Cute Fabric Bows

I have an obsession with cute things, especially accessories, clothes, and fabrics.

Bows fall in that category. This is what led me to making my own bows out of my fabric scraps.

Sewing bows is actually much easier than it might seem; at least I thought it would be harder.

Above are the bows I have made so far.  The argyle and brown/tan bows were the first two I made. The fabric is a little loose around the middle, but practice makes perfect.

The bows don't have anything attached to them, which makes them a versatile accessory.  You can slip a bobby pin through the fabric loop for a hair bow or use a safety pin to attach the bow to a bag or outfit.

To make the bows I went through a process similar to that of making a tiny pillow except, after flipping the fabric pouch right-side out, I sewed the hole closed without filling the pouch will fluff.

The square/rectangle was then folded or scrunched and sewed down in the middle in order to get the bow shape. Lastly, a thin piece of fabric was wrapped and sewn around the middle of the bow.

There are real tutorials and patterns around the net. The patterns range in materials and skill level required - there are even no-sew an minimum sewing tutorials - so find the tutorial that is right for you if you are interested in the little DIY project.

In the future, after some more practice, I might try selling these with some of my other craft projects. I'm going to try adding details - like button charms, lace, ruffles, etc. - in order to create different styles.

Speaking of details...
I went craft supply shopping a couple times this week. There were sales and coupons that demanded my attention.

I came out with a decent haul that will help in my goal to create a crafting stock pile.

Fabric: Fleece, flannel, and felt. Rose fleece was on $2 a yard!

New storage box and patterns ($1.99 yeah!)

Crochet hooks, buttons, ribbon, thread, needles, and binding

Up close view of my cute buttons

I'm looking forward to using my new supplies. So many possibilities.

I leave you with pictures of my bows in use:

Next time: Fleece blanket

Striped Birthday Cake

I lied - more food!

It was my sister's birthday, so I made her cake.  We came across this tutorial for making a vertical striped cake and thought we'd attempt it for her bday.

Since this was a new technique, I save myself some trouble and just used boxed cake mix and canned icing.  I even bought Betty Crocker Cupcake Icing to decorate.

It didn't come out as nice as the tutorial because I am not an amazing baker. I'm good, but I don't have awesome skills.

First I made round cakes. My 2 boxes of mix made four 8 inch cakes, you will have 2 cakes or just extra cake at the end.
I used strawberry and chocolate cake.

After baking, removing from pans, and cutting off the tops to make the cake flat, I stacked cakes of the same flavor on top of each other (both strawberries together & chocolate together) and put them in the freezer to cool.

After freezing for a couple hours (3, I think), I took out the cakes and cut them into circles, so the cake looked like a bullseye.  Next time I will make a proper template; for this first attempt I tried measuring, which didn't work out. I had a gap I had to fill because my measurements were a little off from one cake to the other.

After cutting, I switched alternating colors between the cakes. Now you have a bullseye with alternating colored rings. I wrapped the cake in saran wrap and put in the freezer to try and mold the cake together. That didn't really work, mostly because my circles didn't fit each other properly.

After an hour in the freezer, I took the cake out. If frozen, thaw cake in the refrigerator; if not (like mine), go ahead and add icing.

I spread on white icing as normal, but tried to add decoration with the Betty Crocker Cupcake Icing in pink.  The Cupcake Icing is a whipped cream like can of icing. It comes with decorating tips, so you can try different designs.  It worked okay.  The tips worked perfectly and the icing tastes great; however, I had trouble stopping the flow of icing once it got started. This caused some extremely messy designing.  Fortunately, the cake was tasted good enough for my sister to forgive the mess.
If I was to use that pressurized icing again, I would first have to figure out how to control the flow better.

Now for a bunch of pictures:

Decorated

The whole cake

Border

Details and sprinkles

The inside:

The first piece served

Half the cake

 The candles:
I found special "Rainbow Glow" candles at the grocery store. The burn colors!

Back row, L to R: White, Green, Red
Front Row, L to R: Orange, Blue

Next time I try a cake pattern I am going to do a checkered sheet cake.

Next post will be crafty. I got a great haul from a craft store shopping out, so I'll be showing that off with some completed projects.
Then... probably more food in the near future. My friend and I want to have a Harry Potter themed baking day. The movie release has been quite inspiring!

Mousakka & Recipe Tips

I haven't written about cooking in a long time, so I'd do a small post.

Fun cooking has not been happening lately because I usually bake for fun, and there has been a constant supply of baked goods lately.

I did make Moussaka a couple of weeks ago. I absolutely love mousakka.
Moussaka is a dish made up of layers of eggplant and minced/ground meat as well as tomato paste or sauce. The is also, typically, a Bechamel sauce on top. There are multiple variations depending on the chef and origin of the recipe.

For my version of Moussaka, I mix recipes.  Therefore, I do not have a recipe to share - sorry.  I have compiled the parts of different recipes I use into one.  I will do that next time though, it would probably be helpful and cut done cooking time, haha.

