Small Cosmetic Bag

A while back (at least a year ago) I found this corduroy skirt at Goodwill that was a terrible cut, but had such awesome fabric I had to buy it and take it home. It has been sitting, lonely and forgotten, in my fabric stash. Today I used a piece of it to make this little bag to carry my makeup brushes.

There are a bunch of tutorials to make bags like this. I used this one and this one. They are basically the same, although they have different techniques for the corners. The first one sews the corners and then cuts and the second one cuts and then sews. I decided to cut and then sew, because I wanted to make sure the corners were even.

Nap Quilt

I've had this awesome psychedelic Winnie-the-Pooh fabric for years, and I finally found a use for it. A quilt for my daughter to use at preschool. Yay! She and I are both very excited about this. It went together really quickly (3 hours start to finish); and that was with her "help". I love projects that give such quick satisfaction.

Felt Hair Clips

 

Materials:

Felt

Hair Clips

Embroidery Floss

 

Step 1: Cut out felt shapes

 Step 2: Sew small and medium pieces together.

 Step 3: Sew that to the large piece.

Step 4: Sew on clips with embroidery floss

Done!

If you would like a pattern for the shapes, here's a pdf that I made for this project. Feel free to use this pattern to make clips for sale. Enjoy!

Felt Hair Clips

Hair Clips

I made some super-cute hair clips today out of eco-felt. I will post a tutorial soon.

Peanut Soup

This soup is absolutely delicious, and wonderfully filling. I served it with rice and a green salad. Yum!

♥.....♥.....♥.....♥.....♥.....♥.....♥.....♥.....♥.....♥.....♥.....♥

Peanut Soup
This recipe is adapted from 500 Greatest-Ever Vegetarian Recipes
Time: 1 hour
Servings: 6+


Ingredients:
2 Tbs vegetable oil
1 Tbs sesame oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp mild chili powder
salt & pepper

2 red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
2 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped
3 stalks celery, sliced

32 oz (4 C) vegetable stock
2/3 C sweet corn kernels
1 medium to large Roasted Butternut Squash, pureed
6-8 Tbs crunchy peanut butter

1. Heat the oils in a large, heavy pot. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring occasionally for 3 minutes, until soft and translucent. Stir in chili powder and cook one more minute.

2. Add the peppers, carrots, potatoes, and celery. Stir well and cook for 4 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the stock, peanut butter, corn, and squash. Stir until thoroughly combined.

4. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

Roasted Squash

I frequently roast winter squash. Here's how to do it: 

For a whole squash:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F
2. Scrub squash & pierce in several places
3. Place in a baking dish or rimmed baking sheet (it may ooze sugary juice). I find it helpful to line my baking dish with foil, to help with clean up.
4. Bake until the flesh is tender when pierced. A small squash may take 45 minutes, a large butternut up to 1.5 hours.

For pieces:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F
2. Scrub squash and cut in half.
3. Remove seeds and strings.
4. Place cut side down in a baking dish.
5. Add 1/4" water and cover with foil.
6. Bake until flesh is tender. 30-45 minutes for small pieces.

When baking pieces you have the option of flipping them over halfway and adding butter or oil, spices, and toppings. I love butternut squash with butter and cinnamon; or spaghetti squash with olive oil and parmesan. I would love to hear what you come up with!

Natural Kids Earth Day Promotions

Check out these awesome promotions for Earth Day. Some shops are offering discounts on and before Earth Day and some shops are offering awesome freebies with purchase.