Guest Posting @ The Sewing Dork!

Good morning! Today is super exciting! I am guest posting for the very first time (anywhere) at Confessions of a Sewing Dork! March is frugal crafting month at Confessions of a Sewing Dork and I for one have been really enjoying the posts! So when Cynthia asked me to author a post for her themed month I was more than willing. So much so I was almost instantly inspired. I had this skirt sketched in my notebook but I was dragging my butt on the actual creation of it. Until the other day. Suddenly (like as soon as I read the email) I had to make it that day! And I did. And it is awesome. And now I will share with you how you can make the cutest skirt from a ratty pair of jeans, an old stained t-shirt and a shoelace. Seriously if that is not the epitome of frugal, well than can I at least have a B+ ?


Want to make one of these? The skirt, not the gorgeous kid, this is a g-rated blog!


For the next few days the tutorial will be located here at Confessions of a Seeing Dork. How cool is that? I have been reading her blog since shortly after I started this one. I cannot remember which one of her many awesome (and uber thrifty) tutorials lured me in as she has so many. Re-purposing and refashioning are the main themes which would explain why I love it when her blog pops up in my dashboard window. Oh and giveaways, this woman is uber generous! Always giving away handmade items, would be a good idea for you to visit her often!

Hope to see you there!

Recipe : Ovarian Chocolate Cake

This, my friends, is what happens when your hormones demand satisfaction!
You have heard of Bavarian Cream Pies? Well, this is the Ovarian Chocolate Cake.

By nature I am not a chocolate lover. That is not to say that I do not enjoy chocolate, but I am more of a liker than lover. Every now and then though, particularly when I am ovulating I crave sweets, usually in the form of chocolate. And about a year ago, I was craving it pretty bad so I made this cake. It has become a family favourite and I love to make it for special occasions like Father's Day (My dad is a chocolate fiend!) and like yesterday at my (not so)little brother's birthday dinner.

It is a devil's food cake with pudding between the layers, a mousse frosting and cookie crumb coating. It is a fairly involved cake, but totally worth it! Would you like to make one too? Oh goody! Let's begin.

Ovarian Chocolate Cake

Devil's Food Cake Ingredients/Directions

2 cups sugar
½ cup + 2 tablespoons butter, softened
3 eggs, separated
2 cups all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup boiling water
1 cup sour cream

1. Preheat oven to 350 deg F and grease two 9 in cake tins.
2. Put cocoa in small bowl; add boiling water and mix until smooth. Let cool.
3. Using an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar on medium speed for approximately 5 minutes. Add egg yolks and mix well.
4. Sift in flour, baking powder and baking soda, add cocoa mixture, sour cream, and vanilla extract and mix well.
5. Whisk egg whites until stiff and fold gently into the cake mixture. Transfer to the cake tins trying to keep them as equal as possible.
6. Bake at 350 degrees until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean, approximately 40 minutes. Let the cakes cool.
7. Slice each cake through the middle to make four layers. Let each layer cool before icing.

Now, the easy parts. Filling and icing.

Ingredients (I guess you could call them that)

1 box chocolate pudding (Fudge flavour works really well)
1 cup (250ml carton) 35% whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla
2 tbs sugar
1 box Oreo cookie crumbs (You won't use the whole box, closer to half but I didn't measure this step)

Prepare pudding according to package directions. Spread a thick layer to the edges on three cake layers. And stack to form four layer cake.

To prepare whipping cream put cream, sugar and vanilla in a bown and whip until stiff peaks form. (You can also substitute Dream Whip here if you so choose)

Add remaining chocolate pudding to whipped cream and ice cake top to bottom.

Now, the part that requires a little bit of patience. Adhering the cookie crumbs to the sides without making a giant mess. To do this I poured the crumbs around the cake on the cake platter and then with a knife slowly 'pulled' (for lack of a better word) them up the side of the cake until I was satisfied with how it looked.

And it really does look fantastic doesn't it? But, never mind that how did it taste? Like a little piece of heaven! The combination of fluffy chocolate cake and pudding make for an almost brownie like consistency that is the good kind chewy. Now, there is one little sliver left and I am going to claim it before my chocolate fiend of a father gets it!

Bon Appetit!

Storybook Sunday : I Wished For A Unicorn

I Wished for a Unicorn by Robert Heidbreder and illustrated Kady MacDonald Denton.

