2012 Roundup

Hi friends! I have some news. News I'm sure you've been aware of for some time. This blog has been sleepy. Super sleepy. Like, coma sleepy. It's been more than eight months (say, what?!). Yes, I'm ashamed to admit it's been more than eight months since I posted a single post here. Eight months of work, class, studying, playing, eating, drinking, trips, birthdays, concerts, baking, baseball, friends, downpours, sunshine, and family time. I'm going to do my best to play catch up. So, buckle up folks, we don't want any whiplash around here.  Today, we'll start with crafts and foods.

Crafty Time:
Sadly, there haven't been many crafts lately... but these wrap bracelets were quick, easy, and fun! Instructions found at Honestly WTF.

Foodie Adventures: 

Granola, for my Dad's birthday (the secret to chunks is all in the egg whites!):

Recipe thrown together from several different ones found online, and mostly consisting of what I had in my kitchen.  Big hit! So big, in fact, it was hard not to eat it all straight from the pan.  Dad's lucky any made it to him! ;)

Stuffed Baguette: 

Recipe found at Baking Obsession. This was seriously delicious. 

Caprese Skewers:
Caprese on a stick, grab and go! I used those great mozzarella balls in seasoned olive oil from TJ's, added a great flavor without having to drizzle anything over the whole plate.

Hamantaschen:
Cookies for International Cookie Day at work. My country was Israel! Recipe found at A Cookie for Every Country.  Of course mine didn't turn out as pretty as the original photo, but they were yummy little treats nonetheless. There was a slight snafu when I realized I was out of flour (seriously?! this always happens to me!). SO these were made with part whole wheat flour. They were devoured at work, so must have worked out all right!

Bite Sized Baked Brie Bites:
Recipe found at Joy the Baker (whoops, didn't get a finished product shot! Click through to see the finished product from Joy the Baker).  Now run (RUN!) and make these. They are TO DIE for. And seriously easy.

Roommate Dinner Creations presents: Homemade California Avocado Pizza
Easy peasy to throw together, our best attempt to recreate California Pizza Kitchen's California Club

Stay tuned for more 2012 adventures soon!

-shauna

the year of finished projects.

I have decided that, as part of my yearly resolutions, 2012 will be the year of finishing the unfinished.  I have quite the list going of projects/books/adventures that I have started or planned, and that have gone uncompleted.  I figure this year is as good as any to play catchup!  Here's my list so far. I'm sure I'll be adding to this list throughout the year...

Projects to finish!

- Pillowcase embroidery project (Finished! See below!)

- Knitted scarflette (my first knitting project!)

- Kitchen hand towels, the first of which was showcased here.  Three to go.

- Photo collage (Finished! See below)

Projects planned, but that I have yet to start! 

(As you will see, many of these projects/ideas come from Pinterest. No, I can't help myself.)

- Anna Maria all purpose bag (the plan was for two of these, one for me and one for my mom.  Mom's was finished, but never photographed... as is usually the case! Mine hasn't made it to the sewing table yet.)

- Reusable sandwich bags (still working this project out in my head)

- Felt circle pillow, as seen here, to go with my growing and eclectic collection of homemade pillows

- Wine cork trivets, seen here, because we have no shortage of wine corks! 

- DIY hair comb (I think they're making a comeback...)

- DIY wrap bracelets, seen here.  Plans are in the works to a group craft night (Crafty Beaver's Night), but Snowmageddon might get in the way of that.

- Handmade notebooks using fabric and paper scraps for the covers. 

Anyway, on to what I've done so far.  Here's a project that I've been working on for at least a year and a half. No joke. Well, ok, I worked consistently on it for a few months, and then put it down until last week. Boom. Done. This looks great as a decorative pillow on my bed. Part of my effort to bring some color into my life. I especially love those little bluebirds! 

At the beginning of the year, my roommate (housemate, whatever you call it) Emily and I thought it would be a good idea to rearrange out living room. To bring some good change to the flow of our apartment. We love the new set up, but the wall our TV sits on is a big, ugly, white wall.  We needed something and figured a photo collage wall would be great here.  I gathered some old heavy brown wood frames from thrift stores in the area, and spray painted them black or white.  Despite the wall still being big and ugly white, I was happy with how the collage wall turned out.

Up next... finishing this scarflette before winter turns to spring.  Which, here in Seattle, could be any day now or many months away.  In any case, I need to get to work! (and thanks to Jill for this great bag from her last giveaway!)

-shauna