homemaking

12 Days of {handmade} Christmas ::Day 1 Large Zippered Make-up Bag

November 1, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 51 Comments

Welcome to 12 Days of Handmade Christmas!

zipperedmakeupbag

There’s no rest for the weary. I just finished my 31 days to a heart of hospitality and here we go again! But I have some awesome projects lined up for you to help us all embrace a more meaningful, less commercialized Christmas. This is day 1 of 12 Days of {handmade} Christmas tutorials. Bookmark the landing page for the whole 12 Days of {handmade} Christmas series and check daily for updates! I’m so excited that my adorable friend, Camera Jan, blogger at Just Imagine Heaven, and homeschooling MOTHER OF 6! is gonna start the series for us. Here’s how it happened. She and Heather both brought these AH-mazing large zippered make-up bags on our trip to Texas. I instantly coveted them and made her promise to do a tutorial so I could make a few for Christmas presents and of course, one to keep for myself! I have some perfect fabric for this occasion and can’t wait to find a little time to sneak up to the sewing room. And make sure you check out the great projects from 2010! Welcome dearie! Thank you for being so willing to share your hard work and creativity with us! Mwahhhhh:))))

My sweet friend, Edie (Long live Texas!) has asked me to do a little tutorial for my super versatile cosmetic bag. With Christmas just around the corner y’all better get started on these ASAP. They will make wonderful gifts!

Often times I have things in my head that I would love to make, but then I’m stuck without a pattern. I’ve been thinking of making an EXTRA large cosmetic case for awhile now. They’re fabulous for travel or even just to carry things in a diaper bag or even to keep in a glove box. You never know when it might come in handy. With a few friends’ birthdays coming I figured it would be the perfect time to get moving on this project. I began browsing Pinterest with no success, so after a little trial and error I came up with this pattern.

I have a friend that loves buntings, so when I saw this fabric I couldn’t passs it up. That fabric, on top, will be used for the outside of your bag. The bottom, green fabric, will be on the inside.

What makes this bag unique is that I’ve lined it with vinyl, so it’s easy to wipe clean or you can use it for wet things and the outside won’t get wet..

31woFGpfw-L._SY450_ For the vinyl I just used this iron on stuff. Thermoweb Heat’n Bond Iron-On Vinyl -17″X5 Yards Gloss
It’s pretty dreamy and easy to use. Now I just want to iron this vinyl to everything because I have 6 kids and it would make cleaning a lot easier.
I love it!Here’s where things may get a little tricky, so hopefully I don’t lose you and I don’t confuse myself. First, you will want to iron heavyweight interfacing to the wrong side of your bunting fabric. It will give your bag more stability. (This step is not pictured.) Next, lay your outer fabric right side up and your zipper face down on top of it.

Then take your lining fabric and lay it face down on top of the zipper, which is also face down. Then you are going to sew along the edge of the zipper. This is where a zipper foot really comes in handy.

After you’ve sewn these pieces together, open it up and this is what it looks like.

Iron your fabric along the zipper, but be careful not to get the hot iron on the vinyl. That could be detrimental to the project.

Now repeat the above steps with the other fabric pieces and other side of the zipper.

This is what it looks like when both sides have been sewn. If you turn the bag over you will have the green pieces laying right side out. Got it?

Carefully edge stich along the zipper on both sides, making sure the vinyl undernath is not part of the edge stitiching.

Open the zipper halfway. Don’t forget this step or you’ll be sorry later.

Now lay your bag so that the right sides of all fabric pieces are facing inward. It should be green on green and bunting on bunting. Pin the edges together. Then sew along the outside edge with a 1/2 inch seam allowance. Be sure to leave about a 2 inch opening at the bottom center of the green fabric. That is where you will be turning the bag inside out.

Clip all four corners.

Here’s another tricky part. This is how we make the bag stand on its own. At the corners of the bag, on all for sides, match the side seam with the bottom seam. It should form a triangle.

Smash it down and sew along the edge with a 2 inch seam allowance.

You are going to do this on all four sides.

Then trim the edges. It’s always hard for me to cut these corners off, but it’s got to be done. If they aren’t cut off things will be a little puffy later. And, we definitely don’t want that.

Remember that opening you left at the bottom of the bag? Now it’s time to utilize it. We’re going to turn this bag inside out now!

I like to stick one of the farthest corners through the hole first and then work the rest of the bag through the hole.

There! Everything is now right side out.

