All My Dresses, part 1

It just came to me one day. In a recent conversation about dresses and shopping and sewing, that I have a closet FULL of dresses, that I do not wear enough, and could wear them for months without duplication. So that set me on a closet exploration. How many do I have and can I wear them all and post them all? It turns out there are about 50 dresses in my closet (this does not count any skirts or matching separates) and my plan is to wear them all this spring. If something doesn't fit, I should probably let it go. That'll be a struggle.

Blue Esprit cotton print dress from Goodwill; black and white "film strip" dress from ModCloth, pink cardi from H&M; turquoise peplum dress from ModCloth; pink vintage dress with white birds from a Paris thrift store with vintage belt and head scarf too. The last one is Made By Me from Butterick 5520.  (One pic with cardigan, and one w/o so you can see the contrast raglan shoulder). This is a great easy pattern. I recommend it and I will use it again. I made one long sleeved peplum dress with it as well in sage; I will post it in the upcoming weeks.

Happy Closet Cleaning!

Simple Chicken Pot Pie & Irish Soda Bread

I just got back from a week in Ireland for work. Oh, poor me! Work is so so busy and I had to go travel all over Ireland for a week. Boo Hoo WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! (heehee:) Now that I got that silliness out of the way...  As soon as I got home, I had to make some Irish soda bread and some yummy meat pies. CARBS! (Irish know carbs, man -- bread, beer, potatoes, oh my.)

Make this today:
SUPER Simple Pot Pie
Mix in a saucepan on medium heat: one can cream of mushroom soup, one can water, one can cooked chicken breast (or you can cook your own 2-3 chicken breast and chop them up), one bag mixed veggies, and slowly stir in 2 tablespoons of flour. Stir regularly. Once it's warm and well-mixed. Pour it into a frozen pie crust; cover the top with another crust. Cut a slit vent. Bake at 425 for 30-40 min. (Leave out the chicken, add more veggies, change up the meat or veggies...it's very flexible. Next time I make it I'll add more vegetables and definitely a few potatoes.)
It was so delicious. My hubby and I tore this up in like 10 minutes. :)

BONUS! Weekend Project:
I also made this Irish Soda Bread; it was really easy and really tasty. Eat it plain, or with butter, jam, or some nice sharp Irish cheddar (which is what I did). Enjoy!

Have a great weekend. xoxo

My "Ikea Hack": Latt table and Aneboda dresser

I love Ikea Hackers (more pics via Pinterest) and finally got down to business last weekend and did some of my own hackin'. It was time to redecorate the kids' room. The toys have gone wild and the crib needs to go. It's a small room, beautifully painted "mint" by me. So I decided to give it a facelift. Bringing in all kinds of blues. (Out with the greens and reds.) Ikea furniture is functional, well-designed, and cheap. And it's plain -- but it is so easy to fix it up and make it your own style. And I am a big believer in personal style and unique pieces. Enjoy this improved Ikea furniture! :)

For $20 the LATT is the best kids table you can get. Inspired by other hackers, I opted for new seat cover and some accent painted pieces in goodnight blue gloss (acrylic craft paint). It took two coats. The vintage fabric is scrap leftover from a dress I made. Cream colored jersey with little blue bugs on it. Slipping in the seat pieces covered with fabric was tough but it worked out fine in the end. I used double stick tape to hold it underneath the seat board. Cute. Not too difficult. Very unique.

The Aneboda dresser was also cheap (about $60) and I really liked how simple it was when I bought it 4 years ago; but like everyone who has hacked it, I got sick of seeing all the messy stuff inside. For this project I used a 4'x6' vintage world map which I had in the closet (purchased from a flea market or thrift store or yard sale? I don't remember.) Cutting the map pieces took some time. Lots of measuring and careful marking. In the end I hoped I could slip the edges under the lip that holds the plastic window in (they do not slide out :( ), but it was quite difficult. I again used double-sided tape to secure it. And then I switched out the handles with wooden knobs I had on hand. I LOVE VINTAGE MAPS!!! (Really, who doesn't?) Like the table, it's very cute and unique.

