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!

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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.

Natural Kids Spring

The NaturalKids Team was started by woodmouse in 2007. It was a small group, with a small presence on Etsy. Since that time, members have come and gone but our mission has stayed the same: To be a group of sellers dedicated to creating natural products for children. We are a diverse group of artisans who make natural toys, utensils, clothing, and accessories for kids. Our sellers work with materials from the Earth, such as wool, cotton, silk and wood. Our goal is to support, promote and have fun together while building our businesses.

We are a diverse bunch from all over the globe who have at least one thing in common: we all work with natural materials in our products for children. Oh yeah, and we're all pretty darn crafty & talented too! Wool, wood, cotton...just simple materials direct from the Earth.

So who are we?

Some of us are mothers of small children.

Some of us are mothers of grown children.
Some of us are fathers.

Some of us make dolls, some of us make hats, some of us make toys.

Some of us have been selling our wares for many years.

Some of us are just starting to discover our talents and start selling.

Some of us work with natural materials for environmental reasons.

Some of us work with natural materials as part of the Waldorf educational philosophy.

Some of us work with natural materials because we believe they are healthier and safer.

Some of us just like working with natural materials.

Some of us sell our wares for a living.

Some of us sell our wares as a hobby.

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Here are a few of my favorite Natural Kids items this spring, that would be perfect for a child's gift basket:

Money/Time Saving Recipe #3: Chicken Soup

We are on a tight budget in my house right now, and in an effort to save money and time I'm working on making wallet-friendly dinners that are big enough to at least make lunch the next day and, at best, also freeze for later. (Please keep in mind that I have a family of three, so you would need to increase the size of each recipe if you have a larger group to feed.)

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Thick and Creamy Chicken & Rice Soup
Time: 1-2 hours
Servings: 8+


Ingredients:
Leftover chicken and skeleton from Roasted Chicken w/Stuffing

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
2 medium carrots, finely chopped
1 large stalk celery, finely chopped
2-6 cloves garlic, minced
salt
pepper

32-64 oz low sodium or sodium free chicken stock
water
2 bay leaves
1/2 Tbsp dried sage

4 medium/small potatoes, chopped
2-3 large carrots, chopped
1 cup white rice

1 bunch kale, finely chopped

1. Remove all chicken from skeleton; shred into bite-sized pieces, set in refrigerator until later.
2. Heat olive oil over medium heat in medium soup/stock pot.
3. Add onion, carrots, and celery; cook 2-3 minutes.
4. Add garlic, salt, and pepper; cook until vegetables are soft.
5. Add chicken skeleton (not meat!) to pot; add liquid(s) to cover.
6. Add bay leaves and sage; simmer over low heat for 30 minutes to 1 hour.
7. Remove skeleton.
8. Add potatoes, carrots, and rice; simmer for 20 minutes.
9. Add kale and shredded chicken; simmer for 5 minutes.
10. Remove from heat and serve.



This soup only gets better as it sits, so feel free to make ahead of time. Freeze leftover soup in muffin tin(s) and save in freezer bags.

Money/Time Saving Recipe #2: Roast Chicken & Stuffing

We are on a tight budget in my house right now, and in an effort to save money and time I'm working on making wallet-friendly dinners that are big enough to at least make lunch the next day and, at best, also freeze for later. (Please keep in mind that I have a family of three, so you would need to increase the size of each recipe if you have a larger group to feed.)

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Roast Chicken w/Yummy Stuffing
Time: 2 hours (about 30 minutes active)
Makes: 4-6 Servings


Ingredients:

7lb Whole Roaster chicken (preferably organic and locally & humanely raised)
salt

2 Tbsp butter
1/2 cup onion, diced
1 large carrot, shredded
1 stalk celery, finely diced
1/2 tsp salt
white pepper, to taste
3/4 cup water or chicken stock
1/4 cup dried cranberries, diced
1/4 cup raisins or prunes or apricots, diced
1/4 cup walnuts, diced
Chopped fresh herbs (I like sage)
5 cups cubed stale bread