I remembered to take a picture of my finished product... of leftovers the next day.  It isn't as pretty as when it came out of the over; plus, it isn't melty and gooey looking since it is cold.

It was delicious!

Since I have to recipe to share, I thought I'd share some tips for recipes.

1) Improvise if you feel comfortable - If you don't like something in the recipe or would like something added, do it.  Recipes are a lot of testing and altering when you are trying a new one, so you might as well try the changes you'd like.

2) Check for seasoning in recipes: Sometimes recipes do not give you seasonings to use.  Remember to add appropriate seasonings (salt, pepper, paprika, herbs) to your dishes. I have become so wrapped up in doing all the steps of a new recipe correctly that I forget salt & pepper because it wasn't listed. Don't make my mistake.

3) Finding info: Speaking of seasonings, you may be unsure what types to use if it isn't listed. Check your cook books, online, and even the herb/seasoning containers for helpful info.  You can find info about what types of proteins go well with different herbs or what type of seasoning is found in certain types of cuisine.

4) Lastly, if you're not sure of the instructions while reading the recipe, look for other recipes or tutorials to supplement.  One of my Moussaka recipes has confusing instructions for making the Bechamel sauce. Luckily, I use a Bechemal type process for my homemade mac & cheese, so I used those instructions.  Some one out there will explain the instructions in a way that works for you. Everyone understands differently.

I hope some of those were helpful or made you see you aren't alone in not getting something right the first or knowing info on all sorts of techniques and spices.

More crafting in the future - if I can get motivated to iron and cut fabric. I love sewing; I dislike the prep.
I would really like to do an Artist Alley at a convention or have a booth at an art fair sometime in the future; however, I need to practice more and come up with more designs. So, that is what I'm working on now.

Hetalia Mochi Bean Bag and (yet) Another Stencil

Updating just as I promised ♥

For another gift I made a Hetalia mochi bean bag.  Hetalia is a Japanese Anime, so you are not wrong in your confusion if you are someone that does not watch anime much or at all. For those who don't know: Hetalia is a show made of short segments where countries are given human forms and personalities, which are typically based off history and ridiculous stereotypes. It is a specific type of humor - lots of sarcasm, history metaphors, and jokes based on the crazy stereotypes people create. I don't recommend it if that type of humor is outside your comfort zone.

Now, I digress; the Hetalia characters have mochi (wiki it) forms. I made one character, France, from white flannel, plastic stuffing beads, thread, felt, stamp ink, and fabric paint pens.

The pattern is a circle for the bottom and 4 rounded triangle/half petal shapes.  Google "mochi pattern" and you can find one if not multiple templates.
I used my sewing machine for the 4 triangles things and part of the sewing the circle to the connected 4 triangle things. I left an opening so I could flip the fabric right side out (since you sew things with the wrong sides facing out, so the seems and ugly stuff are later on the inside). I used the opening to poor in the beads too.  After filling the mochi, I hand sewed the opening closed.  After sewing the base was complete, I added details. I cut out a rose from red felt and sewed it to the bean bag.  A mouth, eyes, and France's flag (on back) were added with fabric pens.  Lastly, some cheek color was added using pink stamp ink.

I think it turned out cute. I would do his mouth a little better and not add fabric marker to the inked cheeks next time, but overall I was very pleased.

Kissy France face

Back of mochi. 

Flag to indicate country - I didn't know if people would be able to tell

My second craft project for today.... Another Stencil!

This is actually the box I sent the gift in. I decorated the top with an image from the Ministry of Silly Walks.

I found the pattern through google [here].  The normal procedure followed: tracing, cutting, ironing, painting.

I don't recommend boxes for stenciling with freezer paper.  The paper doesn't always want to come off.  I figured it might be like that, but I didn't have anything else at the time.

The completed piece.

For those that may be interested in following me another way or just want to look at my photos of my projects, I have a Deviantart profile [right here].

If you plan on coming back for future posts, please follow through blogger, a reader, or on Deviantart.  It will give me a better idea of my small reader group (friends, crafters, cookers, etc.).

Be back soon!

The Doctor Who scarf lives!

It has been about 4 months since I've updated, which is mostly due to school, finals, and graduation. I am now ready to start up again! I even have some posts lined up for this weekend and next week : )

Before I weave in the ends of the stripes

Okay, so that Doctor Who, 4th Doctor, season 14 scarf. I did complete it and in a shorter time than I would expect.  It is a simple knit stitch patter, so you get in a groove after a bit.  Again, this scarf was reduced in size so it would be easier to wear.  It is 2/3 the original width and length.

I am no longer in possession of this scarf because it was a gift (which went over well, yeah!). I do have pictures; unfortunately, I did not remember to take a picture after adding the tassels. I was upset with myself - the fringe = completion.

Completed (w/out fringe)

There was a bit of a mail scare with the scarf.  In a desperate attempt to get a gift out on time, I made another season 14 DW scarf!  This time it was 2/3 the original length and 1/2 the original width.  I finished it in 3 days - my hands were quite exhausted. I do not have pictures yet; I must revive my camera first.  Once I do you will be able to see the fringe.

