Food?....or not?

Oldest Granddaughter is having her 15th birthday this week.

Since macaroni and cheese from a box is one of the main staples of her diet, this is one of the gifts I gave her:

No.....I did not just make her a batch and plop some on waxed paper........


....THAT IS A BAR OF SOAP!!!!

Isn't that the funniest thing ever? Don't you just love it? I bought it on ETSY from AJ SWEETSOAP

Anyone who knows me well, knows I have a weird thing about fake food in any form.....I'm a sucker for anything that looks like food but really isn't food.

Which is why I bought this soap, too.......of course I had to have it..... just because.....I mean, could you pass it up? Just look at how amazing this rocky road brownie looks....AND IT'S A BAR OF SOAP!!!#$%&*!!

It will be the perfect gift for someone eventually.....

please go on over to AJ sweetSoap and look at all the yummy looking soap she makes (check out the deviled eggs!)....I dare you to resist buying something! (or maybe it's just me and my weird fake food fetish?

ChefKids

I know that all kids love to spend time in the kitchen and my Grandkids are no exception. Grandson (4 1/2) has told me on several occasions that he wants to be a "Chef guy" just like his Uncle Jordy. AND he wants to be just like Chef Julian. Do you know Chef Julian? I don't know who this kid or his parents are, or how we happen to come accross his videos, but

go here and take a look at this kid in the kitchen.

Recently Grandson and I were home alone and he was helping me make 3 batches of Sugar-free quick bread for 3 of my friends, all diabetics.

We had earlier watched some of Chef Julian's videos so it was fresh on his mind. As he measured and stirred, it was "Chef Julian" this, and "Chef Julian" that, and "Chef Julian cracks eggs just like this".......

When we started on batch #3, he suddenly sighed, looked me in the eye and said "Mimi....this is just too much cooking...." and wandered off to watch SpongeBob.... Too much cooking? One hour and three batches of quick bread?

I didn't have the heart to tell him about Uncle Jordy's 14 hour days, all spent entirely on his feet in a hot kitchen. I figured I could at least wait until he's in Kindergarten to break his little wanna-be Chef's heart.

And speaking of Chef Kids.....a co-worker asked me to make a "real" chef's apron (personalized) and chef's hat for her grandson's birthday. It turned out so well that I made a pair for the two youngest Grandkids and took orders at a Holiday craft fair.






I only got one order, which was fine with me only 8 days before Christmas! I'll be posting these on Etsy after the first of the year.

"ChefKids"

personalized chef apron and chef hat

23.00

oh, I almost forgot....here is Grandson's favorite recipe to cook, mostly by himself:

Ethan's Italian Eggs

Get basil from the garden and wash it really good. Stack up the leaves, roll them up and slice them with a knife and then chop them up.

Crack 3 eggs in a bowl. Put in the basil, some parmesan cheese, garlic powder and salt. Then add a spoonful of cottage cheese and stir it up.

Get a little frying pan and get it hot. Put a little bit of butter in it and let it get melty. Pour in the egg stuff. Stir it around until it's all cooked. (be careful because the pan is really hot!). Put it on 2 plates, one for you and one for someone else. Make toast.

feeling apron-y again

The last few months or so I've been struggling with a little apron burn-out. After 2 years of concentrating most of my sewing time on them, I just didn't feel the apron spark like I used to. I even gave about 50 % of my fabric stash to Daughter to use for her newfound obsession with quilting and tote-bag-making.


Then, in the last 2 weeks I could feel the old familiar creative stirrings acting up and found myself happily making aprons again......AND THEN I MADE MY 50th ETSY SALE!! WOW!! I couldn't believe it! I hadn't really paid attention to that little number on the sidebar of my ETSY shop and then suddenly I noticed that it hit 50! That really lit a fire under me and my sewing machine....very encouraging!


I wish I had kept track of the total number of aprons I've made in the last 2 years, all the gifts, donations, and give aways.....Daughter pointed out that I take pictures of each one and why don't I just go back and count them all up?...well.....maybe someday when I'm feeling ambitious.....that will require a good chunk of time that could be better spent making more aprons!! (see, I told you I was in the mood again)

This is 2 weeks worth of sewing:




reversible leopard/tiger for a frend's 9 year old Granddaughter




A custom ETSY order: wasabi-green sushi


3 Autumn/Thanksgiving/Holiday for the ETSY shop:






for the shop, just because I like the fabric:




and wedding gifts for a 25 yr. old cousin and her new composer husband:



Today I'm working on a line of 7 Mens aprons for an upcoming Craft Fair. I can really put these together quickly, since for men it's all about the fabric. No fancy embellishments or trims, just your basic apron with pocket.

It sure is good to be feeling apron-y again!......feeling guilty about my fabric stash just sitting there unused was giving me a headache!

Here's to aiming for 100 ETSY sales!....I mean, why not? I never dreamed I'd even hit 50!

For all those manly men.....

Father's Day is almost here. Is the man in your life one of those guys that are really hard to buy a gift for ? Well, let me help you out this year.........I think your Dad/ Husband/ Brother/ Son needs an apron! All men like to BBQ don't they? It brings out that manly, macho thing when they have meat and flames and BBQ tools to take care of.....And if your man just happens to like being in the kitchen, then even better! I'm pretty sure I have something for everyone here:

Does your guy ride a Harley...or wish he did?

Does he have a hobby? fishing or golf?

Does he consider himself a wine connoisseur?

Is he a soldier, currently or in the past?

a baseball fan?

How about Nascar? Dale Earnhardt?

I've got sushi

and even just good old fiery flames.

