Has it really been a week since I've posted?

This has been a really busy week for me with absolutely no time to sew, but...

 a girls gotta eat, right?

How about a warm slice of homemade banana bread slathered in butter?

Haven't we all seen this before?

Yep, it was time for banana bread.

Really, they are not as bad as they look.

I got to work mashing them and dug out my Granny's banana bread recipe.

This recipe has been handed down 4 generations; I have written the recipe just

as my mother passed it on to me.

I love this recipe because it comes out very moist - almost gooey.

 

The recipe is as follows:

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter (or Crisco)

2 eggs well beaten

2 cups flour

4 tablespoons thick milk*

1 teaspoon baking soda

3 bananas well mashed

1 teaspoon vanilla

Dissolve baking soda in milk. Mix together all ingredients, bananas last.

Pour into loaf pan. Bake 1 hour at 300 degrees.

*Thick milk back then was buttermilk.  

If buttermilk was not available Granny would substitute 4 tablespoons of the following mixture instead:

*Add one tablespoon of vinegar to a cup of milk and let stand for 5 minutes.

I rarely have buttermilk on hand so I usually use the vinegar and milk substitute and it comes out just as yummy.

Showing my mean streak

I have a friend who is a few months older than I am and I take every chance I get to reminder her of that....

Happy Friday!



Literally....

My daughter wears her heart on her sleeve...

While I am still trying to come up with and idea for my daughter and granddaughter for Valentine's Day this year, I thought I would share a past quick project.

I embroidered this vest a few years ago for Valentine's Day for my daughter.

It started out as a plain denim vest I purchased from a thrift store for $.50.

Yep, $.50 and it looked brand new!

I  



I added a few embellishments and paired it with a shirt my mom

 embroidered for her a few years before.

I think it went together well.

What do you think?

My new washer and dryer

and an empty laundry basket....

After much research we decided on the LG brand front load washer and dryer.

I love, love, love them!

WooHoo the laundry is done...more time to sew!

Life is Good....

 

Easy breezy backpack

If you can make a drawstring bag, you can make one of these.



The only difference in the drawstring bag and the backpack....



Are the grommets in the bottom corners!

Can it be any easier?

Under the Table Dreaming

I am so honored to have my Eco Friendly Snack Bag tutorial featured yesterday at 

Stephanie Lynn's Under the Table Dreaming.
What a great site!
Stephanie has something for everyone.... Sewing, cooking, crafts, home decor, etc.

 Please take the time to visit Under the Table Dreaming and check out all the creative ideas and projects she has to offer.

Thanks again Stephanie for making me a tiny part of such
a wonderful and creative site.

Wine bag repurpose

When I made this wine bag as a gift I wanted the recipient to be able to repurpose it.

The bag is lined and has a drawstring in the top - making it a great bag
for many other uses.
To make it a bit more festive I simply added a removable Christmas pick around the top.
Change the Christmas pick to a spring flower or add a pretty tag and it makes a great hostess gift - anytime of the year!

Help, I am drowning...

In laundry!



My washer died a few days ago and this is driving me nuts!

 I hate being behind on laundry.

I wash EVERYDAY at least one load - usually two.

I bought a GE washer and dryer less than 3 years ago and have had nothing but problems from the beginning.

The last few days I have been researching online different manufacturers.

Here are a few I am interested in:

Bosch

Samsung

I definitely want an Energy Star.

I am going today to check out a few at Home Depot and Lowe's.

Before I purchase I was hoping my blogging buddies could give me a little input.

Do you have a brand washer and dryer you LOVE?

I would love to hear your reviews on what you like or don't like before I spend my
 "hard earned money" again and get something I HATE.

(I know HATE is really a harsh word, but I really, really, really dislike my GE).

Help....I am desperate!!!!

Birthday apron

Miss Oakleigh's 3rd birthday is coming soon, which got me thinking about her

 1st birthday.

A one year old eating birthday cake can be pretty messy.

Since a bib doesn't cover much territory, I chose to make a birthday apron instead. 

Have a great weekend!

Going "green" tutorial

Have you seen the eco friendly snack bags everyone is selling now?

Why not use up a few of your scraps and make your own?