This was the book that inspired this series of posts. I found it so randomly at a charity shoppe that I wanted to share it with everyone so that others may enjoy it if and when they happen upon it or even go looking for it.
The book is a charming book written with such a wonderful rhythm that I actually enjoy reading it to Wednesday, over and over and yes over again. She calls this "My Unicorn Book" and we read it together at least once a day but usually more. It is perfect for her attention span having only one or two four line rhyming stanzas per colourful page. I find that anything more than that and it is anyone's guess if she will stay interested past the first two pages.
But the rhythm in this one flows so wonderful, the verses just roll off your tongue.

The story is about a child that wishes for a unicorn and through sheer will and imagination, has their wish granted...sort of. She goes on an adventure that includes a magic wood, moat monsters and a dragon to mention a few. She (I am presuming it is a she but it could just as easily be a he) and her unicorn don`t stop until they need a nap.

Wednesday's favourite parts have to be the colourful yet scary trees in the magical wood, the howling and the moles that are "Like the Mole Sisters.". My favourite thing about this book is how the title is not I wish I HAD a Unicorn, instead the narrator makes something out of what she already has. Sounds like a familiar concept around here yes...

I pleased to find out when I Googled the author and illustrator that they are both Canadian. It is so rare I happen upon Canadian authors without being directed to them. Also in googling the authors (Kady MacDonald Denton also writes children's books as well as illustrates)I found The Library and Archives Canada website and is it ever wonderful. Canadian or not I encourage everyone to browse through the pages and take advantage of the services it offers. I can tell you that this will not be the last time I visit there.

Robert Heidbreder and Kady MacDonald Denton team up for one more book A Sea Wishing Day and it looks to be just as wonderful, I cannot wait to add it to Wednesday's ever growing bookshelves.

Speaking of Wednesday's bookshelves, you may have noticed the widgets in my sidebar. They are there as recommendations only. I will add books as we buy them, read them and if we love them. I thought it a great way to share with you what we are loving. Make no mistake, Wednesday's bookshelves are plentiful and i cannot wait to show you a picture but for now I am adding books as she loves the not as I do. (I have so many books just waiting for her to be old enough to absorb them!)If you use the links I make a minuscule commission (I didn't even bother finding out what it is I assume it is so small) but for anyone who does, it will let me know that you value my opinion and my head will swell.

Bonne nuit and happy reading!

Wednesday on Wednesday

Wednesday's first Easter egg hunt. This was last March. I was not nearly as crafty this time last year so I just bought some super shiny eggs and a bucket and threw them on the grass. She loved it. She was too young to really hunt so instead of making it hard for her we kept it simple. She loved it and when she would open them up and find some real fruit candy all the better. This year they will be one hundred percent less plastic but a zillion percent more awesomeness!

How To - Manual Machine Buttonholes

Happy Tuesday folks! The sun is shining and spring is finally in the air around here! With the new season upon us I wanted to make some new changes to the blog, so if it seems a bit of a mess for a couple days, bare with me I just have a gazillion things on the go, one being packing for the move. I cannot wait to show you the new place, but for now it is on the to-do list.

As a precursor to a tutorial you will be seeing here shortly I did a quick photo tutorial on buttonholes. I did this for two reasons, the first being that I know buttonholes are incredibly intimidating to novice sewers. Seriously, how many projects did you/have you avoided because they required buttonholes? Or, you did do the the project but avoided any buttonholes and it just didn't turn out the same? That is why. The other reason is because when I searched for easy tutorials to link for you I couldn't find a single one that did not include using a buttonhole foot. I will admit, my machine has a buttonholer (It is so cool to watch) but not everyone has that option and I didn't want you to not make any upcoming projects because of that that little detail.

A manual button hole is super simple. I developed this method from scratch for the sake of the tutorial having never made a buttonhole before so that should tell you how easy they are. Below is a series of twelve photos numbered to the corresponding step below. Each step is so simple I almost thought about not posting photos but we need photos and then I thought about labeling the collage with one word of text but that was just not quite enough. So hopefully the numbered photos and the super simple written steps written below work for you.



