This One Goes Out To The Cottage Cheese Haters

I hate cottage cheese, too. That said, because its a healthy protein I have tried to eat it throughout my life and the closest I've come to liking it is eating it with pineapple. Putting it on a baked potato is a close second. I bought some for the baby and I figured I'd try again (lead by example, right?).

Tiny Taggy Teething Toy (that crinkles!)

Today my almost-9-month-old was furiously chewing on everything, so tonight I whipped up something to sink his tooth buds into. Plus, we were out of Cheerios (keep reading) et voilà... the tiny taggy teething toy. It's a great way to use scraps and a quick project. that you can customize a zillion ways.

Review: Pencil Case Tutorial by Terrabyte Farm

I wanted to whip up a little back-to-school goody for my daughter today... and I've got bags on the brain lately. I had several scraps to choose from and inadvertently picked something that coordinates perfectly with her new backpack - eery! I love the contrast of the dark lining and the green zipper...

I Made My Own Light Box!

This is NOT my homemade light box.
This is a real, professional light box for reference.
I snagged the image from Google images.

Mine is the saddest, ugliest little thing but, by golly, it works!! Not bad for $5. To be fair, the biggest expense are the lights which I'm borrowing (you need 3) but if you're lucky to have a couple desk lamps available or some clamp-on work lights in the garage, then you're all set. I spent $3 on a yard of inexpensive cotton fabric, and $2 on posterboard (I really only needed one though, but now I have a spare if mine gets dirty or creased). You also need shipping tape (or glue) and an Xacto knife (or boxcutter) and ruler. I used the box that our pool vacuum came in.

How To Make A Padded iPad Sleeve

I have admired many iPad covers on Etsy these days, so I made up my own no-frills iPad sleeve for my Dad's birthday. I found this cool beach cruiser Robert Kaufman fabric at  MakingStuffUP.etsy.com and thought a dark brown corduroy lining would be masculine and as well as soft and protective for the device (my second choice was flannel which, although soft, wouldn't make a very attractive trim). I came across a tutorial that used automotive headliner as a padding which I thought was clever, so I incorporated that as well (it can be found at JoAnn, or you could even use fleece).

In a nutshell, you will be making 2 pockets, the lining and the outside fabric with some  foam padding sandwiched between the layers. The lining will be longer and folded over the outside fabric to create a 1.5" trim at the top. Make sense?

How To Make a Minky Baby Blanket (First Time Sewing With Minky)

I've been wanting to make one of those cute minky blankets that are all over Etsy, and when I found this funky 1970's vibe jungle fabric, I had found my next project.

Grown-up Birthday Cake: Flourless chocolate cake with fresh bananas,caramel and ganache

Is it tacky that I wanted to make my own birthday cake this year? For several months I had been dreaming of this cake that was just too decadent to make for no reason, and I didn't think my family would go for it for their birthday. You see, my August birthday is the last in a string of birthdays that start in March. So after months of variations on chocolate and vanilla cakes with chocolate and vanilla buttercream, I'm over traditional birthday cake.

Easy, Lined Window Panels (And Lessons Learned)

This special order home decor fabric from JoAnn has been sitting in my living room for 3 weeks because I have been afraid to make the cut! We needed some simple panels for some windows that let in a lot of heat and cause an annoying glare. I finally got out the ladder and measured my windows, unrolled the fabric on my living room floor and made the cut!

Coconut Love (with video "How To Open A Coconut With A Kitchen Knife"

I thought it fitting to kick off my blog with a tribute to my current infatuation... young, green coconuts! I got hooked on coconut water when my mom brought me some in the hospital after I had my son, who is now 7-months and loves coconut too!  Here is the nutshell version of buying, opening and cooking fresh coconuts!