Scalloped yams and sweet potatoes

Quick little thanksgiving recipe if you need a change from marshmallow topped yams or just prefer something a little more savory

Ingredients

• 1/2 lb yams, peeled and cut into 1/8-inch slices
• 1/2lb sweet potatoes peeled and cut into 1/8 inch slices
• 1 teaspoons salt
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• • 1 teaspoons coarse black pepper
  • 1 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
  • 1 1/2 cups half-and-half ETA: Heavy cream
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  • Preheat oven to 350 
  • Arrange yams and sweet potatoes in a casserole dish I alternated between yam/sweet potato but you don't have to be that neat, just get them all into the dish.
  
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  • Heat heavy cream with herbs, salt, pepper and garlic to infuse the flavors. Simmer for about 2-3 minutes. 
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  • Pour heavy cream mixture over the yams and sweet potatoes
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  • Cover with foil and bake 35-45minutes until the yams and potatoes are soft when poked with a fork. 
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  • Shave gruyere cheese (enough to fully cover all the scalloped yams and potatoes, more or less depending on how much you like cheese) over the top and pop under the broiler for a moment to melt and lightly brown the cheese.
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  • This recipe was a hit last thanksgiving at my house and I hope it will be in yours as well

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The pants project

Here is the situation. While I was in Thailand my favorite pair of skinny jeans got a big fat tear in them. About 2.5 inches long and totally in an area that would shred right out (and look worse) if I tried to patch it. 


Last night it came to me in a dream (or really, in the minutes before I fell asleep) I could crop them and use the cut off fabric to turn them into "riding" style pants. I used these as inspiration for the shape and look of the inset. 


Let me show you what we were working with. 

A tear right on my inner thigh. Seriously?! Such a bummer

I did patch the hole with iron on denim and then stitched it down around the edges. It looked pretty terrible like I suspected it would but remember, I have a plan to cover that up!

So I took a couple of attempts to hand draft a nice shape for the inset and finally landed on this one which I liked a lot. 

It follows the general shape of the inspiration image and covers the hole quite nicely. 

Mirror that on the other side and I have a pair of riding pants that look great with my boots!

So cute I think I'll wear them to Bill Maher tonight!  

Go Glam Baby!

Here we are; we have reached the final edition of baby shower posts. This one is a girly wonderland created for Lydia and Kaylee by my sister Sandy and I. "Happy hour" started at 3:30 and guests were served mocktails and hors d'oeuvres while they helped us celebrate Lydia and Kaylee. 

 Cupcake display

 darling single cupcake stands

My favorite element was the cupcake display

 "Wish" table where guests can sign in and make a wish for Kaylee 

 Make a wish for the new baby

 Gift table

 Detail of the "Kaylee" pompom wall

 Faux-tini party

Table detail

 The lovely room

 Food table

 We had a decorate your own onsie station, the guests all did an amazing job!

Now we eagerly wait for little Kaylee to come into the world in all her girly princess glory!

Oh Baby!

Well it's baby fever around here. Two of my cousins and one of my childhood friends all are pregnant and having babies within weeks of each other. You saw the lovely shower my childhood friend Robyn had thrown for her a few weeks back. Her lovely son was born in the beginning of July, I wish you could see the darling owl themed nursery she set up for baby Orion! 


Baby number two was born to my cousin Krystal yesterday, Joseph Daniel, a big 9 lb 12oz 20 inch long baby boy! He is a cutie with a full mohawks worth of hair already! My sister and I threw the shower for Krystal back in June and I have been so excited to share the pictures with you! Perhaps you'll recall the pom poms we were making and the wonderful country fair inspired invitation Sandy's husband designed for us? 

I ADORE the invitation Rex designed. So charming!

Just as a reminder, here is our inspiration board

We did a Country Fair theme complete with a chili cook off, baked-goods competition, quilt judging and a bean bag toss. Held in the lovely backyard of a family friend on a day of perfect weather we couldn't have asked for a more perfect day. Many many thanks to all the "contestants" it was a wonderful turn out to celebrate Krystal's new addition. 

 Setting up the shower

We set up a bean bag toss game with the tire swing and some bean bags

Sandy's yummy cake with cute little pennant decorations

 Fun little mad-libs (Sandy's brilliant husband designed them!) for Krystal and the baby all the guests filled out

 Pin wheels in wheat grass center pieces, wonderful paper straws from Cupcake Social

 We made the water bottle "goldfish" prizes with a free downloadable from BumpSmitten

Next week I'll share photos of the oh so girly, Glam Baby shower Sandy and I threw for our glam girl Lydia! See you soon!