Trust me, your man needs an apron!

They're all in the ETSY SHOP....

feeling crafty........

For Mother's Day tomorrow, we're having a family Wiffle Ball Tournament at the nearby Dog Park and then coming back to our house for BBQ hamburgers and all the fixings. There will be at least six MOM's here and I wanted to make a little something for them:

I dug through my photo archives and with a little help from Daughter and her scrapbooking and photo expertise, I turned these notebooks from the 99cent store

into these special journals for each person.

I found just the right photos for my Mother, Sister, Daughter, Daughter-in-Law and her Mother.







I'm really pleased with how these turned out! Just a few little notebooks, photos, pretty paper, and spray adhesive! I'm already thinking of future possiblities for these simple little gifts (co-workers, grandkids teachers?).....Crafty... simple and crafty, don't you think?

And speaking of crafts, I've created my own version of a craft/sewing apron. I know there are many, many versions already out there, but all the ones I've seen are half-aprons that tie around the waist, and that is not comfortable OR flattering on me! I like full aprons, so I made a shorter version of my usual pattern and added several specific pockets. I designed it just the way I'd like it and then made a few more for the ETSY shop.

There's a small pocket up high for my Ipod:

And 3 different sized pockets across the bottom: one sized for a cell phone, one I use for my tape measure and thread snips, and another for whatever else you might like to have close at hand.

So, if you been wishing for a craft apron that doesn't tie around the waist, I'll be posting these in my ETSY shop in the next few days (and I could make YOU one out of any type of fabric you choose...)

a blog post for my peeps.....

Now that we're deep into the middle of "Peeps" season, I've noticed that are two types of people: Those who LOVE the nasty little things and those who think they're gross! There doesn't seem to be anyone on the fence. Even though I've never been a fan, not even as a child (don't take it personally Peeps, it's all things marshmallow), I really find all the current cultural hoopla very funny:

*The grandkids have a Peeps colorbook

*I saw Peeps jewelry in the store yesterday

*Lenox has a line of Peeps china.....CHINA!

*This guy has a website of his art, all made with Peeps

*Look at this book of Peeps recipes and crafts

*This is a website of nothing but links to other websites about Peeps

*There seems to be a "cult" dedicated to microwaving Peeps to see what happens! (go to Youtube and search the word Peeps and watch some of the videos that come up)

Well....this year, for the first time EVER, I bought a package of bunny Peeps. I wasn't going to eat them (EEEWWWW!!), I needed one, just one, to trace for an applique project.

Then I threw them in the trash! No way was I going to feed that sugary-marshmallowy-crack stuff to the Grandkids while I was in the house with them!

This is what I made with the help of one of those crusty little guys: Easter aprons for the ETSY shop

HEY! I have a question for all you Peeps lovers out there....do they make good S'mores? I've always wondered about that! Not that I would eat one or anything....

.....and speaking of S'mores, now that I've said I hate marshmallows I have to admit that I discovered one way I did actually enjoy one: try this version of S'mores....it really was good!

Chocolate graham crackers
Chocolate marshmallows
White chocolate bar (or peanut butter cup!)

.....I can't believe I actually spent money ( .88 cents!) on PEEPS! I guess this just goes to show how far I'm willing to go for my sewing/apron addiction....

Weekend update & a movie review

Well.....I didn't quite meet my entire sewing goal for this past weekend, but close enough for my own personal satisfaction, and that's what counts here, right?

3 out of 4 Chicken aprons completed:

I especially like the one with the yellow trim. The yellow fabric reminds me of corn or chicken feed, so I think the two fabrics really compliment each other. All are for sale in my Etsy shop. (Kathi D. don't you need a chicken apron?)

I also finally made myself my flannel grasshopper pillow case, that I originally posted about here a long time ago

it only took all of 8 minutes....well, actually 8 months and 8 minutes!

(ATTN: Heather...spoiler alert!)

I didn't get everything made for Christmas that I wanted to, so I'll be mailing off a box of Avocados to my Sister in Seattle and including this tote bag made from a re-usable shopping bag with photos of her kids appliqued on both sides

and 3 furry fleece scarves, one for her and one for each of her 2 youngest daughters.

so Heather, if you're reading this, keep an eye out at the end of week for a PERISHABLE package from me.....don't let those avos freeze on your front porch!

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"MAMMA MIA!"

OK.... so I watched MAMMA MIA while sewing on Saturday and I defy you to see this movie without wanting to do the following;

1. ....plan a vacation to Greece IMMEDIATELY! I've alway wanted to go there anyway and now you just try and stop me!

2. .....be best friends with MERYL STREEP! I read on IMDB.COM that Olivia Newton-John and Michelle Pfeiffer were both considered for the role and the producers didn't originally want Meryl Streep, but she really pushed hard for the part and she was GREAT!! You can tell she (and the whole cast) are just having a blast making this film! (if you love movies and don't visit this site regularly to check out every movie you watch, bookmark it and start using it. The trivia on each movie is the best part!)

3. ....start going to Karaoke....and believe me I've never in my life cared anything about Karaoke! I don't even sing to myself when I'm alone, but suddenly I understand how people can be obsessed with Karaoke....YAY! for ABBA!

This was such a fun, uplifting movie. It wasn't the best thing to be watching while I was trying to sew, it was too distracting! I usually put on something that I've seen a dozen times and can just listen to, so when the sewing was done I watched it a second time to give it my full attention!.....I'm going to watch it one more time tonight before I return it to Granddaughter. Definitely 2 thumbs up!!

....what an excellent weekend!