Handmade Pretties in the Press: Pregnancy & Newborn - Nov 09

Handmade Pretties has been getting some press lately. Here is a rainbow sweater ball nicely featured in Pregnancy and Newborn.

Here is the feature from the November 2009 issue of Pregnancy and Newborn.

New Products: St. Patricks Day Brooches

Here in the snowcone that is Iowa, I am definitely ready for some warm spring action. My St Patrick's Day brooches offer a quick peek of the lovely spring to come. Look for a simplified version made by me in the March issue of Better Homes and Gardens!


Vintage buttons beautify the center of this one.


Vintage photography makes everything look like an heirloom!

Etsy Favorites: Red Bloom Muff of Fabulousness

Fabulous indeed! The photo is ALSO fabulous, the pale aqua walls against the brilliant red makes me want to start painting again. I absolutely LOVE the texture and color of this piece. Birdism obviously spent some serious love putting this muff together. Wouldn't this be amazing in a winter wedding?

Etsy Favorites: 4 Season Cone Gnomes from CutesyPoo

I don't know about you, but here in the land of the perpetual snow, I would like the spring gnome to start pulling his weight. These cute little guys arrive in the form of a .pdf file that you can print from home and assemble. At $1.99 I almost don't even have to think about it! Cutesypoo Toys also makes similar gnomes in fabric, pre-assembled.

I picture these up on a shelf in the girls' room or peek out from behind a plant. What about you?

Favorite Shops: Home Ec. Workshop, Iowa City

The fabric cutting table at Home Ec. Photo from Dreaming Bear

This past weekend, my husband and I were FINALLY able to take a road trip out of town without the children. We went to Iowa City to see our old friend William Elliot Whitmore play a rock show at the Blue Moose Taphouse in Iowa City. We got into town a little early and had time to visit some of the shops that have opened up since we moved away in 2001.

I visited Home Ec Workshop on the recommendation of Arin and Karen from Ephemera in Des Moines. The shop is on Linn Street just North of Market, on the west side of the road. Back in our I.C.days, the building used to house a guitar store and a used book store that is still on the corner. The Hamburg Inn will probably always slop it out across the street, and I have to admit a twinge of jealousy when I realized that the "Chill and Grill" has now become a falafel restaurant.

Home Ec, which is in a small store front in the middle of the block, has a small front room with fabric, a middle room with yarns, and a back classroom/workshop area. They have also incorporated a small coffee and snack shop.

I ordered a chai (and imagined eating one of the red velvet cupcakes) and browsed around. Their fabric room is small, but well stocked. They did not have quite as much space as someplace like Crafty Planet in Minneapolis, but the prints they do stock were well coordinated, made me drool, and the prices are comparable. I do not knit or crochet, but I found it impossible to avoid petting the stock of yarns, particularly some of the finer spun japanese yarns.

The chai was fabulous, perfectly sweetened with honey (not sticky sweet like the crap they serve at Starbucks) and made with milk from cows who eat real grass (GASP)! Aside from the great stuff (they even had a little vintage and a little handmade mixed in), I would come back just to visit with the ladies. Codi and her partner Alisa could not have been any nicer.

If you live near Iowa City or find yourself in town, take a few minutes to stop in the shop to admire the colors, drink some chai, and stock up on something lovely for your next project.

Home Ec. Workshop
207 N. Linn Street
Iowa City, Iowa 52245

We hope our next stop can include a visit to White Rabbit.


The yarn room. Photo from Dreaming Bear

Etsy Favorites: Last Five Etsy Purchases

Ever wonder what etsy sellers are buying on etsy? Here are five items I purchased for the holidays.


Ham Earrings. I bought these for my best friend, because who doesn't need a pair of ham earrings? Found at Sweet Meats


Seriously? Why Wait. Be Rad now. Three awesome screened posters from Mixed Species


Every year I purchase or make new ornaments for the tree. These came from Old World Primitives


These cuties came from Katie Anna. The girls love them!


And who doesn't like getting clean with booger soap? Made by Annie Poo

Do It Yourself: Valentine's Day Crackers

The finished goods, ready for delivery.

