G u l n a r i t a

Yesterday was Canada Day! But I was feeling ill, so we celebrated today by making and decorating these delicious cupcakes. They are red velvet with cream cheese icing and crunchy red sugar. I know red velvet is not Canadian at all, but it's one of my favourite cake flavours, so I'll use any excuse to bake it. I shared them with my neighbor cause I can't trust that I won't devour them all. *_* nyam nyam nyam! *_*

I used this recipe for Southern Red Velvet Cake and baked them for about 20 minutes at 350. My daughter had such a good time sprinkling the sugar and putting up the little flags. Yummy, eh?

P.S. Red Velvet Cupcake in Spanish is "Pastelito de Terciopelo Rojo". Doesn't that sound beautiful?

Yay! I decided to do the ABCs of me series of posts. Not everyday, but whenever I think of something, just to keep things fresh and share a little more about myself ^_^ So...

So like, I haven't been up to much lately, craft-wise. Just been cleaning up the latest sewing room disgrace. Sewing is already a very messy endeavor, with all the "noodles" (unusable fabric strips) that every project yields. Now add a curious toddler to the mix and the mess is guaranteed to become intolerable FAST. It's really embarrassing, and hard to control. No pictures! ;) But here's my sad-looking stash before:



And after..ish.. Neatly folded and colour-separated. Still got more to go :( I had NO idea I had that bundle of red felt. I'm wondering what I could do with it...


Here's my cutting table and shelves all tidied with all the knick-knacks in their proper places. Buttons and beads and Sculpey AWAY from sticky baby girl fingers.


Here's my working desk:


All my notions, scissors, needles and threads are well hidden in the little boxes you see above. I know it all looks extremely plain and boring, like an office. That's toddler-proof for you :P

I got some cute WIPs (works in progress) that I hope to finish and show soon. And I just realized that my sewing machine needs a name. Any suggestions? ^_^ If it's really cute I'll give you a small prize!

It has been about 2 and a half months since I decided to become a vegetarian. What progress have I made? So far so good! :)

I have successfully cut the following animals from my diet:

• chicken
• mutton
• goat
• lamb
• fish

I can say with 100% honesty that I have no desire to eat these ever again, and avoiding them will not be a problem. I have not been able to cut eggs from my diet completely, though I've reduced them considerably. Also, I've come to realize that the hardest thing to give up will be beef. :( I love to eat donairs and beef samosas. Bah! I try to control myself but it's very difficult to say no. I'll just have to find better alternatives. I like falafel, but not its side effects. O.o

I've started to eat more salads and beans. I have also decided that I'll give up dairy when I've effectively cut all meat out, and have found healthy and practical alternatives for everything.

Meanwhile I dream of the day when I will truly deserve to wear this:

I always liked the simple look of pillowcase dresses. They look so flowy and fresh, like a mini version of womens' trendy maxi dresses. Yesterday I went diving in my linens stash for a pillowcase to sacrifice. I found a green one, sewn and embroidered by my grandmother, about 20 years ago. This was my first try:

That gingham panel makes it look all retro-cute! I like that now she can wear me and my grandma's creation. ^-^ The fabric is also very light, perfect for hot summer days. It was a little tricky putting on the skinny binding straps, but I like that they look like spaghetti straps. I knew I just had to make another one, so later I went to a thrift shop and found the most perfect and delicious vintage pillowcase (for 99 cents!) This is the second dress, made this afternoon:



The wider binding made the strap application so much easier. I really like it! I'm gonna call that her "Christine Strawberry Girl" dress. ;D It only took about 30 minutes to make the whole thing, and it was very easy!

I used these instructions.

This little bag is a surprise present for a girl who told me her favourite colour is yellow. I'm pretty sure that she doesn't read this blog ;) So here it is:


I only had these fabrics in yellow! I'm not usually attracted to this colour, so I really had to think about how I would make it work. I think the result is very summery and country-ish, but in a good way. ^_^ It makes me think of a bag that a cute girl with a lacy purple dress and long blond braids would take on a riverside picnic. There she would think about her crush and pick daisy petals all day long... which she'd put inside a secret notebook... inside the bag! hahaha!


