sugar & spice

Ignoring the fact that a post on my blog is LONG overdue (gulp!), I had a few moments to post a quick tidbit about some new dresses I made this morning. I still need to figure out what kind of closures I want on the backsides (ie. buttons or snaps or…or…?), but I thought I would give you all a little sneak peek. The Hub’s comments about our future spawn in regards to the gender specific clothes that I sew: “Our little girl is going to be the cutest thing…either that or our little boy is really out of luck.” He couldn’t have said it better. Little girls just look so much cuter in dresses…and heck, they’re a HOOT to make!

Some notes: I made the red one with different armholes. I just turned them in and hemmed them instead of covering them with cotton binding. I like that it made the straps a little more narrow…instead of shoulder-pad looking. Even if I continue to put binding in the armholes, like in the white and green dress, I think I’ll make the straps a bit more narrow. Thoughts?

today

I’ve been in such a blogging rut. I can’t think of anything interesting to write about lately and I hate to bore you all (and myself) by just posting a photo of the recipe we had for dinner the night before…or my latest silly little sewing project. But alas, that is mostly what I keep busy with these days. Cooking and sewing. The life of an unemployed 20-something American wife of a tall basketball-playing Swede.

Most days I wake up and have a cup of tea…usually chai or rooibos…while I check my email, Facebook, favorite blogs, news from home (and start the crossword), etc. Then I stare at the stack of fabric on the shelf in the guest room and try to muster up enough creative energy to think of something Etsy-worthy to post in my shop. If and when I finally do, I whip up something like this. I was super blessed to have made 4 sales in the past few days, so after I got myself showered and put my face on, as my mom always said, I took a stroll down to the post and mailed those to their various destinations (CA, PA, VA, NJ). The old Greek man and his son that run the little video/post shop see my face quite often.

Before I left the apartment, I managed to hang some laundry, start another load, vacuum our cozy 500 square-foot abode, empty the trash, and make a list of what to buy towards tonight’s dinner recipe (one of which is not available online, but makes its debut from a Swedish cookbook that my mother in-law gave me for Christmas). Tonight’s dinner will in fact be Quinoa Salad with Smoked Salmon…and to give you a better idea of all the goodness I plan on throwing in there, the other ingredients are cucumber, leek, avocado, and dill…with a crème fraîche, honey, horseradish dressing on the side. Um, yes please.

I’ve been getting tired of staring at the jar of Trader Joe’s crunchy peanut butter in the fridge, so I did some speedy googling and found this recipe of Heidi’s. All I needed to buy was the puffed rice cereal (I swapped dried cranberries for raisins). Those were meant to be part of my day. While I was glaring at the peanut butter, 3 bruised bananas caught my eye and I decided I would whip up some banana walnut bread too (I swapped white flour for whole-wheat and sprinkled some chopped walnuts on top for added crunch) (This is my go-to banana bread recipe…turns out perfect every time, even with my little variations). I had everything at home that I needed. So after a trip to the post, I hit up the market (list in tow) and came home in record time, ready to make magic happen in our little kitchen. Just under 2 hours later, the Salvage Bars are setting in the fridge and the banana bread is cooling on the countertop. It’s just about time to tackle dinner preparations.

Meanwhile, I’m sure the laundry I hung this morning is dry and ready to be folded…and the next load can come out of the washer and take its place.

We’ll be going to the women’s basketball game after dinner and then I need to come home and complete my online photography lesson, to which I’ll probably have myself another cup of tea.

This, friends, is the life of an unemployed 20-something American wife of a tall basketball-playing Swede.

And a little shout out to one of our nephews today, Happy 5th Birthday, Adam ! (the Swede little blondie on the right)

Hope to have something more interesting to post soon. Anyone have any tips to spice up my blog or ways to keep the creative energy flowing? Fun topics to post about? I read so many others and feel so inspired…and so inadequate at the same time. Poop. Maybe it’s just today…

playing catch up

Friends! It’s been so long! So sorry for the lack of correspondence lately. It’s been a busy weekend/ start to the week. While the tall Hub’s been shooting hoops, I’ve been keeping him well-fed and sewing up a storm. I FINALLY made a pattern for some sweet little smock-style dresses for those precious little baby girls running around our world these days…and I must say, I heart them big time. The snow outside is completely caddywhompis today, so I wasn’t about to ride my bike downtown…but I do need to purchase some snaps for the backs of the dresses, so I’ll have to weather the storm eventually. Until then, here’s a sneak peek (tell me what you think!)…

So cute, right?! The brown one was made from vintage fabric and the turquoise one is a fabulous Amy Butler design. Love her! I ordered some other fabrics before Christmas, so those will be making an appearance (along with these two) in my Etsy shop soon!

