Foodie Friday: White Bean Basil Hummus

I am a sucker for a dip. Maybe it is because I am a dip myself.

I found this recipe on The Greatist and knew I had to make it.

Thankful Thursday: Seat Belt Cover

Some days, I have a tougher time identifying what I am thankful for than others.

Today though, I do not have to struggle. 

I am thankful for this blog and the ability to share. I am thankful that with prior planning, I can make life simpler down the road. 

I am thankful that my sweetie always has my back.

I am thankful for many little things. I am not thankful for my seat belt digging into my neck while I drive just because I am petite. I AM thankful that in just a few minutes I could make something that solves that problem and shows a little bit of my personality!

WIP Wednesday: Freezer to Crock pot Stock Up

These last bountiful days of summer remind me of how busy the autumn can be. School starts here soon, which means that my days become so much longer with play rehearsals nightly. While I do have some wonderful parents who regularly bring me dinner since I go right from work to rehearsal most days, it is nice to know that healthy homemade food is available to me with a little work beforehand.

How Tuesday: Wristband Pin "Cushion"

So, if you are anything like me, there are pins ALL over your studio. Granted, I have a magnetic pin block on my cutting table, a plushie tomato pin cushion next to machine, even the top of my sewing box is a pin cushion. And yet, as I sew, pins come out of my piece an onto the sewing machine table...and onto the floor...and into my sock. Sigh. When I saw a photo of a wristband pin holder on Pinterest, I knew that it was meant for me.

Metalwork Monday: Cider Vinegar and Sea Salt Patina

At the very heart of my crafty universe is metalwork. I am always

trying to learn new techniques and love to experiment. 

Giving metal new colors and textures is one of my favorite things.

I brewed up a batch of patina solution with items from pantry and 

absolutely love they look that they produced.

Contest time!!

Hey readers,

It's CONTEST time! I am constantly searching for themes for projects and here is you chance to help. I am seeking themes of the week for the blog and want to feature your ideas. Comment with a theme and at least 3 projects that speak to it (using Metalwork Monday, How Tuesdays, Foodie Friday and Stitchy Saturday as some jumping off points.)

Comment on this post and the winner(s) will receives a batch of homemade cookies from me. I will ship them anywhere!

Thanks and good luck!

Sunday Funday: Winding Down

Summer is sadly winding to a close. I am trying to hold on with all my might and wring out the very essence of summer before it slips away. Our time together on the weekends is even more precious as the semester has begun and it is nearly time for school and rehearsals. Our time no longer will be our own.

This weekend we have an almost perfect balance of frenzied activity and restful repose.

Friday evening, we went to a local town fair and soaked

up some ambiance.  The view from the ferris wheel was humbling.

Afterward, we went to a local creamery and sampled some

handmade ice cream. Delightful!

Saturday was a day that summer dreams of being: a morning

at the Community Garden, followed by the Farmer's Market. 

An afternoon of swimming and innertubing at a local waterfall.

A locavore feast on the deck followed by a moonlit stroll. In short, bliss.

Sunday low-key and relaxing: Brunch under the morning sun, 

running through the sprinkler, reading, napping, cleaning up, 

Vietnamese take-out, now to sack out in from of Blue Planet and

rejuvenate for the week ahead.

Good luck to you as you start another adventure!

Stitchy Saturday: Fat Quarter Apron

Who says that a) you can't be adorable while you toil away in the kitchen or b) that a fat quarter that you love has to be relegated to a quilt? I say, embrace the fabrics that you love and make yourself the envy of every other kitchen guru at the same time...

This apron takes one fat quarter, a half-yard of coordinating fabric, trim (if you desire), and about an hour!

Foodie Friday: Dutch Baby with Blueberry Sauce

No, I am not advocating munching on infants from the Netherlands, but rather brunching on a delicious puffy oven pancake. It is super easy to make and even easier to enjoy. It would be a great easy dish to serve when you have company over for breakfast or brunch...looks impressive, but SO simple.

Thankful and Thinkin' Thursday: Blog Love

This week, I have been all about becoming a better blogger.

 In addition to my lil' idea Moleskin, I have started a blog binder with ideas and weekly plans. I was already doing that in my little book, but it was so crammed, it was tough to find anything.

While I was out flea marketing and thrifting this weekend, I bought several blog styling items (just wait until you see the vintage kitchen scale that I got got $3.99!). In speaking to the vendors about the blog, several wanted to check it out and I had to scrawl the URL onto scraps of paper. So, I decided to make blog specific business cards. They should be here next week!

