Fresh new lunch bag

Miss Audrey was carrying a sad, tattered princess lunch bag to school every day. It even had a hole in it. So, I get to work, break out the sewing machine and whip her up a new one. It's just cotton on the outside, thermal batting on the inside, and lined with nylon. I'd like to switch out the lining for something a little heavier and more wipeable, so I don't have to wash the whole thing all that often. But the nylon was what I had on hand, and it will do for now.

I did two buttons with loops instead of velcro, as velcro doesn't seem to hold closed when her lunch bag is heavy. Added her name, and a little handle. Miss Audrey was excited to use it this morning!

Jumping on the sillhouette bandwagon...

This was super easy to make! I didn't think my first silhouette would turn out this good, but I was pleasantly surprised. I've seen several different methods of how to make your own sillhouette, but this is how I did mine:

1. Take a a whole bunch of profile shots. For little girls, hair half up or a ponytail works best. A tiny bow if you like.

2. Pick the photo that best shows details, keep in mind the hairline, neck, eyelashes, nose, and lips.

3. Print photo, and use a craft knife or small scissors to cut the outline. you can "fix" spots as needed, and be sure to include little wisps of hair to make it look realistic.

4. Trace photo onto black cardstock or paper, be sure to place it so you can flip it over and the untraced side is the one you want displayed. Smooth out all rough spots.

5. Use a piece of scrapbook paper to mat your sillhouette. A bright color or pattern really makes it pop.

6. Frame, and enjoy!

Halloween fun

Bits and pieces of fall and Halloween throughout the house. Lots of old Halloween decorations got kicked to the curb, it's time for more "grown up" Halloween decor. At least that's my excuse. Audrey and Joey dressed up yesterday to go to a Halloween party with Grandma, being the slacker that I am, Joey's costume wasn't complete yet (vampire) so he wore last years Optimus Prime.

So it's been awhile....

We are finally all moved in to the new house. One of these days, I might actually post pics :) For now, I was in the mood to sew, and Miss Audrey needed a Halloween outfit. I'm really quite happy with how it all turned out. I'll be starting the Christmas dresses soon! Coming soon.... silhouettes, a revamped desk, and a white, white house.

Flippin' Adorable!

My kids are cute. Really really cute. Yes I brag, wouldn't you? I had just wanted to take a few pics of the sherbert dress with the matching BAB's, and they decided to cooperate for once and be little darlings. 

Little miss and the sleeping prince

Talk about attitude! We love these BAB (big-ass bows!), thanks Steff! Joey was so worn out he fell asleep for the night at 6:00, poor kid. 

Gettin' Busy!

Here's a new yummy goodness creation. It reminds me of an old fashioned ice cream parlor. 

So it's been a while!

I didn't drop of the face of the earth, honest. I've just been stressed and poor and that doesn't make for a very creative me. I did complete an order yesterday, and I'm very excited with how the dresses turned out. Especially the red and black and white one! Now my creative juices are flowing like crazy, and I have tons of projects in mind....anyone want to finanace me? The things I could do if I had lotsa money!!! 

A Bowling...dress?

So the boys started their bowling leauge tonight, I didn't get to go, no sitter, though I normally do. I'm not a good bowler, (okay, I'm awful) but I'm a pretty decent cheerleader. My friend and fellow cheerleader says we need outfits, so off I go thinking about the possibilities. An old bowling shirt could be perfect to reconstruct, but into what? 

So a googling I go, and come up with..nothing. Seriously? Well, me sitting here in my jammies, with the soon-to-be-husbands bowling shirt on for inspiration (lol), and I've decided his shirt would make a fantastic dress. Being as tall as he is, it hits mid thigh, and with a few tweaks in the sleeves and waist, voila, a dress! I found one fab example on ebay, a real 1950's bowling dress uniform. Since for some reason he said I couldn't cut up his shirt, I am on the prowl for old bowling shirts, or cheap wholesale shirts. I will make a dress or something fun to wear with jeans. Bowling cheerleaders FTW! 

I have an Etsy shop!

Just a few things up now, all for custom orders....feel free to email me direct at missnotbeth@yahoo.com or go through Etsy! 

www.vintagefreshhome.etsy.com

New projects!!

In order of appearance: The raggy britches and ruffle tiered shirt, matching headband, little miss and the prince, retro-cool bloomers and ruffle shirt (for sale!), raggy britches and ruffle tiered shirt on little miss, Disney princess pillowcase dresses and appliqued jeans (cell phone pics, sorry!), I have a few more things to update, but little miss is at the end of her patience :)

Not so good for that girlish figure....

Chicken and dumplings is just so, so good. And even better when paired with a butter and brown sugar laden sweet potato. This has been dinner twice this week, but hey, at least it keeps me away from Cracker Barrel. Recipe below:

Cracker Barrel Chicken And Dumplings Recipe

Chicken and Broth 

3 quarts water 
1 3-4 pound chicken cut up (I cheat, and just use broth, still do the seasoning, and a rotisserie chicken). 
1 1/2 teaspoons salt 
1 small onion sliced 
2 stalks celery, chopped 
1 clove garlic, peeled and quartered 
1 bay leaf 
4-6 whole parsley leaves 
1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper 
1 tablespoon lemon juice 

Dumplings 

2 cups all purpose flour 
1 tablespoon baking powder 
1 1/4 teaspoons of salt 
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk 

1. Bring the water to a boil in a large pot. Add the chicken, 1 teaspoon of salt, onion, celery, garlic, bay leaf, and parsley to the pot. Reduce the heat to simmer and cook the chicken, uncovered, for 2 hours. The liquid will reduce by about one third. 

2. When the chicken has cooked, remove it from the pot and set it aside. Strain the stock to remove all the vegetables and floating scum. You only want the stock and the chicken, so toss everything else out. 

3. Pour 1 1/2 quarts (6 cups) of the stock back into the pot (keep the leftover stock, if any, for another recipe-it can be frozen). You may also want to use a smaller pot or a large saucepan for this. Add coarsely ground pepper, the remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt, and the lemon juice, then reheat the stock over medium heat while preparing the dumplings. 

4. For dumplings, combine the flour, baking powder, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and milk in a medium bowl. Stir well until smooth, then let the dough rest for 5-10 minutes. Roll the dough out onto a floured surface to about a 1/2 inch thickness. 

5. Cut the dough into 1/2 inch squares and drop each square into the simmering stock. Use all of the dough. The dumplings will first swell and then slowly shrink as they partially dissolve to thicken the stock into a white gravy. Simmer for 20-30 minutes until thick. Stir often. 

6. While the stock is thickening, the chicken will have become cool enough to handle. Tear all the meat from the bones and remove the skin. Cut the chicken meat into bite-size or a little bigger than bite-size pieces and drop them into the pot. Discard the skin and bones. Continue to simmer the chicken and dumplings for another 5-10 minutes, but don't stir too vigorously or the chicken will shred and fall apart. You want big chunks of chicken in the end. 

7. When the gravy has reached the desired consistency, ladle four portions onto plates and serve hot. Serve with your choice of steamed vegetables, if desired.

New projects!

I've been a busy little girl lately...definetely on a creative high. Though little miss didn't care for the blue pillowcase dress, I ended up making two of the same fabric for a trade, I love how they turned out! I went out and bought more fabric with her tastes in mind. The first completed work of art is above in the orange, made from a target tank top, and two 1/4yard lengths of fabric.