On purpose I left the applique's edges raw and made the strap with the fluffy selvedge end of the fabric to give it a worn faux-vintage look. The flower is made with a hand-drawn freezer paper stencil. I think that worked well :D


The bag is lined with coordinating purple fabric. She sounds like a very sunny and cheerful girl, so I really hope she likes the purple details! O.o!! To me purple is a gothy and glam colour, but I think it manages to look summery here.

Battling insomnia... as always. Here is a really fun meme I found on Wayfarer's blog .

rules:

a. Type your answer to each of the questions below into Flickr Search.
b. Using only the first page, pick an image.
c. Copy and paste each of the URLs for the images into fd’s mosaic maker.

1. What is your first name?
2. What is your favorite food?
3. What high school did you go to?
4. What is your favorite color?
5. Who is your celebrity crush?
6. Favorite drink?
7. Dream vacation?
8. Favorite dessert?
9. What you want to be when you grow up?
10. What do you love most in life?
11. One Word to describe you.
12. Your flickr name.

Can you guess who my celebrity crush is? LOL xD

This is my entry for the Muslimahs Speak Up Carvinal. I really thank Umm Layth for inviting me to participate. I hope you all find it useful. If you're new to my blog, I welcome you wholeheartedly.




I wrote this guide for the absolute newbie crafter. The person who is full of desire for creativity, who is deeply appreciative of the charm in the handmade and the independent approach of D.I.Y. (do it yourself), but doesn’t have a clue where to start. If this sounds like you, keep reading. You are a crafter in waiting. There are probably many crazy, interesting ideas inside your head, many colours swirling around your thoughts, and perhaps it’s bothering you that you cannot translate them into tangible art. I used to be like that, for many frustrating years. I don’t claim to be an expert on the craft movement by any means. I don’t dare call myself an “expert” on my own craft either! However, I do feel that by sharing the many things I’ve learned from my own journey, I could perhaps help give that final push to a newbie who is nervous but ready to get started.



I once showed a very simple tote bag I made to a young girl. She said “I could never do that.” I told her she could. She kept shaking her head. It saddened me because I had the same pessimistic thoughts a just few short years ago. Any handmade item I saw, no matter how simple it was in construction, made me feel discouraged. “I could never do that.” I thought I didn’t have the slightest capacity for that kind of creativity. I didn’t have any knowledge of where to gather materials, where to find a how-to guide, no one to teach me, no encouragement, nothing. I felt intimidated even to walk into a craft store and ask questions. I thought that arts and crafts was an elite activity, a privilege reserved for “better” people. Resourceful, naturally artistic people; all of them with uncanny talents, formal training since an early age, plenty of connections, and a deep wallet. The thought of it made me depressed and left out. But I could not deny the desire inside to create something, anything with my own hands. I had ideas, but zero know-how on how to execute them.

I started paying attention to crafty blogs at first. The first one, and my biggest inspiration, was Sketched Soul. Through the beauty of her creations and her organized swaps, Farhana gave me the encouragement to try things out for myself. I joined a swap, just see what would happen. I ended up making a jewelery box hand-painted with floral henna patterns. The result encouraged me even more. I have always been attracted to fabrics, so I took up machine sewing. The first moments I ever touched a sewing machine were incredibly intimidating. I was terrified of screwing up, and felt foolish. But I gathered courage and gave it an awkward go. Then as I dipped my hands into sewing, slowly learned the basics, visited fabric stores, and read sewing blogs and books, the unapproachable mystique wore off. It started to seem like a joke. This is not difficult at all! And the screw-ups turned out to be not a big deal anyway. Confidence took over and I started to look at hand sewn items in a different light. It was now, I could make that. I could try that. I’m so going to learn that. Hah! And now I’m here, almost a couple years later, still learning, having a ball and steadily developing my own style. It’s truly brought out a better part of myself and brought so much happiness and fulfillment to my life. I can now give lovingly handmade gifts to my friends and family, and can make many things that are needed in my home. I can clothe my daughter in little dresses and pants with fabrics of our own liking. It’s an immense blessing. And it can only get better. So. You can do this. If I, a simple (often worried often awkward) gal can do this, so can you. You just have to find the right avenue and do a little fun work to bring out your inner crafty self.


