A Blank Canvas

I've been wanting new artwork for my upstairs hall but haven't really found anything that seemed "right". Then I found blank artists canvas's on sale at Hobby Lobby the other day. So I picked one up. Now, what do I do with it?????
(Don't worry, I have a few ideas)

Baby Headbands with Interchangeable Flowers

Because the stylish baby can never have too many fashionable head accessories, I made these for the soon-to-be niece:

large crocheted flower - pattern here


I made them all detachable and interchangeable

rolled fabric flowers

singed edge flowers



dollar store artificial flowers

You can find the patterns for the crocheted headbands here and here (this one also has a nice head circumference guide).

Ultra Girly Baby Hats -

- to add to the ever-growing collection of items for my soon-to-be niece. I can't help it. At 10, my daughter no longer lets me make her cute girly things (well, I can make them, she just won't wear them). So my niece is the recipient of all of my pent-up girly craftiness!

I used this hat pattern which is available as a free Ravelry download (you do have to be a member but it's free to sign up). I found the pattern to be a little confusing towards the end but I was able to make it work (I'm just not sure it came out as originally intended). The pink flower was my own design and the purple one is from this pattern.

Making Me Happy Monday

Signs of Spring

These guys are returning . . .

. . . and building a nest in a tree in our front yard

flowers are blooming . . .





Spring is on it's way!!

Happy Easter!

Great idea to re-use all of those egg cartons - turn them into a beautiful spring wreath! Tutorial from Krafty Kat.

Silk Dyed Easter Eggs

I learned to make these a few years ago and have made them every Easter since - these photos are of the ones we did this year. This method makes the most beautiful and unique egg designs and uses something that's cheap and bountiful at most thrift stores (or even free if you can convince your husband/boyfriend/brother/dad to let you raid their closet) - silk ties. To make your own, follow this tutorial.

Safety Note: As mentioned in the original tutorial, the dyes used in silk ties are probably not food safe and not recommended for eating. With that said, we eat ours anyway and have been fine so far.

Beautiful Butterflies

No, not mine (so mom you can quit freaking out), and I'm not getting another one - but this is really beautiful

over the top butterfly bib necklace - via etsy



butterfly globe via Apartment Therapy - I think I could make this



Barnum & Bailey Ringling Brothers Circus Parade. Chicago, 1947.Photo by Charles Cushman via flickr


you can buy this amazing wedding cake topper here


I LOVE this painting from Nicoletta Ceccoli - see more here

No-Sew Embellished Top

Made using this amazing tutorial on Bromeliad - and it's no sew!! So easy that I kind of want to do this to all of my shirts - would that be too much???

Here's what I used:

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas

While my family and I are not true vegetarians, we do periodically have extended bouts of vegetarianism - one of which we just kicked off. I like to do this occasionally for a few reasons:

a) It forces us to eat more vegetables and I experiment more with new dishes and ingredients
b) This time around, hopefully it will help me lose the extra "insulation" from the winter
c) Without getting too political and soapbox-y, I'll just say I'm not a huge fan of the food production system in this country, especially when it comes to meat

So today I thought I'd share with you one of our favorite vegetarian dishes - Sweet Potato & Black Bean Enchiladas.

To start, saute 1/2 c. chopped onion in olive oil until tender.


Add 2 sweet potatoes, peeled and diced. Cover and cook about 10 minutes or until sweet potatoes are tender. (I also add about 1/8 c. of water here to help steam the potatoes and keep them from sticking to the pan).


Add 1 can of black beans, drained and rinsed.


Add 2-3 c. coarsely chopped spinach. Cover and heat 5 minutes or until spinach is wilted and heated through. (You may need to add another 1/8 c. water here as well). Season with salt and pepper.

Pour 1/2 c. of your favorite enchilada sauce in a greased 9X13 pan. Fill tortillas with your sweet potato mixture and roll up. Place in pan seam side down. Top with more enchilada sauce. (I use 1 of the large size canned enchilada sauces total but we like ours pretty saucy). Top with cheese of your choice. I used a mixture of shredded cheddar and crumbled queso fresca - this stuff if you're not familiar:



Your enchiladas are ready to go in the oven- bake at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

Crocheted Hangers

In my continued effort to organize and beautify my closet, I made some crocheted hangers. I think I remember my grandma making these which just proves everything comes back around at some point. I used this basic tutorial. It took a bit of trying to figure out what I was doing, but once you get it, it's actually really easy. And not only do these look pretty, but they also keep your clothes from easily slipping off the hangers.

My favorite part is definitely the crocheted flowers. I played around with a bunch of different free patterns that I found online and then just hot glued them on along with some vintage buttons.



And now for your viewing pleasure this hilarious picture of crochet gone bad -

If I ever start making things like this, someone please have an intervention!!!

More Spring Fever

Well, my Spring Fever has yet to subside - still re-doing and refreshing around the house. So our bed got a little make-over. It's amazing what a difference just changing out bed linens can make. Our bed had this dark brown comforter on it with dark throw pillows - a little too heavy for Spring:


And now, lighter and brighter:



I replaced the brown comforter with a cream colored one - and check out those ruffles! Kind of Anthro-ish without the Anthro price tag (I found it at Marshalls). The set came with 3 ruffled throw pillows, I kept the green one from before, and added the vintage embroidered one for a little color. I kind of have a love/hate relationship with throw pillows on beds - love how they make the bed look cozy and inviting, hate taking them off each night and then putting them back on every morning!

(And btw, that beautiful log bed was handmade for us by my husband's best friend!)


Now my next project needs to be to make some of these gorgeous pillowcases . . .

via You Go Girl!

The Finished Unfinished Hem for Knits

I hate to hem jersey and knits!! My seams always end up pulling and getting crooked and wonky when I try to do a traditional double fold hem. So this is the method that I've come up with that makes it so much easier. I used it on my dress hem from yesterday. Your finished hem will end up looking something like this . . .

. . . a finished edge with a little unfinished bit peaking out.

All in 4 easy steps: