Bow-Belt, Loose tutorial :)

So this is how I made the bow belt...I say loose tutorial because nothing I did here is exact, you can totally wing it and modify it to fit your needs :)

For the BELT:

1 piece of fabric that measures 9 in wide by your bra size x 1.3 ish, so my bra size is 34, and my piece of fabric was 44 in long {if you want more scrunchy/ruffly do more, if you want less...you get the idea}

1 piece of WIDE elastic{mine was 2.5 in wide} that measures your bra size {after you thread it through the belt you'll trim 1.5-2 inches off depending on how tight you want it, and where it's going to sit on your body.

Snaps or Velcro, I used 3 snaps in the back, they are using snaps at the stores too...if you do use snaps, I like the "snapsource" snaps because their prongs are extra long and will stab through the layers of elastic and velcro easier, though it is still a struggle and velcro would have been much easier...pick your poison :)

cut your fabric per your specific measurements, I wanted my belt to be 3.5-4 in. wide, so my fabric was 9 inches wide

sew it into a tube and turn it right side out, press it with the seam in the middle of the back

Sew a straight seam about 5/8 from the edge, this is the part that will ruffle when your elastic is in, repeat for the other side :) so it looks like this:

Make sure your elastic will fit in between the seams

using a big safety pin, thread the elastic all the way through the tube

fold one end in and press it, sew it down with one end of elastic inside

Pull your elastic through and put it up to your body to see how tight you want it, then with the right amount of elastic out of the belt, sew a satin stitch (tight zig-sag stitch) down the end of the belt,

I put fray check on the end and then trim off the excess elastic {it's not pretty but It will be hidden by the velcro or snaps anyway :)

For the BOW:

One piece of fabric that is 4 x17 in (I wanted a bow that was 8 inches long)

one piece of felt that is 3.5x8 in

one piece of fabric that is 4x3

Sew the felt onto the folded piece of fabric and leave an opening for turning it right side out in the center of one of the sides, sew right on the line, like barely a millimeter onto the felt

snip the corners and turn right side out, sew the small piece of fabric into a tube adn turn it right side out, press them both

here's what the pressed bow piece should look like:

scrunch it up till you like the way it looks and sew it by hand, I like to sew through the middle then wrap a few times around the middle of the bow with my thread

wrap the small tube around the middle section and sew it on in the back, doesn't have to be pretty, just so its secure :)

Stitch it onto the middle of the belt, by whatever means works for you :) Mine does NOT look pretty, but it sure is secure :)

I also tacked down each corner of the bow to the belt so it wouldn't look funny, or crooked, or sag :)

I forgot to take photos, but I put 3 snaps in the back and...

TADA!!!! Super cute Bow belt!!1

Lovely right?

See this belt in Yellow HERE

Bow Belt

I know my crafty posts have been lacking lately, but not because I haven't been crafting, it's just that things seem to take priority over documenting the cute stuff I'm working on, but here's a teaser for a belt I just made, and I'll post loose instructions and photos tomorrow {hopefully} about how I did it....cute.

My sister Stephanie bought a super cute belt with a big bow on the front from Rue 21, and I regretted not getting one too...

I loved this dress, but it needed a little su'm su'm to look complete, so using the idea of the big bow belt that my sister has, I made this cute grey belt to match my dress :) I LOOOOVE the way it turned out, and I think I'll have to make a few more in different colors!
I'll have a tutorial tomorrow to show you how I did it, it was much easier than I thought it would be, and I LOVE the final product! Stay tuned!
See the tutorial HERE

and the same belt HERE in Yellow :)

Sesame Chicken

I was in the mood for Sesame Chicken, but the recipe I usually use has you bread the chicken and then fry it, then coat it with the sauce...I wanted something more healthy and less time consuming, this came together in like 10 minutes :)

YUMMY Sesame Chicken

{Amy, do you love the napkin I used for the backdrop? I do! :) }

This recipe came from Food.com, posted by Jenny White

My modifications are in BLUE :)

{I started my rice in the rice cooker before I started cooking, and I had the chicken thawing all afternoon}

6 boneless skinless chicken breast halves, pat dry with paper towels

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup soy sauce

1 cup water

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/2-1 teaspoon ground ginger (fresh is better) {I used a dash of ginger powder, it was tasty}

1/2-1 teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds {Sesame Seeds can be pricey if you try to buy a small spice-sized container of them at the grocery store, but I bought mine in bulk from Honeyville Grains, 13 oz for $6.99}

{I added chopped onions, chopped garlic and about 2 minutes before it was ready I threw in some halved sugar snap peas}

Directions:

1 Cut chicken breast into 1 inch strips or bite size pieces.

2 Heat a large non-stick skillet that has been sprayed with Pam, over medium-high heat.{I put in some vegetable oil and little bit of sesame seed oil}

3 Cook chicken for about 6 minutes or until no longer pink.

4 Mix together honey, soy sauce, water, corn starch, ginger and red pepper flakes.

5 Whisk until no corn starch lumps appear.

6 Pour sauce mixture into skillet with chicken.

7 Cook until sauce thickens slightly.

8 You can add more water if sauce is too thick.

9 Sprinkle with sesame seeds.

10 Cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until chicken starts to soak up the sauce.

Serve over rice, ENJOY!!!

Spray Painting, update

So, I have been a little MIA, but not because I haven't been working hard and crafting it up, because I have. I have been working on a bajillion things at once, tell me I'm not the only one with crafting ADD...All of these beauties are getting ready to be primed and painted! The buckets are metal pails, they are Pottery Barn, but I got them at DOWNEAST for .50 cents! They are gonna be CUTE! The star and frames don't have a specific home yet, but then again, I don't have a thing on any of my walls yet...I know.

So this is like a third of what I've been spray painting, and working on, I bought a dresser for $10 at a yard sale this weekend, and a side table thing to hold piano books in the living room for $5 a couple weekends ago...the projects are really piling up...

I'm also getting ready for a craft show in Jackson Hole in August, I've been sewing about 20 bibs a day this week...

I'm also tutoring 2 kids for an hour each every day at the library ( very nice little side job ot earn some spending/decorating/crafting moolah)

So, I'm busy...

But I'll be sure to keep you posted on my progress!!!

Thanks so much for reading!

Ganache in the microwave!

WHAT is Ganache you ask? It's a chocolatey goodness made with chocolate chips and cream, and can be used in a variety of delicious ways. I LOVE ganache, and I like to do mine in the microwave because I only have to dirty one dish, and it takes all of a minute or two! Really!

I use Ganache primarily to frost chocolate cake or brownies, but you can also eat it warm with fresh strawberries, on top of ice cream, chilled, whipped, and piped onto cuppy-cakes, rolled into balls and dusted with cocoa or powdered sugar, like a truffle, or my personal favorite, just dig in with a spoon...can't help it!

So here's how you make it:

You'll need

2 cups chocolate chips (I use the "Ambrosia" semi-sweet from Costco...mmm...(any kind of quality chocolate chip would work, milk chocolate chip would work as well)

1 cup heavy whipping cream

Start with your chips in a microwave safe bowl

pour on the cream, just like a bowl of cereal

nuke in the microwave 45 seconds, stir, then nuke another 30 seconds, then stir...

The warm cream will start to melt the chips, stir it up

keep stirring (it will look like it's not going to combine, but it will, and if you feel the need, you can microwave it for another 20 seconds or so

keep stirring...I know it looks lumpy and like something has gone terribly wrong, but keep stirring :)

and stirring...

And voila!!! Truly rich chocolate to use for whatever you please!

When I am going to frost a cake with it, I put it in the fridge fro a half an hour or so, but it would also be pretty poured on top of a bundt cake or something...or on top of ice cream, you know...whatev

It's my new go-to dessert topping! MMmmmmmmmmm!!!

Onesies

My first adventures with freezer paper and fabric paint last year, enjoy!

I have been having a blast crafting up a storm. A friend is having a baby girl, so I got to indulge in some girly things that I otherwise wouldn't have been able to... so that's why some of these are girly...if they aren't, then they are for our baby :)

LOL...okay it's like iPod...only iPood...ha ha ha ha ha...not my original idea, but I love it!!! I also learned to freezer paper stencil and fabric paint, LOVE it, so easy peasy, and fast!

Another freezer paper stencil, love these whimsical birdies, don't you???

I have a thing for elephants....

HEY did I mention I got all these onesies on clearance at Walmart for $1.50??? LOVE it!

Oh man, this has to be the favorite, who doesn't LOVE a ruffle bum??? It was very easy too, if you can't tell, there are tiny pink hearts on the onesie...too cute!

Okay, I LOVE this image. Also, I learned something SO cool about the fabric paint I used. It was my first time, so when I bought it at JoAnn's, I just grabbed the only white one I saw. When I got home I noticed it said "Velveteen finish" on the bottle. WTH...I just wanted normal! BUT I wasn't about to take it back right away, plus I was anxious to try out freezer paper stenciling for the first time, so I used it anyway. It went on totally normal, dried totally normal, then I read the directions, and it said "to give it the velveteen finish, put your iron on "steam" and hold 1/2 inch above painted surface, and it will "Puff up"...so I gave it a shot. IT IS SO COOL!!! It turned it totally THICK, and kind of SOFT, and really bold, can you see how it looks embossed or something? I love it! What a happy accident! Try it, you won't regret it! The only thing is, it kind of gets ripple-ie...but I think with a chubby baby wearing it, that won't be an issue :)

This tree is just Applique, but I love it

Knit Maternity dress

This is a post from last year...I wore this dress ALL the time while pregnant, to church, to school, etc. So comfy!

Okay, first project on my new sewing machine: Knit dress...knit is a pain in the bum to sew with...I love the dress though, so it turned out okay :) The sleeves were hard, but I'm expanding my sawEEt skills :) Also, I got this fabric a long time ago from Walmart, for .50 cents a yard...so this dress costed like 1.25 in fabric :) I also have a plain grey one I am working on...it's the MOST comfortable thing to wear...and it's expandable...er the knit is very giving :)23 week belly

I gotta say, this is not my favorite angle, straight on...BUT I had to show the whole dress...A close up of the gathered ruffly sleeve...cute!