Month: August 2015

Just Waiting for the Perfect Project

In The Studio

Hello, my name is Jennifer, and I hoard craft supplies.

This is not exactly news, and while it sounds like a confession at a self-help group, I have no intention of reforming this habit any time soon as my stockade of supplies has served me in good stead for many, many years. Today is no exception.

Y’all know I have a considerable fabric stash, right? Back in December I pulled out all my fabric totes and emptied the drawers from the “Bureau of Fabric” so that I could do some organizing.

December 2014 Fabric Hoard

December 2014 Fabric Hoard

Once I had everything rolled and put on top of, underneath, and beside my ironing board I did some quick calculations and determined that the above represents about 21 cubit feet of fabric. Yeah. And I have another full bolt of silver organza… somewhere.

Tip: A full bolt of fabric is usually 10 yards. To make a quick guesstimate of how many yards are on a partial bolt, count the folded layers wrapped around the cardboard core. Every 2 folded layers is approximately 1 yard.

What does my fabric hoard have to do with current events?

Well, this weekend a sew along began over at So Sew Easy for Deby’s Conference Tote Bag and I hopped on board as it seemed like a really useful and fun project. While I ordered the recommended fusible foam and interfacing (thank you Amazon Prime for speedy delivery), I knew my stash would yield the majority of the needed supplies like zippers and even the purse “feet” that are optional but I had actually picked up on sale who knows how long ago, thinking I’d have a use for them eventually.

Conference Tote Sew-a-Long supplies

Conference Tote Sew-a-Long supplies

But the real question that plagued me over the first few days of the project was which fabric I was going to use?!

I knew I was bound to have several suitable options in the 1-2 yard increments the pattern calls for. Even more if I were willing to use more than 2 prints and patch or piece the various elements together. But nothing was really standing out to me and I flipped through my mental fabric index.

And then, then I remembered… The Fabric.

A couple years ago, while on a trip to JoAnn Fabrics on a wedding-related errand, I happened upon a fabric that was so very perfect for me that I had to have it. Regardless of the fact that I had absolutely no idea what I’d ever make out of it. I carried it around the store as I tracked down what I was really there for. I don’t even think it was on sale.

The fabulous "Laughing Monkey Pink" print

The fabulous “Laughing Monkey Pink” print

So I bought the whole bolt.

When I remembered I had this gem in my stash, yesterday afternoon, the only thing I really had left to decide was what fabric I’d pair with it–preferably something darker colored and sturdy as it would be on the bottom of the bag, and possibly the lining (depending on how off-script I wanted to go). After pawing through the browns (I color-grouped the rolled fabric after my impromptu inventory in December), I found a narrow-wale corduroy that isn’t much heavier than the printed cottons she recommends for this pattern. (I think you could probably make a version using canvas or cotton duck and skip most of the interfacing steps, but I’ll know more after I make the first one following the instructions.)

Actual sewing didn’t start until Day 3 (so, Wednesday) but I really haven’t had a chance to do any material (hah!) work on the tote so far. I should be able to catch up this weekend. So far the parceled out instructions have been easy to follow (the sew-along components include both written and video tutorials). And, if you decide to join the sew-along today or next week or whenever, you’ll start from the beginning of the 10-day series–so you don’t have to worry about playing catch-up. Oh, and the best thing about the whole thing is that Deby made the whole thing pay-what-you-want, so if you’re strapped for cash you could totally pay nothing for the course, store the info until you can collect your supplies, and sew when you’re ready!

Anyone else going to join me in the sew-along?

(And just in case anyone was wondering, I’m in no way affiliated with So Sew Easy, nor do I get any sort of kick backs for promoting the sew along. I just think it’s a neat project and wanted to share it.)

August Art Walk

Creative Business

This past Friday was the First Friday Art Walk in Thomasville, the first time members of the Artist Collective have been invited to set up tables out at Studio 209 and show their work (and sell some, if lucky). I’ve been a member of the Artist Collective here since last fall, but this was the first time I was going to be showing up as part of the group, putting myself out there and seeing what Thomasville thought of what I had to offer.

(Direct link for the feed readers: August 2015 First Friday Art Walk)

Aside from the heat and (worse) humidity, it really was a pleasant night. If the opportunity arises again I’m definitely up for it. The two pieces of jewelry I sold were a nice bump, but my biggest sale was completely out of the blue!

