"Love people. Cook them tasty food" and a giveaway

Okay, confession time: I have a shopping problem.  You're thinking, "You and me both, sister.  Don't we all have a shopping problem?"  I suppose this is true.  I know people who are obsessed with buying dog treats, special edition Kraft dinner, LEGO Star Wars toys, anything with a clearance tag or discount, seasonal Starbucks mugs, TOMS shoes, and berry bushes.  Well, that last one is me, but the rest are people I know.  Really.

Anyway, the one I am confessing today is spices.  I just can't help myself when it comes to buying spices and seasonings.  They are practical and necessary (and pretty cheap compared to shoes and LEGOS) so it's not really considered a problem, right?  Right.

A couple years ago my mom got me hooked on shopping at Penzeys Spices.  If you aren't familiar, Penzeys is a mail-order spice company out of Wisconsin and they sell everything you could imagine AND they make awesome spice blends.  My mom and I would place these huge orders to save on shipping and pretty soon my spice box became a spice drawer.  Then a retail store opened up in Seattle.  Oh, happy day!  But once you get in there with your measly list of three things you ran out of, it's pretty hard to stop with just the list.  So my spice drawer became two spice drawers and an overflow box.

One thing contributing to the overflow is that Penzeys hands out free samples like candy.  A quarter cup jar of something new always came with the shipped orders and if you get their catalog, it almost always includes a voucher for a full-size free something.  Glorious.

The Penzeys motto is "Love people. Cook them tasty food." and I think that embodies what a lot of us out here in blogland (and beyond) are all about.  Sure, I cook because I really enjoy it, but making food is the first thing I think of when I want to do something for someone.  Because what says "I love and appreciate you" like a brownie-crust Andes mint cheesecake?  Not much.

I really love and appreciate you, hobby room readers, but it's just not feasible for me to make you a cheesecake.  Bummer, I know.  Instead, I want to give you some Penzeys.  I have for two lucky readers a Penzeys Kind Heart gift box filled with four spice mixes and recipe ideas to go with each.  To enter, just use the Rafflecopter entry form below and I just want to add that you must be at least 18 years of age and a resident of the United States to enter.

In the interest of full disclosure, I did not receive any product or compensation from Penzeys for this hosting giveaway.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Craft Day with my Grandma: Mini Purses

You've heard me talk about how crafty my grandma is before, so I'm sure it is no surprise that I got this latest project from her.  She came down to have a craft day with me the other afternoon after I had seen these cute purses she's been making and asked for a tutorial.

The best part about this pattern is that it's ultimately customizable:

1. you pick any fabric you want
2. you pick the combination of panels/stripes you want
3. you can make this any size you want
4. you can add any pockets or wrist straps you want
5. you can have a plain bottom or square bottom

Well, have I sold you?  Want to make a mini purse for your very own?  Here's how.

Supplies you need to make a 6 inch by 7 inch bag:

• total of 1/4 yard of fabric in coordinating colors and patterns
• 1/4 yard one-sided fusible batting, such as Pellon Fusible Thermolam Plus
• coordinating polyester zipper, at least 12" long
• coordinating thread
• pins, iron and ironing board, parchment paper, ruler

Let's get started by cutting all the pieces:

• two 7 x 8 inch pieces of batting
• two lining pieces 6 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches
• four outside edge strips 1 3/4 x 7 1/2 inches 
• two outer contrast strips 3 1/2 x 7 1/2 inches
• wrist strap and zipper edge cover 2 x 12 inches 

1.  Fuse lining to batting pieces according to directions on wrapper.  Use parchment paper to sandwich the pieces in order to keep batting from fusing to the iron and the ironing board.  Using a straight edge, trim the batting the same size as the lining.

2.  Fold the fused pieces in half horizontally to find the half way point and clip a tiny notch to mark.  Do the same with the contrast strip of fabric.  Match the half way points and pin contrast strips right side out to the batting.  Align edge strips even with the contrast strip, right sides down, and pin in place.

3.  Sew a 1/4" seam down each side of the strips to secure to the batting.  Fold open and press flat.  Trim any uneven edges using a straight edge.

4.  Take the long strip of fabric you cut and press in half lengthwise.  Open up and fold each side in to the middle and press again.  You have just made your own faux bias tape.

5.  Now for the zipper.  About two inches from the secured end of the zipper, slowly make three passes back and forth with your sewing machine.  Cut off the end of the zipper leaving about 1/8" on the outside of the sewing.  Using a piece of the wrist strap a little wider than the zipper, place the zipper between the folded edges and sew across back stitching on each end.  Trim the fabric even with the zipper.

6.  Holding the zipper up to the batting pieces, mark the unfinished end of the zipper one inch from the edge of the bag.  This is where this end of the zipper needs to be sewn.  However, this is a little more difficult since the zipper needs to be open or you will end up cutting off the important part and waste a zipper.  Please, OPEN THE ZIPPER BEFORE PROCEEDING.  If it helps, pin the ends of the zipper to a scrap piece to keep them in place, then sew.  Proceed the same as for the other end by sewing across a couple times, then placing in a piece of the wrist strap faux bias tape, then sewing and trimming.

