Monday Morning Crafting and Baking

I’ve been brainstorming for the crown challenge – you’d think since I initiated this that I’d have some ideas ahead of time, right?  Well, at first I wanted to make a costume fabric crown.  Then I started thinking of making a crown pin/brooch.  But since I really like to make cuff bracelets, I thought I’d do a crown shape of that.  I haven’t really gotten very far with anything:

I gave up embroidering the crown onto felt when I couldn’t get my transfer pen to work on it, and stitched it on my sewing machine.  I’m not thrilled.  Then the cuff bracelet, cut out of paper, was too pointy and long, wouldn’t be very comfortable.  Maybe I’ll let this simmer another day and try again.

There’s already been a few entries here, including an embroidery pattern.  At the end of the month, I’ll be sure to show all the pictures of what people have submitted.  Join us!

Of course I’ve also been baking.  Last week I had a request for focaccia bread -

But I don’t think Ms. Peanut Butter & Fluff had thought too much about this one – the salt and garlic just didn’t go well with her usual lunch combo.  It was great with some homemade veggie burgers, though.

Next, there were a couple of loaves of sourdough bread that went fast, I’ll have to make more tonight:

And in the oven right now are some banana bread muffins from a recipe on CraftyRichela’s blog.  I usually don’t bake just for myself, it’s always something for the kids – but they aren’t crazy about bananas.  Actually, that’s an understatement.  My oldest actually has a severe aversion to them which I find very odd.  When she was little she ate them, but as she’s gotten older, can’t stand the smell of them at all.  She also developed a latex allergy and bananas are related somehow, so maybe it’s her body’s natural way of avoiding things that will make her itch.  Interesting, but I’m going way off on a tangent. 

A week or so ago I mentioned a hand-sewing project.. that was a big craft fail.  They were sock-bunnies and were really scary looking (picture will be online soon at craftfail.com).  So, next time I try that idea, they will be sock-monsters.

I’m hoping muffins and coffee help me focus on what I’ll do the rest of the day and that posts this week show some more productivity than today’s did.  What are you up to?

Tamdoll in Etsy Treasuries

A bunch of talented folks have put together some Treasuries lately and Tamdoll’s SILVER Mountain Original items have been featured in each of them.  Check these out:

Jelly Donut earrings:

Commandments Wall Hanging:

Art to Wear Cuff - Bold Blue Bracelet:

Commandments fabric blank – create your own:

Commandments Wall Hanging:

The EtsyChai team is working on a promotion right now for Passover, and I should be ramping up my Judaic crafting…. I’ve got to tweak my to-do list so I actually do!  Did I mention back at the start of 2011 that I would be better prepared ahead of time for seasonal crafting? ??? It’s not going as well as I planned – or maybe I just haven’t planned well enough!  Off the computer and down to business is the only thing I can think of to do right now.

EtsyBloggers Carnival – Favorite Gemstone

Cindy of Devine Designs Jewelry will be hosting this week’s EtsyBlogger’s Carnival.

She posed a few questions and I will answer one here:

3. What is your favorite gemstone and why?

This is an easy one!  It’s the Ruby, because it’s red, my favorite color!  So, what else to write about?? I will just put up some EtsyBlogger “Ruby” & “Red” items to share with you here.  Enjoy!

 

 

  

All of these caught my eye and were so pretty.  Maybe I should start crafting in red some more?  We’ll see.  The funny thing about this list is that a lot of the items are earrings and that’s one piece of jewelry that I rarely wear, my ears bother me if I wear them for too long.

My first thought when I read this post was to use Peridot since that’s my birthstone.  And green is my 2nd favorite color… so maybe next time I’ll look for those colored items!

Do you have a favorite gemstone?  Do you wear that color or craft with it?

T-Shirt & Jeans Bag

Once upon a time, there were a t-shirt and a pair of jeans that did not fit their respective owners anymore:

With some nimble cutting, fusible interfacing and a bit of patience, the two were pieced together:

A clever pattern* brought the new creation to life:

One side – soft, cotton t-shirt, the other side – comfortably worn blue jeans, small pocket added for convenience whether worn inside or out.

I love the t-shirt & jeans combo!  There were tiny abrasions and worn areas on the jeans, those I reinforced with some cotton threads so they don’t wear through.  It was fun & I will be making the pattern again, but doubt I’ll be using denim next time!  (It was pretty tricky turning such a thick fabric and used up all my patience.)

On Thursday morning (3/24) I’ll list this for sale online at my etsy shop. 

3/24 update: – Listed!  You can find it right here: Goonies Reversible Bag.

*pattern by verypurpleperson.

A Week of Knit, Crochet and Bread Baking

Not really a whole week’s worth, just what was photo-worthy:

Knit moustache for a quick costume:

Improvised, stash-busting cowl:   

Later seen as:

Handles and finishing touches going onto two crochet bags:

Pretzel rolls this week, recipe here.  Super easy recipe, done in under 2 hours.  Really good as “nugget” size snacks, too:

 

I don’t know where last week went,it just flew by!  These are just some of the projects I’ve been working on, I wonder what my readers have been up to – find any inspiration?  Thinking about the Crown Challenge?  I hope so!