About midway through the evening I glanced at my email and saw that someone had ordered a Character Cocktail! Considering I hardly ever promote that service, I’m always shocked at the orders when they show up. That it happened during the middle of the Art Walk, well, that just felt like a cosmic thumbs up, an atta-girl for being willing to put myself out there a bit. And, thanks to the wonders of technology (and keeping pertinent documents in the cloud), I was able to start the ball rolling on that commission from my table rather than having to wait until I got home.

I love living in the future!

What’s for Dinner: Week of 8/10/15

Nibbles

Sometimes I feel like the most mundane things are potentially the most helpful. I see friends looking for dinner inspiration on the regular–even with the whole wide web to search. Menu planning is something I’ve done pretty much since I moved away from home in ’95–I honestly cannot fathom how you’re supposed to go grocery shopping without knowing what you’re going to cook the next week! It’s my week to cook, so here’s this week’s menu, along with some notes about planned substitutions (both for ingredient availability as well as Low-FODMAP adjustments).

Monday: Orange Chicken with Brown Rice and Spinach
The only adjustment I need to make for the Panda Express Orange Chicken Copycat recipe from KitchMe.com is substituting a wheat-free flour for to regular flour called for.

Tuesday: One Pot Lemon Orzo Shrimp
From DamnDelicious,net, this recipe assumes you have a dish that will go from the stovetop to the oven. Somehow I have yet to add one of these to my kitchen arsenal, so it won’t be quite one-pot, but it’ll still be fairly low-mess. Our local stores have started stocking gluten-free orzo again so we stocked up, I’ll use garlic olive oil and green onions for their counterparts in the recipe, and whatever frozen vegetables we have on hand.

Wednesday: Mongolian Beef, Rice and Spring Rolls
Another copycat, this time of PF Chang’s from Jo Cooks. Aside from the garlic oil for the garlic, this recipe is okay as is. The spring rolls are store-bought and while I could detour to Whole Foods for some gluten free ones, I opted not to. Overall Low-FODMAP isn’t as strict as allergy-level cautions, so a little wheat here and there isn’t going to hurt (it’s actually good to test tolerance levels regularly once the initial elimination period is over).

Thursday: Chicken Enchilada Zucchini Boats
From Cooking Classy, I’m going to use pre-cooked chicken breasts (I have several cans left from one of our Sam’s club trips), skip the onion as unnecessary with all the other spices going on, and use a sour cream substitute in the toppings. I’ll also use a can of strained diced tomatoes over the sauce called for–sauces usually involve tomato paste, and the concentrated tomato-ness can be a bit of a tummy-turner.

Friday: Latkes and Sausage Links
No recipe here, just shredded potatoes, seasoning, and a bit of egg to bind them. On our last Sam’s run we bought a huge carton of dehydrated shredded potatoes, just to see if they were any good (we do hash browns a fair bit). They actually work really well and I’ve used them in casseroles and as nests for fried eggs.

Saturday: Crock Pot Pork Taco Bowls
Spinning off from the Clean Eating Chicken Taco recipe on Dashing Dish, I’m subbing a pork roast I already had in the freezer and adding cheese to the other toppings. I’ll go ahead and put a jar of prepared salsa into the crock pot, but skip the tomatoes with green chilies as I think it’ll be unnecessary. I don’t usually use the slow cooker on weekends, but I’ve found that I’m more likely to not want to cook on the weekends, so this is my attempt to curb the take-out cravings.

Sunday: Dinner out with friends
A meetup group we joined ages ago always meets on the 3rd Sunday to hang out and then go to dinner. We could end up anywhere from a burger place to sushi, just depends on the whims of the group on the day.

There’s always a chance that any of the above nights might get scuttled due to unforseen events (or just plain not wanting to cook). The orange chicken, for instance, was a skipped recipe from 2 weeks ago when we had an unexpected take-out night. I try not to do it more than once a week, if even that often, because it messes up our lunch plans. Of course, if we manage to cook all nights then that usually puts us a day or two ahead on lunches, which makes the occasional night off not so big a deal.

