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almost finished: “friend” mending

I’m a crafty slacker. I didn’t get to my Finished on Friday project until Sunday. Not only that, but I’m not completely finished! Even worse, I don’t have any pictures!!

Yesterday I tackled the growing number of stuffed “friends” that needed mending. Bears and bunnies were losing their hearts. Easter Bunny and Polar Bear both had holes under their arms. The only one I didn’t get to was poor old Puppy Dog, who is losing his nose again. I’m not sure why his nose wears through so much. Maybe I can get a before and after shot of him this week.

Other than sewing up the stuffed critters, not much crafting has been going on around here. We had a crazy snow storm last week and my daughter has been busy squeezing in every last bit of snow fun before it all melts. Thank goodness the temps will be warming up this week. I’ve got to back to my fused plastic bag project.

I’m surprised how many of you have not heard of fusing plastic grocery bags. Here’s a video from Etsy Labs to tide you over until our snow melts and I can get back to my project.

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homemade granola recipe

homemade granola

If you’ve been waiting for me to post this recipe, thank you for being patient! I took a granola break for awhile. I got frustrated because you really can’t make a totally healthy version of this stuff. I’ve done the best I can, but it’s still packed with calories. Luckily, it tastes good enough that I only need a little sprinkle to jazz up my plain yogurt.

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.

Mix in one bowl:
2 cups old fashioned oats
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt

Mix in a second bowl:
2 tablespoons oil (I use light olive for baking)
1/4 cup blue agave (or honey)
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine the wet and dry ingredients. Pour onto a baking sheet with edges, like a jelly roll pan.

Bake for 10 minutes. Remove pan and stir.

Add 1/2 cup chopped nuts. I’ve used almonds and pecans.

Bake for another 5 minutes. Remove pan and stir. Bake for a final 5 minutes. Take it out sooner if it starts to get too brown.

Keep stirring so the granola doesn’t stick. (I skipped this the first time. You get a giant block of granola! If this happens, warm it up a little in the oven until you can stir it again.)

When cool, add 1/4 cup dried fruit. I’ve used raisins and cranberries. If you are feeling really decadent, sprinkle in a few mini chocolate chips, too.

recipe credits: This is an adaptation of the recipe my daughter brought home from Cooking Camp last year, which was an adaptation of the granola recipe in Baked: New Frontiers in Baking. I’ve never seen the original recipe.

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my creative space

fused plastic bags

In my creative space today I’m fusing plastic grocery bags. Am I the only crafty person on the planet who hasn’t tried this yet? So far, I’ve had mixed results. I think it might be worth the extra effort to spring for some parchment paper.

Play along with your creative space over at Kirsty’s blog.

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nature hike tote bags

capri pants turned into totes

You knew I was going to turn those capri pants into tote bags, didn’t you? Not just any bags, however, but bags with a purpose: keeping nature out of my pockets and my purse.

I’m sure many of you can relate to this: Mama, can you hold this rock? Here’s a present for you, Mama. It’s a leaf! I’m just going to put this stick in your purse for later. Did you put my feather in your pocket? Later, as you are digging around for latte money, the barista gives you a funny look as random bits of nature fall on to the counter.

I made two of these: one for my daughter and one for her friend. They’re the same except for the lining. Now when we go on walks together, the girls can carry their own bits of nature. There are all kinds of pockets perfect for acorns, rocks, twigs and leaves. The buttoned back pocket is perfect for storing a shovel. You never know when you’ll need to dig for treasure!

I love how these turned out and will be making more. How perfect would they be for a day of garage sailing or thrifting with different compartments for cash, phone, water and a snack! They would also make a cool craft project bag with pockets for all of your notions.

project details: Pants from my closet, lining fabric from my thrifted stash.

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fleece football scarf

green bay packers super bowl scarf

This weekend was filled with birthday celebrations. Saturday we attended a surprise party for my friend Wanda, who is a serious Green Bay Packers fan. She loves scarves so the decision to make her a football scarf was an easy one. I knew exactly how I wanted this to look and it turned out just right. I love when that happens.

I bought the fleece new from the fabric store. Wow! It’s been so long since I’ve done that! The Packers-inspired gift bag fabric came from my stash.

This was one of two mystery gifts I was working on last week. I’ll post the other one tomorrow.

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finished: red comfy shorts

wardrobe refashion comfy sweat shorts

These poor shorts have been sitting in my pile for a long time (note the wrinkles). I made these just like the first pair,* but this time I tried to add pockets. It didn’t go so well. I figured they were ready for the donate bag, but my husband said they fit great. It was just the pockets that were goofy. So I stitched them closed and cut the pockets out.

This was my only project out of the The Big To-do Pile this week. I’ve been working on a few gifts that I’ll be posting next week.

What did you finish this week?

*I just re-read my first comfy shorts post. This had me laughing: “I think with the small amount of sewing with knits that I do, I really don’t need a serger.”

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favecrafts blog hop: felted sweater fortune cookies

valentine's day fortune cookies

The FaveCrafts Blog wants to know what you have finished on the 15th. Over here, we’ve officially finished Valentine’s Day. How do I know? My daughter asked if we could replace the heart bunting with spring flowers.

I couldn’t move on to Spring without showing you these cute fortune cookies we made for a few special Valentines. I found the project over at The Sassy Crafter. I wish I had those cool glue dots! Instead I used hot glue, so I prepped the first part the night before. The next day, I had my daughter help me fold them and add the fortunes. (The pdf download includes a fortune template.)

stash: Felted sweater scraps from my stash, of course! If we make these again, I might try some brown wool felt instead.

Check out other finished projects over at the FaveCrafts blog.

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valentine’s day rose pins

valentine's day crochet rose pin

Did you get roses for Valentine’s Day? Some of my daughter’s teachers did.* This is probably the cutest crochet flower I have ever made.

valentine's day crochet rose pin

I made them out of all types of yarn. I think the pattern looks best with cotton.

valentine's day crochet rose pin

Only problem with these and other tiered flower patterns is that they don’t have a flat back for the pin. I used a piece of felt to even out the back and tacked it securely to the flower before stitching around.

project details: Pattern from Crochet Embellishments. All of my supplies were from my stash.

*A few of her teachers received flower pins last year. This year I made them bookmarks with tiny crochet hearts.

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finished: twirly skirt

twirly skirt mending

This week’s Finished on Friday project was just a little bit of mending. I received this skirt from a friend. It didn’t need that much work: just hem the raw edge and sew a button on for the adjustable elastic. I wish I would have done it sooner, though. My daughter LOVES it. She wore it two days in a row and would have worn it a third if I had let her.

Not much else noteworthy out of The Big To-do Pile, but I’m patting myself on the back for keeping my weekly project goal.

What did you finish this week?