Coming Soon- Doctor Who Week: The Regeneration

Doctor Who Week was SO popular here on Weasinart. The new season is coming right up, so I have decided to regenerate the theme. The American season premiere is Saturday September 1st, but our blog week starts on Mondays. Be watching on Monday September 3!

Highlights will include:

• Shrinky dink TARDIS jewelry
• A super fun bookmark
• the TARDIS plushie (finally!)
• A great t-shirt how-to
• Custard
• A special surprise!

WIP Wednesday: Re-purposed tins...sorta

Sometimes, a project just doesn't work out the way you hoped that it would.

You think that you are prepared with the right tools. You are excited for the outcome.

And wham. Failure.That can really take the wind out of your sails.

Re-purposing cookie tins seemed straight-forward enough. 

Some cans, some paint, some tape=something cool and usable. 

Seem being the primary word here. This is what I did and what I will do to actually fix the problem. I hope.

How Tuesday: Paint Chip Dry Erase Board

I have been in love with paint chips since I was a kid. As a child, I would carefully place folded chips in my kiddie purse. They were my make-up compacts, my palettes, my tiny yellow brick roads. With the uber-popularity of Pinterest, paint chip projects are everywhere. This is my interpretation of the paint chip dry erase board. And yes, that is a framed photo of David Tennant hanging in my kitchen. 

Metalwork Monday: JOY Bunting Necklace

As a rule, I avoid bandwagons. I had skirted the bunting craze until I found these perfect silver triangles in my studio. They cried out to be a bunting necklace. 

In my zeal, however; I neglected to photograph the first steps. They are as follows:

• I used a nail to stamp the dots around the edges of each triangle.
• Using a lowercase Arial font punch, I stamped each section with a letter.
• I painted over each triangle entirely with orange nail polish.
• After the polish dried, I sanded of a majority of the paint with my Dremel. I was going for an aged look, so left more paint around the edges.

Sunday Funday: Making Memories

Today, I did not make anything--except wonderful memories.

We took advantage of a beautiful summer day, a free schedule, and the ability and desire to enjoy each other's company.

We brunched. We scoured the flea market. We stopped at an ice cream stand. We explored a forest. Had an unusually fun cemetery photo shot. We hiked. We swam. We reveled in the best burger in our town. Together. And it was glorious.

Stitchy Saturday: Embroidered Shirt

I have long loved embroidered Mexican blouses and skirts, but I am a small gal. That much pattern can overwhelm a small frame. I have also always wanted to try stitching on a knit. This project allowed me to control the amount of embroidery and experiment with a new technique.

For this project, I used a cotton v-neck shirt from

Old Navy, T-Shirt Stabilizer from Sublime Stitching

and was inspired by a pattern from So September.

Because I was free-embroidering, I wasn't sure how big the

stitching would become. I decided to iron stabilizer to the

entire collar area.

I began with vines stitched with split stitch.

I used two different shades of green.

To add flowers, I used lazy daisy stitch, 

french knots, and satin stitch.

I am really excited to layer this over

a coordinating cami and rockin' it

with a pair of jeans. Love it!

Foodie Friday: The Best Buttermilk Biscuits

In another life, I think that I was a country girl from the heart of the deep South. Such is my love for the biscuit. This recipe from the New York Times produces the best biscuits that I have EVER had.

Recipe from chef, Scott Peacock courtesy of The New York Times


INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
5 cups sifted unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more as needed
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons packed lard or unsalted butter, chilled and cut into pieces
2 cups chilled cultured buttermilk, plus more as needed
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

METHOD:

• Place a rack in the upper-middle position of the oven and preheat to 500°.
• Make your own baking powder by sifting together the cream of tartar and baking soda.

• In a large bowl, whisk together the salt, baking powder and salt.  Add the lard or butter and quickly work the pieces into the flour with a pastry cutter or the tips of your fingers.  The pieces should be coarsely blended and resemble large peas.
• Make a well in the center of the bowl and pour in the buttermilk.  Quickly mix the ingredients until the mixture just comes together and forms a shaggy mass.  Add 1-2 more tablespoons of buttermilk if the mixture seems dry.

• Immediately turn the dough out onto to a generously floured surface and quickly knead the dough about ten times until a ball forms.  Gently flatted the dough and use a lightly floured rolling pin to roll the dough out a thickness of 3/4 inch.