Oh sure Valentine's Day is a corporate creation to get us to buy each other satin underwear and boxes of chocolate, but it is also a great time to whip up something delightfully pink, fill it with chocolate, and give it to the people you love (or even like a little).

This Valentine's Day, my girls and I made Valentine's Day crackers filled with chocolate kisses for their class. This project is relatively simple. Children over 8 should be able to finish this project with little assistance, while younger kids will need help, but will still enjoy filling the tubes with goodies.


Our work station

Materials
Scotch Tape
Cardstock cut into 3" x 4.25" pieces
Tissue paper cut into 10" x 8" pieces (the thin gift wrapping type is best)
Scissors
thin ribbon or yarn cut into 10" pieces
Medium to large stickers
Kisses or other small candies or treats


Our supplies ready to go. I use my paper cutter to cut down the tissue and cardstock to size.

Roll the cardstock into 3" tubes. Overlap the edges of the cardstock about 1/2" and tape.

With the tube on the 8" side of the tissue paper, roll the tissue around the tube. Twist one end closed, and stick the sticker on the seam of the tissue (little ones are great at sticking the stickers). Tie a ribbon on the twisted end.


Rolling the tube in tissue.


Before we have twisted the end.

Check that the tissue paper opening is clear into the tube, and insert two kisses (or other small goodies). Twist the other end closed and tie with a ribbon.




One end twisted and tied and ready to be filled.


Beatrice (2) filling the tubes with kisses for her friends.

A few years back when making stamps for my business, I had stamps made of my girls' names. The kids' schools want each valentine to only be signed, not individually addressed, so we use the stamps to sign the valentines.

For our close friends and family, we will be making larger versions of this project filled with more treats and a few pics of the girls. If you have a stash of cardboard tubes from toilet paper or paper towels, you can use those, otherwise create larger cardstock tubes.

Happy Crafting!

Handmade Pretties Special Offers: Themed Giant Fleece Ball Special

I am currently looking to make more giant fleece balls using themes that I have not previously produced. If you order a new themed ball, I am offering $5 off the regular price. A few ideas I have are outer space, flowers, princess, animals, underwater, cupcakes/teaparty, etc.

If you would like to place an order, please visit my etsy site.



Farm Themed Ball


Owl Themed Ball


Rock N Roll Themed Ball

Around Our House: Keeping the Kids Busy One Block of Styrofoam at a Time

In an effort to get more time to work in my studio, I have been devising projects for the kids to do while I work. Our latest project came when we ordered our new iMac.

Both girls got a piece of styrofoam. Sylvia (at 5) is old enough to handle a very small hammer, so I give her a handful of nails and a small handcrank drill with a drill bit. She pounds nails and drills holes and sometimes violently beats the tar out of her block of foam. Beatrice (at 2) is a little small for the hammer, so I give her a pincushion full of pins, a handful of buttons, cut off labels, ribbons, and pieces of felt and paper. She happily stabs pins with buttons and ribbons into the foam. Now before you call DHS or try this with your own children, please remember that my kids have grown up around my sewing supplies and have proven to me that they understand which end of the pin is the stabbing side. And of course they are current on their tetanus shots.

This activity helps them with their fine motor skills and hand eye coordination. Plus it keeps them busy for about twenty minutes.



Beatrice concentrating on threading buttons onto the pins.



Sylvia wielding her junior sized hammer. She's even got her tongue in on the action.



It's Hammer Time!

Do It Yourself: Decoupage Light Switch Plates

A squirrel toting ham in a shopping basket! Even the Anchorman approves (and yes he is an original Janet Stewart...)

Remembering the Ephemera of Your Life

Before we moved back to Iowa from Los Angeles, I purchased a set of Pop Ink cocktail napkins featuring adorable little animals with knives and meat. This package of napkins has remained safely preserved in an unexplored kitchen drawer since our move in 2007. Imagine my horror when I realized that my children had discovered my booty and had been using them to wipe their faces - GASP!

This left me with the dilemma of whether to continue hoarding this little package of divinity or figure out a way to preserve it's glory for future generations of animal and meat loving folk.