Now we need to sew up that opening at the bottom of the bag. You can sew this by hand for a more polished finish or you can do it the lazy way, like me, by using the sewing machine.

Once that is finished you can tuck the inside back into the bag and you’re finished!

See? Pretty easy peasy, right? Now go and make a hundred more and give them to your friends for Christmas!

Materials:

1-12 inch zipper
2-14×10 inch pieces of heavyweight fusible interfacing
2-14×10 inch pieces of outer fabric
2-14×10 inch pieces of inner fabric
2-14×10 inch pieces iron on vinyl

Directions:

Fuse interfacing to outer fabric pieces and iron vinyl to inner fabric pieces.
Lay outer fabric right side up. Place zipper face down on top of outer fabric. Place inner fabric wrong side up on top of zipper. Sew along the edge of the zipper with a zipper foot.
Repeat on step 2 on other side of zipper.
Iron outer fabric along the zipper. Then edge stitch along the zipper, careful not to sew the green fabric.
Turn bag inside out, so right sides of outer fabric are facing each other and right sides of inner fabric are facing each other. Unzip zipper halfway.
Pin edges and sew along the outside of the bag with 1/2 inch seam allowance, leaving a 2 inch opening at the bottom center of the inner fabric for turning, later. Trim all 4 corners.
Match side seams with bottom seam creating a triangle. Sew the triangle with a 2 inch seam allowance. Trim the excess seam allowance.
Turn bag inside out through opening at the bottom of the bag. Sew opening closed.
Tuck inside of bag into bag. Finished!

Do you want an idea how ginormous this bag really is? That’s my 4 year old, holding the bag, filled to the gills with awesomeness.

When I travel, I don’t travel light when it comes to toiletries and cosmetics. I want to have as much of of things with me as a I can. You never know when you might need for different occasions. It’s best to be prepared. (On a side note, the pink Beauty Blender is awesome. Get one. Once you have one you’ll wonder how you lived without one for so long.)

Yes! It all fits into the cosmetic bag. It also zips. Now you’ll notice that it isn’t completely full. There’s room for more. Perhaps I’ll add a toothbrush and some toothpaste since it seems I forgot to add them to the photo.

Now you’re thinking, “Toiletries and cosmetics. Big deal.” Right? How about 6 swimming suits? That’s right.

This bag is great for wet bathing suits. I fit all 6 of my children’s swim wear into that bag. It’s perfect if you’re at a hotel or somewhere that makes it difficult to store wet items.

Elizabeth can hardly contain the excitement over the versatility of this ginormous bag! Now you really need to make a few for yourself and your friends.

On laundry and color

November 1, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 227 Comments

When Blogher asked me participate in Tide’s ‘Style that Pops’ campaign, I couldn’t sign up fast enough. I clothe myself like I decorate my house; in layers, with color, with things that inspire! AND, I’ve used Tide for 20 years and although I’ve changed brands for short periods of time, I always come back to Tide. I was so curious to try the†Tide Pods on my favorite colorful clothes. I hate having beautiful pieces that come out of the laundry dingy. I’m crushing on pinks and purples right now so I’m in the market for an outfit that looks like this chair and pillow! †

It’s so much more fun to wash pretty, colorful clothes, don’t you agree? YES, yes it is! And it’s also true that what you wear has some sort of psychological effect on your mood. Although I still love the tried and true neutrals, adding color to your wardrobe has a big payoff. And even though I stay home every day, homeschooling my girls, doing laundry, making food and cleaning, I still get dressed in things that inspire me. I don’t ‘save’ the good stuff for special occasions. Otherwise, I’d never wear it. I slip on an apron and let Tide worry about the mess! I can tell you for sure that it was more fun to make Stevie’s birthday pie in a pretty, colorful shirt. After a whole day of working hard at home, it was a mess. I washed it this morning using one of the Tide Pods and it’s sparkling again. I love the smell of the ‘Spring Meadow’ variety. I’ve got a strong smeller so I judge a laundry detergent by its smell factor and I worried that these small little pacs wouldn’t pack a punch in scent—– but they do.

I consider myself a connoisseur of laundry. I’ve done a lot of laundry in my life. I do a lot of laundry now. And I have to tell you that I LOVE these Tide Pods. You just throw a pac in the wash, without the mess of the liquid and without any extra steps. I think you’ll like them too. And don’t forget to wear the good stuff. Even at home. You’ll feel better, look better, and when it’s time to do laundry, your clothes will be (almost) fun to wash. Pop in. Stand out.