• With a fork that has been dipped in flour, pierce the dough at half inch intervals before using a fluted, 2 1/2 or 3 inch biscuit cutter to stamp out the biscuits.  When you have run out of room to stamp out more biscuits, carefully reform the dough and press out as many as you can.

• Arrange the biscuits  on a parchment lined baking sheet and bake until golden, about 10-12 minutes.

• Remove from the oven a brush the tops with the melted butter.  Serve warm with butter, honey and/or jam.

Makes about 10-12 large biscuits

I served mine with homemade honey butter (comment if you need the recipe) and

a piping hot cup of tea. Heaven!

Thankful Thursday: Bowl Covers

I really know what I am thankful for today. I am thankful that I am not responsible for making the clothes that I wear! I am not a super seamstress, to be sure. I used a zigzag stitch for the first time on this project. I was so overwhelmed with that that I forgot to take in-process photos. To top it all off, the project didn't turn out exactly as I'd hope. But, hey...it's a growth opportunity, right?

These fabric bowl covers from The Farm Chicks are 
essential for summer picnics. No bugs invited!

I chose a fun food-themed fat quarter for these covers.

I traced a circle larger than the bowl and used

pinking shears to finish the edges. I used a piece

of 1/4 inch elastic around the edge to make the cover.

Using a zigzag stitch, pull the elastic as you stitch

over it. I was not very good at it though. 

My stitching is a little wonky and the cover isn't as

tight as I would like, but it beats ants in the potato salad!

WIP Wednesday: Embroidered T-Shirt...and Weasinart

This weekend, I had a meltdown. I had a project that I was working on and it was going all wrong. I was frustrated...very frustrated. It made me second guess all that I was doing and frankly, why I was doing it at all. Why am I doing all these projects? Why am I writing this blog? Is anybody even reading it? You know, one of those "self-doubt, nothing that I do is worth anything, I should just quit" meltdowns. And I almost did.

I don't have the answers to all those questions yet. I know that I like to work with my hands and make things. I know that I like relating what I do to the rest of the world. Readers? Well, hopefully they will come with time...

Meanwhile, as I am sorting out the why of the blog, I really want to make it better. I am thinking and wondering. What will make the blog better for you? More photos? Better photos? Different layout? Different features? Please let me know. 

While I switch things up and make them better, I am working on several other projects in the Weasinart:

A free-embroidered t-shirt

Upcycled Canisters (or: "The Meltdown Project")

A fat quarter apron

A steering wheel cover and match seat belt cozy

How Tuesday: Upcycled T-Shirt Tote Bag

Everybody loves an event with swag. At least most of the time...too much swag just becomes clutter or things that we never use.

I could and would never wear half of the t-shirts that I get at races. What I would use is more reusable shopping bags. Problem solved: turn on into the other!

After choosing your shirts, lay them out on you work surface.

Cut off the sleeves, preserving the side seams.

Use a template to shape the opening around the neck.

Cut around template. I used a bowl.

Mark the bottom where you are going to sew the short shut.

I also decided the angle some side seams so the bag would be 

wider on the bottom. The angle sides serve as a psuedo-gusset.

Sew along your markings. I did two hems around each

side for added stability.

I filled one with running gear...

...and used the other for some groceries.

You can keep the memories with these great shirts,

but use them more frequently and usefully!

What does Weasinart need?

Happy lunchtime, my friends!

As I plunge back into the blogging world, I want to ask you your opinions...comment and suggest to your heart's content:

• Do you like the current format of Weasinart? The layout? The features? Post design?
• What kinds of projects/recipes/chatter would you like to see?

Please help me to make Weasinart even better!!

Stay tuned for this evening's post for How Tuesday: Upcycled T-Shirt Tote Bags!

Metal Work Monday: Owls..so maybe I am trendy...

You can probably tell that I am not super trendy. Well, I didn't think that I was until the owl craze starting sweeping the nation. Freakin' hipsters.

I made this super cute owl bracelet, perfect for the fall. 

I ran a bronze ID tag and a silver disc through the Sizzix 

Big Kick to emboss the tree and owl.

I used my jeweler's saw to cut out the owl.

I used my Dremel and several files to smooth the edges.

I used some purple nail polish to give him some zest.

I sanded a bit off to really accentuate the details.

I used two brass eyelets to cold connect the two pieces.

It seemed perfect to make them his eyes.

I combined gunmetal and bronze chain for further interest.

Love at first sight!