Done! And Moving On...

So, I decided to not buy any fabric/craft supplies in the month of September, going along with the Stashbusting September challenge. And...I did it! Well, almost. I did buy a 5-yard knit fabric bolt from Wal-Mart for $5 on the 28th. It was so cheap, and...and..it was cheap! I have a pattern for a knit dress that needs to be used, and I can also make shirts for the kids, skirts, etc. So, I'll use that fabric up!

Anyways, I am so happy I did that little challenge, because I used up a lot of fabric that I had just sitting around. I took pictures of almost nothing I made, since I was too busy sewing, but here is a list anyways. In September, I made:

-- a shirt dress for Cosette (using the Sienna dress pattern I used here)

-- a long-sleeve peasant dress for Coco

-- a zippered skirt for myself (using this easy tutorial with zippers, yay!)

-- matching mother/daughter yoga skirts (using this wonderful tute)

-- 2 gathered clutches (from Noodlehead)that I actually took pics of, because they came out cute and have functioning zippers!


-- and I made progress on the kiddos' Owie Dolls. I am using them as travel buddies for our big move to Japan and am making them sleeping bags, too. Eesh.

--Oh, and a cute crochet headband which I will never wear, so check the pattern out and tell me if you would wear it. It's in an butterscotch/cinnamon color like in the photo.

Sewing makes me so happy, and fabric makes me even happier! What does NOT make me happy right now is how long it has taken me to finish the several different dolls I am working on. I bought a Waldorf doll kit last September to make and give to my daughter for her 1st birthday. Well, she will be 2 in a month and that doll is not finished at all. Yikes! Let's see if I can finish it up soon, although I pretty much hate its guts right now.

Look, Mom, It Fits!

My mom and I were trying to figure out if that owl hat would fit a 6 week old baby, and it does. Yay! Here is little Ella rocking her hat:



She is such a cutie. I just love her little belly button!

Hoot!

Owls are all the rage right now, and they are so cute! My best friend from college just had her third baby, so I tormented myself with crocheting for the cutie:

*I say tormented, because it takes a lot of work for me to not have a death grip on my crochet hook. A too-tight grip equals an itchy, itchy hat!

Little did I know that baby girl's nursery is owl themed, so I was on the right track with this! Super awesome and cheap pattern here. What is great about this pattern is that it is a really great earflap beanie pattern, too, if you don't like the owl-ness.

She is also getting these girly booties:


I got this pattern off etsy here. Very cute pattern, but it uses too much fabric glue to be a favorite shoe.

Maybe it wasn't the pattern, though--it could have been my sewing. I have messed up everything I have tried to make lately (owl pillow for nephew's nursery--4 tries--taking a break!) so maybe that's a sign that I need to just buckle down with my hook and yarn and--argh--the hubby's sweater.

That said, I am doing the T-shirt diaries' Stashbusting September (see button) so that I can hopefully clear out some closet space. I have an unusual amount of craft felt in there!

       

Birthday Fabric

My sisters gave me fabric for my birthday! Yay! So I used it. Because it's cute.
I used it on my little Coco, of course! Sewing for little girls is not only easy and cheap but so fun. Just a little fabric goes a long way, and there are a bazillion sewing tutorials online for anything you could want to make. Cash is feeling neglected.

My sister Meg gave me some cute cherry fabric, destined to be a dress for Cosette. After she broke her collarbone, she needed something to wear that wouldn't require her to lift her arms over her head. So, this little tie-on sundress (tutorial here) was perfect:


My sister Larissa gave me some super cute Japanese fabric, which I love. I knew it would be cute as a little lined toddler backpack, and Cosette had been stealing her brother's Diego one. This backpack is little, but it looks even smaller over Cosette's collarbone brace:

Cosette likes to travel light like her mama and only fills it with a few goldfish crackers at a time! Observe the light-packing!


Poor Cash--every time I make something for Cosette, he asks if I can make him something, too. I am making him a pirate doll, but that might be a while!
     

The Prints I Love...

Clearing up some bookmarks! I am a big fan of Etsy and especially love to browse all of the cool prints, like in this, this, this, and especially this shop. Sadly, I can't buy any of those. But it's okay, because I found some very awesome free prints in the blog world. Behold, my favorites!

I found this inspiring print here:


Sunny Fiona Design has a few great printables, like this one:


Make it Perfect featured several different cool prints here:


I have been reading Pride and Prejudice lately, so I especially love this one ala Mr. Darcy:


Kind Over Matter is one of my all-time favorite blogs. There are a ton of cool printables there, but these are my favorites:
From The Postal Service's "Such Great Heights":


This one is really good to keep around if you are chasing kids all day:


Aren't those cool? Now all you need is a printer to have some instant and beautiful inspiration!

     

Flourless Black Bean Brownies

Do not be fooled by this recipe! These brownies are not only high in fiber and protein while being low in sugar--they are delicious! My first batch was tested on my Hypnobabies students, who gobbled them up. I wasn't sure if they were consumed because of pregnancy hunger or if they were actually yummy. So, I made another batch for the ultimate taste-testers: my toddlers! They loved them and keep asking for them. They are so super yummy. Try them!

Flourless Black Bean Brownies

1 can (15 oz) black beans, drained and rinsed
4 eggs
1/2 cup sugar (can substitue agave nectar)
3 Tbsp. oil
3 or 4 Tbsp. cocoa powder
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. baking powder
pinch of salt
2 Tbsp. peanut butter (optional, but I always go for this one!)

Blend everything up in a blender or food processor. Pour into a greased 8 by 8 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes (mine were done in my superhot oven at around 25 minutes. Test for doneness with a toothpick). Cut in pieces and enjoy!

Here are some Canellini (white bean) variations I'm excited to try:

Lemon Ginger: Use canellini beans instead of black beans. Add 1 tsp. lemon extract, 2 tsp. ground ginger and zest of one lemon to bean mixture. Top with sliced almonds.

Cranberry orange: Use canellini beans instead of black beans. Add 1 tsp. orange extract, 2 tsp. ground ginger and zest of one orange to bean mixture. Top with minced dried cranberries.

Cherry almond: Use canellini beans instead of black beans. Add 1 tsp. almond to bean mixture. Top with minced dried cherries and sliced almonds.

Pumpkin: Use canellini beans instead of black beans. Add 1 cup pumpkin puree, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp salt to bean mixture. Top with chopped pecans.

Apple spice: Use canellini beans instead of black beans. Add 1 cup unsweetened applesauce, 1/4 tsp ground ginger, 2 tsp cinnamon, 1/4 tsp cloves, 1/4 tsp nutmeg and 1/4 tsp salt to bean mixture. Top with chopped walnuts.

MADE stuff

There is a craft blog I really like called MADE, mainly because the seamstress of the blog is the sewing equivalent to my sister Molly's cooking. They are both very creative and have crazy camera smiles :)

Anyways, I wanted to try a few of her patterns, so here they are:

The Warhol Dress. This is a free pattern and comes together in about an hour:


I thickened the neckline a bit too much, but I think it's still kind of cute. Sorry for the blurriness, but I just love that chubby toddler belly poking out! And this dress is made from a $1 5XL t-shirt from Wal-Mart, that has a ton more material left to use.

The Rollie Pollie bean bag chair:


*Crazy kid stretched the neckline out trying to get naked! :)

This bean beag is actually stuffed with our stuffed animals, which was an idea from Molly. The pattern was $6 but very detailed. Put in my first zipper on this little baby!

I am so proud of myself, because I have not bought fabric in over 2 months! So I am finally tackling all of the projects and materials I have literally shoved in my closet. (Yes, I am a shover. Don't look under my couch!)