Only you can figure out which craft is right for you. Ask yourself what kind of aesthetic and materials you are attracted to. Look at some finished items. Go nuts at the library and take out all the craft books that look pretty. Take note of all the things that make your heart flutter. Quilts? Knits? Purses? Stuffed toys? Wood carvings? Ceramics? Silk screened t-shirts? Papier mache sculptures? There are infinite possibilities. Make a list. Don’t feel pretentious or insecure. Nothing is unapproachable. “Oh yeah how can clumsy old me learn anything about ceramics?” You are a human being blessed with two hands and a working brain, therefore you can learn. Do a lot of research, soul-searching, googling, flickr-ing, and brainstorming. You will just know, eventually.


Once you put some skill into your hands, it’s there for you for your entire lifetime. Learn to crochet baby booties and you can make a pair for everyone from your first newborn to your last grandchild. A manual skill is a treasure. The products could someday generate income for you, can beautifully clothe your loved ones, can make your home cozier and more welcoming, can beautify and simplify your entire life. Not to mention that you will find a great way to channel all your creative energy, and you will feel (and be!) useful and productive. A craft will be a joy in your best moments and a refuge from the stresses and sadness of everyday life. It will also give your self-esteem a nice, healthy boost.


Don’t feel intimidated by all the skilled artists and crafters out there. You’re not competing against them, or anyone. Crafting is about finding joy in using your hands and having a ton of fun. Your beginning efforts are not worthless because they’re simple or small, or even sloppy. Attach value to them, just because they’re yours. Also, please never feel discouraged by your age. It is very inaccurrate to believe that you have to be young to learn a new skill. There are crafters or all ages and experience levels, and everyone started small. Even that superstar craft book author you admire started with a little project and some crooked stitches. Age is irrelevant. Even if you don’t have crafty people in your family, even if you feel nervous, and even if you have zero experience, you can do it. Make it work with what you have, create your own unique style, start your own craft traditions. Put your original ideas to paper, cloth, clay and paint. With a little patience and focus, you can make it happen.


Where will you find inspiration?

* Keep a notebook! If you’re like me, the most interesting ideas might suddenly pop into your head when you’re falling asleep. Make lots of little drawings. It doesn’t matter if what you come up with doesn’t seem “plausible” or seems too complicated for your skill level. Write all of it down. Maybe one day you will do it, maybe not, but the point is to have a record of all your original ideas for future reference.

* Your surroundings. Well, of course! For example, do you love the look of certain fruit, tree or flower? Try to picture it recreated it in cloth, wood, yarn, or whatever medium you’re working with. Always the most exciting and creative process, and it yields the most personal and meaningful results.

* Your memories & dreams. Only you know what those are, but I can provide an example: For some people, little houses with triangular shaped roofs and tiny square windows are a source of deep fondness and nostalgia. They used to draw them during childhood, and they miss the cute neighborhood where they grew up. How to implement that in a craft? Easy. Make a little patchwork house; a cloth interpretation of what your childhood house looked like, and applique it to a quilt. Or make it from wool felt, from clay, or make a soft house toy. You get it. Take your fondest memories and recreate them with materials and colours of your choosing. The most heartfelt crafts come out this way.

* Browse through flickr and flickr groups. You will never be disappointed with what you find over there. Search for keywords such as D.I.Y., craft, crafty, zakka, homemade, handmade, handicraft, patchwork, amigurumi, etc. You know what to do already. Flickr is a gigantic treasure trove of crafts. It’s not about copying people's work or biting their style. You might find techniques that you might want to try, or new and unexpected colour and material combinations. It’s about seeing what’s out there, what’s possible. This kind of research is about planting seeds of ideas in your mind. You’ll end up combining, modifying and transforming those ideas into your own unique products.

* Read/browse tons of books, magazines and blogs on the subject. You will always find yourself –mentally and manually - putting your own personal twist on any given craft book project. If interested in the needle arts, I highly recommend looking at Japanese craft magazines. You can find them on eBay, Etsy, Superbuzzy or if you’re lucky, your local craft bookstore or Japanese bookstore. You can never go wrong with those. They are full of mind-blowingly beautiful things and fresh ideas. Look for titles such as Cotton & Paint, Cotton Time, Cotton Friend, Craft Cafe, Stitch Idees, Handmade Zakka.

* Your own inspiration board. Almost every crafter does this. Take a cork board and attach pretty pictures to it. Simple as that. ^_^ Take magazine clippings, print outs, drawings, stickers, fabric swatches… basically anything that looks lovely and can be pinned on a board. Arrange it all in a pleasing way and look at it often to get your creative juices flowing.