1. Supplies: Scrap fabric, ruler, marker, razor blade (Or super sharp, super pointy scissors), button
2. Measure diameter of button.
3. Measure thickness of button.
4. Add together and mark on fabric.
5. With marked line on the outside of the needle sew a running stitch around the mark.
6. Check it out, a nice little rectangle guide.
7. Set zig zag width to 1.25 and use buttonhole/applique/satin stitch setting. Sew around running stitch. You might need to do this twice if your stitches are not close enough together.
8. With the center of the buttonhole lined up with the center of your foot and needle, set the zig zag width to its widest setting. Mine is 4 and it fit perfectly.
9. At the top and bottom of the buttonhole stitch approx 1/8" to give it some added resistance to wear.
10. With your razor blade (or super sharp super small scissors) slice down the center of your buttonhole, making sure not to get any stitches.
11. Check your button in your newly fashioned hole.
12. Tadaa! You did your very first buttonhole without a fancy machine foot!

If you have any questions, or if any readers have an helpful comments please feel free to share them! And with that, I bid you adieu and happy sewing!

Recipe : Tortilla Lasagna Pie

This is one of my most favourite dishes. It is also one of my favourite vegetarian dishes as I make it with beans and veggie ground round. It is so simple and so good I cannot believe I have not shared it before now. It has become one of my comfort food dishes. It is also a fantastic way to use up pantry items and/or left over chili.

Tortilla Lasagna Pie

Ingredients

Tortilla shells 8" work well but if you have a pan big enough you could use 10"
1 pkg Veggie Ground Round or browned ground beef (1lb)
Can of your favourite canned bean (We like black)
1 Green or red pepper diced
1 Onion finely chopped
1 tbsp Cajun or chili seasoning + tsp cornstarch
2-3 cups shredded cheddar

You can also substitute one can (Or two cups of leftover) of vegetarian (like Stag Four bean Veggie) or meat-itarian chili for the beans, veggies, onions and seasoning.


Modus Operandi

Heat 2tbs oil in a pan and add peppers and onions. Saute until soft. Add veggie ground round (or pre-browned ground beef) and beans. Saute until heated through.

Mix spices and cornstarch with a cup of water. Add to bean mixture and cook until reduced to a saucy mixture.

Add 1/2 cup shredded cheese and stir until good and cheesy/gooey. Remove from heat.

Layer:
Tortilla
Bean Mixture
Tortilla
Bean mixture
Tortilla
Bean mixture
Tortilla
Remaining shredded cheese

Pop in the oven @ 350 degrees until cheese is bubbly and brown on top.

Pull out and let rest a few minutes before serving.
Serve with salsa and roasted garlic sour cream (or plain sour cream).
A 9" pie feeds four adults, you could feed more with smaller slices (Like the one pictured) if you served a side like cornbread muffins or something similar. I love this dish though and I chow down on a big piece to myself!

Super simple stuff! Have fun with it and bon appetite!

My Creative Space - Easter is in the Air

The Morning After, originally uploaded by Cara.Mia.

I have already finished the first part of my Easter gift to Wednesday...I am sure you can figure out what it is? This picture was taken the morning after the bulk of the construction took place. Which means I am about one third done. I still need to make a basket for them to go in as they are collected.

If you haven't been, you must drop by and visit Kirsty @ Kootoyoo and the other creative spacers.

Wednesday on Wednesday

Wednesday, originally uploaded by Cara.Mia.

Squishy face! This is how she now smiles for the camera.

How To - Refashioned Pants to Toddler Skirt + Vest

Happy Tuesday! To celebrate this very spring-like-but-not-spring day, instead of going outside and enjoying the fresh air (I know! Bad mommy!) I put together a very photo heavy photo tutorial. If you remember the denim skirt refashioning I did last week...I think it was last week...I said that I might be able to rig up a tutorial, well I managed to photograph the same process this weekend. The skirt is not denim and the pleats are not plaid but it photographed nicely and I am ridiculously proud of my efforts. Check it out!



It is made from a pair of stretch corduroy pants that were from Wednesday's big booty cloth diaper days, some flannel remnants and a second pair of cords that I had originally hacked for the project and cut too short off the hop. But, aside from a wonky shoulder seam in the vest, I have to say I have outdone myself. I have never attempted anything like this and with much patience it turned out awesome. AWESOME! I buttonholed for the first time, sewed on flat pockets for the time, MADE A VEST for the first time, made and attached bows for the first time. I learned so many thing making this vest. Did I mention it was awesome? Okay, on to the construction instructions!