Here’s a little snapshot of what else I’ve been up to…

(+ I completed lesson 1 & 2 of my online photo class! I’m feeling smarter already) What have you all been staying busy with?? I wanna hear it! Hope you’re having a great week! xo

hope.venessa

My friend Venessa has a huge heart. And some of the most talented hands. The union of both of those has enabled her to travel both to India and to Africa to help the less fortunate (50% of the profits from her sales go to charities in both of those countries). We actually made the Africa trip together and I was forever blessed, both by all that we experienced while we were there…and by the strengethened bond I share with this beautiful friend ‘o mine. Her creations on Etsy are bound to woo the world…and they do. I mean, LOOK at these…

I proudly own (and sport) 2 of Venessa’s necklaces and I can’t tell you how many compliments I’ve had on both of them. True Story. Her heart is so huge that she even made a flower-piece for me to wear in my hair on our wedding day…

Here it is…in action! This was right after the Hub and I were married…coming out of the church…

(Isn’t my Hub cute? )

I admire crafty people. I do. But I admire even more a crafty person with a good heart and cause…and a strong passion for what they do. That is my dear friend Venessa, in a nut shell. Now go treat yourself to something pretty!

Happy Friday, sweet friends!

etsy updates

Hi friends! Just a short message to let you all know that I’ve followed through on my promise and posted some new bibs that I made today! There are 6 little guys smiling in the Etsy shop now Go see for yourself! I started the pattern I’ve been using with oilcloth fabric for those messy little tikes, but I had a request from a friend to make one in cotton and fleece (to match a blanket I made for her), so I gave that a whirl today…with the same pattern, minus the front pocket. Her little princess is a drooling one (like many other few-month-olds that I know!), so hopefully this one will keep her dry…in style! Here’s a sneak peek…

Also, made these last night with walnuts and dried cranberries and they were/are UH-mazing. Do yourself a favor and put those on your to-do list for this weekend

i bought a dress & made a bib

So, as I mentioned previously, we’re attending the wedding of some of close friends this summer…August to be more specific. Though it’s still a ways away, I’ve been keeping an eye out for something summery and sassy to wear. The great thing about our group of friends, is that we all go to the same birthday parties, weddings, baptisms, graduations, you name it. So when the bigger parties (like weddings!) come around, it kind of feels silly wearing the same dress (I swear I’m not as materialistic as I sound right now), especially when it’s been documented in a gazillion+1 photos. But me…I like to look on the bright side of things…I see this as a perfect opportunity to lend a helping hand to our struggling economy. Wouldn’t you? I spotted this charming little treasure on J.Crew‘s site today and fell in love with the colors. Right up my alley. And the price had gone from $138.00 to a most serendipitous $49.99! Unreal. The Hub would be is proud. What do you think?!

I heart you J.Crew. Big time. Oh, and you can’t see in these photos, but there are pockets on the side. TOO cute. Thanks sweet and most generous Hub! Heart YOU too!

p.s. I finally whipped out the sewing machine again today (literally had to dust that puppy off) and made a bib for my sister in-law’s cousin who just had a baby boy. The blue one was an order, per her request, and the black and white one was just for fun. It is fun, isn’t it? I have it in my shop (which is super depressing and practically empty. I apologize for that and blame it somewhat on the fact that I was MIA for the holidays…but more to come SOON. I promise.) Take a look-see…

Sleep well, dear friends. Dream sweet.

two words: cinnamon raisin

These two met in my little kitchen yesterday and got married. Don’t they look gorgeous together? I think they’ll live a happy life.

That was some pretty amazing toast this morning. Thank you, newlyweds.

two loaves of bread

Hello friends! How has your weekend been?? I barely realized when it was Friday night and now it’s Sunday! I’m not even sure that I can say we did a whole lot this weekend…it was a mellow one…but I did get some baking done. I found two new bread recipes on a Swedish website last week and I wanted to try them out this weekend…so I did.

The breads were advertised on the homepage of the website as “Simple baking without yeast” and there were five bread recipes listed. Two in particular caught my eye. Both chock-full of nuts and hearty flours and grains and get this: no yeast, eggs, butter, or granulated sugars! And absolutely no kneading or waiting for dough to rise. Just throw everything in one big bowl, mix it up, toss it in a loaf pan and slip that puppy in the oven. After about an hour, each of these gorgeous loaves is smiling back at you, just waiting to be sliced into. It’s amazing folks, really.

