Care Package #29: Gimme S'mores!

Brian got to spend most of May home with friends and family, and I got to take a few weeks off from baking (which was a treat considering how hot it has been). But, now he's back in the big sand box and I'm getting back into the swing of things. But boy oh boy, a month off sure got me out of the care package-habit!

I knew that there was a chance Brian could end up getting delayed on his way back to base, so I wanted to send some very sturdy goodies that could survive sitting around waiting for him if necessary. I'm hoping to go camping with some girlfriends at the end of July and I thought that S'mores would be a fun treat. However, with average temperatures well over 100, I didn't think that Hershey Bars would qualify as "sturdy" and that he probably wouldn't have access to a campfire to melt the marshmallows. So I got a little creative with the S'mores ingredients. Of course, graham crackers are a must, and those would ship without any issues. In place of big, puffy marshmallows, I sent a jar of Fluff. And to fill in for Hershey Bars, I sent a jar of Nutella. I felt pretty clever about these substitutions, if I do say so myself. However, my cleverness did not extend so far as remembering to take a picture... I told you I was out of practice!

It looks like we have about 4 more months, or 15 more care packages, left to this deployment, and hopefully (seriously, cross your fingers on this one) Brian will be home in plenty of time for us to get down to Ft. Lauderdale to catch our Thanksgiving cruise. I have a few new recipes that I've been wanting to try, so keep an eye out for those in the coming weeks.

Happy 4th of July!

Today is a day to celebrate our great country, the freedoms that so many of us take for granted, the democracy that may not be perfect but is a work-in-progress, and sacrifices that make the whole thing possible.

So what did I do with myself over this long holiday weekend?

Well, for starters, I put the finishing touches on this Cracker Box quilt. I have more photos coming soon...

I tried out a new dress pattern. I really like the pattern (especially since I made a few adjustments that allowed it to have a fitted appearance without actually having to put in a zipper), but the fabric is so not me! I feel like I'm wearing an Easter dress. I'll have to try it again with some fabric that's a little more "Skye" and a little less... whatever this is...

I finally got around to blocking my lacy shawl. Once the shawl dries, I'll be able to pick up a few stitches for the sleeves and it will be done! I'm a wee bit concerned though, because it came out a tad larger than I planned. There's not much to be done about it now, but if I ever try it again (HA!) I will have to make adjustments to the number of stitches and rows. The sleeves should knit up pretty quick, so I hope to have some finished pictures before too long.

I found yet another cool wallet pattern on CraftGawker! This one is so easy it's almost a joke. I made these three pouches in less than 2 hours!

The neatest part is that the fabric is up-cycled from some home decor samples that my friend Claire gave me. This makes the pouches very sturdy and forces me to be a little more creative with my fabric combinations. It also gives me a chance to use up some of the zippers that Grammy Ida and Mom had saved up from before I was born.

And what did Harley the Wonder Dog do this weekend? Pretty much the same thing she does every day: try to take over the world! I know it looks like she's just napping with her tongue poking out, but she is really plotting world domination.

In case you were wondering, no, I did not go out and enjoy the drunken revelry downtown. Nor did I brave the masses to view any fireworks. Not my cup of tea, thank you.

When "being in the red" is a good thing...

I have a great friend that's I've known since middle school, Kimberly. A few years ago I ran into Kimberly's mother when I moved back to CT. We were both shopping in Old Navy and kinda recognized each other, but it took a few passes before we stopped and did the "Are you Kimberly's mom?" thing. She said she thought she hardly recognized me because I wasn't wearing all black (did I mention that high school was a dark phase for me?). Since college and after graduation I have made a concerted effort to expand my wardrobe beyond the monochromatic spectrum.

Now that I'm on a clothes-sewing kick, I decided that I should make a colorful infinity dress. And really, what has more zip than red? I've been told it's a good color on me, so what the heck!