Apart from the library, a good part of my search for craft books is done on Amazon. I use my wishlist frequently and load it up with everything that catches my eye. I don’t necessarily buy all the time. The wishlist is a handy reference tool. I always find the most useful and interesting books because I like to spend time digging there through Listmania, wishlists, odd searches, and the related items window.

I strongly suggest using this feature to compile a list of books to get you started. It’s almost as good as shopping ;) If you don’t want to buy them just yet, simply print off your list and take it to the library or a used book store.

Once you find a good book, sit down and read it carefully. Familiarize yourself with the specialized language used in the instructions. Don’t worry if it all sounds to complicated at first. You’ll get it all eventually. Take note of all the things you will need. If you feel that the book really is particularly helpful, and full of projects that you want to make, I strongly recommend purchasing it, but that’s your prerogative. It sure is enjoyable to build your personal library of craft books though.


Before you head out to the craft store, make an inventory of the basic supplies you will require. Most craft books already have very thorough lists. Read through a bunch of them and write down all the necessities for your very own starting kit. This will make your shopping easier, quicker and will keep you from guessing and overspending.

When you first go shopping for your new hobby, please consider buying yourself excellent quality supplies. Save up if you have to. They don’t have to be expensive professional tools, but you shouldn’t buy the cheapest, junkiest, dollar store-quality tools either. Cheap supplies are a complete waste of money. In most cases, they will not yield desirable results, and they will most likely break, unravel, rip, go dull or downright fall apart within a few short weeks. Talk about a mood killer! You will have to spend money again on a new set of supplies, not to mention repeated irritating trips to the store. Get it over with and invest in good quality tools and materials. You deserve them. Being realistic, expect to spend anywhere from $100-250 at the very beginning, depending on your craft.

If you are taking up something that requires machinery, such as sewing, please do some thorough research before you purchase. Example: For a craft like sewing, a solid quality machine is crucial. You must be prepared to invest at the very least $300 if buying a new machine. It is also possible find good quality vintage machines for less if you know where to look. (Ebay, your local classifieds, thrift stores, your relatives, etc.)

In my experience, super cheap store-bought machines are so not worth it for the above mentioned reasons. The cheapies might look mighty enticing on a W-Fart shelf & price, but most of them will give you hours of thread tension problems and frustrations. Before you know it, you'll be craving a new machine.

Recommended: For sewing machine reviews, visit Pattern Review. This website was a very valuable resource for me when I was shopping for a sewing machine upgrade. It has hundreds of honest user reviews.


First of all, take yourself seriously. Don’t think less of yourself if things feel overwhelming at first. Relax! There will be a learning curve and an uncomfortable period, but you’re perfectly capable of carving (sewing? crocheting?) your way through it. Take it word by word, stitch by stitch. Tackle the learning process slowly but fearlessly. First focus on learning your craft’s basic skills and techniques. This will take weeks, even months. You could also attend a class at your local adult education centre or art college, or ask a versed relative or friend for help. Start with very small and simple projects. Learn well the skills to make the skeleton - a basic tote bag, a pillowcase, a baby jacket - and then later you can go to town embellishing it and customizing it to your heart’s desire. Even if it takes a lot of effort and time to get a technique right, keep at it with unshakable determination. It took me a long while to fully understand sewing directions, but I kept reading and reading them, and practicing on scraps until everything was down pat in my brain. You will get where you want to be skill-wise and aesthetic-wise if you persevere.

Be aware that you don’t have to produce a complex “masterpiece” on your first tries. You might find that your first masterpiece is something very simple - like a small drawstring bag or a crocheted dishcloth - but it looks and feels really good to you. It doesn’t have to be good enough for anyone else. It’s yours, you made it, it’s little and cute, delight in it! Every piece you craft is a small triumph. So be lighthearted, have fun, stay focused on your learning, practice constantly, and take lots of notes.


The most exciting time is when you’ve finally got the ball rolling and are learning and crafting steadily. You will find that as you grasp understanding for more techniques, you will be coming up with new ideas for designs constantly. It’s like that part of your brain gets turned on, starts pumping out fabulous ideas, and demands that you materialize them. This is the period when you will find your own unique voice as a crafter. Like I mentioned before, once you got the basics down, you can let loose and make things look and work just the way you like them. Little by little try to improve on your craftsmanship. It’s a slow and thoughtful process. Your work doesn’t have to be “perfect” but you should strive to improve its quality over time.

