Clutch bag

I came up with a new pattern for my sister in law's birthday present this year. A clutch bag, with a matching zippered wallet or coupon bag (that's what I use mine for).  The clutch idea was all from scratch, no patterns used on this one.  The zippered pouch idea came from a great book my aunt and uncle got me for Christmas last year called

Fresh Fabric Treats. I used the pattern for that, just made it a lot smaller.

I added an applique letter to the pouch to personalize it. My first time doing applique!

Owl Invitation

 Savannah's first  birthday invitations are on their way.  I'm so excited for her party, I know she won't remember any of it and it's pointless for me to do a big thing but I'm a crafter, I just can't help myself.  We are not really doing a theme but I loved the owl invitation I saw on Pinterest here: http://veryverdant.blogspot.com/2012/01/owl-birthday-party-invitations.html  and here: http://www.etsy.com/listing/55886143/diy-owl-invitations. Also all the owl cakes.

I created a combination of the 2 invitations I saw. I was so excited to get them out, then I started hearing feedback that they were falling apart in the mail. I was so upset.

I bought a book of scrapbook paper and made a template, cut out all the pieces and glued them together. Then I punched holes in the wings and tied it with a small piece of ribbon.

The wings unfold to reveal a stamped invite on the belly. That part was a little difficult since I had a hard time finding a stamp to fit.

This summer I've been watching my 5 year old niece on Wednesday's. It has definitely been an experience. I'm the youngest child of 6 and never baby sat, so I was clueless what to do with her. I have tried many crafts but they wouldn't last long enough or she would want to do it a completely different way and I don't have many toys at my house.  Every time she is over, she glares through the glass door of my craft room, asking me why she can't have the stuff in there.  I also found out that when she tells me she can paint her own nails, I need to change her clothes, and cover everything in my house.

This week we went to the craft store together to find some things she would like and she picked out a cross stitch owl. It said age 8+ but I've been cross stitching since I was little.  She was SO EXCITED! It's been a little rough because she feels she has to ask me every time she makes a stitch, but I think she will catch on.

Maine

Every year Jake and I take a vacation to Maine. We stay in one of the family cabin's in Northfield which is 20 minutes from his grandmother and uncle in Machias. There isn't much to do there unless you enjoy hiking, and fishing. We are off the grid for a while with no Internet, phones or T.V while staying there, even the showers are lake water. I can't complain though because it gives us a chance to enjoy the beauty that God created.

This is Bad Little Falls, which is a small but beautiful waterfall right in the town of Machias.

We took a trip to Bar harbor, which is about 1 1/2 hours from town. We ate lunch in the park, did a little window shopping and had ice cream. This is not Savannah's first time eating ice cream, her daddy always shares. She loves it! and surprisingly it doesn't upset her stomach.

Jake is determined to get her to walk by her first birthday but it doesn't look promising as she just started pulling herself up, and will only do it about once per day.

This was a new sight for us. Bog Lake right past Cutler is an amazing sight. We went here on our last day and didn't have much time but I could have spent hours taking pictures and climbing all the rocks.

Jake tried to teach her how to throw rocks. She is very good at throwing now. Sometimes Jake can be a bad influence but he's a big kid so I have gotten used to it.

Back at the cabin it's a tradition to play with Jake's grandma's organ. Savannah loves to sing already too.

We went for a fishing trip on the lake. I thought Savannah should wear a life jacket but it didn't stay on too long. It took a lot of shots to get this smile.

Visiting Jake's grandma Christine. She is in her 90's and I'm so happy Savannah was able to meet her.

This is another new sight for us. Reversing falls in Pembroke. You have to get there about 1-2 hours before the tide changes, then when it does change you get to see the river flowing both ways at the same time. It was difficult to catch on camera, you will just have to go a see for yourself.

Waiting and waiting for the tide to change. We had a picnic there but got bored after a while so we went to Eastport to get some Raye's mustard in the meantime. Raye's mustard is another tradition, they make the mustard right there and you can take a little tour, the mustard is not boiled like the kind you get from the store so you don't get that watery junk. They have so many different flavors and you can try them all right there in the store.