Target had some great, lightweight tanks on sale for a whopping $5, so I picked a few up. Of course, old habits die hard and I had to force myself to but the black one back on the shelf. But I did succeed in picking up this cheery red one. I don't usually take and post pictures of boring, store bought clothes. But I have to admit, this picture wasn't really for the tank. It was for the fact that I actually have a waistline again! Pilates, cardio, and weights, oh my!

Somebody stop me!

These wallets are addictive! Seriously, I can't stop making them. They are just so cute, and simple, and fun! Quick, pop over to Etsy and grab one now :)

Today I debuted my twirly, gray linen skirt at work and got rave reviews. I was feeling especially sassy yesterday and whipped up this headband to wear with the skirt.

Originally I had planned on using some of the red fabric from the skirt to applique a heart or flower, but I figured that might limit the outfits I could wear it with (and just might have been a bit more "coordinated" than I could stand). So I rooted through my multi-generational button stash and challenged my Type-A personality to pick a random design for these mismatched buttons. It's not something I would have thought I would like, but I love how it keeps my hair out of my face (which is key to preventing me shaving my hair off again) and several folks said they thought it was great. So I guess it's a winner!

Help! I've fallen in love with making wallets!

Being a Gemini, I know that I have a tendency to go to extremes: I don't just tidy the house, I wage all out war on dirt and disorder; I don't just plant a few pretty flowers, I spend whole weekends conquering entire tracts of land; I don't just tell my boyfriend I miss him, I send him baked good every week for a year (granted not all my extremes are negative things).

When I found that great pattern for super-cute wallets, and had a blast whipping up a few last weekend, I should have known there would be trouble. Because, of course, I didn't stop at just a few. Oh no.

I made more this weekend.

Then I had to whip up a new purse to carry my fun new wallet...

But, alas, since I fell pray to the "oh this is a really simple bag so I don't need to use a pattern and let's just estimate sizes instead of actually measuring" mentality, the new wallet doesn't even fit in the new purse.

Guess I'll just scrap the purse idea for a while and stick to the addictive wallets...

P.S. Crock pot granola is perfectly lovely, as long as you remember to stir it every 45 minutes or so. Without adequate stirring, you could end up with Cajun Granola (i.e. blackened nuts and charred oats). Bon Appetite!

Just working? Or working it?

I totally kicked it on an enormous grant this week, so I took most of today off from work to recover and reward myself.


When I first attempted the Infinity Dress, I intended to use some gray linen that I had picked up a few months ago. I trimmed and shaped the skirt and waist band, but then realized that once I assembled the rest of the dress it would be way shorter than I feel comfortable wearing. I knew I'd get around to doing something with the linen eventually (or I should say, I hoped I would get around to it...).


When I got home from work this morning I put in some quality time on a project that has drawn out way longer than necessary (photos to follow shortly) then needed a brain-break. So I pulled out the gray linen and played around with it. For not having a pattern, or even a really clear idea of what I wanted to do, I'm really excited with the end result! It's just a big circle (however wide your fabric is, the drape will be half that length) with a smaller cirlce cut for the waist). I cut a 3 inch bias strip for the waist band, then added the red on the bottom just to make it a bit longer and add some color. The waist was cut exactly to size, and I put it on over my head so I don't have to be bothered with zippers!

There's something strange going on here. Me. Skirts. Smiles. It's very strange, but I like it.

Oh, I'm also attempting to make granola in the crock pot, since firing up the oven for an hour when it's 1000 degrees didn't seem so fun. I'll let you know the results when the verdict comes in.

Sewing!

Not much time to write, so here are a few photos to keep you occupied!

A few additional options for ways to wear my new infinity dress. The photos are kinda crappy as I was snapping them quickly in poor light, but you get the idea...

I spent all most all day Saturday sewing these awesome tri-fold fabric wallets. I absolutely LOVE them! As a matter of fact, I liked it so much that I actually kept one for myself, a rare occurrence for me.

I made 8 with the cherry blossom fabric and one really sweet Batik (but forgot to snap a picture of that one!). I have one of the cherry blossom wallets posted on Etsy already, if you are so inclined... :)