That's How I Crisp

Don't hate me because I'm not a chocolate person.  Don't get me wrong, the stuff is delicious, but I'd rather have a fruit dessert any day of the week.  And this one goes out to all you Trader Joe's shoppers out there.  It's more of a suggestion than a recipe, but you'll thank me.

Fill a baking dish with sliced nectarines, plums, and/or peaches.  This is two of those little TJ's plastic baskets worth of nectarines in a 9x13 dish.  I set out for plums, but nectarines were a happy substitution.

Toss them with a little flour (I used about 1/4 cup white whole wheat flour, but you could use another thickener if you want.) and maybe a little sugar (My fruit was on the tart side, so I used about 1/4 cup of raw sugar, but use a different sweetener if you want or leave it out altogether.  If you want this to be sweet like a pie, add more like 3/4-1 cup sugar).

Get out your box of TJ's Ginger, Almond, & Cashew Granola.  You can use another kind, but why would you?  Stone fruit with two kinds of nuts and little chunks of crystallized ginger?  HELL-OH! Dump the cereal on top of the fruit.  Just do it, and don't be shy!  Dot with butter.  Or here, I used coconut oil to accommodate a friend with dairy allergies.

Bake it at  350 degrees until the top is browned and crispity, and the bottom is all bubbly, and your house smells like happy.  This should take 40 minutes or so.  Then stare at it as it cools.

OMNOMNOMNOMNOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!

You are so welcome.

Pinteresting Travel

We're going on a road trip soon!  I want my kids to remember road trips as fondly as I do, so I needed some fun things to do in the car besides eat beef jerky.  I got some ideas off of Pinterest, and I actually made them happen!  First, I made a little travel art box from the idea I got here.

I mostly had these materials on hand, although I did splurge on the 97 cents for a new box of crayons to go in it.  I cut apart some sheets of stickers to add to the kit.  Now I will have stickers and post-its all over the car, but that is the cost of travel sanity!

Also, I made one of those fabric marble maze thingies.  There are several blogs about them circulating, but here is my inspiration.  My maze is about 9 X 11, and I used a scrap of an upholstery fabric, and a scrap of flannel to make it even more tactile.  

There are buttons for start and finish, which I should have sewed on BEFORE I put the front and back together, but I forgot.  SO that took longer than it should have.

 Oh, and I used one of those glass blob aquarium jewels instead of a marble, because I was having a hard time finding a marble.  It slides along just fine, and is maybe even less cumbersome than a marble, so I am happy.  And now I have a whole package of glass blobby things to craft with!!!

Hollister Knit Top to Preschooler's Dress PLUS Rosette Tutorial PLUS the Proper Spelling of "Voilà"

Okay, I admit it, I have never set foot in a Hollister store.  I have nothing against Hollister.  I do value being able to see and breathe while I shop, but no biggie.  Oh, and I'm 36.

However, I did manage to snag this cute top while shopping at $5 bag day at a local rummage sale:

Which is almost like shopping at Hollister, I would imagine.

I was so happy when it fit me, but, hey, I'm 36.  And also I did not want to buy a special undergarment just to go under said garment, so I thought it better to make it into a frock for the girl cub.  First, I cut off the sleeves and the back, leaving the nice ribbed collar intact.

Then I turned it inside out and stitched the collar ribbing together where the shoulder seams had been to make a halter.  I cut off the excess and turned it right side out, and then I pinned and topstitched the sides (where the sleeves had been) all the way up and around the halter and down the other side.  I used this opportunity to angle the sides in quite a bit to fit the chest of a 5-year-old.

I cut off the excess fabric, made a little pleat in the back, and folded and pinned the back elastic to the inside and topstitched it.

Holy color enhance, Batman!  Okay, so now the rosette...

I've seen plenty of rosette tutorials around, but I wanted mine to be not so tightly wound and also not have hot glue all over it (for comfort's sake!), so I made my own.  I cut my fabric scrap from the shirt back I had removed, 2.5" X 11" or so.

I folded it in half the long way and stitched one end closed.  I used a long stitch length to make a gathering stitch all the way down the side.  I gathered, especially tightly on the closed end, and then knotted the threads.  At this point, I started singing, "Come on Eileen" because it reminded me of a Scrunchy I had in Junior High.  I turned it right side out with a chopstick, tucked the open ends closed and stitched it shut.  No need to make it too pretty on this end.

Ah, now some hand stitching...

Locating the inner corner of the more tightly gathered end, I tried not to poke my leg.

I stitched down through the corner, coiled it to meet the next layer and stitched through the inner edge, pulling it tight.  After going through a couple more layers, "floofing" it as I went (Yes, that is a technical term!), I made sure to catch the inner corner of the other end, pull the thread tight, and knot it.

And VOILÀ!!!!! a rosette.  And now for a moment of honesty...

I hand stitched the rosette to the dress in a strategic location so as to hide the weirdness from the seam ripper.  O.o

I made an oops the first time I sewed down the side.  I feel better now that I got that off my chest.

DD loves this dress.  I might have to take it up another inch or so in the halter, though, because when she wears it, she says, "Mommy, this dress is too big.  It almost shows This Part!"  (while stretching neckline down and pointing to nipple).  5-year olds.  *shakes head*

Creature Randomness

Just posting some pics of creatures I've made recently.  These are maybe some of the less fabulous ones.  Except for Maxwell, the Sad Alien Bunny.  He's pretty cool.

He's upcycled from a scarf.  And I still have the other end of the scarf to make his twin.  :)

Speaking of upcycled scarves, here are a couple club-footed gnomes.

Some sock creatures:  Sockkat (who is still in need of arms) and a Funny Bunny.

Here is Señor Tooth, made from project scraps.  He is a prototype of things to come.