New Zippered Pouches

I got about 100 zippers on Ebay the other day, so I've been busy making these little zippered pouches. A girl can only have so many of these, so I'm putting these three in my Etsy shop.

Baby Shower Goodness

On Sunday night, my friends and family had a baby shower for me. I got loads of nice things, including bunches of handmade goodies. I didn't know that I knew so many crafty people!

Prayer shawl/nursing cover by Aunt Nancy:

Bug mug by Kathryn:

Tons of knitted stuff by Annie (two sweaters, two hats, booties, burp cloths, AND bibs):

Detail of the sweater, hat, and booties:
Onesies by Nana Bird:
Two burp cloths and a "cootie catcher" (in the sack-- one of those things that goes in the grocery cart so baby doesn't have to sit right on the metal seat) by Julie:

AND I did an swap last week with Julie of sewitsforyou, and she made me this little bib and onesie: (Check out her etsy shop here.)

Stoplight Salad

A few friends have asked me for this recipe. The recipe is from one of my favorite cookbooks, Simply in Season, which advocates eating locally and in season. This is from the Summer section of the cookbook. Use whatever you have in your garden or whatever you can find at your local farm stand or market. Adjust the type and quantity of the vegetables to suit your taste or to use what you have. Enjoy!

Stoplight Salad

2 cups tomatoes, chopped and drained
2 cups corn
1 medium green pepper, diced
1 medium sweet red pepper, diced
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, basil, or parsley
2 cups black beans, cooked (or if using canned, rinsed and drained)
Combine in a bowl.

3 T. olive oil
3 T. balsamic vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced

Whisk together in a separate bowl. Pour over salad. Salt and pepper to taste. Toss gently and serve. in the kitchen

Walking

I saw this on Chez Shoes, and I had to check out my neighborhood- if you can call it that. Walk Score will tell you how walkable your town or neighborhood is. While I do live in a place that is surrounded by miles and miles of hiking and biking trails (that I can walk to), the walkability of my home is a measly 6! Going anywhere, except to visit my parents, requires a pretty long drive. The place I lived before moving back here scored a 51. Not bad- I'm glad I took advantage of it while I lived there.

Craft Show Success!

I didn't do too badly at my first craft show. It was a tiny event at a local church, and the crafts were not the main focus of the day. I think most people spent their money at the auction and then had nothing left for shopping. I am happy with how the day went. Now that I know what to expect, I'm looking forward to doing another show soon. Thanks for your support! The chapel:

My table-- in the perfect shady spot:

I actually SOLD OUT of these bibs:

Pay It Forward Fun

I was reading Stephanie's blog at Providence Handmade, and I joined this exchange. Sounds like fun! Want to join me?

I will send a handmade gift to the first 3 people who leave a comment on my blog requesting to join this Pay It Forward exchange. I don’t know what that gift will be yet and you may not receive it tomorrow or next week, but you will receive it within 365 days, that is my promise! The only thing you have to do in return is pay it forward by making the same promise on your blog.

Good Dog!

Instead of doing my grad school project, I found all of these cute dogs named Hank on Flickr. Enjoy!

1. Hank, 2. Hank!, 3. Hank, 4. Hank, 5. Hank, 6. A dog's interpretation of my mood, 7. tasty, 8. Hank sleeping, 9. hank11, 10. Hank, 11. hank, newly-groomed!, 12. Hank the Wolf Dog, 13. Hank the Dawg, 14. hank, 15. Hank the Bearded Dog, 16. Hank the Dog

Some People Actually Read This Blog???

Today has been a record-breaking day in blog readership for me, thanks to Marielle at chez shoes. It's a lot of fun connecting with other people in this online crafting community. Thanks, new friends!

Back to School

Taking a week-long graduate class is really cramping my sewing and crafting style. While my class is very good, I missed being at home with Hank and my sewing machine today. Sigh. Four days to go...

It is HOT tonight, so I think I'll be having some of this for supper.

(Stoplight Salad from my favorite cookbook)

And ice cream for dessert.

Six Bags in Two Days

Since I start a graduate class on Monday, I've been BUSY getting things ready for the craft fair.

These are simple totes in two sizes; the bigger ones close with a vintage button, and the smaller ones have an inside pocket. The fabric is from my new favorite fabric store, Burkholder's Fabrics. I can't believe I had never been there before Tuesday when I live so close!