7.  Sew the zipper to the batting pieces.  First lay the zipper face down on the outside of one piece of batting.  Center it between the ends, pin in place, and stitch across.  Then do the same thing with the other piece.  Zigzag the outside of each seam to prevent fraying.  Sew the edges of the zipper down with a seam close to the seam attaching the zipper to the body of the bag.

8.  Prepare the wrist strap by sewing down each long edge to secure the sides together.  Wrap around your wrist to determine the appropriate length and trim accordingly.  

9.  Holding the two batting pieces right sides together, align the seams for the strips and pin in place.  Place the wrist strap between the pieces near the zipper and pin in place.  

10.  Before you sew the bag together, make sure the zipper is open so you will be able to turn the bag right side out when done.  Also, take care to not sew the fabric zipper ends when sewing the bag together.  Sew a 1/4" seam first down each side, back stitching at each corner, then across the bottom of the bag. Follow these seams with a zigzag stitch around the whole edge of the bag.

11.  Trim the point off the bottom corners and trim all threads, then turn the bag right side out.  Using a bone folder or non-sharp, but point, object push out the corners gently to square the bag.  

Let me just say, the purse is a lot easier to sew than the length of the instructions would appear.  If you have questions or if I left anything out, please, please, please send me a message to let me know so I can fix the instructions.  Obviously you can change the size or add a pocket to the lining before fusing or give it a square bottom.  I will be doing a tutorial for making a mini purse with a square bottom soon, so stay tuned if that interests you.

Do you love the fabulous batik fabric I used?  It's from my grandma's huge fabric stash and there's more where that came from so there just might be a purse to giveaway in the near future . . .

Sewing Project: Mini purse

Is this just the cutest or what?  And who doesn't need an extra little bag for carrying essentials?  Okay, I'll be honest, I'm always on the lookout for an extra bag, little or otherwise, to carry pretty much anything.  But I made this, so it has a special place in my heart.  Also, if I made it, it doesn't count as something I bought, right?

Well, regardless, I like this mini purse quite a lot and want to show you how to make one of your own.  Check back tomorrow for a step-by-step tutorial.  See you then!

A love-ly day

Without sounding too cheesy, I hope you have a day full of love.  I hope you feel loved and I hope you make others feel loved.  And most of all, I hope you know that the person who loves you the most of all is Jesus.

"I've never quit loving you and never will.  Expect love, love, and more love."  Jeremiah 31:3 (MSG)

Happy Valentine's Day!

Girl Scout Cookie Thai food

Yes, you read that right.  And I know what you're thinking.  It's the same thing I'm thinking: Girl Scout Cookies and Thai food, together at last!  Okay, maybe you're actually thinking, "Hmm, I'm not so sure about this."  Before we go any further, let's put a few notions right out of your head.  "But Jody," you say, "Girl Scout Cookies are too sweet for savory food."  Not so.  Especially in Thai food where there's already a little sweet flavor.  I can tell you're still worried.  "But Jody, if you add cookies to a sauce, doesn't it just make gloppy oatmeal?  That sounds gross."  You're right, that does sound gross.  One of my very least favorite things is "gloppy" so know that I would never steer you in that direction.

This is a great time of year because those perky, badge-wearing cookie sellers are back in full force.  Now that the boys know about the wonder that is Girl Scout Cookies, we have to get multiple boxes because the Mister does not like to share his Thin Mints and I do not like to share my Samoas.  Motherhood means sacrifice of lots of things--sleep, time, money--but I do not believe this includes Girl Scout Cookies.  In the off-season I have tried making my own Girl Scout Cookies, but nothing is the same as the original.  Want to know where you can find cookies in your area?  Click here.  Cookies go on sale in Western Washington on March 2nd.

Alton Brown and Red Hots

Back in the Fall I was tasked with making a birthday cake for member of our home group.  I have a cake dome that I love to use and had just seen a picture of a rainbow cake online, so I was totally in.  I had this great idea to do a Fall-ish array of colors and go with four layers: devil's food, red velvet, and red- and orange-tinted white cake layers.  I also wanted to use marshmallow-y boiled frosting because it stands up well to a creme brulee torch and I could get some lovely toasted texture on the cake.

The cake was fun to make and looked pretty good both from the outside and once I cut into it.  One of the guys who ate the cake made the comment, "How did you get this cake so dense and heavy?  It's not light and fluffy like cake usually is."   Gasp.  I was horrified.  The guy really did like the cake this way and meant it as a compliment, but I just couldn't take it that way.

Clear multi-pocket Valentine cards

My mom and my grandmother are two of the most creative people I know.  My grandmother is the one who used to make party favors for Frederick & Nelson and my mom who made the paper stars for me in college.  And that's just scratching the surface.

One of my grandmother's specialties is fun mail.  I have gotten photo postcards, quilted note cards, singing birthday cards, you name it.  For Valentine's Day, though, it was always this card and it is definitely my favorite.

What is it exactly?  You are looking at clear vinyl from the utility/upholstery fabrics section sewed together with pockets of goodies.  Vinyl is cheap, so you're just paying for the goodies you fill the card with and postage.  Yes, you read that right, postage.  You can take these down to the post office and they will accept them.  No kidding.  In fact, this stack of Valentines is going to my new friends from the Handmade Valentine Swap at the stationery place.  How cool to get one of these in the mail, no?