Making a clock/goodbye dead zone

For a while now I have been looking at the corner wall in my living room and thinking, "I really wish there was something there to fill that space."

First I put in 3 vases full of billy blossoms, that helped a little, you can see them there by the couch. But today I decided to do something more!


My art supply store is having a sale on their canvas and paint supplies so I picked up a 10x20 canvas, I've had some clockworks hanging around my apartment waiting for inspiration to strike me and today it did. 


Here is what you need for this project:
1 canvas (whatever size suits your needs. I choose 10x20)
Masking tape
Acrylic paints in the colors you like (or the colors you need to mix the colors you like I picked yellow, orange and turquoise)
Ruler
Clockworks
Paintbrush 
Pencil

To begin I drew out the lines for my stripes (I drew them so light that the photos showed up as white so no photo for this step)


Then mask off for your first color, to prevent bleed through I primed along the masking tape with white paint.

Continue painting and masking until all your lines are painted. To speed things up you may want to use a cool hairdryer. 

Poke a hole through the canvas (I used a sharp pencil) and insert the clock works. At first I attached it with the canvas support but it didn't seem secure so I used double sided foam tape to stick it on to the canvas.


Attach the clock hands to the front (make sure they are in the right order, I had mine up for about 20 minuted before I realized the hour hand was moving faster then the minute hand hahaha)

Then just hang it up and enjoy what a bright fun pop of color it brings to your life!

New fabric=New blogs

I'm very excited to announce that as of 3 minutes ago I have 6.5 yards of new fabric to play with. I will be blogging about my creations as soon as I begin, but for now.... Look what I got!

It came adorably wrapped up! I love Sew Fabulous quilt shop, the little details make me feel like a special customer

The best part is, the fabric was 50% off which is why I got 2 instead of just 1. 

Two summery dresses are in my future! I can't wait, I promise I'll share the details. 

Hooked on Hexagons

Here is something about me, I very much dislike going to Ikea, it's crowded, they route you through their store to sell you things you didn't come for, people are wandering aimlessly about the place (getting in my way). If I sound like a grumpy old lump, I probably am, which is why when I have to go, I enter through the exit, grab the item I need and leave. Last weekend I summoned up the courage (and took my sister with me) and went to Ikea with one item on my mind-

I've had my eye on these HÖNEFOSS mirrors since they first came out and have been lurking impatiently around blog land for someone to post an interesting project with them. No such luck, I guess my impatience to create won out over wanting someone else to go first, SO I created an "art installation" on my dining room closet door with the mirrors and three colors of felt. My boyfriend say's its his favorite thing in the apartment now! (Which is made doubly amazing by the fact that I actually created a stereo/record area just for him! hahaha!) 


Here's how it all went down:
First, start off with closet doors that haven't been painted, even though we have lived in this apartment for over a year (shear laziness I tells ya) 

Originally all walls, trim, and ceilings in the apartment were this color. ugh!

Second, paint them white and wait a week to go to Ikea (this is important so you can appreciate how much better they look white)

Third. Buy mirrors from Ikea

No photo available (photo simulation of how I look at Ikea)

Fourth buy felt from JoAnn, this step was made even better by the fact that the felt was on sale, I got three 1/3 yard cuts for $3 total. (No photo for this step)

Fifth, using one of the HÖNEFOSS mirrors as a template cut felt with rotary cutter and craft mat. (Photo not available)

Sixth, lay out the projected pattern on the ground. Don't go at it all willy-nilly you won't like what you get.

The mess is helpful for creation, trust me

Seventh find the center of your pattern and the center of your closet and start hanging. A small level will be required. To hang the felt I used double stick tape around every edge and in the center of each felt hexagon.

Eighth, finish up, stand back and be proud of what you did (At least thats what I did 8th)

Ninth, take the opportunity to brag about your work in blog land!

Let me know what you think, I think it's pretty cool. I also think there are so many great potential applications for these mirrors, maybe as a cool honeycomb in a bee themed nursery, or a headboard, or an all over wall treatment. Go nuts people, hexagons are hot!

UPDATE:
I added more felt on the opposite closet door.