My colorful brights look great hanging on the rack to dry. And even look cuter by this cutie! † Now, doing the boys’ laundry, that’s another (boring) story!

For a chance to win a $100 Visa gift card, answer the following question: What is your favorite outfit to stand out in?

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No duplicate comments.

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d) For those with no Twitter or blog, read the official rules to learn about an alternate form of entry.

This giveaway is open to US Residents age 18 or older. Winners will be selected via random draw, and will be notified by e-mail. You have 72 hours to respond; otherwise, a new winner will be selected.

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Be sure to visit the†Tide Pods brand page on BlogHer.com†where you can read other bloggersí reviews and find more chances to win!

31 Days to Hospitality::Day 28 What to Cook {when company comes}

October 30, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 19 Comments

This is day 20 in a 31 day series on hospitality. Start from the beginning here.

1. Keep a list of great recipes.

The big question is always, “What should I cook?” Isn’t that the bane of the existence of every mother? Don’t you get tired of trying to figure out what to cook? That’s why I started keeping a collection of my favorite recipes on my blog—like a hope chest for my daughters someday. They’ll have all mom’s recipes at their fingertips. I’m always trying new recipes but there’s nothing like a few that are tried and true.

And what could be better than soup? I’m kinda like the soup whisperer. I LOVE soup. I make it every week, even in the summer. It’s comfort food. It feeds a crowd. You can make it stretch. It’s not expensive. Soup is your friend when you’re having company.

Best Beef Stew Ever

Mocha Cake

Beef Enchiladas

Best Ever Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe

Glazed Apple Bars

Southern Cornbread

Spicy Tomato Soup

Blucberry Coffee Cake

Strawberry Dream Cake

Late Summer Vegetable Soup

Chicken and Dumplings

Cheese Tortellini Soup

Grannie’s Fudge

Chipotle Pumpkin Barley Soup

Rocky Top Chili

Italian Sub Soup

Cheeseburger {in paradise} Soup

Taco Casserole

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cookies with Sea Salt

Potato Corn Chowder

Roasted Zucchini Lasagna

2. Plan ahead.

Make a menu. Right it down. When I’m having company, I plan every meal ahead and plan for plenty of snacks, cocktails, cookies, etc. I plan for things that can be at least partially prepared ahead. This allows you plenty of margin—-which translates into time, to visit with your company.

3. Cook ahead.

Almost everything can be frozen. I cook ahead and then freeze what freezes well. Soups freeze particularly well as do cookies. I almost always have those things in my freezer, just in case.

4. When all else fails, make homemade bread.

I always try to bake bread when company’s coming. The house smells amazing and everyone knows how much you love them. The end.

*******************
If you have any favorite, tried and true recipes that would be great for showing hospitality, link to them in the comments. I will add some of those links back to this post!

Mwahhhhhh!

31 Days of Hospitality::Day 26 Hospitality, Square Dance Style

October 28, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 18 Comments

This is day 26 in a 31 day series on hospitality. Start from the beginning here.
You know you’ve raised your kids right when they ask for a square dance party for their 16th birthday.
And that’s just what my niece, Hope (or Hope-y, as I call her) asked for. Isn’t she adorable?????

And here is the hostess with the mosses, in the flesh. My sister, if I do say so myself, knows how to throw a party. She knows how to feed people. And she does it with grace and with a big smile on her face. She’s always doing it too, so I suppose the practice has paid off. If you’re having an event or just blessing people in your everyday, you need to learn from the master. She is hospitality extraordinaire.

She’s smart too because she surrounds herself with her people. Which reminds me that it takes a village to ~~raise a child~~ host a square dance. We discovered during the setup that Aunt Shawna is little OCD with her decorations. They have to be PERFECT! Which was a great balance to my, “Oh, everything looks great!” attitude. The three of us were a mean team of decorating and serving and cleaning up. You need your people. Hospitality is seldom a solo sport. We made Hope-y pose with the aunts. It’s only fair since we’ve half raised her!

And the girl cousins—so completely adorable!

The hillbilly couch got put to full use. Just set up some hay bales in the rough shape of a sofa. Instant photo booth!

The food was beautiful to look at and yummy to eat.

When sissy texted me a picture of one of these sunflower cupcakes the day before the party and said, “Just 74 more to go”, I got a little panicked for her. Except then I remembered that she’s a machine. She can just churn out the work and get .stuff. done. I LOVE that about her. Nothing intimidates her, nothing rattles her. She’s a work horse and knows how to do EVERYTHING.

