I’ve got a new camera. It’s fancy. (Click on photos for larger images)
Unlike my point-and-shoot, I’m going to have to read the manual for this one.
But that hasn’t stopped me from just diving in!
What’s in your creative space today? Find more here.
handmade goodies from the farmers’ market
There’s so much more to the Farmers’ Market than fresh veggies. Last weekend we went with my parents and my mom wanted to buy a few things for my daughter. The hair clip and headband are from Owl People (my friend Kaitlyn) and are lovely.
I wish I could tell you who made “Ladybug Girl.” I can’t remember the name of the booth and she didn’t come with a card or hang tag. Nothing was even stamped on the bag. If you know, post in the comments! (Note to artisans: always put your name on your work!) My daughter loves her.
What are your favorite non-food items from the Farmers’ Market?
progress: thrifty buffet gets paint
Remember the thrifty buffet we found a few months ago? It had been sanded and primed then pushed to the side when our weekends got busy. Yesterday, my husband pulled it out and started painting.
The primer is gray and the paint is chocolate brown. I think he was hoping for a darker, espresso color. We’ll see what it looks like after coat number two.
homemade protein bar recipe
When I began P90X, I was really hungry. I thought having some protein bars ready to grab from the pantry would be helpful, but I couldn’t find any that I really liked. Then I started reading things about soy protein isolate and thought maybe I should try making these on my own. I had hoped to post this during Hemp History Week. Wouldn’t that have been timely? Here it is, better late than never!
This recipe is basically a 1:1:1 ratio of the first three ingredients. You can substitute any flour for the oats, any protein powder and any nut butter. Adjust the water accordingly. Add in other kinds of dried fruits or skip the chips. It is very easy to make this gluten free, dairy free and vegan.
1 cup oats
1 cup chocolate hemp powder
1 cup crunchy almond butter
water
1/4 cup craisins
1/4 cup mini chips
muffin pan
makes 12 bars
Pulse the rolled oats in a food processor until they resemble a coarse flour. Add the chocolate hemp powder and mix. Then add the almond butter and mix. It should start coming together at this point. Add water slowly until it starts to form a ball. I usually use about 2/3 cup, but it depends on your ingredients.
Remove the ball from the food processor and place in a mixing bowl. Add the craisins and chips and knead until they are incorporated. You’ll be tempted not to dirty another bowl, but the food processor takes all of the fun out of biting into a chunk of fruit or chocolate. Mix them in by hand.
Divide your dough evenly into the muffin tins and press down with your fingers or the back of a spoon. Place them in the freezer for about an hour. Take them out and let them sit on the counter for a few minutes. Gently pop them out with a knife. Wrap them in aluminum foil.
I keep a few of these in the fridge, with the rest stored in the freezer. The foil is easy to rinse off and toss in the recycling bin. When I’m on the go, I toss one in my purse with a napkin. If you’re not going to eat it within a few hours, it can get a little crumbly.
resources:
Soy protein isolate in energy bars, via newsreview.com.
Hemp History Week, via thekindlife.com.
Benefits of hemp protein, via livestrong.com.
how to: blind hem stitch without a special foot
Last week I had to hem a pair of pants and I was so excited to use the blind hem stitch for the first time. I checked out a few online tutorials and everyone started out with the same thing: you’ll need a blind hem foot, switch to your blind hem presser foot, first you’ll need a blind hem foot that has a guide.
Huh? When the women demo’d the blind hem stitch to me on my machine, she did not use a different foot. So, I did a little bit of experimenting with some practice fabric. Here’s the hem.
Here it is folded back. I pinned it in place.
I did some practice stitches to figure out where the fold should be positioned for the best result. I used a magnetic seam guide to mark the best position. Painter’s tape would work just as well.
What you want is for the hem stitch to just barely catch the fabric…
…so when you look at the right side, the stitches are small little dots. When you use matching thread, they’ll become practically invisible.
And that’s it! No special foot needed. I took a picture of my guide position for future reference. You could write it in your manual or just leave the painter’s tape on your machine if you are going to do a lot of hemming.
resources: This video does a good job of showing how to fold your fabric before hemming. This is a great tutorial for hand-stitching a blind hem, which is a nice alternative if you are in the mood for a little bit of hand work.
my creative space
It’s picnic season and I’ve started thinking about snacks that are easy to pack when we’re going to the park. I’ve always loved scones, but I like them light and fluffy, not like some of the hard ones you find in coffee shops.
I’m also kind of picky about their nutritional value. I don’t like baking with a lot of heavy cream or butter. I was drawn to Alice Waters’ recipe because she doesn’t use butter. I’ve been replacing the heavy cream with different ratios of yogurt and milk.
The first batch I made tasted good out of the oven, but were kind of dry the next day. The second batch wasn’t that great at all. This third batch is awesome out of the oven. If they are just as good tomorrow, I’m declaring success!
diy hair elastic holders
If you have long hair, how do you store your hair ties? I used to keep them on the original cardboards, but they are kind of flimsy and tear easily. I wanted something more sturdy.
Using the plastic leftover from making my place mat sock blockers, I traced the original cardboards and came up with these.
We’ve been using them for awhile and they are holding up great. It’s really nice to pull them out the basket and not have the elastics fall off. You could use any kind of plastic that can be cut with scissors or even the thick chipboard from a legal notepad.
embarrassing: I went to link to my place mat sock holder post and can’t find it. Did I not share them on the blog? How is that possible? Here’s the tutorial I used. I’ll have to get a pic to share with you.
ignore your tomato plants and they’ll thrive?
Last year I may have tried too hard with my tomato and cucumber plants. I gave them tons of TLC and didn’t get much in return.
I got these little plants almost two weeks ago at the Farmers’ Market. I tucked them in the corner on the back porch during a severe thunderstorm and forgot about them for almost a week. Yikes!
But look at them! Still in their plastic container, I’ve got two teeny tiny tomatoes thriving under my neglect. I think I might be on to something here.
mmm… millet muffins
I’m not sure how I found Heidi Swanson’s website, but I’m so glad I did. I’ve been looking for fresh ways to prepare some of our pantry staples and she’s got so many interesting and different recipes. Avocado in something other than guacamole? Check. Yummy way to use up the millet your family won’t eat? Check. Summer red wine and sparkling lemonade recipe? Check!
Even before I checked her latest cookbook out of the library, I downloaded her recipe sampler. We made the muffins this afternoon and my daughter “loves the crunchy millet!”
I usually don’t read cookbooks through like a novel, but I haven’t been able to put this one down. It’s beautifully designed and the photos are lovely.
details: The muffins are from her second book: Super Natural Every Day. Her website is 101cookbooks.com. The recipe sampler is here.
my creative space
This space hasn’t been very creative in the past week. I’ve been sick since last Saturday. I’ve spent a lot of time sleeping and not much else.
Right before that I had made a trip to the thrift store and started work on some summer refashioning. I also drafted a skirt pattern from scratch and made this muslin. Notice what’s on the side? A zipper! I’m not sure why I’m so intimidated by these buggers, but I’m going to conquer that fear this summer. So long elastic waistbands!
pattern: I used the a-line skirt formula in Sew What! Skirts. Muslin fabric is a floral sheet.
More creative spaces here.