Beef Enchiladas

Not many people know this, but I love to cook. I make something homemade almost every night. Not so much in the summer since we barely have air conditioning.  I must be a glutton for punishment because I would rather make things from scratch.  It took me 2 hours to make homemade blueberry pirogi once.  For the past 2 years I have been making my own tortillas because the ones that you buy in the store taste like chemicals and only taste good if they are fried in oil. Since Jake works as a short order cook on the weekends, he hates if I fry stuff in the house. Homemade tortillas have great flavor, never need to be fried, and can be used for so many things.

Here's my recipe:                                                                                                                         



 4 c. flour
1/2 c. butter, lard or shortening
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. sugar
approx 1 1/2 c. warm water.

Combine the dry ingredients and the lard with fingers, slowly add water and mix with hands until soft but not sticky. Knead a few times then let sit in warm spot, covered for 1 hour.
Pinch dough into egg size balls and flatten with a tortilla press or rolling pin. (I use wax paper on both sides so it doesn't stick so much). Toast lightly with cast iron pan. I got this process down to 1/2 hour pressing and cooking like an assembly line. They can be kept in the fridge for a few days stored in a Ziploc bag. Just heat them up for a few seconds in the microwave before using them.
I actually prefer to use lard ( I heard there are some things that are better about lard than oil) because it keeps the tortillas softer.

One of the recipes I use my tortillas for is Beef Enchiladas. The recipe originally came from the cookbook Chicken Magic in Minutes, but I changed that too.

Here's the beef enchilada recipe:

1 lb. ground beef

1/2 large onion

1/2 green pepper

1 8 oz. package cream cheese

1/4 c. salsa

1 c. enchilada sauce

about 10 tortillas

1 1/2 c. cheese

Preheat oven to 350

Cook and drain beef in large skillet. Add onion and pepper and cook until onion is soft. Add cream cheese, salsa, and 1/2 c. enchilada sauce then cook until cream cheese is melted and mixed in.

Pour a thin stripe of enchilada sauce down center of 13" x 9" pan. Spoon beef mixture close to edge of tortilla and roll up. Place seam side down in pan. Pour remaining enchilada sauce over all tortillas in pan and top with cheese. Cover with foil and cook in oven for 10 minutes, remove foil and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

Tortillas rolled up seam side down in pan.

Right before putting in oven.

I can't sign off without adding my Savannah update for the day.  She has been pulling herself up to her knees for a few weeks, we've had to rearrange our lives because she can grab everything. Today she pulled herself up to her feet!

Tahoe tote

 I can't believe I forgot to mention that Savannah got her first tooth on July 17. She was so unhappy about it, but it was about time.  She barely ate or drank anything for 3 days, we were starting to get worried. She can be such a drama queen sometimes, but I felt so bad for her. Unfortunately she hasn't gotten any more, so we get to go through this a lot more in the next few months.  I'm happy to announce that she is finally gaining weight and just outgrew 3-6 month clothes.
I got her a really cute pair of shorts on clearance at Baby Gap a while ago and of course had to sew them to make them fit. When I put them on her I realized the outfit made her look like a boy (which we get a lot) I quickly whipped up a cute headband I found on Pinterest: http://www.lovestitched.com/my-tutorial/knotted-jersey-headband-tutorial/
I wanted it to look like the original picture- which is not final result offered in this tutorial- so I widened the strips to 3" I should try it with a pair of old nylons next time.

My mom said it looked like the headbands women used to wear to hold in their pin curls. It wasn't my best effort but it will go better next time.

About a year ago my mom gave me some pretty French fabric and asked me to make her something with it.  A few months ago she also bought a bag pattern called the Tahoe Tote, from Olde City Quilts, and asked me to make it for her.  I bought some pink contrasting fabric to go with what she bought and made the bag. It was really easy! I've been experimenting a lot lately and taking things I love from patterns and using them in others, so I did change some minor things on this bag. One of them being the hard bottom. I like to be able to wash the bags especially white ones, so I make a removable hard bottom insert fitted into a sleeve.