EtsyBloggers Carnival – February is American Heart Month

This EtsyBloggers Carnival is hosted by Lois  at http://foxygknits.com. 

February is Heart Health Month*. What is your best heart healthy recipe?  What do you do to stay heart healthy?  How do you promote heart health?

I think I missed the deadline for this carnival, so going to do a quick post.  A recipe!

Roasted vegetables:  Wash and dry veggies, cut into bite-sized pieces.  Toss with salt, pepper and a dash of olive oil.  Roast at 425°F until brown, 20-25 minutes.  Some of my family’s favorites: cauliflower, celery, onion, red peppers, green beans (beans look kinda gross after they’ve gotten brown and shriveled, but taste really great).  I like squash, yams and potatoes roasted, too.  Then there’s eggplant, cherry tomatoes… I think I’ve roasted every vegetable that’s ever been in my kitchen.  It’s surprising how sweet everything tastes after it’s been in the oven – sometimes it’s hard to get these to the table if everyone starts snacking on them before the meal is served!

What’s your favorite way to serve (heart healthy!) vegetables?

* February is American Heart Month

6 comments food

Valentine Papier-mâché Hearts

Thanks for the comments on my last post!  I don’t have an exact “how-to”.. but can tell you what I did to decorate the hearts.   I didn’t make the base hearts –they were papier-mâché ones that I had in my stash for many years.   Does anyone else do that?  I save things for a long time, afraid that I’ll ruin them, or never have them again… it’s self-defeating I think. 

I’ve been wanting to collage with sheet music for a while – I always see it done so nicely on other people’s blogs so I pulled out some music I’d been saving – and tore it up, focusing on “romantic” words.  Then I went through my paper stash and took out coordinating papers, a poem from the back of a chocolate bar, along with tissue paper that had been stamped with permanent ink and images that I used in this 2010 decoupage project (I save everything!)

Using matte Gel Medium as glue (had Liquitex Matte Gel left over from that first project, too – it’s really nice and thick), I first pasted on the music-pieces.  Next I pasted accent papers all around, layering them a little, covering the base completely.  I made sure not to get the gel on top of any of the pieces, afraid that it would act as a resist to the paint later on.

In the afternoon when all was dry, I took out paints that I had at home – Golden Fluid Acrylics in Iridescent Gold Deep color, and a pink and burgundy glaze (Plaid brand, Folk Art paints).  I just squirted a dollop onto wax paper and tried to brush on and blend the different colors, but wanted a more transparent look, so started smooshing and rubbing it all on with my fingers.  I ended up finger painting all of them.  It was fun, but my hands took a beating from all the washing. 

Usually I’ll spray a fixative or a sealer when I’m done with a project like this, but I didn’t want to dull the shine from the paint.  I went back once more to darken up some of the first pieces that I hadn’t been so bold with – and that was it!  A half-dozen cute Valentine ornaments that can be used as an indoor decoration this winter.

Do you ever depart from your normal crafts? Have huge stashes of things you never use or are afraid to let go of?  Save everything and then are really happy when you find a use for them?  As I re-read this post, this is what I came away with, sounds a little wacky, but I know I’m not alone out there!

Look for this at the Craft schooling Sunday link party, too – lots of fun!

9 comments holiday - valentine, paper, tutorial

Switching Mediums

Just for a day, working with papier-mâché, collage, sheet music, poems, stamps, glue, paints and glazes. Started out with brushes, ended up finger-painting and enjoying the process.  Back to sewing tomorrow.

1/29/11 Update: I’ve added a “how-to” description in a new blog post here.

5 comments holiday - valentine

Mini Love Bots for Valentine’s Day

These were a blast to make.  Some are new wool felt, others recycled felted sweaters, with lots of odds-and-ends, found objects, and reclaimed pieces making each one unique! 

I’ll have these available locally, at Apotheca.   Next up – during today’s snowstorm, I hope to get some big hearts sewn and embroidered and then some mini heart pins created for my etsy shop.

5 comments holiday - valentine, robots and aliens, sewing

Love Bots Reveal for Valentine’s Day

I received a couple of guesses in my last post’s comments, and on Facebook… so here’s a preview of what the little cubes are becoming!  Mini Love-Bots for Valentine’s Day.  Each one will be unique – so far I have just the 8 blocks assembled.

