the Tracey

I had a friend ask if I would sew a purse for her, and that expanded a bit to some other orders! The newest addition to my shop is ‘the Tracey’.

‘the Tracey’ is custom made to order for $35 (but the one pictured here is ready to ship for $30). It is customizable and the way I made this one is with the lining fabric matching the flower fabric and the interior pocket fabric matching the main fabric. That awesome flower pin can be repositioned or removed so you can do it however you want!

The pocket on this one I made to split into two so that one side is smaller (my cell fits perfectly) and the other side is larger. There is also a magnetic clasp to hold all your junk necessities inside.

The strap fits comfortably over your shoulder and is what I consider to be the perfect length. But I guess everyone has their own preference!

‘the Tracey’ is made with a tutorial I found over on pinterest. It is a little pricey and I don’t recommend it for beginners. It is easy enough for a beginner to sew if you have the know how regarding basic sewing technique (seam allowances, turning fabrics, backstitching, etc.) There are several details that I found missing from the tutorial that would be necessary for a beginner. 

Pinspired for Baby

When I realized that I had done absolutely nothing to get ready for baby, I suddenly panicked and for some reason turned to my sewing machine.  The kids and I went to the fabric store and I let them help pick out some fabric for our baby and some for my sister’s baby. I know new babies get bombarded with blankets, but I wanted some special from me.

I had pinned a post from delia creates on some sweet and simple swaddling blankets and since I had just been gifted a hand me down serger that I had no idea how to use (I had no idea how to use any serger for that matter) it seemed like a perfect easy project to start with.

Can you tell Miracle picked this one?

I love flannel receiving blankets, but most of them are so tiny. These are such a great size! And I am pleased to say I mostly figured out my serger. Axel picked out some fabric for Auntie Amber’s baby too, but I forgot to take a picture of that one. I highly recommend this quick, easy and inexpensive project. They make excellent baby gifts!

I love this fabric!

I had another Pin for an embellished minky blanket from the fiCkle piCkle. Originally I was drawn to the embellished aspect of the blanket, but when it came time to add them I changed my mind. I was afraid of possible choking hazards and I didn’t want them to get in the way of coziness.

I normally would never have chosen this fabric, but I love it so much!

This is another simple project and great baby gift. Once again, I love the size and I tested the snuggle factor on my other kiddos. These blankets are fantastic. The minky can be a bit tricky to work with, but just take your time measuring and pinning and you will be fine. Also, make sure you buy the minky on sale or with a coupon or it can get pricy.

I loved the first one so much I had to make a second!

Of course I made one for my sister too. I wanted the babies to be matching so I used the same green minky. Then for a matching onesie, I cut out one of the rectangles from the flannel fabric and stitched it on. I also cut out some of the flowers from baby girls flannel and stitched it on a onesie for her. LOVE!

Possibly my new 'go-to' baby gift!

Pinspired Reviews – Cooking Edition

I am so excited that I have been able to find a couple new South Beach Diet recipes on Pinterest. I was eager to try out a couple new ones from my South Beach board.

As a huge deviled eggs fan and a huge avocado fan these Avocado Deviled Eggs were something I just couldn’t pass up.

Avocado Deviled Eggs (and photo) from Eating Well... Living Thin~er

No tips or adjustments here. Just yumminess. Andrew and I chowed them down and the kids liked them too. We ran out of avocado so then I made some deviled eggs by simply mixing the yolks with Laughing Cow cheese and the kids chowed those too.

The other pinspired recipe I tried recently came from the need to make sure Andrew had something to eat at our church pot luck. The theme was “hot-dish competition” and so I figured it wouldn’t be a very South Beach Diet friendly meal. I searched and found Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin.

Ham and Cauliflower Casserole au Gratin (and photo) from Kalyn's Kitchen

I love Kalyn’s Kitchen and I have been super impressed with almost every recipe I have found over there! I was so nervous about how the casserole would go over, but my husband and I loved it as did the others that I heard who tried it so I will definitely be making this one again.

Pinspired Reviews- Baking Edition

Why hasn’t anyone been giving me a hard time for not letting you know what my weekly pinspired activity has been? Haha! You mean your life doesn’t revolve around my blog and…. me? Well, just so you know, I have been doing my self-required weekly Pinterest activity. I won’t overwhelm you all at once, so today you get my reviews of some baking I did from recipes found on my Pinterest cooking and baking board.