Satisfied Customer :)

Have a great weekend.

Made by me: Vintage 50's "teen" dress

Sorry, my friends. I basically checked out during the holiday season (which I GREATLY enjoyed). I'll likely just post every few weeks when I have something great to share. I was going really strong for a while, posting several items per week. But I cannot sustain that with all my other projects :)

Enjoy this dress: Adorable 50's "teen" dress pattern sewn with vintage fabric, purchased for $1 at an estate sale. Amazing. So fun to make and wear. I'm pleased with how it came out. The pattern was missing the front and back bodice pieces, but I had another dress pattern that I could use for the bodice pieces. Then I had to dart-dart-dart until I got the fit right at the waist (but not TOO tight) before attaching the bodice to the skirt. And the Gathering!!! Oh, so much fabric! But it was a fun project.
Now I just need to find a perfect little belt to cinch in that waist. :)

Cute dress! Love the eggplant purple. But, um, those shoes do not go with that...

 

Tamales, made fresh, made easy

Tamales really aren't that hard, but they do take some time to make and cook. They are especially EASY when you by the pre-mixed Masa dough at your neighborhood Mexican supermarket. 5 pounds for 5 bucks. I made 28 veggie tamales. Enough for a very large family or for a small family like mine to eat for 3 days.
What else do you need? Corn husks (be sure to soak them in a pot of water for an hour before you try to work with them), and fillings: I used roasted green chiles and cheddar cheese and green salsa. You can use anything you like.

 

Open the husk, spread a handful of dough in there, lay in a bit of filling, and fold it up like wrapping a present.

 

I stood mine all up in a large stock pot with my old metal steam tray in the bottom. Make sure the water is below the tamales. Keep adding a bit of water, every 15 minutes or so, add a cup. Do not let the pot run dry. Cover the pot. Steam for an hour, or more as needed.

YUM!!!
And it's the season for Tamales -- their are a holiday staple in Mexican families. Enjoy some today! :)

Thai Noodle Soup: street food recipe

Still enjoying the Lonely Planet Street Food cookbook. Travel photos, stories of food culture around the world and recipes... combines some of my favorite things. This one is a tasty easy soup-- a staple in Thai street food and home-cooking.
My recipe...
Boil chicken stock (32 oz) (or veggie stock, but add a bit of oil).
Add white pepper and ground ginger, 1-2 tsp each.
Add 1 cup of sliced mushrooms.
Drop in meatballs (1 in. in diameter) made with pork or turkey, or a mix of both, or use tofu.
Let meatballs boil 5 min.
Add rice noodles, which you have already soaked for 5 minutes.
Boil 5 more minutes till noodles are soft and meatballs are done.
Garnish each bowl with cilantro, green onion, Bamboo shoots, and lime juice.

Yummy breakfast I made for Mia the next day... half of a mini chocolate croissant, ham&cheese scramble and melon. The picture is too delicious not to share.

Have a great Thanksgiving!

Crazy Pants: fruit print

I know it's been a trend for a year, but I didn't want to buy any print pants. My closet is absolutely busting at the seams. No purchases for a while. BUT... I can't help sewing new things. I use reclaimed fabrics and patterns to make something new and unique. All part of the NO WASTE rule at my house. Next time you are gonna toss something, think about how you can re-purpose it in some way. Clothes that I can't re-cut into something new, I donate to Goodwill and when I do buy from thrift stores, I see it as a trade for what I was able to donate. Anyway... back to the pants. I was gifted this fabric, so I decided to make some simple pants. I love polka dots, so I figure I'd wear these, and could pair them with a variety of solid T's and sweaters. They are fun and funny. I love them.

Silly fruit print pants.

Here the pattern. 60's separates set - love it.

Have a happy day. <3