Sewing: Bunny Skirt

 
 Spring has sprung and the fun of the season has finally presented itself. This beautiful yellow shower tree is one of many that have bloomed. Along with the spring rains,flowers seem to be popping out everywhere. There is also an ample supply of springy Easter goods stocked on the shelves of the stores. Chickies,bunnies and chocolate galore. {Oh, how the chocolate does tempt one every holiday season. I'm partial to Lindt chocolate, although Cadbury does a pretty good dark chocolate.} The celebration of new life is key to Easter and every year we celebrate with family. We have an early Easter dinner and let the little ones hunt for eggs. 
  For this purpose I have sewn up a couple of happy spring bunny skirts. Casual enough for comfort and cute enough for holiday flair.

  I opted for bright colors. The orange and turquoise are fun alternatives to the usual pink and yellow. Starting out as a long rectangular piece of fabric,this simple skirt takes shape with an elastic waist and hemmed edge.

  For the appliqued bunnies,I ironed on some pellon to a piece of white felt.

  In order to keep my felt piece clean,I traced my bunny shape onto the back of the pellon paper.

  I then peeled the paper off of the back of the felt and transfered my bunnies onto my fabric using a hot iron.

  Sewing around the shape of the bunny ensured durability to the piece. I enjoyed hand embroidering the eyes and neckties.
 {It was faster work than I had anticipated. All bunnies done in one sitting.}

  I also added a ribbon down the front side of the skirt to conceal the seam.

  And a bow in the front to mark the middle of the skirt. {This skirt is longer on her because it is meant for her big sister. The above skirt is the correct length.} 
I particularly like the hot pink ballet slippers. They add an individual pop of style to the outfit. Don't you think?  
 {I couldn't get her to wear her white dress shoes...she insisted on the pink:)}

Happy Sewing. 

Aloha!

~Christie

Crochet: Circular Rug

Reminiscent of homemade vintage goods, I used old fabric to create a small bath rug using the technique of crochet. It was a fun process of making fabric yarn and then devising a pattern for a simple rug. The pattern is made up of increasing double crochet stitches. It worked up fairly quickly and created a soft cushioned product.

I added this little nest with eggs to accent the rug. I like the pop of orange. The height of the double crochet stitches builds the rug rather quickly. It was a joy to make. The color is quite organic. It would be fun to make one in a bright raspberry or vibrant orange.

This is the finished product. A sweet little circular rug for any small space. I think I may try a rectangular one next. My grandmother told me that when she was a young girl they would wind fabric scraps into balls of yarn. Her mother would then take that fabric yarn and crochet rugs for their home. It is a great way to repurpose fabric or worn sheets into something useful and homemade. Aloha.

~Christie

Still Here!

I promise I haven't been purposely neglecting my blog. We've been sick with the flu. We are in our second week. So not fun. I feel a little like this photograph. Trodden on and rumpled in spirit with wellness trying to triumph. The light of the day finally starting to shine upon me.

I miss feeling like this. Bright, optimistic, healthy and ready for anything. 

 My fridge is filled with passion orange juice, Sunny D and regular orange juice. 

I think we might just turn orange from all this liquid citrus.

{Image Source}

And we have had enough homemade chicken noodle soup to last us a lifetime...seriously, what else tastes better when you're sick?

The girls and I have been watching old favorite movies like this.

{Image Source}

And I have been thinking about fun project ideas like these bunnies from the purl bee.

 I love the purl bee. I definitely want to sew up these cuties.

Or this well done crocheted pillow from the purl bee.

Too bad my hands have been busy scrubbing counters, floors, tubs and doing mounds of laundry. 

I mean I feel like I should just move into a place like this. 

It would definitely be more time efficient.

{Image Source}

But, for now recovery is the main objective 
and creativity remains swirling in my dreams...until tomorrow.

~Christie

Finger Paints

Recently I tried a finger paint recipe that worked rather well. 

It was easy to make, quite colorful and 

fun for the littles to paint with.  

I found this finger paint recipe over at 

Easie Peasie. 

Check it out. It's a good one!

~Christie

Recipe: Panipopo

Oh yes, panipopo...one of my favorites. 

It is a Samoan delight

and a complete comfort food. 

There is a good recipe here. 

 Basically, use your best sweet dough recipe.

Let it rise until doubled.

Then heat two cans of coconut milk with 

about 1/2 to 1 cup of granulated sugar. 

