around then outside of the cake. This will require you to remove some of the original strawberry Pocky that you placed on the cake in the first place, so I suggest buying the appropriate amount the first time. Place the flowers that you impulse bought at your previous Safeway excursion in the middle.  Bam! Fenced in garden!  You're so AWESOME!

2012-20 "to dos"

So, right after my 28th birthday I thought about doing one of these very popular "28 before 29" lists.  I started writing it, then got distracted.  So Now I have turned it into my 2012- 20 "to dos".  I've already accomplished some of them, which is great...others will be a challenge to get done.  But here it is:

• make a website
• go backpacking for 2+ nights
• have a table at a craft fair
• make a dress
• get a tattoo
• pay off credit card
• paint my desk
• move into a place with a bedroom
• go to the dentist
• organize pictures
• put all of my music on an external hard drive
• watch one movie a month
• read more non-fiction
• 1 DIY blog a week
• ride my bike more
• learn to make patterns
• take swimming lessons
• go on vacation
• write 1 letter a month
• donate a bag of unnecessary items to charity a month 

So I think the trick will be to continue doing the ones that I have already crossed off....Don't worry mom, I'm not going to get 70 tattoos.

I read a book at the beginning of the year, The Happiness Project.  It was ok.  Not great, but I took away some helpful things from it that have made my life a little easier, cleaner, and happier!

• If it takes less than a minute to do, just do it. 

-I can never find my keys in the morning, and constantly am looking for my purse.  So I put a little goblet next to the door and a hook on the wall.  It takes less than a minute to hang up your coat, purse, and put your keys in a cup.  It takes at least 5 minutes to find all that shit in the morning when you are rushing out the door.

• Spend 5-10 minutes every night cleaning up before bed

-Pretty helpful.  cleaning up dishes, cleaning counters...picking up scraps of fabric and rogue pins off of the carpet.  Putting clothes in the hamper....you know, all those things you're supposed to do that TAKE LESS THAN 1 MINUTE, and should have been done in the first place

• What you say about other people reflects on you

-The author went into a lot of detail about this.  Basically, when you are talking shit about someone, or saying negative things about them, the person you are talking to associates that negativity to you.  So, this is one of the HARDEST things for me.  I did get voted most likely to get into your business in high school...not a shining moment.

And then, there were the secrets to Adulthood:

• people don't notice your mistakes as much as you do
• it is ok to ask for help
• most decisions don't require extensive research
• do good, feel good
• it's important to be nice to everyone
• bring a sweater
• by doing a little bit each day, you can get a lot accomplished
• soap and water remove most stains
• turning the computer on and off a few times often fixes a glitch
• if you can't find something, clean up
• you can choose what you want to do, you can't choose what you like to do
• Happiness doesn't always make you feel happy
• what you do everyday matters more than what you do once in a while
• you don't have to be good at everything
• if you're not failing, you're not trying hard enough
• over the counter medications are very effective
• don't let the perfect be the enemy of the good
• what's fun for other people may not be fun for you, and vice versa
• people actually prefer that you buy wedding gifts off of their registry
• no deposit, no return

So there you go, I just saved you $14.99.

Well, this isn't crafty....but apparently this here little blog is turning into more of a lifestyle blog, so here is my first "personal" entry.

Scarf Shirt!

The Most comfortable, easiest shirt in the world! Lately, I’ve been making dresses. I only have one pair of tights with out a run in them, and they are an obnoxious yellow. I love my brown baggy boat neck shirt, but it had a little accident with a flaming lantern in New Orleans and has been retired. What to do? Make a new shirt, so that I can wear jeans! This seriously took about 5 minutes, and is a great way to use old silk scarves.
What you need:
· 5 minutes
· two silk scarves that are the same size (they could be whatever fabric you want I guess)
· Sewing machine
· Two pins
· Matching thread

Step one: Iron the scarves. We all know I hate ironing, so this is the only time these scarves will ever be touched by one.
Step two: Turn on Pandora, and drink some coffee
Step three: Figure out which sides of the scarves are the “right side”. My scarf had a “Anne Klein” signature on it, so that was helpful. You might just decide which side you like better. Put right sides together and pin at the two “top” corners. Sew from the edge of the fabric in about 8inches. Make sure to reverse stitch so that the seam doesn’t start to unravel.