I truly have such a hard time sitting still to work on these, but with some bad weather coming tomorrow, maybe I can get them completed.  They’ll be available locally and maybe one or two will show up in my Etsy shop, also.  (Let me know if you have a preference.)  The ’bot above is made with a sweater that had been felted and repurposed into this cutie.

One of my other current projects is a bag that I’ve been crocheting.  It still needs a handle, lining and assembly – but since it’s a summery colored yarn, there’s no rush: 

I got the bag of yarn as a “1lb. remnant”  - maybe when I’m done with this one I can make a second – it was certainly easy enough.  I’ll check my yarn quantity by weighing it to see if I have 1/2lb. or more leftover when I’m finished.  Anyone else out there weigh their yarn?

Thanks for your support and votes in the champagne cork challenge!  I didn’t win, but I was happy with the results, and found another great blog to follow because of it.

I hope this is the beginning of a very creative week.  What are you going to do?

5 comments bags, crochet, dolls, holiday - valentine, recycling, robots and aliens, use what you have

Sewing While it Snows

I really didn’t get as much done as I would have liked.. it’s my own fault.  I get so distracted.  I have a half dozen crochet projects in the works, a sewing project, some bags to finish and even more… Going to work on these today – I’ll show them when they’re done, you can speculate about what they are until then.

Put some snowy pictures at flickr -  here.

And until Sunday the 16th, you can vote on the champagne cork creation that I’ve entered in a contest – info on this last blog post.

What are you working on this weekend?

3 comments sewing

Maybe I Watch Too Many Scary Movies

 

When I saw this New Year's Challenge, I made to sure to get a hold of a couple of metal wire lids from champagne bottles.  Since the deadline to enter the challenge was today, thought it would be a good idea to get cracking … and looking at all the wires (3 bottles & I didn’t drink any!)  all I could think about was electricity.  Maybe I watch too many scary movies.  More like sci-fi … thinking about mind-reading chairs (I miss Farscape!) 

Not sure I have a chance to win “best chair”.. maybe it will be the creepiest.

      Update 1/12/11: Voting going on HERE now.

8 comments challenge

Getting Down to Crafty Business

My Valentine’s Day to-do list is on the calendar under September.  Since I wasn’t on schedule last year, this week and next I’ll be working on a couple of ideas I’ve had. 

Even adjusting my schedule to give me the free time to work on these, I found myself pacing in my kitchen unable to feel “inspired”.  I thought to myself ‘This is ridiculous, why can’t you just sit down and work?’  So, that’s what I did.  I sat down with my list of projects, surrounded by red, plugged my ipod into my ears and began to work.  I’m hoping to I will have something to show you next week.  I must.  If I don’t, then what’s the use of all these ideas that I’m always coming up with? 

I’m looking forward to a few days of sitting and stitching, all the while singing out loud all the wrong words to the songs that are playing -- it’s good to be home alone sometimes!

Do you have anything that motivates you to get your act in gear when you’re stuck &/or procrastinating?

7 comments living creatively

First Monday, Getting Organized for 2011

First post of the new year and I’m starting off with some planning for 2011.  First of all, “Happy New Year!”

In 2010 I missed some opportunities because I wasn’t well prepared.  It wasn’t enough for me to have a note on my calendar 7 months before Christmas that said “make ornaments”.  It turned out to be difficult for me to get into the spirit of holidays out of season.  This year, I’ve prepared a calendar listing the holidays under months that are about 6 or 7 months prior and put specific ideas under each.  For example, “make crafts to sell” wasn’t inspiring enough in May 2010, so now I have a list of projects including: crochet snowflakes, mini sweater garlands, and so on.  I know this will work much, much better!

Worked on these during the past week and completed today – a couple of stash-busting mittens for my girls: 

2010 was a productive year for me and I’d like to make 2011 a craftier, even better year.  Besides things that I’d like to make to sell, there are some clothes that I’d like to sew, some fashion-makeover/upcycling projects and… I had planned to begin again in 2010… I’m definitely going to be making dolls again.  Maybe not what people are used to seeing from me, but “Tamdoll” has got to make dolls! What about you? Have any big (or little) plans for the coming year?

4 comments knitting