Indoor Gardening

Once, I read that pepper plants live year-round in warm climates, so at the end of last summer I potted a few plants from the garden and brought them into my kitchen.  The hot pepper plant is doing well, the regular pepper plant isn’t doing so great (my kitchen cannot be called a ‘warm climate’ in any way).  Below is a fruit growing right in my kitchen!  I knew when I saw flowers blooming that I’d have to pollinate them, so I just brushed a fingertip inside each of the flowers and it worked!  You can see another flower blooming on the left side of the picture if you look carefully.

Usually by this time of year I have trays of seedlings sprouting in my kitchen & I’m eagerly looking forward to planting a garden in the summertime.  Not this year.  I have a lot of plans this summer, but many of them won’t be around my house, so I’m going to give the garden a rest this year.  (Even in the Bible there are instructions to let the land rest in the 7th year, giving it a Sabbath.  So, I’ll say I have holy inspiration for giving it a break.)

We’ll see if the indoor plants survive till then, inside or out in the yard.

Yesterday’s bread:

Hot out of the oven, with some butter spread on top (that’s why it’s shiny). The peaks across the loaves are from slashing them with a sharp knife before their 2nd rising, then they get these nice patterns when they finally bake.

Going to work on my hand-sewing project and get that posted as soon as possible!

Don’t forget to brainstorm and work on a crown project and join me in the challenge:

Creative Crown Challenge

Calling all crafty folks, I’m going to try something here, would you like to participate?  About a year ago I saw a couple of felt and fabric crowns online and loved them!  Ever since then I’ve been wanting to make one … what better time than the present? 

Why don’t you join me and create something with a “crown” theme?  It can be: embroidered, to wear as a costume, upcycled, crochet, for a child’s dress-up box, as a birthday crown, for a present, for Purim festivities, as a decoration, a badge, button, tiny as a piece of jewelry -brooch/necklace/earrings, for a doll, a painted crown… whatever your specialty is… you get the idea!

This is just for fun and I hope you join in!  Why?  To inspire creativity and see what others come up with.  When they’re done, want to swap or sell yours?  share ideas?  Leave a comment with your thoughts.

Going to play along?  When your crown is completed, be sure to come back here by March 31, 2011 and add your (blog or other) online photo link to your project here:

Have a blog or website?  Grab a Badge: <a href="http://tamdoll.blogspot.com/2011/03/creative-crown-challenge.html" target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Tamdoll's Creative Crown Challenge 2011" src="https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/_wc3-XBkXdU4/TXbsT67IMeI/AAAAAAAAGXA/c74_7Whh3iM/s800/crown%20challenge%20creative%20flat%20140.png"; /></a>

Crochet Bag

One bag sans handles + stack of squares working towards a second bag:

 

I have a billion projects going on lately.  This crochet project is actually keeping me calm.  I’ve memorized the square pattern so it doesn’t take long to whip one up, taking a ball of yarn and crochet hook with me everywhere - even at a hockey game yesterday where I didn’t have my girls with me – I was watching the game while making these and it kept me distracted enough to not worry about what the kids were doing.  My mind is always racing, having this bit of focus to occupy some part of my brain works to relax me.

Around New Year’s is when I bought a random bag of cotton yarn remnants to make this pattern and I think there is enough to make two bags.  Left off the handles of the first – if I run out of yarn while making the 2nd, I’m pretty sure I have white in my stash to finish these up.

Don’t know what I’ll do when this is finished.  I have other crochet photos, some indoor gardening and a hand-sewing project I’ll blog about this week – making goals and “to-do” lists so I will get things done!

Sourdough bread from the weekend – misshapen loaves, doesn’t alter the taste!  I really don’t care for the sour flavor, but the family loves it.

Green Goddess Handbag

Green Goddess Bag

A unique bag, roomy, with two inner pockets.

Outer: linen & cotton upholstery 5th Avenue Design (Covington)
screen printed fabric with Scotchgard finish

Inner: Linen

Wooden Handles

My version of "Free U-Handbag Bag Pattern: The Everyday Glam Bag".  (I made it a little longer to square off the bottom and did the inside pocket a little differently.)

Going to donate this bag to a local group that will auction it off in their upcoming fundraiser.

Featured EtsyBlogger - BunnyKissd

Where did February go??  I’ve fallen behind on a lot of things, but didn’t want to miss sharing the Featured EtsyBlogger member, BunnyKissd.

Diana has an etsy shop Faerie Garden fancies (I love this banner):

And she has some sense of humor! I love these two sets of earrings – I can just hear the marshmallows saying “ouch”!

One of my girls loves, loves marshmallows so I was instantly drawn to them!

She also has a really interesting blog -

There’s lots to see and discuss – photos, projects, poems and lots of bunnies!

Enjoy visiting this very creative team member!