Here's my version....



I wanted mine to have a lining and no raw edges inside - here is what I came up with.
My measurements are for a small bag. You can make yours any size you like.
I used  1/4 seams for all.

Cut 2 pieces for your outside fabric - 6 1/2" X 6"
Cut 2 lining pieces  - 6 1/2" X 6"
Velcro - 5 1/2 inches long - cut in half lengthwise


With right sides together stitch a piece of lining and outside fabric together across the top.

Repeat for the other two pieces.

You should have something that looks like this.

Pressing the seams open.

Measure in 1/2 inch from each side on the lining piece for the Velcro placement.

(I use spray adhesive to hold the Velcro in place while sewing)

You will be sewing the rough hook surface to one lining and the fuzzy hook surface on the other lining.

Zig zag all around the edges of the Velcro to hold it in place.

The Velcro should be centered from side to side on the lining side.

With right sides together and matching up your seams, stitch all the way around leaving a small opening in the lining side for turning.

Turn right side out, tuck in the 1/4 seam you left open and press.

Sew across the bottom of the lining - sewing the opening closed.

Tuck the lining inside

Press and topstitch around the top of the bag

Stitch another seam 1/4" down from the topstitch; this will  make it easier to open and close your snack bag.

Your finished bag should look like this...

And the inside....

YUM.......

If your not into snacking....

It's a perfect size for tea time!


Today's links:
http://cheapchichome.blogspot.com/
http://lifeaslori.blogspot.com/
http://itssewstinkincute.blogspot.com/
http://www.somewhatsimple.com/
http://www.theshabbychiccottage.net/
http://firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com/
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://froufroudecor.blogspot.com/
http://tearosehome.blogspot.com/
http://www.bedifferentactnormal.com/
http://www.alittlelovelyblog.blogspot.com/
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/
http://shabbynest.blogspot.com/
http://atsecondstreet.blogspot.com/
http://www.bystephanielynn.com/
http://thecreativeitchboutique.blogspot.com/

Toddler backpack

A few months ago I purchase this little inexpensive backpack for Oakleigh and embroidered her name on it.

I guess it's true - you get what you pay for.

Both zippers broke pretty much right away and she could no longer use it.

Well.......

I found this great toddler backpack tutorial from Indietutes and decided to try it.

This was THE easiest little backpack to make.

 Front

Back

I did make a few tiny changes from her tutorial.....

I used prequilted fabric - no interfacing necessary.

I also wanted to experiment with the handles a bit.

I cut the fabric strips the width I needed and just serged down the raw edges.

I then added a few straight stitches down the middle of the handle for sturdiness. 

It worked!

Today's link:

http://thecreativeitchboutique.blogspot.com/

http://www.beckieandbrad.blogspot.com/

Happy 2011

I hope everyone had a great time ringing in the New Year.
I spent New Year's Eve reorganizing my kitchen cabinets.

All I started out to do was find a better way to store my spices and ended up in
an all day project.
Along with my gift cards, Santa left me a DYMO label maker in my stocking this year
 and I could not wait to use it!

Usually I store my spices in baskets in the cabinet, but it started looking a little messy to me.

I purchased these small containers and the spice bottle fit perfectly.
Depending on the size bottle I can fit 4 or 5 in each container.

Check out all my cool labels!

When shopping for containers for my spices, I came across a few other handy little items....
I love this container; it's great for "corralling" all those little packets of stuff.
In the past I was using plastic baskets - these look so much neater.

I do still use these baskets for my lids and a few other items I need to grab quickly.



Vitamins

I  had one of these three tiered shelf organizers before and hated it.
 My old one was wire and nothing seemed to stay on it.
This one has a nonskid surface on each self. I love it!
As you can see, I am a "what's cheaper, or what do I have a coupon for" girl.
No name brand snob here!

Everything else still looks pretty much the same.

Anyone have a better or neater way to store Tupperware?

Linking to:
http://romantichome.blogspot.com/
http://iheartorganizing.blogspot.com/
http://thediyshowoff.blogspot.com/
http://www.alittlelovelyblog.blogspot.com/
http://funkyjunkinteriors.blogspot.com/