Skirt Materials:

Pair of old pants
Fabric for pleating (3x the circumference of cut off pants + 6 inches just in case)
Chosen embellishments (if any)

Vest materials:
Pattern (I used this one from BurdaStyle.com it was free and had easy to follow directions)
Fabric for outer and lining, can be the same.
Buttons x 3
Fabric for pockets (I used pant legs which I show you how to do below.)
Embellishments of choice










Super quick video on how to make pleats.
For those who know how, this is where you would make them.













I made the bows late last night so I did not take photos. They were super simple though. With right sides together sew a rectangle measuring twice the length you want your bow to be. Leave an inch to turn out. Turn out and top stitch. To make bow center fold a piece of fabric in half, open and fold edges into the center and fold again. Stitch down middle if small, sides if wide. Sew right side ends together and then turn right side out. Pull rectangle through the loop you just made and voila! You have a neat little bow.


Cut bottom off one pant leg. Then cut side seams off.

Now you have two pieces of fabric with one finished side each.

Turn over and fold to shape your pocket, I have given you an example but whatever works for you is fine. Pin and press.

I won't go into detail on the vest construction because it is done so well with the pattern. Just REMEMBER to sew these onto the front of your vest before you sew the front to the lining. I sewed my bow on after it was all done, a few hand stitches at the center and in each corner to keep it laying flat.



The entire affair was inspired by the pink cords I cut too short and Easter. The plan was to make a pretty little Easter outfit. I think I succeeded. It is a bit on the warm side being made of flannel, but 'round these parts Spring does not always mean warmth. And doesn't it look great with the pink rubber cowgirl boots?!

If you have any questions at all please do not hesitate to contact me! Until next time, happy sewing!

Linking to...

Whatever Goes Wednesday @ Someday Crafts
Make it & Wear it @ The Train To Crazy
Hand Me Down Rehab @ Helping Little Hands
Get Your Craft On @ Today's Creative Blog
Thursdays Treasures @ Treasures For Tots
Sharing Ideas Wednesday @ The Trendy Treehouse
Hand Me Down rehab @ Helping Little Hands

Thank You Vancouver for an Incredible Olympic Games!

The 2010 Olympic games are officially over. It is almost with a heavy heart that I type this. I had so much fun! And, like Bill Plaschke wrote in his article Canada is a Winter Games Wonderland written for the LA Time "For two weeks, you lived your anthem..." I did. We did. We were determined, successful, generous in spirit, welcoming hosts and patriotic to the core. We were with each athlete every step of the way and we cried tears of joy and tears of loss for every win and every almost-but-not-quite. We jumped out of our seats for the goals and the golds. We Twittered and Facebooked everything that we loved about those seventeen days. We traded our apathy in for honest to goodness caring and concern for everyone involved from athletes, to families of to spectators and everyone else and in between. And it was AWESOME!



Every morning I awoke and this is the first thing I checked, even before my email! Because of our time zone differences, we often won (and didn't win) our medals long after my bedtime. So when I awoke I would go here and check to see what our new medal tally was. It was awesome to see us gaining on Germany and the USA four at a time in the end. And then when me made history with our fourteen gold medals I was overjoyed. This widget was great because with each new medal you just click on your country and it tells you who won the latest events. What countries, what teams, what athletes, what medals. It makes me just a little sad that it no longer tallies. But, that is not to say that I am not incredibly proud and impressed with Canada's final score of twenty six hard earned medals.


I would find videos, and articles that made me both weep (I cried at least twice a day during the Olympics) and laugh and just revel in the joy that is the Olympics. Like this Red Mitten Flash Mob video. I Love it. It just screams lets be happy for happy. And it made me happy.

And when Joannie Rochette won bronze in Women's Free Skate. To overcome the grief of losing her mom just days before to skate the two best skates of her life and end up on the podium. Winning a medal in an event packed full of phenoms from every country is an accomplished in of itself but to do it through the grief, wow. Not just wow though, she took home the Terry Fox award for her efforts and triumphs. Go Team Canada!

I am tempted to embed the golden goal video from the Canada-USA hockey game but I am sure many of you have already seen it. Let's just say I was dancing around here like a fool for a couple hours! Instead, I will leave you with a different sort of skating video, one more like Blades of Glory than the 2010 Olympics but still awesome!

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

See you in Russia!!!!!!!!!