The obvious answer was decoupage. For my napkins, I used a water proof decoupage medium that I got on sale at Joanns. You definitely want something waterproof so you can give it a wipe down when cleaning. I first removed and cleaned the switchplates. I like to rough them up a bit with some fine sandpaper to give the medium something to grab onto. Cut your image to fit the switchplate. In the case of the napkins, I made sure that I cut them big enough to wrap around the edges slightly. Brush a thin layer of medium onto the switchplate. Carefully place your image and brush on a thin layer of medium. If your image extends to the edge, wrap the image around the edges. Gently tamp down on the image with the brush to ensure good contact and to lessen wrinkles. Allow to dry completely. At this point, using an exacto knife, cut a diagonal slit from one corner of the switch opening (or outlet opening) and repeat for the other corners. Brush on another thin coat and wrap the switch edges to the inside of the cover. Allow to dry completely.

Once your plate is dry, use an awl or a pen to open the screw holes and replace the cover on the wall. Be very careful as the screwhead comes in contact with the cover so that you do not twist and tear the image.



Had to cut off the meat cleaver, but it's sweet just the same.

Another method I have used that has been surprisingly durable is to affix a postcard to the face of the switch plate using double sided tape.

I first selected a card that allowed about 1/4 of an inch to wrap around the edge of the plate. I coated the back with tape being sure to go all the way to the edges. I like the tape that is all stick and no plastic backer (be sure to use PERMANENT tape!) Center the plate and press down carefully wrap the edges around and stick to the inside back of the plate. Use and exacto knife to cut diagonally corner to corner for the switch opening. Wrap these edges around to the back. Use an awl or pen to open the holes and replace on the wall! This method does not have a waterproof coating so it may not be the best for high traffic switchplates, however, I did this almost three years ago (on a high traffic switch) and have had no problems at all! Most cards have a glossly coating which helps to repel dirt and grime.



Happy crafting!

Around Our House: Christmas Favorites

Over the years, I have amassed a fairly large collection of ornaments. My own tree started my second year of college when I purchased a 3' tree on clearance. That year I made all of my own decorations using copper (wire and sheets that had come from an estate sale) and metallic raffia. I also made a long strand of Fimo beads that has long since disappeared. This is also the same year I made the first two stockings.



This is the whole set. The first two belong to Scott and I (the two in the middle).



Beatrice's stocking won Best of Show at the Iowa State Fair in 2008. I couldn't have been happier. I saved fabrics for over ten years so our family stockings would match.

Through college I collected unique or weird ornaments whenever I found them. I like to catch end of season clearance sales, but have been know to pay full price.



Is it a dog? Is it a flocked dog with plastic tree branches coming out of its head? No. It is a reindeer. Obviously. Found at Calipso in Valley West Mall 2009



Last year's addition to our creepy snowman collection. While this one isn't particularly creepy, it is covered in glitter and fabulous. Found at Porch Light 2008



This one was so weird it had to come home with me. And if I remember correctly, it came from Target in 2007.



Santa Cop. Nothing says Christmas like getting busted by a billy club wielding Santa. Found at Hobby Lobby 2007

When I was in college, my grandma Louise started the tradition of allowing each of us to select one ornament from the tree each year. I have such strong memories of the ornaments from her tree. A few of my favorites were the little plastic horns (that made noise), the tiny fairy tale books, and all of the ornaments made by my grandma and her friends for the church craft bazaar over the years.



This set of bells came from grandma's tree.



When I was in Los Angeles, Grandma sent me this old ceramic bell that used to be on her tree when she was a little girl.

Since I spend quite a bit of time at craft shows during the holiday season, I have found a number of spectacular handmade ornaments to add to my collection.



This one is made by Skirt. A couple of crafty gals out of Iowa City.



This sweet pinecone was made by Danelle of Monster Fashion

My greatest resource for ornaments has come from my children. I like to spend time each year making ornaments with them. The first year, we used self sticking laminating paper to cover images that we hole punched and hung from strings. Last year, we painted a lot of pre-made ornaments from craft stores. But this year, we made the most fabulous pipe cleaner ornaments. I had the girls both draw faces on circles that we cut out and glued on as heads. The girls then chose doodads for each person to hold. As you can see they turned out amazing!



Made with Sylvia in 2008. I helped to sew the chunk of serger scraps she found on top.