I made the first one on Saturday: Omega 3-Bread. (Note: If you want these recipes translated into English, let me know in a comment on this post and I’d be delighted to send either or both of them your way!) This bread is loaded with whole-wheat flour, wheat bran, flax-seed, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, and almonds. Yum! The buttermilk binds everything together…while a few tablespoons of dark syrup add a perfect hint of sweetness, as do the chopped apricots (The recipe called for chopped dates, but I had apricots in my cupboard. Next time I’ll try the dates!). Here’s the handsome loaf himself:

I made the second bread today: Low GI Loaf. The substance of the bread is very similar to the first one (assorted nuts, seeds and diced apricots), but the flours and liquid were a bit different. The GI loaf called for a combination of spelt and rye flours and natural yogurt was the binding ingredient. I decided to top this one off with sunflower seeds to add a little crunch. Don’t you just wanna dive into this?!

Yeah, those few slices didn’t last long. The Hub and I loved (I mean LOVED!) these breads. They might even become a weekly staple in our household…that’s how smitten we are.

Oh, and I made Sara’s Maple Muffins on Saturday too (huge big fat YUM)…and Heidi’s Espresso Banana Muffins today (The recipe for those isn’t available on her website, but it is in her wonderful cookbook, which I adore). The espresso powder I had was a little bit crystallized, but I thought to myself “What the heck!” and tossed a spoonful in anyway, figuring the oozes of espresso flavor throughout might make it a little interesting…and it did just that. Here’s a peak:

Next time I’ll make sure my espresso powder is not chunky, because it’d be nice to see these in a light coffee-brown color, but these were definitely not a waste of time…or hunger. Whole-wheat flour provides a healthier foundation for a delicious breakfast or afternoon snack…and the bananas and yogurt make sure you end up with a well-hydrated mound of lusciousness. Could life get any better than that? Probably, but these were pretty great. Ha!

p.s. Our freezer has a nice stash of all of this tucked away for the week. It all looks so cute in there!

thick socks

In Swedish they’re known as raggsockor, but in English that translates to thick socks…and thick they are! A friend of my mother in-law made these socks for the Hub and I. It’s been an unusually cold winter here in Uppsala (as low as -4°F), so you can only imagine how appreciative we are of these oh-so-inviting wool pockets of loveliness. I had to laugh when I opened the bag the other day and held my socks up next to the Hub’s. His whopping size 15(!) next to my seemingly petite size 8 is quite humorous, wouldn’t you agree?

Hope you’re all having a great weekend! Stay warm!

wine totes & laundry loads

My sister  in-law ordered a few wine totes from me last week for a party she’s going to this weekend. She likes to have a few on hand for when a special occasion arises. And I do agree, they’re a great insta-gift…especially when you have a bottle of wine to pear with it (pun intended). I sold quite a few of these before the holidays and even brought some home to California with me, glögg in tow.

Since I’ve arrived home (to Sweden) from being home (in California) for Christmas, I’ve been itching to bust out my sewing machine. Yesterday was the perfect winter day for such a thing. I woke up to a crispy-cool-white-wonderland outside our front window and I felt motivated to get things done. I folded laundry, hung up more laundry, threw in another load of laundry…

(pause)

Let’s take a minute to discuss the laundry situation here. Listen folks, It is a daily activity for this MRS. We have a 1/2-load size washing machine in our bathroom and I often opt to wash a load of laundry daily instead of hauling a weekly massive heap to the machines provided for our building in the basement. It’s just easier for me…though time consuming, certainly. My Hub is a tall one – 6 feet & 10 whopping inches – and his sweaty gym clothes tend to lend a much-unwanted aroma in our 500 square feet if I don’t do something about it within a 24-hour period. Not to mention, it’s hard to squeeze several articles of clothing for a man that tall in one load. That being said, laundry in our wee abode is a daily deed. They don’t call me Jessie Lane for nothin’!

(resume)

I vacuumed, changed sheets, dusted, clipped out a few recipes from a stack of space-occupying-dust-collecting-better off recycled magazines…

…And then I brought out my sorely missed sewing machine. As I mentioned here, I have some new fabric that I’m dying to turn into something magical, perhaps even something a little inspired by this tidbit from my beautiful friend Shauna’s shop. That time will come eventually. Yesterday was about wine totes. Here are a few tidbits of my own…

Time to refill my tea cup. Hope you’re all having a wonderful day.