Take pride in your craft. It is yours. You don’t have to have a diploma on your wall to claim a craft as your own. It will be exactly what you make of it.



Literature

The Shepherd’s Daughter by William Saroyan – short story found in the book 75 Short Masterpieces. It was a huge influence for me. You can also listen to it here:
http://www.enivrez.com/bedtime/Miette_Saroyan.mp3

Craft to Heal: Soothing your Soul with Sewing, Painting and Other Pastimes by Nancy Monson. Description from Amazon: Craft to Heal describes how creative pursuits can be transformed into healing arts, which, in turn, can transform you. Highly recommended.

This little list on the occupations of the Prophets. Very inspirational, but take it with a grain of salt, as sources are unfortunately not listed.

General Crafts

The Crafter’s Companion by Various Authors. Beautiful book that has all the superstars from the craft blogging world sharing their personal stories. They share a little about their lives, recount how they first got into crafting, show their creative spaces, and each offer an original pattern for you to make. Truly inspirational and it reinforces the fact that crafters are just regular friendly folks like everyone else. Awesome.

The Crafter Culture Handbook by Amy Spencer. Another compilation of various authors, similar to The Crafter's Companion, but covering many different areas of craft. Includes electro-crafts and graffiti artists. Very hefty volume including tons of patterns. I think it reads like a gigantic zine! A must have.

AlternaCrafts: 20+ Hi-Style Lo-Budget Projects to Make by Jessica Vitkus. A great starting point. Features tons of very cute and original crafts that can be made with re-purposed materials.

Children

See and Sew (sewing and needlework) Look and Cook (cooking) Sow and Grow (gardening) by Tina Davis – all the books in this series are charmingly illustrated with the sweetest vintage images. Incredibly simple projects for children and adult newbies to learn. Too good to pass up. These books are little treasures.

Girl’s Best Book of Knitting, Sewing, and Embroidery by Virginie desMoulins - Delightful book for introducing young girls to the needle arts. Boys could use it too if you tweak the patterns a little to their liking. Very simple instructions and very cute and fresh projects. This one I plan to use for sure with my daughter. It's for sale at an insane price on Amazon right now so go and grab it.

Making Stuff for Kids by Victoria Woodcock. Amazon description: Making Stuff for Kids is a vibrant and exciting new craft book that features a whole slew of new ideas for cool things to make for and with kids.

D.I.Y. Kids by Ellen and Julia Lupton – Brilliant children’s craft book focused on design instruction. One of my favourites. I wish I had something like this when I was growing up. Very special.

Sewing

S.E.W. Everything Workshop by Diana Rupp – The mother of all beginners' sewing books. I reviewed it here. I can't imagine life without it. It's that good.

Bend-the-Rules Sewing by Amy Karol – Another essential. Every project in this book is simple and ingenious and cute. Many of the projects have a sweet retro feel to them. You're guaranteed to fall in love with it.

Lotta Jansdotter's Simple Sewing - My beautiful Scandinavian love! Ultra stylish projects and home solutions from the famous Swedish designer. Perfect for beginners.

Sew U by Wendy Mullin – The book to get if you’re more keen on learning adult clothes construction. Rent it from the library first, to make sure her style of clothing is right for you.

A Sampling of Crafty Blogs

CraftZine - I think this is the best craft blog on the internet. Showcases hundreds of crafts of every imaginable type. Dig through their archives and know inspiration. They also have a print magazine that is worth checking out.

Zakka Life - Ingenious and stunning crafts made from the simplest of materials. This blogger should write a book! Everything she does leaves me in awe. You really must look through her archives.

Modish - Another gorgeous blog that is a treasury of information. Regularly features links to the most useful how-to guides and delicious must-haves from independent sellers. Very cool and hip. (I feel old saying that word)

Sketched Soul - The blog that started it all for me. I'm sure you probably know her too. She's the most inspirational, charitable and beautifully creative woman. She's my muse! I heart her to bits and I forever thank her for helping to bring my creative spirit out. She also has tons of useful links on her sidebars, so check those out.