Made with Beatrice 2009. She is just starting to draw faces, for this project, she enjoyed gluing plastic eyes to her colored faces.



Made with Sylvia 2009. Sylvia did such an amazing job drawing faces. This snowman is one of my favorites. I particularly love the carrot he is holding.



Another of Sylvia's. This one is an angel. The idea for this project came from a fun shop on etsy (from whom I purchased three sets of ornaments) Old World Primatives She uses great vintage images atop her lovely ornaments.

In a few days, we will pack up the tree. Each ornament will be carefully packed away so that someday they might grace the trees of my own children and grandchildren. Another great pretty Christmas gone by...

Around Our House: Thanksgiving 2009

Happy Thanksgiving!

So I have escaped the basement momentarily to host Thanksgiving for our third year. Grandma Louise was kind enough to allow us the honor : )

Shockingly, I just went outside to pick a fresh arugula garnish for our turkey platter!

This year I am keeping with traditional recipes for the sake of time and sanity. I am making the turkey, stuffing, squash, green beans with bacon, pumpkin pie, custard pie, corn on the cob, apple pie (one two crust and one with an amaretti cookie topping, and a tasty selection of pickles from the garden. We grew the squash and beans, and the turkey, apples, bread, eggs, milk, and corn are all produced locally.

I have to skip dinner at my aunt's house to work on orders this year. But it'll be worth it to feel caught up!

Around Our House: Clean that Toilet!

Best Toilet Cleaner EVER!!!!

Ok so this might not excite most as much as it does me, BUT, I have discovered the best toilet cleaner ever.

With two small children who refuse to flush or sleep through a flushing toilet, our toilet can get some pretty gross stains. I hate using harsh chemical cleaners, both environmentally, and because I am afraid the kids will get some on them if they use the toilet while I am waiting for the cleaner to work. But nothing makes me sadder than a nasty stink potty. SO here is my technique for perfectly clean potties.

Turn off the water at the valve. Flush the stool. If the water level is low then you are good to go. I often have to don some rubber gloves and scoop out a little of the excess water. Pour about a third of a gallon of distilled white vinegar and allow to sit for an hour. Using a toilet brush, scrub away the yuck. For super stubborn stains, I have let it sit for another hour and then gone at it again. If you are REALLY brave and need to hurry the process, a Mr Clean magic eraser will take it right off. Like Magic. Turn your water back on and flush away all your troubles.

For stinky toilets that just need freshening, pour a half a cup of Borax (found in the laundry aisle) and swish with a brush. Allow to sit for an hour (or overnight).

Note that if you pour vinegar and borax in the toilet together, you may create a volcano. Borax is similar to baking soda.

Recipes: Grandma Louise's Chili Relish

Grandma Louise's Chili Relish

It takes a lot of tomatoes, and a good 8 hours to cook down, but it is worth every minute of effort. My grandma Louise has been making chili relish since before I was born. She always served it with hamburgers, but I've found it to be great with hot dogs, meatloaf, sandwiches, and my favorite homemade black bean patties.

The recipe for the Chili Relish is copied directly from grandma's own recipe card. The recipe for the black bean patties is one I developed in college.

Chili Relish

18 tomatoes (skinned, cored, seeded, and roughly chopped)
2 green peppers (roughly chopped)
2 medium onions (roughly chopped)
1 1/2 C sugar
2 C white vinegar
2 t salt
1 t ground cinnamon
1/2 t ground cloves
1 t allspice

In small batches, finely chop the tomatoes, onions, and peppers in a food processor. Put in a large heavy pot* and add the rest of the ingredients. Allow the mixture to simmer for approximately 8 hours. When the relish is finished, it will be the consistency of ketchup and will have cooked down to about 1/4 of the original mixture.

When the mixture is nearly finished cooking, sterilize half pint jars and lids. Spoon the mixture into the jars, and seal (process in a water bath for 20 minutes).

Makes around 8 1/2 pints



Here is the chili relish when it is finished. You can see how full the pot was in the beginning. The key to this recipe is slow patient cooking.

* Grandma Louise always makes a double batch and uses her roaster set on low. Patience is key.