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees
2. Apply salt liberally to chicken. Let sit while you prepare stuffing.
3. In large skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat.
4. Add onion, carrot, celery, and salt. Cook, stirring often, until onion is clear and soft.
5. Add pepper.
6. Add water or chicken stock and dried fruit and nuts, cook until simmering.
7. Remove from heat. Add chopped herbs and bread.
8. Toss/stir until well combined.
9. Stuff chicken and place on roasting rack. (Place extra stuffing in small baking dish and set aside.)
10. Cook chicken for about 1.5 hours. When there is about 20 minutes left, put the remaining stuffing in the oven to heat and brown.
11. Once cooked, remove stuffing from chicken and stir in with the stuffing that cooked separately.
12. Carve chicken, and serve.

I served this with baked sweet potatoes and broccoli. Adding sweet potatoes is very easy. Just scrub, wrap in aluminum foil, and place in the oven with the chicken. Large sweet potatoes take just over an hour to cook.

Make sure to save all leftover chicken and the chicken skeleton for chicken soup! (Recipe coming soon)

Money/Time Saving Recipe #1: Three Bean "Chili"

We are on a tight budget in my house right now, and in an effort to save money and time I'm working on making wallet-friendly dinners that are big enough to at least make lunch the next day and, at best, also freeze for later. (Please keep in mind that I have a family of three, so you would need to increase the size of each recipe if you have a larger group to feed.)

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Three-Bean "Chili"
(Adapted from Rachael Ray's recipe Veg-Head Three-Bean Chili)
Time: 30-40 minutes
Makes: 8 servings

This recipe is not spicy, and therefore kid-friendly. (Which is why I said"Chili"-it's really much more like a bean stew.) If you're looking for more spice, add 1-2 diced jalapeno peppers and hot sauce.


Ingredients:

Olive Oil
1 Medium onion, diced
2 large bell peppers (any color), diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups beer and/or chicken or vegetable stock
1 32-ounce cans crushed or diced tomatoes
2 14-ounce cans black beans
2 14-ounce cans kidney beans
2 14-ounce cans refried beans
1 small bag frozen corn, defrosted
1 Tbsp ground cumin
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp salt

Possible Toppings:
Avocado
Cheese
Sour cream
Green onions

1. Heat olive oil in large pot or dutch oven, over medium heat.
2. Add onion; cook 2-3 minutes until softened.
3. Add bell peppers, garlic, and salt; cook 2-3 minutes until softened.
4. Add beer, stock,tomatoes, cumin, and chili powder; cook until simmering.
5. Add black beans, kidney beans, and corn; cook until simmering.
6. Add refried beans; cook and stir until refried beans have softened and are evenly distributed.
7. Enjoy!

This is particularly delicious served with cornbread. My favorite toppings are avocado and green onions. After serving dinner, I set aside some chili and the rest of the cornbread for lunch. I take the remaining chili and freeze in a muffin tin, and then transfer to a freezer bag. This way, you can heat all of it for a family dinner or just an individual serving for yourself.

Valentine Fortune Cookies

My sister and I got together to make these treats for our special guys. They were much easier than I expected, and so delicious! I didn't have superfine sugar, so I just used regular granulated. It helps to practice folding a circle of paper before trying to fold the cookies, just so you get the feel of the technique. (It is much easier to fold the cookies than it is to fold paper.) And I couldn't figure out a way to thread the fortunes through once the cookies were cooled, so I placed them in the center of the cookie before I folded it.

Recipe:

Nonstick cooking spray
5 Tbsp unsalted butter
4 large egg whites
1 cup superfine sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour, sifted
Pinch of salt
3 Tbsp heavy cream
1 tsp almond extract


1. Heat oven to 400 degrees. Grease baking sheet. Melt butter.

2. In an electric mixer, beat egg whites and sugar on medium speed for about 30 seconds. Add flour and salt, beat to combine. Add butter, heavy cream, and almond extract; beat to combine (about 30 seconds.)

3. Pour 1 Tbsp batter onto cookie sheet, spread into a thin circle about 5" wide, repeat. (I could fit four cookies on a baking sheet.) Bake until edges turn golden, about 8 minutes.