Related Posts

On Teaching Children the Domestic Arts
A Starting Guide to Sewing by my dear friend Wayfarer

My friend Molly la Güerita finally got her present in the mail. I couldn't blog about this before that ;) I made this simple linen tote bag for her about 3 weeks ago. It was for of the freebie gift giveaway I'm doing. I had to do hers first because she's going to frolic in the land of Teh LoL Sphynx!1! soon.



I'm extremely happy that she liked it. ^_^! The rest of you girls on my freebies list can expect similar things. (That means Amani, Alienbea, Leena, Wayfarer... y'all still remember RIGHT?!) Custom-made and detailed just for you, of course. If you girls have any colour preferences, *right now* is the time to let me know. Even though I already have some idea of what most of you like.. hehe.

Also note: I will be making -Inshallah- a 6th tote bag, stuffing it with goodies, and I plan to raffle it away. My blog's birthday is coming up in August ;) But that will happen when I finish all the gifts first. I'm motivated so it shouldn't take too long :P I'll keep you posted.

Pincushions are so much fun! I made these little ones recently. They're so quick and easy, but boy do they take a lot of stuffing. I mean, for such a small thing you really do need to pack in several large handfuls of polyfill. If you don't, it will be inadequate and flimsy, and the pins will poke right through the bottom and hurt your hand. I learned that the unpleasant way. ;_; But it's good times matching tiny pieces of fabric for the patchwork. And tufting (putting the button in the centre) is pure glee! Makes it feel all nice and tight and well finished.

This rice is a top favourite around here, especially with my daughter. She will eat it all without a fight and even demands more. Any food that has that effect on her is a winner with me. It's very delicious and easy to make!


1) Wash and soak 1 cup of white basmati rice for at least 10 minutes.

2) Fill a medium sized saucepan with water and boil. When the water is boiling, add a pinch of saffron.

3) Rinse and drain the rice and add it to the boiling saffron water. The water should be a strong yellow colour.

4) Boil until rice is tender but still retains its shape. Usually about 10 minutes, give or take. To get it right, just keep testing the rice between your fingers during the last few minutes of boiling. It should be soft but not overly so that it falls apart and becomes sticky or pasty. There should be grain separation.

5) When the rice is ready, drain and place in a serving dish. Add a tablespoon of butter in the middle and let it melt. Add sugar to taste. I usually add 2 tablespoons. Fluff with a fork.

6) ENJOY! :D Sometimes I add some melted aged white cheddar cheese and it tastes just heavenly. It's fattening though ;) but my skinny little baby can use the extra calories anyway.

* My husband went and added Toblerone chocolate to the cheesy rice. @_@ Scandalous!

Yesterday I received this delicious package from Umm Adam H. for the Thrifted Gifted & Made Swap. Thank you so much! It made me smile how she picked fruity fabrics for the handmade accessories. That lil cherry bag is precious! So thoughtful and gorgeous and perfect! I love it so so so much. Do you think I'm going to use these things in the kitchen?


I put them up on my bedroom wall ^_^ . They are just too cute to let them get stained with kitchen goo. I'd rather see them everyday and be reminded of the sheer happiness I felt when opening the package. You can also see on my wall 2 cupcake cards. Guess who made them for me? One was from Wayfarer and the other one from Baraka. They mean a lot to me. Beside the cards is a crayon drawing I made once of my dream home. ;) The other stuff on there you've seen before on my blog. It's always a pleasure to wake up and see lovingly handmade things when I first open my eyes.

I found this highly amusing chart while reading through one of my mom's books from college.

Today I went downtown for a little shopping for the first time in years. Bah! What a horrible experience! I'm never going back there again! Rude d-bags and oil yuppies (or a combination of both) everywhere, invading my personal space, expecting me, a mom with a kid and a handful of bags, to accommodate and make space for them. On top of that, it rained, my hair got a serious case of the frizzies, our raincoats were too hot, my daughter was cranky, i lost my bus fare (but thankfully the bus driver was really nice ), my pant cuffs started to drag, men staring, store security alarms going off for no reason, mystery smells hitting me in the face, and a million other awkward things. By the time we took the bus back, I was so hurt and angry, my nerves destroyed, and my hair was impossibly poofy. Oh vell. At least I got a couple cute shirts out of the whole nightmare. Why are simple situations so difficult for me? Is it just the toddler-in-tow factor? Grrrr!