Step four: determine how big of an arm opening you want. I made mine about 10 inches. So, measure 10 inches down from the top of the shirt and then begin to stitch from there until the bottom of the scarf, remember to reverse stitch!
Step five: Try this baby on and think about how awesome it is that you just spent more time writing or reading a blog about making the shirt than the amount of time it took to actually create it!

Hobo chickpea concotion

I am dressed like a homeless person right now.  I'm not really sure what is going on.  But, I was really hungry and didn't feel like changing, and since we all know that I live by the phrase "you never know when you are going to meet your husband", I could not leave the house.  Therefore I decided to hunt through my cupboards and make something with what I had.  This could have been a disaster, but ended up being delicious.
You will need the following ingredients:

• 1 can garbanzo beans
• 1 can of coconut milk
• 1 can diced tomatoes
• 1/2 a bag of spring mix greens
• 1/2 inch of ginger, peeled and grated
• 4 cloves of garlic minced
• red pepper flakes
• 1/2 of a lemon
• salt and pepper
• olive oil
• 1/2 some sort of squash

So, bake your squash in the oven.  While you are doing this, put some oil in your pan and cook up the garlic and ginger.  Pour in the drained garbanzo beans. Cook for about three minutes.  Drain some of the juice off of your diced tomatoes and add that in too. Stir it around.  open up the oven and flip your squash, then return it to baking.  Add in the coconut milk.  season with salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Squeeze the juice from the 1/2 lemon into the mixture. Bring this whole thing to a boil, then let it simmer for about 15 minutes, stirring about every five minutes.  Now this is the weird part: add in the salad mix handful by handful and let it wilt. Remove your squash from the oven and pour the garbanzo bean concoction over it. Yep.  It's delicious. also, it makes a ton (so only use about 1 cup on your squash), but it is also thick enough that you can eat it with a fork.

Snowed in...still.

Snow Day #2 Today I ventured out into the snow to buy coffee, beer, goldfish crackers, and mac and cheese. It’s an exciting life I lead. My beer is currently sitting in the snow outside until it is at least 2 pm… I figure it’s still a school day so I should at least wait until the kids would normally be on the bus to crack a beer. What happens when you’re snowed in as a crafter? You can get to all those projects that you have been pining on Pinterest.

Ruffle Butt onsie? Check.

Garter? Check.

Another bow tie? Check.

Mac and cheese bake? Check.

Here is how to make the delicious mac and cheese. I learned the red bell paper trick from Tim Roark and the Broccoli trick from Nicole Gelb. Life changing when combined. Maybe they would be a good couple? Hmmm. You will need:

• Annie’s White Cheddar Shells mac and cheese
• Broccoli 
• Red Pepper
• Panko 
• Milk 
• Cheddar cheese 

First, boil some water. Then throw in the red pepper, broccoli and pasta. Boil until pasta is done. Put in a colander. Make the cheese sauce with milk in your pan. Put the pasta and veggies in a pyrex. Pour the white sauce over it, then top with some cheddar cheese. Toss some panko on top. Broil for about 3 minutes. DONE.

Bow Tie! It's still snowing.

Bow ties are really weird to tie.  I just spent ten minutes learning on YouTube.  But, anyway  I used this tutorial to make a bow tie! http://gescott14.blogspot.com/2008/06/how-to-sew-your-own-bowties.html

also, here is the best guide I have found so far on how to tie one of these bad boys:
 http://www.tie-a-tie.net/bowtie.html

Good Luck!

Snow Day!

Today it is snowing.  I decided to go through all my old patterns and make a dress.  This is what I came up with.  It only took ½ bottle of wine and some real concentration, also Bon Iver. Oh and I made braised balsamic chicken. BooYah. I’m a 40 year old house wife.  So here is my recipe for the chicken, and following are the pictures of the dress.

Braised Balsamic Chicken

You will need:

• About 1 pound of chicken breast
• A can of diced tomatoes (I used Mexican style because that’s all I had and I am not walking out in this shit)
• ½ cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 tsp of each of the following: dried basil, dried oregano, dried rosemary
• ½ tsp dried thyme
• olive oil
• ¼ of an onion, thinly sliced

Brown onion and raw chicken in pan.  Really brown it.  I almost burned mine, don’t do that, but do make sure that the onion is nice and brown,  Then dump in everything else. Turn the heat down to medium.  Go look at pinterest for about 15 minutes.  Yum yum, you’re done.