Sewing: Stripe Scoop Top

May 16th, 2013

Is it a sad day that this was inspired by a tee I saw at Walmart? I got this striped jersey from a fabric destash last year and have been at a loss for what to make with it until I saw this product listing. istillloveyou-sewing-simple-knit-stripe-top-1

I’m obsessed with those cheap jeggings, btw. Perfect for a baby bump. It’s no announcement, beyond the fact that I’m getting baby hungry.

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I already had a pattern drafted up from a floral shirt project from last year that just needed a couple of tweaks. The pattern now fits me perfectly. You better believe I’m going to make a million more shirts in this shape. Since it only has two pattern pieces, it took me about an hour and a half to sew this thing up. I had plenty of fabric left over, I made a shirt for my neighbor and still had more left over for a bubble skirt for Penelope. I’m still not done with that skirt, but it’s close. I’m just dragging my feet on attaching the waistband.

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It’s a light-weight jersey that I know I’ll be wearing the heck out of this summer.

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My friend Kristin just made a similar shirt and posted her pattern as a free download so you can make your own.

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Outfit details:

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Return Address Stamp for Writing Pen Pals

May 15th, 2013

For nearly a year now I’ve meant to make a return address stamp for our address! We’re SO permanent now, so why the delay?

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I made the stamp in a mono-line so it would coordinate better with my various styles of addressing. Chris says that it’s girly, but it’s not nearly as girly as most of my lettering styles.

I wish I could show you the whole address, the numbers and letters do fun things together with little flourished details. You’ll just have to give me an excuse to send you something in the mail if you really want to see the whole thing.

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I write to 4 pen pals these days. It’s so much fun to get fun mail each week and to get to know someone in a neighboring state or half way around the world. I love writing pen pals!

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Pauline is one of my pen pals, isn’t that a fun letter? I was just over the moon to get this in the mail.

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Food: Grilled Salmon

May 13th, 2013

Buying a grill forever changed my life last week. Oh my word, I’m in love with our new appliance. We have a natural gas hook up on our back patio so we can fire it up and go at any time. I suspect I’ll be bringing a lot more grilled recipes to you from here on out.

Yesterday we had 12 people to dinner for Mother’s Day. We cooked everything on the grill. We had plenty of food, the house wasn’t an oven and my kitchen wasn’t a complete disaster area at the end of the night. So glad we bought one at the beginning of the summer rather than the end of it.

What did you cook (or not cook) for Mother’s Day?

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Saturday I had fish that needed to be cooked, so I fired up the grill and made probably the best salmon I’ve had in ages, if not ever. It was quick and easy. I suspect you could make the same kind of salmon in your oven, just bake at 450F.

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Smokey Grilled Salmon

serves 4
  • 1 filet of salmon (skin on one side)
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • liquid smoke
  • salt
  • pepper

Place the filet of salmon, skin side down on a large sheet of tin foil. Roll up the sides to make a little dish to keep juices from dripping. Put a couple of drops of liquid smoke on the filet (you don’t need much). Pour melted butter over top and season with salt and pepper. Preheat your grill (or oven) to 450 and place in the middle of the grill. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until cooked all the way through. Serve.

Fresh Summer Salad

serves 4-6
  • 1 English/armenian cucumber
  • grape tomatoes
  • 1 avocado
  • 1 bunch broccoli
  • mozzarella
  • green onions
  • 1/4 cup parmesan
  • olive oil
  • balsamic vinegar
  • salt
  • pepper

Chop into bite sized chunks and toss in about a cup of each of the vegetables and mozzarella. No need for cooking. Coat with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and a dash of balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper. Serve cold. Bacon would be delicious in here, too.

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Zero Budget Project: Hand Cut Fish Plants

May 10th, 2013

Meet Goldie Cruise in the Dooms. She’s Penelope’s goldfish – we LOVE Penelope’s creativity with that.

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This sort of satisfied her desire for a dog, but not really. We’ve had her for about 6 months (a record for a family goldfish?). We bought her as part of some cheap kit from the grocery store. And that kit came with some really ugly rocks and foliage. It was really disappointing that I couldn’t find anything that had more of a modern vibe to it.

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Remembering that my sister-in-law had given me some white plastic sheeting (used for Industrial Design projects). I cut some foliage for Goldie.

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I used the previous base from the kit to keep the plant upright. This way more tolerable than hot pink and muddy green fake foliage.

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Sewing: Cascade Wrap Skirt

May 9th, 2013

You know I’m obsessed with Megan Nielsen patterns. Maybe because she’s my favorite client, or maybe because she makes kick-trash patterns that are modern, simple and on-trend. Maybe both.

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I tested out her cascade skirt pattern months ago, and I’ve been so anxious to share it with you. Now that her collection is released, I want to show it off!! I made it out of a purple heather knit (this will be the pantone of the year next year, I’m convinced), and I LOVE the drape, texture and fit.

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I was a little hesitant to try a wrap skirt pattern, but I loved the technical drawing so much I couldn’t resist.

See, one of the first skirts I ever made was a wrap floral skirt, with the help of my mom. I liked it and hated it. Any time a gust of wind came, there my panties were to say hello. And I live in a fairly windy spot, on top of a mountain. I didn’t want to go to the trouble of making an awesome skirt that I could only wear on “special” (aka non-windy) occasions. But I did it anyway.

I’m glad I used a soft jersey here, the jersey tends to stick to itself to conceal not-cute mom undies.

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I totes feel like a salsa dancer or something in this skirt.

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I wore just about this exact outfit at Alt Summit earlier this year (minus the shoes and plus a blazer). I felt so fancy and comfortable at the same time.

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Outfit details:

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