Let thicken, stir constantly and do not burn!

Pour the coconut mixture into a 

greased 9x13" pan.

Divide your dough.

I like to make 24 little rolls. 

You can make 12 larger ones. 

 I also roll and twist each one.

Then I let them rise until doubled.

I bake them at 350'F for 30 minutes 
until golden brown.

Let them cool to warm....then cut a piece. 

When you flip them over the thick coconut mixture is like a pudding.

 YUM. 

Best when warm and straight out of the oven.

You'll need to share some with a friend.
{It's delightsome.}

Aloha!

~Christie

Children's Artwork

     The day before yesterday, my daughter appeared in my doorway with a frown holding up a folded poster that she had neglected to bring out and share from her backpack. I asked her what that was, prompting her to be quick about it because we were rushing out the door. She unfolded the crinkled mess and explained that it was her entry for the Sight is Beautiful contest and sadly informed me that she had not won. She was quite dissatisfied with her failed attempt. She had put so much thought and effort into it. There were days of coming home from school and hearing her talk about what she might draw and "today I outlined it in permanent marker!" Or this kid is drawing a rainbow or that kid is drawing a shark. And "today I colored it all in and I finished it!" Much enthusiasm from my 7 year old with such high hopes of winning the coveted first prize ribbon. After turning it in, days passed and then weeks. The folded poster came home with her on the Friday and slept in her backpack until that rushed Monday morning. Oh dear, I thought, she is such a darling. When she finally shared with me her artwork of what she thought was most beautiful, I thought I would cry. Silently hushing up the tears, not to confuse her with my emotions, I smiled as big as I could and told her how much I loved it. I truly did. I loved it! It was an endearing expression of her heart and of a very touching subject of family. The most beautiful thing to her was her family. Us, her family. The everyday chaotic, crazy, loving, amusing and sometimes peaceful family. It wasn't rainbows or butterflies...it was her family.

    She saw my happy face and responded with a rather large toothless grin that carried into her eyes. She hugged me and I placed her poster onto my dresser, where other special artworks collect. Later that day I decided to frame it. It needed to be framed, shared as our family portrait. So, I mounted it in a large wooden frame with a mat that I glitterized for this very special artwork. I set it in our family room above our piano and waited for her to notice it when she came home that day. She quietly noticed her artwork and I saw her sitting on the floor staring up at it. I told her how lovely I thought it was and how special it made us all feel. I love artwork because it's a true expression of an individual. It's the uniqueness that makes it so appealing. I love how the boys are all similiar and so are the girls. How she put perspective into the picture with the height of the flowers trailing off into infinity and how our family is linked into that line. I think she truly understands what it means to have a family forever. I am thankful for her and her dear sweet spirit. Aloha.

~Christie

Craft: St. Patty's Day Pin

 My husband thoughtfully gave me this book, 

Crocheting in Plain English. 

It had a cute lucky 4 leaf clover pattern in it. It was fairly simple to do and took little time to complete one clover. I decided to make a St. Patty's Day Pin out of it. 
Here is what I did below.

 Perfect accessory for the holiday. 

Make one for yourself and one to give away.

 I think I will make one for my daughter to give to her teacher too. Aloha!

~Christie

Recipe: Cream Puff Desert

YUMMY! 

That's all I have to say about this delightfully light dessert.It's been one of our favorites for awhile now.

 You may find the complete detailed recipe here at Taste of Home.

This is definitely one to try this weekend! 

Check out the process below.

~Christie

Recipe: Chocolate Filled Wontons

  We usually fill our wontons with a shrimp and vegetable mixture and dip them in sweet and sour sauce. This  time We filled them with chocolate and coated them in powdered sugar.I found a good recipe here, and another similar recipe here.  

 I used a mixture of semi sweet baking squares melted with butter over a double boiler. 

 Then mixed in some cream cheese. {Looking back, I think that next time I will use my Kitchenaid to really blend the cream cheese in well.} Then I spooned that mixture onto my wonton wrappers. 

Folding the wonton over, forming a triangle, I used a bit of water to adhere the two sides together. This makes a sealed little package of goodness. Then making sure your oil is hot, deep fry the wontons for two minutes or so until they are golden brown and crispy. The crispier the better. 

 Transfer them onto a paper towel lined plate then dredge them in powdered sugar and let cool to warm. 

 They are a crispy chewy treat and  make a nice side to a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Enjoy.

~Christie