She simplified the drink list to include sweet and unsweet tea and lemonade. She also has tubs of water bottles sitting around. Perfect and simplified.

The chocolate fountain was a huge hit. Cleaning it out the next day, however, was not. I said that we should just take a vote on whether to throw the whole thing away or clean it. I’m sure my vote of ‘throw the whole thing away’ was tempting but she cleaned it out, God love her. Every last drop. I vowed to never buy a chocolate fountain. EVER.

We decorated mostly with burlap, bandanas and mason jars.

The tables were set with simple flowers (in mason jars) and small votive candles. She served BBQ, baked beans, cole slaw and chips.

And you can’t have a party in our family without Grannie and Poppa G to help you. They work like crazy, in the background, to make everything perfect.

Grannie’s got that look on her face like, “Did we remember to unload the mums?”

Hope and her friend Paige decided to celebrate their birthdays together. Their cake was todiefor!

(Side note—when you’re having a big party like this, it’s a great idea to do it jointly to defray some of the costs and some of the work. Paige’s family was awesome in helping us get all set up and torn down and since we had the party at a barn, there was a lot to load and unload.)

And then there was the square dance. If you’ve never been to one, find out if there’s a local caller in your area and book one right away. It’s the perfect family activity because all ages can participate. You don’t have to know what you’re doing and it’s easy to catch on.

It’s THE MOST FUN, EVER! I’ll let the photos speak for themselves!

Take your partner and do-si-do!

These two boys were HI-LARRY-US. Trevor showed up in a mullet and they rocked the square dance floor all night.

It was the most fun I’ve had in a long time. Maybe even since the last square dance.

And watching my sister work her magic was just icing on the sunflower cupcakes.

31 Days to Hospitality::Day 23 Homemade Honey Wheat Bread

October 25, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 58 Comments

This is day 23 in a 31 day series on hospitality. This series has been converted to ebook format and can purchased here.

honeywheatbread

You wanna know what love smells like? You do, don’t you? It’s the smell of homemade bread baking. I don’t know if there’s anyway to love someone more. Unless you add softened butter to the bread then you win all contests of love and war. So, I made this (dorky) video for you. Always be wary of home jobs, with hair coloring and with video making. But without further adieu—–

Welcome to dorkville. But I hope this video helps give you confidence to try bread making for yourself.

Never mind the nail polish on one thumb.

Never mind that I sling flour all over the kitchen because my mixer is OUT OF control.

Never mind all that. Concentrate on the bread, dear people. This bread will never let you down. It may be the easiest, most reliable bread recipe I have. Add it to your repertoire. You won’t regret it.

Can’t you almost taste it? Oh, it’s good, my friends!

And if you’re looking for dishes to serve it with, I have a plethora of delicious soups to choose from!

Ingredients::

2 cups warm water

1/3 c. honey

1/3 c. canola oil

1 T. yeast

1 t. salt

2 c. whole wheat flour (freshly ground if possible)

5 (or so) cups of all purpose flour (add until the dough pulls away from the sides and is no longer sticky)

The How-to::

Pans—I use the stoneware loaf pans from Pampered Chef and they work GREAT! You could use whatever you have but spray them with Pam first.

Preheat your oven to 375. I think I said 350 in the video. It’s 375. Sorry. Dorky video.

Also—I said olive oil in the video. I use CANOLA oil for this and olive oil for almost everything else in the world. But for this, canola or something similar.

Pour 2 cups of warm water into your mixing bowl. Add the oil THEN the honey. Use the same liquid measuring cup and your honey will come right out of the cup. Start your mixer on low. Then add yeast, salt and 2 cups of whole wheat flour. You could increase the amount of whole wheat for a denser bread (that’s coming tomorrow!) but for this one, I use two. When those are incorporated, start adding the all purpose flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and is no longer sticky to the touch. It usually takes about 5 cups but when I made this batch, it took 5 1/3. It’s the consistency you’re looking for so watch the video for a demonstration if you haven’t made much bread before.

When the dough is just right, turn it onto a clean, floured surface and knead it for 5-10 min. The longer you need it the more dense it becomes. I knead this bread about 5 minutes. Or my sous chefs do, I should say! Put some oil into the bottom of the mixing bowl and then add the dough back to the bowl to rise. My oven has a proofing setting for the rising phase but you could also heat your oven to 200 when you begin and then just turn it off so that the oven is a little warm but not hot. I place a warm towel over the bowl and let it rise until it’s doubled in size. It usually takes 45′ to an hour in the oven. After it’s doubled, divide it into two loaves, shaping it into loaves by tucking the sides under, and then place into greased loaf pans. Let rise again until it’s just to the top of the pans. Bake at 375 for 25-30 min.