30 Questions on a Little Bit of Everything (video)

Just for Fun

Week after week I keep saving these video prompts, fully intending to do more that let them collect virtual dust in feedly’s “Saved for Later” folder. How many videos have I posted? Oh, right, none.

Until today, that is (or, well, technically a combination of Monday and Tuesday for filming, editing, and uploading… yes, this is the edited version. I’ll work on my brevity for future videos).

(Direct link for the feed readers: ScrapsOfLife 30 Questions)

And, yes, I totally skipped 2 of the questions (via Mama’s Losin’ It!), though not on purpose. So I’ll answer them here:

5. What is one thing you do that you hate to admit?

Do you mean bad habit-wise? Again, I’m pretty honest with my faults, so “hate to admit” doesn’t really bring anything to mind.

6. Do you really brush your teeth in the morning and at night? Be honest.

In the morning, absolutely! I hate the feeling of morning mouth, yech! At night, though, that’s a little hit or miss. I try to remember but, no, I can’t even say it’s most of the time.

And thank goodness I decided to go ahead and film this Monday night after work for today’s post! Not only did I have to retrain myself how to use Premier Pro (I found a much better tutorial video this time, though, from Trice Designs), first I had to remember which program I downloaded last year to convert the videos from my recorder.

Yes, my laptop has a webcam, but I’m not a fan of how it records (allow me a bit of vanity, here, the lighting and everything always looks so weird on the webcam, though I’m sure it has just as much to do with the amber light in my office at the moment). So I set up my JVC video camera and used that. Only JVC uses a proprietary format that pretty much no one but JVC thinks is neat, so conversions have to happen. When we started doing the Gingerbread Diaries updates I could use the video as-is, but I realized it was cutting off part of the frame. I knew I’d downloaded something to fix that, but couldn’t remember the name for the life of me.

So I spent a good little bit opening random programs from the “All Programs” list trying to find something that was vaguely familiar. Of course the company started with a W, so it was the next to last folder I opened. But I found it and even remembered how to use it.

All that to say: yay, I did a video for you guys! Hope you found it entertaining and I’m looking forward to doing more (shorter!) videos in the future!

A Day of Rest and Random Thoughts

Everyday Adventures

Because some days all you need is a comfy couch, a soft blanket, and a good book to get lost in.

Not that I didn’t have other things to do, yesterday–I started the weekend off with quite a full to-do list in my planner. And after the flurry of accomplishment last weekend, part of me wanted to keep up the streak.

But it had been a long week, ending with Mom’s car forgetting how to talk to the transmission around mid-day Friday (early appraisal from the mechanic suggests that it’s a cable or connector between the gear shift and the transmission, not something more serious).

After our walk on Saturday–that I completed without wanting to chop off my legs 3/4 of the way through: progress!–I worked on small but important projects and made it to bed before it was super-late.

Sunday morning, though, I was dragging. I settled on the aforementioned couch intending to read for a bit, just until I woke up some more, and then I would start on that day’s list. Todd left to do the grocery shopping and returned to find me in virtually the same position. Later he went out to mow the lawn–I kept reading.

By this point I was committed to finishing the book, which took the better part of the afternoon. About the only thing I regret is that the next book in this series is not available via Kindle Unlimited, like the first one. But the first book was good enough to make it a high chance I’ll pay for the second one outright.

I have no styled or stage picture of the sofa, blanket, and book–they’re not photo worthy, just comfy. Not everything is a photo op, right?

So my laundry didn’t get done. I’m in no danger of running out of clean clothes. But the rest and relaxation? Oh, that is priceless, and way too easy to pass over sometimes.

School started in my county, today. It seems incredibly early to me. But the beginning of the school year means things will start picking up downtown and we’ll start our headlong rush towards the holidays. First things first, the weekend is First Friday and I’ll be out at Studio 209 with the Artists Collective, selling an assortment of my work (canvases, jewelry, and comics), then Saturday is the YEP Bar Crawl in celebration of the end of Thomasville’s Prohibition dry spell!

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It’s open to the public so if you’re in the area, come out and play!

Supply orders have been arriving for the first Creative Mischief Kits, which will start shipping in September. Four out of Five night, last week, saw boxes waiting on my doorstep. In order to get on the mailing list (and get a chance to order the kits early and at a reduced price) head over to TheCraftyBranch.com to sign up for our mailing list.