Veggie "Cupcakes" (Muffins)

I made Dana's (MADE) Veggie Muffins over the weekend for the kiddos. I made a couple modifications: 2C shredded carrots, 2 bananas, and a little less than 1C of sugar. They were delicious!

Making a bow hair clip

Make pretty preppy pinwheel bows for hair clips or head bands.
Supplies:
5/8 in ribbon
3/8 in ribbon
aligator hair clip
hot glue gun
fray check
measuring tape or ruler
cardboard or cardstock



First create your bow template. I made mine 3 in wide and 2 1/4 tall. Then cut a slit in the middle. I just drew a line down the middle to guide my cut.

Clip the end of your ribbon on the template and wrap.

When wrapped around creating 2 loops on either side, clip in place and cut the ribbon.

Stitch in the center of the ribbon using your slit as a guide.

When you're done, it should look like this.

Slide off the template.

Pull the thread tight and it will create a bow.

Wrap the thread around the center to hold in place.

Tie off the thread and you'll have a bow looking like this.

Using the 5/8 in ribbon, tie a simple knot.

Hot glue the knot on the center of the bow, covering the thread.

Attach the bow on to a clip with a dab of hot glue.  I pre-wrapped mine with the 3/8 width ribbon so the metal is covered to protect the head.

I just put a bit of hot glue to attach and wrap the knot over the top of the hair clip to secure.

Give yourself a pat on the back for making a beautiful timeless hair accessory for that special little girl in your life.

Here are samples of some others I've made:

Anthro Inspired headband

Feeling high with inspiration after making my son's belt, I made a little something for me! These scraps were cut off from my hubby's pants I hemmed last week, and from the vest I made my son for my sister's wedding. I put this on a pin so I can attach it to either head band, hair tie, necklace or even a plain tank top. I vaguely recall seeing something like this at Anthropologie...or even J Crew?

Pillow Covers for my Hand Me Downs

My sister moved to DC last month and gave me these pillows. The one in front had a hole in it that I just stitched up. How lovely the look with just a couple simple new pillow covers : )

I got fancy with the pillow cover in front, it's double sided. One side is upholstery and they other is cotton for a more casual laid back look. This was my first attempt at invisible zippers, I clearly didn't do a very good job. My sister was really impressed because initially she thought I piped it! None the less, still loves lovely.

Out of Necessity Comes Creativity

So cliche, I know. I've been looking for a belt for my little man and haven't really seen anything out there that's not too cutesy. That with my desire to make something for him, since everything I've made lately has been for my daughter, I turned scraps into a reversible belt! The scraps above were from pants I hemmed for my dad and husband over the weekend. I really loved the colors and fabric. Since the grey is of cotton canvas, I really didn't need to line the belt for stiffness.

I think it looks totally cool for a little man.

***Update - My husband thinks it's pretty cool too and wants one for himself : )

Yo Yo

At the suggestion of my cousin, I tried making a yo yo flower clip with some scrap ribbon.  I used 2 different sized ribbons and stacked them on each other to create a little more contract and dimension.  I also used button to finish it off and a tail to give it a little more flair.  I am pleased with how it turned out.  The inspiration came from this head band worn my Piggie during her Janie & Jack shoot a couple months ago.

Super Duper Easy BBQ Baby Back Ribs!

This was last night outside of my house as I'm waiting to pull dinner out of the oven.

And this was dinner!  Yeah, you read that right, out of the oven not on the grill.  I came across this super easy fool proof recipe online a few months ago when I googled BBQ ribs.  This is awesome because I can put it in the oven with only 5 mins of prep time and get this delicious mouth watering slab of meat in less than 1 1/2hrs.  Seriously.  I've done this almost once every other week and finally remember to take a picture before eating it.  HUGE THANKS to Becks over at Delish for posting this recipe.  I used Emeril's Essence as a rub with the salt and pepper.

How to eat your vegetables

I saw this healthier zucchini bread recipe on Prudent Baby come through this week and was anxious to give it a try.  It was easy and delicious.  Definitely worth a try. 

At my neighbors suggestion, I picked up some of Trader Joe's pizza dough last night for $1.29 each.  I've been diggin on thin crust pizzas these days, so I only used 1/2 of the dough to make a nice veggie pizza for lunch today.  Instead of rolling it out, I just stretched out the dough to fit inside my ceramic baking pan.  I used marinara sauce and cut up some veggies I had lying around.

In my oven, I had to bake for 16 minutes to get it golden and crispy.  I think the instructions on the package said 12 minutes.  I know generally when baking with ceramic dishes, you gave to go a little longer than a metal baking sheet.  I got mine a few years ago at a Pampered Chef party.

I don't know what took me so long to try this!

Fine tuning the jeresy knit bow

Okay, after tinkering a little bit more with what I had...I think I'm finally happy with what this version.

I'm working with a BIG roll of jersey knit that's 1.5 wide. I've cut them down to: 1.5 x 3 strips. 

Feed a needle through each strip back and forth...with strip overlapping the last.

When completed with last strip, pull thread tight so you cinch the pieces into a bow.

Wrap your thread around center a couple times, secure and tie off.

Take another strip 3/4 x 2 and tie a knot to cover your thread. You can either hot glue in place or sew the seams.

For a fuller bow/flower - use more strips. This is what 4 strips of fabric will produce in fullness. I wouldn't use less than 4 for jersey knit because your bow will look sad and wilted.

I guess you can use other fabrics to create the same effect. I'll try and report back.