Keeping with the Doctor Who theme, I present you with another Doctor Who stencil.  I used a stencil pattern found on Crafty Tardis livejournal.  This time, however, I made a tote bag.
Same process as in my earlier post [here], but I started at the tracing step because I already had a pattern.

Here is the finished project:

Bag was pre-made and purchased at Michael's

Thank you to anyone still following me for sticking around!

Things to look forward to: a cooking post, plushies, and my first successfully sewn costume (cosplay for those in the know) piece

The Beginning: the 4th Doctor's Scarf

And so it begins - my 4th Doctor scarf!

I chose the season 14 version

Well, it took forever to get started because I restarted a couple times. First time because I had to change a color to one I liked better, the second time because I decided an everyday size would get more use than the actual size, and the last time because I didn't like the needle size. In other word, I was being a picky perfectionist - if you were questioning my type A personality, you probably aren't now.

I took a long time to start this project because finding the right colors was crucial if I wanted colors close to the real 4th Doctor's scarf. I also didn't want to order online, so I had to use what was available locally. Luckily the site I use for my pattern, Witty Little Knitter, has suggestions. Tara Wheeler, the woman who runs the site and put the pattern together, was great enough to list different brands and color suggestions. If you are interested in knitting any 4th Doctor scarf you should check out her site!

I'm using an orange color instead of the red pictured

I chose to use Vanna's Choice yarn. Once I had all my yarn I got started on the pattern.  I am now using size 9 needles after trying 7 and 8s. If I do this again I will most likely use 10s because it seems like my scarf is going to be shorter than I wanted.

Speaking of shorter, I did decrease the pattern in order to make it more everyday friendly.  I decreased the width and all the stripes by 1/3 their original sizes so I could maintain the original proportions as much as possible.

25% done so far! The light in my living room is awful, so the colors are off *sigh*

Need to weave in those tails!

I'll make sure to update my progress bar as I go - in case anyone is interested - but I'll probably only do weekly picture update.

Next up is working on a crafting project for my writing class. I have to do a demonstration;  mine is going to be a freezer paper stencil.

Cereal Cookies

The cookie post has finally arrived!

It took so long for me to make this recipe because I didn't have any cookie friendly cereals in my house and then I kept forgetting to buy some.

The cereal cookie recipe is 2 parts - the cereal crunch and the cookie dough. The recipe I used was derived from an interesting one I found in last month's InStyle magazine.  The recipe author uses cereals in different recipes and I thought her cookie one looked really cool.  The picture with the recipe showed whole piece of Cap'n Crunch sticking out - that finalized my plans.  I edited the recipe because I felt it called for way too much of the ingredients for a recipe making 12 cookies.

**Notes: This is a salty & sweet treat. If you don't like the salty and sweet mixed, I would recommend decreasing the salt in the cereal bit and/or dough part. It also came out very buttery/oily.  I'll probably cut the butter next time. 3/4-1 stick in the bits and 1 1/2 in the batter.
The original said it was for 12 cookies, but I ended up with 17 large cookies and 1 tiny baby cookie.

The cereal bits:

Watch for sneaky fingers - this stuff will disappear, eaten by nibblers

* The following measurements made much more than I needed, but I saved it because I think it might be good with some ice cream

4 cups Cap'n Crunch (off brand is fine off course, I used it)
3 to 4 cups Fruity Pebbles (again, off brand is fine)
1 stick of unsalted butter (8 Tbsp)
4 tbsp nonfat dry milk powder
1 1/3 tsp salt

1) Preheat oven to 250 degrees F
2)Melt butter in bowl using microwave. 45 to 50 secs will usually get it done.
3) In separate bowl mix all the dry other ingredients
4) Add butter to dry ingredients & toss to coat
4) Cover baking sheet w/ parchment paper or aluminum foil
5) Layer cereal mix on baking sheet
6) Bake for 35 - 40 minutes


Dough

* The magazine recipe called for 2/3 cup granulated sugar and 3/4 light brown sugar, but I ran out of white

2 sticks of unsalted butter (16 Tbsp) at room temperature
1/3 cup white granulated sugar
3/4 cup + 1/3 cup light brown sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
2 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
Cereal bits

1) In a mixer or with hand mixer, beat butter and sugar (white and brown) until creamy and fluffy
2) Add vanilla and egg, blend in
3) Add remaining cereal, fold in by hand so the pieces don't get too broken up - I wanted to be able to see the normal shape of the cereal pieces
4) Roll dough into balls of the same size and place on a baking sheet. Bigger the ball, thicker the cookie. Space out so cookies have room to spread as they cook (unless you want a giant cookie sheet).
5) Refrigerate for 1 hour
6) Preheat over to 350 degrees F
7) Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown
8) Cool.

Again, the original recipe that I altered was done by a chef interviewing with InStyle. If you want the original look for last month's issue of InStyle or check there website.

Now go enjoy some cookies!