I was in charge of desserts for Easter and I thought this recipe for Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes would go over well with the kids.

Cinnamon Toast Crunch Cupcakes (and photo) from BS in the Kitchen

I didn’t have a ton of time and my big cupcake pan is in storage. So instead of doing them 6 at a time I decided to just make it into a cake. I did an eight inch double layer and it was delicious! The frosting calls for a lot of vanilla extract, but I don’t mind (although Sarah, I owe you a new bottle!).

A couple tips/ adjustments I made… I didn’t use the butter flavoring in the frosting. There is already a ton of butter in the recipe and I didn’t have any nor have I ever so I didn’t want to make the purchase for the one teaspoon called for. I also found the frosting to be super thick so in the end I added some regular milk. I think if I make this again I may try and just use milk instead of opening up a whole can of condensed milk just for this. And make sure you get the cereal crumbs super tiny or you will end up with some soggy cereal chunks in your frosting that are a little questionable when you bite one.

I decided that this would be the perfect dessert or side for a brunch and I brought the leftovers to our Easter breakfast at church and they cleaned it up. Delicious!

The other dessert I baked was this Chocolate Chip Cookie Delight. Oh. My. Goodness.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Delight (and photo) from Taste of Home

I did not have any leftovers of this one. It was so delicious. Andrew has been pretty strict about no sugar lately, but he has requested that I make this again in a couple weeks so that he can have some. I didn’t put nuts on top (I did chocolate powder instead) just because I wasn’t sure if everyone would like the nuts. I think they would be delicious though. The only tip I have is to make sure you have time to chill it properly so it doesn’t get too runny. Oh, and I did read in the reviews to take caution not to over-bake the cookie because it will get too hard to cut. I almost was afraid it was going to be too doughy but I’m so glad I took their advice. Not only was it easier to cut, but I think the softer cookie made the overall dessert better.

What have you been baking lately? I’m always up for some great recipes!

Appropriate Title

Around our house we have a pile of old half flattened pillows. The kids use them for movie nights to make little pillow beds on the floor but I really just want to throw them all out. Enter Pinterest. I found a tutorial for making pillow mattresses. How could this not be the most perfect idea ever for my kids!

The tutorial comes from No Rest for the Creative, which is a perfectly appropriate title for my week last week trying to get these  made.  I originally came across her tutorial for the same thing only using knit fabric, but I really liked the idea of using cotton better.

They took me forever to make because I was being a super perfectionist, but I think you need to be if you want it to look nice! There is a lot of measuring long fabrics, sewing long seams and smoothing out and lining up. Not to mention my preggo belly kept getting in the way and crawling around on the floor all hours of the night didn’t do much for my pregnancy induced reflux. I could only work while the kids were sleeping, because they were gifts.

I found some perfect pillows at Wal-Mart for $3.97 each. You could go even cheaper at $2.50 for Standard pillows from Wal-Mart or even $.99 from Ikea, but Andrew encouraged me to get nice pillows since I put all the time into making them. The $3.97 pillows were technically Jumbo size but they weren’t stuffed full so they fit into the opening perfectly. (Ok, it took a little work to get them in, but they are so cozy and look great.) I adjusted the tutorial a bit so that Axel and Miracle’s mattresses each had 5 pillows in them. I looked like a bit of a crazy lady purchasing 14 pillows! I had two carts full.

I love that you can fold the top pillow under to prop up the top of the mattress. Axel even realized that if you roll the top three pillows it works as a perfect chair for gaming or sitting up to eat a snack.

Five pillows was a bit excessive for Miracle, but at least it will grow with her! I also found another tutorial from Southern Disposition on Pinterest that looked way simpler, but the finished look wasn’t as polished. Also, the way I did it was cheaper. But look at this cute idea for how to set up the same bed that we already have! Right now Miracle sleeps on top and Evangeline underneath, but hopefully that will change soon…

Princess Fort Bed Idea from Southern Disposition

The pillow mattresses are getting used like crazy which makes me super thrilled especially after all the time and love I put into them. Now I’m off to throw away a bunch of old half flat pillows… or maybe I’ll search Pinterest for some ideas of what to do with them! Have you been Pinspired lately?