4. Working quickly, slide a spatula under one cookie. Lift and place on a dishtowel. Fold cookie in half, pinching at the top to form loose semicircle. Insert index fingers into ends, press indentation into center of cookie while bending ends together to form shape of a fortune cookie. This process should take about 10 seconds; once the cookie hardens you cannot fold it. Repeat.

5. Write your Valentine messages on long strips of sturdy paper, thread through cooled cookies.




My sister had the good idea of dipping the ends in chocolate, so we melted some and...






This recipe is from the book The Best of Martha Stewart Living Good Things

Etsymom Giveaway

I am the sponsor for the latest giveaway from the Etsymom blog. Check it out and enter to win this lovely pair of soft baby shoes, perfect for spring.

NaturalKids

I was just accepted as a new member to the Etsy NaturalKids Street Team. It's a wonderful group of talented people with amazing shops. I encourage everyone to check out the blog and the website. The team is dedicated to providing toys, clothing, and other products for children using natural materials. I'm so excited to be a part of the team, and to start working with these great people!

New Sewing Chair

I desperately need a new chair for when I sew. I've been working hard to crank out new stuff for my shop, but it is killing my lower back. I'm going to have to look into the kind of seats that are out there. Maybe there are chairs specifically for sewing? Any suggestions?

Lovely Lolly

I am in love with the Lolly Chops blog! It is filled with tutorials, ideas, recipes, and fun! I am always inspired by it. Check it out! Now!

Rose Slippers

I am in love with these rose slippers that I made for my Etsy shop. I had to make some for Ruby (my daughter). She likes to pick them up and smell them, like she does with real flowers.

Fabric Giveaway

Check out Hart's Fabric they have a huge selection of wonderful fabrics to choose from.

And, every week they have "Take Away Tuesday", where you can enter for a chance to win a yard of great fabric. Check it out on their blog.

Good Luck!

My Bernina

I just got a barely used Bernina sewing machine as a gift from my mother. I love it! I've been sewing like crazy.

I'm excited about the new items that I am and will be offering in my Etsy shop. I finally put up a listing for custom baby quilts. I'm really looking forward to that, I love making baby quilts! I'm also now offering organic baby bandanas in fun fabric from the My Happy Garden line by Cloud 9 Fabrics. Yay!

Beef Stew

I made a delicious beef stew last night, and I thought I would share the recipe before I forgot it. This could easily be made vegetarian, by replacing the beef stock with vegetable stock (and removing the meat, obviously.)

Ingredients:

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
2 lbs stew beef, cut into pieces
salt & pepper

2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 Cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small carrot, diced
1 stalk celery, diced

2 Tbsp tomato sauce or ketchup
1 Tbsp good mustard
1/2 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
1/2 Cup good red wine
1 Tbsp powdered onion soup mix

2 bay leaves
1 tsp sage
salt & pepper

Unsalted beef stock

Peel and chop:
1 large sweet potato
4 small potatoes
2 large carrots
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1. Pat meat dry, sprinkle with salt and pepper
2. Heat oil in dutch oven or soup pot on med-high heat
3. Add meat, brown on all sides
4. Remove meat from pot, leave all juices and brown bits (great flavor!)

5. Reduce heat to med-low
6. Add up to 2 Tbsp of olive oil
7. Add onions, cook for a couple of minutes
8. Add garlic, carrot, and celery; cook 5-10 more minutes, stirring regularly

9. Reduce heat to low
10. Add tomato sauce, mustard, Worcestershire sauce, red wine, and soup mix; stir
11. Scrape up any browned bits that are still stuck to the bottom of the pan
12. Add bay leaves, sage, and salt & pepper
13. Add meat and enough beef stock to cover; cover and cook for about 1 hour

14. Add sweet potato, potato, and carrots; add more beef stock or water, if necessary
15. Cover and cook for 30-40 minutes
16. Adjust salt & pepper as needed
17. Enjoy!

This stew only gets better the next day, so feel free to make ahead! I served it with fresh bread and a salad. Yum!