When came home and my daughter had a meltdown and we napped. I'm so ready to spend the rest of this rainy month snuggled up at home, unwinding with a mug of hot chocolate. If I don't see/smell/hear/talk to people for at least 2 weeks, that would be heavenly. ^_^

I made these for dinner this afternoon. Yum! They were made with chickpeas, vital wheat gluten, breadcrumbs, garlic, lemon, and some other seasonings. Perfect with the simple guacamole side and sweet chili sauce. They were fried in olive oil and were crispy and meaty in texture. I'd say this is definitely one of the best alternatives to chicken I've tried so far. Would love to have these in a burger, with some avocado slices and caramelized onions.

Recipe can be found in the Veganomicon. YES that book is my new BFF.

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I haven't been doing much sewing or crafting, simply because I don't feel like it. ^_^ These days I just want to go out, enjoy the sunshine and fresh spring breeze before it turns crazy hot. Pass the strawberry juice! ♥

I think I'm in love. Or lust. ;_; These pumps would just kill with a simple linen tunic. Now imagine that tunic with some very understated tone-on-tone embroidery. O.o!

And these would be perfect with a light flowy skirt for a fresh summer look. I'd aslo wear a ruffly white tunic with plenty of pleats and tucks and ruffles. heeee. And some silver bangles.




Shukr Clothing + Kenneth Cole shoes = Unquestionable Perfection. Time to direct my lustful glances elsewhere before I perish.

A couple years ago I had a a brief stint blogging in Spanish. Then I ran out of things to say and took it down. Today I put it back up! I want to get back into it so... si hablas Español watch that space.

Noches de Aburrimiento
http://azahar-alheli.blogspot.com/

Hey! So a couple weeks ago, while I was working on the swap bag, I also worked on this little dress. Remember that on Jan 1 I made the resolution to make my daughter a dress before May came around. It was supposed to be made with some pink cupcake fabric but... the pattern made me fall asleep (literally) ^_^ and I put it off. I will finish it eventually but not right now. I made this cute little vintage-inspired dress instead. I found the most darling fabric:


Square flowers! Doesn't get any more whimsy than that! It's from the "Little Darlings" collection by Robert Kaufman. Here's the dress:


It's a bit big for her but it's not bad for a first try. ;) I really dig those yellow square buttons. Next time I think I'll skip on the strap tabs. The fussy little miss didn't want to model for some action photos. ^_- Edit to add: Nevermind! She finally let me dress her and was willing to pose for a photo.


It looks like a small dress by itself, but on her, it's rather large. She's a tiny girl. ^_^ She's also wearing her favourite jelly sandals sent by her teenage uncle in Pakistan. He's always finding fun little presents to send her. He's awesome like that. :D


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Here's a really quick little embellishment I did. I found this shirt on sale at Old Navy. Not gingham but almost! It kind of reminds me of a maid's uniform :P You know JLO's uniform from Maid in Manhattan? Yeah like that. To tone down on that look I thought it would be cute to embellish the sleeves with a little jacquard trim.


It looks much cuter and gives it a sort-of vintagey air, but I'm still not crazy about that white collar. Maybe I should try embroidering something on it. Will keep you posted.

P.S. That is not my bed sheet. Hehe.

I'm so pleased to finally reveal the pleated beauty bag I've been working on for the Bend-the-Rules Sewing swap. This puppy kept me really busy for many days but it was so worth it! I almost wanted to keep it for myself but.... blue is not my colour ;) I hope my swap partner likes it. She sounded like very chic and artistic lady so I tried to make it look stylish and tasteful for her. I also tried to be faithful to her colour specifications. It's always fun to make someone a custom-made item. Here it is! ^_^


Here it is seen from a different light:


The bag's fabric is high quality Essex linen and the contrasting panels are quilting cotton from the Annabella collection by Tina Givens.

I embellished the front with freezer paper stencils. I used Farhana's tutorial to help me out with this. The stenciled design on the right (the leaves) is also inspired by a print from the same fabric collection.


For the pocket I used linen backed with fusible interfacing and embellished it with some lovely lace trim. I also stamped the swap name to commemorate the occasion.


I'm so excited to see what my suprise bag will look like! There's already so many gorgeous creations posted on the Bend-the-Rules sewing flickr pool. I wonder which one is mine! I love secret swaps.