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fall lines table runner

i'm over at Sew, Mama, Sew today with my fabric focus column - this month we're making my the fall lines table runner.  this little number is reversible, one side being quite minimal and the other featuring a bit of basic improvisational patchwork.  and it's a super simple project, so each and every one of you can make it.

GO TO THE TUTORIAL NOW

xoxo

yet to come

quick announcement - the shop is closed until early november so that i may make it to the other side of a few major commitments without any added stress.  that i am able to be working on what is keeping me away from this space is a dream i've had for years.

i am looking forward to getting back into a more regular routine of exercise + crafting with kiddos + knitting + sewing + blogging + playing music + cooking + wood fires + getting plenty of rest.  all of that seems to be in a jumble these next few weeks, but just as many of you are able to manage your own daily juggling act, so will i. xoxo

p.s.  plans are posted for a small holiday shop update in late november featuring select handmade goodies as well as yarn and fabric stash stacks.

summer reprise salad

dilemma :
- soccer game in an hour
- two kiddos who need to be well-fueled for said soccer game
- please, not another peanut butter sandwich

solution : summer reprise salad (delicious warm or cold)

+ 1 box of quick-cooking barley from the pantry
+ chop an assortment of fresh veggies/herbs while the barley cooks
+ dice one hunk of ricotta salata
+ drizzle with olive oil
+ squeeze on the juice of a lemon or two
+ add cracked black pepper and kosher salt to taste
+ toss and serve

eat + go win the game.  xoxo

a few more reasons to love Fall

apple cider slushies + corn mazes + woolly bears. 

thanks for stopping by, crafty bloggy friends.  hope you are well.  life has me busy, what with wobbly-teethed kiddos, school volunteering, fall harvest festivals, soccer soccer and more soccer, baking + cooking whenever i can, putting together my website, fine-tuning my book and starting work on another (more on that someday).
back soon with yet another project for all my crafty people.  xoxo

have you seen this : halloween decor ideas

i'm not normally one to get that into halloween decorating. i have no excuse either, really.  but this year, having just come off the rollercoaster of writing a craft book with my kiddos (more on that soon), i was completely into it. and there was inspiration everywhere. it started with the cover of woman's day i saw in the checkout line.  come on now.

to make ours, i simply wrapped muslin around a straw wreath form, hot glued the candy corn on, and hung it up with a strand of embroidery floss.  i love the simple graphic of it.

and then there were maya's newspaper chains.  as soon as i saw them (looove the acorns), i knew we needed a strand of pacmanesque ghosts draped in the art/dining room.

just a mishmash of watercolors for the bodies and dotted eyes of white acrylic paint using the wrong end of a foam brush.

some more ideas and inspiration to make with your kiddos:

• cute puppet project
• love these mini pumpkin luminaries
• oddly fantastic felt wall hanging
• cassi's haunted house
• anny's new buddy bags
• blair's awesome projects
• this doll by hasenpfeffer incorporated is beyond inspiring
• cathy's jammies would be a great treat
• and of course, so much stuff at martha stewart

let's continue the halloween crafting inspiration in the comments - please share your great ideas and links!

enjoy your weekend.  and while you're at it, gather a few plastic bottles from the recycling bin, some construction paper + a glue stick, and let's meet you back here next week with another simple + fun halloween project you can do with your kiddos.  happy making!  xoxo

winner winner :)

thanks to all who entered my grommet goodness giveaway.  congratulations go to:

kate C. said...

My thimble. I've had it since I was a kid and I love it.

Reply 04 October 2010 at 09:07 PM

stop back tomorrow for a few crafty halloween decorating ideas.  xoxo

those cookies

you know those cookies.  the ones at the grocery store that are soft and have all that sugary frosting on top.  usually with sprinkles.  the ones that occasionally somehow make it into your cart, through the beeper, into your bag, all the way home and into your mouth at 10pm?  you know, those cookies.

what say we bake 'em.

sour cream cookies (a.k.a. those cookies)
recipe courtesy of a former student circa 1998-ish

in a mixer, cream together:

• 1 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup sour cream

in a separate bowl, sift together:

• 3+1/2 cups flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 tsp baking powder

gently add dry ingredients to wet mixture and combine just until it's all incorporated (DO NOT over mix). form into a flat round, cover and chill for at least an hour.  roll out to about 1/4-1/3" thick and make cut-outs.  bake at 350 for 9-10 minutes, watch them the first time to know how your oven will behave - you don't want them to brown.  cool on a rack and then decorate!

these are my favorite cookies for cutouts.  they are soft and light and not too sweet.  the dough freezes great, as do the cookies, so you can have them on hand for when a coookie emergency arises.  like last night around 9ish, when a certain husband ate one slathered with leftover chocolate frosting.  basically, the cookie was a vehicle for the frosting. and i admire that.  heck, i'm the one who made it for him.  i know my audience.

enjoy + happy making!  xoxo

: : :

p.s.  one more day to enter my giveaway.

make it : flip side pillow

i am over at sew, mama, sew today with my fabric focus column - this month i'll show you how to make this reversible Flip Side Pillow.

GO TO THE TUTORIAL NOW

as i told you, i have a crush on grommets lately.  and to know me is to know that i do like to share.  so how about a giveaway!

win your own grommet plier kit + an extra pack of silver finish grommets.  perfect for my pillow pattern!

to enter, simply answer this question in your comment on this post:

what is the arts + craft tool or supply you could not live without?

the details -
- one entry per person
- you must answer the question in your comment
giveaway ends thursday 7-october at 8pm eastern time and the winner will be announced here.  good luck + happy making!

***comments are now closed.  thanks for entering!

: : :

this giveaway is sponsored by me.  i am a big fan of these grommet pliers and dritz products in general, but i am not even a blip on their crafting radar.  i bought these goodies on my own because i think it rocks and i would love to share it with you.
you guys bring so much to this space, and arming one of you with a cool craft tool is another way i can say thanks. xoxo