Black Bean Patties

1 1/2 C cooked bean beans (or one can)
1/2 C Quick Oats
1 t fresh oregano (or 1/2 t dried)
1 clove chopped garlic
2 T Olive Oil
salt and pepper to taste
5T olive oil (for cooking)

Mash the beans into a smooth paste with a hand mixer or a potato ricer. Add the oatmeal and spices. The mixture will be slightly crumbly. Add the olive oil. The mixture should have the consistency of a stiff dough. Form the dough into patties that are about the size of a hamburger and about 3/4 inch thick.

In a non-stick skillet, heat 5 T olive oil over medium heat. Brown the patties on both sides for about 5 minutes each. As the patties cook, it is useful to press down slightly on each side.

Serve on a bun with Homemade Chili Relish!

Serves 4

Around Our House: Growing Italian Stuffing Tomatoes

Here are a few pics of one of the more unusual tomatoes we are growing this year. It is an Italian Stuffing Tomato. It's mostly hollow (a lot like it's cousin the pepper), and has a very meaty texture. I've been hollowing them out and putting them in the deep freeze to make lovely baked stuffed tomatoes this winter. I'll post a recipe when I feel like turning on the oven again.



The outside is a lovely red with orange streaks.



Here is the inside after having been scooped out.

Recipes: Sesame Almond Coleslaw

Sesame Almond Coleslaw

Growing up, I always hated coleslaw. Once I discovered alternate ways to dress cabbage, I learned that coleslaw is one of my favorite summer dishes. It is high in vitamin C and fiber, and light enough to go with just about anything.

This is my recipe for a light slightly sweet coleslaw that works well as a side dish, or is fabulous topped with a grilled chicken breast and served as a main course.

The last meal I served with this coleslaw was a marinated minute steak with sauteed peppers and tomatoes. Delicious!



Sesame Almond Coleslaw

1 small head of green cabbage
1 T toasted sesame oil
2 T rice vinegar
2 T honey
1/4 t garlic powder
1 small red onion thinly sliced
1/2 C dry toasted unsalted sliced almonds
salt and pepper to taste

Slice the cabbage into thin slices. In a small bowl, mix together the oil, vinegar, honey, and garlic powder. Toss together the cabbage, onion, almonds, and dressing. Salt and pepper to taste.

Serves 4-6 as a side
or
2-4 as a dinner salad (topped with a chicken breast or fried tofu)

If you need to prepare this recipe ahead of time, hold the cabbage and the dressing separately and toss just prior to serving.

Alternate Ingredients:

Substitute grapefruit juice for the rice vinegar for a tasty citrus coleslaw

Add sesame seeds (1/4 c) in place of the almonds

Add a 1/2 c of orange sections (peeled with the membrane removed) or 1/4 C dried cranberries.

Recipes: Dried Zucchini

Ahhhh Zucchini!

This year we've planted three hills of summer squash (cocozelle, black beauty, and yellow crookneck), so now we are faced with what to do with it all. One of my favorite and most interesting ways to put up the harvest is to make Dried Zucchini Chips. I make mine a little spicy and find that they are a perfect mid afternoon snack since they are full of flavor and crunch (and fiber so WATCH OUT!)

You will need a food dehydrator or you will need to be able to keep your oven at a low temp for a prolonged period of time (I've done this by cycling it on and off).

We bought our dehydrator at a garage sale a few years back, and there seems to be no shortage of them, so keep your eyes peeled.

Here is my recipe for Spicy Dried Zucchini Chips

5-6 medium to large summer squash (zucchini or other soft fleshed squash)
1 cup cold water
2 T Sriracha (A.K.A. Rooster Sauce)
2 T Soy Sauce
1 T garlic powder
1 T salt
2 T toasted sesame oil

Slice the summer squash into 1/4" chips. Mix together all ingredients except the squash. Coat the chips well with the marinade (I often let them soak while I set up the dehydrator).

Lay your chips out in a single layer on the dehydrator trays. My dehydrator will hold about 5-6 medium to large squash worth of chips, but yours may hold more or less.

Turn on the dehydrator and open the vent holes wide. Allow to dehydrate for about 24-36 hours. Rotate the trays several times during this process.

When your chips are completely dry, they should be quite crunchy. Store in a well sealed container. This will yield about 1 - 2 cups of chips.