ENJOY!!!!

***This recipe makes two loaves so it’s perfect for sharing. I use these bread bags, Bread Loaf Bags, Pack of 100 by Perfect Utopia from Amazon to store it or to give it as a gift.

You will notice on bread-making day that there’s a general loveliness in the children and a certain all around sense of happiness and goodwill.

I’m pretty sure homemade bread has magical powers. Give it a try!

Okay, loves, I’m outta here.

Bake bread. It’s good for the soul.

Amen.
xoxo

31 Days to Hospitality::Day 20 Potato Corn Chowder

October 21, 2012 by Edie Wadsworth 28 Comments

This is day 20 in a 31 day series on hospitality. Start from the beginning here.
Since you stocked your pantry and have plenty to drink and all, I figured it was high time we make some food. I’m gonna talk more about my philosophy when it comes to feeding people but suffice it to say, people love to be fed. And I find that when feeding a crowd, there’s nothing better than soup. And I’m a huge fan of one pot meals. One pot meals make life worth living. Okay, maybe that’s overstating it but still.

One pot to clean=one happy momma.

This corn chowder is so easy, so delicious, and is even a crowd pleaser among the youngsters.

Here’s what you need:

1 onion

1 32 oz bag frozen corn (could certainly use fresh corn when it’s in season but the frozen works great too)

1/2 to 1 red pepper, diced

1 stalk of celery, diced

3 yukon potatoes, peeled and diced

3-4 springs of thyme

salt and pepper

cayenne pepper

2 boxes of chicken stock

2 T. flour

1 T. bacon fat

1 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

1/2 c. heavy cream

1 T. honey

Melt the butter and bacon fat in a large stock pot and then add the olive oil. When the oils are hot, add the chopped onion, red pepper and celery. Add a pinch of cayenne pepper and then salt and pepper. You’ll reseason at the end but make sure you start the process now for depth of flavor. (I always buy celery that still has the leaves on the end and then chop those too and add them along with the celery.) I cook these on med high so that the onions will brown a little. When those have sautéed for 4-5 min, add the flour and cook it about a minute and then add all the chicken stock, along with the frozen corn. Add the thyme (you can either put the whole stems with the leaves on them and then remove the stems at the end or pull the leaves off the stems and just add the leaves) and potatoes and cook for 30 min on med heat until the potatoes are tender. When they are tender, add the honey and cream and then reseason as needed. Since there aren’t many seasonings in this soup, I add lots of pepper. Enjoy the some crusty bread!

Ode to bacon fat

Also, the bacon adds a lot of flavor so don’t skip that step. I know my Southern friends won’t but if you’re from Connecticut, you’ll be tempted. Bacon fat rules the world. Corn chowder just isn’t corn chowder without bacon fat. I am not me without bacon fat. Love your family well. Use bacon fat. Amen.

Don’t forget the recipe page for other tasty treats!

Potato Corn Chowder

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Ingredients

1 onion diced
1 32 oz bag frozen corn could certainly use fresh corn when it’s in season but the frozen works great too
1/2 to 1 red pepper diced
1 stalk of celery diced
3 yukon potatoes peeled and diced
3-4 springs of thyme
salt and pepper
cayenne pepper
2 boxes of chicken stock
2 T. flour
1 T. bacon fat
1 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1/2 c. heavy cream
1 T. honey

Instructions

Melt the butter and bacon fat in a large stock pot and then add the olive oil.
When the oils are hot, add the chopped onion, red pepper and celery.
Add a pinch of cayenne pepper and then salt and pepper. You’ll reseason at the end but make sure you start the process now for depth of flavor. (I always buy celery that still has the leaves on the end and then chop those too and add them along with the celery.)
I cook these on med high so that the onions will brown a little.
When those have sautéed for 4-5 min, add the flour and cook it about a minute and then add all the chicken stock, along with the frozen corn.
Add the thyme (you can either put the whole stems with the leaves on them and then remove the stems at the end or pull the leaves off the stems and just add the leaves) and potatoes and cook for 30 min on med heat until the potatoes are tender.
When they are tender, add the honey and cream and then reseason as needed.
Since there aren’t many seasonings in this soup, I add lots of pepper.
Enjoy the some crusty bread!